An important question for any artist is: How can I built a career and simultaneously be true to myself? It’s an important question, and during the twenty years I’ve taught writing, hundreds of students have expressed the belief that success and personal integrity are mutually exclusive.
The Lifewriting
* How do I choose which writing instrument is best for my needs?
In choosing the right kind of pen for you, consider what it will be used for, such as for business or for casual letter writing. The size of the ball point is also a major consideration. Just bear in mind that the results should be as readable as possible.
* What is the difference between a rollerball pen and a ballpoint pen?
The main difference is the ink. In ballpoint pens, the ink is an oil-based paste ink that dries immediately. It is suited to all types of writing styles. The frustration some people feel with ballpoint pens usually involves an inferior brand of pen that makes blobs or skips. High quality ballpoint pens do not do this.
On the other hand, the ink of a rollerball pen is more fluid than ball point ink, so it seldom skips, but the ink does take a few seconds to dry. The ink in a rollerball also runs out sooner than in a ballpoint, requiring more frequent refills.
* Are there any pens used for writing that are not filled with ink or lead?
The digital pen is the latest innovation. This is not a typical pen that needs to be filled with ink or lead in order to be used for writing. With a digital pen you can write and draw images on a special board and then send it to compatible phones. There are several types and brands of digitals pens on the market.
* What was the first writing instrument?
The quill pen is considered the first writing instrument ever invented. It was introduced around 700 A.D. and is made from a bird’s quill feather, one of the largest feathers on a bird. The quills of the goose are the most common feathers for the making quill pens. A quill pen usually lasted about two weeks, after which it is had to be replaced. Most writers kept several quills on hand all the time.
* How does a quill pen work?
A quill pen is a simple writing tool. The end of a large feather is sharpened to a point and the point is dipped in ink. The quill must be repeatedly dipped in the ink while writing, as the ink on the tip is used up. The quill can also be resharpened using a small knife, as the tip wears down. After about two weeks of resharpening, you will need to get a new quill.
The writing style is greatly affected by the kind of feather that is used for a quill pen. If you want to produce a fine line, then you use crow feathers. The quill pen works especially well for right-handed writers because the feathers curve outward and away from your face if you are right-handed.
Most writing “experts” favor a particular way of looking at plot, and will adhere to it for years or an entire career. That’s all well and good, but its important to realize that any way of modeling story is just that&ndasha model, not the depths and living essence of story itself.
Problems arise when young (or experienced!) writers mistake a simplified structure for some deep and eternal truth. It’s much better to examine several structures, see what their strengths and weaknesses are, and try to glimpse the truth they are trying to convey.
The actual “truth” of story is beyond any structure, but they all point in the same direction, toward that misty, hidden metaphorical mountain all storytellers have been climbing since the beginning of time. As long as we don’t mistake the finger for the mountain, the structures can be quite useful indeed.
The worst story model that is at all useful might be” “It has a beginning, middle, and an end.” Well, yes, but so does a piece of string.
More helpfully, try: Objective, Obstacle, Outcome. In other words, a character wants something, and something stands in her way. She tries various things to resolve the difficulty, leading to an eventual climax.
This one is even more useful:
Situation, Character, Objective, Opponent, Disaster. Using the classic James Bond film “Goldfinger” as an model (action films are good for this, because their structure is usually crystal clear):
Situation: When gold is being smuggled from England in large quantities,
Character: Secret Agent 007 James Bond
Objective: Is assigned to find out how it is being done. But little does he know that
Opponent: Industrialist billionaire Auric Goldfinger
Disaster: Is smuggling gold to finance his real operation, the destruction of Fort Knox with an atom bomb!
Can you see how this model helps to clarify the different basic aspects of your story? The hero must have a goal, and there must be forces in opposition. Moreover, the hero’s initial goal and his ultimate goal may well change over the course of the story, as they grow to understand the situation more fully. A story structure like this one implies both internal and external motivations, and sets up a dynamic structure that almost writes itself!
