50 Free Resources That Will Improve Your Writing Skills

AhSaElDin · 3 months

It feels a little spammy (as those kind of list-aggregating sites tend to be), but it has many good and legit links to resources I use regularly. I'll pick through the list and check out some of the other links as I can. Looks like some good stuff if you are into that kind of thing. Thanks.

auPHE · 3 months

Mostly normal girl stuff (lip gloss, hair brush), but I do have a rhinestone-detailed Friends wallet that I enjoy flashing because people look at me like I'm retarded when I do. I have several crumbled dog biscuits I swiped from the Petsmart register. I also have a Naruto Sound Village Hitai-ate in there. Just because. You never know. :-)

inobvioustroll · 3 months

I admit I'm inherently a kind of antisocial person, but I really don't wish for anything bad to happen to people. That being said, my family trumps strangers, and I would sleep fine knowing I took care of the people that were most important to me. I have a responsibility to them that goes beyond my general responsibility to mankind. Selfish maybe, but my priority.

-venkman- · 3 months

Eh, I'm a chick and reluctantly gave it a go. And actually, I'm enjoying it. I'm not into girly things, so it's kind of a minefield to get past all of that crap. It also is a wasteland for memes and jokes that have been done to death over here. But all that being said, I've had some fun gathering up some geeky stuff and putting up some other stuff that probably nobody gives a damn about but that has been fun to hunt up and learn about. And it does have some pretty good recipes. I guess everything is what you make of it.

wutidonteven1 · 3 months

Yep. Me too. I especially loathed the assholes with 30 items in the 10 (or was it 15?) or less lane. Some of them would hide all of their crap in something like a Rubbermaid bin or under clothing so you'd already be in the middle of the transaction before you figured out they were working you, but others were just arrogant, entitled SOBs that didn't give a damn that there were several people behind them with their 3-5 items. That was the one time I'd be as nasty as fuck with a customer, because that was just insanely rude. And it was the one time I'd be totally unprofessional and both apologize and talk smack about the jerk with the next person in line. Quit thinking you are that special. You aren't, dumbass. That also goes for the people who would come in at their lunch hour and be dumbfounded that both the store would be busy with others with the same idea and also that it might take a while to check them out with their full basket of crap. I think those times were the only (or majority of) times that I got into genuine fights with customers. Get over yourself. Seriously.

wutidonteven1 · 3 months

It's funny, but I actually enjoyed my cashiering job at a big box retailer (even during Christmas). I think the people that pissed me off the worst were the "coupon warriors." Those ones that come in with the 3" binders and baseball card sleeves full of their meticulously-organized coupons. Really, I don't have an opinion one way or another about that whole thing, but damn, they were the biggest assholes in the world. They were completely insensitive as to whether they were holding up a line during a busy or acutely understaffed time, and they would fight you over every damned thing. You'd have to rescan and unbag crap and make sure they were just using the two coupons per item (we allowed one manufacturer's and one store coupon per item). Depending on my mood, I'd sometimes just take their coupon for 35 cents to shut them up, but if they were being an especially big ass, I'd make them go over the the guest service desk and fight it out. That was a great strategy until I was moved to the guest service desk, lol.

Other than that, be kind and understanding that, in general, we aren't idiots and aren't actively trying to ruin your day. Also, don't put stuff that you don't want in the candy shelf or something. Please hand it to the cashier. They have a bin under their register for such merchandise, and it makes their life much easier if they don't have to go clean all of that up (and this goes double if you are wandering around with a drink and decide you are finished with it). Be nice. I know a lot of cashiers are kind of surly, but it's a pretty depressing job sometimes. I always had a smile, though. Most of the other cashiers wanted to punch me. But it was a fun and interesting job for me. Plus I was there because I wanted to be and not because I have to be. Remember that some people are trapped there. Don't give them even more reasons for despair. I loved my coworkers and will still confront people who are treating their cashier like an ass. I view it as a brotherhood at this point.

wutidonteven1 · 3 months

OMG, that's is damn near perfect for the things that pissed me off the most.

