Recently, Moira at Clothes in Books shared a really interesting post about the words and phrases she uses in her blog posts. The fact is, we all have patterns of words and phrases that we use; they are part of our identities as communicators. She invited the rest of us to do the same, and take a look at the way we use words when we blog. So, being a ‘language person,’ I couldn’t resist the opportunity to reflect on my own blogging.

I looked over approximately 3,723 posts that I wrote between 2012 and now. And within those posts, I did see some interesting patterns of word and phrase I use. And I think they say something about both the blog and me. So let’s take a look:

As you can see, by far the most common word/phrase I use is Agatha Christie/Christie’s. There are 1691 instances of that name in the posts, and that shouldn’t surprise anyone. I’m a fan of Christie’s work, and frequently find examples in her novels of what I discuss on this blog.

Lots of my blog posts are devoted to looking at the way real life is reflected in crime fiction, and what that tells us about ourselves. So it also shouldn’t be surprising that I found 639 phrases such as, ‘In real life, and in crime fiction.’ The best crime fiction, I think, makes us look at ourselves.

As I mention books on my blog, I often say a few things about the characters. After all, characters are the heart of a good story. So it makes sense that there were 550 uses of phrases such as, ‘We are introduced to…’ as different characters were mentioned.

I often get inspiration from other blogs and posts (this post being a case in point!). So I use phrases such as, ‘_____ has got me thinking…’ (155 times, as this data set shows). I’m always grateful to be inspired by so many excellent bloggers and authors! I enjoy ‘food for thought.’

Of course, I like to think of this blog as a public service opportunity, too. Crime fiction can be a dangerous thing, so it’s always good to be careful (there were 30 such warnings in this data set). You can always count on me to be alert!

What, the other category? So there were 270 mentions of Billy Joel. So what??!  No, you’re obsessed. 😉

Thanks, Moira, for the inspiration.  Now, please go visit Moira’s excellent blog. You’ll find a real treasure trove of reviews and commentary on clothes and culture in fiction, and what they tell us about ourselves.

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from Dale Hawkins’, Stan Lewis’, and Eleanor Broadwater’s Susie Q.