Strong vs Weak Words ~ Part 38 ~ Everyone and Everybody

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Strong vs Weak Words, Strong Words, Weak Words, writers, writing

Everyone . . . listen up. Yes, that means you.

Remember when I wrote about “it,” “they,” and “them?” We discovered together that our writing is stronger if we name “it,” “they,” and “them.” Here are two related words. EVERYONE and EVERYBODY.

Let’s see if I can show everyone what I mean. Or, I should say, “let’s see if I can show my fellow writers what I mean.”

Everyone loves Robin’s blog.

Oh yeah? Sez who?

Aspiring writers avoid Robin’s blog because she babbles on and gives piss-poor advice.

~~~~~

When everybody was seated, Robin pontificated on the need to use strong words instead of weak words.

Gawd, she is so preachy. Damn know-it-all.

The conference attendees fled for the door when Robin took the stage.

~~~~~

 Everyone applauded when Robin finished speaking.

They applauded because she finally shut-up.

 The students groaned when Robin started speaking.

 ~~~~~

Everybody in the room crowded the stage and asked Robin for her autograph.

An angry mob scene, right?

After Robin’s lecture, the police were called in to squelch the rioters.

The trick here is to ask yourself, “who is the everyone?” Can you name ‘em?  Are they flight attendants, pole-dancers, angry writers?

Related articles

• Strong vs Weak Words In One Convenient Location (robincoyle.wordpress.com)

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Strong vs Weak Words In One Convenient Location

Tags

editing, editing advice, National Novel Writing Month, Overused Words, Strong vs Weak Words, Strong Words, Weak Words, writers, writing

You pleaded. You begged. You sent me your firstborn child.

I promised. I swore. I vowed I would do it.

And . . . I have done it at last! What have I done, you ask? I put the Strong vs Weak Word posts in one easy-to-find place on my blog. No longer do you need to slog through some 180+ posts to find my words of wisdom. Er . . . my words of editing advice. Ahem . . . I mean my nagging about using strong words when possible.

If I may direct your attention to the left, you will gaze upon a link in the sidebar with the clever title, “Strong vs Weak Words.” Boy, do I know how to turn a phrase or what? Click on that puppy and you will have hours of pleasure reading ahead of you.

My motivation for getting to this project at long last was the blog posts from folks as they wrap up their NaNoWriMo challenge. They are now staring into the abyss of editing those 50,000 words. Have mercy on their souls.

For those of you who weren’t in on this bumpy ride of the Strong vs Weak Word series since its inception, it was born out of my own editing pain. I spent the better part of the summer polishing my manuscript. Whenever I ran across a weak, or oft-repeated word, I poked at it. If the word didn’t dance on the page, I poked it some more to see if I could fix the flat language. And when I could fix it, I shared my brilliant discovery with you, my unwitting readers.

Well, I am overstating my wisdom, but the response from you let me know that many of us share the same writerly tics, crutches, and the tendency to fallback on certain words. I lovingly call those words “cheeky little buggers.”  They sneak in our writing unnoticed and do nothing to punch up the story.

An early discovery of a “cheeky little bugger” was the word “went.” My character went here and went there. She never strode, marched, tiptoed, or pirouetted anywhere. For example, change the words “I went to the principal’s office” to “I slunk to the principal’s office” and you have a better visual.

I plan to make the series into a made-for-TV-movie. Steven Spielberg wants to direct it. Until I can work out my 7-figure royalty payment with Stevie-boy, I’ll settle on working the Strong vs Weak Word series into a slim tome in the coming months, publish it, and then sit on my laurels. Fame and fortune will soon come my way. And yes, I do sign autographs.

Can I send back your firstborn children now? They are eating me out of house and home. And GAWD, the laundry is piling up.

Is Cursive Handwriting Dead?

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Cursive Handwriting, writers, writing

An article in today’s paper gave me pause. Cursive handwriting has one foot in the grave.

Remember this paper? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A debate wages as 45 states adopt school curriculum guidelines for 2014 that exclude cursive handwriting, but do require keyboard proficiency by the time students exit elementary school.

You can read the full article here, but some highlights are:

“ . . . it has teachers and students divided over the value of learning flowing script and looping signatures in the age of touchpads and mobile devices. Some see it as a waste of time, an anachronism in a digitized society where even signatures are electronic, but others see it as necessary so kids can hone fine motor skills, reinforce literacy, and develop their own unique stamp of identity.”

“When a kid can text 60 words a minute, that means we’re headed in a different direction. Cursive is becoming less important.”

“School assignments are required to be typed, and any personal note, such as thank yous and birthday cards are emails.”

“It’s not necessary to write in cursive. Whatever you write in, you say the same thing.”

“For kids, the only practical purpose for learning cursive may be to sign their name.”

