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It's a new address and a new look, but the Word Nerd content you've come to expect.
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We'll be porting over the old content from here in the coming weeks, so don't worry that you'll lose the archive of author interviews, etc.
Showing posts with label Word Nerd Meets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Word Nerd Meets. Show all posts
01 March 2012
16 May 2011
Fellowship
This past weekend, I was at a writing retreat for nine fellows selected by the Midwest Writers Workshop.
We spent all day Friday and most of Saturday at the Pokagon State Park in northern Indiana honing the opening chapters of our manuscripts, learning how to make pitches to agents and generally having a great time.
Part of what was so great is that, as fellows, we got to spend our time with other writers, people who also get this intrinsic drive to sit alone for long stretches, developing characters, situations and problems that we create in our heads and put down on paper.
This wasn't a convention where writers with book spend the whole time on panels telling us about how they do things. This retreat was focused on us as writers. Our work. Our problem areas. Our strengths. I needed to make a guy creepier and show the audience that instead of the classic telling. We were given time to do re-writes and bringing the scene back, it was better with some reworking.
I'm sure I'll post more things that come to mind from the two days as I keep applying them to my manuscript, but a few moments that really stuck out.
My small group -- in a moment of levity -- started doing mash-ups of mystery series. The best one? If Tony Hillerman and Sue Grafton wrote together, we'd get these titles: A is for Apache, B is for Brave, C is for Comanche.
Also -- the best quote of the weekend was from one of our very short round table sessions with all 9 writers together listening to the mentor-writers. "Novelists are the only artists who have to create their raw material," said novelist Terry Faherty.
We spent all day Friday and most of Saturday at the Pokagon State Park in northern Indiana honing the opening chapters of our manuscripts, learning how to make pitches to agents and generally having a great time.
Part of what was so great is that, as fellows, we got to spend our time with other writers, people who also get this intrinsic drive to sit alone for long stretches, developing characters, situations and problems that we create in our heads and put down on paper.
This wasn't a convention where writers with book spend the whole time on panels telling us about how they do things. This retreat was focused on us as writers. Our work. Our problem areas. Our strengths. I needed to make a guy creepier and show the audience that instead of the classic telling. We were given time to do re-writes and bringing the scene back, it was better with some reworking.
I'm sure I'll post more things that come to mind from the two days as I keep applying them to my manuscript, but a few moments that really stuck out.
My small group -- in a moment of levity -- started doing mash-ups of mystery series. The best one? If Tony Hillerman and Sue Grafton wrote together, we'd get these titles: A is for Apache, B is for Brave, C is for Comanche.
Also -- the best quote of the weekend was from one of our very short round table sessions with all 9 writers together listening to the mentor-writers. "Novelists are the only artists who have to create their raw material," said novelist Terry Faherty.
13 December 2010
Word Nerd's Been Blurbed!
One of my long-time aspirations for Word Nerd when I started it was to have the reviews posted here "blurbed" for books. A blurb, in case you were wondering, is that quote by another author or a review on the front that's supposed to lend credence to why you should read this book
It's finally happened. And Word Nerd's not buried on the inside, oh no.
Check out the bottom of this cover, enlarged to show detail:
A FRONT COVER blurb for a NY Times best-selling series.
I'm standing in Borders' YA section trying to find a book for my mentee for Christmas. I don't think she reads my blog, but if she does, try to act surprised when you open the package, OK? I've read (and throroughly enjoyed) the Morganville series so the new omnibus editions would make a great gift, I'm thinking.
And there it is. At the bottom. A blurb. Credited to Word Nerd.
At first I think, oh, it must be some other Word Nerd. Except there isn't another one. The podcast that had the same name is kaput. And, as I read it again, it sure sounded like something I would write.
So I bought the book for my mentee and vowed to check the all-knowing internet when I got home. And lo and behold, from Feb. 2, 2009, there it is. My exact words in the review of the series' 5th book.
I'm a huge fan of Rachel Caine's work and I'm thrilled that Word Nerd's first blurb -- or the first one I saw -- is on one of hers.
Word Nerd's blurbing service, now open for business.
It's finally happened. And Word Nerd's not buried on the inside, oh no.
Check out the bottom of this cover, enlarged to show detail:
A FRONT COVER blurb for a NY Times best-selling series.
I'm standing in Borders' YA section trying to find a book for my mentee for Christmas. I don't think she reads my blog, but if she does, try to act surprised when you open the package, OK? I've read (and throroughly enjoyed) the Morganville series so the new omnibus editions would make a great gift, I'm thinking.
And there it is. At the bottom. A blurb. Credited to Word Nerd.
At first I think, oh, it must be some other Word Nerd. Except there isn't another one. The podcast that had the same name is kaput. And, as I read it again, it sure sounded like something I would write.
So I bought the book for my mentee and vowed to check the all-knowing internet when I got home. And lo and behold, from Feb. 2, 2009, there it is. My exact words in the review of the series' 5th book.
I'm a huge fan of Rachel Caine's work and I'm thrilled that Word Nerd's first blurb -- or the first one I saw -- is on one of hers.
Word Nerd's blurbing service, now open for business.
10 August 2010
Recognition of Self
It's a grand feeling to read something and recognize yourself in the words.
Whether it is a personality profile test -- like Myers Briggs or DiSC -- or in a book, it validates who you are.
With luck, it was not the psycho stalker deranged killer in the that mystery novel that kept you up late last night.
For me, it has been a combination of things. Both of the above referenced personality tests and a book on project management.
The fun part of the Myers Briggs was learning that all of the order and logic I seek to find in the world is part of the Thinking and Judging characteristics that I'm strong in. All of you disorganized people out there drive me crazy, AND IT'S OKAY. Now I know why, and I can organize you into that bucket of stuff that is hopeless to tackle. All is right with the world again.
(T's show a preference for organizing and structuring information to decide in a logical, objective way and J's show preference for living a planned and organized life. The counterparts, respectively are F's showing preference for organizing and structuring information to decide in a personal, values-based way and P's showing Preference for living a spontaneous and flexible life. I live with a P. There are benefits to being spontaneous, but don't tell him I said that.)
The fun part of the DiSC profile is that I am a 7-1-2-5 or rather a High D who is likely to be focused on shaping your environment by overcoming opposition to achieve results.
Shake or stir the above characteristics and out comes a natural project manager who likes structure, order, planning, thinking through possibilities and is good at getting what they want.
In a sense, the three items validated that the bossy, manipulative, follow my directions persona really wasn't a bad thing. It's more about finding a place where your talents and personality are rewarded and liked for who or what they are.
Being part of Word Nerd's blog is like that. Talking books and language and how the systems work to make a really good read is something I've done offline with WN for a while now. I'm thrilled to be part of it. Especially to be able to share my bookish thoughts with fellow word nerds.
Where did you recently find yourself? Where do you want to find yourself?
Whether it is a personality profile test -- like Myers Briggs or DiSC -- or in a book, it validates who you are.
With luck, it was not the psycho stalker deranged killer in the that mystery novel that kept you up late last night.
For me, it has been a combination of things. Both of the above referenced personality tests and a book on project management.
The fun part of the Myers Briggs was learning that all of the order and logic I seek to find in the world is part of the Thinking and Judging characteristics that I'm strong in. All of you disorganized people out there drive me crazy, AND IT'S OKAY. Now I know why, and I can organize you into that bucket of stuff that is hopeless to tackle. All is right with the world again.
(T's show a preference for organizing and structuring information to decide in a logical, objective way and J's show preference for living a planned and organized life. The counterparts, respectively are F's showing preference for organizing and structuring information to decide in a personal, values-based way and P's showing Preference for living a spontaneous and flexible life. I live with a P. There are benefits to being spontaneous, but don't tell him I said that.)
The fun part of the DiSC profile is that I am a 7-1-2-5 or rather a High D who is likely to be focused on shaping your environment by overcoming opposition to achieve results.
Shake or stir the above characteristics and out comes a natural project manager who likes structure, order, planning, thinking through possibilities and is good at getting what they want.
In a sense, the three items validated that the bossy, manipulative, follow my directions persona really wasn't a bad thing. It's more about finding a place where your talents and personality are rewarded and liked for who or what they are.
Being part of Word Nerd's blog is like that. Talking books and language and how the systems work to make a really good read is something I've done offline with WN for a while now. I'm thrilled to be part of it. Especially to be able to share my bookish thoughts with fellow word nerds.
Where did you recently find yourself? Where do you want to find yourself?
22 April 2010
In which Word Nerd becomes a horror writer
Last week, Neil Gaiman was in town to deliver a big lecture through an Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library program.
Not one to pass up such an opportunity to hear a famous writer speak, Word Nerd contacted one of her writers group members to see about a group outing. At which point, he tells her, the Indiana Horror Writers are sitting down with Neil Gaiman for about 30 minutes before the event.
"Can I be a horror writer today?" Word Nerd asks.
To be fair, Word Nerd did attend their conference last year and is attending their conference again this year. She's even written things in the past involving zombies.
In short, Word Nerd got to hang with the horror writers.
Oh, and Neil Gaiman too.
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