Diary of a Word Nerd

Why We Still Need Handwritten Letters

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Julia Tomiak / 10 Comments

A few weeks ago, my friend Nan sent me an awesome article from The Chronicle of Higher Education called “The Ideal English Major.” Of course, this word nerd, a girl who earned her English degree from the University of Virginia, loved the piece by Mark Edmundson, a professor of English at UVA. 😉

But something else struck me.

Nan didn’t send me a link in an email. She MAILED me the article. Printed it up, highlighted the sections that resonated with her, jotted down a note, and put a stamp on it. Just for me.

Wow. Nan’s gesture meant a lot; I replied with a hand written thank you note.

Fear for the future of letters

How often do you get something in your mailbox besides catalogs and advertisements? When you do get a hand written card, do you rip through that envelope first, because inside you’ll find something that someone wrote especially for you? Doesn’t it make your day?

When was the last time you sent a letter?

We live in a digital frenzy. We don’t even talk to each other any more- we just text. Last week my friend Jean laughed and said, “My iPhone is good for everything but phone calls.”

I know that everyone is busy, that sending a quick email or text is better than sending nothing at all. But we are losing something precious if we only communicate via Facebook. Take a look at these special words:

Photo1 (35) — From my daughter, last May

Photo2 (1) — From my dear friend in 2012

Our handwriting gives us unique identification; our handwritten words are so much more personal than typed ones. I blink away tears when I read my mom’s note. She wrote that while I was a student at UVA. By then, neurological disease made writing very difficult for her, but I can read the words, “I LOVE YOU LOTS.” Can you see them?

Mom died in 1996. But I still have her words. I keep them in the top drawer of my night stand, along with other cherished “hard copy” snippets from my life.

Why we should write more letters

We can’t let handwritten notes become obsolete; here’s why:

Handwritten letters show that you care. It takes effort, time, and thoughtfulness to compose a few lines, find a stamp, and visit a mail box. But aren’t your friends and family worth that?
Handwritten notes are physical reminders of affection. That note from my mom is a treasure; I’m so glad I kept it. When I travel away from home, I usually leave a note for my kids on their bed. It’s a piece of me they can tuck under their pillow until I return.
Handwritten notes last. Think of everything we’ve gleaned about history from letters. How will future generations learn about us? I doubt that anyone is archiving Facebook. How will we leave our mark on the world if our words can be clicked away by the delete button?

Word Nerd Workout

I don’t usually do this in my Friday posts, but I challenge you to a workout: write a note to someone and mail it. Today. I’ll do it too.

Do you fear for the future of letters? Do you write notes to the people you love?

Thanks,

Julia

How to encourage reading/Improving vocabulary

What is Metonymy?

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Julia Tomiak / 8 Comments

Welcome to Wondrous Words Wednesday! Time to learn something new. Visit Kathy at Bermudaonion.net for more intellectually stimulating words.

My word comes from the October 2013 issue of Writers Digest. In an article called, “Using Figurative Language Effectively,” Theodore A. Rees Cheney reviews the basic tools for figurative language: simile, metaphor, analogy, and personification.

But then he covered one I’d never heard of: metonymy.

Metonymies single out a quality of a an object and focus attention upon it.

metonymy \mə-‘tän-ə-mē\ noun; from Greek meta– change + onyma/onoma name, literally meaning a change of name. A figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another of which it is an attribute or with which it is associated.

Here are some examples:

“The White House” for the president and his administration
“The Bench” for a judge
“The Vatican” for the pope and his administration

In his article, Cheney argues that figurative language brings depth and engagement to writing; readers have to participate to appreciate what the writer conveys.

Eager to improve my writing, I searched my current WIP**, Redefined, for metonymies. Yippee! I found one:

Dad wanted privacy, so he built our house away from the eyes and ears in town.

Word Nerd Workout

Can you come up with your own example of metonymy, or can you find one in fiction/media to share? And, make a word nerd feel better- have you heard of this term before? I knew the concept; I didn’t realize it actually had a name!

Thanks for getting nerdy with me today!

Julia

** WIP = “work in progress”

Awesome Young Adult Books/Book reviews/Recommended kid lit

Why You Must Read The London Eye Mystery

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Julia Tomiak / 7 Comments

I’d been bugging my kids for weeks to read The London Eye Mystery. And then, while child #3 sat in the barber shop chair, I held the novel for him. It’s a small, squarish book. I’m supposed to be looking at my phone less, so I read.

