Write Well Me

Butterball Considering Suing Country of Turkey

I've been letting my blog reading slip. Bloglines tells me that I have 884 unread blogs. Blech. I've been keeping up with the most important ones, but that doesn't make much a dent in 884.  So, I'm trying to catch up.

Just in time for Turkey Day, from one of my favorite blog writers, Stanley Bing:

I thought might share with you one of the most entertaining lawsuits I’ve seen in a long time. Given the seriousness of our global situation, it’s nice to see there’s somebody who has his head on straight.

Variety reports today that the Mayor of the city of Batman, which is in Turkey, is suing Warner Brothers movie studio and the director of The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan, for improper use of the name, Batman. The suit alleges untold pain and suffering brought down upon the citizens of Batman by Batman. Variety notes:

The mayor is prepping a series of charges against Nolan and Warner Bros., which owns the right to the Batman character, including placing the blame for a number of unsolved murders and a high female suicide rate on the psychological impact that the film’s success has had on the city’s inhabitants.

In a related story, word comes that lawyers at Butterball are considering taking steps against the President of that very same Byzantine nation for copyright infringement. Feelings are reportedly quite tender, if not juicy, on both sides.

Sometimes I Think I'm Clever

One of my duties as COO of AssistU is to post a poll for our community every two weeks.  Usually, the polls are fairly serious, dealing with professional development and business management.

But, as AssistU is officially closed for December, this would be the last poll of the year, and I was a bit caught up in other things.  I didn't want to think too hard, Thanksgiving was coming up, blah, blah, blah.

So, I came up with the following poll.  I had fun with it, and two days later, I still get a kick out of my cleverness.  Feel free to weigh in with your preference.

Stuffing?  Inside or outside the bird?

• Hello. In the bird.
• In the bird? Are you crazy? That's disgusting. Outside the bird only.
• Stuffing? Do you know how many carbs are in stuffing?
• Stuffing? Bread and water, right? How appetizing is that?
• Other

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.

(For the record, I like my stuffing inside the bird.)

How Do You Write So That A Blind Person Can See?

A friend of mine, Heidi, is blind.  She's also a writer.  She's also a subscriber to Write Well U's free WOW writing prompts.  (Technology and voice programs are amazing things.)  Every now and then she sends me the results from her WOW prompts.

The other day she sent me this.

This is a fun one ...

Try to describe colors to a person blind from birth.  I have had to do this, and it is quite a challenge!

Of course, I was interested.  I can do the obvious: red is hot, blue is cold, yellow is warm, but how do you describe pink?  Or orange?  Since Heidi, among other things, is helpful, she then sent me the lyrics to "Colors" by Kira Willey.

I am green today, I chirp with joy like a cricket song,
I am grey today, gloomy and damp like a morning fog,
I am orange today, loud and messy like finger paint on the wall
I am red today, hopping mad like a playground ball
I am black today, strong and tall a great big bear
I am purple today, bright and happy like a butterfly in the air

I'm a rainbow today, all the colors of the world
I'm a rainbow today, all the colors of the world are in me

I am yellow today, I shine my light out like the sun
I am white today, soft and quiet like new snow
I am blue today, calm as glass and cool like the sea
I'm a rainbow today, all the colors of the world are in me.

Note:  Small child came into my office while I was writing this post. She said, "That's a cool title!  How do you write so that a blind person can see?" I told her that if she loved me, she'd read my blog and find out.

Learning To BE - Revisited

Sometimes this is such a challenge for me.  Does everyone have this lesson, or is it just me?  According to Now, Discover Your Strengths, I'm a maximizer.  I don't settle for average or mediocre.  I want it to be excellent.  I'm also an all-or-nothing kind of girl. 

So, BEing can be difficult for me.  :)

What helps, though, are reminders like this one from Notes from the Universe:

I wish there were words to tell you, Dawn, how beautiful life really is, how safe you always are, and of the love that constantly bathes you.

How powerful you are, how much you can have, and of the glories that await.

Of the perfection, the magic, and the infinite possibilities.

But you actually threatened me with bodily harm if I were to ever let you peek at where you were headed before you arrived.

You gangsta',
    The Universe

Here is to the infinite possibilities.

Listen To Me Gush

Recently I was interviewed for the International Association of Solopreneurs site.  My interview is available today, so check it out.  (Yeah, I gush, but I've been told that my most endearing qualities are my perkiness and passion.)

