Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with writing

January, it's just this month, you know?

Rinku — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:57:55 -0800

I have a month in which to do a project. What kind of project, you ask? Good question. Perhaps something fun, perhaps something educational, perhaps something mind-expanding. The options, they are endless. The college I attend has a "winter term" between fall and spring semesters. It lasts through most of the month of January. The three official options for winter term are as follows:

1. Academic Study: a faculty-sponsored, academically-focused research, study, or performance project that can be conducted on- or off-campus, individually or as part of a group project.

2. Field Experience: a learning activity that could include career exploration, social or political action, community service, or an unpaid internship.

3. Personal Growth and Development: an opportunity to learn a skill, try something new, or pursue subject matter outside of traditional academic disciplines.

As you can see, the possibilities are endlessly broad, especially the third - under its banner of "personal growth and development" a student in the seventies (it is told) once etched the word "potato" into every tray in the dining hall. I'm wouldn't be surprised if this was true, considering how every single tray in the dining hall has the word "potato" etched into it. Given, these were the Seventies, and if I were to propose this to a teacher today (your project must be approved and sponsored by a teacher) I doubt they would accept.

Still, you can do pretty much anything, as long as it's more or less worthwhile. Last year I did a private study of Buddhism, where I read books and went to Buddhist services at a local shrine, but the shrine's only monk was gone on a tour of India for three weeks out of the month, and the books, they were long, they were dry, and the project devolved into me attempting to win every achievement from the Orange Box.

This January, I'm hoping for fewer gnomes in fewer rockets, that is, less boredom. Not that my project last year wasn't interesting, it was, I really enjoyed attending the few services I did, and the books were interesting, even if I didn't read as much of them as I probably should have. I am aware that no matter what project I choose, I will be a little bit bored, just because January is a long time. The exact dates you're supposed to be doing the project are January 2nd - 27th, weekdays, supposedly about 5 hours a day, but most people don't do quite that many hours. It can be all at once, too - I've heard of a group project that only took a week, but the kids were working almost solid, save sleep, during that time.

So, what do I do? I'll have access to a computer and the internet, (obviously), a good reading couch, a kitchen, and Seattle (an hour away) if I choose to do it at home, which I'm leaning towards. Travel is an option - I could go somewhere and write about it, propose it to a Journalism teacher - that works but it costs money. What projects can I do at home, on a relatively limited budget? Seattle specific recommendations would be cool (oh hey you should totally just go volunteer at ___) but, more generally... what kinds of projects could I do in a snow-locked cabin for the winter? That's really not too far off from what I'm talking about here.

The only thought I've had so far is of an "Ambient Music History and Appreciation" kind of thing, which sounds interesting in one way but also devastatingly dull in another. I've also thought of learning to play the guitar, or writing a comic of some kind, or writing songs in Reason, and while those might be fun I'm sure there are more creative ideas out there. Oh, also: I cannot get paid.

There are sponsored projects and team projects and things like that, but they haven't really started to be advertised yet. I'm asking this early because I've been thinking about it the last couple of days, and on the off chance there's some awesome program I have to apply for now, or what have you.

This is a really awesome opportunity, MeFites. Help me make the most of it. Thanks in advance.

Dammit, Jim, I'm a Writer, Not A Salesman!

EmpressCallipygos — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:34:49 -0800

I know how you write an article, I know how you write a short story, I know how you write a book. But how do you write a marketing plan? I have a book idea; something that would involve several writers, so it's not all on me (think like the "1001 [blanks] you must [blank] before you die" series). Fortunately I also have a friend who's willing to work with this on me; he has a connection in publishing, and has promised that if I write up some sample pages and other materials, he'll show them all to her. Which is FANTASTIC.

Except for the part where he says that one of the things I should include is a marketing plan.

Not that I don't believe it's important. It's just that when I asked my friend "great, but I've never written one of those, do you have any advice?" he said, "to be honest, I don't know either."

...So. What exactly needs to go INTO a marketing plan for a book, and how does a complete novice like me go about researching that information?

