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September, 2006 |
Barbara McNichol EditorialMake sure this ezine reaches your inbox. Please add editor@barbaramcnichol.com to your address book. If you are unable to view this newsletter, you may click here to read it online.Celebrate National Punctuation Day September 24! In This Issue …
Creativity Kindler-How to Mine Words for Your Own Bio By Faye Quam Heimerl Editor's Note: Learn more about Faye on my new website page, Meet the Team. You're writing your (author, speaker, business) bio but can't get past the required first-line basics-name, credentials, and so on-without sounding like a flat-lined résumé. For example: "(Author's name) is a (name of occupation), a (name of hobby), and (parental and/or marital status), who, according to this bio, is beige, tepid, and annoyingly modest." What to do about this? Go mining for new words that add color, heat, and a pinch of pride to your bio. My writer's group of eight women recently set out to mine for "bio" words for a new anthology. We weren't ready to write about ourselves so instead we decided to write about each other. We made a list for each of us (including ourselves) on which we answered the following questions:
Once finished, we all got the lists that described us and our writing, then wrote our bios. A few results: "Debra tangos between the vermilion of raw living and the chantilly of old-fashioned nostalgia." "Sherri is a waltz of ever-changing autumn hues, writing from the heart her caring for nature and for Earth as a whole." "Jennifer's poetry offers the surprise of the soft spoken, which can suddenly turn into a lively sprite-trip for the senses." Colorful and fun! You can come up with all sorts of questions to ask your miners, such as:
You'll find that it's great creative fun to go word mining and have others describe you as wonderful, even if you didn't say so yourself. And I've got lots more questions if you run short. Just ask! Writing coach Faye Quam Heimerl coaches authors on how to form ideas and add emotion to their writing. She recently released Scarf Dancer, her first volume of poetry and prose. Contact Faye through Barbara McNichol Editorial at 520-615-7910 or 877-696-4899. Word Wrangler-Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat By Patrice Rhoades-Baum Editor's Note: Learn more about Patrice on my new website page, Meet the Team. My father, a jeweler, loved to look through a loupe into a diamond's brilliant, prismatic depth. Whenever he thought something was perfect, he likened it to "looking inside a diamond." Even as a child, I could recite the four Cs to discern a diamond's quality: color, clarity, cut, and carat. Today, as a professional business communicator, I rely on the four Cs as a touchstone to improve my writing. And you can, too. Check your writing project against the four Cs: Color-Replace commonplace verbs with active, vibrant verbs. For example: "Broke again, Johnny had only two quarters in his pocket" versus "Broke again, two lonely quarters clinked in Johnny's pocket." Clarity-Does each sentence say what you mean? Be specific, untangle lengthy sentences, and steer clear of the passive voice ("the ball was caught") when you can more effectively use the active voice ("Diana caught the ball"). Cut-Just like a skilled diamond cutter, be sure to trim excess material to let your message shine. For example: "The nostalgic charm of our town is perhaps nowhere as evident for young and old alike as in the old-fashioned arcade" versus "The old-fashioned arcade evinces our town's nostalgic charm." Carat-Does your message carry weight with the people you're writing for? Ensure your main message is meaningful for your target audience. Whether you're creating the great American novel or a business brochure, use the four Cs to polish your writing. Your writing can sparkle with the brilliance, depth, and perfection of a diamond. Patrice Rhoades-Baum has wrangled with words throughout her 25-year communications career. She especially enjoys the challenges of making websites, manuscripts, and marketing pieces more dynamic. Contact her through Barbara McNichol at Editor@BarbaraMcNichol.com. Head Turner-Discover the Author in You and Write Your Book! Would you like to write a book NOW? You can learn to get your book out of your head and onto the paper fast. Ann McIndoo has created tools that cater to all modalities of learning and time schedules. Whether you like to see examples, listen to tapes, be coached through the process, or participate in a hands-on experience, you can turn to one of Ann's "So, You Want to Write!" author's tools to guide you step by step in writing your book. So, You Want To Write! Author's Kit ($197.00) So, You Want To Write! Author's Book Package ($1,895.00) Ann offers additional options to help make writing your book easy and fun! Full details at www.SoYouWantToWrite.com Idea Sparker-Think Like An Editor I came back from the National Speakers Conference in July excited about new possibilities and quickly turned my attention to one of them-giving a presentation at the Sisters in Crime conference in Phoenix. My topic: getting a manuscript ready for publishing. I have since parlayed that talk into four articles on my website under the umbrella title Think Like An Editor. Voila-my best editing secrets for all to see. Please take a moment to read these articles (and more) on my FREE Articles page.
