Word frequency in a novel

My novel writing software (yWriter) has a word usage counter tool that lets you know how often you use a particular word.  (This is good to see if you use too may weasel-words like "just" and "that" or whatever else you might tic on.)

Here is a list of the top fifty words I used the most, including the number of times I used it:

the (2948), Her (1908), to (1753), she (1514), a (1511), of (1287), and (1034), he (991), was (987), his (949), it (944), miss (859), I (827), you (770), in (747), that (730), Felicity (719), Not (690), had (680), At (509), For (471), as (445), have (429), If (411), What (403), with (399), on (389), be (375), out (367), Wyndell (364), would (358), Mr (353), him (343), this (326), But (323), Smith (317), mother (314), so (306), about (306), they (303), one (298), lady (285), no (281), could (279), up (273), did (270), Abbot (251), is (246), been (237), all (233)


Here are the bottom fifty words I used the least, with only one instance of each word:

summers, loss, frivolities, riding, build, restitched, singing, emit, storing, desired, concentrate, imbue, jewellery, store, bracelet, talents, sensed, glide, powerlessness, relish, quilting, unlocking, stitching, frocks, stylish, sprawled, strand, curler, bowed, stake, selfish, debuting, tip, tempted, chide, returns, submitted, order, exuberance, blessed, department, wafted, touches, tucks, persnickity, awaiting, spinsterhood, mires, languishing, detested

(We know which words are the rice and which ones are the spice.)

Total unique words used in a 71,000-word book:  5796

Now that I know how many unique words I've used, and how many (too many!) common words I've used, I really ought to change those stats for my next novel.

___________________________________
Her Grace is wondering how many epithets one can call Zeus before one gets zotted for insolence?

Creepy or cool: planetary nebulae that look like eyes

Here are several pictures of planetary nebulae.  Many of them look like eyes staring back at you. Is this creepy or cool?  Feel free to comment below.

A planetary nebula (plural: nebulae) has nothing to do with planets. Astronomers are strange when it comes to naming things. Oftentimes, an object or phenomena gets named because of what it looks like (or what astronomers think it is), only to be waaay off base. Planetary nebulae got their name because they looked like hazy planets in gentleman scientists' early homemade telescopes. Fr'ex, the Saturn Nebula, which looks like the planet Saturn.

Really, planetary nebulae are the ionised gas clouds that got expelled at the death of a low-mass star. Towards the end of its life, a star puffs up in its red giant phase, only later to blow away all that matter, leaving the slowly cooling corpse known as a white dwarf. That matter expands through the interstellar medium, glowing brightly from the energy radiated from the white dwarf.  Planetary nebulae don't last long, often only a mere five to fifty thousand years or so.

The Hourglass Nebula is looking at you. (credit: ipod.nasa.gov)

The Helix Nebula is also looking at you.
This one is also known as the Eye of God.
(credit: Hubble Space Telescope)

The Cat's Eye Nebula is staring at you.
Did you use a can opener? (credit: The Stars and Planets)

Nebula ESO-456-67  is giving you the Evil Eye.
(credit: Sci Tech Daily)

This hazel eye stares right back at you, don't it?
(Credit: Hubble Space Telelscope)

This eye has a cataract. (credit: European Southern Observatory)

All hail the Hypnotoad! (credit: Observatorio de Sierra Nevada)

Recipe: Edgar Allen Pie

Quoth the raven: dinnertime.

Last year for a Pi Day party I made Edgar Allen Pie (in a square pie dish, because pie are square). It was such a hit I made it again this year.

Due to popular request, here is my recipe for Edgar Allen Pie.

Crust

• 2 c plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 c oil
• 3 Tbsp cold water

Blend salt into flour. mix in oil into flour until absorbed. I prefer the K-beater on my mixer. Add the cold, cold water one tablespoon at a time until you get a good consistency in dough.

To roll out, roll out between two pieces of parchment or wax paper. This is necessary. Don't think you can cheat and roll this out with flour. It won't work the way you think it will.

Roll out a top and bottom crust. Place bottom crust in your pie dish. Blind bake in a 170°C (350°F) oven for about ten minutes. Don't let crust get too brown or it will burn later.

Fill pie with filling and place top crust over pie. you can seal the edges if you wish. Optional: brush top with watered egg mixture for a shiny top crust.  Bake in oven at 200°C (400°F) for about 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Filling

Note: no need to be precise in your measurements. If all you've got is 300g of raven, then that's all you've got.