The pages turned quickly. And I giggled. Fortunately, no one in the barber shop seemed to notice, especially not my children. Kids #1, 2 and 4 all had their noses in books. (Hurrah!)

An Interesting Character

The London Eye Mystery is told from the unusual prospective of Ted. He suffers from a “syndrome”, probably Asperger’s, although nobody ever comes out and says that. Ted explains that his brain “runs on a different operating system.” His issues? He takes words literally, has trouble reading other people’s emotions, shakes out his hand a lot, and is obsessed with the weather.

Here’s an example of his literal thinking, one that made me giggle:

It was like the time I’d asked why footballers were still being kept as slaves when slavery had been abolished, after a newsreader announced that a Manchester United star had been bought by another club for twelve million pounds.

The cool thing about The London Eye Mystery is that Ted’s unusual perspective on the world actually helps him solve the case when the police and his sister cannot. He puts all the pieces together by looking at the clues differently:

I remembered a picture Kat had once shown me of a waterfall. Only, the way it was painted, it looked as if the water was flowing upwards. Perhaps this was a clue to Salim’s disappearance. Perhaps Kat and I were looking at things the wrong way up, or the wrong way round.

An Enjoyable Mystery

Here’s what happens. Kat and Ted take their cousin Salim into London to ride The London Eye, the largest observation wheel ever built. A mysterious man offers Salim a ticket, and he takes it, disappearing into one of the pods on the “giant bicycle wheel in the sky.” Thirty minutes later, when the pod comes back around, Kat and Ted watch for their cousin to get out. But he never does.

Much like Sherlock Holmes, Ted doesn’t reveal how he’s pulled the clues together until the end of the story. He drops hints along the way, but I was too dense to notice. Maybe if I read more mystery I could have seen what was coming.

Besides having all the necessary components for kid lit sleuthing,The London Eye Mystery also touches on the importance of family and the difficulties of communicating well with family members, whether you have Asperger’s Syndrome or not!

Recommendation

All three of my kids (aged 9-13) who read The London Eye Mystery enjoyed it. (The youngest didn’t read it because he’s just in first grade and is plowing his way through The Magic Tree House series.) There’s nothing scary, and yet tension moves the plot along. It also gives kids insight into people who are “different.” Although Ted has his quirks, he wants to help, and he ends up a hero. That’s a character every kid can relate to.

Soon, I hope to tackle Colin Fischer, which is about an older kid with Asperger’s who solves a mystery at his high school.

Can you recommend other books about kids with disabilities or other kid lit mysteries?

Thanks for stopping by!

Julia

Improving vocabulary/Recommended kid lit

What does palaver mean?

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Julia Tomiak / 14 Comments

Welcome to Wondrous Words Wednesday! Ready to learn something new? Visit Kathy at Bermudaonion.net for links to more interesting words.

My word comes from a fun piece of kid lit called The London Eye Mystery, by Siobhan Dowd. (By the way, if anyone can help me pronounce the author’s first name, I’d really appreciate it.) In it Ted and his sister Kat must solve the mystery of their cousin’s disappearance.

Early on in the search for clues, Ted finds his cousin’s camera:

‘I wish it was digital like Dad’s,’ [Kat] said. ‘Then we’d be able to see the pictures now. With this old-fashioned kind, you’ve to open it somehow.’ She shook the camera and shrugged… ‘You get the film out and take it to the camera shop to have it developed. It costs money and you have to wait. What a bloody palaver.’

First, I have to chuckle at the phrase “old-fashioned kind.” I still have film lying around my house! Next, what’s a palaver?

palaver \pə-‘lav-ər\ noun, from Latin parabola, parable, speech

A long parley usually between two people of different levels of sophistication; a conference or discussion
Idle talk; misleading speech

Neither one of these fits the context exactly; I guess Kat means that because they can’t see the pictures inside, the camera was a misleading clue, at least until they can get photos developed.

Word Nerd Workout

Think of another word for palaver using the definitions above. My example is one of my previous word nerd words: confabulation

Good luck! Also, any Spanish students out there? Did you notice the Latin basis for palaver can also explain the Spanish word palabra? (It means “word”!)

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!

Julia

Book reviews/How to encourage reading

Author Spotlight: Jennifer Chow and The 228 Legacy

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Julia Tomiak / 6 Comments

I’m excited to feature Jennifer Chow today. She is a writer and fellow member of Wordsmithstudio.org, and this summer she published her first novel, The 228 Legacy. The novel explores the struggles of three generations of Asian-American women living in California.

