At present, LinkedIn is the largest professional network with 80 million members (compared to Facebook’s 500 million).
So, now let’s consider 10 reasons why you should NOT join LinkedIn:
TOP 10 REASONS
You have NO need to:
10. consolidate resources 1–8 and your institutional Website profile into 1 location (see previous blog for 1-8)
9. build a network of like-minded (teaching, research, writing, clinical) colleagues
8. contact colleagues and students in your field easily and quickly
7. market your expertise and build credibility with colleagues
6. share your writing or research with colleagues
5. consult, speak, or provide other professional services
4. hunt for another job in or out of your field
3. search for the best candidates for job openings you're trying to fill
2. be part of multiple communities of scholars other than your association
And the NUMBER ONE REASON:
1. have important questions answered promptly by experts you don’t even know who are all over the world (beyond your association listserv)
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
If you are convinced that you have no need for any item on that list, then get back to work. Stop fooling around with my blog. If, however, there is at least one reason you might benefit from LinkedIn, then stay with me.
This blog series will describe how you can use LinkedIn with minimal time investment, but with the possibility of a worthwhile ROI. Future blogs will describe how to prepare your professional profile and other critical elements.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
Were the Top 10 word blunders in my previous blog helpful? NO!! Oh. Okay, maybe the next 10 may hit the spot. I hope they hit something. Here they are.
NEXT 10 WORD USAGE MISTAKES
10. lose---loose
9. lie---lay
8. I---me---Moi
7. no one---noone
6. peek---peak---pique
5. principal---principle
4. raise---rise
3. than---then
2. there---their---they’re
AND THE NUMBER 1 BLUNDER:
1. whose---who’s
BONUS BLUNDER
your---you’re
That’s my final list. If you pay attention to the preceding word combos when you proof, you should be good shape, blunder-wise, unless you make other mistakes I haven’t seen. You’ve always been kinda sneaky.
HAPPY WRITING!
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
I’ve written buckets of blogs and articles on writing and publishing because everyone has to write. Interestingly, there are mistakes you make in writing that no one will ever detect when you speak those same words. For example, when you say: “I’ve finally reached my peek in dog training,” no one knows whether you meant peak, peek, or pique, or whether you know the difference among those forms. No one cares about your spelling or word usage when you speak the sentence. However, if you wrote your statement that way, your readers would know you haven’t reached your peak in word usage!
There are certain word pair and trio blunders that I see frequently in e-mails, blogs, social media posts, listserv responses, journal manuscripts, and student papers. I’m not sure whether the errors are due to spelling, word usage, carelessness, or the writer’s just a knucklehead. Whatever the reason, I thought this Top 10 might be helpful to consider when you proof anything you write. You probably know the meanings. The issue is being sensitive to their use when they pop up in your writing.
TOP 10 WORD USAGE MISTAKES
10. accept---except
9. advice---advise
8. affect---effect
7. alternately---alternatively
6. cite---site---sight
5. compliment---complement
4. dessert---desert
3. e.g.---i.e.
2. insure---ensure
AND THE NUMBER 1 BLUNDER:
1. it’s---its
Do any of these words ring a bell? Guess what? There are 10 more blunders being shipped right now by FedEx as you’re reading this. They will appear in the next blog.
I don’t know about you, but when I type quickly, I sometimes forget the apostrophe in contractions. When we whip out a message, mistakes will happen. As professionals or amateurs, these mistakes can only hurt our reputation and credibility. Be careful with these word combos. If you think of others, let me know.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
TOP 10 SECRET TIPS:
AND THE REST OF THE STORY…
Pick Your Partner Carefully. The partner can be a colleague, significant other, mentor, student, friend, mime, a literate pet, or all of the preceding. It’s even better if both of you are struggling writers. Hunt down a partner like Dog the Bounty Hunter. However, before you proceed with adoption, you also might want to run a thorough background check on your candidates to make sure they don’t have rap sheets as long as your dream book or are currently listed on the international terrorist watch-list. Be careful.
