About Words and Phrases

This is a repeat of a post I wrote several years ago, but I think it’s still relevant.

Several years ago, before “going postal” became a catch phrase, I was at work and talking to someone who worked in a different department. I was mildly annoyed about something someone had done (I can’t recall what) and said, “Oh, I could just shoot him,” referring to someone whom I don’t even remember. The person I was talking with was horrified, and I was quite surprised. I hadn’t said it with venom, or even any real anger. I had to explain that it was only a figure of speech. He didn’t know what that meant, so I had to explain that to him. By the time I walked away, I could have throttled the man I’d been talking to, figuratively speaking.

As a writer it breaks my heart to hear people trying to clip figures of speech out of the American dialogue. For heaven sake, not everything is meant to be taken seriously. A cliché is a cliché, and a figure of speech is just that – a figure of speech. There’s a time for political correctness; however, I tend to think of that as common courtesy and common sense speech.

If I overheard someone plotting a murder and they said, “I could just shoot him,” that’s one thing. However, if I heard a friend say the same thing about the husband she was frustrated with, I wouldn’t give it a second thought. She would have been venting, letting go of some of her frustration, and that would probably be a good thing. Marital argument averted? Maybe. Hopefully.

I was once at the airport and someone asked me what I do for a living. I almost told her I write murder mysteries, but I caught myself and simply told her I’m a writer. Good grief! I didn’t want the TSA calling me aside because someone overheard me utter the word murder. I also didn’t want to be a diva and look down my nose at her and say, “I’m an author. (sniff)” I’m just a simple writer with simple ways, but I do write darned good mysteries that aren’t simple. I should be able to be proud of what I do and sing out the words, “I write murder mysteries and I think you’d like them,” without looking over my shoulder.

So, okay, as a writer I think people are getting carried away with the hidden meaning of words and phrases. I think the Word Police need to take a step back and think about the context in which these figures of speech are being used. Use some common sense, for crying out loud.

I know we live in trying and scary times, and there’s more violence in the world than there should be. However, lighten up a little. There’s enough drama with what’s really going on today without worrying about catch phrases and clichés. These are tools a writer uses occasionally, and they’re also words that people use every single day, somewhere and in some way. It doesn’t mean that everything they say should be taken literally. If you think you heard something that was a viable threat, then talk to someone. Common sense should tell you if something might be more than a figure of speech.

Now I think it’s time to step down off of my soap box and get back to the mind-boggling idea of taking more comments with a grain of salt. The only killing that goes on in my world is in books, and I’d like to keep it that way. Don’t take offense if one of my characters says something that’s not politically correct. They’re just fictional people, after all.

(For those who might we wondering, this post has nothing to do with any particular current events.)

Until next time, enjoy your week, and I hope you find a moment to just do something silly and stress free.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

In Bogey’s Ace in the Hole – A Bogey Man Mystery, a little old lady overhears a murder plot and reacts differently than most of us would. This is an oldie but a goodie, and an example of discriminating between a figure of speech and a real threat.

About a Diary Snob

When I started writing, I didn’t want to include diaries in my stories about old crimes. It seemed too cliché to use them. Instead, I used things like old letters, photographs and word-of-mouth. I have those things. My grandmother was a pen pal to a few soldiers during World War I. She kept all the letters. She also left me a huge trunk filled with old photographs. We had several conversations about what things were like for her as a child and the things that changed her life. When she was fourteen or fifteen, she was in an industrial accident and lost her arm below the elbow. That was definitely life-changing, but she dealt with it. The letters and our conversations were quite revealing. We talked about what things were like in Old Los Angeles. I won’t bore you with more, but you get the idea.

I figured I could get by without the use of diaries and journals for information in my mysteries.

How wrong I was. Well, using things other than diaries was fine, but diaries were a large part of people’s lives. They chronicled what was going on, even if it was simply to write about what they had for dinner on a particular night. In among the references to meatloaf, there are often little jewels of knowledge. There are insights into what life was like during certain periods of time. They’re also a good way to learn the slang used at the time the diary was written.

 

I’m not sure if diaries are used as often today as they used to be. With the Internet, I guess people use other means for keeping track of their lives. If we were to suddenly lose the use of the Internet, a lot of memories would be lost forever. The written word will last forever, assuming the diaries aren’t thrown away like mine were. Mine were just too corny to live.

Diaries and journals have existed in one form or another all through history. Think Dead Sea Scrolls. They’ve chronicled ocean voyages, trips across the country in wagons, people’s reactions to historic events, and some have even been known to hold deep, dark secrets.

So was I a diary snob? I guess I was. What brought me out of this was my cousin finding many diaries that one of my grandmother’s had kept. Many years ago I found one lonely little diary that my other grandmother wrote in, and one that my mother had kept her thoughts in when she was a teenager.

Now I’m working on Gin Mill Grill and I’ve introduced some old diaries. Since this story is based on a crime from the 1930s that needs to be solved today, and most of the characters are either dead or very, very old now, the diaries may be invaluable. Honestly? I haven’t decided just how they’ll play into the story, but in one way or another they will have a part.

I’ve mentioned this before, but one of my own personal mysteries is a photo I found in that big trunk I mentioned. In among the old family photos dating back into the 1800s, I found a picture of a firing squad doing what they do. You can even see smoke coming out of the rifles. This is not a photo you’d expect to find with pictures of great-great-great-grandma. I sent it to a Naval historian who had a few ideas, but I don’t think I’ll ever know for sure what was going on. My grandfather (much older than my grandmother), was in the Navy from 1904-1907. I have a photo album with pictures he took around the world, and the firing squad photo looks very similar to the quality and type of pictures he took. I wish he’d kept a diary.

So, while I started out with letters, photos and word-of-mouth (meaning memories), I’ve now added diaries and journals.

