Write Thankfully Now

Thanksgiving disasters and delights make wonderful short stories, essays or scenes in a novel. Did you write down those experiences?  Better do it now while the imagery, conversation and characters are fresh in your "write mind".  How many times did you say, "remember when Nana cremated the turkey" (Yes, she did, and nearly burned down our kitchen too) or other fond family memories?  Write them down NOW.

These moments are ideal for Thanksgiving holiday articles. Keep in mind that Thanksgiving starts in June or July for writers who intend to submit articles to print or feature publications. You can get the story on your blog instantly, however, having additional lead time to tease these as a feature is still better than instant upload.

Rule of thumb for writing holiday material is to submit 5-6 months ahead of the actual publication date. Publication date for a November magazine may be September, so that backs up your deadline farther. Scan those writer's guidelines for detailed information. When you find the deadline dates, add immediately to your new year calendar. The stories your family loves to recall during holidays will resonate with readers. So share your stories, get published and (preferably) make money.

Some turkeys trot

Being in the crowd at the start of the Times Turkey Trot was like getting dropped into a fantasy novel, where unusual characters are the norm. It was a reminder that creativity transcends the obvious. My favorite interpretation of the Thanksgiving holiday was with the inimitable Knife and Fork.

Not to be outdone, two guys morphed into turkeys. Needless to say the people watching was amazing. When you consider that every trotter has a story, over sixteen thousand stories ran past me; plot lines all around!


I found the Turkey, who managed to stay ahead of the fork and knife. A wonderful, healthy way to start Thanksgiving Day.



Imitation is flattery or in this case fatter

The recognition of NANOWRIMO is moving from writer groups to the popular jargon where it's being imitated. Have you seen NaBloPieMo? That's new to me also so had to click for more info. This is a pie a day for the month of November as a feature on BlogHer.com.

This reminded me of the old saying, "imitation is the most sincere form of flattery." Apparently this quote is so often imitated (or claimed) I found several alleged sources from Ghandi to Charles Colton. Imitation is a downhill slide that's exhilarating at the top, not bad during the ride and dull at the end. Such is the cycle of imitation in genres or books. Frankly, I'm ready for the Vampire and Zombie craze to hit the bottom. To make the stories different, writers go far outside the "norm" (strange word for the un-dead) to have Zombies who talk and Vampires with a tender side. Yawn. Pie baking is more interesting so slide a pie in the oven and see how many words you can write while it bakes!

E-Book silent revolution growing

2011 may be the year that e-books dominate publishing. Out from this much aligned, easily dismissed electronic publishing format, the e-book is the "little engine that could" and did! 

Nook in color
James McQuivey, writing in Forrester.com, goes so far as to predict "When the dust settles, publishers will think think of their eBook strategy first.  Does this spell the end of print publishing? Not at all. McQuivey theorizes that
"Paper decisions will be made as an adjunct to digital decisions. Many, many books will be published without paper versions at all, at least until they get enough critical mass to justify going to paper."

Rather than a death knell this sounds to me like a celebration for new and formerly mid-list authors. The rising costs of traditional publishing has led to fewer books coming out each year. Publishers are less willing to invest in new authors. For writers, that's been the real death knell. If McQuivey is right, this option to try in ebook before print opens many new doors for writers. New authors develop a e-book following with cost efficient to free social media marketing and have time to build a print book audience.

So authors, start your computers! This economic driven change in publishing opens creative opportunities to us that are unprecedented.



Look who is cheering on NANOWRIMO

What do Sue Grafton, Piers Anthony, Jonathon Stroud and Meg Cabot have in common? (P.S. the answer is NOT bestsellers). These successful authors sent encouraging messages to the NANOWRIMO community. They know how it feels to face a blank screen and an equally blank brain that all writers experience on the way to composing something wonderful.

If you are among the writing fanatics participating in NANOWRIMO, congratulations! Whether or not those 50,000 words are the launching pad for your literary career or simply the motivation to start writing regularly, this event is worthwhile for each writer on a personal level. Write on!!!

