Welcome to this year’s A to Z challenge. I will be posting on various aspects of my writing, and I’m a day late starting–not the most auspicious way to begin the challenge. Unfortunately, life catches up with all of us.
If you’ve read any of my books, you’ll know that I thrive on description. Most editors will tell you to avoid using figurative language–just the facts, ma’am-but I thrive on it. Why? Because it is part and parcel of my daily speech. It’s what makes me, me. Even now, the online editor is telling me to change ‘part and parcel’ to ‘part,’ but to me that takes away from what I want to say.
So, let’s get going, shall we?
Today’s letter is A for adage. An adage is a proverb or short statement that expresses a general truth. In this case, today’s adage is a day late and a dollar short. When a person is a day late and a dollar short, he or she hasn’t only missed a chance to do something because they were late or remiss, they’ve also failed to put the necessary effort into it.
I fully intended to start my posts yesterday, but time wasn’t on my side. I got caught up in personal stuff and missed the opportunity. In my stories, it sometimes happens that one of my characters will do the same. Have you ever been a day late and a dollar short?
A second thing that is part and parcel (there it is again) of my writing is the use of a beta reader. A beta reader is a person who reads a manuscript either during its creation or after and does so with a critical eye, looking for plot holes, examining grammar, spelling, characterization, and suggesting improvements to the story before it’s published. In at least one case, a beta reader was instrumental in changing the starting point of a story. In another, she pointed out that words, common in Canada, might be confusing to readers from other countries. For example, every Canadian knows what a tuque, sometimes spelled toque is a warm knitted cap, traditionally made of wool and usually worn in winter. Some people claim it’s a synonym for a beanie, but it really isn’t. It’s pulled down over the ears and often has a pompom on top. Another example was the use of gator. The beta reader came from an urban area in the Southern US and the only gator she was familiar with was the one in the top picture, whereas what I meant the second one, a small, all-terrain utility vehicle produced by the John Deere Corporation. Gators typically feature a box bed, similar in function to a pickup truck, and can be used to pull small trailers loaded with goods such as a couple of bales of hay, etc. In my case, the gator was moving drugs from a boat and carrying bodies to the lake to dump them!
Beta readers can be useful in many ways!
Now, please check out other posts in the challenge. The OFFICIAL MASTER LIST: https://tinyurl.com/AtoZ22
Living the Dream 
Another B proverb is “better late than never.” 😉
I love description in my writing, as well, so I say, stay strong and stick with your voice!
B is for Breathing Fire
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Thank you. Checked you out. Interesting stuff!
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Very intriguing!
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