Hello, everyone! Who hasn’t seen the 2011 Academy Award nominations? Some really interesting picks this year – is there ever a year when there aren’t some lusty protestations about this or that movie or actor left out? Not since I’ve been watching the awards, that’s for sure. Today I taught a class at Warner Bros., [...]
Writing
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Most Topular Stories
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The Hero’s Journey
Just Effing Entertain Me24 Jan 2012 | 7:32 pm -
Plagiarism
Advice to Writers27 Jan 2012 | 11:16 pmOriginality is nothing but judicious imitation. VOLTAIRE I have myself always been terrified of plagiarism—of being accused of it, that is. Every writer is a thief, though some of us are more clever than others at disguising our robberies. The reason writers are such slow readers is that we are ceaselessly searching for things we can steal and then pass off as our own: a natty bit of syntax, a seamless transition, a metaphor that jumps to its target like an arrow shot from an aluminum crossbow. JOSEPH EPSTEIN All my best thoughts were stolen by the ancients. RALPH WALDO… -
4 Books That Show You How to Write
Daily Writing Tips26 Jan 2012 | 10:41 pmNo, that headline doesn’t read “Four Books That Tell You How to Write.” The verb is show, and that’s exactly what I mean. This post does not list writing guides, but if you want to learn how to create a memorable reading experience, follow the excellent examples below. Note that this is not a definitive list of the most exemplary books; it’s just four I’ve read recently that have fascinated me — and made me think, “Gee, I wish I had written that” (and I can think of no better testimonial than that). 1. How to Distract People from the Fact That Your Book Is Educational by… -
Most Humor Depends on Specificity
Advice to Writers26 Jan 2012 | 11:49 pmMost humor depends on specificity. It’s funnier to say that a cheese steak tastes better when you’re leaning up against a Pontiac than when you are leaning up against a car. CALVIN TRILLIN -
Eight Characteristics of Good Writing
Writing Forward12 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amWhat's the difference between good writing and better writing? How important is it for a writer to be able to discern the difference between good writing and bad writing? Pretty important, if you ask me. I know some writers aren’t concerned with quality. In today’s do-it-yourself and get-it-done-fast world, quality plays second fiddle to quantity. Who cares if your books are full of typos, bad grammar, and poor logic as long as you have published lots and made a bunch of money? Readers care. Agents, publishers, and reviewers also care. And while you can still make a million…
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Advice to Writers
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Plagiarism
27 Jan 2012 | 11:16 pmOriginality is nothing but judicious imitation. VOLTAIRE I have myself always been terrified of plagiarism—of being accused of it, that is. Every writer is a thief, though some of us are more clever than others at disguising our robberies. The reason writers are such slow readers is that we are ceaselessly searching for things we can steal and then pass off as our own: a natty bit of syntax, a seamless transition, a metaphor that jumps to its target like an arrow shot from an aluminum crossbow. JOSEPH EPSTEIN All my best thoughts were stolen by the ancients. RALPH WALDO… -
Most Humor Depends on Specificity
26 Jan 2012 | 11:49 pmMost humor depends on specificity. It’s funnier to say that a cheese steak tastes better when you’re leaning up against a Pontiac than when you are leaning up against a car. CALVIN TRILLIN -
The Best Moments Involve a Loss of Control
26 Jan 2012 | 1:00 amFirst you look for discipline and control. You want to exercise your will, bend the language your way, bend the world your way. You want to control the flow of impulses, images, words, faces, ideas. But there’s a higher place, a secret aspiration. You want to let go. You want to lose yourself in language, become a carrier or messenger. The best moments involve a loss of control. It’s a kind of rapture, and it can happen with words and phrases fairly often—completely surprising combinations that make a higher kind of sense, that come to you out of nowhere. But rarely for… -
Go On When You Don’t Feel Like It
24 Jan 2012 | 11:02 pmSometimes you have to go on when you don’t feel like it, and sometimes you’re doing good work when it feels like all you’re managing to do is shovel shit from a sitting position. STEPHEN KING -
Imagination and Inspiration
23 Jan 2012 | 11:28 pmImagination is the real and eternal world of which this vegetable universe is but a faint shadow. WILLIAM BLAKE An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself. CHARLES DICKENS If writers had to wait until their precious psyches were completely serene there wouldn’t be much writing done. WILLIAM STYRON I sit in the dark and wait for a little flame to appear at the end of my pencil. BILLY COLLINS Use your imagination. Trust me, your lives are not interesting. Don’t write them down. W.P. KINSELLA You get ideas from…
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Daily Writing Tips
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100 Words for Facial Expressions
27 Jan 2012 | 10:19 pmFace it — sometimes you must give your readers a countenance-based clue about what a character or a subject is feeling. First try conveying emotions indirectly or through dialogue, but if you must fall back on a descriptive term, try for precision: 1. Absent: preoccupied 2. Agonized: as if in pain or tormented 3. Alluring: attractive, in the sense of arousing desire 4. Appealing: attractive, in the sense of encouraging goodwill and/or interest 5. Beatific: see blissful 6. Bilious: ill-natured 7. Black: angry or sad, or see hostile 8. Bleak: see grim and hopeless 9. Blinking: surprise,… -
4 Books That Show You How to Write
26 Jan 2012 | 10:41 pmNo, that headline doesn’t read “Four Books That Tell You How to Write.” The verb is show, and that’s exactly what I mean. This post does not list writing guides, but if you want to learn how to create a memorable reading experience, follow the excellent examples below. Note that this is not a definitive list of the most exemplary books; it’s just four I’ve read recently that have fascinated me — and made me think, “Gee, I wish I had written that” (and I can think of no better testimonial than that). 1. How to Distract People from the Fact That Your Book Is Educational by… -
A Quiz About Clarity
25 Jan 2012 | 10:56 pmWriters usually don’t mean to be duplicitous when they write one thing when they mean another; it’s just that what they intended to communicate is not what they communicated. The following sentences demonstrate some of the types of misunderstandings that result from careless composition. Try your hand at repairing the damage, and then take a look at my solutions at the bottom of the page: 1. “The postwar suburban ideal was a Cadillac and a fur coat like a movie star.” 2. “His legacy was also one of social revolutionary, humanitarian, and artist.” 3. “A letter can be mailed via… -
Four Powerful Ways to Bring Your Writing Goals Closer
25 Jan 2012 | 12:52 pmDo you wish you could get further with your writing? Perhaps you want to: Finally finish that novel that you started ten years ago Improve your spelling and grammar Make money from your writing Have a popular blog with lots of readers Publish a non-fiction book to support your business …or something else entirely. Whatever your writing goal is, follow these four steps and you’ll find yourself making much faster progress. #1: Write More Frequently You don’t have to write every day, but you do need to write regularly. Be honest: how often do you write? If it’s less than twice a… -
How Do You Teach Someone to Write Well?
24 Jan 2012 | 10:36 pmWhy is the craft of writing in such a dire state? The best writers of our time create magnificent prose, and additional tiers of talents do a fine job of communicating. But the vast majority of people seem competent at best, and many of those who are paid to write — or for whom writing is at least part of their job description (and, these days, that’s just about everybody) — frequently demonstrate a lack of understanding of, or concern about, the most basic rules of grammar and usage. How can this be? High school graduates spend part of virtually every day of school for thirteen…
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Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
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111 GG Everybody Wants Some
27 Jan 2012 | 11:48 pmIndefinite pronouns. The Grammar Girl print book is now available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/2pkej7 -
307 GG Omitting "That"
19 Jan 2012 | 10:48 pmWhen you can and when you can't -
306 GG "The Night Circus": Well Done Second Person Narrative
12 Jan 2012 | 10:48 pmDid you know there are three kinds of second person? -
305 GG Where Did the @ Symbol Come From?
5 Jan 2012 | 10:48 pmWhy does it look like a snail? -
304 GG Should You Point Out Errors?
29 Dec 2011 | 10:48 pmHow can you correct people's errors without coming off like a jerk?
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soul of a word
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How Long Does It Take?
27 Jan 2012 | 6:21 amMany, many decades – The esteemed Elizabeth Bishop, on one line of poetry, the comma moved back and forth. 25 years – Steven Spielberg, on his latest film “Red Tails.” 30 years – Frank McCourt on Angela’s Ashes. 2 months – Richard Paul Evans, author of eleven New York Times best-sellers, including Finding Noel and The Christmas Box. Average number of revisions once the first draft was done: 800 per book. 6 weeks, or 4 years, depending upon the source – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. 10 days – George Simenon, lunch delivered on a tray to his closed office door, no… -
9 Really Useful Tips
20 Jan 2012 | 5:27 amWant to improve your writing? Try these suggestions culled from my decades at the craft: 1. With few exceptions, stay in the moment. Use your chronology and don’t get ahead of it. 2. Don’t save anything for later. Bring whatever you have right here, right now. 3 Each time a character appears on-stage, some aspect must deepen. Characters develop vertically. 4. Every chapter, every paragraph must relate to the theme. The theme is what the story is about: love, war, jealousy, revenge . . . 5. Every chapter, every paragraph must move the action forward. You need a firm command of where… -
The Value of Routine
13 Jan 2012 | 5:34 amAlmost everyone has his or her own version of what it takes to get to work. Do you start fitfully like Michael Lewis? Do you stay in bed for a while and have your papers brought to you on a silver tray like Lady Antonia Fraser? Though you may not see another soul all day, do you need to wear a coat and tie to remind yourself that you are going to work as did Robert Caro? Do you need amphetamines (W.H. Auden), prefer to write all night (Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith), rely on a weak whiskey and soda to get going (Churchill), or prefer to be horizontal (Truman Capote)? No matter the… -
The Fear of Failure
6 Jan 2012 | 6:33 amWe all know the feeling, and we know too that our fears can compromise if not shut down an otherwise perfectly good writing day. Fear may not just precipitate the failure; it may be the primary reason for it. Is there an antidote to its crippling effects? Some writers talk about the need to muster one’s courage, or dig deep for a sense of dignity, or consider your lost opportunities if you never take a risk, or buck up and write through and past the fear. These are all reasonable strategies . . . And then there’s the artist Maurizio Cattelan, who favors a more extreme response. The… -
The Wind of Destiny
30 Dec 2011 | 6:16 am“We are living in a storm where a hundred contradictory elements collide; debris from the past, scraps of the present, seeds of the future, swirling, combining, separating under the imperious wind of destiny.” These words of a poet, published in a French literary journal more than a century ago, still seem exactly right, especially tomorrow night, New Year’s Eve. Lift a glass. Celebrate. Bathe in the air of possibilities. Where will the imperious wind take you this year? Wishing you all good things in 2012. Comments welcome and edited to include first names only, and…
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Copyblogger
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7 Useful Marketing Articles for Your Weekend
28 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amThis week on The Lede … Seth Godin’s simple cure for writer’s block. Why David Ogilvy called himself a lousy copywriter. A case study in the power of the blog. 10 ways to use Pinterest for your business. If you want more links you can use than the seven we highlight here every week, follow @copyblogger on Twitter. // A Stalker’s Guide to Competitive Research If you ever wanted a shot at becoming a private detective (without the hassle of becoming a private detective), this is it. Comprehensive does not begin to describe this article from Ms. Narayanasamy. In it, she… -
Answers to the 3 Biggest Email Marketing Questions We Get
27 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amWe’re back and we’re ready to talk email marketing. I asked two pros to come on and spill their best advice on the three biggest email marketing questions we get here at Copyblogger. DJ Waldow joins me and Sonia Simone to discuss: The best way to build an email list The 2 reasons why people open an email The most important element of an email that sells How to write emails that get opened How to stay out of your reader’s spam filters Sonia’s secret weapon of email marketing that works This one’s fast and useful, so keep your ears on … Hit the flash player… -
The Glee Guide to Attracting a Raving Horde of Social Media Fans
26 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amIf your memories of high school involve wedgies, broken hearts, and getting stuffed into your locker, you probably love Glee. The musical comedy TV show — Ryan Murphy’s smash hit about the nerds, misfits, and social outcasts of McKinley High School’s glee club — is equal parts quirky, cheesy, heartbreaking, and surprisingly delightful. Over its first two seasons, the show has also attracted millions of obsessive fans from all over the world. Glee fans, or “Gleeks,” follow the moves of their favorite show with a passion once reserved for Cabbage Patch Kids… -
4 Simple Steps to a Facebook Timeline that Tells Your Marketing Story
25 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amSo how about that new Facebook Timeline? Love it? Hate it? Either way it’s here to stay (until it isn’t). As always, Facebook loves to change things up and people love to kvetch about it. You can always use new Facebook Features to improve your marketing, so how can you use the Facebook Timeline to your advantage? Read on. First, a few facts about the Facebook Timeline. The Timeline only affects personal profiles at the moment. Facebook has not announced when (or even if) they will roll the new Timeline look out to Facebook Pages. Second, not everyone has the Timeline yet. If you… -
How to Instantly Transform Your Landing Page Images from Good to Great
24 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amReading this post made us smarter, richer, more fascinating, and an average of 3 inches taller. Let’s say you place a photo of a client on your landing page. Just the photo. No client name. No title, or business name. No clue as to what industry that client is in, or where they come from. Now, photos are a great addition to landing pages. Photos of happy clients help to build trust with your readers, showing the type of people who do business with you. But would anyone even know that person was a client? The moment you add in a few important details — the client name, the…
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onewildword
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The secret weapon to writing better stories: Make mistakes
27 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amI’ve concluded that to be a better writer, I need to make more mistakes. The more uptight and worried I am about, “getting it right,” the stiffer and less creative my writing is. I’ve been working on revisions and I’ve found I wrote better pages when I was half awake and less tense about the sentences. Or when I worked fast and furiously as I wrote 750 words for the day. Or when I wrote with the abandon of a 5-year-old. It’s just not effective or efficient to edit and create at the same time. If you edit while you’re creating, your brain can get a little too judgmental and… -
How to put together a poetry manuscript
26 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amI’m putting together my first poetry manuscript: gathering and editing poems, organizing and reorganizing them into some kind of order. Since I’ve never done this before, I wanted a little help. I found an excellent article by Jeffrey Levine, an award-winning poet, and Founder, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Tupelo Press. In Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Poetry Manuscript: Some Ideas on Creation and Order, Levine gives an overview of the entire process from what font to use to how to find an effective title to tips on ordering the poems. For me, ordering the poems was the… -
Revise by retyping your manuscript
25 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amI once read an interview with Australian writer, Blanche D’Alpuget, who said that when she was finished with her first draft, she would print it out, take a deep breath and delete the original file from her computer. Then she would make herself type the whole thing again from the printouts. I’m doing revisions myself right now, but I don’t have the guts to delete my draft. However, I like the idea of starting from the beginning and retyping it. I think D’Alpuget’s strategy forced her to justify every word by reading and “rewriting” the whole manuscript. It’s easy to get… -
Ask this simple question to get a new perspective on your writing
24 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amLast week, I had two lessons about the benefits of looking at things in a different way. First, we had a tremendous (for us) snow storm here in the Pacific Northwest. Normally, we get a dusting of snow once or twice a year which is usually gone within a day. Last week, we had six inches and it lasted three days. Since we’re surrounded by hills, we were snowed in. The first day was fun but by the third day, the snow was interfering with our business. Since Fed Ex couldn’t get to our home, we walked our boxes to the drop-off location about a mile away. No big deal. We like to walk… -
Write your book 750 words at a time
23 Jan 2012 | 8:04 amWe can think about writing, talk about it and even read about it, but typing word after word is the only way it’s going to actually happen. The fact is, I know I have to write every day to eventually produce a finished novel, and this year, I’m more committed than ever to maintaining a daily writing practice. So when I saw a blog post by Darcy Pattison about 750words.com, I was intrigued and immediately signed up. Buster Benson, of Seattle, built the site to make a place where he and other writers could commit to write 750 words a day, the number of words it takes to fill about three…
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WordPress.com News
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Chrome Users: Try the WordPress.com Extension
27 Jan 2012 | 1:54 pmWant to receive WordPress.com notifications instantly, even when you’re not on WordPress.com? Add the new WordPress.com extension for Chrome and as soon as you get a new follower or a new like on one of your posts, a notification will appear in your browser: Simply click the icon to view your latest WordPress.com notifications: Start following new blogs without visiting WordPress.com The Chrome extension also makes it easy to follow sites from your WordPress.com account by displaying a Follow button whenever you’re browsing a site that has an RSS feed. Clicking the Follow button… -
Your Stats Have a New Home
26 Jan 2012 | 10:46 amAre you addicted to checking your site stats? You are not alone. The stats dashboard has always been one of the most popular admin screens. It’s gratifying to know that people are visiting your place online. With the WordPress.com front page evolving into a one-stop shop for posting, exploring, following and reading blogs, it seemed natural to put your blog stats there, too. Stats are becoming more and more about interacting with your readers and other bloggers. You’ll still see your summary stats and chart on your main dashboard, and the full stats page in your dashboard will… -
Reblogging is Back!
22 Jan 2012 | 1:27 pmAs we mentioned last week, you can like and reblog posts directly from your reader, which displays a stream of all the updates published on all the blogs you follow from your WordPress.com account. We’ve also brought the reblog button back to the toolbar that appears at the top of the screen when you’re logged into WordPress.com. Note that you’ll only see the like and reblog options while you’re looking at individual posts. For example, you’ll see this on the left side of your toolbar while viewing http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/read-blogs: And your… -
New Theme: Newsy
20 Jan 2012 | 12:18 pmIt’s been an extra big week in the news ’round these parts, so much so that the launch announcement of our latest premium theme seems like an extra extra good way to headline our Friday. Newsy is a versatile business and news-friendly theme that offers up to ten different layouts, four footer columns, custom link and accent colors, and a custom site header. Brand and content-focused editorial teams will love publishing with this theme. Newsy: Home Page Designed by Themify, Newsy comes with an impressive set of Theme Options that afford you a great deal of flexibility with how you… -
Read All Your Favorite Blogs in One Place
19 Jan 2012 | 6:04 pmIf you feel like it’s a chore to keep up with all your favorite blogs, you can now read posts from all the blogs you follow (even the ones that aren’t on WordPress.com!) in one convenient place on the WordPress.com home page: Your reader displays all the posts across all the blogs you follow in the order they were published, with the most recent content appearing at the top. You’ll see an excerpt of the introduction to each post, the first image in the post, and thumbnails of any other images that the post contains. You can even like and reblog WordPress.com content directly…
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English Study Materials
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Learn American English Online
24 Jan 2012 | 4:46 amLearn American English Online is a website designed to, as its name implies, help students learn American English for free online. Divided into seven levels, the website offers lessons and exercises focusing on important aspects of English that ESL students need to master. Features: Self-contained... [This is a content preview only. Visit my website for full articles, links, and much more.] -
Radio New Zealand
1 Aug 2011 | 1:30 amThe website of Radio New Zealand is a great resource for students of English wishing to improve their listening skills. With a big, constantly updated archive of quality radio programs, the site will help students familiarize themselves with New Zealand English and at the same time improve their... [This is a content preview only. Visit my website for full articles, links, and much more.] -
Dictionary of Sexual Terms and Expressions
9 Jun 2011 | 12:32 amSex-Lexis.com, by Farlex, Inc., is a one-of-a-kind online dictionary that enables users to look up all kinds of sexual terms and expressions that are sometimes considered taboo and as a result left out by other 'decent' reference sources. Features: Two dictionaries in one: Dictionary of Sexual... [This is a content preview only. Visit my website for full articles, links, and much more.] -
World English
18 May 2011 | 4:03 amWorld English has a rich collection of free online English learning activities. Covering a broad range of topics with an emphasis on grammar and vocabulary, these activities can be used by all English learners but are most suitable to ESL students at intermediate level and... [This is a content preview only. Visit my website for full articles, links, and much more.] -
Free English Grammar Lessons and Exercises at English4u
7 May 2011 | 12:48 amHerwig Rothländer's English4u is a great ESL website that offers free English grammar lessons and exercises online. Visitors to the site also have free access to a range of interactive activities focusing on English vocabulary and the cultures of some English-speaking countries such as the United... [This is a content preview only. Visit my website for full articles, links, and much more.]
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Creative Writing Forums - Writing Workshops, Writing Help, Creative Writing Contests - Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar
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Is it repetitive?
27 Jan 2012 | 4:03 amturn yourself in and turn yourself to law. or give yourself up which is better? 1) He has turned in to pressure so he is giving himself up. or 2) He has turned himself in because he has given in to pressure. a) to give up : to surrender b) to give in: to cease opposition and c) to turn in : to hand in/to give over I find these slightely confusing. -
Writing Questions
27 Jan 2012 | 2:37 amReader, So I turned in an assignment (short story) for one of my classes and in it I wrote: "Where are you going, Sarr," asked Darrow? This is also how I have seen it in published novels (the structure not the exact sentence). However, my instructor said this: It should be: "Where are you going, Sarr?" asked Darrow. So which is right? Because I have never seen the second one in any novel I have read. Plus doesn't a "?" end a sentence so her example should be: "Where are you going, Sarr?" Asked Darrow. v/Respectfully, Keven EDIT Never mind found my… -
A question of grammar
26 Jan 2012 | 7:00 pmIn a new short story one of mine, of the main characters speaks French with English as a second language. As a result his English grammar tends to be 'pigeon' if you get what I mean? In one of his dialogues he uses the phrase, "...for the sea; she is a cruel mistress sometimes!" Now, I'm using a semi-colon here but is that the correct style of punctuation? Would a comma, or a dash work equally well? -
Silly font question
26 Jan 2012 | 6:41 pmFor the rare event of having to write a word in quotations and italics (I have a character saying a foreign word), do you put the quotation marks also in italics? I would assume so, but the thing gets worse when I need to write a period right before the closing quotation. Thanks. -
"I was now..."
25 Jan 2012 | 10:48 amIs this sentence grammatically correct? Quote: I was now passed asking for the stats. Now I was independent.
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The Purdue OWL News
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Purdue Writing Lab Spring 2012 Brown Bag Schedule for January 24, 2012
24 Jan 2012 | 2:59 pmPurdue Writing Lab Spring 2012 Brown Bag ScheduleBy Elizabeth AngeliThe Writing Lab offers a series of Brown Bag workshops for English 106, 106i, and 108 instructors to share pedagogical strategies and materials for the composition classrooms. All workshops are free and take place in the Writing Lab (Heavilon 226.. -
Purdue Writing Lab Spring 2012 In-Lab Workshops for January 20, 2012
20 Jan 2012 | 2:42 pmPurdue Writing Lab Spring 2012 In-Lab WorkshopsBy Elizabeth Angeli The Purdue Writing Lab offers free workshops for all Purdue students, staff, and faculty interested in learning about and getting hands-on practice with different aspects of writing. No sign-up is required; just come as go as needed. All worksh.. -
Purdue Writing Lab Spring 2012 Conversation Groups for January 10, 2012
10 Jan 2012 | 1:54 pmPurdue Writing Lab Spring 2012 Conversation GroupsBy Elizabeth AngeliThe Purdue Writing Lab's ESL Conversation Groups will be held on the following days in Heavilon Hall 226 during Spring 2012:Mondays: 2:30pm - 3:30pmTuesdays: 11:30am - 12:30pmWednesdays: 12:30pm - 1:30pmThursdays: 1:30pm - 2:30pmFridays: 9:00am - 1.. -
Purdue Writing Lab Spring 2012 Hours for January 10, 2012
10 Jan 2012 | 1:51 pmPurdue Writing Lab Spring 2012 HoursBy Elizabeth AngeliTo make a tutoring appointment, call 765-494-3723. Heavilon Hall 226Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday: 9:00am - 6:00pmTuesday: 10:00am - 6:00pmFriday: 9:00am - 1:00pm Hicks Undergraduate Library (UGRL Room G959)Monday: 7:00pm - 10:00 pm Latino Cultu.. -
Purdue OWL YouTube Channel Cover Letter Vidcast and Playlists for December 14, 2011
14 Dec 2011 | 2:14 pmPurdue OWL YouTube Channel Cover Letter Vidcast and PlaylistsBy Elizabeth AngeliPlease check out the latest vidcast, "Tips for Writing Effective Cover Letters" by content developer Joshua Paiz. We've also created the three following playlists, which allow you to watch a set of continous videos: Grammar and Mechanics, Writing in..
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Academia-Research blog everything about how to write a good paper.
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Dissetation Writing Tips For Online Writers
10 Jan 2012 | 6:26 amSome Useful Dissertation Advices For The Beginners The role of college articles is to provide the students a great way to deal with so many types of researching. This may come to be a very good way for you to enhance your ability to look for information given a resources material that is limited. In that aspect, if you are going to write a dissertation, you need to get some more info about dissertation writing tips. This can help you get the best attribute in relaying information and to engage your readers to take part in your activity of knowledge build up. As a part of the online job… -
Writing Jobs About Business
9 Jan 2012 | 6:44 amWhat to Write In Business Writing Jobs Have you ever thought of writing for businesses? What if you could actually land in a job that promotes writing articles? Today, there are primarily hundreds of positions offered online. As a type of freelance writing opportunities, you may get involved in business writing jobs. Let us take a closer look at how a person might be employed on the net. Business writing jobs are recognized as one of the most lucrative online jobs today. The only thing that you need to have is the capacity to learn business tools and terminologies in order to write an… -
Science Paper Writing Job
15 Dec 2011 | 6:43 amGuide To Careers In Science Paper Writing The field of science education brings the most significant learning experience for students. Because of the greater ability of the course to provide greater aspects of observing the environment, it would be ideal if the school admin will implement a strategy of making the student adhere to science writing. Of course, with such demand, an increase in jobs in science writing may be encountered. Right now, you may apply for writing jobs on the internet and provide your services for different individuals. This can give you a stable work while at the same… -
Resume Writers Job
14 Dec 2011 | 6:53 amDon’t Miss You Chance To Get Resume Writer Job Applying for a job entails the great extension of effort, the use of money resources and to complete the time frame to be exhausted. For most part, doing the task may involve a feeling of fulfillment even if at the end of the day, you will not get hired. Of course, in any job seeking processes, you will need to provide that much prized document which reflects your skills, personality, abilities and character background-the resume. There are many aspects in resume writing. Some people may even need to undergo training programs just to… -
Dissertation Advices for Online Writers
23 Nov 2011 | 8:16 amTips That Help With Dissertation Writing We are always faced with a dilemma of writing a good paper even in today’s modern time of the internet. But if you are actually having troubles in managing your work as a freelance writer, then we can give you some simple tips to serve as dissertation advices. Many of you will have a future career in the future online so it is important that you start building your skills that will be needed in the fields of online work at home schemes. There are actually two major types of writing online. The first one deals in the medium of creating articles for…
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Dissertation and Thesis Writing Blog | Dissertation and Thesis Tips
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Tips on Writing Dissertation
13 Jan 2012 | 3:45 amTips on Writing Dissertation To write a dissertation requires from you a lot: much time to spend, lots of skills to achieve and improve, basic writing and composing abilities. When one starts writing, he or she must be ready for some complications that may occur every now and then. That is why to point tips on writing dissertations is more than essential. What do you know about dissertation as a whole? Why you are supposed to write it? Both questions remain unanswered for most students who face writing each day. To eliminate all confusions on the matter, let’s talk about tips on writing… -
Get Dissertation Done
25 Dec 2011 | 1:17 pmGet Dissertation Done From day to day students all over the worlds face problems concerned with writing dissertations. Most of them realize that such piece of work will certainly take a lot of time for performance. That’s why more and more students prefer to avoid “hand-made” writing and get dissertations done by other means. The most popular of available alternatives is to buy dissertation online. One can say that when he or she finds writing service web page and sees enormous amounts of different variants how to get dissertation done without any efforts, the solution to the problem is… -
Dissertation Help Service
23 Nov 2011 | 9:02 amDissertation Help Service Dissertation, also known as thesis, if a form of academic paper that usually provides a kind of support for one’s PhD degree. Writing a thesis needs a lot of skills and takes a lot of time. That’s why there exist special dissertation help services. What kind of service you can get The main goal of dissertation help service is to give a hand to those who is in need. If, for example, you have got a job but no time for writing and studying; at the same time you are a student of a university and the dissertation day is about to come; suddenly you face the reality and… -
Order dissertations online – powerful start for the excellent result
1 Oct 2011 | 5:56 amEssentials of dissertation writing Let’s review the basic algorithm of a dissertation writing process. Above of all a student must define the concept and field of research. Regarding the senior student profile it doesn’t seem a lumberjack job. Yet sometimes the lack of a few practical skills doesn’t allow her/him to make a sniper shot. If the aim is an eye-catching written piece of work, the student is to follow next determined steps - very carefully select the references, a lot of them! You will have to review the ocean of scientific papers – theses, monographes, articles… -
Master’s Thesis Sample
23 Sep 2011 | 7:45 amUse Master’s Thesis Sample to Master your Academic Life A Master’s thesis is a carefully argued scholarly paper of approximately 12,000 – 13,000 words (roughly 50 pages). It should present an original argument that is carefully documented from primary and/or secondary sources. The thesis must have a substantial research component and it must be written under the guidance of an advisor. As the final element in the Master’s degree, the thesis gives the student an opportunity to demonstrate expertise in the chosen research area. Academic Continuum: Master’s and PhD papers A…
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Writing for the Web
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Obama: "My message is simple"—but is it simplistic?
25 Jan 2012 | 12:26 pmVia Smart Politics: "My Message is Simple": Obama's SOTU Written at 8th Grade Level for Third Straight Year. Excerpt: For the third consecutive State of the Union Address, Barack Obama spoke in clear, plain terms. And for the third straight Address, the President's speech was written at an eighth-grade level. In Obama's own words: "My message is simple." But was it too simplistic? A Smart Politics study of the 70 orally delivered State of the Union Addresses since 1934 finds the text of Obama's 2012 speech to have… -
Some supplementary materials for my book
23 Jan 2012 | 11:23 pmI should have re-posted these materials after the last reorganization of this site (and the site needs another update soon!). In any case, here they are. They include a PowerPoint slide show, some PDFs, and several Word files. Download Exercise on Education Download Exercise on Teaching Download Exercise Work Habits Download Towards An Interactive School (PDF) Download W4WLinksList Download Webwriting Download Webedit01 (PDF) Download Webedit02 (PDF) -
SOPA: Sites go dark as part of anti-piracy law protests
18 Jan 2012 | 9:28 amVia BBC News: Sopa: Sites go dark as part of anti-piracy law protests. Excerpt: Thousands of internet sites are taking part in a "blackout" protest against anti-piracy laws being discussed by US lawmakers. The Wikipedia encyclopedia and blogging service WordPress are among the highest profile pages to remove material. Google is showing solidarity by placing a black box over its logo when US-based users visit its site. The Motion Picture Association of America has branded the action as "irresponsible" and a "stunt". Visitors to… -
Can you over-link a web news story?
16 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pmAccording to Justin Martin at Poynter.org, the answer is yes. His argument: Why Christian Science Monitor stories have too many links, wrong ones. Excerpt: I often don’t read my own articles in The Christian Science Monitor. The volume of hyperlinks the publication drops in their copy is just too distracting. Consider this Op-Ed on volunteerism among Millennials. Not only does it contain no fewer than 28 links, but among them are a number of highly disruptive, full-line links to Monitor content, screaming things like, “RELATED: Top 4 obstacles for young people – and how to… -
A Literary History of Word Processing
26 Dec 2011 | 10:19 amVia The New York Times, a reminder of how quickly we forget the machines and programs that changed our lives: A Literary History of Word Processing. Excerpt: The literary history of the typewriter has its well-established milestones, from Mark Twain producing the first typewritten manuscript with “Life on the Mississippi” to Truman Capote famously dismissing Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road,” pounded out on a 120-foot scroll, with the quip “That’s not writing, that’s typing.” The literary history of word processing is far murkier, but that isn’t stopping Matthew G.
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Charlotte Rains Dixon
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Book Writing: The Tyranny of Chronology
27 Jan 2012 | 12:44 pmAre you a Write in Order Writer, or an Anything, Anytime Writer? The Write in Order Writer insists on writing scenes in strict chronology. The Anything, Anytime Writer writes whatever part of the novel she feels like without regard to order. All my life, I've been a Write in Order Writer. And this is not necessarily a good thing. Because hewing to a strict chronology as you write can become tyrannical. (For the record, that's a great word.) As I've mentioned a few times before, I'm working on a new novel. The path to get here has been fraught with false starts and… -
The Delicate Tension of Being a Writer
25 Jan 2012 | 7:02 pmWhen you're a writer, you are always pulled to write. If you're like me, and I fancy that you are, because we writers share odd (yet wonderful) traits, you're constantly thinking, I should be writing. Or, I wish I was writing. Or, why aren't I writing? The pull of the story is always with us. And that creates a constant tension in our lives. Do you remember what it is like to live without this tension? I don't. Because the desire to find time to write colors every day. I think this same tension is present in the lives of other creatives--artists and musicians… -
The Writing Process: Letting Go
23 Jan 2012 | 12:52 pmThere comes a time in every writer's life when she or he must let go. Most likely, it will be letting go of the work, sending it out into the world to find its own way. But it might also involve letting go of something such as a preconceived notion, a story idea, or the way you think your plot should go. But we'll talk about those in a minute. First, let me tell you a couple stories. When you have an experience of deeply, truly, and spontaneously letting go, it is incredibly profound. This has happened to me twice. The first time I was a tubby, relatively new mother… -
Writing Inspiration: What Do Your Nerves Tell You?
19 Jan 2012 | 4:35 pmGazing at me may make you feel calmer. Yesterday I told you I had a kick-ass (one can only hope) post on letting go ready for you. Then I got distracted by the need to write about the Sopa Strike. And now here you are and you're reading a post on nerves. What gives? It makes more sense to write about nerves first and then letting go. At least to me. So, here's the story. On Sunday, I wrote up the notes for Session Two of my Make Money Writing class. I did a dry run. I was happy, I felt ready. Nerves Monday morning I awoke with a vague sense of nervousness and when I… -
Stop SOPA
17 Jan 2012 | 10:16 pmI have a kick-ass post on letting go and how difficult and necessary it is. But you'll note I'm not posted it today. That's because I'm participating in the Stop SOPA strike. I'm not technically advanced enough to figure out how to black out my site, but this way you get the benefit of learning more about it. (And if you find sites blacked out in your travels around the web, this is why.) Information from the Stop SOPA Strike page: On Jan 24th, Congress will vote to pass internet censorship in the Senate, even though the vast majority of Americans are opposed. We…
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What Kate Did Next
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Wise Monkeys
26 Jan 2012 | 4:51 amHow are you all? My father-in-law once told me about an editor he knew in Moscow in the sixties. I picture the men walking through a snowy Gorky Park having this conversation, fur hats, greatcoats and all: the editor said to him that he rarely had to cut articles because his writers knew to self-censor before putting their copy in. The beauty of blogs, of Twitter, of Facebook is their freedom. You say, and write what you want - right? Well, no. Lately, for a whole host of reasons, I've found myself discounting idea after idea for blog posts. For instance ... What can… -
Take It Easy
15 Nov 2011 | 12:18 amSo, how are you all this morning? One sure thing in life is change, and the last few weeks have blindsided me time and again (including, at last, being allowed to move out of the company compound - nicknamed 'Alcatraz' - as long as it was in 10 days flat). Meanwhile, the pilot's been flying non-stop everywhere from Shanghai to NY to Montreal, (from where he sent this photo - yes, that's The Beauty Chorus, under Dan Brown :) It's still crazily fun seeing the book out there in the wild - and it's great hearing back from readers who are making the story their own - including… -
Only Connect
17 Sep 2011 | 2:05 amMorning all - how are you? It will be back to normal at WKDN come October, and I've got a few ideas about some new directions beyond 'today's prompt' that will hopefully help with your writing. Let me know if there's anything you want to see more of, or any exercises you'd find useful. We're all 'back to school' here after the 74 (not that I was counting), day summer holiday, and I'm looking forward to getting down to some new writing. The characters for my new book, set in the South of France, are lining up and yammering away waiting to tell their story. They have to be patient for September… -
Four for Forty: 2000s
17 Aug 2011 | 11:15 amSomehow the noughties began with us walking home along the Embankment in London at 4am on the morning of the new Millennium in evening dress, and ended with us living in a desert thousands of miles from everyone and everything we knew and loved. How did that happen? The entire decade is a bit of a blur, come to think of it - not for any terribly exotic reason, just because it was really busy. The pilot decided he was going to be a pilot, we sold our home so that he could train in Spain. We travelled round the world, lived overseas, had two children while he built up his flying… -
Four for Forty: 1990s
12 Aug 2011 | 3:27 amSo, how are you this morning? I was up late researching, so yes I would like another coffee, thank you. It's hard to think in a straight line during the school summer holidays - this first paragraph has been interrupted by: 'Mum, if I bought a parachute would you let me jump out of the window?' and 'Mum, can I have a squirrel monkey for my birthday'. Late night working it is. There's an amazing moment with writing novels when they suddenly rise up and become real to you. Have you had that feeling? It would be interesting to know if it's the same for other artists - actors and musicians.
