Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with writer

How can I make a real career out of this mess?

micketymoc — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:10:49 -0800

Help me make sense of my career. Advertising copywriter, now working in marketing agency as a creative whatsit, also an About.com guide on the side. I want to do more stuff like the latter, want to dump the former. What should I be doing to get there? I’m passionate about the Internet in general, online community-building in particular. I love the work I’m doing for About, and I’d like to spend more time doing stuff that relates to it more (traveling around Asia, writing, creating online content).

At the same time, I’m going to be a dad in a few weeks, and I’d like to know that I’m pursuing a long-term career. How can I get from where I am now (writer, some marketing and PR experience, managing an About site) to a fruitful profession (something about blogging, SEO, online communities, beyond that I have no clue)?

I’d like to know a) what kind of career I can build from this haphazard CV, and b) what I can do to get there. Thanks in advance for your help!

Who wrote that?

miles1972 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:22:50 -0800

What was that New Yorker short story? Plot details as I remember... It was published within the last year or so.

About a guy who was bringing his current girlfriend to the vacation home of a family that he used to be closer to. They had 3 daughters, he was involved with a couple of them, he fell out of favour with the family, they started to pity him...

[spoiler]

In the current time, he gets caught with the current girl in the house.

I really liked it, so I'm looking for more writing by this author, and I can't remember their name, nor find the right things to get Google to cough it up.

Crafting RSS for Google Reader

thebreaks — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:36:58 -0800

How can I make aesthetically pleasing RSS feeds for the readers of my Web site, specifically so that my feed will keep the formatting like a lot of sites do in Google Reader? I use Mambo 4.6.2 as my CMS and I've edited the Syndicate component to keep the HTML code in the RSS. When the RSS 2.0 link is clicked, the resulting feed shows the perfectly formatted RSS. Yet when I import it into Google Reader, all the text returns to its run-together state that made me edit the Syndicate component in the first place.

What I would like would be to have rich RSS displays for my reader similar to what I see in my Google Reader feeds from sites like Wired and Io9. I've looked into other modules for Mambo, but most RSS modules are for readers while my focus is on RSS feed creation.

Thanks in advance.

Should I send them the manuscript?

arnicae — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 09:08:48 -0800

An agent is interested in my book but says that they only have an "optional" contract- authors can sign it or not, given their preference. Should I give them my book? Last fall I sold a piece to one of NPR's national programs and got some follow-up interest. I did a few tv and radio interviews and got a few calls from book agents, interested in knowing if I wanted to write a book. I liked one of them- she was friendly and supportive and alright with me having other priorities on my time. She works for a small, recently founded literary house and sent me books similar to my proposed book whose sale they had managed.

She has been very supportive as I've written the book and has already critiqued (helpfully) the first half. I recently finished the book and they said that they're going to an international book fair this week and think they can sell the ms- they've got momentum from several recent sales.

I asked about a contract and they sent me a form letter via email that hadn't been personalized for me- in the header it said [author name and address] and the salutation read: Dear [author]:

It is intended to be signed by *me* should I choose- nowhere in it is the literary agent supposed to sign, and it deals with my responsibilities to the agency- if they sell the book, they get 15%.

Still, I don't have anything with *their* signature with their responsibilities to me, and I have to admit, I'm a little concerned about intellectual property and such. I'm not sure if I'm worried about nothing, but as a long-time writer with my first opportunity to become an author, I'm a little anxious.

Am I worried about nothing? Is this typical? And is there anyway to safeguard my book? I've heard of printing it out and mailing it to myself and storing it sealed, but I've also heard that that is total bunk.

Any advice from authors or literary agents out there? If it matters, I'm in California, the agency is in New York.

Writers who became famous by leveraging the internet?

JaySunSee — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:54:58 -0800

I'm looking for names of writers that rose from obscurity to commercial/critical success from using the internet. Know of any? Not personally mind you, but examples of writers who leveraged the internet to achieve some reasonable measure of acclaim. Thanks.

How to be a True Professional

PinkButterfly — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:27:11 -0800

What are the marks of a true professional? I am 22 and trying to make my way in the professional world after graduating from college last spring. I am a freelance writer, but I'd really like general advice on what distinguishes someone as a professional.

