I love reading blogs. Some might argue that its an obsession of mine. There’s just something fascinating about the myriad stories various writers come up about their lives or shared opinions that draws me in. Not all online journals are worth the time however. Like any writing, a blog must be interesting whether in tone or topic. Here are some tips I’ve found with my own experiences to have an interesting blog.

Any journal or diary offers a writer a means to write everyday. Every day you find the empty blank space to which to write something interesting enough for the general populace. I also find blogs keep family and friends up to date on my life, as well as new readers who may enjoy my thoughts.

Through my own experience reading and writing blogs, I can offer some tips to help:

Do not write about the mundane, unless you can make it interesting. Readers don’t care what you ate for dinner last night or how you cleaned your house, but you can make a journal entry interesting by sharing a recipe, a household tip, or make the event interesting in some other day.

Avoid long journal entries. On the Web, visitors are very busy and want their information fast and compact. Around three paragraphs works best. Again, this rule doesn’t mean much if your writing is entertaining enough. Generally, you will find that visitors prefer the short writing bursts that include topics that inform or entertain.

Add media such as graphics, video, or music. Pictures add to words a face or illustration of what you mean. For instance, if I write about going to the park, I try to add a picture about that park. If I write about my thoughts on philosophy, I might add a small graphic that symbolizes that. I also suggest to never have media start by itself such as video. Not everyone have the high-speed Internet so that just gets annoying.

Do not post writing you intend to sell. Although you often maintain copyrights on your own work, when trying to submit to other places once published in a blog, its considered ‘already published’. Most places won’t receive your work then.

Do not put too much effort into a blog. Remember that a blog serves as an exercise in writing, offers to gain fans to your work, promotes networking, and can even be a means of an income if you’re good enough. Even with that, you should consider the time/effort ratio compared to ‘real’ writing.  Spending too much worrying about topics and corrections takes from actually writing something you can publish.

From my own experiences, I gained some insight on my own writing skills (which is still a work in progress). Writing online improved my style, and with the realm of fanfiction, I gained a small group of fans as well. I found a number of friends who liked my work, who were also writers, and now we often share what we’re doing to gain feedback. In short- blogging and writing online certainly helps a writer with writing.

An idea folder is just that; a folder you maintain on the computer, or a text file you keep adding to, or even a physical notebook or folder you pack full of ideas, titles, characters, plots, and just about anything else related to writing. I even keep a small tape recorder to blither into whenever the creative spark hits me. Whenever I find myself at a loss of topics or something to write about, I peruse my idea folder and find something to write about there.

This doesn’t fix all causes of writer’s block. Writer’s block doesn’t always mean you have a lack of subject material. Sometimes you find there’s plenty to write about, but every word that forms from a pen or key stroke ends up reading as nothing but crap. When reading later, you end up aghast and wondering “Did I actually write this stuff?”

The idea folder serves only as a tool to nudge you in the right direction. Inspiration rests with what is compiled, and tucked into this folder in the hopes that you can form something marvelous later.

The best way to start is to create a folder on the desktop (or your writing folder). On occasion, write down ideas in documents, and save to the idea folder. You can also carry a small notebook to jot down notes as needed.

When I surf the Net, I use a few tools that help gather ideas;

I use FoxFire’s browser, which I then found Google Notebook. This handy tool lets me open a tiny window no matter which web site I’m on so I can cut/paste links and text to Google Notebook.

Clipmarks is similar to that but allows users of Internet Explorer or Firefox to save graphics as well as text.

I decided to start my own group with the objective of allowing anyone who writes into the group. Some authors might argue that the expanse of differences in genre and skill won’t work, that the diversity is too broad. I disagree. In fact, its the very differences of skill that enables feedback and advice be shared by all.

Benefits include;

Feedback- Taking the form of constructive criticism, feedback enables members to share their work knowing that other writers will nudge and encourage them to hone their skill, keep at a manuscript, and provide insight they may not have considered. They can read the manuscript with ‘fresh eyes’.

Community- Other writers understand all the trouble the hobby develops such as writer’s block, character building, grammar, and everything else that falls under ‘writing troubles’. Sometimes our group becomes a support group, encouraging those who feel frustrated or that they have no skill. The group also serves as a network, sharing what combined experiences and knowledge of writing from various genres and skill levels.

