Motivate Past Writer's Blocks

Ancient Indian wisdom from the pen of an adolescent blogger to help us motivate around a writer's block. Deepak Chandrasekaran suggests in Motivate Yourself:

The ultimate motivator is defeat. Once you are defeated, you have nowhere to go except the top.

Then only thing stopping you is yourself.

There is no guarantee that tomorrow will come. So do it today.

Intentions don't count, but action's do.

Don't let who you are, stunt what you want to be.

Success is the greatest motivator.

Your goals must be clear, but the guidelines must be flexible.

[creativity]

Forbes on Books

A Forbes.com video on how the Internet affects the book publishing industry examines the pitfalls and possibilities. The interview (if you can survive the ads at the beginning) mentions Wikipedia and networked books. It's part of a comprehensive look at books that the magazine's website took toward the end of last year at Books - Forbes.com. It cheerily concludes that:

People are reading more, not less. The Internet is fueling literacy. Giving books away online increases off-line readership. New forms of expression--wikis, networked books--are blossoming in a digital hothouse.

[book publishing]

Cultural Literacy

The Bartlby.com website harbors an interesting resource pulled together by E. D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil, The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002:

The manifestation of one of the most influential modern educational theories, the 6,900 entries in this major new reference work form the touchstone of what it means to be not only just a literate American but an active citizen in our multicultural democracy.

Upon investigation, however, it appears this is far more than a dictionary and resembles an encyclopedia, kind of in competition with Bartlby's online Columbia Encyclopedia. I'd say, give it a spin. Between a capella and zygote, you're bound to learn something useful.

[resource]

News Gems

Jon Marshall's News Gems is subtitled, "Highlighting the best of American journalism" and "features excellent stories with thorough, enterprising reporting and great writing from newspapers, magazines, television broadcasts, radio stations and Web sites." This is one of several blogs sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists. Marshall teaches at my undergraduate alma mater, Northwestern University near Chicago. He believes that good journalism is crucial to a thriving democracy. In addition to teaching at the Medill School of Journalism, he also writes for magazines, newspapers, Web sites and businesses around the country. Want an alternative to news about bald singers, dresses at the Oscars, and alien love children? Check out Marshall's gems.

[journalism]

Topicalizer Text Analysis

From the Topicalizer - The tool for topic extraction, text analysis and abstract generation FAQ page:

Q: Besides being interesting, what could be the purpose of this tool?

A: The main purpose of this tool is providing webmasters, bloggers or any other kind of web author with a way of optimizing their websites regarding content structure, readability, topic coherence and last but not least search engine listings (for those into buzzword bingo: search engine optimization, SEO), since the latter is all about well-structured content and topic structure of a text.

Moreover, this software can be used for automatically acquiring some useful semantic information about a document. The keyword method of the Topicalizer API could be used for automatically tagging a blog entry, just to give you an idea.

I liked that "buzzword bingo" phrase. It generates a vision of SEO marketers sitting around the VFW or Knights of Columbus hall, playing multiple cards, while the gamesmaster calls out words like "downsize", "underage", and "teething". Winners yell, "jackpot!"

[words]

Website Books and News

Earlier this month, the Google Librarian Central announced a couple of new features we can use on our websites. In And now, News and Books search results, Peter Deng introduced:

Yesterday, we launched two new cut-and-paste solutions that let you easily enhance your web pages. First, you can display news headlines with a Google News bar. You define what topics you're interested in, and it will display relevant and timely news headlines and snippets. Second, you can create a dynamic bookshelf with books covers that link to the online versions in Google Book Search.

Those book search results can be displayed horizontally and vertically. Let's say you've written a series of books on knitting, display them on your website easily with this Google tool. See what I mean? Unfortunately Blogger.com doesn't allow script tags within a post, so you'll have to visit the Google page to see results. I think I've seen this feature in the columns of other's blogs. Raise your hand if you're using it, please.

