Everything is the same, yet different. Consider all the versions of the ATM machine and you'll see what I mean.

So, why can't we have some consistency?
This question niggles at me every time I have to deal with yet another ATM transaction machine in a retail store. I guess consistency in the types of machines would translate to a monopoly, and Lord knows we can't have that. But, I'm getting old and I only have so much space left in my brain for storage. Hence, the 'old dog/new trick' analogy is making a lot more sense to me these days.

Don't you agree, though, that it would make like much simpler if we could be uniform in SOME things. In California, the freeway lanes reserved for Carpools are called just that...CARPOOL LANES. In some states they're called Express Lanes, and in Tennessee they are called HOV Lanes. I just recently learned HOV lanes don't require High Octane fuel. I had steered clear of them since I use the lowest grade gasoline available. *lol* I finally figured out HOV means High Occupancy Vehicle. Now I'm challenged to discover how many people you must have in your car. A Volkswagen full of clowns...three people, two. Me and a blowup doll? *lol* See, we aren't even uniform in that. In my old home state it's two, in some places it's three. I can just picture the committees that make up these rules. "Well, let's show California we can go them one better. We'll require three adults, a child and a dog."

I guess I'll have to slow down and read the signs when I pass. You can't just assume you know the answer, can you? I'm beginning to understand why people just stay home. It's easier. Besides, I don't have a dog. :)

I’ve found writing to be no less frustrating. Each publisher, editor and critiquer has their own preferences and styles, and they change from house-to-house and person-to-person. House A requires their font to be Times Roman, but House B prefers, Georgia, C wants Arial, and D demands Abadi Condensed. House F wants double spacing, while G wants 1.5. Agent Orange wants a five page synopsis, but Agent Apple wants it crunched into one. Critiquer C thinks I need to say ‘she felt’, but during edits in another work, I’ve been warned away from using ‘felt’ and instructed that if you are in the character’s POV, it’s assumed she did the feeling.

Stay clear of gerunds, avoid those ‘ly’ words and use stronger verbs instead; don’t combine identifying and action tags, instead eliminate the identifier in favor of action. Example: “Don’t’ cry,” he whispered, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Better: “Don’t cry.” His voice came in a whisper while he wiped tears from her cheeks. But, I’ll bet you’ll find ten people who like the first one better. Who do you believe?

I’m about to chuck the critique groups and go with what I think I know. I’m sure somewhere along the line, I’ll get a new opinion that will convince me to change mine. Oy Vey! And I can say that because I come from Jewish lineage. *lol* And people think this writing thing is easy. Sort of walking across broken glass with bare feet.