During World War II, a student at the British Institution of Electrical Engineers wrote about the “turbo-encabulator.” After Time published an article on the device, engineers at General Electric, Chrysler,…
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Johnny ran outside, looked at the petunias, then went into the kitchen. Outside again, he played with Spot for a minute, then went for a cookie. When the screen door…
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At a national conference one year, Jack pitched his book to a long-standing acquisitions editor for a major publisher. He received this comment: “This is interesting,” the editor said, wanting…
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Frank Ball used to collect stamps, coins, and rocks. Now he’s a collector of words with unexpected meanings, which he calls “daffynitions.” Here’s the one he posted today: Testicle —…
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Early on Sunday morning, Matthew Jeffers saddled his horse and rode into town. This time he didn’t stop at the saloon but tied up at the old church, which had…
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One teacher said to Becky, “Put a comma wherever you would naturally pause.” She tried that, but another teacher said, “You have commas where you don’t need them.” Becky didn’t…
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After Willis Gramwell finished teaching his last-period English class, he stopped at the furniture store to buy chairs and a table for his dining room. He recognized the young clerk…
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Each morning Frank Ball reads a few comic strips to stir his creative thinking. In just a few frames, many of them tell an interesting story with beginning, middle, and…
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See Spot run. See Spot run fast. These were the words Johnny learned in kindergarten. Now as an adult, he wanted to write better. He turned to the thesaurus, not…
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Henry had never bought a lottery ticket. Why not? His choice wasn’t due to a religious prejudice against gambling. He just never believed he could win. What he could do…
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Character is a critical key to becoming a person of quality, and it starts in the home!