[websites]

How to Write a Bestseller

One of Steven Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Successful People reads, "Begin with the end in sight." I find this applies to most all large endeavors, and why should writing a book be any different? It isn't. The end of publishing a book is selling it; and that means marketing, which requires time, energy and money. Concomitant with the marketing phase is the last half of publishing: distribution, advertising, publicity. If you don't understand the pitfalls of the publishing industry, you'll be vulnerable to nasty surprises, especially in the accounting department. Before your book is published, it goes through several stages that can leave your head spinning. The better prepared you are, the less turmoil. Even to reach those heady disorientations, convincing someone to publish your book means that it must show potential to make the publisher profits: the topic must be hot and the competition not. You discover such statistics by researching the market before you write the book. Along with that research, you'll develop a synopsis or outline proving that you have coherent and interesting ideas well-presented in compelling writing. So, here's how to write a bestseller:

* Learn everything about marketing books
* Learn about the publishing industry
* Research the market for your topic
* Prepare a synopsis or outline
* Write the book

[writing books]

Editorial Calendars

Mike Sansone of ConverStations asks What's on Your Blog Editorial Calendar? Although the blog is aimed at business people, I think all writers, bloggers especially, can profit from his advice. I know when I began Writer's Edge almost three years ago, I was so afraid I wouldn't have enough to say (*snort*) that I made lists of items to discuss. Sansone says:

It's not unusual for a small business blogger to jump out of the gates with a good rhythm, then lose steam after a few weeks. Maybe it's because we get busy, or stumble over a blogger's writing block. But once we lost that rhythm, it can be difficult to regain.

See his weekly list of blogging items. The notion has potential use for a writer as self-inflicted deadlines and prompts, although I like his notion of using it as a guide not a religion. Customize to your type of writing.

[blogging]

Networked Book

Towards the end of last year, Paula Berinstein, who runs The Writing Show website of podcasts about writing and writers, produced an interesting research piece for Information Today: The "Networked Book" Becomes the New "In" Destination. After hitting a mean between skimming and studying the comprehensive article, I'm still not sure this is a truly new trend, or just another name for the many collaborative efforts the Internet facilitates. Don't get me wrong -- I applaud them all! Some of the subheads give you a taste of what this is all about:

Networked Books, Authors, and Readers
Peer Review on Steroids
Networked Books and Librarians/Multimedia/the Future

Aha! I think that last one makes the point. Online writing and reading is the future rushing down the sluice towards us. Get ready to sink or swim.

[books]

Pamuk in US?

According to a new (to me) website Pamuk believed to be in exile in US:

The Turkish author Orhan Pamuk has reportedly left his home country to live in America amid fears for his life. The Nobel laureate is believed to be at risk of assassination in Turkey following the murder of Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink last month. Threats appeared to have been made against Pamuk by the man who confessed to orchestrating the murder.

The Israeli high school student and the owner of Inkify who run WritingNews.org assert:

Though this is primarily a news site, it was built on a blogging system and it may have some similarities to a blog. In other words, it's okay for editors to have an opinion from time to time. They don't have to be mindless article-summarizing-and-linking machines.

They are looking for new "editors" (read: people who will write for free) to post for fame, glory and credits.

[blogging]

Screenwriting with John August

John August is a screenwriter living and working in Los Angeles. He runs johnaugust.com at his own expense. Why? Well ...

He's generally pretty philanthropic.
It gives him an excuse for not writing.
It exercises his inner geek.
It allows him to use fonts other than 12 pt Courier.
He's usually pretty sure he's right.
And most importantly, it lets him answer a given screenwriting question once, rather than 5,000 times.
Some of John's credits include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Big Fish, Go, and Charlie's Angels. He has degrees from Drake University and the Peter Stark Program in the School of Cinema-Television at the University of Southern California.

Although currently in a blog format, the website johnaugust.com features a search engine for August's archive of over a hundred articles originally written for the Internet Movie Database, one of my faves online and better known as the IMDb.

