Issue 101
September 2018
IN THIS ISSUE
Word Help: Pasted Text Looks Like Hollow Squares
Coloring Contest with Diane Robinson
Little Known Facts
Weird Animals
Book Review on Mentor
Prompts
Trivia
Contests, Literary Agents, and Writing Jobs
Points to Ponder
Connect With Our CEO
A Word Fitly Spoken
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When Pasted Text Looks Like Hollow Squares
by Allen Wyatt
At work every day, Robert is required to research media articles, copying and pasting anything relevant to his department into a Word document. Recently, after pasting a specific article, all the text appeared as hollow squares. This is a first for Robert; he wonders why the text would appear this way when the original source is in legible English.
Virtually every time you see the small squares instead of characters, it means that your document (or at least the portion that you pasted) is using a font that is not installed on your system. Short of figuring out what that font is and installing it, there are a couple of immediate solutions.
First, if you've already pasted the information, then select it and press Ctrl+Space Bar. This resets the selected characters so that they use the font defined in the underlying style. Since you are pasting from a Web page, in most cases this means that the underlying style is the Normal style, and you should be able to immediately see the letters.
If this doesn't work, it means that whatever you pasted is using a different style where the font defined in the style is one you don't have installed. In this case, with the text selected simply pick a different font using the tools on the Home tab of the ribbon.
If you haven't pasted your text yet, but you've already copied it from the source, place the insertion point where you want to paste and click the down-arrow next to or under the Paste tool on the Home tab of the ribbon. You'll see some options (they can vary for a variety of reasons), but you want to pick the Keep Text Only option. (See Figure 1.)
Figure 1. Choosing a pasting option.
If you cannot find the right option—the one that results in only text being pasted, not formatting—you can always choose the Paste Special option, which displays the Paste Special dialog box. (See Figure 2.)
Figure 2. The Paste Special dialog box.
Again, the options available in the Paste Special dialog box will vary from system to system, but you want the Unformatted Text option. That will paste just the text, and you won't see the hollow squares in what you paste.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1590) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016.
*Copyright (c) Sharon Parq Associates, Inc. Reprinted with permission from https:\\wordribbon.tips.net.
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Little Known Facts
Sayings and Origin
by Janet Lopes, Columnist
 Ever wonder why a phrase catches on? Enjoy the origins of the following phrases:
Hold a candle to: novice writers or office apprentices held a candle high as their colleagues of greater experience worked by candlelight. Sir Edward Dering's, The Four Cardinal Virtues of a Carmelite Friar, written in 1641, holds the record as the first use of the phrase in print.
A stone's throw: the phrase, “a stone's cast,” comes from the Bible. Returned as “a stone’s throw,” meaning something near. The History of John Bull, in 1712 by John Arbuthnot brought the phrase back into existence.
The sight of you is good for sore eyes: Author Jonathan Swift coined this line in 1738, which means, “It is good to see you.” He wrote Gulliver's Travels in 1726.
A sight for sore eyes means it swells the heart and fills the eyes with tears.
For fools rush in where angels fear to tread: Alexander Pope wrote this line in An Essay on Criticism, 1709. He referred to literary critics in this assignment as ‘fools.’ Since then, the phrase has been changed to, “when fools rush in,” meaning anyone with a less-than-becoming character.
Off the record: acknowledgment of this phrase goes to President Franklin Roosevelt in 1932. The Daily Times-News recorded him stating that “it might be mighty nice to talk off the record.” If recorded, how can one call it ‘off the record’?
The next time you use one of these rich sayings, you will know its origin.
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Announcement from Diane Robinson, CWI Tutor
Coloring Contest
Back by popular demand, we are holding another coloring contest. Yay! Three categories: ages 5 - 8; ages 9 - 12; ages 13- 18. The download link for the coloring book is here: http://www.dragonsbook.com/coloring-book-large.pdf
Contest Information:
1. You must be signed up for this newsletter either individually or by a classroom teacher's name. If you are receiving this newsletter through a member sharing, the subscribe link is here: https://dragonsbook.com/subscribe/
2. Entries must include your age and sign-up email address.
3. The contest is independently judged and ends Jan.1, 2019.
4. 1st place winners will be contacted by their sign-up email address and each category winner will receive a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card.
Sir Princess Petra, book # 1 in the multi-award-winning series, Ebook is on sale for .99 cents from Sept. 28th - Oct. 5,18 for U.S. and UK customers. Sorry, Canadian members. Amazon does not allow this sale event in Canada. BUT, when this event is over, there will be another sales event for Canadians in the near future.