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life-story-writing at Yahoo! Groups
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Dumb Thumb by Thelly and Kathee
22 Jan 2012 | 9:53 pmThis is proof that you can write a memory for your family totally outta nothing! They will know you had silly moments in time and that just maybe they have -
Oh Ye of Little Faith by Thelly Reahm © Tidbits of Time
18 Jan 2012 | 5:11 pmThere's many vignettes about memories of my children in Tidbits of Time, howevahhh, this is one of my favorites. Have you written little stories about your -
Tin Lizzies...by Thelly Reahm
12 Jan 2012 | 9:10 pmDo you remember the cars your parents drove? How did they compare to the ones you drive today? Tin Lizzies by Thelly Reahm © Tidbits of Time 1936 Rain or -
When I'm the Boss of Me by Thelly Reahm
9 Jan 2012 | 12:35 pmWhen I'm the Boss of Me by Thelly Reahm © Tidbits of Time 2001 I won't dress in purple, as the poem says, or wear a red hat. It won't be about how I look on -
Memory Triggers - Remember when, with great pictures!
7 Jan 2012 | 6:14 pmJust some Memory Triggers to help you get started with your stories...of course you have to go clickety-click on the keyboard to make them happen! 56 Years Ago
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The Heart and Craft of Life Writing
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Writing Out the Tough Times
19 Jan 2012 | 8:01 pmNancy Pogue LaTurner is that author of Voluntary Nomads, a book I reviewed a couple of months ago. Read the review for general information about the book. For now I’ll simply say that I was mesmerized by the grace and compassion with which she wrote an account of a time when her husband became involved with Another Woman. After some brief correspondence, I asked Nancy if she would consent to an interview about the experience of writing that account. She did. Here it is: SL: You made a brave decision to write about an affair your husband became involved in for a time. Many wives who remained… -
When Your Story Flips Upside-Down
15 Jan 2012 | 6:21 amA high school acquaintance recently pulled me into a Facebook group for people who grew up in Los Alamos – my tribe! They have posted pictures of historic scenes around Los Alamos and a lively forum-type discussion has sprung up about who remembers what and how. A fascinating sort of collaborative story is emerging with a type of shared, collective memory, unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. One of the members is a retired LAHS chemistry teacher who arrived soon after I left. At some point I posted this comment: Was Mr. Etherly still there when you arrived at LAHS? Or Mr. Cooper? Mr. E… -
Writing With All Your Senses — A Learnable Skill
12 Jan 2012 | 6:17 amWhen beginning writers read flowing prose full of dazzling descriptions, they may think, “I’ll never in a thousand years be able to write like that!” They may grow depressed and consider throwing their computer off a bridge. None of us are immune, as I pointed out in a past post, Inner Critic — Guide, Guard, or Enabler? When you hear that voice, rest assured that your Inner Critic is the source, and those words are both true and false. They are true because our writing voices are as personal and unique as our speaking voices. You could study and practice for fifty years and be… -
Barbara Tate’s West End Girls
7 Jan 2012 | 7:03 amGuest post by Harry Bingham gives some prepublication back story from an agent’s perspective showing the need to keep ourselves in our story and prune the extra text to highlight the true story. When people ask me what I do, I never quite know what to tell them. I’m an author, yes, but I also work part-time running The Writers’ Workshop, an outfit in the UK which offers everything from editorial feedback to running writing courses. Needless to say, many of the manuscripts we receive are still fairly raw, some are good but not exciting – and some, a very few, are simply mind-blowing. -
Metaphor for a New Year
2 Jan 2012 | 6:53 amPictures make powerful story prompts, and this picture of a crumbling sidewalk is no exception. It strikes me as a metaphor for our path thorough life and fits with the general theme of the new year and story. Each New Year’s Day I’m reminded that life is a cyclical process. Each year exists within the “container” of twelve oscillating months that fit on a series of rectangular sheets roughly the shape of a sidewalk slab progressing through the year. Though some may be similar, no two years are quite the same. Even on a newly poured sidewalk, you’ll find variations from one…
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Published and Profitable Writers Tips Blog
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Free mind map of visual thinking resources
27 Jan 2012 | 7:29 pmDownload a free mind map of visual thinking resources tracing sketching, recent mind mapping innovations, and several current bestselling business books. Get a fresh perspective on using sketching and mind mapping to solve complex business and writing problems like choosing book titles, creating a table of contents, & preparing book marketing plans. The map includes links to examples and reviews. Visual Thinking Resources traces the origins of today’s growing interest in mind mapping and its popularity on mobile devices and the popularity of using simple sketches to solve complex… -
Free coaching call to discuss obstacles to writing a book
25 Jan 2012 | 5:54 pmJoin a teleseminar call addressing the question, “What’s keeping you from writing a book?” during a Published & Profitable’s free book coaching call. When asked what’s keeping them from writing and publishing a brand-building book, most people mention one, or more, of the following: I’m not creative enough. I don’t know what to write about. I don’t have the time. I’m not a good enough writer. I don’t know where to begin. And, there may be others! But, are these really the reason more books aren’t written? Or, are there other factors at work? -
Attend a free book coaching call Thursday
24 Jan 2012 | 5:14 pmJump start your journey to writing & publishing success by attending Published & Profitable’s free end-of-month book coaching call Thursday, Jan. 26, at 11 AM EST. Wrap-up your January writing progress and get inspired for your February writing & book marketing progress. The purpose of these calls is to review ways to share advice, ideas, and tips relating to the 4 steps involved in writing and publishing success. Call format Published & Profitable’s monthly group book coaching calls are 1-hour long. Each offers a combination of new ideas, group discussion, and… -
Personal branding tips for marketing to millionaires, & more
23 Jan 2012 | 11:57 amLearn how to market your services to millionaires in the Feb., 2012, issue of Dan Schawbel’s Personal Branding Magazine. The current issue, Volume 5, Issue 3 focuses on serving high net worth clients with products and services that they will pay for. Contents include an interview with Patti Stanger, Bravo TV’s The Millionaire Matchmaker whose clientele are millionaires who don’t have time to date because they’re too busy running their businesses. Wealthy individuals usually have higher expectations and can be difficult to attract, especially when you’re first starting out. This… -
FontBook’s $5.99 iPad app makes it easy to choose type
22 Jan 2012 | 7:20 pmFontBook’s iPad app makes it easy to make informed typeface choices for book covers & personal brands. As you can see from the example at left, the FontBook app helps you explore different typefaces and the details that contribute to the image they project. Notice how the same words take up different amounts of space when set in different typefaces Over 620,000 typeface designs at your fingertips Established in 1989, the FontBook has become the world’s comprehensive typographic resource, now displaying and selling over 620,000 fonts from over 110 different type foundries. With…
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Writing Forward
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Final Sneak Peek at 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Body Language
26 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amFinal sneak peek at forthcoming book, 101 Creative Writing Exercises. 101 Creative Writing Exercises is slated for publication in early February. This book of creative writing exercises will take writers on a journey through different forms and genres while providing writing techniques, practical experience, and inspiration. Each exercise teaches a specific concept and each chapter focuses on a different subject or form in writing: journaling, storytelling, fiction, poetry, article writing, and more. Every exercise is designed to be practical. In other words, you can use these exercises to… -
Internal and External Approaches to Creative Writing
24 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amTwo approaches to creative writing. When I’m working on a story, I try not to think about technique too much. I focus on forging ahead without overanalyzing every step in my creative writing process. My top priority is to get the ideas out of my head and onto the page. However, in retrospect (often during revisions) and between stories, I often evaluate how I approached a project so that I can better understand my own creative process. Hindsight is 20/20. I might decide that I didn’t do enough character sketches and therefore have to do more extensive rewriting. On the other hand,… -
Grammar Rules: That and Which
19 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amGet the grammar rules for using that and which. There’s a lot of confusion about that and which. These two words are often used interchangeably, even though they’re not necessarily interchangeable. Historically, that and which may have carried the same meaning, and some English dialects may allow for that and which to be swapped without affecting the meaning of a sentence. However, in American English, the grammar rules offer a distinct difference between the two words. By the time you’re done reading this post, you’ll fully understand the difference between that and… -
Censorship Update: Writers Beware!
17 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amAll over the internet, the same message is being repeated over and over: we will not be censored. Last month, I published a post explaining how SOPA, PIPA, and other censorship initiatives affect writers. Put simply, censorship is bad for writers. In fact, it’s terrible. Free speech is essential to anyone who writes or creates art. This month, on January 24, the U.S. Senate will meet to take a closer look at PIPA. There are plenty of senators who have already stated support for the bill, many of whom have received significant campaign funding from the very entities that are pushing… -
Eight Characteristics of Good Writing
12 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amWhat's the difference between good writing and better writing? How important is it for a writer to be able to discern the difference between good writing and bad writing? Pretty important, if you ask me. I know some writers aren’t concerned with quality. In today’s do-it-yourself and get-it-done-fast world, quality plays second fiddle to quantity. Who cares if your books are full of typos, bad grammar, and poor logic as long as you have published lots and made a bunch of money? Readers care. Agents, publishers, and reviewers also care. And while you can still make a million…
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PoeWar
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160 New Technical Writing Jobs – January 4, 2012
4 Jan 2012 | 12:50 amAdvanced Help Developer / Technical Writer GE Home & Business Solutions – Van Buren, MI Business Analyst Technical Writer TEKsystems – Melville, NY Contract End-User Technical Writer – Content Rules – San Mateo, CA Curriculum and Technical Writer Quiznos – Denver, CO Graphic Design / Technical Writer Toro – United States Jr Technical Writer TEKsystems – Mountain View, CA Jr. Technical Writer Job Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc – Tampa, FL Jr. Technical Writer/Editor with Security Clearance ITT EXELIS – Bowie, MD Junior Technical… -
80 General Writing Jobs – December 18, 2011
18 Dec 2011 | 12:40 amAd Writer – Bilingual -The Nielsen Company – Tampa, FL Agency Writer – Temporary – Aquent – Houston, TX Associate Creative Director – Writer -Bose – Stow, MA Business Writer -Kforce Professional Staffing, Inc. – Parsippany, NJ Clinical SOP Writer -Bio/Pharma Talent Solutions – Woodcliff Lake, NJ Communications Writer – Houston, TX – Aquent – Houston, TX Community Editor/Writer -Access Intelligence – Rockville, MD Content Brand Writer – Los Angeles, CA -Paladin – Los Angeles, CA Content Writer –… -
120 Freelance Positions – December 17, 2011
17 Dec 2011 | 12:18 amAccount Executive (freelance to full time) -Creative Circle (Boston) – Boston, MA (South Boston area) Acct Coordinator/Junior Acct Manager Needed – Freelance -Creative Circle Atlanta – Atlanta, GA (Midtown area) Apparel Designers – Freelance – Contract -fourthFLOOR fashion talent – New York, NY (Clinton area) Audio Visual Technicians Freelance -KVL Audio Visual Services – New York, NY Bilingual Freelance Editor – Santa Clara, CA Business Minded Freelance -The Photo Props Place – Bountiful, UT Contemporary Knits Designer -fourthFLOOR… -
130 New Editor jobs – December 16, 2011
16 Dec 2011 | 12:53 amAcquisitions Editor – Macmillan – New York, NY Assignment Editor, YNN Austin – Time Warner Cable – United States - Assistant Editor – Wayfair – Boston, MA Assistant Editor MFE / AFT – Hanley Wood, LLC – Washington, DC Assistant Editor/Papers of James Monroe – University of Mary Washington – Fredericksburg, VA Assistant Opinion Editor – U.S.News & World Report – Washington, DC Assistant Photo Editor (PT) – Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. – New York, NY Assoc. Bus Solutions Editor Job – ADP… -
85 New Copywriting Jobs – December 15, 2011
15 Dec 2011 | 12:24 amACD/Copywriter – Mullen Advertising – Boston, MA Associate Copywriter – The Integer Group – Denver, CO Associate Creative Director / Copywriter – South Florida Marketing – Dania Beach, FL Associate-Level Beauty Copywriter wanted – The Creative Group – San Francisco, CA Bank Copywriter Job – Ameriprise Financial – Minneapolis, MN Copywriter – 24 Seven – Carlsbad, CA Copywriter – Access Staffing – Manhattan, NY Copywriter – Amazon – Hebron, KY Copywriter – BancVue – Austin, TX Copywriter…
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Scribble Pad
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WEBook.com
16 Jan 2012 | 10:21 pmThe hunt for an agent has begun! Again. But this time it's for a different project. My 2008 Nanowrimo novel is edited and ready to go places. Let's see how this goes. So far, I've joined WEbook.com and started the submission process for six agents. Now the hard part: waiting. In the mean time, I'm sure more editing can only help. Or it'll at least keep me from losing my mind during the wait. -
Android
9 Jan 2012 | 12:18 amSo I finally have a smart phone. It's useful and also a fun little toy. I'm still trying to get used to it and admittedly, it sucks me in a lot. And it's more than just instant email and face book. My sister introduced me to this crazy little vice called Angry Birds. I'm not really much of a video game person, but there's something oddly addictive about catapulting birds on a mission to destroy egg-poaching pigs. -
My Unique Urban Moment
21 Nov 2011 | 6:59 pmPublic transportation is one of the more common experiences in cities the world over. Who thinks twice about jumping on the train to go to a meeting? Dallas residents, that's who. I used the train for maybe the third or fourth time ever today and it still feels like Disneyland. Theme songs from New York sitcoms started playing in my head. At one point I had a Friends-Sex in the City-Mary Tyler Moore medley going. On the way to my lunch meeting I discovered that reading in trains is something only experienced public transportation commuters can do well. After five minutes, I was turning… -
Yana Yoga Journal
3 Nov 2011 | 3:10 pm -
Facebook Stalkin'
31 Oct 2011 | 2:23 pmI love new media songs. They'll be oldies in just a couple of years, but they make for a good laugh today. And now, for your amusement, we have Facebook Stalkin' by Straight no Chaser.
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Get It In Writing
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I Have No Idea
27 Jan 2012 | 6:53 am“I was gratified to be able to answer promptly. I said I don’t know” ~ Mark Twain At some point, I was told I was smart. So I became a Smart Girl. Which was cool, and certainly better than a Stupid Girl, but being a Smart Girl means that you have to be, well, smart. All the time. Living up to the Smart Girl title was a 24/7/365 job. Well, at least it was for me. Not because I wasn’t smart – I was, and it was an accurate title. But I was so Type A and such a perfectionist that I had to be all-smart, all-the time. It became impossible for me to believe that… -
Sorry You Don’t Like My Truth
26 Jan 2012 | 6:21 amNot everyone is going to want to hear what you have to say. Not everyone will care about your story, Not everyone will read your words. Not everyone will hear you, really hear you, or see you, really see you. Not everyone will give a damn about any of it. Not everyone is going to like your truth. And that is OK. That shouldn’t deter you, nor should it stop you. You may even disappoint some of “them.” Actually, you will very likely disappoint some of them. Sometimes more than some. They will let you know that, too. They’ll question it, they’ll question you. Then… -
Nothing Personal
25 Jan 2012 | 6:28 amIt is #2 of the beautiful, brilliant Four Agreements: Don’t Take Anything Personally. Yet, we do. We so do. We make entire movies in our heads about what someone did, or didn’t do, or said, or didn’t say, or meant, or may have meant, or didn’t mean….and so on. We obsess over what they must be thinking or what they really meant. We act as if they are as focused on us as we are focused on us. But…these movies are fiction, stories. They are not in actuality related in any way to the true story. Not to our truth, and certainly not to others’, either. -
Bacon and Freedom
24 Jan 2012 | 8:07 amWhen I was a kid, I was not allowed to eat bacon. No ifs, ands or buts. Why? Because it was against my religion. Literally. And, yet, I saw other friends, whom I knew were of the same religion, eating bacon freely. It didn’t make sense, but I followed the rules. Who knows why they were allowed, why they were free to eat bacon, and I wasn’t. Was more expected of me? Were there different levels of religion? Did God look at me differently? Or did their parents simply not care as much as mine did? Sure, there were other foods — sausage, ham, shrimp, lobster, for instance —… -
Grumplicious
23 Jan 2012 | 6:33 amThis morning I woke up grumpy. Not cheery. Not bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Not ready to face the day. Not chipper. No butterflies and birdies circling my head. Grumpy. Grumbling about my mediocre (at best) night’s sleep, stressed about my deadlines today, pissy about how I ate over the weekend, at the ready to snap at the first person who might make the wrong comment to me. Oy. I’m annoyed I forgot to make the kids’ lunches last night. I feel like I spent half of yesterday washing other people’s dishes. Somehow, amazingly, I woke up to more dishes. There…
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Work-in-Progress
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Work in Progress: Truman Capote's "La Cote Basque 1965"
26 Jan 2012 | 10:10 amAs a guilty pleasure, I enjoy reading Vanity Fair, especially the inevitable article about super-rich people living their super-rich lives. Various Kennedys are often involved in these articles. There’s usually a New York City component, which I also love. This month’s issue hit a real homerun as far as my narrow interests are concerned, a long piece about “ladies who lunch,” looking at the golden era of fancy New York society women—like Babe Paley and Slim Keith—lunching in the 1960s at fancy New York restaurants like La Grenouille (where I’ve… -
Excellent Classes Coming up at Politics & Prose
25 Jan 2012 | 9:13 amA report from Susan Coll on the exciting new classes offered at Politics & Prose bookstore:Now open for enrollment is Coming of Age in the Columbine Era, a study of Jim Shepard’s novel, Project X, led by short story writer Paula Whyman. Other new classes include a study of contemporary poetry and the cultural revolution; a papier mâché workshop taught by French sculptor Constance Chabrières, and an in-depth analysis of the classic Indian novel, A Fine Balance, taught by screenwriter Alexandra Viets. We are also excited to be offering another installment of the popular Close Reading… -
Iowa Review's Interview with Chris Offutt
24 Jan 2012 | 9:22 amHere’s a good interview in The Iowa Review with writer/TV writer Chris Offutt (in particular, I’m a fan of “Weeds,” a show he wrote for). Despite an intrusive interviewer, there’s a ton of smart stuff:“Writing is an uphill battle, and it’s impossible to recognize progress because the progress occurs without you being aware of it, and the only way for you to be aware of it is to do it and then look back. It’s not like math, where you learn to add, then you learn to subtract, then you move on to long division and geometry. With writing, it always feels as if I don’t have… -
Two-Day Writing Retreat and Healing Poetry in Alexandria
23 Jan 2012 | 9:13 amTwo interesting events in two different parts of Virginia, one co-organized by the fabulous and fabulously smart Angela Winter (who shared with us her yummy, not-to-be-missed vegan chutneys hereA Winter Writing Retreat with Pat MacEnulty and Angela WinterFebruary 18-19, 2012Saturday 10 am to Sunday 3 pmJoin us for a Winter Writing Retreat at the beautiful Sevenoaks Retreat Center in the foothills of Virginia: Rejuvenate your writing process, relax with other writers, and explore the process and craft of transformative writing.You will come away from this two-day retreat with tools… -
Work in Progress: The Luxury of Time and Space
19 Jan 2012 | 8:54 amThis is my last week before my novel-writing workshop starts up at Johns Hopkins, soon to be followed by packets from my Converse College MFA students, so I’ve been trying to make the most of this tiny lull by focusing on my writing—on one rather challenging story in particular. If I get a working draft, I’ll be able to work from that during the more hectic times when my attention is torn between my work and my students’ work.During this week, I’ve had no social obligations, which was more coincidence than design (and yes, which is pathetic to admit). However, I’ve…
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Buzz, Balls & Hype
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THE DOCTOR IS IN
13 Jan 2012 | 9:10 amAUTHORS AND TWITTER Last Sunday's NYTBR featured an article by Anne Trubek on the benefits of tweeting for authors. In it, Trubek addresses the "common conception of 'the author'" as solitary and asocial, noting that a number of writers use Twitter to establish closer communication with readers. She writes: Many authors have little use for the pretension of hermetic distance and never accepted a historically specific idea of what it means to be a writer. With the digital age come new conceptions of authorship. And for both authors and readers, these changes may be… -
THE DOCTOR IS IN
6 Jan 2012 | 6:52 amThoughts on Publishing EnvyIn this week's Kind Reader column, Jessa Crispin offers interesting and helpful advice to an unpublished writer who is repeatedly asked to share in her/his friends' joy in their publishing success. Crispin reminds the LW that William James was not published until he was forty-nine, and urges him/her to channel these feelings of envy into greater focus and productivity.I think this is excellent advice, as far as it goes. (And it goes exactly as far as intended, since the premise of the column is the application of literature to life problems.) But it… -
THE DOCTOR IS IN
30 Dec 2011 | 8:57 amA WISH FOR 2012 Three friends and I were invited to sing at a local solstice festival. The song we chose was Susan Werner's "May I Suggest." There was no recording allowed, so when I tell you that we sounded exactly like this, no one can prove me wrong. I wish each of you a happy and peaceful new year. Susan O'Doherty, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist with a New York City-based practice. A fiction writer herself, she specializes in issues affecting writers and other creative artists. She is the author of Getting Unstuck without Coming Unglued: A Woman's Guide… -
THE DOCTOR IS IN
23 Dec 2011 | 6:46 amDEAR BOOK BIZ SANTA, The holiday season can be a beautiful, joyous period of renewal and connection. It can also reinforce feelings of loneliness and inadequacy in sensitive, vulnerable people. This includes everyone, but writers tend to struggle in particular ways. Those lucky few of us who can support ourselves through writing spend our working hours in isolation, which can feel burdensome when one is surrounded by images of congenial merrymaking. For those who toil at unrewarding day jobs to pay the bills, the bills tend to mount at this time of year, forcing increased hours that push… -
Dear Book Biz Santa #2
19 Dec 2011 | 6:38 pmDear Book Biz Santa, All I want for Christmas is a big fat change of attitude by the publiciity and marketing departments. (You know who you are!) It would be so nice if authors were not regarded with dread and eyerolls and scorn. We are not the enemy! What would it be like if you treated us with respect, maybe even with some curiosity and interest? We know how hard your job is, we really do. But instead of seeing us as the source of your problems, why not regard us as the source of the books you promote and let us work together! Signed, A multi published writer.
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Wordful
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My Vision for Wordful
14 Jan 2012 | 2:34 pmI’ve taken a major break from blogging here at Wordful, and it’s in large part to some serious shifts in my personal and professional life over the past year. To make a very long and (painful) story short—the down economy and a few other issues forced me to to shutter my office and consultancy and venture to San Francisco to find “a real job.” On May 6 of last year, I kissed my wife and kids goodbye and left Kona for San Jose on a one-way ticket with $50 in my pocket. My sister picked me up and the next day my dad drove me up to the city, where I met up a good high… -
Should Stupid People Not Blog?
14 Jun 2011 | 2:39 pmNo, they shouldn’t. Of course there’s no way to determine who’s stupid—let alone the validity of stupid being a unit of measurement (or judgement)—but, yes, as a general rule of thumb, stupid people shouldn’t blog. What I’m referring to here are some recent comments made by blogger and entrepreneur Jason Calacanis at ReadWriteWeb 2Way Summit NYC, namely: “There are a lot of stupid people out there … and stupid people shouldn’t write.” “There needs to be a better system for tuning down the stupid people and tuning up the smart… -
Are There Enough Great Names to Go Around?
13 Jun 2011 | 1:17 amBeing smack dab in the middle of tech-startup world here in San Francisco, I’ve seen more than my fair share of clever names. Businesses in the Mission where I’m staying all seem to draw on the appeal of one-word randomness, like Beretta (a restaurant), Ritual (a coffee shop) and Revolution (a clothing boutique). Pithy and tidy, these monikers do a good job evoking the zeitgeist of the city hipster. Naming an online property is not that much different, with the glaring exception that it must be wholly unique to qualify for its own URL. So my question is: In such a crowded but… -
Why You Should Adapt Your Email Writing Style to Your Recipient
3 Jun 2011 | 1:27 pmEveryone has a their own special way of communication and expression over email. Some are more formal and start each message with a salutation like “Hi, Charles –” and end with a goodbye like “Sincerely, Howard.” They do this every single email, even if it’s a rapid fire conversation. There are others who don’t address me by name at all. Just plain, unlabeled dialog with no greeting or exit. Sometimes all lower case. Then there’s the signature. You’ve got the ones who type out their name at the end of each message, and those who rely on… -
Will Techies Always Have the Upper Hand in Startups?
30 May 2011 | 10:18 amMy hunch when I moved here three weeks ago from Hawaii is now confirmed: The tech scene in the Bay Area is all about—well, tech. This thriving, buzzing industry is built around a culture of code, of devising niche solutions to niche problems. At its center lie the software engineer, who reigns as queen bee in the hives of the tech giants and startups of Silicon Valley and San Francisco. So what about the rest of us? What about the marketers, the designers, the writers and editors, the community managers and publishers of content? Do we get a fair shake at shaping the future in a world gone…
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RSSMix.com Mix ID 50439
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Freelance Writing Jobs for January 26, 2012
26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 amHow’s everyone doing today? Thank you to all who joined the contest for the grammar book giveaway. We already have three winners, but don’t worry if you’re not one of them. We’ll be having more giveaways in the future. In the meantime, good luck with the jobs today! Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing Tech/Business Writer (Anywhere) Marketing Content Writer (Houston/Austin/San Jose/Remote) Writer for Plastic Surgery Article (Downtown NY) Content/SEO Writer – Real Estate Marketing (NYC) Website Content Writer (Anywhere) Part-time Content Writer (Toronto/Remote)… -
Freelance Writing Jobs for January 26, 2012
26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 amHow’s everyone doing today? Thank you to all who joined the contest for the grammar book giveaway. We already have three winners, but don’t worry if you’re not one of them. We’ll be having more giveaways in the future. In the meantime, good luck with the jobs today! Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing Tech/Business Writer (Anywhere) Marketing Content Writer (Houston/Austin/San Jose/Remote) Writer for Plastic Surgery Article (Downtown NY) Content/SEO Writer – Real Estate Marketing (NYC) Website Content Writer (Anywhere) Part-time Content Writer (Toronto/Remote)… -
Freelance Writing Jobs for January 26, 2012
26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 amHow’s everyone doing today? Thank you to all who joined the contest for the grammar book giveaway. We already have three winners, but don’t worry if you’re not one of them. We’ll be having more giveaways in the future. In the meantime, good luck with the jobs today! Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing Tech/Business Writer (Anywhere) Marketing Content Writer (Houston/Austin/San Jose/Remote) Writer for Plastic Surgery Article (Downtown NY) Content/SEO Writer – Real Estate Marketing (NYC) Website Content Writer (Anywhere) Part-time Content Writer (Toronto/Remote)… -
Freelance Writing Jobs for January 26, 2012
26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 amHow’s everyone doing today? Thank you to all who joined the contest for the grammar book giveaway. We already have three winners, but don’t worry if you’re not one of them. We’ll be having more giveaways in the future. In the meantime, good luck with the jobs today! Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing Tech/Business Writer (Anywhere) Marketing Content Writer (Houston/Austin/San Jose/Remote) Writer for Plastic Surgery Article (Downtown NY) Content/SEO Writer – Real Estate Marketing (NYC) Website Content Writer (Anywhere) Part-time Content Writer (Toronto/Remote)… -
Freelance Writing Jobs for January 26, 2012
26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 amHow’s everyone doing today? Thank you to all who joined the contest for the grammar book giveaway. We already have three winners, but don’t worry if you’re not one of them. We’ll be having more giveaways in the future. In the meantime, good luck with the jobs today! Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing Tech/Business Writer (Anywhere) Marketing Content Writer (Houston/Austin/San Jose/Remote) Writer for Plastic Surgery Article (Downtown NY) Content/SEO Writer – Real Estate Marketing (NYC) Website Content Writer (Anywhere) Part-time Content Writer (Toronto/Remote)…
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About Freelance Writing
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How Non-Native English Writers Can Improve Their Writing Skills
27 Jan 2012 | 10:35 amA guest post by Lior Levin. Writing is not like solving equations, you can’t finish a piece robotically, as you do in Mathematics. Good writing is way beyond reading literature books, having a degree... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
The Sky Is Bluer Than Usual Today
26 Jan 2012 | 11:29 amYesterday I met with a long-term client and friend at my local Starbucks. It’s located at the edge of a shopping center in the neighborhood known as City Heights here in San Diego. I’d... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Maybe You Don’t Want To Be A Freelance Writer After All
25 Jan 2012 | 10:49 amI assume that most of the readers here either are freelance writers or are trying to figure out how they can do their writing from home. The blunt truth, or at least some of it, is that freelancing... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Can You Tell The Difference Between Your Writing Business And You?
24 Jan 2012 | 11:37 amI tend to identify myself as a writer. When people ask me what I do I say I write. I’ve been challenged by some people I trust to make sure I know the difference between me and my writing... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
8 Ways Freelance Writers Earn More By Setting Their Sights Higher
23 Jan 2012 | 12:56 pmRecently in a LinkedIN group and in two different emails to me, three people asked how to find freelance writing jobs that paid more than a pittance. All three were feeling put upon by the number of... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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How Not To Write
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Not Writing Is Like A Warm Bath
18 Jan 2012 | 7:34 amI don’t really want to go back and look at how long it’s been since I sat down to Write (yes with a pretentious capital ‘W’). I know it’s been months, but to be fair it’s really been years. Sometimes I look back to my best writing days and see it as another lifetime. A human life is made of many little lifetimes, overlapping yet often so distinct as to be held as a perfect memory separate from the whole. For me, the little lifetime was six years. I locked myself in a room nearly each and every day and wrote for several hours. I wrote two novels, several… -
The Dreams We Leave For Those Who Follow
9 Jul 2011 | 8:13 amThis post is more about writing than you might think. Yesterday, I watched the launch of STS-135. Maybe you did too. Before the launch I texted my son to make sure he was watching too. It was just a few minutes before lift-off and he scrambled to make sure everyone in the house was watching. Later that night, I asked him what he thought about it. He thought it was sad because the program was over. I asked him what he thought about private companies going into space. He said, “I don’t think it’s going to happen.” I asked why, and he replied, “Because there’s… -
The Old Man and the Tweet
3 Jul 2011 | 12:31 pmWIRED has a post about what Hemingway would think of the Internet. The author is a little young to be writing about Hemingway. He’s not even 30, but if you read his bio you’ll see that it’s really just tongue in cheek (or rather some other body cavity) humor he’s after. It’s unfortunate though. With a little effort, the author could have taken a fluff plug for his new book and turned it into something poignant. He could have sliced off about half of his monologue intro, dropped into the fairly predictable jokes quickly and then discussed what an older Papa would… -
Return to Writing in Six Steps
22 May 2011 | 7:59 amYesterday, I was frustrated, pessimistic. I was disappointed and pissed off. Today is different. I’ve taken steps to ensure that the coffee is up to snuff, but you can’t really avoid it. The down times, I mean, not the coffee. Problems with coffee can always be avoided. You just dump out the pot and try again. With writing, not so much. When I’ve been Not Writing for awhile, I tend to get melancholic. You might recognize these symptoms in yourself. You take a favorite book down and read some words. You think, “How the hell did this writer find the time to do… -
Slow and Steady
21 May 2011 | 9:03 amI am reading an essay I’ve read many times before. It’s a travel piece, but it’s also a discourse on philosophy an exposition of the human soul in all its basic forms as told through the lens of a journey from war to sunshine. How is it, that when we read a piece like this, one that we’ve tread over many times… we find ourselves caught up in just a few words that seem to have slipped our attention. This turns into a sudden realization, a spark of profound insight which ignites the imagination and calls us to do the bidding of the universe or in some cases to bend the…
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Word Grrls
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Free Online Courses
27 Jan 2012 | 4:21 pmJust a list I put together one day. Have a look if you have time to update your writing or web publishing skills. WordPress Google Blogger Intro to Information Technology Digital Photography Visual and Graphic Design Design – Applying Design Principles Fundamentals of English Grammar English Writing Skills Speaking and Writing English Effectively 21 Days to Building a Web Business Entrepreneurship: Creating the Business Diploma in Web Development Diploma in Web Business Development and Marketing Diploma in Social Media Marketing Diploma in English Language and Literature Research… -
Plain Text Formatting
26 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pmI’m working on a blog to display my ASCII art and the art from other artists which I have collected and gathering electronic dust bunnies on my hard drive. I had a struggle to get the ASCII art to display in plain text without warping to the left. Then I found the Preserve Code Formatting plugin. It works! I just have to keep the art from getting too close to the left margin, that seems to throw it off a bit. If you want to format your text as plain text, with a plain fixed font this will work for you as well. Might be a nice change from using blockquote as a method of highlighting… -
Writers Can Learn from Romance Readers
25 Jan 2012 | 9:10 pmThe ABCs of Romance: The Duke of Slut, Mary Sue, TSTL, and More!. Mary Sue/Gary Stu: A critical term reserved for badly-written protagonists who are too perfect—they are simply good at everything, everyone except the Bad Guys loves them, and they have no discernable character flaws. Mary Sues are generally disliked because, since they have no problems of their own, the conflicts they confront tend to be contrived. As well, with no flaws or quirks, many of them are simply not interesting. Which of these have you done when writing fictional characters? I think I’m holding back on… -
What Writing Related Life Hack do you Use?
24 Jan 2012 | 7:33 amCurvy Girl Guide asked: “We want to know what items make your life easier. Not counting your phone what life hacks do you use?” I thought about it for a while and then wrote: My old TV tray. I use it to sort out the mail in the morning. I use it to sort through stuff that would otherwise clutter my home office desk. I can bring my mini laptop to it and work on small stuff or catch up with family. I like not having to be in the home office for personal computer time. At night I will sometimes set my coffee on the TV tray while I make dinner in the kitchen, keeps it out of my way… -
Happy Year of the Dragon
23 Jan 2012 | 1:41 amRelated Posts:Christmas ASCII ArtASCII Art Shamrocks for St. Patrick’s DayValentine ASCII Art HeartsHappy HalloweenBlog Copyright
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Get Paid to Write Online
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3 Lessons from My (Initial) Failure with Writing Hotel Copy
27 Jan 2012 | 5:25 amAs easy as writing sales copy might seem – let’s face it, it’s what we do every day and we are supposed to know how to get it right (within reason) – I recently got reminded that things are not always that easy for us, the craftsmen of words. Up until early last year I hadn’t written a single word for a hotel. Sure, I had some knowledge about hotel sales copy but it came mostly from studying hotel websites while booking our holidays and playing smart alec, thinking I could write it better. Real life likes to play tricks on us and my writing skills and confidence… -
Three Writerly Rules to Live By
26 Jan 2012 | 8:21 amBy Lori Widmer It’s tough when you’re first building your writing career to make the right choices. The easy choices aren’t necessarily the best choices, but when you’re fresh at it, how do you know? When I first started freelancing, I chased the money – meaning I never turned down a client no matter how bad the fit was. The result: lousy working conditions, terrible pay, and referrals from cheap clients that led to even more cheap clients. I was stuck in a rut. No more. Thanks to lessons learned the hard way, and lessons taught by other freelancers, I can now… -
Will Write for … Barter?
25 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amWeigh up the options before bartering your writing services. For most writers, getting paid to write means just that – money in the pocket. I’ve never advocated writing for free, but when is it ok to use the barter system? Barter is something we often get into as kids. Perhaps we traded an hour spent washing the car for an extra hour of watching TV. With our friends, we almost certainly traded lunch items we didn’t want for ones we found more appealing, and also traded collectibles of all kinds. Human beings like to trade, but is writing for anything but mondy a sound… -
How Will You Know You’ve Become A Successful Freelance Writer?
