Working in Words

Monday, May 7, 2012

Debriefing on the A to Z Blog Challenge

As a writer, I love a creative challenge. Deadlines somehow inspire me. Maybe this is a bonus from my days in journalism school, beat-writing under the gun.

It’s not that I save things for the last minute. It’s not about procrastination. I think I just strive for structure.

Each April, the A to Z Blogging Challenge lets the calendar give writers a timely nudge.

Despite holding more than a dozen daily or weekly feature and news beat assignments, I love to take somewhat of a sabbatical each spring and blog my little heart out. Blogging offers the ultimate form of creative freedom.

This spring, I completed the A to Z Blogging Challenge with six blogs.

Heart of a Ready Writer – Bible and devotional writings
Meme Express: Blog Prompts – blog topics and writing prompts
Nickers and Ink: Poetry and Humor – poetry and humor
Practically at Home – home and how-to’s
The Mane Point: A Haven for Horse Lovers – horses and equestrian topics
Working in Words – writing and publishing pointers

Sometimes I sat and scratched my head, seeking subjects for daily blog entries. At other times, the creative process flowed much more easily.

A to Z Blogging Challenge finishers:

You are welcome to use this badge,

created by Working in Words,

if you wish.

As a courtesy,

please link back to Working in Words,

if you do!

Thank you.

I am glad I committed to doing the A to Z Challenge in April.

It feels good to finish! I find it rewarding to reflect on an ambitious endeavor completed. Don’t we all?

Long-time British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1965) said this about the dogged determination that leads to finishing:

“We shall neither fail nor falter.

We shall not weaken or tire.

Give us the tools,

and we will finish the job.”

The only drawback for me this year, reflecting on the April challenge, is this. I was unable to visit all of the participating blogs. (More than 1,600 blogs entered the event.)

Here’s the full list of Working in Words posts for the April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

Why not join us for the April A to Z Blogging Challenge next spring? It really is fun.

Image/s:

A to Z April Challenge Survivor badge

by co-host Jeremy

at Retro-Zombie – used by permission

A to Z 2012 Checkered Flag
created by Linda Ann Nickerson
for Working in Words

A to Z Blogging Challenge 2012 logo

Fair Use

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Tuesday, May 1, 2012

A to Z Writing: April Blogging Challenge Roundup of Posts

The A to Z Blogging Challenge is a fait accompli. Working in Words’ complete collection of alphabetical posts is up. Did you catch all of them?

A to Z Blogging Challenge finishers:

You are welcome to use this badge,

created by Working in Words,

if you wish.

As a courtesy,

please link back to Working in Words,

if you do!

Thank you.

Here’s the full list of April A to Z Blogging Challenge posts on Working in Words.

Additional Working in Words posts may not appear daily, but the proverbial pipeline is filled with plenty of posts to come!

Image/s:

A to Z 2012 Checkered Flag
created by Linda Ann Nickerson
for Working in Words

A to Z Blogging Challenge 2012 logo

Fair Use

Sunday, April 29, 2012

A to Z Writing: Zealous Zombies in Zany Ziggurats

Writing can be serious business, but it need not always be.

Once in a while, even the most scholarly wordsmiths may zip out of zone and zoom off a zillion zesty zips.

It’s all part of living in the zoo.

Freelance, agency or corporate writers tend to be imaginative sorts. Don’t we all need an occasional break from tedium?

For decades, I’ve made my living in writing, composing everything from executive speeches to editorials, and from legal exposes to limericks. And I love it.

I’m one of those curious sorts, pouring myself into research and enjoying outlining. I actually enjoy staring at my computer screen and trying to come up with creative ways to express the most straightforward of subjects.

But once in a while, I want to go off the page. Maybe zealous zombies in zany ziggurats are onto something. So, just for fun, here’s my wrap-up for the A to Z Blogging Challenge.

Hey, sometimes one has to let go of logic (and logistics) and simply write about zombies. It's a way to escape from daily routine, so as not to become a zombie oneself!

(Watch for a complete listing tomorrow

of my Working in Words posts

for the 2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge.)

The Zombie Zoom –

Limericks in Fun for Words on the Run

Zealous zombies march apace

In zany ziggurats in space.

They stand and stare,

Seem unaware,

And yet each footfall leaves a trace.

We writers tap our keys to cite,

As zombies zoom into the night.

We sit, compose,

And pen our prose –

Although we’d best grab foil for flight.

For creativity’s a game,

And if we lost, ‘twould be a shame.

But never fear,

The zombies near

Stand ready to accept the blame.

c2012 by Linda Ann Nickerson

(For Amy Browne, Joshua Cook, Tammy Lee Morris, Linda StCyr, and other zombie writers.)