I want to be taken seriously and have been told, because of my age, I really must come across as professional and with everything together to avoid being taken advantage of. It also doesn't help that people constantly tell me that I look like I'm in high school (I guess I have a baby face).

I've read some past threads about business card dos and don'ts and one about professional mistakes.

What makes someone in a true professional, in terms of character and attitude, but also the practical things like business cards, etc.?

Thanks!

Is Jack Vance hoaxing me? Does "The Lonton Times Historical Atlas" exist?

grumblebee — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 09:51:49 -0800

Is there such a book as "The London Times Historical Atlas"? Google and Amazon are clueless. In an interview published in 1986, Jack Vance stated that "the best way to teach someone to be a writer is to force them to read twenty books I would set out for them": he then names, in addition to Wodehouse and Baum, Cervantes's Don Quixote, Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, Richard Adams's Watership Down and The London Times Historical Atlas ("my favourite book - I don't know of anything more clutching for the imagination"). -- Wikipedia [emphasis added]

Comedic writer wants a shot

aleahey — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:20:05 -0800

How to get started writing comedically? I am a sort of casual-writer with the ability to write (supposedly) "hilarious stuff". I write situational kinds of little things, and whatnot, and constantly get barraged with compliments and friendly suggestions that I missed my calling.

So, my question is this: without risking too much (i.e. giving up my day job) what is a good way to get started in the writing (specifically comedic) field?

More specifically, what is a good place to shop for small resume-building gigs? What sort of stuff is a good idea to put together for a portfolio? Etc.

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated, if you have any inside-tips you'd rather not give to the world, please do not hesitate to send them along to aleahey@gmail.com

Thanking any responders in advance.

Identify this marriage essay without the help of my long-retired English teacher...

acorn1515 — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:57:08 -0800

In high school (the late 1990s) I read an essay on marriage -- the writer's main contention was that it's unrealistic to think that a single person can ever be at the exact same life stages as yourself, e.g. Young & Passionate (teens), Ready to Have Children (30's), Wanting Intellectual Companionship (60's), and thusly, that having just one partner over the course of a lifetime is a near impossibility. I know I'm totally butchering what the life stages were, and I think reading the essay was part of a unit themed around female-writers/feminists if that helps at all. Who the heck wrote it?

How to set Open Office Writer language and font settings for good?

sudasana — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 16:47:16 -0800

How do I keep language settings and fonts consistent in Open Office Writer (2.3.1)? I'm tearing out my hair over Open Office. I use the Writer program (presently 2.3.1) for my work, and there are two problems that I've been unable to solve.

1) How do I set the default spell check language for documents and not have it reset when I create a new file? Right now I have to manually set this to English (USA) each time I create a new document.

2) How do I set the default font for different languages? I often type documents in Chinese and English, but Writer keeps using a nasty font for inputting Chinese and I have to change it manually every time.

Please offer some advice, these things are really killing me during finals season.

DVD transplant

Kiwi — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 06:22:03 -0800

The DVD writer in my laptop seems to be dying. Although it can still read pre-written DVDs and CDs, it has problems reading home-burnt DVDs. Am I right in thinking that if I buy an external (USB) DVD writer, I can open the enclosure, swap over the mechanisms and effectively end up with: 1. A new writer installed in my laptop, and 2. A slightly dodgy external DVD reader?

What does a band sound like?

xo — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:07:17 -0800

I need help writing a bio for an indie band. I know all the "bios for dummies" stuff -- that the bio should include what the music sounds like, where the band is from, etc. But what I don't know is how to write descriptively about music in that jaunty way that makes the reader get a real sense for what the music sounds like. Anyone have tips for doing this well?

Alternatively, where would I find good writers who can listen to music and come up with such descriptions? People who are talented and enthusiastic enough to do the job better than I could, yet who are willing to write something as unglamorous as a band bio?

How can I become a funny writer?

nitsuj — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:36:27 -0800

How can I become a funny writer? I'm an average (professional) writer. I'm no Jim Gaffigan, but I have a relatively good (alright, fine -- above average) sense of humor in social situations. Problem is, I have a hard time injecting that humor into my writing.

