I've Been Searchin' Ever Which Way

Who said “The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance?”

The only way to find out is to research. It doesn’t matter if you are writing fiction, non-fiction, for children, teens or adults; some one will ask you “How do you know?” (Gee no pressure here)

How does one create under this veil? Author Eve Bunting recommends “Be your self. That is the only way you can be anyhow…” Bunting has sold 167 books for young people. She advises: “Love the subject before you write about it. You won’t work up to your potential if you don’t.”

Do you know who said this yet?

“The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.”

I’m not telling you. Go research it and come back here to tell me.

A Few Pitfalls of Research

Avoid Lists of Facts Masquerading as an Article. Have you ever been told by an editor that they don’t want encyclopedia articles or more recently wikipedia articles? An encyclopedia is a compilation of facts about your subject and not the article. Your article will depend on how you handle those facts. It is a good idea to consult more than one source. Don’t start writing until you understand and process your material.

The use of too many passive verbs in your article or manuscript should be a red flag to you. This means you are just repeating information and have not internalized your subject yet allowing you to develop your own unique interpretation.

Unverified Web Sources

Don’t be sucked in by slick presentations. Investigate the authority of your sources. Never accept a Web page at face value; always check context. Click on the Home button and find out the owner of the site for further investigation if needed. Here are seven questions to ask yourself as you surf the Web.

1. Who are the author and the publisher?
2. What are their credentials?
3. How comprehensive is the coverage?
4. Is this an impartial site or one with paid links?
5. What is the original date of the information?
6. What is the historical context of the information?
7. Is the information verifiable through another reputable source?

My research for this post came from “Searching, A Research Guide for Writers” published by Writer’s Institute Publications.

Write it down,

Carma

Parents, Don't Be Sissies: Teach Your Kids to Manage Allowances

How many times do parents hear these words…“Mom, buy me a book.” or “Mom, I need money for the movies.” You give in and hand over extra money because they blew their allowance and it’s the easy way out. What are you teaching them to do? You are teaching them to spend YOUR money and that it is OK for them to spend more than they have. Take a look at these five ways to help jump start good money managing skills for you and your child.

1. Stop giving allowances. That’s harsh but what is your child or children doing to earn that allowance now? Watching TV and playing with friends? You might as well call it an endowment to your kid’s summer fund. Show your kids that allowances are actually earnings for work performed. Here’s how.

2. Determine what type of work your child is able to complete. Create a list of extra work that is unrelated to normal household responsibilities such as making the bed or feeding the dog.

3. Start Giving Allowances: But I just stopped them. Yes, I know but now you will be giving allowances to help teach your children how to manage money and learn from their own successes and failures. Instead of doling out money the “sissie” way make a list of what they will be expected to pay for. Also, pay your child on time. This teaches your children the value of honoring obligations.

4. Create a spending plan. In the past your kids’ plan was to ask you for more money. Now that they can see some savings add up, it is time to help them plan how not to spend it all at once. A small notebook will be adequate enough for the time being to write down income and expenses. Designing a spending plan can be as simple as writing a “to-do” list. If one of your child’s objectives is to go to the movies twice a week then this simple method will help them to check availability of money. When you hear the words “Mom I need money for the movies,” just ask “can you afford it?”

5. Set examples. This is by far the most important step. If your child watches you spend unwisely, he/she will tend to emulate you and believe it is OK to spend money well over your budget. Generally speaking your child will learn how to manage money through their own experience and your guidance.

Managing money is not easy and many people never learn how to turn it into a tool that will benefit the rest of their life. Schools don’t teach money management so it is left up to parents. Follow these five tips to help your child gain control over money instead of letting money control him or her. You will no longer have to take the "sissie" way out and give in to unwanted requests and you will also have a financially healthy child

To read more on how to teach kids to manage money go to Kids’ Money here and visit the Kids’ Money Store for more books.

Write it down,

Carma

Got Any Ideas? They Don't Matter. Writing Does.

Ideas cannot be copyrighted. The copyright law protects “unique expressions” of them, not the ideas themselves. The same thing is true about titles. For instance I went shopping for “The Gift: The 12 Greatest tools of personal growth—and how to put them into practice” by Shad Helmstetter, but when I asked the clerk if “The Gift” was in stock, she came up with “The Gift: A Novel” by Richard Paul Evans.

A title is like an idea and not the author’s own unique expression. You would need to read the book to discover that. However, titles are very important and can help sell your book but that is another post.