24 Jan 2012 | 11:00 amWould you consider money to be the most prominent aspect of your success? There are a lot of great freelance writing blogs out there (including Get Paid To Write Online ) and while I don’t get chance to look at all of them every week, I tend to have a day once every week or two where I go through several blogs and see what other freelance writers are saying. Earlier on today, I came across a post by Allena Tapia from 4th January where she explained that someone had made a comment on a piece she wrote for The Huffington Post, essentially saying that she wasn’t a successful… -
The Secret To Achieving Your Goals – How This Procrastinator is Getting Things Done
20 Jan 2012 | 4:45 amI enjoyed this guest post from Victoria Virgo, which shows how she has started the writing year right by booting out procrastination. The first thing is admitting you have a problem. OK, here goes. Hi my name is Victoria and I am a procrastinator. I will find any excuse not to get things done but this year I am trying to figure out how to achieve my goals while suffering from this unfortunate affliction. The good news is that I have now learned a little secret that is helping to keep me on the straight and narrow and towards the righteous path of achievement and success. It is the beginning…
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Founders' Blog
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Write Art
25 Jan 2012 | 7:33 pm$24 – Write drunk; edit sober. Digital illustration 13" x 19" Obvious State – Original Illustrations by Etsy man Evan Robertson -
Mophie Juice – Extra Battery Juice For Your iPhone and iPad
20 Jan 2012 | 2:13 pmIn 2012, the lack of outlets in a Barnes & Noble is a criminal act against humanity. In fact, in this age of technology, the lack of outlets to power our devices is just plain immoral. Mophie hears our pain and is making the world a better place for smartphones and tablets needing juice to survive. Juice Pack is a slim, sleek extended battery pack that easily slips in your bag or pocket, but packs a hefty 4000mAh of battery power. In short, the Juice Pack offers quadruple the battery power of an iPhone. Yes, it works with BlackBerry and Android devices as well. Boarding… -
LitCentral Launches New Website
2 Jan 2012 | 1:28 pmCheck out our new website and have a stunning New Year! -
Creative Spaces
1 Jan 2012 | 12:12 pmA few months ago Blue Ant Studio's blog dedicated a weekly area to shine the spotlight on creative spaces. Some photos are of famous folk, some not. Check it out – the collection is growing and inspiring. -
10 Great Gifts for Writers 2011
12 Dec 2011 | 7:23 pm1.iPad 2 - Whether they use it for writing or not, writers will figure out how to embrace this gadget and include it in their daily lives. 2. Other tablets – I would consider the Kindle Fire or the Nook simply because unlike other tablet makers (HP, Motorola, etc.), these two brands will be around for a long time and offer solid support. Droid tablet makers that have the ability to offer content will be the victors of the "tablet wars" because they can sell their products and make the money on the back-end while offering the device at an ultra low price. 3. iTunes gift…
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BenCrowder.net
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MTP status update
16 Jan 2012 | 5:59 amNot much has happened with the Mormon Texts Project in the last couple months, mostly because of my tendinitis. The tendinitis hasn’t gotten worse (thankfully), but it hasn’t gone away, either, so I’ll have to be careful going forward (writing scripts instead of doing things manually, etc.). I don’t think I’ll have to stop making ebooks, though. Anyway, MTP is not dead. But we do have some minor changes happening. We originally started out making plain text Project Gutenberg editions of these books. Then, in March 2011, we added EPUB, Kindle, and web editions to… -
Red's Sanctuary
14 Jan 2012 | 7:24 amRed’s Sanctuary Painted in Procreate on the iPad, with some minor postprocessing in Photoshop. [Flickr] -
Goldspinner
11 Jan 2012 | 3:33 pmGoldspinner Made in Blender. [Flickr] -
Remesh modifier
11 Jan 2012 | 3:23 pmThere’s a cool new remesh modifier in Blender (due for release with version 2.62, though you can use it in the latest trunk builds). I’m mainly interested in it because you can create voxel-type effects like this with it: It still needs some work (the third monkey was unlucky and had its eye gouged out, apparently), but still, not bad. -
Some cool stuff
9 Jan 2012 | 2:21 pmFirst, 3D projection from Sony (see all three): And a seriously cool wireless camera concept: Mmm. And, finally, a microphone that purportedly turns any surface into a multitouch interface:
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Confident Writing
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When You’re Stuck, Try Reducing the Frame
23 Jan 2012 | 12:15 amSometimes the big picture can be enjoyable to look at, inspiring to watch. Sometimes looking at things in a big scale: global, universal, internet-sized, can be daunting. Intimidating even. Rather than fretting about how to live up to the demands of the bigger picture you might find it easier to shift perspective and reduce the size of your frame. We’re using frames all the time, even if you’re not consciously aware of so doing. You use a frame when you’re taking a photo of an image, a person, a place, a moment. A blog post works in the same kind of way: a frame around an… -
The Nature of Dreaming
19 Jan 2012 | 9:13 amDreams are eluding me. Not the night time sort, wild fragments of story-telling from my beautiful sub-conscious mind. No, I mean the daytime sort of dreams, those that come clearly defined and neatly delineated, the things others talk of dreaming about, dreaming of, planning for, working to make happen. I go to that place in my mind, in my heart, where I think the dreams might be, and there is nothing. Silence. A blank screen. I write, to myself, and some others whom I trust, that I feel lost without dreams, disconnected from the world of dreamers, puzzled by their dreaming, disconcerted by… -
37 Things
11 Jan 2012 | 4:30 am37 things you might find as you write your way to the finding of your writing voice: Comfort in your own skin Awkwardness Flow Impossible stuckness Pride Embarrassment Fear Unstoppable confidence Dull, cliched, weighted sentences Orchestras of music playing in your words Understanding Confusion. The collapse of all understanding Remembrance Forgetfulness Recognition, from others. Recognition, from yourself Unrecognisable patterns, fragments of meaning The desire to share The need to hide An audience, supporters, your tribe The understanding that you need to write beyond them, ignoring them,… -
The Next Thing
2 Jan 2012 | 12:47 pmIt is so often the next thing that gets in the way. Not the declaration or the affirmation. Not the clearing away and beginning again. Not the liberation that comes with jumping off into the unknown Not the delight in the feedback that follows when you share a piece of your world, a glimpse of your vulnerability, a slice of your humanity, a fragment of your dreams. No, it is the next thing that’s the stumbling block: searching for the words, the actions, the evidence to match the grandeur of the leap. Perhaps there’s nothing for it but to begin again, and again,… -
Begin Again
30 Dec 2011 | 3:58 amWhat if you could find the soul dimension, the zen dimension, the imperfect way, the humble way, the soul way? What if you said that writing too was an art, and not think it has to be visual or musical to count as art? What if words too were beautiful, could be beautiful, you knew, know, have always known that words were beautiful? What if they too could be soft and dripping with honey, healing hearts? What if writing could be like the most soulful of photography, not seeing harshly, but writing with the eyes of the heart, how would that be? What if you could find a way to talk about all of…
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Write to Done
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Is Your Writing Career Missing This Single Most Crucial Element?
26 Jan 2012 | 6:10 amA guest post by Josh Sarz of Sagoyism I read a story a while back about a farmer who was sowing seeds by hand. He would bring his pouch of seeds, go out and start sowing. The farmer threw the seeds everywhere. At first, one would think that he is losing so much because he throws handfuls of seeds on the ground. To the extremely hungry, those seeds could make a decent meal. Why would he be throwing them away like that? But when you look at the big picture, the farmer really does lose handfuls of seeds, but in time he gains bounties more. I was reminded of this story when I was out fishing with… -
Writing Secrets of Prolific Authors
23 Jan 2012 | 6:10 amA guest post by David Masters of inkably: tell better stories. Isaac Asimov, one of the big three science fiction writers of the twentieth century, published over 500 books including novels, short story collections and non fiction, making him one of the most prolific writers of all time. Asked by Writer’s Digest magazine for the secret to his prolific writing, Asimov said: “I guess I’m prolific because I have a simple and straightforward style.” ~Isaac Asimov (500 books) Could it really be that easy? Write clearly, in a conversational voice Writing clearly, in a simple and… -
Writers: How to Avoid Stagnation
20 Jan 2012 | 6:10 amA Guest Post by Meredith Resnick of The Writer’s [Inner] Journey When my kids were in middle school they got a lot of make-work for homework and classwork, stuff that kept them very busy but that steered them away from real creativity and by proxy, real learning. This make-work gave the illusion that students were busy and oh so productive. Wrong. What they were really doing was chasing their tail—in other words: stagnating. Being busy, compulsively busy even with journaling and writing and revising does not always spell productivity. As far as I’m concerned it’s a form of… -
Writers – Have You Developed THIS Skill?
17 Jan 2012 | 4:52 amBy Mary Jaksch, Chief Editor of Write to Done These days, if you want to make it as a writer, you need to do more than just write well. It used to be enough, but … Before we all went digital, every writer’s dream was to be discovered by a publishing house. The publisher would then take care of editing, production, publicity, public relations, distribution – in fact, nearly everything, apart from the act of writing. Now, aspiring writers are free to publicize their stuff on blogs, in digital magazines, or in eBooks. They can control when and how their material is published,… -
The Pros and Cons of Comparing Yourself to Other Writers
13 Jan 2012 | 6:09 amA guest post by K.M. Weiland of Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors With the advent of writing communities on such networking sites as Twitter and Facebook and half a thousand forums and Nings, writers are perhaps more social and less solitary than at any time in our history. This brings its fair share of both benefits and drawbacks, since our easy access to other writers—both those who are striving to be published and those who have a dozen bestsellers under their belts—causes inevitable comparisons. Are we as good as they are? Are they as good as we are? Let’s explore what we can…
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Lisa Romeo Writes
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Of Writing Advice, One-Liners, and an A Game.
24 Jan 2012 | 11:09 amOnce I met with a writer who had asked me to evaluate hermemoir-in-progress. It was time to return her pages and my report, and overcoffee, maybe pass on some tips for moving on. I wanted to convey bothencouragement and a realistic idea of the amount and type of work still aheadfor her. It was mid-morning, and possibly because I had been awake until 2:00a.m. watching old episodes of Downton Abbey working on another project, I worried that I wasn't saying anythingparticularly hlepful. But then she told me that something I had mentionedweeks before, just one sentence which… -
Friday Fridge Clean-Out: Links for Writers, Jan. 20, 2012 Edition
20 Jan 2012 | 7:22 amI've been crazy busy (thank the freelance gods), so even the link list is short this week. But I am cooking up several author interviews and guest posts for the next month or so, including one with the inimitable Bill Roorbach. So stay tuned. Meanwhile...►Somegood tipsfrom Robert Lee Brewer about experimenting as a writer, and getting out ofthat comfort zone.► Itry to keep tabs on the precious few book manuscript contests for creativenonfiction, and found this one, from Zone 3press, with a May 1 deadline. ► RobertVivian has some thoughtson the meditative essay.►Ifyou are… -
Friday Fridge Clean-Out: Links for Writers, Jan. 13, 2012 Edition
13 Jan 2012 | 9:40 am►Copybloggerrecentlylisted Ten Terrific Creative Writing Blogs.►Onthe Los Angeles Times' Jacket Copy blog, 25 authorsnote New Year's resolutions, some funny, some quite serious, many aboutfinding more time to write and to read.►Threenew blogs I recently discovered that you might like: ThreeGuys One Book, The MemoirProject (Marion Roach Smith) and Literary Writers Network.► Everyindependent bookstore needs to take thismessage to its "shoppers" (notice I didn't write"customers". ►Andwhile on that subject, though I couldn't find a video of a performance, some equally good… -
Book Lists, of All Kinds.
10 Jan 2012 | 9:06 amThe Book List. Do you have one? I have several. One is a list of the books Iown and have (somewhere) in the house. This comes in especially handy when one of my kids needs a required book for school, not to mention when I nearly buy a third copy of a book I'm sure I want to read someday. Another is a listof books I want to buy or borrow from the library or trade for. A third is the list of books beingpublished soon by writer friends and acquaintances, so that (hopefully) I'llremember to lend somesupport. Still another is a list of the books I need (and usually want) toread to… -
Friday Fridge Clean-Out: Links for Writers, January 6, 2012 Edition
6 Jan 2012 | 10:48 amOn Fridays I post links I like. It's called Friday Fridge Clean-Out because on many Fridays, I concoct a dinner plan for my family by pulling out everything that's been accumulating in my refrigerator that week, choosing the freshest looking stuff, tossing it together, and hope everyone at the table will find something they like. Here, the "fridge" contents come from my Google reader, email inbox, Facebook and Twitter feeds, favorite news and writing sites, blogs I follow, etc. Enjoy!►Everget the feeling, as you're contemplating ideas for personal essays, that youjust don't have…
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Will Write For Food
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Food Blogger David Lebovitz Dishes on His Success
24 Jan 2012 | 4:07 pmHas anyone not heard of David Lebovitz? He’s a super successful American food writer blogger living in Paris. He’s also a gorgeous photographer, author of five cookbooks and one memoir, and author and co-author of two apps. I first met him on email in 2005, when he endorsed my book, Will Write for Food. Recently we spoke about his success and philosophy on food blogging, writing cookbooks, social media, and how he finds the time to get it all done: Q. Why do so many people adore your blog? What is it about you and your subject matter? A. It’s a combination of things. Part of it… -
5 Tips on Interviewing People Without Blowing It
17 Jan 2012 | 5:43 pmThis guy is ready to interview. He's got his headset on so his hands are free to type. He's dressed up because the interviewee can see him on a Skype video chat. Let’s say you want to interview a chef, restaurateur, farmer or author for a Question & Answer piece. Let’s say that person is famous and you don’t want to blow it. You won’t if you follow a few rules: 1. Don’t waste the person’s time. Recently someone asked me to put aside an hour for an interview. I thought an hour was way too long, but I didn’t say anything. I got what I… -
A Food Writing Workshop in Hawaii
3 Jan 2012 | 10:56 pmFood writing students working on writing assignments in our beautiful Honolulu teahouse. I met Hawaiian food blogger Mariko Jackson of The Little Foodie through this blog. A year ago she was a frequent commenter, and told her I wanted to come to Hawaii. I asked if she could help me set up a class. To my surprise, she said yes. Before this point, I had only taught classes for schools, bookstores, or conferences, so I was a newbie at planning my own event. Our strategy didn’t go smoothly at first. I thought we needed a swanky restaurant lunch to attract food writers, because that strategy… -
5 Tips for When a Literary Agent Calls
28 Dec 2011 | 6:50 pmI had just started working with a food blogger on a book proposal when she got a call from a literary agent, who said he might be able to get her a book deal. That’s exciting, but how do you know if it’s true, or if this person has the right credentials? Literary agents, just for review, represent writers. Once you write a book proposal, they find a publisher and negotiate the book contract . My client had a long talk with the agent and he seems like a good match. I checked him out too. Now, what if you get the call? Here are 5 tips to increase your chances of working with a… -
Being Grateful — And Happier!
20 Dec 2011 | 9:37 pmIf you can get a sentence down, then a paragraph, then an essay, and maybe an entire manuscript, this is the season to be grateful. While 81 percent of the public says they want to write a book, most of them never get to that point. Because it’s hard. At a workshop I conducted recently, one of the students said she hasn’t been able to write a blog post for the last four months. I have wrestled with my critic for more than 30 years of being published, and it is still a struggle. I can relate. So this holiday season, I’m grateful I can produce the words. Being grateful, it…
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Fiction Notes
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Secrets and Letters: Think Like a Writer
28 Jan 2012 | 4:22 amWe’ve come a long way in this 31 Days of Thinking Like a Writer, a challenge to write at least 750 words each day. Secrets and Letters Letters written in the 1860sWe haven’t written any letters yet in our creative writing prompts, but today’s the day. Letters have an intimate feeling because they are usually written from one person’s heart to another person’s heart (unless it is a business letter, but that’s not what I’m talking about here). There’s an implied emotional connection right away. Letters can be inform about facts or events; they… -
Before and After: Reveal Character
27 Jan 2012 | 4:12 amIN the on-going series of Thinking Like a Writer, everyone can recite the plot diagram of rising action which ends in a climax and denouement. But writers can’t just recite the particulars of a diagram; instead, we must create a plot that changes a character in some way. One way to get at that change is to start by writing the Before and After character sections. Where is the character at the beginning of the story and how have they changed by the end. For example, in the Before section of “A Christmas Carol,” Scrooge is miserable and miserly in three ways: toward the poor,… -
Different Perspectives for Different Audiences
26 Jan 2012 | 4:03 amWe’ve talked about different points of view and here’s a related idea: different perspectives based on audience. Using any of the three POV choices (Omniscient POV, 1st Person POV, 3rd Person POV), we’ll shift the thinking a bit. If you are a 16 year old boy and have a car wreck and you want to tell the story of that car wreck, how do you tell the story? Where do you start? What do you emphasize? It depends on the audience. What you tell your best friend, is different from what you tell your Mom. And for sure, you tell the police man something else entirely. Each version… -
3rd Person POV: Think Like a Writer
25 Jan 2012 | 4:49 amFor the last two days, we have focused on point of view in your story or novel. Your writing tasks for today–for your “750 words each day in January”–is to practice POV. Today, focus on 3rd person point of view. 3rd person POV A 3rd person POV pulls back from the position inside the character’s head to be right beside the character. You see what s/he sees, hear what s/he sees, know the thoughts of the character. But the pronouns are he or she. Coach scribbled something on his clipboard and she leaned over to see that he was scratching out Jimmy’s name and… -
1st Person POV: Think Like a Writer
24 Jan 2012 | 4:49 amYesterday, today and tomorrow, we are focusing on point of view in your story or novel. Your writing tasks for the next 2 days for your “750 words each day in January” is to practice POV. Today, we’ll focus on 1st person point of view. 1st person POV When the camera resides inside one character’s head and we hear that character speaking it is 1st person: the pronouns used are I, me, my. This POV is great for character novels where the inner life, the emotions, the personality are up front and center. Coach scribbled something on his clipboard and I leaned over to see…
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The Truth About Lies
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Aggie and Shuggie 32
25 Jan 2012 | 5:00 pmMaggie: Da! Shuggie: Whit, hen? Maggie: Are we real? Shuggie: Are we whit? Maggie: Real? Shuggie: [feels himself over] Aye, hen, as far as Ah cun tell. Maggie: Tha’s no whit Ah mean. How’d we know we’re no the figment o sumwan’s imagination? Shuggie: Like Goad? Maggie: Aye. Shuggie: Wull, aw Ah cun say is if sumwan immaginified me Goad help ‘im. Maggie: Yoor no takin me seriously. Shuggie: Ah am. It’s jist Ah wis never much cop when it came to apisstomology. Ah aywis thought it were sumhim tae dae wi hinkin aboot bevvy. Maggie: Ye mean ontology? Shuggie: Aye, that tae. Maggie:… -
Chronicle in Stone
20 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pmI could not understand how people could not like something as beautiful as the aerodrome. But I had lately become convinced that in general people were pretty boring. ― Ismail Kadare, Chronicle in Stone Childhood is a wonderful place, part battleground, part playground. It is like a parallel universe that occupies the same time and space as the adult world and yet exists independently to it. Childhood is a popular subject for writers particularly their own childhoods. Of course it helps to have lived through interesting times. When I look back to me growing up in the sixties or, to be more… -
Milligan and Murphy
15 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pmOver the past few years regular readers will have heard me mention and sometimes even quote from my unpublished novels. I finished Milligan and Murphy in August 2005 about three years after my play Vladimir and Estragon are Dead. I had kind of thought that after writing that I’d put my fascination with all things Beckettian to bed, but apparently not. The book was written in the two years we were living in an unfurnished flat in the Gorbals. You can actually see the flats in the photo below. They were brand new and we were the first occupants. It was a nice flat. We could actually see teams… -
Beckett's pseudo-couples (part two)
10 Jan 2012 | 5:00 pmIn his book, Beckett Before Godot, John Pilling notes: PJ Murphy has been one of the very few Beckett critics to see that Mercier et Camier suffers from what the Denis Devlin review calls 'the need that in its haste to be abolished cannot pause to be stated'. For a book so full of statement, indeed, Mercier et Camier seems oddly insubstantial, as if the 'haste to be abolished' had been more important than 'the predicament of particular human identity.'[1] The English version certainly has a rushed feel about it. Scenes which other authors would have devoted an entire chapter to,… -
Beckett's pseudo-couples (part one)
5 Jan 2012 | 4:00 pmWho is the third who walks always beside you? When I count, there are only you and I together... TS Eliot, The Waste Land I have no idea what the IQs of these gentlemen are but I don’t think the same criterion applies when you’re talking about writers, composers, comedians and artists. Few would dispute that Beethoven was a musical genius, that Picasso was an artistic genius, that Shakespeare was a literary genius and that Peter Sellers was a comedic genius but does that mean that every note Beethoven wrote was a work of genius? or that every line penned by Shakespeare was a work of…
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Imperfect Clarity
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Insecurity & Mistakes
26 Jan 2012 | 6:11 pmInsecurity is a very hard thing to get over, but I’m learning I don’t have to be insecure. About anything. We all make mistakes in life and I’m beginning to believe that the way you deal with your own mistakes and your reaction to the mistakes of the people around you shows your character in a way that nothing else does. P.S. Nevermind that I learned this yesterday when I was kicked in the nose by a horse I was grooming… Strangely, I’ve been slightly proud of this — as if it’s some type of badge of honor. I just really need to sit down and figure… -
Who Stands Up for the Internet?
17 Jan 2012 | 1:30 pmImage via Wikipedia Currently, there are two bills in the American Congress that everyone who even touches the Internet needs to know about. They’ve been bandied about in different areas, discussed on multiple forums, but nothing has really been said in the mainstream media about them. Until today, when a number of the big sites have decided to organize a protest by blacking out their sites for one day, Wednesday, January 18, 2012. Those bills are: SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act PIPA, the PROTECT-IP Act PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on… -
Damn Fine Words: Writing
15 Jan 2012 | 1:17 pmWhen I was young, there was hardly ever a time that I didn’t have a book (or two) in my hand. “Don’t read at the table.” “Leave your book in the car!” “We paid good money for these tickets for you to just sit there and read?!” “Give me that flashlight and go to bed!” I was probably the only child I knew whose parents had to fight in order to get her to NOT read every moment of the day. As I grew older, I started to realize there were a whole slew of experiences that I “missed out” on. But there were a whole ‘nother… -
#Row80 Check-in: Overcoming Inertia… How Much Does That Take?
11 Jan 2012 | 12:19 pmAs you might be able to tell by the title of this post, I didn’t do so great at my #Row80 goals these past couple of days. I could chalk it up to “it’s the first week — just gotta get into the swing of things — didn’t have time…,” but honestly, I had time and every intention… I simply continued to get sidetracked as the days went on. So, a review of my goals this week: 1. To finish the pre-planning of DISCONTINUITY this week. 2. Once that basic pre-planning is finished: to write 500 words a day, at least, of fiction towards completing… -
#Row80 Goals/Check-In: Better Late Than Never
8 Jan 2012 | 1:38 amI’ve been reading Jenny Hansen’s blog, More Cowbell, and I’ve been considering joining the #Row80 participants (even though I really don’t know who any of them are ). #Row80 is a writing challenge to help you maintain a specific set of public goals, checking in with the rest of the participants at a specific time. To me, it sounds as though it’s a way of providing myself with some accountability. I mean, they’ll expect progress, right? And, right now, I feel like I need any type of accountability to someone other than myself. So, voila! I’m…
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A Book Inside - How to Write and Publish a Book
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12 Marketing Skills Every Writer Now Needs
4 Jan 2012 | 7:49 amArticle contributed by http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.org In a world of blogs, tweets, website comments, and Facebook status updates, everyone is a writer. That is, they are in the sense that they are communicating through the written word. But you're a writer: you know what a gerund is, and you would never mistake "it's" with "its." Of course, the proliferation of social media has only served to flood the market with content producers. If you want to make it as a writer, you will have to separate yourself from the crowd so your work can be appreciated. Here are 12 marketing skills to… -
Free Press Release Sites
3 Dec 2011 | 11:01 amJust a quick note to let you know of a few websites that will post your press release and submit it to various search engines for free. These have been helpful in getting the word out about new book releases. Just wanted to pass it along to you, in case you hadn't heard of them. Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comment section.http://openpr.com/news/submit.htmlhttp://pr.prlog.org/http://www.pressbox.co.uk/cgi-bin/links/add.cgiSorry for my recent absence, I had to go back to a "real" job for awhile! LOL! Subscribe in a reader -
Oscar Wilde’s Birthday: How About a New Book?
15 Oct 2011 | 10:37 amToday in celebration of Oscar Wilde’s birthday, I am interviewing Joy Shannon, author of The First Counterculture Celebrity: Oscar Wilde’s 1882 North American Tour released this past September.Carol Denbow: Welcome Joy. Please start by telling us a little about your book.Joy Shannon: I wrote this book originally as my thesis for my masters in American Studies at Cal State Fullerton. I am primarily an artist and musician but I have always been fascinated by cultural history and how the arts influence culture. I am especially interested in how the arts are often associated with… -
Research Your Book with Doreen Pendgracs
7 Oct 2011 | 7:37 amToday we have the honor of interviewing Doreen Pendgracs, the editor of Wizard of Words at http://www.wizardofwords.net, author of Before You Say Yes, and Chocolatour (to be released soon!).Doreen has agreed to talk to us about the importance of researching for your book. I’ve heard fiction writers state they “don’t need to research anything” because their book is fiction; but that can be far from the truth. Let’s chat with Doreen and find out just why every writer may need to do some searching before they complete their book project.Carol Denbow: Welcome Doreen! Thank you for… -
Time to get LinkedIn!
13 Sep 2011 | 6:55 pmContributed by Alanna Parke KvaleSo, you’ve written that book that’s been burning in your brain and you’ve actually published it. If you’re thinking that’s an end to your labor for this project, think again. Now, comes the real work…MARKETING!!!Before you panic thinking that this part of the job is beyond you, relax—this can actually be the beginning of the fun. It takes some time, some research, some creativity, but it’s so worth it!Thanks to the Internet, you can now place your name and the name of your book all over the globe. You just need two little words---Social…
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Flogging the Quill
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Flogometer for Natalie--would you turn the page?
27 Jan 2012 | 11:37 amTime is running out to save on an edit or book design. I’m offering a 15% discount on editing services for qualified manuscripts or chapters, and a 10% discount on book cover and interior design services for contracts initiated between now and January 31, 2012. See more about rates here and visit the crrreative.com website for descriptions of services, samples of work, and testimonials. The Flogometer challenge: can you craft a first page that compels me to turn to the next page? Caveat: Please keep in mind that this is entirely subjective. Note: all the Flogometer posts are here. What's a… -
South Coast Writers Conference still open, discount available
26 Jan 2012 | 10:36 amReminder for South Coast Writers Conference in February Lots of good workshops at the South Coast Writers Conference. A discounted fee is available until January 31. I’m doing 3 workshops on February 17th and 18th. Quick summaries: Friday from 9 to 4 Sharpen Your Storytelling Skills The focus is fiction craft issues with 5 writing exercises (2 exercises also in Ray’s 2nd Saturday workshop). Free e-copy of my book, Flogging the Quill, Crafting a Novel that Sells, is provided before the conference. Topics covered: Writing for effect Story as a river Start with kitty-cats in… -
Flogometer for Holly--would you turn the page?
25 Jan 2012 | 12:45 pmThe Flogometer challenge: can you craft a first page that compels me to turn to the next page? Caveat: Please keep in mind that this is entirely subjective. Note: all the Flogometer posts are here. What's a first page in publishingland? In a properly formatted novel manuscript (double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point type, etc.) there should be about 16 or 17 lines on the first page (first pages of chapters/prologues start about 1/3 of the way down the page). Directions for submissions are below. Storytelling Checklist Before you rip into today’s submission, consider this list of 6… -
Viewpoint and voice
24 Jan 2012 | 11:52 amI'm always learning from other writers, and am enjoying a series by author Mark Sumner. Here's a post where he writes about Viewpoint and voice. For what it's worth. Ray Tweet © 2012 Ray Rhamey -
A look at world-building how-to
23 Jan 2012 | 10:39 amThe openings of some of the fantasy and science fiction novels submitted to FtQ have not passed the page-turn test because so much of the narrative was devoted to “world-building,” the establishment of what the world of the story is like. Much the same thing can happen in historical novels and stories that take place in an environment unfamiliar to most readers. The deterrents to page-turning can include: physical description of the setting; description of alien or supernatural creatures; “rules” such as how a magic system operates; mechanics such as how science and machinery operate,…
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Follow The Reader
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ALA Midwinter 2012
17 Jan 2012 | 11:59 amThe holiday rush is behind us, it’s still frigid outside, and librarians everywhere are starting to get excited. . . it’s that time of year again: Midwinter. The 2012 ALA Midwinter conference is being held in Dallas this year (January 20-24) and I’m thrilled to be going—it’s also a return to my Texas roots! In preparation for Midwinter, we at NetGalley have been busy little bees working to enhance our service for librarians. I’m most excited to share the news that NetGalley has partnered with the ALA! If you have an ALA number, add it to your NetGalley account by logging in,… -
NetGalley October is here!
11 Oct 2011 | 11:53 amIt’s that time again–when the lovely Emily of Red House Books declares a “month-long read-a-thon of awesome” for NetGalley titles! This time the month is October, but the goal is the same: read as many NetGalley books as possible, hopefully making a dent in your TBR e-piles We at NetGalley love seeing how many bloggers sign up and how many books ultimately get consumed by the end of the month. Keep us updated on your progress on Twitter with the #NetGalleyMonth hashtag! Plus be sure to follow Emily @WilowRedHouse for news/prizes/etc. All the info is below, and stay… -
NetGalley Goes to Comic Con
4 Oct 2011 | 9:13 amNew York Comic Con is next weekend (Oct. 13-16) and I couldn’t be more excited! I always look forward to seeing cos players on the subways and in the streets of NY… not to mention all of the amazing guests and exhibitors that will actually be inside the Javits Center. I hope that some of the 4,000+ NetGalley members who tell us they read comics and graphic novels can make it to New York for the convention. If you’re attending, don’t forget to stop at the publishers’ booths and show them some love! Dark Horse, Legendary Comics, ONI Press, Lerner, Lee & Low, and Carina… -
July is NetGalley Month!
22 Jul 2011 | 8:00 amBack at the beginning of the month, Emily at Red House Books declared that July is NetGalley month and we couldn’t be happier! After all, what are the summer months for if not escaping the heat with a good book (and some serious air conditioning)? Emily set a challenge to read as many NetGalley books as possible throughout the month . . . what a great excuse to plow through the digital TBR pile! Now that it’s nearly August, Emily will be hosting a Twitter chat to wrap up NetGalley month. Follow @WilowRedHouse and @NetGalley, and use #NetGalleyMonth to chat with Emily, Lindsey Rudnickas of… -
RWA 2011–Welcome to NYC!
28 Jun 2011 | 5:13 pmRomance Writers of America are in New York this week for their 31st Annual Conference, and I’d like to take a moment to welcome all the visitors to my home turf! Hopefully you’re taking time to sight-see between workshops, networking events and meetings. If you’re looking for something to do, there are always plenty of book events going on in and around the city—check out New York Magazine’s list for this week. Last month we announced a partnership with Library Journal, who is now considering book-length romance e-originals for review, and this month I’m happy to report that…
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Founders' Blog
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Write Art
25 Jan 2012 | 7:33 pm$24 – Write drunk; edit sober. Digital illustration 13" x 19" Obvious State – Original Illustrations by Etsy man Evan Robertson -
Mophie Juice – Extra Battery Juice For Your iPhone and iPad
20 Jan 2012 | 2:13 pmIn 2012, the lack of outlets in a Barnes & Noble is a criminal act against humanity. In fact, in this age of technology, the lack of outlets to power our devices is just plain immoral. Mophie hears our pain and is making the world a better place for smartphones and tablets needing juice to survive. Juice Pack is a slim, sleek extended battery pack that easily slips in your bag or pocket, but packs a hefty 4000mAh of battery power. In short, the Juice Pack offers quadruple the battery power of an iPhone. Yes, it works with BlackBerry and Android devices as well. Boarding… -
LitCentral Launches New Website
2 Jan 2012 | 1:28 pmCheck out our new website and have a stunning New Year! -
Creative Spaces
1 Jan 2012 | 12:12 pmA few months ago Blue Ant Studio's blog dedicated a weekly area to shine the spotlight on creative spaces. Some photos are of famous folk, some not. Check it out – the collection is growing and inspiring. -
10 Great Gifts for Writers 2011
12 Dec 2011 | 7:23 pm1.iPad 2 - Whether they use it for writing or not, writers will figure out how to embrace this gadget and include it in their daily lives. 2. Other tablets – I would consider the Kindle Fire or the Nook simply because unlike other tablet makers (HP, Motorola, etc.), these two brands will be around for a long time and offer solid support. Droid tablet makers that have the ability to offer content will be the victors of the "tablet wars" because they can sell their products and make the money on the back-end while offering the device at an ultra low price. 3. iTunes gift…
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Fritinancy
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Fewer Calories
27 Jan 2012 | 10:44 amWe’ve been seeing a lot of this: Spotted at Costco and on the StriVectin website And this: From the Economist’s Johnson blog, Jan. 12, 2012 And let’s not forget the Mercedes “less doors” ad, which I wrote about in November. So it was mildly amazing (as presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is fond of saying) to see this ad in the New York Times today: Not less calories: fewer. Courageous trend-bucking and traditional-rules-of-grammar-obeying, American Beverage Association! Of course, as count nouns go—nouns that can be modified by a numeral and which occur in both singular and… -
"To Contact" in 1918?
26 Jan 2012 | 9:00 amLike millions of TV viewers in the US and the UK, I’ve been under the spell of Downton Abbey, the period drama originally produced for Britain’s ITV and rebroadcast in the US on PBS. We’re now three episodes into Season 2, which opens in the middle of World War I and shuttles between a grand Yorkshire estate and the trenches of war-torn France. The attention to detail in clothing, automobiles, home furnishings, and telephones is extraordinary. The dialogue, however, isn’t always quite as authentic. One out-of-place usage caught my attention in Episode 3, which aired last Sunday:… -
That Word
25 Jan 2012 | 11:13 amIt does not mean what they think it means. Liquid Gold Twined Necklace by Alexis Bittar, from alexisbittar.com. Jack the Ripper was infamous. Bernie Madoff is infamous. Alexis Bittar—a charming and talented jewelry designer whom I once met at a Saks Fifth Avenue trunk show—is not infamous. What he is is famous (First Lady Michelle Obama is a fan) if not yet quite a household word. The Bittar copywriter made a surprisingly common error: assuming that the addition of in- to famous would create a superlative meaning “intensely famous.”* As I wrote in a May 2008 post, infamous is never a… -
"X Just Got Better"
24 Jan 2012 | 11:06 amHere’s a twofer: a full-page ad from Corning in the January 22 New York Times Sunday Magazine that features a snowclone and a nouning. (For new visitors to Fritinancy: a snowclone is a particular type of formulaic cliché, the original of which was “If Eskimos have N words for snow, X surely have Y words for Z.” Scores of snowclones have been documented; for a comprehensive list, see the Snowclone Database. I’ve written from time to time about snowclones in advertising.) The snowclone here is “X just got better,” a formula frequently employed by headline writers short on time and… -
Word of the Week: Grandiosity
23 Jan 2012 | 9:58 amGrandiosity: Greatness of scope or intent; feigned or affective grandeur or pomposity; excessive use of verbal ornamentation. In the mental-health disciplines, grandiosity is a disorder: “an unrealistic sense of superiority, a sustained view of oneself as better than others that causes the narcissist to view others with disdain or as inferior. It also refers to a sense of uniqueness, the belief that few others have anything in common with oneself and that one can only be understood by a few or very special people.” (Source: the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and…
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Inkygirl: An Illustrated Guide For Writers
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Comics for SCBWI conference newbies (or any writing/illustrating conferences)
23 Jan 2012 | 12:01 pmI created this set of comics to help break the ice when I attended my first SCBWI conference (or at least the first in a long time) in 2009, knowing that 99% of the people there wouldn't know me. I was WAY nervous. I'm reposting the comics here in case they help anyone else. Feel free to repost individually or as a set anywhere online, as long as the goal is to help promote the SCBWI or to help kidlit writers and illustrators new to conferences. My advice for anyone who feels nervous about attending for the first time, or is normally very shy and introverted and not great at meeting new… -
Google+ Hangout with my SCBWI Illustration Mentee Pals
19 Jan 2012 | 3:50 pmJust had a great Google+ Hangout with my fellow SCBWI Illustration Mentee pals (Class of 2010): Kimberly Gee, Eliza Wheeler and John Deininger. Andrea Offermann tried to join us, but unfortunately had browser issues. :-( It was great to be able to catch up with what we're each doing in our children's book illustration and writing projects, plus Eliza and I filled in Kimberly and John about our kidlit-focused Lost Weekend With David Diaz. I'm looking forward to seeing Eliza (second from the left in the bottom row of screens) at the SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC next week! As I posted in the… -
It's Easy To Write A Picture Book. Writing a GOOD Picture Book, On The Other Hand...
