Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Are You “by accident” or “on accident”?

 by Sybil Johnson

I find languages endlessly fascinating. I’ve taken enough linguistic classes to know that they change over time. Unless it’s a dead language, of course.

I accept that there are regional differences in American English. I even welcome them. Still, I find some changes to be unnatural. 

Case in point: 

A friend recently asked me what preposition I would use in the following sentences: 

The girl hit her brother _____ accident. 

 I threw away the book ____ accident.

I said “by”. Apparently, though, “on” is used by some people now. It seems unnatural to me, bordering on the unacceptable. I haven’t yet encountered this in my reading, but I’m sure I will one day. I’ll cringe a little, but move on.

I did a little investigating online about this on vs. by thing. 

This article says that which one you say depends on your age. Anyone born before 1970 (me!) uses “by”. Anyone born after 1995 use “on”. Those born in-between use either one.

The article has a pointer to the research paper that backs this up. Yep, a linguist noticed the on vs. by usage in “on/by accident” and did some surveys in various parts of the U.S. I found it very interesting. The change seems to be generational rather than regional. You can read the paper through a link in the article.

That got me thinking about other changes in English. Specifically, how words can drastically change their meaning over time. 

Here’s Merriam-Webster’s take on some words that have changed over time.

 https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/words-that-used-to-mean-something-different

 Here are a few of them I found interesting. Read the article to see the rest of the words they mention and get the details on how these changes came about. 

nice: old meaning is trivial, stupid; current meaning is pleasant, agreeable 

bully: old meaning is sweetheart, darling (of either sex); current meaning is a person who habitually seeks to harm or intimidate 

disappoint: old meaning is to remove from office; current meaning is fail to fulfill the hopes or expectations of someone. 

I can totally see how disappoint could have that old meaning. We do appoint people to office. Why can’t we disappoint them because they disappoint us? 

clue: old meaning is ball of thread or yarn; current meaning is a piece of evidence or information used in the detection of a crime or solving of a mystery. (Or at least the meaning I find most interesting to mystery writers.)

As a writer, I’m not going to worry about whether someone thinks I’m wrong when I use a preposition or something that seems to be wrong to them. I have my own pet peeves, but they don’t prevent me from enjoying a book. I will, however, when writing historical stories try to be hyper aware of what a word meant at the time the story is set. 

Let's go back to the on/by thing. Do you say “by accident” or “on accident”? Do you find one of them unacceptable or wrong?

Monday, May 12, 2025

WHAT'S A WRITER TO DO?

     by Steve Pease/Michael Chandos 

     A short one tonight, I'm afraid. I've been sick for a week with a chest cold and didn't do anything interesting except cough.  I didn't do new writing. I could see my head was spinning, and anything I wrote was bound to be a logical mess. So what's a writer to do?

     Any creative work is non-romantic. The flashy part, for me, happens in my head out of sight. Ideas pop up, words flow, clever writing magically falls together on the page.  Inspiration is really a fun time. That's only 10% of the time.

     For a working writer, there's Work. Editing, format checking, balancing First Reader comments, and the editor's apparent lack of understanding. Filing, paying bills, researching, hunting for coffee creamer, answering the telephone. It's office work. I add regular exercise, dog walks, and decent breaks.  

     So, this week, as I shuffled around in my bathrobe, I did lots of little things. Going thru magazines and tearing out the articles that count. Filing things, playing an old and familiar computer game, and trying to use the treadmill. The weather last week cooperated: cold, wet, even snowy, and very windy. 

     I put out Friskies for the feral cat, was glad the weather kept me inside and not in the yard picking up the dog mines.  Better today, but I can tell the train is still off the tracks.  Better next time.


Wednesday, May 07, 2025

Social Media self-destruction

 I read with interest Shelley's post about the baffling and frustrating world of marketing. No author I know becomes a writer because they love the marketing. Most of us hate it - perhaps not all of it but the relentless push to keep your book or your name visible. I love the human encounters. The book club talks and public presentations, the chance meetings with readers, even the conferences like Left Coast Crime, although the pressure to perform and "be seen" can be intense.

