Writing & Editing

I talk about the two most known uses of this word in English, one the very common "self-deprecating," and the other, the less well-known sense in computing. Along the way, I discover that the two big dictionaries, the Oxford English Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Unabridged, don't include the latter meaning, and the definition in the OED hasn't been updated fully in a long time.

Wikipedia
https:...

Before I get to today’s conversation, I have an announcement about swag. In the next few weeks I will publish my 200th episode and I wanted to celebrate a little by giving thanks to you, the listeners. I started the show in January last year, and both listenership and downloads have increased steadily, which makes me very happy. And I’ve been very grateful for the nice things some of you have said in reviews. I don’t have hard-to-f...

My guest today is Dr. David Williams, who is an associate professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Waterloo, located in Waterloo, Canada. He has a five-year academic grant of over $250,000 to continue his work on the Oxford English Dictionary, with two main goals, which we talk about.

David Williams
https://uwaterloo.ca/english/people-profiles/david-williams

The Life of Words: Poetry, Lexicogra...

I talk about the word doomscrolling and make some searches in dictionaries, in a linguistics corpus, and in Google advanced search to try to get an idea of when it first started being used. I end with a brief etymology of the very old word, doom itself.

Merriam-Webster: Words We’re Watching
“On ‘Doomsurfing’ and ‘Doomscrolling’”
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/doomsurfing-doomscrolling-words-were-wat...

My guest today is Furkhan Dandia . He’s a first-time author of Pursuit of Self-Love: 30 Uplifting Messages and Reflections, which he paid to have published by the hybrid publisher Friesen Press, in Manitoba, Canada, just this past March.

A bit more background here before I get to my conversation with Furkhan. If you’re a regular listener to the podcast, you may remember episode 152 in March, when I told the general story of my effor...

My guests today are Susan Gabriel and Steven Eurioste. Susan runs a Christian publishing house with an eight-member team, including Steven. She’d contacted me about being a guest on the podcast, and I agreed as long as we could also talk about theism and atheism. She was amenable to that and brought along Steven as well. We don’t agree on much, but we have a good discussion.

Soul Sonshine
https://soulsonshine.com/

Susa...

Sitting on a bench by a beach in my home city of Ottawa makes me think of "bad faith," and in this episode I talk about one very specific meaning of the term, one fairly specific, and the general meaning that most people are familiar with (but I also give a bit of its etymology).

Being and Nothingness, by Jean-Paul Sartre
https://archive.org/details/beingnothingness0000sart/page/n5/mode/2up

"Bad...

My guest is Frank King. Frank has a long career in comedy, even as a writer for The Tonight Show. After, in his words, he held a gun in his hand and found out what the barrel tastes like, he changed. He didn’t pull the trigger and now focuses on public presentations for corporate and other groups in which he uses comedy as a way to talk about the difficult topic of suicide.

Frank King
https://thementalhealthcomedian.co...

My guest today is Sebastian Schug. I invited him on the show to talk about the indie publishing house he ran, but the conversation shifted to his many other interests and talents and experiences. He’s smart and articulate, and we talked mostly about satire and multimedia art. He’s a man in his 20’s who’s accomplished a lot already, and a name to watch for.

Seabass
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL3XHwlaRxEnyxEr_wM-Wk...

I talk about this relatively new word in English, which actually has its origin in science fiction. The word follows a common pattern for words that start with a very specific meaning in a field or discipline, and then once they're in use in standard English they develop their own meanings and history. I wrap up by comparing it to the word schizophrenic, which has behaved similarly, but with a bit of a twist.

Diagnost...

I talk about these two types of clichés to avoid. I use "verbal cliché" to mean hackneyed phrases and worn-out imagery that may have been imaginative and fresh at some time in the history of the language now, but has since gone stale. I use "narrative cliché" to mean the use of familiar tropes and situations in the story you are telling. This episode mostly is about fiction and film.

Garner's Moder...

Have you ever wondered how kids in elementary school are taught how to write these days? Do they learn the ins and outs of grammar, or do they learn writing through practising? My guest today is directly involved in teaching this important skill as a full-time teacher in rural Vermont. Samantha Bovat is a writing practitioner as well, with a blog called The Life of a Teacher and a book that was published just last year: The Little ...

My guest today is Nancy Perpall, who is a former nurse as well as a former attorney who used to practice family law. She saw a lot of people from broad and diverse backgrounds experience the same despair when going through divorce. Last year she published a novel with characters looking for a life partner. Now she’s turned to non-fiction, and will soon be releasing her new book, The Malnourished Marriage: 5 Essential Emotional Nutr...

My guest is Edward Miskie, author of a book with the great title, Cancer, Musical Theatre, and Other Chronic Illnesses, published in 2017 but now being adapted into a musical TV series. He was a simple joy to converse with: serious, funny, laid-back, honest and open.

LINKS

Edward Miskie's Website
https://linktr.ee/edwardmiskie

Cancer, Musical Theatre, and Other Chronic Illnesses
https://www....

My guest is Kristin Johnson, who is a writer, screenwriter, and ghost writer. She is the author of the award-winning and award-nominated book, Ain’t “U” Got No Manners?, a great book about social media etiquette that’s both accessible and well researched. She was a joy to talk to, not only about this book, but about parts of the rest of her writing career as well.

LINKS

Ain't "U" Got No Manners?