[screenwriting]

Second City, Second Life

This follows up a discussion on the Writer's Digest forum about psychological needs to write. I said I write because I'm too shy to speak. Now I'm wondering if this reticence that many writers share relates to difficulty creating fictional pieces? A TV segment about Second Life leads me to wonder if I participated in that virtual world, would the experience enhance my creativity for fiction? The name reminds me of the great original comedy improve center in Chicago, "Second City". I was there when it started, and I remember resisting visiting the club, just as I have avoided participating in plays or any other public activity. Would forcing myself to be more outgoing [show-offy?] stretch the creativity muscle or simply cramp my style?

[creativity]

Missing Links

During recent blogkeeping duties, some links were eliminated, mostly ones from blogs with no activity for two months or more. If your reciprocol link is missing, or you feel entitled, just drop me a note via email and let me know about it.

Buzz Meter Silly Saturday

Radar Online has a section called Hijinks with a Fame-o-Meter that measures mentions of various people in the last week or month. You can choose among various sets of data like: Daytime Divas, Religions (Islam wins, of course), and my pick, Bloggerati. In the bar chart I selected, Jason Calacanis and Andrew Sullivan won hands down on keyboards over the next closest bloggers, Nick Denton, Matt Drudge, Ariana Huffington, and Markos Moulitsas (who he?)

[blogging]

Mispronounced Words

Here's a handy offering from yourDictionary.com: 100 Most Often Mispronounced Words, and because they are often mispronounced, they are often misspelled, too, because frequently spelling errors result from trying to spell a word the way we pronounce it. Check out my theory at 100 MOST OFTEN MISPELLED MISSPELLED WORDS IN ENGLISH. Quick now, how do you pronounce the name of this month of Valentine's Day? Febuwary? Febrewary? And how is it spelled correctly? February.

[English words]

Search Web 2.0

The Online Educational Database presents a handy list of the Top 25 Web 2.0 Search Engines. You can use them to search audio and visual, social networks, Rich Internet Applications (RIA), and for mashups and tagging materials. Say what? This is the next line of Internet connectivity after you've started participating in resources like Flickr, Technorati, a blog with RSS, a wiki, and any of the other Web 2.0 activities I've blogged about. How can they help a writer? Try this one:

Omgili is a discussion-based engine. In addition to standard search results, a list of links to members is provided who have answered questions relating to a given search term. You can also ask a question, which another member might answer for you with relevant links.

About these special engines, the OEdb says, "Some offer functionality that's slowly making its way into traditional search engines. Others further the attempt to traverse the invisible Web and index other previously unsearchable research sources." Follow their links to learn about more specialized researching.

[research]

Writers Love Readers

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Writers need readers
So I love you!

Happy Valentine's Day

Pros of Self-Publishing

The first article I've seen promoting self-publishing with some examples to back it up is Writers, Readers and Self-Publishing by Ambrose Musiyiwa.

Wikipedia defines self-publishing as "the publishing of books and other media by the authors of those works, rather than by established, third-party publishers." The encyclopedia goes on to explain that although self-publishing represents a small percentage of the publishing industry in terms of sales, it has been present in one form or another since the beginning of publishing. "Many works now considered classic," it notes, "were originally self-published, including the original writings of William Blake, Virginia Woolf, Walt Whitman, William Morris, and James Joyce." ... As modern-day examples of successful self-published books they offer The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield; The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer; What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles; In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters; Photoshop Efx: What Side You're On? by Dhanang Rah Wibowo and Eragon by Christopher Paolini.

[self-publishing]

Political Writing

Watching the daily dribble of new presidential candidates announcing their availability, I remembered how this can be a lucrative opportunity for writers. Unless you've worked in a top campaign, you might be surprised at the large retinue of word wranglers that political candidates tend to use (and use up), even at the local level. Now that blogs and websites are firmly established as part of the paraphernalia of politics, the need for word slingers is even more critical. The verbiabge of a poster or brochure or speech isn't fit for the screen, although catch phrases will usually be abundant, of course.

