SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Keeping this particular blog going has proven to be more of a chore than I anticipated and I apologize to my small band of loyal readers who are using me as a resource. My two other blogs, plus a consulting job writing for money, are keeping me from developing this as it deserves.
For the next few weeks, this site will remain unchanged, but will return with a series of new features (and hopefully new links) around mid-June.
At least that's the plan right now, and I'm stickin' to it.
Writers! Start your computers.
And like the guvenator of California says in his bad movies, I'll be back.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Scan those newspapers for writing ideas
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Just as I was donning my IPod, running shoes and ball cap for my three-mile, sweat-inducing, heart-pounding run along the river, I saw this story in today's San Francisco Chronicle.
Yoga story
Lift and stretch. Lift and stretch.
If you read my other blog, From Where I Sit, these first few graphs sound familiar. They should.
From Where I sit
But what struck me about the story, besides the photo that caught my eye, (you have to go to From Where I Sit to see it, or click on Yoga Story above) was the possibility for an Op-Ed or column about yoga, prudishness in people, or the simple fact that naked yoga classes are popular, but perhaps not in the Iowa.
Every day I scan the newspapers, newswires, and yes, even blogs for ideas for stories for one of my paying jobs, and also for possible Op-Ed pieces.
And even if you don't have a market for a good 500-650 word piece about, say, Naked Yoga, write it anyway. It's good mental exercise, limbers your fingers and creates writing samples. And if you don't have a market, create an email list of friends who are kind enough to read your work and kind enough to not tell you if they don't.
More on self-syndication in another blog.
Lift and stretch. Lift and stretch.
If you read my other blog, From Where I Sit, these first few graphs sound familiar. They should.
But what struck me about the story, besides the photo that caught my eye, (you have to go to From Where I Sit to see it, or click on Yoga Story above) was the possibility for an Op-Ed or column about yoga, prudishness in people, or the simple fact that naked yoga classes are popular, but perhaps not in the Iowa.
Every day I scan the newspapers, newswires, and yes, even blogs for ideas for stories for one of my paying jobs, and also for possible Op-Ed pieces.
And even if you don't have a market for a good 500-650 word piece about, say, Naked Yoga, write it anyway. It's good mental exercise, limbers your fingers and creates writing samples. And if you don't have a market, create an email list of friends who are kind enough to read your work and kind enough to not tell you if they don't.
More on self-syndication in another blog.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Writing the travel piece, just for the writing
MICHOACAN, Mexico - Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle (and its online version) had a wonderful piece about a stretch of Mexican coastline between Manzanillo on the north and Zihuatenejo on the south.
A Mexican paradise
I know the stretch, having sailed along the 200 or so miles in my 48-foot boat. The coastline isn't good for boating, not much in the way of anchorages. But if the travel piece is any indication, I need to go back, by car or bus, and check it out. It sounds like paradise.
Travel writing is a tough thing to break into - at least to get paid for. But if you want to get any kind of shot at it, start writing short pieces about places you travel to, even if you just post them blog-style. It will get you where you need to be to take on a travel assignment. And you will have clips, maybe lots of clips, by the time you get started. And it will teach you that every place is interesting enough to write about - even those towns in Iowa I make fun of all the time.
OP-ED IDEA FOR TODAY - This past weekend there were lots of graduation speeches at colleges and in a few weeks, there will be tons more at every high school in America. Check your local high school and find out if anyone famous is going to speak. And if not, consider a funny column about if, say, Warren Beatty spoke at your local high school's graduation. Or Ward Churchill. Or Snoop Dogg? Or anybody your can image. (Reese Witherspoon would be my choice.) What would they tell the graduates? What would you want them to tell the graduates?
I know the stretch, having sailed along the 200 or so miles in my 48-foot boat. The coastline isn't good for boating, not much in the way of anchorages. But if the travel piece is any indication, I need to go back, by car or bus, and check it out. It sounds like paradise.
Travel writing is a tough thing to break into - at least to get paid for. But if you want to get any kind of shot at it, start writing short pieces about places you travel to, even if you just post them blog-style. It will get you where you need to be to take on a travel assignment. And you will have clips, maybe lots of clips, by the time you get started. And it will teach you that every place is interesting enough to write about - even those towns in Iowa I make fun of all the time.
OP-ED IDEA FOR TODAY - This past weekend there were lots of graduation speeches at colleges and in a few weeks, there will be tons more at every high school in America. Check your local high school and find out if anyone famous is going to speak. And if not, consider a funny column about if, say, Warren Beatty spoke at your local high school's graduation. Or Ward Churchill. Or Snoop Dogg? Or anybody your can image. (Reese Witherspoon would be my choice.) What would they tell the graduates? What would you want them to tell the graduates?
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Write a self-help book, don't buy one
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - I wandered the aisles of Tower Books in Sacramento Friday, looking at incredible variety of books for sale. And in my hand, I found several 'how-to-write' books which, at least in the bookstore, seemed soooo bloody important I almost bought them (about $25 each).
