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Lara Willard

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Word

Tips on Diction, plus the occasional word that is divine, awkward, or interesting.

DICTION

English Word Origins
The Diction Holy Grail
Diction: Latinate versus Anglo-Saxon
Voice: Talk Like a Pirate

WORDS

Chraractonym
100 Funniest Words
Sprachgefuhl
Cacoethes

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Hi! I'm Lara. Welcome to my virtual home!

Recent Posts

How Revision Changed JAWS (1975)
Writing Exercises: Voice
Writing When You Don’t Feel 100% or Even 60%
Tips and Tricks for Writing Successful Twitter Pitches
Commercial and Literary Fiction as Paintings

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Top Posts from the Archive

Characters: MBTI continued
Diction: Latinate versus Anglo-Saxon
Character Profile Worksheets
The 8 C's of Plotting: Introduction
The 8 C's of Plotting: Worksheets
POV Part 3—e.g. (examples)
Chapter Outlining like a Pantser
A Lesson in Backstory and Goals
QUIZ: How should you start your novel?
The Quick and Easy Guide to Dashes

Instagram @VerityLane

Trying not to freeze on this first #socksunday of December. Got my Poe-Ka Dot socks and three layers and a favorite summertime read. What's your favorite winter story?

LUCKY PENNY by Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota is the most fun I have had reading a graphic novel since Nimona back in 2015. Major was cracking up, too. This was a library copy, but I'm requesting it from my indie bookstore because I know we will read it many times. 🏆 Penny is incredibly unlucky. Expect cringe moments of embarrassment, awkwardness, bad life choices, and hilarious fantasy sequences of the D&D and steamy romance novel varieties. YA, ages 14+ 🎖 (You might be in grad school if your receipt from the library is longer than your arm) 🤓

Went to see the special exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Egypt's Sunken Cities! The exhibit mostly covered archaeological findings in two cities east of and older than Alexandria, and the tour was mostly about Osiris. See it if you can! Plenty to see online about the exhibit and at Goddio's website. But here are three photos with commentary you won't get on the tour unless you come with this nerd: 😍 1: LOOK AT HOW ADORABLE THIS BULL'S FACE AND CURLS ARE. 🤓 2: These were at Cleopatra's house. No really. This exhibit wasn't about Alexandria because most of the island at the center of the royal harbor was destroyed along with anything else Cleopatra (VII)-related. The only remnants of Cleopatra which Octavian allowed were religious. So this priest and these two sphinx (likely with the faces of Cleopatra's father and her son with Julius Caesar, Caesarion) were left alone, as were statues and reliefs of Cleopatra as Isis. Otherwise Octavian was relentless, murdering Cleopatra's and Mark Antony's eldest sons (then teenagers), removing all mention of Antony and demolishing his statues, officially naming Antony's birthday an unlucky day, and outlawing naming any child after him. There's NO WAY Roman-controlled Egypt made sphinx of Cleopatra's dad or the son Caesar Augustus assassinated, so the date was pre-30 BCE. (marker says 100 bce-100ce). 💃 3 (at the base of the god Hapy): *snaps and grandma-dances and sings Pharrel Williams' "Happy"*

I got a new phone case 😂 The design is called "Taco Eclipse of the Heart" and it says "Every now and then I fall apart." . I was waffling between a tote bag or blanket or t-shirt, and figured I'd get the most mileage this way. And can just flash it at my husband or coworkers as needed 😉 . Yes, I have an ancient phone. . Got this from Threadless and I'm not sure how long the case will last. It fits snugly but covers less than half of the corners. My Society 6 case had two pieces and wrapped completely around. My phone survived a ton of falls with that case, but finally the corners were cracking. The problem with that case was it was SO SLIPPERY, I dropped it more frequently. This one is less slippery, which is good, because it's not like I can stick something on it!

Who are your favorite lady heroes? And who do you relate to the most? I love Wonder Woman and Leia Organa. I'm inspired by Rey and Holdo. Velma I relate to SO HARD--unfortunately she's a side character. I wonder what she would be like as a protagonist. More like a Nancy Drew, I suppose? I relate to Katniss, too, but mostly her so-called negative aspects. Haymitch and Joanna are my favorites.

Well, I can't call my husband "Capt" anymore. In major need of a new abbreviation. #USMCwife #semperfidelis

My beautiful motivation to get my homework done this weekend 😍😍😍😍😍😍 When I got it from the book store, it was sold off the shelves and one bookseller had to get more from the back. At the checkout, the teen at the register said "Oh I love Ibi Zoboi!" and I said "Look at the endpapers" and she lovingly opened the cover, and she gasped, and in unison we went "IT'S SO PRETTY!" #PrideRemix

#socksunday and my favorite fall read. I can't even remember if Tuck Everlasting takes place in fall, but this cover says autumn and the book says love. 💛📙 This old paperback belonged to my Mami, my childhood BFF's mom, in whose house I practically lived for the better part of my adolescence. We are coming up on the anniversary of her death. I'm so thankful for the stories she shared with me and my juvenile writer heart she nourished.

My kind of fall dessert drink. #butterbeer

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Guest Posts

7 TIPS FOR WRITING REALISTIC DIALOGUE

About Me

I've been grading grammar homework since 2005 and editing fiction and poetry since 2008. In 2013, I started editing comics and full manuscripts for novelists and literary agents.

Read "7 Reasons to Make Me Your Editor."

In 2015, I assembled a team of freelance editors of various specialties.

In 2018, I started my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Hamline University.

See what I'm up to.

Find out more about me.

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