Working in Words

Best writers ban the blush with careful fact-checking

2012-03-03T09:55:00.001-06:00

“Just the facts, ma’am.”

Remember that famous line from Los Angeles’ Sergeant Joe Friday (played by Jack Webb) on NBC TV’s “Dragnet” crime drama?

NBC's Dragnet - Jack Webb and Harry Morgan

Facts count for plenty, particularly for writers.

Fact-checking may even trump proofreading, although both are key steps in good writing.

Even press pros occasionally err, printing fiction in place of fact.

In February 2012, the Madison Capital Times ran a political story, based on a news release they received. According to the story, U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI), U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Wisconsin State Representative Steve Nass (R-31^st District) teamed up to urge the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to remove archived posters from the 2011 Madison Capitol protests.

Alas, the story was a hoax, allegedly created by a Madison political cartoonist with Photo Shop skills. But the mistaken story ran for close to 40 minutes on the Wisconsin newspaper’s website before editors discovered its fraudulence.

Internet and other pranks abound.

Urban legends, rumors, and hoaxes can put writers in hot water, unless we do our homework. Several sites can help writers confirm whether stories are fabricated or fact. These include Hoax-Slayer, Internet Hoaxes, On Guard Online, and Snopes. The best course, of course, is to go straight to the source.

Here’s a news flash: A story isn’t necessarily true, just because it appears online, in a press release, or in a widely circulated email.

Remember these headlines and panicked viral messages?

Alligators in city sewers
Facebook charging for use
Grandma drying her poodle in the microwave
LIFE Cereal’s Mikey dead from eating Pop Rocks with soda
Microsoft purchasing the Catholic Church
Spiders under toilet seats in restaurants
Walt Disney cryogenically frozen
Yearly celebrity death rumors

Credibility counts.

Although writers of every stripe may produce publications offering opinionated exaggerations with impunity, printing blatant falsehoods definitely damages credibility. It pays to check the facts before publishing.

Last week, I submitted a story after careful fact-checking, only to find that an editor had altered my title slightly, leading to a changed meaning that brought a few pointed readers’ comments.

Former Murdoch CEO Rebecca Brooks' Horsegate Mount was No Hack

By capitalizing “No Hack,” the editor inadvertently led readers to believe that was the horse’s name. But it wasn’t. In fact, the horse in question was named Raisa.

Whoa!

Every week, a certain celebrity news magazine arrives in my mailbox and bears an entire section of editorial notes to correct factual errors from the previous week’s issue. If I did not receive an annual gift subscription to this gossip rag from a relative, I would surely not subscribe.

Let’s try to keep fiction in the right department.

If I want to read fiction, I will stop at the library. I might browse the new novels section at the local bookstore or on a bookselling website. I’d be willing to be other readers feel the same way.

Any long-term writer probably has at least a few gross gaffes that elicit cringing with each recollection. What’s the worst editorial “oops” you’ve ever had? OK, don’t answer that.

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Daydreaming on Poetry

2012-03-01T14:21:00.000-06:00

Do you love poetry?

I do. I love to read well-crafted lines of verse. I chuckle at limericks. I ponder terse haiku and senryu poems. I sigh over beautiful ballads. I simply adore sonnets.

Poetry offers even the most prolific news writers or serious financial columnists an opportunity to drop their deadline pressures and stop to daydream a bit.

Occasionally, a writer may even find poetry to prove somewhat profitable financially, although that often doesn’t come to pass until after the poet’s mortal demise. Is it possible to earn a livelihood, while living, in writing poetry?

Poetry as a Profession

Consider these quotes on poetry:

“A poet can survive everything but a misprint.”
- Oscar Wilde

“A poet looks at the world the way a man looks at a woman.”
- Wallace Stevens

“Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.”

- Plato

“Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.”

- Leonard Cohen

“Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks.”
- Plutarch

“Poetry is a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted.”
- Percy Bysshe Shelley

Here’s one of my all-time favorite quotations on poetry:

“Always be a poet, even in prose.”
- Charles Baudelaire

Maybe that’s why I keep an entire blog, simply devoted to poetry.

