IDEAS

idea from a FB post

Yes I remember, going in with my Mother. One day in the year they had a wedding gown sale for 25. $ each. She took my sister, Lynne, and a few of her teen friends. Each took a size and when the doors opened ran to that size and grabbed a gown or 2 if they could!! Mother would pay and they stashed them in the car and went to lunch in China town. On the way home they dropped the gowns off in the thrift shop . Their way of giving back! ( I wasn't tall enough to reach the dress racks and stayed home! !!

Writing Prompts 12 11 21

 

Fairyland

 

 

Picture Prompt

 

Ethos, Pathos, Logos

 

Ethos Pathos Logos | Rhetorical Triangle | Persuasive Writing (storyboardthat.com)

18 Paths to Pathos: How to Connect with Your Audience (dlugan.com)

 Double Dactyl

The Crossroads

 The devil and the crossroads, The legend of Robert Johnson (faroutmagazine.co.uk)

 October Newsletter for Writers - jmarx.writer@gmail.com - Gmail (google.com)

Picture Prompt

 

My friend, Cary Koubek, painted this.

 

 

Song idea

 If you can't make people smile, at least don't be the reason why they cry. If you can't give people reasons to remain positive, then don't add more negativity to their lives.

Be someone's strength, someone's inspiration, someone's reason to remain hopeful. If you can't be the sunshine in people's life, at least don't cause the storm.

In times of pain and struggles, people only seek those who care and who will always be there, can you be that person people will look up to in their difficult and trying times?

If you can make a difference in someone's life, make sure it is either a positive one or none.

You will always be remembered for two things, the problem you solved or the ones you created.

You can always make a positive difference in the life of others, but it is better to do nothing than to make things worse. 

Paraprosdokians (prompts for 7-27-21)

 Winston Churchill loved paraprosdokians, figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected.

1. Where there's a will, I want to be in it.

2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it's still on my list.

3. Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

4. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.

5. War does not determine who is right - only who is left.

6. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting

it in a fruit salad

7. They begin the evening news with 'Good Evening,' then proceed to tell you why it isn't.

8. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.

9. I thought I wanted a career. Turns out, I just wanted pay checks.

10. In filling out an application, where it says, 'In case of emergency, notify:' I put "DOCTOR."

11. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

12. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street...with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

13. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.

14. A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory.

15. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

16. Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.

17. There's a fine line between cuddling and...holding someone down so they can't get away.

18. I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not so sure.

19. You're never too old to learn something stupid.

20. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

21. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

22. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

23 Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

24. I'm supposed to respect my elders, but now it’s getting harder and harder for me to find one.

20Donna Joyce and 19 others

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Writing Prompt as Our World Crumbles...

 I've always lived near a cemetery.

Show, don't tell

 The definitive guide to "show, don't tell" - The Writer (writermag.com)

Monologue Idea

 

Bill Day

June 22 at 6:05 AM ·

I asked a friend who has crossed 70 & is heading towards 80 what sort of changes he is feeling in himself? He sent me the following:

1 After loving my parents, my siblings, my spouse, my children and my friends, I have now started loving myself.

2 I have realized that I am not “Atlas”. The world does not rest on my shoulders.

3 I have stopped bargaining with vegetable & fruit vendors. A few pennies more is not going to break me, but it might help the poor fellow save for his daughter’s school fees.

4 I leave my waitress a big tip. The extra money might bring a smile to her face. She is toiling much harder for a living than I am.

5 I stopped telling the elderly that they've already narrated that story many times. The story makes them walk down memory lane & relive their past.

6 I have learned not to correct people even when I know they are wrong. The onus of making everyone perfect is not on me. Peace is more precious than perfection.

7 I give compliments freely & generously. Compliments are a mood enhancer not only for the recipient, but also for me. And a small tip for the recipient of a compliment, never, NEVER turn it down, just say "Thank You.”

8 I have learned not to bother about a crease or a spot on my shirt. Personality speaks louder than appearances.

9 I walk away from people who don't value me. They might not know my worth, but I do.

10 I remain cool when someone plays dirty to outrun me in the rat race. I am not a rat & neither am I in any race.

11 I am learning not to be embarrassed by my emotions. It’s my emotions that make me human.

12 I have learned that it's better to drop the ego than to break a relationship. My ego will keep me aloof, whereas with relationships, I will never be alone.