You need someone who is dependable and committed to helping you dig out of your writing hole and sustain a regiment of regular writing. It approximates a “writing boot camp” to train you to write on your own. Once you’re ready to graduate camp with the usual mortar board and robe, you will be more prepared to fight your writing battles.
Commitment. The writer-partner showdown is what Simon & Garfunkel sang about: “Hello, darkness, my old friend.” As noted in Tip 10, you must commit to write in writing (What else?) with specific, realistic goals in daily and weekly “to-do” lists to make this work. Record how much time and what you write.
Your partner can reward your successes with celebratory activities or evil gifts, such as a hot fudge sundae (unless you’re still on Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig). He or she may also extinguish failure with severe beatings or grace. Be very selective in who you pick as your partner.
Writing Clubs. You can also seek out writing clubs or groups at your institution or through your professional association. There are also many online writing groups through LinkedIn and other networks. These groups may serve in lieu of or in addition to your accountability partner.
Whatever form of accountability you choose will be only as effective as your commitment to write. How serious are you about writing more and better? Only you can answer that. We both know you can do it.
HAVE A SPECTACULAR WRITING CAREER! Let me know if you have discovered another technique to improve your writing.
BTW I am in the process of revising this entire blog series to transform it into a journal article. It will be formatted a little differently, but will be easier to read, plus it won't appear in all of these dopey colors. Those professionals who do not read my blogs might glance at the article. Ya never know. I look forward to hearing how you did the same with your blogs or writing morsels. My blogs turned out to be drafts for the article, which, of course, is also a draft right now. Have a wonderful weekend!
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
TOP 10 SECRET TIPS:
AND THE #1 SECRET TIP FROM THE HOME OFFICE IN KODIAK, AK, IS
1. FIND AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER OR WRITING GROUP. If there was a single best strategy to increase writing productivity, this is the one I would recommend. If accountability works for weight loss and drug rehab, it must be effective in other applications. RIGHT?
Where’s the Research? Research by Boice (1989) found that writers who wrote daily (Tip 10), kept records of their writing time (Tip 10), and had an accountability partner produced 9 times more than those who were left to their own devices. There is also plenty of anecdotal evidence. Of course, some of us gain the weight back or backslide into our old habits or other meds, but that’s another story. The consequences of not writing can just get you fired.
Side Effects. Accountability can really boost your productivity, unless you’re a chronic liar, but then you will have more serious issues than writing. It’s an extrinsic motivator and, as such, can also elevate your guilt levels through the roof if you don’t meet your goals. Remember the weigh-in at Weight Watchers? “No.” That’s good.
Meeting Times. If you have difficulty hunkering down to write daily or anytime, one of the best “carrots” or “Snickers” candy bars to drive you to write is an accountability partner. You should report to your partner at the end of each week or another mutually-agreed upon regular time. REGULAR meetings is an essential ingredient of this arrangement. If meetings start dwindling, so will your writing. Don’t dwindle.
Tomorrow is finale day for this series with the rest of the “accountability” story, plus a surprise ending!
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
TOP 10 SECRET TIPS:
2. MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS AND INTERRUPTIONS. Wherever you choose to write—and now you have a long list of options from Tip 9—turn off your cell phone and all electronic equipment before take-off…WAIT! You’re not on an airplane. Oops. Sorry. I meant turn off e-mail and order a “cease and desist” on people you know, pets licking your feet, kids grabbing at your clothes, Keith Lockhart (with guest artist Yo-Yo Ma) and the Boston Pops, and any other distractions, if possible. Writing can be challenging by itself. Ideal writing conditions are a luxury most writers can't afford most of the time. You can only control so much.
Don't Fluster. Don’t let interruptions derail your thoughts or fluster you. You look a little flustered right now. Unfluster. Make every effort to concentrate and stay focused on the task at hand. Be flexible and adapt to your writing surroundings. Don’t be tempted by the distractions. Block them out and stop flustering.