Hmmm . . . I struggle with this on several levels.

Call me old-school, a fuddy-duddy, or stick-in-the-mud, but I think kids should learn the fine art of cursive handwriting. Why? Just because.

The days of handwritten letters are gone. I get that. However, I miss when letters were lovingly written on beautiful stationery and then bundled together with a satin ribbon and saved in a satin box. I have dozens of letters my mom, uncle, and grandmother exchanged before the electronic age. They are treasures. Some of these letters are 70 years old. I can hold them in my hand, see their personality in their handwriting, and read them when I am feeling nostalgic.

Now, we email, text, Tweet, and FaceBook Grandma rather than sending her a note on linen stationery and signed with a flourish. Maybe electronic notes will be saved in a file on Grandma’s computer, but do you think that years from now the next generation will consider a typed message as part of their legacy? Besides, technology will have advanced to such a degree that my grandkids won’t be able to open old word.docx files.

My husband and I insisted that our kids wrote their thank you notes in cursive. They cursed the cursive, but acquiesced after we tied them to the chair until the notes were properly written. Don’t worry, Child Protective Services never knocked on our door.

I recently showed the girls some of the thank you notes they wrote my folks. It was fun for them to read that Grandma gave them pink Barbie pajamas for Christmas in 1992. But it meant more to them that Grandma cared enough about their notes to save them. Can’t save a text message in a satin box.

If Shakespeare wrote his sonnets in block letters or on his iPad, some of the magic would have been lost.

I guess I am lamenting the loss of two things here . . . the art of letter writing and cursive handwriting.

Where do you stand on the demise of cursive handwriting? Is it dead, or should the patient be saved?

I mean it.

Are You Kidding? 2012 Blog of the Year?

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2012 Blog of the Year, blogging, Blogging Awards, writers, writing

Hello folks . . .

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It is official; the holidays are here. They were heralded in by 5,000 calories on a plate, Uncle Joe sleeping it off in front of the football game, and crazy people shopping door-buster deals at 3:00 am. Nothing says Merry Christmas like a fist fight over a flat-screen TV.

All jokes aside, I received an early Christmas gift from my friend Maggie Myklebust at Fly Away Home Books. Granted, she was in a post-virtual-cocktail-party-stupor when she gave it to me, but I am thankful nonetheless.

In all her foggy-headed wisdom, she bestowed this blog with the 2012 Blog of the Year award. I can hear Maggie saying right now, “I did whaaaaaa? Someone hand me the Pepto.”

Who, me?

The timing of her misguided generosity in naming this humble blog as a 2012 Blog of the Year is in sync with a post rattling around in my head. I recently asked in an unscientific study:

Why did you start a blog?

Why do you keep blogging?

What do you want/get out of blogging?

Price Waterhouse analyzed the answers and reported the results to me in an envelope sealed with a cool gold sticker. Just like at the Academy Awards.

To a man, woman, and child, we started blogging for different reasons, but we KEEP blogging for the same reason  . . . the wonderful community spirit and fellowship we’ve found in the blogosphere. Ella Dee said it best when she described it as a “WordPress Community Garden.”

We talk about the aura, feel, and appeal of blogging. It is mysterious and hard to name. However, I have concrete examples of the magic that has happened to me because of my blog. I bet you have similar stories.

In a comment conversation with Mike Allegra on his blog Hey Look a Writer Fellow, I jokingly asked him to do one of his cute doodles for my daughter in the Army. Bam . . . two days later this was in my mailbox.

BCGs are Birth Control Glasses. No need for Birth Control when you wear these!

Mike did this doodle even though he was busy swimming upstream in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy’s deluge. While doing the backstroke, he made sure it arrived in time for Veteran’s Day. How is that for community spirit?

While I was in the throes of my dad in critical condition in the hospital, Unfettered BS, T.W. Dittmer, All Things Boys Blog, and Maddie Cochere at Breezy Books, sent emails to check in on me. (My apologies if I am forgetting anyone.) Paula Acton sent me a letter in the mail from jolly old England. These folks don’t know my dad or me. But their kind and caring spirit shined through their words. Their notes came at opportune times for me . . . when I was at my lowest point.

All Thing Boys Blog and Corey, M.P. became beta readers of my novel after I bribed them with chocolate. I’m kidding. They volunteered. Like they don’t have enough on their plate. Their comments and suggestions were invaluable.

Carrie Rubin at The Write Transition mentioned my Strong vs Weak Word series in the acknowledgements of her freshly published novel Seneca Scourge. If that wasn’t enough to make my button burst, she sent me an autographed copy of her book. She didn’t need to do that; even though it may be the only time I see my name in print.

On a similar note, Maddie at Breezy Books gifted me a copy of her book after she stumbled upon my Strong vs Weak Word series. I suspect it was a bribe to keep me from doing any further posts in the series.

