Dashing Their Way Into Our Hearts?

Are we using the dash correctly? Or, more specifically, are you? I know I'm not. I just read this article about the dash. Well, to be cruelly honest, I had a topic to write about, then promptly forgot, but I saw a link to an article about the dash on my Google home page, so decided to talk about it. That doesn't mean it doesn't also have relevance to normal topics as well.
Well, I have to say, I learned quite a bit in the article, not least how to actually make a dash in Microsoft Word. Be forewarned: a dash is NOT a hyphen. Most keyboards don't actually have the ability to make a dash. The key after 9 makes a (-) hyphen, not a dash. There are two types of dashes, the "n" dash and the "m" dash. These are so called because of the amount of space they take up. In order to make a "n" dash in word, simply put a hyphen in between spaces: "Sam - even though she fears them terribly - went to the doctor with me today." Note the spaces. This autmaticaicallly changes the hyphen to a dash in word. To make an "M" dash, do not put spaces. "Sam—even though she fears them terribly—went to the doctor with me today." Notice there are no spaces. This makes a longer dash, of course.
I have a feeling that this is totally debatable, so I wouldn't say the use of dashes/hyphens is too much to be worried about. I would worry more about the actual writing bit.

Sunday

To be honest, I was going to say something, wrote it, found it stupid, and then deleted it. So, I don't really have any idea what to say.
I finished my story, well mostly. I have to let it sit a bit, then edit more.
And I wrote a poem for English class, which was okay, but I don't enjoy my teacher's style of teaching. She seems to like set structure; and while I appreciate that others might not be as poetically inclined as I, it was a letdown to have to write about something, in a set structure, that I really did not want to write about. I just noticed that I write long sentences when I have strong emotions about something.
So, the poem was about our favourite person in the world, using similes and metaphors likening them to our favourite things (favourite drink, food, place, emotion, colour, etc.). Yes, well, I couldn't think of a favourite person, and when I choose DD (for lack of better), the poem sounded off somehow. So I wrote it about my (dead) cat. And well, I don't like it.
That's all. :)

September, September, September

Astonishingly, I have not blogged in ages. Well not astonishingly, quite normal and unamazing in fact, I should say.
Personally, I love pancakes. DD recently obtained a really good from-scratch recipe, and it has turned out beautifully. The key is sugar in the batter, something I have never done before. Well, usually we have them with berries (frozen usually, but last week we picked some blackberries off the side of the road!!). However, we didn't have berries. Well myself being the genius I am,-oh, excuse me, I forgot...it was MM's idea actually, she went picking in the fridge and found some jam. Blackcurrant-not good on toast because it is full of bits *shudder*. However, heat it up, and you get....blackcurrant syrup! That's right, syrup! And what a cheaper option than buying the fruit syrups in the shop, and a better tasting one too.
Not that I should be blogging about food in a writer's blog, but it's better than the alternative of not blogging at all.
Oh, so I should think of something writing related to blog about, should I? (Just in case you are wondering, I actually am talking to myself, there is no one in the room with me.) Well, I am going to two literary festivals next weekend. Luckily, I get Friday off to prepare. But honestly, what idiot decided to have all the literary festivals in the country on the same day?! So, I am going to the Castlecomer(link needs internet explorer to work) lit fest, then one in Athlone, for MM to write an article on it. So, should be nice and busy.
I am going to one of Roisín Meany's workshops in Castlecomer. I am writing a story for Writers Forum at the moment, and I do mean at the moment, Word is open in the other window now. First things first, after I post this I have to go back over all the other posts and make sure there is nothing incriminating or embarrassing, so I can promote the blog with no fear. And by the time anyone other than me reads this (MM and DD admitted they lied when they said they read it!), they will never know what it said before. Mmwahahahaha!

Been a long time...

Oops. It's been so long I've forgotten my password and sign in! Oh the pressure I'll be having from WOW. She's crashed for the night and it's about my turn but if I don't post I'll be in bad trouble.

So....

Strolled today for half hour, in the fog, hoping for inspiration. It was stirring but it's been a laid back weekend. Back into journalism. Jeeze is it great to be back writing, interviewing people. The ideas do just flow into fiction too. It's nice to once again sit at the computer and have the ideas just fly. It's about time too as lots of upcoming possibilities to get that work out there. So for any of you writers, ensure you keep sending out. No matter what it is. Heard a great interview with Irish writer Colum McCann on RTE Lyric, I think it was, this past Friday - Art Zone. Had to grab this quote as it is how I write. It's my way of journeying whilst writing/mining for nuggets and more.

