National Novel Writing Month Underway Worldwide

The beginning of November marks a number of different occasions – Election Day, the end of daylight savings time, the prelude to the holiday season. But for many writers, November has come to mean one thing: National Novel Writing Month.

National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short, started in 1999, with less than two dozen writers. Within a couple of years, they built a website (www.nanowrimo.org), and as bloggers began to spread the word, the number of participants grew exponentially. This year, they’re expecting 500,000 writers around the world to join what they call “the largest writing event in the world.”

The purpose of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words of a novel, during the month of November. Anyone who is inspired to write a novel is welcome to join in – no experience necessary. Looking strictly at the numbers, 50,000 words translates to writing about six typed pages each day. If you write six pages a day for 30 days, you’re going to end up with close to a 200 page draft. Not a bad start.

There are a number of ways to participate in this event. There is an official website that allows you to register, create your own profile, and track your progress – all for free. You even have the opportunity to communicate/commiserate with other would-be novelists. There are local NaNoWriMo events all over the world, including right here in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Local events include “write-ins” – free writing sessions at libraries and places that sell caffeinated beverages.

There are some mixed feelings on the idea of writing a novel in 30 days. First, it’s highly unlikely that anyone is going to write a polished, completed manuscript in 30 days. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say it’s impossible. So if you do give it a try, it’s better to approach NaNoWriMo as the first step in the long process of writing a novel, and not the entire path to the bestseller’s list. There will be less anguish, to be sure.

I know many writers – including a few published novelists – who take issue with the timing of the event. Somehow the founders decided that aspiring novelists have nothing else to do during the month of November. Obviously they don’t cook for Thanksgiving Dinner or start their holiday shopping until December 1.

Still, there are good reasons to tackle NaNoWriMo. When you participate in the local or even the online events, a certain camaraderie develops. There is value in simply meeting other writers also trying to accomplish this seemingly insane and impossible goal. Just make sure you’re spending most of your time writing and not just talking about it (a common trap).

But the most valuable reason to write a novel in 30 days? At the end of the month, you will be in the habit of writing every day – which is what you need to do if you’re going to write a novel. You do get better with practice.

Vacation Daze

Please pardon the blogging delay. It has been a crazy summer — not that every summer doesn’t have it’s element s of crazy, but this summer seems to be especially bad. Health and family issues necessitated a lot of out-of-state trips, some on relatively short notice. It’s not so easy to pack up a preteen (or ‘Tween, as she likes to call herself, but that’s a topic for another blog) and a nearly 100 pound dog, and all their various accoutrements, supply them with gear to cover any possibility engendered by 100 degree temps and the ensuing air conditioning. I made two planned trips,  followed by several that were entirely unexpected that had to be squeezed in before and after week-long girls camp.

Girls Camp needs its own explanation:  yes, it’s a week in Cape May, but here’s the caveat — 30 teens, tweens and pre-teens, no air conditioning, no elevator. For one blissful week I get to trade the planning, purchasing, prepping and producing of meals for the drama of adolescence; overall,  it’s a fair trade I guess – this is my third year. With all the stairs and afternoons at the beach it is easily the most active week I spend all year (Hey! I’m a writer –I sit a lot!). Throw in a surprise two hours of kayaking (it really did feel as if my arms would fall off), and I came home one hurting pup — a little sunburned, a little frazzled, a lot sore and tired and achy. And very, very grateful for air conditioning.

Through some quirk of the calendar, there was only one weekend between the return from Cape May and our family vacation. I had made a significant dent in the mountain of laundry when I remembered my brother and his family were coming for a few days at the beach – when the distance to the closest beach is measured in hours, the 25 minutes from our house becomes mighty attractive.

After the flurry of activity to unearth the guest bed and shovel out enough room for five more folks in the house, there was the usual fit issues of trying to mesh one family’s style with another’s’, especially when one of those has to keep working and the other is vacationing. I was glad they came, and I realized there were a lot of things we should have discussed beforehand. Live and learn.

Now I am rushing hither and yon, tossing things willy nilly into our bags, hoping the weather in Maine won’t be extreme, hoping my family will actually eat the meals they agreed to when we made the menu, hoping I don’t forget a lot of stuff and have to run to Wal-Mart — because the very necessity of walking into Wal-Mart negates the whole vacation right there.

As I type, I am realizing that I must in fact have a huge masochistic streak. Otherwise why I voluntarily be spending not one but two weeks without air conditioning in a summer that is setting records for heat? Regardless, that’s not what this blog was about. It was to be about how easy it is to get sidetracked and how summer, especially, is fraught with distractions.

