Humor & Inpiration in Writing: When Words Behave Like Toddlers

Cover art for Sugar and Snails

I think I've found my calling. Hosting the Humor & Inspiration features ranks right up there with writing 10K words and/or bagging an adorable pair of shoes at 50% off. 

Anne Goodwin is my first across-the-pond...um, Humour & Inspiration feature. Known to Twitterdom as @annectdotist, she describes herself as a writer, blogger, slug slayer, and recovering psychologist. I'd describe her as a lovely person, a talented writer, and a mentor to others in her field. I never suspected that she fights a different battle than most writers, which is a compliment to her professionalism. But she'll fill you in on that. Just be prepared to laugh and be inspired!

* * *

When Sarah invited me to contribute a post about humour and the writing life, I wondered if it might be a case of mistaken identity. I tend to frequent the dark places and I’m not known for my capacity to raise a laugh. But never one to forgo the opportunity to strut my stuff on someone else’s blog, I agreed to give it a go.

Due to repetitive strain injury, all my fiction and all my blog posts are produced with the assistance of voice recognition software. I say assistance, but it’s much slower for me than typing ever was, as the programme has a mind of its own and every other phrase requires checking and correction. Because the errors are proper words, they can easily dodge my radar leading to a catalogue of embarrassing blog comments and tweets. On more than one occasion, I complimented the author of Black Lake on her novel Black Lace; an entirely different animal altogether.

It’s as frustrating as a toddler who wants to examine every crack in the pavement when you’re already late. But in the right mood, as with a toddler, its perspective on the world, and in particular its indifference to logic, can raise a smile.

I don’t know if it will evoke amusement, or sympathy, but I thought I’d share some of the nonsense that has recently appeared on my screen. With the erroneous words in bold, I’ll leave you to do the translation; the words in italics how I’d reply if the blasted thing could be relied upon not to mangle my words.

but it’s much lower for me than typing of awards             

though higher for you, perhaps, as I am rather too short to get the prize

balancing blog comments            

with the weight of bananas, perhaps?

my off the platform                        

definition of a somewhat unstable author platform

the author flanking the publisher in the acknowledgements       

Hello! Paula mentioned that you might be interested in doing a feature on my website next year. I'm pretty sure the theme would be right up your alley! On Humor and Inspiration in Writing and Life 500 words or less. Keep it brief, fun, and interesting. Feel free to go in any direction you'd like. (For example: what inspires you, keeps you going, how humor influences your writing, keep you from jumping off a cliff...or throwing your laptop off the balcony, etc.) Attach a fun head shot and any other pics, memes, and gifs that are pertinent to your post. If you're an author, a clean cover art image is always welcome. Attach links to your blog/website and any purchasing links you'd like to have featured. Feel free to add a brief book blurb, bio, or whatever you'd like promoted. Plugs are great! I'll take care of all the editing, snarky asides, and formatting. Totally my forteHello! Paula mentioned that you might be interested in doing a feature on my website next year. I'm pretty sure the theme would be right up your alley! On Humor and Inspiration in Writing and Life 500 words or less. Keep it brief, fun, and interesting. Feel free to go in any direction you'd like. (For example: what inspires you, keeps you going, how humor influences your writing, keep you from jumping off a cliff...or throwing your laptop off the balcony, etc.) Attach a fun head shot and any other pics, memes, and gifs that are pertinent to your post. If you're an author, a clean cover art image is always welcome. Attach links to your blog/website and any purchasing links you'd like to have featured. Feel free to add a brief book blurb, bio, or whatever you'd like promoted. Plugs are great! I'll take care of all the editing, snarky asides, and formatting. Totally my forteI know it can be a close relationship, but shouldn’t they give each other some space?

But if you read Philip living, there’s an advantage            

preferable to reading Philip dying, perhaps?

with disgust choir bit on your blog           

what’s your problem? I wasn’t trying to sing at you

a mere two has la                            

appropriate baby language for a toddler

how I’d reply if the plastic thing                                

okay, a writer shouldn’t have to rely on expletives, but who are you to censor my output?

as Orion crudity was to the Nazis             

obscene stargazing among the fascists

You get the idea? Somewhat paradoxically, given the expectations of greater professionalism, the publication of my novel has left me less anxious about the toddler in my computer. Not only because I’ve had editors and proofreaders checking my words, but because my title has a tendency to bring out other people’s inner toddler. Maybe that’s inevitable when Sugar and Snails is adapted from a nursery rhyme, but it always makes me smile when it’s quoted as Sugar and Spice. I’m not proud, whatever tempts you to read it is fine by me. Although it addresses a serious topic, it’s definitely not devoid of humour.

* * *

Anne Goodwin’s debut novel, Sugar and Snails, about a woman who has kept her past identity a secret for thirty years, was published in July 2015 by Inspired Quill. Her second novel, Underneath, about a man who keeps a woman captive in his cellar, is scheduled for May 2017. Anne is also a book blogger and author of over 60 published short stories. 

* * *

Anne Goodwin:
Author, Blogger, Recovering Psychologist

Catch Anne Goodwin online: 

Website: annethology 

Twitter @Annecdotist

Grab a copy of Sugar and Snails: 

Amazon 

Amazon UK

A snippet of Sugar and Snails:

The past lingers on, etched beneath our skin ...

At fifteen, Diana Dodsworth took the opportunity to radically alter the trajectory of her life, and escape the constraints of her small-town existence. Thirty years on, she can’t help scratching at her teenage decision like a scabbed wound.

To safeguard her secret, she’s kept other people at a distance ... until Simon Jenkins sweeps in on a cloud of promise and possibility. But his work is taking him to Cairo, and he expects Di to fly out for a visit. She daren’t return to the city that changed her life; nor can she tell Simon the reason why.

Sugar and Snails takes the reader on a poignant journey from Diana’s misfit childhood, through tortured adolescence to a triumphant mid-life coming-of-age that challenges preconceptions about bridging the gap between who we are and who we feel we ought to be. 

* * *

Isn't Anne a gem? Reach out to her online and you'll see what I mean. Just like the other Humor & Inspiration writers (see their links below), Anne has been a pleasure to feature.

Lydia Thomas: No, I Won't Write Your Memoirs 

Prairie Wife in Heels: The Idyllic Country Life 

Terry Tyler: Art Inspires Life

Kaley Tallman: Abandoning the Comfort Zone

Heidi Doxey: British Book Invasion

Carol J. Hedges: So You've Published a Book...

Allison Maruska: Four Steps Away From the Cliff
Colleen M. Story: Writers with Personality
Tamara Copley: The Magic of Humor
Sarah E. Boucher: Beating the Blaaahs
Jenniffer Wardell: All the Best Jokes

As always, thanks for dropping by! If you're a writer, author, or blogger and you'd like to be featured in a Humor and Inspiration post, leave a comment below. Thanks!