Susan Uhlig

I was a very

2013-05-14T07:05:00Z

I was a very fearful child, and when I write I try to remember that feeling of panic. I try to remember what it was like being a kid afraid of the dark, afraid something is lurking in the basement. .
R.L. Stine

I want my own

2013-05-07T07:05:00Z

I want my own writing to surprise me, the way someone else's book does.
Jane Yolen

I try to make

2013-04-30T07:05:00Z

I try to make every sentence I write worth reading 62 times.
Linda Sue Park

A Dark Side of Social Media

2013-04-23T20:53:13Z

Last week my brother died unexpectedly. My sister-in-law didn't know logins and passwords for their accounts online, so couldn't see what bills were paid and what owing. We were able to find some; her son will probably have to help her figure out others.

On the plane home I was thinking about several writers who have died or become incapacitated. Their facebook pages are still up. I'm guessing that means no one in their family has access. Or family members, especially in the case of someone who is single, may not even be aware of the social media sites where their loved one was involved.

So this is my challenge to all of us creative people. Make sure someone somewhere has a list of the social media you are involved in. The list should include login information and passwords for each site. It should mention which services you are paying for and which are free.

For example, I pay for my website hosting (monthly), my domain name (annually) and ad-free yahoo mail (annually). These automatically come out of my writing business checking account, which my husband is a signer on. I also have a writing PayPal account which is tied to my checking. I have free accounts: facebook, gmail, google+, twitter, linked in. A number of them send notices to my email. If I'm using all these when I inevitably die, I want my husband or daughters to be able to cancel or change, whichever is appropriate.

As I'm typing this, I'm thinking a list of the listserves I participate in would be helpful as well. For those, the email used would be appropriate to note. And what about physical magazines or memberships in organizations? Those could be recorded too.

I know these things would be low priorities for my loved ones, but eventually, when they got to them, how much nicer to have the information than to keep having notices trickle in.

I think writer's block

2013-04-23T07:05:00Z

I think writer's block is simply the dread that you are going to write something horrible. But as a writer, I believe that if you sit down at the keys long enough, sooner or later something will come out.
Roy Blount, Jr.

I think of writing

2013-04-16T07:05:00Z

I think of writing as a privilege-as a gift that's been given to me. Any day that I don't get to write something-anything-is a day I have to spend being someone other than who I am.
Larry Gelbart

I think every morning

2013-04-09T07:05:00Z

I think every morning before I start to write is my lowest low, because it's scary. You think, what if I can't do it today? But then you just put your chin up and your shoulders back and dig in and discover you can still type, at least, if not write.
Lin Oliver

I tell my students

2013-04-02T07:05:00Z

I tell my students: Tension= the raft is headed for the falls and the character's struggle to divert. Action=point of no return.
Kelly Barnhill

I love writing. I

2013-03-26T07:05:00Z

I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.
James Michener

I have written a

2013-03-19T07:05:00Z

I have written a great many stories and I still don't know how to go about it except to write it and take my chances.
John Steinbeck

I ask new writers

2013-03-12T07:05:00Z

I ask new writers: Are you willing to do what it takes, no matter what it takes? This is a sobering question and one that each of us can only answer for ourselves.
Karen O'Connor

Have regrets. They are

2013-03-05T08:05:00Z

Have regrets. They are fuel. On the page they flare into desire.
Geoff Dyer

Had I been limited

2013-02-26T08:05:00Z

Had I been limited to writing what I know, I would have produced in 40 yrs 1 unpublishable haiku.
Richard Peck

Great works are performed

2013-02-19T08:05:00Z

Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.
Samuel Johnson

Do you struggle with grammar?

2013-02-14T23:00:05Z

You're not alone.

One of my favorite resources is a book by Harry Shaw called Errors in English and How to Correct Them. If you're in doubt on whether to use who or whom or how to punctuate when using quotes or the difference between effect and affect, this book explains it in an easy to read way.

Sometimes, we need help though to get something fixed in our brain. I'll list a grammatical problem and then a site I recommend to students for help with that particular issue.

Adverbs - Been told you're overusing those "ly" words? This site is useful to paste your text in and have it show them to you. It also works on other grammar issues, such as passive verbs. http://editminion.com/

Future in the Past Tense - An example of this is "would get" versus "got." http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/futureinpast.html

Passive Verbs - Been told to watch out for passive verbs ending in "ing?"
This article on the ICL website is helpful: http://www.institutechildrenslit.com/rx/ws05/goodverbs.shtml
This one explains the difference between active and passive: http://www.towson.edu/ows/activepass.htm

Run-on Sentences - I've got two helpful sites for this problem:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/runons.htm
http://www.myenglishteacher.net/runonsentences.html

Sentence Fragments - This site offers a quiz.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/fragments.htm

Verb Tense Consistency - This educational site has a verb consistency test. You can answer the questions then check your answers which is pretty useful.
http://www.towson.edu/ows/exercisetenseconsistency.htm

Which English is it? Spelling and grammar different from country to country. - Here is a wonderful chart that outlines the subtle differences between British, Canadian, and American English: http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/BritishCanadianAmerican.htm

I know this isn't a complete list of grammar problems, but they are definitely ones I see commonly in student assignments.

Photo courtesy of xandert on morguefile.com