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Cathy C. Hallhttps://cathychall.wordpress.com/I write, write, write. Then I rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. THEN I submit all those polished-up words out into the world and sell 'em. It's a plan that's worked pretty well.

A Tuesday Tip on A Phrase Pet Peeve(Or Maybe It’s Just me)

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I came across a line today that went something like this:

“Each of us has, as a person, vast potential.”

Ack. Why do writers (and speakers) feel the need to qualify that “us”? As if as a person, we have tons of potential, but maybe, as a cat ( to use a for instance), things might be different.

Admit it. You’ve heard that phrase “as a person” used all the time and maybe you never thought about it. But when I hear “as a person,” and the Beneficent Mr. Hall is around, I turn to him and say, “The poor extraterrestrials are feeling left out now.”

“As a person.” It’s one of those phrases that’s unnecessary. So please, just keep it simple: “Each of us has vast potential.” I guarantee we’ll know you’re talking about humans.

(Unless you’re writing sci-fi. And then it’s perfectly acceptable to say, “Each of us has, as one-eyed purple people eaters, vast potential.”)

Thursday’s Three: Something for Everyone (If You’re a Writer)

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So, I go to Twitter. And because it’s been over a week, maybe two, a GAZILLION little tweets have rolled by. And at first, I get a little panicky. Egads! What have I missed? The secret to the universe may have been tweeted and where was I? I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO DOESN’T KNOW.

But then I breathe into a paper bag and notice that a lot of tweets are things like, “meet me at Pete’s-it’s on the corner of 4th and Lex” and I figure that the secret of the universe was probably not divulged at a bar in New York.

Still, I do find a couple writerly gems and save these sparkly posts to read for later. That is where Thursday’s Three comes in. Here are a few sites you might want to check out. And best of all, you don’t have to go through a panic attack to get there.

For the freelancer who wants to make more money, Kelly James-Enger has a wonderful blog, Dollars and Deadlines. And you might want to check her sidebar, too. Lots of great freelance resources there.

For the wannabe published author, Alan Rinzler has a blog called The Book Deal that’s brimming with in-depth information on just about everything to do with the publishing business.

For the social-media challenged writer, check out Kristen Lamb’s Blog. I really like her love revolution, We Are Not Alone (#MyWANA on Twitter). BUT, she’s got plenty to say about all things social media, not just Twitter.

Okay, those are the top three of this week. I hope you find something you like. And please, people. If you happen on to the secret of the universe, shoot me an email.