19 Jan 2012 | 7:58 amI have too many picture book ideas (I partly blame Tara Lazar & her PiBoIdMo 2011 month :-) and have been working on half a dozen picture book story texts over the past year: rewriting a zillion times & dumping ideas that just don't work. Anyone who thinks picture book stories are easy to write is NUTS. Or rather...it's easy to write a picture book. It's very difficult to write a GOOD picture book. It makes me appreciate Michael Ian Black's wonderful I'M BORED story all that much more. Anyway, I've stayed sane by plowing ahead and doing drawings for picture books that don't exist yet. -
THE F&Gs FOR "I'M BORED" JUST ARRIVED!!!!
13 Jan 2012 | 3:55 pmMY F&Gs for I'M BORED JUST ARRIVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apologies for all the exclamation marks BUT I CAN'T HELP IT!!!!! Good thing the delivery guy had walked away by the time I ripped open the package, else he would have heard me screaming (or seen me jumping up and down). Laurent added embossing and some special lamination effects to the cover and IT LOOKS JUST FRIGGIN' AWESOME. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL THIS BOOK IS ON THE SHELVES! AAAAAAaaaAAAAAAAaaAAAA!!! The note from Justin says that this is where it starts getting -really- exciting. Whaaa....? Dear lord. If it gets any more exciting,… -
GUEST POST: Hazel Mitchell on the creation of her picture book ebook with UTales
13 Jan 2012 | 11:08 amHazel Mitchell is the illustrator of several books for children, including ‘How to Talk to an Autistic Kid’ (Books for a Better Life Finalist 2012),‘Hidden New Jersey’ from Charlesbridge/Mackinac Island Press 2012, and the ‘All Star Cheerleader’ series by Anastasia Suen from Kane Miller. She is originally from England, but now lives and works in Maine USA along with a menagerie of animals and a couple of snow shovels. Find out more about Hazel at http://hazelmitchell.com/ ---- As a children’s illustrator and writer, the opportunity to get an…
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www.publetariat.com
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Upcoming West Coast Book Publishing Events for Indie Authors
26 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pmOne of the staples of an author website or blog is the Calendar page. Fans can find out the next stop on your blog tour, where you might be speaking at a live event, or other notable happenings. The problem is, in practice, these Calendar pages rarely get updated. It’s quite common to go to an author’s Calendar page and find out where they were speaking two, three, or four years ago. This makes me sad, so I’ve never put a Calendar page on my blog. Instead, I’m listing right here the upcoming events I’ll be speaking live at, with links to the registration pages… -
Amazon Select: We Are All Junkies Now
26 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pmThis post, by Libby Fischer Hellman, originally appeared on her Say The Word blog on 1/25/12. In it, she shares her experiences as an author in the KDP Select program, and the possibility that the program is training readers to wait until a book is free, rather than buy it at regular prices. It’s been over a month since the Amazon KDP Select started, and we’re beginning to see the ramifications of the program. And although I’m making good money, I’m scared. For those of you who don’t know, Amazon created the KDP Select program to increase their base of… -
Author 2.0 Blueprint Rebooted For 2012
25 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pmAuthor 2.0 encapsulates the spirit of empowerment to create, publish, sell and promote with the amazing online tools available today. I wrote the original Author 2.0 Blueprint over 2 years ago and things have changed a lot since then. I have sporadically updated it but now I have rewritten 95% of it to create a 52 page ebook packed with useful information on writing, publishing and book marketing. The Blueprint is entirely free so please download and use whatever part of it resonates with you. read more -
Editors Passed on Same Book Critique Group Loved: 6 Reasons Why
25 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pmThis post, by Lynette Labelle, originally appeared on her website on 1/4/12. You have a critique group and the members love, love, love your work. They’ve been nagging at you for months to send it out. You finally got up enough courage to submit and even received requests for partials and fulls, but in the end, nobody liked the manuscript enough to take it on. What gives? Let’s take a look at six reasons agents and editors may not love your work as much as your critique group does. read more
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Self-Publishing Review
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Review: Black Flies in the Backyard with Snowshoes by Kevin Brian Carroll
26 Jan 2012 | 3:09 pmI read through the opening pages, called “Before We Get Started” and I had the feeling I was going to be reading a book about a Blues Band from Albany. I wanted to research the material, but the link given to the band was wrong… http://WAlbanyStBlues.com should be https://WAlbanStBluesBand.com. And I am thinking, oh, boy, we need an editor here, stat. I then started getting into the book itself; the first chapter. I thought, oh my, Hunter S. Thompson’s final work? Or maybe this is his protégé? This is soooo Gonzo Journalism; but the author is no journalist. The author was just a… -
Their, There and They’re: Dude (or Dudette) You Need A Proofreader
26 Jan 2012 | 2:53 pmOver the past few weeks I have been concentrating on reading Kindle book files. I say concentrating because the urge to take out a red pencil and slash all the grammar, spelling, punctuation and capitalization errors is overtaking my urge to read. My eyes hurt. The worst ones are, sadly, self-published books. And I understand the issue…it is very hard to edit your own work. Some will tell you it is almost impossible. But most of these errors are correctable. And it sooooo distracts from the content of the book. It becomes almost impossible to read some passages as you read,… -
Review: One-Hit Willie: A Classic Rock Novel by William Westhoven
25 Jan 2012 | 4:34 pmAs an art critic says to an artist in the 1850 Charles Reade novel Christie Johnstone, “Art is not imitation, but illusion.” In fiction, it’s challenging to tell a story using archetypal themes and characters without descending into cliché. When you tell a story involving rock and roll, this feat becomes even trickier. William Westhoven, who has covered the performing arts as a journalist since 1989, makes the leap to fiction successfully with his debut novel. He accomplishes this by using a compassionate, humorous narrative voice, interspersing his journalistic observations about the… -
Review: Freedom and Circumstance by Oswald Sobrino
23 Jan 2012 | 2:58 pmFor me, poets and philosophers are like cake and ice cream: they go together. Both wed disparate elements of reality, sometimes explosively, always in startling ways. Both go beyond the words to a place bone deep. When I read or listen to them, my eyes pop. My mouth goes all WOWy. My spirit is cleansed, refreshed, and I’m able to write on. You might say that, like cake and ice cream, poets and philosophers are important human resources. Take Ortega y Gasset, an influential twentieth-century Spanish philosopher. That’s all I remembered about him from a course I took on existentialist… -
Review: Sleeper’s Run by Henry Mosquera
19 Jan 2012 | 3:10 pmWhen Eric Caine is found wandering the streets of South Beach, dishevelled and mumbling Arabic, he’s taken for just another of Miami’s homeless. But when someone notices his military ID card they promptly take him to the local VA hospital. He’s crashed his car and has no memory of the last eight days, save that he’d been drinking and was probably involved in a bar fight. Recently discharged from the Air Force, Eric is a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan where he worked as a pararescue jumper, providing medical support to anti-terrorist forces caught in hostile zones. The doctor…
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George Angus, Tumblemoose Writer
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What Downton Abbey Can Teach Us About Writing
27 Jan 2012 | 7:55 amA month or so ago I managed to get hooked on a TV series. It doesn’t happen very often because I don’t tend to park myself in front of the TV too much. And that generally goes double for PBS. I think I was caught unawares as I flipped through the channels that fateful Sunday evening. I don’t recall what scene it was that caused me pause, but that night stirred something in me and I’ve not looked back. I’m talking about the hit series on PBS, Downton Abbey. Downton Abbey revolves around the life of Lord and Lady Grantham, their daughters and the servants of an… -
Are Writers Too Jacked-Up About Grammar?
23 Jan 2012 | 7:23 amI was cruising through my Twitter feed the other day and I came across a tweet that caused me to cringe. The person was tweeting about an article that was titled something like Loosing your copyright rights. Shudder. Normally I just shake my head and move on. I was about to do just that when I realized the tweeter calls themselves a writer. You have got to be kidding me. Glass House I live in a glass house. I have a long term lease on the thing, I think. This means that typically I don’t throw a lot of stones because I know that I am not the world’s best grammarian. Mostly my… -
Hurt Machine
19 Jan 2012 | 12:41 pmA few months back I published a guest post by Author Reed Farrel Coleman. It’s a great article containing writing tips from a pro. I’d encourage you to take a minute and read it if you’ve not already done so. You can find it here. Right around Christmas I received a review copy of one of his latest novels, Hurt Machine. I have to admit that as hard as I’ve tried, I just can’t get into Mystery/Detective novels. In fact, when I’m perusing books on Amazon, if I see “A So and So Detective Mystery” I scoot right on past. I won’t say Hurt… -
The Writer’s Twitter Dilemma
17 Jan 2012 | 12:03 pmWhen I first set up my writing blog and freelance writing business, I set up a Twitter account. Twitter was still relatively new and even though I didn’t quite “get it” I sensed Twitter would be around for a while. Getting started was tough in those early days. Figuring out who to follow took a bit of work and a lot of searching. So here I sit three and a half years later. I follow about 1,300 folks and I have about 2,650 followers. I’ve grown my Twitter organically. In other words, I haven’t participated in any schemes to get 10,000 followers or anything like… -
Using Your Indoor Voice
13 Jan 2012 | 5:16 pmImage from: ifthiscouchcouldtalk.com My daughter has a neighbor friend that she plays with now and then. I cringe whenever the girl comes over because she has no indoor voice. She yells everything – conversations, wants, needs, hellos, good-byes – everything. While she is here, I am guaranteed to have to (gently) admonish her to please use her indoor voice. “BUT MY MOM SAYS I HAVE A BEAUTIFUL VOICE! I WAS JUST BORN LOUD!” Sheesh. Besides the obvious parenting issues (and it would take several blog posts just to cover that topic), there is the concept of appropriate…
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The Write News
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NewBay Media Acquires Three Magazines From Future US
22 Jan 2012 | 4:25 pmNewBay Media LLC has acquired select titles from Future US, Inc, the San Francisco-based subsidiary of Future plc. The titles include Guitar World, Revolver, and Guitar Aficionado. NewBay Media says it now reachers over 5 million music and audio professionals and enthusiasts every month with the new titles. The magaines joins NewBay's existing music and audio titles, which include Guitar Player, Bass Player, Keyboard, Electronic Musician, Mix, Pro Audio Review, Audio Media, and Pro Sound News. Steve Palm, CEO, NewBay Media, said in a statement, "These titles, and the talented team behind… -
The Write News is Now on Google+
13 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pmThe Write News now has a Google+ page on Google+. Google+ is a new social network from Google. You can follow us on Google+ by clicking on the Google+ button below and adding us to one of your circles. You can also find The Write News on Facebook and Twitter. Permalink | Facebook | Twitter | Archives | News Feeds -
Meredith Corporation to Acquire FamilyFun From Disney Publishing
7 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pmMeredith Corporation has signed an agreement with Disney Publishing Worldwide to acquire the assets of FamilyFun magazine. The magazine has a rate base of 2.1 million and an audience of 6 million. The assets include the magazine, its special interest publications, ToyHopper and digital magazine applications. However, Disney Interactive's Moms and Family online portfolio will retain all existing FamilyFun content for digital use. FamilyFun debuted in 1991. It targets moms with kids ages 3-12. The first issue of the magazine under Meredith is expected to be the March 2012 issue. Meredith… -
GamePro Print Magazine Ends, Website Forwards to PCWorld
17 Dec 2011 | 1:55 pmGamePro magazine is no more. The print version ended with the November quarterly issue. This isn't a situation where the print version dies and the website continues. The website is gone as well. Visitors are being forwarded to a section on PCWorld.com. A message on the GamePro.com website says, "Thank you for your loyalty, support, and participation in the GamePro.com community. The U.S. version of GamePro is now part of PCWorld.com offering gaming news, reviews, and how-tos from the PCWorld team." IndustryGamers has a report on the demise of GamePro here. There are also reports here on USA… -
The Protester is Time's Person of the Year
15 Dec 2011 | 2:00 pmTime magazine chose the protester as its "Person of the Year" for 2011. The corresponding article covers the protests from the Arab Spring to the more recent occupy protests in the U.S. The cover was designed by artist Shepard Fairey. The artwork is based on a photograph taken by photojournalist Ted Soqui. The woman in the photograph is Highland Park resident Sarah Mason. She is a member of Occupy L.A. Take a look: Photo: Time Permalink | Facebook | Twitter | Archives | News Feeds
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WritersWeekly.com - Freelance Writing Ezine
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BookLocker - Your Book Deserves the Best
26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 amAccording to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker is one of the top-rated POD publishers in the industry. -
Paying Markets And Jobs For January 25th
25 Jan 2012 | 11:00 amNew markets and freelance writing jobs. -
Whispers And Warnings For January 25th
25 Jan 2012 | 11:00 amAssociated Newspapers Ltd., publisher of the Daily Mail tabloid - Loses ruling over secret evidence. Baltimore's City Paper and reporter Van Smith - Cleared of wrongdoing in libel lawsuit. Digital Music News - Is saying media shield laws protect it from having to reveal "whistleblower" source. -
I Now Like Haggling! By Nadia Ali
25 Jan 2012 | 11:00 amAsking editors for a better pay rate has always been something I shy away from. Sometimes I think I do deserve more, but "haggling" isn't something that I like to do, that is until now... -
Should I buy my own block of ISBNs if my publisher includes one in my package? No.
25 Jan 2012 | 11:00 amWould you say that an author buying his own ISBN has almost no advantage over taking the free one from an online publisher such as your company?
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Writing Forward
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Final Sneak Peek at 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Body Language
26 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amFinal sneak peek at forthcoming book, 101 Creative Writing Exercises. 101 Creative Writing Exercises is slated for publication in early February. This book of creative writing exercises will take writers on a journey through different forms and genres while providing writing techniques, practical experience, and inspiration. Each exercise teaches a specific concept and each chapter focuses on a different subject or form in writing: journaling, storytelling, fiction, poetry, article writing, and more. Every exercise is designed to be practical. In other words, you can use these exercises to… -
Internal and External Approaches to Creative Writing
24 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amTwo approaches to creative writing. When I’m working on a story, I try not to think about technique too much. I focus on forging ahead without overanalyzing every step in my creative writing process. My top priority is to get the ideas out of my head and onto the page. However, in retrospect (often during revisions) and between stories, I often evaluate how I approached a project so that I can better understand my own creative process. Hindsight is 20/20. I might decide that I didn’t do enough character sketches and therefore have to do more extensive rewriting. On the other hand,… -
Grammar Rules: That and Which
19 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amGet the grammar rules for using that and which. There’s a lot of confusion about that and which. These two words are often used interchangeably, even though they’re not necessarily interchangeable. Historically, that and which may have carried the same meaning, and some English dialects may allow for that and which to be swapped without affecting the meaning of a sentence. However, in American English, the grammar rules offer a distinct difference between the two words. By the time you’re done reading this post, you’ll fully understand the difference between that and… -
Censorship Update: Writers Beware!
17 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amAll over the internet, the same message is being repeated over and over: we will not be censored. Last month, I published a post explaining how SOPA, PIPA, and other censorship initiatives affect writers. Put simply, censorship is bad for writers. In fact, it’s terrible. Free speech is essential to anyone who writes or creates art. This month, on January 24, the U.S. Senate will meet to take a closer look at PIPA. There are plenty of senators who have already stated support for the bill, many of whom have received significant campaign funding from the very entities that are pushing… -
Eight Characteristics of Good Writing
12 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amWhat's the difference between good writing and better writing? How important is it for a writer to be able to discern the difference between good writing and bad writing? Pretty important, if you ask me. I know some writers aren’t concerned with quality. In today’s do-it-yourself and get-it-done-fast world, quality plays second fiddle to quantity. Who cares if your books are full of typos, bad grammar, and poor logic as long as you have published lots and made a bunch of money? Readers care. Agents, publishers, and reviewers also care. And while you can still make a million…
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Creative Writing Ideas Blog
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Jan 27, Working from Home
27 Jan 2012 | 3:49 pmWorking from home can be a major challenge. Here are some helpful tips to get you from the beginning to the end of your deceptively difficult day. -
Jan 26, Where to Find Inspiration
26 Jan 2012 | 12:06 pmHere are 10 places you can find inspiration from if your usual sources of creative motivation are coming up short. -
Jan 26, Stumbling Ahead
25 Jan 2012 | 8:43 pmPerfectionists should learn about stumbling ahead to push them past overlong planning and fear to complete their creative projects. -
Jan 25, Personal Responsibility
24 Jan 2012 | 9:15 pmPersonal responsibility is more helpful than any government mandate or subsidy. If we can all claim this responsibility we will be able to return to prominence and a healthier economy. -
Jan 23, My Progress
23 Jan 2012 | 1:40 pmHere is my progress as of January 2012 in my attempts to a and inspiring successful self-published author and blogger who uses creativity to increase his income.
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Website Makeover Workshop
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Happy New Year
19 Jan 2012 | 8:28 pmIf you’re etching out a plan as you normally do to kick off 2012, then I want you to check out this video because it’s time to re-focus on how to map out your 2012! Press play to watch this brief video that will surely getting thinking and moving in the right direction. SURVEY: Need help? Click here to take survey RESOURCES: Need Money to Market Your Business? www.SmashFunding.com Free Guide: 25 Essential Marketing Tools Free Email Marketing Newsletter Templates Unlimited Web Hosting Package: Just $3.49 a Month! -
10 Ways To Leverage Social Media & Email Marketing
23 Feb 2011 | 2:03 amHave you heard about the social media and email marketing war? Rumor has it that email marketing is dead. On the other hand social media is king. It’s like a great tennis match… Venus verse Serena! If you’re on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media platform then you’re on the right track. If you’re investing in building a quality relationship via email marketing then you’re ahead of your competition. At the end of the day you’re a champion once you discover how you can leverage social media and email marketing. Here are 10 easy ways to leverage… -
CD/DVD Duplication and DVD Replication Services
31 Aug 2010 | 2:08 pmHave heard of CD fulfillment or how about ebook CD publishing? Want to self publish: i.e. sell, or want to sell CDs or DVDs (any digital product like software, music audio CDs, video DVDs, or any digital files etc). Want to offer your customer the added value of a physical product instead of just a download which is proven to increase conversions. Want to avoid the hassle of producing and shipping your CDs or DVDs. Here’s the perfect resource for you. CD/DVD on Demand Self Publishing Service. You take orders on your website. They produce the CD or DVD for you. They package and ship them… -
Email Marketing Solutions
4 Aug 2010 | 2:02 pmDo you need help with your email marketing services or your email marketing newsletter? Are you struggling with your email marketing tools? By now you’ve discovered that it’s time to grow your company, your brand, and your profits. Email Connecting manages it all for you, while you focus on what you’re great at. Just because you can do it doesn’t mean you know how to do it. Grab hold of their free DVD titled “One Dyamic Method” just simply go to http://www.EmailConnecting.com -
3 Simple Getting Started Online Marketing Strategies
11 Jan 2010 | 12:30 pmAre you seeking simple online marketing strategies get started online right or improve your current online results? Often we can overlook the obvious because we’re so focused on the big picture, “I need traffic to my website!” When I started to implement the smaller pieces to the puzzle, then big piece become a lot easier. So today we have three simple and easy ways to started online with marketing. 1. Blog 2. Categories 3. Domain I cover these in more detail in today’s video. So tune in to learn something new or refreshed on something that has slipped your mind. So…
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Show Some Character!
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Reading roundup 2011
31 Dec 2011 | 4:32 pmI started 2011 on a mission: read ten million words of fiction. I got to wondering what it would be like just to blast my brain with words, words, words, for a whole year. So I bought a lot of books and went to work. In the end, I didn’t make it, which is just as well because the stack you see here pretty well pushes the limits of what I can read and still get enough sleep to be a functional human being. And besides, if I had reached ten million, I’d never have been able to stack them all up. But still, I did pretty well. The stack you see is 70 books, and about 5.1 million words. -
Does your denouement murder your characters?
21 Dec 2011 | 4:54 pmCause of death: denouementI have a confession to make. I’m a murderer. Only in the third degree—I didn’t mean to—but murder is murder. You know what I remember most about writing my first manuscript? Writing the ending. I’d had such a wonderful time writing that whole manuscript. I loved those characters. When I wrote what I knew was the last scene, I became so choked up the lump in my throat literally hurt. The story was done. They were done. But I wasn’t ready to let those characters go. So what did I do? I wrote an epilogue. It’s a sweet epilogue. -
Swimming to find your characters
2 Dec 2011 | 3:47 pmWhat lies beneathLeaving aside for a moment that icebergs probably don’t really glow like that on their undersides, the iceberg still makes a nice metaphor for the characters in your book. Or rather, for the process of coming to know who those characters are. I’d argue that when we think about our novels ahead of time, our conceptions of the characters are much like the visible part of the iceberg. Pretty, but not nearly the whole picture. The water hides everything else. You cannot see the rest of the iceberg until—and unless—you get into the water. You must swim… -
Lessons from NaNoWriMo
30 Nov 2011 | 1:03 pmA month ago, I confessed to you all that I hadn’t finished a manuscript in the past three years. Finishing is a habit, just like writing, and I had gotten into a bad one. I set out into NaNoWriMo this year with the goal not only of getting my 50,000 words, but of finishing the damn manuscript. And I did it. I am convinced that the difference between this year and the past three is that I went into November not just with a plan for what the story was going to be, but with a plan for how I was going to finish it in the month. A story plotted out in 29 scenes. One scene per day, with a… -
Finishing NaNoWriMo
21 Oct 2011 | 11:07 amGentle readers, I have a confession. I love NaNoWriMo. I have done it every year since 2005, and I have never failed to get my 50,000 words. Sometimes it has been close—like 2008, when post-election burnout induced me to slack of for twelve whole days after the annual Seattle-area Halloween midnight kickoff write-in. Boy did I have to write HARD after that to finish—but I’ve always made it. And I’m proud of that. That’s not my confession, though. My confession is this: I haven’t finished a manuscript in three years. There, I said it. That 2008 novel? Aside…
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Write4Kids!
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Tweets Become New Currency for E-Products
27 Jan 2012 | 10:14 amYou know it's essential these days that authors market their books, and social media is often the most cost-effective way of doing that. Now, Pay with a Tweet lets you utilize the value of your readers' social networks to spread the word about your new books. You create a button for your website or blog that leads to a free download (say, the first chapter of your new book) that readers get after they Tweet about you or mention you on their Facebook page. So instead of hoping your giveaways create a buzz, now it's guaranteed! -
105 Books Later, R.L. Stine Still Gives Readers Goosebumps
23 Jan 2012 | 3:48 amBack in the early 1990s I worked part-time at a book package called Parachute Press, which was creating a new horror series called Goosebumps. The series' author, R.L. Stine, had begun his career as a humor writer, then found a wider audience with his YA horror series Fear Street. But no one had ever done a horror series for the middle grade crowd, so Parachute decides to give Stine's series a try. The rest is publishing history. Goosebumps made Stine the best-selling author of all time for many years. He now occupies the Number 2 spot, right behind J.K. Rowling. There's a… -
Check Out the New CBI Clubhouse!
18 Jan 2012 | 5:25 pmThose of you who are Fightin' Bookworms (members of our CBI Clubhouse online community) know that in the two years since we've launched the site, we've amassed a huge amount of information on writing and publishing children's books. So much information, in fact, that it was getting unwieldy. So Jon's spent the last two months (days, evenings, weekends, even in his sleep) completely redesigning and improving the site. And as of this week…. The *NEW* CBI Clubhouse is now live at http://cbiclubhouse.com ! The CBI 1-2-3 System is up and running, bringing you… -
It’s Your Job to Write to Your Audience
12 Jan 2012 | 3:06 amSeth Godin, easily the smartest man in publishing today, has once again nailed it with his post Reading Isn't Dead, But It's Changing on his Domino Project blog. His point (and he's talking primarily of young adult books, but this really applies to all ages) is that the job of authors is to write what people want to read, and then they'll read it. It seems obvious, but I can't count how many times I've heard writers bemoan that they'll never get published because kids just aren't reading the kind of books they're writing, the books they should be reading. -
The Appeal of Fantasy’s Secret World
10 Jan 2012 | 3:56 amWhen I critique middle grade and young adult fantasy manuscripts, I often find myself jotting notes like "Why is this character the one called to this adventure?" and "What's at stake here of monumental consequence?" A cornerstone of successful fantasy is seemingly ordinary teen and tween protagonists who save the world. Without that, you're just writing a novel with quirky characters. Another hallmark is that this usually happens without (or in spite of) any help from adults. Teen heroes, impending doom, absentee parents. What's not to love? Author Cassandra…
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Letters of Note
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To the next Burglar
27 Jan 2012 | 9:42 amAs he slept upstairs on September 8th of 1908, two young burglars entered Mark Twain's home, took an entire sideboard into the garden and proceeded to break it open. They were eventually caught by police with a stash of silverware. The next day, with the help of an aspiring young artist named Dorothy Sturgis, Twain produced the following note for the attention of future burglars. From that day on, it was permanently attached to his front door. Transcript follows. Image kindly supplied by Stanley Gould. Image: Stanley Gould Transcript NOTICE. To the next Burglar. There is nothing but plated… -
Thou eunuch of language
26 Jan 2012 | 10:28 amIn 1791, riled by a recent review that criticised a supposed abundance of "obscure language" and "imperfect grammar" in his poetry, celebrated Scottish poet Robert Burns channelled his anger and wrote the following magnificent letter to the critic responsible. It really is a thing of beauty. (Source: The Works of Robert Burns, Volume 4; Image: Robert Burns, courtesy of the BBC.) Ellisland, 1791. Dear Sir: Thou eunuch of language; thou Englishman, who never was south the Tweed; thou servile echo of fashionable barbarisms; thou quack, vending the nostrums of empirical elocution; thou… -
May the muses embrace you
25 Jan 2012 | 10:07 amIn September of 1988, Salman Rushdie's fourth novel, The Satanic Verses, was published in the UK to both critical acclaim and immediate controversy. By February of 1989, following months of protests and death threats, his execution was ordered by way of a fatwā issued by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Rushdie was then put under police guard, and he went into hiding. The controversy continues to this day. In the early 1990s, as the furore raged, the following letter of support was written to Rushdie by novelist Norman Mailer. (Source: The Rushdie Letters;… -
I am a lousy copywriter
24 Jan 2012 | 8:46 amBritish-born David Ogilvy was one of the original, and greatest, "ad men." In 1948, he started what would eventually be known as Ogilvy & Mather, the Manhattan-based advertising agency that has since been responsible for some of the world's most iconic ad campaigns, and in 1963 he even wrote Confessions of an Advertising Man, the best-selling book that is still to this day considered essential reading for all who enter the industry. Time magazine called him "the most sought-after wizard in today's advertising industry" in the early-'60s; his name, and that of his agency, have been… -
Something extraordinary
23 Jan 2012 | 9:39 amJuly, 1922. In the final paragraph of an otherwise unremarkable letter to his editor, Maxwell Perkins, author F. Scott Fitzgerald passionately announces his desire to begin writing "something extraordinary and beautiful and simple and intricately patterned." The novel he had mentioned for the first time was The Great Gatsby. Transcript follows. Image kindly supplied by Gareth M. Image: Gareth M. Transcript Dear Mr. Perkins: Glad you liked the addenda to the Table of Contents. I feel quite confident the book will go. How do you think The Love Legend will sell? You'll be glad to know that…
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Mysterious Matters: Mystery Publishing Demystified
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Top 5 List: The Mystery Editor's Challenges
22 Jan 2012 | 10:25 pmLast week, or thereabouts, I blogged/opined on the mystery novelist's top 5 challenges. I have been giving some thought to what my top challenges are as an editor/publisher, so here goes: 1. How do I find the heart or core of this book? Like many editors, I take particular pleasure in finding and developing new talent. This requires no small amount of patience, which is why I'm fortunate to be at an independent publisher. If I find a manuscript I really like, or in which I see a lot of potential, I can work with the writer on both a micro and macro basis. At the micro level,… -
Top 5 List: The Mystery Novelist's Challenges
14 Jan 2012 | 8:18 pmMost of the time, I blog about the editing and publishing of mysteries/crime fiction, rather than the writing thereof. But over the last few months I've been having conversations with writers from my list, and the talk has sometimes steered toward writing process, revision, audience considerations, and so forth. So, based on those discussions, I thought I might list what I see as writers' (or at least MY writers') top challenges as they write. 1. How do I balance plot and character? I find that many writers worry about finding this balance. Given length constraints, how do… -
John Grisham and the "Book Per Year"
4 Jan 2012 | 9:47 amI recently read an interview with John Grisham in the London Guardian. I'm not sure I'd include Grisham in my list of "mystery writers" - I think most would agree that he falls into the category of "thriller" writer. For me, the blockbuster mystery writers are Laura Lippman, Harlan Coben, Janet Evanovich, Patricia Cornwell, P.D. James, Ruth Rendell .... In the article, Grisham discusses one of his secrets of success, a tip shared with him early in his career. An editor said to him, "The big guys come out every year." By that, he meant that Stephen King,… -
Predictions for 2012
26 Dec 2011 | 4:36 pmSo, another year has come and gone. Hard to believe. And it's nice to see that, despite the constant threats/warnings/gleeful prognostications of the "death" of traditional publishing, a lot of us are still here. In fact, a recent news report indicated that, contrary to expectations and predictions, some people are willing to pay the same amount for an ebook as they would pay for a print book (the Steve Jobs biography was the example given). Because 2011 was the year of prognostications (including several for the impending end of the world), I thought it might be fun to close… -
Viva Mystery Scene!
17 Dec 2011 | 12:28 pmOne of the nice things about blogging is the ability to share thoughts on great books, organizations, and talented folks within our industry. I generally am not open to writers using Mysterious Matters as a publicity device; there are plenty of other places to engage in self-promotion. When I recommend something here on MM, it's because I have personally read or experienced it, and I feel that I can testify to its quality. This week I have to put in a plug for one of my favorite magazines, Mystery Scene. (This month's issue is pictured at left.) I've mentioned my enjoyment of…
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Just Effing Entertain Me
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Living the Life Less Ordinary
26 Jan 2012 | 5:53 pmAs I prepare to leave the US for the exotic and dusty shores of the Middle East, I find that I am increasingly far from my comfort zone. It’s scary, in other words. Yes, I’ll be blogging, twittering and Facebooking, not to mention emailing and consulting – you may not notice much of a difference, [...] -
The Hero’s Journey
24 Jan 2012 | 7:32 pmHello, everyone! Who hasn’t seen the 2011 Academy Award nominations? Some really interesting picks this year – is there ever a year when there aren’t some lusty protestations about this or that movie or actor left out? Not since I’ve been watching the awards, that’s for sure. Today I taught a class at Warner Bros., [...] -
Winning!
20 Jan 2012 | 10:10 amHello, everybody! I’ve been busy the last few days spending time with the wonderful, talented and dare I say, handsome Jared Kelly, the winner of the 2011 Just Effing Entertain Me Screenplay Competition with his script, Descendant. Jared will be blogging about his experiences later this week – I think I’m exhausting him! However, he [...] -
Just Effing Entertain Me Screenwriting Competition Grand Prize Winner
17 Jan 2012 | 12:55 pmToday at 3:15PM, Jared Kelly arrives in Los Angeles to collect his prizes! I will be there to pick him up, then off for several days of meetings, lunches and shopping as I roll out the red carpet for this very talented writer! Jared will be blogging about his experience so you can get a [...] -
Writer, Promote Thyself: Voyage Media
14 Jan 2012 | 3:18 pmThis last week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Nat Mundel, founder of Voyage Media, an awesome media and branding company that I’ve done business with in the past to discuss my impending move to Tel Aviv and how we can work together to bring more attention to Stories Without Borders and all [...]
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The Sound and Fury of Kristopher A. Denby
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‘Batman: The Dark Knight Returns’: A review
19 Jan 2012 | 11:58 pmI was contemplating Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns after recently reading it, and trying to remember the last time hype resulted in anything other than slight-to-severe disappointment. Sure, you get a pretty respectable mix of positive and negative experiences when plain-old, garden variety expectations precede said experience. But hype is different than the plain-old, garden variety expectation. Expectations are largely the product of your own prior experience or knowledge of a thing. If the experience fails to live up to your expectations, you have yourself to blame. Hype,… -
‘They Live’: A film review
14 Jan 2012 | 3:12 pmI watch movies for different reasons. Sometimes I just want to watch something that’s comfortable. You know, that movie that you can pop in and watch anytime and it never gets old? Sometimes I like to feel as though I’ve been enlightened, or that I’ve learned something. Sometimes I want to be creeped out, inspired, or moved to laughter. Occasionally I even watch movies to see things that I know will be upsetting, because to ignore them would be to ignore that those things exist. And ignoring a bad thing doesn’t make it go away. Ignoring a bad thing only gives it room to grow. Most of… -
Ridley Scott returns to familiar territory with ‘Prometheus’
22 Dec 2011 | 2:28 pmYou know, it’s funny. Just a few days ago, upon the debut of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey trailer, I remarked to a friend that there weren’t a lot of upcoming film projects that I was terribly excited about (outside of the aforementioned Hobbit film). Well, dear friends, this next trailer gives us a sneak peek at one of those few films that I’ve been quietly and anxiously awaiting. Ridley Scott marks his return to the film franchise that began with Alien, and which should have ended with James Cameron’s superb sequel, Aliens. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the trailer for… -
‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ trailer debuts, and a long awaited journey begins
21 Dec 2011 | 8:05 amI’m not sure what sort of words that I could provide here to aptly convey my excitement, but take it on faith, dear readers; this is as about as excited as I’ve been for any movie since Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy began over a decade ago. Enjoy, and feel free to share your feelings on the trailer in the comments section below. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will hit theaters on December 14, 2012, and is the first of two movies adapting J.R.R.Tolkien’s 1937 book, The Hobbit or There and Back Again. The Hobbit: There and Back Again will wrap up the adaptation and… -
A night out at The Blue Starlight Mini-Urban Drive-In
31 Aug 2011 | 1:59 pmWell, kids, this week marks the 1 year anniversary of Austin’s only drive-in movie theater, The Blue Starlight. And being thus, I thought it’d be a great opportunity to share an experience that my wife and I had there recently. Oh, what’s that? You haven’t heard of The Blue Starlight? You didn’t even know that Austin had a drive-in movie theater? A bit of background, then. The History The Blue Starlight was founded by local author and screenwriter, Josh Frank, in a small lot on East Caesar Chavez. Since that time, the self-proclaimed mini-urban drive-in has grown such that a second…
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Unmemorable TitleUnmemorable Title | Unmemorable Title
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How Not to Write a Sales Letter (with assistance from cuddly Ken Bates)
18 Jan 2012 | 6:34 amDespite telesales, despite search engine marketing, and despite social media, direct sales letters are still one of the most important and effective weapons in any marketer's arsenal. Done right, a great sales letter can deliver huge returns on a fairly small investment. -
An Open Letter to Google on the Subject of Social Search
11 Jan 2012 | 5:30 amDear Google, It's me, Andrew. I know that we haven't always seen eye-to-eye, especially when it comes to your muppet fixation and your inexplicable need to give me yet more buttons to click, but I really need to tell you something. -
5 Apocalyptically Bad Topics I Don’t Want to See in 2012
4 Jan 2012 | 6:45 am2012 is finally here. The year of the London Olympics, the Golden Jubilee and, most concerningly, the end of the world. If the misinterpreted non-prophesies of a dead Mesoamerican civilisation are to be believed (they're not), then the world will end in some horrible manner on December 21 2012 (it won't). -
Swords, Sorcery and Snow Trolls – The Skyrim Guide to Blogging
18 Nov 2011 | 2:30 amIf you find yourself within earshot of a nerd this week, the chances are that you'll hear the word "Skyrim" bandied about in excitable tones. Don't worry - this isn't some obscure lewd act known only to members of the mile-high club. It's a computer game. -
The Small Business Guide to Handling Negative Criticism – A Guest Post by Amy Fowler
16 Nov 2011 | 1:30 amIt’s fact of life in business that many small business owners find it difficult to handle negative reviews in a calm, collected manner.
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317am.net
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Haruki Murakami’s “1Q84″: Disrespecting the Reader
27 Jan 2012 | 3:45 amAuthor’s Note: This Ras-curated post was written by his good friend Howard Cincotta, a fiction writer and freelancer for all seasons. Cincotta read 1Q84 while recovering from outpatient surgery. Cincotta’s most recent articles – on green roofs and Toastmasters International – … Read more » -
My Cinema Paradisos, Part 2
26 Jan 2012 | 3:48 amIn my last post, about marvelous movie palaces, I closed with a reverie of my first date in the old Etna (PA ) Theater. The movies and romance have always had a symbiotic relationship, but that little romance did not turn … Read more » -
What’s freedom for? To know eternity.