13 I have learned to live each day as if it's the last. After all, it might be the last.

14 I am doing what makes me happy. I am responsible for my happiness, and I owe it to myself. Happiness is a choice. You can be happy at any time, just choose to be!

I decided to share this for all my friends. Why do we have to wait to be 60 or 70 or 80, why can't we practice this at any stage and age?

 

Flash Fiction 101

 Make every word count: An editor's tips for writing the best flash stories - The Writer (writermag.com)

IDEAS

 

10 ways to break free from narc

Yeats Quote as prompts

 W.B. Yeats Quotes (Author of The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats) | Goodreads

HOW-TO: Write an article in 6 easy steps

 Write a How-to Article in 6 Easy Steps - Writer's Digest (writersdigest.com)

Great Characters

4 Tips for Writing Quirky Characters - Writer's Digest (writersdigest.com)

5 Tips for Breathing Life Into Fictionalized "Real-Life" Characters - Writer's Digest (writersdigest.com)

5 Things Writers Should Know About Flight Attendants - Writer's Digest (writersdigest.com)

Songwriting Idea

 Long ago and far away, in a land that time forgot,

Before the days of Dylan, or the dawn of Camelot.

There lived a race of innocents, and they were you and me,

For Ike was in the White House in that land where we were born,

Where navels were for oranges, and Peyton Place was porn.

We learned to gut a muffler, we washed our hair at dawn,

We spread our crinolines to dry in circles on the lawn.

We longed for love and romance and waited for our Prince,

And Eddie Fisher married Liz, and no one's seen him since.

We danced to 'Little Darlin,' and sang to 'Stagger Lee'

And cried for Buddy Holly in the Land That Made Me, Me.

Only girls wore earrings then, and three was one too many,

And only boys wore flat-top cuts, except for Jean McKinney.

And only in our wildest dreams did we expect to see

A boy named George with Lipstick, in the Land That Made Me, Me.

We fell for Frankie Avalon, Annette was oh, so nice,

And when they made a movie, they never made it twice.

We didn't have a Star Trek Five, or Psycho Two and Three,

Or Rocky-Rambo Twenty in the Land That Made Me, Me.

Miss Kitty had a heart of gold, and Chester had a limp,

And Reagan was a Democrat whose co-star was a chimp.

We had a Mr. Wizard, but not a Mr. T,

And Oprah couldn't talk yet, in the Land That Made Me, Me.

We had our share of heroes, we never thought they'd go,

At least not Bobby Darin, or Marilyn Monroe.

For youth was still eternal, and life was yet to be,

And Elvis was forever in the Land That Made Me, Me.

We'd never seen the rock band that was Grateful to be Dead,

And Airplanes weren't named Jefferson and Zeppelins were not Led.

And Beatles lived in gardens then, and Monkeys lived in trees,

Madonna was Mary in the Land That Made Me, Me.

We'd never heard of microwaves or telephones in cars,

And babies might be bottle-fed, but they were not grown in jars.

And pumping iron got wrinkles out, and 'gay' meant fancy-free,

And dorms were never co-ed in the Land That Made Me, Me.

We hadn't seen enough of jets to talk about the lag,

And microchips were what was left at the bottom of the bag.

And hardware was a box of nails, and bytes came from a flea,

And rocket ships were fiction in the Land That Made Me, Me.

Buick's came with portholes, and side shows came with freaks,

And bathing suits came big enough to cover both your cheeks.

And Coke came just in bottles, and skirts below the knee,

And Castro came to power near the Land That Made Me, Me.

We had no Crest with fluoride, we had no Hill Street Blues,

We all wore superstructure bras, designed by Howard Hughes

We had no patterned pantyhose or Lipton herbal tea

Or prime-time ads for personal things in the Land That Made Me, Me.

There were no golden arches, no Perrier to chill,

And fish were not called Wanda, and cats were not called Bill.

And middle-aged was thirty-five and old was forty-three,

And ancient were our parents in the Land That Made Me, Me.

But all things have a season, or so we've heard them say,

And now instead of Maybelline, we swear by Retin-A.

They send us invitations to join AARP,

We've come a long way, baby, from the Land That Made Me, Me.

So now we face a brave new world in slightly larger jeans,

And wonder why they're using smaller print in magazines.

And we tell our children's children of the way it used to be,

Long ago and far away in the Land That Made Me, Me.

 

For Marriage story

 What is marriage with a narcissist like?

So much lonelier than being single….

My friend has said over and over again that she had never felt so lonely as when he (diagnosed) was around her.

