"I don't know if God exists, but it would be better for His reputation if He didn't."
-- Jules Renard
Sunday, 29 March 2009
Thursday, 26 March 2009
Overcoming Writer's Block
By Rick Holton
Everyone faces writer's block from time to time. Sometimes we have trouble coming up with the right ideas or the right wording, and sometimes we just plain don't know where to start. Here are seven tips for helping people in your organization to overcome writer's block.
Brainstorm. If you're having trouble formulating your ideas, discuss them with a colleague.
Analyze your purpose. What are you trying to achieve? What key messages must you not fail to communicate? Organize around these key messages. I once had a colleague who wrote all his topic sentences first. Once he'd done that, he went back and filled in the details. It always worked. An outline could have the same effect.
Think about your audience. Maybe you're nervous because you're writing your first-ever memo to the CEO. Don't be. He's just like you and me. He wants information he can use, in a form that's easy to figure out. Try to ascertain what it is he really needs to know and give it to him.
Just write, regardless of quality. Sometimes the words just don't come, and sometimes we spend way too long trying to get down that first sentence. To cure that, just write anything. It's much easier to revise than it is to write, and you can come back to it later.
Write a different section first. Many people find introductions especially difficult. Write another paragraph first. Or simply say why you're writing and give some hint at your principle of organization.
Talk directly to your reader. Use simple and straightforward language. I once had a client who had gotten hopelessly tied up in the words of an important letter. When she read it to me, I finally stopped her and asked what she was really trying to say. When she said it, it made perfect sense, and I told her to use what she had just told me.
Take a break. If time permits, go for a walk, go out for a cup of decaf, don't consciously think about the writing task at hand. Give your mind a rest. If all else fails, type up your notes or something related to your assignment. In doing so, you will often come up with new ideas or see associations that hadn't been clear before.
Rick Holton is owner of The Holton Group, which specializes in business writing and consulting.
Everyone faces writer's block from time to time. Sometimes we have trouble coming up with the right ideas or the right wording, and sometimes we just plain don't know where to start. Here are seven tips for helping people in your organization to overcome writer's block.
Brainstorm. If you're having trouble formulating your ideas, discuss them with a colleague.
Analyze your purpose. What are you trying to achieve? What key messages must you not fail to communicate? Organize around these key messages. I once had a colleague who wrote all his topic sentences first. Once he'd done that, he went back and filled in the details. It always worked. An outline could have the same effect.
Think about your audience. Maybe you're nervous because you're writing your first-ever memo to the CEO. Don't be. He's just like you and me. He wants information he can use, in a form that's easy to figure out. Try to ascertain what it is he really needs to know and give it to him.
Just write, regardless of quality. Sometimes the words just don't come, and sometimes we spend way too long trying to get down that first sentence. To cure that, just write anything. It's much easier to revise than it is to write, and you can come back to it later.
Write a different section first. Many people find introductions especially difficult. Write another paragraph first. Or simply say why you're writing and give some hint at your principle of organization.
Talk directly to your reader. Use simple and straightforward language. I once had a client who had gotten hopelessly tied up in the words of an important letter. When she read it to me, I finally stopped her and asked what she was really trying to say. When she said it, it made perfect sense, and I told her to use what she had just told me.
Take a break. If time permits, go for a walk, go out for a cup of decaf, don't consciously think about the writing task at hand. Give your mind a rest. If all else fails, type up your notes or something related to your assignment. In doing so, you will often come up with new ideas or see associations that hadn't been clear before.
Rick Holton is owner of The Holton Group, which specializes in business writing and consulting.
Sunday, 22 March 2009
Quotation for the Week of March 22
"Read over your compositions, and wherever you meet with a passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it out."
-- Samuel Johnson
-- Samuel Johnson
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Book Publishers Seeks Web Solutions (But Have Other Problems)
The online publishing site Scribd.com has announced that it's forming partnerships with lots of big publishing houses. We're talking Random House, Simon & Schuster, Workman Publishing, Berrett-Koehler, Thomas Nelson, and Manning Publications. Not lightweights by any means. So what's the benefit in this?
According to GalleyCat, as of last month, Scribd has 50 million readers and 50,000 new writings are uploaded on it every day. My, what a lot of readers and uploads that is.
