Happy holidays, everyone! I’ve made it through nearly the whole year without ranting about this, which I’m kind of proud of.
I cannot tell you how many books – both traditionally published and indie/self-published books – I’ve seen using the word “smirk” where it doesn’t belong.
A smirk is a one-sided smile. It can be smug, proud, fake, unpleasant, etc.
The easies way to remember the difference between a smirk and a smile is that if a person’s smirking, they’ve either won against the others, or they’re hiding something from the others (could be a good secret or something bad, doesn’t matter).
For example:
‘Merry Christmas,’ said the Grinch with a smirk. Later that night, he planned to press the big, red button in his lair and blow up all the presents.
But if a person’s happy, but not bragging or teasing or hiding a secret, they’re just smiling.
Can’t there be different types of smirk?
Yes, absolutely.
Damon from The Vampire Diaries is the classic example of the many different types of smirk. No one pulls off a smirk like Damon, and he does it in so many different ways or moods.
Here are some of the best examples I could gather for you of his different smirking styles…
Examples of Damon smirking in The Vampire Diaries
Cunning or evil smirk – like in the first few seasons:
You can’t tell what he’s thinking or planning – but the key is that his eyes are not smiling.
Playful or teasing smirk – Damon gives this type of smirk almost every time he interacts with Bonnie – once they become besties, that is.
Arrogant smirk – whenever Damon thinks he’s winning, or he’s managed to fool someone, you see this type of smirk… This screenshot is not the best because he’s talking, but you get the idea:
Loving smile that is sometimes a smirk – you could call Damon’s one-sided smile a smirk sometimes when he’s with the main character, Elena, because he’s hiding a secret from her. (Secret is: he loooooves her. Spoilers for 2011, I guess?)
This is the smile of someone who is proud of themselves for eliciting a reaction from their lover, or proud of their lover.
This versatility in expressions is just one of the many reasons why everyone loved to watch Ian Somerhalder play him in the 2000s and 2010s.
Damon was also a really well-rounded character, but I think I’ve fangirled enough for one post!
Incorrect times to say “smirk”
Sometimes a smile isn’t a smirk – it’s just a smile.
In a lot of novels I see these days, the male love interest is often smirking at the female hero – but not intentionally – he’s actually just smiling.
He’s not teasing her…
He doesn’t have bad intentions to pull one over on her…
He isn’t proudly smirking because he’s elicited a reaction from her…
He’s just smiling – so to say he’s “smirking” feels really jarring and just plain weird.
It makes the reader go, “Wait, what am I missing here? I thought this dude was in love with her?”
Pop quiz: Do you think Damon is smirking or smiling in this picture?
You can now read my new book, Laws for Claws, on Amazon Kindle – it’s even free if you have Kindle Unlimited! 😉
And the paperback will be available on Amazon as soon as I get the author proof back and check that it’s all printing ✨perfectly✨. 📖📚
Laws for Claws is an urban fantasy novel, not part of the Fire Dancers series.
This story a werewolf, paranormal romance – delightfully smutty, and definitely NSFW, so it’s such a fun read!
I included all my favourite tropes in this one – one bed, enemies to lovers, “who hurt you?”, forced proximity, and so many more!
Addie is a red-headed and red-blooded young lawyer. A rising star at the precinct, she’s determined to make violence against women a thing of the past.
But she doesn’t know that someone she put behind bars has just been released – and they’re a feral werewolf, out for blood.
Scott, a police sergeant who leads with empathy and authority, and Lee, a troubled cop in the canine squad, both want to protect her. They’re both werewolves in the clan Scott leads, but they have very different priorities.
Addie is hesitant to let them in, afraid of getting caught in the middle of their friendship, and of upsetting the clan.
Can the three of them work together to take down the enemy? And maybe even create their own version of happily ever after?
One of them things I’m most proud of about putting this book out into the world is that I’ve included some of my experience as a #neurodivergent human – diagnosed ADHD, OCD, PTSD, and more.