Here's what IAS offers its members:

• Open office lines two hours per week allowing one on one support from our experts. Achieve success at a faster pace.
• A library of over 35 interviews with successful solopreneurs for inspiration, learning and ways to avoid some of the common obstacles for going it alone. These interviews will consistently be added to. Never feel like you are alone.
• Multiple free teleclasses each month with a variety of experts. Never feel lost for the answer and knowledge to achieve all that you want.
• Group coaching call once a month for sales, marketing and accountability. Need to stay focused and taking action--we will hold you accountable, ensuring your success.

You can test drive for 14 days for free and experience first-hand interviews from other successful solopreneurs and learn much more than theory--practical knowledge about how they have achieved success.

Desire Path

Kristin posted some time ago this picture and the words "a desire path."  While I found the rest of her post interesting, it was that piece around desire path that really tugged at me.  She gives several options for what it could mean for her as a writer, and the closest that aligns with how desire path resonates for me is #3:  "It could mean what most of us are on in our life quest. Joseph Campbell understood this and encouraged others to 'follow your bliss.'"

For me, though, it's more than just bliss, although I guess one could say bliss and desire are synonyms.  But they're not synonymous as far as I'm concerned.  Bliss is more of a state of being, a gentle joy.  Desire is so much more, an active pursuit. 

While I'd love some bliss in my life, I'm more about desire.  Maybe that's because it's all about the journey for me.

Where does your desire path take you?

Good Writing About Music

I love my birthday.  Sadly, it's over, but I'm happily looking forward to next year.  :)

One thing I love about it is that I get to celebrate with people who really love me, people who know me to the core.  Sometimes that manifests as the gifts people give me (and I love gifts!).  Along with a subscription to the Turner Classic Movies monthly magazine, homemade cookies, lovely products from Lush, Sarah Brightman music, and a cool card deck on tea, I also received this book, 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die.  (Thanks for the above to Antonette, Lee, and Stacy. Sniff. I love you guys.)

Here's why I'm calling out this particular gift: Tom Moon makes you SEE his love of music, how pivotal it can be.  Reading his introduction, I absolutely want to follow his direction and "flip through the pages, land on something at random, seek out the music, and have an unexpected eureka! moment."  It makes me want to read -- and listen.

A longer taste of his introduction as he talks about how he compiled this massive, 1000-plus-page book:

Should this project focus on single songs, individual movements, or larger pieces--that is, old-fashioned long-laying albums? No question, these days the single-track download is king. I spotlighted some singles here, but eventually concluded that the lone track doesn't reveal enough about an artist. Spend a while inside an album, and a deeper impression emerges--of the artist, and the time of the work's creation.  Whether or not the tracks are conceptually linked, there are usually "threads" of ideas and images running through great albums: It's one thing to hear the magnificently ruminative second movement from Schubert's B-Flat Piano Sonata; it's quite another to follow the piece from its initial phrase.  The only way to "get" the composer's intent is to take the full ride. Likewise, by grabbing just "Money," the single from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, you miss the sweep and grandeur of the album.

Listening this way requires patience, curiosity, and that most precious commodity, time. I'd argue it's worth it. No matter how fast the download speed, music still unfolds in real time, one stanza after another.  It's a journey. Not every recording will come jumping out to leave a strong first impression. Sometimes great music takes a while to get under your skin. But when it does, it stays there.

Then there was the question of how to organize the book.  Categorizing the music by genre was an obvious route, but on reflection it seemed the only way to honor the spirit of the project was to present the entries dictionary-style, alphabetically by artist. Finding renegade jazz pianist Cecil Taylor next to sensitive singer-songwriter James Taylor, who abuts the Russian composer Tchaikovsky underscores the astounding range of musical expression available, while subtly discouraging people from hanging out in the genre neighborhoods (ghettos?) they know best. This journey taught me that there's great treasure waiting on the other side of wherever you draw your territorial lines.

Of course, I'm probably drawn to Moon's description because it's been a journey for him, and music obviously stirs his soul.  There's a passion there.

And his book includes Loreena McKennitt's The Visit, immediately followed by Sarah McLachlan's Surfacing.  Yeah, he knows his stuff.  :)

(Feel free to ask me to look up a particular artist or group. I'd love to dive in and find something I might not have stumbled upon on my own.)

Would You Like To Write About Risky Writing?