Podcasts - the final frontier

Guy_Inamonkeysuit — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:49:24 -0800

I have a backlog of themed music reviews I'd like to repurpose into podcasts. How to find appropriate markets? I've been writing science-fiction and fantasy themed music reviews (movie and game soundtracks, sf-themed bands like Warp 11, etc) for more than four years. They've been published and I've been paid for them. According to my contract, the rights to the reviews revert to me after 60 days. So I can do something else with them if I like.

Recently I've been thinking of recording them as podcasts. I can do all the production work myself, and can even include clips of tracks under discussion. I can't see working for free, however, so I'd like to find an outlet who'd buy these re-purposed reviews -- each only about 600 words long. Some of them are outdated, of course, but others will hold up pretty well.

I've done some Googling but can't find anyplace that might be interested in a series like this. Does anyone have any suggestions who I might pitch this idea to?

Ne'er-do-well needs a job. Bit terrified.

Anonymous — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:51:33 -0800

Never really worked before. Soon to be single mother. Need career. Told I can write well. What can I do? I'm in my 30s but I've never been in the working world. I'm in the process of leaving my severely alcoholic husband. We have a very young child. I don't need a job tomorrow, but relying on alimony for the rest of my life is not a great idea.

I have never wanted a career. I have no idea what to do.

I have maybe 35% of a BA, and I defaulted on my student loans so loans are not an option now. There is an outside chance that with a great deal of good luck with the alimony, generosity from my parents, etcetera, I might be able to go back to school part-time in the years between now and when my child starts school, but I've got no idea what I might study.

Over the years I have complained to counsellors, to a widely published advice columnist, to a friend who works full-time as a writer, to all manner of people, about being unemployable. The answer has always been a scoffing one: but that's ridiculous; you write so well. Anybody who can write as well as you isn't unemployable.

Work-averse as I am, I'm up to doing what's necessary to get myself ready to generate a respectable, stable income for my daughter. But I have no idea where to start. I have to stress here that I have absolutely nothing to put on a resume. No formal volunteer work, nothing. Over the years I've dabbled in all sorts of dilettantish unpaid stuff, but nothing has stuck. I have no experience, no qualifications.

I have no idea what to do with the endless "But you can write; of course you can work" "answer" to this. Even my father threw that at me, which gave me pause. Writing skills and 95c will get me a bus ticket, so far as I can see it. The comments are based on things like letters and internet postings, not a salable or formal body of work. I have thought lately about putting a portfolio together, but I'm struggling with it, and have no idea what I might do with a finished portfolio.

Perhaps there are a few college courses I can take that would qualify me to be a particular type of hack?

The writing aside, what sorts of things involve a relatively short and cheap training period resulting in relatively well-paid and stable employment? I don't expect to like work a lot, so won't be disappointed if it's not terribly pleasant. 'Respectability' is important for reasons I can't quite explain. And I want to give my daughter a nice home, but I have no great lust for money; an ideal job would be one I don't have to work full-time at to get by.

I suspect it's obvious that I need somewhat dumbed-down help, here. If I did need a job tomorrow I would be in a terrible spot; I have no idea how I'd even get a job at a restaurant at this point. I'm also starting to wonder if I'm wise to find volunteer work asap just to have one line to type on a resume.

Throwaway is mefithrowaway@live.com.

Can anyone suggest potential clients for a freelance or contract medical writer?

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:12:22 -0800

Can anyone suggest potential clients for a freelance or contract medical writer? Help me hive mind!
A bit of background:
-1 year experience writing and developing continuing medical education materials for physicians (I honestly thought it was boring but it could have been the therapeutic areas); wrote slide kits (ppt presentations for meetings), literature reviews.
-1 year experience writing and developing peer reviewed journal articles on the promotional side of medical education. I really enjoy it because it has provided me with an opportunity to learn much more about clinical trials, oncology, etc. I find it very challenging and have learned a great deal about a few types of cancer but I need to have a few more years experience to truly understand the material. Most people, from supervisors to pharmaceutical companies, really like my writing. However, it is only a specialized type of writing (eg, journal articles for medical journals). At this point, that is all that I have as samples – journal articles or scientific posters.
-Dabbled over the course of the past year and wrote “executive summaries” of meetings (boring, but I can write them). There wasn’t much of an opportunity to really learn new information.
-PhD in the biological sciences (neuroscience). I enjoyed teaching biology to undergraduates, everything from intro biology to graduate level courses, because it was a vehicle for me to learn more. I loved looking at the inside of things and learning how they worked. Bringing this up because perhaps there is a market for writing for this audience? No real samples of this type of writing, however (uh, other than occasional directions for a lab or teaching material…).