Learning - We occasionally have workshops by our members for things like ‘How to make Ebooks’, or “Creating an Author’s Web Site”. More often, we simply discuss and share what we know such as copyrights, publications, rejection, and the other aspects of the writer’s life. I never leave a meeting without learning something new.

Finding a writer’s group can prove a difficult task. Check local bookstores and libraries. Look up what they have local at http://www.meetup.com or Google the area to see what writer’s groups are available to you. Read what they are looking for in a member. Some are specific to Science Fiction or Fantasy, while others might want writers only in non-fiction.

Forming your own writer’s group requires a friendly face, a willingness to take charge, and a bit of effort to find other writers. I like the Meetup.com site. As organizer, you’re required to pay money. Another alternative would be Yahoo Egroups, Zoho.com offers some online collaboration, Google groups, and other sites provide a means to either start a group online, or enhance your offline group to the Web. Reads the Terms of Service, however. Some writer’s groups online will take your copyright of anything you share through their site.

Its important you engage members to share and question and add comments. Find activities such as freewriting exercises or writing prompts to get everyone to see what they can do ‘on the fly’. Make it fun! Discourage putdowns and focus on constructive feedback.

Its easier than you think to form your own group, and its well worth the effort.

A Washington Post article posted not too long ago commented on the topic of amateur writers who write for the Web. (I would gladly post a link except the article is no longer at the site.} The article comprised the opinion that allowing ‘anybody who writers’ to publish lessens the quality of writing everywhere. This same article created a huge backlash at Associated Content.com (AC). Writers there felt insulted and put down by the professional author, and the lines drawn in the sand marked the cold war between experienced with the inexperienced writers.

Some argued that AC did, in fact, have some very articulate authors, while others agreed that with having ‘just anyone’ being able to publish added to the growing number of low quality work. Anyone can write for Associated Content, which provides articles for web sites who don’t have the time, patience, or fortitude to have articles (content) for their sites. I’ve worked as a webmaster, so I’m keen on this type of service and the growing need for them. Keeping updated material is a time consuming venture for webmasters, and sites like Associated Content provides a much needed service.

I did not feel any insult by the article. This was, after all, a professional, paid writer who worked for the Washington Post. He had obvious skill in his craft. The words included concise, well versed sentences to illustrate his skill, so there was no doubt to his profession. I did not, however, agree with his assessment. Having amateur writers publishing on the Web does not lessen or even threaten his position as a ‘real’ author. It simply allows new voices to be heard on a new medium known as the World Wide Web.

The Internet is not the Washington Post or any other printed publication. Web writing requires keyword saturated articles to get the most hits to sites.  Readers searching for specific topics are as varied as the skill level of the writers, many of which are interested more with facts than proper grammar or sentence structure. They simply want answers to their questions, not wordy dialog by professional writers.

Another site for writers on the web is Epinions.com. This also serves as another example of what I mean. Amateur writers have opinions, but are less likely to fill an article with lengthy paragraphs that have words no one uses in everyday language. This site works much like Consumer Reports but with no fee, and reviews are written by people like you or me. Here, you can not only find a number of brutally honest reviews on products and services, you can add your own and earn a minimal amount of money (or more) depending on your marketing savvy. You also gain feedback from other reviewers that can help improve your writing/reviews, while also finding various opinions on hundreds of subjects.

I tend to prefer the opinion of people like me over the ‘professional’ reviewer. The personal opinion of a housewife raising five kids is just as valid (if not more) as a professional reviewer on many matters because the housewife speaks my language. She avoids the overuse of three syllable words as she makes her point plain and clear. Add the experience she has with products or her day to day events with her children, and there you have an expert ‘in the field’.  An avid gore fan will have a better idea of a movie based on terror than someone who prefers drama but forced to write the review for their job. The same goes for a blue collar worker, an avid video gamer, or your average ‘Joe’ that simply wants quality products/services that work.

Some online writing also allows for the cream to float to the top by the use of voting. Helium.com works this way by having members compare and vote between articles that places the better writer closer to the top ten. The site provides no upfront payment, but you can find an area of places looking for writers. Your writing can lead to paid jobs, and you gain a minimal income from hits received online.

Amateur writers have a place in the world, adding to the myriad of voices to be heard and shared. Not all of them are great, some aren’t even good, but I think the growing audience and need for content is there to be filled nonetheless.

