One of the women sitting in a pew near the front moved into the aisle, genuflecting stiffly before walking toward them.
He didn't recognize the word "genuflecting" and said it pulled him out of the story. His comment surprised me. I thought that was a common word that most people would recognize. (I should mention that we are not Catholic.)
A few years ago I had a story with the line:
They were the Mutt and Jeff of homicide.
A friend pointed out that the phrase "Mutt and Jeff", which meant one very tall and the other short (based on a once popular comic strip) was out of date and would be lost on most readers.
This got me thinking about how easy it is for writers to use words or phrases they believe are commonplace but, in fact, would not be familiar to many of their readers. Some possibilities include professional jargon, slang, regional dialects, and "dated" references. Of course, context will provide meaning in some cases, but not all. Do unfamiliar words or phrases serve to expand our readers' vocabulary or create a hindrance to their enjoyment of the story? And where do we draw the line?
What are your thoughts as a reader or as a writer?
Just wondering... Are you familiar with the word "genuflect"? Would you have recognized "Mutt and Jeff"?
I have to take a moment and wish a Happy Veteran's Day to all the men and women who so selflessly served (or are serving) our country, including including my husband, my dad, and my brother. I'm very proud of you all.
Also, I need to go back and do something I'd meant to do last Monday... Blogging buddy Emilyann Girdner over at Anything Imagined gave me this lovely award. Thank you, Emilyann.
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| The Sunshine Award |
The award comes with ten questions, so here goes...
Fave number: 3
Fave non-alcoholic drink: Powerade Zero
Fave alcoholic drink: Mocha Kalua.. yum
Facebook or Twitter: Facebook, but only because Pinterest was not an option ;p
Passions: Relationships (with God, my hubby, family, friends and my cat), creativity (be it writing or visual art), watching good TV Shows and reading books.
Prefer giving or getting presents? I prefer giving, however, that’s typically limited by finances.
Fave city? Orlando
Fave TV Shows: Oh boy, this list is very long. Here goes: The Vampire Diaries (that’s right, I said it), Once Upon a Time, The Walking Dead, Grimm, Modern Family, South Park, and so far The Michael J. Fox show and Reign are pretty good. (Shows not airing still: Friends, Lost, Monk and Merlin (BBC). - See more at: http://anythingimagined.blogspot.com/#sthash.osDU7fnc.dpuf
Fave color: Believe it or not, I don't have one. It changes with the seasons and with my mood.Fave non-alcoholic drink: Powerade Zero
Fave alcoholic drink: Mocha Kalua.. yum
Facebook or Twitter: Facebook, but only because Pinterest was not an option ;p
Passions: Relationships (with God, my hubby, family, friends and my cat), creativity (be it writing or visual art), watching good TV Shows and reading books.
Prefer giving or getting presents? I prefer giving, however, that’s typically limited by finances.
Fave city? Orlando
Fave TV Shows: Oh boy, this list is very long. Here goes: The Vampire Diaries (that’s right, I said it), Once Upon a Time, The Walking Dead, Grimm, Modern Family, South Park, and so far The Michael J. Fox show and Reign are pretty good. (Shows not airing still: Friends, Lost, Monk and Merlin (BBC). - See more at: http://anythingimagined.blogspot.com/#sthash.osDU7fnc.dpuf
Fave animal: I'd better pick my dog Sophie. She gets her feelings hurt very easily.
Fave number: Four, after my four grandkids.
Fave non-alcoholic drink: Hot tea
Fave alcoholic drink: I have a couple. I'll go with a frozen strawberry margarita.
Facebook or Twitter? Has to be Facebook. I don't tweet.
Passions: My family.
Prefer giving or getting presents: Definitely giving. I have everything I could want.
Fave city: It's a tie. Boston because of my beloved Red Sox and New York for the theater.
Fave TV shows: Castle, both NCIS's, Person of Interest, Elementary, and Blue Bloods. (And I miss Burn Notice.)
But I'm going to violate the award rules and decline to nominate ten new recipients because so many of my blog friends have said they'd rather not be nominated for awards. Instead I'll just say that having you come by and leave a comment brings me enough sunshine so please accept this award with my thanks.
Joke for Today:
Teacher: If I gave you 2
cats and another 2 cats and another 2, how many will you
have?
Johnny: Seven,
sir.
Teacher: No, listen carefully
. . . If I gave you 2 cats, and another 2 cats and another 2, how many will you
have?
Johnny: Seven,
sir.
Teacher: Let me put it to you
differently . If I gave you 2 apples, and another 2 apples and another 2, how
many would you have?
Johnny:
Six.
Teacher: Good. Now if I gave
you 2 cats, and another 2 cats and another 2, how many would you
have?
Johnny:
Seven, sir.
Teacher: Why would you have six apple but seven cats?
Johnny: Because I've already got a
cat.
Fave color: yellow (because it reminds me of sunshine)
Fave animal: my cat, Benny J
Fave animal: my cat, Benny J
Fave number: 3
Fave non-alcoholic drink: Powerade Zero
Fave alcoholic drink: Mocha Kalua.. yum
Facebook or Twitter: Facebook, but only because Pinterest was not an option ;p
Passions: Relationships (with God, my hubby, family, friends and my cat), creativity (be it writing or visual art), watching good TV Shows and reading books.
Prefer giving or getting presents? I prefer giving, however, that’s typically limited by finances.
Fave city? Orlando
Fave TV Shows: Oh boy, this list is very long. Here goes: The Vampire Diaries (that’s right, I said it), Once Upon a Time, The Walking Dead, Grimm, Modern Family, South Park, and so far The Michael J. Fox show and Reign are pretty good. (Shows not airing still: Friends, Lost, Monk and Merlin (BBC).
Fave color: yellow (because it reminds me of sunshine)
Fave animal: my cat, Benny J
Fave animal: my cat, Benny J
Fave number: 3
Fave non-alcoholic drink: Powerade Zero
Fave alcoholic drink: Mocha Kalua.. yum
Facebook or Twitter: Facebook, but only because Pinterest was not an option ;p
Passions: Relationships (with God, my hubby, family, friends and my cat), creativity (be it writing or visual art), watching good TV Shows and reading books.
Prefer giving or getting presents? I prefer giving, however, that’s typically limited by finances.
Fave city? Orlando
Fave TV Shows: Oh boy, this list is very long. Here goes: The Vampire Diaries (that’s right, I said it), Once Upon a Time, The Walking Dead, Grimm, Modern Family, South Park, and so far The Michael J. Fox show and Reign are pretty good. (Shows not airing still: Friends, Lost, Monk and Merlin (BBC).
Fave color: yellow (because it reminds me of sunshine)
Fave animal: my cat, Benny J
Fave animal: my cat, Benny J
Fave number: 3
Fave non-alcoholic drink: Powerade Zero
Fave alcoholic drink: Mocha Kalua.. yum
Facebook or Twitter: Facebook, but only because Pinterest was not an option ;p
Passions: Relationships (with God, my hubby, family, friends and my cat), creativity (be it writing or visual art), watching good TV Shows and reading books.
Prefer giving or getting presents? I prefer giving, however, that’s typically limited by finances.
Fave city? Orlando
Fave TV Shows: Oh boy, this list is very long. Here goes: The Vampire Diaries (that’s right, I said it), Once Upon a Time, The Walking Dead, Grimm, Modern Family, South Park, and so far The Michael J. Fox show and Reign are pretty good. (Shows not airing still: Friends, Lost, Monk and Merlin (BBC).
