I enjoy writing in rhyme, but it can be tricky. There's nothing worse than bad rhyme. Okay, there are a lot of things worse than bad rhyme, but bad rhyme really stinks.
Avoid near ryhmes.
For example:
I try to sleep
but sleep won't come.
I wiggle my elbows.
I wiggle my thumbs.
Thumbs almost rhymes with come, but not quite.
Avoid forced rhyme. Forced rhyme uses words that sound right but don't fit the context of the piece. It sounds contrived.
For example:
My legs won’t behave,
Though I tuck them in.
They fling and flop
and it makes me spin.
Spin rhymes, but it doesn't add much to the piece.
It's also best to avoid rhymes that don't match the way we talk.
I wanted to sleep
In a tall oak tree.
My mom fixed that.
"No" said She.
I got my rhyme, but it doesn't sound good, because it's not the way we talk.
Rhythm and meter and stresses also play a big part, and that's what makes the process so complex.
There are rules about these things, but I think the best test is how does it sound when you read it out loud. If it sounds right, it's a good sign. You need to listen to other people read your stuff, because you know how it is supposed to sound. You can make it sound right. How does it sound when someone with no prejudices reads it.
I'm working on a rhyming piece with some really classy ladies, and one talented gentleman. It's eye opening. My hardest task was to deal with rhyming words that didn't stress the right syllable.
For example:
It works for giraffes
but not for me.
Sleeping animal style
is not easy.
Easy rhymes with me, but the stress in on the first syllable instead of the rhyming syllable.
Next I tried:
It works for giraffes
but not for me.
Sleeping animal style
is no guarantee.
The rhyme works better, but guarantee is not really a kid-friendly word.
I'm still stuck on this one. Nothing seems to work. If you have an idea, please send it along. Maybe your idea is the one I'm looking for.
Linda Garner
Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Why Giving Matters part 2
I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of Why Giving Matters by Arthur Brooks. Read on for Part 2. It's amazing. Linda Garner
Specifically, here’s what I found: Say you have two identical families—same religion, same race, same number of kids, same town, same level of education—everything’s the same, except that one family gives $100 more to charity than the second family. Then the giving family will earn on average $375 more in income than the non-giving family—and that’s statistically attributable to the gift.
Now I was perplexed. The data completely contradicted the theory that I’d always worked under. So I did what college professors always do in this case: I got rid of the data. I got new software. I looked for new data. I recrunched the numbers. But I kept coming up with the same thing.
I ran the numbers again and looked at volunteering. I found the same thing: People who volunteer do better financially. I ran the numbers on blood donations. Think about that—giving blood. You’re not going to get richer if you give blood, are you? Well, yes, you are.
I figured it couldn’t be right, so I ignored the findings. I didn’t publish them. Then I decided to look at the whole United States and see how charitable giving had changed over a 50-year period and compare it to how income had changed.
I examined the average American family between 1954 and 2004 and found (adjusted for inflation) a 150-percent increase in real purchasing power. Family charitable giving also increased over the same period—on average by 190 percent. What this says is that we’re getting more prosperous in this country, and we’re getting even more generous over time. This result tells me once again that what Jimmy Carter said about this country is not right. We’re not a stingy country. Could we be more generous? Of course we could. But we’re not getting stingier.
So what do we conclude? Is income driving up donations or are donations driving up income? The answer is both. When our country gets richer, people give more away. And as we give more away, that translates into economic growth for our country.
If we were to increase our private charitable donations by just 1 percent, which is about $2 billion a year, that would translate into a gross domestic product of about 39 billion new dollars. If I can take your $2 billion in charity and turn it into $39billion, then suddenly charitable giving is not just a great investment for you. It’s also a patriotic act for our country because it translates into jobs, growth, opportunity, and tax revenues.
The Happy Result of Giving
The more I ran the numbers, the more I kept getting this crazy result. But still I refused to believe it. In desperation I finally went to a colleague who specialized in the psychology of charitable giving. “I’m getting this result I can’t understand,” I told him. “It doesn’t make sense. It’s like the hand of God or something on the economy, and I can’t believe it’s true.”
“Why don’t you believe it’s true?” he asked me. “You’re a Christian, aren’t you?”
This shook me a bit, but just for a second. “Yeah, but I’m also a social scientist,” I shot back. “We’re not supposed to believe those things. I need a more earthbound explanation.”
“Well, I’ll give you one,” he said. “We’ve known this for 30 years in the psychology profession. You economists— you worry about money all the time, and money is boring. We worry about something that people really care about—the currency by which we really spend our days—and that’s happiness. We’ve known for 30 years that people who give get happier as a result.”