She just could not connect with him in any meaningful or genuine way. She tried very hard to do so but she could not get through. He was like a brick wall.

He didn’t really want a partner anyway, so he disappeared a lot. He didn’t want to be around her and she felt that to her core. It seemed like he wanted more of a mommy than a partner and then he seemed to hate her for that. He would actually try to bother her or piss her off so that he had a reason to storm off in a huff thus being able to do whatever he wanted without her. He planned it and liked it that way.

She wondered many times why they were still married anymore.

She tried to talk to him about fixing things and investing in their relationship and he told her to stop making problems where there were none and to stop being so emotional.

Everything was her fault if she tried to try to talk to him. He did not want to hear it. He said that people shouldn’t have to work at being together.

Everything with him was high conflict and difficult. Everything was a silent argument.

Life with him became just a long hard slog.

Being married to a cluster B person for her was like a cold and lonely deep dark abyss that eventually she had to climb out of all alone.

Notes from old journals

 Literary: Events serve and amplify character

Genre: Character serves the event.

1-14-95

Workshop in Tucson: Non-fiction is easier to sell. Short stories are getting shorter

PLOT TWISTS

 

Plot Twist Story Prompts: Wear Disguise
Every good story needs a nice (or not so nice) 

turn or two to keep it interesting. This week, have a character wear a disguise.

ROBERT LEE BREWER

MAY 27, 2021

Plot twist story prompts aren't meant for the beginning or the end of stories. Rather, they're for forcing big and small turns in the anticipated trajectory of a story. This is to make it more interesting for the readers and writers alike.

Each week, I'll provide a new prompt to help twist your story. Find last week's prompt, Cross the Threshold, here.

Plot Twist Story Prompts: Wear Disguise

For today's prompt, have a character wear a disguise. The disguise could be a mask, wig, or even glasses. It's also possible the disguise is the result of a magic spell or some advanced technology. The character donning the disguise could be a protagonist or antagonist.
A protagonist may wish to alter their appearance to sneak past enemy lines or into a place they're not welcomed. Or maybe the character is super famous (like an actor or world leader), and they want to move around without being noticed.

An antagonist may be up to some new villainy and use a disguise to sneak past enemy lines or into a place they're not welcomed (sound familiar?). Also, maybe the antagonist is super infamous, and they want to move around without being noticed (again, sound familiar?).

Of course, one fun thing about disguises is that sometimes characters learn more about people while they're incognito. For instance, a prince may get royal treatment in his day-to-day from a character who is super mean to him when he's disguised as a servant.

So give your characters a disguise and see what it reveals about them and your story.

104 Grammar Rules for Writers

 

104 Grammar Rules for Writers

Below is our list of grammar rules for writers. We give a quick explanation after each bullet point. But click on each link for further understanding and examples of correct usage.

