Is 'OK' Okay?

People often assume that it's tough to be my copy editor, but the truth is that I'm pretty easygoing. I almost always accept my copy editors' changes—except when they try to change "OK" to "okay." Then I become a raving maniac. My usual wishy-washy countenance turns to granite.

One of my favorite stories is the origin of "OK," and to me, "OK" is the purer form.

The origin of 'OK'

"OK" was born in America in the 1830s. (So as an aside, you wouldn’t want to use "OK" in a novel set before the 1830s. That would be an anachronism).

Much like the text messaging abbreviations of today, "OK" was an abbreviation for a funny misspelling of "all correct": "oll korrekt." Journalists of the time seemed to have loads of fun making up these off-kilter, insidery abbreviations. Boston journalists are credited with "OK," and according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the “okay” spelling didn’t appear until 1895 in an Australian publication based in Sydney called “The Bulletin.” (So again, if you are writing a novel, you shouldn’t use the "okay" spelling before at least 1895.)

And in case you want even more spelling options, in 1919, H.L. Mencken wrote about Woodrow Wilson using the spelling “okeh,” but that one didn’t stick. Thank goodness!

Journalists in the 1830s came up with other odd abbreviations with similar origins too. They had "OW" for "oll wright” (a misspelling of “all right”) and “NS” for “nuff said,” but “OK” stuck while the others fell into obscurity because president Martin Van Buren, whose nickname was Old Kinderhooks, because he was born in Kinderhook, NY, abbreviated “Old Kinderhooks” into “OK” and adopted the campaign slogan "Vote for OK.” He called his campaign supporters the "OK Club,” and all that campaign publicity established "OK" in the American lexicon. It stuck.

'OK' and 'okay' are both OK

Today, the two spellings peacefully coexist: the Associated Press recommends the "OK" spelling, and the Chicago Manual of Style recommends “okay.” My publisher follows Chicago style for my books, but to honor the word's origins, I insist on the "OK" spelling. And so far, they’ve been kind enough to indulge me.

'Okay' dominates in fiction, but 'OK' wins overall

Because "okay" is the form recommended by Chicago, though, and Chicago...

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Out of Emotional Bandwidth? How to Prevent Compassion Fatigue

I’ve been thinking a lot about essential workers, especially healthcare providers who have been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis for a year. I can’t help but marvel at the amount of chronic stress, and even trauma, they must be going through. They're not only fighting for their patients’ lives, but also fighting against equipment shortage, staffing shortage, conspiracy theories, and new Covid strains. It’s no wonder that many are experiencing burnout.

What is compassion fatigue?

As a mental healthcare provider, I’m especially concerned about one specific type of burnout that happens to healthcare workers—compassion fatigue. This can happen when you have experienced so much empathy for and absorbed so much of others’ suffering that you yourself begin to have trauma reactions. Those reactions can include things like emotional numbing, physical illness, and feelings of hopelessness.

Ironically, one of the very traits that make a person good at being a nurse or therapist or just a good friend can become a liability.

Compassion fatigue was first described in emergency department nurses and oncology nurses. Nurses may constantly witness pain, decline, and death, often without being able to save patients no matter how much of themselves they put into their work. Compassion fatigue has also been documented in child protection workers and mental healthcare providers.

People who are highly empathic almost can’t help but feel others’ pain.

Compassion fatigue can even happen to people who don’t work in the helping professions. People who are highly empathic almost can’t help but feel others’ pain. 

How can we protect ourselves from compassion fatigue while continuing to care for others? The answer is not to become emotionally numb to others’ suffering, but rather, to build good boundaries, take care of ourselves, and better understand our role.

How to protect yourself from compassion fatigue

1. Know the signs of compassion fatigue

...

