Sound Advice for Those Who Want to Write
Roberta, a blogger from Canada, reflects on her own writing career and shares some things she's learned from her own research.
Sunday, October 19, 2003
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
Markets and Jobs for Writers
From the About page:
crossposted to Get That Job!
From the About page:
"WritersWeekly.com is the highest-circulation freelance writing ezine in the world, reaching more than 70,000 writers each week. It has been published continuously since 1997."Check out the links and other information about how to make money through putting your writing talent to work.
crossposted to Get That Job!
Monday, October 13, 2003
Reflection
I sit at the keyboard
Thinking about
My time tomorrow
With the therapist
I wonder about
What to say
How've I been
What's going on
Inside My Mind
Sometimes
I go in
with nothing
to say
Sometimes
I have a lot
I hurt and
I feel joy
I laugh and
I cry
A creature of habit
One, many bad ones
Hard to break
Why the picking
Why the obsession
Why the self-harm
Why not just leave
myself alone
with time to heal
Impatient, I
I look
for other
ways
to keep my hands
busy
Left to myself
I could seriously harm
Is it only my hands
Or do I bite as well?
I hurt myself and then
I care for myself
I feel regret
I feel anger
I feel relief yet
I sit at the keyboard
Thinking about
My time tomorrow
With the therapist
I wonder about
What to say
How've I been
What's going on
Inside My Mind
Sometimes
I go in
with nothing
to say
Sometimes
I have a lot
I hurt and
I feel joy
I laugh and
I cry
A creature of habit
One, many bad ones
Hard to break
Why the picking
Why the obsession
Why the self-harm
Why not just leave
myself alone
with time to heal
Impatient, I
I look
for other
ways
to keep my hands
busy
Left to myself
I could seriously harm
Is it only my hands
Or do I bite as well?
I hurt myself and then
I care for myself
I feel regret
I feel anger
I feel relief yet
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Mystery Writers
Jenny, aka, the creative tech writer, thinks this information may be useful to mystery writers.
Jenny, aka, the creative tech writer, thinks this information may be useful to mystery writers.
Friday, September 05, 2003
My Calling
We are called to live lives full of adventure. I especially crave it. I regret having been afraid in my earlier years to venture outside my comfort zone. My current circumstances have forced me out of it, and I am able to see more possibilities and have more joy and excitement.
Yet I know well that I am holding back a bit. I would love to write for a living, yet I know that it's not easy to make a living from doing that. Not as easy as getting a bartending job at a restaurant, for example. I also would love to teach young children. English. That was my favorite subject in high school. I didn't take it in college because I tested out of it.
I want to remain receptive to whatever life has in store for me. It may be something different from what I see now. We'll see.
We are called to live lives full of adventure. I especially crave it. I regret having been afraid in my earlier years to venture outside my comfort zone. My current circumstances have forced me out of it, and I am able to see more possibilities and have more joy and excitement.
Yet I know well that I am holding back a bit. I would love to write for a living, yet I know that it's not easy to make a living from doing that. Not as easy as getting a bartending job at a restaurant, for example. I also would love to teach young children. English. That was my favorite subject in high school. I didn't take it in college because I tested out of it.
I want to remain receptive to whatever life has in store for me. It may be something different from what I see now. We'll see.
Tuesday, August 05, 2003
Newswriting.com - The 100 Worst "Groaners"
"A 'groaner' is a hackneyed, overblown, stuffy or just plain silly cliché that turns up time after time in news scripts. Groaners show laziness on the part of writers, disrespect for the folks watching, and a general contempt for lively English. Here are some of the worst offenders. You’ll recognize them immediately, so get ready to groan!" Read more...
I got the link from another writer in my blogroll, but I forgot which one it was. Sorry!
"A 'groaner' is a hackneyed, overblown, stuffy or just plain silly cliché that turns up time after time in news scripts. Groaners show laziness on the part of writers, disrespect for the folks watching, and a general contempt for lively English. Here are some of the worst offenders. You’ll recognize them immediately, so get ready to groan!" Read more...