Chop then saute in butter or oil:

• 1 onion
• 3-4 purple carrots (Purple is recommended for spooky effect. Yes, they will turn everything dark. That's what you want. Orange carrots can do if you must, but it won't be as theatrically effective.)
• 2 sticks celery
• 1 tsp dried or fresh sage

Add:

• 400g (1 lb) boned raven. (Okay, I'm kidding about the raven. Use any dark bird meat like turkey, duck, goose or pheasant--something with personality and flavour. (Chicken is NOT it.) Whatever you do, do not substitute crow. Nobody likes eating crow.)  Note: you can use leftover, precooked meat if you wish. If adding raw meat, cook until no longer pink.
• 1 cup vegetables of your choice (broccoli, corn, green beans, sweet potato all work well in this dish).

Blend:

• 2 Tbsp corn flour 
• 500ml stock (chicken, turkey, pheasant, vegetable... nothing too strong or dominant)
• 2 Tbsp cranberry jelly (Raspberry will do if you have no cranberry)

Pour into pan with raven and vegetables and stir until thickened.

Add:

• 200ml sour cream. Mix in well.
• Salt and pepper to taste. Be generous with the pepper.

Pour filling into pie crust, top and bake. It's okay if you have some filling left over: tomorrow's lunch. If you don't have enough filling, add a few more veggies.

If your sense of humour turns to the darker side, reserve some of the ends of the purple carrots. Slice in half so they look like beaks. Before baking, cut slices in pie crust and poke carrots through so they look like beaks trying to escape a la Stargazy Pie. Delightfully macabre touch.

Serve with a raised eyebrow and Alan Rickman's voice.

_____________________________
Her Grace enjoys cooking, especially for great effect.

You're Invited to a Book Launch

If you are in the Perth or Rockingham area, please come along.

Monday 22 Feb, 5:30pm
Rockingham Central Library (Dixon Road, Rockingham)
Bookings Essential
ph: (08) 9528 8683
email: RCLcontact@rockingham.wa.gov.au

I have candy hearts and a few e-copies of books to give away.

Happy Book Birthday, Marry Me!

Marry Me - A Candy Hearts Romance

is out today 1 February 2016! 

Buy now:

TWRP | B&N | Amazon | KoboBooks 

Or wherever all good ebooks are sold.

Celebrate by buying a copy, reading it and leaving an honest review on the site of your choice.

If that's not enough excitement for you, the official Book Launch of Marry Me will be 

22 February 2016, 5:30pm at Rockingham Central Library (Dixon Road, Rockingham, WA).

For more information or to RSVP your attendance, contact the Rockingham Central Library on (08) 9528 0602 or email RCLcontact@rockingham.wa.gov.au.

Meet the author (yours truly), play some games, enjoy a few candy hearts and possibly win some prizes.

------------------------------

Meanwhile, my publisher The Wild Rose Press is giving away a Kindle Fire to celebrate the release of all the Candy Hearts Romance via Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Finally, let's have some fun with the Candy Hearts promo video:

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Her Grace must note that when it is 1 Feb in her part of the world, it might not yet be 1 Feb for the rest of the world. If you are reading this a day early (by your calendar), she begs your patience. Go ahead and preorder the book. It will be delivered to you as soon as Feb 1 ticks over for your bookseller of choice. That might only be a few hours, or it might be tomorrow morning. She assures you, this book is worth the wait.

Candy Hearts Romance Rafflecopter giveaway!

My publisher The Wild Rose Press wants to give away a Kindle Fire to celebrate the release of the Candy Hearts Series. They've set up a Rafflecopter draw.

I know you want to win a Kindle Fire. All you need to do is enter the following Rafflecopter draw for your chance to win.  All you need to do to score an entry is to like the Candy Hearts Romance facebook page, like the TWRP facebook page, and/or to leave a comment here on the Romance Spinners blog. Want more entries? Check out other Candy Hearts authors' blogs for more chances to win. You can start with The Wild Rose Press Blog, then move on to The Carus Chronicles, and then on to Authors' Secrets and then to...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'll keep posting the Rafflecopter link over the course of the next six weeks, so stop back regularly for even more entries. You have until Valentine's Day to enter.

______________________________________
Her Grace would love to see you win a Kindle Fire.

Astronaut dreams - TASE Day

Taking a break from NaNoWriMo and a momentary panic from a mixup with a galley and a novel that hates me and two final exams to indulge in a bit of TASE Day and some dreaming.