But the day to day promotion online, mostly through social media, is becoming harder and harder, and I find myself wondering whether it's even worth it. Besides this blog and my website, I use two SM platforms - Facebook and Instagram - although I am much more engaged with Facebook. I did join Twitter but quit when Musk bought it. Instagram feels like flinging mud at a wall. I have no idea whether anything sticks. There is no give and take. Facebook, on the other hand, allowed me to build a community and communicate back and forth. I did create an author page as well as a personal one but found most people joined the personal page, which became a combination of friends, family, and fans who became friends. I post about book news but also about my dogs, cottage, travels, and notable day to day stuff. Since I joined in 2009, I've reconnected with faraway cousins, old classmates, and book lovers I've met at conferences and events.

But Facebook is becoming less and less useful and enjoyable. It is increasingly filled with sponsored ads, unsolicited posts, and pointless reels, so much so that posts from my actual friends are far fewer and are lost in the clutter of junk. In Canada, Meta blocks all links and posts from news sources, which means we can't share interesting information found in magazines or websites. And as people have noted, a web search on a product results in a feed inundated with similar products. 

But even worse, in the past six months or so, the increase in AI posts, bots, and misinformation has increased exponentially, to the point that nothing on Facebook is trustworthy. During our recent election, Facebook was flooded with fake videos about the candidates, especially Mark Carney, our new Prime Minister. The veracity of ads has always been suspect but now I believe nothing. Even if the source is a recognized business or person, there's no guarantee the post actually comes from them. Hacking and scams are everywhere, and I scroll in vain through piles and piles of junk in search of meaningful posts from friends. 

In Meta's pursuit of the almighty dollar, Facebook has lost its original purpose, and in the process its soul. It had been a unique platform for staying in touch with people and building new friendships, and I mourn its passing. No other platform does this; most are shallow and self-centred "look at me" style trivia. 

It's taken me over fifteen years to build a community on Facebook, and I know I will lose most of that if I give up on Facebook, but I am near the tipping point. I  have not yet tried Blue Sky, but it seems to function as Twitter used to, sharing information but not creating a community. What do others think? Has anyone found a promising alternative?

Tuesday, May 06, 2025

Are Conferences Business or Pleasure?

Catherine Dilts

Why would hundreds of introverts flock together? Isn’t that contrary to their very nature? When asked, most people told me they were hugely uncomfortable in crowds. But they could endure a weekend at a conference because this was their crowd. Their people. The weirdos who “get” their weird.

Writers’ conferences are both invigorating and draining. Last week Sybil Johnson shared her experiences at Malice Domestic. I attended the multi-genre Pikes Peak Writers Conference this weekend in my hometown. Here’s a peek at my adventure.

The theme at PPWC 2025 was The Future Is Now. Even people who do not write science fiction wore their SF-based costumes to the Friday night banquet. What? You don’t have a Star Trek uniform in your closet? An Alien face-hugger in a dresser drawer? Firefly-based attire? (A very realistic Mal was in attendance.)


And now I’ve revealed too much about myself. I suppose that was the point this three-day weekend. Revealing your true self to like-minded folks: WRITERS.

PPWC wasn’t all fun and games. We were there for business, too. The workshops provided educational opportunities. Three different class tracks offered craft education, business enlightenment, and writing life advice.

There was also the chance to pitch your project to industry professionals.

My dear friend and critique partner Beth pitched to an editor. She received validation for years of study and work with a “send me pages” from an editor. For non-writers, this means the person Beth pitched to was intrigued enough to request to see more of her novel. Send me the first three chapters may lead to acquisition and publication. Exciting!


I was seeking all the info I could get about Indy publishing and marketing. I’ve survived two small presses folding, my write-for-hire gig drying up, and my agent retiring. I’m ready to try something different. I received a fire-hose level education. How-to on an epic level.

