Posts from — December 2007

I woke up in the wee hours of the morning today (last night?) and ventured out of the bedroom. I suddenly noticed a strange buzzing or humming noise I hadn't noted before. It was coming from the kitchen and it sounded serious. It was our 12-year-old refrigerator. The noise seemed to be coming from the motor, and it spooked me. I don’t have the money to replace a household appliance right now.

If you get such a "wake up call" or other buzz, hum, or thump noise in the night, here's a place you can go to look for a deal on appliances and electronics, "ABT Electronics and Appliance Store." They combine both electronics and appliances, for true online "one stop shopping." In my case last night (early this morning?), I would have tried the appliance section. My fear was for the refrigerator. (My silent worry regarding appliances, though, involves our washer, which is a bit newer than the frig, but takes a real beating in the basement.)

Maybe you're looking for some electronic equipment? They have a huge selection of electronic equipment, ranging from great home theater systems to desktop and laptop computers (both Windows and Mac) to iPods to clock radios. They even offer free shipping. Take a look around their site.

And be wary of sudden noises in the night -- perhaps even stay out of the kitchen at night.

Oh, yeah, my refrigerator adventure has a happy ending so far: My good wife informed me when I returned to bed that the noise was pretty normal and she thought had something to do with vibrating metal near the motor. I’ll keep you posted.
[tags]nighttime noises, appliances, electronics, buying appliances and electronics online, useful websites, writing tips at garyspeer.com[tags]

Deadlines can be useful as they focus our intensity and motivate us to do our best work. Or, deadlines can be treacherous if we ignore them and suddenly find us working under pressure that causes us to do our worst writing.

Hence the title of this post: Never put off till tomorrow what you can write today. That’s really pretty elementary, but it’s also the kind of advice we need to write on a note card and tape up on the office wall -- or perhaps on the back of your laptop case.

I truly believe that good writing only comes about with practice. If you write a thousand words, you’ll learn something that will make you a better writer. If you write a million words, you’ll learn a lot more. The journey of a million words begins with a single tap of the keyboard.

Get tapping and write something to make us all proud.

Technorati Tags: deadline pressure, focused writing, consistent writing, writing tips at garyspeer.com

Sometimes you stumble onto useful and downright fun websites. No sooner did I post about long or short writing forms, and generally how to approach writing, than I found out about a merchant website with great name -- "Mad Gringo" -- and a great philosophy for writers: "Go Slow." So I would advise you to "Go Slow" with the "Mad Gringo."

Okay, all that’s a bit corny, but it makes a legitimate point. The "Go Slow" outlook on life really resonates with me as a writer. When I let myself rush (which is often), I find myself doing sloppy writing. When I take a deep breath and make myself relax (which is not often enough), I write more clearly and carefully. The "Go Slow" attitude works nicely not only on the beach but in the office/study, too.

The "Mad Gringo" site itself offers a terrific selection of Hawaiian shirts, tropical shirts, sarongs, beach wear, and other beach accessories. And by the way, who, really, could NOT love a colorful Hawaiian shirt? I mourn the loss of mine, given to me by my in-laws many years ago while I was still in college. I suppose I should break down and get a new one. (I really like the looks of their Bula Blue Hawaiian shirt, personally.) Go take a look at this nifty beach wear site. The "Mad Gringo" awaits.

Then, when you sit down to write later this evening, tomorrow, or whenever you get back to the keyboard, remember to practice that "Mad Gringo" philosophy and "Go Slow."

Technorati Tags: Mad Gringo, Hawaiian shirts, "Go Slow" philosophy, careful writing, writing tips at garyspeer.com

This is major news in my writing life and career, so I wanted to share it with you all: This blog and one other which I do (Just a Guy Who Reads the Papers) have been approved for "PayPerPost" blogging.

This is good news for me, as it's the first blogging/writing I've done on the Internet which offers a legitimate, significant amount of income from my Internet writing. This is potentially good news for you because I intend to use the opportunity to 1) give you, my good readers, a practical "workshop" on writing ad copy and news "briefs," and, 2) introduce you to some worthwhile products and services in the paid posts I choose to take.

And that's the beauty about PayPerPost -- no one holds a gun to my head or threatens my firstborn son to make me post paid advertising. Here's how it works:

Once my blog (this one and the other) is approved by PayPerPost for "Marketplace Opportunities," I am free to choose any of a couple of dozen paid posts available. The advertiser makes it clear exactly what he wants, along with some key words and links to be included, and I write the post. Assuming I do it right, the post is approved, and 30 days after approval the agreed upon money appears in my PayPal account.