Spring forward to now. I would like to become a freelance medical writer in the next few months (stupid with this little experience and stupid in this economy, I know). For various reasons, I have reached my limit for working in an office for any length of time.

Who are my potential clients? I googled, googled, and googled to find a list of about 200 medical education communication agencies - I anticipate that a few will bite but probably not many (because I am an unknown). I plan to try to specialize and offer to similarly write journal articles for clinical trials/oncology or psychiatry. The average medical writer charges $100/hour for this type of project.

To be safe, I would like to target more companies/potential clients. I don’t know what other companies write and for what rate, though. Who else has lots of data (from a clinical trial), needs help writing it, and will pay that much money? Any ideas as to where I can find a big list of these type of companies (I can only take so many hours of googling till my brain falls out and roll on the floor).

Are there other types of areas that I can break into that would be 1) interesting/provide new material to learn, 2) the average person changes between $60 to $100 (or more) to write the material, and 3) may use my background in some way. Is there a way to see samples of what they write (to be honest, this is how I learned to write material for clinical trials, by looking at other material). Is there a way I could learn about this other type of writing or market besides working for such companies full time?

In summary I am looking for suggestions for other clients: whom to target, where to find them, and the going rate. If anyone can suggest really interesting areas of writing that may require a bit of work on the side that would also be helpful.

Temporary e-mail account not linked to me: tryptophanhydroxylase2@yahoo.com Not signing off with my metafilter name because between this and previous posts, there is enough info to figure out who I am (haven’t indicated anything to my current employer yet, and I don't want to launch a freelance career today).

Thanks.

What does the Chinese character in Fae Myenne Ng's Steer Towards Rock frequently used to mark chapters mean and what writing style is it in?

Kattullus — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:23:42 -0800

What does the Chinese character in Fae Myenne Ng's Steer Towards Rock frequently used to mark chapters mean? And what writing style is it in? You can see the character in the Amazon look-inside feature for the book (click excerpt on the left to see the character).

Love my baby, still want an MFA

esereth — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:59:17 -0800

Do any accredited, respectable, non-residential , MFA Writing programs exist out there? I've got two things. A little baby and a consuming desire to gain my MFA in Writing. I know many low-residency programs exist, but I can't leave my kid for even a week at a time.

Lots of websites are willing to take my money to enter their "workshops," but that doesn't really appeal to me.

Where can I find information about quality Writing programs aligned with a real college or university, that I can participate in entirely from my computer?

Does such a thing exist?

What is a good job for a teenager that is good with computers?

ptsampras14 — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:26:13 -0800

I'm a highschool kid, good with computers, looking for an online job regarding computers? Hi,
I am a junior in high school, let me describe my computer talents.
- Thorough with Windows, Microsoft Office
- Good with the Internet
- Can learn any program fast (GUI)
- Extremely good writing and how-to skills.
- Tech savvy with apps and electronics
- NOT A PROGRAMMER OF ANY SORT, which somewhat contradicts the one above this :)

I am looking for a job, perhaps in writing that would help me to utilize these skills. I'm not looking for a job that you do for a couple of cents (I know Amazon has something like that). I've hear about becoming a ChaCha guide, but what else. I know I'm a dime a dozen but any ideas are excepted.. Also, age is not a problem, I can always use my parents as"a pen name"..Also, I am not intrested in becoming a local tech support guy too.
Please help thanks!

Do waiters and waitresses mind people writing for a long time in cafes?

