Twitter Twerminology

I've been on Twitter for a couple of months and am thoroughly enjoying it (although it is taking up at least an hour of my time each day which could be used to actually write another novel, but I digress). I'm still learning the lingo and think it's great fun (especially the terms "tweet" or "tweets.") However, I'm beginning to think the entire universe is developing a lisp. Read some of the terms below. You'll see what I mean. Twopular - Recent Twitter trends Twellow - Yellow Pages Twibe - Tribe (i.e., group of like-minded folks) Twug - Hug Twable - Fable Twitterholic - What I'm becoming Twitterature - Book recently bought by Penguin. Two college freshmen are retelling the classics using 140 characters or less. Genius. These are just a few of the terms I've come across. I'm sure there are many more. Care to share more Twitter lingo? Don't worry--we won't waff at your wisp.(My apologies to anyone who actually has a lisp. No ill will intended.)

Present Tense Vs. Past Tense

More and more, novels are written in present tense. Still, I've read several articles in writers' magazines (like Writer's Digest) which say some editors frown upon this practice. They even went so far as to say present tense writing may cause the manuscript to get tossed in a bin. I'm talking about narration here--not dialogue. Here's an example: Past tense: Rebecca put down her cup and looked out the window. Present tense: Rebecca puts down her cup and looks out the window. I write in past tense but have read many novels recently that are written in present tense. It always gives me a start and sounds like poor grammar (unless it's dialogue like I mentioned). What do you think? What is your preference? Labels: English, grammar, writing