Monthly Archives: April 2007

What is a Blog Carnival, and Why You Should Care

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First off, wikipedia gives a good explanation of a blog carnival. You can search for carnivals online and submit your blog articles to them. Then, if your article is accepted, you’ll get a link in the carnival back to your blog.

Why should you write for blog carnivals? First off, traffic. Blog carnivals, since they provide a link back to your blog, can generate traffic for you in the short term.

In the long term, people who like reading the article you submitted may also like your blog in general. A handful of people will stick around and become regular readers. Presumably you’re blogging to be read, so more readers is a good thing, right?

Finally, if you’re blogging, you’re probably interested in contributing something to the online discussion in general, and to your topic(s) in particular. You want to be read, and you want to put something useful out there for your readers. Blog carnivals can help you do that.

You can also host a carnival on your site, where you’ll post links to relevant articles on others blogs. This will give you a chance to get to know some other bloggers in your field and perhaps exchange links with them as well.

See this site, for a list of carnivals and their submission guidelines.

Amazing Footage of an Underwater Nuke

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Okay, maybe this isn’t writing related, but the video is amazing. Assuming that the ships in the foreground are really there and not photoshopped in, can you imagine being on one of them? Of course, I don’t want to imagine what happens to the ocean environment in these tests.

Now we can see where godzilla comes from!

read more | digg story

Dreams as Inspiration for Writing

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How many of you have ever used dreams, whether yours or someone else’s, as inspiration for a story idea?

I sometimes have very vivid dreams, and I do use them as the germ of an idea for a story. I’ve been known to use my husband’s dreams too; he tends to dream spooky stuff! In fact, I’m working on a story right now that was inspired by one of his dreams.

Where do you get your writing inspiration?

Knitting Update

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No pics tonight, sorry, but I promise I’ll do some soon.

I finished my husband’s socks and put another set on the needles the same night. I really enjoy knitting socks, and I have plans for the pair I’m working on now. I wasn’t sure about the colors in the skein, but they’ve knitted up really pretty.

I’m reading a terrific knitting book that I just have to recommend, Sweater Design in Plain English. The book gives great insight into how certain yarns and knit patterns will behave once they’re knit up into a sweater. Don’t be put off by the outdated patterns in the back, the knowledge you’ll pick up is well worth the price of the book!

I’ve been wanting to start sweater knitting, but finding patterns to fit any of us is a challenge. We’re not exactly skinny. Most patterns that fit me are too long, or the sleeves reach past my fingers, so I know I have to alter the patterns. I think I’d rather learn to develop my own patterns rather than tweak someone else’s. This book may just give me the confidence to cast on and give it a try!

Change in Constant Content Policies

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I’ve blogged about writing for constant content before, so I thought some of you might be interested in a recent change in their policies. They’re no longer accepting articles for free; that is, you can no longer offer free articles on their site and attach promotion information to them.

I’m not sure when that change took place since I don’t put up free or promotional articles there. I’ve been using Constant Content for some time, and I’ve been happy with their services. I’ve sold quite a few articles there, and while you won’t get rich, you can certainly make some pocket money.

Writing Habit: Use someone you know

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Yes, I know I skipped last week’s habit, but things have been really hectic lately. Work has been crazy, but I hope things will settle down soon. They have too; we’ll all go nuts otherwsise!

For this week, take someone you know and put them into a short short. It can be just a scene, a slice-of-life short, or a full-blown story. Don’t limit yourself to just one person unless you want to. Maybe you pick one person’s physical appearance, another’s personality quirk, and yet another’s speech patterns. You get the idea.

One word of caution. If you plan on actually publishing this (even on your own blog), then watch what you do. If the person can recognize himself/herself, then you might have problems looming! You’ve been warned…

Online Magazine: Update

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I wanted to toss out a few more ideas about the online magazine and open it up for some discussion.

First, I’m thinking something eclectic. Maybe each issue would have a theme, but other than that, all types of fiction would be accepted. I’d also like to take creative non-fiction, poetry and even drawings and photography.

There would need to be a way for work to be accepted or rejected. I don’t think I’d want to have sole responsibility for that, but it might turn out that way in the beginning. Anyone have ideas as to how that could be handled?

I’ve also thought about how to “publish” it, or whether to do so at all, officially. It could be put together into one large document that could be published online or e-mailed, or both. Alternatively, it could be published “blog style,” with each work listed separately under a single category here on the blog. Another option would be to do something similar to a blog carnival, where I’d publish links here (and maybe a teaser), but the full work would be on other individual’s blogs. Does anyone have any ideas on that front?

I’m still not sure whether I want to do this or not. I think it would be fun, but it would also take away writing time. However, if others are interested, I’d be willing to put something together and see how it goes.

Grammar Helper: There, Their, They’re

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I often see these mixed up, even though it’s very easy to tell which to use when.

  1. There refers to a place, as in “Put it there.” It’s also used to declare the existence of something, as in “There are four people here.”
  2. Their is a possessive pronoun, conveying the idea that something belongs to them. For example, “It is their money,” or “The house is theirs.”
  3. Finally, they’re is a contraction to replace “they are.” Use it like so, “They’re going as soon as they get permission.”

What Gives the Creative Spark?

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I’ve been thinking about being creative, and about what makes us creative, or want to be. I’m sure you know people who are extremely creative. I know I do, both in my personal and online life. I’m blown away sometimes by what I see other people doing; it makes me feel positively inadequate, I can tell you.

Of course, creativity comes in all forms. Most people tend to think of it in an “artsy” way, and I do as well sometimes. For me, it’s writing primarily, but it’s also knitting. It’s putting together a good story, weaving characters and plot together to make something that others will enjoy. Or it might be combining color and pattern to make something functional and beautiful that others can use and appreciate.

My day job doesn’t have anything to do with either of those; I’m a programmer. However, finding an elegant solution to a problem is creative too.

So, what makes a person creative, or not? I have a bit of a theory about how creativity works for me.

  1. First, I have to have the time to BE creative. If my work doesn’t require much thought, or doesn’t allow much time for thought, I’m not as likely to be able to be creative. If I’m up against a deadline or feeling a lot of pressure, then I’m probably going to take a straightforward approach and skip the creative one. Likewise, if I’m too exhausted by my work, I’m not going to be able to be creative. I need enough rest to fine that creative spot.
  2. I need adequate resources to be creative. Folks who can’t support their families or themselves, or who are struggling financially simply aren’t going to have as much energy to spend at being creative. If you can’t pay the power bill, you’re not as likely to spend time working on your novel! I’m sure most of us have had money problems at one time or another, so you understand how adequate resources are a necessity.
  3. I need to be relaxed to be creative. I’m not implying that a certain amount of stress isn’t good, or isn’t even able to spark your creativity. However, if you’re under a lot of stress, for long periods, your creative work will suffer. I’ve continued to struggle with this drain on my writing. I’m fortunate that I have another creative outlet, knitting, that I can use to relax and work through stressful times.
  4. You have to allow creativity to happen. I’m sure everyone has heard this in one form or another before, you can’t wait for the muse to just show up. I have to work on being creative. Maybe I make time to write daily, or I make an effort to find solutions to my work problems that aren’t obvious. Whatever you do, make an effort to be creative even when, and especially when, you’re not feeling particularly creative.

Being able to approach life creatively, whether it’s work, home or a creative pursuit, is a talent to be fostered and appreciated. Let’s do one thing this week differently, and more creatively, shall we?