July 26, 2009 -- Trim the "Fat"
When describing a scene, person, or "thing" in your writing, be specific. Telling the reader "the desk was made of wood" or "he didn't feel well (not good)" is weak writing. If the desk was made of wood, then tell us what kind of wood. A light-stained oak? Mahogany? Knotty pine? If your characters is ill, then tell us what ails him.
Go through your text and remove any weak nouns, verbs, and modifiers. Eliminate abstractions and replace them with concrete images. Help your readers visualize what is happening.
Cut any clichés, unless they are central to your character. If you use a metaphor or simile, create your own.
July 22, 2009 -- About Press Releases - 1
A well-executed press release has an excellent chance of being picked up by a news organization. What can you do to increase your chances? Here are a few guidelines to follow.
Ask yourself this question: Is the information newsworthy? Of course your new business or product line is exciting to you. But how can you tweak the story to pique the interest of your newspaper’s readership? Be an objective observer of your news item.
When structuring your press release, remember the basics we learned in English 101: Who, What, When, Where Why, and How. This information should be in the first two paragraphs of your release. Make sure the first two sentences of your release are effective, as they are the most important.
July 8, 2009 -- Wake Up, America, Out KIds Are Dying
A couple of nights ago I was awakened at 3:45 a.m. by a torrential rainstorm. After the intense thunder and lightening subsided, and still unable to get back to sleep, I turned on the television and began flipping through the channels. That mindless activity halted when my ears pricked up upon hearing an unfamiliar word: bullycide. Understanding instantly what the word meant — suicide as a result of bullying — I grabbed my eyeglasses so that I could watch the news report. Later in the day, I spent a few hours researching the Internet for bullycide stories. Actually, when you Google "bullycide stories," the result reads "about 26,100 for bullycide stories." Eventually, I ended up on You Tube. I still get goosebumps thinking about the plethora of videos I discovered there. I’d like to bring two of the videos to your attention. The first is a compelling news report by ABC’s Diane Sawyer. It begins with a scene from the old television show, Candid Camera, illustrating the evolution of behavior (the devolution, really) of two little girls towards one boy. The second is a music video tribute entitled Bullying In America. Watch this one alone first, then watch it again with your kids. I’ve written on the topic of bullying a few times and under different buzzwords and terms: when eleven-year-old Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover hung himself after enduring daily taunts at school about being gay (anti-gay bullying); and when the Megan Meier case first hit the news cycle (cyberbullying). I’ve even blogged about the adult extension of this abusive behavior (workplace bullying). Well, I’m going to continue writing about bullying until this horrific problem wanes. It’s time we wake up to this insidious behavior that is killing our children.
Originally written for KidsTerrain. Reprinted with permission.
July 1, 2009 -- Book Bloggers
With so many newspapers laying off their book editors or cutting their book review sections altogether, book bloggers are enjoying a heydey.
Authors looking to have their books reviewed should check out <a href="http://bookblogs.ning.com/">Book Blogs</a>, a web site where members read books, blog about books, write books, and publicize books.
Like with anything, do your research. Don't just send books to anyone. Read the bloggers archived reviews. Be sure that the blogger is interested in your type of book...in other words, if you are a nonfiction writer, a YA (Young Adult) science fiction blogger may not be the best person to send your book to.