The very best writing structure would be what is known as the “Hero’s Journey” created by Joseph Campbell, and explored by anthropologists and writing mavens around the world. There are numerous interpretations of it, but in essence, it can be represented as:
1)Hero Confronted With A Challenge.
2)The Hero rejects the challenge
3)The Hero accepts the challenge
4)Road of Trials
5)Meeting allies and gaining powers
6) Confront evil and defeat.
7) Dark Night of the Soul
Leap of Faith
9) Confront Evil and victory
10) Student Becomes The Teacher
This pattern automatically implies the yearnings, fears, obstacles, efforts, deep depression and exultation of actual human lives. This is the reason that this pattern, more than any other, is useful to writers both new and experienced. Because it mirrors our lives, a writer can most easily adapt her own understandings of life and the universe into her work. If you organize your work into this pattern, readers or viewers all over the world will instantly recognize your efforts as “story.” Whether it is a “good” story will depend entirely on the skill and creativity that you bring to the task&ndashthe unquantifiable quality of “art” that is beyond direct description.
There are, of course, many other patterns, and an ambitious writer or student would do well to list several of them side by side, and analyze what they are saying. None of them are “truth,” but all are useful fingers pointing toward that mountain.
Fountain pens aren’t ordinary writing instruments: they are works of art. Just like timepieces, fountain pens are meticulously crafted by skilled artists and engineers to come up with well designed yet fully functional fountain pens. That is why collectors keep it and pass it on to the next generation as a sort of heirloom.
Fountain pens resemble the imprint of old quill and ink. The difference, however, lies at the ink flow: today’s fountain pens are consistent while quill and ink has a thick print when newly dipped and pale when ink is running dry. Yet for writers and history buffs, fountain pens are the nearest (and practical) replica of the old writing instrument.
Writing is always smooth when using a fountain pen. A reservoir for the ink is controlled by a nib at the tip of the pen. Flow is controlled by capillary action with the help of gravity. Unlike the ballpoint pen, a fountain pen has no breaks when scribbled unless its ink is almost depleted. Also, a fountain pen’s ink complements most writing papers because it is water-based, in contrast to other pens that use chemical-based inks. A fountain pen only includes dye and surfactant as part of ingredients.
All expensive fountain pens are refillable. There are, of course, the disposable types which are of lesser quality and value. However, a disposable fountain pen will not make your writing look good as a real fountain pen can. A real fountain pen will do justice to your penmanship.
However, only a few people really do use this fine pen for writing. They believe that its value may diminish. However, those in the academe believe otherwise. The more you use your fountain pen, the more it becomes an important object because it becomes a part of you; it form part of your personal academic studies and professorial duties.
In fact, as a form of tradition professors from Ivy League schools use fountain pens to bestow honor to people, especially to a colleague. For instance, in the movie, “A Beautiful Mind,” it has been shown that professors from the university honored John Nash by offering their expensive fountain pens as gifts upon his table.
Each fountain pen is unique; not merely in design but in the quality of ink and ink flow. Handwriting experts call it the pen’s ‘fingerprint.’ This unique quality of a fountain pen symbolizes the individuality of the person who is using it and the original and work of art that a writer can wield with such a fine object. Indeed, all over the world, writers recognize the beauty behind a fountain pen: the symbolism behind the object and fine writing which the object brings.
Lovers and connoisseurs of fountain pens created websites to congregate and talk on everything about pens, most especially about fountain pens. Pen balance, ink flow and ergonomics are just some of the terms you can expect to find in the forums. These people just love fountain pens so much that they are even studying and anatomically classifying each fountain pen.
When you write, you likely find yourself wrestling with questions. I certainly do, everything from the proper form of abbreviations to the placement of apostrophes. Ideally, you want to get past those questions quickly, so you can focus on the message, not the writing.
