Monday Muddle: desert, dessert

There is an old expression: he got his just deserts. It is spelled with one S in the middle. However, if you are setting up a banquet hall, and you want a table reserved for just desserts, you would spell that with a double S in the middle. I always remember that dessert has two Ss because I will want two servings of it.

Just deserts—what you justly deserve, usually used in relation to punishment.
Just desserts—a selection of only sweet treats and nothing else.

If you want to talk about an unpopulated island where someone might be stranded—the setting of many hypothetical questions—you could call it a desert isle (as was the case with the uncharted one that Gilligan landed on), or a deserted isle. The first means dry and barren; the second means abandoned, so probably still pretty barren. If you saw the Monday Muddle on April 5, you will know that a deserted aisle is what you might find in a grocery store on a slow day. The dessert aisle is less likely to be deserted.

Monday Muddle: desert: (n) a result that is deserved; a dry, barren area; (adj) relating to that dry area; (v) to abandon dessert: (n) the sweet course of a meal, usually served last; (adj) relating to that sweet course

Tuesday Two

Write a story with only two sentences. Use the photo for inspiration if you wish.

Photo by Hans-Jurgen Mager on Unsplash.

An endangered white-headed vulture sitting on a large broken branch, against a light blue sky.

Monday Muddle: I’ll, ill

“I’ll” sounds like “aisle” and “isle” (see last week’s Monday Muddle), but it’s less likely to be mixed up with them unless you are using voice to text software of some sort. If you leave the apostrophe out, however, you will end up with “ill”, which is not generally something people want.

Monday Muddle: I’ll: (subject pronoun and verb) contraction of I will ill: (adj, adv, n) unwell, sick, badly, harm, misfortune

Wednesday Writing

Sometimes in my conversations with authors, I find out that their families don’t support them. Often family members don’t understand, and sometimes they actively oppose the authors’ work. I’ve heard authors say that their spouse forbids them to write. I find that very sad, and I’m frustrated on their behalf. These are people who work full-time jobs to pay the bills, participate in family activities, and just want an hour or two of alone time each week. I wonder if they would be allowed to have a hobby other than writing. Would they be allowed to watch sports on TV? Play a musical instrument? Go jogging? Read? Or are they not entitled to any time to pursue their own interests no matter what they are? If this describes you, I want to remind you that your writing matters. Don’t give up!

A young man sitting outside on a concrete wall writing in a notebook. A baseball cap hides his face from view as he looks down at his notes.

Tuesday Two

Write a story with only two sentences. Use the photo for inspiration if you wish.

Photo by John Fowler on Unsplash.

The Milky Way in a clear and starry night sky above unusual rock formations.

Monday Muddle: aisle, isle, aile

I regularly see “isle” when “aisle” is meant, but the funny thing about that (for me) is that aisles are more like the river that flows around the islands of shelves. So it’s all kinds of backwards.

An “aile” isn’t English, but it still gets thrown into the mix now and then.

Monday Muddle: aisle: (n) a passage between rows of seats or between shelves. isle: (n) island. aile: (n) French for wing.