A recently added feature at PPWC is Friday late-evening classes and roundtables. Starting at 9pm, these less formal gatherings kept writers energized for just a little bit longer – or way longer. Marketing Tips & Tricks with Susan Mitchell and Jenny Kate didn’t end until people were literally falling asleep at the table. We stumbled off to our rooms, hung up our Star Trek uniforms and hoped to get enough sleep to recharge for the next day.


Which started as early as you wanted. A 7:30 morning meditation with Johnny Worthen, a newcomers’ briefing at 8am, and workshops at 8:30. Another full day of classes, workshops, and hallway meetings with new writing friends.

Bar Con is the Saturday night opportunity to rub shoulders with industry professionals, and to unwind after two days of conference intensity. Yes, I really was having a good time. We unexpectedly became the cool kids table when Johnny Worthen pulled up a chair. Soon we had a lively crowd that talked until far too late into the evening.


Sunday morning, a surprising number of folks made it to the classes starting at 9am. My crew tried to divide and conquer, attending different sessions, then sharing notes later. I was exhausted, but dragged myself through the morning. My granddaughter insisted on staying for the lunch speaker, David R. Slayton. I’m glad she insisted, because he delivered an inspiring message.

As did all the mealtime speakers. That’s the part I left out about attending a writers’ conference. Besides business and pleasure, we received Inspiration. The words to keep you going in this often brutally unforgiving path.

Now, I’m ready to retreat into my writing cave and enjoy quiet time. Until next year…

Friday, May 02, 2025

Rediscovering the Joy of Writing

 


Happy Friday! Shelley here, once again, from Guam where I'm finding inspiration in the oddest places, like this moldering, broken balustrade overlooking the ocean from high atop a cliff covered in tangled vegetation and littered with trash--beverage containers, plastic bags, tattered towels, even a computer screen coming apart at the seams. 

There must be a story here at the end of the narrow path winding through the overgrown lot. A former resort hotel? Or the vacation compound of a wealthy Japanese family destroyed in some long-ago typhoon? I could probably research and find out, but I'm not sure I want to. I'd much rather imagine. 

Often there's a strange beauty in the broken things. A piquant nostalgia for what once was and could have been. An acknowledgment of a particular failure and the world and life moving on just the same. 

JOY 

Conflict--external or internal--is the heart of story. We put our characters through the proverbial wringer, squeezing the emotions from their arcs, pinning them up to dry on the narrative clothesline where they once again take shape, billowy like sheets or white, button-down shirts. They come off the line at the end of the day smelling like sunshine and grass with a faint, clean whiff of Ivory soap.

In our own creative journeys, we writers and artists also find ourselves conflicted. We are dumped into crucibles of our own making or of someone else's. The heat's turned up. We're bashed around. At this point, we must either adapt, change, or (metaphorically) die. 

I recently went through an intense period of creative questioning, searching, and ultimately changing, fueled by reflection on the last several years which involved publication of two novels; social media engagement and marketing; disappointing royalty statements; learning how to use a graphic design app for making marketing materials like headers, social media images, and reels; an experiment with Facebook ads (these worked but I disliked the process); wrangling with an expensive website that required coddling and fixes too often for my liking; and countless hours reading and listening and studying and watching "experts" on the topics related to "selling your books" and the publishing industry in general.

My conclusions? Marketing makes me miserable. A creative life doesn't have to be this hard. A mailing list is key. The publishing industry is a hard, cold, capitalist business. A really, REALLY good book sells itself by word of mouth. Social media is a dumpster, and it's on fire every single second of every single day. A total waste of time. 

My a-ha moment? When I remembered I got into this because of my love of books and my desire to craft stories. I realized nobody can "beat" me at THIS game, the game of writing (as opposed to the game of publishing.) 

If I continue to write, I win. 

If I continue to learn my craft and improve, I succeed. 

This isn't a unique perspective. We've all heard it before, but when it hits you, really hits you, that you don't care anymore if you ever make a living from your writing, or even if you ever sell another copy of your book, you feel a particular and awesome joy. The joy of creativity, purpose, and play. 