Nice "gig" if you blog or if you want to blog.

If you're interested, you can find out more -- and possibly gain me a small "referral fee," though I'm not clear yet exactly how referrals work -- by clicking on the button in the sidebar which says "get paid to blog about things you love."

If you're not interested, you're perfectly free to ignore any "paid" posts I put on the blog. I do hope, however, that you'll stay around and we can all learn together!

Technorati Tags: blogging for money, paid to blog, making money with your writing, writing tips at garyspeer.com

Speaking of "remodeling" this website -- how are you fixed for window blinds?

Seriously, thinking about online remodeling or offline remodeling either one reminds me of the work we went through just a couple of years ago to replace most of the windows in our old house. (We live in a house about 103 years old which is STILL a real "fixer-upper" if you're looking for such a project.)

Anyway, I was looking around a really great website for anyone doing some remodeling, specifically for window stuff: "SelectBlinds.com." They have a huge selection and it was a big education for someone as ignorant as I am about window blinds. I was especially intrigued by their nice variety of "Fabric Shades." As a writer and historian, the section of "Roman Shades" caught my attention. Take a look around their site. It might awaken the home decorator in you.

Oh, yes, Roman Shades -- I'm still not clear on exactly where the term comes from, but the style of blinds called "Roman Shades" involve fabric or wood which folds neatly to the top of the window when drawn up. So now you've learned something for the day.

Technorati Tags: SelectBlinds.com, Roman shades, useful websites, writing tips at garyspeer.com

This is a quick "heads up" about the work I’m going to be doing in the next few days on this website.

Yes indeed, it's time for a new look. Same excellent, sparkling content, but a new "skin" on the old blog. I've located a couple of nice looking WordPress "themes" -- that's what they call the layout and design for sites using WordPress software -- and with about three days of back breaking work I should have one of them in place. I'm leaning toward one which randomly cycles through large horizontal photographs at the top of the page. Should I choose that theme, I might even invite you, dear reader, to send me digital photos to display on the site as part of the random graphics.

So if you pop in and out of the site over the next few days and see it suddenly change from one style to another while you're visiting -- don’t be alarmed. Chances are that means you hit the site just as I was tweaking it.

Technorati Tags: website layout and design, site redesign, writing tips at garyspeer.com

When I was a young lad starting my writing career, it always puzzled me when authors suggested beginning writers would be better off trying a novel than a short story.

As I grow older, I understand what I didn't "get" back then: Novels, anything book length, really, have plenty of room to roam; short stories (and blog posts for that matter) demand concise writing.

The fun thing about my career is that I've been forced mostly into short-form writing. My main published work has been short religious devotionals, highly structured religious study materials, and news briefs. Besides teaching me to write "tightly," such experience has helped me make the brutal decisions and cuts editors often face making.

How about you? What has your writing focused on mostly, short stuff or book length? Which do you prefer doing? Which is easiest for you, or are they about the same? What do you see yourself writing next year, or five years from now, or ten? (Not too early to start making those annual New Year’s writing resolutions.)

Comment here and let us know. Then get busy and write something that will make us all proud.

Technorati Tags: advice for new writers, types of writing, writing styles, writing tips at garyspeer.com

Remember when telephones actually sounded like telephones when they "rang"? You probably also remember back then you could get answering services and message retrieval from companies with live operators. "Answering Service" meant real people would actually answer your call. (Am I revealing how old I am here, or what?)

I just found out about a company that gives that kind of personal service which has been lost to technology. Of course, in addition to live [telephone answering service], they also offer a wide range of high-tech options like voice mail, fax services, and even mailing and paging services to both companies and individuals. The company is "1-800 We Answer Answering Service." Note what's in the company name: "We Answer." And one of the services they offer you or your business is actual, live people to take your calls and direct them to the right people or services you might offer, quickly and intelligently.

This company offers a range of answering services and business communications options, from live operators to a full-blown calling center operation of you have a business that needs it. Go take a look around the "1-800 We Answer Answering Service" website. You might find some great options to playing impersonal "phone tag" with your friends or customers.

Technorati Tags: 1-800-We Answer Answering Service, phone answering services, writing tips at garyspeer.com

I've often thought about my past. At one time, I thought the whole world might like to read my history, and actually thought about writing a memoir. Memoirs have become a great blessing and cursing in recent years. They have blessed many people and enriched some writers. They have also enraged many -- though perhaps still enriched the writer -- when they've been exposed as false. You probably remember the "Oprah" fiasco related to the memoir "A Million Little Pieces" which turned out to be falsified.

