30 Lessons From Washington D.C.
Consider this a humorous travel guide.
The Ultimate Child’s Code Omnibus
Way back when I started this blog, it was solely a humor blog. I wrote about funny observations in parenting, teaching, married life, and pretty much whatever struck my fancy. A few things have happened since then. The blog has evolved into a more “author” oriented endeavor, and readership has grown substantially. I’d like to…
54 Things I Learned While Vacationing On The Big Island
This post has something for everyone. If you’ve been to the Big Island of Hawaii, you’ll relate to it. If you plan to go, you’ll get a little advice. If you’re scared of the ocean and won’t leave your landlocked haven (or if you just don’t have the desire or means to go), you’ll get…
20 Things I Want For 2015
There’s a hashtag going around on Twitter today: #20ThingsIWantFor2015. I thought the presence of “20” was amusing, because who can write about 20 things in 140 characters? Fortunately, I have a blog with unlimited characters. MWHAHAHA! That sounded more maniacal than I planned. Anyway. I’ll count down from 20. Because New Years. Some are serious,…
Do You Punish People With Your Social Media Practices?
Ironically, WordPress trolled me and decided to publish this when it was only a title, proving the publishing status of “draft” completely useless. Not Punishing People Rule #1: Don’t send title-only posts to your followers’ email. Sorry, email followers. Stupid WordPress. Anyway. I’m here today to discuss how people punish their followers with their social…
What Are The Five Books That Have Stuck With You?
I was tagged in a post on Facebook a couple days ago. I was supposed to list the top ten books that have stuck with me the most and tag other people. I don’t do that stuff on Facebook, but it did get me thinking about my favorite reads. So I’ll write about it here, and if you…
Six Writing Words That Sound Like Unfortunate Medical Problems
I think my inner child is a 12-year-old boy, and the result of this is snickering at words that sound funny. Words I encounter in writing are no exception. I’ll start by giving the actual definition of these words as I understand them. Because, you know, learning. Then I’ll offer how people might describe the…
Five Things Non-readers Must Understand About Readers
Don’t worry. I recognize the irony of the title. Non-readers aren’t likely to read a blog post unless there are lots of pictures (like the buzzfeed variety). Really, this post is for readers to nod to in agreement as they read it, and maybe, just maybe, a reader will convince a non-reader to learn a…
The Case For Literary Critique Groups
About a month ago, I joined an online critique group called Critique Circle. Here’s how it works: I earn credits by critiquing the work that others submit, and I use those credits to submit my own work for others to critique. Sounds pretty simple, huh? It is. Mostly. The process is simple. Receiving critiques, well……
8 Things To Do While You’re Waiting
I find myself in an awkward stage of life. I have a book under contract, and another is going through the ruthless hands of an online critique group while I try to figure out its fate. I’m working on another new book that will be finished in a few months, with any luck. So, I…
Allison Maruska 