eco edits

Writer. Editor. Blogger. For Hire. 

[emilyosborn]

Motivation Monday! What are you doing today so you can have a better tomorrow?

#motivationmonday #motivationalquotes #motivation #writingcommunity #writing #writer #writerquotes #writinglife #onwriting #oprah #lifequotes #lifegoals #freelance #writersofinstagram #motivationalspeaker #motivational #keepgoing #ecoedits (at Orchid Heights, Middleton, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoZL3BVnzJu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1fod9lgtfxafo

[emilyosborn]

I’m choosing to read this as a week of CON-tent… writer’s pun…get it?

#ecoedits #dadjokes #writingcommunity #writerquotes #writerforhire #writing #doitfortheprocess #creative #creativity #make #makersgonnamake #maker #create #createcommune #sunday #sundayfunday #content #freelance (at Orchid Heights, Middleton, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoWyGeNnvIh/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1fwnwlazfs149

[emilyosborn]

Do what makes you happy. Do what gives you joy and helps you decompress. Every day I am working toward this idea that no matter who I an writing for, I am first and foremost writing for myself.

#ecoedits #writingcommunity #writerquotes #work #writerforhire #writingquotes #writing #writingchallenge #writersofinstagram #writerslife #writeitdown #creative #creativity #doitforyou (at Orchid Heights, Middleton, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoUIFsen8o0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=q1x770fhv6cf

[emilyosborn]

Different days produce different writing experiences. One day, you might write eight pages in an hour, and the next day you might only write four pages in three hours. What I’ve learned is that we need to be okay with the discomfort of imperfection. The winning isn’t in the number of pages, but in the mere act of writing itself.

#ecoedits #writingcommunity #writerquotes #neilgaiman #writerforhire #writingquotes #onwriting #writersofinstagram #writing #keepgoing #bookshelf #bookquotes #creative #freelance #writeitdown (at Orchid Heights, Middleton, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoO3GZLnwgE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=6fmom4w82bq1

[ecoedits]

Paul McCartney Wrote An Illustrated Children's Book Called 'Hey Grandude!' About A Magical Grandpa

In between all his recent recording, promoting, and performing, Paul McCartney managed to find time to write a children's book, 'Hey Grandude!'

[emilyosborn]

Wise Word Wednesday, coming at you from the wonderful and wise Paulo Coelho. “The Alchemist” and “Brida” are two of my favorite books, and I can’t wait to read his latest book, “Hippie.” @paulocoelho #hippie

#writingcommunity #wisewordwednesday #writingquotes #writing #writersofinstagram #writer #writerquotes #writerslife #craft #creative #authorsofinstagram #paulocoelho #thealchemist #brida #classic (at Middleton, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoMLTS4HrLf/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=opn1ed6dmb7y

[emilyosborn]

Love @annelamott She is such an inspiration. Here’s to some terrible first efforts….

#ecoedits #annelamott #inspirationalquotes #inspiration #terribletuesday #try #writingcommunity #writerforhire #writing #writingquotes #writersofinstagram #effort #work #workit (at Middleton, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoKTIW4HZpg/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1v55gd5uk7bs

[emilyosborn]

Happy Fall, Merry Mabon, Aloha Autumn

#ecoedits #mabon #fall #autumn #quotes #writingcommunity #writerquotes #bliss #emilybronte #writerforhire #writing #writersofinstagram #writer #writerslife (at Orchid Heights, Middleton, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoCEuLVHdlZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1h91ub8jrx8h7

[emilyosborn]

So proud that my book, Doll Decades, was recently featured on American Girl’s IG. Loved making this with @jeckalynn5

#ecoedits #americangirl #1980s #craft #creative #bookshelf #bookstagram #writingcommunity #writersofinstagram (at Middleton, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn_4N0EHVgr/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=o9qle8awc18r

[emilyosborn]

Taking joy in the little things….

#pearlsbeforeswine #ecoedits #writerforhire #writersofinstagram #writing #writingcommunity #comics #comicstrip #laugh #laughing #levity (at Orchid Heights, Middleton, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn-HOrTBOuG/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1dvbtuosi7ibi

[emilyosborn]

Not a bad way to end the week….

#ecoedits #bookstagram #reading #read #readingnook #deptofspeculation #jennyoffill https://www.instagram.com/p/BnuEpMuH14P/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1kn2dsntn0yco

[emilyosborn]

Happy Gratitude Day! I am grateful for all of you, and the support you have given me over the years.