Today is all about how we talk about how many years old something or someone is, or how many years in a row we’ve won an award.
When is it “years old” vs “#-year-old”?
“Years old” is the most common and most reader-friendly way of talking about how old something or someone is (in Australian English).
e.g. CompanyX is more than 100 years old.
You always use hyphens for “#-year-old” because it is either used as an adjective (similar to how you put a hyphen in “award-winning”) … or it is a noun on its own (in which case it is a compound word, two or more words stuck together).
Not using hyphens here is a common mistake.
e.g. Adjective: CompanyX is the largest 100-year-old organisation in Queensland.
e.g. Noun: My 2-year-old is very tall for her age.
When is it “age” vs “aged” vs “years of age”?
Beware of using “age” when you could be using the reader-friendly phrase “years old” instead. I always used to see this often when updating our member-facing forms; it would say “If you are age 55 / 60 / etc.” instead of “If you’re 55 years old”.
e.g. If you are aged 55 years or over, please fill in this part of the form. >>> For readability, it’s easier to say “If you are 55 years old or over”.
e.g. Start planning your retirement before you reach the usual age for stopping work.
e.g. My daughter is only 2 years of age, so she’s not thinking about retirement yet. She is not yet of an age to retire. >>> For readability, it’s easier to say “only 2 years old”.
e.g. This coming-of-age novel is a good read.
Lastly, “year” and “years” can be used in a few different ways.
e.g. CompanyX has won the Platinum rating from SuperRatings for more than 10 years in a row.
e.g. In the year 2020, lots of people began working from home, and it was also my third year working at CompanyX.
e.g. CompanyX has been taking care of clients for more than 100 years.
e.g. Our current investment approach was initiated around 10 years ago, after the GFC.
e.g. You could say someone is wise beyond their years.
Image source: Collegedunia.com
Any other ways of talking about time and age that you’ve seen tripping people up?
(C) TJ Withers-Ryan, 2022. Please credit me when you share or repost. Thanks!
I think most people, whenever they think about using “whom” in a written sentence, stop and wonder whether they’re doing it right.
Psychological reassurance: The reality is that this is one case where you can probably relax, because most people speak English differently to how we write English. If you write “who” every time, it’ll look fine, because this is almost always the word people use when we’re speaking. Because “whom” sounds pompous out loud, almost nobody says it, even when grammatically they should. So when you write “who”, even if it should be “whom”, most people reading it will think, “Yeah, I’d say ‘who’. That looks fine to me.”
But if you still really care about writing it correctly, then let’s get word nerdy!
Ever wondered what type of music will help you to focus when writing in different genres? Here’s what’s worked for me in the genres in which I’ve written or edited.
Okay, NaNoWriMo is nearly over, with only five days until the end is declared. So if you’re nearly there, here’s some final inspiration, to give you the last push you need to get that baby out (what a gross analogy, seriously). And if you’re boycotting NNWM and you’re kind of sick of hearing about it, soon we’ll be back to awesome posts that are not all about how to write a novel in the shortest possible timeframe.
Why does music help you write?
Studies have consistently shown that classical, Baroque era music can help students study things they’ve already learnt once, and can help workers to concentrate better during long or repetitive tasks. For those in a busy study or work environment, music has also been proven effective for blocking out distracting background noise. If you’re writing, editing, or creating art, music can help you stay focused and be more creative and open to new ideas.
By contrast, if you’re trying to learn new information that requires your full attention, music can distract you from what you’re reading. So if you’re doing research about historical methods of leather tanning for a new book, you might want to turn the stereo off and focus on the history.
Listening to lyrics can be distracting from writing, so most of the music I’ve featured in this post is purely instrumental. This is because lyrics are words and you’re already trying to think about other words when you’re writing. (People in other disciplines like maths, science or IT have no trouble with listening to lyrics while they work – in fact it helps, since their domain is largely numbers and code (Lesuik, 2005).)
So what can you use to inspire you when writing in different genres? Read on to find out!
TJ Withers 