Blog Posts

  • Syllepsis: Figure of Speech for the Day

    This is one of my favorite clever uses of language.  Syllepsis is the term used to describe when one word (usually a verb) modifies two words, and must be understood differently in order to fit them properly.  “Silva Rhetoricae” also describes it as  ‘A combination of grammatical parallelism and semantic incongruity, often with a witty…

  • word of the day: pseudandry

    There was a really interesting word in my inbox this morning, courtesy of my word-a-day email. Pseudandry noun: The use of a male name as a pseudonym by a woman. The opposite of which is pseudogyny (a man takes a woman’s name as a pseudonym). The latter is apparently common in some genres such as…

  • Not much of a splash

    Well, my first official ‘no thank you’ letter arrived today for “Fish Girl.”  However, I do not lose heart–an official ‘no thank you’ is like the Post Office declaring that Kris Kringle is Santa Claus: I must be a real writer!  *wry grin* “Fish Girl” did not find a home at this particular magazine, but…

  • Happy National Poetry Month!

    I love April.  It’s National Poetry Month!  I get to post lots of poetry! Um…which is, maybe, not so different from the usual around here.  Ooops. But anyway, for those of you who are creatively inclined, Writer’s Digest has a very fun poem-a-day challenge here, with the opportunity to be chosen for publication in an…

  • Fairy Tales are Alive and Well

    And living in the British Postal Service? http://blog.wired.com/geekdad/2009/03/an-opportunity.html