Among the tools that helps us answer questions quickly and consistently are stylebooks: those manuals that recommend certain styles or usage. They come in a number of flavors and you may wish to have all of them on hand. But, more importantly, select one and use its recommendations consistently.
This week we look at the Associated Press Stylebook, a useful and frequently-cited reference work for writers.
As the title suggests, it comes from the people at the Associated Press (AP) wireservice, and serves journalists and mass-media writers. By way contrast, the Chicago Manual of Style (to cite another important reference book) serves academics and others who write formally, as well as book writers, editors, and publishers.
The AP Stylebook emphasizes usage of commonly cited names, events, and language. For example, under the listing for assassin, it explains the proper use of three similar concepts: ‘assassin,’ ‘killer,’ and ‘murderer’ (in case you were wondering, the AP book defines an assassin as a politically motivated killer, a killer as anyone who kills with any motive, and a murderer as a killer who has been convicted in a court of law).
Since journalists must contend with the pressure of deadlines, this book is laid out like a dictionary, with the entries in alphabetical order. Each entry is brief and deals with issues that journalists would face in everyday writing.
Many entries provide a standard for capitalization, spelling, use of abbreviations, and other useful information. Rules for grammar can be found under headings such as ‘Possessives’.
Incidentally, many other news organizations, in the U.S. and other countries, have their own style guides. In Canada, for example, there’s the Canadian Press stylebook. So, if you’re writing for a particular wire-service or news organization, check to see if they have their own style guide.
The Associated Press Stylebook comes in two flavors: ‘The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law,’ and ‘The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Law.’ The latter is as readily available as the former. Check your bookstore for details.
A large box arrives from a New York Publisher. It’s here&ndashYOUR BOOK! You hurriedly rip it open and take the first book out. There it is…YOUR NAME as the author of your first book. You forget to breathe and your heart skips a beat in excitement.
You caress the spine and read the title and your very own name again. The cover looks great. You read the back cover and study it carefully. Even though you saw the proofs, it’s like you’ve never seen it before. Your excitement builds. There is nothing like the thrill of holding a book you authored in your hands&ndashexcept the exhilaration of growing rich because of the business you build around it!
You hold the book and feel its heft in your hands. All your hard work … researching the needs of your intended audience … reading about other books in your topic … looking for the needs that only you can fill … writing your book … creating “buzz” in your book before it ever made it into print … has paid off.
You hold the book to your nose and smell it. There is nothing like that new book aroma of paper and ink&ndash when you’re the AUTHOR!
Who will you tell first? Your spouse? Your best friend? Your mother? Or maybe the person or people who tried to squash your dream? You made your big dream come true despite all the negativity the dream-stealers could throw at you.
Because of everything you learned in the Entrepreneurial Authoring program, your book is already creating a stir on the internet and around the world. You are receiving offers to do interviews, be a guest on podcasts, and appear on live broadcasts. You are getting hit after hit on your website because you have wisely peppered the net with your articles and special offers. You are becoming the go-to expert in your area…
And you are helping thousands and thousands of people solve their problems…
And they are all coming back to YOU to help them continue to solve their problems.
And they are telling all their friends about your book…
And you are getting interviews and notoriety for your book…
And you have established tremendous credibility by providing value to people…
And your book is getting lots and lots of attention…
And you are growing a thriving business…
And you are growing RICH!
If this is your dream, take action right now and it will become your reality. Don’t keep telling yourself you’ll start writing that book “someday.” Make it a priority to start now! Get out a pad and pen and get started today!
It was the first time I overheard someone whisper “she’s the author”, as I walked into a book signing, that I suddenly realized that I had achieved something very special. Not only had I managed to get my book published, I now received respect and admiration from total strangers. Being an author even it today’s digitized world, is still an awe-inspiring accomplishment.
In 2005 USA TODAY reported eighty-two percent of Americans say they plan to write a book someday. I think the critical word here is ‘plan’. If you want to be someone who really does write a book, you can begin right now by understanding how being an author will improve your life.
