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a.k.a writer

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Cognitive Connection, July 2: On Memoir

July 2, 2010 — 4 Comments

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®Not all of these posts were published this week, but I did find them all in the last several days. Maybe it’s because my memoir workshop from Aspen Summer Words is still occupying the bulk of my brain that I noticed these posts. Or maybe they found me. Anyway, I’m sharing them with you.

  • Lisa Romeo Writes Author Interview Sue William Silverman on Memoir Writing This is Lisa’s interview with the author of Fearless Confessions: A Writer’s Guide to Memoir. I had to read parts of this book for a writing class; some of the exercises Sue recommends are interesting and can be helpful if you’re stuck.
  • Rants & Ramblings Resources for Writing Memoir Literary Agent Rachelle Gardner shares her recommendations for books on writing memoir as well as her favorite memoirs. (p.s. She recommends reading Piper Kerman’s Orange is the New Black. I strongly second that. Kerman’s story itself is interesting, but it’s her humility and ability to open herself to the women around her that makes this book so compelling. And so hard to not to read in one sitting.)
  • The Book Deal Ask the Editor: 6 steps to writing a memoir Editor Alan Rinzler offers excellent advice on writing. Once you read this memoir-specific post, I highly recommend you spend some time reading more of his “Ask the Editor” posts. (Thanks to one of my fellow Aspen Summer Words writers for telling me about this site.)
  • The Traveling Writer Memoir tip: lose the play-by-play Alexis Grant is writing a travel memoir based on her blog and she continues to share her process as she revises her memoir with the help of her agent. This is an interesting post about working with time in memoir.

Your turn. Have you read anything on memoir or writing that stood out to you this week? Please share in the comments below. Thanks!

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Cognitive Connection, June 4: On Copywriting & Writing

June 4, 2010 — 1 Comment

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®This week’s suggested reads revolve around writing, from an MFA program to trends in copywriting portfolios to interviews with writers about their processes. If you’re a lover of working with words, this Cognitive Connection is for you.

  • The Denver Egoist 2010 Portfolio Site Trends Jason Siciliano, who founded ModernCopywriter.com, penned this piece on current portfolio trends. This is one of the best—and most insightful—portfolio-related posts I’ve read for copywriters.
  • Writer’s Digest Blog – MFA Confidential Reflection Mode: Thinking About Life Inside an MFA Program If you’re thinking about an MFA in creative writing (or any MFA, really), this is a good blog to keep an eye on over the next few weeks as Kate Monahan wraps up her last few weeks in a creative writing program.

Your turn. Any great reads that you’d like to share with your fellow readers? Print counts, too, it doesn’t have to be something online. If you’re hooked on a new book or loved an article or essay in a magazine, include it here. Please share in the comments below. Thanks!

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Cognitive Connection, May 21

May 21, 2010 — 2 Comments

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®It’s going to be a gorgeous weekend in Denver and what am I going to be doing? Homework. Finishing critiques for a local workshop and diving into the pre-work required for the Aspen Summer Words Writers’ Retreat. At least maybe I can do it while soaking up some Vitamin D.

Here are a few reads for your weekend:

  • FreelanceFolder Would You Hire This Freelancer? It’s likely that you’ve already seen this, as it spread pretty quickly across Twitter. If you haven’t read it, this post is one client’s experience in hiring a freelancer. She shows you two responses (edited to protect the freelancer’s identity and rates) and tells you which one she hired. The shocking part for me was that she hired either one. Both responses had typos and grammatical errors; one was worse than the other. Would mistakes like that fly from a writer? Surely not.
  • Janice Erlbaum NoNaMeWriMo* (* Not National Memoir Writing Month) Although this post of Janice’s is from February, I just read it—and loved it. Any writer can appreciate the experience of writing and then trashing a full draft. It’s especially compelling for those of you working with memoir. And while you’re on her website, be sure to check out Janice’s book trailer for Have You Found Her. It’s one of the best I’ve seen.
  • The Atlantic Building a 21st Century Safety Net Writer Derek Thompson pens a powerful article on why “a 21st century workforce requires a different kind of safety net, with benefits that are more flexible, portable, personal.”

Your turn. Any great reads that you’d like to share with your fellow readers? Print counts, too, it doesn’t have to be something online. If you’re hooked on a new book or loved an article or essay in a magazine, include it here. Please share in the comments below. Thanks!

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Cognitive Connection, May 14: It’s the Third Annual Writers Worth Day

May 14, 2010 — 2 Comments

Writers Worth Day 2010 | Third Annual Writers Worth DayToday is the Third Annual Writers Worth Day. What is Writers Worth Day? It’s an online campaign created by blogger and fellow freelancer Lori Widmer. It’s designed to promote the fair market value of writers through education, awareness, and ongoing support.

It’s also a “time to celebrate the value and skills you bring to your clients and the writing world,” according to Lori.  She’s devoted her blog this week by encouraging fellow through what she called “worth-inducing tips.”

What’s my worth-inducing tip to you? Well, I’ve actually got three.

First, say no to content mills. You can do better.

Second, take time to celebrate the skills, talent and value you bring your clients. And by value I don’t mean “cheap.” I mean the approach and perspective that only you can provide.

Third, head over to Lori’s blog and spend some time reading—and sharing—tips with your fellow writers.

Happy Writers Worth Day.

Cognitive Connection, May 7

May 7, 2010 — 1 Comment

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®Due to a hectic schedule, I’m offering you only four recommended reads this week. If you’d like to more to read or if you’d like to discover some new blogs, check out the list of WordCount Blogathon 2010 participants. These brave bloggers are posting every single day in May. I’m sure they would love your support.

