The Modern Wordist Blog

 I'm taking a break from posting for the next three weeks.  Editing work is calling. My soul needs feeding. With art. All kinds of art. If you're caught up in world events — and speaking up and pushing back — don't forget to take breaks.  Taking time to enjoy art is a form of rest, too. If you're looking for some fun English language-based content to enjoy, here's a share about some of the latest slang from Merriam Webster .  Language morphs fast. Keeping up requires agility! I'll have a new post for you by the third week of June.  If you have any questions, please post. I'm always happy to help writers navigate the writing process. Take care, Kammy

 I had a post planned. And then I saw this article about the Mansfield Texas school board: https://www.newsweek.com/texas-school-board-mansfield-election-day-2067789 I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Education is fundamental. Reading is fundamental. And as of today, people in the U.S. still have the right to read what they wish. I also respect the right to choose to opt out of reading a book, no matter the reason. But telling other people they shouldn't read a book because [_______] isn't democratic. Closing Thoughts Reading is freedom. Period. Resist. Rest. Repeat. Take care. Support your local library and check out a banned book 😀

Over the past year, the majority of editing and ghostwriting projects I’ve accepted from clients were at least partially produced by an LLM (including ChatGPT and the like). And I get it. It’s so fast . You’re imagining all the hours you’re saving. Watching an LLM output text feels dizzying. Depending on your mood, you might even feel dazzled. But, as the saying goes, all that glitters is not gold. From an editorial perspective, LLMs actually create more problems in writing.   But if you’ve been drawn in, I don’t blame you. There’s no denying tech marketing is powerful. Through the pace of change, market forces, and more, we’ve been conditioned to believe that we need apps and digital tech to do everything. And because LLMs seem magical, it's easy to overlook what, to me, is the elephant in the room: for most   writing, an LLM is actually redundant.   What , you say? From the bottom of my writer and editor heart, I’m telling you it’s true. By a mile — or several — it’s s...

I'm taking a mental health break this week — which I also call space-off time. As an editor, the opportunity to let my mind wander is a treat!  Imagine juggling writing and editing. Is it hard to finish writing anything when your editorial tendencies are bossier than your writing brain? Yep. Neither vocation is for wimps. For this week, I'll leave you with a couple of thoughts: Keep in mind that you can do things without devices. Let your brain breathe. (For guidance on how to unplug, I highly recommend Thich Nhat Hanh's book Silence .) Visit your local library. For books. Our libraries need your support: https://www.ala.org/faq-executive-order-targeting-imls I'll have a new post for you next week. Take care, Kammy

I absolutely meant to have a new post up last week. It's fair to say that last week was a lot for many of us. If you were not able to attend Saturday's protests, or you're looking for a quieter way to resist what's happening in the US, I recommend reading at least one banned book.  Here is a current list of banned books (for adults and young adults): https://pen.org/banned-books-list-2025/ A longer list of banned books recommended by Barnes and Noble ( not an affiliate link):  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/banned-books/_/N-rtm One Recommendation I really like Irmgard Keun's works. I came across her novel The Artificial Silk Girl thanks to an ebook sale several years ago. I had a feeling her work did not get the praise it deserved during her lifetime. That feeling was correct. Her later novel, After Midnight , and eventually all of her work, were a target of the Hitler regime. She was amazing. She and her writing were proof that even though we writers are a quie...

  Today's post is in response to an increasing trend I've noticed in books-in-progress — a lack of what I call logistics. When you're in the flow of writing, or you're facing serious time management issues while writing because you're juggling so many other things in your life, logistics tend to vaporize into the ether. Logistics are the basic point A to point B actions that your characters take in a scene that help it flow logically. They're a critical part of the structure of scenes.   For instance, imagine that you’re reading a scene where two characters are having a conversation, and one of them hands the other a book. But the book materialized out of nowhere. There's no description of where it came from. Was the character keeping it in a bag or suitcase? (That wasn't described either?) Whoops. Small Details Are Sometimes Big Imagine that your character is in a queue waiting to buy an apple and cream cheese danish for breakfast. He’s distracted by a ...

It’s been another busy work week, for which I am grateful. If you are reading this, I hope you are doing well. I hope you are keeping calm and carrying on, and finding time to do things you enjoy. The goal of this week’s post is to (hopefully) remind you, even when you’re stalled, that writing is supposed to be fun 🤩   My editorial brain sees writing as a puzzle. Who doesn’t love a puzzle? This post offers you puzzle pieces for a future piece of writing, courtesy of — an online dictionary.   A Wordy Person’s Prompting Tool If you’re looking for a creative spark, here’s a helper you might not have considered: the top word lookups list you’ll find on the home page of m-w.com (the Merriam Webster dictionary online). As of this writing, the list refreshes every 25 seconds. If you’re a word person, the list is delightful. If you’re also a current events-focused person, the list provides minute-to-minute snapshots in time. If you’re also a people person, it’s fun and fascinating. ...