The narrative of The 228 Legacy has four points of view. Silk, the oldest character and the one who lived through the 228 Massacre in Taiwan, interested me the most. I wish the book had even more details about Taiwanese culture and history and how they shaped Silk’s view of life.

Jennifer is busy now that her book has been released, but she was kind enough to share some insights into her writing process.

Julia: What inspired you to start writing?

Jennifer: I’ve always wanted to be a writer, ever since I borrowed my dad’s typewriter as a child and started making up stories. The 228 Legacy, though, was inspired by speaking with and witnessing the emotion of my relatives as they relayed a part of their history which was kept secret for decades.

Julia: Are any of the characters from The 228 Legacy based on people in your own life? If so, which ones?

Jennifer: I think the characters are all culled from various sources. Silk’s tenacity to life and her ability to adapt is definitely an homage to the Taiwanese people I’ve met who survived 228, and to all immigrants who decide to move to a new country and start over. There’s also a piece of me in every one of the main characters: Silk’s desire to pass on her culture, Lisa’s struggle with finding a solid identity, Abbey’s problems fitting in at school, and Jack’s perception on aging.

Julia: Where could readers go for more information on Taiwan and the 228 Massacre?

Jennifer: The best possible solution would be to visit Taiwan. There are multiple monuments and museums dedicated to the history of the massacre. Thankfully, there now also exists online information sources about 228; there’s even a Wikipedia entry on it. For more detailed information, you can check out the major resources I used for my research here: http://jenniferjchow.com/books/

Julia: What were important things that you learned on your journey to publication? How did you find your publisher?

Jennifer Chow: “It’s essential to have that support …. on your writing journey.”

Jennifer: I learned to keep trying. Hand-in-hand with persevering is being part of a writers’community. It’s essential to have that support when you’re facing rejection (a normal thing) on your writing journey. It was great to have colleagues, in-person and online, to provide feedback and encouragement.

Personally, it took me a year to find a publisher. During that time I queried multiple literary agents, entered the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (where The 228 Legacy landed in the second rounds), and eventually got picked up by an independent press, Martin Sisters Publishing.

Julia: I love the design of your website and how it ties in to the theme of your book; how did you achieve such a beautiful look?

Jennifer: I take no credit for that. The design was through the beautiful work of the talented Janet at Izzy Design. We talked back and forth about the themes in my book and my vision for the website. I also showed her the book cover’s artwork, so she was able to tie similar visual elements into the design.

Julia: What are your future projects?

Jennifer: I am currently revising a cozy mystery. It’s a light-hearted novel featuring an Asian-American protagonist. He’s called to investigate a potential crime at a local senior home.

Thanks Jennifer! You can find out more about Jennifer and her work at jenniferjchow.com.

Have you heard of the 228 Massacre or Jennifer’s book? What have you learned about history from your family?

Thanks for stopping by!

Julia

Improving vocabulary

What is a Bento Box?

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Julia Tomiak / 13 Comments

Welcome to Wondrous Words Wednesday! It’s a great way to boost your vocabulary. Visit Kathy at Bermudaonion.net for links to more wondrous words!

After packing lunches for eight years, I’m trying to make things more interesting. My husband can eat PBJ every day without variation, but the kids crave something different every now and again.

So, with the help of Pinterest and some Bento boxes, I’m spicing up the mid-day meal.

What is a bento box, you ask?

This clever little container, that comes with its own ice pack, can hold all kinds of yummy, non-sandwich treats. I found it at Wal-Mart. My kids like “homemade pizza lunchables.” We also want to try pancakes, sausage, and syrup, but I hope the kids realize everything will be cold.

I got really excited when I found “bento box” in a book I recently read, The 228 Legacy, by Jennifer Chow.

Silk recalls packing a bento box of rice and picked radish for him the morning he vanished.

Bento \’ben-tō\ noun; origin: Japanese; a lacquered or decorated wooden Japanese lunchbox; (special usage) a Japanese-style packed lunch, consisting of such items as rice, vegetables, and sashimi (raw fish with condiments)

Word Nerd Note:

This definition comes from the English Oxford Dictionary loaded on my Kindle. (So handy!) Also, I must clarify that The 228 Legacy is about Taiwanese culture, not Japanese. Come back Friday to learn more about The 228 Legacy and its author, Jennifer Chow.

Word Nerd Workout

Share a word that you use that comes from another culture, preferably something interesting or unique. (aka skip “taco” and “burrito” 🙂 ).

If you’d like more ideas for bento boxes, check out my “Meals on the Go” Pinterest board. I also welcome suggestions!

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!

Julia