Origins of Punctuation Marks

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This is one of those times that I suddenly stumble upon something awesome, without knowing that I was curious about it before. Thank you so much, The Best Article Every Day! (By the way, it is an excellent blog, check it out.)

How did the question mark get its odd squiggly shape? For that matter, how did other punctuation marks come to be? I bet you want to know now, don’t you? Of course you do.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the origins of modern punctuation marks (?, !, =, &, #).  Instant satisfaction of instant curiosity! You’re welcome.

I’ma Publish an Ebook

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Hmm, an ebook…

We’re in a day and age where getting written work published is easier than ever. I mean, just look at this blog; I barely have any work out, and I’m already visible to anyone in the world! One of the coolest ways to get work out to the public is to publish an ebook, which is something that people can do completely independently. Of course I’m not looking for any wild success in selling them or anything (see Amanda Hocking’s story), but I think releasing a self-published ebook would be a fun and worthwhile goal, and it would be a good step in getting known as a writer.

Right now I’m studying the internet’s collective wisdom on producing ebooks, starting with this excellent post about ebook writing and publishing from Stepcase Lifehack.

Next, brainstorming and actually writing something. Can he do it? Stay tuned…

 

NSF GRFP Application Submitted!

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The National Science Foundation awards fellowships to graduate students (GRFP) on the basis of intellectual merit and impact on society. I had to prepare 3 essays for the application (personal statement, past research, and proposed graduate research), totaling over 3500 words and about 10 drafts each. It’s finally finished and submitted!

I want to especially thank A. for incredible help in editing and proofreading my essays; if I seem awesome in my application, it’s all A.‘s doing. And yes, A., these are semicolons; deal with it.

Writing, According to Wikipedia

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It’s interesting, I have never thought to look up ‘writing’ on Wikipedia — until now. It’s really fascinating, and I’ve learned a lot, such as:

  • Major writing systems fall into 4 broad categories: logographic, syllabic, alphabetic, and featural.
  • The many tools and writing materials used throughout history include stone tablets, clay tablets, wax tablets, vellum, parchment, paper, copperplate, styluses, quills, ink brushes, pencils, pens, and many styles of lithography.
  • The world’s oldest known alphabet appears to have been developed by Canaanite turquoise miners in the Sinai desert around the mid nineteenth century BC.

Like most Wikipedia entries, most of the fun comes from link-hopping; from just clicking around and exploring adjacent pages, I learned that the earliest recovered Chinese writing were from prophetic oracle bones, archaeology of ancient writing is called epigraphy, and Mayan language education is still supported in many areas by the Mexican government. I invite you all to explore too!

Gushing About Strunk and White

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I briefly mentioned this book in an earlier post, but Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style deserves a post all on its own. This is by far the most useful writing book I have ever used; if you are even thinking of becoming a writer, you need to give it a look. It includes:

  • 8 basic rules of usage
  • 10 elementary principles of composition
  • A few matters of form
  • 49 commonly-misused words and expressions
  • 57 often-misspelled words

Reading the book for the first time is an incredibly eye-opening experience — you’ll be surprised at how many mistakes you make. It is available online at Bartleby.com, but I highly recommend getting a physical copy, and also carrying it around with you on a daily basis (it’s a really small book).

I’m kidding. But not really.

The Writer’s Block Fallacy

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I don’t believe in writer’s block.

Okay, I should clarify — I don’t think writer’s block, or the condition that people typically call writer’s block, is insurmountable. Here are my reasons:

  1. It’s always possible to write something down. A single thought. A single word. A thought only tangentially related to your topic. A thought on any topic. I promise, the writing you really need will come with time…but only if the time is spent writing. ;)
  2. When something’s already down on paper, it becomes easier to write more. If you have a sentence down already, you can figure out sentences to write down before or after.
  3. It’s a lame excuse for not writing. My own personal opinion.

So…how do you keep writing?

  1. Brainstorm. Can’t think of what to write? Play mental association games with yourself. Remix and mash-up. Close your eyes and visualize. No matter what you choose, try to fill up a page with any and all generated ideas.
  2. Make an outline. Very basic, but very necessary. Even if you know that your outline will change drastically, have one for the time being.
  3. Write a sentence, any sentence. People often think that they must start from the beginning. “I can’t think of a way to start my paper!” So start writing from the middle!
  4. Let go of perfection. A rough draft is called rough for a reason. Write with abandon, let nothing, not even your own high standards, stand in your way! There will be plenty of time later to polish your work — now is not the time.
  5. When you absolutely can’t write a single word, leave and come back. This should be incredibly rare. Work on another writing project. Take a walk. Cook dinner. Take a nap.

May you never suffer from writer’s block again.

Learn Correct English with “The Oatmeal”

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I really enjoy The Oatmeal, a hilarious webcomic series by Seattle-based web designer and web developer Matthew Inman. Some of my favorite comics from his site are ones focused on English grammar and word usage – they are not only witty and informative, but also hilariously entertaining.

I would love for Matthew to just sketch out all of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style.

You hear that, Matthew? :)