U.S. link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075Q24M5F/
UK link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sir-Princess-Petra-Pieyu-Adventures-ebook/dp/B075Q24M5F/
Did you know The Dragon Grammar Book Ebook is an Amazon Bestseller in the U.S. and Canada? The book features Sir Princess Petra and her motley crew, making it a fun grammar refresher for middle grades to adults. Here's the universal link to the Ebook: http://geni.us/t2aM
Visit my website and check out the Kid's Page. If you're a teacher, check out the free lesson plan on the Teachers/Librarian Page. https://dragonsbook.com/
Dragon Hugs,
Diane Robinson |
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Weird Animals
by Janet Lopes, Columnist
Big Birds
 Mysterious “big birds” have been documented in southern Alaska, but I had not encountered anything this size until just recently. Between two bushed lots, it swooped down onto the country road. A white crest - shaped like the point of a man’s upturned shirt collar adorned his head. His feathers reminded me of a flower pot and his body resembled that of a muscular penguin. His beak looked like a duckbill, similar to those found in Disney movies on square-headed penguins. With the exception of the color, he was that “big bird.” His massive wings spanned the width of the road when the sound of my voice prompted him to take flight.
This bird might be the creature that Micah Hanks writes about seeing in southern Alaska. Imagine this smooth-feathered, mega-bird in your story. Perhaps he is the victim of a frightened hunter. The bird strays into your town, as it did into mine in real life, and faces your heroine.
Read Micah Hanks story about the big bird at:
https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/08/what-was-the-mysterious-massive-bird-seen-over-southern-alaska/
Rottweilers
 Rottweilers raised and trained around people respond compassionately. As an adult, a rottie clings to its owner. It guards when approached by danger, watching it’s master’s eyes for cues. A Rottweiler yearns for obedience. Contrarily, when a Rottweiler pup is confined and kept from socializing, it can become unpredictable. Your story might lend to a ferocious guard dog protecting the heroine or a rottie guarding a gateway through which the heroine needs access. Imagine a rottie cuddling the heroine, perhaps frightening the mother as she enters her daughter’s room.
Read more at:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/72956/10-robust-facts-about-rottweiler
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Book Review, MENTOR, a Memoir by Tom Grimes
Reviewed by Karen Johnson, Columnist
 MENTOR, a memoir, is a 242-page book that is part memoir and part tribute to one author from another. The author explores the beautiful thinking world of his friend and mentor, Frank Conroy, and finds himself. The story depicts people who held two ink slingers to the words they wrote and the ways they encouraged one another.
Tom Grimes, a family man and Key West waiter, dreamed the literacy world would one day acknowledge him. At age 32, he sent the beginnings of an ambitious novel to the Iowa Writer’s Workshop and waited for a response. In 1989, the director of the workshop replied. Frank Conroy liked Grimes' writing and offered the aspiring author a scholarship.
At the time, Conroy was a 53-year-old respected publisher and author. His books, Stop Time and Body & Soul were best sellers. His directive work in Iowa offered wonderful advice to aspiring writers, young and old. Grimes asked if he could skip the scholarship and work alongside Frank. Conroy replied in the affirmative and mentored Tom to become a published author.
The two men shared twenty-nine years of friendship founded on their love of literacy. Tom Grimes copyrighted Mentor in 2009, a book written as a token of love and appreciation for his Frank Conroy who died of cancer in 2005. Read the book and find out how great writers think and work together.
This is a fantastic book of friendship and mentoring. Great for every writer. We rate this book 10 out of 10 stars.
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Prompts
by Christine Cassello, Columnist
- Find a poem and write it in your own way.
- Write about a craft.
- Write about a jewelry box. What is in it?
- Stand outside and describe what you see.
- Write about an argument you had with a loved one.
- Describe the scene in a puzzle.
- Write a story about the people who lived in your house before you.
Trivia
by Julie Canfield, Columnist
Sometimes writers are remembered for what they wrote and sometimes it’s what they said that people recall best. Below I have compiled a list of fifteen quotes attributed to famous authors. Name the person who is given credit for uttering the following lines. Good Luck!
1. “What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance.”
2. “Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy.”
3. “The brotherhood of man is not a mere poet’s dream; is a most depressing and
humiliating reality.”
4. “In Marseilles they make half the toilet soap we consume in America, but the
Marseillaise only have a vague theoretical idea of its use, which they have
obtained from books of travel.”
5. “I write fiction because it’s a way of making statements I can disown, and I write
plays becausedialogue is the most respectable way of contradicting myself.”
6 “ A poem is never finished, only abandoned.”
7. “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.”
8. “The covers of this book are too far apart.”
9. “When in doubt, have two guys come through the door with guns.”
10. “The more he talked of his honor the faster we counted our spoons.”
11. “Everywhere I go I’m asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don’t stifle enough of them. There’s been many a bestseller that have been prevented by a good teacher.”
12. “The trouble with our younger writers is that they are all in their sixties.”
13. “Thank God men cannot as yet fly and lay waste the sky as well the earth.”
14. “I dote on his very absence.”
15. “ In a fight between you and the world, bet on the world.”
Answers:
- Jane Austen
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Oscar Wilde
- Mark Twain
- Tom Stoppard
- Paul Valery
- T.S. Eliot
- Ambrose Bierce
- Raymond Chandler
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Flannery O’Connor
- W. Somerset Maugham
- Henry David Thoreau
- William Shakespeare
- Franz Kafka
Contests, Literary Agents and Writing Jobs
by Michelle Kaye Malsbury, Admin. Asst.