TheManChild2000 — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:20:05 -0800

Don't servers hate it when people camp in coffee houses and cafes for hours to write? There's this constant idea that the place to go to write is some sort of public food/drink spot. But having been a waiter who lived and died by how many times I could turn a table in a given night, all I can think about is the server turning purple with rage as the second hour rolls around of someone clanking away at bad poetry and sipping at the $2 drink they bought and didn't tip on.

How can I force myself to write?

blocked — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:48:24 -0800

How can I force myself to write? I am an academic for whom writing books and articles is very important. I have a good amount of time for writing, plenty of ideas, and a good sense of what I want to write. But most of the time, I get very little writing done. I can easily go a year or more without writing anything of substance. Instead, I spend most of my time doing email, doing administrative tasks, browsing the web, and so on.

This has been a persistent pattern throughout my career. Every now and then the floodgates have come down (a big period every six or seven years, a smaller period every year or two) and I've had a relatively brief and intense writing period during which I've managed to get a lot done. As a result I've been reasonably successful. However, I haven't gotten nearly as much done as I'd like. And recently, the problem seems to be getting worse, and I'm falling behind drastically. The problem also has all sorts of negative effects on the rest of my life, as I set aside a lot of time for writing and then squander it.

I've read many books on writing and writers block (including Professors as Writers and the like), but these haven't really made a difference. I know the standard advice: find a place that's a writing place and only a writing place, set aside a time, make yourself write so many words a day regardless of quality, and so on. But knowing this hasn't helped. I find myself spending very little time in my writing room, and when I do spend time there, typically nothing happens.

I think of this as some sort of fairly serious disease of the will. I know just what I want to do, have no obvious obstacles to doing it, but it just doesn't get done. There is some sort of enormous resistance to getting started on the writing process, and a sense of aversion and unpleasantness in the initial stages when I do start, both of which prevent me from doing it. Every now and then I get past this resistance and aversion and get into a state of flow (which is then one of the best feelings one can have), but it's proven very difficult to force myself to do this.

I've been to a hypnotherapist and a regular therapist about this, but they haven't made much difference. I probably could and should have done more of this, as I think that the right therapist, with a real understanding of this issue, could probably help a lot. But it's hard to know just who the right therapist might be, and it's difficult to ask local friends and colleagues for recommendations, as I'm reluctant to tell them about this.

I think that what I need is some sort of mechanism that in effect forces me to write. I used to have no problem writing reams in an exam context, for example, and every now and then when a similar sort of immediate context arises, there is no blockage. (I also don't have much blockage in writing long emails on academic topics.) Deadlines help to some extent, but they've become less effective then they used to be as one comes to realize that deadlines are typically very plastic. I can imagine various artificial mechanisms (set up an automatic donation to an awful cause unless one reaches a certain goal, block the Internet for a certain period each day, and so on), but it's hard to make myself implement these and easy to circumvent them.

It seems to me that what might have the potential to work is something involving another person somehow forcing me into a writing schedule: be in the writing place for a certain period each day, write so many words and show them to me at the end, and so on. It wouldn't be easy to get a friend, relative, or colleague to play this role. But perhaps some sort of active therapist or writing coach might be able to do it.

So my first question is: any recommendations for some sort of active therapist or writing coach who could play this role? Assuming that things could be done over phone and email, they could be located almost anywhere (a good thing, since I don't want to disclose my location here, and local resources are limited). It might well take some sort of daily contact, so phone and email would likely be the main locus wherever the person is. I'm interested in recommendations both of specific individuals, and of kinds of individuals who I might seek out, as I'm genuinely unsure of what sort of person to approach.

Any other ideas as to approaches and strategies that might help are welcome, too. Others may have been in a situation like this before and have had experience of what helps. My own insight into the situation is limited. The whole thing is a bit pathetic, and it's taken me a long time to even get to the stage of sending out a cry for help like this. But now that I've done it, any ideas will be welcome.

