Mar. 24, 2013 8:32 pm
When I was sixteen, I had my first regular writing gig -- a weekly gardening column in a local shopper-type newspaper. The editor wanted me to create a cute alias to write it under -- a ' sway- do-nym,' as she put it. I don't recall if that was because of my age or to hide the fact that I had no gardening experience whatsoever. But I didn't want to write that way. The journalist in me...? Read?MoreFeb. 23, 2013 1:47 pm
Psst --want to be an author -- but you're too busy to write? Hate writing? Don't know your adverb from a hole in the ground? Why, there are thousands of freelance writers out there ready and eager to write your book for you -- cheap. That's the message I've been seeing again and again in my inbox, as marketer after marketer offers surefire advice on how to kill the Kindle market, become a...? Read?MoreDec. 23, 2012 9:31 pm
A couple of weeks ago I got a call from the editor of a new magazine. She had an article assignment to offer me, but she'd visited my site and had some concerns about my ability to do the job because I'm a fiction writer too. Did I understand, she said, that the article had to use facts, and that I couldn't just make things up? After a moment's stunned silence, I told her in reassuring tones...? Read?MoreAug. 19, 2012 12:12 pm
It's live! Recently I had the opportunity to submit some short stories in support of a brand-new publishing initiative undertaken by my friend Faydra D. Fields. Called the Independent Author Index Short Story Compilation, Volume 1, it's designed to give new writers some much-needed exposure while also affording the same to some of us more seasoned hands who are just entering the digital...? Read?MoreJul. 15, 2012 11:28 am
If you?re interested in writing for money at all, you?ve probably paid a visit to various freelance writing sites, where you?ll find blog posts that say NEVER, no NEVER write for the content sites -- or, as the pejorative parlance would have it, the content mills. Quit writing those short low paying articles, they say. Focus your efforts instead on finding a better paying gig and within a pretty...? Read?MoreMar. 29, 2012 9:39 am
The myth of the young genius, the early blooming prodigy, the athlete peaking at 22, has us all in its grip. But that is just a myth -- a myth that deserves to be busted. Thanks to the efforts of some wonderfully inspiring bloggers, that dream killing belief that you have to succeed young or not at all is crumbling. America's love affair with youth destroys dreams every day, as people sadly put...? Read?MoreMar. 28, 2012 9:13 am
Whatever kind of writing you do, you have the power to create change. In fact, that's the magic of creative work of all kinds -- it draws back the veil, turns over rocks, shows people things they wouldn't otherwise see. "I Was Discriminated Against" is the title of blogger Ollin Morales' post from March 26, 2012. Ollin has a very cool blog called Courage 2 Create , which chronicles his journey...? Read?MoreOct. 9, 2011 12:25 pm
Google's Panda update has wrought a number of changes, some good and some bad, for writers on the Web. One of these comes from the decline of content giant (or, content mill as many would have it) Demand Media Studios, which recently sent out a letter to its writers announcing vague but important changes and "new opportunities" for them to promote themselves. Since the number of titles...? Read?MoreSep. 5, 2011 8:02 pm
They mean well. They really do. But while the grammar and spell checkers built into every word processing program can spare writers a ton of embarrassment by catching obvious usage and syntax goofs, they also do the opposite, generating a spate of other errors and, worse than that, stifling creativity and language play. The paradox of using grammar and spell checking software is that a writer...? Read?MoreAug. 22, 2011 2:35 pm
Whatever you hear from the water, remember, it wants you to carry the sound of its truth on your lips. David Whyte, "All My Vows" The last few months I've done many projects about the natural world and our place in it. I've created a blog site for WolfSong Sanctuary , a refuge for wolves and wolf hybrids. I've written web content about algae, frilled lizards and whether there are...? Read?MoreJun. 27, 2011 1:51 pm
Several of the writing blogs have been buzzing about a recent post on Skelliewag about blogging and all things pertinent to writing on the Web. Titled "Why Great Writing Doesn't Matter for the Web," this post made the point that readers of web content are not interested in the quality of writing they encounter there; it's content and information they want and anyone can offer that if they...? Read?MoreJun. 27, 2011 1:04 pm
Being an observer of online writing for obvious reasons, I continue to come across more and more websites/blogs/books/DVDs claiming that this is the real truth, the ultimate guide, the only tool you'll ever need, yes really! to learn how to make money writing blogs, articles and ebooks. These things tout the usual stuff: live on your own terms and forget about having a boss while pulling in the...? Read?MoreMay 30, 2011 8:41 pm
Being an observer of online writing for obvious reasons, I continue to come across more and more websites/blogs/books/DVDs claiming that this is the real truth, the ultimate guide, the only tool you'll ever need, yes really! to learn how to make money writing blogs, articles and ebooks. These things tout the usual stuff: live on your own terms and forget about having a boss while pulling in the...? Read?MoreMar. 15, 2011 10:20 pm
It's been said many times that creative work is its own reward. That the process is more important than the product. (When you're trying to make a living, that would be ... not.) But sometimes art, and in this story, a piece of art photography, ends up being rewarding in totally unexpected ways as it goes out into the world. A while ago I reported here about my latest run in with censorship, as...? Read?MoreMar. 6, 2011 10:32 pm