Conquer Public Distractions. The more you write in public venues, such as the ones on that long list, the better you become at concentrating on your writing. Right now I’m writing this blog in the Minneapolis airport with constant announcements blaring on the intercom, phones ringing or playing songs, blenders blending at the Starbucks near my make-shift office table, people talking loudly, and toddlers screaming. Under these airport conditions, you have few options and almost no control over the distractions.
Of course, if you are a member of 1st class elite airline club with a much quieter lounge, you’re all set to write during your flight layovers. Otherwise, do your best to deal with the distractions, focus on your writing, and stop wasting time reading my blog. You can do it!
My final blog in this excessively long-winded series will present Tip 1: find an accountability partner. It’s probably the most effective way to increase your writing productivity.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
TOP 10 SECRET TIPS:
3. PROOFREAD THOROUGHLY. Whatever you write, make sure to proof it thoroughly before hitting “send,” “post,” “save,” or “delete” by mistake. Do it a lot; the proofing, that is, not the hitting. Your professional reputation for quality work is on the line with every piece you produce. Nothing screams sloppy work, careless, and knucklehead more than writing errors in your communications and manuscripts.
Marinate the Manuscript. The best advice I’ve received from editors is to put each draft aside for a while—a few minutes, hours, or days. Try to systematically allow your manuscript time to breathe in whatever manuscripts breathe in your PC/Mac. You are so familiar with every word that you will not see every error, and neither will your PC or spelchek. Even with several reviews and a Sherlock Holmes-type magnifying glass, which I am using right now, I will still miss mistakes in grammar, spellinmg, or word choice.
Wait for the Mold. This blog has been marinating for several days already. You can probably tell from the green mold along the edges. Returning totally cold to the scene of your writing crime (with a magnifying glass) will usually allow those errors to jump off the screen; well, maybe not jump, but certainly hop a little. You will also reword and add material that did not occur to you previously. Both the manuscript and you can benefit from marinating for a few days. You may get moldy too, usually brown mold that can be treated with penicillin. However, your next moldy draft is always better.
Hire a Professional. Remember the ole’ TV series: “Have Proofreader, Will Travel”? Me neither. Read your masterpiece out loud AND ask a colleague, friend, or someone else with a pulse to read it. Your best proofer is one is who unfamiliar with the content and writing. You’re REEEAALLY familiar with both. That’s why you’re so bad. Bad, bad proofer!
For book manuscripts, you can even hire a professional proofer. My publishers have done that on several of my books. If you have money to burn, shop for a proofer. The more eyeballs that see your writing, the greater the chance that errors will be found before they’re published. That gives new meaning to the “interocular perusal technique.”
My next blog will address Tip 2 with brand new eyeballs: minimize distractions, if you can. Otherwise, suck it in, deal, and just write. Few writers have “ideal” writing conditions.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
TOP 10 SECRET TIPS:
4. THINK DRAFT. Consider everything you write as just a draft of your initial thinking and words. I even draft e-mail responses. When I save my e-mails in Inbox Drafts and then return later, I always catch errors and reword something to polish those drafts.
A draft can usually be improved with careful rewrites that might also incorporate the comments of colleagues, a mentor, and/or reviewers. Multiple drafts can be expected. In the journal review process, it’s not unusual to submit 1 or even up to 3 revisions before a manuscript is finally accepted for publication. The process is brutal, but the final product is far better than the initial submission.
Theta Brain Waves. Stay focused on your writing. Think about how it can be worded more concisely and clearly and/or funnier. Sit back, close your eyes, relax, and try to visualize the writing on the wall…Oops! I mean your writing on your screen. When you’re relaxed in almost shallow sleep mode, your Theta brain waves activate free-flowing creativity and different words. Hurry and write down those words while you’re flowing.
