http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/?utm_source=rss Writers Talk About Writing Copyright 2013, Thinkmap Inc. All Rights Reserved. en Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/images/common/logo_on_white.gif http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/?utm_source=rss Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/unpalatable-a-plateful-of-similar-words?utm_source=rss The artists were being praised for their technique in which, the article said, they "use only pallet knives, not brushes." The conference attendees were told that "it's not too early to start whetting your palette for" the food expected to be served. And the article talked about a shipment of "wooden palates infested with the Asian long-horned beetle." Possibly wrong, wrong, and ouch. Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/unpalatable-a-plateful-of-similar-words Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/yes-i-could-care-less-a-mixed-bag?utm_source=rss There are two books here. I love one of them, but I don't care for the other. Somehow, they're both Yes, I Could Care Less: How to Be a Language Snob Without Being a Jerk by Washington Post copy editor Bill Walsh. Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/yes-i-could-care-less-a-mixed-bag Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/balzacs-lost-illusions-a-novel-in-contrasts?utm_source=rss No other novel is more worldly than Honoré de Balzac's Lost Illusions, delighting us with courtesans and countesses, misers and millionaires. Yet no other novel is more word-y, more focused on the art and business of writing. Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/balzacs-lost-illusions-a-novel-in-contrasts Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/how-to-overcome-your-writing-shame?utm_source=rss When I was 10 years old, one summer morning I remember standing at my kitchen door, talking to a neighborhood pal of mine. Suddenly, wasps started swarming around us. Terrified (I'd been stung on the lip on the first day of grade 1 — an extraordinarily painful experience), I slammed the door and ran to get my mother. It never even occurred to me to try to rescue my friend. Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/how-to-overcome-your-writing-shame Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/writing-tics-the-optics-of-metrics?utm_source=rss The mayor's op-ed piece urged action on a regional 911 system, which, among other things, would "provide consistent and transparent performance metrics countywide." Alas, the program has not been put into effect, "as a result of the political optics." Jargon and more jargon. Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/writing-tics-the-optics-of-metrics Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/whats-in-a-nym?utm_source=rss There are all sorts of words in English based on the -onym word part, which derives from a Greek word that means name. Everyone knows about homonyms and synonyms, but what about retronyms, demonyms, and aptonyms? Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/whats-in-a-nym Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/orwell-and-singular-they?utm_source=rss We'd like to welcome Jonathon Owen, a copy editor and book designer with a master's degree in linguistics, as our newest regular contributor! Here Jonathon explains how he discovered that an oft-quoted example of George Orwell using singular "they" turned out not to be by Orwell after all. Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/orwell-and-singular-they Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/blame-excuses-where-to-point-the-finger?utm_source=rss "Deer Creek blames fire on science experiment," read one headline. "Arsonist blames fire on living conditions," said another. Some people would take umbrage with both of those sentences, asserting that the finger of blame was pointing in the wrong direction. Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/blame-excuses-where-to-point-the-finger Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/season-openers-baseball-terms-and-myths?utm_source=rss It's April, which means that the major league baseball season is once again under way. Time to celebrate America's favorite pastime with a look at the origins of words from the baseball diamond. Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/season-openers-baseball-terms-and-myths Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/its-time-that-ol-apostrophe-again?utm_source=rss Of the many small errors that bedevil many writers — and enrage their teachers and editors — there is perhaps none so simple to understand, and explain, than the use of "it's" when "its" is meant. Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/its-time-that-ol-apostrophe-again