Destressified

Guys! Deanna Here! 

National Novel Writing Month starts tomorrow! I am actually going to be using November to edit my novel, Mr. Arnold Brunch, so it’s more like National Novel Editing Month for me, but I am very excited to get started and I cannot wait to see all of you start to spill 50,000 words onto the page. I know you can do it and the prospect is just so exciting!

However, I also recognize the fact that NaNoWriMo, and being an active writer in general, comes with its fair share of stresses. I want to share with you some ideas for what you can do when you are just straight burned out and lost for ideas. What I’m going to do is list three common stresses that I find myself with during novel writing and the thing I typically do to distress in each case.

#1 – That Blank First Page:

I don’t think I even need to explain what I mean by this stress. It’s stated. The blank first page is staring you down and you’ve been staring back for over three hours and your eyes are starting to hurt. What do you do? At this point I would grab my notebook and go for a walk, or get some coffee, or do something away from the room that I typically work in, but take the idea with me. Sometimes all you need to do to de-stress is to introduce your idea to your real life.

#2 – Falling Behind:

Something came up (maybe for you this will be Thanksgiving – food is so distracting, plus there are people in your living room!) and now you are behind a day or two on your word count. How will you ever catch up? This is where I was usually the most stressed, but also the most productive. I would just pull an all-nighter and then I would feel better. Doesn’t sound appealing? Ice cream always helps, so does late night bacon. Do what you have to do to get out of the rut and back on the wild stallion. I recommend comfort foods. Your fingers will burn the calories.

#3 – Life + Writing = Overloaded:

Sometimes after you’ve been at work all day and then you come home and write for three or four hours you begin to feel really overloaded and like you just can’t even function like a normal human being anymore.

First off it’s important to realize:

“You are a writer. The ‘normal’ ship sailed without you long ago.” – Terri Main

Secondly I would highly recommend when you get in this state to flaunt your fabulous word count (or how long you worked if your word count isn’t all that fabulous) and go treat yourself to something – your favorite T.V. show, your favorite meal (I will repeat bacon as an option here) or just sitting back and doing nothing for a while.

In the end there is a time for work and a time for play.

Or in writer terms: There be a time to suffer and a time to cleanse your mind.

This applies to the busy month of November too. Make time for both. It is the key to keeping your fingers from dying out before your brain does. 

Don't forget to check out Rani's post on manuscript formatting in my blog, Dancing on the Keys!

Love,

Deanna Leah.

Unpause

I interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to tell you a little more about grammar. 

Oh the poor comma. It gets overused so often, don't you think?

That's what we're here to talk about today, based off this "lovely" picture sent to me by my uncle:

"Welcome! To, The Christopher Walken. School, of English"

I've facepalmed a dozen times over this thing. Really. How in the world?!

True, it's not only the commas that are bad in this sign, but they're the main thing we're going to focus on. I suppose I'll have to touch on that period in there too, but it'll be in along the same lines as the comma.

Wow that was convoluted.

Down to business...

        1. I know you want to use the comma as a pause. Don't. 

 Commas are not actually pauses. In a way they are, but they really serve a grammatical function. They separate ideas into little clumps that make it easier for our brains to digest. So separating everything by commas really only makes things more difficult to understand.

        2. There are only two types of words that are bracketed by commas: proper nouns and the word "however."

 What I mean by this is that "to" should never have had a comma after it. Aside from a few minor exceptions, the only time we put a comma after a single word in this way is when it's a name or "however"--and even then it should be done sparingly.

        3. Never ever ever separate a simple sentence with a comma.

Like the one on the sign above. Just don't do it. It doesn't make any sense, and it makes us grammarians cringe. Complex sentences have commas. Simple sentences do not. Refer to every single sentence in this post to see what I mean.


And then there's that wretched period...

Never cut off your sentence in the middle by using a period. I don't even know what they were thinking.

The worst part is that it's a school of English. *facepalm* 

[love]

{RD}

Don't do it.

NaNoWriMo starts in less than a week! I'll assume most of you are taking part, as it's a great way for new novelists and writers in general to break into the world of writing. That being the case, I've developed a very... unique idea for a blog.

Today, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you...

How Not to Write A Novel, in Six Steps 

        1. Do something else

The first step to not getting a novel written? Simple. Go do something else. Anything else.

If you're doing something else, you definitely won't be writing. So go watch a movie, go to work, call your mother and find out all the thing's you've missed since you moved out, obsessively monitor the score of that game, and above all, make sure you're never in an environment where you might feel drawn to writing.

