I love a good story, but I really love a great one! The reason behind loving a great story is chemistry. The best stories are written to be engaging, to make us care. The way they do that is by using our brain chemistry. Neural activity in our brain starts by stringing together neurons like…
Category: Janet Leigh
Feeling Grinchy
I’ve been feeling a little Grinchy lately. Maybe it’s because I’m busy at work. Maybe it’s because this is the first Christmas without my dad. Or, maybe it’s because trying to sync everyone’s schedule for our family Christmas outing is a Grinchy pain in the jingle ball. I decided to attack this grouchy, green funk…
Smart Lady
As a writer, I love a strong female protagonist. I can’t think of a better role model for any woman (fictional or real) than Queen Elizabeth II. She will be missed. I admired her romance with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Maybe the media put a Cinderella spin on it because I know all marriages…
Street Smarts & Storytelling
I come from a long line of storytellers. Some told stories to get them out of trouble. Some told stories to pass the time before the ‘talkies’, the internet, Netflix, and Tik Tok. And some told stories to pass down details of our family adventures, embellished a little to make them sound more exciting. I…
Moms are Special
“I’m doomed,” I remember clearly saying these words to my mother as she slathered tons of sunscreen on my freckled skin. I’m an outdoorsy gal, but my skin is not. After I proclaimed my life was over because I couldn’t go outside without receiving a sunscreen bath or, at the very least, forced to wear…
Oodles of Gumption
Well-behaved women rarely make history. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt I love that quote, and I love that on Wednesday, March 8th, the world celebrated International Women’s Day. A day to honor the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women. I can’t imagine how much gumption it took for women in the early 1900s to stand up…
You’re Welcome
Don’t you just love this door? On my recent trip to Charleston, where the people ooze that southern hospitality, I had the best time walking the streets and admiring the historic homes. I’m not normally one to go for the old. I don’t like old plumbing, old furnaces, ghosts in the attic, or creepy crawlies…
Happy New Year!
Well, almost, depending on when you read this. On behalf of the authors of the WORD BY WORD Blog, I want to thank you for being with us this year. We hope we’ve brought you an encouraging word when all around us sometimes appear to be in chaos. We appreciate hearing from you and appreciate…
Word by Word 