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Cognitive Connection, October 1: Refresh My Blog Reading—And Yours

October 1, 2010 — 1 Comment

Chalk it up to busy writers, above-average fall temperatures (heat waves, even) or perhaps TV distraction—whatever the reason, I didn’t find any stand out blog posts this week. That’s out of the hundreds I read. Of course, that’s not to say I missed a hidden gem. If you read a must-share post, let me know.

Since single posts didn’t stand out, I’m recommending two writing-related blogs for you to give a view or two. I didn’t spend much time reading their archives, but they looked interesting and as if they might offer a fresh perspective. I’ve never linked to either of these blogs before, which was one of the criteria for today’s post.

Clever Title TK

Writtenwyrdd

It’s up to you. What blog(s) would you like to recommend I add to my Google Reader? What’s your blog link? There’s no need to be shy. What three blogs do you read without fail? Please share!

Cognitive Connection, September 24: For You Who Writes

September 24, 2010 — 3 Comments

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®Now that fall is here, how’s your writing? This is my favorite season and there’s nothing better than a walk through the changing leaves to help me find inspiration or work through a challenging scene. Even with a full copywriting project load, I’ve already noticed an uptick in my personal writing output. (That doesn’t include the blog post I didn’t get done this week.) What about you? How do the falling leaves affect your ability to get words on the page?

From writing through distress to truth in memoir and contests to platforms to parents’ reactions to their writer children…there are words here for you.

  • Nathan Bransford What Platform Means for Writers It seems like every blog post, conference and writing books these days mentions that writers must have a “platform.” Great, we get it. But what does platform mean? Literary agent Nathan Bransford breaks it down for us.
  • Writer’s Digest (article) Do Memoirs Have to Be True? By Jenny Rough One writer’s take on how writers approach their memoirs and what constitutes a “lie.” I especially appreciate her sharing her own (perhaps not-so-popular) take on the James Frey issue.

Your turn. Any opinions, blog posts or articles on writing and/or freelancing you’d like to share? Post away in the comments below. Thanks!

Cognitive Connection, September 17: Word Tips & Saying It Out Loud

September 17, 2010

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®The links I’m sharing this week feel a bit random, but they all have one thing in common: words. You probably expect that. Some weeks lend themselves to themes, such as memoir, but not always. One trend I did notice in my reading this week was that it seemed lighter than normal. Fall tends to bring new work, new projects and, for parents, back-to-school activities. I’m already thinking about scheduling a day or two off. Something tells me I’m not alone in this. Maybe in November…at least, there’s always Thanksgiving.

  • Freelancedom How Writing Forced Me Out of My Comfort Zone Fellow blogger and writer Steph Auteri has made no secret of the fact that she likes interacting with the world through her keyboard and the solitary life of a writer tends to suit her. So how do you get from being an introverted “word nerd” to reading your writing in front of a crowd? You’ll have to read her post to find out.
  • Need to Know on PBS The Daily Need Word of the Day Retronym “a word or phrase for something that now has to be specified because it is no longer identifiable in its original state.” A little something different for my link round-up this week, but I couldn’t resist sharing it.
  • The New York Times Arts Beat Trying the iTunes Model for Essays Writer Julie Bosman brings up an interesting question. Would you buy a single essay? How much would you pay for it? I like this idea and would buy a single essay as well as a group of themed essays (there’s an example of this in the article). This could be a way for literary magazines and writers to make money on their work. Of course, I’d still buy printed essay collections. What about you?
  • The Steve Laube Agency Blog That Conference Appointment Helpful, no-nonsense tips for editor and agent meetings at conferences. Keep this post for future reference.

Your turn. Any opinions, blog posts or articles on writing and/or freelancing you’d like to share? Post away in the comments below. Thanks!

Cognitive Connection, September 10: Birthing Words, Killing Adverbs & Other Advice

September 10, 2010

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®It’s been a busy week—again—and especially packed for only four working days. So this post is about brevity and, apparently, literary agents (three of the five links below). Have a great weekend.