Pete Denton was smart crazy enough to give this blog its first award. Pete’s kindness gave me the confidence to keep going at a time when I thought, “Why the heck am I doing this?” and was ready to toss in the towel and keyboard.

A happy-go-lucky and witty blogger started a private blog as a place to share the darker side of her life story. I was one of the first people she invited to her private blog. I am touched that she feels safe in sharing her world with me.

Over the summer I posted the letters our daughter Amanda sent us from Army Basic Training and your heartfelt support of her commitment to our country made me cry more than once. Let’s not forget the dozens of letters my bloggy friends sent to her platoon. No one needed to do that, but you did.

Then, there are the faithful followers, likers, and commenters who play along with me even when my post is lame-o.

There are many more examples of “the magic,” but I’ll leave it at that for now.

The rules of accepting this award aren’t fair. One of the rules is to NOT alter the rules, to which I say:

Dear Thinker-Upper-of This-Award:

You ask the impossible in telling me to single out blogs for this award. Ergo, I won’t. The list of my nominees would too long and the post would set a world’s record for “Most Links in one Post.”

Respectfully,

Robin “The Rule Breaker” Coyle

Thank you Maggie for this honor. I am blessed to have you, and all my other blogging friends as, well . . . friends.

What magic has happened to you because of your blog?

P. S. My dad is back in the hospital. I’ll be in and out of blogging and reading blogs once again.

Strong vs Weak Words ~ Part 37 ~ Strong Sentences

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Strong Sentences, Strong vs Weak Words, Strong Words, Weak Words, writers, writing

Fellow blogger Laurence D’Orsay stopped by my blog and “liked” my Strong vs Weak Word series. I decided to hop over to his blog to learn more about this wise and astute genius. (Note: blatant use of a tautology here). Since Larry likes me, maybe I would like him too.

I read this on his blog.

“Make your novel readable. Make it easy to read, pleasant to read. This doesn’t mean flowery passages, ambitious flights of pyrotechnic verbiage; it means strong, simple, natural sentences.”

~ Laurence D’Orsay

No wonder he liked me! We are kindred spirits.

Just kidding. The guy has been dead for 65 years. It is unlikely he had a blog. However, he wrote books on the craft of writing, how to get published, several short stories, and one novel. He was also a Los Angeles-based literary agent and critic.

Laurence the author’s brother ~ Lawrence the actor. Sorry, only photo of the D’Orsay family I could find.

The above quote was written in l929. Strong sentences were good then. Strong sentences are good now. Mr. D’Orsay said so. Me too.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. See you after the holiday.

WordPress Wish List

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Blog Wish List, WordPress, WordPress Wish List, writers, writing

Sure, we’ve all had minor hiccups with WordPress, but overall, it is an excellent place for our blog home.

Maybe some hiccups weren’t so minor. Who can forget the “send-me-an-email-every-time-someone-makes-a-comment-on-this-blog-unless-I-tick-the-box-saying-I-don’t-want-one” snafu? Gosh, that was terrible, but lucky for our overflowing in-boxes and formerly full heads of hair, the problem was corrected after the ugly mob stormed the WordPress castle gate.

I can’t complain about the ease of having a WordPress blog or the price of admission. Free is always good. However, I have a Christmas Wish List for the gurus at WordPress . . .

Santa WordPress (Santa Claus’s little brother)

• Could you give the “drop-down orange dialog-bubble-thingy” a catchy name so we don’t need to call it the “drop-down orange dialog-bubble-thingy?”

• What does the blue dot and/or gray star next to some comments in the “drop-down orange dialog-bubble-thingy” mean? Why is there a blue dot and/or gray star next to SOME of the comments but not ALL?

• Could we have more than nine recent comments on the “drop-down orange dialog-bubble-thingy” (see why we need a catchy name?)? There are times I read and comment on a bunch of blogs. Then, I do a post on my blog and people read and comment, thereby obliterating any responses to comments I made on other blogs. I can’t keep the comment conversation going by commenting on responses to my comments because I don’t see them.  (Gosh, did that make sense? Or, did I just type myself into a circle?) (Are you all laughing at me because I don’t know about the super-secret button that shows all comment responses?)

• Maybe a solution to the above wish is . . . could we get an email with a blogger’s response to a comment we made on their blog? Like when we get an email when someone comments on our blog.

• While we are on the subject of comments, it never fails that I type a comment on a blog, hit ‘Post Comment’, and immediately see a careless typo. Could you make it possible to fix typos in our comments so we don’t look like Neanderthal typists? What say you? You want me to proof my work before submitting?

• On the top right side of the “Add New Post” screen, we have the option to move the new post to the trash or publish it. Could we have a box pop up that asks, “Are you sure you want to delete this masterpiece?” Or one that asks, “Are you sure you want to publish this drivel?” Anyone else trash a post you didn’t mean to delete, or publish a post you didn’t want to fling into the universe yet?

• Could you fix this glitch? Sometimes we spend hours perfecting the perfect post. The last thing we do is upload the perfect image for the perfect post. What happens to the perfect post? Poof. Gonzo. You mean I should save my work first? Now you tell me.

• Can you make it a requirement that visitors from exotic lands, like say, Zimbabwe or California, must state why and how they found our blogs?

• Could you hand new bloggers a pamphlet titled, “Comment, Follow, and Like Etiquette 101”? Rule Number One: When you follow a blog, it is polite to tell the blogger why you followed them.

• Could we have a “Love” button? I can think of a few more buttons I’d like to have:

• “Whoa, Bro. WAY too many words on this page.”
• Or, “Have you taken your Prozac today?”
• Or, “Can I come give you a hug?”
• Or, “I wish I wrote this post.”

What button(s)  would you add? For the record, I have never called anyone “Bro.”

That it is my Wish List. Dear friends at WordPress . . . Christmas is right around the corner! While you are out shopping, I’d like a new Mercedes too.

What’s on your WordPress wish list?

Our friend The Eagle-Eyed-Editor did a great wrap-up post on our virtual beer-bash-blowout, er . . . I mean our refined literary and libation gathering. Check it out. And if you aren’t following The Eagle, why not?

Eagle-Eyed Editor

Last Saturday night, I saw one of the most creative ideas I’ve ever seen in cyberspace and I can’t resist talking about it. Fellow blogger Robin Coyle hosted a virtual cocktail party, which I’ve never experienced before last weekend. We had a blast. There were drinks (burp!) and delicious nibbles (yum!), and somebody even kidnapped a lightshade. As the night progressed, some plastic pink flamingos ended up in Robin’s virtual pool and the more exuberant partygoers graduated to dancing on tabletops. (Okay, okay, people, I’m quoting from Katy Perry’s song “Last Friday Night.”) Led Zeppelin, Mick Jagger, Elton John and James Taylor gave impromptu musical performances.

I suspect I saw a monkey swinging from a chandelier. That might have been an hallucination caused by a few too many chocolate truffles, however.

After midnight, things wore down a bit and some overindulgent bloggers had to be helped back to their…

View original post 335 more words

Virtual Cocktail Party Recipes

Tags

Blogging Friends, Virtual Cocktail Party, writers, writing

See the mess you left me with? Photo credit: Ioan Sameli

“A good time was had by all.” ~ Stevie Smith and years later, John Lennon

Well folks, I’ll say this about you . . . you know how to eat, drink, and dance on the ceiling. Thanks to your fellow bloggers, you don’t have to think about the menu for your holiday parties. Read and enjoy. As for what bloggers like to drink? Well, simply put . . . booze.

Heads up . . . On the Homefront and Beyond is hosting the next virtual cocktail party at her place on December 15th. Dress as your favorite author! Dibs! I’m coming as Dr. Seuss.

Mike Akin brought ~ Yankeefied Bean Chili

6 cans of assorted beans, 12 and 16 ounce size

½ onion

½ green pepper

1 large tomato

1 pound of ground beef

1 package of stew meat

1 package of chili seasoning mix. Mike likes mild. I like spicy.

Garlic salt, pepper, and Mrs. Dash to flavor

Secret ingredient…1/2 cup of Pampered Chef Korean BBQ sauce

Brown the meat with half of the onion, minced of course. Cut the tomato and green pepper into small pieces of the size you want. Remember this chili is all about YOU!

Now take all of the rest of the ingredients and throw them in a large slow cooker and turn that bad boy on high and go shopping! (Robin’s note . . . Mike gave me his credit card girls! Let’s go shopping!)

PS…that secret ingredient really gives it a unique flavor. If you can’t find a Pampered Chef dealer, I’ll help you.

PS, PS…you can change the meat out if you like

Eagle-Eyed-Editor Brought ~ Tangy Meatballs

1 large bag Italian-style meatballs (frozen and precooked)

1 bottle chili sauce

1 jar Polaner grape jelly (or 10-12 ounces of another brand)

Combine all ingredients in 4-quart or 5-quart crock pot. Set crock pot on high. Heat for 2 hours, stirring at intervals until meatballs are thawed. Turn heat back to low and serve. (Robin’s note: chili sauce and grape jelly? Gotta try that!)

