Who won the 2012 Nobel Prizes? Part 1

Welcome to the latest Science for Writers post. Last time we discussed The Placebo Effect. This week we are entering the realm of prized scientists with a look at the Nobel Prize winners for 2012. This is the first of a 3-part su-series looking the 6 Nobel Prizes this year. This week we look at the Physics and Chemistry Prizes.

I have put important words in bold. These words are important in science and I will refer to them throughout the post. It isn't overly important for you to know the exact meaning, so long as you get the gist of what I'm talking about you will be fine following this post.

Writing Links are in italics and these discuss how the science could be used in writing.

About the Prize

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish who was interested in science, social and peace issues, and other technical stuff. He is perhaps best known for his work on trinitroglycerin (TNT) in the late 1800s. He died in 1869 and left a large sum of money in his will for a new prize. The Nobel Prize.

Despite the prize being for advances in science it wasn't until 5 years after his death the first prize was awarded. The reason was his family didn't agree with the amount of money being left for the prize.

Part of the will was as follows:

Vocab Builder: F

Welcome to the sixth in the Vocab Builder series. Last week we covered the letter E. This week, for those not following the pattern, we will look at the letter F.

A strong vocabulary allows you to select the precise word for what your trying to say.Whether you're a funambulist entertaining a crowd or or if you're flyting, you should have a strong vocabulary.

Last week it was commented that it is all very well knowing these words but one mustn't show off vocabulary for the sake of it. Remember if you want to use these words make sure you are using them correctly and because they are the right word for the job. Let's start:

Fainéant

Adjective

Meaning:  idle/ineffectual

Vocab Builder: E

Welcome to the fifth in the Vocab Builder series. Last week we covered the letter D. This week, for those not following the pattern, we will look at the letter E.

A strong vocabulary allows you to select the precise word for what your trying to say.Whether you're trying to edulcorate those in difficult situations, or trying to expiate your wrongdoings by apologising, you should have a strong vocabulary.

As Neil Gaiman once said, 'Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down.' Finding the right word is key here and is what I hope these Vocab Builders will help you with. So, with that I think we should get on with 7 words starting with the letter E:

Edulcorate

Verb

Meaning:  to soften or remove/free from harshness OR purify of acid (chemistry)

Halloween Highlight: Kat Hawthorne

Kat's Forum sig
Courtesy of Kat Hawthorne and 'The Celloian'

This week I would like to highlight a fantastic dark fantasy writer. We know each other from writing.com and she is a member of my group, the CSFS. This author is Kat Hawthorne.

She specialises in dark stories and has written many twisted tales.

Recently a story of hers, The pain Merchant, has featured on the site, Fiction and Verse. Kat's profile can be found here:

fictionandverse.com/kat-hawthorne


The Pain Merchant is a chilling short about a man whose business is pain. It is only very short and one that I thoroughly recommend reading in the run up to Halloween.

The Pain Merchant can be found by visiting www.fictionandverse.com/the-pain-merchant. Please comment on Fiction and Verse your thoughts on the piece.

Additionally, you can find more of Kat's work by visiting her Writing.com profile, here:
writing.com/main/portfolio/view/kathawthorne

Or you can visit her blog here:
http://kathawthorne.blogspot.co.uk/

Enjoy!

Matt

p.s. I was unable to get a Science for Writers out last week, but hopefully will have one this Sunday.

Kill Your Darlings

Kill Your Darlings Word Cloud
courtesy of alvaradofrazier.com

William Faulkner famously once wrote, ‘in writing, you must kill all your darlings’. This is rather extreme, though very true. It is a tough truth to face; a truth I have only just come to terms with.

It is a shame that some of the things we hold most dear in our writing must face the chop. It is as if the heart and soul we poured into creating this section of masterful prose is wasted. But, it needn’t be. See, when we kill our darlings we give breathing space to other ideas that had previously been suffocated by the greedy being we called our darling.

What is a ‘darling’, you may well ask. It is a hard thing to define, but I view it as something you as a writer really, really love unconditionally. For example, you may have this brilliant idea of a scene where the protagonist enters a witty riposte with the antagonist and comes out on top. You love like your first born. It is amazing. It showcases your clever mind and makes the reader see how much cooler the protagonist is than the bad guy.

Cut it.

Plain and simple.

Vocab Builder: D

Welcome to the fourth in the Vocab Builder series. Last week we covered the letter C and celebrated Language Day. This week, for those not following the pattern, we will look at the letter D.

A strong vocabulary allows you to select the precise word for what your trying to say that not only means what you mean, but also suits the style you're writing in. Whether you're a duffer pedalling 'goods' to tourists and require an easy to understand word, or an ice hockey commentator describing the defender who deked another player, you will need a good vocabulary suited to you.

As Neil Gaiman once said, 'Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down.' Finding the right word is key here and is what I hope these Vocab Builders will help you with. So, with that I think we should get on with 7 words starting with the letter D:

Demulcent

Adjective

Meaning:  Soothing (often medically related, but not always)