And my head still hangs in shame.

So I thought I’d share some of the 15 most common Grammar Goofs. (Photo courtesy of Coppyblogger)

Thirty days of writing madness, with thousands of writers striving to achieve the same goal. A novel of 50,000 words or more by midnight on November 30.

I just wrapped up a 31 Day blogging challenge on my personal blog, so I was hesitant about participating in NaNoWriMo. But really, why not go for it? If I fail, at least I will have spent some serious time writing and getting ideas on paper. If I succeed, maybe I will have a really fantastic novel!

Either way, here we go.

Day 1 is underway.

Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? If so, are you participating this year? 

They decided to remove “cassette tape” from the dictionary in favor of words like “mankini”, “sexting”, and “retweet”.

Just let me know when they add GTL. Because at that point, society will truly hit rock bottom.

…

Ok, still here? Then you should check out Martha Brockenbrough‘s letter to her daughter, Lucy. Upon realizing that the tooth fairy wasn’t real, she asked her mother point blank if she was Santa. Here is Martha’s well crafted response.

Dear Lucy,

Thank you for your letter. You asked a very good question: “Are you Santa?”

I know you’ve wanted the answer to this question for a long time, and I’ve had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.

The answer is no. I am not Santa. There is no one Santa.

I am the person who fills your stockings with presents, though. I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my mom did for me, and the same way her mom did for her. (And yes, Daddy helps, too.)

I imagine you will someday do this for your children, and I know you will love seeing them run down the stairs on Christmas morning. You will love seeing them sit under the tree, their small faces lit with Christmas lights.

This won’t make you Santa, though.

Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can’t see or touch.

It’s a big job, and it’s an important one. Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents and in your family. You’ll also need to believe in things you can’t measure or even hold in your hand. Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.

Santa is a teacher, and I have been his student, and now you know the secret of how he gets down all those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he’s filled with joy.

With full hearts, people like Daddy and me take our turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible. 

So, no. I am not Santa. Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. I’m on his team, and now you are, too.

I love you and I always will.

Mama

Seriously, how great is that letter? What a beautiful response to a difficult question.  But then again, what more would you expect from a writer