Maggie Myklebust Brought ~ Coconut Prawns

65g (1 cup) shredded coconut

40g (1/4 cup) plain flour

2 eggs, lightly whisked

Vegetable oil, to shallow-fry

24 green prawns, peeled leaving tails intact, deveined

24 small English spinach leaves

Tamarind sauce

2 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 long fresh red chili, seeded, finely chopped

80g (1/2 cup, lightly packed) brown sugar

125ml (1/2 cup) water

2 tablespoons tamarind puree

2 tablespoons fish sauce

To make the tamarind sauce, heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion, garlic and chilli, stirring, for 2 minutes or until soft. Add sugar, water and tamarind puree, and simmer for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in fish sauce. Set aside to cool slightly.

Place the coconut, flour and egg in separate bowls. Dip the prawns in flour and shake off any excess. Dip in the egg, then in the coconut to coat.

Add oil to a wok to reach a depth of 5cm. Heat to 180°C over medium-high heat (when oil is ready a cube of bread will turn golden in 15 seconds). Place one-third of the prawns in oil and cook for 3 minutes or until golden. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat, in 2 more batches, with remaining prawns, reheating wok between batches. Serve with spinach leaves and tamarind sauce. (Robin’s note: If I’m at your party and you serve this, please triple the recipe.) 

Maddie Cochere Brought ~ Hot Crab Spread

2 cans crab meat, well-drained

1 pound cream cheese, softened

½ cup mayonnaise

1 small bunch green onions, chopped

2 dashes Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Handful of slivered almonds

Mix all ingredients together well – except almonds. Place in baking dish. Sprinkle almonds on top. Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with crackers. (Robin’s note: Maddie likes to serve Triscuits and isn’t opposed to using more crab than the recipe calls for. My kind of gal!)

Dianne Gray Brought ~ Feta Cheese Dip

180g (1 1/2 cups) feta cheese

60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

60ml (1/4 cup) milk

Place the feta, oil, and half the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until combined. Add the milk in a thin steady stream and continue to stir until the mixture is a thick, smooth paste. Set aside in fridge for half an hour. Spoon into bowl and enjoy with baguette or crackers. (Robin’s note: How easy is that!)

J. Keller Ford Brought ~ Cheese Straws

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon powdered mustard

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2/3 stick butter (1/3 cup)

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon each celery seed and paprika

Sift the first 4 ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add butter and 1/2 cup of grated cheese and cut into a coarse crumb consistency. Add water and toss lightly. Shape into a ball. Roll to 1/8″ thick – sprinkle 1 side of the dough with 1/4 cup of cheese. Fold dough over and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese. Roll again to 1/8 inch thick and cut into 4″ strips that are 1/2″ wide. Sprinkle with celery seed and paprika. Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes 5 dozen. (For other variations, you may substitute garlic powder for the celery seed and paprika, or leave plain. Serve with marinara. (Robin’s note . . . and a martini.)

Ella Dee Brought ~ Bloody Mary Oyster Shooters

These shots are fun to serve before dinner or for a cocktail party. To turn them into an entrée, serve 6 oysters with a shot of Bloody Mary for each person.

Makes 24

150ml (2/3 cup) vodka

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

10 drops Tabasco sauce, or more to taste

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 litre tomato juice

Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

24 freshly-shucked oysters

Combine vodka, Worcestershire, Tabasco, lemon juice and tomato juice, season well with salt and pepper and chill until very cold. Pour into shot glasses. Drop an oyster into each one and serve immediately. (Robin’s note: I’ll skip the oyster and go straight for the Bloody Mary, sans slimy, fishy, goo.)

Lori DiNardi Brought ~ Cheater’s Focaccia Bread

1 package Bridgeford’s Frozen Ready-Dough

28-ounce canned whole tomatoes (or use fresh if you prefer)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt, pepper, and oregano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove two of the three loaves of dough from the package. Use nonstick spray on a deep round or rectangular pan (like a lasagna pan) and put the two loaves inside. Spray some plastic wrap and cover the dough with sprayed side. I personally like to let the dough rise overnight because it takes 8 to 12 hours. It takes especially long in the climate where I live.

Once it’s risen, press down the dough so that it goes up the sides of the pan.

Break up the canned tomatoes into small pieces and start dispersing them over the top of the dough. Once tomato pieces cover the entire top of the dough, drizzle 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil all across the top.

Sprinkle a liberal amount of salt, pepper and oregano over the tomatoes and dough. You can try other seasonings that may appeal to you as well. You may even like to try a light touch of fresh minced garlic.

After sprinkling the seasonings, press your fingers into the dough to make divots for the oil to sink in as below.

Put in preheated (400 degree) oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. It should turn a golden brown. While it bakes, be sure to wipe drool from the corners of your mouth as the aroma of seasoned dough permeates your home. (Robin’s note: My mouth watered while reading this recipe.)

