Most Novembers I end up doing NaNoWriMo. The combination of a deadline and a word count forces me to write whether I have something to say or not. The first year that I did NaNoWriMo (way back in the mists of time, circa 2005), I went to the local kick off party where we ate pizza, introduced ourselves, and did a couple group activities. The group activity that I remember is taking a piece of paper and drawing my internal editor on it. There were pens, pencils, stickers, glitter. Some people went all out while others drew a stick figure or frowny face.

My internal editor had blonde hair and blue eyes–looking suspiciously like me in stick figure form (I’m a writer. I don’t do graphic art–that’s my mother’s department). Once we had finished with our masterpieces, we were given an envelope to seal in our internal editor. The envelope was handed to the Municipal Liaison not to be returned until the end of the month when we had finished our novel. The rule for the month of November was no internal editing.

What’s internal editing? Well, if you have an internal editor then you tell yourself things like this when you sit down to write:

• That’s a stupid idea.
• That plot’s been done.
• No one will want to read that so don’t bother.
• Who do you think you are?
• You suck.
• You’re not smart enough.
• You’re not creative enough.
• You don’t really think you can do this, do you?

Who can write with all that noise? The envelope ritual is a way of telling yourself that this month you will not listen to the internal editor. No matter how stupid, how silly, how boring you think what you are writing is, write it anyway. Nothing is perfect on the first try, that’s what second drafts are for. And third drafts, and fourth drafts …

I haven’t gone to the community event again, but I like the idea of locking up the internal editor. Personally, I visualize a plexiglass cell. Then I drag the internal editor over to it (usually kicking and screaming–sometimes handcuffed and gagged if I’m feeling mean), stuff the little guy in there and close the box. I can see him but I can’t hear him–no matter how loud he screams or how much of a fit he throws. And then I sit down and write–it’s crap, it’s ridiculous, there are plot holes the size of galaxies, but it’s words on paper and once they are there I have something to build on. Sometimes I write outlandish things just to make the little guy’s head explode (he’s in a box so there’s no messy clean up).

Sooner or later I have to let the little guy out of his box (I forgot air holes, for one), usually on the second or third draft when he’s not so negative and actually has something useful to contribute. The internal editor is useful, you see, but not early in the process. Early in the process, he’s just that whiny guy in a meeting shooting down everyone else’s ideas until all the ideas are discounted and you’re left with nothing to work with.

Do you have an internal editor? Or are you one of those lucky people with an internal cheerleader?

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A few interesting links that have come my way:

#1: How to Write Badly Well. Hilarious and spot on.
#2: Wondering what’s still safe to eat in your fridge? Check at Still Tasty.
#3: In honour of NaNoWriMo: Things Novelists Do While Their Novel Remains Unwritten.

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It’s October 31st. For many of you that means Hallowe’en: costumes, candy, scary movies, and parties. For me, it’s the day before National Novel Writing Month begins–NaNoWriMo for short. Or just plain NaNo to those too busy plotting and note-taking before midnight to use the full acronym. For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo is a challenge to write 50 000 words in one month on a novel.

This will be my fifth year doing NaNoWriMo. My attempt last year was pathetic–lack of planning which led to lack of motivation–but I’ve managed to write 50 000 words in 30 days the other years so I know it can be done. I really need to redevelop good writing habits (a good writing habit being to actually write on a regular basis) and this always seems to get me going if I’ve been slacking off.

I don’t follow the rules for NaNoWriMo exactly, which is to start and complete a novel in November. This year I have several projects that I want to get ahead on so I’ll be writing on whichever one I can. Some have been started already, some are still in the note-taking phase, and some will not stretch to 50 000 words by themselves (though they may surprise me). As long as I get to the end of the month with a good chunk of writing done and momentum on a couple projects, I’ll consider November a success.

I can always use some motivation through competition, so if you’re doing NaNo you’re welcome to add me as a Writing Buddy. I go by Anysia on the NaNoWriMo site.

I’ll probably stick a word count widget in my sidebar for anyone interested in my progress. Blog posts will be sparse (unless I’m procrastinating).

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When the topic of negative reviews comes up I find myself defending the negative review. Unfortunately, the discussion always becomes muddied by the definition of what a negative review is.

Many people conflate bad reviews and negative reviews, but bad and negative are distinct qualities. One is an assessment of the review, while the other is an assessment of the book. You can have any combination of bad/good with positive/negative–a little like mixing genetic traits, but without the illicit stuff (book content notwithstanding).

A Punnett what?

A Punnett square, if you need an introduction, is a table used by geneticists to show the possible combination of traits where each trait can have two (or more) states. Think of a trait as something like ‘Hair colour’ and a state as ‘Blond’ or ‘Brunette’ or ‘Redhead’.

In this case, the Punnett square for the traits ‘Quality of Review’ and ‘Opinion of Book’ would look like this table:

I’m not claiming this is a particularly profound observation, just that it’s an easy way to make sure everyone is on the same page in a discussion of “bad” reviews. Of the four types of reviews, the only ones I find useful as a reader are the good positive review and the good negative review.