"The dirty little secret of writing is you don't always know where you're going," Colum McCann, RTE Art Zone interview Aug. 2009.

That's the part I love about the writing process. You can start out one way and end up miles away from it. Or, the person you once thought was the one telling the story wasn't. It's another character within. Oh, the twists and turns....

Enjoy and happy writing...

Poems vs. Prose

In my personal opinion, poems are prose. At least to me. I mean, I write poems, and people say they are good, and they have been published. But really? All I am writing is a paragraph. I just break up the lines in odd places, to make the poem look creative, and free-style.
Then there are rhyming poems. I write them too. I think rhyming poems should be funny, because when a poem has rhyme and rhythm, humour just feels right in it. So, yeah, peoms are an art form. I'm not saying they aren't. And I'm not saying not they aren't hard to write. Poets are often perfectionists, in my opinion, who edit a poem so no one can tell it was edited, and maybe no one can see all the literary devices and all that were used, but everyone (mostly) can appreciate it none the less.
Sometimes I just think people read too much into a poem. There was one I wrote, about a ship in a storm, and a fiddler. We had been asked to write a simile-poem comparing two dissimilar objects, like the poem (I can't remember the name, and I Googled the content, but once again, couldn't find it), about a woman in a wheelchair and how her fingers were like a pianist's fingers, so graceful.
Anyway, I wrote a rhyming poem, which I quite liked, and was about a ship in a storm, and a fiddler, and the beat of the music matched the strength of the waves... Anyway, a girl told me she really enjoyed it because she thought it was ingenious how "the ship and the fiddler were both being controlled by the waves" and I stood there, kind of hanging my mouth open, thinking, 'Oh? That's what it's about. Huh.'
Because I wasn't really thinking anything much when I wrote it, just trying out lines to see if they fit, and rhymed and all. So then, I was thinking, is that true with all poems? Or is it unique to mine? And maybe that theme of the controlling waves was the true theme, and I subconsciously added it to the poem. Hmmm.

Fiji Water

Taken by Magpie372

Earlier I was looking at 'Today on Aol,' and happened to see a story about Fiji Water. I just had to look, as I had had a hilarious experience regarding Fiji water before.
I kept seeing Fiji Water in the stores and, because of its odd shape, happened to notice it often. I actually bought it once, but it tasted horrible. I suppose it was because it was mineral water. It tasted like someone had ground up a few stones into powder and mixed it in so you couldn't see it.
Its shape really does stand out, being a rectangle. The only other bottle I've seen shaped like that contained - well let me share the story first.
So I was eating lunch in school, and saw this girl a few tables over drinking Fiji Water - like I said, I notice it a lot because of its odd shape. Anyway, lunch ended, and everyone walked down the hallway to return to their classrooms. That same girl happened to have the classroom across from mine, so we were near to each other. Well, her teacher was walking outside the classroom, and she sees the bottle.
'What's that?' she asks, trying to sound innocent, but I knew what she was thinking.
'It's Fiji Water' the girl said, and of course explained the whole extra-minerals, good-for-you sort of stuff.
Her teacher seemed pretty relieved.
Why? Well obviously she had had the same thought I had when I first saw it. The bottle sure looks like a bottle of vodka.

Blogging

I had a post planned and even began to write it, but then realised I shouldn't. It is ten past eleven, and I am getting up at six.
So tomorrow I will post it, entitled Fiji Water.
I wanted to make this short note as I am making an effort to keep this blog daily. So, what is it now? Well, it is interesting I shall say. I think that with more effort I could blog every day and not just about stupid things and fluff either.
MM has not posted again in a while, and there was a long period where I didn't either. I amn't pressuring her too much as she just doesn't enjoy it.
I only started the blog in the first place because I read in a magazine that it is good for a writer to have good promotional skills, etc. And a blog is a really good way to ensure people like your writing, plus it gives you publicity, blah blah blah. I didn't think I would like blogging, but I do, immensely.
And that is all I will post, because, though I want to post more, I am so tired my eyes can't stay open.