I got the link from another writer in my blogroll, but I forgot which one it was. Sorry!
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Renaissance Sistah
I found this blog in my referral logs. Pretty cool. I've often thought of myself as a Renaissance man, ever since high school English, in fact.
I found this blog in my referral logs. Pretty cool. I've often thought of myself as a Renaissance man, ever since high school English, in fact.
Sunday, July 27, 2003
Thursday, July 24, 2003
The Key to a Successful Freelance Career: A Diary crossposted to Get That Job!
A humorous account of a day in the life of a freelance writer.
A humorous account of a day in the life of a freelance writer.
Sunday, July 20, 2003
The Great Flood
As some of you may know, the Ohio River Valley was deluged with rain earlier this month. While browsing blogs on my blogroll, I noticed that Jen had linked to The Great Flood. It was too funny!
As some of you may know, the Ohio River Valley was deluged with rain earlier this month. While browsing blogs on my blogroll, I noticed that Jen had linked to The Great Flood. It was too funny!
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Blogroll Highlight: Come On, Get Lively
I enjoy stopping by Kathryn Lively's weblog. According to her "About" page, she "is a woman of many responsibilities and very little time. She is an author, book editor, book reviewer, webmistress, newsletter editor, Catholic, Beatles fan, and an avid reader. In her spare time she sleeps, and even then her dreams are so vivid that she often wakes in the middle of the night."
She was recently named the Virginia state coordinator for EPIC, a professional organization for published and contracted e-book and print authors. I emailed her to see if she knew how I might find out if a chapter exists close to the Dayton, Ohio USA area.
She also mentions an article about the Flight Humor contest to celebrate the 100th anniversary of flight in Dayton, Ohio. I've got to read this!
I enjoy stopping by Kathryn Lively's weblog. According to her "About" page, she "is a woman of many responsibilities and very little time. She is an author, book editor, book reviewer, webmistress, newsletter editor, Catholic, Beatles fan, and an avid reader. In her spare time she sleeps, and even then her dreams are so vivid that she often wakes in the middle of the night."
She was recently named the Virginia state coordinator for EPIC, a professional organization for published and contracted e-book and print authors. I emailed her to see if she knew how I might find out if a chapter exists close to the Dayton, Ohio USA area.
She also mentions an article about the Flight Humor contest to celebrate the 100th anniversary of flight in Dayton, Ohio. I've got to read this!
Wednesday, July 02, 2003
Thursday, June 26, 2003
Friday, June 20, 2003
Migraine Pain... Again
I suppose inspiration has to come from somewhere. I posted it (the blues song) at Journey Inside My Mind, in case you haven't already figured that out.
I suppose inspiration has to come from somewhere. I posted it (the blues song) at Journey Inside My Mind, in case you haven't already figured that out.
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
"I like to work in coffee shops. There are too many distractions at home -- four kids under 9 and not one of them has a job!" -- Harlan Coben, crime writer, on the writing process, via Oddly Enough Notable Quotes, crossposted to QuotesBlog
Friday, May 30, 2003
Keisha and Sagwa
Background: I made up this story on the spot for Keisha last night when we went to Steak and Shake. I often like to make up stories involving Keisha and some of the characters she likes to watch on PBSKids or NickJr. One of her favorites is "Sagwa," which is about a Siamese cat that can write Chinese.
Once upon a time, when Keisha was in the third grade, she went with her Mommy and Daddy to the Meijer to get some pictures developed. When they were finished and returned to their car, Keisha looked inside and exclaimed, "Mommy! Daddy! There's a cat in our car!"
Sure enough, her Mommy and Daddy saw the cat in the car, sleeping. "It must have just slipped in the car before we closed our doors," Keisha's Daddy said.
"Can we keep it, Daddy?" Keisha asked.
"I don't know, sweetheart," her Daddy said, looking to her Mommy for her opinion.
"Hey, it looks like it's a girl cat," Keisha said.
"Why don't we call your Nana," Jennie said. "She's got a lot of experience in raising different animals."
"I'll stay here with the cat while you two go make the phone call," Keisha's Daddy said.