Paula Acton sent ~ Roasted Stuffed Onions a la Jamie Oliver

4 tennis ball size white onions, peeled

Olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

4 sprigs fresh rosemary, lower leaves picked

8 tablespoons heavy cream

2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (approximately 2 handfuls)

Salt and pepper

4 slices smoked bacon

Directions:

Boil the onions in plenty of water for 15 minutes, until slightly tender. Remove from the pan and allow to cool. Remove the top 1 inch of each onion and reserve. If need be, slightly trim the stalk end of the onion so that they sit flat on a roasting tray.

Cut about a heaped tablespoon out from the inside of each onion, keeping the outside intact. Finely chop along with the reserved onion top.

Pre heat the oven to 400°F.

Heat a frying pan and add a little olive oil, garlic, chopped onions and a little chopped rosemary. Fry for a couple of minutes then turn the heat down and add the cream. Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan and season to taste.

Wrap a rasher of bacon around each onion and secure with the sharpened rosemary twig or half a cocktail stick.

Place the onions on the roasting tray and spoon some of the filling inside each one. Bake for 25 minutes. Place the onions on a warmed serving plate, warm through any remaining filling and serve on the side. (Robin’s note: Paula couldn’t make the party because she is recovering from surgery. Hugs to you Paula!)

Cathy Ulrich Brought ~ Baked Brie with Fig Preserves

One 10 oz jar of your favorite preserves. I love Katz fig preserves: https://katzfarm.katzandco.com/branches-organic-black-mission-p-113.html  but they also make amazing blackberry, raspberry and strawberry preserves and meyer lemon marmalade. Their preserves come in 17 oz jars. I just use about half of a jar . . . enough to cover the Brie with a nice layer.

8-inch-diameter 32- to 36-ounce French Brie, packed in wooden box (reserve box)

2 French bread baguettes, sliced

Preheat oven to 350°F. Unwrap Brie, reserving bottom of wooden box. Cut away only top rind of cheese, leaving rind on sides and bottom intact. Return Brie to box, rind side down. Place box on baking sheet. Top Brie evenly with preserves. Bake until cheese just melts, about 30 minutes. Transfer Brie in box to platter. Surround with baguette slices. (Robin’s note: Cathy and I came to blows at the party over who got the last bite of her Baked Brie.) 

Retired Ruth Brought ~ Smoky Cheddar & Tapenade Torta

½ cup chopped black olives, divided
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce chopped plus 2 T adobo sauce  (comes in  a small can)
1 cup green olives chopped, divided
12 ounces cream cheese softened
½ cup sliced green onions
¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped, divided
2 garlic cloves
8 ounces finely shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup sour cream

Chop olives, pepper, onions, cilantro, garlic and set aside

For green onion layer:   Mix  ¼ cup green olives, 8 ounces cream cheese, green onions, 2 T cilantro, one garlic clove, ¼ cup black olives.  Set aside.

For tapendade:  combine remaining green olives, remaining cilantro, remaining garlic clove, and ¼ cup black olives in a small bowl.  Mix well and set aside.

For Cheddar layer:  Combine 4 ounces cream cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, chipotle pepper and sauce in a bowl.  Set aside.

Use a small deep mixing bowl.  Line it with plastic wrap.  Spread evenly ½ cup of the cheddar layer, top with all of the green onion layer,  top with tapenade layer.
Spread remaining cheddar layer on top

Cover and chill 2 hours or longer.
Invert onto a serving plate.  Carefully peel off plastic wrap.

Top with more ripe olives or additional cilantro if desired.

Serve with baguette slices, crackers, or tortilla chips.    Makes 32 servings

1  T  = 80 calories, 7 g fat, 0 fiber (Robin’s note: Ruth . . . calorie count is a buzz-kill.)

And last, but not least, Robin Coyle Brought ~ Killer Bean Dip

1 can Frito-Lays Bean Dip

1 package taco seasoning, mild or spicy

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

Grated cheddar cheese

1 green onion, sliced (optional)

Combine the bean dip, taco seasoning, cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Place in an over-proof casserole dish and sprinkle with cheddar cheese Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or til heated through. Top with green onion, if desired. Serve with Fritos or tortilla chips.

Warn your guests to be careful when digging in because the dip retains its heat. Watch it disappear! The good news! This recipe is dietetic. Wink, wink.

Related articles

• Virtual Cocktail Party at My Place Tonight! (robincoyle.wordpress.com)
• Virtual Cocktail Party Aftermath (robincoyle.wordpress.com)

Virtual Cocktail Party Aftermath

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Blogging Friends, Literary Quotes, Virtual Cocktail Party, writers, writing

Hi folks . . . I am still digging out from the mess you made at my virtual cocktail party. Really people? Bean dip in the potted plants? Guacamole smeared on my laptop keyboard? Led Zeppelin and James Taylor spilled red wine on my white carpet and it won’t come out. Why did you invite those jokers, On the Homefront and Beyond?