What are some good books/resources/tips/tutorials/whatever that can help me transfer my sense of humor to my writing? I'm not interested in learning how to write jokes, or become a stand-up comedian. I want to spice up my normal, everyday writing with humor.

Here are some previous questions that are helpful, but didn't quite address my problem: 1, 2

Whither the data on my DVDs?

yggdrasil — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:17:11 -0800

["Halp!!eleventyone! Diagnose my computer troubles from far far away" filter]: Why does my DVD-+R drive show up on the computer, let me apparently record, burn and/or write data to the disc, and close the session, but not actually do any of those things? I want to burn some large video files to DVD. The files are perfectly playable on the computer, they can be copied and moved via ethernet connection, but when I try to burn them to disc, strangeness happens.

Doesn't matter if I use name brand Nero Suite that came with the drive, third party burners, or drag and drop in My Computer: it will pretend to burn the disc, show progress, even erase/format the disc before getting down to business, but it will not, you know, actually burn the file. Everything looks fine, until you eject and reinsert, at which point the computer insists there's nothing on the disc.

Doesn't matter if I try to create video DVDs or just data DVDs. Blinkenlights, whirr whirr, look at me go, and then nada. Nothing on the disc.

I've tried DVD+R, DVD-R, in all the various combinations and permutations with different burning software sets. Made sure the drivers were up to date and checked the versions of the firmware. All check out. Even went out and picked up a new burner. Same thing. Which makes me think it's a problem with windows.

OS: XP Home SP2
software: Nero Express Suite, CD Burner XP Pro 3
hardware: Samsung DVD Writemaster SH-S182D

anything jump out at anybody? Cuz right now this thing just makes shiny coasters. This used to work, though in fairness I haven't used the burner in the better part of a year. I'm about to just nuke from orbit and reinstall (that panacea of windows owners).

What is Equitable in a Book Deal?

Anonymous — Sat, 26 May 2007 06:20:03 -0800

I've been asked to co-author a nonfiction book with a woman who is an expert in her field, but not a writer. I have some questions about contracts and rights to the material. She will be providing the book's content, based on experiences from her well established professional practice. But she has no professional writing experience. And after several failed collaboration attempts, she has brought me in to finally help her finish her book proposal, so her agent can shop it, at which point we will write the book together. I have six-plus years experience as a fulltime freelance writer and editor. My question is what should I expect from our contract? We have discussed a 60-40 or 70-30 split, with her getting the larger share because it is essentially her book. But I'm wondering if there is a standard for this type of collaboration. Also, am I entitled to a share of the royalties, or just the advance and a fee for my work? Thanks!

Do my homework as a polite and interested reader

grobstein — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 10:42:56 -0800

Help me find something to say to novelist Sue Miller over lunch. I'm going to a small lunch with Sue Miller (tomorrow). My writing teacher thinks it's a nice opportunity, but I don't think I'm knowledgeable enough to take full advantage. I've read a handful of her stories: What Ernest Says, The Birds and the Bees, Expensive Gifts. Can you suggest anything else I can read to get a sense of her, for example a short story you found especially good and well-crafted? Internet copies are the best, but I have access to a good library system so in theory I can get books. I probably don't have time to read any novels.

Thanks! (Non-do-my-homework framing of this question: what short pieces of writing give the best insight into the oeuvre of Sue Miller?)

Building a tech writing portfolio

tastybrains — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 08:59:16 -0800

How do I build a technical writing portfolio when all of the docs I work on at my current company are proprietary information? I have been working as a technical writer for my company for just over a year, and am very happy here. I'm continuing to learn, and have worked on some docs that I'm very happy with. However, it recently occurred to me that because almost everything I work on is confidential, that should I ever want or need to look for a new position, I have almost no professional samples to show for myself. How can I work on remedying this?

How can I find some work to do (I'd even do it for free under certain circumstances) to start developing a portfolio, so that no one has to take my word for what I can do?

I know typical advice is to find household objects and write instructions for them, but that seems more like a college assignment than something a tech writer with +1 year of experience should have.

