The Grammar Police

Ah, the Grammar Police. You know the type--they step into conversations to correct your use of me and I, or how you enunciate. I'll be the first to admit none of us are perfect. Innocent mistakes happen when typing all the time. However, there are those who walk among us who employ a flagrant disregard for the English language and they... *ahem* Yes, it's true. I tried to deny it, but when I started hiding people on Facebook because they can't spell "definitely," and I know they have a college degree...well, it was time to come clean about my grammar tendencies. I am one of the Grammar Police. I'm not proud to say it, but I can't seem to help it. And maybe, just maybe, you're one of us, too.

To help, I've put together a short Grammar Police test. If you can identify with any of the following, it might be time to confess.

Have you ever sent this to anyone who *repeatedly* uses the incorrect form of your/you're?

I'm guilty of this on a daily basis (bonus points if you catch the mistakes in the picture):

 

Would this make you feel better?

 
 

And finally, if this describes you, you're already too far gone.


 
 

Being part of the Grammar Police isn't so bad. We're a not-so-secret society of readers, writers and OCD sufferers. We love the written word, and are equally obnoxious to anyone who dares to use the wrong form of there/their/they're. We can change the world, one corrected word at a time.

Conference Recap

I'm still recovering from a great weekend in Scottsdale. And by recovering, I mean letting my brain recharge. What a gorgeous place! The sunshine and warm temps lifted my mood (especially since I left gray, gloomy weather and returned to gray, gloomy weather).

So, the highlights of the conference...

I presented a workshop with one of my favorite people in the whole world, Amber Scott. We co-authored MUSE FOOD, and our workshop was all about keeping your muse happy and well-fed. We handed out muse "snacks", and one of the participants created the cutest Play-doh bunny while we spoke.

Do you like our aprons?

I also made new writing friends, which is always a treat. No one understands crazy...er...I mean writing, like another writer. And these women all balance their writing careers, motherhood, and a million other things successfully. Chatting with them was inspiring, uplifting, hilarious and fun.

One of my favorite things about conferences is that you can literally bump into your favorite author or dream agent. I had the chance to have breakfast with a funny editor I'd love to work with down the road. *fingers crossed* She also recommended a few books, and hey, anyone who enables my reading habit is a friend for life.

I also got to chat a little with Brenda Novak. Talk about gracious! I met her before at the Emerald City Writer's Conference two years ago, and was struck by her awesome personality then. She takes the time to talk to her fans and is such a sweetheart (not to mention a talented writer). She's on my auto-buy list forever.

Last but not least, I've got a hundred ideas floating around in my brain. It'll take me a while to sort them out and put pen to paper, but it's like a creative rebirth. I'm heading in a new (not different, just new) direction, and I can't wait to see where it leads.