SpewagE – Easy Plurals, Easy Apostrophes

Henceforth, I will share my acute and capacious superpowers foisted upon me by Mom (worked for Merriam-Webster as a proofreader) and Ang (who could complete the NYT Crossword in a day), and the years of research and learning stuff and “Looking Things Up.” 

I will share my experiences … Spelling, Proofreading, Editing, Writing, Apostrophes, Grammar, and English. “SpewagE.” I capped the last E because that’s how the art came out. 

Easy Plurals, Easy Apostrophes

Social Networking Yuckies

Over the last couple of years, I’ve seen more and more misuse of the apostrophe in plurals, especially on social networking posts. 

Plurals are simple (for the most part). Here are a handful:

Cats

Dogs

Scientists

Doctors 

Nurses

So, if you have one cat, you can have two cats, three cats, and so on. 

If you trust a scientist, then you can also trust two scientists, three scientists (and you can trust Dr. Fauci, too!). 

Apostrophes in Plurals

Plural’s do not need apostrophe’s. (Ew!)

Wrong – Mistake’s are being made. 

Correct – Mistakes are being made. 

Plurals do not need apostrophes. (Good!)

Apostrophes in Possessives

Now, this is where you need apostrophes – in possessives. 

The cat’s whiskers

The dog’s tail 

The scientist’s research 

The doctor’s white coat

The nurse’s stethoscope

* * *

Any questions? 

Annoying Zoom Behaviors

Ah, the age of Corona and Zoom meetings. I think we need to look at our online, face-to-face behaviors. I freely admit I’ve been guilty of many of the behaviors in this list (that’s what got me thinking about making the list!). I’m learning. I try to not be annoying. Here’s a few tips.

Being late. When a meeting is called for 5:00 p.m., log in a couple/few minutes early. Check EST, CST, MST, PST. Nothing bugs me more than “waiting for the late people.”

Trouble logging in. This is new technology for a lot of people, a learning curve for us all. But if you can’t get in successfully within a few minutes, give it up. Don’t make 30 people wait and waste 15 minutes trying to get YOU in. If you are not sure of the technology, ask a few friends to help you with a few dry runs. Practice…muting, unmuting, screen on, screen off, wax on, wax off.

Background noise. If you’re not talking, mute! I don’t need to hear your TV, your radio, the conversation in the kitchen, or your ‘hmm-ing’ or ‘yeah-ing’ every few seconds. Copernicus called – you’re not the center of the universe. So mute yourself.

Background. My background is a Welsh flag, but it’s not flapping in the wind from the highlands. Don’t have lava lamps, blinky-blinky things, or other distracting flappy things.

Your animals and kids. Yeah, they’re cute. We all love cats, we all love dogs, we all love kids. But not when we’re trying to have a meeting. It makes for cute out-takes on the news, but these distractions are not helpful when we are trying to talk and concentrate on serious subjects.

Alignment. Can you align your face in the frame? It’s pretty simple. I would like to see all of your face, not just the top part or the bottom part or half-face. And I prefer not to be looking up your nose. If you need to, prop the monitor/screen/laptop on a few books to look straight into the camera.

Adjustments. If you insist on being seen, stop the constant adjustments. People moving their screens, aligning their phones, repeatedly, moving up down, in out, forward back. Pick an agreeable alignment and leave it. Or pass around the Dramamine.

And here’s a novel idea! If you’re not the main event, why even bother with video? You can turn it off. Try it.

Speak up. On a call about two weeks ago, I had to ask the other person to speak up numerous times (as in about a dozen times, to the point I just gave up. I would have tried to lip read, but I couldn’t see her mouth). Speak clearly, speak slowly, speak up.

The type/chat window. I guess it’s there for chatting, but must it be used constantly? If you have something to say, try this… “I have a question” or “I would like to comment.” And then wait for the facilitator to acknowledge you. The chat window doesn’t mean you have to type/chat throughout the entire meeting.

Getting up, sitting down. Stop it. Sit, pay attention. Stop fidgeting! It’s distracting and annoying. We know you don’t have ants in your pants, because none of us are wearing pants.

Speaking of pants…please, no panty or brief shots. Ga!

Bodily functions. Just no. I don’t need to hear any of these sounds. This ain’t your daddy’s frat party.

Going with the burn-out flow

About a year and a half ago, I realized I was experiencing social networking burn-out. It just got worse and worse.

I referred to my own blog about this problem, and tried the tips I’d written myself: Avoiding blog burn-out.

I tried more tricks:

Trim the blogs I subscribe to

Don’t blog as much

Don’t get on social networking so much

When on social networking, don’t spend as much time there

I exercised more. Made more art. Stepped outside. Read more. Socialized more.

Nothing helped. I was still burned out, and I couldn’t kick it.

And then, after a recent phone conversation with Elizabeth H. Cottrell of Heartspoken– to discuss my burn-out – it finally occurred to me (can you say, “Duh”?).

My life changed about a year and a half ago, and my energies were being funneled into new and challenging activities.

I started a new job in the summer of 2014. Learning a new job (with about an hour of training from the previous gal) took a toll. I love the job, but it can be exhausting.

I started going to a university class, fall 2014. It was only one class a semester, but it was a lot of work.

Then, the summer of 2015, I started tap dance lessons (yes, at 57 y.o.). Tap was always something I wanted to do, and now I’m doing it.

And this semester I’ll be taking two classes at Minot State University, so I’ll have even less time to social network and blog.

While Elizabeth did give me some great ideas for a new direction for my blog, I’ll tell you right now – I won’t be blogging as much. And I won’t be feeling guilty about it.

I have new priorities, so I took a look at blogging and realized it’s just not a huge priority now. While I will blog occasionally, I just won’t be popping up in your feed as much as I did before.

 

 

Photos by me from Lake Metigoshe, Summer, 2015.

Avoiding blog burn-out

Even if you love blogging, there will come a day when you are near burn-out. Or maybe you have already crashed and burned.

Try to notice the signs of an imminent burn out. Intervention time!

I see it in myself. I sometimes agonize over what to write for my next blog.

***

Same ole, same ole

Are you blogging only about writing? Or editing? Or social networking woes?

Try something different!

Do a blog of inspirational quotes (make your own with
background and script at Quozio).

Post inspirational artwork.

Take pictures and then post your photos.

Invite guest bloggers.

Tell a funny story about your childhood.

Genre rut

You write sci fi so you follow sci fi blogs exclusively. No, nada, niet!

Go look for poetry, women’s lit, romance, horror, or western blogs! Yes, western!

Try something different, pilgrim.

SSDD

“Same shit, different day.”

Have you been following the same blogs for months and months?

A good way to find new blogs is to connect with other commenters on the great blogs you follow or via guest writers on these blogs.

Go outside writing

If you are following a poo-pile of writing blogs, go look for blogs that are non-writing.

Try art blogs or yoga blogs or hiking blogs.

How about photography or watercolor or pottery?

What about cooking or dance?

Or better yet, take a class in art, yoga, photography, cooking, or dance.

Ask a question

On your Facebook page, ask a question like, “What do you do when you have writer’s block?” or “What one thing must I remember for a book signing?” or “What do you do when you have no idea for your next blog?”

You will probably get enough comments to create your next blog post (save the FB comments!).

Fun, fun, fun

Stop worrying about your blog and go out and have some fun!

See Susannah Friis’s blog post about having Fun Fun Fun.

Take a vacation

I’m not talking to Maui or St. Thomas (though those would be nice).

I’m talking a vacation from blogging. Just decide to take a month off and then stick to it.

Have you ever experienced blog burn out? What do you do to avoid burn out or get over burn out?