Imagineaudio · 3 months

Several people here have some great tips for enduring the braces (water pik, wax). All I'll add to the discussion is to do whatever your orthodontist says regarding things like headgear and rubber bands. Really, take that seriously. I didn't and ended up wearing braces twice and still not getting them as straight as they ought to have been (I got lucky, if you call it that, because I had a dead tooth in my upper front teeth and they went ahead and crowned all four front teeth, straightening them in the process. That was infinitely easier than messing with braces, but I don't recommend unless you have a weird situation like mine.).

mig-san · 3 months

Nope. Never. Now, it usually ended with some serious friendzoning or worse, but damned if I didn't try. And with I few guys, I did end up in relatively brief relationships, but long enough that I can say "woo hoo!" and feel a degree of victory that I managed to triumph that time.

thesmash · 3 months

Nah, that just makes it look like you're trying even harder to conceal your ugly. I guess surgery sometimes can do some relative magic. I remember when everybody went gaga over Greta Van Susteren having plastic surgery on her face. And yeah, it did make a damned huge improvement. But I still don't think anybody is going to rate her over a 5 (maybe) in the hot babes department.

bizzytater · 3 months

We've done it before, and we've done it quite unapologetically. The first time was a cat that wandered around our apartment complex, making the circuit between apartments. Over the months, we even saw him inside another person's apartment. But a massive ice storm came through, and I was worried about him and began to run outside. Mitty was actually standing at our door, wet and very cold. When we brought him in, he had the worst case of ear mites I'd ever seen and severe internal parasites. He wasn't going back out there. If he had a home, they had their chance. Sorry.

At our current home, we have taken in some of the cats that have loosely been "owned" by the neighbors. Some of their other cats have been run over (including one that they let lay in their yard for over a week before my husband went and picked it up and buried it). Two of their cats came over and had kittens on our porch during the winter, and we took them in to give them a chance to grow before trying to get them out for adoption. But some of them got sick, and the entire litter and one of the moms tested positive for feline leukemia and had to be put to sleep. At that point, we tested and neutered all of the rest of the neighborhood cats, euthanizing those that were FeLV+ (which was way too many of them) and taking in the few that weren't. Again, no apologies. If you aren't going to take care of your cat to the point of endangering their life and frank abuse, then you have lost your rights to that animal. Screw them. We keep all of ours indoors only with regular vet care and a pretty happy life. I sleep perfectly well at night.

jweese · 3 months

We were at a restaurant when Boston came on, and the husband and I were quite proud of our kid because she knew the band and the song. She started singing loudly, and as the chorus came up she belted, "All I want is to have my piece of pie!!!"

dtanker · 3 months

40 in two weeks. Apparently I'm a bit of an outlier. :-)

unknownpath · 3 months

I am usually polite to a fault, but intentional jackassedness deserves intentional disregard.

jenn0987654321 · 3 months

My Sharona - The Knack

Nelboaconstrictor · 3 months

Yeah, honestly I think regrets of missed opportunities are really the only thing that makes life harder as I get older. I compare where I am with where I could be, and that can be very frustrating and depressing. But I try to remember that we all make decisions that seem to make sense at the time, even if they ultimately don't. And sometimes it's not even in your control. I personally was very sick for several years, and it pretty much destroyed my career path. But eh. If you can't learn to shrug off the wrong turns in life (and learn from those you willingly made), then you will make yourself miserable, and that indeed will make life harder. Like you said, just do what makes you happy, damn anybody else's opinions. My kid is very smart and could probably do pretty much whatever she wanted, but she wants to be an artist. And it makes me want to beat my head on a wall, but it's her choice, and she is thrilled with the prospect. She also knows that she'll probably be waitressing the rest of her life to support that choice, but she's okay with that. Be realistic with what you are going to do, and then do it.

Nelboaconstrictor · 3 months

Thank you. :-)

Nelboaconstrictor · 3 months

I'm 40 in two weeks, and I've been reflecting on this a lot as I watch my daughter get ready to move on (she's also and HS junior).