The phenomenology of text

0bvious — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 07:21:33 -0800

The phenomenology / ontology of text: has anyone examined this issue directly in philosophical, literary and/or critical terms? I am interested in the experience and perception of text, both within readership and on an abstract (more holistic level perhaps) as the archetypical mediator and virtual-archive of human culture. I wish to explore it via its mediums (e.g. book, computer screen), its modes (e.g. semiotics, translation) and its means (e.g. poetry, fiction, encryption).

I came at this problem through Heidegger (most specifically in his re-appropriation of the term 'techné'), looking at text as a technology.

I have since come upon the writings of D.C. Greetham and a couple of other bits and pieces.

I feel that this is an area not much covered by the critical fields, especially in these times of ever encompassing digital/web-based mediums. I'm interested in following through some of this to a PhD proposal.

What paths should I be taking?

Your help, as always, is much appreciated.

The ideas are all around, floating away...

reenum — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:43:13 -0800

I feel the need to be creative, but can't figure out what sort of outlet is the best to get my ideas out. How do I figure out what sort of creativity I have? All my life, I've had lots of ideas, but I've never found an appropriate way to bring them to life.

I tried to write and got a novel done in NaNoWriMo last year, but I can never get the motivation to actually write a story. I've tried poetry, but it all comes out as maudlin and ridiculous. I established early on in my life that I can't draw. I feel like I have a lot of ideas, but nowhere to go with them.

My question is: How can I figure out what type of creativity most suits me? Any websites, books, or personal anecdotes would be much appreciated.

How do I use footnotes properly?

Badmichelle — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:11:12 -0800

Footnote experts/writers: Please help me decide the best way to use footnotes in my document. I'm writing a document (it's a guide, not an academic paper) that contains a number of footnotes - 11, in a 34-page document.

What I'm facing now is an almost-finished document with a really odd system of footnoting. Some pages have numbered footnotes, some use symbols (asterisks). What I want to do is get rid of the numbers, and use asterisks on each page to refer to the footnotes on that page only (as in, I'll start over with * on each page there is a footnote).

Is there any reason I shouldn't do this? Are there rules of footnoting that I need to know? I googled use of footnotes, but what I've found is academic advice to students re: using footnotes or endnotes. That's not helpful to me. I'm definitely using footnotes, and it isn't academic, so I'm not tied to a style guide.

I know I'm making this more complicated than it should be, but I'd like to get it right. I've also read this document so many times that I'm starting to question every single part of it. Suggestions?

Good examples of exemplary creative nonfiction?

ageispolis — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 12:28:55 -0800

What are your favourite pieces of creative nonfiction? I want to be exposed to a wide variety of 'CNF' and am interested in the stories you have come across, whether it be a publication like your friendly local independent weekly or the New Yorker. So if you can recall any of your favourite articles/essays/stories that fit within the broad genre of creative nonfiction, I would like to read them.

How to fill 70 minutes of in-class writing time?

toomuchkatherine — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:08:17 -0800

Help a freshman comp teacher out! I need a fun writing exercise to fill 70 minutes of class time. I'm teaching freshman comp. The students are not stellar but they're all right, though most of them hate writing (and see it as drudgerous and formulaic). The three main assignments I have to give them this semester include a process essay (basically a how-to article), a short research paper, and an essay on a novel. We also have a textbook but they seem to hate it, and I can't say that I blame them much.

Tomorrow we have a fairly free day; on the syllabus I inherited, it just says "in-class writing exercise." Actually it says "timed writing exercise." Either way, I need to fill 70 minutes of class time with writing, or writing and group work...and I'd like to make it fun, because we haven't been having enough fun in class lately, and I think that anything I can get them to do to enjoy writing and use it to explore their thoughts and feelings will be useful.

Any comp-teacher ideas?