Bedtime Thoughts. Have you ever gone to bed and, as your mind relaxes, all of a sudden a burglar you saw on a Law & Order rerun breaks in and steals your PC? “No?” Oh, sorry. What about: ideas that start popping into your mind about your writing that you must right down before you forget them, but you can’t find your glasses to find the Post-its and a pen and your alarm is still blaring from the break-in. (Grammatical Note: English professors call the structure of the previous elongated sentence a "subcutaneous conjunctive carbuncle.") Jot down your carbuncles quickly. If you don’t, you probably won’t remember them in the morning and you’ll have to go back to sleep to recall them. Hummm. Not a bad idea.
My next blog will tackle Tip 3: proofreading your writing. Although, as the author, you are the worst proofreader you could hire, you have to do it.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
TAKING WRITING BLOG MEDICINE. YUCK!: This blog comes to you from Kodiak, AK, home of MONSTER brown bears, buckets of salmon, the Boston Red Sox, and the world-famous University of Arkansas Fighting Irish. It’s about 9,367 miles, give or take a foot, directly northeast of St. John’s Wort.
I am taking some of my own writing blog medicine. I feel like one of the kids in Mary Poppins. SUPERCALAFRAG… “Don’t even think about typing that full word!” With a total flight time of 15 hours, of which 9 hours was in flight on 3 different planes with a layover of 4.5 hours in Anchorage, I had a choice to make:
A. get a fishing rod and go catch salmon
B. write my guts out on the flight and in the airport
C. waste the writing opportunity to watch a made-for-flight movie, which was never released or bombed at the box office
D. engage in other boring, unproductive activities, like dreaming of catching a salmon in my mouth. Wait! That’s what the bears do.
E. A & B
F. C & D
G. all of the above
Guess which one I picked. WROOONG! I choose the lox. Of course "B": I had to write or I would have been “Hypocrite Blogger of the Week!” What a knucklehead! Why did I have to include airports and airplanes on my list of venues to write. (NOTE: The aircraft of choice for the flight from Anchorage to Kodiak was only slightly bigger than a #2 pencil.)
TOP 10 SECRET TIPS:
Unlike my previous blog which gave you a belly full of pointers related to your heart and spleen, this one does not deal with any internal organs. It is a noninvasive blog that focuses on external organs. Hold onto to your spleen, heeeere we go.
5. ADOPT A MENTOR OR COACH TO REVIEW DRAFTS
Who do you know that’s “been there, done that”? Solicit feedback on your writing from anyone who can and is willing to provide constructive criticism. You don’t need put-downs and sarcasm. Your writing mentor can be anywhere in the world. He or she can be an incredible support and sounding board to improve your writing conceptually and mechanically. A copy editor would be even better if you can find one who can review your work regularly. These reviewers can provide valuable input on any writing piece before you submit it for publication or post anything on the Internet.
(Up Close & Personal: After 35 years of writing, I still send my article and book manuscripts out for review to colleagues before submitting them for publication. I also request reviews on several blogs before they’re posted. My writing is not good enough for me to go it alone. I still make mistakes and, probably, always will. Constant feedback from colleagues and editors is the best input to continue to grow as a writer. That growing is a lifelong process.)
My next blog will examine Tip 4: think draft. Not beer, silly. I’m referring to your manuscript and even e-mail.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
TOP 10 SECRET TIPS:
6. WRITE ON TOPICS ABOUT WHICH YOU ARE PASSIONATE (continued)
Back in Your Heartland: Where’s your heart? This is not about your content knowledge. We’re back to the heart again. Your whole heart should be engaged in your writing. Half-, third-, or quarter-hearted writing is not enough. It’s either all or nothing. Pour yourself into your writing. It should be a fully immersive experience. Allow your readers to feel your spirit of passion about your contribution, whether it’s a tweet, comment on a discussion, response on Facebook, or a scientific breakthrough for a cure for stupid reality TV programs about spoiled, immature celebrities. You may start with the content, but as you revise and edit each draft, make it sneakily engrossing and captivating for your readers.
