Month: January 2020

Follow Your Passion

Hello everyone, I am sending love to each of you. In case you can’t tell, today’s blog post is going to get real. I’ve been thinking about how I want to honor the memory of the legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and the seven other people who died in a helicopter crash. And this, from the legend himself, summed it up: Follow Your Passion.

What is your passion? Mine is my family, first. And though I prefer to keep my family life private, I am unwavering in that passion. As many of us were reminded by the tragic loss of those individuals on the helicopter that day, I urge everyone to reflect on what matters, and follow their passion. 

I am a basketball fan (Go Rockets!), and you can’t be one without recognizing Kobe’s carefully honed mastery of the game. You don’t even have to be a basketball fan to recognize his skill! With that same mamba mentality finding your passion pays off. If you watch the youtube video link posted in the above paragraph Kobe says, “And you gotta be really honest with yourself about it. If you wake up in the morning, and your dreading going into work dude, do something else. Do something else. And those are hard decisions to make. But, when you make those decisions it’s a very liberating experience. And you will find out that the rewards will come.” I agree with this. How do you feel about it?

But, the only way to achieve your dreams, and follow your passion, is with due action. Kobe also says in the above youtube link, “I think the best way to prove your value is to work. Is to learn. Is to absorb. To be a sponge. But you always want to outwork your potential. As hard as you believe you can work, you can work harder than that.” I agree with this too. What are your thoughts? I’d love to know.

I love to write, and it’s the one craft I can engage in steadfastly without tiring (well okay, I do tire, but you get the idea). Right now, I don’t make money writing. And since my first passion is my family, my husband and I happily provide. I enjoy my career. Because that is caring for our priority one passion. No excuses. When our kids sleep at night, I write. Because hard work, and following your passion are part and parcel. I credit my immigrant parents for my understanding of this ethic. They taught us to be responsible first, and focus on what matters. Of course, occasionally my father asked, “What is this passion you all always talk about?” Still, my parents never discouraged passion, rather encouraging the duality of responsibility and practicality with passion. 

Below is another link I found motivational featuring Kobe Bryant and his role model, Michael Jordan. Hope you do as well. 

So, I’ll ask you again: What is your passion? Are you following your passion? If you are pursuing your passion, how are you making it a reality?

Thanks for stopping by my blogspot. Sending you virtual hugs. Blog you soon.

Writing Pet Peeves

Good morning, folks! Hope you had a wonderful holiday. I am back with a new blog post for ya, so here we go. Recently, I read an article about the writing pet peeves of a proofreader through an educational writing platform I am enrolled in. It got me thinking about some of my pet peeves in my own writing or in books I read. I mean, let’s be honest, we all have them. The article I read helped remind me how to hone into strong writing, and I want to share some of my own writing pet peeves. I know, I know, you can’t quiet your excited jitters.

I will be the guilty writer in all of my pet peeves, because—no ‘pots calling the kettle black’ here. This brings me to my first pet peeve: the use of cliches. So, to be clear, I am talking about spoken cliches, and also cliche topics. See: story about the unintelligent jock, or the hero/love interest saving the woman who cannot save herself. Maybe the girl saves herself, and her love interest is alongside her? Or, maybe the jock is a genius? I am guilty of brainstorming cliche topics, and they are only cliche because of their success. So, it’s an easy road to travel down. What are some storylines you believe are overused?

Good writers know when and what punctuation to use…because too much…or too little…can become a trap. A well-placed ellipses is punctuatory excellence. And no, punctuatory isn’t a word, but it should be. In fact, five people signed a petition to legitimize punctuatory in the English language. Case closed. I am careful of overuse of ellipses because too many can seem meandering and lofty in writing. I love them for effect in writing, but have to remind myself to use them sparingly or find a better form of punctuation. What are your thoughts on ellipses?

I use italics for non-English words or occasional emphasis, but too many italics, bolded, or ALL-CAPS words in my writing indicate I need to enhance or tap into my vocabulary. When reading, ALL CAPS scream, and italicized and bolded text decrease ease of reading. I’ve recently subscribed to the ‘word of the day’ emails that come from word genius, and the vocabulary has been so useful in improving my writing. I needed (always will need) that education. What resources do you use to enhance your vocabulary, and writing as a byproduct? 

Additionally, from everything I have read, over wordiness is a big book no-no and complicates the read. If you’re like me and lean on the wordy side, proofreading to find one word to replace two will be worth if for your editor and/or reader. The writing will reflect the hard work.

Lastly, while these words (just, like, so, actually, basically, seriously, and totally) totally make my writing seem conversational and non-pretentious, I just use them sparingly, even for conversational pieces. These words can often be replaced or deleted (see above sentence). Also, I find that limiting the use of these words in my writing makes it sound more intelligent and credible.

That’s all for today, friends. Were these pet peeves interesting or useful to you? What are your writing pet peeves or work pet peeves? Please share!  I’d love to know.

Thanks for stopping by my blogspot.  Have a happy new year!