Blog Entries

Diving into the "Lake of Bottomless Waters": What it means for me as a writer

jess

My name is Jess Silver. I have been interested in writing since I was very young and have always aspired to fulfill my passion. "Lake of Bottomless Waters" is my first book. It is a 20 page chapbook of poetry published this summer by the Ontario Poetry Society. The book explores themes of humanity, nature, love and the discovery and re-discovery of possibility and strength. The title is a metaphor of the journey that each individual's life goes to represent. It is symbolic of the i [...]

How to buy �The Adventures of George�

rondonald

First of all, what is "The Adventures of George", and why would I want to buy it? Well. simply said, "The Adventures of George" is a story by Blair Gowrie, told in verse, concerning our hero George, and you would want to buy it because it is worth buying - it's an amusing and entertaining tale guaranteed to bring enjoyment to anybody who reads it.

And George? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . who is this George? Well, George may be a common name, but it's go [...]

Call for Proposals - Poetry Projections III

mraponi

CALL FOR PROPOSALS
POETRY PROJECTIONS III: ON CORRESPONDENCE

The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) is seeking proposals from artists and writers for the third series of Poetry Projections, provisionally titled Poetry Projections III: On Correspondence. Revisiting the film poem as an avenue for creative collaborations, LIFT is seeking proposals for 10 commissioned films to be screened in Fall of 2010.

Each new work will provide a stimulating perspectiv [...]

Whatever Happened to Culter�s Drugstore?

operdoc

So, I pick up a prescription at Walgreens the other day. It’s a typical Florida spring day--hot, clouds pluming in the west, a threat of rain. Inside it’s air-conditioned, bathed in fluorescent light and the only danger that presents itself is that I may lose my patience, waiting. The chair I’m scrunched into bears a typical industrial design-chrome painted, cubic, and uncomfortable. Whoever designed this pharmacy doesn’t want me hanging out. Comp [...]

Guns, Bullets, and Bang: Combining Impact Strategies in Writing

PreciseEdit

A man walks into a bank with a gun in his hand. “Ok, everybody,” he shouts, “lie on the floor! This is a hold-up!” Some people obey immediately, but a few don’t. The man reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of bullets. “Get on the floor,” he commands. “I have a handful of bullets!” When that doesn’t provoke the desired response, the man begins throwing the bullets one at a time. The security guards quickly realize that the [...]

4 Lessons Learned from Our Readers

PreciseEdit

I spend a considerable amount of time each week preparing articles on writing for Internet distribution, making posts on various writing blogs, responding to users on our discussion board, and writing new posts for our blog—basically trying to give away as much information about good writing as I can. When I am not working on clients’ documents or promoting our services, I am probably writing about writing.

From time to time, my Internet marketing specialist and I search the Inter [...]

3 Strategies to Help Bookstores Survive Amazon.com

PreciseEdit

For some time now, I have been hearing about how bookstores are struggling to stay in business, not only the small, local bookstores, but also the big chains, such as Borders. My perception is that Amazon.com’s success is partly responsible for these struggles. I like Amazon.com, and I also like “bricks and mortar” bookstores. Amazon.com’s futu [...]

The One-Sentence Paragraph

PreciseEdit

Paragraphs can be written in many ways. In nonfiction documents, for example, a paragraph may first establish context for an idea, provide supporting information, and then conclude with an impact or action statement that leads to the next idea. In fiction or narrative documents, a paragraph may show a single action or provide a character’s immediate response to an experience. Some writers use long paragraphs to fully explore an idea, while others may prefer short, terse paragraphs.

In a [...]

Writing Fiction in the Present Tense

PreciseEdit

Most fiction authors write in the past tense. They tell readers what happened. This is as if the author says, “I see the events in my mind, and I’m writing about what I saw.” Very few fictional books are written in the present tense.

One reason for this is that writing in the present tense provides serious challenges to the author: maintaining perspective, introducing prior events, and filtering the stream of consciousness.

Below, we discuss these challenges and provi [...]

From the Paris of New England: Interviews with Poets and Writers by Doug Holder

DougHolder

From the Paris of New England: Interviews with Poets and Writers by Doug Holder (click on to order)

From the Paris of New England: Interviews with Poets and Writers
Print: $18.50

http://lulu.com/ibbetsonpress to order

Does your writing make you seem uneducated?