My first dream career (at age 3) was to be an Opera Singer. (FYI, I'm a coloratura mezzo-soprano, though I haven't had much operatunity to sing of late.)

My second dream career (and one that sustained me for the next 40+ years) was to be an author.

My third dream career (at age 8) was to be an astronaut.

Recently learned that NASA's looking for more astronauts.  Anyone can apply if they meet the criteria:

1. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution... 

 YES! I got one of those!

....in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics.

 Oh, okay, ne'ermind.  (Regretting not staying in biology for five seconds. However, my Bachelor in Arts has served my career well so far.)

2. Degree must be followed by at least 3 years of related, progressively responsible, professional experience...

Ah. I assume they mean STEM experience? Got plenty of the Fine Arts experience. Give me a few more years out staring at the stars and getting papers knocked back by ApJ and this could change.

... or at least 1,000 pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft.

Don't think I've even been a passenger in a plane for a thousand hours, much less clocked that amount of flight time.

2a. An advanced degree is desirable...

 

...and may be substituted for experience as follows: master’s degree = 1 year of experience [etc] ....

Now, my big question is, if my master's is in a STEM field, would that make up for my lack of STEM in my bachelor's degree?

2b. Teaching experience... 

...including experience at the K - 12 levels... 

...is considered to be qualifying experience for the Astronaut Candidate position... 

...provided degree is in a Science, Engineering, or Mathematics field.

Aw man!  Throw me a friggin' bone here!

3. Ability to pass the NASA Astronaut physical, which includes the following specific requirements:

• Blood pressure not to exceed 140/90 measured in a sitting position

 120/60  -  noice!

• Standing height between 62 and 75 inches

  I'm 64 inches.

• Distant and near visual acuity: Must be correctable to 20/20, each eye....

Bother!  My eyesight is bad, alas.  We're not talking a slight nearsightedness. And I've got presbyopia*. The only correctable surgery that would bring my eyesight to the correct acuity would be a reshaping of my orbit cavities. That technology is still a ways off.  Unless they let me wear these funky astronaut eyeglasses, I'm out of the running:

Do you also dream of being an astronaut? Are you better qualified than I am? If so, go apply for Astronaut School and see if you can get in.

Meanwhile, I might see if they let middle-aged women into Space Camp.


*Presbyopia: you can spot who has presbyopia because they're the middle-aged people who have to hold restaurant menus at arms length in order to be able to read them. I developed presbyopia about five years ago.  His Grace, who exceeds me in age, has yet to develop it (or he might have and doesn't want to admit it).

__________________________________
Her Grace's fourth dream career was to be a teacher. Then she thought about how cool it would be to be an teacher/astronaut and then come back and tell her students about how cool it was to go to outer space, and if they wanted to go themselves, they needed to study real hard.  Then she learned about what happens to schoolteachers who go to outer space.

Words I Like

Some words have a real likeability to them, either for their sounds or their meanings.

Cellardoor. This is probably the perennial favourite of lots of people for its soft, sibilant consonants and long, smooth vowels. And you have to admit, when that tornado warning siren goes off, a cellardoor is mighty appealing.

Lackadaisical. The word is just full of whimsy, possibly the same whimsy that drives the person who is lackadaisical in their attitudes towards something. I wonder if someone could be described as a "lackadaisy"?

Schadenfreude. Okay, this is a German word that's currently being appropriated into the English language. It has no direct translation but it means taking joy in the pain of others. Normally I wouldn't advocate nurturing a permanent attitude of schadenfreude, but every once in a while, when someone you dislike has something bad happen to them, you can't help but feel a touch of schadenfreude.  Also, any video that features some poor dad getting whacked in the goolies by his kid learning to play T-ball. (I'm sure Mom's around to kiss it better.)

Rhythm. Don't you just love it. Depending on how strict your definition is on vowels, you could consider this word to be vowelless. Nevertheless, give the R a slight roll, and this word becomes a lot of fun to say.

Effervescence.  Essentially, it means bubbly. But unlike "Bubbly", this word doesn't evoke Mr Bubble bubble bath or a glass of Diet Coke. No. This word evokes a luxurious warm bath in a cast iron claw-footed tub with rose-scented bubbles, sipping a glass of fine imported French champagne. With a delicate strawberry in the bottom of the glass. And smooth jazz playing in the background.