But after a minute or two of more wandering by the magazines, I quickly put the books back, realizing that what I was about to do was spend the weekend reading books telling me about writing, instead of, well, writing!
Now before I get thumped on quite thoroughly by my colleague Marcia in England, I'll be quick to add that some books, like Stephen King's 'On Writing,' have been a big help to me. But the '20-ways-to-sell-magazine-article' tomes are probably not that useful, unless you are brand new.
Think about writing a self-help writing article based on your experiences. I'll read it.
OP-ED IDEA FOR TODAY - The American Atheists Association is having its convention in San Francisco this weekend, and their beliefs are...well, what are their beliefs? The fact that they even exist in this Christian culture is a tribute to freedom of religion. The Op-Ed? Find your local group or even an avowed atheist who can talk about what it's like to be a non-believer in a nation of believers. Lots of possibilities for angles: should an atheist hold public office? Be a school teacher, etc...
But after a minute or two of more wandering by the magazines, I quickly put the books back, realizing that what I was about to do was spend the weekend reading books telling me about writing, instead of, well, writing!
Now before I get thumped on quite thoroughly by my colleague Marcia in England, I'll be quick to add that some books, like Stephen King's 'On Writing,' have been a big help to me. But the '20-ways-to-sell-magazine-article' tomes are probably not that useful, unless you are brand new.
Think about writing a self-help writing article based on your experiences. I'll read it.
OP-ED IDEA FOR TODAY - The American Atheists Association is having its convention in San Francisco this weekend, and their beliefs are...well, what are their beliefs? The fact that they even exist in this Christian culture is a tribute to freedom of religion. The Op-Ed? Find your local group or even an avowed atheist who can talk about what it's like to be a non-believer in a nation of believers. Lots of possibilities for angles: should an atheist hold public office? Be a school teacher, etc...
Friday, May 20, 2005
Speedy typing = speedy writing = speedy $$$
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - My students all groan when I tell them a maxim of writing for money - you have to be able to type like a demon. Now there are people who disagree with this, but those are generally novelists, perhaps, or poets, or people writing blogs (not!) who want to ponder more, who want to get just the right word.
And I certainly write like that, but rarely.
When people ask me 'How fast can you write?' I usually reply, 'Oh, about 60-70 words per minute - as fast as I can type.'
If you are writing for money, your time is valuable, it's one of your few resources and it's obviously limited. If you have a 500-word article, for which you are going to get paid $300 (a fairly common number, depending on complexity of the piece) then you don't want to spend more than 10 hours on it - maximum. (For the mathematically challenged, that's $30 per hour, a reasonable fee, though not high.)
So if you can bang out an article in a couple of hours, and spend a couple before that collecting your information, doing interviews, etc., you should be in good shape.
But one danger to watch out for. If you have just one assignment, with a due date of a week away, DO NOT let time expand on you in researching and writing, unless of course it is leading you to other possible stories for future assignments.
Write like a demon and take the leftover time (when you would have dawdled) to pursue other paying pieces, get some exercise, or some other activity.
OP-ED IDEA FOR TODAY - TV's prime time season is over and unless your cable channels are better than mine, the pickings are pretty sparse for stuff to watch right now. So an op-ed about what to do when you turn off the TV is ripe, and especially tied to the upcoming summer months and those vegetable kids who want to sit and watch South Park reruns. Use lots of examples: parks, libraries, organized activities. But give things for adults to do in the evening, too. Maybe get some testimony from a doctor about the benefits of taking a walk after dinner (and three martinis)
And I certainly write like that, but rarely.
When people ask me 'How fast can you write?' I usually reply, 'Oh, about 60-70 words per minute - as fast as I can type.'
If you are writing for money, your time is valuable, it's one of your few resources and it's obviously limited. If you have a 500-word article, for which you are going to get paid $300 (a fairly common number, depending on complexity of the piece) then you don't want to spend more than 10 hours on it - maximum. (For the mathematically challenged, that's $30 per hour, a reasonable fee, though not high.)
So if you can bang out an article in a couple of hours, and spend a couple before that collecting your information, doing interviews, etc., you should be in good shape.
But one danger to watch out for. If you have just one assignment, with a due date of a week away, DO NOT let time expand on you in researching and writing, unless of course it is leading you to other possible stories for future assignments.
Write like a demon and take the leftover time (when you would have dawdled) to pursue other paying pieces, get some exercise, or some other activity.
OP-ED IDEA FOR TODAY - TV's prime time season is over and unless your cable channels are better than mine, the pickings are pretty sparse for stuff to watch right now. So an op-ed about what to do when you turn off the TV is ripe, and especially tied to the upcoming summer months and those vegetable kids who want to sit and watch South Park reruns. Use lots of examples: parks, libraries, organized activities. But give things for adults to do in the evening, too. Maybe get some testimony from a doctor about the benefits of taking a walk after dinner (and three martinis)
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