22 and torn about my future

jiayeeng — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:10:51 -0800

i want to live/work with indigenous peoples in the amazon, write literature, and honor my immigrant parents by avoiding a hedonistic/freewheeling lifestyle. how do i do all these things? i'm 22. female. '07 graduate with the top liberal arts degree in my state (aka useless). two summers ago, i interned at a sustainable development research foundation in thailand; for the past year, i've been the warden at an orphanage out in the boonies of new delhi.

i'm gonna put it out there: i want to be the next sertanista. i've an insatiable taste for adventure (i've trekked the himalayas alone, twice), and have always been fascinated --obsessed, even-- with amazonian cultures. as for the writing... yes, everyone and their mother wants to write for a living. all i know is that, for me, writing is the single activity during which my brain comes fully alive. i do feel enormously responsible to my parents and what they've survived in order to give me this life. so, while my dream is to disappear into the amazon among my journals, i could never actually do it. that being said...

sydney possuelo warns against waltzing into indigenous peoples' lives. i've looked into policy issues pertinent to the future of the basin, and they seem to require enormous amounts of schooling. it's been my experience that public policy grad schools require applicants to have 3-5 years of NGO/NPO experience; NGOs/NPOs, in turn, require applicants to have either advanced degrees or extensive administrative experience to compensate for the lack of said degree. this catch-22 frustrates me to no end. can't i just chill for a while in some manaus-ish town, learn portuguese, integrate into the culture, and apply for a visa/expedition deeper into the amazon?

1. is there a way to contribute to this region w/o (a) effacing local initiative and (b) being screwed over by this catch-22? if the latter is necessary, so be it ---please elaborate.
2. i've spent my entire life living in underdeveloped countries across the planet. consequently, i have only one "normal" work reference. also! i have yet to establish credit history. should i take care of these things first (and harness the power of compound interest...)? one option is to move to east l.a. and live in a latino community for awhile: learn spanish, work with immigrants, earn money, learn to krump, be a normal u.s. young adult. thoughts? older adults: which would be a better use of my young adulthood?

other considerations:
-i want to adopt children whether i get married or not. obviously, they're expensive. feasible?
-while i'd rather not rot in a cubicle, if i need to do it for awhile, i'll do it.
-i'd be more than happy to run around naked and spear piranhas for breakfast. in case y'all are worrying...
-my savings roam b/w six and nine grand. i'm extremely frugal and have no qualms about living in slums.

sorry this is ridiculously "specific," i HAVE read the may 11 and june 28 posts, but i'm not as pedigreed as those posters. thanks for your help, much appreciated.

Can I have my creative cake and eat it too?

mynameisluka — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:33:08 -0800

Working writers: how do you carve out time for fiction? Here's a question for working writers. I've managed to turn my passion into a full-time life as a freelance writer. I do corporate stuff, copywriting and marketing pieces, journalism, and I'm thrilled to be working for myself at something I adore. My real passion, however, is fiction, and like so many others, my real aspiration is to complete and sell the novels that have been niggling at me for years.

Trouble is, at the end of the day it's really difficult to transition from non-fiction to fiction and from have-to-I-get-paid to want-to-so-I'm-disciplined work. I find myself using my sore wrists and zonked brain as an excuse...and I'm starting to get scared that I'll never achieve my dream of being a working novelist.

I'm wondering how other writers approach this dilemma. Is "suck it up" the only answer, or are there some tips/tidbits/tweaks I'm missing?

Tété-Michel Kpomassie: Where is He Now

luriete — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:46:43 -0800

Tété-Michel Kpomassie: where is he now? Whatever happened to him? I can't find other books by him after An African in Greenland; I've read he eventually received French citizenship and lives there now - but what does he do? He must have written other books or articles, right? Anyone know?

Point me to some great examples of limited third person viewpoint.

ilike — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 02:57:21 -0800

Point me to some great examples of limited third person viewpoint. Hi, I am a beginning writer who wants to learn how to write in limited third person viewpoint. Almost all books I like are however written in first person or some kind of all-knowing godlike viewpoint so I need something to learn from.

Any suggestions are welcome but I am not a big fan of mystery, romance or thriller.

But there's no such thing as international law!

ailouros08 — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:49:15 -0800

If you had to write a paper on something related to international law, what would it be? I need a topic ideas for my student written piece for the law school journal I'm on. The journal itself is for international law, so the topic has to be international-y. I'm just drawing a blank for topics, and I have to submit a topic sheet by Monday. So, I turn to you for help, you cosmopolitan, current event-reading MeFites. What would you write your 60 page journal article on?