Do you dare to dabble in poetry?

Are you overdue for a little poetic daydreaming? Aren’t we all?

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When is it right for writers to do wrong?

2012-02-21T08:36:00.000-06:00

Call me a rebel, a rule-breaker or an iconoclast.

OK, don’t. As a career editor, I can be quite a stickler for grammatical standards and proper usage of the English language. Blame it on my parentage. My dad (bless his heart) still corrects me, if I mix up “can” and “may.”

Imagine this scene:

“Can I have some more juice, please?”

“Well, you certainly may, if you ask properly.”

Occasionally, exceptions can be excellent.

Sometimes, a little poetic license can go a long way. I’ve purposely penned mechanically incorrect phrasings and created contractions from words that were never meant to be melded.

Maybe you have intentionally crossed the boundaries of correct communications as well.

Call it creativity or art. Dub it distinctive disobedience. Just don’t try it with an editor.

When can writers break through boundaries without causing offense?

I’ve heard it said that it takes a certain level of expertise for a writer to know when to break the rules and when to stay inside the boundaries of correctness.

Perhaps true creativity demands a certain determined defiance, something akin to the rebellious attitude of a toddler in the middle of his “terrible twos” stage, peeking through a fence and wanting more than anything to break through to the other side.

Consider this witty explanation from writing guru William Safire, who made a professional career out of executive speechwriting, journalism and writing instruction. Heck, Safire won the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006. Sometimes freedom applies to the words we write.

Do not put statements in the negative form.
And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.

(From: "Great Rules of Writing")

Now, get out there, and stick your own stamp on your poetry, prose, or other creative writing!

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Sometimes a writing break means much more than R&R

2012-02-12T10:50:00.000-06:00

Every writer needs a respite from wordsmithing now and then. We all run out of juice at some point and have to stop to refill our creative reservoirs.

This is not about that.

Sherry, my friend and writing colleague, is usually quite a productive publisher. She often writes about books, celebrities, food, entertainment, holidays, parenting, television and other hot topics. But she’s stepped away from covering these subjects for a few months.

Instead, she’s been blogging up a storm, encouraging other people through her own pain.

Sherry lost her five-year-old son yesterday after an 18-month battle with cancer. Logan’s life has become a light for many of us, even if we have not met him. This little strawberry-haired lad demonstrated dignity, joy and bravery in the middle of a beastly battle.

To honor Logan, Sherry has asked any and all to take a time out for fun. Play with your kids. If you don’t have children of your own, find something childlike and spunky to do today.

Dance in the kitchen. Make a snow angel. Toss a Frisbee with the dog. Blow some bubbles.

Crank up your favorite tunes, and sing in the car at the top of your lungs. You don’t have to sound like the late-great Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson. Just let ‘er rip.

Our poetic friend Pam is in, and so are many others.

In my house, we’re making heart cookies today, but they’re not for Valentine’s Day this time. They’re for Logan.

Then go tell Sherry what you did.

Give this sweet mom and her readers a reason to smile through the tears over the loss. Maybe Logan will somehow see all of us frolicking in weird ways today, as grownups turn into tots for a moment in his honor.

C’mon. You know you wanna.

Besides, you can always pick up your pen again tomorrow.

One more thing.

Please pray for Sherry and Adam and their other kids. Ask God to comfort those who mourn and equip them to go on another day.

Sherry writes a column about “Dancing with the Stars” on Yahoo! Voices. May God grant her a secret glimpse of her little Logan, as he gives that phrase a whole new meaning for a grieving mom.

Today, all of the links listed are articles penned by Sherry. Why not give her a read?

Yes, sometimes a writing break means a whole lot more than R&R. Today, you can take a rest, have a blast, and make it count.

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Two Months Till the A to Z Blogging Challenge

2012-02-02T16:46:00.005-06:00

Click graphic to sign up.

