- “Do not blame anybody for your mistakes and failures.” ~~Bernard Baruch
- Switch your point of view. Would that make your story better?
- You can re-start your life right now! If you weren’t a writer yesterday, you can be a writer starting right now!
- Life begins every second. Don’t waste time thinking about it, start writing.
- To be creative, you might want to do things the un-techie way (for example, postcards instead of emails).
- Start your next short story by writing the last line first.
- Go for perfect! Book writing has never been easier. Years ago, when I had to change a word I had to re-type (with a typewriter) the whole chapter.
- Can you tell your “story” using a series of pictures (with and/or without captions)?
- Try writing a short story that incorporates a line from The Story Starter.
- Follow less, lead more (especially on Twitter and Facebook).
- Watch less TV and write more.
- All of the writers on the best sellers lists had (and probably still have) the same doubts as you.
- Read a magazine or blog you never read before. It’s full of ideas for writers.
- Starting a sentence with an “ing” word is a great way to start.
- Whenever you want to say “someday” substitute “today” and you’ll do better.
- Many procrastinators masquerade as writers. If you want to be a writer write. Period.
- Gardeners will tell you that you have to be patient to see the fruits of your hard work, sometimes it takes years!
- Get an almanac! Read through it when you have time. You might (probably will) come up with article ideas.
- Fine writing, like fine wine, doesn’t happen over night.
- If you can write a 5 paragraph composition, you can write a magazine article. Same thing, just a bit longer
- Does your character transform for the better or worse? What would happen if you switched it?
- You can learn more going to a place you’ve never been than spending hours online. It must be the air!
- Going to the movies is nice, reading a movie script gives you a sense of how the story comes together.
- To learn how to write, study gardeners, photographers, poker players, pizza makers, etc. Learn from everyone.
- Just like the tango, it takes TWO to write: one writer and at least one other person to read. I’m not big on writing for myself.
It’s time!
Maybe, it’s time to say it. Why hide things any longer?
It?
Why do you still support Donald Trump?
Do you actually agree with what he says and does?
Really, is that it?
If it is…say so…publicly. Explain why…without diverting the conversation away from what Trump does. Telling us about what Obama or Clinton may or may not have done is silly. Trump’s been in office for more than three years. He has a record to run on.
Do you think he has handled the pandemic well?
How has he done with dealing with racial issues?
How is his foreign policy? Are our allies closer to us than before he came to office?
Do you approve of his firing key government officials…especially Inspectors General and Federal Prosecutors…who may be investigating members of his administration?
Do you think that he lies as often as he is reported by media?
Are you more comfortable with him in the White House than previous presidents?
Simple questions. Think about them.
It’s time.
When this is over, you may be over too!
There was a time (not that long ago) when businesses needed typists. Word processing eliminated most of them. Change was difficult for some, but welcome by those who survived.
We are about to enter another time when much will change. Bosses will realize that some of their employees are not really needed. They will also realize that many jobs can be done at home and as much office space will not be needed. Instead of traveling to meet customers/clients, Zoom may be enough.
It may be a good time to consider what you can offer when this terrible time is over. New skills may put you ahead…or leave you behind. Consider these skills for the future:
PowerPoint has been an office staple for decades. Speaking online has shown that that may not be enough. When this is over it may be a very good idea to find your local Toastmasters club and develop your public speaking skills.
PhotoShop is difficult to learn. Actually, very difficult. And that is the very reason you should learn to use it. Knowing what others do not know has always been an advantage. Now, even more so.
Although learning Microsoft Word is important, mastering Adobe’s InDesign will give you skills in designing documents, not just writing them.
Finally, your high school English teacher taught you how to write compositions and essays. She did not teach you to be a copywriter. Instead of paragraphs, copywriters using one or two sentences at a time. It’s different.
Be ready for the next phase of life/business…before it’s too late.
Everything has a story, including Seafoam Green
If you are a speaker, do whatever you can to include meaningful stories in your talks. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to find the right story. What story could you possibly come up with for a color of all things? Well, you can…if you look.
Doing a Google search of the color Seafoam Green I came up with a reference to Canva. Surprisingly, it gave me plenty of info about Seafoam Green. Did you know, for example, that it was a popular clothing color during the 1950s or that Crayola came out with a crayon with that name in 2001?
What is Seafoam Green? This is it…
For more Seafoam Green info you can go to Canva. They also have information about other colors to explore. Incidentally, the Hex code for Seafoam Green is #93E98E.
Samuel Morse…and Photography
Most of us think of Samuel Morse as the inventor of the Morse Code. Did you know that he was also a portrait painter? If you do a Google search you’ll see his paintings. Did you also know that he was the one who taught Mathew Brady about photography?
Samuel Morse was a man of many talents. How many talents are you known for?
Encouragement from Twitter (yes, Twitter!)
A tweet appeared today from C.L. Fornari, a well-known writer and podcast host…who happens to be an expert in gardening. Many people know her as The Garden Lady. Her tweet included a very encouraging section that said…
Writers get started or continue for many different reasons. C.L. saw a need and filled it. My own beginning (as described in Dumb Is Good) is a bit different. They both illustrate a simple fact…if you do nothing, nothing will happen. If you write and submit there are endless possibilities.
Write!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! […and submit.]
“Typing” a book…
Almost forty years ago I wrote a book about wedding photography. It took about a year to write. Today, it probably would have been finished in 30 days. Yes, days.
The problem back then was that I was using a typewriter. With a typewriter I had to be very careful about what I said. Making a mistake was a big deal. Eliminating or changing a word, sentence, or paragraph was a nightmare. I remember retyping a page or worse yet retyping a chapter…because of an edit I made.
It doesn’t matter what computer you’ve got or what word processor you use…making a change is really easy today.
Trying vs. Procrastination
Many writers have a bad habit. They write and then look at what they write…for an hour, day, week, month, year, and sometimes decades. Being the expert critic that they think they are they “know” that it’s just not ready or just not good enough. Maybe. Maybe it’s just procrastination.
Trying to get your work published should be an integral part of writing. Trying is much more productive than procrastination. There’s probably a study that proves it.
Are you in the minority?
“If you’re looking for a job, being able to write makes you part of a special minority.“
— Seth Godin
There are many minorities. In business, one of the worst to be in is the group of people who can’t write.
The good part is that if you are in this minority you have a huge advantage over the others.
If you can’t write…learn how starting today.
If you can write…take advantage of it. People will notice.
Here are six tips that will help you improve your writing.
1. Spelling counts for emails, memos, tweets, everything!
2. Before you send it read it over again.
3. Be brief. Other will appreciate it.
4. Avoid using lines like “I’m going to tell you….” Just say it.
5. Keep away from jargon so everybody knows what you are talking about.
6. Before you send it read it over again. [I know, it’s important enough to repeat!]
The Ideal Presentation, Speech, or whatever you call it…in 4 easy steps.
It’s easy to create an ideal presentation. Here are the essential 4 steps.
1. Tell a story that illustrates your key point. [Stories make things memorable.]
2. Explain your key point. [They may not get the point of the story, so tell them.]
3. Answer questions. [Give them a chance to ask questions.]
4. Sit down. [This is a very important element. Nobody ever complained about a speaker who spoke for less time than possible. Everybody complains if you speak for more time than they give you.