In Today’s Journal
* Quote of the Day
* Use the Wright Werd!
* The Numbers
Quote of the Day
“The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.” BB King
“Use the Wright Werd!”
a guest post by Dan Baldwin
I am justifiably critical of AI narration errors, such as,
- Lucille Ball was married to Daisey Arnez.
- The motorcyclist daredevil wasn’t named Evel Needle.
- The Good, The Bad and The Ugly was filmed in the dessert.
- The film L.A. Confidential read as Louisiana Confidential
That said, writers and editors in print media have made their share of booboos over the years. Those of us in print should double-check our words and phrases before we hit Send lest we create fodder for the word critics who lie in weight for us.
From the Medical Establishment
- The patient has no past history of suicides.
- After his release from Coronary Care, Dr. [Name Withheld] worked him over.
- Death caused by blow on the head with an ax. Contributory cause, another man’s wife.
- The patient left the hospital feeling much better except for her original complaints.
- The pelvic examination will be done later on the floor.
- The patient is a 79-year-old widow who no longer lives with her husband.
- The patient is a three-year-old who has been vomiting off and on for twelve years.
- The patient was advised not to go around exposing himself to other people.
- Discharge status: Alive, but without permission.
- I will be happy to go into her GI ; she seems ready and anxious.
Patient stated that if she would lie down, within 2–3 minutes something would come across her abdomen and knock her up.
From the Press
- The Women’s Club met Tuesday at the home of Mrs. Layton. Mrs. Knight gave a review of the book Naked Came I, after which Mrs. Farwell gave a demonstration.
- This is the time of year when all the policemen and firemen hold their balls.
- Clark hooked up a wench to a pickup truck, then hoisted the men to freedom.
- The three-day outing is climaxed by a huge picnic, which practically doubles the town population each year.
- A college friendship that began a year ago ended in matrimony yesterday.
- The ladies bathroom is manned at all times.
- This evening’s meeting of the Clairvoyance Society has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.
From Those in the Know
- Comedies are not to be laughed at. (Samuel Goldwyn)
- The Invisible Man is a must see. (Unattributed)
- We are ready for every unforeseen event that may or may not occur. (Dan Quayle)
- Thank God I’m still an atheist. (Salvador Dali)
- Fear was absolutely necessary. Without it, I would have been scared to death. (Heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson)
- I will just die if nobody comes to my funeral. (Unattributed)
- I don’t go in for that bullshit. (Bob Feller, on the lack of four-letter words in his autobiography)
- Next time I send a fool to get something. I’ll get it myself. (Unattributed)
- The topic for tonight’s discussion is how to survive murder. (Unattributed)
- For the past two years I have volunteered as a Candy Stripper. (Unattributed)
From the Headlines
- Man Minus Ear Waives Hearing
- Make Kids Nutritious Snack
- New Vaccine May Contain Rabies
- Authorities Register Biggest Heroine Bust
- Marriage license Permits Mounting
- Man Found Beaten, Robbed By Police
- Serious Crime Down, But Murder Increases
- Prosecutor Releases Probe Into Undersheriff
- Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas In Spacecraft
Mark Twain wrote that the choice of the right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. As communicators, we have a responsibility to proofread, double-check, look again and review our work so that our words and phrases don’t bug our audience.
*
Thanks, Dan, for filling in yet again.
Talk with you again soon.
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………… 620
Writing of Blackwell Ops 47: Sam Granger | Special Duty
Day 1…… 3250 words. To date…… 3250
Day 2…… 1110 words. To date…… 4360
Day 3…… 3323 words. To date…… 7683
Day 4…… 1656 words. To date…… 9339
Day 5…… 1413 words. To date…… 10752
Day 6…… 3135 words. To date…… 13887
Day 7…… 3338 words. To date…… 17225
Day 8…… 1228 words. To date…… 18453
Day 9…… 1985 words. To date…… 20438
Day 10…. 1312 words. To date…… 21750
Fiction for September……………… 10998
Fiction for 2025………………………. 545147
Nonfiction for September.………… 13370
Nonfiction for 2025…………………… 199620
2025 consumable words…………….. 737153
2025 Novels to Date…………………….. 13
2025 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2025 Short Stories to Date……………… 31
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………….. 117
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 301
Short story collections……………………. 29