Katharine's Writer's Block

“There’s an app for that,” was the slogan tech giant Apple used to promote the iOS App Store for their devices in the early two-thousands. Amid the activities that holidays and special occasions entail-- just like with apps--there is almost certainly a greeting card for that!  Greeting cards are like a cousin to writing letters . They are not totally extinct or obsolete despite existing technology. In fact, according to statistics from the Greeting Card Association, Americans

Around this time last year, my husband started planning a career change. Part of his process entailed submitting a resignation letter to his employer at the time. Naturally, I helped him with this project, and now I impart the wisdom to you.  Quick side note of life advice before the writing advice: Prior to moving forward with a resignation/termination/professional exit process, make sure you are as secure as you are able to be in your next steps. Mainly, if you are switchi

One of my aims with Writing Lessons & Advice is to give you plenty of direction on what to do  in and with your writing. In this post, I’m aiming for a different approach by trying to discuss what not  to do. Here are twelve common writing errors (in no particular order) according to several highly-regarded writing sources. Error: incorrect or missing words   Incorrect word errors typically occur with easily confused words , be it with homophones, homonyms, homographs or more

On the heels of commemorating my anniversary, some of my family members are about to celebrate their own significant life milestones this year (if they haven’t already by the time of this publishing)! That’s all I’ll say out of respect for their privacy, but I can almost guarantee the impending events will entail them writing thank you notes. If you’re in a similar boat, here are some helpful things to know. Thank you notes are a customary response to formal or even professio

My anniversary inspiration this year took me in a nostalgic direction! My husband and I met through the Bumble dating app in the summer of 2020. He was passing through my area while on a truck-driving job so we ended up on each other’s feeds. We swiped right, made plans to meet up, and the rest is history of course! One thing I remember about his profile is that his bio claimed something to the effect of his photos not doing justice to his blue eyes. They certainly didn’t; ho

Several years ago, I was big on Doctor Who ! (If you haven't noticed before, I’ve made nods to the show in other posts.) A college friend introduced me around the fiftieth anniversary. In turn, I introduced it to an ex-boyfriend and then my husband. So I’ve watched the nearly two-decade span of the “revival era” a few times over.  For those unfamiliar, Doctor Who  is a long-running British sci-fi/fantasy show centered on a human-looking alien who calls themself The Doctor, tr

Bonus content is an awesome feature of most DVDs and Blu-ray discs! While the movie or show is the main content of the medium, of course, most supplementary material is for fans of the property or of film in general. Good bonus content entails a combination of bloopers, behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes, commentary, games, trailers, alternate or extended cuts, and so much more! They ultimately give viewers a deeper connection to the main content itself. You find that

Happy New Year! At the start or end of a year, we often like to take stock of our goals, accomplishments, or other accruements during our previous trek around the sun. For me, my cat has no obvious fleas after I've diligently groomed and treated him throughout the year! I lost--and kept off--around fifteen pounds on a weight loss program I started in 2023! In March 2025, my Lessons & Advice blog will be two years old. This post will be the fifty-sixth to run as of this publi

Have you ever been told to watch your tone during a conversation? A combination of your voice, emotions, and attitude may have gotten...

I recently learned the old show, Mythbusters , is one of my husband’s favorites. He was home more often over the summer for reasons I’ll keep private and discovered it's available on Amazon Prime. So streaming his old favorite show was one of the ways he liked to pass time and how we’d spend some nights together. For those unfamiliar, Mythbusters was a science-oriented program that ran on the Discovery Channel from 2003 to 2016. In each episode, hosts Adam Savage, Jamie Hynem