I submitted my blog to a site called Reviewme more as an experiment than any expectation to monetize this e-journal. After all, I don’t get the numbers that constitutes as a successful blog, so I didn’t expect them to accept this into their ranks. I wanted to network, to find more readers, and to see how the process works. What I didn’t expect was to receive an email with a list of reasons as to why this blog was rejected. I found ‘not enough subscribers’ (yep, expected that), and ‘blog doesn’t have enough posts’. (Yep, expected that too because I now you have to have huge amounts of entries and readers to monetize.) Then I read “blog suspected to be fake”. Eh?! Fake?! How do they figure that one?

I emailed them to ask, but received an oblique and vague reply. I looked up ‘fake blog’ and found the definition is a flog (fake-blog) pretending to be one or more people writing a blog out of pure enjoyment or enlightened self-interest, when in reality the whole blog is a carefully crafted piece of advertising. How insulting! This blog simply includes entries for writers about writing. I write this blog so that its a resources for all manner of writers, and entries include tons of links and resources I can refer back for myself as well. Although it would be nice to get paid for this effort, I don’t.

Add the fact that Reviewme is a site encouraging reviews to which you get paid for, which encourages flogging, I find the accusation of being fake even more repugnant.  A blog that includes reviews to which you get paid for would in fact then be a flog, wouldn’t it?  Reviewme.com would be promoting the very thing they accuse my blog of being. Not that I even have a problem with reviews in blogs. I would much rather read a first hand review by a writer I like. I would even encourage adding said reviews as long as the writing is honest and straight forward.

I know exactly what they mean by a flog as well. Too often I encounter in my journeys on the web blogs that are obviously a means to monetize. I can even respect this except some tend towards being excessive, giving that kitschy marketing language that always makes me cringe. Words like ‘amazing’ or the empty promises of giving information without actually giving anything leaves me cold.

This experience provides me some time to reflect on what I expect from this blog, and although it would be nice to make money by writing and putting in the effort, I refuse to add my blog to sites such as this. (even as an experiment). I would suggest sites that promote your actual writing such as Associated Content, which links back to your writing instead, or Helium.com. If you wish to write reviews, try Epinions.com. I’ve made some money from them and enjoy the honest reviews found there.

Recently I’ve found a number of writers on the web asking how they can publish a story they finished in the fanfiction genre. Fanfiction includes stories based on already established characters, places, and plots from movies, books, comics, and video games. The problem with trying to publish in fanfiction boils down to copyright. In an already established world, elements of the genre are copyrighted by the original creator. This means Star Wars is owned by George Lucus, and Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling.

I myself faced plagerism of a story a few years back. Oddly enough, it was “Challenges”, one of my Morrowind Fanfics. Someone simply cut and paste in a message thread and claimed he wrote the 150,000 word piece, and wanted to submit the story to the creators of Morrowind (Bethesda) to publish. Bethesda already announced some time before they will not publish fanfiction. A moderator on the message board contacted me and asked me if I had give this guy permission to keep the story as his own.

I was, at first, flattered that someone thought the story good enough to steal, but then it settled in my brain that ‘Hey, someone stole my story!”. Reading the threads he posted on, trying to spin off my writing as his, proved infuriating. People were complimenting him, telling him what a great writer he was. All the accolade were meant for my skill, my effort, and even what I created. He was banned from the message boards, and the story pulled from the thread.

From this experience, I gained more regard for those who originally create a world and characters. I gained gratitude to those willing to allow for fanfiction because not all mediums do, and respect for those who ask writers to stick to their own work. J.K. Rowling allows and even encourages fanfiction, while Anne Rice of the Vampire novels will threaten litigation against you if you try.

“But I’ve seen books on Star Wars, Star Trek, and even Dungeon and Dragons! Aren’t they fanfiction?” Yes they are, but the difference being the publisher asked already established writers to write in the medium for them. This means you, as a writer, will need to build your name first before writing in this genre professionally. Also bear in mind that fanfiction is copyrighted already by someone else.

Some might argue that its cheating to write in another creator’s realm. I’ve found a number of authors who actually write better than the original. I also find its a fun genre to write in and can offer a number of challenges to either enhance or otherwise improve the selected fandom. In fact, the very reason why J.K. Rowling supports fanfiction of her work is because it ‘gets kids to write’. I agree. For practice and honing writing skills, why not pick something you can enjoy?

Overall, however, you will need to write something original to publish as your own.

For fanfiction, see:

Fanfiction.net one of the largest fanfiction sites that categorizes by title and fandom.

