Jody Payne
Jody writes about all things southern. When she isn't in her cave with only the glow of the computer to light the path, she's feeding the cattle on her Texas ranch or hanging out with Hans Boone trying to learn dressage.
Ten Important Writing Tips
February 21, 2011 Comments (3)
- Don’t use no double negatives.
- Cliches are old hat. Avoid them like the plague.
- Ending sentences with prepositions will not be put up with.
- Using foreign words is not apropos.
- And never start a sentence with a conjunction.
- Passive voice is to be ignored.
- It’s important to be specific, more or less.
- Never! Ever! Use exclamation points!
- Never, also, ever use redundancies respectively.
- Groan readers do not like puns.
Belle Speak
January 6, 2011 Comments (3)
My friends tell me I’m as southern as sweet tea, but I don’t see it. My opinion is women are pretty much the same on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line. The only thing that separates us is language. They talk funny up north. Down here we have what we call Belle Speak. Loosely translated it means, what my mama tried to tell me and what I tried to tell my daughter. Here are some examples: Continue reading →