The Bookshelf: May 17

Introducing: The Bookshelf

5 Fantastic Free Fonts

]]> A daily dose of books, movies and blog posts handpicked for your consumption.

Worst Analogies Ever Written in a High School Essay – “The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.”

Clean or Replace These Things Regularly, Because If You Haven’t Noticed, They’re Absolutely Vile – For keyboards, I recommend detail cleaning with Q-tips and rubbing alcohol.

Stay Undistracted with Instapaper – Everyone needs a good system for saving articles to read later.

Three Little Habits to Find Focus – I regularly use a timer when I am doing my homework. Without it, sometimes I slog through at a snail’s pace. Working within the constraints of a timer can help me complete it lighting fast.

Bulletproof @font-face Syntax – Web designers: if you’re not already using @font-face to use custom fonts on your website, you should be. This syntax is a good workaround to the fact that the top four web browsers don’t like to play nice on which file times they support.

The 3 A.M. Epiphany – Brian Kiteley’s writing prompt books are the best I have ever picked up. I am usually unimpressed with writing prompts. They are often vague and dull reflections that are meant to be encouraging, or an actual prompt that is either too absurd, too specific, or too banal. Kiteley’s prompts are brilliant and they give you the desperate itch to write.

Related posts:

The Bookshelf: May 17

Introducing: The Bookshelf

5 Fantastic Free Fonts

]]> http://eruantale.net/2012/bookshelf-may-16/feed/ 0 http://eruantale.net/2012/bookshelf-may-16/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eruantale/feed/~3/8GdyN5tOG9M/ http://eruantale.net/2012/fantastic-free-fonts/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 12:00:44 +0000 Shawna Marie http://eruantale.net/?p=1801 Related posts:

Version 4.0

]]> Today’s font designers are producing some gorgeous work, and much of it is in my favorite price range, too: free. Fonts are one of the most versatile ways to spice up graphics, posters and publications. I’ve been collecting fonts for nearly nine years, but I always like to find something new. Two of my favorite font foundries right now are The League of Movable Type and LostType. The former offers free open-source fonts and the latter offers fonts on a pay-what-you-want model. Here are five of my top picks.

This is one of my favorite fonts for writing at the moment. It’s particularly slick in italics.

Set up to three different colors to appear patterned on one word. The cross hatching of this font is simply breathtaking.

Junction is a beautiful unique sans-serif font. It looks lovely as a headline and as copy. I happen to use it for the copy on this website.

A sharp modernist font that makes a great impression in print.

I recently used this font as the primary copy font in a book layout and it turned out wonderful.

Related posts:

Version 4.0

]]> http://eruantale.net/2012/fantastic-free-fonts/feed/ 0 http://eruantale.net/2012/fantastic-free-fonts/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eruantale/feed/~3/4jTiHyG7csk/ http://eruantale.net/2012/the-bookshelf-may-15/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:41 +0000 Shawna Marie http://www.eruantale.net/?p=1781 A daily dose of books, movies and blog posts handpicked for your consumption.

3 Tips to Help You Get Smart About Your Studies – My favorite tip was “Get a Bit Weird.” This semester, about 50 students at my college participated in an epic paint war on the lawn during Finals Week, followed by a dance party. I’m not sure if it helped any of us get our homework done that evening, but it definitely alleviated some stress.

Reinterpreting Disney Princess Costumes Through a Historical Lens – Disney movies have never been known for this historical accuracy, but illustrator Claire Hummel decided to explore how each princess might have looked if they were accurate. Every nerd will appreciate her research and everyone will enjoy looking at this fascinating eye candy.

The Stupid Things You Do Online (and How to Fix Them) – Despite our love of and reliance on the internet, it remains an unpredictable wildcard that can cause us trouble if we are not careful. I am guilty of several of these “stupid things” myself.

Facebook Timeline Cover: 40 (Really) Creative Examples – Over the past six months or so, Facebook has been rolling out their new timeline feature. While this has inspired some users to bemoan the change (as they have done with every other modification ever made to the site, it seems), other users decided to use this new feature as a creative opportunity. The results are pretty cool.

Khan Academy – Not sure what to do with yourself now that the semester is over? Now is the perfect time to study the things you wanted to learn on your own but lacked the time to do so during the school year. Khan Academy is a free resource with thousands of free educational videos at your disposal.