Now I knew from teaching at a business school that the best way to run a successful business is to hire happy people. If you want to be a productive person, work on your happiness. Happy people show up for work more, work longer hours, work more joyfully, and are happier with every aspect of their productive lives. Happiness is the secret to success. Charity brings happiness, and happiness brings success.
People who give to charity are 43 percent more likely than people who don’t give to say they’re very happy people. People who give blood are twice as likely to say they’re very happy people as people who don’t. People who volunteer are happier. You simply can’t find any kind of service that won’t make you happier.
Studies show that when people give, it lowers their levels of stress. People who do their jobs with less stress tend to be more productive and successful. Throughout our lives, if we can find ways to relax, we will profit from it.
Isn't this awesome! Be sure to come back tomorrow for part 3.
Linda Garner
Specifically, here’s what I found: Say you have two identical families—same religion, same race, same number of kids, same town, same level of education—everything’s the same, except that one family gives $100 more to charity than the second family. Then the giving family will earn on average $375 more in income than the non-giving family—and that’s statistically attributable to the gift.
Now I was perplexed. The data completely contradicted the theory that I’d always worked under. So I did what college professors always do in this case: I got rid of the data. I got new software. I looked for new data. I recrunched the numbers. But I kept coming up with the same thing.
I ran the numbers again and looked at volunteering. I found the same thing: People who volunteer do better financially. I ran the numbers on blood donations. Think about that—giving blood. You’re not going to get richer if you give blood, are you? Well, yes, you are.
I figured it couldn’t be right, so I ignored the findings. I didn’t publish them. Then I decided to look at the whole United States and see how charitable giving had changed over a 50-year period and compare it to how income had changed.
I examined the average American family between 1954 and 2004 and found (adjusted for inflation) a 150-percent increase in real purchasing power. Family charitable giving also increased over the same period—on average by 190 percent. What this says is that we’re getting more prosperous in this country, and we’re getting even more generous over time. This result tells me once again that what Jimmy Carter said about this country is not right. We’re not a stingy country. Could we be more generous? Of course we could. But we’re not getting stingier.
So what do we conclude? Is income driving up donations or are donations driving up income? The answer is both. When our country gets richer, people give more away. And as we give more away, that translates into economic growth for our country.
If we were to increase our private charitable donations by just 1 percent, which is about $2 billion a year, that would translate into a gross domestic product of about 39 billion new dollars. If I can take your $2 billion in charity and turn it into $39billion, then suddenly charitable giving is not just a great investment for you. It’s also a patriotic act for our country because it translates into jobs, growth, opportunity, and tax revenues.
The Happy Result of Giving
The more I ran the numbers, the more I kept getting this crazy result. But still I refused to believe it. In desperation I finally went to a colleague who specialized in the psychology of charitable giving. “I’m getting this result I can’t understand,” I told him. “It doesn’t make sense. It’s like the hand of God or something on the economy, and I can’t believe it’s true.”
“Why don’t you believe it’s true?” he asked me. “You’re a Christian, aren’t you?”
This shook me a bit, but just for a second. “Yeah, but I’m also a social scientist,” I shot back. “We’re not supposed to believe those things. I need a more earthbound explanation.”
“Well, I’ll give you one,” he said. “We’ve known this for 30 years in the psychology profession. You economists— you worry about money all the time, and money is boring. We worry about something that people really care about—the currency by which we really spend our days—and that’s happiness. We’ve known for 30 years that people who give get happier as a result.”
Now I knew from teaching at a business school that the best way to run a successful business is to hire happy people. If you want to be a productive person, work on your happiness. Happy people show up for work more, work longer hours, work more joyfully, and are happier with every aspect of their productive lives. Happiness is the secret to success. Charity brings happiness, and happiness brings success.
People who give to charity are 43 percent more likely than people who don’t give to say they’re very happy people. People who give blood are twice as likely to say they’re very happy people as people who don’t. People who volunteer are happier. You simply can’t find any kind of service that won’t make you happier.
Studies show that when people give, it lowers their levels of stress. People who do their jobs with less stress tend to be more productive and successful. Throughout our lives, if we can find ways to relax, we will profit from it.
Isn't this awesome! Be sure to come back tomorrow for part 3.
Linda Garner
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Awake, Dang it!
It's 1:15 a.m. and I'm awake. Awake! I'm supposed to be asleep. Did you hear me? It's 1:15. A.M. I'm really tired, but my little eyelids just keep popping open. It's a weird combination of excitement, stress, creativity, and for good measure...a runny nose.
