A Splat By Another Name

Asterisks are such funny little things. The name comes from Latin and Greek and means "little star."

It was created at the ancient Library of Alexandria but punctuation wasn't standardized until the invention of printing. And the main reason for the use of punctuation was to clarify syntax, or laying out the rules governing sentence structure. Boring, right?

But this is cool—in the 19th century a writer named Cecil Hartley wrote a poem illustrating how punctuation is used to clarify spoken text:

The stop point out, with truth, the time of pause
A sentence doth require at ev'ry clause.
At ev'ry comma, stop while one you count;
At semicolon, two is the amount;
A colon doth require the time of three;
The period four, as learned men agree.

It doesn't say anything about the asterisk of course, but it was fun to read.

One of the asterisk's early uses in feudal times was to indicate the date of birth on family trees. And I bet you didn't know that asterisks are usually five-pointed in sans-serif typefaces and six-pointed in serif ones.

It's such a useful little mark. I'm mostly familiar with its use in typography, but it seems every field has their own use for it. In music notation it tells when the piano's sustain pedal should be lifted. In human genetics it's used to indicate someone's a member of a haplogroup and not any of its subclades. (Wikipedia lists a whole bunch of other uses if you have nothing better to do with your time.)

The asterisk has been a mainstay in the comic world, and nowadays it's used to briefly correct mistakes in our already brief social media posts.

Well, now you're so much smarter than you were five minutes ago.

Excuse Me While I Get This

I'm trying to think of the longest stretch that I've been able to write without an interruption. I'm sure there are times that I've been lost and swimming in hours-long sessions, but it seems rare.

Mostly I just pick up the pen, put on my thoughtful expression, and the phone rings or an email alert beeps. I think that's why I have to get out of the house to write. I feel like a man on a mission and I can't come back without my words of prey.

How do you make the time to write and keep from being interrupted?

Write For The Right Reason

There are likely as many reasons to write as there are writers. Some of us write for a living, some of us write to keep the demons at bay, and some of us write to impress someone else. 

I write because the words have to come out. Writing is it's own reward. Write for you. Be selfish. If it doesn't satisfy you, how can you expect others to appreciate it? 

What About Writing for Money?

I like what Stephen King said about doing it for the money (i've shortened the quote, but it keeps his intent):

…I never set a single word down on paper with the thought of being paid for it. I have written because it fulfilled me. I did it for the buzz. I did it for the pure joy of the thing. And if you can do it for joy, you can do it forever.

—Stephen King, On Writing pg. 249

Early Morning Drawing

I'm drawing a new Leaky pen cartoon. The first new one in thirteen years. The tripod behind me is filming a video that I'll post in the future.

Original Drawing—Run Out of 'E's

This is the original drawing, showing all the fun, scribbly-pencil lines. After all these years it's great to see it on a mug!

Leaky Pen Cartoons

A main feature of the original Leaky Pen publication was the cartoon about the writer's life. The character started as a nondescript, balding, middle-aged man (who eventually acquired the name "Henry"), and his wife. They were single-panel cartoons with captions.

Ultimately I drew the Leaky Pen cartoons for myself. I wasn't trying to please a client or anyone else. Each cartoon made me smile—from the moment the idea first came to mind, to when it was inked on paper. Even now, thirteen years later, they make me smile.

And since I've seen others enjoy them as well I wanted to find a way to make them available on different products, like mugs, shirts and whatnot. Now, thanks to these times we live in, I've found a way! Here's a link to The Leaky Pen's Zazzle store where you can get the cartoons on a bunch of stuff. I hope they make you smile too.