"I want to name her Sagwa," said Keisha.
"Okay. Come on, Keisha. Let's go call Nana," Keisha's Mommy said, reaching for Keisha's hand.
Some time later, Keisha and her Mommy returned. "Nana says that we should take it to the vet to see if she is sick and has her shots and everything," Keisha said.
"Well," said Keisha's Daddy," looking to his wife, who was smiling, "I guess we'll need to get some pet supplies, huh? Why don't you both head back into the store and get some kitty litter, a cage, some food -- you know, all that stuff. Sagwa and I will stay out here and wait for you."
"Okay, Daddy," said Keisha. "Come on, Mommy, let's go!" It was hard for her to contain her excitement.
Later, when Keisha and her Mommy came back, Keisha made sure that Sagwa was next to her as they drove home. She was very careful about setting up her cage in her bedroom. Her Daddy and Mommy instructed her about the responsibilities that came with taking care of a cat. For one thing, she would be responsible for making sure that Sagwa had food. Also, she would have to make sure the litter box was kept clean. Keisha agreed to take care of all of these things.
Daddy contacted Dr. Armstrong, the veterinarian, and made an appointment for Sagwa. Keisha went along and helped Sagwa stay comfortable while Dr. Armstrong took her temperature and gave her a shot.
The neat thing about having Sagwa was that, even though she had her own cage to sleep in, she loved sleeping on Keisha's bed. In fact, when Keisha came home from school the next day, she went to her bedroom to change out of her school clothes, and there, on her bed, curled up into a little ball, was Sagwa!
And that's the story about how Keisha met Sagwa.
Background: I made up this story on the spot for Keisha last night when we went to Steak and Shake. I often like to make up stories involving Keisha and some of the characters she likes to watch on PBSKids or NickJr. One of her favorites is "Sagwa," which is about a Siamese cat that can write Chinese.
Once upon a time, when Keisha was in the third grade, she went with her Mommy and Daddy to the Meijer to get some pictures developed. When they were finished and returned to their car, Keisha looked inside and exclaimed, "Mommy! Daddy! There's a cat in our car!"
Sure enough, her Mommy and Daddy saw the cat in the car, sleeping. "It must have just slipped in the car before we closed our doors," Keisha's Daddy said.
"Can we keep it, Daddy?" Keisha asked.
"I don't know, sweetheart," her Daddy said, looking to her Mommy for her opinion.
"Hey, it looks like it's a girl cat," Keisha said.
"Why don't we call your Nana," Jennie said. "She's got a lot of experience in raising different animals."
"I'll stay here with the cat while you two go make the phone call," Keisha's Daddy said.
"I want to name her Sagwa," said Keisha.
"Okay. Come on, Keisha. Let's go call Nana," Keisha's Mommy said, reaching for Keisha's hand.
Some time later, Keisha and her Mommy returned. "Nana says that we should take it to the vet to see if she is sick and has her shots and everything," Keisha said.
"Well," said Keisha's Daddy," looking to his wife, who was smiling, "I guess we'll need to get some pet supplies, huh? Why don't you both head back into the store and get some kitty litter, a cage, some food -- you know, all that stuff. Sagwa and I will stay out here and wait for you."
"Okay, Daddy," said Keisha. "Come on, Mommy, let's go!" It was hard for her to contain her excitement.
Later, when Keisha and her Mommy came back, Keisha made sure that Sagwa was next to her as they drove home. She was very careful about setting up her cage in her bedroom. Her Daddy and Mommy instructed her about the responsibilities that came with taking care of a cat. For one thing, she would be responsible for making sure that Sagwa had food. Also, she would have to make sure the litter box was kept clean. Keisha agreed to take care of all of these things.
Daddy contacted Dr. Armstrong, the veterinarian, and made an appointment for Sagwa. Keisha went along and helped Sagwa stay comfortable while Dr. Armstrong took her temperature and gave her a shot.
The neat thing about having Sagwa was that, even though she had her own cage to sleep in, she loved sleeping on Keisha's bed. In fact, when Keisha came home from school the next day, she went to her bedroom to change out of her school clothes, and there, on her bed, curled up into a little ball, was Sagwa!