Decolletage. What a fancy word for one's bustline, especially the bit of the bust sitting up above the bustline of one's Regency gown. The word "Decolletage" also hints at a bit of sophistication. This is a beautiful bustline that's not too low or overly revealing. Otherwise, you lose your decolletage and end up with something more horrifying like nip-slip. How terribly gauche.

What are some of your favourite words?

__________________________
Her Grace will sometimes choose certain words over others, simply because of their elegant sound. She is also fond of alliteration.

The Best Method to Untarnish Silver

Some of my fabulous silver (and some gold).

Like me, I'll bet you've got some beautifully romantic pieces of Sterling silver jewelry. Or maybe you inherited a lovely set of silverware from your grandmother. Or maybe you're on a Quest, and when you finally find the Silver Sword of MacGuffin, you discover it terribly tarnished.

Alas, silver tends to tarnish with age.

Here is one of The Best Methods for untarnishing your silver. (I'll explain why later).

1. Fill a saucepan with 1.5 litres¹ (half a gallon) of water. Add 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1/4 cup salt (NaCl). Bring to a boil.
2. Line a second saucepan or a large glass bowl with a sheet of aluminium foil. 
3. Place your tarnished Sterling silver jewelry (or magical sword) on the foil. It must have contact with the foil, the more, the better.
4. Pour the boiling baking soda water over your jewelry and let it sit for a few minutes. The tarnish will disappear. If a piece of jewelry is severely tarnished, you may need to reheat the water or let the solution sit longer. 
5. Once silver is untarnished, remove from pan (with tongs or a spoon, as it may be very hot).

This is how I keep my silver bright and shiny, especially as I have a bad habit of taking magical silver swords into brimstone-ridden hellmouths or wearing my silver rings into sulfer-ridden swimming pools.

Here's How It Works

Tarnish is silver sulfide (Ag₂S). Tarnish happens when sulfer from the atmosphere, from a swimming pool, from food, etc reacts with the silver of your jewelry (or your silver teaspoons).

Many other methods of silver polishing removes that layer of silver sulfide. This is less than ideal. Yes, it's removing that tarnish, but it also removes a layer of silver as well. We don't want that.

My method above only removes the sulfer. It leaves the silver behind.

Essentially, what's happening is an electrochemical reaction. What we are doing is pulling the sulfer from the silver sulfide and making aluminium sulfide (Al₂S₃). Sulfer wants to be aluminium sulfide more than it wants to be silver sulfide. Therefore, when presented in an ideal environment (the hot water & soda/salt), it moves to the aluminium foil.

Want to know more about the science behind this? Learn how oxidation and reduction make it work.

______________________________
Has Her Grace mentioned just how much she loves science?

¹If you are untarnishing magical enchanted silver swords, you may wish to increase this recipe at least four-fold to ensure complete coverage of the sword by salt/soda solution. Also increase the amount of aluminium foil to maximise surface contact. And you'll need a larger pan. Maybe a bathtub.

Randomosity whilst sick with a cold

I apologise for my recent silence. I have been entertaining the Cold From Hell for nearly Two.

Fricking. Weeks.

The CFH slows me down. What would normally take my brain five minutes to accomplish, now take me a good half-hour or more. The Nagging Cough isn't helping my mood much either.

I should be working on a line edit. But when one is too sick to even read, not much gets done.

Meanwhile, enjoy the following:

After he wrote The Hobbit and before he wrote Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkein wrote Leaf: by Niggle. Lovely little allegory.

Love cinnamon rolls?  I do.  Came across this recipe for Vegan Cinnamon Rolls from the Minimalist Baker. (I do wonder, is yeast suitable for vegans?) If you aren't a vegan (i'm not), and don't mind substituting cow milk and butter (I do), remember to scald (and cool) the milk, as unscalded milk will affect yeast growth.  Also, I recommend using dental floss for cutting your rolls. Slide the dental floss under the log, Cross the ends over the log, and pull like tightening a shoelace. So much neater than a knife.

Are you on Facebook? Then you'll be able to watch this mesmerising and NSFW bellydance video. (Note: if you are on FB, you may need to log in to see this. And you do want to see this if you enjoy:
*Bellydancing
*Stereotypical Shirtless Romance Heroes
*Gladiators
*Hummina!  (Didn't know a man could move like that.)

___________________
Her Grace is going to take two Panadol and go back to bed now.

Bulwer-Lytton Contest winners 2014

...are here. They are so worth a read. This year's winner, Betsy Dorfman, Bainbridge Island, Washington State (for a moment, I read, "Western Australia") is truly deserving of her win. Her entry is subtle and clever. Check it out.

