As a follow-up to my previous post about “bad news,” I decided to write my thoughts on what I feel it means to be a professional writer. You may disagree with me, and that’s okay. I firmly believe that your path is not the same as mine. Take what you want and leave the rest. […]
Tag: inspiration
Faith, Writing and a Horror Author’s Intent Part III
Last week, I talked about how Maurice Broaddus and I were discussing faith in writing. Maurice picked up the thread in the second part of our series. You can read Faith, Writing and a Horror Author’s Intent Part II on his website. In part three, I started off by asking Maurice about his writing platform. […]
Have a Nice Internet Day! Wed 10-27-2010
From kids committing suicide to nasty political ads and general snarkiness, the internet can be pretty negative some days. That’s why, I’m calling for a moratorium on nastiness for one day. I don’t care if you’re always nice to people online or not. This idea isn’t just about “you.” After all, every writer knows that […]
The One Thing That Cripples Writers Is…
…fear. Over the years, I’ve talked to many people to hear their stories and find out what makes them tick. The people closest to me know that, in many ways, I’m the type of writer that studies human nature. The one thing that most writers have in common is this: fear. “I’m not good enough […]
Semantics, Word Choice and Personality
Lately, I’ve been obsessing about semantics, how we choose our words, and what effect a personality type has on both. Take self-promotion just as an example. To tell an introvert to get out there and “Sell yourself!” might make someone feel uncomfortable. Turn that around for a second and say something like, “Help someone know more about you.” Same thing. Different words.
No, this idea isn’t new. It’s a different take on the old adage, “Doesn’t matter what you say, just how you say it.” There’s two sides to the application of this powerful idea. There’s the writing side, where we have to make decisions about the words we use. There’s also the semantic side, where we may (or may not) respond to someone else’s words.