And that's the story about how Keisha met Sagwa.
Friday, May 23, 2003
WriteThis 2
Rasmus has announced that WriteThis 2 is available to download and use. For those that don't know, he has developed this as a "writer's tool for inspiration." I've used previous versions of it, and I'm looking forward to using this version.
The new tool boasts a customizable database with over 25 million exercise combinations. It also contains the functionality to open, save, print, and edit your exercises and other "rich text files".
Also, Rasmus would love for you to send him some examples of how you've used the tool.
One important thing to note: the download file is 9.73 MB, so if you do not have high-speed capability, you may want to use something like Download Accelerator Plus.
Rasmus has announced that WriteThis 2 is available to download and use. For those that don't know, he has developed this as a "writer's tool for inspiration." I've used previous versions of it, and I'm looking forward to using this version.
The new tool boasts a customizable database with over 25 million exercise combinations. It also contains the functionality to open, save, print, and edit your exercises and other "rich text files".
Also, Rasmus would love for you to send him some examples of how you've used the tool.
One important thing to note: the download file is 9.73 MB, so if you do not have high-speed capability, you may want to use something like Download Accelerator Plus.
Climbing the Wrong Ladder
Donald couldn't explain why he was obsessed with getting his project done, except that it would perhaps give him a small sense of accomplishment. The project was always available for anyone to see, and he was convinced that its imperfections reflected badly upon himself as a person. He in effect got his sense of self worth from what he accomplished.
So he toiled for several nights, getting very little sleep. In the back of his mind he knew that his striving was futile, but he plowed ahead nevertheless. Perfectionism had always been a hard habit to break. The fear of failure made him anxious, and it manifested itself into self-destructive, self-mutiliating behavior. He would punish himself for being imperfect.
This intolerance in himself naturally spilled over into his relationships with others. He became intolerant with imperfections in others, too. Perhaps, he thought, if I'm going to suffer, then everyone else will.
Donald couldn't explain why he was obsessed with getting his project done, except that it would perhaps give him a small sense of accomplishment. The project was always available for anyone to see, and he was convinced that its imperfections reflected badly upon himself as a person. He in effect got his sense of self worth from what he accomplished.
So he toiled for several nights, getting very little sleep. In the back of his mind he knew that his striving was futile, but he plowed ahead nevertheless. Perfectionism had always been a hard habit to break. The fear of failure made him anxious, and it manifested itself into self-destructive, self-mutiliating behavior. He would punish himself for being imperfect.
This intolerance in himself naturally spilled over into his relationships with others. He became intolerant with imperfections in others, too. Perhaps, he thought, if I'm going to suffer, then everyone else will.
Saturday, May 17, 2003
Attention Attenuation
He tried as hard as he could, but he wasn't able to shake that song from his head. It kept chasing him around in circles. His eyes tore around the room, looking for something to get his attention, but no matter what he did, the combination of lyric, melody, and rhythm was too intoxicating.
Then he saw it: a glimpse of leopard skin fabric. But it was already too late. The new song jumped into his mind. It was as though it and the earlier one were dueling for control of his mind. The added combination of melody, lyric, and rhythm created yet a new song entirely. Somehow they complemented each other, like bread to butter.
After a few moments of struggling, he finally gave up. The song would have to run its course and leave. It would happen eventually. He resolved to try to enjoy the moment for what it was worth.
He tried as hard as he could, but he wasn't able to shake that song from his head. It kept chasing him around in circles. His eyes tore around the room, looking for something to get his attention, but no matter what he did, the combination of lyric, melody, and rhythm was too intoxicating.
Then he saw it: a glimpse of leopard skin fabric. But it was already too late. The new song jumped into his mind. It was as though it and the earlier one were dueling for control of his mind. The added combination of melody, lyric, and rhythm created yet a new song entirely. Somehow they complemented each other, like bread to butter.
After a few moments of struggling, he finally gave up. The song would have to run its course and leave. It would happen eventually. He resolved to try to enjoy the moment for what it was worth.
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