The big thing I would pass on to you is to do what you want to do, and if you are wanting to do anything of the adventurous, bohemian lifestyle, grab it when you are young and non-attached to anything. I don't know your situation, but if you are in the position for some good scholarships and stuff like that, the decision will be harder, but if it is merely the end of HS and time to move on, then if you want to travel and have some fun, go do it. Remember that you'll have to pick up some crappy jobs along the way to keep you going and that it will possibly be harder to get back to school when you are ready, but I personally regret not doing something like that and getting it out of my system. When you are married with a kid and career and house and car payments and all that, it is much harder to even take a basic vacation. So go have fun if you can.

Actually, for me, I was fast tracked into college (so fast tracked that I graduated from HS a year early). I was pushed into a major that I didn't really want to do instead of what I had wanted to do since JH, and I completely washed out. I didn't return to college until several years later, and again tried to do something "logical" instead of what I really wanted. I did better but still hated it and dropped out again. When I returned for the third time, though, it was for something I really wanted to do, and I had a tremendous amount of fun and success doing it. I was wiser and more mature (no overnight partying bs and much more discipline). It was a great experience. I would personally tell you not to worry about going to school when you are older. It some majors, it's a little awkward, but who cares. You know more about life and actually appreciate why you are there instead of automatically doing what your parents tell you to do. It's a much better experience, for my money.

Asking if life gets simpler is a complex question. Honestly, as I get two+ decades past HS, I have to say that it does get easier. Now, this is after some truly hellish, impoverished years. Lots of shitty jobs, assloads of debt (and a resulting bankruptcy), and just general misery. But it's at a good place now. All of those years of austerity taught us how to live wisely with our money, and even though we now make way more than we ever would have imagined we could have made, we still live in a modest house and shop Goodwill for most of our clothes and stuff like that. We splurge sometimes, too, but we remember it's a luxury and not an entitled part of our life.

I'm finally getting to the point that I enjoy life. Like I said, money is no longer a problem. My husband and I aren't 100% happy with our jobs and career paths, but we still have good jobs and are compensated well. Our child will be out of the house in a year, and we will both be able to help her on her adventure after HS and begin our own adventures (motorcycles are in our future).

Stress is bad, but I find the worst stress I have is what I place on myself. You have to learn to come to terms with whom you are and accept that. I always say that there is nothing on earth that someone can say that will be meaner or break down my self esteem more than what I do to myself. So, learn to take care of yourself. There will still be external stressors, but you will be able to deal with them much better if you take taking it personally out of the loop.

Best of luck. You are at the point when life really explodes with opportunities. Go grab them. :-)

lostandfoundat40 · 3 months

I'm very sorry for your really crappy situation. I read the title and was feeling very empathetic, because I'm really not liking the way life is going right now either. But I think you have me beat (if you want to talk about it in those terms). For me, I'm just stuck in a job and career that I'm not happy with but don't have a good alternative. I'm dealing with the aftermath of my mom attempting suicide in December and the subsequent implosion of my family. And, due to everything, I'm fighting a crippling depression (bad enough to keep me out of work last week). Actually my husband and I are in a similar situation as yours. I have a chronic depression that gets worse from time to time (as it is now), and my husband is struggling with losing weight because he just passed 40 and although he's always been healthy according to lab standards and all that, it's starting to catch up with him. And that is scary as hell.

But that's the empathy part. I'll offer some of the good that's mitigated the bad for me right now. For the good, we rescue cats (as well as a few dogs and a turtle and bird), and it's a rare moment in time when everybody is healthy without any worries in the foreseeable future. That's kind of our life (I wouldn't need to work without them, but I do it willingly and happily just for them), so for all of them to be in good shape is a joy. I worked a suicide schedule for over a week (over 80 hours in seven days) to be able to buy some Van Halen tickets for the family (including our daughter, who we try our best to properly indoctrinate with good music). Because I've given up on my career, I'm getting to look ahead at alternatives, and although they are scary, it is exciting to think of going back to school to finish my philosophy degree (commence laughing now) and work on my writing and possibly even get it published. There are always outs, and even if it isn't ideal or even logical, follow what you need to make you happy. We've been dirt poor, and I've worked in crappy jobs like cashiering at Target, and I realize I can function and even enjoy whatever situation I am in. More money is great, but peace is worth much more. That's kind of a hippy response, though, and some people can't do that, or at least do it right away (most of our screwed up debt is way in the past and things like our house payment is very reasonable). But most people can get there eventually.