And as GalleyCat reports, Bantam Dell has embedded a Scribd viewer within its Web site. And authors like Tess Gerritsen and Charlie Huston are offering up whole novels for free. (Ouch! I'm cringing now.)
Meanwhile, Sony is trying to go one-up in the e-book arena on Amazon, by making a deal with Google for a half million copyright-free digitized books. To quote the article: "Sony is hoping that the partnership and its newly expanded library help slow some of the Kindle's momentum. Amazon currently has 250,000 books in its Kindle library, but it stresses that they are the books people are most interested in reading, like new releases and best sellers."
Okay, so publishers are facing up to digital realities. And companies are jockeying for e-book content (assuming we don't all end up giving that content away--sorry, still fuming about that).
Publishers may be adapting to the brave new world of digital content, but they're still befuddling me with stuff like this. Thanks Michelle Gagnon of The Kill Zone for this trenchant example of publishing decisions I'll never understand. Not to mention an airline travel haiku that made me laugh out loud.
According to GalleyCat, as of last month, Scribd has 50 million readers and 50,000 new writings are uploaded on it every day. My, what a lot of readers and uploads that is.
And as GalleyCat reports, Bantam Dell has embedded a Scribd viewer within its Web site. And authors like Tess Gerritsen and Charlie Huston are offering up whole novels for free. (Ouch! I'm cringing now.)
Meanwhile, Sony is trying to go one-up in the e-book arena on Amazon, by making a deal with Google for a half million copyright-free digitized books. To quote the article: "Sony is hoping that the partnership and its newly expanded library help slow some of the Kindle's momentum. Amazon currently has 250,000 books in its Kindle library, but it stresses that they are the books people are most interested in reading, like new releases and best sellers."
Okay, so publishers are facing up to digital realities. And companies are jockeying for e-book content (assuming we don't all end up giving that content away--sorry, still fuming about that).
Publishers may be adapting to the brave new world of digital content, but they're still befuddling me with stuff like this. Thanks Michelle Gagnon of The Kill Zone for this trenchant example of publishing decisions I'll never understand. Not to mention an airline travel haiku that made me laugh out loud.
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Quotation for the Week of March 15
"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding about ourselves."
--Carl Jung
(Thanks, Kenny!)
--Carl Jung
(Thanks, Kenny!)
Thursday, 12 March 2009
What's a Writer Worth? A Lot
There's been a lot of discussion around the blogs about how much to charge clients during a recession and how to compete with writers who are charging pennies a word for their work.
Okay. Let's take this one point at a time.
First, the recession. It's affecting everyone, and everyone includes us. Yes, we're part of the economy, too. Does this mean we should work for slave wages? Does it mean we should give away our services? Does it mean that we should be bidding against ourselves for work? I say the answer is--absolutely not.
Think of how other businesses are handling this. Writers don't usually hand out gift certificates or coupons, but maybe it's something to think about. A kind of good will gesture--one that doesn't devalue our work, but offers a one-time deal.
I donated a gift certificate to write marketing materials at a reduced fee to a Chamber of Commerce fundraiser last month--a B-to-B function, attended by people who might need my services. Will it result in business? I don't know yet. But I'm interested to see if it does.
Otherwise, frankly, I think you should set a fair rate (both to yourself and the client--what's "fair" is a subject for another post) and stick to it. Even though some other writers will work for a fraction of that amount. Which leads me to the next point.
Price competition. If we were talking apples or oranges or gasoline, then I'd be worried. But writing is a skill. And each writer is skilled in different ways. When you hire a writer, you're not buying a commodity--you're buying a specialized service.
Your writing has value. Depending on the kind of writing you do, that value can translate into more readers or advertising for a publication, more customers for a business or more support for a non-profit. It's value that can be measured in dollars and cents. And I'd argue these things are as important--if not more so--during recessions as they are during boom times.
I'm not saying you shouldn't try to work within different people's budgets. Don't try to sell clients a Cadillac writing job if all they can afford is a Yugo. But make it clear that your client will get what they pay for and have a bottom line price in mind below which you won't go. Some writers even set a minimum fee per job. Not a bad idea, actually. Some of us simply don't want to sell Yugos.