Here is my top ten list why you should become an author today, especially if you are a spirituality, self help or personal growth expert:
When I started writing my first book, it wasn’t because I was sure I wanted Bill O’Reilly’s producer to have my name in his Rolodex to call whenever he needed a ‘mystical’ New Age expert. (In fact I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted that at all!) I didn’t devote hundreds of hours to stories of couples finding one another through magical, mystical ways just to impress strangers at a cocktail party. And I can definitely tell you I didn’t write six books just to tell my old high school classmates about it.
I wrote because I had to. I had a story inside of me that wouldn’t rest until I put it onto the page. The benefits of actually finishing the book and becoming a bona fide author and the other “reasons” were simply an afterthought.
I can do everything short of putting a cattle prod under you to get you started on writing your self help book, but, at the end of the day, writing has to be something you want to do. Sure, it’s hard to sit down day after day and stare at a blank computer screen. I know how hard it is to tell your mom or your husband that you only typed two pages in an entire day. I can tell you hundreds of great things about being an author, but not a single one will really get you to the finish line.
What will get you down the home stretch is the satisfaction of knowing that you’re being true to yourself. You dreamt of becoming an author because you had to. You envisioned title ideas and chapter outlines because they came to you and wouldn’t go away. You told your friends you wanted to write a book because you could and you will.
You are an author, and you always have been. All you need to do now is make it happen. It might not be scintillating cocktail banter that puts a finished manuscript in your hands, but keeping your eyes on the prize can’t hurt.
When it comes to marketing the choices are clear: market to your reader. But the “where” to find your reader has changed as more and more of our lives migrate online. A recent article on how offline media is succumbing to the ’Net talked about a flurry of newspapers diving into online content, online ad placement, and online forums to push more of their feature pieces, reviews and editorials into a virtual medium.
Even industry standards like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times are moving more and more of their content to the website. So what does this mean for you? Well, it means that the lines between on and offline are becoming even more blurred. It used to be that if you had a few select publications that you were pitching you could contact their on and offline departments and possibly be considered for interviews or feature pieces in both of them; that’s not the case anymore. Sometime an online feature means that you can kiss your offline exposure goodbye, so it’s good to ask before you start pitching. Much of the online content is now pulled from the offline source, so while this could work in your favor, better to be certain if you have your eye on print coverage. That said, you might be better off being on their website, where you’ll get lasting exposure.
But media promotion isn’t the only factor in marketing, in fact, there’s a lot you can do without even heading into the media realm. Consider these ideas:
* Craig’s List: have you been on this site recently? If you haven’t, take a few minutes and run through the listings for your city. It’s a great place to promote yourself but be careful, the Craig’s list people don’t like a “salesy” type of pitch but prefer something more folksy and casual. If you surf the site for a while you’ll see what I mean. You can use Craig’s list to promote your event, your product, even your service, but they key is, don’t look like you’re promoting. Also, keep in mind that often regional media will surf this site looking for events they can cover, so get yours listed there now!
* Virtual networking: it’s not just for trading business cards anymore. If you’re trying to gain platform or gain media exposure, heading on over to sites like Linkedin.com can be a good way to start your network and gain additional exposure. Also, sites like MySpace have gotten a bad rap as predator sites, but only a marginal portion of people on this site are there for nefarious reasons. While the MySpace age does tend to skew younger, there’s virtually a place for everyone and every message on this site. Not a MySpace person? Try eons.com instead, this site targets the over 50 crowd and offers another great place to market your book and message.
* YouTube: this site isn’t just for singing pancakes; in fact, more and more authors are moving snippets of signings, speaking gigs or other visual promotion tools to this hot new resource. It’s a great link back to your site.
* Social bookmarking: have you been doing your social duty lately? Posting to sites like del.i.cious.com could really help to spread your message like wildfire. Sometimes a few sites is all it takes to start the buzz going in your market.