AM I JUST A LOSER?

I know what some of you are thinking (because I've thought it myself about myself and others. Yup. Not proud). People who have failed resort to this sort of thinking to make themselves feel better. 

I nod and say in reply, Yeah. And what's wrong with that? 

Is it more noble to feel terrible every day? Is it more worthwhile to pout and rail about the unfairness of life and publishing? Does it serve creativity to concentrate on failure and despair rather than joy? Is suffering somehow a better, more elevated outcome than happiness? 

How perverted that perspective!

Given the choice, I'll take happiness in my creative life, thank you very much. Publishing's game continues on. Rules change. Someone's gonna "win" and many are gonna "lose," and I'll watch from over here on the sidelines, stoic and detached, while others fight it out. I'd rather concentrate on my craft--something within my control--and revel in this lightness I'm feeling. 

I haven't felt this good about my writing life in several years. I'm listening to podcasts and reading articles on craft not on marketing. I'm enjoying the challenges of narrative structure, of thematic choices, and progressive plot complications. I'm about to rip my current short story to pieces and start all over again, and I DON'T CARE how long it takes me to get it right.

So, if you are struggling with these same dilemmas and are feeling like all this marketing and social media and striving are sucking the joy out of your creativity, consider setting all that aside, at least for now, and focusing just on the work for awhile. 

When you've finished something, send it out and see if anyone bites. Then forget about it and get back to the page . . . where the joy lives. 

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For more on creativity, purpose, and nurturing a creative life, check out my once-per-month, free newsletter, PINK DANDELIONS. This month's issue is below. Click to read. 




Thursday, May 01, 2025

Envy

My writing career has been very much up and down since the pandemic. It frustrates me no end. Seeing Sybil's fabulous photos of Malice made me envious. I had nothing to promote this year, so didn't want to spend the money to travel from Arizona to the east coast. 

Dennis Palumbo

One of my fellow Poisoned Pen Press authors, Dennis Palumbo, not only writes smashing thrillers, he's also a psychologist working in Hollywood. Many of his clients are in the entertainment industry, naturally, which is job security if I ever heard of it. On top of working as a full time therapist and knocking out novels in his spare time, Dennis writes a blog called "Hollywood on the Couch" for the online edition of Psychology Today magazine. A few years ago he wrote an entry called "Envy", which I recently reread - because I needed the reminder. I had just written these words to a friend of mine: "I read what other authors are doing with their careers and am overcome with bitter envy."

Not necessarily because so many other writers are more successful than I – that doesn't bother me as much as you'd think. Many years ago I had a friend who couldn't stand  the success of others. Not schadenfreude, exactly. She didn't wish them ill, but she didn't want them to be richer/happier/more talented than she. Even in my youth I never thought that happiness or success is a finite commodity in the universe. I like to think that good fortune begets more good fortune in the world.

What I envy is other people's ability to work in spite of obstacles in their lives. I envy time to promote and travel, their discipline and work ethic. My perception is that other people are better able to cope with the difficulties of their lives than I. They seem to be able to concentrate after a traumatic day, the carve out time to work in spite of all the picayune things they have to deal with during a day. Why can't I do that?

In his article. Dennis says, "only by investigating what envy means to us can we risk acknowledging it. The plain fact is, it's just a feeling, like other feelings – which means it's simply information, data about what's going on inside of us."

I've known for years that emotions good and bad come and go like the tide, the best way to get through is to feel them and then let the go if you can. They will go, eventually, without effort on your part. Judging yourself for feeling bad, or nursing your hurts and fears, only makes the pain last longer.

One of my favorite quotes by Sholem Asch is: "To dream of the person you would like to be is to waste the person you are."

Dennis' excellent essay on envy is at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hollywood-on-the-couch/201112/envy-in-hollywood

However, if you're an author, you won't go amiss to read all his entries at Psychology Today. It'll make you feel better, I guarantee.