  • The Renegade Writer Kicking the E-mail Habit Writer Linda Formichelli shares her decision and process for kicking her check-it-every-five-minutes e-mail habit. She also shares the results of Day 1. This is especially interesting to me since I communicate with clients via e-mail and phone, emphasis on e-mail.  When I’m on a deadline or focusing on creative writing, I shut my e-mail off, both on my laptop and Blackberry. Other times, I’m always checking. What about you?

Your turn. Any opinions, blog posts or articles on writing and/or freelancing you’d like to share? Post away in the comments below. Thanks!

Cognitive Connection, September 3: Writing for Your Life

September 3, 2010

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®If you’re lucky, you’ve already shut off the laptop and jumped into your long weekend. If you’re me, you’re racing to a deadline and already have a packed Tuesday waiting for you. I thought copywriting projects would pick up after the Labor Day holiday. Well, I’m here to say I was very wrong. It’s been a busy summer in general and the last few weeks have been a little over the top. I’m not complaining, though. I love that I get to work with words all day, every day.

Enjoy your weekend and don’t miss these four great posts.

  • PowellsBooks.Blog Kristin Hersh: The Powells.com Interview What memoirist wouldn’t appreciate this description of his or her book? “Though it takes as its setting a particular year in an unusual life, Rat Girl is an incredibly moving and universal coming-of-age story that could change the way you encounter the world.” Okay, yes, Kristin Hersh is famous (she founded the band Throwing Muses), but this interview is interesting for us less-known folks, too.
  • There Are No Rules Make the Most of Your Memory: 10 Tips for Writing About Your Life This guest post by Stacey Dubois (a writer and a cognitive psychologist) offers tips she’s developed to help writers make the most of the memory for writing. Memoirists, here’s another one for you. I’ve also added Stacey’s blog to my Google Reader, so it’s possible you’ll see me sharing more from her.
  • The Urban Muse Guest Post: Adapting Your Blog into a Book This guest post by Lilit Marcus, author of Save the Assistants: A Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the Workplace and founder of the blog by the same name, offers insight into how she turned her blog into a book. I’m also including this here for another reason: it’s a great example of using guest posts to promote a newly published book.
  • The Writer’s [Inner] Journey The 5-Question [Author+Therapist] Interview: Rachel Ballon I’m a big fan of The Writer’s [Inner] Journey and have linked to many of Meredith’s fascinating interviews with writers about their creative process. This interview with author and therapist Rachel Ballon may be the most interesting yet. Why? “The therapist, author and coach helps us explore the eternal question: Do you want to be a ‘writer’ or do you want to write?”

Your turn. Any opinions, blog posts or articles on writing and/or freelancing you’d like to share? Post away in the comments below. Thanks!

Cognitive Connection, August 20: Growing Your Freelancing Biz, Driving Your Narrative & Reaching an Agent

August 20, 2010

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®Several friends began new writing classes this week, kids in Denver started school and my niece got her first initiation into life as a high school freshman. All the signs—well, except for the ninety-degree weather—point to the end of summer. This month has been fantastic: busy with freelance copywriting and filled with outdoor adventures, especially with my nephews. But no writing. I’m hoping the time outdoors and doing new things will have secretly fueled my imagination when it’s time to get back to writing in the next few weeks.

Let’s get to the links and resources.

  • Freelance Folder What’s the Single Best Think You’ve Ever Done for Your Freelancing Biz? As back-to-school advertising peaks, I’m thinking about getting back to work. Not that it’s been a slow summer! But I know that clients usually kick off new projects in the fall and it’s time for me to invest extra energy in my copywriting business. This round-up is full of interesting and fresh ideas for doing just that.
  • Nathan Bransford How to Write a Query Letter Flag this post as a keeper. It is overflowing with links to fantastic resources from finding an agent to crafting a killer query. You’ll be glad you have this one when the time is right.
  • There Are No Rules How to Ensure 75% of Agents Will Request Your Material This post is a follow-up to an earlier piece Jane Friedman published while at the Midwest Writers Conference. This “how to” post is by Marcus Sakey, who made the statement that “query letters, if any good, would result in a 75% ‘send me something response.

Here are two from last week.

I didn’t get a chance to post them and, if you haven’t seen these already, I recommend adding these to your reading list.

  • She Writes What Do You Do All Day? Literary agent Erin Hosier shares a list of things she did (professionally) last week. Interesting insight into the types of things agents are juggling these days.

