Drop Dead?

Dear Readers,

I’ve been low on meaty questions lately, so I thought I’d explore something I found on my author page at Amazon. The news blog on my own author website also posts to this Amazon page, and I discovered that on the post referencing the return of Ask Lutz, there was a place where people could comment. It was there that I found this:

1 voter provided additional feedback.
Liked it? No
Feedback: Drop Dead

As a writer, I feel that it’s important to learn to accept criticism and use it constructively whenever possible. I decided to approach this brief comment as if it were sage words of advice from a wise old man. Let’s call him Sally.

Per my usual Ask Lutz methodology, I read the comment and then I read it again. Drop Dead. Hmmm. Well, certainly I can’t take it literally. Dropping Dead is simply out of the question. I should add it’s also unlikely, barring any freak accidents. Oh how I wish I could ask Sally what he meant.

"Drop Dead"?

Just two simple words, four letters each. Hey, maybe it’s a reminder for me to use more four-letter words in my books. Well, I’m all for that. Thanks, Sally! Then it occurred to me that “Drop Dead” might be an anagram, but all I could come up with was “Pod Dread” and “Add Roped.” I’m sorry. I simply don’t know how to use those suggestions constructively. I should mention that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an expert on anagrams.

Then I noticed that “Drop Dead” was an especially pithy comment and I decided that it was a reminder to be more pithy. And pith is always a good thing for a writer to keep mind. And so, in the interest of pith, I think I’ll end my meditation on “Drop Dead” right there. However, since the phrase is also alliterative, I feel that I should sign off in the same vein.

Love, Lisa

Only I’m not quite ready to end this post. There’s a saying that I’ve heard, “Nothing in life is free.” Well I’m here to tell you: Baloney. Ask Lutz is free! You write in asking for advice and I write you back, plain and simple. Everything is anonymous, and I never bill you. Maybe I never made that clear before. Consider it cleared up. Now, let’s keep the questions rolling in.

Speaking of questions, I have a stumper from a loyal reader. I read the question a number of times, but honestly, I got nothing for Tearfully. Therefore, I thought I’d post it and see if any of my readers have any wise words for our weepy friend. I would like to request, however, that none of those words include “Drop Dead” unless, after careful consideration, you sincerely consider death the only way out of his dilemma.

* * *

Onions?

Dear Lutz,

Before you chop an onion, it is an onion. Once you chop it, is it right to refer to it as onions? Or is it a chopped onion? If it is a chopped onion, why do people say, “add the onions,” even with recipes that call for a single onion?

Tearfully,
A cook

As always, feel free to comment, complain, or offer constructive criticism.

Here at Ask Lutz Central we wish you a happy holiday season.

Best wishes,
Lisa