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Image:

Zombies!

Creative Commons Licensing

Public Domain/Wikipedia Commons Photos

2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge logo

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Saturday, April 28, 2012

A to Z Writing: Yearning to Spin Yarns

Do you yearn to spin yarns? I surely do, and it has nothing to do with needlework, knitting, or arts and crafts.

OK, maybe it’s a craft.

What’s a yarn spinner?

A yarn spinner is a person who spins yarns. (Maybe you knew that.)

When I was in the third grade (OK, here we go!), my teacher stapled yellow construction paper on a bulletin board in our classroom. Then she wound several strands of fuzzy yarn all over it before adding these words.

Y A R N

S P I N N I N G S

We puzzled and pondered about what she might be planning until she explained. The curious-looking bulletin board would hold the short stories we would write that semester.

Some students groaned at the prospect of crafting fiction. Inside, I rejoiced.

Maybe that’s where it started for me.

These days, I juggle news beats, feature assignments and other somewhat straightforward writing gigs. But I still try to carve out occasional moments for musing and yarn spinning. From flash fiction to lingering limericks or short and sweet senryus, I love to play with words.

Maybe every writer yearns to be a yarn spinner, weaving wonderful wordings and stitching sentences together to spread sense in our nonsensical world.

Spin on, wordsmiths. Your craft counts. Perhaps a marvel awaits. Like Rumpelstiltskin, some may one day spin gold.

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Image:

Rumpelstiltskin, by Dik Browne

1946

Public Domain/Wikipedia Commons Photos

2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge logo

Fair Use

Friday, April 27, 2012

A to Z Writing: X Marks the Spot for Proofreading

Exactness counts for editors and proofreaders – no matter what type of manuscripts they are preparing for publication.

Historically, manuscript editors have employed specific notational symbols to mark errors and necessary changes to content or typography. In the past, before virtual editing became commonplace, it was virtually impossible for an editorial student to graduate from journalism school without earning high marks in learning these marks.

Here’s a sampling of proofreading symbols from The Chicago Manual of Style (16^th edition).

Who remembers these once-common editorial symbols?

With the advent of electronic publishing, traditional proofreading marks have fallen out of common usage.

~~Does electronic editing cut out important information?~~

Editorial changes have become considerably more efficient, economical and perhaps effective through the use of computers. At the same time, however, part of the process has been lost. It is difficult now for authors and editors to track manuscript changes, unless original files are kept and compared against revisions.

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Image:

Pencil or Keyboard?

By Cohdra

MorgueFile

2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge logo

Fair Use

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

A to Z Writing: Waiving Weak Wordings

Weak wordings wreak havoc on quality content.

I’ve read reams of reports, endless series of cyber-stories, mountains of memos, and scads of student essays. Maybe you have too.

What’s the worst sort of weak writing one might find?

My personal pet peeve is the use of passive voice in common constructions. Sure, certain communications might call for this format. Legal and financial communications might use passive voice in official matters.

Still, the most interesting compositions in news, non-fiction, fiction, and poetry aim for active voice.

Consider these examples of passive and active voice:

Were you at the party that was thrown by Katrina?
Did you go to Katrina’s party?

A good time was had by all.
The party rocked.

There were more than 100 people who went to Katrina’s house.
More than 100 people crowded into Katrina’s house.

Unfortunately, a teen was struck by a car, which was driven by a minivan driver who happened to be intoxicated, on the way to the party.
Unfortunately, an intoxicated driver struck a teen with a minivan on the way to the party.

The teen was said to have had a few bruises, but he was found to be found uninjured otherwise.
The teen suffered a few bruises, but no other apparent injuries.

If you were one of those who attended and enjoyed themselves, you may want to be among those from whom Katrina receives thank-you’s.
If you liked the party, you might want to thank Katrina.

It would seem that Katrina would be likely to have another party soon.
Katrina might host another party soon.

Which approach is most readable and enjoyable?

Active voice makes sentence subjects do the work. Passive voice has work done to folks instead. Which would you rather read?

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Image:

Arm Wrestling

US Navy/US Government Photo – Public Domain

2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge logo

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A to Z Writing: Varied Vocabulary Adds Volumes of Value

Vocabulary is vital for writers, but we don’t always see it on the web.

Web content producers strive for search engine optimization (SEO), plunking extra keywords into copy to lure cyber-robots to blog posts, articles and websites. Many internet writers believe repetition is the key to top rankings in search engine results, and the highest rankings usually reap the most readership.

Does repetition spell good writing?

Consider these two paragraphs. Which would you rather read?