        2. If you must write, stick with short stories and incomplete ideas

I suppose I can't expect you to give up writing cold turkey (though cold turkey does make a delicious sandwich, especially when it's leftover from Thanksgiving).

So if you simply have to write, I have to insist that you only write short things. A poem here or there, a partial short story, or an idea that you never want to fully flesh out. That's all you're allowed to write, because if you write more than that, you'll be locked into the trap of writing an actual novel.

        3. Watch lots of television

If there's one thing I know that will always prevent us from writing, it's television--so I've made it a point of its own.

Watch that movie you've been meaning to see. Start a new show on Netflix, and binge watch every episode they have online--then go find out more about it on Wikipedia or IMDB, just as long as none of it gives you any ideas and gets you right back to this silly idea of writing a novel.

        4. Never plan out your days or weeks

Planning out your schedule will only leave you time and space for writing, so don't allow it.

Everything needs to be haphazard, or there's more chance that you'll be able to sit down and get to work on that novel. If you're indeed serious about not writing it, then you must be certain to fill your life with more stressful things and too many tasks that simply must be completed.

Do not allow yourself to have free time in which to write. If you find yourself with some of that free time, refer back to point #3.

        5. Put no effort into writing

Again, this is only if you find that you simply must spend time writing.

If you're unable to resist, then at least ensure that your heart is not in your work. Write things that don't interest you, spend as little time as possible doing it, and above all, do not allow yourself to spend much time thinking about it. More thinking equates to more ideas equates to more time spent writing--which is the very thing we're trying to avoid.

        6. Be incredibly social, to the point that you never have enough time for your thoughts to develop into full-fledged story ideas

Last but not least, this is incredibly important if you're set on not writing a novel. The more time you spend with real live people, the less time you'll want to spend with the people in your head. Do it enough and the voices will begin to fade, and all those once brilliant ideas will turn to stagnant puddles you'd never touch again with a ten foot pole.


Of course, if your ultimate goal is in fact to write a novel, say, for NaNoWriMo, then I suggest doing the exact opposite of the items listed above.

[wink wink]

{RD}

Writing in Class

Hey-O readers! Don't you all look dashing today!

Just a reminder: for the next ten weeks, you won't be hearing from me here, but on Deanna Leah's blog, Dancing on the Keys. Instead, in Writing, Editing, and All Things Rani you'll be treated to the lovely work of Ms. Leah! Together, we're doing a little series on writer hacks and helps, and we hope you all enjoy what we have to say. 

[love]

{RD}

~

Life tends to be a busy mess, especially as a writer.

ESPECIALLY as a writer in college. 

You will know if this describes you. You probably are pulling your hair out right now just thinking about that battle between your homework and your next chapter to outline. Only one can win… right?

What if you could do both without staying up ‘til an ungodly hour?

Well a good friend of mine {*cough* this is her *cough* blog *cough*} gave me a tip.

What if you tried writing during class? Then you would have time for homework, sleep, and all the other jazz you have to “juggle”. (See: Dancing on the Keys)

How do you do this while A. not getting caught and B. still learning what you need to learn?

The point of A is easy to handle. If your class allows computers use your computer. If it doesn’t, write in your notebook. You don’t need to worry about looking like you’re taking too many notes. In fact it may even flatter your teacher. Just act natural, and get that concentrated grimace off your face. You’ll do just fine and get a LOT done.

Point B will take a little more dedication and quite a lot of “b.s.-ing” when it comes to class discussion and homework.

Ask yourself the following:

          1.   How much does writing mean to me?

Is it important enough to you that it should be displacing school in this way? Is it your love? Does it flow through your veins like blood? Furthermore, do you intend to go places with it? If not, then maybe school needs to be your focus right now. If the answer to all of the above is yes, see below.

          2.   How hard is the particular class?

Does this class need your utter focus? Do you tend to find yourself breezing through the homework and grasping the concepts or do you tend find yourself having to talk to your professor after class? The level of difficulty determines if this class would be an ideal writing environment. The ideal being writing while still making good grades.

          3.   Apart from how hard it is, how important is this class to your future?

Will you really need this class in the next few years or is it more of a filler class?

In answer to B you can still learn what you need to learn to pass while writing in class. If you find yourself with an uninteresting or extra easy class I would recommend you take advantage of it by writing in class! It will make good use of that time and your homework won’t suffer from it. If all your classes are too hard or important, that’s going to mean some sleepless nights or extra busy weekends.