#ecoedits #gratitude #grateful #gratitudeday #writerforhire #writing #writingcommunity #writersofinstagram #writer #writerslife (at Orchid Heights, Middleton, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn_Z7-tBX1f/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=w6k4mgvyxzdj

[ecoedits]

The Most Persuasive Word in the Dictionary – Member Feature Stories – Medium

Testing the Ellen Langer’s theory of “because” at a mall in California.

[ecoedits]

Posting in honor of my friend Wendy, who got married this weekend

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/ms-mrs-miss-difference/

[ecoedits]

Sure/Unsure About Assure/Insure/Ensure

Some of you may remember Sure Deodorant’s commercial campaign from the early 1990′s. In case you need a refresher, here’s a taste:

My brother and I loved standing in front of the TV raising and lowering our arms, laughing as people realized they were “unsure.” 

It seems that people are, well, sure of how to use the word “sure.” However, the second you add any sort of prefix to it, is where the confidence ends and the confusion begins. 

Many people use the words assure, insure, and ensure interchangeably. Even after reading this article, you still might argue that you can use insure and ensure to mean the same thing, although many (including myself) would disagree. 

Let’s start with the basics: 

Assure: to remove someone’s doubts

Insure: to cover something or someone with insurance

Ensure: to guarantee that something will happen

How to Use Each in a Sentence:

Assure can be used in relation to a person or an animal. A person or animal can have doubts or issues that you can fix. 

Examples:

I assure you, the road will be fixed on time. 

He shut the refrigerator, assuring the dog wouldn’t get the food inside. 

Each of these is a statement to make a person feel better or to assist in keeping an animal (and helping its humans keep their food secure).

Insure can be used in relation to a policy covering personal property in the event something goes wrong. 

Examples:

Beth purchased a policy to insure that her car is covered in case of an accident.

After my basement flooded, the insurance company said I didn’t have the proper coverage to insure against water damage. 

Each of these is a statement referencing insurance. It is easy to confuse insure with ensure because insurance feels like a guarantee that nothing bad will happen, when in fact, insuring something just means that you have the back-up and support in place in the event that something horrific does happen, like an accident or a fire. 

Ensure is a promise that what you want to occur will, based on circumstances and your actions. 

Examples:

The bride spoke to the minister to ensure the wedding went off without a hitch.

Tony needed to practice his jump shot to ensure his place on the varsity basketball team. 

Hopefully now you’re more sure of how to use assure, insure, and ensure. I assure you that if you practice these rules enough, that will ensure your success. 

[ecoedits]

English Grammar Has Given Us These Impossibly Weird Sentences

You know Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. But see if you can wrap your mind around the English grammar in these sentences!

[ecoedits]

It’s All Well and Good

Whenever I go somewhere, whether it be to a doctor’s appointment, to the local coffeeshop, or simply walking my dog around the block, I’ll inevitably bump into someone who smiles at me (I know, I live in a friendly place.) and says, “How are you doing today?” 

This is a loaded question. 

If I’m feeling particularly self-conscious of the fact that I’m a writer, I’ll respond, “I’m doing well,” but if I’m too tired or just feel like being more relaxed I’ll say, “I’m good.” 

If I go with the former, I feel like I’m being too formal, snobby, and a tad stuck-up. But if I go with the latter, then I’m opening myself up to self-hate and ridicule. Because, after I answer, I’ll always reciprocate the ask. And if the person responses with, “I’m well,” then I feel like a dummy who didn’t use English correctly, and I should walk through the streets naked with people throwing fruit at me and yelling, “Shame!” 

Why does it matter which way I answer? Why make a big deal of it? 

Let’s start with the basics. When to use these words: 

Good: (adjective) describes a job, aka a noun.

Well: (adverb) describes an action, aka a verb, and answers the question of how. 

Now let’s use them in a sentence: 

You had a good day. 

Good describes day, which is a noun, so good is an adjective. 

Your day went well. 

Well describes how the day went, so well is an adverb. 

This is where things get fuzzy. You might think, but I is a noun! Then shouldn’t that mean when someone asks “How are you?” that I should answer with, “ I am good”? 

In fact, when someone asks how you are, they are referring to your physical self. Think of the question as, “How is your body doing?” Since your answer reflects how you are doing, your response must describe the verb to do, so the correct response would be, “I am doing well.” 

Here’s the coveted loophole: If someone asks how you are doing, but is referring to your mental health, then they are, in fact, referring to you, the noun. Then it is correct to says, “I am good.”  Now that you’re sufficiently armed with the basics of well vs. good, the next time someone casually asks, “How are you?” feel free to answer with a confident, “I am good,” and assume they are obviously referring to your mental health. No guilt necessary.