  • PR Breakfast Club PR ADD Eric Berto makes a terrific point about how it’s so easy to “focus on what’s next, sometimes we do it at the expense of what’s current.”

Your turn. Any great reads that you’d like to share with your fellow readers? Print counts, too. If you’re hooked on a new book or loved an article or essay in a magazine, include it here. Please share in the comments below. Thanks!

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Cognitive Connection, April 30

April 30, 2010 — 3 Comments

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®This week has flown by—and, yet, seemed really long. Maybe it’s because Denver weather is fluctuating between a sunny, 80 degrees and snow. Yup, snow. Monday (and May) will dawn with two big projects kicking off, so I’m going to enjoy this weekend while I can, despite the weather. I hope you enjoy your weekend, too.

If you have the time, I recommend these reads.

  • The Book Butterfly—Guest Post with Allison Winn Scotch, Author of Time of My Life For those of you who’ve read Time of My Life and/or are a fan of Allison’s writing, you’ll enjoy this post in which she’s asked what she would do differently with her life if she could go back seven years. (It’s related to the plot of Time of My Life.)

Your turn. Any great reads that you’d like to share with your fellow readers? Print counts, too. If you’re hooked on a new book or loved an article or essay in a magazine, include it here. Please share in the comments below. Thanks!

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Cognitive Connection, April 23: Book Covers, Essay Class and AWP

April 23, 2010 — 1 Comment

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®This week’s Cognitive Connection is a bit eclectic, but it works here. There’s a link to a great online essay writing class, two interesting posts to an author sharing her experience—including images—with her book cover design and then a magazine article about tech entrepreneurs.

While you’re reading (or maybe signing up for a class), I’m going to attempt to recover from this week! Last Friday, I got a could-not-resist copywriting opportunity and have been working non-stop since. I need to recharge my batteries so I can keep up with another project (possibly two) kicking off next week.

  • Amy Paturel’s Essay Class, May 3. Okay, so it’s not an article or a blog post, but I did want to point out this online essay class taught by Amy Paturel. Amy has been featured twice in Newsweek’s “My Turn” column and has contributed essays to Health, Women’s Health, Body+Soul, Healing Lifestyles & Spas, The Los Angeles Times and more. I connected with Amy when I entered her essay e-course contest. She’s thoughtful and responsive—and there’s no question she’s attentive to her students. For more information or to sign up for her six-week class, visit The Renegade Writer class page.
  • New York Magazine Tweet Tweet Boom Boom Description from the magazine: “A new generation of tech entrepreneurs in the city is trying to overthrow old media and build a better New York—with the help of their iPhones. Are they dreaming? Definitely. But in a good way.”
  • Readergirlz Cover Stories: Mexican High by Liza Monroy Many of you are familiar with Liza Monroy, who has published essays about marrying her gay best friend and wrote the YA novel Mexican High. She’s also taught classes through Mediabistro. Even if you aren’t familiar with Liza, you’ll enjoy these two blog posts on the development and evolution of her book cover.
  • Writer’s Digest There Are No Rules by Jane Friedman Why Don’t Publishers Market & Promote the Books They Publish? Jane shares her take on discussions from AWP about authors’ roles in selling their books. Her perspective is very interesting—and be sure to catch the “predictions from others” near the end of her post.

Your turn. Any great reads that you’d like to share with your fellow readers? Print counts, too. If you’re hooked on a new book or loved an article or essay in a magazine, include it here. Please share in the comments below. Thanks!

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Cognitive Connection: April 16: Copywriting, Essays and How-tos

April 16, 2010

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®Last week, I posted a poll to get your opinion on “Cognitive Connection.” While I didn’t get tons of feedback, a few people did take the time to email me, saying leave it as is. So, unless I overwhelmingly hear differently this week, I’m sticking with it.

One small change I will make is that I’ll try to limit the links to five for spring and summer. I find that I spend less time at my computer on weekends when the weather warms up. Even if I’m reading, it’s likely to be a book in a park or by the pool. Of course, I’ll continue encouraging everyone to share their favorite reading from the week.

  • MarketCopywriter Blog Copywriting Jargon Got You Confused? Here’s help. This hilarious quiz will test your knowledge of copywriting lingo. The best part? If you don’t make a perfect grade, there are links to very helpful copywriting vocabulary resources.
  • Mashable 5 Tips for Building Online Friendships Between online classes and joining groups like Freelance Success (FLX), many of my connections with fellow writers and freelancers begin online. That doesn’t make them any less important and this article focuses on building quality relationships. I highly recommend it.
  • WordCount: Announcing the 3rd annual WordCount Blogathon. Registration is officially open for Michelle Rafter’s WordCount Blogathon, which runs May 1-31. Michelle’s goal is to have 100 writers participate. Originally, I wanted to join, but along the way, I made several big May commitments, including a new copywriting client and a writing class. I’m not sure I’ll be joining this year but I’ll definitely be cheering for those who do.
  • The Writer’s [Inner] Journey: The 5-Question [Writer] Interview: Amy Paturel I love Meredith Resnick’s interview with essayist and writing teacher Amy Paturel, who talks about “how being frightened is a good sign, the truth about truth in essays and finding stories while fast asleep.”

On last plug: if you’re interested in reading more of a.k.a writer, check out my recently added Popular Posts page. You can find pieces you have missed or old favorites organized by topic.

Your turn. Any great reads that you’d like to share with your fellow readers? Print counts, too. If you’re hooked on a new book or loved an article or essay in a magazine, include it here. Please share in the comments below. Thanks!

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