#graph Archives -

November 14, 2018 By Marisa Moks-Unger

Isotype Increases Flow with Symbols

Pictorgraphs are forms of isotypes. — This pictograph is an example of an isotype from “Reporting Technical Information,” a seminal work from Kenneth W. Houp and Thomas E. Pearsall.

Isotypes Create Connections with Images

Today’s word-of-the-day has a technical spin to it. Isotype (noun) – 1. a drawing, diagram, or other symbol that represents a specific quantity of or other fact about the thing depicted. Every isotype of a house on that chart represents a million new houses. 2. a statistical diagram, graph, chart, ect., which employs such symbols.

First, technical writers, including grant proposal writers, know how valuable the isotype are to projects. They relate complex information to the masses. Information is quickly understood through pictures.

Furthermore, Iso is a valuable affix. It comes from the Greek for equal. These images relate meaning across languages and cultures. Isotypes, which use iconic commercial art, are a go-to for writers and graphic artists alike.

Finally, extensive examples of isotypes and a history of how they were introduced into modern graphics after World War II, check out this Pintrest page: https://www.pinterest.com/wcmlibrary/isotype-graphics/?lp=true

Isotypes Message of Inclusion

Next, the direct message today’s word describes utility: Choose your symbols carefully. They need to convey the highest good from a writing project. Art, after all, speaks much louder than words. As we can see, isotypes come in many forms. They help readers. Pictographs and stock photography can bring fresh life to assimilating complex materials. Finally, the faster and easier an audience can understand a point, the better the chance a writer has of writing a successful article, report or bid.

Your Turn

Skip journal writing today. Instead, take time to Google search examples of images. Then, save sites that can help with future projects. By comparing and preparing where to locate images now, valuable time is saved during a project.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa Moks-Unger

Scrabble Words for Flow

Create a Word Bank from Scrabble

Word Lists from Scrabble — First play the game, then get writing from your curated word list.

Sunday afternoons find my husband, mother-in-law, and I playing Scrabble. This ritual helps us to pass the time during the pandemic. The games usually run one to two hours. We have taken these games to a new level by anticipating them each week, then carefully crafting our word choices. It helps that all three of us are avid readers and come up with a variety of interesting diction.

Also, the game gets my mother-in-law’s mind off of the local paper’s with its teeming death notices of Covid-19 victims – most from local residential living facilities. And, she is now interested in the fact that I am using these word lists to write from professionally.

Next, free write for a few. Make a list of the words developed during the game. Then use the list as a springboard to write a creative piece using as many of the words as possible. Play with long and short lines. Add some rhymes. Look for alliteration. Give yourself about 10 minutes. See what images appear.

Then, select a genre or two to carry through. As a theme arises from the free write of the word list, follow the lead. Perhaps a poem rises up. Or, a one-act play. Or, both! Choose one genre knowing that you can come back and create more works from any single topic.

Now, it’s your turn! If you have a Scrabble game somewhere hidden in a hall closet, it is time to get it out and try your hand at this writing tactic. It employs procrastination by allowing you to blow off writing at first by playing a game. Then, you are rewarded for the time you invested in the game by writing a piece from the words you and others generated.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

TGIFF – Thank God It’s Friday Flow

Cliché Finds Flow on Friday

Congratulations, you’ve made it to Friday. And, at the workweek’s end, there is time to find flow. But, where do you go to find flow? First, realize that flow can happen anywhere at anytime. Need proof? Look at this past post on finding flow in a card and party goods store. Simply click right here: https://wewriteitright.com/visit-flow-in-a-party-goods-shop/

How Gratitude Leads the Way

Use grateful eyes to take in the world around you. Then, instead of planning to hit the bars and clubs when the clock strikes 5:00 PM, other options present themselves during these times of pandemic. Why not take a virtual tour a museum? Or, take a walk or bike ride through a park? Or, spend an hour working on a poem, and essay, or a blog post. When you are grateful for the options you have – even if you are working from home amid shutdowns – then that is enough.

Your Turn

Playtime creates greater flow. — Spirographs, Etch-a-Sketch, and Slinkys are just a few ways to re-enter flow through playtime. What was your favorite activity as a child? When was the last time you tried it as an adult?

Think back to grade school, junior high, or middle school. Think about the electives that you took that helped round out your schedule. Did you take dance or music classes? Weight training? Or, perhaps, like me, you did candle making. Whatever it might be, try to reunite your lost teen with your adult self. Take time to write, dance, sing, paint, or play with your Spirograph! You’ll be glad you did!

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa