USE AN ONLINE DICTIONARY

WRITING TAG: language references

PROBLEM: Writing that is full of clichés and jargon.

SOLUTION: Frequently look up words in online dictionaries.

IN MY WRITING LIFE: I have a huge vocabulary, but I still look up words! And I look them up often online so that I can easily avoid cliches and jargon while I write.

I don’t need to be a language expert. I don’t need a bookshelf full of thick reference books. I don't need a writing teacher.

I only need a few mouse clicks and a tad bit of typing in my Google search engine to find and use a reputable dictionary site.

It’s a quick process, and it helps me immensely to not waste my time in research when I'd rather be writing!

The results?

A happy writer and writing that is precise and concrete. Writing that communicates exactly what I mean to my readers. Writing that works!http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

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ARE CRITIQUE GROUPS ESSENTIAL?

WRITING TAG: critique groups

PROBLEM: My critique group is not helping my writing.

SOLUTION: Study the working lives of successful writers whom you admire. Then, ask yourself if you need a critique group to help you write.

Many very successful and creative writers write mostly alone. Only one or two very trusted friends or a spouse may see and critique their manuscripts before these are submitted to publishers.

IN MY WRITING LIFE: I have come to realize that writers are unique individuals-- including myself! How we write, when we write, where we write, and with whom we write are decisions best made by ourselves.

If you think critique groups help your writing, keep looking until you find one that works for you! If you think critique groups hinder your writing--then write by yourself. Stop wasting your creative energy in agonizing over these decisions.

If you are a writer who writes best alone, any critique group will hinder rather than help your writing.

This doesn't mean that your manuscripts don't get critiqued by others before editors see them. It doesn't mean that you don't have good writing friends. It doesn't mean that you have a weird personality. It doesn't mean that you don't enjoy and learn from networking with other writers.

It simply means that your dissatisfaction with critique groups is valid--an indication that you work best alone, writing in your own work space without distractions. You're simply not a collaborative writer. And it is okay for you to be that way.
http://www.writermag.com/wrt/default.aspx?c=a&id=1245

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GENERAL VERSUS SPECIFIC IDEAS

WRITING TAG: ideas

PROBLEM: I'm afraid that my ideas will get stolen.

SOLUTION: Understand the difference between general (abstract) ideas and specific (concrete) ideas.

IN MY WRITING LIFE: I freely share my general (abstract) ideas with others in the writing business. General ideas cannot be copyrighted. They cannot be sold. And other people do come up with the same general (abstract) ideas independently, for use in their own writing projects.

On the other hand, I fiercely guard my specific (concrete) ideas. These can be used to pre-sell a writing project. And, yes, someone else can indeed "steal" them if you share them with others before you put a specific idea into a format that can be copyrighted.

Here are examples of general (abstract) ideas versus specific (concrete) ideas:

A child gets into and out of trouble. Very General.

A naughty bunny gets in and out of trouble. General.

A naughty boy bunny, in a blue coat with brass buttons disobeys his mother and goes into Farmer McGregor’s garden where his father was caught and put into a pie but manages to escape and run home to his forgiving mother. Specific.

Beatrix Potters' stories are still under copyright and widely known. No educated person will believe that you thought up the above, specific summary of "Peter Rabbit" up by yourself!

Here is another example:

Children have adventures in strange places and learn a lot of new things. Very General.

Children and a mentoring adult travel to strange places and learn new things in interesting ways. General.

Children and their wacky but lovable teacher who wears odd clothing travel magically to unusual and strange places in their magic school bus and have fun learning new and exciting scientific facts. Specific.

No reputable editor is going to buy a story from you based on the above specific plot summary of a series still under copyright-- and risk getting sued!

Stop worrying that your ideas will get stolen! That only adds stress to your writing life.

Instead, share general ideas freely. Keep specific ideas private.

And write on!
http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-protect.html
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TAME YOUR EXCLAMATION POINTS!

WRITING TAG: punctuation

PROBLEM: My editor says I use too many exclamation points.
SOLUTION: You don't fully understand the meaning of an exclamation point! It is reserved only for words and sentences expressing very strong emotion, extreme emotion. That emotion could be intense horror, surprise, urgency, excitement, or anger. If the words are dialogue, the exclamation point, if used, implies unusual loudness of voice.

IN MY WRITING LIFE: I think of exclamation points as bright red and flashing! When revising a draft, I will sometimes circle and color in my exclamation points with a red marker.

More than one exclamation point on any page is a clear sign that I'm over-using it. I'll go back then and very carefully re-read and think through those pages and rewrite them without the use of exclamation points or with fewer of them, if at all possible.

Sometimes, you do need more than one exclamation point in a paragraph:

"Help! Help! Help!," she screamed. Then her fingers started slipping...

Just make sure the above type of sentence is in the most dramatic and emotionally intense part of your essay or story.

http://www.nationalpunctuationday.com/exclamationpoint.html

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AN INEXPENSIVE WEBSITE

WRITING TAG: publicity

PROBLEM: I need a cheap, ad-free website that looks professional.

SOLUTION: Make a cheap, ad-free wiki at Google Sites.

IN MY WRITING LIFE: I spent last weekend playing in Google Sites, where anyone can get a free wiki to help advertise his or her writing. And what is a wiki ?

The word "wiki" is derived from a Hawaiian word "wiki-wiki" that means "quick." This kind of website is all the rage right now for educators because wikis can be built collaboratively and densely filled with data.

Just think of Wikipedia. That's a wiki. Most wikis tend to look like Wikipedia, too, so you might not think of a wiki as a solution for building a customized, personal website.

At Google Sites, however, you can made a personal wiki that will look as customized and as professional as any writer could desire. You can construct and use it entirely for free. The additional benefit is that your site will not have ads automatically placed on it by Google. You must sign up for their Adsense program if you want ads.

There is a little trick to customizing the look of your wiki. Choose two original photos in jpg format, photos that have not been put on the Internet yet. Convert your photo files to a low dpi (no more than 300) and a gif format. You can do the conversion in just about any photo manipulation program. (If you don't have such a program, go into Google Search, and look for a jpg-to-gif file converter for free; new ones pop up all the time in cyberspace. )

Your first photo should be of a texture like a piece of cloth or a brick wall or a handmade piece of paper--something in a grain and color that pleases you. The second photo should be of something that relates closely to your site. It should also have a color in it that coordinates with your texture photo. (I was mocking up a Sites wiki for a group homes program for foster children and chose a piece of green silk for my texture photo and a picture of a house for my second one.)

In Sites, load your first photo as a site background photo, as a "repeat." Load your second photo as the header logo. (Don't panic. This is all very simple to do once you are actually in your Sites account.) Color your page backgrounds in very light, coordinating pastels. Make your page fonts in darker coordinating colors, fonts, and sizes.

Presto!

You now have a customized wiki of your very own! The look of it will be completely individual, completely unique because you designed the wiki color scheme and backgrounds to coordinate with your own photos. If you can't coordinate colors, find a friend who can. Most people have one!

On Google Sites, you'll also automatically get your very own, simple-to-remember URL; lots of file space; plenty of room for videos, pictures, and gadgety sorts of things; and an easy wiki navigation system.

Google Sites then guides you in how to get your wiki into its search engine and Feedburner--making online publicity much easier for you as a wik owner.

You need to start getting online publicity for your published writing BEFORE it even gets published. That's how fast and how smart you have to be these days as a writing professional. However, you don't need to spend a lot of money either, on fancy software or an expensive web designer, to get yourself a first-class website.

In fact, you don't need any money at all! Just get yourself a Google wiki!
http://www.google.com/sites/overview.html
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