You can do it!

-        Deanna Leah <3

Beginnings

Stories are a little like children. We writers spend so much time raising them up, teaching them the way that they should be, and then we let them go out into the world and face it for themselves.

I may have used this illustration before, but that doesn't make it any less true. *wink*

For many writers, novels are simply born out of nothingness. We don't spend a lot of time thinking about it or stressing over what story we're going to start writing: they simply come to us, and we get to write them down.

That, my friends, is what we're talking about today.

It's true, I have no idea where I get all of my ideas from. Most of them simply pop into my head, and it's all I can do to keep them from bursting out of me while I'm in public. Fortunately, I spend a lot of time at home and my family members are accustomed to random bouts of writer in any given conversation.

The Druid saga, however, is one where I distinctly recall how it began.

I even know how it morphed into a series, well after I'd happily claimed that I'd written my first standalone.

Coetir was the first book I wrote in the series (therefore it's going to be the first released), and for once I remember exactly what I was doing when I started it. I was sitting in my Viking Mythology class, and the teacher was talking about druids in Wales. Suddenly I had an idea. The funny thing was, I was currently editing a different novel, and I didn't want to start writing a new book. So I only let myself write in that class, twice a week, until I was suddenly too hooked to stop.

After that, I was in a spiral. I finished writing Coetir in under six months, and for about a month afterward I was very pleased to have written a standalone novel.

But it was not to last.

I had millions (and I do mean millions) of new ideas. I was storing them all up, hoping that I would be able to use them in new and different series.

I didn't want the Druid saga to be a saga. I wanted it to be a standalone novel called The People of the Woods.

Obviously, I failed at that.

I'm now working on the fifth of six novels in the series, and I can't wait to see what all of you think of the series. It's been, by far, my favorite series to work on. Soon enough, you'll all get to meet my favorite characters--and I hope you'll love them as much as I do.

[love]

{RD}

Bleeding on the Page

I'm here today to tell you one simple thing, one thing that very few writers actually have the guts to say or do.

Editing isn't the end of the world. It's not the end of your story, but the beginning. And it's not a problem to say that you can't do it on your own.

In fact, if you're a new writer and you're able to come right out and say that you need help with your work, I applaud you. It took me years to get there, and I'm not happy about it. I wish I'd asked for help earlier in the writing stage, that I'd sought advice and counsel from someone wiser and better attuned to this business than me.

But I didn't. And I regretted it for quite a while.

Yes, you're right, this is another plug for RAD Writing. Sort of.

Mostly, I'm here to tell you that if you're afraid of editing, or if you're too proud to admit that your work needs help and that you need a fresh set of eyes to look it over, it's time to hand over the reins.

We can't do it all ourselves.

Nobody's perfect: no first draft is a final draft.

No novel, short story, poem, etc, is ever done being edited.

There simply comes a point when it's ready to face the world, when the beauty and the errors have reached a point of equivalency and the story is fully prepared to be torn to shreds by the nearest teeny-bopper who loves to read.

That's why we're here. It's what we do.

We're here for that teeny-bopper, and we want them to read the best that we have to offer.

Finally, because I'd like to get off my high horse sometime soon (I don't like it up here, I feel far too tall and it's unseemly), I'll say this:

Yeah, editing can be annoying. Yeah, it can be painful. But it doesn't have to be. It's a moment for us to set aside whatever pride we might be hiding within us (because in case no one ever told you, pride is never a good thing) and let go of our work. It's a time for us to learn about the thing we love most, to discover how to make our work better than even we thought possible. It can be like pulling teeth, it can bring tears and make us want to shout in rage, but in the end, a book unedited is a book uncompleted, a book that was never allowed to reach its true goal in life.

And you'd be the one who never let it.

*whew* I can get down now.

That felt deeper than I intended, and I hope no one was offended. I'll discuss the problems of offense and pride in writers someday, I promise.

[love, hugs, and chai]

{RD}

p.s. That editing plug earlier mentioned... RAD Writing

Rani Gets A... (take two)

Remember back in February, when I hadn't been blogging for long and there was one day when I posted far later in the day than usual and had a little surprise for all of you, about something I'd done over the weekend that made me incredibly tired?

Well, of course not. That's awfully vague, isn't it?

Two days ago, I did that something again.

I got another tattoo.