The A to Z Blogging Challenge starts April 1^st.

Are you in?

Since 2010, bloggers have participated in this amazing alphabetical adventure, writing and publishing blog entries (from A to Z, of course) daily throughout the month of April.

No, this is not an April Fool’s prank.

We really do post daily for an entire month. OK, the alphabet only has 26 letters, so many A to Z Blogging Challenge participants take Sundays off.

It’s fun to play along, and the daily challenge offers wonderful motivation for writing.

Check out the A to Z Challenge Blog hosts for 2012:

There’s even Facebook page, email: 2012azinfo@gmail.com, and Twitter hashtag: #AtoZChallenge.

I took the challenge last year, and I’m ready to roll again in 2012!

Last year, I signed up and completed the entire challenge on all of these blogs:

This year, I’ve signed up for those blogs, plus these additional ones.

Whew! Who’s with me?

By the way, April also happens to be National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo), too.

If you are a poet,

even if you don’t know it,

here's your chance to show it!

How many bloggers join the A to Z Blogging Challenge?

The first year, 100 blogs took up the proverbial gauntlet. Last year, some 1,300 played along. What will the A to Z Blogging Challenge total be for 2012?

Take a look at all the participating blogs so far! Are you ready to add your own name to the list?

If you do sign up, be sure to add the A to Z Blogging Challenge graphic and link to your blog. Wanna play?

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Taxing Times for Freelance Writers

2012-01-29T10:25:00.001-06:00

Tax Day is coming up fast. April 15^th is less than three months away. If you are self-employed as a freelance writer or independent contractor for a publisher or agency, then you may already be feeling the crunch.

How soon should you start cranking out those numbers, and where do you start?

Which receipts do you need to keep? Can you really deduct everything you buy at the bookstore and all those magazine subscriptions? How about continuing education costs and admission fees to cultural and sporting events?

Are your eyes rolling back into your head yet?

Many freelance writers hire professional certified public accountants (CPAs) to keep track of taxable income, allowed deductions, depreciations and other details. (I do.) If your family finances are complex, you may find the enlistment of a CPA to be a worthwhile investment.

My CPA more than pays for his cost, just in the tax savings he finds each year. What’s more, I suspect he has protected me from unintentional tax transgressions more than once as well.

Sometimes it feels as if freelance writers and self-employed individuals have “Audit Me” targets painted on our foreheads. It happens. We were audited several years ago, and the government actually ended up owing me money. (OK, that’s another story, and it was a little over $50. But I felt like a #winner, anyway.)

Plenty of writers produce their own paperwork for tax time.

Bloggers, poets, novelists, columnists, stringers and other freelance copy producers suddenly find themselves donning finance hats to prepare for April 15^th. Many of us are adept with words, but we may struggle with numbers or balk at the prospect of reviewing current tax laws.

My friend and writing colleague Angie Mohr, who happens to be a certified management accountant, is offering a helpful resource. Angie’s eBook, titled “Tax Preparation & Planning for Freelance Writers” (published in 2011 by Hounslow Press as part of the Small Business University eSeries), contains practical pointers for preparing taxes.

Check out these chapters:

Setting Up an Income & Expense Tracking System
Freelance Writing Revenue
Home Office Expenses
Automobile Expenses
Direct Writing Expenses
Can I Write That Off?
Filling Out Schedule C
Minimizing Your Tax Bill
Tax Planning for Next Year

Usually priced at $8.99, the 75-page eBook is available for $6.99 as a PDF download until January 31^st. (Amazon offers the book free to its Prime members.

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Proofreading Goofs and Gaffes

2012-01-27T20:45:00.003-06:00

Proofreading pays. After all, the devil is in the details, as many have said. Is it so?

If you are a published writer, perhaps you know the pain of discovering an errant letter, a misspelled word or a wrongly placed punctuation mark after your work has gone to print. Maybe you have found an entire paragraph uploaded twice in a web article or a verse of poetry missing from the final product.