Is there something that you think is too cliché? Are you a snob about something used in mysteries? As for me, I need to keep an open mind.

Until next time, read some of those old diaries stashed away in boxes in the attic or garage. You just mind find something interesting.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website (To be updated soon)

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

Epiphany

Sometimes in books a character will have an epiphany and solve a case. And once in a while we have epiphanies in real life. Such was the situation this week.

My post will be a bit more personal than usual because I’m hoping that figuring things out might touch someone else the way it touched me. I’ve seriously been considering giving up my writing. Life just hasn’t been kind over the past couple of years.

I lost my husband to what he used to refer to as, “The Widow Maker.” In other words, he had a sudden and unexpected heart attack, and that was it. (I miss him more than I can express, and more than I want to talk about.) Among other things, I had some health problems, made a major move from Arizona to Washington, and more recently, book sales have dropped with a thud.

I’ve spent a lifetime picking myself up and moving on when things didn’t go well or as planned. I haven’t been able to do that this time – until now.

Sometimes answers come to us when we least expect it and in ways we wouldn’t dream of. I read the email of someone who’s having a rough time because of life, people and writing, and it caused an epiphany. Here’s the realization that came to me and pretty much changes everything.

Writing has been an uphill battle. In fact, without going into details, my whole life has been an uphill battle. I can’t explain it, but this person’s email brought that up from the depths of my heart and mind.

I’d hoped my writing would supplement my income. Didn’t happen, or maybe I should say, barely happened. Then I remembered something very important. I started writing because it’s something I love to do. From now on I do it because I enjoy it. If the books don’t sell, oh well… What more can one ask for than to be doing something that makes them happy?

And this goes for the rest of my life, too. The heck with it. No more worrying about every little thing. I can’t possibly please everyone, and I can’t accommodate every request that comes my way.

It’s too cliché to say that when life hands me lemons, I make lemonade. Nope. It’s not that easy. However, when life hands me chocolate, I fully intend to eat every bite and savor the flavor. It’s comfort food, and besides, I don’t like lemons or lemonade anyway.

It’s time for a downhill slide. Easy peasy. Struggling is passé. It’s time to yell, “Wheeeee” as I take the easy way down from the top of that hill. Sliding is so much easier than climbing.

I have faith and that’s what counts. Faith in what? Faith in God, in myself, in my talent, and in those I care about.

Here’s to a new life and a new beginning, for all of us who need them.

Now I’m going back to work on “Black Butterfly,” my latest work in progress. I’m ready to write, and I hope the story is ready for me.

Until next time, take a ride down that hill and enjoy every moment of it.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw's website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

 

There are Words, and Then Again, There are Words

In 2011 I wrote a post about words. Reading it again made me realize how today it’s even truer than it was then. I’m reposting it this week.

~ * ~

I was going to blog about Bookstore Divas this week, but after listening to TV and news stories I’ve decided it’s time to write about words – words and figures of speech.

Several years ago, before “going postal” became a catch phrase, I was at work and talking to one of the maintenance men. I was mildly annoyed about something someone did (I can’t recall what or who) and I said, “Oh, I could just shoot him.” This maintenance man was horrified, and I was quite surprised. I hadn’t said it with venom, or even anger. I had to explain that it was only a figure of speech. He didn’t know what that meant so I had to explain it to him. By the time I walked away, I could have throttled the maintenance man, figuratively speaking.

As a writer, it breaks my heart to hear people trying to clip figures of speech out of the American dialogue. For crying out loud, not everything is meant to be taken seriously and not everything has a hidden or double meaning. A cliché is a cliché, and a figure of speech is just that – a figure of speech. There’s a time for political correctness (PC); however, I tend to think of PC as using common courtesy and common sense speech. Unfortunately, translation has gone way beyond accepting courtesy and common sense.

If I overheard someone plotting a murder and they said, “I could just shoot him,” that’s one thing. However, if I heard a friend say the same thing about the husband she was frustrated with, I wouldn’t give it a second thought. She would have been venting, letting go of some of her frustration, and that would probably be a good thing.

I was at the airport and someone asked me what I do for a living. I almost told her I write murder mysteries, but I caught myself and simply told her I’m a writer. Good grief! I didn’t want the TSA calling me aside because someone overheard me utter the word murder. I also didn’t want to be a diva and look down my nose at her and say, “I’m an author. (sniff)” I’m just a simple writer with simple ways, but I do write darned good mysteries that aren’t simple. I should be able to be proud of that and sing out the words, “I write murder mysteries! I think you’d like them,” without looking over my shoulder.

So, okay, as a writer I think people are getting carried away with the hidden meaning of words and phrases. I think the Word Police need to take a step back and think about the context in which these figures of speech are being used. Frankly, I think everyone should take a step back and hopefully realize they’re frequently making a big deal out of nothing. (Yes, I realize sometimes things are a big deal.)

I know we live in some trying and scary times and there’s more violence in the world than there should be. However, lighten up a little. There’s enough drama with what’s really going on today without worrying about catch phrases and clichés, especially in books. These are tools a writers uses from time to time and they’re also words that people use every single day, somewhere and in some way. It doesn’t mean everything they say should be taken literally.

This is at least the second time I’ve climbed up on my soap box, so it’s probably time to step down. I should get back to the mind-boggling idea of taking more comments with a grain of salt and letting others roll off my back. The only killing that goes on in my world is in books, and I’d like to keep it that way. Don’t take offense if one of my characters says something that’s not politically correct. They’re just fictional people, after all.

Until next time, have a great week and stop looking over your shoulder for the Word Police. Enjoy life at least a little.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

A Well-Kept Family Secret will soon be available in AUDIO format. Watch for it. In the meantime, What Are the Odds? is available in both ebook and paperback format.