What is it, you ask? Well, I'm not going to tell you. You'll just have to come to one of my book signings and see. *wink* I will tell you, however, that it's in a place that's making it a little difficult to type.

~

In other news, today I'll not be posting a regular blog. Today is all about two little announcements, one of which you've already read.

Announcement #2 is that beginning next Friday, October 24, I'll be beginning a new series! ...But my posts won't be here.

Confused?

Allow me to explain.

Beginning next Friday, Deanna Leah and I will be beginning a new blog series of Writer Hacks and Helps. Deanna will be writing the posts in Writing, Editing, and All Things Rani, while I will be writing the ones for her Dancing on The Keys. The series will, as usual, be once a week, on Friday's.

It promises to be a fun series, full of topics like editing, battling the stresses of life, and getting started in the wonderful world of writing.

If writing is something you're at all interested in, this is a series you'll want to check out.

Take my word for it.

[love and ink]

{Rani D.}

Complicult

Last week we went over the differences between simple and easy. This week, as promised, we'll be going over their companion words, difficult and complex.

As I said last week, this is where simple and easy get much less confusing... But we'll have to start with some confusing bits.

As with simple and easy, difficult and complex get misused very frequently. Mostly because people don't use complex at all, even when this is the word they mean to be using.

You see, simple and complex are opposites. So are easy and difficult.

From what I've noticed, people tend to believe that since their definitions are similar, it's okay to flip them around and also say that simple and difficult are opposite, and that easy and complex are opposite. However, this is just not the case.

Why?

I'll tell you.

Things that are simple can also be difficult, and things that are easy can also be complex. To explain this, we'll have to bring in all the definitions (courtesy of Google)

• Simple: 

Easily understood or done; presenting no complexity.
Composed of a single element, not compound.

• Easy: 

Achieved without great effort; presenting few difficulties

• Complex: 

Consisting of many different and connected parts.

• Difficult: 

Needing much effort or skill to accomplish, deal with, or understand.


See what I'm getting at?

The definition of simple has nothing to do with being difficult. Things that are difficult are often very simple, in fact. Let's go back to the loving your mother notion from last week. It's a simple concept: love your mother, no matter what. But when she does something you don't like, it becomes more difficult to follow the rule (i.e. it's no longer easy). No new factors were added, so it cannot be complex. It can only be difficult.

In the same way, things that are complex can be easy, because ease is not based off of complexity. In fact, it is generally based off skill. I'll use the example of writing a book. To me, this is easy. I do it all the time. It's a complex feat that comes second nature to me. Writing a book is not difficult for me.

Hopefully that clears up our definitions and helps you to know which word to use in which situation.

As for me, I feel a little brain dead just from writing it. 

As always, if you have any new requests, send me a message or drop a comment! I'd love to hear from you!

[love]

{RD}

Not what we meant to say

As most of you know, I've started working as an editor for the good folks over at RAD Writing (who will also be publishing my second book).

What you don't know is why I started working with them in the first place.

You need an editor.

I need an editor.

That's just the way life is. Why, you ask? Because most of us in the business world have been out of school so long that we don't really remember all the ins and outs of proper writing. And because writers know how to write, but not necessarily how to edit.

Why then would I, a writer, take up an editing position?

Well, that's because I'm one of those crazies who actually likes editing and writing. I know, I know, I just said writers don't necessarily know how to edit, but here's the kicker: I'm not one of those writers.

Want me to prove it to you?

I can.

All you have to do is send something in to RAD Writing and request that I give you a sample edit. Yeah, I know, it's a pain to have to go through them to get to me, but that's how it works.

I digress.

Writers, you need an editor.

Don't feel bad: I need an editor, too. 

Yes, I'm a good editor. I love editing, in fact. I've been known to spend my time looking over terrible websites and thinking of all the ways that editing would make the page so much stronger and more likely to gain support. I've also been known to edit in my head while I'm reading the work of other writers.

It's just what I do.

But I also have a difficult time editing my own stuff.

When it comes to the work that I've written myself, it's difficult for me to find the places where there may be errors. I know the story, I know what I'm trying to say, and in my head it always reads correctly and like I want it to.

The trouble is, that's not always how it reads for someone else.

That's why you need an editor, and why I need an editor.

I'm not saying that you have to hire RAD Writing to edit your work, but I am asking that you consider them. Everyone in the company is good at what we do. We know what we're doing. Most of us have been working in this profession for over five years.

If you're interested, check out their Website. You can contact them personally, or you can send me a message or drop a comment if you'd like to know more.

Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom, friends!

[love]

{Rani D.}

Say It

To take a break from our quotes series and introduce you to a little bit of the promised material about my upcoming Druid Saga, I'd like to take a moment to tell you all how excited I am to see how all of you end up pronouncing everything in these books.

Yes, I said it.

I'm actually okay if you don't pronounce it right, and I probably won't correct you if we ever meet in person.

But in case you're one of those people who really likes to know how things are supposed to be said, I've put together a list of how the titles are pronounced (you're on your own when it comes to character names *wink*)

• Coetir: The People of the Woods

This is the first book that will be released from this series, but the third chronologically. It's coming out in January, released by RAD Writing. 

[kɔɪtɪr]

Yes, I used a translator to do that. I didn't have the patience to do it myself. 

For those of you who don't know how to read IPA, try this: 

C as in Cat 

Oy as in Boy

Tier as in, well, Tier 

Coetir. Easy, right? I hope so.

• Cedwig: The People of the Vines

This is the second book I wrote in the series, and the fifth chronologically.

[kedwɪg]

This one's easy to figure out: 

Ked as in Ked's

Wig

Cedwig. Simple as simple can be. 

Now let's try a harder one.

• Caeau: The People of the Plains 

This is the sixth and final book in the series, and will also be the last released. I know what you're thinking. How in the world do you pronounce something with so many vowels?! 

Well, I'll tell you.

[kaɪɔ]

C as in Cat

I as in what you call yourself *wink*

Awe

Caeau. And as a helpful reminder, every time you see an a and an e together like this, it's technically pronounced "I"

• Anialych: The People of the Sand 

Anialych is the first book in the series, the one I'm writing right now, and will likely be the second to last book released. I haven't quite decided. I'm allowed to do that.

[ənjelɪk]

Again, this one's not too difficult. 

An as found in Fawn

Yell

Ick, where technically that k includes that lovely raspy "h" sound. But I won't make you do that. 

Anialych. It'd be easier if it wasn't for the rasp. 

•  Dwr: The People in the Water

Dwr falls second chronologically, and I haven't yet decided when it'll be released. It's the book that I finished two weeks ago, and at this point it's my favorite in the series... But I always say that right after I finish a book. 

[duːər]

I know, I know, first there was Caeau with all the vowels, and now I'm giving you one with no vowels at all. Cruel, you say? Perhaps. 

At least I'm telling you how they're technically said. It could be worse, could it not? 

This one's very easy. 

Dwr is pronounced exactly like doer, as in "a doer of good deeds." 

See, sometimes I'm nice. 

Last, but not least...

• Mynidd: The People of the Hills

This book falls directly between Coetir and Cedwig chronologically, and will likely be the third or fourth to be released. It's also the only book that starts out in the middle of a war. 

[maɪnɪd]

Again, this one's pretty simple. 

Mine + id (as in Freudian, not as in I'd) 

Mynidd. My lovely little warrior tribe. 

I hope this list was helpful to you, and didn't scare you away from my series. As the weeks go on, I'll be releasing a little more "teaser" information about the series so you'll know exactly what you're getting into before we get there. 

*more winking*

[love is an IPA translator]

{RD}

Simply Easy

It's Wednesday, and time for our midweek grammar post!

Don't forget, if you see some really bad grammar out there and would like me to discuss it in my blog, or if you have a grammar pet peeve that you'd like to explore more deeply, comment or message me to send in a request! I look forward to seeing what you have for me.

Today, however, we're going over another of my peeves.

Simple vs. Easy

You see, things that are easy are not always simple, and things that are simple are not always easy (which also doesn't mean that they're complex, which we'll discuss next week).

Simplicity deals with singular, generally. Things are simple when they're laid out before us, when we know what it is that we need to do and we know that it's more than possible to be done.

Things are easy when we can do them with one eye closed, when we can work out how to do them in our sleep, and when we can do them without even thinking about doing them.

That doesn't make much sense, so we'll add a definition, courtesy of Google:

• Simple:

Easily understood or done; presenting no complexity
Composed of a single element; not compound

• Easy: 

Achieved without great effort; presenting few difficulties


Catch the difference? It's a little harder to understand between simple and easy, because the terms are so similar, but a lot of the time I've noticed people getting it wrong before they get it right.

Things are easy when you know you can do them with little to no effort whatsoever.

Things are simple when they're easy to understand, but not necessarily when they'll be very easy to deal with.