Meanwhile...

 

Dear Michael Shaw of Rockville, Maryland,

 

Your excellent prose was poignantly beautiful. You made me cry for all the right reasons.

 

Loff,

Her Grace

 

His excellent entry:

The tears of her loneliness rolled from her cheeks and fell upon the steaming pavement outside a second-rate shopping center in Torrance, California, those tears quickly evaporating in the heat and turning into molecularized water vapor that was gradually pulled into the upper atmosphere and slowly dispersed across the planet until, many years later, a few of the molecules descended upon Riomaggiore, Italy, where they were inhaled by her soul-mate, Giorgio Abatangelo whom she would never, ever, meet.

Doesn't that just break your heart?

_____________________
Her Grace wishes she could aspire to the truly awfulness of the Bulwer-Lytton.

Randomosity with Cookies

(Yes, I still love Richard, but an awful lot of Tom Hiddleston has been crossing my feeds lately.)

This is Tom and Cookie Monster enjoying cookies.

I like Cookie Monster. I like cookies. I'm starting to like Tom. He seems like a fun guy.

Me and Cookie Monster:

 

____________________
Her Grace believes one is never too old for Sesame Street. Or cookies.

What was she casting?

Happy TASE Day.

Last night I found the following items in my Fairy Godtoddler's pockets:

They are, in order from top:

• A spider
• A shell
• An eyeball
• A bell on a golden string

It made me wonder; what kind of spell was she casting?

_____________________
Her Grace wonders.

More Fun with the English Language

Check out these sentences:

• After dinner, when the ladies left the dining room, the gentlemen were left in the dining room.
• When you're finished dusting the tomatoes, can you come in and dust the furniture.
• (Speaking of tomatoes,) I'll seed the tomatoes while you seed the lawn. Then we can have lunch.
• The alarm when off when she forgot to turn it off.
• The stars came out when the lights went out.

________________________
Her Grace has discovered contranyms.

Love Letters

In honour of St Valentine's Day, I've pulled up the Love Letters posts from many years ago.  Thought you'd enjoy.  Which one is your favourite?

Love Letter #1 While you were out...
Love Letter #2 Written in haste.
Love Letter #3 Maybe I'll stop talking to you and write instead.
Love Letter #4 Spontaneity... or forgetfulness. (See love letter #9)
Love Letter #5 Ah, adolescence.
Love Letter #6 Photographic proof.
Love Letter #8 Frank and Donna and... Maggie?
Love Letter #9 Thank you for marrying me.
Love Letter #10 I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you because...
Love Letter #11 It's like a drug to my brain.
Love Letter #12 Emptiness.
Love Letter #13 The story she told the grandkids.
Love Letter #14 Puppy love.
Love Letter #15 Gratitude.
Love Letter #16 They fight crime!
Love Letter #17 Everything will be all right, my dearest.  I promise.
Love Letter #18 Look up!
Love Letter #19 Makenzie's letter, wherein she gives some thought to her future.
Love Letter #20 Ellora's courage. The letter we all wish we could write.

Have you ever written a love letter?  If not, consider giving it a go, even if it's anonymous.

_______________________
Her Grace is a sucker for a good love letter. Alas, she never receives enough of them.

2014: a Year of Creativity

This year I have chosen to really indulge in my professional writing career and Get Stuff Done. Turns out, I've chosen a really good year to do this:

• It's a Year of 7: because of this, it is most open to analysis and research, the seeking of knowledge, scientific and inventive, a year of study and meditation. 
• It's the Year of the Horse: a year for improvement. (Hey, who can't use with getting better?)  So, high energy, brightness, intelligence and ingenious communication.  
• It's a Year of Fire:  the sign of creativity and inspiration, also of increase.  As a fire grows greater the more you feed it, so can creative pursuits grow.

Looks like I'll be getting stuff done.

______________________
Her Grace, when not figuring out what to do, is busy doing it.  She's hoping to have a more productive publishing year than last year.

Fangirl Silliness

Since it's been a while since we've had a Richard Armitage post, I thought I'd share the following silly fangirl song:

Look Back At Me mp3 (3.3M download) (MM:SS - 3:38)

Music: HWK (me)
Lyrics: BW ("The Poetess") & HWK
Vocals: Angry Little Babies

Enjoy!