Last night's writing class was a complete blast! Thank you to @terminallyill (aka LuckyDev), @futuremind, @sarahdandridge, goose (not sure of steemit name), @dynamicgreentk, and @digitalmind for being there. You rock!

It unfolded so well that I'm going mostly just including the conversation on Discord rather than summarize everything. By doing that I hope you'll get a laugh and you'll get a sense of what class is like when people come and participate. It's a self-serving thing to do you see, I want you (yes, I mean you) to come to the next class!

I did edit for clarity and for flow so not all the dialog is included and I do summarize where needed.

And so it began...

Tonight's class is a combination of practical and motivational material. I'm going to start with the practical because if I did it in reverse you'd all be so excited to write you'd go start writing and miss the practical stuff!

Please bare with me for a second...

There, I'm all undressed. Are you?

No, wait a minute. This isn't that type of class. I'm trolling, just a
little.

Did anyone notice my sentence above? "Please bare with me..."

Bare means to reveal or to undress...expose

The word I should have used is "bear"

Bare and bear are two words that are frequently confused.

I had a client once ask me if I could recommend any grammar programs he could install on his customer services computers that would check what they wrote when they were chatting with customers.

It turns out many of them would say "Bare with me..." while they went to look something up to help the customer.

So some of the customers were a little upset, not knowing if they were getting some kind of proposition from the customer support.

Anyway, that made me think of tonight's topic - clarifying frequently misused or confused words.

Bare/bear is the first example of easily confused words.

Next is one of my biggest pet peeves, and the one I'm most guilty of:

Its vs. it's

You know that you add an apostrophe to a word with an s if it becomes possessive. "Susan's car" for example. Not "Susans car."

But the word "It" is special. It never uses the apostrophe form of possessive (a fancy word that means something belongs to something else).

"It's" is always short for it is. If you need to use the possessive form of it, you use "its".

Goose provided the following sentence as an example.

The sun and its rays of light. It's not 'the sun and it's rays of
light'.

@terminallyill wasn't to be left out:

It's something to truly behold

But "its" and "it's" are often confused. Grammar checkers will usually catch this, but it's something to look for when you're editing your own writing. As I said, I'm guilty.

Another, probably more common set that is mixed up is:

Their/there/they're

Immediately @terminally offered this example sentence with proper usage:

They are here learning on their own accord. Most came from over there,
but they're awesome people

The thing is, not all grammar checkers, and certainly not simple spell checker will catch the mixup.

Be careful when editing your posts and keep an eye out for them. They're sneaky buggers

Goose offered the next confused pair:

Your/you're

"You're" is always a contraction for "You are". "Your" always refers to something belonging to you.

Another favorite mix up of mine is:

Desert vs dessert

Not nearly as frequently used as the previous pairs but in some ways much more important. If you're writing something having to do with desserts, you don't want to anger your readers by sending them to the desert (figuratively of course).

On the other hand, having dessert in the desert could be a good thing.

And this is where eating sand became a thing...see the quoted conversation below.

Goose-Yesterday at 8:23 PM

Some people actually do eat sand.

ntowl-Yesterday at 8:23 PM

I've heard of pounding sand...didn't know people ate it!

LuckyDev-Yesterday at 8:23 PM

LOL it is in a great deal of beach front food

I used to live near the beach, good luck NOT consuming it in some form
or fashion

futuremind-Yesterday at 8:24 PM

You won't starve in the desert, because of the sand which is there.

ntowl-Yesterday at 8:24 PM

Ah, yes I can see that @LuckyDev

But you can die of dehydration. Prob faster if you're eating the sand

But we are digressing.

The next pair of words is:

Than and then

You use than when you are comparing things. "I think ice cream tastes better than sand."

@terminallyill's fast typing skills had another example sentence at the ready:

Better them than me.

"Then" is used when you are referring to order or time.

And Goose was also ready with an appropriate sentence:

First sand, then ice cream.

"First I ate sand at the beach, then I ate my ice cream," is the example I offered.

Next on the list is:

To and too

"Too" means also. As in "I ate sand too."

But I often see people use "to" instead.

This is another one that is often missed by the checkers so keep your eyes peeled for them in your writing.

Inspired to recite Hamlet's soliloquy, @terminallyill joined in:

LuckyDev-Yesterday at 8:29 PM

To be or not to be.

Too many do not recognize fine literature.

Two of my favorites are Shakespeare and Poe(edited)

Am i right? LOL long day

futuremind-Yesterday at 8:30 PM

I too, often make this mistake, sometimes two or more times in a post,
and I have to edit it multiple times to fix these errors.(edited)

ntowl-Yesterday at 8:30 PM

That is the question, whether 'tis nobler in the mid to suffer the
slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take....don't remember
the rest

Used to know it all! You brought the class up a notch @LuckyDev
bringing in Shakespeare

LuckyDev-Yesterday at 8:31 PM

It's what I do, too often

ntowl-Yesterday at 8:32 PM

@futuremind you'll eventually start to catch yourself probably. but
again, sneaky little buggers will pop up again

Goose, moving at the speed of light, revealed the next pair of confused words:

Affect vs Effect really bugs me.