I love this topic, and I know I want to do something with it, whether that's a new Write Well U program or a book or a seminar or something I haven't even thought of.  And since community is so important to me already, I figured what better way to flesh this out than by inviting some conversation?

Here's what's been written about it already

• My original post
• Mara's post
• Antonette's post

I want to hear from you, so if you want to play, send me an email (dawn at writewellu dot com) and tell me a little about what you want to write.  Let's take some risks, people!

Guest Post: Risky Writing

I was so inspired when I thought of the idea that great writing is that which takes risks.  I asked some writer friends to weigh in, and Mara talked about how writing isn't risky until you put it out there to be read. 

Today, Antonette writes about how self-censoring and worrying about what readers might think can result in riskier-than-needed writing.

I love to tell stories. I love to hear stories. Yet when I write I think I should be short, sweet, and to the point. Therefore, my writing sometimes doesn’t convey the heart of the matter, or it jumps to the point too quickly with no build up; thereby, no buy-in from my audience. Next, I start to censor myself, and that blocks my ability for full disclosure, or even finding the right tone. Finally, I’m left with something probably far more risky than if I would have just followed my heart.

I believe I censor myself because I’m overly sensitive to the fact that people internalize things differently. I understand that if I write, “Wow, who would have thought that a black man would have made it to the White House.” No big deal; I’m black, and there’s no suspicion of me being racist. Yet, if I wrote “Wow, I can’t believe a white woman was almost the Vice President of the United States,” you might internalize that I’m being racist. Yet it’s the same thing, and with the same intent. I’m wowed by the truly historical nature of this past Presidential election.  Unfortunately when I write, I care too much about how the reader is going to interpret me. There is a struggle, or balancing act, required for me to overcome the preconceived notions of individuals reading what I write. There are billions of people in this world, and I sure can’t write something that will speak the same to all of them. Heck, I can’t make the same comment to all of my family at the same time and have them walk away hearing the same thing. So, I have to learn how to be true to me. Share what is truly on my heart and be sincere.

I love Twitter; people who follow me on The Virtual Wire, know this is a fact. I love making connections and meeting new people. But it’s definitely a place where you take a risk every time you post--that someone, in the vast community of followers that you’ve gathered, is not going to quite understand your post. They’ll probably get you all wrong, and then unfollow you without a word. The big lesson I learned around this piece... there’s nothing I can do about it.

And, yet, if I don’t take the risk and write about what I feel, and what I’m passionate about, then I live an even riskier existence because then it is governed by the impressions of what others will think about me. So, as Mary J. Blige says on “MJB da MVP” a track from her The Breakthrough album: “For those of you who don’t like it, this is what you can do: you can hate it or love it. Hate it or love it. Hate it or love it!”

Antonette is a Certified Master Virtual Assistant. She has been running a successful Virtual Assistant (VA) practice for over eight years now. She is VA to volunteer board of directors of nonprofit organizations. She was voted AssistU’s 2008 VA of the Year.

Self Editing or Self Doubt?

As I've said before, I write the introduction for AssistU's VA News every month.  My article is due to the editor on the 10th so that the VA News can be published on the 15th.  There have been a few months where I've written my intro right there on the 10th and sent it on to Rob. 

Last week I was feeling particularly inspired about our community, and so I dashed off what I thought was a very rough draft of my article.  I even posted the note, "VERY ROUGH" so that Rob didn't think it was publishable.

On Monday the 10th, I went back to look at what I had written, fully prepared to scrap bits of it, rewrite others, and add significant portions. 

Other than a typo, I didn't change it at all.

So what is that all about? Why can I think it's rough, mediocre at worst one day, and think it's actually good some other day?  I tell all my students (and, really, anyone who will listen) that true editing can only come about when you've had time away from what you've written.  I'm a huge believer in giving myself plenty of space to edit.

But still... how much of editing is waiting for the self doubt to fade?

(Author's note: Firefox's dictionary doesn't like "dashed." What the heck is wrong with "dashed"?)

Guest Post: This Post Sucks

Last week I wrote about how great writing is that which takes risks, and I invited people to share their thoughts. Mara Hansen took me up on my offer, and wrote this intriguing post on taking risks. (And, hey, Mara, I want to know what happened when you finally turned that story in when you were in fifth grade!)

