tips from some pros

I keep in the back of my mind the idea of writing the Great American or its closest equivalent I could manage, but I'm really too lazy to devote much more than that to the cause. It's one of those things that is so lovely to think about and horrendous to actually start...so I do alot of thinking. I know I'm not the only one out there with unrealized, passive ambition (oxymoron?) so I'll share the list of quotes I got from an A Dribble of Ink find, originally pilfered from Pick the Brain. Instant gratification (p.s. all commentary provided by Pick the Brain blog entry author, John Wesley......I wonder if we're distantly related?):

Writing Tips

1. Cut the boring parts
I try to leave out the parts that people skip. ~Elmore Leonard

Unless you’re writing for personal reasons alone, you need to consider the attention of your readers. There’s no point is publishing content that isn’t useful, interesting, or both.

2. Eliminate unnecessary words
Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very;” your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~Mark Twain

I used to feel that using words like “really”, “actually”, or “extremely” made writing more forceful. It doesn’t. They only get in the way. Cut them and never look back.

3. Write with passion
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth

It’s not hard to realize that unless you’re excited about your writing no one else will be.

4. Paint a picture
Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov

Simply stating something is fine, but when you need to capture attention, using similes, metaphors, and vivid imagery to paint a picture creates a powerful emotional response.

5. Keep it simple
Vigorous writing is concise. ~William Strunk Jr.

Maybe it was all those late nights, struggling to fill out mandatory 10 page papers, but many people seem to think that worthwhile writing is long and drawn out. It’s more difficult (and effective) to express yourself in the simplest possible manner.

6. Do it for love
Write without pay until somebody offers to pay. ~Mark Twain

When you’re just starting out it’s hard to decide where to begin. So don’t. Just start writing. A blog is a good place to start. The most valuable benefit is the feedback.

7. Learn to thrive on criticism
You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance. ~Ray Bradbury

Writing means putting yourself at the mercy of anonymous hecklers and shameless sycophants. Learn to make the most of the insults and distrust the praise.

8. Write all the time
Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you’re doomed. ~Ray Bradbury

The way you define yourself as a writer is that you write every time you have a free minute. If you didn’t behave that way you would never do anything. ~John Irving

9. Write what you know … or what you want to know
If any man wish to write in a clear style, let him be first clear in his thoughts; and if any would write in a noble style, let him first possess a noble soul. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Learn as much by writing as by reading. ~Lord Acton

Successful writing is all about trust and authority. It makes sense to write about your area of expertise. If you don’t have an expertise, reading and writing is the best way to develop one and put it on display.

10. Be unique and unpredictable
I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite. ~G.K. Chesterton

Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative. ~Oscar Wilde

Zest. Gusto. How rarely one hears these words used. How rarely do we see people living, or for that matter, creating by them. Yet if I were asked to name the most important items in a writer’s make-up, the things that shape his material and rush him along the road to where he wants to go, I could only warn him to look to his zest, see to his gusto. ~Ray Bradbury

Following what works will only get you so far. Experiment with new styles, even if it means taking criticism. Without moving forward, you’ll be left behind.

a good 'un and a bad 'un

One of my favorite patrons, Mr. B, started a tradition several years back where we exchange jokes. Mr. B's jokes run the gamut of appropriatness, but are always funny :) Today was no exception.

Mr. B: (without preamble and over my shoulder as I was shelving at the time)I have a business proposition for you.....
Me: oookaaaay? (a little hesitant, you never know...)
Mr. B: combination vet's office and taxidermist. They're motto: No matter what happens, you get Fido back.
Me: *braying laugh that draws attention and is quickly muffled* I then made him promise to buy a ticket to the annual wine festival from me so I can work on getting my comp ticket...one down, 9 to go!

I did not have a joke to tell in return and was appropriately ashamed...I'll have to do better!