Fanfiction Directory - somewhat limited in choices, but carries a number of fanfiction you may not find elsewhere.

Dragon Library - Includes a number of Forgotten Realm fanfiction. I highly recommend Spider Bite and Initiation. The author truly captured the world of the Drow and developed a wonderful story based on R.A. Salvatore’s world.

Forgotten Realm Fanfiction includes stories based on the games and RPG game sources.

Harry Potter Fanfiction has thousands of fanfics of the Harry Potter world.

Lord of the Rings Fanfiction delves into the realm of Lord of the Rings.

Star Wars Fanfiction at The Force

Star Trek Fanfiction includes stories broken down by Star Trek TV series

I’ve encountered a number of writers lately that have me read their work for constructive criticism, with the emphasis on ‘it’s just a rough draft’. I think what they mean is that they want feedback on the content, not so much on punctuation. As a reader though, sifting through poor grammar and fragmented sentences is straining. I can read a story and focus on the plot and characters, but errors can irk me to no end.

I also find from my own experience that it’s important to write properly at all times. Grammar is habit forming, so slacking with proper sentence structure is just as much a part of writing as editing later to improve it. The Internet doesn’t help with the phonic and abbreviated style that is too often accepted.

My husband asks me how to write letters to this or that person, wondering if he should be formal or informal. My usual answer is ‘when it doubt, go with formal’. The reason I offer is that formal encompasses manners and covers all bases to what you want your letter to do. So when writing emails to someone you’re not familiar with, take the effort to write in a formal, polite style before using ‘lol’ or little graphics. Save that for friends and family.

This type of practice doesn’t necessarily include text messaging or Instant messaging online. Why is that, you may ask? Simple. Not everyone can type fast, or be familiar with the practice. I type around 80-90 wpm, sometimes faster if I had a couple cups of coffee in me. I can easily throw out sentence after sentence while some typists might manage only one in the same amount of time. It’s rude of me to think or criticize spelling when It is for conversational purposes.

Grammar includes not just the proper punctuation, but good spelling as well. One person wrote “What do you think of my righting?” on Yahoo Answers, only to be blasted with answers for not recognizing it is ‘writing’ not ‘righting’. Her response was that she misspelled the word. No, that is not a misspelling. She spelled the word correctly but the use of the word was completely off base.

Trust me when I say that submitting writing for publication will get your work thrown out if you have mistakes like that. Editors are overworked, and underpaid for what they do, and correcting the manuscript for grammatical mistakes is not their job to correct basic grammar mistakes; that’s your job. It is assumed you are a writer. It is also assumed you have a basic grasp of the English language.

Prompt: Take the next few days to make a concentrated effort with your writing…in all your writing. See what mistakes you make, and correct them. After a few days, compare to see if your writing hasn’t improved in the meantime.

Someone once asked me if I had a soundtrack to my life what would it sound like. In all reality, I’d have a laugh track with music being playful and a bit chaotic. Writing stories, however, demands something a bit more complex such as effective mood and daring to goad characters and develop scenes for drama and realism.

Soundtracks, top 40 bands, and even a style called Immediate Music fill my Media Player with possibilites. Music tracks compile into playlist themes such as ‘battle’ for fight scenes, ’sorrow’ for scenes for funerals, loss, or just being lost, or some playlists end up listed in their very own soundtracks to specific novels I’m working on.

Where to find music online. There are a number of web sites you can find free music to listen to online. Radio provides up to date music as well as the means to form playlists and settings for genre or preferences in musical style. I strongly suggest joining web sites in order to take advantage of setting up radios stations that fit your tastes.

AOL Radio provides a nice streaming radio station that has plenty of genres to pick from. I personally like the nature sounds, electronica, and soundtrack movie scores.

YouTube.com allows you to find a number of videos that include music you like. You can find them by artist or album, then compile into playlists. I don’t have to actually watch the videos, but open a browser and listen to the playlists instead.

Playlist.com is another site where you can compile music by artist, album, or genre and embed into your web site or blog.

ISerenity doesn’t so much have music as much as the site offer background noise. I like the wood chimes or rainfall depending on my mood.

Some of my favorite composers:

Steve Jablonsky currently is my favorite composer who wrote the soundtrack for Transformers and The Island.

E.S. Posthumus offers some amazing compositions too.

Craig Armstrong also provides some amazing work, with both piano, orchestral, and added vocals to some of the pieces.