My family is small and fragmented, so I can't completely empathize with your husband's situation, but I can imagine how painful is must be for him. I guess all we do is the best we can. And sometimes it really isn't enough. My husband has been in a similar situation when his family was sick and dying, and it especially haunts him that he wasn't there when his dad died (despite visiting him during his illness). His mom is old, sick, and across the country, and he's going through the same thing. But again, you do what you can. Tell them you love them, and hope that they remember that and accept that as the best as you can do. I would not want my daughter to feel guilty if she couldn't get to me if I were acutely ill. We love each other very much, and I know she'd do anything for me if she could. If for some reason someday she can't, that's okay. I know what's in her heart, and I will always accept and love her regardless. Your husband and you need to try your best to cut yourself some slack and accept that you are trying your best. You have a hell of a distance to travel, and it just isn't realistic to be able to travel back and forth there, especially if you are already struggling financially. You sound like good, loving people. Remember that.

Don't worry about your long story. We all have our stories to tell, and some are more complicated than others. Take care, and do your best to embrace your husband and hang in there. Take care.

Snoopyseagul · 3 months

Well, I have a lot of animals, and weirdly some have "voices" and some do not. Usually the voice is related to their personality or physical characteristics (e.g. we have a moderately neurologically-impaired cat that definitely has Sling Blade's voice). And sometimes it comes from their name. We have another cat named "Shit Rock," named after one of Bubbles' cat from Trailer Park Boys, and I'm pretty sure he talks like Bubbles.

purplepanic · 3 months

I'm kind of in a situation like that right now, and I decided that I just have to be smart about it. For my current skills, it's some of the best money I can make, and it is a fairly generous, comfortable job. I realize, though, that I dislike the field and need to move on when I can. So, I was personally in a position that I could drop to part time to start working on the next phase of life. But sometimes, even with all of those "positives," it is just excruciating to go in. Like you, I go through that whole thing scolding myself for not appreciating having a decent job. But it's somewhere that you have to spend a significant amount of your time and energy, so it's not selfish to want to be happy in your job. Just bide your time, remember whatever benefits you are getting from it (money's my big one), and get your future/exit plan going.

Andrewskoff · 3 months

We drove from Oklahoma to Colorado to see a concert (Rush at Red Rocks), and although the whole region was getting slammed with storms and the like, we honestly didn't even think to confirm that the show would still be on. We stopped in Hays, KS and got a turntable from Goodwill, made it to our hotel in Denver, had a nice dinner (Casa Bonita!) and then headed to the venue, where we were turned around because the show was canceled. So, we hiked around the park until dark, went back to our hotel, and headed home the next day. And then we did the whole thing again three weeks later when the show was rescheduled. :-)

justbeinjustin · 3 months

I don't think anybody wants to admit to that, even when they are blatantly so. I made a fairly lighthearted joke to my English professor niece about her "hipsterness," and she both denied it and got a little offended at the suggestion. But that's okay. I'd be embarrassed if I were one, too.

comfortableenough · 3 months

I'm thisclose to doing this, but I keep holding on to it because of the few lingering friends that I don't really have any other way of communicating with. But increasingly I notice that nobody seems to care about what anybody else is saying. It's just a platform for people to talk. And that isn't inherently bad, except most of what they have to say is pretty inane and uninteresting to anybody but themselves. It was enlightening to me when I took the time to write about forty of my friends short letters back at Christmas and only about eight responded (and one of those was an older friend who messaged me when most likely drunk and wanting to hook up Christmas morning at 3am). If people aren't going to even pretend to do the "friend" part of Facebooking, then it really isn't worth the time and effort.

bizzytater · 3 months

I do feel better reading that others feel this way, though. I tend to think I'm the only awful asshole that has lived a life littered with bad decisions and destructive relationships and can't let go of the anger, pain, and shame I felt because of them. We can be absolutely brutal to ourselves. I'd like to say it makes us reflect on what we did wrong and help us to improve our future behaviors, but it always tends to be just an exercise in self-abuse and almost a reinforcer of how big a (perceived) jackass we are.

bizzytater

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