Alas! The devil may indeed be in the details.

Not long ago, a long-lost high school friend found me on Facebook. She subscribed to my online articles and became a loyal reader. (How we web writers do love our devoted subscribers!)

Then it happened. I posted a link to a timely article on my profile page, and my friend left a cheery comment. In the next line, she pointed out an error in the piece. A double negative twisted the entire intent of the second paragraph.

Oops!

Occasionally, names can trip us up. Just ask my friend Virginia, who finally found her name in print. But it was misspelled and read like an answer to a junior high biology class quiz question on female reproductive parts.

Sometimes a typo or two can make us laugh at ourselves.

My friend and writing colleague ShawnTe Pierce was kind enough to allow me to share a comical goof, which she caught and corrected. Here's how she described it:

“Sometimes I will write a quick article as if I am writing a memo on an acct. (like I just did here, lol) abbreviating longer words. The word should have been ‘assessment,’ but I glossed over my shorthand and was left with ‘asses.’ The sentence read, ‘In order to make a final asses of the layout, you will need...’”

Yep, glossing is where the trouble usually starts, and it happens to even the best writers.

Proofreading pays.

Years ago, I put myself through journalism school by moonlighting as an editor. I’d file my beat stories and then grab giant stacks of book galleys. Blue pencil in hand, I’d mark and mangle. I’d decipher, delete and delineate. And it was profitable.

Sometimes proofreading can be a lot more fun than it sounds. And occasionally, careful editing uncovers unintentional gaffes.

Once I was working on a manuscript for a noted evangelical pastor, writing on sexual abstinence before marriage. Here’s what he said in the final chapter:

“If you follow the guidelines of Scripture, as we’ve discussed in these pages, you should make out just fine.”

OK, I don’t have a footnote on that one, but it was unforgettable.

How things have changed.

The internet explosion has blown the once-guarded gates of publishing wide open. Now anyone can be a blogger, or even a published author. At the same time, web writers and self-published novelists alike often go it alone. Frequently, no editorial staff monitors material before it appears.

Maybe we all need our own editors.

What’s the most intriguing or embarrassing typo or error you’ve ever had published?

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Easy as A-B-C: How to write acrostic poetry

2012-01-25T13:22:00.001-06:00

Acrostic poetry is easy and fun to write, although it can also take plenty of creativity. The best acrostic poets employ theme and language skillfully to paint word pictures and to communicate ideas clearly and colorfully.

Acrostic poetry offers a simple start for aspiring poets. (Yes, you probably tried a few of these as a kid in school.)

Find your key words,

Underline them, or put them in bold.

Now add your lines.

Poets may experiment with a countless variety of acrostic forms. Here are three of my own favorites.

Basic acrostic poetry

This is the simplest form and a great starting point for beginning poets and students to try. Simply pick a word, write the letters of that word in a vertical column, and build the poem thematically from there.

Here is an example of a traditional acrostic poem I wrote (and copyrighted).

Perhaps you have a wonderful idea to share,

Or you may dream in colors mankind has never seen.

Everyone else has no idea

That you live in vibrancy unknown.

Revealing your vision can shake the world

You simply must put it into words.

These are a few additional examples of basic acrostic poems:

Alphabet acrostic poetry

This form of verse is a little trickier. Each alphabet acrostic poem contains 26 lines, and each line begins with a different letter of the alphabet (in sequence).

Here’s an original (and copyrighted) example I have written and published.

Acrostic poetry is fun to write,
Because nearly anyone
Can do it.
Describing acrostic poetry is simple.
Everyone knows the alphabet.
Finding ways to start each line is tricky.
Good writers will reach for great words.
How many lines will the poem have?
In most cases, alphabet acrostics have 26,
Just one line for each letter.

Keeping the words straight,
Lined up in neat columns,
Makes all the difference.

Now others can read the alphabet

Only by looking at the first letters.