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]]> http://eruantale.net/2012/the-bookshelf-may-15/feed/ 0 http://eruantale.net/2012/the-bookshelf-may-15/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eruantale/feed/~3/4qwO8kWf8hU/ http://eruantale.net/2012/common-writing-mistakes/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 12:00:31 +0000 Shawna Marie http://www.eruantale.net/?p=1635 “We can’t publish this,” I say to myself as I look at an article that is supposed to go into the next issue of my college’s newsmagazine. The writing is stilted, the facts are wrong and the document is riddled with typographical errors. Even worse, it’s in first person, and in this case it’s definitely not working. I am the editor of the newsmagazine and I determine that this story needs to go on the shelf for a little while. It needs a total rewrite and that is not what I am supposed to be doing at the production stage.

Most of the stories I edit are not nearly this bad, but it seems that several errors are common in student-written articles. Many of these are also relevant to fiction writers. Eliminate these errors from your writing and your prose will sing and maybe your editor will too.

Prose Pitfalls

Check your writing for these mistakes before finalizing your article or paper.

Always writing in first person.

This is a problem in journalism and in academic writing. One of my English professors says that, unless you already have a huge reputation in your field, write in third person. Your reader will take you more seriously. No article should ever start with: I started taking this stupid journalism class and my teacher told me to pick a topic.

Forgetting the who, what, when, where, why and how.

All of this vital information should be stated in a paragraph close to the beginning of your article. This is the journalistic equivalent of a thesis statement. Without it, it may sound like you’re rambling.

Lame or unclear headlines.

No one wants to read an article with a vague title. The title has to sell the article. “Work Hard, Play Hard” does not tell you what the article is actually about. If necessary, use a two part title with a colon in between the headline and the descriptor.

Dull first sentences.

Once your reader decides to give the article a chance, give them something good into which to bite. Don’t say, “There are many food carts in Portland. One of those food carts is…”

Repetition and wordiness.

Journalism articles are not meant to be Dickens novels, so be concise.

Double spaces.

The convention of hitting the spacebar twice at the end of a sentence has long been outdated. If you can’t break the habit, do a simple find and replace search within your word processor to get rid of the extraneous spaces.

Clunky phrases.

Read your prose out loud and rework awkward sentences. The reason for this is because a lack of checking your prose by reading it out loud can make it sound weird sometimes. (I pray to God you did not take that previous sentence seriously.)

Trailing off.

The ending of your story is just as important as the beginning. Give the reader something to remember and make sure you tie up all loose ends.

Omitting attribution.

Your editor will throw a fit if you include a good quote and forget to state who said it. Incorporate your sources smoothly into your prose so that the attribution is unobtrusive but easy to find if your reader wants to know where you got your information.

Punctuation like e.e. cummings.

Please learn to type. That is all.

Photo Credit: Allie Holzman on Flickr.

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]]> http://eruantale.net/2012/common-writing-mistakes/feed/ 0 http://eruantale.net/2012/common-writing-mistakes/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eruantale/feed/~3/VVAGs0Lwavs/ http://eruantale.net/2012/introducing-the-bookshelf/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 19:00:29 +0000 Shawna Marie http://www.eruantale.net/?p=1660 Related posts:

The Bookshelf: May 16

The Bookshelf: May 15

]]> Today I am introducing a new daily feature to my blog: The Bookshelf. I am a feed reader addict, and I probably pour over hundreds of blog posts during any given week. In addition to that, I happen to work in a library where I get to play with periodicals, movies, documentaries, and books of every genre. Needless to say: I suffer from information overload.

With my Learner and Maven tendencies, I have virtual mountains of information stored up in various notebooks, Word documents, delicious, my iPhone notes and Evernote and a steady stream of new sources to keep me busy. The Bookshelf will consist of a handpicked selection of interesting blog posts, news articles, or tidbits from books that will be posted daily here on Eruantale.net.

How to Search for Jobs Out of College – Graduation just passed for many of my friends and next year I will be in the same boat. The #1 tip for job hunting? Networking.

10 Things Your Commencement Speaker Won’t Tell You – Commencement speeches are always full of over-ambitious advice. “Don’t make the world worse” sounds like a good mantra by which to live.