1. "A" before consonants and "an" before vowels is not the rule. Rather, the rule is that "a" is placed before consonant-sounding words and "an" before vowel-sounding words.
2. A lot vs. alot vs. allot. "A lot" is either an adverb or pronoun, "allot" is a verb, and "alot" doesn't exist.
3. A moral vs. amoral vs. immoral. A "moral" person knows the difference between right and wrong and chooses the right way; an "immoral" person knows the difference and chooses the wrong way; an "amoral" person has no concept or recognition of the rules at all.
4. Abate vs. bait vs. bate. Abate and bate both basically mean the same thing: to reduce the intensity of and/or deduct something (or even outright end it). Meanwhile, bait is a verb or noun that's used to lure something or someone as if it's prey, whether that's as dinner or a customer.
5. Adapt vs. adept vs. adopt. Adapt means to make something fit for a new use or purpose; adept refers to a well-trained person; and adopt refers to taking a child as your own or putting something into effect or practicing something (like adopting a resolution or a new singing style).
6. Advice vs. advise. "Advice" is a noun, and "advise" is a verb.
7. Affect vs. effect. "Affect" is usually used as a verb, while "effect" is usually a noun.
8. Allude vs. elude. "Allude" means to suggest or hint at something, while "elude" means to evade or escape.
9. Alright vs. all right. "All right" is a commonly used phrase for okay, while "alright" doesn't technically exist.
10. Analogy vs. metaphor vs. simile. A "metaphor" is something, a "simile" is like something, and an "analogy" explains how one thing being like another helps explain them both.
11. Annual vs. perennial. When it comes to plants, annuals have to be planted each year while perennials do not. 
12. Anybody vs. anyone vs. somebody vs. someone. "Anybody" and "anyone" are interchangeable; also, "somebody" and "someone" are interchangeable. Further, there are times when anyone can be somebody, though other times when not just anybody can be a someone.
13. Are subjects joined by "and" singular or plural? It depends on if the subjects are independent of each other.
14. Awhile vs. a while. If you can swap out the word "while" with "period of time," then you're likely dealing with "a while." If not, then you're likely dealing with "awhile."
15. Bearing vs. baring vs. barring. As present participle verbs, remember that "bearing" means "to bear," "baring" means "to bare," and "barring" means "to bar."
16. Bi-annual vs. biennial. "Bi-annual" means twice a year; biennial means once every two years.
17. Bolder vs. boulder. Bolder means "more bold," while boulder refers to a very big rock (or city in Colorado).
18. Can I use contractions in my writing? While avoiding contractions may be proper, it can also be quite stilted.
19. Can you start a sentence with "because?" Because there's no grammar rule against it, it's totally acceptable to begin a sentence with "because."
20. Canceled vs. cancelled. If you play "soccer," then it's "canceled." However, people who play "football" (with a soccer ball) should probably use "cancelled."
21. Canon vs. cannon. "Canon" is an accepted rule or collection of books, while "cannon" is a big gun formerly used in warfare and currently used to make loud noises at random events.
22. Capital vs. capitol. Capitol refers to a specific government building; capital can refer to an uppercase letter, net worth, or specific cities.
23. Collage vs. college. Collage is something pieced together with diverse fragments; college refers to a group of people gathered together for a purpose, whether that's education, religion, or government (as in the electoral college).
24. Compliment vs. complement vs. supplement. Remember that "complement" with an "e" completes things, "supplement" is something added to, and "compliment" with an "i" is just something nice to say.
25. Conscience vs. conscious. Conscience is the understanding of moral goodness or wrongness; conscious means you're aware of your surroundings.
26. Creak vs. creek. "Creak" with an "-eak" (like the word "break") refers to a noise, while "creek" with an "-eek" is a small stream of water.
27. Dialog vs. dialogue. Dialogue is the best way to refer to conversations between your characters and each other.
28. Do you underline book titles? Sometimes titles are underlined. Other times, they are italicized or put in quotes. Heck, some folks put them in ALL CAPS. Adhere to individual house styles and stay consistent.
29. E-mail vs. email. When the AP and Chicago style guides agree, it's time to make it official and drop the hyphen.
30. Empathy vs. sympathy vs. apathy. "Empathy" means you can understand what another feels; "sympathy" means you can share sadness for another's misfortune; and "apathy" means you don't care one way or the other.
31. Ensure vs. insure. Some style guides make these words interchangeable, but WD uses "insure" when referring specifically to financial insurance policies and "ensure" to mean "to make certain." 
32. Everyday vs. every day. "Everyday" is an adjective; "every day" is a phrase that means "each day."
33. Fable vs. parable vs. allegory. Fables and parables are actually both allegories with fables usually featuring animal characters and parables featuring humans.
34. Fewer vs. less. Use "fewer" to refer to descending counting numbers and "less" to indicate declining degrees of something (often in an abstract way).
35. Foreword vs. forward. The "word" in "foreword" is a dead giveaway that it's supposed to be the commentary (or words) in the front of a book; every other usage is likely supposed to be "forward."