To motivate your Write Brain - move your body

Writers can spend hours sitting in front of the computer. The concentration is so intense that you forget an unseen element of your success - your brain. Brain cells work better when your entire body takes time to move. Exercise is an important partner in for your writing success. Walking is an easy way to fit 30 minutes of exercise into even a busy workday or writing schedule.
Start by setting your clock ahead 18 minutes. Before going to bed, lay out comfortable shorts and tee with walking shoes and socks beside your bed. In 3 minutes, you can sit on the side of the bed and change into walking clothes. Then get a drink of water on the way out and you can be on the road in 3 minutes. Remember to clip the pedometer to your clothing and reset for a new day.
Start by walking 15 minutes in an area near your home. If it’s still dark, wear reflective tape on your shoes and reflective clothing. When you return from this brisk walk, go right to the shower and prepare to dress for work.
Transfer the pedometer worn during the morning walk to your work clothes. See how many steps you take during work hours. Make the effort to add to that count by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking farther away from the office and walking down the hall to deliver a memo instead of tossing it into inter-office mail slot.
After work, you want to get home and unwind. Decide if you prefer to take another 15 minute walk before dinner or after dinner. If you walk after dinner, allow at least an hour for your food to digest before walking. 
Without any fanfare, you can add 30 minutes of aerobic walking to your day. Not only is this important for your heart health but it’s ideal for kicking the fat burning stage to a higher level. As a bonus, your brain cells get more oxygen and feel refreshed from the exercise break.
 P.S. That's me about a local race. As a race walker I enjoy the event without harming my knees.

"Fearless is the new black" - - Yes it is!

Fearless - - - what would you do if you had no fear of loss, failure or embarrassment? Would you move from being a writer to a published writer? How many articles or book proposals would you submit if you didn't fear rejection?  I appreciate Patty Hogue Soffer who is teaching business owners how to rise from disaster to success based on her real life experience. Rather than being stuck in the past disappointments, she's moving forward at warp speed toward new goals including writing a book.

Catch the enthusiasm from Patty's blog entry, "Fearless is the New Black". Speaking of fearless, she zip lined through the Scottish wilderness on a recent trip only to return home to an art class.  So it's not about going out to an adventure, it's about the adventure of discovering who you are and what you can create right where you are.

So be fearless. . . .boldness is always in fashion!

Oxymoron Alert: Inopportune Bogey

Sports announcers have time to fill and no script. A golf analyst commiserated, "that was an inopportune bogey".  By definition, a "bogey" is taking one more shot than par or in lay terms, "one too many". When is missing the mark opportune? Would you say "inopportune auto accident", implying there is a good time for an accident?

Before I get a call from St Andrews defending this golf-speak, it goes to show how quickly phrases can be misunderstood by those who are not "in the club". I still contend that the golfer in question, who ended up losing the tournament, saw nothing "opportune" about his bogey.

NANOWRIMO v. 10/10/10

Laura Miller goes against the grain to "just say NO" to NANOWRIMO. Blasphemy you say?  No, it's switch pitch for the 10/10/10 project. This ambitious goal keeps writers reading, not their own words but those of others. Good writers are avid readers so this make sense.

Not inclined to indulge in what she calls "self agrandizing frenzy of NANOWRIMO", Laura Miller supports the challenge launched by Kalen Landow and Melissa King to read 10 books in 10 categories between January 1 and October 1. For maximum effectiveness, read books outside your writing genre or your favorite genre. For me that would be 10 books on Zombies, Vampires, Romance and Westerns.

January is coming soon. Would you make the 10/10/10 commitment? Think about what you might read in different genres. That seems to require a trip to Barnes & Noble or Borders, don't you agree? A nice afternoon in the bookstore with coffee sounds ideal. But it will have to wait until I finish my day job.

How does coffee sell more books?

If coffee motivates book buyers, then I want my books printed on coffee scented paper! Internet Psychologist Graham Jones says studies show drinking coffee lowers resistance and causes people to buy more books. No wonder coffee shops inside bookstores are popular!

My fav - Starbucks Pumpkin Spice
Conversely the lack of controlling coffee drinking is a negative for online book sellers. The online world is screen limited, without the ability to control sights, smells, displays and other clever ways that retailers turn lookers into buyers. If you want a great example of this visit IKEA stores. On the way out as you approach the check-out stands you are enveloped in the scent of cinnamon buns. Guess what - - - those hot pastries are right there to get one more dollar or two out of your wallet.