It’s September and the weather is changing, ushering in pumpkin spice, hayrides, autumn festivals, and contests. To make the most of your fall fun, enter one or more of the writing contests listed below. Good luck!
Writing Contests
Creative Writing Institute is celebrating their 10th anniversary with a Flash Fiction contest that runs through October 31. No entry fee and cash prizes. First prize, $100; 2nd prize $50; 3rd prize $25. See the guidelines at https://www.CreativeWritingInstitute.org.
The National Award for Arts Writing contest is hosting the Marfield Prize. Their deadline is October 15, 2018. There is no fee to enter and there is a $10,000 grand prize! To enter or learn more please visit their website at https://artsclubofwashington.org/awards/.
If you love poetry and humor, this contest is for you. This marks the 18th Annual Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest. Open from August 15, 2018 thru April 1, 2019, there is no entry fee. A $1,000 grand prize and a $250 second prize will be awarded. The top twelve contestants will also be published online. To learn more or to enter please visit their website at:
https://winningwriters.com/our-contests/wergle-flomp-humor-poetry-contest-free
The American Poetry Review is hosting the Honickman First Book Prize with a deadline of November 1, 2018. There is a $25 entry fee and specific rules for entry. Find out how to enter by visiting their website. Be sure to follow all directions! https://americanpoetryreview.submittable.com/submit
Literary Agents
Calling all Christian writers! Alex Field opened The Bindery in 2017 to cater to the Christian sector of writers around the globe. He represents more than just Christian writers too, so give him a look if you seek representation for publication. Learn more about him and his agency by visiting his website athttps://www.thebinderyagency.com/.
Fletcher and Company is another fairly new literary agency that is seeking new talent. They opened their doors in 2017. Several agents at that company are seeking new clients. To learn more please visit their website at https://www.fletcherandco.com/staff-qa/.
Julia Livshin is a writer and her literary agency is looking for new talent. You must submit a lot of information initially. Doing so will take a concerted effort on your part, but the outcome may be exactly what you wish. To submit, send the first fifty pages, bio, and synopsis to jlivshin@gmail.com.
Writing Jobs
Creative Content Writer-Tech
Deacom, Inc., Philadelphia, PA
Do you have a passion for writing engaging copy? Do you have writing samples to share and brag about? Do you have experience writing for a software company or similar technology-focused organization? if this description fits you, this might be your next job!
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Apply with your Indeed Resume. To apply, please follow the link: https://deacom.com/ViewPage/241/deacom-inc-marketing-copywriter
Creative Writer for Fitness Company - Full time in-house pos... - new
Copywriter
Image Skincare6 reviews - Lantana, FL
Full-time, Contract
| Examples of your writing in proven campaigns and projects. Manage deadlines of copy development (conception, writing, editing, proofreading) including but not... |
Apply with your Indeed Resume
Freelance Content and Copywriter - new
GWG Life, LLC
Minneapolis, MN 55402 (Downtown West area)
| Provide editing or content writing as needed. Two+ years of content writing for science, health, or the insurance industry.... |
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Points to Ponder
by Julie Canfield, Columnist
Matthew 10:19-20 (The Message)
Don’t be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation--just because you believe in me. Don’t be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they’ve done you--and me--a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don’t worry about what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words.
When I was a child, the word “platform” meant a stage or raised area where we performed. Today life is all about platforms: political, corporate, and religious. Even writers believe they must have a platform on which to build their brand. Interesting, isn’t it? This Scripture uttered by Christ over 2,000 years ago talks about the importance of having a platform to minister to others.
The goal of all writers of Christian-themed works should be to minister to readers in some way, whether that is to uplift, guide, teach, or provoke thought. Many Christian writers, however, find themselves sidetracked by building their platform and focusing on just one style of writing. This is called branding. They are consumed by the publisher’s need to see the type and number of followers acquired before publishing a work. Should all this busy work be the focus of your writing life or should you be focused on your content and writing? God’s Word says: Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established. (Proverbs 16:3).
Commit to satisfying your heartfelt yearnings. God never sets His people up to fail. Not only does He give His writers the words they need to entice readers, but He opens doors and supplies tools for platform-building as He deems necessary in today’s society.
Most of the world knows about Christ and His sacrifice. What they want to learn is why; they want to know how something that happened 2,000 years ago applies to them today. You can be His hands and feet, answering questions the world is asking, building your platform in trust, committing your work in faith, and writing what the Spirit lays upon your heart in obedience. Have a great week!
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A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Proverbs 25:10
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Disclaimer:
Deborah Owen and Creative Writing Institute, Inc., its board and staff make no warranties or guarantees of any kind. Writing success is a product of personal study and persistence. We endeavor to be accurate in every way, but the publishing industry and research material fluctuate daily. Deborah Owen, Creative Writing Institute, Inc., its board, and staff may not be held liable for damages of any kind.
Travel the writing road at your own risk. Investigate and research thoroughly to protect yourself against fraud. Direct questions to DeborahOwen@CWinst.com.
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Copyright@2018 Creative Writing Institute
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