(Up Close & Personal: Every e-mail, LinkedIn message, PowerPoint presentation, blog, article, and book I write begins with the substance—the serious content. That’s the most important element to be communicated---the “WHAT.” Then I shift gears into the “HOW.”
Once I’m tentatively satisfied with the content draft, I scan line by line and read the words as a reader would, to search for places to add humor or spin some of the material with rewording to make it fun or more interesting. I assume every paragraph to be boring for my readers. I use this same strategy with every PowerPoint slide in my presentations.
The challenge is to create appropriate humor, visual metaphors, and popular cultural references to grab and maintain the readers’ attention. It’s an unending process of revision, especially in my articles, books, and PowerPoints. The more deadly serious and boring the content, the more turbo-charged I am to humorize that material. That’s how I brand my writing. It’s the art of writing for me and what I love the most. I’m never satisfied that I’ve done enough to make it interesting and funny.)
My next blog will present Tip 5: examine how a mentor or coach in your writing life can provide mighty wise counsel and poke you in the eyeballs (like the 3 Stooges) or kick you in the shins along your writing journey.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
AFTERTHOUGHT: After I reread my previous blog about all of the blogs I wrote this past year, one thought raced through my mind: “What an idiot!” I could have written a 200–250-page book for the price of all of those blogs. Knucklehead me. Bad me. Of course I'm kidding because I’m still in a celebratory mood.
While I’m in the mood on this blessed occasion, chuckle-wise, I offer the following Top 10 from actual police car video files from around the country (source unknown). ENJOY!
TOP 10 COMMENTS BY POLICE OFFICERS TO PERPS
10. "If you run, you'll only go to jail tired."
9. "Can you run faster than 1200 feet per second? Because that's the speed of the bullet that'll be chasing you."
8. "If you take your hands off the car, I'll make your birth certificate a worthless document."
7. "Relax, the handcuffs are tight because they're new. They'll stretch after you wear them for a while."
6. "You don't know how fast you were going? I guess that means I can write anything I want to on the ticket, huh?"
5. "The answer to this last question will determine whether you are drunk or not. Was Mickey Mouse a cat or a dog?"
4. "I'm glad to hear that the Chief (of Police) is a personal friend of yours. So you know someone who can post your bail."
3. "Yeah, we have a quota. Two more tickets and my wife gets a toaster oven."
2. "In God we trust; all others we run through NCIC (National Crime Information Center).”
AND THE NO. 1 COMMENT TO PERPS:
1. "You didn't think we give pretty women tickets? You're right, we don't. Sign here."
Thanks for reading. I’ll resume the WRITING series tomorrow with Tip 6: Write on topics about which you feel passionate. Write with fire, not a blanket to conk out your readers and then tuck them in.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
TOP 10 SECRET TIPS:
7. WRITE WITH A PURPOSE AND OUTCOME IN MIND. Like DUHHH! Everyone is bombarded with material to read in every form coming from every direction. Why are you writing? Why should anybody read what you write, even the niche you identified in Tip 8?
Answer these questions:
What can you contribute that’s new? (Or, tell me something I don’t know.)
What can you contribute with a different spin from anyone else?
What problem can you solve?
How can you help someone?
Who will benefit or gain?
Who cares?
How can you make a colleague a better researcher, teacher, or clinician?
How can you make someone’s life
• easier?
• healthier?
• safer?
• more meaningful?
• more productive?
• more efficient?
• more influential?
• more satisfying?
In other words, “Your writing is all about your readers; it’s not about you. It’s what you can do for them that counts” (Berk’s Law, 2010). Match your expertise to your readers’ needs.
These questions have to be answered whether you’re writing a blog, report, research article, or book. If the outcome isn’t a significant contribution to your discipline or to your readership, they won’t read your blog or article or buy your book. Your writing must be salable to your readers.
