Monday, September 4, 2006
Internet Validates Poor Writing OR Depressed Blogger Requires TLC
I am sooooo depressed right now. In preparing to write an article for a kids’ fishing magazine about how bass behavior is influenced by weather, I went to Google. I typed in “How weather affects bass” and found several listings. And at the top of the page, I also found this: Did you mean: “How...
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Friday, September 1, 2006
Another Way To Make Money By Writing--- If You Don't Have A Conscience
Recently, I received the following e-mail. I have left it exactly as it was written, except to break it into smaller paragraphs (something that more of you should do with your posts) to make it easier for you to enjoy. Dearest, My name is Mrs.Rosemary King I am a dying woman who has decided to...
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Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Tackle For Nothing And Trips For Free OR Making A Living Part lll
This final part about making a living as a writer actually is more about money saved and fringe benefits than collecting a paycheck. For example, I’ve logged literally hundreds of thousands of miles, traveling in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and Africa, with someone else paying all of or most of...
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Monday, August 28, 2006
My Time Window Of Patience Is Running Out OR It's That One! Cut That One!
Can someone tell me when “window” became so inextricably linked with “time”? For example: “We have a time window of just 10 seconds to decide which wire to cut.” While traveling this past week, I noted this inanity used twice in one newspaper article. I now wish that I’d saved that article to show...
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Friday, August 25, 2006
Insider Information On Making A Living As A Writer--- Part II
As a full-time freelance writer, I make most of my income by writing “features” for magazines. “Features” are the longer articles, and they are what the publishers use to sell the magazines, by using them as teasers on the covers. I also write a monthly column for one publication. Many publications...
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Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Insider Info. On 'Scratching' Out A Living As A Writer OR The Ivy League
Today, my students, you get two for the price of one: Some insider information about the life of a freelance writer as well as something that you probably didn’t know about the consequences of global climate change. First the insider information: Not all of my income is made by writing feature...
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Monday, August 21, 2006
Insider Info. To Help You Improve Your Writing OR Put Away That Chisel
Yes, thanks for noticing. My writer’s hat is at the dry cleaner’s. This is my editor’s cap. Nice feather, don’t you think? Since I’ve worked as a magazine editor as well as journalism teacher, I thought that I’d share a strategy that editors often use with manuscripts. Use it yourself--- before you...
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Friday, August 18, 2006
Don't Misuse Style To Mislead Your Readers OR Shine That Light Over Here
Some of you know and utilize this writing technique. Others of you either don’t know it or don’t choose to use it. Still others, well... But I’m getting ahead of myself. One of the keys to being a published writer is to write in a way that your readers (including editors) feel as if they received...
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Thursday, August 17, 2006
It's A Mad, Mad, Mad World OR Enjoy, But Keep A Fire Extinguisher Handy
Jack Kerouac (He's a writer. Look him up.) said this. It's one of my favorite quotes, possibly because I feel much the same way. Attraction to such people makes for an interesting life--- and something to write about. The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to...
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Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling Aren’t Always Important OR Staying Alive
All right, class, I’ll do the talking today. You take notes. Yes this will be on the test. Just before the beer fest last Friday, we talked about why we write. Primarily, we write to communicate. And we communicate most effectively when we follow the rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Now,...
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