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News and Views

Here's where I share my ideas about the craft of writing and ways to sharpen your writing skills. Once in a while, you may find other random thoughts as well.

 

 Random Thoughts

January 30, 2014

Wow! Scientists in Boston have found a way to turn regular cells in the body into stem cells. Stem cells are cells that can become any specialized cell that is needed. Stem cells are sort of like players on the bench in a softball team or on any team for that matter. The coach calls the player up and says, for example, you're going to play at shortstop, or in right field. Stem cells are on the bench waiting to be sent in to do a particular job. Scientists think that before too many more years go by, it will be possible to "send in" stem cells to become part of a heart muscle or a kidney, or some other organ that has been damaged. That's just amazing!


January 20, 2014

The bitter cold and huge snowfalls are continuing in the US Midwest. I'm not a cold-weather person, so I can really sympathize with the people having to cope with these terrible conditions. (You know it's really bad when it's colder in Chicago than in Antarctica!) At the same time, I'm getting a little tired of hearing people say things like, "Right, so much for global warming!" My friends who are into science point out that the better—and more accurate term—is "global climate change." While it's true there's an overall rise in the climate's temperature, it doesn't always mean everywhere is going to be warmer than usual. What it does mean is we can expect to see unusual weather conditions, and whether it's long-term drought in California, extreme cold in the Midwest, or extreme heat in Australia, we can all agree that weather events are more extreme than normal.


January 1, 2014

Happy New Year! Are you a maker of resolutions? The new year is like turning to a new chapter in a favorite book. Some parts of the plot are continuing, but you can be sure some new things are coming, even if you're not sure what they are yet. So, whether you're into resolutions or not, it's not a bad time to settle back and think about things you'd like to work on in the coming year.


November 7, 2013

What's going on with the NFL? A player on the Dolphins was being bullied by his teammates, and I'm hearing all sorts of NFL players say that a real man would stand up to that, and take care of it himself. Well, here's what I've got to say about that: A real man wouldn't bully his teammate. A real man wouldn't bully anyone! Bullying—whether you're a sixth grader or an NFL lineman— is just wrong.


Horrific weather. So they'd been predicting dangerous weather in parts of the US Midwest, but could anyone imagine what actually happened, especially in places like Washington, Illinois? And this on top of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines! Here's a chance for the rest of us to lend a helping hand. Kids in my hometown are doing bake sales at school to raise money, and I know things like that are happening all over. Keep up the good work! You're making a difference!


November 7, 2013

What's going on with the NFL? A player on the Dolphins was being bullied by his teammates, and I'm hearing all sorts of NFL players say that a real man would stand up to that, and take care of it himself. Well, here's what I've got to say about that: A real man wouldn't bully his teammate. A real man wouldn't bully anyone! Bullying—whether you're a sixth grader or an NFL lineman— is just wrong.


November 6, 2013

We're not alone! (Maybe). I heard a news story today about scientists who used data from the Kepler space telescope to determine there may be billions of planets like Earth out in the universe. Wow! Wouldn't it be cool to meet someone from another world! What's the first question you'd ask them?

Check out more about this discovery in this article in the Washington Post newspaper.


October 30, 2013

Well, they did it! The Red Sox won the World Series! (Having lived in Greater Boston all my life, I'd have to be a Red Sox fan!) For a team that was in last place at the end of last year, that's so cool! They believed in themselves. One of my favorite players, Dustin Pedroia, gives 110 percent every game, and what a difference that makes!


Thoughts on Writing

 

“Some words are like soft drinks that have lost all the fizz.”

Writing is at its best when it is telling stories.  Sometimes the stories you tell are total fiction, sometimes total fact, but when you writing you are telling a story, you are communicating ideas. In each case, you need to choose the right words and say things in the right way.

legosIt's sort of like playing with a big pile of Legos: Usually you have something in mind when you start building. To get it to look the way you want, you've got to pick just the right pieces and put them in the right place. It's the same when you are writing—when you're playing with words—you've got to choose just the right pieces so what you're putting together will come out just right!

For example, take that science report on geological formations that you're working on.  You can just slap words on the paper so the teacher knows you've found the right information, or you can think about the best words to use to communicate your ideas about the formation of rocks.  How can you make your ideas really clear?  How can you make your thoughts interesting, so people will want to read what you've written—even if you think the subject might be boring?   There is one answer to all these questions: Choose the right words!  That's one thing I learned from my grandfather and others: don't use tired words.  Some words are like soft drinks that have lost all the fizz.  Other words make the listener or reader sit up and pay attention.  As a writer, you get to choose those words.

Listening to the stories of my family, I also learned how important details are.  You know those blow-up lawn decorations that you see at Halloween and Christmas?  Well sometimes writing can be like one of those decorations before you turn the air pump on: It's flat and you can't really tell what it is.  But when you turn the pump on, the details appear, and the pumpkin, Santa, or whatever, seems to come alive!  It's the details that make it work. Writing is just the same. I have to be honest and say we've all been victims of "flat" writing, but when you pump the right details into your writing, those details help your writing come alive!


† "Three Gossips" rock formation in Arches National Park, UT. Photo courtesy U.S. Geological Survey. Department of the Interior/USGS.