Can I get a job as a writer without a degree?

saileyn — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 00:18:59 -0800

I'm 23 and working as a sales assistant/helpdesk support/office admin/web designer/receptionist in my hometown. How do I go about getting a paying job as a writer, without formal qualifications? I've been working in this role for over 3 years and getting frustrated. My daily tasks are mundane and repetitive and, as our staff consists of five people (including my boss and myself), there's not a whole lot of room for growth. The low paying conditions of my town are terrible; a similar job in Melbourne (forty minutes by train) pays double my current salary. I’m planning on finding another position very soon, hopefully as a writer, or at least as something that will take me a step in the right direction to becoming one.

I have always planned to become a full-time writer. I worked hard to get excellent scores at high school (even taking on an extra subject) and got an awesome place at university in a professional writing course. Unfortunately due to financial difficulties I had to leave after first semester and have been in full-time employment ever since... As much as I'd love to, my partner and I have done our sums and there's no way finance-wise I can go back to university full or even part time.

Is there a way to get a position as a writer somewhere without a bachelor degree? Everywhere I look it says: 3 year bachelor degree essential. Could I apply for a position and hope my folio knocks a prospective employer off their feet and they don’t even notice/care I’m not “qualified”? Or will that just annoy them, and waste their time?

I've seen a lot of references to getting internships here on MF, but as far as I can tell, in Australia you have to be enrolled in some form of university course to be eligible. Cadetships at newspapers etc. are also aimed at school-leavers or graduates and have had their intake for next year anyway.

For those working as writers: What path did you take? Did you start in a company in a different position and work your way in? Or have you done the degree in order to secure a graduate position?

Any suggestions on how I may be able to get myself on the right track would be absolutely wonderful. Thanks in advance to all of you, MetaFilter is an amazing and supportive community.

how to quit job and then freelance for the department?

nevers — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 19:33:07 -0800

I love my 9-5 editing job, but as a certain hobby becomes viable as a (very small) part-time job, I need a much more flexible schedule. How can I quit while guaranteeing that my fellow editors then hire me as their writers? It's looking harder and harder to keep my job while pursuing the new opportunities that are opening up, and pursuing them is really important and exciting to me. As is, I'm stretching the minor flexibility of my job to its limits. On the other hand, my department is always in need of writers and has plenty of work to keep any writer busy. I think my writing is respected by my boss and coworkers, and I would imagine that it would be a big plus that I already know exactly what they're looking for. And I'd have fun doing it.

The trouble is that I want to have my schedule open as early as possible in the near year, and I don't have enough in savings to quit my job that soon unless I know I'll be able to get income by writing for the department. Is there any good way to explain my situation to my boss, suggest that I'd like to write for X upcoming project, see what she thinks, and hopefully get an informal agreement? Or any good way to subtly feel her out? Or is it a bad idea to discuss quitting with a boss when you might actually stay depending on how the conversation goes?

I could also have a similar conversation with my fellow editors to see if they'd be into the idea. They're the ones who'd actually be hiring me. But I'd feel more secure if my boss (the head of the department) were in on the plan before I gave notice.

Freelance to staff leap

Eater — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 10:11:49 -0800

Turducken said it concisely: "When (most) freelance writers want to have a family or buy a house, they get jobs as... editors." I am wondering just how they (we) do that! I'm a freelance writer, self-employed for ten years or so, who'd like to
move into a staff job. I'd rather not take a giant cut in pay and status
as an entry-level editorial assistant -- been there, a decade ago -- but
in the intervening years I've just been happily freelancing, which seems to have kept me a bit out of the staff-job loop.

I write about a range of topics (primarily food) for publications like
the New York Times, Gourmet, and Playboy. I have enough regular gigs to support myself comfortably. I live in New York City, the heart of such things. I'm confident that my editorial/managerial skills are excellent, honed over years of pitching and collaborating, as well as through extracurricular activities (band manager, dinner club president, etc.).

So my questions are A) where are the jobs? Agencies? Headhunters? The
pickings I've found via listings boards and word of mouth are pretty
skimpy; and B) how do I land one of these jobs if my resume is mostly just a long list of articles and books I've written, peppered with testimonials from editors who love me?