Good means that readers get information that tells them whether they are likely to enjoy the book. Even a negative review can do that by giving concrete reasons for the reviewers opinion and disclosing personal reading preferences that affect the reviewer’s views.

Bad reviews don’t give readers any information to make a decision with. Really bad reviews indulge in meanness like ad hominem attacks, sarcasm, and condescension—things that make only the reviewer look bad.

Bad positive reviews are the same as no review at all or worse. Some are so effusive but lacking in substance that they leave me thinking the reviewer is:

1. A sock puppet
2. A relative or friend of the author
3. A person who didn’t really read the book, and/or
4. On the take.

Whether any of those perceptions are accurate or not doesn’t matter—the seed of doubt is planted. If the author appears to encourage these sorts of reviews, it’s a black mark against both the book, author and reviewer.

Most of the bad reviews that I’ve seen are at online retailer sites like Amazon. Through selection bias, I don’t see many bad reviews on the book blogs I follow.

What makes a review good for you?

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Released August 2009 (Tarcher) * 368 pages * ISBN-13: 9781585427215

The Book

Thanks, But This Isn’t for Us: A (Sort of) Compassionate Guide to Why Your Writing is Being Rejected by Jessica Page Morrell is exactly what the title claims it is. In a blunt, sometimes sarcastic, manner, developmental editor Morrell takes you through the various aspects of a manuscript. From beginner faux pas like extraneous adjectives and adverbs to more subtle elements like creating suspense and using sensory details, she points out what sorts of things will get your manuscript tossed into the circular file and provides direction on how to fix these issues.

The Review

I’ve read a previous book by Jessica Page Morrell that is heavily sticky-noted and reread at least once every year. What I liked about that book is that Morrell went beyond the beginner level of writing and got into the more subtle elements of what makes writing good. Thanks, But This Isn’t for Us covers both beginner level issues and more subtle issues that might be keeping your manuscript from being published.

The tone is occasionally snarky and it’s no secret. Even the cover design is a bit snarky, suggesting that manuscripts are used as coasters. Chapter one begins like this:

Dear Wanna Be a Published Writer:

This isn’t a book about false promises or cheery rah-rahs. This book never claims that anyone can write a best seller or become a billionaire just by typing away, or even that writing is the greatest joy because, after all, we cannot forget about dancing, chocolate, and sex. Rather, it’s written by a Demon of Harsh Reality and meant as a hefty dose of reality along with encouragement to keep trying, to keep learning. Because writing is a craft, and it can be learned.” –pg 9

For the most part, the tone is blunt but helpful so the occasional snark isn’t hard to take (I have been known to be somewhat snarky myself so this sort of thing doesn’t bother me in the least, particularly when the advice is clearly good). If you survived Miss Snark’s blog you’ll find that Morrell is much gentler overall, but equally informative.

The chapters cover beginnings, plot, structure, mood, dialogue, characters, scenes, and emotions. There are also chapters on memoirs, doing a final edit, and not driving your editor insane. As well as an index, the back of the book has two glossaries: fiction lingo and publishing lingo (which is nice, because sometimes it feels like everyone else knows these terms even if you don’t).

Each chapter is divided into chunks with headings and subheadings, which makes the book easy to scan to find what you are looking for. There are recurring elements in each chapter, like a reading list of books focused on a particular topic. I found that I often have at least one of the books listed in the reading list and since I’m happy with the ones I have, I’m inclined to check out some of the others on the list when I have time.

A ‘Quick & Dirty Tips’ list that summarizes what you need to take away from the chapter and apply to your writing is included at the end of each chapter. Since I use most writing books as reference books, I find that list helpful in refreshing my memory (it also lessens the need for me to take my own notes, which I inevitably lose). There is also a short ‘Try This’ exercise in each chapter that helps you address a particular problem. It’s one thing to know that you have a certain problem and quite another to figure where to start to fix it so the ‘Try This’ sections are particularly helpful because they give a place to start–even if it’s just taking a highlighter to your manuscript to see how often you use modifiers or sensory details to convince you that you do indeed have a problem (or reassure you that you don’t).

The Verdict

This one is a keeper. Jessica Page Morrell, as a developmental editor, helps authors polish their manuscripts for a living and it shows. If you need to polish your manuscript, going through this book will help you find your manuscript’s weaknesses and figure out what to do about it (assuming, of course, that you can acknowledge that your manuscript has weaknesses–if you can’t, then no book will help you).

You can find Thanks, But This Isn’t for Us: A (Sort of) Compassionate Guide to Why Your Writing is Being Rejected at amazon (US, Canada, & UK), the Book Depository (Worldwide), as well as at other online and retail booksellers.

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Released 2009 (Self-Counsel Press) * 192 pages * ISBN-13: 9781551808727

The Book

Marketing in the New Media by Holly Berkley discusses what new media is and how to use it as a small (or medium) business owner. It’s a good primer on the issues and techniques involved in this type of marketing. The book is a fairly easy read using a number of case studies to illustrate different approaches and providing a list of references to back up the information in each chapter.