Poetry is fun, if you know how.

Quite a few people enjoy

Reading and writing creative verse.

Simply putting pen to paper

Takes ideas and insight..

Understanding poetry

Very often is trickier.

When we take time to ponder it

eXamining imagery, poetry may

Yield something of beauty.

Zooming in on truth.

Rhymed acrostic poetry

This type of acrostic poetry is even more complex. Essentially, it follows the basic format for acrostic poetry, but the lines are metered and rhymed.

Take a look at this original (and copyrighted) example:

Regarding an A-B-C poem,

Have echoes in mind, if you know ‘em.

Your lines, they may flow.

Most readers will know

Each stanza contains is own gem.

This example, actually is a rhymed acrostic limerick poem, using the standard five-line limerick format. Check out two more rhymed acrostic limericks: Maybe Mercy Mends a Mess and Un Reve Peut-Etre (A Dream, Perhaps?).

Here are a few more examples of rhymed acrostic poems:

Occasionally, acrostic poems feature highlighted letters midway through their lines, or even at the tail end of them. Others may jumble these highlighted letters for creative effect.

Want more information and examples? Click here to read How to Write an Acrostic Poem.

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Do you find writing a work or a wonder?

2012-01-24T09:45:00.001-06:00

The wordsmith’s life can be daunting or drudgery, bold or boring, stimulating or sleep-inducing. What do you make of it?

As long as new ideas, story leads and source availability keep coming, writing is a blast.

Just ask my long-ago college English professor Sharon O’Brien. (Nope, I’m not telling how long ago it was.) O’Brien has authored several books, including Willa Cather: The Emerging Voice, New Essays on My Antonia and The Family Silver: A Memoir of Depression and Inheritance.

Here’s how O’Brien described her own writing life.

“Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning,” she said. “I wanted to know what I was going to say.”

Do you love it?

Sharon O'Brien

The art of wordsmithing is sometimes surprising.

See? Writers even shock ourselves, once the ink and ideas begin to flow. Occasionally, an astounding turn of phrase may appear, almost knocking the writer right out of his or her chair.

Sometimes, the thrill of the chase is enough. Tracking down hidden facts for a breaking news story is exciting. Playing with words to craft a clever description is fun. Finding a novel twist for a timely feature is rewarding.

Maybe we just have to get over the fear of the dreaded blank page or screen.

Sure, we’ve all felt the eerie emptiness that occasionally freezes our fingers, leaving the creative process seemingly dead in its proverbial tracks. At such times, I like to revisit the unstructured free-writing exercises of English Composition classes and just start filling up the page with whatever comes.

Try it. See what happens. You can always go back and edit later. Look for nuggets of gold in the pile of gravel you may find. It’s probably in there someplace, if you hunker down and hunt.

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Sharon O'Brien

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How do you balance substance vs. spam in blogging for search results?

2012-01-23T14:24:00.000-06:00

The most successful bloggers and web writers generally aim for quality content and search engine optimization (SEO). It’s a balancing act for sure, and the game just became more complex than ever with another new Google algorithm in action.

First, what is SEO?

Simply put, SEO means copy is tailored to maximize its likelihood of coming up high in results to internet users’ queries on the major search engines.

Writers may employ keywords, celebrity names, hot headline subjects and other wordings that are apt to pop up in popular internet searches. By doing so, web wordsmiths hope to draw in as many readers as possible.

It’s easy to overdo it with SEO strategies and lose the art of good writing. What’s more, many eager bloggers and website designers are tempted to load up their posts with ads and web-links, aiming to increase earnings from monetization.

That’s not all bad, as long as it’s done in moderation, using solid strategies.

Building an online presence

Search engines balk at spam.

Google’s own “Inside Search” blog posted a warning this week, reminding blog publishers to beware of spamming. The massive search engine unveiled another algorithmic alteration January 19^th, and pointed directly at spam-filled blogs.

According to Google’s own description, the change “looks at the layout of a webpage and the amount of content you see on the page once you click on a result.”