PreciseEdit
Unless you string titles after your name (e.g., Ph.D., M.A.), your reader doesn’t know how much education you have. The reader only has the words you write, and your reader will judge your intelligence, education level, and credibility based on how well you write. No, this isn’t fair.
Let me be perfectly clear about this: The manner in which you write is only loosely connected to your intelligence, education level, and knowledge of the topic. Many intelligent, educated, knowledgea [...]

7 Words Your Resume Needs

PreciseEdit

Your resume is your first interview. Most personnel directors will look at your resume before they meet you. They will form an opinion of your competency and your personality based on your resume. Based on our work helping clients prepare resumes, we have created a list of 8 words your resume needs, words that will create a favorable impression of you.
1. Successfully
Companies want to hire winners. Use this word to describe your accomplishments in a prior responsibility.
Exa [...]

10 Overused Words in Writing

PreciseEdit
All words are good words. Some, however, are overused without adding value to what you write. As a result, they reduce the readers’ interest, make text seem redundant, and cause the writer to appear amateurish.
We have created a list of 10 overused words, based on the documents we have edited over the last 5 years. We don’t recommend that you remove these words from your writing. Instead, we recommend that you become aware of how often you use them and that you revise your documen [...]

Human Derivatives in Doug Holder's: The Man in the Booth in the Midtown Tunnel

DougHolder
Human Derivatives in Doug Holder's: The Man in the Booth in the Midtown Tunnel

Human Derivatives in Doug Holder's: The Man in the Booth in the Midtown Tunnel (Cervena Barva Press)

article by Michael Todd Steffen

The man in the booth in the Midtown Tunnel, [...]

Bright, Burning Fuse by Melanie Faith Now Available

EtchedPress

The first title of Etched Press Bright, Burning Fuse a chapbook by Melanie Faith is now available.
Read an excerpt from the chapbook
Bright, Burning Fuse deals with the conflict of living a conventional life and wishing to run free. At moments, it aches for freedom, at others, it wishes to be confined, but through it all, it asks if there is a compromise. These poems are examinations of the results of cataclysmic and common events that inhibit and spark [...]

Happy Squirrels Watch Less Tv

operdoc

I was going to write a story about the squirrels that live in my backyard when this Internet news headline caught my attention: "Unhappy People Watch Lots More TV".
Yes, several sociologists at the University of Maryland were paid to analyze data that was provided by something called the General Social Survey, and then, someone at "LiveScience.com" was paid to create the catchy headline and someone else was paid to write a short piece that lacks any significant fact [...]

Don Winter Reviews

DougHolder

THE MAN IN THE BOOTH IN THE MIDTOWN TUNNEL. By Doug Holder. 2008. 63 pages. $13 Cervena Barva Press. POBOX 440357 W. Somerville, Mass. 02144-3222 http://www.cervenabarvapress.com/

Reviewed by Don Winter

Rather than puzzle poems the reader must pick to find meaning, Doug Holder presents crystal portraits filled with small details that resonate more and more with repeated readings:

Postal Wor [...]

Deep calls unto deep

Shooster

Deep Calls unto Deep

When you undertake the search for what is not within your grasp, what urges you forward? Will you know when you feel it, when you hear it, or will you know it when you see it?

When you have a burden; and you long to share this, unless you prick it with a dart of love, it will erupt into a wash out, neither satisfying your intent nor the recipient's thirst.
Thus not only are you both long [...]

ESL Teaching Materials

stevenl
Okay, ESL teachers, of which I am one, you'll love this site: AZQQ.com
Ready-to-print TEFL handouts for overworked teachers! AZQQ.com is a general English language site, specializing in ESL (English as a Second Language) with a wide range of resources for learners and teachers of English, and has been running since the beginning of 2008. Different varieties of English are used; there are contributors from the United States, Canada, Britain and non-native speakers. [...]

They Don't Look Like Real Books: Taking A Stand on Print-On-Demand.

DougHolder
They Don't Look Like Real Books: Taking A Stand on Print-On-Demand. ( Rebecca Wolff: Founder of "Fence" magazine

They Don't Look Like Real Books: Taking A Stand on Print-On-Demand.

* With Rebecca Wolff at the Massachusetts Poetry Festival (Lowell, Mass.)
[...]