24 Jan 2012 | 11:01 pmI spent last evening reading Theodore Roethke. So here’s a gift. “I Knew a Woman” is perhaps the most famous of his poems, but the best poems are like your dearest friends—if they show up unexpectedly, it’s always worthwhile to … Read more » -
Cinema Paradisos I Have Known
24 Jan 2012 | 3:45 amThe Temple of Apollo at Delphi, Mount Olympus, the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Sounion – the ancient Greeks believed that certain spots on earth were sacred places. I’ve often felt the same about certain movie theaters. I’m not sure what … Read more » -
Does Writing a Novel Make You a Better Person?
22 Jan 2012 | 11:01 pmRas posted here the other day with the question “Does Reading Novels Make You a Better Person?” My own question, considering how I’ve been spending my days lately, is “How About Writing a Novel? Does That Make You a Better … Read more »
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The Sixty Second Writer
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Would You Open the Door??
17 Jan 2012 | 5:38 pmWhat do you think is behind that door?? Source: photo.net via Lisa on Pinterest Also Available... 60 Second Writer For Kids What We Are All About When I was little, I loved to stretch out across my bed and write stories. Give me a blank book of paper and a pencil and I was in heaven. Sometimes I think that we forget all about the fun part. I hope this blog brings a little of it back! :) You have one minute to write down anything that comes into your head! Starting now :) -
Writing Prompt For Today... The Magpie
3 Jan 2012 | 4:54 pmThe Magpie, 1869 Claude Monet Buy This at Allposters.com Who lives in the house in the distance and what would they say if you knocked on the door? And did you spot the magpie? What is his story? Also Available...60 Second Writer For Kids What We Are All About When I was little, I loved to stretch out across my bed and write stories. Give me a blank book of paper and a pencil and I was in heaven. Sometimes I think that we forget all about the fun part. I hope this blog brings a little of it back! :) You have one minute to write down anything that comes into your head! Starting now :) -
The Huron Carol - Catholic Christmas Songs
4 Dec 2011 | 12:36 pmThis is the oldest Canadian Christmas Carol known to date. You have 60 seconds to decide what to do with it. :) Just have fun. -
How to Decorate your Front Porch for Christmas » DIY Guides
25 Nov 2011 | 1:53 pmJust in case you are writing a Christmasy novel, I thought that this might help. It's just a few suggestions on how to decorate your front porch. It's something we simply take for granted most of the time. Here's a bit of help. How to Decorate your Front Porch for Christmas » DIY Guides -
Funny 12 Days of Christmas
8 Nov 2011 | 5:11 pmI can't wait to see what you can do with this lol!!
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Final Draft Communications
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10 Must-read Copywriting and Online Marketing Articles From 2011
4 Jan 2012 | 9:26 amIt’s that time of year again: time to look back at the previous year and the great ideas that were generated in the areas of copywriting and online marketing. I regularly peruse the blogosphere for articles on copywriting and online marketing, and this list represents the best of the best that I read in 2011–truly helpful, insightful articles about how to take your copywriting and online marketing to the next level. This “must-read” list includes pieces on such key topics as website copywriting, brand building, clarity, and content management. I urge you to read all… -
Experimenting With Creative Writing
5 Dec 2011 | 1:44 pmThis month’s post is from guest blogger Nadia Jones. Nadia offers some great reasons for breaking out of the business writing bubble and helpful tips for stretching your creative writing muscles. Let’s face it. As professional writers, whether you’re a copywriter, a technical writer, or a general corporate writer, you most likely got into the business so you could pay the bills as you wrote the next American novel on the side. If you weren’t aspiring towards greater heights in fiction, you wanted to be the next Charles Bukowski or the Robert Frost of your generation. But with a… -
B2B Copywriting: How to Craft Your Copy Specifically for Business Buyers
31 Oct 2011 | 9:47 amEven a mediocre copywriter knows how to analyze his audience to ensure what he writes is relevant to his readers. But, many mediocre–and even expert–writers forget to take into consideration an even higher-level concern: whether the audience is composed of consumer or business customers. Determine whether you need to do business-to-business (B2B) copywriting or business-to-consumer (B2C) copywriting, as this decision will shape the direction of your marketing piece, and even your entire campaign. It’s easy to understand why this step is often overlooked. After all, both… -
Book Review – Letting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content that Works
10 Oct 2011 | 11:39 amI recently finished reading Letting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content that Works, by Janice Redish. I was impressed with the book, and feel it has much to offer anyone who develops Web content. Here’s the rundown of what you’ll find: The Quick & Dirty Overall, I found Letting Go of the Words to be highly useful and educational. The topic of usability is hot these days, and this book ties in well with it. The author helps readers understand what they can do as Web content writers to make websites easier to use. In short, this book does a great job of helping readers… -
Writing a Good Press Release
6 Sep 2011 | 2:11 pmWriting a good press release is not hard, but there are specific conventions you should understand and follow. Think Like a Reporter A reporter’s job is to find newsworthy information to share so readers will purchase or view their publication. You can make a reporter’s job easier by writing a good press release that provides the foundation of such information. When you offer this valuable information, it’s a win-win-win: The reporter gets the information she needs to build a compelling story; readers get news they can use; and you get publicity for your organization or…
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Pro Copy Tips
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Information Overload: A copywriter’s worst enemy and 8 ways to avoid it
20 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amWe live in the information age. And boy do we get blasted with information. It’s dumped on us by the truckload. Three pounds of stuff in the mailbox a day. 507 TV channels to flip through to find the weather report. 623 email messages selling male enhancement pills. And that’s only a fraction of the information that bombards us. There are billboards along the highway, news broadcasts on the radio, memos and telephone calls at the office, instruction manuals for office equipment that won’t work, family schedules to remember, bills, books, seminars, random conversations at lunch time,… -
7 easy time management tips for copywriters
5 Jan 2012 | 12:19 pmTime management isn’t something they teach in school and it’s not something most copy gurus talk about. So even if you’re the most brilliant copywriter on the planet, you won’t get very far if you’re piddling away all the hours in your workday. Here are some time management tips specifically for copywriters: Eliminate distractions. Turn off the radio. Tell friends and family to not call you when you’re working. Turn down the volume on your computer so you can’t hear the *bing bong* chime when email arrives. Even little interruptions can throw you… -
Freelance Endgame: 5 smart moves for “retirement”
8 Dec 2011 | 7:00 amSo. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I know that sounds like one of those nightmare job interview questions, but it’s worth asking yourself. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 20 years? 30 years? What’s the endgame for your freelance career? To me, freelancing is a little like playing chess. That’s because for both there are three distinct stages: the opening, the middle game, and the endgame. You see, when I was younger, I studied chess. Yes, I was a nerd and actually “studied” chess. That meant working my way through dense books full of difficult and arcane… -
Dear Client: A letter from your freelance copywriter
24 Nov 2011 | 7:20 amI’ve been pretty lucky to work with mostly good clients over the years. But every now and then, like everyone else, I get one who ends up being a pain in the butt. Tiffany Markman shows how to share your feelings with those sort of clients. Though I don’t recommend you actually send a letter like this, it’s fun to fantasize about it. *** Dear Client, You and I have been working for some time on the web copy for your new range of products. We’ve gotten to know each other pretty well. At this stage, I feel a letter might be appropriate, to convey how I feel about my creative… -
How to create a copywriting winner step-by-step
14 Nov 2011 | 6:30 amFew people view writing as a competitive activity. However, if you embark on a freelance career and choose to handle direct response projects, such as direct mail, you will eventually face a competitive challenge. It will probably go something like this: Client: “Do you handle direct mail?” You: “Yes I do.” Client: “Good. We have a direct mail package that has been working for a few years, but it’s starting to get a little tired. So we want to test something new.” You: “Okay, what did you have in mind?” Client: “Well, we want you to…
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EPUBBING with NICOLA FURLONG
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Special Invite: Readings by Van Isle Mystery Authors Jan. 26, 2012
9 Jan 2012 | 9:02 pmHey Mystery Fans, Winter and gloomier days are upon us. Life’s duller now, perhaps boring so brighten it up with a fun outing! Why not join me and three other local mystery authors for Dead of Winter: 4 Mystery Writers in Search of an Audience? Lou Allin, M. Miles Gray, Denise Dietz and moi will be reading from some of our work at the Sidney/North Saanich Regional Library, Thursday, January 26th from 7-8:30 pm. Address 10091 Resthaven Drive, Sidney. Phone 250-656-0944. Yeah, yeah, you’ll have to go out into the dark but once you get through the Library’s doors, you’ll… -
Launch of Saving Grape-Jelly Cheeks, Musical Interactive Kids’ Book for iPad
22 Dec 2011 | 3:32 pmAm really excited to announce the launch of Saving Grape-Jelly Cheeks, our first musical interactive children’s book for the iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch. Saving Grape-Jelly Cheeks is a fun adventure that will have kids and adults laughing and singing. While rescuing a little green budgie, touch, explore and discover surprises, like dancing bird seeds, chatty squirrels and a chorus of sassy sparrows. Oh and don’t forget the colouring page! Only $2.99 and ideal for ages 2-8, “Cheeks” is the initial story in our new children’s series, Musical Garden Tails. Saving… -
Green Blood Rising by Lea Tassie
2 Nov 2011 | 7:29 pmAm delighted to announce that Lea Tassie has published another novel, Green Blood Rising (Felinity Press). Here’s a blurb: In 2050 mankind still believes nature can be conquered. Until The Devastation changes everything. Green Blood Rising by Lea Tassie Trees develop a powerful electrical system which zaps anything metal, including people wearing it. Young trees sprout up everywhere, the rapid growth promising to destroy most man-made structures. In days, the supermarkets are stripped bare. On Wescara, a small holding on Vancouver Island, a family fights to survive. When the power fails… -
Booktrack Catching Up to Quillr
12 Oct 2011 | 11:32 amSeveral years ago, my partners and I produced an online multimedia reading experience called a Quillr®. It combined text with sound and visual effects, including videos, music, sound effects and photographs. At the time, many scoffed at and berated us for ruining ‘reading’. We thought it was the coolest sensory experience reading had ever offered. We still do. And now, Booktrack is catching on by adding music to ebooks. Welcome to the party, Booktrack. -
Guest Post at Mystery Maven Canada
4 Oct 2011 | 10:52 amMy good friend and fellow crime writer, Linda Wiken, kindly offered me a guest post slot over at her excellent blog: Mystery Maven Canada. The blog offers news, reviews and schmooze by and about Canadian mystery authors. I’m chatting about the clues to the popularity of mysteries. You may wish to discover them today at Clues to the popularity of mysteries. Love to know the clues you have discovered in your own investigations of crime writing!
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Sean McManus's Writing blog
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Apple releases free multimedia ebook authoring tool for iBooks
26 Jan 2012 | 2:42 amLast month, I wrote about The Beatles' Yellow Submarine ebook, which is like a modern pop-up book, with animated illustrations, interactive pictures, embedded videos, and text that reads itself aloud. Since that was published, there have been some educational interactive books appearing in the iBooks store. It's clearly something that Apple is putting a lot of weight behind, and it represents a -
Five short pieces of book news
15 Jan 2012 | 6:01 amI just wanted to write a short blog post to round up a few snippets of news about my books:Lulu is running two special offers applicable to my novel University of Death. You can pay no shipping using the code WHOASHIPPINGUK305 or you can save 25% of the book price using the code LULUBOOKUK305. I believe these offer codes work on all books in Lulu's store. My novel takes a comical look at the -
Sharpen your proofreading skills with a short test
6 Jan 2012 | 4:18 amProofreading is all about quality control, making sure that an article is accurate and consistent. Often, it will involve picking up factual errors (such as names that have been spelled incorrectly) and layout problems, but the focus is usually on grammar and consistency of style. The art of proofreading interests me greatly. I have written an interview with the Guardian's style guide editors and -
A charity project to help you kick off your writing year
5 Jan 2012 | 5:05 amWhatever your ambitions, you can learn a lot from those who have already achieved them. The biography section of the library is packed with life lessons that can inspire you and provide practical advice, so that you can learn from others’ experiences and avoid repeating their mistakes. The internet too, makes it easy to find tips and tricks for almost any situation.There’s no real substitute for -
Download a free guide to iOS5 for the iPad
20 Dec 2011 | 3:00 amIn October, Apple published a free update to the iPad software, called iOS5, that introduced 200 new features and bug fixes. New iPads bought after the introduction of iOS5 will have it installed by default and older iPads can be updated for free. Working with my publisher John Wiley, who have done a fabulous job on editing and layout as usual, I've published a free update to the book to cover
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Jess C Scott :: Author, Non-conformist, Artist
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Why I’m Not Joining Amazon’s KDP Select Program
25 Jan 2012 | 4:09 pm[Image from a cached page of Entrepreneur Watch] Amazon recently introduced the KDP Select program to entice authors in making their ebooks available through the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (to earn a percentage of the $500,000 pool for the month of Dec 2011 — C. D. Reimer). I personally chose not to enroll any of my eBooks in the program because I try not to support monopolistic tactics, though I understand many other authors/individuals may feel differently. This post isn’t meant to bash Amazon — I’m thankful for the opportunity to sell my work on their website,… -
One-Line Definitions (and Happy New Year / 2012)
30 Dec 2011 | 1:13 pmUniversum | C. Flammarion, Holzschnitt, Paris 1888 (one of my favorite woodcuts) 1) I had an email about a couple of months back from a male reader/customer around my age. EMAIL: “Jess: as we all know, you are a very talented writer. On my request, please describe all these in one line as you think — Jess C Scott, Old Man, Old Lady, Young Woman, God, Marriage, Evil, Gentleman, Woman Fantasy, Rape, Adult, Pleasure. Go for these and I wish you a lovely future.” – reader/customer email, Nov 2011 I added two more in my answers below (Sexuality, Spirituality). I took longer… -
Christian Fiction, Moral Compass (Part III)
21 Dec 2011 | 4:14 pm* This post is part of a short series: 7 Nov 2010: Christian Fiction, Background (Part I) 25 Nov 2011: Christian Fiction, Motivation (Part II) 21 Dec 2011: Christian Fiction, Moral Compass (Part III) Picture from www.MoralCompass.com Christian Fiction, Moral Compass (PART III) From the website, Moral Compass: A useful way to think about your “moral compass” is to think of it like an ordinary compass with true North representing Integrity, South — Forgiveness, East — Compassion, and West — Responsibility. These four universal principles are honored in some form by… -
Interview, Matt Posner / Tales of Christmas Magic
13 Dec 2011 | 9:24 amAuthor Interview #37, with multi-genre writer (and NYC teacher), Matt Posner! This is a customized Q&A in line with the author’s latest eBook: “Tales of Christmas Magic.” [Q&A with Matt Posner / Tales of Christmas Magic (7 questions)] Jess: I like how the collection presents the magic that features in School of the Ages (magic which is based on the mind and spirit). What was the inspiration for presenting magic this way (realistically in “our world”)? Matt: I have read a lot about magic and the paranormal. Although I was interested in the subject from… -
Author Interview, Kate Walker
1 Dec 2011 | 12:41 pmAuthor Interview #36, with multi-genre Australian writer (and animal lover), Kate Walker! Hi Kate! Please describe yourself in ~5 words: Living Delights Me. Great! Share a short excerpt and blurb of your work (10-100 words): Excerpt: “He knew why he loved her and marvelled at the mystery, that without her he was just a man who filled a corner of a store, shifting ties and handkerchiefs, but with her he filled the whole world. Keeping a shelf tidy became a sacred duty, knowing that everything he did was either right or wrong, good or bad for his soul, damning or glorifying to his spirit.
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NeoBluePanther
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Happy New Year, 2012!
2 Jan 2012 | 2:14 amTweet There were a lot of things that I had planned to do in 2011, but most of them never happened. There was too much to do and it seemed that there was simply not enough time. I guess there never is enough time in our lives to do all the things that we want to do. But, the funny thing is that when I look back at 2011, I can’t help but wonder: Did I do the best in the time that was available to me? The answer is a resounding no. I might have been short of time, but there was definitely enough time to do more than I actually did. I hope that doesn’t happen in 2012. One thing that most of… -
Observe, Don’t Imitate!
8 Dec 2011 | 12:31 amTweet “Observe, don’t Imitate!” I came across this quote by John M. Ford yesterday. Something about the quote appealed to me, and the quote stayed stuck in my mind for the rest of the day. The only way, I thought, I could get it out of my mind was by writing a post about it. So, here goes. I think most of us, when we read something good, imbibe some of the elements of the writer’s style. It is a natural process and, sometimes, we do it even without realising. We copy what we like, mainly because we want what we write to be liked too. This is why it is often said that if we… -
The Five Mistakes New Writers Make
29 Oct 2011 | 5:41 amTweet As a new writer, it is often easy to get caught up in the excitement of the business. You hold up that shiny new piece of writing and can’t wait to share it with the world. You research everything you can about writing and plan the most effective way to get your work into the hands of the public. This is great, and writers should get excited about what they are doing. The problem comes when the writer gets so excited that they forget to become their own critic. Here are five mistakes that new writers often make. Telling, Not Showing This is arguably the most important advice any… -
Easy Tips for Winning NaNoWriMo
22 Oct 2011 | 5:19 amTweet “At midnight on November 1, armed only with their wits, the vague outline of a story, and a ridiculous deadline, more than 250,000 people around the world will set out to become novelists.” These are the opening lines from the official press release for NaNoWrimo 2011. For those who don’t know what NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is, it should suffice to say that NaNowrimo is about writing a 50,000 words novella in the 30 days of November. Every year since 1999, an increasing number of people have attempted this task, and many have failed. Let’s have a look at the… -
Does TV kill Creativity?
14 Oct 2011 | 3:35 amTweet When I was a child, I did not watch a lot of TV. In fact, TV was not even interesting as only a few channels were available, and these were mostly boring. So, naturally, kids in our time did the next best thing – they read! These days, however, TV has become interesting. There is something for everyone and, therefore, it is no wonder that everyone is watching more TV than ever before. I am no exception. But, with the increase in my TV viewing time, I couldn’t help wondering: Does watching TV TV kill creativity? I did a Google search using the string “Does TV kill…
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meryl's notes blog at meryl.net
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The Joy of a Good Verb
23 Jan 2012 | 6:44 amWelcome to meryl’s notes blog (this here place you’re lookin’ at) in Plano, Texas. We’re honored to be a stop in Pesi Dinnerstein’s WOW! Women On Writing Blog tour. We’re giving away a copy of A Cluttered Life: Searching for God, Serenity, and My Missing Keys! [affiliate] Read on to see how you can win. About Pesi Dinnerstein: Pesi Dinnerstein (a.k.a. Paulette Plonchak) has written selections for the best-selling series Small Miracles, by Yitta Halberstam and Judith Leventhal, and has contributed to several textbooks and an anthology of short stories. -
Assumptions
19 Jan 2012 | 7:10 amOne Halloween while helping my mom pass out candy, I saw a kid in a cute Bugs Bunny costume. The costume was made out of nice material instead of the weird smelling plastic mask and the stiff vinyl bodysuit. See Exhibit A for an lovely example of a vinyl Darth Vader costume. What’s up with my reaction in the photo? I wasn’t happy someone took my picture before I could get my mask on. I can’t recall exactly how the cute Bugs Bunny costume looked except that it wasn’t the vinyl most of us wore those days unless we were lucky enough to have a parent who could sew or pull… -
Is a Blog Right for Your Business Update
11 Jan 2012 | 8:50 amImage from sxc.hu user typofi Although I wrote Is a Blog Right for Your Business? in 2007, people still mention the article or contact me with questions after reading it. Blogging has changed a lot since then, but one paragraph remains true. Some people like to read blogs, others like to read newsletters, still others like to rely on feeds and some read a few or all of them. No matter the method the information is distributed, each medium has one thing in common: content. Having a blog connects your newsletter, your website and your business with all of these readers. More people probably ask… -
One Wrong Way to Get Business
3 Jan 2012 | 10:06 pmMichelle Rafter posted a letter of introduction (LOI) from a writer who took an ego trip. Instead of an ego trip, I heard from an accountant who must be taking a trip to find blockhead clients. The email introduction implies she thinks writers don’t have business sense. The email makes a bad first impression coming from a free email service provider using “free_lancer01″ in the address and “abc efg” in the display name. (Maybe the “D” key didn’t work.) Not only that, but she sent it to two others, one of which was someone I knew. Here’s… -
Is Content Finally Getting Respect?
29 Dec 2011 | 9:27 amAfter a successful four-city tour, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs returned for three-city encore tour. The Dallas Museum of Art was one of those stops. I received an email from my cousins in Austins who planned to come to town for the exhibition. We set it up, reserved the tickets and had a memorable experience. (Yes, I remember my sons complaining. This cropped photo had my family, but only my daughter and husband cooperated.) It had been over eight years since I last visited the museum for the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition. When I finally visited Modern Art Museum of…
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Mike Fook Books - Ebooks | Fiction Thrillers | WTF
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Inspiration Strikes – in the Form of a Reader’s Email
24 Jan 2012 | 8:43 amI started on my next fiction book set in Thailand and I’m about 11,000 words into it after 2 days. This will not be a sequel to Thailand’s Sickest, but it does relate to the story quite a bit. In fact, if you haven’t yet read that first fiction novel, you should get it so [...] -
“Selling” a Couple Thousand Books per Day
19 Jan 2012 | 3:40 amIt’s possible, even probable if you have a bunch of fiction books at Amazon, to sell a couple thousand books each day for free. Amazon counts free books downloaded as sold. Why you would want to do that is to get your sales rank to climb. How you can do that – is enroll in [...] -
It is Damn Near Impossible to Motivate You to Write an Ebook
17 Jan 2012 | 7:33 amI’ve mentioned my brother and sister on this blog occasionally. My sis has a degree in English lit from Penn State, and my brother – I don’t know what in fuck’s name he graduated with – a bachelor’s in bible maybe? Whatever it was. They are both going about their lives in the wrong way. [...] -
I Can’t Ignore the Ringing in My Ear
16 Jan 2012 | 1:36 amIt’s with the regularity of a goddamned metronome. The ringing has a name. It’s Joe Konrath, and if he opens his mouth one more time about how much cash Amazon is trucking to his house – I’m going to call him up on the phone from 10,000 miles away – and scream my lungs and [...] -
This Can’t Be ANYTHING, But Good News…
15 Jan 2012 | 1:46 amBlast Kills Dozens of Shiite Worshipers in Southern Iraq New York Times – 2 hours ago BAGHDAD – Insurgents mounted another attack against Iraq’s Shiites on Saturday, as an explosion in the southern city of Basra ripped through a group of pilgrims headed to a mosque to commemorate one of the holiest Shiite holidays… I [...]
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About that Writing thing.
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No disclosure.
26 Jan 2012 | 8:17 pmI’m working on some largish things right now that I don’t want to talk about publicly yet. Hence the title. I do want to talk about the fact that I believe I got a new acceptance but have had a bit of a hard time contacting the editors back so I’m unsure as to what’s gonna happen. Other things. I’ve been dealing with (on the internets and in actual life) a lot of racist shit being said in my universe and I was trying to read some lit news earlier and I hit that Black lady fatigue wall as I call it. This is also been called by (White) psychologists Racial Battle… -
Author Spotlight: Remittance Girl
23 Jan 2012 | 7:31 pmSo my friends I decided at the end of 2011 to do some short author/artist/other people I like interviews. The very first I am super happy to say is my dear friend Remittance Girl. If you haven’t been reading me long let me say first that I have been a great lover of Remittance Girl’s writing. My favorite thing that she has written is this little delicious flasher called ‘Heatsink’. I highly suggest both reading this AND listening to it because well, we know I have a thing for voices. There is something deeply special about both her voice in her writing and her actual… -
I have done things.
20 Jan 2012 | 10:21 pmYou might recall I mentioned that I pitched my first article. It has gone live. Over on FB presence of People of Color Organize, you’ll find the piece I wrote. This article is about surviving as an author of color in the literary world. I am very proud of that. What else? I got an acceptance yesterday but none of the emails for the magazine are working right now so I don’t really know what to do. Coming up I’ll be in the next issue of Milk Sugar. So I do still write fiction and stuff. I have other news but I’m kind of keeping it to myself for right now until I can get… -
Firsts, terror and whatnot.
11 Jan 2012 | 5:08 pmRight after the new year I took a leap. I pitched an article idea to a magazine cold and they are looking forward to it. Despite their enthusiasm I am scared shitless people will hate it. That said, I knocked another thing off of my writing list of shit I wanna do. Also, it’s taking me some time because quite frankly writing about racism and dealing with it is fucking exhausting. It’s so tiring. I have some posts planned that got derailed. A lot (as in holy shit a shitload) of people read the post I wrote about never being an indie darling. I have to admit I feel some kind of way… -
2011 review and round up.
2 Jan 2012 | 5:02 pmHoly shit what a year. A lot of crazy and wonderful things happened to me. First let’s talk accomplishments. I finished my essay collection, had it professionally edited by a very dear friend who is an amazing author in her own right. I kept up this blog which admittedly has been difficult for me. I often feel like my voice in matters literary isn’t really important. However, I know myself and I know that the things I felt in 2011 did need a place of their own. So here it is. I also have been talking to other authors. Yes it is on the internet via various social media but, that…
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Writing from the twelfth house
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How do YOU define success?
21 Jan 2012 | 12:25 pmI just love this quote. What makes it special is the hope and encouragement it offers that the ‘ordinary’ lives of most of us, in their own way, hold a good measure of success, which should not be defined in terms of professional or public achievement alone……. “To laugh often and love much, to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give one’s self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a… -
Some astrology questions and answers….
7 Jan 2012 | 11:57 amHere are some interesting questions I was asked not long ago. If you would like to ask me any more, to keep the middle aged braincell from teetering into the abyss (all help gratefully received!) , please leave them in a comment and I will reply – provided they are genuine of course! Astrologer at Work - Mediaeval Style! What transit always shows up for you in surprising ways? They all do, especially the long-lasting ones. The deep challenges that force our growth lurk in the realms of the unconscious, just waiting to hitch a ride on the nearest really tough transit. For example, I… -
New Year Quote: “This being human” by Rumi
1 Jan 2012 | 12:37 pmI thought it would be appropriate to offer a reflective piece of poetry as the New Year begins : we need all the wisdom we can receive, especially in relation to the dark thoughts, the shame and the malice from which no person is immune – could we but take responsibility for those shadow qualities in ourselves as individuals and nations, refraining from projecting them onto others, the world would probably be less fractured than it is…. ” This being human “ The poet Rumi This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression,… -
The Moon’s Nodes: Top Post for 2011
27 Dec 2011 | 9:45 amFor many years I had a Moon’s Nodes obsession: perhaps not unconnected with the North Node exactly conjunct my Midheaven at 29 degrees Taurus, square a Twelfth House Sun/Moon conjunction……I read somewhere in my very early years of studying astrology that the South Node conjunct a Scorpio IC indicated having been burned as a witch in a previous life. This piece of conjecture gave my MC/IC axis a kind of dark, scary glamour. This February 2011, I presented my findings from a 50,000 words research study, written to complete my Diploma in Psychological Astrology some years ago, called… -
A Festive Kiss – with a twist!
23 Dec 2011 | 1:06 pmI captured this arresting, quirky Festive image in my home city of Glasgow, Scotland, whilst strolling along by the River Kelvin through the tunnel under Queen Margaret Drive bridge. Snapped with my mobile phone camera which takes great pictures, it affirmed the famous (at times infamous!) glaswegian sense of humour. Think Billy Connolly….Who else but a Weegie would have taken the time and trouble to suspend a large clump of mistletoe just above the heads of potential passing kissers? Festive Kiss with a Twist! photo: Anne Whitaker 14.12.2011 It cheered me up immensely in…
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Every Person Is a Philosopher
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Relating Life Stories
26 Jan 2012 | 7:05 amHello, my name is Matt Barrington. I am a student at the Adler School of Professional Psychology, and I am a new intern at the Neighborhood Writing Alliance. I have long been interested in civic engagement and personal narratives. My undergraduate coursework focused on English literature and philosophy. I believe literature provides a medium to [...] -
On the Front Porch with “Classically Free”
25 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amIn keeping with our newly launched theme, “When I am Free: Community Visions of Liberation,” today on the front porch we’re spending a little bit of time with John Giles’ piece, “Classically Free,” from the Summer 2010 issue of the Journal of Ordinary Thought. This poem was inspired by a partnership with WFMT in April [...] -
“Writing can be the art of collaboration,” Meet the Philosophers with Allen McNair
24 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amToday in our Meet the Philosophers Series, NWA writer Allen McNair shares with us some of the people, organizations and books that have shaped the poet, artist and philosopher he is today. What is your name? My name is Allen Frank McNair If you had to give yourself a title, what would it be? The [...] -
Radical Vulnerability Workshop Recap
23 Jan 2012 | 11:45 am“In war, and the constant wake of war, does survival depend on rejecting and repressing one’s pains, emotions, and fears – one’s vulnerability? Or, does survival depend on radically embracing one’s vulnerability?” —From the “Radical Vulnerability” Program Guide at the National Veterans Art Museum Last Friday, members of the Neighborhood Writing Alliance had the amazing [...] -
Upcoming Events: “Exploring Radical Vulnerability” and “A Senior’s Sense of Freedom of Expression”
19 Jan 2012 | 7:37 amWe’ve got two fantastic events going on this weekend, and we’d like to see you there! Exploring “Radical Vulnerability” Friday, January 20 National Veterans Art Museum 1801 S. Indiana Ave. 10 am – 12 pm Join Aaron Hughes of Warrior Writers and Rachael Hudak of the Neighborhood Writing Alliance for conversation and reflective writing on [...]
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Working Writers
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Are You Succeeding on Facebook? 4 Ways to Tell
27 Jan 2012 | 6:24 amGuest post by Kirsty LaVier If you’ve kept up with any of the latest marketing trends, you know that Facebook marketing is big – and only getting bigger. After all, how can you ignore a website that has more than 800 million users? But just because you’ve created your own Facebook page doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s working. Here’s how you can tell if your Facebook page is a success – or a dud: 1. You’re making more money This is what Facebook marketing boils down to – profits. If your Facebook marketing campaign is truly successful,… -
Health Insurance Options for Freelance Writers
26 Jan 2012 | 6:19 amGuest post by Brittaney Madison If you are a freelance writer, then you know that freelancing comes with its own set of benefits, as well as its own set of responsibilities. It can be difficult to keep these responsibilities in check when you have writing assignments to focus on, but keep in mind that maintaining your responsibilities is necessary to staying afloat as a freelancer. One such responsibility that you cannot afford to overlook is your health insurance. As a freelancer, you don’t have the luxury of employer-offered group health insurance programs, so finding suitable health… -
Perfectionism and Procrastination Busting Tips
25 Jan 2012 | 6:32 amGuest post When you’re working on a creative project, it can be very easy to get caught up in getting your work perfect, ignoring deadlines and overlooking the importance of what you are doing. Although aiming to get your work as good as possible is important, especially if it will become a major part of your body of work upon which you will be judged, it is also important to bear in mind that perfection is impossible. This is vital if you want to dodge the horrible spiral of avoiding work which you think can never be good enough, which can lead to extreme forms of procrastination, from… -
About.com Readers’ Choice Awards
24 Jan 2012 | 9:40 amI wanted to let you all know that the About.com Readers’ Choice Awards are currently going on, and there several categories you or one of your clients might be interested in. Categories include: Best Nonfiction Book About Friendship Best Fiction Book About Friendship Favorite Website for Meeting New Friends Favorite TV Bromance Favorite Online Game to Play With Your Friends Favorite TV Show About Friends Favorite Board Game to Play With Your Friends Favorite Friendship Blog Nominating yourself is acceptable. In fact, we encourage it! The 2012 About.com Readers’ Choice Awards showcase… -
How to Get Your Interviewer Back on Track
24 Jan 2012 | 6:32 amI’ve done quite a few interviews over the past few years, and most of them are really great. As an introvert myself, I’m amazed at people’s abilities to chat away in a carefree manner, to interrupt people (when they need it), and to basically think aloud. During a radio or TV interview, those are important skillsets (which I definitely don’t have.) But there have also been interviewers that have veered off-track during the course of our time together. So then what? Do you as the interviewee interrupt them? What do you do to get things back on track? Why Things Veer Off…
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Letters to Breathe
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Dear old friend
28 Jan 2012 | 6:25 amYou’re on my mind today. In fact it happens a lot, because I miss talking to you for hours about everything or nothing. I miss being cheered up by you or being able to cheer you up. I miss those little smiley faces. I saw what happened on Facebook, unfortunately that’s the only place I see you now. I hope you’re okay. Honestly, I hope you’re happy. I saw how happy you guys were together and how happy everyone else was with you two together. I don’t know why you broke up, but I hope so bad it wasn’t something little. Anyway, I’m sending this to tell… -
Dear Someone
26 Jan 2012 | 2:03 pmI have fallen off the path and i don’t know how to get back on. Please Pray for me because i need guidance and i need a warm hand on my heart to help me believe in myself once more. I am pushing everyone away from me and i need patience and wisdom to stop, breath and know how to handle all life’s curve balls. i just need someone to pray for my eyes to finally open up and see all the pain i am causing. Love, A very lost little girl. Related Posts Please pray for my family, my friends Dear Mr. B.S! Dear Justin, -
Really!?
26 Jan 2012 | 8:03 amSomehow, I’ve got to convince myself that this is not my fault. I’ve been reminding myself that this is not about me and my failings and shortcomings, but it is about yours. I don’t think I am being unreasonable by stating that you have shortcomings and failings. In fact I think that for the first time I have begun to realize that there is something seriously flawed with you. At first I thought it was a weakness, a simple lack of will power. Then I wanted to blame myself, your messed up childhood, blah blah blah….those are easy excuses to give you a way out of… -
Second Chances?