Apparently, the new algorithm is aimed primarily at blogs and websites that “make it hard to find the actual original content on the page.”

What does this mean for blog writers?

Somehow, we have to walk the fine line between mindfulness and monetization. We need to stress substance over spam. A few links and ads, placed neatly within the body of blog posts and sidebars, are certainly appropriate. Promotions and listed links should relate topically or contextually to the subject of blog posts.

My friend and writing colleague Marie Anne St. John offers this advice for bloggers: “Google isn't going to tell us outright how much is too much, but stand back and look at your page with fresh eyes.” That seems like a solid strategy.

How to Generate Link Love for Your Blog

How many ads are too many ads?

Without resorting to standardized mathematical formulas, which baffle many wordsmiths (read: English majors) anyway, writers will have to find a way to weigh each blog post or online article.

Essentially, entries offering more original, value-added content are likely to be more readily accepted by the top search engines than posts overflowing with promotions and links. Well-constructed blogs will be visually appealing and readable, rather than jumbled layouts of unrelated ads.

For example, this blog post contains seven article links. Can you find them? One leads to the Google blog. Another goes to Marie Anne St. John’s blog (Write, Wrong or Indifferent). Five links direct readers to related articles I’ve written for various sites.

Are seven links too many? Probably not for a blog post totaling more than 550 words. But seven links in a 100-word post might be considered excessive.

What would you rather read and write, substance or spam?

OK, that’s a rhetorical question. The answer is obvious, right?

Perhaps the ubiquitous bots and mysterious web-crawlers would agree. And who wants to be slapped on the wrist by a massive search engine or two?

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Where do you hunt for creative writing topics and article ideas?

2012-01-23T08:41:00.000-06:00

What do novelists and news writers have in common, besides a love for the written word?

Probably plenty. But here’s a telling trait all writers share. Wordsmiths work hard to come up with a constant supply of new concepts for coverage. Ideas are everything to those who work in words.

But where do the best ideas originate?

Seven Ways to Fill Your Freelance Writing Beat Pipeline

It’s not as if some mysterious muse will whisper sweet story subjects into our ears. No fantabulous fairy godmother is going to tap us on our heads and magically fill us with fresh content concepts.

Gathering the stuff of stories can be hard work. It takes time!

Consider this quote from one of the world’s great minds:

“The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas, and throw the bad ones away.”

Seven Ways to Fill Your Freelance Writing Beat Pipeline

Who said that?

Was it William Shakespeare? Charles Dickens? Emily Bronte? William Safire? Nellie Bly? Edgar Allan Poe? Robert Ludlum?

Nope. Guess again.

That quote came from a prominent scientist. In fact, he won the Nobel Prize twice, once for chemistry (1954) and once for peace (1962). Linus Pauling (1901 – 1994) said that about ideas. This honored chemist knew the importance of sorting out speculations.

The principle, of course, holds for writers as well.

Deadline writers and beat reporters understand this full well. We scratch our heads over story ideas. We chew the bud. We noodle around. We mull things over.

Writing Right: Spotting Seeds for Stories

And then we write.

We sit and struggle to find the right words. We peck and pound at our keyboards and finally file our articles.

Then, almost immediately, another deadline appears on the radar.

Yep, we need a constant proverbial pipeline of new creative concepts. Keep ‘em coming, folks!

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Can you make a decent living as a freelance writer?

2012-01-22T12:37:00.000-06:00

Freelancing isn’t meant to be free, although it certainly represents a form of free enterprise.

As a self-employed freelance writer, can you actually earn a reasonable income? Sure, you might hit it big with a banner headline story or a best-selling book, but those trophies may take time to arrive.

In the meantime, is it possible for a beat writer, blogger, columnist, features reporter, novelist, poet, stringer or web writer to make enough to make ends meet?