(Up Close & Personal: You’re probably thinking: “Where are the jokes you promised?” They’re sprinkled here and there, hither and yon, ying and yang. What you really wanted to ask was: “Why am I writing another piece on ‘writing’ in an already overcrowded field?” Great question. I thought I answered it previously, but maybe you were busy checking out my French derivation of niche. Wasn’t that a pip?
Although writing [but not necessarily publishing] is expected of all academicians, I don’t think most search for sources on how to write [or publish], no matter how much they may struggle. I thought my blog series could not only suggest a few new pointers, but also provide an easily accessible, anonymous, high security, secretive, covert, and free platform for a concise Berk’sNotes® resource. No one will ever know you peeked. Go ahead. Peek. I know you want to.)
My next blog will take you to Tip 6: how to pick topics about which you are passionate. We’re back to the heart of writing agaaain!
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
TOP 10 SECRET TIPS:
8. WRITE FOR A NICHE. You can’t write for everybody. Well, maybe some people can, but most can’t. It’s best to carve out a piece of your own territory, turf, piece of the rock, and put yourself in good hands with Allstate. I bet you have an itch to know your niche. Pick a niche (derived from the French words, “enrique iglesias,” meaning literally, “your retina’s detached”).
Key Questions. Answer these questions:
- Who is interested in your writing?
- Who cares about what you have to contribute?
- What definable group do you know well enough that could benefit from your work?
- What is your demographic?
- What do they read and need?
- Could you put yourself in there jobs and see their professional worlds through their detached retinas?
Define Your Niche. Clearly define your readership or audience. Draft a profile of what they look like, for example, 30–80 year-old, male and female, all ethnic, semi- to fully-pretentious university professors. YIIIKES! That a tough group!
Target Your Writing. Write specifically for your audience and think about your niche in what you write and how you write it. Your writing must connect with that group. It drives your writing by providing the focus, direction, purpose, and style. Custom tailor your writing (and humor) to fit your target readership. Within the above example group, your writing will be very different for researchers, teachers, general practitioners, and clinicians.Take careful aim to tantalize, captivate, and dazzle those readers with your writing gifts and messages that they will improve their professional lives.
My next blog will consider Tip 7: how you determine WHAT to write. What's your purpose and intended outcome?
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
TOP 10 SECRET TIPS:
9. WRITE EVERYWHERE YOU CAN (continued)
Leverage Putrid Service: The quality of service provided by many businesses and institutions is putrid. We can experience extremely long wait times and delays at all of the preceding venues. My charge to you is: Leverage that putrid service to the benefit of your writing. Don't waste your energy with negative self-talk, complaining about delays you can't control; seize them as opportunities to write.
No Access Needed: Although most of the venues now have Internet access (some for free), except some prisons, that doesn’t matter for most major writing activities. You don’t need to be online to write blogs, reports, articles, books, etc. Any piece of writing can be copied and pasted onto any platform or site later. You will be amazed at how much you can complete in 15–30 minutes if you're able to rivet your attention on your writing. Be prepared to write at any of those venues. You can accomplish a lot.
(Up Close & Personal: I have gotten used to writing, editing, proofing, and weeping over reviewers’ comments at many of the previous sites. I’ve cried at the Toyota dealer, sweated buckets while writing on torn, uncomfortable chairs at a non-air-conditioned Midas Muffler, and written piles of blogs and articles in hospital emergency and waiting rooms, doctors’ offices, airports, and the MVA. I’ve been stuck in airports or on the tarmac for 3–9 hours on several occasions. That’s solid writing time. You can either get angry or write; it's your attitude and choice. The more you write in these public settings, except prison, the more you can build up your concentration skills. Since you’re writing every day, writing on the fly becomes a habit; writing in your office becomes a luxury. There is no excuse for not writing. “You can do it!”)
Tomorrow, I will discuss Tip 8: how to pick and write for a niche audience. I know you’re itching to read about niches.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
TOP 10 SECRET TIPS:
9. WRITE EVERYWHERE YOU CAN. The comfort of your sanctum sanctorum, whether it is your home or business office, library, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, or a closet in your bomb shelter, is probably the best venue for you to do your best writing. Unfortunately, life happens and you need to find ways to adapt to other venues, though less comfortable than your sanctum.
