Category Archives: Education

Word clouds…a productive diversion

I’ve worked with word clouds for at least four years, but just added this short tutorial to my ESL course.

Other projects I’m working on: [some more actively than others]

  1. http://nextstepenglish.net/
  2. https://retirerenew.com
  3. http://stretchingtech.teachable.com

Excerpts from an interview with writer Joan Wickersham

I came across this interview on one of my favorite writing websites. A few of the lines spoke clearly to me…

Enjoy.

  • “When I am home I tend to become preoccupied with laundry.”
  • “But that boggy, ploddy, stage of blah writing or no writing is just about unbearable while it’s going on.”
  • What’s your advice to new writers?
    “Keep going, and one day you’ll be an old writer.”

http://www.advicetowriters.com/interviews/2015/3/17/joan-wickersham.html

Curation Saturday: Gems from other blogs

1. Alex Markovich shares the products of his photography skills.

alex markovich

https://illustration.art.blog/2018/06/19/illustration-1/
https://illustration.art.blog/2018/06/21/illustration-2/
https://illustration.art.blog/2018/06/30/illustration-3/

2. Virginia puts life in perspective with her Roses in the Rubble.
Quote: “What does it take to stop you? There are all sorts of crutches that keep us from moving forward after our spills (splat) on the pavement of life: bruised egos and empty pockets, tears and fears, maybe sprained hearts too hurt to love anew.”

https://rosesintherubble.com/2018/07/19/character-muscles-crutches/

3. Shape Shifter Fitness keeps me on the culinary straight-and-narrow. Well, he tries to.
Quote [about turmeric]: “The difference it’s made in the quality of Stella’s life by adding it to her dog food has been amazing, and I’ll always be a huge proponent of its benefits for that alone.”

https://shapeshiftpt.wordpress.com/2018/03/21/top-5-new-eat-clean-foods/

4. Cristian Mihai shares his views and expertise on blogging.
Quote: “Accept that you have to add value.”

https://artofblogging.net/2018/07/20/how-to-stop-being-the-invisible-blogger/

Prewriting Mini-Course Available September 15

I’ve been finishing work on this free mini-course.

Prewriting- Jump-start Your Writing Projects With These Eight Approaches[Fun AND Productive First Steps to a Completed Work]If you’d like to take the free prewriting mini-course, just add your email address below.

Go back

Your message has been sent

Video-based Modules Included in the Full Course:

  1. The flexible outline [K.M. Weiland demonstrated this in a Writer’s Digest article.]
  2. The Foolscap approach [based on work by Steven Pressfield.]
  3. Mind Mapping
  4. Use of concept lists [Here is an Surprise-The Unexpected-Amazement Concept List July 2017 with the theme of ‘surprise/the unexpected’.]
  5. Character Interviews
  6. Interviews with yourself as an author
  7. A recap of James Patterson’s approach to outlining. [I paid $95 for his master class. Good, good investment.]

Also included:
— Videos demonstrating my use of these strategies.
— Writers’ quotes and insights into prewriting.
— Relevant applications from the following two books:

  • 45 Master Characters [Victoria Lynn Schmidt]
  • 20 Master Plots [Ronald B. Tobias]

Web Gems: A quick look at openculture.com

 

I’m sharing three highlights from openculture.com, a leading provider of open educational resources. More to come in the future.

1. http://www.openculture.com/ Scroll to Writing Tips in the inner right column. Guidance from the list of fair-to-middlin’ writers [;->] below is available.

  • Ernest Hemingway
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Stephen King
  • Ray Bradbury
  • William Zinsser
  • Kurt Vonnegut
  • Toni Morrison
  • Edgar Allan Poe
  • Margaret Atwood
  • David Ogilvy
  • John Steinbeck
  • Billy Wilder

2. http://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses
There is a section on journalism and writing, including this iTunes-based creative writing master class. I figure even if you drop in at your leisure, mug of coffee in hand…

  • No turning heads and ensuing glares from students or teacher. [Even your inevitable coffee spills will go unnoticed.]
  • Tons to learn in convenient time chunks.

3. http://www.openculture.com/free_ebooks
Ebooks from Neil Gaiman, Phillip Dick, David Foster Wallace, and John Muir, as well as some struggling amateurs ;-> like Faulkner, Fitzgerald, and Shakespeare. Also, consider scrolling down to the bottom to the ‘Assorted Texts’ section.

Prewriting Mini-Course Available Soon

Greetings! I’ve been working on an online course entitled:

Prewriting: Jump-start Your Writing Projects With These Eight Approaches
[Fun AND Productive First Steps to a Completed Work]

It’s not yet ready for unveiling, but in the next two weeks, I’d like to make a free mini-course available to get knowledgeable writers’ feedback.

If you’d like to take the free prewriting mini-course, just add your email address below.

Go back

Your message has been sent

Video-based Modules Included in the Full Course:

  1. The flexible outline [K.M. Weiland demonstrated this in a Writer’s Digest article.]
  2. The Foolscap approach [based on work by Steven Pressfield.]
  3. Mind Mapping
  4. Use of concept lists [Here is an Surprise-The Unexpected-Amazement Concept List July 2017 with the theme of ‘surprise/the unexpected’.]
  5. Character Interviews
  6. Interviews with yourself as an author
  7. A recap of James Patterson’s approach to outlining. [I paid $95 for his master class. Good, good investment.]
  8. Building Hemingway bridges into your prewriting

Also included:
— Videos demonstrating my use of these strategies.
— Writers’ quotes and insights into prewriting.
— Relevant applications from the following two books:

  • 45 Master Characters [Victoria Lynn Schmidt]
  • 20 Master Plots [Ronald B. Tobias]

Twitter Gems: July 10-14

IndieAuthorsAlliance @IndieAuthorALLI Book Marketing Ideas for Indie Authors: Introducing the New Bookfunnel Bundle #author bit.ly/2umr57V

David Gaughran @DavidGaughran
Scammers Break The Kindle Storetwitter-2430933_1280https://t.co/5s7fqjTBfs

Kindle Direct Pub  @AmazonKDP
Some guiding words from KDP author @jaltucher.

IndieAuthorsAlliance @IndieAuthorALLI
5 Top tips to Boost Your Productivity bit.ly/2evBWDL#selfpub
[I’ve been working on the ‘road map’ tip. Sometimes I’m just not disciplined enough.]

Jon Winokur  @AdviceToWriters
If I see an ending, I can work backward. ARTHUR MILLER #amwriting#fiction

And yet more productivity tips!! Jeff Goins  @JeffGoins
Kill Distractions and Amp Up Your Productivity buff.ly/2tCpDgv
[I like the instrumental music tip.]