25 Jan 2012 | 6:03 pmHow is it that I can go from being the person you never wanted to hurt, and you said you would do anything for, to the person where it seems like you go out of your way to hurt? You might not know it baby, but I know what you’ve done. We live in a small town sweetheart, and word travels fast. I hope you enjoyed your new years shower with the whore, and your casual ski trip hookups, and your blatant flirting with my best friend, and your drunken calls to my house that made me feel like you wanted me back, because I don’t know how much more I can handle. You’ve hurt me so… -
Goodbye
25 Jan 2012 | 9:03 amGoob, I like you. I don’t mean as a friend, I mean as more. Much more. I think I always have, ever since we were little and I told you, and you said no. But thats okay, because things changed. We grew up, I spent a summer away and when it was time, we were together. We started at a quaint restaurant, with all our summer friends. We flirted, and I had you. I ruined it because I was scared. Scared you would stop liking me, or I wouldn’t be good enough. I was so scared that I didn’t treat you like I should, thinking if I kept myself mysterious that would be enough. And…
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Sara Dobie's Blog
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Hey, Taylor Swift: Shakespeare Want His Story Back
27 Jan 2012 | 10:37 amIt started at the gym. For some reason, my hip-hop rockin’ gym music turned soft and played Taylor Swift’s Love Story the other day. If you know anything about the song Love Story, you know it stays in your head—forever—but the longer it stayed in my head, the more I thought about it. The more I thought about it, the more I realized Taylor Swift never went to high school. And if she did, she got through on looks alone. I’m not bashing Taylor Swift, per se. She seems like a nice person, and I like her fashion style. However, the song Love Story is a sad reminder of cultural idiocy,… -
Mom’s Unusual Trip to Jamaica
24 Jan 2012 | 9:46 amWalking down the street from their dorm ... When you think “Jamaica,” you usually think white sand, turquoise water, and cocktails with umbrellas. Well, my mom’s trip over there wasn’t usual. She just returned from a mission trip to the island country, and it was anything but glamorous. Here, she shares some of her experiences with you. Introducing my mama, Janet Dobie. First of all, I would advise everyone to go on a mission trip if you have the opportunity. It takes you totally outside yourself and makes you trust God to take care of everything, because you have no other choice. You… -
Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen: Bayou Cookin’ in Phoenix
20 Jan 2012 | 12:36 pmDid you know Red Lobster is dangerous? Yeah. Me neither. Here’s how it happened. Right before Christmas, I ran in to the nearest Red Lobster to buy a gift card for Jake’s grandpa. I thought it would be a simple task, but when I walked in and smelled seafood I got sick to my stomach. At my first oyster roast on Sullivan's Island in South Carolina. Love.Not because I don’t like seafood. I love seafood. This was something else. This was something I didn’t even realize I missed, and that “something” was Charleston, South Carolina. Now, as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t miss… -
Melancholia and von Trier’s Take on Depression
17 Jan 2012 | 3:17 pmFirst, play this song in the background while you read. It’s Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde prelude, and it plays throughout most of Melancholia. Now, an important question: how do I review the newest Lars von Trier film without giving too much away? Well, I suppose I could start with my very emotional response. I saw Melancholia this past Saturday in Tempe. I attended the film by myself, because I wanted to see the film so badly, I couldn’t wait to “make plans” with a friend. I drove across town and sat in a dark theater with the Sour Patch Kids I snuck inside. I did not cry during… -
Yoga Bitch is Awesome (even the part about pee)
11 Jan 2012 | 10:39 amI count myself lucky to have randomly stumbled upon Suzanne Morrison’s book trailer for Yoga Bitch: One Woman’s Quest to Conquer Skepticism, Cynicism, and Cigarettes on the Path to Enlightenment. I connected with her. I, too, am a yoga freak, writer, and past lover of cigarettes. Therefore, I just had to read her book … and I was not disappointed. Yoga Bitch follows twenty-five-year-old Suzanne as she first discovers yoga, becomes obsessed with yoga, and ends up joining her Seattle-based yoga instructors on a teachers’ intensive program in Bali, Indonesia. When we first meet young…
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Mystery Writing is Murder
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Writing to Done
26 Jan 2012 | 11:01 pmby Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig My husband, God bless him, is a perfectionist. I had some pictures that I’d wanted to hang on one of our walls. They’re nice botanical prints. The problem was that there were six of them. It wasn’t really a problem, except that it meant that my husband wanted to devote a lot of time into getting the pictures hung. You know—measuring the wire on the back of the prints, cutting out tissue paper replicas of the pictures to arrange on the wall, carefully marking up the wall with pencil, using a tape measure to create a grid on the wall… This is… -
Outgoing vs. Incoming
24 Jan 2012 | 11:03 pmby Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig First a special note—yesterday marked the first anniversary of the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine. The WKB is the free, searchable archive, developed by Mike Fleming, for all the writing-related links I share. Hope you’ll try it for information on writing a novel, querying an agent or publisher, or promoting your book. I think a lot about ways to be more productive. We all have only a certain number of hours in our day and a certain number of things we need to accomplish in those hours. I have a really tight schedule up until summer and… -
Lending Realism to the Paranormal—by Lisa Gail Green
22 Jan 2012 | 11:01 pmby Lisa Gail Green, @LisaGailGreen Lending realism to paranormal. It sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? But allowing your readers to suspend their disbelief is vital if you’re writing in this genre or any other type of speculative fiction. Think of Harry Potter for a moment. What was it about an entire society of witches and wizards complete with schools, government and other fantastical creatures that allowed us to read on while hoping for an owl of our own? I’ve broken down five features I believe are imperative to creating “realistic” paranormal. 1. The details. It’s the… -
Twitterific
21 Jan 2012 | 11:01 pmby Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigBelow are the writing-related links I tweeted last week.The Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links (now over 12,000) searchable. Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for the web's best links and interviews:http://bit.ly/gx7hg1 .Different approaches to naming characters: http://bit.ly/A5vLkK @kirstenhubbardHow Barnes & Noble Can Take a Bite Out of Amazon: http://bit.ly/Am4STf @JosephJEsposito for @scholarlykitchnHow "Literary" and "Entrepreneur" Are Becoming… -
Finding Writers Online
19 Jan 2012 | 11:01 pmby Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig If you’re a new writer or have recently decided to spend more time writing, you might be looking for other writers online. Plugging into the online writing community can be very helpful for writers. Finding support and encouragement is probably the main reason, with accessing resources a close second. I’ve recently been asked by a few newer writers where to find other writers online. There’s not one main watering hole. Here are some of the places writers hang out online: Twitter: There are tons of writers on Twitter. If you put #amwriting or…
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ALESHIA ROBINSON
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No More Excuses!
20 Jan 2012 | 4:30 pmMy friends invited me to the $2 theater on Friday night to see Tower Heist. I had never heard of the film nor had any idea what the movie was about, but after watching the two hour comedy, I was so glad I went. This movie was hilarious! When I got home I immediately looked into the history of the movie which I always do when I enjoy a flick. What I discovered was that Eddie Murphy pitched the -
YOU ARE VIRTUOUS
30 Dec 2011 | 8:40 pmI LOVE THIS SCRIPTURE. EVERYTHING I WANT OUT OF LIFE IS MENTIONED IN PROVERBS 31 IN ONE VERSION OR ANOTHER. ONCE A SHRINK TOLD ME I WAS BIPOLAR WHEN I SHARED MY LIFE VISION BUT MY HEART'S DESIRES ARE GOD'S DESIRES. I WANT A DEEP INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM; A REVELATION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS; A HAPPY MARRIAGE RAISING 3 HEALTHY CHILDREN; SISTERHOOD; DIVINE HEALTH, BEAUTY AND ENERGY; MILLIONS OF -
BOOK COVER MAGIC!
23 Dec 2011 | 8:47 pm -
Self Publishing Lessons Learned from Book 1 to 2
23 Dec 2011 | 8:03 pmwww.feministsforchoice.com 1. It took me 17 months to write book 1- (11/09-4-11) It took 4 months to write book 2- (7/11-12/11) 2. For editing services, I paid by the hour with book 1 and there were still many mistakes. Book 2, I paid by the page and less grammatical errors 3. For book 1, I paid for my book cover twice. I had a photo shoot with a model, MUA, photographer and -
2011 RECAP
23 Dec 2011 | 5:17 pmI have been thinking about this year alot lately. This has definitely been THE BEST YEAR OF MY LIFE. I don't know if it's just me or if every year gets better than the last but anyhoo here's what happened this year: I read the entire Bible My mom got healed of breast cancer I spent alot of time with my family this year- MORE THAN USUAL I wrote and self published two books- (the second is being
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WinePress of Words
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PubToons #25: Occupy Book Street
13 Jan 2012 | 11:00 amAdditional Comics Here are some other recent comics on WinePress of Words: Spam Books, The “Spook” Angry Books AP Stylebook vs. The Chicago Manual of Style Apostrophe and Foot Mark Grammar Police -
How to Craft Compelling Messages For Your Social Networks
9 Jan 2012 | 6:10 pmSocial tools have become an integral part of our personal and business lives. An estimated 80 percent of Americans use social networks, and 54 percent of social networkers follow a brand via Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Consumers follow brands online for specific reasons: They want to research products or services before purchasing them. They want to peruse customer reviews. They want discounts. It’s a given that potential book buyers will investigate your book online before buying it. If you’re an author, it’s smart to include social tools in your marketing mix. What is… -
ShareShelf: A Free Book-themed Sharing Widget for Your Site
6 Jan 2012 | 5:42 pmWinePress of Words is excited to present you with ShareShelf™, a unique, book-themed widget to encourage your readers to share your content. Featuring an adapted version of our own Book Lover’s icon set, this widget is a must-have for your site or blog. What is ShareShelf? ShareShelf is a simple and useful tool to encourage readers to share your content. Featuring five of the top social media sites, ShareShelf integrates bookshelf-themed icons with easy-to-use pop-up windows for quick shareability. Use the ShareShelf on: Websites Blog Posts Product Pages Landing Pages Book Promotion… -
The Five Minute Book Cover Design Challenge
5 Jan 2012 | 7:00 pmWith the onset of digital printing and e-books, authors, in increasing numbers, are requesting friends and relatives familiar with Photoshop, or other forms of web design experience, to develop their book covers. Unfortunately this new trend causes many authors to miss out on a greater value than just how nice a cover looks or how inexpensive to create: that value is marketability. What separates a book cover designer from the web designer or others design trades is a knowledge and understanding of the constant changes in the publishing industry. You can find “good” designers… -
Useful Tools for Writers – Part Two
14 Dec 2011 | 11:00 amIn Part One we explored the first five in a list of ten internet tools that can help make a writer’s tasks easier to perform. So open up your tool box and we’ll fill it with more useful digital devices that will expand your electronic repertoire. Dropbox Have you ever wished you could easily share files between your desk computer and your mobile device? Try DropBox! Dropbox is an Internet based file hosting service that uses cloud computing to help users share files and folders and store them with others across the web by using file synchronization. Two MIT (Massachusetts…
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Fuel Your Writing
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‘The Artist’ Will Make You A Better Writer
27 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amAdvertise here via BSA With the phenomenal success of The Artist, a modern day silent film set in the late 1920s, it seemed only right that silent cinema begins to be rediscovered by the contemporary creative community. I’m a firm believer in applying film theories or techniques to writing, and it seemed an ideal time to examine five principles of silent cinema that can enrich the work of a writer. Why would I do that? I know some might say that film and literature are separate disciplines and naturally have different requirements (for example, an establishing shot is essentially in… -
Why Paris? – The Magic & The Mundane (Part II)
25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 amAdvertise here via BSA Today’s post follows on from yesterday’s Writing Spaces article. Here Cynthia Morris looks closer at the individual spaces of the authors, and how they have found life as a writer in the City of Love. ————————————————————————————————————————– What about your writing space must you have? Janet Skeslien Charles… -
Why Paris? – The Magic & The Mundane of the City of Love
24 Jan 2012 | 5:15 amAdvertise here via BSA Paris has long been a place where writers and artists sought political and creative refuge. Vladmir Nabakov, Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce and Janet Flanner all moved to Paris hoping to thrive in a city that both inspires and challenges. As a lifelong francophile, Paris has rooted in my own imagination as a place that offers more vitality. I’ve been fascinated by the city’s influence on the creative pioneer, and have spent hours in Paris researching for my novel. Curious to see if the myth of Paris as a refuge for writers still sticks, I interviewed a handful of… -
‘The War of Art’ – A Must-Have Creative Bible for Writers & Everyone Else
18 Jan 2012 | 2:00 amAdvertise here via BSA The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield Resistance has me. Chances are Resistance has you, too. Resistance is that indefinable force that keeps us from accomplishing what we have inside. If your goal is to train for a marathon, Resistance keeps us on the couch. If your goal is to lose weight, Resistance says, “that dessert looks delicious.” If my goal is to write this post about a book I hold dear, Resistance tells me it is impossible to live up to the power of The War of Art. Resistance has declared war on… -
Do You Use Your Words for Good?
17 Jan 2012 | 5:06 amAdvertise here via BSA It is sometimes easy to forget the power that words can have. We deal with them day in and day out, they are our bricks and mortar, the things which we use and manipulate for work or for pleasure. Some of us use them to create new worlds, fictional places where new characters breath life. Some of us use our words to persuade, to sell, to convince people of the merits of a new product or service. Sometimes we use our words to change the opinions of others, or to defend our own. A recent entry from the wonderful Letters of Note reminded me of the power that our words can…
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expresswriterteam
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5 Secrets For A Successful Website In 2012: Google Panda 3.0 and Other Things
2 Jan 2012 | 10:29 pmWhen Google announced changes to their search engine that were eventually known as “Panda” last February, thousands of website pages crashed. People lost 60-100% of their income. The changes were so serious that webmasters, site owners, internet business gurus, and even internet writers faced a decision: change their thinking on SEO, or get a new job. In 2012, Google will be implementing more Panda changes. There’s a Panda 3 on the horizon. And for your website to succeed this year, it’s time you get familiar with the changes. We’ve listed the top five… -
Google Panda 2.5: What It Is, & Why You Need Quality Web Content Now More Than Ever
21 Oct 2011 | 10:07 pmThe Google Algorithm update is the subject of conversation in the SEO world of web content these days. And it’s no small talking matter. Named Google Panda 2.5 by the Google engineers, the Google Algorithm change has affected both positively and negatively large websites and their businesses. It has profited those who were using quality web content without too many repeated keywords; and it has negatively impacted those who were using recycled, perhaps even plagiarized web content packed full of SEO terms on their website. But What Exactly IS Panda 2.5? If you’re the average… -
Google +: What It Is & How Your Web Content Can Benefit From It
14 Sep 2011 | 7:40 amThere’s a new social network out. And it’s claiming to turn the entire world of Google into a giant social Internet world. Invented by Google itself, it’s directly rivaling Facebook, with the advantage of targeted network sharing. Google+ may offer social users a way to connect directly with your web content and share it to a group of their friends, encouraging the sharing of web content much more than Facebook. After one year of research and several delays, Google has finally launched Google + this past July (2011). The social project created by the search engine giant… -
How To Use Google’s New SEO Rules To Your Benefit
31 Aug 2011 | 9:05 amBe very, very glad if you weren’t taught the whole auto blogging or scraping process. That is, if you live in today’s present age of technology. Because if you were, you just might be out of a living right now. Back in the golden age of early Internet (sure, not so golden, it was the late 1990s); the whole auto blogging/scraping process may have worked. There were hundreds upon thousands of websites filled with old stuff. Website content copied from someone else. Sites like these made money. Life was good for the site owners. Google has just announced changes to their… -
Thank You Ezine Articles!
8 Aug 2011 | 7:40 amLast week, on Friday, I received a package in the mail from Ezine Articles. I had no idea what it could be since Ezine is not a place where you order anything. Rather, it’s where you submit your own articles and web content free. So I opened it up, and was quite surprised with what I found. It was a congratulatory gift! The inside of the box read, “Thank you for being an Ezine Articles.com Expert Author. Please accept this token of our appreciation for sending in your best quality original articles!” Inside the box was a very large ceramic coffee mug that read “I *heart*…
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Blog for Writers in Los Angeles and Beyond: The Official LAwritersgroup.com Blog
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Article on how to be funny when writing comedy
17 Jan 2012 | 7:56 pmIt's not very often I come across an exceptional blog article that helps aspiring comedy writers improve their craft. Comedy writing often presents as easy to write because usually the writer or speaker makes it look so damn natural and easy. It seems like magic. On more than one occasion, I've found myself gazing admiringly into a writer's eyes who just wrote something that lead my writers group into unexpected gasping and snorting fits of laughter. My many stand-up comedian friends used to say, "Comedy is serious business." So naturally, comedy writing must be REALLY serious… -
Our February Writing Craft Book Club Selection
7 Jan 2012 | 7:13 pmMany thanks to everyone who showed up to our writing craft book club meeting today at NextSpace in Culver City to discuss: Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them (P.S.). We were lucky to have a fantastic and intelligent group of writers attend, making the discussion both informative and interesting. If you read the book but were not able to attend you can visit the message board and participate in an online discussion about the book. Our February writing craft book club selection is: Self-Editing for… -
Love letters written to Brenda Ueland, a new book called Brenda, My Darling
29 Dec 2011 | 1:27 pmFor those of you who are eternally devoted fans of Brenda Ueland and her book, If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit as I am (if you are not, then you should read it immediately), then the new book release, Brenda, My Darling: The Love Letters of Fridtjof Nansen to Brenda Ueland edited by Eric Utne and published by the Utne Institute might be your next purchase. Love letters to a writer? A brave task indeed. One that apparently, Ueland's lover, Fridtjof Nansen did with exceptional talent. The book reprints love letters written to (not from, sadly)… -
20 places you can submit your creative writing to before the end of the year
13 Dec 2011 | 6:49 pm1. Arroyo Literary Review is an award-winning national magazine with a West Coast orientation. Looking for: fiction, flash fiction, poetry, essays, and translation for our fifth issue. Reading Period / Deadline: Open reading period from December to May 31st. 2. OccuPoetry is seeking poetry about economic justice/injustice, greed, protest, activism, and opportunity. Submissions need not be limited to Wall Street’s greed nor US-based poets; we consider the Occupy Movement a world-wide movement for a more just world. OccuPoetry accepts formal and… -
Jobs for writers
6 Dec 2011 | 6:36 pmMany people come to LA Writers Group with writing jobs looking for writers to hire. Sometimes they are corporations looking for in-house writers or freelancers, sometimes they are individuals looking to hire a writer. To that end, we've decided to create a database of the writers on our list so that we can screen them and then connect our writers with those who want to hire them. Once you join our database of writers, your information will stay within LA Writers Group and won't be passed on to anyone unless we contact you first. If you are interested in getting…
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Litopia
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Snow Business
23 Jan 2012 | 2:30 pmOne hundred years ago, on January 17th, 1912, Captain Robert Falcon Scott's five-man team reached the South Pole: only to find Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had beaten them to it more than a month earlier. Scott's ill-fated expedition is the stuff of legend. This week's Litopia After Dark has two legendary guests: Dr. Huw Lewis-Jones, formerly Curator of Art at the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, and Kari Herbert, daughter of polar explorer, Sir Wally Herbert. Kari spent the first few years of her life living on a remote island in the Arctic with the Polar Inuit… -
Apple Pwns Education
19 Jan 2012 | 5:27 pmToday, Apple made a grab at the education market. Not at part of it. No. All of it. As authors, we've become quite accustomed to extremely large companies appropriating things. Think about Google unilaterally grabbing eBook rights. Or consider Amazon giving away our eBooks. You get the picture. Apple, however, are going beyond all that with their educational product launch today. They're aiming to own education. In this special edition of Litopia After Dark, we've assembled a word-beating team of panellists to cut through the hype. Industry professionals all, they will clearly explain exactly… -
I Wish I'd Written It
9 Jan 2012 | 7:25 amThe new year is a time to make dreams come true... and if you could make one authorial wish come true, what might it be? Perhaps you'd like the ultimate rave review from a legendary author such as Stephen King, along these lines: "this one gets the writer's ultimate bit of praise: I wish I had written it". That's exactly what happened to our guest Erin Kelly tonight; her first novel The Poison Tree found its way onto Mr. King's desk, and that is what the great master wrote. With an endorsement like that, who needs reviews? Jill Wolfson's latest YA book, the deeply emotional Cold Hands, Warm… -
Peter Englund: The Beauty and the Sorrow
3 Jan 2012 | 5:42 amHis origins were humble; a working-class boy from a small military town in northern Sweden, not far from the Arctic Circle. Today, he is one of the most influential figures in the world of literature, because Peter Englund is Permanent Secretary to the Swedish Academy, the body that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature. For someone who has within his power the making or breaking of international writing careers, Peter, as you'll hear, is remarkably unassuming. Perhaps one reason for this is that he's still a writer himself; he understands the writing process profoundly, and his own books have… -
Sam Leith: You Talkin' To Me?
2 Jan 2012 | 1:49 pmWhat's it like to receive 300 books to review for a major national newspaper - every week? That is but one of the more-or-less impossible tasks that befalls a typical literary editor - which is what Sam Leith did as Literary Editor of the Daily Telegraph. Highly regarded in the publishing business, Sam talks with us today about good reviews and bad reviews, about publishing and publishers, and about the future of the newspaper business. In fact, Sam is the scion of a newspaper dynasty. Grandson of Sir John Junor (editor of the Sunday Express for 32 years) and son of journalist and author…
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HEMRAJ SINGH
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Where There Is Noise, There Is Democracy
31 Dec 2011 | 12:24 pmParliament has been having lots of fun with the Lokpal Bill. And that’s how it should be. The name of the game is ‘Make Noise’. Before you read any further, let me clarify right at the outset that I am not going to talk about the Lokpal Bill or get into the merits of the position of any of party or any version of the Bill – Anna, Congress, BJP or any other. All I am looking at is the noises that are being made in Parliament. And trust me; so long as the noises are being made, the democracy is intact. Democracy does not drown in the noise; it dies in silence, complacence… -
Hail Maggi! Save Tomatoes!
31 Dec 2011 | 5:36 amMy heart went seriously out – not literally, or even in the romantic metaphorical sense; well, just in a manner of speaking – to the tomatoes in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara as the trio with strange love stories went prancing about in the juice and pulp of the lovely tomatoes. Come on! Leave the ‘zindagi’, save ‘tomatoes’! There are more people than tomatoes in this country! And yet, some crazy idiots thought we could celebrate ‘La Tomatina’ in this nation of tomato-less people! The government proved more sensitive to the tomatoes than it usually is to the… -
Where did the ‘Dirty’ oranges go?
31 Dec 2011 | 5:23 amI am unsure and rather perplexed at my newfound fruit-friendliness. Whenever I watch the The Dirty Picture song ‘Ooh La La’, which keeps flashing every now and then on the TV screens of the cafes I frequent, I feel very concerned about the oranges – two-truck full! – rolled downhill while Naseer and Vidya Balan do their ‘thing’ on the green grass. Poor grass. Must be wondering what to make of the old Naseer and the young-flesh Balan rolling together. Where did the oranges go after the shot, I find myself wondering, and come up with a new bizarre answer each time I… -
Back To The Blog With Thorough Nonsense
31 Dec 2011 | 5:14 amFor the past one year or so I have hardly written anything for this blog specifically primarily because of the paucity of time. Nearly all of my posts in the recent past have been the articles that I wrote for the print media. That’s not all that bad, for publishing some of the articles here widens their reach and also provides them the longevity that I control. The flip-side is that most of the posts tend to be very grim and long with majority of them dealing with thick legal issues that nobody – not even lawyers – would really like to get into for fun despite that some of the… -
Freedom of Press: Is Regulation Encroachment?
20 Dec 2011 | 5:34 pmUnhe raha gurez jis bewajah ke shor se; Jamooriyat hai zinda un kehkahon ke zor se Democracies are clamorous because people are noisy, and the senseless noises they make are generally not only of no consequence, but are also born of selfish motives in most cases while in some it’s plain malice at work. But, it is this baffling disorder that is the heart and lifeblood of a democracy. It is the irregular, ugly rock that houses captivating statues waiting to be carved out. Destroy the rock, and the statues are gone forever. The lovers of order, discipline and propriety hate this side of…
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Nitpickers' Nook
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What email rules do you follow?
25 Jan 2012 | 8:16 amRoss McCammon has a wonderful piece on the Entrepreneur site about how to send better email, and I recommend that you read the entire article. (You may never write another email without thinking of Robert De Niro.) In a list at the end, McCammon includes this advice: “Not only should you assume that every e-mail you send will get forwarded to someone else, you should assume that every e-mail you send will someday be read aloud in a court of law. Discretion.” That’s certainly more powerful than the advice not to write anything that you wouldn’t want to see on the front page of a… -
Communication problem-personalities: the Office Gossip
23 Jan 2012 | 8:08 amAll of the communication problem-personalities can hurt morale, but the Office Gossip really can make it plummet. Communication M.O.: Gossips love to be “in the know.” They enjoy being the ones who share news first, especially when it’s juicy—the more scandalous or sensational the story, the better. Office romances and organizational layoffs are among their favorite topics. As long as something might be true, it’s worth mentioning. Working with a gossip: Eliminate the opportunity. Gossip thrives in environments where reliable information is scarce. If you’re in a leadership… -
Voice-mail pet peeves
19 Jan 2012 | 8:30 amI turned the volume all the way up on my phone, and I still couldn’t hear a key piece of information a caller left on my voice mail. As her message progressed, her volume decreased until she sounded like she was worried that someone might discover her talking on the phone. This was a business call, so I have no clue why she made it sound like a secret. But because I couldn’t hear what she wanted, I had to call back before forwarding the information. That recent call was unusual, but other problems with voice mail are fairly common. Here are my top complaints about messages: Omitting why… -
The toughest apostrophe choice
17 Jan 2012 | 8:45 amIt was the type of moment that can bring a tear to nitpicking mom’s eyes. Glancing at the movie title Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who, my daughter asked about the placement of the apostrophe. I praised her attentiveness, but I didn’t pause for a grammar lesson. I think that how to use an apostrophe with a word ending in an “S” is one of the most difficult lessons to master, and it was close to her bed time. The Associated Press Stylebook devotes nearly two pages in its punctuation section on how to form possessives. The movie title is in line with its guidelines for singular proper… -
‘No’ means ‘No’ … except when it doesn’t
11 Jan 2012 | 8:17 amHave you ever presented a great idea only to have your boss or team turn it down? Maybe you wanted to pursue an unusual project, invest in new software or try telecommuting a couple of days a week. Regardless of what you were pushing for, it’s a crummy feeling to have others shut you down. You know that your idea has potential, but no one else sees it. Unfortunately, when the other votes count more than yours, you just have to suck it up and move on. Right? Wrong. There are ways to counter that resistance. Use these persuasive tactics: Identify and confront the specific concerns. When…
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Memoir Writing Blog
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Words for Women Writing Memoir: #27
27 Jan 2012 | 10:00 pmMemoir writers: Word choice matters. Check out this word first introduced during World War II. -
Contest News: StoryMap Entries Due February 29
27 Jan 2012 | 4:55 pmRead about our next memoir contest here. Entries are due by February 29. -
Words for Women Writing Memoir: #26
26 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pmMemoir writers: If in doubt about a word be sure to check when it was first introduced into the dictionary. -
Memoir Contest Winner: Unlocking the Chains, Freeing the Soul by Shannon Dodge
26 Jan 2012 | 2:01 amWomen's Memoirs publishes Shannon Dodge's personal look at freedom and independence -- an honorable mention in our July memoir writing contest. -
Words for Women Writing Memoirs, #25
25 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pmMemoir writers -- pay attention to the words that you use. Otherwise you can get caught using words that weren't yet in use.
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How To Write A Book | Joel Trains Authors
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Seth Godin: The single biggest change in book publishing
27 Jan 2012 | 1:52 pmSeth Godin is amazing, and you should follow his Domino Project. In this brief article, he summarizes a key point about publishing books that is overlooked by most authors and many publishers. Go there and read the whole thing. The single biggest change in book publishing is this: The industry was built around finding readers for its writers. And new technologies and business models now mean that the most successful publishers and authors find writers for their readers instead. Go here to read the whole short piece. -
Why can’t I see you?
25 Jan 2012 | 5:26 pmCould it be because you are simply not showing up? I think it was Woody Allen who said, “80% of success is in showing up.” Whether concretely or metaphorically, your presence is required in your writing. Other people can research and record the same facts. Other people might even share many of your opinions. But when I am drawn to a source of writing, it is usually because I am drawn to the writer. How are they like me? How are they different? What are their characteristic ways of expressing themselves? I love to read the Dear Sugar column at TheRumpus.net. (Warning: Language is… -
Can this new publishing model work?
23 Jan 2012 | 2:31 pmUnglue.it is not even in beta yet, but it is raising a lot of eyebrows: Can you use a pledge campaign to raise money to induce a copyright owner to put their publication into the public domain? The owner gives up future royalties in exchange for a one-time payment, raised from a crowd of interested people in small amounts. (Compare Kickstarter.com) It’s an intriguing thought, and I will be very interested to see if it flies. Here’s a brief video in which Unglue.it founder Eric Hellman is interviewed by my friend David Weinberger. -
Get rid of “writer’s block” once and for all!
17 Jan 2012 | 4:40 pm“Writer’s block” refers to a “stuck” state, in which the writer just can’t think of anything to write. Is it real? Is it a mental affliction requiring professional treatment? Depends who you ask. If you think you are experiencing writer’s block, you are. Whether the condition is “real” or not, whatever that means, is irrelevant: you want to write, and you can’t. Here are some ways for you to get past the block; the writing is up to you. Copy. Pick a piece of any kind, whether or not it relates to what you are trying to write, and… -
The 5 Elements Every Story Must Have
12 Jan 2012 | 8:09 pmI think it was E. M. Forster who said, “‘The king died; the queen died’ is story. ‘The king died; the queen died of grief” is plot.” (Thanks, daughter Shir.) Events (real or imagined) recounted in chronological order are story; linking them in cause-and-effect relationships is plot. Story has been called “the way we explain the world to ourselves” and “the way we explain ourselves to ourselves” (Anitra.net). People seem to be wired to appreciate stories. If you, as a writer (or speaker), want to grab and hold someone’s…
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The Write One Blog
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Author Branding – Determining your brand
27 Jan 2012 | 6:43 amAuthors, one of the first things you want to do when developing your marketing plan is determine your brand. What is a brand? The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or [...] -
2011 Recap: Vision boards, goals, and more!
19 Jan 2012 | 6:38 amAt the beginning of every year, I have started to document my previous year’s journey and in doing so I can account for what I’ve gotten accomplished and what I need to work on for the coming year. With that being said… 2011 is a year that I will never forget. It was a year [...] -
Do your friends know you write?
18 Jan 2012 | 3:58 pmRepublished by Blog Post Promoter When I released my novel The Buzz there were quite a few people who had no idea I even wrote. Aside from a few close friends and immediate family who’d been there from the beginning, the majority found out about my writing when my book was published. Some knew I [...] -
Author Branding – How to establish and expand your brand
18 Jan 2012 | 3:58 pmIn an earlier post, I briefly touched on collaborating with other companies and upholding my brand. Since I launched my company and released my book there have been times where I collaborated with others to relinquish myself of having to handle certain tasks and other times where I collaborated to expand my brand. Collaborating and networking with other authors [...] -
Five qualities of a good writer
17 Jan 2012 | 6:25 amRepublished by Blog Post Promoter Have you ever wondered what makes a good writer? After giving it some thought I’ve compiled the top five qualities I think a good writer must have. 5. Patience – Writing won’t be easy. There will be days when you have absolutely nothing to add to the story. Or days [...]
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Blogito Ergo Sum
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Literary Traditiions Have To Begin Somewhere
17 Jan 2012 | 5:18 pm-When one thinks of traditions & observances, one typically thinks of religion based holidays; Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Easter, etc...; or a national observance; Independence Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving, and so on. One usually doesn't think of the literary realm as a source of inspiration for annual traditions. Yet, there are many traditions centered around honoring significant authors and their works.Readers of The Bard flock to the Annual Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations in Stratford-upon-Avon each April. Mark Twain enthusiasts from around the world congregate at the Mark Twain… -
'Tis The Season
19 Dec 2011 | 2:02 pm-Unemployment is at 8.8% nationally, and is at a sadly higher 9.5% here in Oregon, according to Google's latest statistics. This is hardly news in a day when reports of evictions, robo-signing scandals, and protests against the struggling economic state of the union run rampant across our TV screens. As families struggle to keep their fiscal heads above water, donations to many charities, including food banks, have dropped sharply this year, enabling them to help fewer people, as requests for help have hit record highs. Many of us, who are too old and creaky to camp in the park, have thrown… -
A Yo-Yo In A Hurricane
15 Dec 2011 | 4:01 pm-I haven't blogged about the Occupy Portland Movement for quite a while. It's not that I haven't been watching it intently, I have two entire Tweetdeck columns devoted to movement related Tweets and I've been religiously following breaking news via Portland Mercury's Blogtown PDX. The problem is, my opinion keeps changing. The movement will make a gain, I'll feel good about their direction, then they'll do something bone headed, which will make it hard to justify backing them.Occupiers staged a City Hall sit in to protest the eviction of a family, and I was excited to see the movement taking… -
J. Edgar: Review
4 Dec 2011 | 4:45 pm-In “J. Edgar,” we see an aging Hoover, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, dictating a memoir of his early career, beginning with the bombing of 1919 and progressing through the Lindbergh Baby Trial. Between depictions of dictated chapters, the audience watches a weathered version of Hoover try to hold onto power and polish his legacy during the; Kennedy, Johnson, and early Nixon; administrations.This film humanized the historic power monger, by showing him at his most vulnerable. While Hoover was commandingly dominant in the professional realm, DiCaprio played him as being submissive toward… -
Well Rounded Readers and Watchers
19 Nov 2011 | 4:44 pm-I was partaking of my New York Times last Friday, when I came across the op-ed "The Inequality Map" by, op-ed columnist, David Brooks. The column attempted to define which types of inequality people can legitimately feel superior about (fitness, Ivy League education, technological prowess, etc...) and types which are unacceptable to brag about (religious differences, ancestors' accomplishments, mass spending...). About half way through the piece, I came across the passage, "Cultural inequality is unacceptable. If you are the sort of person who attends opera or enjoys Ibsen plays, it is not…
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Stories To Tell Books
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Dealing With Incomplete Memories in Memoir and Family History
26 Jan 2012 | 11:51 amAlmost anyone who begins a memoir or personal history project of any sort will sooner or later confront the limits of her memory. She will find herself or someone she is interviewing unable to recall the name of a person or the details of an event and that person or event is critical to the story she wants to tell. “I attribute this to what I call the ‘overfilled filing cabinet,’’ says Fred Cicetti author of The Healthy Geezer. “As we get older, we accumulate so many memories that it’s impossible to find the ones we want.” However, memory researchers have found that it may take… -
How to Gather Stories for Your Memoir or Family History
24 Jan 2012 | 11:38 amDavid McCulloch, who has won Pulitzer Prizes for his books on Harry Truman and John Adams, knows how to write a good life story. Says McCulloch, “I believe very strongly that the essence of writing is to know your subject…to get beneath the surface.” As you create your personal or family history book that’s advice you should take to heart. Unfortunately it’s something we often forget when we set out to research our genealogy or create a family history. We turn into Joe Friday, the character played by Jack Webb on the old TV series Dragnet, who was fond of saying, “Just the facts,… -
Tribute Books: Honoring People You Love and Admire
22 Jan 2012 | 10:58 pmTribute books are written to express appreciation. They may focus on the positive influence of a person on your life, or focus on their accomplishments. In many cases both topics are combined. These books are often created to commemorate a milestone or special occasion like a retirement, a fiftieth anniversary, or a special accomplishment like winning an award. Tributes can celebrate the success of a group, a business, or an organization, rather than an individual. Another type of tribute book is written to preserve the memory of a person who has died, focusing on their special traits and the… -
Organizing a Memoir Writers’ Group
19 Jan 2012 | 8:35 pmNot everyone who thinks about or even starts to write a memoir succeeds in completing her book. One of the things that helps many who are successful to achieve publication is having someone to support them in completing the project. One great way to find that kind of support is to organize a group of other people in the process of creating memoirs. Here are some simple tips on how to do it. -
The Writing Process: Your Book in Easy Stages
16 Jan 2012 | 9:39 pmYou’ve been thinking about creating a memoir or family history book. But you may feel a bit like you’re set off on a bit of an uncharted course. Creating a book seems like an overwhelming task. Looking at creating a book as a six-step process helps give you a roadmap which will make successfully seeing your book through to publication much less daunting.