It's a sound effect not a sound affect, for god's sake!

Affect and effect

LuckyDev-Yesterday at 8:33 PM

affect means to influence and effect is used to describe something
influenced, right?

if i am thinking properly

Goose-Yesterday at 8:34 PM

yes!

ntowl-Yesterday at 8:34 PM

Basically @LuckyDev . affect is usually a verb.

effect is usually a noun.

LuckyDev-Yesterday at 8:34 PM

i was just about to type the second part lol

futuremind-Yesterday at 8:35 PM

This course is affecting me in a positive way. @ntowl has a very
effective way of teaching.

ntowl-Yesterday at 8:35 PM

apparently there are exceptions, but I ignore them.

ntowl-Yesterday at 8:35 PM

aww sucks @futuremind

You'll notice I said I ignore the exceptions on using "affect" and "effect". If you're writing formally then you should always check to make sure you're following grammar rules. For blogging, I don't think it matters that much. Will anyone even notice? Ok, maybe one or two grammar nerds (and I mean that in the most affectionate way possible) will. To me, that's not worth the stress of trying to get it all perfect.

Next pair is:

Who and whom

This has always been the hardest pair for me. I'll be honest though, it's because I don't really care. For me "whom" is like a semicolon. If you technically need to use it, then rewrite it. At least that's what I'd do.

I've also seen that the usage of "whom" is being phased out naturally because people just don't use it anymore, let alone properly.

But @terminallill pointed out a common usage of whom:

To whom it may be concerned

maybe?

i dont use it much

And Goose offered a different solution:

I vote for hoo to replace who and whom.

So that's my soapbox for who/whom. Now I'm off it.

Goose mentioned the next pair:

Alot vs A lot

Alot doesn't exist as a word, though many people use it when they mean to use "a lot".
Another similar word is: Allot
But that is something different.
You allot something to someone else. "You've been allotted space on the beach to eat your sand."

That's the list of mixed up words that I had for tonight. There are more of course but I just wanted to hit the most common ones.

But then @terminallyill reminded me of a few more on my list:

how about course and coarse

I actually did have course/coarse and through/threw/though/thru too. But we didn't go over those two sets of words in class. I'll add them here:

Course and coarse

"Coarse" means rough, or rude, depending on usage.
"Course" is a route, but it also is often used as a substitute for "class".

Spellcheckers don't catch this either, though some grammar checkers might.

Through/threw/though/thru

First, "thru" isn't a word, it's slang. The dictionary refers to it as an "informal spelling of through". Writing in slang is ok - if you're readers expect it. But if not, then stick to the full word "through".

"Threw" means to throw and is completely different than "through" but since they are phonetically the same they can be confused.

I have "though" on this list mostly because it is just one letter off from "through" and may be mistyped or misused if you aren't careful. Just another thing to put on your list when editing.

And that completes the practical portion of this program...now for motivation.

Why, and how, to write

I know most of my classes have been focused on writing for steemit/blogs.

Many of you are doing it as a way to make money (eventually at least).

But unless you're doing just video (or memes, no names will be mentioned) you're going to have to write.

So you might as well find a way to like it, or be inspired to do it.

For those of us that do write or consider ourselves "writers", it is often more a compulsion than anything. It just has to happen or we go a little crazy.

But we all suffer from self-doubt or criticisms about what we're writing. So I've gathered up some inspirational quotes from authors that might help. Especially since we have a lively discussion group tonight.

First off, Stephen King

"I'm convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing."

Fear can be crippling when you are writing. Especially if you are being authentic and sharing something that is a part of yourself. You may worry about things like:

• What will people think about it?
• Will it be "good enough"?

Those sorts of things will stop you from writing your best.

@terminallyill offered his words of wisdom and inspiration:

I learned to release fear and muster up the strength to share things
on here I otherwise would not share with people. It has proven to be a
success for my writing!

We have a lot of people writing that have English as a second, or third or more language. I've read their posts and been incredibly moved. Yes, maybe the english syntax isn't all correct but you can feel their emotions and authenticity.

@futuremind pointed out the biggest fear on Steemit:

futuremind-Yesterday at 9:08 PM

will I get downvoted? ...

LuckyDev-Yesterday at 9:09 PM

will i get flagged into oblivion

ntowl-Yesterday at 9:09 PM

And the flag thing adds a whole new dimension to writing on steemit.