Have you written a memoir? Have you thought about writing one? Do you read memoirs? How would you characterize the difference between "memoir" and "autobiography" as writing genres? Share your experiences and thoughts about memoirs with us.

Technorati Tags: memoirs, writing memoirs, falsified writing, writing tips at garyspeer.com

If you've thought about LED mini lights for your holiday decorations and Christmas tree before, this might be the year construction has caught up with technology and made it worth your time and money.

I just found out about a website, "HolidayLED's Christmas Lights" that offers a beautiful selection of LED Christmas lights (hence, the site name!) in a wide variety of shapes and colors -- and if you get on it, you have time to order them and still get them up for some last-minute holiday decorating.

LEDs, you may know, offer huge savings in the amount of electricity they use compared to regular holiday lights, and according to this website, the bulb life is about 50,000 hours -- which means you can use them awhile. It's interesting to think about the difference construction can make in LED holiday lights. Most of the LED mini lights you buy at the "big box" stores are two-piece construction. That means an accidental tug on the light string or bulb by a toddler or pet can break the two-piece lights pretty easily. The single-piece construction of "HolidayLED's Christmas Lights" bulbs makes them much more durable. Which is what I meant by construction catching up with technology: long-lasting bulbs that are truly durable enough to use for several Christmas seasons. In fact, these bulbs supposedly are sturdy enough to withstand the weight of a heavy duty truck tire!

If you're in the market for remarkable, long-lasting LED Christmas lights, hurry on over to their site.

Technorati Tags: LED, LED mini-lights, holiday decorations, HolidayLED's Christmas Lights, writing tips at garyspeer.com

Some years ago, I clipped a cartoon from a copy of "Writer’s Digest" magazine and pinned it to my office bulletin board. It showed a couple of chubby guys rolling on the ground laughing at the base of a pedestal on which a giant toad was setting. The toad had his huge tongue out slurping across a ream of paper being held up by a laughing third chubby guy.

The caption on the cartoon read: "One more thing editors do with your manuscript."

I kept that cartoon around as a dual reminder of my odd career: I am both a writer and an editor; one who creates the slurped manuscript and one who holds it up for the slurping.

As an editor, I've always felt my most important task was to clarify what the writer is trying to do and to help him do it the best way he and I know how. I hesitate to rewrite or heavily copy edit a writer's stuff, because it is not MY writing. It is the writer's stuff and the writer is entitled to take all the credit and all the blame for his unique content and expression.

But, really, what do you other editors do? How do you approach your jobs? Any of you out there care to share your experiences and comments with us all? Please share with us.

Technorati Tags: writing, editing, editors, editing tips, writing tips at garyspeer.com

Have you ever heard the term "business intelligence"? I confess the term as it relates to running your business, whether your "business" is a one-person operation or a company with multiple staffers, is new to me. After reading up on it, I discovered that writing and marketing plays a key role in "business intelligence." You could define the term as meaning organizing and explaining all of a business's databases and other information resources so that everyone working at the business has easy access to it and is able to use it to accomplish your business goals.

I may not have that exactly right. "Contemporary: The Business Intelligence People," is a British Business Intelligence Consultancy firm, which takes you step-by-step through the whole process on their website. If you have a business, whether small or large, this company and their website might be a useful resource.

The heart of the whole concept of business intelligence is extremely important and useful to you as a writer, especially if you do business writing or any sort of website marketing, i.e, affiliate sales, marketing a product of your own, or even just blogging. Business intelligence systems can help you have a more comprehensive knowledge of the factors affecting your business. By putting such systems in place, you are more able to determine which adjustments are most likely to improve your performance -- as a writer, marketer, or whatever. Think of it this way: The more you've organized your projects and/or your entire business around a goal or series of goals, the better you'll "perform," because you'll know more about where you want to go and how you want to get there. If you write novels, you use outlines and backstories to help you; if you do Internet marketing, you organize your "business intelligence" resources for the same purpose.

The "Contemporary: The Business Intelligence People" firm may or may not be for you. At the very least, you should take a look around their website. You'll find valuable information there no matter what the nature or size of your business may be.

Technorati Tags: Contemporary: The Business Intelligence People, utilizing business data, just a guy who reads the papers