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The Minefield of Anachronisms

The historical novel attempts to take a reader into a different time, and sometimes, a different place too. For example, my historical mystery "Murder in Old Bombay" transports readers to nineteenth century Bombay, the center of colonial India during the British Raj. To be effective, a historical narrative must weave the facts and sounds of the time and place into the story, so that readers feel this story could not have occurred in any other time-frame. Anachronisms—the use of words, objects or phrases in a period when they did not exist—are the bane of the historical fiction writer’s life.

Why does this matter? A reader cracks open a new book with a sense of anticipation, expectations fed by the cover art and the book blurb, suspending disbelief as they begin. As they turn pages, every detail must align else the bubble bursts, the curtain falls, the illusion is gone. Imagine reading about ancient Rome, and one of the characters says “No deal!” In that micro-second, the scene is shot, that fragile tapestry torn down, and suspended disbelief comes crashing down with all the weight of disappointment. The author has broken that promise, announced first in the genre and then made explicit in the blurb, leaving an unhappy customer to toss the book aside, return it to the library or angrily report that terrible term, DNF—did not finish.

When the illusion holds, the story unfolds. The reader dives in, turning page after page, enjoying the place and time, experiencing it first-hand. When they are immersed, they feel the character’s difficulties and troubles, their quandaries, anticipate their plans and root for them; they weep at their failures as events trip up the protagonist, until the final unfolding, where both reader and character are surprised. If success is achieved, the reader feels it is hard won, as in real life. If it is not achieved, yet the protagonist has changed in other ways, then too the reader is satisfied. They may feel that, just as life does not always reward, so too does this book mirror the vagaries of fortune which don't always favor the brave—sometimes they die, leaving us sadder and wiser, but grateful for their efforts.

When the illusion holds, the story unfolds.

None of this will work if the details do not align. Anachronisms are anathema to the dream.

In a recent WIP (work-in-progress) I used the term “Let’s pump him for information.” Now my story is set in 1893. Did people speak like this? Which people? Where? Here’s how I look it up.

My protagonist, Diana Framji, is a gutsy immigrant educated in England, traveling around Chicago with a local sleuth, so I’m confident that at least in terms of location, I’m fairly safe. But...

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8 Ways to Get Rid of Canker Sores

Canker sores are a very common affliction and can arise from any cause, ranging from stress to hormones to vitamin deficiencies. But that doesn't make them any less painful to deal with. We've got eight home remedies to get rid of canker sores fast, plus one tip to prevent future sores.

Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide may help reduce and relieve canker sores. Simply mix one part peroxide with one part water, then dab on any affected areas several times a day or swish around in your mouth for as long as possible.

Chamomile

How to get rid of a canker sore fast: the same chamomile tea that soothes a sour stomach can also calm canker sores. Allow the tea to cool, and then swish it around your mouth for a minute. Chamomile contains chamazulene, a natural anti-inflammatory agent, which will help accelerate the healing process.

RELATED: What Is a Cold Sore?

Tea

Hold a damp tea bag over the area. Tea bags are filled with healthful tannins. Cool the bag for even more relief. 

Honey

Dabbing unpasteurized honey on canker or cold sores four times a day will help them disappear fast, thanks to the enzymes it contains.

RELATED: Nutrition Tips for Preventing Cold Sores

Slippery elm

Native Americans have been using slippery elm for centuries to treat mouth, throat, stomach, and digestive ailments. Today you can buy slippery elm lozenges, available at health-food stores, which will provide lasting relief for canker sore pain. They’re also effective for coughs and sore throats too!

Baking soda

...

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How to Help Dogs and Cats Manage Separation Anxiety When Their Humans Return to Work

When one of my co-workers found out about a tiny, orphaned kitten that needed a home a few months ago, he didn’t hesitate to adopt it. He says his new companion helped make the months of COVID-19 isolation at home much less stressful.

He is not alone. Animal shelters and breeders across the country have reported record numbers of dog and cat adoptions in recent months.

But after my co-worker returned to work, he says his adorable kitten started urinating on the kitchen counter while he was away.

Another friend is worried about how her dog will react when she returns to the office. Her big, goofy Labrador retriever follows her everywhere, even to the bathroom. When she leaves to run a quick errand, the dog sits by the back door and whines, awaiting her return.