The excitement is about Writing For Young Readers Conference (or whatever it's called). Today was fabulous, and I can't wait for tomorrow. The stress is about the piece I decided to revise one more time tonight at 10:00 p.m. and the subsiquent discovery that my printer is out of ink. The creativity is about all those ideas dancing around in my head. I love you, ideas, but could we just go to sleep.
Now I'm more stressed because it's 1:20 a.m. and I need to get up at 6:15 a.m. and find a copy store and make my lunch and shower and eat breakfast, and...
By the way, what are you doing up? You should be in bed too? Is it your runny nose? Try some vitamin C.
G'nite. I'm going back to bed. I've got a big day tomorrow.
Linda Garner
The excitement is about Writing For Young Readers Conference (or whatever it's called). Today was fabulous, and I can't wait for tomorrow. The stress is about the piece I decided to revise one more time tonight at 10:00 p.m. and the subsiquent discovery that my printer is out of ink. The creativity is about all those ideas dancing around in my head. I love you, ideas, but could we just go to sleep.
Now I'm more stressed because it's 1:20 a.m. and I need to get up at 6:15 a.m. and find a copy store and make my lunch and shower and eat breakfast, and...
By the way, what are you doing up? You should be in bed too? Is it your runny nose? Try some vitamin C.
G'nite. I'm going back to bed. I've got a big day tomorrow.
Linda Garner
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
How Many Cans Does It Take To Buy A Goat?
You might think I’m nuts if you see me out on the street some morning before daylight. I leave the house just before 6:00 a.m. and meet my friend on the corner. We walk together for one mile in the starlight and then she has to get ready for work. I wouldn’t miss this for anything. No matter what the weather, nor how tired I am, or how warm and cozy my bed is, I roll out of bed and dress in the dark.
My friend and I love this early morning ritual. We get so much more than exercise, as we share our thoughts and ideas. Our time together is priceless. How can you put a pricetag on friendship. Sally is my confidante and my therapist. Sally is moving and I will miss her dearly, but I will still walk.
I walk for my health, but it’s also about sanity. I have found that exercise is a great mood booster and that stress, anxiety, and depression evaporate as I walk. I have walked for years. It is my exercise of choice. The price is right, it doesn’t require any special equipment, and it gets my day off to a great start. Sometimes people tell me that they are impressed with my dedication. I just tell them that it is cheaper than a psychiatrist.
When Sally leaves me, I wake friend-husband and he walks another mile with me. I love spending this time with him. He is my best friend and some days this is the only chance we get to talk. When friend-husband also leaves to get ready for work, I walk another mile on my own. Sometimes two. I walk longer because I have diabetes, and I want to live a long time, and keep my kidneys and my feet. I’ve grown attached to them. Walking is a present I give myself. I love and appreciate my body. It has served me faithfully. I return the favor.
There are other people out walking before daylight, so that isn’t why you might think I am nuts. You’ll notice me. I am the one carrying the cans. That’s right, I pick up cans along the way and carry them home with me. I also carry home any other stray metal I find. I have carried home broken muffler parts, curtain rods, stray spoons, screws and other odds and ends that I happen across. I find more in the daylight, but even in the darkness you’d be surprised what I find.
Whatever do I want with mangled metal, you ask. It’s for Jonah, Simon, and Luke. They are my grandsons and they want to buy a goat. They are recycling metal and saving the proceeds to buy a goat for someone in poverty. Someone they’ve never met. The goat will provide milk and maybe a little income for some family far away. I’m walking anyway and it doesn’t take extra time to gather the metal that I see.
The boys will buy a goat through Heifer International, who will make all the arrangements and see that the goat is delivered to just the right person. Jonah is 7, Simons is 5, and Luke is 2. I think they have the right idea.
You can buy other animals through Heifer International and make someone’s life a little better. You can buy a cow, a flock of geese, or a trio of rabbits. You can buy a llama or a water buffalo. The possibilities are varied. You can also give seeds. Your gift can be combined with others to make it go farther. You can even give an animal in someone else’s name as a gift to them. That’s a gift that gives twice.
Maybe you would like to send a gift to someone across the world. Check out Heifer International at heifer.org, and by the way… what are you going to do with those cans?
How many cans does it take to buy a goat?
Linda Garner
P.S.
Just for fun check out my interview with Michelle Ashman Bell at http://micheleabell.blogspot.com.
