Stumped for some ideas on what to write about? One way to tackle that sort of block is to generate ideas randomly. The trouble with random idea generators, however, is that they are usually either outlandish (for example “mobile fish typewriter”), boring, or repetitive. That’s because they’re too random. Also, you have to dance to someone else’s tune: there’s no input from you whatsoever.
4 Ways to Write Quickly
in How to
“Well, just bash it out. Even if you have to do it all in bullet points and stitch it up later.”
That was Elaine’s response to my comment that I had, in effect, only a few hours in which to write a comparative review of two educational technology products, obtain all the specs, and come up with ratings and an incisive conclusion, and all in 1500 words.
My cup of tea froze halfway to my lips.
“Bash it out?! Stitch it up? I’m not some hack who just churns the stuff out like a machine. I’m a craftsman. Each article is a work of art, each word carefully selected having been hand-picked from the millions of words available. The result is a thing to be admired, savoured, treasured even.”
“You mean like haute couture?”
“Indeed. Exactly so.”
How to make your web pages text-reader friendly
Pictures on websites look great, don’t they? But only if people can see them! Not everyone has broadband access; some people still have (very slow) modems. Others use a text-based browser, or a text reader that reads out the web page to them – or simply do not have the time to wait while pictures download and appear on their screen.
Something of interest 11/15/2011
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Blogging and tweeting as a collaborative writing engagement
Interesting ideas here, including use of a projector. I like the way the class is enjoying the work of other schools, and the way they collaborate in their responses.
Mind your language
in Language, News & views
Here are a couple of odd uses of language I came across recently. At least, they made me sit up and take notice, and perhaps that was the point.
Read MoreMaking your email links more user-friendly
in Handy hints, How to
All websites should have easy-to-find contact details. It’s been found that the average time a person will wait for a web page to appear is 8 seconds, before giving up and moving on to another site. If the same holds true for locating information, you need to make sure that visitors can find your details in under 8 seconds.
Read MoreDo exercise, be creative
in Handy hints
Fortunately, I don’t suffer from writers’ block. I do, however, sometimes suffer from lack of inspiration. This manifests itself as wooden prose, ie stuff that is as dull as ditch water to read – doubtless because it was very difficult to write.
Read More8 Rules for writers
Here is a set of rules that I hope you will find useful. The way I see it, readers’ time is far too precious to waste. People are made to feel guilty, or have somehow been conditioned to feel guilty, if they don't read every possibly useful report. Or every relevant newspaper article. But as writers, or content producers, we have a responsibility too. Here are some rules which I am gradually starting to live by myself.
Why I reject rejection slips
in News & views
Conventional wisdom has it that you should keep your rejection slips to remind you of how far you've come as a writer once you’ve established yourself. I’ve even read of people who proudly plaster their walls with the things.
Read MoreThe value of clippings
I feel a bit like the first person in Khalil Gibran’s story of The Gravedigger. It’s taken me years and years, but I am finally getting rid of boxes and boxes of my clippings, ie the articles I’ve had published.
This is not out of necessity, even though they do take up a fair bit of room in our loft. It’s just that I’ve decided I don’t need them any more, which made me think: why does anyone need to keep their clippings?
I think there are three main reasons.
Something of interest 10/25/2011
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Take Creative Writing Outdoors! | Scottish Book Trust
Nice idea to get kids writing, and a pretty obvious one once you've heard it!
Would going to a nice natural environment work for adults too? Of course! And if you have a smartphone and an Evernote account, you can take notes and incorporate photos in a special "story ideas" notebook.
How to store clippings
How do you keep your clippings?
If you keep them in paper format, they take up more and more room as your portfolio grows. If you keep them in boxes in the loft, as I do, you never get to see them anyway. I think if you’re going to store them in printed format you should go the whole hog and keep them nicely bound in some sort of presentation folder, and place them on shelves in your living space so that they can be admired by you and anyone who happens to browse your bookshelves!
The future of journalism
What technology skills should the modern journalist have? Earlier in the year Tony Johnston, of the Press Association, gave a talk online for a “Teachshare” session for Vital. It was fascinating, and a few things stood out for me:
Read MoreMy blackberry isn’t working: technology and language
Here’s a video that is a nice, humorous illustration of how technology has influenced our language.
Read MoreSome of my reference books
Just because I love technology and spend a lot of time on the web, and writing for the web, doesn’t mean I’ve eschewed books. I still use books extensively (and intensively) for my writing. Not any books either, but ones written or contributed to by experts.
I think if you’re serious about writing you don’t want to be messing about with so-called “crowd-sourced” information, which may or may not be correct.
The basic rule of blog headlines
Much has been written about what makes an effective headline for a blog article (and I should thoroughly recommend reading @copyblogger on the subject of How to Write Magnetic Headlines). For example, I’ve read on various writing-related blogs that headlines should be seeded with keywords for the purpose of SEO, or search engine optimisation. It all sounds pretty complicated, despite assurances to the contrary. Perhaps too complicated. Because the bottom line is that there is a very simple rule to observe.
Read MoreBrevity definitely IS the soul of wit
This afternoon I found myself in an emotionally challenging superfluous text situation. In other words, I became somewhat “wound up” by having to waste my time reading a long-winded sentence that was clearly designed to demonstrate the erudition of the writer rather than facilitate the understanding of the reader.
More on self-publishing
Clive Shepherd, an education consultant in the UK, has written a very useful post about the processes involved in self-publishing in paperback via Lulu, and electronically in the formats required by the iBook, Kindle and Sony Reader.
Read MoreTop tips from a self-publisher
John Betcher is publishing a series of top tips for self-publishers, in batches of 5 at at a time.
It’s all good stuff. John seems to do a lot of experimentation, and then reports back on how things worked out, warts and all.
Read MoreLanguage as a window into human nature
in Bits & bobs, Video
Fascinating video from the RSA. Well-worth watching by any writer, any student of language and nuance.
Read More