Now that I'm getting ready to write not one, not two, but three books (how did that happen?) talking about my basic message -- photography, and creative work in general -- opens our eyes to the magic around us -- I've returned yet again to one of my all time favorite books on photography: The Tao of Photography by Philippe L. Gross and S I Shapiro. This isn't a book on the how to of photography...? Read?MoreFeb. 13, 2011 10:47 pm
Since I've been freelancing as a writer and photographer, and working with new writers eager to start playing the publication game, I've seen again and again how the hunger to be published -- to have work out and visible in the world -- can be so great that an individual will do practically anything, accept practically any treatment, from a publication in order to attain that magical status. I've...? Read?MoreFeb. 6, 2011 7:37 pm
One of the most magical -- and scary -- things about creative work, and creative photography in particular, is the way that once we create something and send it out into the world, it takes on a life independent of its creator, seized and made over by those who encounter it. This is especially true in the visual realm, where images connect with the viewer on so many levels, both conscious and...? Read?MoreJan. 9, 2011 2:59 pm
Last week I was awarded a grant to produce Street Ink , my book of Southwestern street art photographs. (Pause here for a big thank you to my online employer, Demand Studios, for selecting my project in their December grant cycle.) I've also been studying SEO and keyword strategies. Keyword research shows what terms people use most frequently in web searches; optimizing your site and your...? Read?MoreJan. 1, 2011 1:55 pm
What do you get when you combine photographic creativity with a writer's passion for story and description? Mick Buston can tell you. Virtual Photography Studio recently profiled this British photographer, who calls himself a "visual writer," using photography to tell the stories he sees around him. Mick creates his own digital photography projects, building storyboards and making photographs...? Read?MoreDec. 14, 2010 10:43 pm
Yahoo News? Weekend Blog for December 12 included a story by Jim Brasher on the derelict buildings of Gary Indiana as photographed by Eric Holubow. The story featured a number of Holubow?s images, also viewable on his Flickr photostream ? litter-strewn hallways and sagging doors, and the grave dignity of an abandoned church. Brasher's story also pointed out what we urban landscape photogs know so...? Read?MoreDec. 2, 2010 10:15 pm
So I've just wrapped up the story on native honeys for allergies for The New Southwest. It's been a sweet introduction to the whole topic of native foods and the locavore movement, which will be the focus of several upcoming pieces. I toured health food markets and photographed jars of creamy desert honeys. I visited farmers' markets, talked to beekeepers, prickly pear harvesters and goat...? Read?MoreNov. 25, 2010 9:07 pm
Noted Depression-era photographer Marion Post Wolcott said, "Speak with your images from your heart and soul. Give of yourselves. Trust your gut reactions. . . .Get on with it; it may not be too late." (With thanks to Beth Reynolds and her site, The Photo-Documentary Press, Inc. for that quote.) Her words reflect the passion and vision which sometimes takes a back seat to the technological...? Read?MoreOct. 31, 2010 11:43 am
Henri Cartier-Bresson and his concept of the ?decisive moment? shaped my perception of photography. I think that?s what separates photography from other arts and gives the art of the lens its unique power to witness and shape events. Now, reading Ctein?s 10/28/10 post on The Online Photographer , I see another spin on Cartier-Bresson?s moment when photographer and subject unite in at a key...? Read?MoreJul. 3, 2010 6:15 pm
I haven't worked in black and white much since I was a student photographer. Now, in these digital days, I often photograph the deeply saturated colors of the desert southwest, where the intensity of color is a key part of the composition. But I was recently lured back to black and white after reading Andrew Gibson's wonderful guides, The Magic of Black and White , parts I and II. I began...? Read?MoreMay 30, 2010 12:03 am
A friend of mine has several framed pieces on her wall. Although most are paintings, one is a photograph -- a black and white image of a Mexican woman, whose dark eyes seem to grab you wherever you are. "The paintings are lovely," my friend said. "But they seem to blend into the background. It's the photograph I look at again and again." That conversation got me thinking about the power of...? Read?MoreMay 13, 2010 2:14 am
I've just completed a new topic on macro photography and its relation to one of my favorite topics, mindfulness -- just being present without preconceptions. In the article I've talked about how close-up photography helps us to see because it can extract things from their context and allow us to view them with a fresh eye. In writing this piece I've referred heavily to the work of my former...? Read?MoreMay 11, 2010 1:23 am
Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way, popularized the concept of creative work as a spiritual path -- not just a hobby or a job, but a way of life that informs all aspects of an individual's existence in the world. Many other writers and artists from a variety of disciplines have also explored the connections between creative work, healing, and living fully in the world. In my recent...? Read?Morelottery winners lottery winners april fools day pranks ohio state vs kansas daniel von bargen the beach blood diamond
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