My friend and I love this early morning ritual. We get so much more than exercise, as we share our thoughts and ideas. Our time together is priceless. How can you put a pricetag on friendship. Sally is my confidante and my therapist. Sally is moving and I will miss her dearly, but I will still walk.
I walk for my health, but it’s also about sanity. I have found that exercise is a great mood booster and that stress, anxiety, and depression evaporate as I walk. I have walked for years. It is my exercise of choice. The price is right, it doesn’t require any special equipment, and it gets my day off to a great start. Sometimes people tell me that they are impressed with my dedication. I just tell them that it is cheaper than a psychiatrist.
When Sally leaves me, I wake friend-husband and he walks another mile with me. I love spending this time with him. He is my best friend and some days this is the only chance we get to talk. When friend-husband also leaves to get ready for work, I walk another mile on my own. Sometimes two. I walk longer because I have diabetes, and I want to live a long time, and keep my kidneys and my feet. I’ve grown attached to them. Walking is a present I give myself. I love and appreciate my body. It has served me faithfully. I return the favor.
There are other people out walking before daylight, so that isn’t why you might think I am nuts. You’ll notice me. I am the one carrying the cans. That’s right, I pick up cans along the way and carry them home with me. I also carry home any other stray metal I find. I have carried home broken muffler parts, curtain rods, stray spoons, screws and other odds and ends that I happen across. I find more in the daylight, but even in the darkness you’d be surprised what I find.
Whatever do I want with mangled metal, you ask. It’s for Jonah, Simon, and Luke. They are my grandsons and they want to buy a goat. They are recycling metal and saving the proceeds to buy a goat for someone in poverty. Someone they’ve never met. The goat will provide milk and maybe a little income for some family far away. I’m walking anyway and it doesn’t take extra time to gather the metal that I see.
The boys will buy a goat through Heifer International, who will make all the arrangements and see that the goat is delivered to just the right person. Jonah is 7, Simons is 5, and Luke is 2. I think they have the right idea.
You can buy other animals through Heifer International and make someone’s life a little better. You can buy a cow, a flock of geese, or a trio of rabbits. You can buy a llama or a water buffalo. The possibilities are varied. You can also give seeds. Your gift can be combined with others to make it go farther. You can even give an animal in someone else’s name as a gift to them. That’s a gift that gives twice.
Maybe you would like to send a gift to someone across the world. Check out Heifer International at heifer.org, and by the way… what are you going to do with those cans?
How many cans does it take to buy a goat?
Linda Garner
P.S.
Just for fun check out my interview with Michelle Ashman Bell at http://micheleabell.blogspot.com.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Life's problems
I've been writing as a hobby for several years. Sometimes I find it very difficult to come up with things to write. So, I would write anything that came to mind to get into the mindset I need. I make excellent progress when I do this. However, I find myself writing my personal history instead of the story that I had wanted to write. I found this helped me get rid of the stress blocking me from my writing.
I became curious of why this affected me. So I did a simple search on the internet. I found studies involving writing as therapy. They reported that writing is literally good for your physical and mental health. It helps control blood pressure, strengthens the immune system, and even helps those with mental disorders.
One of my close friends suffered neglect and physical abuse growing up. She wrote a book about what happened. During this process, she felt much better about herself. She eventually published what she had written to give others an insight of abuse.
Writing about your problems in your life isn't easy. Therapists recommend that if things become too painful you should take a break from writing about that part in your life until you're able to cope with it.
I have suggested to some my clients who suffer from a history of child abuse, drug abuse, stress, and mental health problems, that they should try keeping a journal. People report that it has helped them overcome or at least cope with their problems.
This could benefit anyone in my opinion. Simply by my sitting down for 20 minutes to write about my life helps me let go of my problems. It isn't always easy, but it always helps if I put in the time.
I became curious of why this affected me. So I did a simple search on the internet. I found studies involving writing as therapy. They reported that writing is literally good for your physical and mental health. It helps control blood pressure, strengthens the immune system, and even helps those with mental disorders.
One of my close friends suffered neglect and physical abuse growing up. She wrote a book about what happened. During this process, she felt much better about herself. She eventually published what she had written to give others an insight of abuse.
Writing about your problems in your life isn't easy. Therapists recommend that if things become too painful you should take a break from writing about that part in your life until you're able to cope with it.
I have suggested to some my clients who suffer from a history of child abuse, drug abuse, stress, and mental health problems, that they should try keeping a journal. People report that it has helped them overcome or at least cope with their problems.
This could benefit anyone in my opinion. Simply by my sitting down for 20 minutes to write about my life helps me let go of my problems. It isn't always easy, but it always helps if I put in the time.
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