Katharine's Writer's Block

It seems like every day can be a holiday and every month is one for some kind of recognition, remembrance, or awareness. Many are established by various organizations or special interests, so keeping up can be hard if you’re not affiliated or in-the-know in some way. Similar organizations and interests of literary culture have managed to get their values recognized with their own various holidays and months. This Lessons & Advice post gives a rundown on several special times

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

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

I got some wonderful kitchen gifts for my bridal shower! Among them were a fully-stocked, sixteen-jar spice rack and a Ninja Foodi grill....

I was listening to a Grammar Girl podcast a while ago, and she discussed how different types of nouns exist. I had not thought about that...

Sauces, spices, and seasonings contribute to the flavor of a lot of prepared food. Sometimes they define the entrée, like teriyaki chicken, barbeque, or hot wings. Other times, the additives enhance or improve taste, like salt, pepper, or Old Bay on French fries or condiments on sandwiches. More still, a splash of them is like a finishing touch, like chocolate sauce on ice cream or cilantro in Mexican food. Thoughtful word choices are a spice in the recipe of writing for simi

Reading, spelling, and writing and Standard English go hand-in-hand. In the double-negatives lesson , I alluded to the idea of Standard...

This lesson will be running shortly before my second wedding anniversary! In honor of another wonderful milestone, I’m again drawing inspiration directly from the love of my life, more particularly a language habit of mine that’s become a pet peeve of his: double-negatives. While English classes were not his favorite subject, one thing he retained from them was a rule discouraging their use. I’ve decided to refresh my own memory on the issue and here’s what I found. A double

You have an essay project. You’ve decided on a topic, started some research, taken some notes on your findings, and maybe even have a...

Is there a writer in your life? What kind of gifts would be liked by one gifted with an affinity for words? Here are recommendations from me and other writers: Writing-focused material or courses Tools or opportunities that nurture writing potential are one of the most practical things to give the writer in your life. Buy them a subscription to writing courses, magazines, or a retreat. Gift them books, services, or software to help them hone their craft or navigate the world