Good Advice

Word challenge:  WILLIWAW--does this have to do with temperature, wind, or snow? (see end of post for answer)

Joseph Pulitzer offered this advice on writing--it seems especially good for nonfiction writers like me:
"Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it, and above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light."

Fact from Martin De Leon research: The town of Goliad, Texas, was named for Hidalgo, the priest who issued the "grito" for Mexico's freedom from Spain. Since the "h" is silent in Spanish, Goliad is an anagram of the other letters in Hidalgo.

"Williwaw" is a sudden gust of wind or a squall.

Persistence

Word challenge:  CACHINNATION (what you can do for only a few minutes before following Asimov's advice below)--see end of post for definition

American science-fiction novelist Isaac Asimov wrote: "You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. Yu send that work out again and again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success--but only if you persist."

So for all the writers out there who are discouraged by a rejection (or perhaps even rejections), keep on trying!

Martin De Leon research fact for the day: De Leon used a three-pound cannon to scare some Karankawas.

The word "cachinnation" means loud or hysterical laughter.

Writing Compulsion

Word challenge: ADOXOGRAPHY--what kind of writing is this? (see end of post for explanation)

American novelist John Irving (The World According to Garp) said: "The way you define yourself as a writer is that you write every time you have a free minute. If you didn't behave that way you would never do anything."

So I have been writing--working on next book, query letters, etc.--so much writing that I didn't post yesterday.

As the Martin De Leon research progresses, I share this:  Martin believed that his prayers to the twelve disciples before he went to sleep saved him from being robbed and killed one night as he slept by a campfire.

"Adoxography" refers to skilled writing on an unimportant subject. Sounds like a requirement for Twitter!

Stockholm Syndrome

Did you know???--On this date in 1973 a bank robbery started in Stockholm, Sweden. Pretty soon, it turned into a hostage situation and over a period of time the four hostages bonded with their captors. That psychological condition became known as the "Stockholm Syndrome."

Word challenge: CRUCIVERBALIST (I must confess that I am one of these--see end of post for definition)

Moving along in the Martin De Leon research: Martin died of cholera at age 68, leaving a fortune to his wife and children.

A "cruciverbalist" is a person who loves doing crossword puzzles.

The Author Fool

Word challenge:  OLEAGINOUS (not the way I like my french fries!) see the end of the post for a couple of definitions

I love this description of an author by Charles de Montesquieu, French philosopher:  "An author is a fool who, not content with boring those he lives with, insists on boring future generations."  To all of my author friends, here's to our boring MANY future generations--keep on writing!

Martin De Leon research fact for the day: He was a six-foot blond, well-proportioned man with a military bearing.

Definitions of "oleaginous":  unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech; greasy: containing an unusual amount of grease or oil

First Day of School

Word Challenge:  NIVEOUS--with all these hot days, we could surely use one described as this (see end of post for definition)

In our area, Monday is the first day of school. For those of us in education or who have had careers in education, that day brings back memories. Whether a student or a teacher, I could never sleep the night before school started. That first day with all its possibilities--the day everyone was a star. No one had a failing grade yet; no one had brought about the wrath of the administration. Friends perhaps not seen during the summer were there as well as the potential for making new ones. Everything had to be perfect on that day--the clothes, the school supplies, the food in your lunch box if you were young enough to still carry one. And then the scariest part of all--meeting the teachers if you were a student and meeting the students if you were a teacher. So for all the students and teachers starting a new school year, best wishes. Education is so important and so are all of you.

"Niveous" means snowy--that would feel pretty good right now!

Dog Days of Summer

Word Challenge:  HAGIOGRAPHY (I hope I don't write this kind of book!) see end of post for explanation

These 100+ degree days of summer, known as the dog days of summer, remind me of a friend's new picture book called The Twelve Dog Days of New York by Maritha Burmeister. Beautifully illustrated, the book introduces its young readers to twelve breeds of dogs all at noted New York landmarks. If you have a child in your life, this is a great book to buy. See http://www.amazon.com/ for purchase.

Research on Martin De Leon seems rather tedious at the moment--trying to correlate his life events to history, such as the changing of the fortress La Bahia's name to Goliad, an anagram of Hidalgo, the priest whose "grito" started Mexico's long struggle for independence from Spain.

"Hagiography" means a worshipful or idealizing biography.