Now for the bad 'un!
Itch Butt Man came up to the desk
IBM: Do you have any of the ear buds up here?
Me: No sir, I'm sorry but we don't keep ear buds at this desk. They sell them downstairs at the front desk.
IBM: *grimace (which is pretty awful considering he is missing all front teeth between the canines)* You don't have any ear buds up here? Maybe hidden away in a desk drawer or something?
Me: No sir, I'm sorry but we don't keep ear buds at this desk. They sell them downstairs at the front desk. (playing on my theory that if you repeat the same thing over and over, the patron may eventually get the f-ing point)
IBM: sighed, loud and long-suffering, before trudging off for the elevator, thankfully not scratching his butt this time around...

yay! Somedays I love public service and some days......
htw

fun new comic

I read Unshelved regularly, but here's another one I've recently begun enjoying, Shelf Check

This is so true, it's depressing. I really need to do some slicing and dicing in our reference collection and clear out all of the crap. We've got great books, but it's hard to see them for the dessicated corpses of the obsoletes.

I've been asked for all this and more...enough times that I've said "This is the library, not Office Depot. You need to bring your supplies with you." They looked crestfallen and vaguely wounded and I kinda felt like I'd kicked a puppy...one that had just crapped in my shoe though, so I got over it pretty quick. The kids around here probably get more in allowance than I do on payday!

htw

meet the aye-aye

Looks like a house elf, doesn't he/she? But no, it's a rare primate found only on the island of Madagascar.

v. v. disturbing...on all fronts

this is a website advertising a book, but I'm planning on ordering a copy for the library. It is truly amazing what some scientists will do in their quest for knowledge...

Behold, the Top 20 Most Bizzare Experiments of All Time!

cast thine eyes to the heavens...

...and read this entry from a blog called Bad Astronomy... I don't understand everything, but I do understand this:

The system is totally awe-inspiring. The pulsar spins 182 times per second; that’s faster than a kitchen blender’s blade. The second star was detected because as it orbits the pulsar the pulsar orbits it. It turns out that the second star, the one being drained, orbits the pulsar at a distance of 230,000 miles — the same distance the Moon orbits the Earth. However, instead of taking a month to orbit as the Moon does, this star orbits the pulsar once every 55 minutes! Imagine: an object that is far more massive than Jupiter, being tossed around at well over one million miles per hour! Neutron stars are scary.

Science is so cool! I wish I were capable of understanding more of it....

The little bright dot is the pulsar, the big red poof is the planet-sized mass.

I promise...

...one day my obsession with Alex the African Grey parrot will end!

while we wait, read more about him in this Seed Magazine article from 2004!

htw

Mt. Vesuvius transported...

to Alabama beginning October 14, 2007! Check out the website I put together to link off of the library's webpage (as soon as I get my erstwhile colleague to do it for me)! I started this as an assignment in graduate school and spiffed it up for real world use. And, for the record, once the link is up and running I will be sending it to the teacher involved so I can toot my own horn, pat myself on the back, etc!

avast!

I missed Talk Like a Pirate Day yesterday! Thanks to KT for reminding all of us! My pirate name....Voodoo Lizzie! My pirate ship's name....The Horrid Shark!

arrrrrgh!
htw

Thanks E's T&Ms

I had a funny encounter concerning the book cover meme post of earlier....I did not blog about it here since I have readers of a younger persuasion (Hey Shelb!) but over at Elizabeth's Thoughts and Musings, my friend E blogged about it in a nice, vague way so I can too. The meme was to type in your first name in the Amazon book search and blog about an interesting book. You can read about my attempt here. Well, E decided to try a similar thing, the only difference being that she chose the DVD search and used her first and last name. Up popped one of my fav movies, Center Stage, which E scoffed at first (shame on you, E!) until she observed me attempting to pick my jaw up off the floor! Okay, okay, I will admit to a certain amount of corny-ness being present in this flick...but that's all! I recommended right back to her the lush, cinematic goodness of that great Australian picture, Strictly Ballroom! I first discovered this movie through my friend T's mom and have loved it ever since.

All this to say that I decided to try my hand at the DVD meme and the first item that popped up was a lovely pornographic film, circa 1974. With a main character like the down-on-their-luck Uranus Studios, it's got to be good... I wonder what the sound track would sound like :)

:)
htw