Finally, you run a business and if you aren't paid enough for your work, you will run either yourself or your business into the ground handling too many low-ball projects, when you could be using that time to find better-paying ones. And, if it's your business that suffers, I wouldn't count on a congressional bailout.
Okay. Let's take this one point at a time.
First, the recession. It's affecting everyone, and everyone includes us. Yes, we're part of the economy, too. Does this mean we should work for slave wages? Does it mean we should give away our services? Does it mean that we should be bidding against ourselves for work? I say the answer is--absolutely not.
Think of how other businesses are handling this. Writers don't usually hand out gift certificates or coupons, but maybe it's something to think about. A kind of good will gesture--one that doesn't devalue our work, but offers a one-time deal.
I donated a gift certificate to write marketing materials at a reduced fee to a Chamber of Commerce fundraiser last month--a B-to-B function, attended by people who might need my services. Will it result in business? I don't know yet. But I'm interested to see if it does.
Otherwise, frankly, I think you should set a fair rate (both to yourself and the client--what's "fair" is a subject for another post) and stick to it. Even though some other writers will work for a fraction of that amount. Which leads me to the next point.
Price competition. If we were talking apples or oranges or gasoline, then I'd be worried. But writing is a skill. And each writer is skilled in different ways. When you hire a writer, you're not buying a commodity--you're buying a specialized service.
Your writing has value. Depending on the kind of writing you do, that value can translate into more readers or advertising for a publication, more customers for a business or more support for a non-profit. It's value that can be measured in dollars and cents. And I'd argue these things are as important--if not more so--during recessions as they are during boom times.
I'm not saying you shouldn't try to work within different people's budgets. Don't try to sell clients a Cadillac writing job if all they can afford is a Yugo. But make it clear that your client will get what they pay for and have a bottom line price in mind below which you won't go. Some writers even set a minimum fee per job. Not a bad idea, actually. Some of us simply don't want to sell Yugos.
Finally, you run a business and if you aren't paid enough for your work, you will run either yourself or your business into the ground handling too many low-ball projects, when you could be using that time to find better-paying ones. And, if it's your business that suffers, I wouldn't count on a congressional bailout.
Sunday, 8 March 2009
Quotation for the Week of March 8
"I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way."
-- Franklin P. Adams
-- Franklin P. Adams
Thursday, 5 March 2009
Twitter, Twitter Everywhere
It's become a ubiquitous presence. The marketing/networking tool for all users. Everyone today seems to be flocking to Twitter.
Not only are politicos Twittering in DC, but actors are Twittering their fans now.
And, of course, writers Twitter. What writer could resist trying to boil their thoughts down to 140 characters? It's not only a marketing method, it's a professional challenge.
Not only that, but Facebook is redesigning its site to include "Twitter-like real-time chatter." (Just what we need! Even more Twitter!)
I rather like this dour take on how people should use Twitter as more than a way to simply spit out whatever random thought crosses their mind ("I love split pea soup!") or relentlessly tweet about themselves ("I'm an SEO genius!").
And, then there's this hilarious bit from Jon Stewart about Twitter. (Maybe we all need to take a moment, put down our handheld devices and step away from our keyboards. And just enjoy the silence.)
Not only are politicos Twittering in DC, but actors are Twittering their fans now.
And, of course, writers Twitter. What writer could resist trying to boil their thoughts down to 140 characters? It's not only a marketing method, it's a professional challenge.
Not only that, but Facebook is redesigning its site to include "Twitter-like real-time chatter." (Just what we need! Even more Twitter!)
I rather like this dour take on how people should use Twitter as more than a way to simply spit out whatever random thought crosses their mind ("I love split pea soup!") or relentlessly tweet about themselves ("I'm an SEO genius!").
And, then there's this hilarious bit from Jon Stewart about Twitter. (Maybe we all need to take a moment, put down our handheld devices and step away from our keyboards. And just enjoy the silence.)
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Quotation for the Week of March 1
"I write the first half of a novel without knowing what I'm doing. I write the second half knowing exactly what I'm doing and that I'm totally wrong in doing it."
-- Alice McDermott
-- Alice McDermott
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