Ask my friend and writing colleague, Amy Brantley, who writes “Freelancin’ for $1,000 a Week.” Better yet, check in with her blog periodically to see how she's doing at it. Want to see authentic numbers for a working writer? Follow Amy's posts.

It’s possible to earn real money from writing. However, a fine future in freelancing depends on a few key factors, as I’ve found firsthand during more than three decades of self-employment as a wordsmith.

Here’s the short list:

Personality
Contacts
Experience
Portfolio
Networking
Bookkeeping

Click here to read the rest of the story: Freelancing for Life: Writing, Editing and Earning. Then start planning and writing and making your way in the world of words!

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Good writing is supposed to be hard

2012-01-22T03:16:00.004-06:00

Writing is life to a writer, but sometimes life is hard.

Have you ever had a day when the words just didn’t seem to flow? Despite daily deadlines and midnight brainstorms, wordsmithing can be downright deadly at times. Maybe that’s what makes writing worthwhile.

Write on! A Poetic Knock at Writer’s Block

Remember Penny Marshall’s “A League of Their Own” from 1992? One of my favorite scenes in this baseball film takes place off the diamond, but it’s a gem.

Dottie Hinson (played by Geena Davis), Rockford Peaches team star, is trying to quit baseball. Jimmy Dugan (played by Tom Hanks), the hard-luck manager and former home-run hitter, stops her in the driveway.

“It’s just too hard,” Dottie says.

“It’s supposed to be hard,” replies the coach. “If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great."

Click here to watch the video clip on YouTube.

Maybe writing is a bit like baseball. Real writing is not supposed to be easy. If it were simple, would the best words be worth reading? Would creative writing and journalism classes be necessary? Would English teachers bother to assign essays and compositions?

And would real writers find employment?

I’ve made my living in language – mostly because it’s not as easy as it may appear. So have many of my best colleagues. And the field is still open, for those who can train and play hard.

Batter up!

Seven Ways to Fill Your Freelance Writing Beat Pipeline

Writing Wisdom - My Top 24 Favorite Quotations on Writing

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A League of Their Own screenshot

Movie buffs: What goes into the best movie reviews?

2012-01-21T17:28:00.000-06:00

Want to become a movie reviewer?

A skilled observer and adept writer can often find a ready market for publishing (and building a professional portfolio) by reviewing movies. Local newspapers, cable channels, media websites and other arenas welcome freelance film reviews.

In fact, movie reviews offer one of the simplest spots to start out, if you’re looking for places to publish.

Who knows? You might even score free movie passes, once you make your name as an entertainment critic.

Click here to read more in “How to write a movie review: Flick rating at its finest.”

Great gift ideas for movie buffs

5 Ways to Eat Healthier at the Movie Theater

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Fivefold fun : How to write cinquain poetry

2012-01-21T05:08:00.000-06:00

Have you ever heard of cinquain poetry?

This popular and astonishingly simple five-line poetic form is ideal for beginning writers or creative writing students.

Cinquains are constructed under specific guidelines, counting words and syllables, which actually makes them easier to write than much free-form verse. Topic choices are open, although many cinquain poems have focused on nature.

Click here to read more, including how-to's, examples and the history of cinquain poetry.

Here are a couple of examples of published cinquain poems to peruse:

Image:

Typist photo (circa 1910)

Public Domain

Is your writing inviting?

2012-01-20T16:46:00.000-06:00

What makes writing inviting? When is a reader really reading?

The famous novelist Ernest Hemingway (1899 - 1961) said this about his own writing:

"I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it."

Personally, I think the best writing beckons readers to stop and stay awhile. Skilled wordsmiths practice the art of attraction, simply by plying their trade well.

Inviting Writing

by Linda Ann Nickerson

"Good writing evolves like a dance,

As well-crafted phrasings do prance;

With penmanship fine,

A skillful design,

And meanings beyond the first glance."

... read the rest of this original poem here ...

Image:
from Home Manual:
Everybody's Guide in Social, Domestic & Business Life
(Chgo: H.J. Smith & Co., 1889)