It's like this:

Loving your mother is simple. It's a concept that we all know very well, and we're presented with every day. But if she's annoying you today, it's not so easy to love her. The simple concept became difficult, because new variables were added (it did not, however, become complex).

I promise, it'll all make much more sense next week, when we discuss the differences between difficult and complex and throw the four definitions together.

For now, I hope this clears at least a bit of confusion.

[simple love]

{RD}

Dewin

It occurred to me recently that some of the words I'll be using in the Druid Saga may be slightly difficult to pronounce.

Examples, you ask?

• Dwr
• Anialych
• Coetir
• Cedwig
• Caeau 
• Mynidd

And those are only the ones from the titles of the books!

Yes, I understand how difficult it is to read things that are in another language (or created from the lettering used in another language). But the Druid Saga is one that utterly depends on their being a dual-language base.

Why?

Because there aren't only humans in the series.

If you've read either of the teaser excerpts I've posted this year, you'll know what I mean. There are two main people groups: human and Dewin. The books themselves are named for the Dewin, because the Dewin are named for their surroundings.

Not sure what that means?

Take Dwr, for example. In the language I've based the Dewin in, it means water. The people in this book are named after the fact that they live in the water.

But that's not what I came here to say.

The fact of the matter is, after realizing how many difficulties may come with pronunciations in this novel series, I had an idea. 

Over the next few months, leading up to the release of my next book, I'll be sporadically revealing a few fun and interesting facts about the Druid saga, including how to pronounce these crazy words, things that helped me while I was starting my writing, and elements that I think you'll all very much enjoy about the series in general.

And don't worry, there will also be another excerpt released very soon.

When? Well that's the surprise.

[love and druids]

{RD}

Write. It. Down.

Well looky here, it's almost the weekend again!

Do you realize that this means I haven't written in almost a week? Crazy.


Today's quote is to help you all prepare for the coming month of November (which is, as we all know, NaNoWriMo).

"The worst thing you write is better than the best thing you did not write." 

And oh how very true it is. 

Essentially, what I want to tell you today is that if you have a story inside you (which I believe everyone does) it's important that you write it down. Even if you decide that it's the worst thing in the world and you never want to show anyone, write it down. 

For one, it's a great release to be able to do this. When you get it out, it's a wonderful form of catharsis. It's also a brilliant way to relieve stress. 

For two, it can very easily help you figure out what's going on inside your head. Let's face it, half the time we're confused by our own thoughts and we're not sure how we got here. 

For three, as the quote says, as long as you write it down, you're golden. It's better than the best thing you didn't write, because at least you got this one down on paper. 

I urge you all to do this, even if your work is hilarious and terrible and you want to throw it at the wall. As a writer, I implore you, write it down. 

Who knows, maybe you'll find a new passion along the way.

We're all just looking for a way to get through life out here. Maybe this will be a brilliant way to help you do just that.

You never know until you try. 

[love and la vie en rose]

{Rani D.}

Quoted

I've another request of you, this lovely afternoon. My dear friend and photographer, Julie Haider, sent me an idea for my grammar posts.

She's seen a lot of terribly written signage that includes incorrectly formatted wording (like the picture that follows). What I'd like to do now is share it with all of you, and discuss exactly why it's so ridiculous.

What does this have to with my request?

Well I'm glad you asked.

Have you seen signs and Facebook posts and a million other things with bad grammar? Do they make you laugh as much as I do? Well, then I'd like you to take a picture of it and send it on over. I'll post it in the blog, and we can all have a good laugh.

Simple enough, right?

If you still don't understand, keep reading and you'll see what I have in mind.

~

Please "FLUSH" Gently

What in the world does that even mean? 

The quotation marks around flush seem to indicate that there is a unique meaning to the word. Perhaps it means that there should be no real flushing, but that we should all think think happy thoughts until the toilet in question does that thing it's supposed to do. 

But my next concern lies in what they mean by flushing gently. 

After all, it's not me who's really doing the flushing. All I do is press down a little lever and it does what it's supposed to do. I don't know many people who violently ram that lever down, unless something's happened which none of us ever like to speak of in public. *wink*

I'm only thankful that the quotation marks aren't around please, because that would really change the meaning of this thing. 

In the end, I suppose it means we'll just have to think those happy thoughts. And we have to do it, because the sign was polite enough to say please. They may regret this sign later. 

We may all regret heeding its punctuation. 

[love and giggles]

{RD}