Help Me Break a Band in the NYC Press

raconteur — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 23:04:23 -0800

My question is pretty specific. I'm a freelance writer. I have zero clips. I'm trying like hell to get noticed, but it's tough. I like to write about a wide variety of things (which may be part of the problem), but one in particular is music. There's a small band coming through NYC soon, and I want nothing more than to break them in print or web. They're playing a well-known and respected venue next month. Why do I think I'm worthy of doing this? I have good taste in music. I have listened to many of the small indie bands that have become big bands well before they were discovered. I am usually the one passing around CDs and MP3s to friends looking for the next new sound. The band I'm talking about is really great. They're never going to be Bloc Party, but they will have a big future, and from having met them, I know they are serious about succeeding. They actually played a biggish music fest on the east coast recently, and I can tell that word is seeping out.

To put it even more bluntly-- I'm sitting on a story here. I want to get it out, and I want to get some credit for it. Help.

Would anyone read a blog about my dreams???

nintendo — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 22:11:59 -0800

Would anyone read a blog (if I wrote one) about my nightly dreams, or would that suck for everyone but me? For about four years I've been writing down my dreams and am getting pretty good at it. Im also a writer for a local newspaper, and I realized recently that my dreams are far more interesting that anything I've written about real life. This seems like a great idea to me, but would anyone read it????

P.S. I did a search and realize there is already a ton out there, but still is anyone reading this stuff??

Technical Writing in Boston

noyceguy — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 19:03:52 -0800

Is technical writing the right job for me? Is technical writing a good field/position for me?

I am trying to decide what to do with my life. I know for sure I want to move to Boston, so I'll move there after I finish my MA in Communication (emphasis Health Comm). I studied French and English in undergrad. I don't really know what my passion is yet, if there exists such a thing for me. I do like to write however; as long as it's not creative writing.

1. Assuming I do decide to go this route, how tough will it be for me to get a job given that I have no specialized knowledge of technology, engineering, or anything else?

2. Given the above condition, what would you suggest as the best way to break into the industry/find a job?

3. Frankly, I couldn't imagine that being a technical writer is very interesting or fulfilling. I base this tentative conclusion on the explanation of duties on the want ads I've seen on Craiglist, HotJobs, etc. Moreover, I don't expect it to be, at least not in the first few years. Do you think this attitude will likely help or hurt me in terms of career satistfaction as a technical writer?

What I want out of a job:

1) relaxed/casual work atmosphere
2) no public speaking of any kind
3) minimal teamwork/collaboration
4) minimal management
5) benefits (health insurance, 401(k)
6) advancement
7) possibility of owning my own business

What I don't want:

1) High salary
2) Prestige
3) High stress atmosphere
4) Contact with the general public
5) Travel
6) To manage other people
7) To have only group work

I'll be 28 this year. Overall, I'm looking for a "non-throwaway" job that uses my strongest skills, and one that I can leave at the office at 5pm and not take home with me.

Thanks in advance for your help.

freelancers: family time vs. work time?

clairezulkey — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 08:18:50 -0800

Full-time freelance writers: how do you divide personal/professional time? I imagine, when you work from home full-time, that it can be difficult to separate your personal time from your professional time. Do you have methods of demarcating time to spend with your family (or yourself) and preventing yourself from running to the computer to check up on clients/assignments every few minutes?

How do I promote this book online?

ClarissaWAM — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 04:14:18 -0800

Creative ways to promote a self-published book online without spamming? (UK) So I've agreed to help a friend promote his self-published (comedy fiction) book online. He has a website I can point people to, and they can order via Paypal (he would prefer orders from the UK, and non-UK people are unlikely to get most of the jokes anyway).

What I don't have is an ISBN and/or Amazon. I also don't have permission to use the whole text, so can't send it anywhere for a review.

So far I've posted on some book forums that specifically invite new authors to introduce their works, and I've added him to places like Spoiled Ink, Debbie's Idea and StumbleUpon. Oh and I've created a MySpace profile for him (shush). I've also "joined the discussion" in some forums where I think people could be interested, with his site in my sig (but this is already veering towards spamming really).

I'm at a bit of a loss as to what else I could do. Ideally I'd like people to actually order the book, but strictly speaking as long as he gets the hits on his site my work is done.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!