Klaus Badelt did a number of soundtracks, one of which was Pirates of the Carribean. He also did some of the work on Gladiator, The Time Machine, and Mission Impossible II.

Immediate Music includes a number of different composers, styles, and genres. Basically, Immediate music can be heard in commercials for video games or movies. Epicon is a powerful piece. You might recognize Rising Empire for the Xman movie commercials.

Music often prompts me to write, being able to establish a ’soundtrack’ in my head and to set the scenes mood. Check out the prompt below to start writing something today:

Writing Prompt:

Listen to music (click link for a playlist) then write down the scene or characters inspired because of it. Even if it only stirs up emotion, write about that.

As a mother of a homeschooler, I get little in the way of time to actually write without interruption. If not my son, then my husband or even my dog or cat will persist on wanting to know at odd times ‘what are you doing?’. I can shoot out a 300+ word article of crap, but I want to get into the groove of writing; to lose myself in that state of mind where I’m lost in my own world of stories or laying out words into some semblance of understanding. Sometimes, however, this simply can’t be done.

Here are a few tips I found helped me in finding that time to write:

• Create boundaries. Make sure your family understand your writing times and that you are not to be disturbed. This includes kids and even pets. Explain to them that this is your writing time, and must be respected. I use a shut door and a note on the door. I also provide the time I will be emerging from my writing lair. This way, my family won’t feel entirely abandoned. I also refuse to answer the phone, the door, or even reply to emails or online messaging programs. My writing time is my work time.
• Snatch up writing time when you get it. Although ideally for me, writing for hours is ideal. I love getting lost in words and ideas. I also accept the ten to twenty minutes I can find through my day to write something.
• Keep a notebook handy. I keep a notebook in my purse to jot down notes as they come to me. When waiting at a doctor’s office, or even on the phone, I keep a pen at hand to write should an idea come to me. If not a notebook, get a voice recorder. My cell phone has one, and this helps with ideas and reminders.
• Accept that writing breaks are as important as the actual writing time. Not writing can actually help a writer by providing input from reading, TV, news, radio, friends, family, and any other avenue for ideas and inspiration. Stepping back from your manuscript or article also allows fresh eyes and fresh mind to reread and pick up on mistakes you might otherwise have glossed over.
• Use music. I have playlists on my computer to help inspire, but also help to shut out the world. A fellow writer I know owns a headset specific to shutting out the noise of her children and husband. Her family understands that when she has those on her head, to let her be.

Most important tip is to just write. Even if you write nothing but garbage, the idea gets onto paper (or pixel) and you can edit later.

]]> http://frootbat31.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/writing-at-home/feed/ frootbat31 http://frootbat31.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/beyond-writing-novels/ http://frootbat31.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/beyond-writing-novels/#comments Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:45:14 +0000 frootbat31 http://frootbat31.wordpress.com/?p=83

Many writers I know often mention the novel they are in the process of writing. The book is ‘in the works’, with the hopes of someday manifesting into print. Isn’t this what people mean when they say they are a writer? A writer of novels? Writers may ignore other avenues to which they can find a means to publish. In fact, most well known writers do more than the infamous books that put them in the spotlight; they also speak at engagements, write articles or short stories, or occasionally write outside their general medium. This blog entry will explore options on these other genres.

Here are some other writing avenues to consider:

• Article Writing. This includes magazines and periodicals, but you can also find avenues of online content. Webmasters don’t have the time to keep updating articles on their sites, so they pay someone else to do this for them. Online content, although easier and faster in getting published than the old fashioned magazines, also tends to pay considerably less.
• Short stories. You can compile your short stories into an anthology and publish the stories in one book, or you can sell the stories one by one. Magazines, periodicals, and some publishing companies accept short stories.
• Ebooks. Creating ebooks have never been easier with the number of programs or even word processing add ons to save your work in PDF or HTML form. Once saved, the file can be sold via the web. Some e-publishers also offer a means to see your novel this way.
• Graphic novel. A graphic novel tends to be more involved and extensive with a storyline than what you’d consider a comic book. A writer can partner with an artist and collaborate a story.
• Subscription based writing. This medium of publishing fascinates me. I’ve encountered a number of online writers who have readers subscribe to their web sites to gain access to stories, poems, and other writing, often based on a monthly subscription. Juxtapose Fantasy is one example of this type of publishing.

Keep your avenues open. I also find that by writing in a new medium can help sharpen your writing skills and even break through writer’s block.