Ever since I was a child, I liked to write things down.  Anything really -- shopping lists, song lyrics I liked, fake fortunes for friends, lists of boys I hated, poems, short stories, random things I overheard, my name, etc.  It wasn't until the fifth grade I was asked to write a short story to submit.  It was a special project where not all of the kids were submitting something written, but maybe something they had painted or put together.  I was the only one to have written a story.  I can still recall the story: a whodunit involving a clever dry-ice hauler and his hatred for his family.  While I cannot remember more details than that, I do remember the excitement I felt while writing it, being antsy to get home and write more every day.  I also remember dreading showing it to my teacher and having it submitted to the rest of the class. 

Years passed and I continued writing on my own: keeping a diary, still making lists, writing clichéd teen-aged poetry, doodling constantly.  For the most part, I did not share any of these with anyone.  I always thought that "writing is for writers" and didn’t consider myself one.  Yes, I wrote things and I enjoyed them, but I equated it to, "Well, I can cook, but I'm certainly not going to call myself a 'chef.'"  Who would care to dine on my food for thought when I'm making hot dogs and frozen french fries when there are authors out there serving up filet mignon with sautéed mushrooms?  But I, as an aspiring writer, had one fear in common with chefs: critics. 

Nothing I've created - written, drawn, painted or played - had risk until I had an audience.  Writing is not risky; it's putting whatever I write out there that has risk.  Will I get rave, scathing or worse: no reviews whatsoever?  I’ve seen some reviews that weren't just scathing, they were cruel.  I didn't want anything to do with that.  I've got enough coldness and cruelty in my life; do I really want to invite more?  Even the 10-year-old girl runs no risk of writing, "Do you like me - check yes or no."  That is, until she passes it to the cute blonde Bobby/Johnny/Ronny sitting two seats over, waiting to see if he smiles and checks "Yes," or crumples it up or worse; saves it for his friends to have a good laugh about later. 

The Internet however, put the kibosh on most of my fear of critics.   I've seen more opinion on the Internet in the last 10+ years than I care to admit.  But it certainly gave me some perspective.  Then my sense of humor really kicked in and that helped immensely.  Seeing someone comment, "You write like my ex-wife screws: Sloppy and without passion," no longer would make me want to weep and hide under covers, but laugh out loud.  Not everyone is going to like most of what I write about.  No matter the topic.  So, I'll write whatever I feel like, and I'll hope for the best, I'll hope I've entertained, encouraged, inspired or infuriated.  And if someone instead wishes to say, "I want the last three minutes of my life back after reading that," or call me a moron or much, much worse, that's now my cross to bear. And once I realized that fact, it was no longer a risk.  And because of that, I can write about things that range from stupid and superficial to deep and meaningful to me with very little regard to the opinion of others.  Because I already know there will be fans and critics.  

Still, I don't like being dismissed.  That's still a risk for me, no matter what I write.  If I haven't made someone laugh or at least pissed them off, I have neglected to move someone one way or another.  But, in the end I just like to write – about anything.  Things that strike my fancy, make me laugh or cry or think.  I never believe much of it to be good, myself.  I still don’t consider myself a "writer," but I'd like to think I've moved from hot dogs and french fries to a nice casserole.  Maybe one day I'll make a nice soufflé.  I guess the biggest risk is continuing forward, knowing it's possible I never will. 

Mara wanted me to share with you all that she likes mittens and lives in Seattle. 

What Is Your Theme Song?

I believe in appropriate ring tones. My general ring tone is "Who Can It Be Now" by Men at Work.  Anytime I'm out and about and my phone rings, I always get a chuckle from the poeple around me.

My ring tone for home is "Country Roads" by John Denver. "Country Roads take me home to the place I belong" - appropriate, yes?

If I were to call myself, what song would be my ringtone? My only guess is Pachelbel's "Canon in D" because it has such an effect on me. Music, in general, touches my soul, but "Canon in D" reaches deeper and soothes me. I don't know if that's an appropriate theme song for me, though.

Maybe if my friends want to have a specific ringtone for me, they'll just have to get me to record one. That's what I made Stacy do. I can't think of a theme song that embodies all that she is (maybe because she's so complex and deep?), so I asked her to record a message for me. And every time she calls me, I crack up. And feel loved. ("Hey you. Where the heck are you? 'Cuz I really want to talk to you. Otherwise, I wouldn't be calling. Yanno?")

What's your theme song?

(Note:  If you follow Stacy at all, check out her new website. It gives you a glimpse into the amazing person she is and the incredible programs and services she offers.  Check it out at www.stacybrice.com.)