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Scribophile
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Beauty is Truth and Truth Beauty
26 Jan 2012 | 9:00 am“Love makes an object beautiful—Eliseo Lagano Ubi amor ibi oculus est (Where there is love there is vision)—Richard of St Victor Do you recall John Keats’ enigmatic last two lines in Ode on a Grecian Urn: “Beauty is truth, truth beauty. That is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know”? “But what on Earth did Keats mean?” asked mathematician and author, Martin Gardner (Scientific American, April 2007). Gardner went on to quote T.S. Eliot who called the lines “meaningless” and “a serious blemish on a beautiful poem”. A rather pithy remark, I thought, considering… -
What We Talk About When We Talk About Writing*
24 Jan 2012 | 9:08 amLast week I gave a sixty-minute presentation called “Writing with Precision and Clarity” to some twenty-odd second year teachers in my school district. One of the first things I said was that I felt it would be malpractice to give a presentation on writing that didn’t involve actual writing. So during several points I stopped the PowerPoint and they wrote on specific topics in blank pages I provided in their handouts. Most of my young charges dutifully went about the task at hand. At the end of the evening, the district required the participants to fill out an evaluation sheet, rating… -
7 Resources for Aspiring Writers
21 Jan 2012 | 2:19 pmWriting Excuses – Writing Excuses is a podcast geared towards writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. The cast consists of published novelists who share their insights on many different aspects of the craft. From the painstaking details in creating sustainable and believable flora and fauna in fantasy worlds to how to write endings, no topic is too big or too small. Every week they have a recommended audiobook from Audible (their sponsors) and a writing prompt. Sometimes they even have brainstorming sessions and then give away the resulting ideas for free. At 15 minutes long… -
How We Will Tell Stories in the Future
19 Jan 2012 | 9:00 amIn the early 1400s, when Lady Vivianne Schoen, the Baroness Von Grunwald, lived (the hero of my latest book, The Last Summoner due summer of 2012), one of the largest libraries in Europe was at the University of Cambridge; it held an impressive list of 122 books (that library currently houses over 7 million books). Books were a work of art then. And part of an elite. Delicate, large and beautiful, they were created in the language of the church—Latin—and in turn copied entirely by hand by the monks. With the dimensions of a current newspaper, but much thicker, these large illuminated… -
The Struggle
17 Jan 2012 | 9:00 amMy eyes popped open at 5:45 a.m. When I realized I’d woken early, my stomach dropped; I still had fifteen minutes before the alarm was scheduled to go off. It was the weekend and I had promised myself a small gift, to set aside some time to write. But I was tired, so I shut my eyes again. Not only was I tired, but it had been a tough week and, truth be told, I didn’t have to wake up at 6 a.m. for any other reason other than to write. So really, the devil on my right shoulder whispered, what difference does it make? You can write another time. You’ve got your whole life to write…
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The GrammarPhile Blog
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Footnotes, Asterisks and Ends of Sentences
24 Jan 2012 | 4:30 amMost readers know that superscript figures (usually numbers or asterisks) in text tell the reader to refer to a footnote or an endnote for a comment or a source reference. So informative writers of white papers and such will want to use superscript characters here and there to build up their credibility. As always, proper punctuation is critical to that effort. But if a superscript figure is at the end of the sentence, where exactly does it go? Inside or outside the closing punctuation? And is there any space before the superscript figure? Answer: Do not leave any space between the… -
Who, Which, and That
17 Jan 2012 | 4:30 amRecall from last week that who is used when you need a subject, and whom when you need an objective pronoun. But in addition to who, there are other subjective pronouns. Select who when the individual or the individuality of the group is meant, and that when a class, species, or type is meant. She is the only one of my teammates who can beat Serena Williams. He is the kind of player that should win the Grand Slam three years in a row. Which and that are used when referring to places, objects, and animals. Which is always used to introduce nonessential clauses, and that is ordinarily used to… -
Who and Whom; Whoever and Whomever
10 Jan 2012 | 4:30 amThese pronouns are both interrogative pronouns (used in asking questions) and relative pronouns (used to refer to a noun in the main clause). Who is going? (Interrogative.) Mr. Bojangles is the one who is watching. (Relative, referring to one.) To whom shall I deliver the FedEx package? (Interrogative.) Ms. Bojangles, whom I have never met, is skiing now. (Relative, referring to Ms. Bojangles.) Who (or whoever) is the nominative form. Use who whenever he, she, they, I, or we would be substituted in the who clause. (If in doubt, mentally rearrange the clause as is done in parentheses… -
A, Eek, I, Oh, and You
3 Jan 2012 | 4:30 amHappy New Year! All of us at ProofreadNOW.com wish you a happy and prosperous 2012. And now onto our first blog post of the year...... A and An Such forms as "an historical study" or "an union" are not idiomatic in American English. Before a pronounced h, long u (or eu), and such a word as one, the indefinite article should be a: a hotel a historical study a euphonious word such a one a union but an honor, an heir Eek! This interjection finds its way into written dialogue. It should be spelled as shown, and not as eeek. It is nearly always followed by an exclamation mark. I, Me Soon we will… -
Why English is So Hard to Learn
13 Dec 2011 | 4:30 amThe bandage was wound around the wound. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes. After a number of injections, my jaw got number. Any wonder why English is so hard to learn? How well will you do on this week's vocabulary test? 1. cotton: (a) repulse; (b) an object of aversion; (c) to take a liking; (d) persuade. 2. truck: (a) close association or connection; (b) mow, harvest; (c) to use up or pay out; (d) to tread heavily so as to bruise, crush, or injure. 3. sally: (a) to waste time by loitering or delaying; (b) set out, depart; (c) mark by or express gloom; (d) to make a sound…
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Writing a Book? You can Self-Publish!
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Friday Author Interview Series: Charles S. Weinblatt
27 Jan 2012 | 6:52 am“Never stop writing. We learn by doing. Like any other talent, you will become a better author with practice.” – Charles S. Weinblatt How did you get started writing your book? Or what inspired your book? In 1985, after my second spine surgery, my wife suggested that I write a book to keep my mind active while recovering. I decided to write a short book about something that I knew well. I was teaching job search skills as a vocational rehabilitation counselor. So, I wrote a book about how to get a job, from the perspective of a young job seeker. Job Seeking… -
Friday Author Interview Series: Valerie Haynes Perry
20 Jan 2012 | 6:20 am“Frustration with a series of near misses with traditional publishers made self-publishing seem like a viable alternative. I love the empowerment that it affords.” -Valerie Haynes Perry How did you get started writing your book? Or what inspired your book? My first book, a novel titled, TANNER BLUE, was inspired by a walking tour in Paris. I learned that the African-American painter, Henry Ossawa Tanner, was so popular in Paris in the late 1800s and early 1900s that the French people named a color after him—Tanner Blue. In my novel, that is the name of the main character,… -
Friday Author Interview Series: Cara Lopez Lee
13 Jan 2012 | 6:37 am“On my journey, I learned that ‘The purpose of my life is not to get what I want. The purpose of my life is to become who I am.’ I hope my story inspires women to approach life as an adventure.” – Cara Lopez Lee What inspired your book? I’d wanted to write a novel ever since I read Little Women in third grade, but I thought authors were magicians, not mortals like me. When I was a TV journalist in Alaska, the dream returned, but this time I didn’t think I had enough life experience to write a book. So I saved money for a world trek. At… -
Friday Author Interview Series: Betsy Riley
6 Jan 2012 | 7:11 am“I wanted total artistic control over the publication, and very quick distribution. It was a great way to get my feet wet.” -Betsy Riley How did you get started writing your book? Or what inspired your book? I wrote the original text during therapy after my second divorce. I began by describing some of my feelings, then rewrote to be sure I made a happy ending possible. I had friends going through nasty divorces and I wanted to share it with them, as a positive message. What was the hardest part about completing your book? I spent the most time getting the images exactly the way I… -
Friday Author Interview Series: Karen van Huizen
30 Dec 2011 | 4:12 amThe whole process of writing and producing the book taught me so much about myself. That alone was magical. ~ Karen van Huizan How did you get started writing your book? Or what inspired your book? After suffering depression and feeling like I had no life direction I began searching for answers just over 13 years ago. I studied books, cds and went to numerous seminars on personal growth. I began to help the people within the teams in my business with the tools that I had learned. Over time I came up with my own concepts and wanted to teach personal growth in a simple manner so that people…
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commenteri.com
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Reggae and Random Recommended Reading
27 Jan 2012 | 6:12 pmTeri’s Ten Most Favorite Books The Book Thief – Markus Zusak The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien On Writing – Stephen King From the Corner of His Eye – Dean Koontz The Walking Dead series – Robert Kirkman Bridge to Terabithia – Katherine Paterson House of Leaves – Mark Z Danielewski The Time Traveler’s Wife – [...] -
Play Nice, People
26 Jan 2012 | 6:06 pmPeople who treat animals cruelly deserve a special place in Hell. This morning as I was buying a bottle of water from the cafeteria, I heard a news story on the TV about a guy who “kicked his cat like a football.” “Police charged a South Side man with animal cruelty after officers say they [...] -
Oh! What a Non-Surprise!
18 Jan 2012 | 10:58 pmI almost blew my nose today. Ordinarily this wouldn’t be very newsworthy, but the wisdom tooth extraction post-operative care literature I was given says that this is taboo for at least 4 weeks. Asking me to remember that is a completely unrealistic expectation. My nose must be blown, damnit. Ten bucks says I forget again [...] -
Nostalgia Virus
30 Dec 2011 | 6:45 pmToday I spent some time just thinking about the first couple years I lived in Chicago. It was a great time. I almost wish that I could relive it, just to appreciate it more. [And, of course, it would be nice to do a few things differently.] Some of the things I miss: Me: Okay [...] -
Presents and Panic Attacks
28 Dec 2011 | 5:42 pmChristmas was pretty good this year, minus the driving. Mr. W and I went to my parent’s home in Tennessee. My brother flew there too, so we were all together. We played lots of board games and watched some movies and ate lots of sweets. This reminds me–my body is crazy. I can go a [...]
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Ideas, Footnotes & Revelations
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Humility 101
26 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amThe more I think I know, the less I tend to learn.1 I should talk less more often.2 I am worthy of respect only to the degree that I respect my greatest critics.3 Original TweetOriginal TweetOriginal Tweet -
Occupy: The Leaderless Dilemma
24 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amThe Occupy Movement has provided something of a case study in leadership — or lack thereof. I don’t say this in a demeaning way: my friends and acquaintances in movement are quite adamant that Occupy is non-hierarchical and free of any centralized authority structure. In a word: leaderless. And most occupiers I know see this not as a mere characteristic, but rather as a treasured virtue of the movement. While watching this phenomenon of “leaderless movements” emerge, it appears that even if you don’t call them “leaders,” the influencers still do in fact lead. The critical… -
Research vs. Searching
19 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amGoogle’s official blog post outlining the new Google, plus Search Your World service explains some of the benefits of integrating crowd-sourced, social-inputs to your search queries: Say you’re looking for a vacation destination. You can of course search the web, but what if you want to learn from the experiences your friends have had on their vacations? Just as in real life, your friends’ experiences are often so much more meaningful to you than impersonal content on the web.1 What is the benefit of embedding this related social data into your search? This is search that truly knows… -
Regret Analysis: The Retention of the Past
17 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amRight now, all over the world, there are well-meaning friends encouraging each other to leave their past behind them, to look to the future with sparkling optimism, and to bury yesteryear’s woes in the sands of time. However, we ought not forget this ageless proverb: Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. This saying, some say, is inherited from this passage by George Santayana (read it slowly): Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement:… -
Compassion is an Exit Strategy
12 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amOn November 11, 2011, I presented a talk at a local Ignite event entitled, Compassion is an Exit Strategy.1 While some of the data points are already out of date,2 the main point of the presentation remains: we need to consider more systemic responses to poverty rather than simply adding more social services. Would you be willing to take a few minutes to practically respond to some of these issues regarding our social assistance programs? I am working with a group of citizens to formulate and submit policy recommendations to our municipality and province drawn from our collective input. We…
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drmstream[writing]
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Kishimi and the gift of knowing
27 Jan 2012 | 2:36 amA gentle slope drops from the back of our house to an old stone wall, and beyond, a pond surrounded by high trees. The pond was a limestone pit once; the still surface mirrors the darkness below. An oak tree fell into the shallow south end and in the warm months a slender grey heron spends his days on the branches that stick up from the water. I look for the heron when I walk down to the pond. This is not as frequently as I would like. I’ll stand at the north edge and wait for my eyes to adjust to the shadows. The heron’s shape is like an inadvertent ink stroke on a busy page. -
The last year on drmstream[writing]
15 Jan 2012 | 3:07 amThis blog is an inadvertent place, neither commonplace book nor publishing platform, disorderly in approach but earnest in intention, a balance of self provocation, hopeful proclamation and intermittent distraction. Despite its irresolute intent, drmstream[writing] frames a relationship for a kind-of writer and a kind-of audience. There is a group of you — a few hundred or so– who track what happens here with courteous interest and occasional passion. This is what we accomplished together in the past year. I posted on drmstream[writing] 68 times. There were 7705 visitors who came… -
What makes our heart quicken
12 Jan 2012 | 12:33 pmWhen I walked outside the wind was racing through the trees and I thought to myself, This is alive. This is alive, the wind, the sky, the air. This is alive, me in this moment, my foot sinking into the ground. This is alive. The moment passed as quickly as it manifested. Later I took a walk and everything was still. I took a picture of a tree against the blue sky. When I looked at it later I wondered what it was that kept my heart from quickening. Had I lost something, or was I just lucky to have caught a glimpse of something that we don’t often get to see? -
Don’t turn our backs on the Brothers Grimm
30 Dec 2011 | 3:32 amShe’s getting carried off to the evil witch, captured by her demon monkeys who were sent out to collect the innocent intruder. Look at the Tin Woodman doffing his cap, Dorothy sitting at the edge of her seat like a little girl at the movies, and the winged monkeys wide-eyed and intent. Where’s the fear? There’s terror lurking in the dark edges of The Wizard of Oz: the story begins with death and destruction, and throughout the little girl is under assault, protected only by a motley, impaired ragtag of friends and allies. That’s how art can help children make sense of life, by… -
The woman-tree with a dog
19 Dec 2011 | 6:31 amAn image was stuck in my head. I saw a single tree in the distance. A dog stood beneath it. The vista was all greys and whites and blacks. The dog and the tree were solitary but separate. The image evoked something necessary and almost forgotten. I went to Flickr and typed in the phrase “faraway tree with dog next to it.” I did the same search on Google. Hundreds of thousands of images populated the tiny mosaic of my screen. I skimmed them. I look for an image that externalizes the sensations I feel when I first recognize my mental image. When I find it, I write. Sometimes, to my…
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The Premium Online Writing Blog
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Jan 24, SEO Content Writing: The 3 Crucial Ingredients of X Factor SEO Writing Services
24 Jan 2012 | 4:33 amSEO content writing is a fundamental cornerstone of creating an online business presence. Your ability to create (or outsource) excellent search engine optimized content will massively influence where -
Jan 17, Writing Portfolio - Premium Online Writing Web Copywriting Samples
17 Jan 2012 | 12:13 amAt Premium Online Writing our goal is to deliver results that will make your jaw drop - and, more importantly, make your profits spike upwards. This writing portfolio page puts our full spectrum of... -
Dec 21, Web Copywriting That Sells While You Sleep | Website Copywriter
21 Dec 2011 | 7:36 amWeb copywriting. For those who understand it, the words are music - because they mean money. For those who don't understand copywriting for the web, the whole process is a source of never-ending... -
Jul 7, Press Release Writing Service - Top Quality PR Writing and Distribution
7 Jul 2011 | 4:53 amOur press release writing service combines high quality and affordability to help generate the best ROI from your news marketing efforts. Done right, a single press release can generate huge exposure -
Jul 7, Press Release Services - Press Release Writing and Distribution
7 Jul 2011 | 4:42 amThe Premium Online Writing press release services cover the creation of news materials for distribution both on the web and off. We take into account search engine optimization and keyword balance...
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YoungPrePro - How to Write for Traffic and Money
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The Master-Class Secrets to Marketing Your Blog, and Getting The Traffic You Deserve
23 Jan 2012 | 3:00 pmThis is a super awesome guest post written by Josh Sarz. Do you know what it takes to build a Master-Class blog? When you’re new to blogging, you’re bound to make lots of bad choices. And who can really blame a new blogger? There’s a huge amount of pressure for someone who’s just starting. Pressure that comes from thoughts about your blog being buried in the dirt. Turning into a ghost town. Having lots of posts, but zero comments. I could go on. So how does a new blogger actually get to build a Master-Class blog? The secrets to a Master-Class blog is to become…… -
5 Sure-Fire Tips for Writing Effective Lead Nurturing Emails
20 Jan 2012 | 3:00 pmLearning to write effective emails is one way smart writers adapt to using the internet for their business, in this article Sarah gives some tips on writing effective lead nurturing emails. Sarah Goliger is an inbound marketer at HubSpot, a marketing software company based in Cambridge, MA that makes inbound marketing and lead management software Once you’re generating leads for your business, one of the most critical components of a good lead management strategy is setting up lead nurturing campaigns to guide your leads down your sales funnel. By sending well-timed and… -
The One Word (or Action) that Can Change Your Career this Year
18 Jan 2012 | 3:00 pmI sent this email to my subscriber list last week, and I got some great replies so I’m reposting the content of the email here. BTW, you can subscribe here if you’re not yet subscribed! The One Word (or Action) that Can Change Your Career this Year You might be asking if that word really exist, or if I’m about to feed you some garbage? But yes, that word, and action, really exists, and it is so powerful that it can be classified as a magic word. The funny thing is that very few writers use this word I’m talking about, and it is costing them their careers. This word is… -
How to Make Money by Offering Your Services as a Guest Blogger
16 Jan 2012 | 10:32 amIf you’re a freelance writer with blogging experience looking to get quality jobs from quality clients, how do you go about it? When it comes to increasing your chances for earning more as a freelance writer and getting more quality offers, one major thing I advice is that you expand your services. In other words, don’t just restrict yourself to doing one form of freelance writing; expand your skills, expand your offering, grow your database of clients and earn more money. I’ve been an advocate of guest blogging for almost as long as I’ve been blogging now, and even though guest… -
4 Weeks Course for Freelance Writers
14 Jan 2012 | 3:34 pmHope you’re already planning to take over the new year? If you’re ready to build a successful freelance writing career this year, I have an offer for you. There’s a 4 weeks freelance writing course you need to check out. This course is organized by Carol Tice and Linda Formichelli; both successful freelance writers with years of experience. Check out the course here! The course isn’t a free course. It is a premium course packed with value, and the organizers are people I can vouch for. Instead of looking for ways to make a lot of money online without spending, why not…
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American Writers & Artists Inc.
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Breaking News … Only 4 Spots Remain for 2012 Web Intensive!
27 Jan 2012 | 12:52 pmOnly 4 spots remain for the 2012 Web Copy Intensive in San Diego this coming Feb 26-29. -
The Untold Secret of Steve Jobs’ Empire (Part 1 of 2)
27 Jan 2012 | 5:57 amThe late Steve Jobs built a technology empire that has revolutionized much of the world. Today Joshua Boswell explores the kingpin-secret behind this empire. -
Achieve More by Focusing on the Ten Highest (and Lowest) Value Uses of Your Time...
27 Jan 2012 | 5:07 amAre you working towards bettering your career right now? John Wood gives us 20 ways to make our time more productive. -
What Brian Tracy, Timothy Ferris, and Many More Use to Get More Done in Less Time...
27 Jan 2012 | 4:50 amIf you feel you're not being as productive in your career or personal life, follow John Wood’s five-step plan that could have you on the path to wealth and prosperity. -
The Mysterious Force That Could Land You Your Next Assignment...
26 Jan 2012 | 5:06 amIt's not just about your performance in writing that helps get clients. John Wood explains how to better communicate in an interview to land your next assignment.
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Florida Writers Conference Blog
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Industry News: How piracy can pay for Amazon, Houghton-Mifflin to publish Amazon books, a new view to Mein Kampf
28 Jan 2012 | 4:00 amHow Amazon Plagiarism Works, Why Amazon Makes Money Anyway, and Why It Opposed SOPA The Pirates who don't do anything. They just drink beer and pass out beads. Just because SOPA and PIPA were pulled from consideration in Congress, the issues driving the legislation aren’t gone. This article from Fast Company describes the experience of David H. Springer. Dave started writing erotica so he could get access to porn sites. Apparently, he has a knack for it, because he’s published several works on Amazon under names like Oediplex and TrojanSnake. Dave found that one of his works,… -
Tool Time: Outline view in Word
27 Jan 2012 | 4:00 amThere’s an ongoing war–okay, maybe a minor skirmish–over whether to outline your work before you start writing. On the plus side, and outline can give you a structure to write to, and keep you from running down rat holes so far that you’ll never get back. On the minus side, if you don’t outline, your plot may surprise you–and by extension, your reader. For the purposes of this post, we don’t care. But we can help you outline in cool and user-friendly way by using Word’s outline view. What is outline view? Outline view allows you to use the… -
Fun with Easter Eggs
26 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am“Me and the Lord, we got an understanding.” Those words, bordering on blasphemy, were uttered by Jake Blues in the Blues Brothers. They came to mind as I faced a struggle recently and worked my mind around it. I don’t write about faith here typically–not the venue. But here, it’s appropriate. As I believe, God wants me to do my best and He can handle everything above that. See, myeand the Lord, we got an understanding. I love to quote movies, song lyrics, almost anything and stick them in my work. They’re called Easter Eggs. They’re homage,… -
Exercise Wednesday: The Hat
25 Jan 2012 | 4:00 amImagine if you saw something, a hat let’s say. You were sitting, just letting your mind wander and you saw a memorable hat. It doesn’t have to be a hat like the super-amazing magnificent hat in the great literary classic Go, Dog, Go. In fact, a plainer hat would probably be more interesting. For instance, the hat displayed below is a Brooklyn Dodgers hat I wear to exercise. As you might notice, I sweat a bit when I exercise. But this hat might be interesting if you were to just find it without knowing my backstory for it. For one thing, the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles 54… -
The secret to writing is…writing
24 Jan 2012 | 4:00 amThis is kind of a continuation of a previous theme. I work out with a group of people on Tuesday nights. A friend of mine named Daniel showed up at last night’s workout (I’m writing this on a Wednesday morning) and we talked about various things. At one point, he said, “I don’t know how you do the writing you do. You just sit down and do it and have something every day. It takes me forever.” I considered telling him about my superhuman skills and moral superiority, but decided not to. Instead, I alluded to the workouts we’d just done. There’s a move…
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The Story's Story
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Why don’t I do more writer interviews?
27 Jan 2012 | 1:47 pmA reader wrote to ask why I don’t do more writer interviews. Good question. To do an interview with a writer, a bunch of things have to align: 1) I have to like their book. 2) So far I’ve only done face-to-face interviews, which means the writer and I have to occupy the same geographic space. Since I live in Tucson, this usually means “Arizona.” Since Tucson is a literary dead zone, this effectively means “Phoenix,” which is itself hardly a mecca for the written word; Phoenix is a cesspool of reality TV stars and those who aspire to be reality TV stars,… -
Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier — Edward Glaeser
22 Jan 2012 | 1:34 amWhen I lived in Seattle, I was driving a friend home when she said she didn’t like all the new buildings because they pushed poor people out of the city. I was confused by her argument and that building more housing units will make it easier for poor people—any people, really—to afford to live in the city, but she argued that wasn’t true because the existing buildings were “worse.” But that doesn’t matter much: if a given parcel of land goes from having four units on it to four hundred, that’s vastly more supply. The conversation’s already low… -
Late January Links: Shit sorority girls say, health care, the beach, the writing life, grammar, and more
21 Jan 2012 | 4:19 pm* Shit sorority girls say; this is depressingly accurate. * “The average health care insurance premium today is over $15,000 and by 2021 it may be headed to $32,000 or so (admittedly that estimate is based on extrapolation);” that’s from “The median wage figure and the health care costs figure.” * Perhaps related: How U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work, a widely linked to but still important and fascinating article about modern economies. * Why the video pros are moving away from Apple. And I can’t blame them, given Apple’s behavior. * On the Beach: I… -
The Novel
17 Jan 2012 | 4:18 pm“If the novel should really disappear, it will do so not because it has exhausted its powers but because it exists in a world grown alien to it.” —Milan Kundera, The Art of the Novel -
Product Review: Guildhall Pocket Notebook
17 Jan 2012 | 2:22 pmThis is part of a series of pocket notebook reviews that I began after Moleskine’s quality control problems and from reading Rands’ notebook discussion. The Guildhall Pocket Notebook’s great strength and weakness is its flexibility: it has a softer cover than most pocket notebooks and stitching that allows the notebook to easily lie flat. But its cover also bends out of shape over time, like a cardboard insert or cereal box, and the pages bend with it. Still, this is a minor problem in a largely successful notebook—one that’s better than Moleskines but not quite as…
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Writing College Textbook Supplements
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How to Write Multiple-Choice Questions
24 Jan 2012 | 10:19 amMultiple-choice test questions are one of the most widely used methods of testing students’ knowledge. If you are a freelance writer for higher education or K-12 companies, you could be writing student assessment questions for a test bank, for a student study guide, or for a student companion website — or you may be a [...] -
Happy Holidays!
20 Dec 2011 | 3:29 amHere’s wishing you and yours a happy holiday season of fun and connecting with those you love. My partner and I are house-sitting in the Santa Cruz area for the next few weeks. During the many days when clear weather dominates, the sunny-day temps hit the low to mid-60s, which is what we have now. [...] -
Best Ways to Improve Your Freelance Writing
29 Nov 2011 | 9:12 amAs many of you know, I dish out plenty of advice on how to get your writing done faster and better over at my ProductiveWriters.com blog. In this post I feature the best PW articles that will make the biggest difference in helping you get your textbook supplements projects done quickly and well. Each post [...] -
What You Need to Complete Your Textbook Supplement Project
27 Oct 2011 | 9:23 amWhen you create or revise test questions or a lecture outline or a student study guide for a textbook, you’ll need a variety of materials, printed and electronic. Here’s a list of all the potential items you could need for a college textbook supplement or ancillary project in order to do a great job and [...] -
Pay Rates for Multiple-Choice Questions
29 Sep 2011 | 2:19 pmThe pay rates for multiple-choice questions that you write for a textbook or a learning manual can vary greatly. I recently answered the following forum question inside the Freelance Writers Den: “I have a potential opportunity to write 250 multiple-choice questions about a topic I know well, but I have no idea how long this [...]
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Productive Writers
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My Favorite Productive Writers Posts of 2011
23 Jan 2012 | 2:01 am2011 was a great year for me as a freelance writer, as a blogger, and as a person doing his best to enjoy life. I had a lot of fun selecting these posts. I hope you enjoy them! And my deepest thanks to all of you who visit ProductiveWriters.com. May you all have a happy [...] -
2011 Social Media Statistics and Your Plans for 2012
16 Jan 2012 | 2:01 amSocial media continued its rapid growth in 2011. Many freelance writers are active users of social media, me included. In 2011 I focused on this blog, Twitter, and Linkedin, with some attention to Google+. 2011 Social Media Statistics Infographic Mat Siltala over at Dream Systems Media made a very cool infographic from data presented over [...] -
25 Ways to Boost Your Freelance Writing Business in Under 5 Minutes
9 Jan 2012 | 2:01 amPost author Linda Formichelli is a top freelance writer and also a den mother alongside Carol Tice at the Freelance Writers Den. Take It Away Linda… People always ask me how I get so much done: I’m a highly diversified writer who is the main breadwinner for her family, I teach online courses, and I’m [...] -
I Am Taking a Holiday Blogging Break Until Mid-January
19 Dec 2011 | 2:01 amLast week I wrote about what the best practices for taking a blogging break. This week I’m officially announcing that… I’m taking a holiday blogging break until mid-January of 2012. My partner Stephanie and I are house-sitting in Santa Cruz, California, and nearby areas, including a house-sit in San Francisco, for the next several weeks. [...] -
The Why and How of Blogging Breaks
12 Dec 2011 | 2:01 amToday we’ll examine why you should take blogging breaks and how to go about it. (And yes, I’ll soon be taking a blogging break myself, which I’ll announce in next Monday’s post.) Many Freelance Writers Are Bloggers Since many of you readers are bloggers, you know there’s a general consensus that a blogger should write [...]
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Mike Fook Books - Ebooks | Fiction Thrillers | WTF
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Inspiration Strikes – in the Form of a Reader’s Email
24 Jan 2012 | 8:43 amI started on my next fiction book set in Thailand and I’m about 11,000 words into it after 2 days. This will not be a sequel to Thailand’s Sickest, but it does relate to the story quite a bit. In fact, if you haven’t yet read that first fiction novel, you should get it so [...] -
“Selling” a Couple Thousand Books per Day
19 Jan 2012 | 3:40 amIt’s possible, even probable if you have a bunch of fiction books at Amazon, to sell a couple thousand books each day for free. Amazon counts free books downloaded as sold. Why you would want to do that is to get your sales rank to climb. How you can do that – is enroll in [...] -
It is Damn Near Impossible to Motivate You to Write an Ebook
17 Jan 2012 | 7:33 amI’ve mentioned my brother and sister on this blog occasionally. My sis has a degree in English lit from Penn State, and my brother – I don’t know what in fuck’s name he graduated with – a bachelor’s in bible maybe? Whatever it was. They are both going about their lives in the wrong way. [...] -
I Can’t Ignore the Ringing in My Ear
16 Jan 2012 | 1:36 amIt’s with the regularity of a goddamned metronome. The ringing has a name. It’s Joe Konrath, and if he opens his mouth one more time about how much cash Amazon is trucking to his house – I’m going to call him up on the phone from 10,000 miles away – and scream my lungs and [...] -
This Can’t Be ANYTHING, But Good News…
15 Jan 2012 | 1:46 amBlast Kills Dozens of Shiite Worshipers in Southern Iraq New York Times – 2 hours ago BAGHDAD – Insurgents mounted another attack against Iraq’s Shiites on Saturday, as an explosion in the southern city of Basra ripped through a group of pilgrims headed to a mosque to commemorate one of the holiest Shiite holidays… I [...]
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Aberration Nation
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Something Old, Something New
12 Jan 2012 | 1:24 pmI recently took it upon myself to transform two of my earlier 3' x 4' pieces into new works of art. I thought it might be interesting to show the original and the new together. Project One:Child Eyes Crossed, 2008I Was Born This Way ... please stay, 2011Project Two:I'm on Fire (2009)The Meeting, 2012**The Meeting is still in progress but almost complete.Watch for my interview with artist Christian Tango ... coming within the week! -
The Creative Blueprint: Elissa Schappell
8 Dec 2011 | 9:13 pmMy guest today, writer and editor, Elissa Schappell, has reminded me of two common assumptions about highly creative individuals: 1) " ... it seems a lot of writers are born missing a layer of skin. We feel things more keenly than others. We hear and see things others don’t. We know stuff you don’t want to know, feel stuff you don’t want to feel, and obsess over things you don’t want obsess over."2) "You really can't give a shit about what people are going to say about your work."I agree 100 percent.Now, can someone explain to me how these two important… -
CALVET and Art: Isn't This What They Told Me About Jesus?
9 Nov 2011 | 10:12 pmOkay, I realize this may be controversial for some folks; I may be struck down by the hand of God at any time today, but lately it's occurred to me that art provides many of the things that Jesus is supposed to give me ... redemption, purpose, love, meaning, joy, healing, etc. Of course, I don't know that art can give eternal salvation, but I do know that it can save a soul. It did just that for my friend, artist Jean Marc Calvet. I met Jean Marc a year or two ago through Monkdogz Urban Art (NYC). We struck up a friendship after I interviewed him on… -
Art, Fire, and a Hurricane: John K. Lawson
26 Oct 2011 | 12:05 pm"The creative cave is the looniest, loneliest place in the world. Ultimately it’s the scariest and safest place as well." I grew up in a special type of loony, lonely cave. A place where contradiction was king. Creativity enabled me to envision another world, a future where all the confusing fragments of my life might perfectly align. Was I a hungry kid on the streets, in the gutter, or scraping by in a refugee camp? No, I grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana in the 1970's under the emotional thumb of a mentally ill mother.It certainly could have… -
DUST: An Excerpt
6 Oct 2011 | 11:15 am“It is possible to climb life’s mountain from any side, but when the top is reached the trails converge.”- Huston SmithSundayPray no more for utter oneness with God;Where is the beauty if jewel and setting were one?The heat and the shade are two,If not, where is the comfort of shade?Mother and child are two,If not, where is the love?When after being sundered, they meet,What joy do they feel, the mother and child!Where is joy, if the two were one?Pray, then, no more for utter oneness with God.- Hindu Devotional ClassicI’m surprised to find the path leading to my highly anticipated…
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Zach Everson | Writer. Editor. Consultant.
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Listen to my appearance earlier today on 102.3 The Max’s Lambert & Lindsey Morning Show
20 Jan 2012 | 12:26 pmAs promised, I appeared on 102.3 The Max’s Lambert & Lindsey Morning Show this morning to tell Louisvillians what to do this weekend. Looking for similar guidance? The audio is here. -
Lambert & Lindsey & (for a few minutes or until I cuss) Everson: Listen to me Friday morning on Louisville’s 102.3 The Max
19 Jan 2012 | 12:31 pmLast Friday 102.3 The Max’s Lambert & Lindsey Morning Show invited me on to talk about what was happening in Louisville that weekend. As I managed to get through our five-minute conversation without cussing—I know!—it’s going to be a recurring gig. I’ll be on again tomorrow morning, around 8 7:30 a.m. Louisville folks can listen on 102.3 WXMA on their FM dial; non-locals interested in hearing me (Hi Dad!) can stream Lambert & Lindsey on The Max’s website. (Select the Listen Live button to the left of the station’s logo; no Dad, your other left. -
Louisville.com site visits up 50 percent in 2011, 79 percent since I became editor in 2010
9 Jan 2012 | 10:10 amIn 2011 site visits to Louisville.com increased 50 percent compared to 2010. Traffic was up 79 percent on the year compared to 2009 (I became editor-in-chief of the site on Jan. 1, 2010, working just 20 hours a week as the site’s only paid editorial employee). Site visits to Louisville.com, 2011 (blue) compared to 2009 (orange), select to enlarge A big thank you to the site’s readers, writers, interns, and owners! According to compete.com, Louisville.com is now the city’s most visited independent website, trailing only the sites for the local newspaper and TV stations… -
2011 highlights: Israel, Rome, and Wall Street Journal and Fox News articles about home
4 Jan 2012 | 10:10 amTraveling with daddy on his work trips, like to Montana's Ranch at Rock Creek, can be rough on a girl. And I’m spent. 2011 work highlights included having a full-page spread in The Wall Street Journal, trips to Israel and Rome, and Louisville.com becoming the city’s most-read independent website and winning a couple of big honors in the process. Luckily my wife and daughter were able to join me on many of my trips. The latter turns two next week and already has visited 18 states and Washington, DC. We got her a passport this year, but it might be a few months at least before… -
Travel websites on spas, Canada publish my photos
3 Jan 2012 | 3:07 pmThe Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach's Eau Spa by Cornelia A couple websites recently posted travel-related photos I took: The Purple Passport’s profile of the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach’s Eau Spa by Cornelia (read my writeups of the spa for UpTake here and the teen lounge for Air Canada’s enRoute here) canadaDOLCEcanada’s post, “Canada Dell’est: Quebec,” included two photos of the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac I shot while on vacation in Quebec City
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Byzantine Roads
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“Ender’s Game” First Chapter Free
15 Jan 2012 | 10:37 amWell, It looks like the Ender’s Game Movie is actually going to finally happen. So here’s the first chapter of the novel free: -
Guest Blogger Dale Cozort, Author of “Exchange”
27 Dec 2011 | 10:46 amHi. I’m Dale Cozort, guest blogger. I recently had a science fiction novel called Exchange published by Stairway Press, a small independent publisher. I previously self-published a book of Alternate History scenarios called American Indian Victories. I’m going to talk about how I’ve incorporated open source and free writing tools into my writing and promotion process, and then talk a little about the resulting book. How did I use open source and free writing tools to write and promote those books? First, I do most of my plotting in Ywriter, which is free, though apparently… -
Simpsons “The Book Job” with Neil Gaiman on Hulu:
4 Dec 2011 | 7:13 amGotta share the “Simpsons” The Book Job” Episode while it’s up on Hulu: -
Where, Oh Where, Have I Been?
9 Nov 2011 | 11:16 amSee, I Haven’t been posting because I haven’t been writing. Image via Wikipedia Why? Personal reasons. Sorry, but it’s been a heck of a year. I Know, I know. Last year, I started “Teddy Roosevelt and The Lost World” right around NaNoWriMo, and it seemed like every month I was getting closer to finishing it. But around March, Everything came crashing down. Economic issues? Check. Wife lost her salary two years before, was working almost full time but was finally laid off. Health Issues? Apnea, Arthritis and Reflux all wore me down. Work and Career? Began looking… -
Kill Your Babies: Should I Cut this Prologue Out?
9 Nov 2011 | 10:51 amHere’s a little scene-setting prologue I’ve been waffling on. Obviously it needs some work ( Ugh. Passive tense. It’s.) but I think it’s just going out the window. It doesn’t do anything in the book at all. If it gets cut, that’s the three out of the first five chapters I’ve cut as throat clearing. The Bull Torosaur trotted along the creek bank and up over the edge to the plains. The wind stung his eyes. He lifted its snout to sniff the cool fall air. Winter was coming: the scent of dry grass and sage was carried on the breeze, along with…
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Karen Ranney
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Playing Hookey
28 Jan 2012 | 6:11 amI’m taking the weekend off from doing “normal” stuff. I have a few fun projects to do, but I also have my shovel in hand and I’m ready to clean the house and unpack boxes! Wish me luck, I’m going in! I’ll be back on Monday – have a lovely, lovely weekend! -
It’s the Little Things – Really
27 Jan 2012 | 6:11 amThe other day, for some reason, I was noticing all the things in my life that make my life fun or easier. I realized there are oodles of things that qualify. Here are just a few of them: My Cuisinart stick blender. I love that thing and use it every day. I make homemade mayonnaise that’s to die for and from that wonderful salad dressings. Plus, I just love watching the emulsification process – it’s cool. For those of you who’ve asked, here’s my mayonnaise recipe: 1 cup light tasting olive oil (I don’t like the regular olive oil taste in mayonnaise and I… -
Laughter – Underrated Medicine
26 Jan 2012 | 10:22 amFlash all buckled in to go bye-bye. Please note the "abandon hope, all ye who enter here" expression. I love that Flash makes me laugh. I adore his antics, and the fact that he runs through the house like a bullet train sometimes, ears flat, nose high, with that look in his eyes that announces he’s playing and having a wonderful time. I love being tickled by videos and jokes that amuse me. I love silly TV humor and I’m often more juvenile then I like to admit. In other words, I love to laugh. I try, every day, to laugh at something. It’s a crusade. If I… -
What Can I Afford to Lose Today?