Your turn. Any opinions, blog posts or articles on writing and/or freelancing you’d like to share? Post away in the comments below. Thanks!

Cognitive Connection, July 16: A Heaping Helping of Encouragement and Writing Tips

July 16, 2010 — 1 Comment

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®Some weeks can feel like churn: me, my laptop, email and copy. I consider myself very fortunate to spend my time working with words and getting paid for it, but like any job it can have it’s duller moments. But this week was exceptional. I left the house and engaged in interesting, thought-provoking conversations (with other people) about books and writing. I’ve met many talented writers the last four months and I love learning from them all.

  • Ask Allison When One Opinion is Just That: One Opinion A reader asks author Allison Winn Scotch for advice after an agent tells this reader there’s no place in the market for her book. In answering, Allison reminds us all that we should not “get caught up in singular feedback.”
  • Janet Fitch’s Blog 10 Writing Tips That Can Help Almost Anyone As soon as I discovered Janet’s blog this week, I immediately added it to my Google reader. Her writing is beautiful and Paint It Black is one of my favorite recent novels. She offers helpful, actionable advice in this post. And, it’s applicable across many genres.
  • Lisa Romeo Writes Summer Writing Prompt Project From Lisa: “If you are having a tough time churning out words, if you occasionally feel (in addition to overheated) that you really should be writing more, or just enjoy a creative kick, a daily writing prompt may be the ticket.” She’s offering a free daily writing prompt until August 31.
  • There Are No Rules – Guest post by Justin Kramon 2 Concrete Ways To Keep Your Writing Career Moving Forward Justin’s book Finny was released July 13. In this guest post, he offers specific tips (including resources and links) to help writers fend off despair in a field of rejection. If you like Justin’s post on There Are No Rules, check out his blog—it’s all about his process of writing and getting his novel published.
  • Work in Progress This is a monthly e-mail newsletter presented by Farrar, Straus and Giroux The description from the website had me hooked: “Welcome to Work in Progress, our monthly missive from the front lines of literature. […] Think of this as a shifting space—an exhibition, a meet-and-greet, a freak show—curated by our editors and writers, delivered here and to your inbox.”

Your turn. Any opinions, blog posts or articles on writing you’d like to share? Post away in the comments below. Thanks!

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Cognitive Connection, July 9: Rejections, Post-MFA Life and Agent Interviews

July 9, 2010 — 2 Comments

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®While my friends in the Pacific Northwest are finally getting some summer sun and my friends on the East Coast are sweltering in the heat, it’s been cool and rainy in Denver. Quite reminiscent of Seattle, really. And it’s been a gift because it’s been the perfect weather for digging into revisions. By the end of next week, I could be kicking off a big copywriting project, so I’m trying to squeeze in as much writing as I can now.

With that, here a few Friday reads for you, including three new blogs worth checking out.

  • Rejected Onion I found this site through the Denver Egoist. Rejected Onion is a copywriter sharing the headlines that The Onion has rejected. A blog is certainly one way to deal with rejection.
  • SlushPile Hell Speaking of rejection, this blog is bound to make you feel better, no matter how many bathroom walls you can plaster with rejection letters. SlushPile Hell is an anonymous blog, with the tagline “a grumpy literary agent wades through query fails.”
  • Tapping into the Wild This is Kate Monahan’s new blog. I originally found her through her Writer’s Digest MFA Confidential blog, where she shared her experiences as a second year MFA student. Tapping into the Wild will be Kate’s chronicle of graduating from her writing program and diving into the “real world of writing.”
  • The Writer’s [Inner] Journey The 5-Question [Literary] Agent Interview: Anita Bartholomew If you’ve read much of my blog in the last few months, you’ll know I am a big fan of Meredith Resnick and her brain child The Writer’s [Inner] Journey. Meredith’s author interviews are always interesting because she asks compelling, thought-provoking questions. And the same is true of her literary agent interviews. If you enjoy this one with Anita Bartholomew, you can catch up on all the The 5-Question [Literary] Agent Interviews.

Your turn. Any opinions, blog posts or articles on writing you’d like to share? Post away in the comments below. Thanks!

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