13 Simple Steps to Get You Through a Rough Day – Save this one for when everything seems to be going wrong. It will definitely brighten up your day.

12 Things Highly Productive People Do Differently - Great advice for students and professionals alike. I need to create a To Don’t list.

Why We Overplan – I am so guilty of overplanning almost every single day. Leo’s description of his overplanned vacation made me laugh because it looks a lot like my own ambitious lists.

Related posts:

The Bookshelf: May 16

The Bookshelf: May 15

]]> http://eruantale.net/2012/introducing-the-bookshelf/feed/ 0 http://eruantale.net/2012/introducing-the-bookshelf/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eruantale/feed/~3/I5TPw0uGLQE/ http://eruantale.net/2012/qr-code-makeover/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 14:15:52 +0000 Shawna Marie http://www.eruantale.net/?p=1614 QR codes—those enigmatic white squares with black pixelated boxes that appear on products, signs, and websites—seem to be here to stay, at least for now. They are simple, compact ways to store and share data that would usually be forgotten: websites, phone numbers, etc. Just scan the code with a free app on your smartphone and you have instant, easy access to exactly what you were looking for. Unfortunately, they are also incredibly ugly. So when I decided to get a QR code for Eruantale, I decided to get creative.

I followed the advice of Hamilton Chan over at Mashable and generated my QR code with 30% error correction. That means that the margin of error is increased to allow the code to remain scannable even if some parts of it are obstructed by a branding element. I opened my ugly black and white QR code in PhotoShop and used it as a base to draw my own custom design.

Above: My QR code before and after its makeover.

It took me a few tries to get a code that worked well when I attempted to put some branding information on it. At first I had “eru” written in the center of the code, but that made it difficult to scan unless it was tiny. Then I tried a simple “e.” That was too simple, and it didn’t seem interesting. Finally I decided to put the name of the website below the QR code itself and added a heart for a small pop of color that would not affect usability.

I tested the code with three different scanners on my iPhone. It worked perfectly. I think this is a great idea for business cards or event posters and I will probably try it again for other projects.

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]]> http://eruantale.net/2012/qr-code-makeover/feed/ 2 http://eruantale.net/2012/qr-code-makeover/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eruantale/feed/~3/5xkkJ2C4xc4/ http://eruantale.net/2012/what-college-feels-like/#comments Sun, 13 May 2012 14:00:49 +0000 Shawna Marie http://www.eruantale.net/?p=1567 Last week was the last finals week of my Senior year. I will be a Super Senior next year, returning in order to finish my minor. This is for all of the students who grew up with the trip and have just graduated or will graduate soon.

The days are long. The years are short. We faced monsters and we survived.

♥

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]]> http://eruantale.net/2012/what-college-feels-like/feed/ 0 http://eruantale.net/2012/what-college-feels-like/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eruantale/feed/~3/2XEn3hBumkk/ http://eruantale.net/2012/terrible-adaptations/#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 19:55:56 +0000 Shawna Marie http://www.eruantale.net/?p=1553 Great literature doesn’t always survive the adaptation from book to movie or book to play. It’s not that the story cannot be retold through a different medium—it’s that the person adapting the story sometime misses the point entirely. What made The Lord of the Rings a great film adaptation despite the much mourned subtractions and questionable additions to the plot was that the filmmakers got the point of the story right. Although they did not translate all of the particulars well, they translated the heart of the story exceedingly well.

Unfortunately, not all pieces of literature are so lucky. C.S. Lewis’ works have been particularly victimized by over-excited and entirely too original adaptations. The first two Chronicles of Narnia films were within an acceptable margin of error for deviance from the original source work. The third film, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which also happens to be my favorite book in the seven-part series, turned out to be disastrously different from the original plot of the book. (Evidently today’s audience won’t accept an Odyssey adventure—they would rather have the Mystery of the Random Green Smoke and the Pointless Quest for the 7 Swords.)

This English major still gets excited upon running into a stage adaptation of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or even better, an adapted stage play of The Screwtape Letters. I like to give adaptations a fair chance and I always hope they turn out well. I saw the former, by David Edgar, at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2005, and I stumbled upon the latter, by James Forsyth, one day while shelf reading in the library stacks at my college. The end-results of these adaptations, however, were disastrous. How can you get these two fantastic pieces of literature so abysmally wrong in a stage play? Simple: Throw out the core of the story and all of the interesting bits to make it “new” and “different.”