26 Jan 2012 | 6:11 amThat’s the question I ask myself whenever I sit down at my computer. It’s what keeps me sitting at my computer even when I’m exhausted. A few minutes is all it takes to back something up again. I once had my computer stolen a week before my manuscript was due in New York. Because I’d backed it up to my IPod, I was saved. All the other saved versions – CD and flash drive – had been stolen as well. Now? I’m slightly paranoid, but my life is on my computers. I back my desktop with Carbonite. I back up my desktop to a separate hard drive. I back up my… -
Chocolate – A Different Perspective
25 Jan 2012 | 6:11 amI ordered some chocolate the other day. Since I can’t eat sugar, I ordered a block of unsweetened 99% cacao. The other day, when I was feeling really lazy and really craved chocolate, I sliced (okay, it required a mallet and a knife) off a bit and ate it. What I expected was a pucker. What I got was the most fascinating taste. I know that chocolate is often used without sugar in recipes such as chicken mole. Or that it was used in Central America as a bitter, spicy beverage. Did you also know that the cacao bean was also used as currency? Or that chocolate originated in the New World?
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Whispered Writings
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Pulling the Trigger: Using Triggers Appropriately in Writing
24 Jan 2012 | 6:47 pmDo you know why your characters act the way they do? Do they sometimes seem to act unnatural? Improve your writing by understanding how to write triggers, flashbacks, and inciting incidents. -
Are Your Characters Naked?
21 Jan 2012 | 10:39 amThey say the clothes can make a man. Well, clothes can make a character as well. How you dress your character affects what the reader thinks of them, what they think of themselves, and what how other characters perceive them. -
Creating the Backstory
15 Jan 2012 | 7:03 pmThe novel I am currently writing starts with a dead body. The focus of the story then takes us through an elaborate journey to discover how the body ended up by the river three weeks earlier. So why would I outline and develop the storyline of my main characters some sixty years prior? -
Valuing Yourself as a Writer
4 Jan 2012 | 10:22 pmSome reading this are published. A few lucky ones might even be agented. Most, however, are not and that is where we begin to question our value. -
Murder She Wrote
31 Dec 2011 | 12:42 pmAs fiction writers, we often stray from logical thinking in order to lead our reader down a certain path and help them reach conclusions that we want them to make. When used correctly, our readers feel like real-life investigators. When used incorrectly, our readers feel the writing is shallow and unrealistic.
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Drawn To The Deep End
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Whichever way you cut it
6 Jan 2012 | 4:56 pmI realise I’m chewing my lip – this makes me annoyed with myself too.Okay. Let’s assume, just for a minute, that you’re right. I feel guilty. I’m consumed with guilt. It’s been eating me up for four years. Let’s assume that’s all true. Why, oh wise one, why is it so necessary that Jen knows why?Tom leans forward in his chair and adopts a tone that I wonder if he uses at work. Or when explaining things to Lucy.Because, my young apprentice, if she understands she can deal with it. Until it goes away.He stays perched on his edge of his chair like that, holding a very deliberate… -
A can of worms
16 Dec 2011 | 12:22 amIt sounds like Sophie snorts some kind of humph as she gets up, but it might just be the exertion of lifting Lucy off her lap.I’ll put these in the fridge, shall I? she says, gathering up the wine before turning on her heel and marching off to the kitchen without waiting for a reply. After a world-weary rub of her eyes with the back of a hand, Lucy follows her.I did say she’d be mad, says Tom, sitting down in the chair Sophie has just vacated. I pull up an adjacent chair. Hearing the increasing babble from the kettle, I toy with the nearest mug, then push it away.Actually mate, you… -
Something to pop the viscous little bubble
18 Nov 2011 | 11:29 amI stall the engine, and the car gives a final lurch, with a thump and a crunch from whatever is pinned below the front bumper. I lean forward, resting my head on the steering wheel, too frightened to open the door. The screaming stops.And is replaced by scampering footfalls on the gravel and thin, reedy shouts of Mummy! Mummyyyy! I turn to look out of the passenger window and see the pink and white blur of Lucy darting across the lawn to the house. The very fact, and force, of her screams should tell me something, as should the speed of her run and the entirely normal, healthy, intact pumping… -
Everything is noise
11 Nov 2011 | 10:55 amThe remainder of the day passes like Fridays often do – slowly, quietly, and with a collective countdown to the weekend. Craig works with a rarely seen sense of urgency; Jen is the version of herself that I like, shy and diligent, but with a sweet smile always only a moment away. I find myself wondering why she can’t be like this all the time, it would make life a lot easier. Or none of the time, that would have been easier too.Despite the newly acquired work ethic, Craig is still the first of us to leave – his PC finishes shutting down precisely as the second hand on the wall clock… -
This isn’t funny, but strikes me as naïve
28 Oct 2011 | 6:56 amCraig surprises me by arriving five minutes early. Not only that, but he’s clean-shaven, and the top button of his shirt is done up. I think he might actually have ironed his shirt too. We exchange mornings. Then Craig is straight into work mode, booting his PC without any banter about making tea or needing a cigarette. Soon he is drumming away at his keyboard, every inch the model employee.You feeling alright mate? I ask.Yes thanks chief. Better than you anyway, you look dog-rough.I try to think of a witty riposte to this, but cannot, and settle for a shrug that Craig cannot see from his…
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Conversations with Writers
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[Interview] Mathias B. Freese
12 Jan 2012 | 5:57 pmMathias B. Freese lives in Henderson, Nevada in the United States. He has worked as a teacher and a psychotherapist and has been writing for over 42 years. His books include a Holocaust novel, The i Tetralogy (Wheatmark, 2005); a collection of short stories, Down to a Sunless Sea (Wheatmark, 2008); the mixture of memoir and essay, This Mobius Strip of Ifs (Wheatmark, forthcoming) and a second collection of short stories, I Truly Lament (___, forthcoming). In this interview, Freese talks about his writing: When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? In 1968 I wrote a short article, “Is… -
[Interview_2] Mark Adam Kaplan
27 Nov 2011 | 5:14 pmMark Adam Kaplan is a school teacher, a novelist and a screenwriter. His first novel, A Thousand Beauties, was published by BeWrite Books in 2009. His second novel, Down, has just been picked up by Bewrite Books, and will be released soon. In this interview, Mark Kaplan talks about his first picture book, Monsters Do Ugly Things. How would you describe Monsters Do Ugly Things? Monsters Do Ugly Things contains 36 illustrations about all things monstrous. It is a satire of social norms and common behaviors. Most of all, it's fun. It is about inappropriate social behavior. Our monsters pick… -
[Interview_2] Tahlia Newland
5 Nov 2011 | 4:38 pmTahlia Newland writes young adult and adult urban fantasy. Her books include The Drorgon Slayer’s Choice (Catapult Press, 2011); A Matter of Perception (Catapult Press, 2011) and Realm Hunter (Catapult Press, forthcoming 2012). Newland is giving away a limited number of ebook copies of her short paranormal romance, The Drorgon Slayer’s Choice while the e-book version of her anthology of urban fantasy & magical realism, A Matter of Perception is available at the special release price of 99c until November 14. On the November 15 the price for A Matter of Perception goes up to $1.99. In… -
[Interview] Fungisayi Sasa
1 Nov 2011 | 3:19 pmZimbabwean poet and author Fungisayi Sasa lives in Milton Keynes. She is the author of the children’s book, The Search for the Perfect Head (Eloquent Books, 2008). One of her short stories was published in the anthology, Writing Free (Weaver Press, 2011) while her poems have appeared in places that include the Poetry International Web and Spilt Milk Magazine. In this interview, Fungisayi Sasa talks about her concerns as a writer: When did you start writing? My dad unwittingly led me to writing during my early childhood years. He was very firm about studying and, as children, we weren't… -
[Book Launch] Mad, Hopeless & Possible
28 Oct 2011 | 7:43 amOn October 27, 2011, the Adult Education College in Leicester was the venue of the launch of Siobhan Logan's latest poetry chapbook, Mad, Hopeless & Possible: Shackleton's Endurance Expedition (original plus, 2011). The title of the chapbook comes from Sir Ernest Shackleton himself who rated applicants for his legendary 1914 Antarctic Expedition as "Mad, Hopeless & Possible". The chapbook also weaves in the hidden shadow-story of the Ross Sea Party, his supply team, who were marooned in the white wilderness just as war consumed Europe. Leicestershire author Mark Goodwin says, "Siobhan…
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Write It Sideways
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Embracing the (Whole) Writing Process
26 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amToday’s post is written by regular contributor Susan Bearman. Like third graders writing a report, beginning writers tend to believe that writing a first draft means their work is done. While completing the first draft of a manuscript, whether a short story or a full novel, is a huge accomplishment, writers are never “done”. There’s always a next step. But that’s OK. In fact, that’s great, because writing is a process, not a product. If you’re lucky, you will produce some finished products along the way, but the process is ongoing. And each step… -
5 Tips for Writing an Effective Plot Twist
23 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amToday’s post is written by David Lazar. Plot twists are used when telling just about any type of story, but more often than not, they’re used ineffectively. If your plot twist is too predictable and can be seen coming from a mile away, it’s pretty worthless as far as adding any type of intrigue to your story goes. The best plot twist is an unexpected one. This means something happens that the reader could in no way infer was going to happen, or perhaps a change in the story that might not have been completely unexpected, but occurred at a completely unexpected time in the… -
4 Writing Routines You Can Live With
19 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amToday’s article is written by regular contributor Sarah Baughman. I like schedules. I remember at one point in my life actually managing to, say, go running, teach six classes, make a meatloaf, and get some writing done all on the same day. But lately, with a toddler and newborn in the house, “scheduling” mostly means just ensuring that everybody eats and sleeps at predictable times. It might sound clear-cut, but the stakes are high; after all, I’m always hovering one poorly timed peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich-with-carrot-sticks lunch away from a meltdown. So when… -
How to Keep Up Your Writing When You’re Sick
16 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amIf you’re in the northern hemisphere, it’s probably cold and flu season around your parts. Even though it’s summer here in Australia, we’ve still managed to get quite a few illnesses circulating recently. Well, a couple of months ago, at 22 weeks pregnant with twins, I developed acute bronchitis. I’d already been sick with a head cold for two weeks before that, and suddenly the cough took a turn for the worse. For three weeks after that, I could barely leave the house. I was in the middle of finishing an eBook, planning a launch, conducting a search for two… -
How Writing Groups Can Work for You
12 Jan 2012 | 5:00 amToday’s article is written by regular contributor Susan Bearman. Writing can be a pretty lonely business. Butt in chair, eyes glued to computer screen or favorite notebook is not the most social activity, but it is the way most of our work gets done. Joining a writing group can keep you from turning into a total hermit and put you in contact with other people who love writing just as much as you do, people who may be able to help you or who you may be able to help somewhere down the line. Writing groups come in all shapes and sizes: workshops and lectures critique groups writing…
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Corinne Bowen
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Feeding My Family, Nourishing My Life
19 Jan 2012 | 4:06 pmWho knew that meal planning and cooking regular meals for my family would bring joy and organization to the rest of my life? Here's why. 1. No Facebook, email, phone calls, or work while making dinner. It's just cooking and hanging out with Audrey in the kitchen time. No screens. Just cookbooks, fresh food, and [...] -
Seeing Your Words in Print
4 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amI’m always excited to see VegNews Magazine sitting in my mailbox, but I’m especially tickled when one of my articles lives amongst its pages. This was one of those lucky months (it’s also on stands now!). Diseased + Confused explores the evolution of our food system and discusses the health implications of America’s dietary choices [...] -
Six Months Later
13 Dec 2011 | 8:04 amIt’s been over six months since Audrey was born and I can finally wrap my mind around family, home, and work again (although probably not at the same time). I also found my way back to my novel. Hooray! By organizing my home life to support my creative life, I’m propelling my passions forward. Being [...] -
What I’m most thankful for this year…
24 Nov 2011 | 8:26 amHappy Thanksgiving! You might also enjoy...Life Restructured: My New Approach to Work, Home & Family (0)Doing What You Love + Motherhood, Is It Asking Too Much? (3)Six Weeks Later: What I’ve Learned (7) -
Keys to Becoming A “Good” Writer: Vulnerability, Commitment & Openess
16 Nov 2011 | 1:23 pmAnyone can become a solid writer…just don’t expect it to happen overnight. I learned the fundamentals of writing and editing while working on my college essays with my mother (almost fifteen years ago). She never judged my writing, even though it was terrible at first. Since there was no judgement, I could engage in the [...]
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Words on a page
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A few links for the end of the week
27 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amWhy books matter The pros and cons of comparing yourself with other writers Tips for crafting the perfect press release Good advice on finding your writing niche 12 tips for eliminating unnecessary words -
Using Evernote Web Clipper and Clearly as research tools
23 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amResearch. It’s the life blood of any writer. No matter what you’re doing — journalism, blogging, penning fiction, or doing any kind of corporate writing — you need to gather facts and information. Of course, the nature of research has morphed since I went pro. I remember when I was a budding freelance writer spending [...] -
A few links for the end of the week
20 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am5 ways to draw readers into your articles How to craft compelling messages for social networks 5 reasons you need to link to other blogs Why books matter 12 tips for eliminating unnecessary words -
Getting knocked off track
16 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amOver the last couple of weeks, that happened to me. It wasn’t quite like the chaos that’s been my life these last few months — thankfully, that’s done and gone. In fact, getting knocked off track this time has actually been a good thing. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Let me explain … The best laid [...] -
A few links for the end of the week
13 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amA look at the elements of description and narration “Quitting” isn’t a dirty word for freelance writers A quick and dirty guide to your first guest blog post 113 things you can do to increase your freelance writing income Do you write? Then you need to read, too
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Magic Jar Publishing
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Series Updates!
26 Jan 2012 | 10:00 amJust putting an update out there about my projects. Rift of Askrah Book 2: Shatter has now entered the editing phase! I'm going to let the completed draft sit for a while, and then get started. I'm also in talks with an an artist, John Ward (http://www.50dollarcovers.com/), to have a new cover made for Rift of Askrah Book 1: Fracture. Hopefully I'll also be able to commission the cover for Book 2 shortly after.As for Into the Devil's Eden, the draft of Book 1 is about 75% of the way completed. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it just before I begin editing RoA Book 2. I've been contemplating… -
If You Want To Pay It Back
24 Jan 2012 | 5:20 pmIf you want to pay it backSpread all the joy you canErasing days of darkest blackFor every child of manWe must make the offer firstThen another to repayNot because we're at our worstBut it's just any given dayA thousand hands to holdMany more within our reachIf man could be so boldUtopia, we could breachIf you want to pay it backPay before you're dueEverything would stay on trackIf this we all could doFlying through the twilight skyOn wings of compassionate careWatching countless lives fly byWondering what to shareThe pain of selfishness and hateSo visible in our eyesTime has passed but not… -
Capitalism, Will You Say I Do?
23 Jan 2012 | 5:19 pmPolitical debate is always a dangerous area to get involved in. Die hard Republican, Life-long Democrat, or somewhere in the middle, people get pretty heated up about what they believe is right and wrong, and how our country should be run. I'm also one of those, who has my beliefs and sticks to them.In the interest of what our nation has faced over recent years though, I'm going to toss my own thoughts out here. Like them or hate them, I hope we can at least have an intelligent discussion, and rise above mud-slinging, name calling, and issue dodging.First of all, I love America. We're not… -
Review - The Master's Chair (The Chronicles of Terah) By Mackenzie Morgan
17 Jan 2012 | 9:00 amScore 4/5 The Master's Chair is a dual-world story, and it is done quite well. I've read/watched a lot of media about our world matched up with a fantasy world, and The Master's Chair does this quite masterfully.Length is definitely a talking point for this book. There is no question that at over 50+ chapters, and almost 250K words, this book will give a lot of bang for the buck. The author was quite generous with the amount of words shared. Admittedly though, I treat this as a double-edged sword. This book is a little outside the conventional in the word count department, and depending on… -
Interview With Suddenly Books
10 Jan 2012 | 10:28 amToday I'm featured in an interview I did with Erika over at Suddenly Books, talking a bit about me and my book. You can check out the interview here.Tomorrow I'll be making another appearance in a guest blog I wrote for her website. I hope you'll stop by, and check them both out. Thanks again to Erika for interviewing me!Suddenly Books
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From Meredith Allard
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An Interview With Bob Thiel, Ph.D.
25 Jan 2012 | 9:22 pmWhat books did you love as a child? Why? Mysteries and biographies. I found them both fascinating. Who are your favorite authors? How did they influence your writing? As a child, I liked Mark Twain. His writings taught me that people like stories. Herbert Armstrong was another. He taught me that people will read long documents if they are interesting enough. When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? Why did you decide to write? I have been writing off and on for much of my life. The current trend to write books related to prophecy and theology came after a visit to Athens… -
Rejection Letters–An Editor’s Point of View
23 Jan 2012 | 5:35 pmWe’ve been hard at work putting together the Winter 2012 edition of The Copperfield Review, making the usual tough decisions about which pieces will go in and which won’t. Contrary to popular belief, editors don’t find a sadistic satisfaction from sending out rejection letters. There is that one editor with a voodoo doll and a case of push pins, but that’s another post. Most editors are writers too, and we know there’s nothing like the prick of a rejection letter to pop the air from a writer’s bubble. There have been times when I received too many rejections in a row and I… -
My Favorite Things with Author Jamie Lee Scott
20 Jan 2012 | 6:18 pmOn my iPod: My taste in music is eclectic, so I have the soundtrack to Black Swan (I listen to this when I’m writing darker scenes), George Strait, Kid Rock, Rob Thomas, Wynton Marsalis, U2, Cold Play, Lilly Allen, and Black Eyed Peas. Currently Reading: Little Book of Sitcom by John Vorhaus (I’m writing a sitcom for the Nickelodeon Fellowship) Color: Brown City: Los Angeles (the greater area) because I have so many friends who live there, and there is so much diversity Dream Vacation: A private beach, with my cottage just steps away from the sand, and all I can eat and drink… -
Dreaming of Books Giveaway Winners
19 Jan 2012 | 6:10 pmThank you so much to everyone who entered! Here are the winners for the Dreaming of Books Giveaway: E-Books Sara Kovach Terri Matlock Cheryl Raymond Paperbacks Elizabeth Hyatt Mariah Overlock Holly Swint $10 Amazon.com gift card Pixie Sprinkles Stay tuned! I’ll be back February 7 for the Follower Love Giveaway Hop. I hope you’ll join me then. Filed under: Giveaways Tagged: Giveaways
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Game On! Crafting Believable Conflict
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Conflicts of Resentment
6 Jan 2012 | 10:47 amResentment is a slow gas leak that lurks just under the surface until a match comes along and ignites it. Kapow. Dick is pissed. He’s so pissed he can’t see straight. He reacts.Resentment can be toxic and deadly. A passive-aggressive Dick or a meek and mild Jane may nurse their resentment, and events stoke it until it their reactions reach Def Con 4, resulting in a nuclear explosion over a seemingly innocent comment or action that can wreck their entire lives. The match that ignites the explosion is usually something totally unrelated, which makes it all the more confusing to the people… -
Conflicts of Resolutions
30 Dec 2011 | 10:06 amAfter the whirlwind of Christmas has passed in a blur, we stare at the bright start of the New Year and with it comes the practice of making resolutions. Resolutions should be good. They should act as that little push to make Sally, Dick and Jane do those healthy, productive or necessary things they should have been doing all along.On the flip side, Dick’s good resolution may turn out to be Jane’s nightmare. What if Dick’s resolution is to spend more time with his family, so he takes a job that will allow him to do so. The catch is: they have to move to California. Jane and kids must… -
Conflicts of Social Contracts
23 Dec 2011 | 7:21 amStudies have suggested that groups of one-hundred or less are pretty good at self-regulation. There isn’t a need for organized law enforcement in such a small community because the members all know each other and are able to keep tabs on one another. If one of the members commits an act that is detrimental to the group, the other 99 are willing and able to kick their butt. Even in a small community, there are rules that are agreed upon, a social contract.It isn’t in the group’s best interest if they can’t trust one another. If someone is lying, stealing, killing, or lusting… -
Conflicts of Change
16 Dec 2011 | 7:58 amIn your story, it is highly suggested that your main character undergo some form of change by the end, no matter how small. It is open for debate if antagonists or secondary characters undergo change of their own. I think if one person shifts, it creates ripples in the people around them, but some characters won't change at all.Dick is going along, minding his own business, when Wham! life throws him a curve ball (i.e. the inciting incident) and his life will never be the same. Along the way, as he battles obstacles to achieve the overall story goal, he undergoes some form of change:… -
Conflicts of Brainwashing
9 Dec 2011 | 7:47 amBrainwashing is altering someone’s perception, often for personal gain, but not always. In its mildest form, it is used to enforce good behavior. At its worst, it turns people into suicide bombers. The agenda of the perpetrator affects whether the brainwashing is positive or negative. It is used effectively by kidnappers, abusers, and cults. It is also used, some might posit, for “good” causes such as governments, religions, and the military. We use it when we are teaching children right from wrong. The depth and breadth of the brainwashing, the content, and the purpose are widely…
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StoryBlog
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Family History Playlist
25 Jan 2012 | 5:52 pmI'm always on the lookout for songs to use in my family history projects. I've used lyrics from songs of a certain era to evoke a time and place, song titles as story titles, and quotes from songs that might say just the right thing for a book introduction. There are plenty of ways to use songs without actually using the music. Here's my own playlist of family history music. And if you want to listen to the songs, go to iTunes or Amazon and type the titles in the search bar to hear a sample of each. Childhood Memories - Iris DeMent Grandfather's Hat - Jeff Daniels Family Tree - Lohio Family… -
It's Important to Read Your Writing Aloud
15 Jan 2012 | 12:49 pm"The ear is the only true writer and the only true reader." —Robert Frost In my life story writing classes, I encourage students to write the way they speak. I believe that writing the stories from your life should be more like telling stories at the kitchen table than chronological autobiography. It's this storytelling voice that really connects with your readers. I also believe that writing "for the ear" is important. It helps establish your natural voice—your storytelling voice. The best way to ensure you're writing for the ear is to read your stories aloud. Once you've finished a… -
Go Back in Time with The Mortified Sessions
8 Jan 2012 | 10:05 pmHave you seen The Mortified Sessions on the Sundance Channel? By looking through mementos from celebrity's pasts, we get a peek into their childhood ambitions, insecurities and embarrassing moments. It's a completely different perspective than we get from manicured magazine articles and TV interviews. Here, we get a glimpse of the real person behind the persona. From geeky teenage photos to angst-ridden love notes, we dip into moments of personal history that shaped the person we see onscreen. The pre-Sundance Mortified project started in the 1990s when founder Dave Nadelberg discovered a… -
Try Something New in 2012
29 Dec 2011 | 2:15 pmThe best way to jump-start your creative energy for the New Year is by thinking about your interests and desires. What untapped inner resources do you have that will support your efforts to try something new? You may find you have all different kinds of creative energy that will energize you for exploring new directions. What have you always wanted to try, but have always set aside? I'm always encouraging people to try their hand at writing to share their stories, but there are many ways to get your creative juices flowing. Broaden your exposure to new ideas by including those younger and… -
Charles Dickens says...
12 Dec 2011 | 1:09 pm"Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler to his own fireside and quiet home."
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Raquel Byrnes
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Book Birthday - Ruby Dawn Releases Today!
27 Jan 2012 | 2:31 pmToday is the official release day for the second book in my Shades of Hope series! Ruby Dawn is a story very close to my heart and I 'm so excited that it comes out today!I had such a great time last year on the Purple Knot Book Tour and I can't wait to get out there and hang out with fellow lovers of romance. I made some great friends during that time and it was such a blessing to meet you all.I will be out and about in a little bit and will share the details as soon as I can.For now, I'd love to share a blurb and excerpt...Ruby Dawn, Book Two - Shades of Hope seriesDr. Ruby McKinney… -
Clash of the Titles Winner!
22 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am**guest post by Michelle MassaroFor the last couple weeks, Clash of the Titles has been exploring two books delivering powerful death scenes. That's right, death scenes. The two books were The Vengeance Squad and The Redemption. We met authors Sidney Frost and MaryLu Tyndall and waited with bated breath to find out which title got the most votes. If you missed Friday's announcement, I won't keep you in suspense. Though the competition was stiff, the champion title is...The Redemption, by MaryLu TyndallCongratulations! About the book:Lady Charlisse Bristol sets off on a voyage in search of a… -
Brakes Only Fail on Hills and Other Action Cliches
13 Jan 2012 | 11:58 amSo here's the thing...I love, LOVE action and suspense. A requirement for my movie-going experience is that something blows up and there are car chases, gunfire, and some form of fight scene in which furniture is used as weapons. Yeah, my husband is totally lucky.I also write Romantic Suspense...so in my books there are lot of emotions and drama and angsty relationship stuff, but there are also a lot of thrills. What I don't want is for those scenes to be "done before" and therefore not at all entertaining.So I've made a list of things that happen in movies and books...scratch that,… -
Working Like a Dog!
6 Jan 2012 | 1:06 pmI have totally loved my vacation! I am a little bummed its almost over. My teacher hubby goes back to work on Monday, the homeschooling starts up again, and..."Writer Raquel" is back in action!After working super hard on edits in December, the crazy party/dinners season started for Christmas...at least for all my kids. Let me tell you, six kids makes for a lot of running around. And what is it with White Elephant gift exchanges...those are hard to shop for!So now that I'm getting back into the swing of "Authorhood"... I wonder what you all did over the vacation. I always had the… -
Anti-Heroes 101: The Elusive Bad Boy
18 Nov 2011 | 1:12 pmSo far in my series on how to write bad boys, I've touched on, The Mysterious Bad Boy and the Bad Boy With Potential. Both posts were lots of fun to write and I encourage you to take a look.The Dark Quality:For a lot of men, its the chase...right? Well that is not always the case. For my third installment of this series we explore the draw of the one we just can't seem to catch; The Elusive Bad Boy.Maybe he is outside our social strata, economic standing, or just plain not available because he doesn't realize we exist...for a lot of women, this bad boy is too hard to resist…
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Grant Writing Confidential
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What to do when you become a spontaneous grant writer
22 Jan 2012 | 10:34 pmSusan wants to know: I am being told that I must become a “grant writer” for my law enforcement agency within a month or so. There is not enough time to apprentice so they want me to learn everything I need to know in a 2 day workshop!!! Any suggestions? Suggestions! I’m filled with ‘em. Especially for someone who has transformed, like one of the X-Men, into a grant-writing superhero. Again like the X-Men, I replied via e-mail: The self-serving but accurate answer to your quandary is “hire us.” Note that we also edit proposals, although about 60 – 70% of… -
January 2012 Links: Paypal Problems, Inner-City Crime, Proposalese in the Media, Innovation, “Abstinence Education,” and More
15 Jan 2012 | 10:24 pm* Do not ever use Paypal; this story from someone who gets their accounts frozen is fairly common. I had a nasty encounter with Paypal that guarantees I will never, ever use them again, and I can tell you from experience that their legal department is just as difficult and cruel as their so-called dispute resolution department. * Fighting Inner-City Crime: When, and how, citizens should take action is a pressing question. Notice the author, Sudhir Venkatesh, who also wrote Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor, which is useful for anyone developing proposal project concepts… -
There is Now a Standard for Everything: Nutritional Snacks and Perhaps Making Tea
18 Dec 2011 | 9:47 pmFrom page 21 of the California 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) RFP: A nutritional snack must be served each day the after school program operates. All snacks are required to meet specific nutrition requirements as stated in California Education Code (EC) Section 49431. Include a statement that explains how the nutritional snack requirement will be met. There really is a standard for everything now, and I don’t even think this one is a joke—unlike the ISO 3103 standard for brewing tea.* Its abstract says: The method consists in extracting of soluble substances in… -
Small Business Focus: Our Workstation and Computer Setups
11 Dec 2011 | 6:54 pmJudging by the popularity of posts like “The Workstations of Popular Websites” on Webdesigner Depot, and Writers’ rooms on The Guardian, people really like to see other people’s workspace.* A brief warning: following those links might inspire techno lust. Still, the diversity of setups is amazing, ranging from aesthetic minimalist to complete anarchy. In the tradition of the posts above, we’re going to indulge that fascination in more depth than in “Tools of the Trade—What a Grant Writer Should Have,” which didn’t get the derisive “this… -
Our Town, and Not the Play: What Does The NEA Program Actually Do?
4 Dec 2011 | 7:53 pmAstute readers of our e-mail grant newsletter may have noticed the unusual project description for the Our Town program: “Grants to engage in ‘creative placemaking,’ or improving places and installing art to make them friendlier to communities.” But what does that mean? The RFP is even more opaque than our description: In creative placemaking, partners from public, private, nonprofit, and community sectors strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, tribe, city, or region around arts and cultural activities. Creative placemaking…
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Thomas Wilson Story Teller
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The Art of Designing Book Covers
25 Jan 2012 | 10:20 pmAs promised L.K. Hunsaker, Author and Cover Artist has written today's post for us.Thank you L.K., for the guest post and sharing your insights with us.Books are indeed judged by their covers. Fair or not, it’s fact,whether we mean it as a metaphor for people or as actual books. You can’t get around this simple truth and no matter how often you scream that it’s unfair, it won’t change as long as we have eyes and unique personalities.I’d like to thank Thomas for having me today to talk about cover design. A little about my background: I started my college career headed toward a… -
What do you know? Ignorance or Naivety
25 Jan 2012 | 11:11 amI have a history calendar on my desk which tells about some event in history that happened on this specific date.Today for January 25th it tells about how Paul McCartney was released from a Tokyo jail and deported from Japan.My first impression after reading this was Paul McCartney in Jail? Really? For What?Reading the bit, apparently he was stopped coming into Japan with nearly half a pound of marijuana. He had arrived on January 16, 1980, his first visit to Japan since the Beatles Tour of 1966. The plan was for a concert tour of eleven cities by his band… -
Blogging for one year!
24 Jan 2012 | 10:26 amI can't believe I missed my own blogging anniversary!Exactly one year ago, last week, January 17th I did my first blog post of this blog.Finished My First Novel Wow, how the time flies. I had just e-published my first novel on Smashwords."Whisper A Wiley Randolph Novel"I think back at how much I didn't know a year ago. I barely knew what I was doing and I honestly thought by publishing on Smashwords that my book was going to be distributed on Amazon also. I remember back to when it dawned on me that I could publish on both, and began the process of reformatting… -
Shut Up And Read
23 Jan 2012 | 9:56 pmCheck this out . . . http://shutupandreadgroup.blogspot.com/2012/01/read-it-reap-january-20.html -
First of the Twenty-One
23 Jan 2012 | 4:46 pmNo Rules Of Engagement by Thomas Wilson (Goodreads Author) Carolina's review Jan 23, 12 bookshelves: currently-reading I own a copy This is an amazing book.It has a fantastic plot line and I have to admit that I've never read anything like it.Usually I am not one for heavy duty science fiction novels.The plot peaked my interest and once I started to read, I could not manage to put it down.Wilson is a wonderful author and I hope to read more of his work in the future. It doesn't show up when viewing the book, but I am tickled beyond belief.I am really excited on two counts in particular,…
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Morganti Writes
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Friday’s Itty Bitties — #10
27 Jan 2012 | 9:44 amHave you figured out yet that I’m a Yogi Berra fan? Here’s another statement some have attributed to him: “In …Continue reading » -
Three decisions to make about viewpoint in fiction
25 Jan 2012 | 11:29 amYou have a fabulous idea for a short story, perhaps a novel. You have a rough outline — or not, …Continue reading » -
Yippee! Nominated for the 7×7 blog award!
23 Jan 2012 | 11:45 amExcuse me while I take a moment to pop the bubbly, jump up and down, cheer loudly from my window …Continue reading » -
Friday’s Itty Bitties — #9
20 Jan 2012 | 10:16 amIt’s Friday and the end of a snowy, cold week. It’s nippy out there. So my itty bitty is ittier …Continue reading » -
Today’s Review – The Hunter by John Lescroart
18 Jan 2012 | 10:13 amSuppose you were adopted at an early age. Suppose you didn’t know, and didn’t really care, whether your birth parents …Continue reading »
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Brenda Chapman » Blog
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High School Girls And Writing: Why WriteGirl Matters
27 Jan 2012 | 5:45 amA few years ago, I was asked to speak in a workshop in the Bay Area for an organization called WriteGirl. I had no idea what it was. I had never heard of it. But when the young woman talked to me on the phone, she was so sincere and enthusiastic that I became intrigued. [...] -
How Habitat For Humanity Captured My Heart
26 Jan 2012 | 5:45 amHave you ever wondered which charity is the best; the one most deserving of your hard-earned money? Which one feels like the right fit for you? There are soooo many charities out there—really good ones—we’d be lucky if we could send a penny to each one and still manage to keep a roof over our [...] -
Creativity vs. Business: What’s Right For You And Your Career?
19 Jan 2012 | 1:00 pmLately I’ve had to ask myself how I want to proceed with my career as a director, writer, artist, etc., (with a family). I needed to take stock of what I’d done in the past and where I want and need to go in the future. I say “want” and “need” with a purpose—they are [...] -
Creatives Who Inspire Me: Emma Thompson
18 Jan 2012 | 5:45 amAs is undoubtedly clear from the title of this post, I think Emma Thompson is an amazingly talented and inspiring human being. I had the honor and privilege of working with her for an all too brief moment on Brave. (Having created the part of Queen Elinor specifically for her, I nearly fainted with relief [...] -
St. Jude’s: Why What They Do Matters So Much
13 Jan 2012 | 6:00 amThere are several charitable organizations that I hold near and dear, each of which is important in its own way. One of my favorites? St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. When I was a little girl, I used to watch “The Danny Thomas Show,” and I’d watch his daughter, Marlo Thomas, on “That Girl!” (I know. [...]
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A Blogger's Books
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How To Write An Article Online - 1
23 Jan 2012 | 9:08 amHow to write an article online is designed for new writers and creators of online content (and for those looking to improve their skills). This shows you some good practices to keep your readers satisfied and informed even if they haven’t got the time to read your entire article. Watch out for the rest of this series by subscribing to this blog on the right. This series is beneficial for those wanting to start a career writing online; whether you're a new blogger, a freelance writer looking to break the online market, or someone seeking to write content for online sites that pay you to… -
Blog Tools You Need For 2012
15 Jan 2012 | 10:17 amBlog tools you need for 2012 will explore what you need for better blogging this year. Proper blog tools are essential in order to give your visitors the complete reader experience they deserve. Blog tools can also increase your earnings by making your blog more attractive, work more efficiently, and preform better in SEO results. I have - and am using the following tools for blogs and find them extremely helpful. Now it's your turn to try them. You can also go here for the best in Blogger tools if you're with Blogger. Blog tools you need for 2012 Note that some of these are free blog… -
Startup Business
12 Jan 2012 | 5:03 amAt this time of recession, it’s ironic that one of the fastest growing money-makers are people with a startup business. Writing e-books, blogging, and launching online businesses are all the rage these days and it seems like 1 in every 10 parent I meet has got a startup business. People always say everyone has got a book in them – and this may be the case. But nowadays it seems that everyone has got a business in them too! Many of us start our business and fail. Many go on to be quite successful and even move on to teaching others how to start their own business like… -
Blog Statistics: 2011 Numbers
5 Jan 2012 | 5:48 amMy blog statistics in 2011 have been quite encouraging. It's really progressed in terms of page views and Google PR rating. (If you'd like to check yours, go here). I'd like to share some of these statistics with you because you're the reason A Blogger's Books is where it is today. Thank you. Here are my blog statistics for 2011. Blog statistics for 2011 Blog statistics for top 10 posts Free gadgets to improve page views Free blog gadgets for Blogger Make more from adsense: tips for small time bloggers How to create a blank page in Blogger How to resize Facebook Networked blogs widget… -
Reverse Google Pagerank Algorithm
4 Jan 2012 | 5:06 pmReverse Google Pagerank Algorithm seems to be some sort of made up term to get high-ranking sites to link to various spam websites and suck some of their hard-earned pagerank. Have you received this letter? I just wanted to give you the heads-up. If you receive the following letter or anything like it, please do your research before adding any links to your site. If you know anything about an actual reverse Google pagerank algorithm please let me know so that I can update this post. (Name removed) I just wanted to drop you a line and invite you to be a link partner for our website…
