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Wisdom and Wit About the Wonderful and Often Wacky World of Words
Published by Bob Kelly
Resident Wordsmith and Quotemeister
WordCrafters, Inc.
www.wordcrafters.info
Providing the Right Word for Speakers, Writers, Ministry Leaders, Business Executives and Just Plain Folks — since 1979!
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Volume 6 — Number 7 July 2008
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Welcome to Issue 67 of The KellyGram!
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I recently read a great comment by a man whose name, A. Lou Vickery, was new to me. I wasn't able to find out much about him, except that he wrote several books, most of them published during the last quarter of the 20th century.
But it was this quote that really captured my attention: "Four short words sum up what has lifted most successful individuals above the crowd: a little bit more. They did all that was expected of them and a little bit more."
That same philosophy has been beautifully expressed in a three-minute movie produced by Simple Truths, LLC, the Illinois-based company whose products I recommended in last month's issue. The movie is titled 212º - The Extra Degree. To view it, please click on the following link: http://www.simpletruths.com/a.aspx?af=1082&mo=TTWD
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In This Issue:
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FUN WITH WORDS
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Each of the following statements has the name of a bird hidden in it. To find the answers, be sure and ignore the spaces between words.
You'll find the correct answers elsewhere in this issue.
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THE QUOTE CORNER (Success)
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This month, I've selected quotations which reinforce the message of 212º - The Extra Degree, and the philosophy expressed by Lou Vickery. Indeed, it's often just "a little bit more" that means the difference between failure and success.
Don’t get complacent. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and set higher standards of achievement for yourself. Once you’ve achieved a standard of excellence, never let it rest – push yourself even higher.
Dave Anderson
Never mind what others do; do better than yourself, beat your own record from day to day, and you are a success.
William J.H. Boetcker
Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.
Les Brown
Don’t give up. Reach down inside of you and you’ll find something left.
Paul "Bear" Bryant
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
Dale Carnegie
Ride on! Rough-shod if need be, smooth-shod if that will do, but ride on! Ride on over all obstacles, and win the race.
Charles Dickens
Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.
Napoleon Hill
We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough.
Helen Keller
You can’t be passionate when you feel like it. You have to be passionate about your job, product or cause all the time. There’s no off switch on a tiger.
Harvey Mackay
Don’t bunt. Aim out of the ball park. Aim for the company of the immortals.
David Ogilvy
To tend, unfailingly, unflinchingly, towards a goal, is the secret of success.
Anna Pavlova
We must never be afraid to go too far, for success lies just beyond.
Marcel Proust
When faced with a mountain, I will not quit! I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath – or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine, with God’s help!
Robert Schuller
Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.
Lowell Thomas
Whatever the struggle, continue the climb. It may be only one step to the summit.
Diane Westlake
(Note: These quotations are taken from our collection of more than 400 published volumes of quotations and 1.5 million entries. If you're looking for some quotes on virtually any subject, send us an email at bob@kellygram.com, or call us at 480-895-7617. Or, if you have a quote topic you'd like us to feature in an upcoming issue, email it to us and we'll get it on the schedule.)
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TIPS ON MEMOIR WRITING
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Last week, I unexpectedly happened upon an excellent article about writing – unexpected because it appeared not in a publication specifically aimed at those of us who practice the writing craft, but in the July/August issue of AARP – The Magazine. Published by AARP, once known as the American Association of Retired Persons, it now boasts the largest circulation of any magazine in the world.
The article, titled "Thinking About Memoir," was written by author Abigail Thomas, who teaches memoir-writing seminars nationwide. The memoir, of course, tells a story, or stories and, while I've had very little personal experience with this genre, I found this one of the most helpful articles about writing in general that I've ever had the pleasure to read. It was adapted from her recent book, also titled Thinking About Memoir (AARP Books/Sterling, 2008), which I intend to immediately add to my library.
Here are just a few of the things she tells her students:
"Take any ten years of your life and reduce them to two pages. Every sentence has to be three words long—not two, not four, but three words long."
"Look for one sentence that gives off sparks, and write another two pages starting right there."
"Write two pages that end with 'You can't get away from it.'"
"Write two pages of something that makes you laugh every time."
"Write two pages about where you would fly if you could."
Toward the end of this wonderful article, she writes: "Memoir should not be self-serving, even accidentally. If you come out as anything but profoundly human, you've probably got the wrong motives for your writing or you haven't stood far enough back, or come close enough."
I've had a lifelong love affair with the written word, and have been privileged to work with words for nearly 30 years. Thank you, Abigail Thomas, for one of the finest articles about writing I've ever read. I plan to keep it, and your new book, close at hand each time I put pen to paper.
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THE APOSTROPHE PROTECTION SOCIETY
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We recently received a very cordial and complimentary message from Brent Davies, one of our British subscribers. Brent was kind enough to tell us about an organization in the U.K. named the Apostrophe Protection Society.
According to its web site, the organization "was started in 2001 by John Richards, now its Chairman, with the specific aim of preserving the correct use of this currently much abused punctuation mark in all forms of text written in the English language."
The site includes the basic rules for the use of the apostrophe, along with some basic examples:
"The rules concerning the use of Apostrophes in written English are very simple:
1. They are used to denote a missing letter or letters, for example:
2. They are used to denote possession, for example:
3. Apostrophes are never used to denote plurals.
My thanks to Brent Davies for this valuable information. Based on the frequent misuse we encounter here in the colonies, the Apostrophe Protection Society might wish to consider opening an American branch office.
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BEST WEBSITES FOR WRITERS
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Writer's Digest should be on every writer's list of must-read magazines. The June 2008 issue includes just one excellent reason why, providing its annual list of best websites for writers. For the full list of the magazine's 101 Best Websites for Writers, visit: http://writersdigest.com/101BestSites.
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SMILE AWHILE
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The Wong Family
Su Wong marries Lee Wong. The next year, the Wongs have a new baby. The nurse brings over a lovely, healthy, bouncy, but definitely a Caucasian, WHITE baby boy.
"Congratulations," says the nurse to the new parents. "Well, Mr. Wong, what will you and Mrs. Wong name the baby?"
After taking one look, the father realizes a big mistake has been made but, at the same time, he's able to see the humor in the situation and decides to make light of it. So, as he looks at his alleged new son, he says, "Well, two Wongs don't make a white, so I think we will name him . . .
Are you ready for this?
Sum Ting Wong!
(Our thanks to our good friend Bonnie Reed for sending this to us.)
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ODDS AND ENDS
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Back Issues:
All previous issues of The KellyGram, dating back to January 2003, are available on our website: http://www.wordcrafters.info/back_issues.html.
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Your privacy is very important to us. We assure you that under no circumstances will we share, distribute, publish, give away or sell our mailing lists or other information about you to any other party.
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As always, I welcome your support. If you've found The KellyGram to be a helpful resource, I'd be grateful if you'd send this issue along to your friends, family members and colleagues. If they'd like to subscribe – it's FREE – all they have to do is send an email to bob@kellygram.com or use the form at http://www.wordcrafters.info/newsletters.html. Thanks so much!
Comments/Questions:
Your comments and questions are always welcome. Please contact us at bob@kellygram.com, or call Bob Kelly at (480) 895-7617.
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Answer to Fun with Words:
Here are the answers to this month's puzzle:
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THE LAST WORD
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"Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts."
(William Strunk, Jr.)
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© 2008 by Bob Kelly. All rights reserved.
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