what not to say… to a tall person

I’m tall. Well, not freakishly tall. But 5’8″ is somewhat tall for a woman. (Two inches more and I could’ve gotten a scholarship.) You can imagine how tall I am when I wear heels. And my height didn’t come suddenly from a growth spurt in high school. I was the tallest one in my kindergarten class. I was taller than my mom by middle school. I’ve always been taller than most of my peers.

And while many people (read: short people) think being tall is a great advantage (sometimes it’s useful), it also comes with more than its share of annoying comments. Like . . .

“What’s the weather like up there?” Yeah, that ceased to be funny after the first time we heard it. Honestly. We get it. We’re so tall, we’re in a different atmosphere. Ha. Ha. (more…)

what not to say… to a writer

It’s the first Thursday of September. So that means it’s time for another round of “What Not to Say!”

Today we’re talking about writers. We’re a funny breed, a quirky bunch of artist-types. We may vary a lot, but there are some things that unite us, specifically things we’d rather not hear you say.

“Have you heard anything yet from that agent/editor/other important person?” We’re glad you care about us and our writing careers. We are. But see, if we’re waiting for big, important, life-changing news, we’re trying our hardest to be patient and not lose our minds. (It’s incredibly hard.) Every time you ask, you remind us we haven’t heard anything yet. Or you force us to tell you that it was a no. Believe me, when we’ve got good news to share, you won’t have to ask. (The only exception to this is if you’re a writer too. But tread carefully.) (more…)

what not to say… to an introvert

I’ve decided to add a new categories of posts, called “What not to say…” It’s like a dorky writer version of What Not to Wear. (Yes, your friends have reported you. We have evidence of your actions. You’re about to get ambushed.)

And because so many people can relate to being introverted, I’m tackling that one first. So here we go. Here’s what not to say to an introvert:

“Don’t you like people?” Um you, right now, not so much. But in general, yes. Our desire to embrace solitude has nothing to do with a dislike of people. But we’d rather hang out with smaller groups and reserve plenty of “me time” so we can process everything. It’s hard for extraverts to understand that. For them, more people = more fun. For us, more people = more stress. (more…)