36. Further vs. farther. "Farther" describes how "far" in terms of physical distance, while "further" is used in the other cases.
37. Heroes vs. heros. "Heroes" is the plural of "hero," while "Heros" is a type of fish.
38. Heroin vs. heroine vs. hero. Some people prefer to make "hero" gender neutral for men and women. Others feel "heroine" is the correct usage. On the other hand, "heroin" is a drug.
39. Homonym vs. homophone vs. homograph. "Homophones" sound the same, like if you were talking on a phone; meanwhile, "homographs" are spelled the same, like if you used a graphite pencil; and then, "homonyms" are either, both, and/or only both.
40. Hone vs. home. "Hone" means to make more accurate; "home" means to aim toward a target with greater accuracy.
41. How many spaces after a period? One space. Just use one space.
42. How do you handle animal pronouns? Refer to animals as "it" unless the relationship is personal or you happen to know the gender.
43. I could care less or I couldn't care less? "I couldn't care less" means you don't care; "I could care less" means you do care.
44. Imminent vs. eminent vs. immanent. "Imminent" means something's about to happen; "eminent" describes a person (or thing) that is famous and/or respected; and "immanent" means inherent, intrinsic, or spread throughout.
45. Incite vs. insight. Incite means to rile up or put in motion; insight describes the ability to comprehend the inner nature of things, people, and/or situations.
46. Into vs. in to. "Into" is a preposition that expresses movement toward or into something else. Meanwhile, "in to" is a separate use of the word "in" that happens to be next to the word "to." 
47. Introvert vs. extrovert vs. extravert. An introvert is a reserved person; extrovert is a generally outgoing person; and extravert is just another way of saying extrovert.
48. Is "none" singular or plural? "None" can be either singular or plural.
49. Its vs. it's. "It's" is a contraction of "it" and "is," while "its" is an adjective or possessive pronoun (basically whenever it can't be replaced by "it is," it should be "its").
50. Ketchup vs. catsup. They both describe the same condiment, though "ketchup" is currently the more commonly used term.
51. Lay vs. lie (vs. laid). It's too complicated for a short blurb, so check out the graphic below this list.
52. Lead vs. lead vs. led. As a noun, "lead" is a type of metal. As a verb, the past tense of "lead" is "led."
53. Leaped vs. leapt (vs. lept). "Leaped" and "leapt" are both acceptable past tense versions of "leap," but "lept" is a misspelling of "leapt."
54. Leave alone vs. let alone. "Leave alone" means to leave a person alone, while "let alone" means to quit bugging a person. However, it's becoming more common for people to use "leave alone" in both instances.
55. Lets vs. let's. "Let's" is a contraction of the words "let" and "us," and "lets" is the present tense form of the verb "let."
56. Lose vs. loose vs. loosen. "Lose" means to cease to retain something and/or be unable to find something; "loose" means to set free as a verb or describe something that is not fixed as an adjective; and "loosen" is a verb which means to make less tight.
57. May vs. might. "May" and "might" mean the same thing, but "may" hints you're more likely to do it, while "might" signals you're less likely to follow through.
58. Metaphor vs. personification. "Metaphor" is a word or phrase that takes on the meaning of something else ("I am an island"); "personification" is a figure of speech that attributes human behavior to things that are not alive ("the stars winked").
59. More than vs. over. They're interchangeable. 
60. Myriad vs. myriad of. If you want to say "a great number of," then use "a myriad of." If you want to say "many," then use "myriad," without the extra words.
61. Nobody vs. no body. The single word nobody refers to a person, while the phrase no body is the lack of an actual body.
62. OK vs. okay vs. O.K. All versions are okay, but OK is the version most commonly used.
63. On vs. upon vs. up on. If you can remove the "up" and use only "on," then feel free to use on or upon; if you can't, then use the phrase "up on."
64. Oxford comma (or serial comma) and why it's so cool. When you list out three or more things (like commas, periods, and question marks), use the serial comma to make your lists clear.
65. Pair vs. pare vs. pear. Pair refers to two corresponding things; pare means to trim or reduce something; and pear is a fruit.
66. Passed vs. past. "Passed," which has the verb "pass" in it, can only be used as a verb; meanwhile, "past" is used in all non-verb instances.
67. Peak vs. peek vs. pique. "Peek" means to take a look; "peak" is related to the highest point (like a mountain peak); and "pique" is a French word meaning "to stimulate" (as in a new grammar rule piqued my interest).
68. People vs. persons. While most people prefer to use "people" in all situations, "persons" can be used when referring to a smaller group of people (like fewer than 10).
69. Poetic justice vs. poetic license. Poetic justice is when a good or bad deed is rewarded or punished; poetic license is embellishing a story or playing with language.
70. Precedent vs. president. Precedent indicates something that has happened before; president signifies the top leader in a government or organization.
71. Principal vs. principle. Principal is an influential person; principle relates to a law or moral code someone might have.
72. Pronoun problems: "He/she," "he or she," or just "he." Honestly, it's a question of style over grammar, since all versions, including the consistent use of "she," are appropriate.