The topic suggestions can be anything international, current events or whatever. I just need something to get my wheels turning because I'm drawing a blank.

Thanks!!!!

Help me find the rest of this pro-woman poem?

potatopeople — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:16:19 -0800

Help me find the rest of this poem: "to be a woman/ you don't have to put on lipstick/ or wear makeup".... I've googled variations on those phrases, but can't find it. I read it in 5th grade English and have no recollection of where it came from (whether it was an anthology, a particular poet, or what). I want the rest of it! I tried to contact the former teacher who made that poem part of her lesson plan, but she's since moved on to business school and I can't track her down. I don't know if those phrases are the exact wordings, but I'm pretty sure that's how it starts, and I can't find it anywhere. Any thoughts?

Ethics of a Pseudonym

Toto_tot — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:55:37 -0800

Up for serious discussion: What are the ethics of writing under a pseudonym? I am an established, mid-career writer who would like to begin writing in a different genre. In the age of Google, I am concerned about not being able to break out of the 'box of pre-judgment' that I currently work in.

I've been thinking about it a lot and I'm interested in your thoughts on the subject.

Here are some of my own thoughts/questions:
Is the issue simply about choosing/writing under another name?
OR
How far can one go in creating a persona for a pseudonym?
Could I create a fake webpage for my pseudonym?
Can I fake a resume based on my true level of expertise (meaning I wouldn't claim degrees that I don't have, for example)?
How about a composite photograph? Too far, right? Or not?
What about choosing a persona that is not my gender, age, or culture?
Would any of this be illegal? I mean, I am essentially lying, right?
Are people bound to find out anyway? My agent would have to know. Or what if I wanted to find a new agent or publisher? Does the publisher have to know that I'm not who I say I am?

Why are we even interested in what an author looks like?
Do we need to know that they have the life credentials to write about their subject--that is, do we need them to be mothers for us to appreciate their take on motherhood?

Know any stories/examples?
What do you think?

Are There Any Good General-Topic Blogs?

toomuchkatherine — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:08:26 -0800

I've been doing some thinking lately about blogs. It seems that most of the really popular, successful blogs stick to one topic or another, pretty well defined (food, books, politics, celebrities, etc.). Are there any really popular or successful (in the sense of widely-read, or just good to read) blogs that are about a variety of topics, or that take the 'one person's views on a whole bunch of things' model?

Lovecraftian Lawsuits Pt II

Artw — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:56:28 -0800

This is a bit of a follow up to this question. I'm contemplating a small comics project staring a fictionalised version of HP Lovecraft (something I've done before but thsi will be slight higher profile) and the title will be something along the lnes of "H.P. Lovecraft's World of Weirdness". Is the use of his name in the title like that, which might imply some kind of authorship or endorsement or somesuch, likely to bring the Lovecraft estate down on me like a ton of bricks?

Writing For Fun And Profit

Phalene — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:28:29 -0800

Writing Filter: How do I get published, or to be exact, how do I network with editors, so I can do some freelance writing on the side? I was a campus paper staff member, and I got two articles published in a local alternative weekly. Now that I'm relocating to Montreal, I'd like to continue to write little '$25 an article' style jobs with an eye to making a side business to the part time writing thing and building a broader range.

I have a flair for witty how tos, writing about art (ie, gallery show = awesome), and doing bland filler articles on the topic of the editor’s choice. I write for fun, and I adore taking a potentially boring subject and jazzing it up. What would this sort of talent work well with?

People tell me that things like travel magazines and websites will pay for articles, but I haven’t the foggiest idea about going and pitching myself to these people. How do I assemble a portfolio of clippings? How do I track down English language publications who want articles? People looking for web content that actually pay?

What, as a novice freelance journalist, should I keep in mind? I’m sort of attracted to the idea of doing what I love for money. Now how to make editors think I'm awesome?