I enjoyed a brief fling with political hacking at the state level in the 1970s. One Mafia-type candidate tried for my services by promising "kickbacks" for placing his advertising. When I turned him down, he suggested I just needed a good lay. That may have been true, but what I wanted was an oxymoron, an honest politician. Eventually I opted for helping one of the first women to vie for a state senate position. My creation "Women Belong in the House and Senate" ran on billboards a few weeks giving me a tingle and a little jingle.

Writing for candidates is often one of those hidden positions and a matter of who you know. Along with outrightly offering your services, this is the time to network with those who surround the politician, people who are active in political parties. You might have to do a little pro bono work at first to get started. It's a job for people who can write fast, meet deadlines, and put up with a lot of Monday morning quarterbacks.

[writing]

New Publishing Tech

VISTA and Ingenta merge to create Publishing Technology plc

Yes, but what does it do?

And what does this mean for the poor sod at the bottom who writes the stuff?

Speaking to Groups

Abhishek Sharma writes a blog to help job-seekers in India in their efforts. I believe in receiving help where you find it, so when I ran across 10 Tips For Successful Public Speaking I paid attention. All kinds of writers are asked to "give a little talk", to special interest groups, book clubs, for book signings, at writers' group meetings. We don't all have training in public speaking, and some of us are downright shy. Sure, you can take a course with Toastmasters or Dale Carnegie, but that takes time and money. Sharma offers help with the butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms, and blank mind sensations:

* Know your room, audience and material
* Use exercise to relax
* Use visualization to practice
* Realize success, don't apologize
* Focus on the message and audience

Making Blog Changes

Alert readers (as Dave Barry calls them) who read posts on the website may notice some changes in the left column and at the bottom of the main part of the page. The latest addition, right above the "Reciprocity" links list, is a new feature offered by Yahoo! Supposedly it displays the current number of links to Writer's Edge zapping about the cyberverse. I say "supposedly" because Google now reports only 417 (it used to be in the 12,000 range--who died?) Technorati reports a high of 254 blogs, and a rolling total of 133 links from blogs over the last 180 days.

Another change is the filler item at the bottom of the posts. It used to be static to a few New York Times book links on a glaring white background. I really didn't like it because you must register with the site to view the linked pages, and sometimes they became unavailable. The current scrolling offerings on a sunny background are a custom feed Google, based on these keywords: writer, writing, literature, books, authors, magazines, and publishing.

[blogging]

International Graphics

Ripped from advertising sent by Words Without Borders, an international ezine (in English) that's apparently just discovered graphics. The new issue features "Superstar Artist David B."

February Issue of Words without Borders
showcases never-before-seen international graphic art

The Graphic novel has taken off worldwide, yet much of the work of the hottest new international graphic artists remains unfamiliar in this country. This month, Words without Borders, www.wordswithoutborders.org, crosses the ocean to seek out some of the most exciting voices in Europe, showcasing graphics that are sleek and edgy, gritty yet poignant. With the bounty of riches they've discovered in far-flung parts, WWB has to wonder: Is "graphic" the next new international language?

[graphic novels]

Comment Parlez Books

Remember the hoopla over the supposed hypnotic qualities of Agatha Christie's writing about a year ago? Pierre Bayard, who created an high-minded analysis of her writings with Who Killed Roger Ackroyd, is again splashing about in the literary pond with the assertion that You don't have to read a book to talk wisely about it. In the article from the Timesonline:

How to talk about a book you have never read
Avoid precise details. Put aside rational thought. Let your sub-conscience express your personal relationship with the work

How to review a book
Put it in front of you, close your eyes and try to perceive what may interest you about it. Then write about yourself

How to discuss a book with its author
Stick to generalities, remain ambiguous and say how much you like the work

Aside from these hilarious insights, I find this French offering (last I heard it ranks #3 on Amazon.fr) quite logical. I predict an English translation will appear post-haste, no one will read it, but it will sell well and everyone will be talking and writing about it. After all, I've just "reviewed" Bayard's book without reading it.

