Yearly Archives: 2010

Writing, and The Writing Writers Who Write About It

This past weekend, I was invited to participate in an opening keynote panel of the Minnesota Bloggers Conference. The thrust of the panel discussion was “Minnesota’s pioneering bloggers and [the] lessons learned, best practices and stories behind their success.” Knowing this and a bit of the questions in discussion beforehand, I was able to think a bit about what some of my answers might be and what message I wanted to put across to those who call themselves “bloggers”. Here it is…

You are writers.

I have become increasingly uncomfortable with the title “blogger”. I think this term cuts wrong in several directions.

First, I think it reduces the respect and credibility of those who write and publish online. Especially those who perform this craft well and are deserving of the same recognition and respect society has long bestowed upon writers in other mediums. In fact, take any of your best journalists, authors, etc. and I could show you an equal number of “bloggers” that write just as well if not better.

Secondly, I think it helps to absolve many of becoming better at a craft that they choose to participate in by giving it a label that divorces it from the very thing it is. Writing, editing, publishing – These things that have been happening for thousands of years. The methods and medium may be different but the craft is exactly the same. It does not need a new noun. The fact that technology has progressed to the point where we can do it ourselves does not make the means of the labor different. What technology has done is allow anyone who wishes to write and publish the ability to do so no matter if they have the talent to write or not.

As with any art, part is talent but I would argue that an even larger part is also learning how to write. Once learned, practice (lots and lots of it) is what will help you eventually find, what we writers like to call, your “voice”. That little something in your writing that is uniquely you. Once you find that (and only when you find it), you will be able to cast off any other term that the collective may chose to bestow upon you. You are a writer.

Towards that end, and no matter where you are on your journey, I would like to point you to some of the resources that have helped me over time. This is hardly a complete list. Just a bit of what jumps to mind when I think about such things. I can guarantee that, if you care at all about being a better writer, any of these will help you too.

Books

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life – Anne Lamott – If you were to read any one book on writing, it should be this one.

On Writing – Steven King – I’m not the biggest King fan (just not my cup of tea), that said, he knocked it out of the park with this one.

The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life – Twyla Tharp – Practical advice and inspiration for all artists and creatives.

The Elements of Style – Strunk & White – The Old Testament.

On Writing Well – William Zinsser – The New Testament.

Posts

Intellectual Masturbation on Writing Well – Rodney O. Lain – My late friend Rodney not only offers advice on writing but the very existence of this post proves that your words, if properly cared for, will live long after you are gone.

Making the Clackity Noise – Merlin Mann – Ultimately, it is about sitting your butt in the chair and doing this.

NaNoWriMo: A Pep Talk and a Warning | 43 Folders – Also by Merlin. It contains the number one top secret of amazing and successful writers (Spoiler: They write.).

Why I Write – George Orwell – Some excellent thoughts on writing with purpose.

Writing Tips for Non-Writers Who Don’t Want to Work at Writing – John Scalzi – Also good for writers that do want to work at it.

Janet Fitch’s 10 rules for writers – Los Angeles Times – Smart tips from a pro.

Randy Murray’s Writing Assignments – My good friend Randy posts regular writing assignments to his site for fun and practice. The “50 words” one is a particular favorite of mine.

Podcasts

Obsession Times Voice: John Gruber & Merlin Mann’s Blogging Panel at SxSW | 43 Folders – I listen to this, in part or whole, at least once every other month. It’s that good.

Final note: While all of the above are helpful, the only way one can ultimately become a better writer is to write. Reading and listening to things about writing will only help if you apply them while you are writing. So write!

Of Mice and Magic

You may have heard already but, along with some new iMacs (Win), Mac Pros (Big Win), 27inch Cinema Display (Lickable), Apple released a brand new product – The Magic Trackpad.

Now, there are those who are trackpad people, those who can’t stand them, and a few in-betweeners who are comfortable with either. I’m one of the later. I even have a use case for one – My media center is an iMac and, due to its station on a shelf, there is just not enough travel room for a mouse. I currently have a Kensington Orbit Trackball attached to it and, while it does the job, it sure is not as sexy or, well, magic. But these details are not the story from my perspective.

Let’s do some theorizing on that magic for a bit. You may see a revolutionary mouse and trackpad. I see something far larger and more subversive…

Apple is rewiring our brains for touch.

Just like with the iPhone and iPad, Apple is steadfastly reinforcing the idea that touch is the way we interact with our computers. The Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad are just one more step in that direction. In fact, I would not be surprised if, before we ever see a touch based iMac, we see a keyboard without keys. A completely touch aware input experience in order to prepare the masses for the “next big thing”. That big thing is input devices as we have come to know them going away for good. 

So, this begs the question, “Why not just make a giant desk sized iPad type iMac now?” Here is the answer: It is a minor adjustment to behavior and learning to make such moves with a brand new device, because the general public will see it as “new device, new input”. It is much more difficult to take something that has followed only one input method (keyboard and mouse) for twenty years and suddenly thrust something this new upon them. Revolutions generally start with a few new ideas that pick up steam and grow larger as they roll down the hill. The Magic Trackpad is the visual representation of the revolution to come.

Bilingual

During the daytime work hours my daughter, Beatrix, is taken care of at the home of a young lady (whom I will call “CJ” for the reasons of safety and privacy) and her son, who is about a year and a half older than Beatrix. We think the world of her (of both of them actually). She treats Beatrix with the same love, kindness and compassion she displays for her own child. She is extremely active and loves to take them to museums, parks, zoos, play dates – basically anything to keep them the happiest of children. It’s perfect.

CJ is from England and still has a very proper accent. Being an unabashed Anglophile myself, this only helps solidify her position as a permanent addition to our extended family. It has also been a fascinating experiment in the nature of language learning and linguistics with the test subject being Beatrix.

You see, when Beatrix is around CJ or, in conversation discussing anything related to CJ or her son, she uses British terms in place of American ones where a difference exists. For instance…

  • Shopping Cart = Trolley
  • Trash Can = Rubbish Bin (Bin for short)
  • Diaper = Nappy
  • Trunk = Boot

When she is with us or speaking to us, she uses the American phrase. In other words, she has become bilingual in two versions of the English language and, at age two and a half, knows which of these two “languages” to speak based upon the others in conversation with her.

For those of you who are in bilingual homes or have immersion school/daycare experience, this may be just the way it works. That said, to see it happen within the confines of a language that is largely shared is a fascinating peek into the way the brain works and how important it is that we expose our children to such experiences at the earliest age possible.