This is what my kitchen looks like. (Photo Credit: vtbrak)

Missing lampshades and stained carpet aside, what a grand time we had. We told jokes only bloggers understand, swapped stories about our highest traffic days, and bragged were humble about how many followers we have. I promised to share the cocktail party recipes you sent me and I will do so soon. However, I wanted to first share the literary-ish quotes you brought to the party. The quotes are a brilliant, eclectic mix of wisdom and humor . . . like you guys.

Ella Dee brought ~ “If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.” ~ George Bernard Shaw.

Omawarison brought ~ “Some things that are good aren’t good together, like Chinese food and cheese.” ~ Omawarison’s son

Gandalfe brought ~ “Well, it takes a certain type of woman to wear a backless dress with a Beretta 70 strapped to her thigh.” ~ James Bond in Skyfall

Lori DiNardi brought ~ “If you’re not enough without it, you’ll never be enough with it.” From the movie Cool Runnings

Maggie Myklebust brought ~ “I admire anyone who has the guts to write anything at all.” ~ E.B. White

Polly Robinson brought ~ “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” ~ Charles Dickens, Tale of Two Cities

Maddie Cochere brought ~ ”I am a bear of very little brain, and long words bother me.” ~ Winnie-the-Pooh

Eagle-Eyed-Editor brought ~ “Always do right: this will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” ~ Mark Twain

Dianne Gray brought ~ “The road to hell is paved with works-in-progress.” ~ Philip Roth

On The Homefront and Beyond brought ~ “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.” ~ Ogden Nash

Unfettered BS brought ~ “Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity.” ~ Christopher Morley

J. Keller Ford brought ~ “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” ~ Dumbledore in Harry Potter

Cathy Ulrich brought ~ “Editors and readers don’t know what they want to read until they read it.” ~ William Zinsser from On Writing Well.

Mike Akin brought ~ “Susan, Mrs. Colter peed on the floor again.” ~ Opening line from Big Apple Hunter by fellow blogger Maddie Cochere

Madame Weebles brought ~ Any line from Seinfeld

Robin Coyle (moi) brought ~ “That Robin Coyle sure taught us a thing or two-hundred about using strong words!” ~ E.B. White and William Strunk Jr. in Elements of Style, Part II, The Fifty Shades of Gray Edition, Publishing Date Unknown

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• Virtual Cocktail Party at My Place Tonight! (robincoyle.wordpress.com)

Virtual Cocktail Party at My Place Tonight!

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Blogging Friends, Virtual Cocktail Party, writers, writing

I recently posed the question, “Why do you blog?” Not one person said, “Because I want to gain fame and fortune.” Our stories are similar . . . “Started blogging for X reason, keep blogging because of the caring community and friends I’ve made.”

Amen to that.

We’ve talked about how fun it would be to meet our virtual friends. Well folks, it is Saturday, and I’m hosting a virtual cocktail party here at my blog tonight. You are all invited.

Party at the Coyle’s! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here is the plan . . . I’ll host the virtual bar, but you need to tell me your favorite cocktail so I can stock up on the right libations. The liquor won’t be virtual.  I’ll be making good use of it.

The cocktail party is potluck. What virtual cocktail party food are you going to bring? If you email me your favorite cocktail party recipe, I’ll publish a cookbook on my blog with all your recipes. Won’t that be handy to have with the holidays barreling down at us at 400-miles-per-hour. Your Aunt Betty Lou will have no reason to look down her pointy nose at the Vienna sausages on ruffled toothpicks you planned on serving.

Mood music playing in the background is a must when I entertain. But here is the dilemma. I don’t know what you like to listen too. What virtual music would you like me to put on our virtual cocktail party playlist?

To lend credibility to our drunkfest literary gathering, submit your favorite quote from your favorite book or author. I’ve hired Fabio David Attenborough to read the quotes aloud while we stand around looking literary, smoking a pipe, wearing tweed jackets with suede patches on the elbows, and swilling scotch a la Hemingway.

You game? I can’t wait to have you all over to my pad tonight. Hostess gifts in large denominations please. Or, anything in a blue Tiffany’s box will suffice.

As a recap, put in your comment ~

What do you like to drink? Please, no one be all high and mighty and say lemonade.

What is your favorite cocktail party nosh? Then, email me your recipe at robincoyle@gmail.com. I’ll post the recipes and link them to your blog.

What is your go-to music when hosting a cocktail party?

What is your favorite literary-ish quote?

See you tonight! Be there or be square!

Strong vs Weak Words ~ Part 36 ~ Dialogue Tags

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adverbs, Dialogue Tags, Said-bookisms, Strong vs Weak Words, Strong Words, Weak Verbs, Weak Words, writers, writing

You know how I’m an advocate for using strong words vs weak words? Here is one weak word I think you need to stick with. “Said.” There. I said it.