73. Prophecy vs. prophesy. "Prophecy" is a noun that means a prediction, while "prophesy" is the verb that means to make a prediction. 
74. Question mark placement in dialogue. Question marks should always appear at the end of questions (even within sentences) and within quotation marks.
75. Raise vs. rise. Both mean the same thing, but a subject "raises" an object while something that "rises" does it on its own. 
76. Real vs. reel. Real means something is genuine, factual, practical, permanent, or essential; meanwhile, a reel holds something (like thread, fishing line, or film) that winds around it.
77. Reign vs. rein. "Reign" is a period of time dominated by a ruling power or verb that means one possesses power over someone or something; "rein" is a leather strap used to control a horse (or reindeer). 
78. Remove that from your writing. Seriously, the word "that" is usually not necessary.
79. Right vs. rite vs. wright vs. write. Rite refers to the words and actions of a ceremony or ritual; wright is a skilled worker; write means forming characters on a surface; and right can refer to directions, morals, politics, and more.
80. Role vs. roll. While the word "roll" can have several meanings, "role" can only mean a part played or a function performed.
81. Same vs. similar. Both words are similar, but they're not the same.
82. Sedation vs. sedition. Sedation describes the process of inducing a relaxed state with the use of sedatives; sedition means the incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority.
83. Semantics vs. syntax vs. pragmatics. "Syntax" is the study of sentence structure and grammar rules; "semantics" is the study of meaning for those sentences; and "pragmatics" is the study of meaning within context.
84. Semicolon use. Go for it; they're fun.
85. Shook vs. shaked vs. shaken. Shook is active, shaken is passive, and shaked doesn't exist.
86. Sight vs. site vs. cite. "Sight" involves your vision; "site" is a location; and "cite" is an act that involves praise, compelling someone to appear before a body, or calling attention to someone or something as proof (as in a report or discussion). 
87. Simile vs. metaphor. I know we discussed these above (see analogy), but this is a reminder that simile is like something whereas metaphor takes on the identity of something.
88. Since vs. because. Both can be used interchangeably, but the use of "since" can get ambiguous if it's not used in reference to time. 
89. Slight of hand vs. sleight of hand. "Sleight of hand" refers to manual dexterity, and "slight of hand" refers to small hands.
90. Snuck vs. sneaked. Traditionally, "sneaked" is the proper word to use, but "snuck" is sneaking into everyday use. As a result, this may be an actively evolving change in language. Grammarians, prepare yourselves! 
91. Starting a sentence with "but." Some folks will tell you it's improper to start a sentence with a conjunction. But it's fun and grammatically OK to do it.
92. Stationary vs. stationery. Stationary refers to someone or something that is fixed in place or that's in a fixed condition; stationery is the paper someone may use to write letters.
93. Steal vs. steel vs. still. Steel is a metal, steal means to take something, and still means to be quiet and/or motionless.
94. Subjunctive vs. indicative mood (or "if I was" vs. "if I were"). Use indicative mood to express fact (such as "I was editor of Writer's Market) and subjunctive mood to express a hypothetical wish (such as "If I were the CEO of Fill-in-the-Blank Inc., I would do things my way."). 
95. Synonym vs. antonym vs. homonym. Synonym refers to words or phrases with a same or similar meaning; antonym is a word with an opposite meaning; and homonym is when a word that's spelled and pronounced the same has more than one meaning.
96. Tell vs. tale vs. tail vs. telltale. Think of "yell" as a loud way to "tell" somebody something, while "tail" indicates the bottom and "tale" is a story. Finally, "telltale" is just a fun word to say that indicates something, whether that's with words or some visual cue.
97. Toward vs. towards. Both are a preposition that means in the direction of, but "toward" is preferred in North America with "towards" preferred everywhere else.
98. Waist vs. waste. Waist refers to the area of the body between the ribs and hips, while waste refers to unwanted or unusable materials or other things with little to no purpose.
99. What is the plural form of email? "Email" is what you use in a general sense (like "I get a lot of email"); "emails" is what you use when using numbers (like "I received 17 emails"); and "email messages" works in both situations (so it's the safe option when in doubt).
100. When do I spell out numbers? There are exceptions to the rule, but a sound rule of thumb is to spell out numbers under 10 (zero through nine) and use numeric form when more than (or over) 10.
101. When do you capitalize president? The word president (or any title) is only capitalized when it directly precedes a person's name or is used in place of a specific person's name 
102. Where vs. were vs. wear vs. we're. "Where" defines a location or position; "were" is a past version of "be;" "wear" is a verb and noun most commonly related to clothing; and "we're" is a contraction of "we" and "are." 
103. Which vs. that. Brian Klems said it best: "If the sentence doesn't need the clause that the word in question is connecting, use which. If it does, use that."
104. Who vs. whom. If you can replace the word with "he" or "she," then use "who." If you can replace the word with "him" or "her," then use "whom."