The Review

New media, in case you’re unaware, is pretty much everything but radio, TV, and print, and outdoor ads. Cell phones, e-mail, live chat, web sites, RSS, blogs, podcasting and social media are “new.” Berkley defines the difference between old and new media as one of control: in the old media it was the advertisers who were in control but in the new media it is the consumer.

The case studies used to illustrate the various concepts are very helpful in illustrating the uses of various social media. Not being from the US, I found the analysis of the recent US presidential campaign interesting in showing the disparities in social media success of each party. There is also an interesting look at the Super Bowl and how companies that can’t afford to buy a TV ad (which no “small” business could) can still capitalize on the marketing efforts of the big guys through new media. This book focuses on the American market in its examples–not being a marketer I’m not sure whether that affects its relevance to marketing in other countries, but it is something to be aware of.

I was glad to see that this book covers much more than just having a web site and buying online ads. Berkley focuses on getting business owners to understand how to interact with their target audience since the new media requires interaction, unlike old media, which is somewhat of a new concept (and explains why many businesses come across as clueless when they apply old media techniques to new media).

As a consumer, I wasn’t particularly thrilled that she advocates having interns go around on social media and answer questions by mentioning a company product or service. As a consumer I always find these types of answers annoying and disingenuous when I come across them online but then I’m kind of crotchety that way.

The Verdict

This is a good primer on new media marketing. It’s not a how-to book, but it’s a helpful overview of issues and options. I can see it being useful for those starting their own new media marketing or hiring someone to do it for them. You can buy this and other Self-Counsel Press titles at Self-Counsel Press (US & Canada), Amazon (US, Canada & UK) and The Book Depository (UK & worldwide).

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I’m just swamped this month so I don’t have time to read books (*gasp*) or blog much. Here’s a link or two:

1#: Ever use a font without having the rights? NBC getting sued for $2 million for just that.

#2: If you freelance and deal with clients, you’ve probably had this client. Graphic designer robot deals with “cheap bastard” client robot. [warning: there is quite a bit of profanity in this little vid, but it's still funny if you can see past that]

#3: If you’ve managed to miss it, an article on the whole FTC-now-regulating-bloggers brouhaha courtesy of The New York Times. The FTC has now clarified their position on bloggers.

#4: If you self-host your own WordPress site, you’ll probably find WPazo.com a very useful resource. It’s mission is to be “your all-signal, no-noise, source for the best WordPress stuff” and so far it is living up to it’s mission. Run by the Canadian designer who brought you the Thematic theme framework.

#5: Kindle finally goes international (product link). Except for Canada. Naturally. Here’s the official press release. Don’t think I’d buy one even if they were available in Canada. I’m rather fond of my iPod Touch.

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This week’s collection of interesting links:

#1: “No, I will not read your fucking script” by screenwriter Josh Olson will resonate with anyone who edits or writes professionally. I’m tempted to print his article out and just hand it to people. (And yes, there is further profanity in the article itself.)

#2: “The Lost Symbol and The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown’s 20 worst sentences” is exactly why I don’t read Dan Brown. My brain simply will not gloss over sentences like those and let me enjoy a story.

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Nobody likes it when their site goes down. Not the web site owner and certainly not the visitors to the site. Especially if the site is a large part of their daily routine.

If my little blog is down it’s not going to ruin anyone’s day but mine, but I saw an error screen tonight that reminded me how important it is to customize the error pages on your web site. I notice these things, since I do web sites for clients from time to time (and yes, I do tell them up front that I am not a designer–as you can tell from my little homemade template). Or maybe I just notice because when a favourite site of mine goes down I tend to hit refresh obsessively.

As a visitor I appreciate it when someone goes to the trouble to inject some humour into the very frustrating situation of a website I rely on being down. If you’ve ever taken a really close look at the “site offline” screen that is displayed when LibraryThing is down you’ll have noticed a picture of a stack of books. Look closer and you’ll see that the titles of the books in the stack have been carefully chosen to reflect the site being down and user (as well as administrator) frustration at that fact.

Tonight I came across another creative “site offline” screen. I was refreshing my Blip.fm account because the site has been down for maintenance for several hours. Instead of the standard message (which was already customized and branded), the screen went black after a moment and displayed a boot up screen like you would see on a PC. The screen wasn’t static though, information was added at intervals as if it really was a computer booting up. Looking more closely, it was clearly a little gift to anyone frustrated enough to click refresh more than a few times. Here is a screen capture for your enjoyment (didn’t manage to get a vid):

Did anyone else see this? I wonder if it changes depending on what kind of computer you have since it clearly identifies your computer and browser.

Know of any other sites that have gone to the trouble of entertaining their visitors even when the site goes down? Let me know in the comments.

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No related posts.

Something a bit different this week. It’s an “Interesting Links” YouTube edition:

#1: Subway exhaust + plastic bags = art. No, really.

#2: In case you missed it (which it did), United Breaks Guitars 2 is out. If this guy’s music sales don’t go up, I’ll eat … um … I’ll eat my other half’s cooking.

#3: Rant from author Harlan Ellison about getting paid (or not) by large media companies. Oldie but goodie.

#4: You may find this amusing if you remember the 80s (if you don’t, you may just find it odd).

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