Above and Beyond When an editor or publisher posts a call for writers online, it’s almost a given that they’ll be swamped with submissions. We writers are always looking for work, and a “writers wanted” posting sends most of us into a drooling tizzy. So, when responding to these ads, you know the odds are stacked against you– the competition is going to be fierce. However, there are ways to stand...

Addictions and Storytelling When we are not in control, we are living in fear. When we are living in fear, we tend to run away or “escape”, but can you escape from yourself? It is essential to be aware of the process and motivations that lead to compulsive, obsessive, addictive activity in order to become whole and together again. Stories of addictions line our library and book store shelves. Fr...

Always Have a Story Ready … You Don’t Know When You’ll Need It I just completed three weeks of jury duty. So, what does that have to do with storytelling? Part of picking the jury members included a questionnaire that we each had to fill out for the judge and the lawyers. Under occupation, I included “storyteller” along with my other careers. When the lawyer for the prosecution questioned me in f...

An Inside Look at Proofreading This is the ideal topic for us all to think about. We do it everyday, especially those of us that use the Internet the majority of the time. Web pages, business letters, articles, news releases, documentation and most certainly, advertisements. I have at times found myself proofreading our local newspaper, and suspect their proofreader isn’t necessarily paying atte...

Apostrophe Usage Made Simple [This article is re-printed with permission from Michael LaRocca. If you would like to read more of Michael’s articles, please visit: http://www.chinarice.org/articlebank.html] According to one of my previous articles, whenever a Southerner says “Y’all watch this,” get out of the way because those are probably the last words he will ever say. Well, I’m a Southerner....

Apply the Purple Cow to Your Storytelling I receive a ton-load of magazines and other great reading material daily, weekly and monthly, but there is one magazine that stands out from all of the others – one that I can barely put down once it arrives. It is the “remarkable” publication, Fast Company. So we shouldn’t be surprised that the February 2003 issue included a “remarkable” essay adapted f...

Are You A Presentation Karaoke Machine? As a service provider, one of the best ways to market your business is to offer free presentations at association meetings. It’s a great way to share knowledge and build relationships. However, you’ve got to entertain as well as inform. While reading the newspaper this morning I noticed a funny cartoon, Real Life Adventures, by Wise and Aldrich. Two busine...

Are You Achieving Your Writing Goals? At the start of this new year, like at the start of every other new year, I came across dozens of articles about the importance of setting achievable goals, challenging myself to do new things and fixing measurable standards and working towards them. But what happens when you mess up the goals from last year? Where’s the real advice about missed deadlines an...

Are You Suffering from the Autopilot Dilemma? An epidemic is occurring all around you, and there is a good chance it has already found its way into your life. It begins slowly at first, nearly imperceptible. But it grows. In time it can take over your entire life. I have seen it happen too many times, and if you don’t act now, it may happen to you. It’s easy to fall into the trap. Well-intention...