Writing

Blog posts about writing — the craft, my efforts, quotes, tools, reviews, resources, and more

Writing a Novel and Writing Code Share…

by Cindy Rae

…an astounding ambiguity with terminology.  You’d think, as long as writing has been around, those in the publishing industry would have agreed to standard definitions, a standard vocabulary.  Not so.

And, surprisingly, neither has the software industry.  Software being considered more of a science, one would expect practitioners to have agreed on common terms.  Yet, even what title you call one who codes, develops, and engineers software varies: software engineer, programmer, software developer, systems engineer, systems analyst, and many more.

So, with those who read a book in draft form one can have critiquers, alpha-readers, beta-readers, writing partners, mentors, development editors, line-by-line editors, and more.

One might argue that each of these titles connotes a different flavor of responsibility, but the lines are definitely blurred.

by Cindy Rae

From Jeff Goins’ article, “Trying to Be a Good Writer is a Complete Waste of Time“:

Don’t be good, be effective
Here’s the solution: Don’t be good. Be effective. Stop trying to be a good writer, and start trying to be effective.

Why? Because “good” is subjective. It’s meaningless. “Good” is an artifact from long ago when writers needed gatekeepers to determine the value of their work. In today’s creative landscape, the goal of writing is connection. Not lukewarm approval. “Effective,” on the other hand, defines a clear relationship between you and the reader. The goal is to be heard, to communicate a clear message to a particular audience.

Writing is a Business: I Have to Talk to Other People?

by Cindy Rae

Come on, you know you know some introverts or shy folks.  Maybe you are even one yourself, like me.

The core of writing is a solitary pursuit, but most of us want financial return.  Part of treating writing as a business is networking with other writers.

How do you go about this?  What are some first steps?  What options will work for you?

Many options exist.  Here are a few:

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