I teach so that I can afford to write. Now in that stage called "midlife," I'm considering ways to reinvent myself for the next couple of decades. When I tripped across Helium, I recognized it as a resource that I hope to keep as a part of my day-to-day life.

My passion is ...

My passions have always been ice cream and good books. Recently I've added creating healthy homes to that list. Yours could be next ...

My childhood ambition ...

My childhood ambition was to write novels. I wanted to transport other kids to new worlds as powerful as those I'd found in the books I loved.

Why I write ...

For years, writing defined me. Today it simply feeds my soul.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

I just finished "Expecting Adam" by Martha Beck, an inspirational memoir well worth reading.

Arts & Humanities > Writing & Rating at Helium Capitalization and punctuation basics for Helium

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Punctuation is essential to effective communication. Consider the implications of punctuation on the following writing exercise. Given the sentence "a woman without her man is nothing," writers reveal intent through punctuation. Pro-male students are prone to punctuate the sentence to read as follows: "A woman, without her man, is nothing." Feminist students favor the following punctuation: "A woman: without her, man is nothing." Writers who need to be reminded of the necessity of punctuation from time-to-time are encouraged to trot out this exercise and consider the drastic effects of simp...

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