What should these pet owners do?

Alleviating pet anxiety is about changing the owner’s behavior, too. Josh Hild/Unsplash,...

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Best Advice to Manage and Repay Your Student Loans

A typical email I receive is something like, "Help! I have student loans—what advice can you give me?" I certainly understand why many graduates feel buried under the weight of debt.

The burden of student loans causes many people to feel like they can't fully live their life.

According to Educationdata.org, student loan debt in the U.S. totals $1.68 trillion. It's held by 44.7 million borrowers, who owe an average of $37,584. Borrowers with federal loans owe slightly less—$36,520—and those with private student loans owe much more—$48,819.

The burden of student loans causes many people to feel like they can't fully live their life. You might delay getting married, starting a family, buying a home, or starting a business due to the financial burden.

Today, we'll review updates to COVID relief for student loan borrowers and I'll offer tips to help you manage your federal and private student loans. Knowing your options can help you find the best repayment strategy and relieve financial stress.

Updates to COVID student loan forbearance

When the pandemic's economic fallout began, it was clear that student loan borrowers would need assistance right away. So, in March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act became law. It suspended payments, stopped collections on defaulted loans, and set the interest rate to 0% for loans owned by the U.S. Education Department through September 30, 2020.

Before the student loan forbearance period expired, it got extended through December 31, 2020. Then the measures got extended again to January 31, 2020, and finally to September 30, 2021.

Which student loans qualify for COVID relief?

The federal government must own a student loan to qualify for relief under the CARES Act. They include:

• Direct Loans that are unsubsidized or subsidized 
• Direct PLUS Loans 
• ...

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Is Sourdough Bread Better for You?

A listener writes with questions about sourdough.

I use homemade whole-grain sourdough daily. I am convinced it has exceptional health benefits but I can't find any nutritional info on it. It seems to me that it has to have probiotics, for instance.

With so many people stuck at home over the last year, bread baking in general, and sourdough in particular, have seen a big rise in popularity. And I think many people share this listener's conviction that sourdough must be somehow more nutritious than regular bread. But are these beliefs backed up by any science?

What is sourdough?

Sourdough is a traditional method of making bread that's a bit more time- and labor-intensive than modern methods. (Perhaps that's why we assume it must also be better for us.) A lot of bread these days is made with dried baking yeast, which is reanimated by combining it with warm water. When mixed with flour, the yeast start to digest the sugars in the flour, releasing carbon dioxide gas. This gas gets trapped in pockets in the dough and causes the dough to rise.  

Sourdough starter is a living, breathing colony that requires ongoing care.

Sourdough bread also uses micro-organisms to generate the gas that makes bread rise. But in this case, lactobacillus bacteria are doing the heavy lifting. These bacteria, along with some uncultivated (or "wild") yeasts, are naturally present in the flour as well as in the air. To make a sourdough starter, you combine flour and water and let it sit loosely covered for several days in a warm room and let nature do its thing. As the bacteria in the flour start to reproduce, they give off carbon dioxide and lactic acid. Eventually, you end up with a tangy, bubbly mixture with enough oomph to leaven a loaf of bread.  

Sourdough bakers will typically take a cup or two of starter out of the batch and then replace it with fresh flour and water. Unlike a packet of dried yeast, which you can store in the fridge for years before using, a sourdough starter is a living, breathing colony that requires ongoing care. If you don't periodically add more flour, the yeast will run out of food and die. (And this is how people end up hiring sourdough babysitters when they go on extended trips.)

What makes sourdough bread unique?

Bread made with sourdough, as opposed to baking yeast, has a characteristically sour or tangy taste that is one of its chief attractions. The texture of the bread is also usually a little denser, moister, and chewier than yeast-risen bread, which adds to its charms. The lactic acid also acts as a natural preservative, meaning that sourdough breads keep well without added preservatives. 

Because the specific micro-organisms...

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