When Feedback Isn't Really Feedback

People sign up for my WOW (Writing On a Whim) prompts, and each week they get a prompt delivered right to their inbox. The idea is that they write - with no agenda and no purpose. No one will see it (unless people send their WOW production to me - which they sometimes do). It's one of the few times, I imagine, that people can write with abandon and tap into the idea that writing can be fun, insightful, and maybe even delightful.

Around week three, I ask my new WOW subscribers for their feedback. I want to get an idea if people are writing, what issues they might be experiencing, and what they think of WOW overall.

Not everyone responds, which is fine. And some people do, and their feedback almost always gives me something to think about, whether it's in terms of how to improve WOW, Write Well U, or maybe even a new program I could offer.

Almost always.

I recently received some feedback that really bothered me. As I thought about it, I realized it wasn't so much because the person didn't like WOW. I know that my stuff doesn't appeal to everyone, and that's fine. I believe in the Law of Attraction and that people are drawn to certain things. No one thing can be the end-all/be-all for everyone. Fine.

What really bothered me about this feedback was that not only was it not helpful, but it was rude. Here's what the person wrote:

The prompts are kind of predictable and uninspired. I have literally come up with better ones in my sleep. I don't think this university is for me.

Once again, I know my stuff isn't inspiring to everyone. Heck, even for those for whom it is inspiring, not every WOW is going to do the trick. We even explain to our WOW subscribers the reasoning behind the sometimes eclectic nature of our prompts. Some are serious, some are funny, and some probably make no sense at all.

We do that for several reasons:

• So they can exercise many different writing muscles.
• To reach as many people as we can. Some people like to write about memories or events that have personal meaning, while others like to write about concrete details. Some people like to really reflect and write from there. Others don't want to reflect at all, but just write.
• Variety can be a catalyst for creativity. Try something different to get a brand-new result.

Some prompts appeal to some; others appeal to others. And there's no one magic pill that can make me create the perfect writing prompt (or series) that will appeal to all people all the time.

Sorry. I got off track. :) I get that for this person, he/she didn't find the WOW prompts inspiring enough to write about. That's fine. But why did he/she find it necessary to be rude about it? "I have literally come up with better ones in my sleep."

It really doesn't tell me anything that will help me improve my products.  What would be more inspiring? What was this person looking for?  When I give feedback to the students in my classes, I don't just say "This is well written." I explain why it was particularly impactful for me, the reader.  If it's awkwardly written, I explain how it got off track.

I guess why it bothers me so much is that my purpose with Write Well U is to create a safe place where people can stretch, develop, and improve their writing. That safety is very important to me, along with a caring, warm attitude.

This person's response went against everything I believe in.

Great Writing Is That Which Takes Risks

As I teach or just talk to people about writing, a concept keeps coming up for me and over.  Great writing is that which takes risks.  I don't necessarily mean writing on a risky topic, although that could apply in some instances.

It's more the idea that in order to be really great, writing connects the author to the reader.  The reader identifies with something or sees himself or his ideals in the piece. 

Maybe the writer dug down deep and wrote from the heart (fiction or nonfiction).  Perhaps the writer wrote with a strong voice, revealing the person behind the mask, so to speak.  Or the writer gave in to passion and wrote what really stirred him.

For example, the best paper I ever wrote in college (and since I was an English major, I wrote a LOT of papers) was one where I really stepped out of my comfort zone and took a risk.  I could have written on a number of safe, "easy A" topics (Dr. Foster was kind enough to give us a list of six possible topics, but we always had the freedom to write about anything that occurred to us over the course of our reading and discussions.  I didn't write on one of the six topics.  Instead, I chose to write on a theme in the novel we were reading (Tracks) that was a little out there.

It was probably the first time I turned something in that I wasn't quite sure of.  When I got the paper back, Dr. Foster commented that this was the most powerful writing he'd seen from me ever (and I'd taken several classes with him).

Since then, I've coached my students in my Writing Essentials Program to try something new: a technique, odd sentence structure, a topic... When they do, their writing ends up stronger, more impactful, and, just like my experience, more powerful.

This idea fascinates me, and I have a feeling it will turn into an eventual writing book (after my current novel, the next idea for a fiction series, a writing book on voice...).  Right now, this is as far as I've gotten, and to get a little further, I've invited some fellow writers to write about their idea of taking risks in writing.  Look for those guest posts soon.

In the meantime, tell me what you think.  Do you agree that great writing is that which takes risks?  What kinds of risks?