Halloween 2024

Evolution of the Pen

The evolution of the pen reflects humanity's timeless drive to record, communicate, and create.

The earliest pens were simple sticks or feathers used to apply natural pigments on cave walls.

Reeds:
Around 3000 BCE, Egyptians crafted the first reed pens for writing on papyrus, using hollow river reeds to hold ink.

Quill Pens:
In medieval Europe, around the 6th century, quill pens made from bird feathers became widely used. Quills allowed for flexible, detailed writing but required frequent sharpening.

Metal Dip Pens:
The 19th century saw the rise of the metal dip pen, offering improved durability and consistent ink flow.

Fountain Pens:
Shortly after metal pens, the fountain pen was developed, featuring an internal ink reservoir to eliminate the need for a separate inkpot. By the early 20th century, fountain pens were a staple among writers and professionals.

Ballpoint Pens:
In the 1940s, Hungarian-Argentinian journalist László Bíró invented the ballpoint pen to prevent smudging. Affordable and durable, the ballpoint pen quickly became the standard for everyday writing.

Now, with the digital evolution, modern digital pens and styluses bridge the gap between analog and digital writing, carrying on the pen’s legacy as a key tool for communication.

Cat Story - Part Four

(previous parts of the story: 
https://afarinrava.blogspot.com/2024/10/cat-story-part-three.html)

But then she sees my edits and gives me a look of disappointment.

She takes her manuscript and says, "Allow me!"

And I just stand there and watch as she strikes through most of my edits.

(The story will continue... 
and Part Five will be posted next Tuesday.)

Noosha Ravaghi

/S/ or /K/?

celt

1 of 2 
noun (1) 
ˈselt 

: a prehistoric stone or metal implement shaped like a chisel or ax head

Celt

2 of 2 
noun (2) 
ˈkelt  ˈselt 

1: a member of a division of the early Indo-European peoples distributed from the British Isles and Spain to Asia Minor

2: a modern Gael, Highland Scot, Irishman, Welshman, Cornishman, or Breton

***

Celtic

1 of 2 
adjective 
Celt·​ic ˈkel-tik  ˈsel- 

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the Celts or their languages

Celtic

2 of 2 
noun

: a group of Indo-European languages usually subdivided into Brythonic and Goidelic and now largely confined to Brittany, Wales, Ireland, and the Scottish Highlands

***

All of the above was taken from Merriam-Webster on October 27, 2024.

***

All of the information below was taken from the web (AI overview) on October 27, 2024.

***

The word "Celtic" is pronounced "Seltic" for the Boston Celtics basketball team and the Glasgow, Scotland, soccer team called the Celtic Football Club, but "Keltic" is preferred by some people who study the language, culture, and history of the Celts:

/Seltic/

The French-based "Seltic" pronunciation was commonly accepted for centuries. The French influenced English pronunciation when they ruled England for a time and made French the official language.

/Keltic/

The "Keltic" pronunciation is preferred by some people who study the Celts, and has resurfaced in recent times to better reflect the word's origins in Greek and Classical Latin. 

Stephen King

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”
Stephen King

Relaxation & Possibility

 

Reverse Outlining

Outlining a nonfiction book is crucial for clarity and structure. It acts as a roadmap, ensuring the ideas flow logically while keeping the narrative focused. A solid outline helps identify gaps, avoid tangents, and ensure that key points are effectively covered. It’s the backbone of a well-organized, impactful work.

Editing a nonfiction manuscript, which the author had most likely written without creating an outline first, taught me to get creative and do a reverse outlining. This helped me pinpoint both all the author's repetitions and the areas that needed to be developed.

Now, anytime I get a manuscript to edit, I create an outline from it, noting the main ideas of each paragraph or section. This helps me see the structure more clearly and find where the argument or narrative might be weak, repetitive, or out of order. 

Reverse outlining is a great tool for sharpening coherence and flow.

Book Review

 

Cat Story - Part Three

(parts 1 and 2 of the story: 
https://afarinrava.blogspot.com/2024/10/cat-story-part-two.html)

And then she asks me to edit her writing.
So I take my red pen and go to work.
But then she...

(The story will continue...
and Part Four will be posted next Tuesday.)

Happy Monday!

 

Sunday's Whisper

Weaving Word Webs

The human brain is funny sometimes; at least I believe mine is. 

This morning I looked up Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, as I do every morning. I didn't find the word "appreciable" fascinating enough to post it on my blog, but it made me think about the words "quantifiable" and "qualifiable"... which made me think whether I had ever used the word "qualifiable" in my writing... which, in turn, made me think about a weird word I recently learned: callipygian.

