Using "I" As a Conceit

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success

I don't know when I learned the word "conceited." I was raised in Utah where most of us didn't use "conceit" in the sense of an elaborate or strained metaphor but rather to mean that someone thought they were extra-super special. The little girl across the street who snubbed me because I didn't wear long stockings with garters (which was an immediate tipoff that I was not her kind) was "conceited" rather than prejudiced. The kid who was quick to make a point of how bright he was when I made a mistake was "conceited" rather than arrogant (or insecure). Gawd! I loved the word "conceited." I could apply it to so many situations and avoid learning new vocabulary words.

Of course, in a culture where being extra-super humble was valued, I soon noticed that our English language is, indeed, "conceited."

I'm speaking of the way we capitalize the pronoun "I." None of the other pronouns are capped. So what about this "I," standing tall no matter where you find it in a sentence?

Recently as I tutored students in accent reduction and American culture I noticed that some languages (like Japanese) seem to do quite well without pronouns of any sort. I did a little research. Some languages like Hebrew and Arabic, don't capitalize any of their letters and some, like German, capitalize every darn noun. So, English—a Germanic language at its roots—just carried on the German proclivity for caps.

But the question remained. Why only the "I?" Why not "them" and "you" and all the others. Caroline Winter, a 2008 Fulbright scholar, says "England was where the capital "I" first reared its dotless head . . . .Apparently someone back then decided that just "i" after it had been diminished from the original Germanic 'ich' was not substantial enough to stand alone." It had to do with an artistic approach to fonts. The story goes that long ago in the days of handset type or even teletype machines little sticks and dots standing all alone looked like broken bits of lead or scrappy orphan letters.

Then there is the idea that religion played a part in capitalizing the "I." Rastafarians (and some others, too) think in terms of humankind as being one with God and therefore—one has to presume—it would be rather blasphemous not to capitalize "I" just as one does "God." Capitals, after all, are a way to honor a word or concept.

Which, of course, brings us back to the idea that we speakers of English are just plain "conceited."
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson is an instructor for UCLA Extension's world-renown Writers' Program, and author of the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers including The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. It is a USA Book News award-winner as well as the winner of the Reader View's Literary Award and a finalist in the New Generation Book Awards. She is the recipient of both the California Legislature's Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award and is a popular speaker and actor. Her website is www.HowToDoItFrugally.com.

War Memorial: Of Note but Seldom Seen

I thought readers of this blog would like seeing a war memorial that doesn't get nearly as much attention as many but should. It is on Amelia Island near Jacksonville, FL, (Nassau County). Go to War Peace Tolerance blog, www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com. Note the list of ways people can make a difference for our troops--frugally. I just happened on it accidentally. (-:

Writers Shouldn't Know Their Place

I found a quotation that I thought particularly appropriate for writers. It by a writer, Richard Lacayo (Time Magazine). And it was written about a writer, Mark Twain. Here it is:

"The last thing you need in a free society is people who know their place."

Don't you love it? Lacayo goes on to say, "Twain knew that. It's one reason we know his place--and it up there very high."

Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Author of the Military Writers Society of America's award-winning Tracings, a chapbook of poetry. Available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1599240173/

New GI Bill, Finally!

My grandson is elated with the new GI Bill that Congress passed. Thought I'd let you know about it, too. http://www.gibill.va.gov/S22/Amount.htm

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, MWSA member and author of MWSA award-winning chapbook of poetry, Tracings.

Military Writers With Stories To Tell Invited. And It's Free!

I want to remind you that publisher Patrika Vaughn, talented Toastmaster award-winner Allyn Evans and I are teaming up to present a free teleseminar to writers who want to tell their own stories, as memoir or as fiction. Thus it is for genealogists, journalers and story tellers everywhere. It is titled "How To Write Your LIfe Story." I am pretty sure that many MWSA members have some untold stories to tell, even if they've already written one or two!

I'll share my experience turning my family's genealogy and stories into my award-winning novel This Is the Place and how I used the leftover stories from that effort in a book of creative nonfiction short stories, Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered. I hope my experiences will inform those inclined to publish their stories but who need more information about how that might come to be. I even used family memories in my chapbook of poetry, Tracings.

Patrika is author of How to Write Your Own Life Story or Your Family's Saga available as a CD set. She will talk about how to turn this material into a book, covering:

1) why you should write it

2) how to go about it (even if you've never before written anything but emails)

3) how to make it interesting to others


The teleseminar will be moderated by Alyn who is also the author of Grab the Queen Power: Live Your Best Life, based on her own experiences.


Writers are invited to listen and come prepared with their questions at noon on July 12th EST . Call 1-218-936-7999. When prompted use this access code: 390175. If asked participants may need this pin number: 2823.

The teleconference will be available as a podcast afterward at :

Authors' Coalition, www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress/podcasts_&_radio.htm
The ACapella Publishing site, www.acapella.com/
Allyn Evans' site, www.allynevans.com
On Allyn's Queen Power site, www.queeenpower.com .
And on Carolyn's Resources for Writers page at www.howtodoitfrugally.com

Those with questions may contact Patrika at acappub@aol.com

The seminar is offered as a service to the writing community through the auspices of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com) and Vaughn's publishing firm, A Cappela Publishing (www.acapella.com).

We three would love it if you could (or would!) pass this information to your fellow writers. How about your fellow critiquers and writing club members? (-:
h
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author THIS IS THE PLACE; HARKENING: A COLLECTION OF STORIES REMEMBERED; TRACINGS, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books, THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T; and THE FRUGAL EDITOR: PUT YOUR BEST BOOK FORWARD TO AVOID HUMILIATION AND ENSURE SUCCESS.
Her other blogs include TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com and AuthorsCoalition.blogspot.com, a blog that helps writers and publishers turn a ho-hum book fair booth into a sizzler.

Resources for Military Writers from John Kremer

All writers should be aware of John Kremer's Book Marketing Tip of the Week but this particular entry may be his most pertinent of the year for military writers.

Marine Corps stores~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I met the book buyer for the Marine Corps retail stores while riding the bus to the LA convention center during BookExpo America. They look for books that would interest Marine Corps personnel and their families.

U.S. Marine Corps Exchange, Karen Macdonald, Buyer, Personal and Family Readiness Division, USMC Building, 3044 Catlin Avenue, Quantico, VA 22135-5099; 703-784-3646; Fax: 703-784-5354.
Email: karen.macdonald@usmc.mccs.org.
Web: http://www.usmc-mccs.org.

Subscribe to John's letter at http://www.bookmarket.com . Please also consider Sharing with Writers, a newsletter assoiciated with Authors' Coalition. It is also full of tips on promotion, editing and the craft of writing. Send an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line to hojonews@aol.com.
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Submitted by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers, www.howtodoitfrugally.com.

Here's a Resource for Returning Soldiers with Mental Health Problems

My sympathetic friend, Kristin Johnson (who is founder of the Warrior Poets Project) sends this link for soldiers or families of soldiers. It will help them research how to get help in for soldiers with mental health needs. You'll see that you may even find help close to home. http://www.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/local/education/article/psychiatrists_offering_free_mental_health_service_to_troops/22456/