* Consider the overlooked media: As the bigger papers are moving their content online and vying to keep readership interested, the smaller overlooked papers like The Bastrop Daily Enterprise in Louisiana and Arkadelphia Daily Siftings Herald in Arkansas are booming. Their readership is loyal and their papers always hungry for content. Have you poked around in the smaller regional newspapers yet? If you haven’t, you might want to. You might find that while it’s great to have an online presence, the further we get into Web 2.0, the more these publications are overlooked by pr people.
The ’Net has opened up a bunch of opportunities both online and off, take your focus off the norm and start exploring some new territory, you might be surprised what it can do for your campaign!
I recently made an important discovery that I just couldn’t wait to share. You can make money by giving your writing away. Yes, it really is true.
This isn’t some “get rich overnight” scheme or some trick to get you to lay out a bunch of money for a “turn key business”. You have to do the work yourself and it will take some time to set everything in place — but anyone with an elementary grasp of the English language can make this work!
Giving your writing away to web sites, blogs, ezines, and newsletters can really make you some serious cash on the internet and I’m not joking. I have been writing professionally for two decades and I never thought I’d make more by writing for free but I am.
In fact, I make more money giving my writing away than I did selling my articles and columns. That’s right. The truth is that I’m making more money writing part-time for free than I did in any of my full-time paid writing jobs and that includes advances and royalties from the publication of three novels.
There are three ways I profit from giving my writing away. They aren’t secrets and you can use them profitably as well:
~ Traffic for my web sites and blogs (I’ve seen traffic triple within a week from some articles)
~ Reputation building for me and my online enterprises which helps attract clients, customers, and visitors
~ Profit for my advertisers and for me through sales of my own products as well as affiliate income
It really is not a difficult or complicated business model and one any competent writer, or anyone with the ability to string a decent sentence together, could replicate or modify to suit their purpose. I am a writer not a business person, but I know this is working for me and that it could work for you, too.
And let me share one last terrific benefit of this writing business — you can write whatever you want. You aren’t dependent on some editor’s whim or assignment. You don’t need to worry about tightly focusing your work to fit within a publication’s editorial guidelines. You are in total control — you write to suit yourself in terms of topic, approach, and tone. And you’ll make more money doing that then you ever did when you tried to write for someone else. I promise!
Now go out there and give your writing away!
You’ve just finished interviewing for your dream job. There’s nothing more you can do than wait for the phone to ring, right? Wrong. To really increase your chances of getting a job offer, you need to follow up with an effective interview thank you letter. If written correctly, an effective interview thank you letter can be used to separate you from your competition.
Remember, the main point of sending a thank you letter after an interview is help you to stand out in the eyes of an employer. Most of your competition won’t take the time to send a thank you letter. Those that do won’t write an effective thank you letter that sells them to an employer.
Key Points to Consider
Here are some key points to consider when developing your post interview thank you letter:
•Write a thank you letter to each person you met with
•Send your thank you letter as soon as possible - the day of or the day after the interview
•To ensure a timely delivery, e-mail your thank you letter, if possible
•Ask for business cards from each person you meet with during your interview to gather the appropriate e-mail addresses to use with your thank you letters
What to Include in Your Post Interview Thank You Letter
As you’re writing your thank you letter, be sure to incorporate the following:
•Keep your thank you letter to no more than one page
•Start by thanking the interviewer for meeting with you
•Express your interest in the position
•Identify your strongest selling points and reiterate them in your thank you letter
•Cover any key points you forgot to mention in the interview, but know would increase your chances of receiving a job offer
•Close by again thanking the interviewer for their time, expressing your interest in the position, and indicating you hope to hear from them soon
Interview thank you letters can gain you job offers by giving you one more opportunity to present your strongest selling points to a potential employers as well as an opportunity to present important information you forgot to mention during the interview. Take the time to write a thank you letter after your interview to help you land your dream job.