That's a real fear, not the mental ones we face when writing

futuremind-Yesterday at 9:10 PM

Flagged. ...into the abyss...

LuckyDev-Yesterday at 9:10 PM

lost in the void

But the fear of being flagged leads to another King quote:

"If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered."

I see this as inspiration to write as you want and flags be damned. You can't please everyone. But you also don't have to go and pick a fight...

The next quote is king too, but it could be from almost any major author out there. I've seen in references from many different ones.

"If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write."

I took a loooooong, like 15-year break from writing fiction. I also didn't read much during that time besides the documentation I needed to for work. When I could no longer resist the call, I began writing the stories I had in my head but seriously couldn't remember how to do certain things.

I didn't remember how to properly format dialog for example. Where did the punctuation go?

So I decided it was time to start reading again too. And just by reading I was able to get my "fiction legs" back (imaginary sea legs for writers like me I guess). I recovered the tools I had lost on how to craft a story, the flow, how it all fit together by reading and observing how it is done.

Reading really does help you grow your writing ability. Not just from the knowledge, inspiration or information, you may get from the book but I think it helps reach your subconscious in a way that just studying writing won't.

But that's just me theorizing.

Last one from King:

"Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid or making friends. Writing is magic, as much as the water of life as any creative art. The water is free. So drink."

Now, it's nice to make money writing. But I'm a firm believer that if you even just write for yourself in a journal or diary, you will begin to feel the life it can give. Putting your thoughts down on paper or a computer screen clears it out of your head and gives it more room to grow new ideas.

It's freeing.

But that's coming from someone who's a self-proclaimed writer. So if you're here trying to blog on Steemit for reasons other than you like to write, I imagine you may be rolling your eyes or getting up to leave.

All I can say is give it a try. Don't think of it as a chore but as something you have the opportunity to do. That change in mindset can make the difference in how you write

The next quote is about becoming a novelist but I think it can apply here too, as we're all trying to create the next best post that brings in the bucks (the steemit equivalent of the best sellers list).

The author is Michael Chabon. I confess I have no idea who he is - an American author but I've never read him.

But I like the quote so here it is:

"You need three things to become a successful novelist: talent, luck, and discipline. Discipline is the one element of those three things that you can control, and so that is the one that you have to focus on controlling, and you just have to hope and trust in the other two."

There's another quote attributed to King about discipline but I couldn't find it in the myriad of King quotes online.

But basically, he says he shows up and writes every day. Doesn't matter how he feels. Discipline in writing is what made him successful. Not inspiration.

For steemit, I guess that means be disciplined enough to write/post every day. Even if you're not inspired, can't think of anything to write, just do it anyway.

For example, see the second post I've ever made on steemit:

A blank mind is a terrible thing to waste — Steemit

I had so many things I wanted to write about after I first joined, but when I sat down to write, I couldn't think of anything. So, I wrote about not thinking about anything. I rambled on and on until I had over 500 words to post. And virtually nobody saw it. But I did it. And that, I thought, was something to be proud of at the time.

At the risk of being seen as hypocritical, I'll mention I need to improve my own discipline. My goal is to post every day, but I don't always make it.

The final quote I have tonight isn't from a famous author as far as I know. I found it here on steemit.

"It's not about blogging, it's about communicating. Remember, the underlying thing that is being shared here is YOU!"

I found it in this post:
❓Answering Common Questions: What should I write about? ✏️ ...

They've got some other good suggestions on there too so it's worth a read.

Two final announcements

One, remember to check out my contest for 3 SBI! Deadline is this Sunday at 12 pm eastern US.

You can find all the information here:

Introduction Post Contest for 3 SBI

Second, I'm cutting back to just one class starting next week. Sunday nights 8-10 eastern. I need to make some time for that discipline of writing! But I'm still here every day, even if it says I'm offline I am sometimes lurking. So post questions or ask for help any time.

Thank you, everyone, for coming. It was so awesome to have a full house - of sorts. I loved the dialog, energy, and humor you all brought

The verbal shenanigans continued after class so I added them here too:

futuremind-Yesterday at 9:44 PM

Thank you @ntowl Great job with your class!

ntowl-Yesterday at 9:45 PM

Thank you @futuremind It was nice having you hear (oh dear, there's
one we didn't talk about). I mean here of course.

futuremind-Yesterday at 9:45 PM

Have a good night @ntowl !

ntowl-Yesterday at 9:45 PM

night!

dynamicgreentk-Yesterday at 9:52 PM

Knight

ntowl-Yesterday at 10:02 PM

I sea what you did there!

dynamicgreentk-Yesterday at 10:04 PM

Know you don't!

ntowl-Yesterday at 10:07 PM

Yes, I due.

I need to add that editing this post with Grammarly was fun. There are so many intentional errors here, that it was nearly apoplectic. : ]

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