Ani Was Writing

Dear Followers of Jesus;   Do you remember your leader? You know, the one you claim to follow? Well, I would like to call that into question.    I don't think you truly follow Jesus anymore. If you did you would do as Jesus told multiple people in the Gospels: deny yourself and take up your cross (Matthew 16:24, Luke 9:23, and Mark 8:34); you must sell all you own and give the money to the poor (Luke 18:22); you also have to hate all of your family (Luke 14:25-6). And that is to be a perfect follower. The best of the best. Not to mention other things that I don't have to hand.   The biggest condemnation I can give is that you don't follow the two commandments Jesus gave us: " ' You should love the LORD your God with all of your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ' You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prop...

Part 10 / End   Praza stays on the deck with Geralt as the crewman fetches the captain from his quarters. He returns with a rather sophisticated-looking man; definitely something Praza was not expecting to notice. The man addresses her. "My name is Captain Ezra. May I ask your name?"   "Praza." She states. She sees the captain and crewman exchange a nod before the crewman leaves. Praza looks at Captain Ezra. "Is something wrong?"   "No, no." Captain Ezra folds his arms. "My crewman just fears for your safety. He said he saw someone nearby that looked like they were ready to pounce on you." He sees Praza tense up. "Don't worry, you are safe up here. Now, what did you need?"   "Passage off of Lannet." Praza states bluntly. "As long as your next station isn't Lannet or Shivat, I'll be fine. I just need to leave."   The captain is speechless for a moment. "Well, I normally only take cargo, but ...

  I get it. The unfortunate alignment of a pandemic and a season of outdoor delights leaves you to stay home for a good chuck of your time. It is something to lament, sure. It is sad to look outside to see all of the flowers in bloom and all the animals scampering about when you can't go out for a long time. It truly can be sad for you, especially if you enjoy the outdoors.   This is the was things are. And, eventually, everything will come to a new variation of familiar. In the meantime, use the time to see what you can improve about your personality and your character. Sure, you could improve your body or mind, but I feel that reflection and introspection on your character and personality could improve your social life more. You are not the only ones I would recommend this to; you guys are the ones I would highly recommend this to as a group. This time to really learn and refine your character and personality can give you clarity about the people you want to be around and ...

Part 9   If there was anything Praza was happy about, it was the kindness of the outcasts. The men seem more than happy to keep guard while Praza and the older lady worked on blankets together until they fell asleep. When she woke in the morning, she gave them her wagon and everything but her pouch of money, her scythe she described as her "walking stick," her house, and her silver yarn. "As gratitude for your assistance." She smiles. The trio try to persuade her, but she persists. "Please. I see you have a strong horse that carries your stuff. This will help you and the horse with the load." The trio bow and thank her before they leave.   After they leave, Praza straps the pouch under her dress with some of her silver yarn and takes Geralt's rein they gave to her for the wagon. It was nicer than the one she had. "Alright, Geralt. Back to basics for us." Geralt neighs and shakes his mane. "Alright, alright. Let's get going." She...

Book Review Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style Written by Benjamin Dreyer   If you are looking for a newer, fresher guide to the English language, this might be something to read. Dreyer is the Copy Chief of Random House, which gives him ample credibility to the wisdom and advice he offers. This book becomes a first step into the mind of a copy editor for multiple forms of writing. A lot of the information in this book serves as great advice and a springboard into other resources that Dreyer heartily recommends.   There is a lot of information to take in with this book. Its two sections (and thirteen chapters) cover a lot of material. The first section, "The Stuff in the Front," goes into detail about various style suggestions that you may want to consider on a basic level. Things such as punctuation; the rules and nonrules; and how to write foreign words in your work are critical for everything from flash fiction to novellas, from biographies...