Sunday, August 23, 2015

If It Were Even Possible

I know, I know...it's been practically forever and a day since I've last posted.  But as many of you may know, it's been a busy summer.  There was a college graduation, a wedding anniversary, a trip to move our son...and oh yeah, some awesome books to edit.

(And honestly, sometimes the best place to keep track of what I'm up to is on Facebook - so go ahead and like my page.  Go on, go like it: The Atwater Group _)

Yes, it's been a crazy busy summer, and it's not quite over - not the summer part and not the crazy busy part either.  I thought I'd have a week "off" to work on some professional development (classes, professional reading, etc.), but that week got swept up in last-minute projects.  I have small hopes I still might carve out some time before August is over, so it's still possible at this point.

And, as writing is NOT my strong suit (hey, that's what YOU guys do, not me!), it's gone to the bottom of the list of things to get done.  In other words, it hasn't gotten done.  But I've thought of a few things to share with you, so I'm hoping to get those thoughts down on paper, so to speak (or on the blog) and get back into a semi-regular posting schedule.

Awhile back, I ran a contest on a mystery phrase.  No one knew what it was until the year was over and I announced the "winner" of the contest.  I couldn't think of a good contest for 2015, but about by June, I was wishing I had picked another mystery phrase. I saw this particular phrase at least once per manuscript for about a month: if it were even possible.  It was getting to the point that it wasn't even possible for me to see this phrase without going a little crazy.  It wasn't so much that one author kept using it; it was that multiple authors were using it.

So, do you have phrases you think you overuse? Or just phrases that are overused in general?