And new product to support it!
Available for sale as a compact mirror. Click here to get one! Proceeds support the Victorian Dictionary Project.
I’m feeling optimistic about reaching my goal this year because of the support of my awesome sister-in-law, and the success I am already seeing through my participation in Blogging 101.
Support the project through my GoFundMe page, or visit my shop.
My 2015 New Year’s Resolution is to finish the Dictionary Project. With my novel, I’ve found blogging to be a supportive tool for the process, and am participating in Blogging 101 to bring the some of the success that I’ve had with Writers in London in the 1890s to my Dictionary Project. That’s what I’m doing, not who I am.
I am a disabled scholar and writer. Doctors recommend that I don’t drive or go anywhere by myself because I have memory lapses and get lost. Some days are harder than others. I get bored easily. Boredom is my biggest fear, and memory lapses contribute to boredom by making it harder for me to read a novel. It was, at one time, difficult for me to admit that I was having trouble reading stories. My educational background is in history and literature, so reading stories used to be one of the things that I did best. Now, I often get bored going backwards through books to find the last thing I remember reading.
Some days are harder than others. I had a particularly bad spell some time ago. It wasn’t just difficult to read; it was difficult to write. I couldn’t hold on to complex ideas long enough to capture them in words. Thankfully, I’m married to the best man in the world, and only had to worry about being bored at this time. Even in the fog of my own brain, I know he is there for me.
To keep from going mad with boredom, I decided to read and write about individual words that could help me with my larger project later. My work at that time was crutcha
crutcha adj. (1834), imperfect and put together quickly
I was developing a long list of useful words, and was visiting message boards, where writers were asking about Victorian slang, and I began to realize that I was building something bigger than the little pieces of time that my memory could cobble together. What I was doing was crackerjack and so was I
crackerjack n. and v. (1895) something that is exceptionally fine or splendid. Also, a person who is exceptionally skillful or expert.
I wanted to know if this was something I should share with the world. @rshepherd1964 took time out of his busy far away life to proofread everything, and encouraged me to proceed with the project. He had lots of suggestions. I still have lots of work to do. With help, I will I finish in 2015.
Support the project through my GoFundMe page, or visit my shop.
My original idea with the Dictionary of Victorian Insults & Niceties was to create an eBook that I would basically give away for free. It has since come to my attention that many people would prefer to pay for a hard copy. The fundraising process has been slow, and it has occurred to me that, if I offer what people are asking for, I might be able to raise more money and increase the distribution of the eBook.
For health reasons, I am terrified of entering into a crowdfunding nightmare that involves shipping out piles of books to my donors.
Suggestions?
Support the project through my GoFundMe page, or visit my shop.
My husband recently asked me how The Dictionary of Victorian Insults & Niceties would be different from a Victorian Urban Dictionary. I quickly realized that, except for how I’m organizing it, it won’t be, and there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, there’s everything great about that because it meets a definite need, just like the Urban Dictionary does.
Now, I’m wondering… Would ‘the Victorian Urban Dictionary’ be a better title?
The Dictionary of Victorian Insults & Niceties 