The production in Ashland was technically flawless. I could rave about the wonderful acting, the set design, the costuming, and the excellence of every other element of theatre all day. Their material was not quite so fantastic. We saw one of the first performances of the play that year and the next day I ran into a few people who were very excited about seeing it and had tickets for that evening’s show. They asked me if it was good. I struggled to answer the question because the play was no longer about good and evil. Instead, Edgar switched out an evil Hyde for an instinctual animal-like Hyde, threw in some romance, and then added a heaping helping of random childhood guilt to call it good.

Stevenson’s wife, no doubt, would have told Edgar that he has missed the point.

Pictured above: Even the characters in Dawn Treader want to know what in the name of Aslan the screenwriters were thinking when they wrote in the silly green mist.

Then there is Screwtape, the play by James Forsyth based on the book by C.S. Lewis, one of his most popular works of fiction next to The Chronicles of Narnia. I took a peek at the first scene and arched an eyebrow. The characters were there—sort of—with some odd additions. The personalities of the fiends were acceptable. I flipped to the end. It was nonsensical to someone trying to make the connection from the book to the play. Even worse: Lewis’ fantastic bone-chilling ending was switched out for a huge what-the-heck-just-happened-here mess that makes one question whether Forsyth even read the original source material all the way through.

Every writer looks forward hopefully to the day they might have the opportunity to see their work adapted for a new medium. Despite the pitfalls of adapting a book for the screen or the stage, it is still an awe-inspiring experience to see beloved characters from books suddenly come to life in the hands of a good actor. The tragedy of these misguided and poor adaptations is that the author and the audience may finally see the perfect actor embody the character only to have the entire performance wrecked by a nonsensical plot. Luckily Stevenson and Lewis never had to sit through any of these terrible adaptations personally. Their fans can only hope that sometime soon, another author will pick up their work to write a more faithful adaptation.

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]]> http://eruantale.net/2012/terrible-adaptations/feed/ 0 http://eruantale.net/2012/terrible-adaptations/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eruantale/feed/~3/C6NhgHr8as8/ http://eruantale.net/2012/english-major/#comments Sat, 18 Feb 2012 22:40:54 +0000 Shawna Marie http://www.eruantale.net/?p=1547 Related posts:

If You Think Your Friend May Be An English Major

How to Tell if Your Friend is an English Major (or Spends Too Much Time Around One)

]]> I love this meme, but the only English Major version of it that I have seen does not match up to my own experience. So, here is my interpretation.

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If You Think Your Friend May Be An English Major

How to Tell if Your Friend is an English Major (or Spends Too Much Time Around One)

]]> http://eruantale.net/2012/english-major/feed/ 0 http://eruantale.net/2012/english-major/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eruantale/feed/~3/_PI92734LkM/ http://eruantale.net/2011/thanksgiving-into-christmas/#comments Sun, 25 Dec 2011 15:00:36 +0000 Shawna Marie http://www.eruantale.net/?p=1485 I spent the early afternoon hours of Black Friday reeling over the violence exhibited at some of the sales across the country. People who had just celebrated “Thanksgiving” hours earlier busted out the pepper spray, broke into stampedes, and robbed shoppers at gunpoint in order to make or save some money. The violent incidents were caused by a minority of the people who shopped these sales, but they cast a bleak light on the day for everyone.

Once again this week, shoppers went crazy, this time over purchasing new Nike shoes. Shoppers broke down doors and created another stampede. A police officer was allegedly punched and there was at least one attempted robbery. For what? Retro Air Jordan shoes that cost $180.

I don’t lay blame on all of the people who participated in the crazy stampedes and violence this week and at Thanksgiving. The mechanics of crowds make it difficult to act rationally when emotions are high and other people are shoving and running into stores. But the fact that it happened at all is more than a little disheartening.

It’s time to unwrap those shining Christmas presents. It’s fun to give gifts and play with the new toys we receive at Christmas time. I eating great food, putting on my new Christmas socks and enjoying my chocolate orange. But I am reminded harshly when I think back to my trip to Asia that these are luxuries—frivolities, not necessities.

