Helping to Change the World…Word by Word
The Steve Laube Agency
Helping to Change the World Word by Word
Today the U.S. celebrates Labor Day as a national holiday.
Eight years ago I posted the below video on Labor Day and asked readers to think of ways this bear’s activity is a metaphor for the writing life. For life in general. Or write a 100-word short story about what you saw.
I’ve left the creativity of those comments below. Add yours to the mix!
Enjoy!
You may have heard of the numerical Sudoku game, but I play a much better game. And a lot more fun. Tsundoku. Do you tsundoku? That may be unfair, so let me have the Cambridge online dictionary give you the definition: The practice of buying a lot of books and keeping them in a pile because you intend to read them but have not done so yet; also used to refer to the pile itself. Until I recently …
In 1999, Chronicle Books published the first in a series of rather unique books, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook; and it sold ten million copies, launching a multimedia franchise. Over a dozen books followed, as well as games, TV series, and other merchandise. Authors Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht built the books around extreme, need-based topics, like how to jump from a moving train …
Pet peeves. We all have them, and we all do things that are pet peeves for others. How about starting a blog post with a two-word sentence, which isn’t a sentence? Anyone? Bueller? My Pet Peeves On one hand, I am like everyone else. I don’t like repetitive tapping or spam phone calls late at night. Those are the easy ones. I am also incredibly annoyed by bicyclists who never, ever observe any kind …
Today the U.S. celebrates Labor Day as a national holiday. It’s a perfect day to make and eat popcorn, a favorite snack! Enjoy this insightful video with the Muppets Swedish chef attempting to make enough for everyone.
I love the English language. It’s been very good to me. But it can be a booger too. For example, you know that a slim chance and a fat chance are the same, right? And a wise man and a wise guy don’t mean the same thing? It’s a crazy language. And those who must learn it as a second language face many strange twists and turns—as do those of us who try to speak and write with something resembling …
Say you wanted to enroll in studies at a respected educational institution—let’s call it Wisenheimer Academy for Clever Kids. You might expect to take an entrance exam to determine your degree of fitness for WACK, right? Just as you would to begin training for ministry, law enforcement, or interplanetary space travel. Oddly, though, there is no entrance exam for writers. Until now. That’s right. …
Today is a fun day to celebrate that special someone in your life. My wife and I have been married for over 40 years now, and the video below is a tribute to her. No, she knows I do not and cannot dance; but videos like this make me feel like I can. Happy Valentine’s Day! Go-make someone-you-love-smile day.
15 Latin Phrases Every Writer Should Know
Persona Non Grata
“An unwelcome person” (lately defined by some as a literary agent)
Habeas Corpus
“You have the body” (The legal right to appear before a judge.)
Cogito Ergo Sum
“I think, therefore I am.” For a writer it would be "Sribo ergo sum"
E Pluribus Unum
“Out of many, one”
Quid Pro Quo
"This for that" or in other words, “You …