Callipygian, pronounced kal-i-PIJ-ee-an, sounds technical, like a scientific term, but it's about a completely non-technical subject. It describes someone with beautifully shaped buttocks. The word is a combination of two Greek words: kallos (beauty) and pyge (buttocks), which makes it oddly specific. Despite having such a precise meaning, it's rarely used in everyday language and feels almost too formal or poetic for what it's describing. The human butt is definitely qualifiable, but I still find the word callipygian a strange and formal way to talk about something so ordinary. 

Let me go back to the human brain for a second, specifically my brain: How did it go from appreciable to callipygian? What kind of word web was it weaving? 

Switching Fonts

Switching fonts can trick our brain into seeing our writing in a fresh way. When we've stared at the same text for hours, our eyes tend to gloss over errors or awkward phrasing. A different font shakes up the visual flow, helping us spot mistakes or areas for improvement more easily, so switching fonts mid-draft can help us.

Be You

Soon...

Exciting things are brewing:
I'm right in the heart of a fun new project.
I can't wait to share what’s coming next!

Cat Story - Part Two

Part One: https://afarinrava.blogspot.com/2024/10/cat-story.html

... the cat starts writing.

She writes and she writes:
mew, mrrrow, me-yow, miao, meeow, mewl, mrrow, mewp, nyah, meep, myaa, mraow, myau, nyow, meeer, mewww, miiow, mrowrr, meowff, mrrrr.

(The story will continue...
and Part Three will be posted next week.)

Now

Idiate

Merriam-Webster's word of the day is 

ideate

pronounced EYE-dee-ayt

a verb

meaning to form an idea

The word ideate comes from the Greek verb idein, which means “to see.” The sight-thought connection came courtesy of Plato, the Greek philosopher who based his theory of the ideal on the concept of seeing, claiming that a true philosopher can see the essential nature of things and can recognize their ideal form or state. Early uses of idea, ideal, and ideate in English were associated with Platonic philosophy; idea meant “an archetype” or “a standard of perfection,” ideal meant “existing as an archetype,” and ideate referred to forming Platonic ideas. But though ideate is tied to ancient philosophy, the word itself is a modern concoction, relatively speaking. It first appeared in English only about 400 years ago.

(taken from Merriam-Webster)

To see it in context or listen to the pronunciation, check the link: https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day (October 13, 2024).

Seeds

Book Review

 

Mitch Albom

“Death ends a life, not a relationship.”
Mitch Albom

Playful Panther

Cat Story - Part One

Part One:

A cat adopts a writer slash editor. 
Four months later...

(The story will continue...
and Part Two will be posted next week.)

A Few Adjectives

On this Monday morning, I wish everyone an amazing, awesome, blissful, brilliant, cheerful, delightful, excellent, exceptional, extraordinary, fabulous, fantastic, glorious, grand, great, impressive, incredible, joyful, magnificent, marvelous, outstanding, phenomenal, productive, prosperous, radiant, remarkable, splendid, spectacular, stellar, superb, thrilling, tremendous, vibrant, wonderful week!

Sunday

Sunlight dances...

Unbroken peace fills the air...

Nature hums in harmony...

Dreams drift...

All is calm...

Yesterday fades...

Relax & Reset

When I'm deep in the writing zone, sometimes words just stop flowing. When I reached that point in the past, I would read my book or go for a walk with the dogs. These days, I keep my reading for pleasure for my bedtime... and the dogs are too old to get excited for multiple walks during the day, so I use doodling or painting — or both — as a way to relax and reset. This gives the language-processing side of my brain a much-needed break. It’s calming, stress-relieving, and can even spark new ideas. I'm not an artist. I just grab a pencil and scribble away — sketching elements from my story or from my life and using color to add an extra layer of calm. I also do collaging from time to time. These creative outlets let my brain relax while keeping the inspiration alive. There are no rules, no pressure — just a fun way to recharge so I can return to my writing with fresh eyes and a clearer mind. 

Pishi's Portrait

Empty pockets can't stop a full heart

 from creating masterpieces.

Pishi's Portrait...
a.k.a. one of my "masterpieces"
watercolor

Arrive: Persian

Many verbs have both literal and figurative meanings. The same is true in the Persian language. 

One of my favorite Persian verbs that has both literal and figurative meanings is رسیدن (pronounced residan).

رسیدن (residan) literally means to arrive or reach. 

رسیدن (residan) figuratively means to achieve or ripen. 

And... the part I find most fascinating:
To arrive at oneself means to take care of oneself.

Birthday 2024

October 2024

Today is the first day of the fourth year of this blog. I will continue to post reviews of my books, quotes, photos, anecdotes, fascinating etymologies, and updates... at least for a while; however, the blog will be a little different in that it will include other kinds of posts.