Today, say thanks for the shoes for your feet and the food on your table. And consider the gifts as what they are: blessings.

Merry Christmas!

Photo Credit: Stuck in Customs – licensed under Creative Commons.

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]]> http://eruantale.net/2011/thanksgiving-into-christmas/feed/ 0 http://eruantale.net/2011/thanksgiving-into-christmas/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eruantale/feed/~3/CEfUMgVb4pw/ http://eruantale.net/2011/holiday-survival-guide-dealing-with-the-crazy-relatives/#comments Sat, 24 Dec 2011 21:19:00 +0000 Shawna Marie http://www.eruantale.net/?p=1471 Seeing all of your friends and family during the holiday season is either something you look forward to or something that you dread. Maybe it’s your rude aunt, your strange cousin, or that other relative that you’ve always known was “cray cray.”

No matter who you dread seeing this holiday season, here are some constructive tips for making the best of being around the bizarre collective of people who happen to be related to you either by blood or other connections.

Laugh at the absurdity

When the yams are on fire, the little ones are shrieking, the dogs are barking, the two who just can’t get along are arguing, and weird uncle Ned is trying to tell you about his latest shenanigans, let yourself see the situation for what it is: absurd. Accept it and laugh at it.

Write it down

Throwing all of your friends and family under one roof for a Christmas dinner can produce unusual side effects. Some of the stories surrounding holidays in my families are ones you would never make up on your own, so they are perfect for your creative writing journal. Jot down what happens this year and use it as fodder for a family gathering in your novel.

Stick with the sane ones

Hopefully, there are a few family members you enjoy being around. Hang out with the normal ones. Then when your great aunt starts telling drunk stories, you have something else on which to focus.

Take a break

If it all becomes too much, step outside for a little bit. Go for a walk, or get some fresh air out in the yard. Play with the kids instead—the ones who aren’t screaming. Hide in the bathroom for a few minutes if necessary.

Remember: eventually it will be over

At some point, either you will pack up and go home or everyone else eventually will get out of your house and your hair and things will be normal again. Remind yourself that the strange people who are related to you will only be there for so long.

Focus on the positive

The holidays are supposed to be a joyful time of celebration. Focus on the things that make it enjoyable for you, whether it’s the spiritual dimension of the season, the Christmas carols, the gifts you’ve received, or simply the desserts.

Photo Credit: Mukumbura – licensed under Creative Commons.

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]]> http://eruantale.net/2011/holiday-survival-guide-dealing-with-the-crazy-relatives/feed/ 0 http://eruantale.net/2011/holiday-survival-guide-dealing-with-the-crazy-relatives/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eruantale/feed/~3/pXfAHEah0zg/ http://eruantale.net/2011/file-this-under-things-celebrities-shouldnt-be-doing/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:06:33 +0000 Shawna Marie http://www.eruantale.net/?p=1445 I’m laughing hard this morning because a friend of mine shared an article stating that R. Kelly has written another 32 chapters of “Trapped in the Closet.”

When celebrities write anything, the quality is sure to be questionable. When R. Kelly writes “Trapped in the Closet”, the result is sure to be crazy, bizarre, amusing, and slightly frightening. The best thing I can see coming out of this is a sequel to Weird Al’s “Trapped in the Drive Thru.”

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]]> http://eruantale.net/2011/file-this-under-things-celebrities-shouldnt-be-doing/feed/ 0 http://eruantale.net/2011/file-this-under-things-celebrities-shouldnt-be-doing/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eruantale/feed/~3/LpxrhhcB-zk/ http://eruantale.net/2011/camp-nanowrimo-starts-tomorrow/#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:04:25 +0000 Shawna Marie http://www.eruantale.net/?p=1338 Is it just me, or does the name Camp NaNoWriMo make you really want to sing the Camp Anawanna song from the old Nickelodeon show Salute Your Shorts?

I’m absolutely thrilled that tomorrow is the beginning of National Novel Writing Month‘s very first camp themed summer session. I look forward to writing a novel in a month every November, but unfortunately November happens to be end-of-semester time for me.

Although our fearless writing club at my school pushes through and balances both GPA and novel-writing, it’s a challenge. July and August usually come hand in hand with a lighter workload and fewer responsibilities than November, especially for students.