The great and powerful Elmore Leonard wrote in a New York Times article:

“Never use a verb other than ”said” to carry dialogue.

The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in. But said is far less intrusive than grumbled, gasped, cautioned, lied. I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with ”she asseverated,” and had to stop reading to get the dictionary.

Never use an adverb to modify the verb ”said” . . .

. . . he admonished gravely. To use an adverb this way (or almost any way) is a mortal sin. The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange. I have a character in one of my books tell how she used to write historical romances ”full of rape and adverbs.”

I agree with Mr. Leonard.

Dialogue tags other than “said” are distracting, and sometimes silly. Take this for example:

“Robin’s blog is a delight,” Madame Weebles smiled.

No one can smile a sentence. Not even Madame Weebles.

Odds are, if Madame Weebles is talking about something as delightful as my blog, she is smiling. Also, think of her as she wrings out from Sandy’s deluge.

“Robin is a sham. She spouts nonsensical writing advice,” Le Clown sneered.

No one, except Le Clown, can sneer a sentence.

Using “said” as a dialogue tag blends into the wallpaper and the reader glides over the word. The words inside the quotation marks need to convey when someone “thunders,” “squeaks,” or “groans.” When the speaker “snorts,” I run for the Kleenex box.

My book group read a worthless book in October. I wasted my precious reading time on a poorly written story and I wanted to throw the book across the room. Foreshadowed promises were never fulfilled, characters were mamby-pamby, and at the end, there was no point except the author had the chance to hear herself think.

The capper for me with the book was the dialogue tag she used throughout. Oh, and her overuse of adverbs.

“What nonsense,” Peter smugly says. “There are no devils.”

So she says bravely, “That’s right. Grandma made up the story.”

But finally he says, with a flat voice, “Grandma knows about devils.”

Really? Says?

“Says” was fingernails on a chalkboard. The only consolation for me was that if she could be published, perhaps there is hope for me.

I think it is fine to use an “asked” dialogue tag now and then. But really, the question mark lets us know it is a question.

In writing this post, I learned that using a word other than “said” in dialogue has a name . . . “Said-Bookism.” I also learned there is a writerly debate over the issue. Some people love to have their characters “croak,” “hiss,” and “bellow.”

Where do you stand on the issue? Do you stick to Plain Jane “she said” or do you venture into the colorful world of “she grimaced?” While we are debating, do you prefer “dialogue” or “dialog?”

Why Do You Blog?

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blogging, Why do you blog?, writers, writing

Today is the first installment of an unscientific study that is sure to rock the blogging world.

Today’s Question

Why do you blog?

Life forced me to take an extended break from regular blogging and reading blogs and it got me thinking about it’s mysterious appeal. While not attending to the care and feeding of my blog, I’ve had scads more time to attend to more pressing matters. Blogging is a time vacuum. But I miss it. How odd.

These questions were inspired by an off-blog email sent to me from Unfettered BS (a delightful read). She read about my dad’s health problems and sent a note to say she was thinking of me and wanted me to know she cared. One of the things she asked was “Why did you start blogging?” Hmmm . . . good question.

Really. I am curious.

Why did you start blogging?

Why to you keep blogging?

What do you want out of blogging?

What do you get out of blogging?

Why do I blog? How kind of you to ask.

I started a blog because my daughter nagged me. She was a terrier at my ankle. She said, “Mom, you are a great writer, you need to blog about your book and writing, and people will love what you have to say.”

I ignored her for two years.

Who the hell would want to read my drivel? But, my daughter is a sweet and relentless tormentor. So, last January, I thought what the heck. Let’s give this a try.

I’ll never forget my first non-family comment. I about fell over. My reply to Linda was “How did you find me? And why?”

At first, I blogged because my daughter is in contention for Best in Show in the bulldog category at the Westminster dog show. (No, honey. I am not calling you a dog.)

Next, I blogged because as a writer who wants to be published, I was told I should build my mysterious “platform.”

And finally, I now blog because I have met the most amazing, smart, and funny people ever! I care about them and they seem to care about me. I’ve talked about this before, but I have blogging friends I consider REAL friends. Who knew that would happen? I know it has happened to you too. But, did you expect it?

I also enjoy blogging because it keeps me at the craft of writing. I think I am a better writer because of it. This quote sums it up for me. “The desire to write grows with writing.” ~ Desiderius Erasmus

I thought about doing a poll, but I want to hear your words, and not confine you to canned responses.

Again, I ask . . .

Why did you start blogging?

Why to you keep blogging?

What do you want out of blogging?

What do you get out of blogging?

I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.

That is me in front of my blog. (Photo credit: digitalrob70)