Archive for March, 2008
How do you maintain a professional perspective on writing you don’t enjoy doing?
I’m working on some ad copy for a prestigious land and housing development in Branson, Missouri. These Branson lots, from what I’ve seen of the developer’s plans and website, are beautiful. They’re located on a nice resort golf course and within a few miles of one of America’s leading country music/family entertainment meccas — Branson, […]
Anybody here made any money to speak of doing Hub Pages?
I don’t know whether any of you writers that come here do Hub Pages or not. Anyone? Anyone making money, or making much money, at it?
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then obviously you don’t make money building “Hubs.” But I’ll explain what the place seems to be all about and maybe it’ll […]
Is it a simile or is it a metaphor? Who remembers how to tell?
That last post I made about the expression “put your [fill in the blank] on steroids” prompted a discussion with my wife, Shirley, about whether that is a simile or a metaphor. (If you reread my post, you’ll see I made a quick “cop out” by saying the word steroids was “used metaphorically.” Confession time […]
When did it become so common to ‘put your [fill in the blank] on steroids’?
Funny how cliches creep into the language, isn’t it?
I was looking at some stuff related to steroids — yes, I am a baseball fan and, yes, opening day is very soon — and realized as I searched Google that the expression “put you … on steroids,” meaning something like “make your … spectacularly, gigantically, great” […]
Do you judge a word by its sound? Are some words inherently funny?
I love to think about words, the meaning of words, and even the SOUND of some words. Do you do that, too, or is it just me?
I’ve read that some words are considered inherently funny. One source I was looking at traces this idea to a 1936 article by journalist/curmudgeon H. L. Mencken, in which […]
Personal Note: My blogging days may become much more limited — ‘real life’ is rearing its ugly head
Easter Sunday is a time of good news for our family. We are Christians and we rejoice in calling it “Resurrection Sunday” — the day when we rejoice in the Resurrection of Jesus and what it means in our lives.
On that score, this has been a happy, blessed day.
Enough for the mini-sermon. On to the […]
Baseball fans — the season rapidly approaches and here’s a useful ‘fantasy’ site for you
Are you a baseball fan? Do you participate in fantasy baseball leagues? If you said yes, here’s a website you want to check out — “Sports Prophet Software” is the company, and their Fantasy Sports Prophet’s Fantasy Baseball software is the product you want. In fact, the screen shot below is an actual image from […]
Personal Note: It REALLY rained where we live — everyone out there okay?
Wow. Now I have a feeling for what may have been running through their minds as Noah and his family battened down the hatches on the Ark.
We’ve enjoyed a day and a half now of sunshine and 60+ degree weather yesterday and today. But that comes on the heels of torrential downpours. We really had […]
How much detail is too much detail when you write a scene or describe a character?
Even though I believe in the old adage that your writing should always “show, not tell,” if you are writing a fiction scene or describing a character, there are some things you simply have to tell in some detail — or leave them out entirely. That “leave them out entirely” is often the better option. […]
Does fear ever hinder your writing? How do you deal with fear?
I was reading my issue of “The Morning Nudge” this morning, that really encouraging, useful email newsletter published by our writer friend Suzanne Lieurance of The Working Writer’s Coach, and realized that fear is an issue in my writing efforts.
Suzzane suggests in today’s “Nudge” that fear is always part of a freelance writer’s life, generally […]
Simple tool for backing up or moving your writing files
Sometimes the simplest high-tech tools are the most useful for writers. I’ve written previously about my nifty little AlphaSmart “Neo,” the keyboard that really can go just about anywhere. I hope you’ve had a chance to get one for yourself, or you’ve perhaps found something similar.
Today I’ve been sitting here realizing I’ve never mentioned another […]
Tell us about some of the difficult writing assignments you’ve had to do
Those of you who write for a living, either wholly or in part, probably remember a time when you had to write something on assignment or as part of your daily job that really was difficult to do.
Perhaps the subject matter was unpleasant to you personally. Perhaps you had to interview someone who was a […]
Anybody interested in a forum for the writers and bloggers hanging out here?
I’ve always given some thought to setting up a forum for writers and bloggers to share their questions, answers, and tales of woe and whoopie. Problem is, there are millions (yeah, maybe really millions) of forums on the Internet for blogging and/or writing. What could I offer that isn’t already done frequently and done better […]
Like oysters? Here’s a useful website for your dining pleasure
When I was growing up in land-locked, small town, southeastern Nebraska, we never had much opportunity to enjoy a platter of Gulf oysters. In fact, my first memory of eating oysters was a huge, steaming bowel of oyster stew made from CANNED oysters — one of my dad’s specialties.
But whether you’re an oyster fanatic or […]
Internet writing: My ‘quickie’ lesson for joining and posting in forums
Do you frequent many forums? You remember those Web-less-than-2.0 relics, don’t you? I say that because all the buzz about writing and community on the Internet these days is about “Web 2.0,” though I’ve never really been able to pin down just what that MEANS??
Anyway, you know forums. You undoubtedly visit a few. What you […]