Above: Fearless writers, ready to take on anything; writing a novel in a month? Been there, done that.

That’s why Camp NaNoWriMo is the perfect chance to dive into novel-writing head first, without having any experience whatsoever. You have far less to distract you from one of the craziest creative goals you’ll ever set: writing a 50,000 word novel in a single calendar month.

So, with less than twenty-four hours before it’s time to put your pen to the paper (or set your fingers typing) if you plan to start in July, I have a few tips for beginner WriMos and veterans alike.

Get over yourself.

Ernest Hemingway said that the first draft of anything is, essentially, a giant turd*. Yet we often delude ourselves into believing that the moment we put a word onto a piece of paper, it is final. Writing the first sentence to a novel is terrifying. What if it turns out terrible? What if my novel ends up starting out like this?

“It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents–except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.”

First of all, look at how many words that first sentence is! Of course, it’s crap. But it’s long crap! If you write a horrible opening sentence, don’t freak out. Don’t delete it either. Just mark it with brackets, bold lettering, italics, another color, whatever. And then start a new opening sentence.

You’re not going to publish this novel at the end of the month. Actually, if you’re like me, you won’t even look at the thing for another thirty days out of fear that it’s downright terrible. Remember: You’re writing for fun. If you want to make a profit off of it later through publishing, just know that you’ll have a lot of editing to do, and accept that. So did Hemingway.

*P.S. His actual quote involves a four letter word, if you care to look it up. My version is more fun.

Take an idea and run with it.

Humans are imaginative creatures. Just think back to the games you used to make up with your friends when you were kids—or all of the creative ways you or your siblings found to torture each other. You don’t really have to be extraordinary to write a novel. You simply need to be a little imaginative.

Have you ever come up with an idea and then said, “That would make a great [novel][movie][video game][comic book][anything else here]!”? If so, then why are you sitting around waiting for someone else to write it? It’s your idea! If not, you’re still in luck. There are loads of WriMos in the Adopt a Plot post willing to donate their random spark for your use instead.

Still need to get your imagination going? Go explore a little on Flickr. Find an interesting photo. Come up with a story about it. Come on—you’ll at least get 1,000 words out of it!

Above: Interesting photo? Check.

Now, take your idea—whether it’s a fleshed out legitimate story arc or simply, “There was this girl on the beach and this other random person and it was really ominous and this is going to be REALLY COOL!”—and start working with it. Get out some scratch paper and word vomit all over it.

Start writing random facts about your characters and your setting. Write how they would interact with each other. Write about their problems. Let your pen trail wherever your mind wants to go and see where it takes you. Your creative gears just need a little oiling and a little push to get them turning again, but never fear. Those suckers will roll out of control like nobody’s business by mid-July.

Make time, be prepared, and have fun.

It’s probably much easier to set aside time to write 1,613 words every day in the summer than it is in the fall. Get up a little earlier. Go to bed later. Cut out an hour of TV each night. Tell friends and family what you’re doing so they can offer verbal support and also support you by leaving you alone while you’re in writing mode. Carry a notebook everywhere.

Write while on the bus, waiting in line for the final Harry Potter movie (come on! BEST TIME TO WRITE EVER!), on your lunch breaks, waiting for your computer to load something, waiting on hold, or while someone else is driving on a long road trip.

Above: This author proves that the random story you start writing on coffee house napkins can net you millions of dollars. But your mileage may vary.

Also, make sure you have what you need to write. Find a good spot to do most of your writing. Maybe it’s at your desk, at a coffee shop, or in a tree. Stock up on pens you like and a notebook you like. Seriously. Writing with a flowing pen on nice paper is way more inspiring than writing on an old water-stained scratch pad with a dying free pen you stole from your school.

If you like to type, get an ergonomic keyboard—even if you have a laptop (they usually connect via USB). Get a wrist rest or a supportive glove to wear while typing. The last thing you want is for wrist pain to kick in mid-month.

Recruit some friends to take this on with you or go at it solo. Either way: have fun. Write whatever the heck you want. This is no assignment. It’s not a contest. You’re doing it for your own benefit and amusement. Don’t pretend to be the kind of author you’re not. Let your voice come out and enjoy every minute of it.

Photo Credit: Brandon Warren – licensed under Creative Commons.

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