A Wish Come True

I truly believe the universe gives us what we want when we use our words, spoken or written.

For example, when I first came to Arkansas, I said, "I really want to go fishing, at least once, while I'm here." Nearly seven years later, the universe has granted my wish. Of course, I didn't mean fishing for cat poop out of a litterbox... I guess I should have been more specific.

Book Review

First Draft

On September 10, 2024, I shared a post: 
https://afarinrava.blogspot.com/2024/09/novel-first-draft.html

Today, January 6, 2025, I will begin the editing process.

I read my first draft this morning, and yes, it's messy, but it may not be as "poopy" — I love your book Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott! — as I thought. 

Reading my draft after such a long time made me realize that my subconscious mind may have led me to write certain parts in a particular way to allow my future self to stumble into brilliant ideas... like a plot twist I didn't see coming. 

So... when you finish your first draft and get ready for round one of editing, instead of cringing at the chaos, ask yourself: Why did I write this? Your subconscious might just have a genius reason. Trust the process — think of your draft as a treasure map, and think of every strange choice as an X marking the spot.

Book Review Video

Albert Camus

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." 
Albert Camus

Acronyms & Initialisms

Acronyms and initialisms are both abbreviations made from the first letters of words, but the key difference is how they’re pronounced. 

Acronyms, like NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) or SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus), are pronounced as words. 

Initialisms, like FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) or ATM (Automated Teller Machine), are spoken letter by letter. 

Think of it this way: acronyms roll off the tongue as a single word, while initialisms make you spell it out. For example, NASA is an acronym, but FBI is an initialism. 

Both acronyms and initialisms are types of abbreviations. Abbreviations are the umbrella term for any shortened form of a word or phrase, and acronyms and initialisms are just two specific ways to do it. So all acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations, but not all abbreviations are acronyms or initialisms — for example, “Dr.” for “Doctor” or “St.” for “Street.”

Some abbreviations, like FAQ, can go either way depending on who’s saying it — initialism, pronounced eff-ay-cue, or acronym, pronounced fak. 

Book Review

2025