Writing software manuals or books, or even mini tutorials on how to do something in a particular program comes with a huge occupational hazard.
Read MoreThe perils of writing software manuals (Updated)
News & views
Books (cartooned) by Terry Freedman
Coming soon in Terry Freedman's Books Bulletin
Terry Freedman’s Books Bulletin is short and sweet, and free. The new issue is going to come out tomorrow, 24 December 2021.
Read MoreUsing art for inspiration
in News & views, Archives
I’ve come across lots of books, apps and websites with writing prompts. I don’t think any of them have mentioned looking at paintings. I find that to be quite inspirational, in the sense of inspiring me to write reviews (which I don’t always publish).
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Write! Official Issue #1 out soon!
The next issue of the free newsletter Write! will be sent out today, Thursday 16th December 2021. This is officially the first issue — the previously distributed one was a sample product. This is what the issue contains….
Read MoreFake news and media literacy
in News & views
Much of the narrative about fake news seems to take the view that fake news is peddled by outlets other than mainstream media, that if mainstream media do produce fake news it’s either accidental or because the “journalism” is rubbish, and that basically it’s up to the rest of us to make sure we’re not fooled.
Read MoreWhy are positive reviews so boring?
It’s a sad fact of life that the most entertaining reviews are the ones that are highly critical of the thing being reviewed.
Read MoreBooks Unseen: All of the Marvels
Apparently, the author of this book took on the gargantuan task of reading through 27,000 Marvel comics (which sounds exactly like the sort of job I’ve been looking for!).
Read MoreThe best length of a blog post
in News & views
Which of the following broad categories “should” your blog posts fall into?
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Just some of the fonts available at dafont.com
Handwriting on your blog
So, you’d like to use a handwriting font on your website or blog? It’s pretty easy, but you ought to think about the impression you want to create. And perhaps use it sparingly.
Read MoreRecalling my Discovery of Sherman Alexie
in News & views, Reviews
I always try to follow my intuition. Thus it was that, with deadlines pressing on me, and pressure from all sides, I decided to ignore my intellectual protestations and listen to my inner voice.
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Swearing, by Terry Freedman
Why swearing in writing or speaking is (usually) very ill-judged (Updated)
Gratuitous swearing usually adds nothing to a piece of writing or a talk. It’s unpleasant to listen to, and probably has unfortunate consequences for the offender.
Read MoreCourse: Writing for Blogs: A Taster 2021
My upcoming course on blogging is not a technical course, meaning that if you want to know how to set up a blog on Wordpress or something, this course is not for you.
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£10 note, by Terry Freedman
The value of low-paying gigs
in News & views
The next time you’re offered the opportunity to write for a periodical that doesn’t pay as much as you’d like, don’t just dismiss it out of hand.
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Earnings spreadsheet, by Terry Freedman
The key criterion of a writer’s success (Updated)
How do you know if you are, objectively speaking, a success as a writer?
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Question mark, by Terry Freedman
WIBBOW?
in News & views
In her book Discoverability, Kristine Kathryn Rusch cites the acronym penned by Scott William Carter: WIBBOW.
Read More8 Key Characteristics of Successful Writers
What do you need to be a successful writer? Here are my thoughts on the seven main attributes you need to have in order to make it as a writer – or at least, to give yourself a fighting chance! I believe these hold true for any genre, and any form (ie book or article).Using a points system to incentivise you
Sometimes even the most ardent writers among us just don’t feel like writing. What to do? An article on the Problogger website has made what I think is a great suggestion.
Read MoreSome changes to the Writers' Know-how website
in News & views
I’ve introduced a couple of changes to the Writers’ Know-How website in order to make it even more user-friendly.
Read MoreThe importance of a nice writing set
in News & views
I wrote the detailed outlines of three articles in the space of six minutes. I’m sure the quality of the materials had something to do with it.
Read MoreFreelancing vs authoring Part 1 (updated)
If, like me, you enjoy writing and you would like to earn money from it, should you go down the freelance writing route or write books, or both?
From my experience, here are the pros and cons of freelancing.