Perhaps there is an option - - - a discount based on amount of caffeine intake prior to purchase. That's hard to monitor. What about using a photo of steamy, cream topped latte as the "buy" button?

Assuming Jones is correct, make sure to bring coffee to a meeting with an agent or publisher's representative. . . and make it a Venti with extra shots.

Study of Tweet-speak

Careful what you say on Twitter. Those 140 characters are being anaylzed by academics for meaning and purpose. Do all Tweets have meaning? No. Even that is meaningful for linguistic analysis and psychological profiling according to Dan Zarrella who developed Tweet Psych.

In Zarrella's creative conscious, social science and psychology, converge (or maybe collide) inside those prolific little Tweets. Get his take on this at The Science of Retweeting. Inside this article is a substantial report for download with more analysis.

Among Zarrella's recommendations is to stop short of the 140 characters or about 120. That leaves room for the ever popular "retweet".  The same day I read this article I also read a comment from Writer's Digest suggesting to take one word out of every sentence to improve writing. This is a simple, yet inspired idea. Wait, let me try that again.  This is a simple, inspired idea.

NANOWRIMO in action

Huddled in the corner of Panera Bread frantic fingers flew, rushing to meet the day's word count. Who are these strange creatures tied by electrical cords and mice? They are writers pursuing the elusive novel in a month. Yes, these writers celebrate NANOWRIMO by cranking out 50,000 words in a month. Such is the essence of National November Writing Month when writers choose to experience extreme frustration and stupendous joy in  rapid cycling positively manic.

St Petersburg members of Florida Writers Association gathered to write, empathize and encourage. Take this great idea and run with it. Call a few dedicated writers and invite them to join you for an early afternoon NANORIMO session as local restaurant, coffee shop or bookstore with free wireless internet access. Gather in a back corner so that the key taping, laughter and occasional weird plot twist conversations will not scare the locals. If possible get a free public service mention in the local newspaper. You may find that this fledgling group decides to stay together and become a regular writers critique group. That could be a value-added benefit of NANOWRIMO.

Cheap Conversion

Zamzar mascot?
Sorry no sinners to saints stories but there is "grace" for writers who lack the bucks for big Adobe or other sophisticated files.  Zamzar offers as free option for file conversions with more choices than a candy store. You can use this site to convert a pdf to a mobi (Mobi pocket ebook) or JPEG image to GIF or BMP. That's only a small sample, it's a bonanza for writers.

For larger files or repeated use, you are asked to sign up for Zamzar which is still a bargain at $7 month for Basic or $16 for Pro Edition. Since there is no long term contract or penalty for cancellation, you can use this when needed and opt out when your writing project is complete. With so many new opportunities for eBooks and Kindle/Nook uploads, Zamzar is a cost efficient option for the photos, graphics and video to make your work sparkle. 

What can the iPad do for writers?

The iPad brings instant coolness to the holder. People will let their lattes chill while fawning over an iPad. It's as much a curiosity as was the Model T Ford at the turn of the past century. Frankly, it may be about as useful since this shiny Apple is a brighter version of old school chalkboard, lacking the power of a netbook.

Going from heavy laptop to netbook for travel was a major improvement. Reducing the backpack weight from old laptop to netbook makes it possible to keep the computer handy. Having that electronic note taker at my side when an idea lands is wonderful. Then came the iPad; a small, sleek, even easier to carry device arrived. Fortunately my iPad envy was cured after handling the device and noticing it's lack of USB port and printer connection.

Publishing executive Michael Hyatt, an early iPad adaptor, validated my initial thoughts by characterizing the iPad as "an elegant solution in search of a problem." With the advances in smart phones and the increasing availability of free wifi hotspots, including some city block areas, the iPad is an overly expensive toy. For writers, the actual keyboard of a netbook or laptop may be the more efficient alternative to working away from home base.

As for Apple technology, I can only say, "Please Steve Jobs, cure my iPhone envy by bringing this magnificent phone to Verizon." As for the iPad which rumor says is coming soon toVerizon users; yawn.

Ode to creativity

What better way to start NANOWRIMO than with a new video from Errol! Not sure about his novel, but his videos are fantastic. If this does not inspire you to start writing your novel this month, then nothing will. I had to pause and share this with you. After the fifth time of watching and laughing, GET BUSY WRITING.