If you only rely on your “ideal” time and place conditions to write, you won’t be nearly as productive as you could be. It’s a time-management issue. Use 10-minute to infinity time blocks at other venues to write your guts out. Don’t waste your time in a waiting room reading an out-of-date magazine on Lindsay Lohan’s prison experiences. Use that time to produce.
Preparation: Instead, consider the following:
1. dump your laptop (with power cord, mouse, and flashdrive) into a padded bag, attaché case, or your backpack,
2. find a secluded location in a lobby or waiting room,
3. create a make-shift office with a semi-comfortable chair and mini-table next to a hyphenated outlet, and
4. plug in your puppy.
Writing on the Fly: Now you’re ready to start writing with your heart at any of these venues:
• Doctors', vets', and dentists' offices
• Hospital waiting room or cafeteria during family member’s surgery, unless you’re the surgeon or nurse
• Sitting and rotting at the MVA for license renewal, title, registration, or anything else involving your vehicle
• Airports and airplanes, except those tiny props with propellers
• Banks and large post offices
• Police station waiting to be booked
• Courthouse awaiting your trial or jury verdict
• Sitting and rotting in your prison cell
• Cruises and large boats that don’t tip over
• Restaurants and coffee shops
• Car dealer, gas station, and Midas Muffler waiting rooms for repairs
• Vacation resorts, if the resort or roommate turns out to be a bummer
This tip will continue tomorrow with some reflections on the above venues and Internet access, plus a few personal suggestions. Let me know your reactions to these venues and your writing successes there.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
TOP 10 SECRET TIPS
10. WRITE EVERYDAY. In the movie Finding Forrester, fictitious Pulitzer Prize winning novelist William Forrester (played by everyone’s fave James Bond, Sean Connery) gave the following advice on writing to his talented 16-year old mentee Jamal Wallace, whose secret passion was writing:
“You write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head. The first key to writing is to write, not to think. If you try to write the perfect page one, you’ll never get to page two.”
What to Write: You need to force yourself to write responses to e-mails, texts, tweets, comments to blogs and online discussions, etc. Search for every opportunity to write. Even better, create them by formally mapping out a writing project, such as the following:
• blog
• section of an article
• piece of a chapter or report
• chapter in an accreditation self-study
• portion of a speech or lecture
• jokes for an article, presentation, or stand-up gig
• scene for a play or screenplay
• scene for a TV movie of the week with geezer-like Tom Selleck
• any chunk of a manuscript
Chunking: Think about your writing in short bits, pieces, and chunks, not total papers. They’re easier to complete. What ever you commit to write should be part of your “to-do” list every day. It should be important and urgent, category A, on your list. Your writing is high priority.
Chunk writing keeps the writing juices and other fluids flowing and your brain neurons-synapses firing, unless, of course, you’re on crystal meth. The more frequently you write, the more you improve your ability to express your thoughts grammatically and mechanically, plus there’s more flowing and firing to boot. You’re honing the art and craft of your writing.
(Up Close & Personal: I’ve been writing for hundreds of years. However, one of the best exercises I have found to stimulate my creative writing bodily fluids to keep pouring out all over my PC was to commit to writing a 200–300 word blog almost every day. This August 1 will be my 1st Blogiverary. I’m aiming for 180 blogs. I really look forward to writing a blog every day, except when I can’t think of anything. Mine is a professional blog, but you can write a social blog or whatever you’re willing to write. I strongly recommend creating a series of blogs on a single topic, as I am doing on “writing.” It’s much easier than writing on a completely new topic everyday. Whatever works for you, do it. Just write.)
(Application: Writing blogs is an extremely effective method to build students’ writing skills. The blog keeps your writing fresh and forces you to stretch mentally and produce something of value for your readers. That’s a significant challenge.)
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