Don’t discard any ideas just because you read a book with a similar idea or watched a movie with the same thoughts as yours. Those ideas could be the topic of your block buster novel. “American Graffiti” could have been MY story. It was so typical of my generation and I used to think writing about car hops on roller skates would be dull but then no one has read about my experience.

Express your ideas in original ways and from your perspective. You and I can look at a painting and when asked to give a critique, what do you think would happen? If you really want to protect your idea, you can turn it into a finished manuscript. Then you can register it at the Copyright Office. According to Harold Underdown’s FAQ’s he says the "Poor man's copyright" -- mailing yourself a copy of your manuscript so that it gets a postmark--will, I understand, do you no good.

Harold Underdown of The Purple Crayon has a great article and some FAQ’s on copyright law. Read the post here.

Write it down,

Carma

Writer's Toolbox: Links and Tips

Writers spend an enormous amount of time perfecting their craft so it stands to reason they will spend a good amount of time learning about the publishing business as well. There are pitfalls around every corner just waiting for the uninformed writer. Pitfalls could end a writer's career before it ever gets started. Don't let it happen to you.

Jerry Simmons is an author and former executive with the Time Warner Book Group. His web site is full of free articles and writing tips based on his 25 years in the publishing business.

I have read several of his articles and blog entries. One in particular stood out to me. All writers need editors. Jerry states “you cannot sell a good story that is poorly edited.” Another great article by Jerry is Who is making money in publishing?

Download the free article You Are Only a First Time Author Once.

More tips from a professional

I stumbled across Fiona Bayrock's site several months ago. She is a full time writer and writes a lot of “cool” science stuff for kids in addition to giving out writing advice, tips and links. You will enjoy surfing around at her site. I recommend the following article.

Getting from Theme to Article: Advice From a Theme Junkie.

Fiona also has a host of articles from children's non-fiction authors covering subjects like: Technique, Writing Science for Kids, Writing Biographies for Kids, writing query letters and selling Non-fiction. I could spend a whole day here.

Write it down,


Carma

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

What did Thomas Jefferson mean when he referred to the "pursuit of happiness"?

My thought is that pursue means to chase or go after. Happiness is not handed to us on a silver platter. It is a choice.

"Posterity--you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it."

~John Quincy Adams

Happy 4th of July

Carma

When Does Freelance Equal Expert?

A few days ago members of the Children’s Writing Coaching Club were discussing how beginning writers can become viewed as experts. What exactly makes an expert? Do you need a degree? Do you have to have thirty years experience?

Our writing coach, Suzanne Lieurance tells us we can become experts when we write about issues that are specific to our focal point on a regular basis. For instance, parenting, education and so on. Soon people will come to our blog or website first to find out the latest news. We each have it within ourselves to become experts.

Jeffrey Way also writes a great post about how to qualify as an expert. Go to Freelance Folder and read the entire post.

Write it down,
Carma

Writing is Like Dancing

Writing is like dancing. Everyone wants the trophy but not everyone is willing to do what it takes to get it. I knew my girls had “it” because they danced around the house all the time.

With their hair neatly pulled back into a dinner roll bun shape, sparkling black patent tap shoes, I drove my talented twin girls to the local dance studio.

Soon my fantasy turned into reality. Turned in toes, bent knees, rounded backs and $400 a month! This was not the picture I had of my little darlings in the limelight. Stardom was going to take a little longer than I had imagined.

I filled out the enrollment form for the 4:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon combination class.

Week one: Ballet, jazz and tap all taught in 55 minutes. (What did I know?) At this rate they would learn one dance in nine months to be performed at the annual recital.

Week two: Flap, flap, ball chain, shuffle, grapevine… Dance slang… So exciting… I was learning more than my seven year olds. My feet began to vibrate with each tap.

Week three: My daughters had talent. I am sure the teacher would recognize it if she would just take her eyes off the Shirley Temple Clone in the red sequined leotard.

Week four: At last! The individual attention I had been waiting for. Each child was to gracefully walk across the floor on their little tippy toes while holding their arms as if they were carrying a large beach ball, with heads high and shoulders down…. It was obvious my darlings had never carried a large beach ball.

Week five: Repetition of weeks, 1, 2, 3 and 4. Thirty-six more weeks to go.

Before the thirty-six weeks were half over, I realized one dance class a week was not going to make anyone a dancer. In order to become good at what you do, you must do it daily.

Writing is like dancing. It is a discipline and must be practiced daily.

Write it down,

Carma