1-10-2013 12_05_01 PM

  January 6th.  Twenty-twelve rolled out quietly,  and twenty-thirteen rolled in without  incidence, pomp, or circumstance! In fact,  I almost missed that magical moment.  Had I not had the foresight to set my  alarm clock  for 11:45 p.m,  the short  nap  I had settled  in for at 9 p.m., would have lasted well into the next day.  At any rate, I was awakened  just prior to midnight by my alarm and the sound of my daughter's  voice alerting me to the advent of 2013; she inquired  as to where we would  gather to crack open the chilled bottle of sparkling apple cider.  Hastly, I arose and mumbled  'by the tree' while  dashing to the bathroom to wash the sleep  from my eyes.  The countdown was upon  us as I sat misty-eyed  reflecting  on the joy  and blessings of 2012. In spite of a few challenges and dissapoaintaments, it was a great  year. I am so looking forward to 2013. The year of everything- that's good for my family and I!

Today's thought:" Every idea comes completely enclosed with whatever is needed for it to manifest.  The challenge is to tune into your  divinity and follow the divine inspirations and instructions as provided to all believers."

On The New Year...

Twenty-twelve rolled out quietly,  and twenty-thirteen rolled in without  incidence, pomp, or circumstance! In fact,  I almost missed that magical moment.  Had I not had the foresight to set my  alarm clock  for 11:45 p.m,  the short  nap  I had settled  in for at 9 p.m., would have lasted well into the next day.  At any rate, I was awakened  just prior to midnight by my alarm and the sound of my daughter's  voice alerting me to the advent of 2013; she inquired  as to where we would  gather to crack open the chilled bottle of sparkling apple cider.  Hastily, I arose and  answered  in a mumble  'by the tree' while  dashing to the bathroom to wash the sleep  from my eyes.  The countdown was upon  us as I sat misty-eyed  reflecting  on the joy  and blessings of 2012. In spite of a few  minor challenges and disappointments,  2012 was a great  year. I am so looking forward to the adventures of  2013. The year of everything- that's good for my family and me!

Today's thought:

" Every idea comes completely enclosed with whatever is needed for it to manifest.  The challenge is to tune into your  divinity and follow the divine inspirations and instructions as provided to all believers."

Happy New Year, Happy New You!


Loretta

How and When to Use a Comma.

If this is your first visit to The Write Suite, I invite you to start with the first posting and catch up!

Did you know there are only about seven instances in which you should used a comma in writing? We will look at them, and hopefully, you will become an expert and never again be caught guilty of comma splicing or writing run on sentences.

Point number one:

A comma is the weakest form of punctuation. It is basically used to create a slight pause or to separate items. Using a comma incorrectly at the end of a complete thought( a simple sentence) creates a run on sentence. Using a comma incorrectly in other places creates a chopped up sentence. This process is know as comma splicing. A comma should never be used to end a complete thought, aka, a simple sentence. A comma at the end of a complete thought is like trying to stop a car by pressing on the gas pedal instead of the brakes. There are only two types of punctuation that indicate the end of a complete thought (simple sentence). One is a period and the other is a semi colon. A period means you are finished with this thought, and it can stand a lone, A semi colon means 'I know I am finished with this complete thought, but I am going to pause and add another closely related complete thought.' The period signals the end of the first complete thought, and the comma signals the pause to add the closely related complete thought.

For Example:

I am an only child; I wish I had brothers and sisters. "I am an only child." is a complete thought. "I wish I had brothers and sisters." is closely related to that thought because it relates to being an only child.

Next time we will look at the other  ways in which a comma should be used. See you then.

Enjoy your tea!

Loretta

GRAB A CUP OF TEA, COFFEE, OR YOUR FAVORITE BEVERAGE AND LET'S WRITE!

Hello!

I am so glad you decided to visit my blog. I promise you will find something new and fresh every week. During the course of this blog I will share with you writings from my soon to be published pocket book, Seven Rules and Ten Finger tips to Proper Grammar and Effective Sentence Structure--For Those Who Want To Get It Write!

The rules and tips were developed during the ten plus years I have taught college English Composition. I have a thirty-plus years writing career as a free-lance writer and photo-journalist. If you are so inclined, you can visit my website: http://www.lorags.com to peruse some of my most recent publications.
Before we really get into the write stuff, let me share with you my favorite and Number One Rule! You only get one chance to make a good first impression, after which you are either living up to it or living it down! You, are the one who decides which one it will be by the effort you put into making a good first impression. With that in mind, you have to be willing to think, re-think, write and re-write everything! You must be willing to leave it a couple of days and come back and look at it with fresh eyes. You must analyze every word, every comma, every period, and then come back days later and do it again, before you publish it!

The spoken word is sooner forgotten than the words you put in writing. Remember what you put in writing can come back to haunt and embarrass you forever!!! Just when you think you have lived it down, it will resurface for a whole new generation to see! Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, it might not be a whole new generation, but it could very well be the new boss or client you were hoping to impress. The moral of the story is, take the time to get it right before you write it down and publish it for the world to read! One day soon, I will share with you my personal story as to how I learned this lesson the hard way, and unfortunately, how it took me many years to live it down and re-present myself!

One of the wisest and most talented editors I know once told me that as a writer and journalist, words are your tools. He also said that in order to be a skilled craftsman, you need to be absolutely kowledgeable of and competent in using your tools. My take on this is, 'the first step in being a really great writer is to have a good command of the English language and to be a very accomplished speller.'

This brings me to Rule Number 2, if you are not absolutely sure how to spell a word and you don't have the time, skill or dictionary to look it up, use another word you absolute know how to spell. For example, it would be wonderful to describe a woman as being exquisite and breathtakingly beautiful; however, if you are not sure how to spell exquisite, breathtaking or even beautiful, and you don't have the time or resources to check the spelling, then just say the woman was "cute." I am sure you can spell C U T E! This will save you a great deal of embarrassment and help to foster a good first impression and mastering of your "tools."

I know most word processing software has spell check so there is little to worry about when writing; however, English is full of sound alikes and other words that make spelling and proper usage difficult. In many cases if you can't spell the word correctly, you can't check for the correct spelling in a dictionary. Being able to spell words phonetically sometimes does not help because there are words which are sight words, and they can't be spelled phonetically. In that case, you're pretty much in trouble if you don't remember what they look like.

Over the course of this blog, I will share with you other rules, tips, and techniques designed to help you with basis grammar, proper usage and ways to improve your writing, so plan now to join me each week for a cup of tea, or java, in The Write Suite. You will be glad you did.

Loretta