The singer sang three songs. Then she walked down the center aisle. She walked into her dressing room for a break before walking onto the stage to sing three more songs.

The soloist performed three numbers before parading down the center aisle. She stepped into her dressing room for a break before returning to the stage to offer an additional trio of tunes.

Which version of the story is most readable and interesting?

Readers and web writers are reaping the benefits of recent changes in search engine formats. Web crawlers have been reprogrammed to recognize synonyms, as they search for keywords relating to web surfers’ queries.

Go ahead, writers. Stretch those verbal muscles. Vie for variation! Readers will still find you.

Related Items:

Image:

The Concert Singer

By Thomas Eakins

1892

Public Domain/Wikipedia Commons

2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge logo

Fair Use

Saturday, April 21, 2012

A to Z Writing: Unnecessary Add-Ons Upset Understanding

Wordiness is wicked in web writing, and it’s also practically poisonous in print.

Editors have likely used more blue pencils and red ink to scratch out superfluous phrasings in copy.

Check out these 10 examples of wordiness in writing. These sentences simply stand stronger without the excess expressions, indicated in bold.

The grocer raised his prices, saying he had little choice in the matter.
Katy looked in closet and complained she had nothing at all to wear to the dance.
Obviously, the spring term ends in May.
At this time, job hiring levels seem to be rising now.
The grey wolf has, by all intents and purposes, been removed from the endangered species list.
That chocolate cream pie was really, really tasty.
I’d like to know, just for the heck of it, why writers add superfluous phrases.
Salary reviews will continue on an ongoing basis throughout the third quarter.
The moving van is scheduled to arrive at 9 a.m. in the morning.
Mayberry’s top mayoral candidate received a total of 821 votes in the election.

Maybe it’s time to trim the proverbial fat. Removing redundancies almost always results in better writing.

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Image:

Colored Pencil Shavings by Jorge Royan

Creative Commons Licensing Photos

2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge logo

Fair Use

Friday, April 20, 2012

A to Z Writing: Tags Are Tops for Topics

Tag, you’re it! Or at least, you may be writing about it.

Social networking tags are terrific for topic specialists. Web writers, in particular, tend to work hard at building their online visibility and sourcing community.

Do you carry a column about biking, birding, or bowling? Maybe you write regularly about careers, cooking, or cars. More than likely, your social networking profiles and friend bases reflect your interests.

Within your area of specialization, folks are likely posting photographs, headlines, event announcements and other newsworthy or notable items. Why not train these folks to tag you in these posts?

I’ve joined groups that apply to my assigned columns and posted tag requests.

Perhaps daily, cyber-friends tag me on relevant items, especially on Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook.

On event invitations, I reply with a “maybe,” even if I’m not likely to attend, just so I receive updates. After I’ve done a story, I go back and respond more accurately.

When I’m working on a story, I sometimes even suggest sources tag me in photos, particularly if they are willing to offer me permission to publish those pictures.

Once I have downloaded the images and information, I simply un-tag myself.

Press-savvy sources are likely to email news releases, announcements and photo files. But many folks do not. That’s exactly where tagging enters the picture.

Social networking can make story starts so much simpler.

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Image:

Mailbox

By Clarita

MorgueFile

2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge logo

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Thursday, April 19, 2012

A to Z Writing: SASE Simplified

Veteran authors and columnists know the drill. For decades, publishers’ editorial guidelines have insisted that writers include SASEs with their manuscript submissions.

What is an SASE?

SASE stands for self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Traditionally, publishers have requested such inclusions for their own convenience, particularly with unsolicited manuscripts. Writers willingly complied with the SASE protocol, hoping to increase their chances of receiving editorial responses and as assurances that their manuscripts would be returned, if rejected.

Besides the publishing world, the SASE is occasionally used with autograph requests, special event ticket sales, rebate offers and more.

Should a writer still include the SASE with a submission?

In this age of computerized communications, no savvy writer sends a manuscript without saving its document file first. In addition, certain publishers are even accepting electronic submissions.

A growing number of literary agents no longer encourage writing clients to follow the increasingly archaic SASE tradition for several reasons:

1. The SASE begs the question of manuscript rejection. Why not display confidence instead?

2. Editors tend to frown upon tattered recycled (read: rejected) manuscripts. Smart writers print new copies for subsequent submissions anyway.

3. Seasoned writers generally request editorial replies in their cover letters, providing their addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses. Snail mail replies are somewhat superfluous these days.

Of course, some periodicals and publishing houses still require SASEs with incoming manuscripts. Editorial guidelines are must-reads before mailing.

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Image:

Letter Opener

By Amedeo Momo Simonetti

Early 19th Century

Creative Commons Licensing/Wikipedia Commons

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