writing: Illogical logic and the blogger!
- 01/17/14 11:56 PM
I answered my office phone the other day and the recorded message began with something like: “In the time it takes for this phone call, seven houses in the United States will be burglarized.” So I did what every right thinking concerned citizen would do” I put the call on hold. Because if the premise was true, and if the call took up more time, apparently fewer homes in the United States would be broken into during my call! The flaw in this logic lies with the premise and not with the conclusion. Enough said about that. Lately I have read … (8 comments)
writing: I fancy myself a writer! And here’s why.
- 11/05/13 09:32 PM
I have touted the benefits of blogging for over six years now, and I truly believe that any business can profit by adding regular content in the public sphere. However, writing good content is not automatic for most people! When I first started blogging, I was essentially writing ad copy. After all, that was pretty much all of the work related writing experience I had. When I look back at my first attempts at real estate blogging, I am quite embarrassed. But skills are honed over time, and persistence and an open-minded willingness to learn can lead to proficiency in any … (21 comments)
writing: Is your blog tenor philosophical or analytical?
- 12/25/12 09:39 PM
When presenting information for public consumption, a writer must assume the mantle of authority. In order to validate that authority, the blogger can choose whether to deliver empirical supporting data, their own philosophical bend, or a combination of both. It is up to the reader to decide which literary attributes works best for them. Some gorge on facts and figures and draw their own conclusions while others want to know your opinion and how you feel about a particular topic. I tend to fall in the philosophical category, as I believe that raw data is readily available and that I have … (29 comments)
writing: The power of the written word: Taking a blog to the NEXT level.
- 06/10/12 10:11 PM
Blogs provide a wonderful conduit for the free flow of information. As a blog is populated with content it can also become a significant archive of accumulated knowledge. But I look at my blog as more than an assemblage of indexed data. I would actually go so far as to consider myself to be a writer. I was recently asked at a deposition if I had ever “written” anything. I responded that I had written a blog post every day for over four years, and that over 250 of them (at that time) were nationally featured. The attorney leaned forwarded and … (87 comments)
writing: Where do I purchase a license to be a writer? Or a journalist?
- 03/19/12 10:48 PM
I was asked once; “Have you ever written anything?” When I responded that I wrote a daily real estate blog post the questioner continued: “Have you ever REALLY written anything?” Call me simple-minded, but I always assumed that a writer was someone that writes. I never realized that there were professional qualifications or designations required before one could proudly declare that they meet the standard for “writer!” And the same goes for being a journalist. What is the benchmark for qualifying as a journalist? Who is in charge and where do I apply. Do I need a license? Is there a … (15 comments)
writing: Do you have the “Write” stuff?
- 12/02/11 01:29 AM
Often during conversations with my associates, they often wonder how I can write a blog post each and every day of the year. The general queries are usually something like: “How do you know what to write about?” or “Where do you get you ideas?” What strikes me as interesting is that these folks are never at a loss for words when it comes to the coffee klatch or the office brainstorming session. They have plenty to say. As a matter of fact, it is often difficult to get a word in edgewise. So it seems that all one has to … (17 comments)
writing: Do you play the song that everybody knows or your own original material?
- 05/18/11 01:25 AM
I play in a band that just returned from a whirlwind tour of Coweta County’s watering holes and retirement centers. We are NOT in it for the money. We do it for fun and to hone our craft and for the sheer love of music. But there is always a dilemma when performing in public. Should you cover old standards, or should you play your own material? The answer usually is that you should do a little of both. You want to play some songs that people recognize and add your own special touches. And you’ll also benefit by interspersing some … (16 comments)
writing: When you live your life in a fishbowl it is inevitable that someone will always tap on the glass!
- 12/13/09 11:26 PM
I have written over a thousand blog posts in my two year writing career, and have laid my soul bare in a public forum. The journal of my trials and tribulations is available for anyone that cares to read it. Like anyone else, I have my ups and downs, and because I am passionate there may be extreme emotions connoted in my musings that can at times make a reader uncomfortable. And that’s okay. I want a reader to get more than just mere words from my articles. I want to evoke feelings, and to continue to explore the human … (33 comments)
writing: Offering something of value is what makes a blog post worthy of a reader's time. Are your readers getting their money's worth?
- 05/11/09 01:54 AM
There are days when writing a blog post comes easily, and there are days when trying to set fingers to the keyboard is an excruciating exercise in futility. Even for bloggers that post on a regular basis, the free flow of ideas is not a given, there are days when you just can't seem to assemble enough sentences to convey a meaningful message. But a writer must always be cognizant of the end user - the reader. In order for the reader to obtain a benefit from the article, the article must offer something of value. And that value proposition can … (52 comments)
writing: And why the sea is boiling hot -And whether pigs have wings.
- 09/23/08 12:47 AM
"The time has come," the Walrus said,"To talk of many things:Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--Of cabbages--and kings--And why the sea is boiling hot--And whether pigs have wings." Lewis Carroll 1872 This is not going to be a directive about what should or should not constitute appropriate content on ActiveRain. Rather, it is intended to reflect some principles of writing in general. Writing is a form of communication. It is intended to convey some message or meaning from the author to the reader by assembling thoughts and ideas and transposing them into word. Everyone has hundreds of great thought or ideas every day. … (25 comments)
writing: Blogging in the Stream of Consciousness ...Watch out for the Rapids!
- 08/21/08 12:09 AM
It's a favorite method of writing for many journalists and bloggers Stream of consciousness allows thought to be put to pen exactly in the order they occur, akin to thinking out loud. It permits ease of writing, as one need only type the percolating notions that one conjures in the order they appear, and the results are often charged with candor and wit. It is by far, one of the easiest and less stressful methods of creativity and I use it often. But opening up your consciousness to public scrutiny has its perils. As your innermost thoughts are scribed, you deepest … (26 comments)
I answered my office phone the other day and the recorded message began with something like:
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