[books]

Proofreading Tips

Oh, those typos! They get you (and me) all the time. Or rather, we make typographical errors when writing with a keyboard. What to do about them? Obviously, we must read over our work before submitting it; but does that always fix all the mistakes? Automatic grammar/spelling checking software isn't much help. The errors are often using the plural or singular of a word when the other number is needed, or the mistake creates a legitimate word, or we have simply used the wrong word that sounds like the one we wanted. In the latter case, we need to know more about words. If you're not certain you have the right one, look it up. To help with the proofreading, here are four tips and an acronym for remembering them, TRPO:

Time -- if you can, let the writing rest. The mistakes will rise to the surface where they'll be more visible when you reread the piece (just kidding about the rise to the surface part.)

Reverse -- instead of reading from start to finish, read the last sentence first and proceed up to the start. Again, this technique makes the mistakes stand out because you're not caught up so much in the logic of the work.

Print -- instead of trying to proofread on the monitor screen, put your words on paper, at least double spaced, maybe in a larger size font, like 14.

Other -- best of all is to have another person also read your work just looking for errors. Something in our minds rebels against noticing mistakes like double words (and is notoriously invisible when it appears twice in a row.

[editing]

Online Research and Documentation

Through the Bedford/St. Martin's publishing website, I found Diana Hacker's Research and Documentation Online:

An extensive annotated list of specialized sources for more than 30 disciplines ... organized by type--databases and indexes, Web resources, and reference books--under four main categories: Humanities, Social Sciences, History, and Sciences.

Guidelines for documenting print and online sources ... provide the most current advice available for MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE styles.

Sample papers with annotations for MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE styles.

Tips for evaluating print and online sources.

A list of style manuals for a variety of disciplines.

A glossary of research terms.

I think the tips for evaluating sources is especially useful: checking for bias, assessing an argument, and in considering a web source, determing authorship, sponsorship, purpose, audience, and how current the information is.

[nonfiction research]

Avoid Writer's Block

As long as we're in a Writer's Block mode, I should mention that Steve Hendlin has posted YOUR WRITE MIND The Perfection Trap: Part 2 of his super series at Backspace.org. When I wrote about his first part, equating perfectionism with writer's block, it seemed to hit a nerve. In this new essay, Hendlin offers a long example of a writer's experience and explores the difference between perfection and excellence:

As we grow up, something curious happens-we get confused along the way. What began as the pursuit of excellence becomes the pursuit of perfection. Most of the time, we don't even know that we've taken a wrong turn. The path that pursuing perfection takes us down is a perilous and unending one, fraught with the persistent danger of losing our fragile sense of self-worth.

[writer's block]

Writers Block

Factbites, Where results make sense, is "a search engine more interested in content analysis than link popularity." The results of a search for "writer" yielded a section on Writer's Block from Answers.com, which interested me because I recently assumed moderator duties for the Writer's Block Community on Orkut. You have to join to participate, and I'd welcome regular readers there.

[traipsing through cyberspace]

Silver Bullet Comics

I hadn't appreciated "graphic novels" (a.k.a. comic books) until I ran across Silver Bullet Comics and beheld the images for Stephen King's Gunslinger/Dark Tower series. Wow! Now I hope someone makes it into a cartoon, er, anime (?), manga (?) *fumbles for current lingo* animated series! This page contains a link to subscribe to the series which Marvel Comics promised will contain new content, too. Silver Bullet says:

Fans of King's work can be assured that the graphic representation of the property will be held to the highest standards as King himself has final say in the product. And comic fans can rejoice at having the work of one of the foremost fantasy fiction writers in the world developing content for their beloved medium.

See how they call King's writing "fantasy", whereas any diehard fan knows it is HORROR. Oh, well, maybe the Dark Tower series is less horrible and more fantastic than his other work. I still haven't read the last book. It'd better have a happy ending, tie together all the loose plot strings, and answer all our questions.

[fiction horror]