Special Idea Sparker-Miracles Do Happen! It's an almost unheard of move for a major publisher. My client Tama Kieves's book This Time I Dance! Creating the Work You Love (How One Harvard Lawyer Left It All to Have It All!) was relaunched nationally as a new book on September 7th. Why? "Because there IS a Loving Universe!" Tama says. And because Tarcher/Penguin, the publisher, so believes in the importance of its message of hope and compassion that it wants to see this book reach more people. The new edition features a new cover, a new foreword, and new reader resources. Links where you can buy this great book... Featured Doorways-Writing and Publishing Workshops Coming Up October in Southern Arizona-"Unleashing the Creative Life: The Nature of Working with Words" is an October 21st Workshop sponsored by Russell Public Affairs Group at a dude ranch in Tumacacori, Arizona. During this day of inspiration and creativity, writing under the guidance of four workshop leaders will improve your craft and deepen your written voice. To get an early bird rate of $97, sign up by October 1. Contact Lynn Wiese at 520-575-8302 or lwiesesneyd@russell-group.net. November/December in Dallas, Texas-"It's All About YOU!" is the featured subtitle for Dianna Booher's GET YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED! workshop November 30 to December 2, 2006, in Dallas, Texas. An author, CEO, professional speaker, trainer, and executive coach, Dianna knows what she's talking about; she has written and published more than 40 books (Speak With Confidence, Get a Life Without Sacrificing Your Career, Your Signature Life, Your Signature Work, and many others). This workshop gives you time to practice the nuts-and-bolts writing/publishing process under Dianna's watchful eye. For details, email me to receive a PDF flyer, call 800-342-6621, or go to www.GetYourBookPublished2006.com. Ongoing Opportunities-Every Thursday, my colleague Jerry Simmons puts out his ezine called Tips for Writers-Information for Writers About Publishing. It features dozens of workshops too numerous to list here. You can sign up for this ezine by contacting Jerry at jerry@writersreaders.com. As a former sales executive at TimeWarner Books, Jerry has a mission "to help writers become successful authors by sharing honest, dependable information about publishing that contributes to informed decisions." That comes through loud and clear in this ezine. Corroborate, collaborate- "Corroborate" means to strengthen or make more certain with other evidence. "Collaborate" means to work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort. "It's common for the defense lawyers working on a court case to collaborate with each other while they corroborate the evidence being gathered." Implode, explode- "Implode" means to collapse inward in a violent way. "Explode" is to release energy or burst or break up violently and noisily. "When demolishing a building, engineers use dynamite in a particular way to make it implode while preventing it from exploding and causing damage nearby." Word Tripper by Special Request Peak, pique, peek - "Peak" refers to the top of something (e.g., a mountain, chart); "pique" is to attract someone's interest; "peek" means to take a quick look at something. "I want to pique your interest in climbing to the peak of that mountain so we can peek at the valley on the other side." (Soaking in the view rather than taking a quick peek would be much better!) Letter Opener-Is Heighth a Real Word? Long-time subscriber Randell Johnson sent me this burning question: Ok. Ok. Ok. I give. In a conversation I had with a well-read friend of mine (whose mission in life is to catch malapropisms and make his victim feel lower than a belly gunner on an armadillo), I found myself in a verbal corner. (Like that last sentence.) I had used the word, heighth. Mind you, this man is sophisticated. (Yes, he has the complete unabridged Oxford English Dictionary almost completely memorized-such a burden.) He looked at me with a wry smile and quietly intoned, "Heighth?" He then chortled. (I've found that derision does not have to be couched in loud guffaws to be painful to one's pride.) With a wave of my hand, I simply responded with a "whoops," uncertain if the word just doesn't exist or if it was one of those goofy lay/lie conundrums. In your words, is heighth ever correct? (Apparently, by the red squiggly lines under the word, my spellchecker doesn't think so.) Or have I been reading too much in my King James Version of the Bible, forsooth. Or should I tell my friend to just take a height? (Groan.) My response: None of the dictionaries I checked included this word. The squiggly red line reins! Recommended Resource-Turn Eye Appeal into Buy Appeal Wins APEX Award You've heard the word "award-winning" used a lot and I'm pleased to say a book I edited for Karen Saunders can officially be called an award winner. Congratulations, Karen, for winning a 2006 APEX Award for Publication Excellence in the Web & Electronic Publications category for 2006! APEX Awards are based on excellence in graphic design, editorial content, and overall communication effectiveness. The whole contest attracted more than 5,000 entries. Check out the APEX Awards page at http://www.apexawards.com. Perhaps you could enter your best work! And take a moment to order Karen's award-winning book below.
Superb Service-Try Before You Buy Ask about my Try Before You Buy proposal process. At no charge, I will edit a portion of your manuscript and give you a written proposal. Once you review the before/after text, you'll recognize more than a great match-you'll see that we can form a great team! Ready to add polish and persuasion to your website copy, articles, books, and sales letters? Connect with Barbara McNichol Editorial now! My promise to you: I respect your time and your privacy. Your email is strictly for communication from Barbara McNichol Editorial and will not be sold or used for other purposes. Copyright 2005: Barbara McNichol Editorial
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Quotation Corner “Writing and reading is to me synonymous with existing.”
New to My Portfolio Press Pause . . . Press On: Bringing Balance & Perspective To Work & Life by Patricia Katz My Ex is Having Sex with Rex, the straight story of a woman who picked up her life when her husband left to pick up men by Jennifer Lee Find More Time: How to Get Things Done at Home, Organize Your Life, and Feel Great About It Master Your Middle Management Universe: How to Succeed With Moga Moga Management Using 3 Easy Steps! by Mary Elston Laid Off? Don't Stress! How to Get from Mad to Glad Enjoy the Hell Out of Your Life What can an old man-and all your life lessons-tell you that has lasting value? Ramone answers that question in the title of this book. The chapters that follow add richness and fun. Brilliance Unbridled What can a horse whisper to YOU about business success? Brilliance Unbridled is filled with fresh, insightful ideas that unbridles your talent so you and your business can thrive!
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