 

Happy Fourth of July from The Write Room

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Our nation’s most important document, The Declaration of Independence, was authored primarily by Thomas Jefferson, in conjunction with John Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, and Robert Livingston, and adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

The original document is located at the National Archives in Washington D.C. According to the National Archives website, the original document has faded because of poor preservation techniques in the 19^th century. If you visit our nation’s capital, a tour of the National Archives is a must. You will have an opportunity to see the original Declaration of Independence, plus the original U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

While you’re in the nation’s capital, you can also enjoy a side trip to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, just a couple of hours outside of the capital in Charlottesville, Virginia.

If you are closer to Philadelphia, a tour of Independence Hall at Independence National Historical Park will allow you to see exactly where the Continental Congress met and signed the Declaration. If you are in the Philadelphia area this upcoming weekend, Independence Hall will be commemorating the 236^th anniversary of the first public reading of the declaration with an outdoor reading on July 8, 2012 at 11:30 am.

You can also visit all of these locations on the web at:

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html

http://www.nps.gov/inde/historyculture/public-reading-of-declaration-of-independence.htm

http://www.monticello.org/site/visit

The Ultimate Juggling Act

Each year right before Mother’s Day, http://www.Salary.com (a division of a recruiting company) publishes a report called “What’s a Mom’s Work Worth.” This year’s report features a whimsical image of a smiling, put-together mom juggling everything she can possibly do, in a perfect arc above her head, and the notion that if she were “paid” for being a mom, she’d be making over $112,000 a year based on base salary and overtime.

The first time I read this report, I was furious; I penned a column so venomous that I had to rewrite it as a humorous piece in order to submit it to an e-zine. I brace myself for this report every year, so my reaction is not that extreme anymore. I really do get that someone wants to point out that moms do just about everything. My problem is that this type of report continues to set a standard of perfection that is impossible to live up to and makes mothers – stay-at-home moms, working moms, stay-at-home moms who work at home and run their own businesses – feel inadequate and burned out.

While it is true that when you’re a mom of children (any kind of children – babies, school age, teenagers, college students) you do take on many of the duties of a multitude of professions including cook, chauffeur, psychologist, CEO, facilities manager, nurse, teacher, janitor, housekeeper, I can guarantee if you try to do all of those things perfectly every single day – at some point something’s going to crack, and very likely it’s going to be you.

I am an extremely fortunate stay-at-home/work-at-home mom who runs her own business. My secret weapon is that I have a phenomenal support system which includes a lifelong friend/business partner who is my right arm and confidante, a patient husband who puts up with my anxieties and idiosyncrasies, and wonderful parents who often cook and bring food to my house saving my family from the clutches of “Oh crap, its 6:30 and I never cooked dinner.”

So, readers. If you’re a mom and any of this resonates with you, I implore you, please don’t strive for perfection as it doesn’t exist. Give up the idea of trying to do it all – at least not at the same time. Better yet – ask someone (husband, kids, friends) to help out. If you employ or work with a mom, cut her some slack the next time she’s using her sick time to bring her kid to the doctor.

If you’re everyone else – please remember to thank not only your mom, but all the moms that are juggling, singing, dancing, and doing any number of things all in the name of (hopefully) raising loving and responsible members of society.

(Note: Dedicated to my amazing mom, Joan Porcelli, who bravely restarted her career at the Army Base at Fort Monmouth, N.J., after a 17-year absence to stay home and put up with me!)

How Do I Love Thee?

Valentine’s Day has become a source of stress and confusion for boyfriends and husbands nationwide. The decision of how to express your love and devotion for your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day has led to widespread panic for many shoppers. As is now the case with every other holiday, there are too many choices and opinions about what makes the perfect Valentine’s gift.

Chocolates and flowers are certainly top contenders for a sure-fire Valentine’s Day gift. But there are those who don’t like chocolate. (Yes, really. Not in The Write Room, to be sure, but elsewhere.) And many people are allergic to flowers.

Lingerie? Perhaps. Unless she’s already hit the age where she’d rather sleep in sweatpants. Jewelry? Well, okay – if you have the budget, diamonds – or anything in a little blue box – will definitely work.

Valentine’s Day was not always like this. In Victorian times, it was sufficient to present your love with a handmade card or handwritten note. Sometimes the greeting included a poem, and if you wanted to send a racy verse, you would send it anonymously.

The point of giving or sending a Valentine was to express love and devotion, and to inspire romance. And in today’s digital world, a handwritten expression of love is certainly going to be more personal and tangible than a text or a Tweet.

Need some inspiration to pen a poem or love letter of your own? Here are several literary classics to consider. You may even want to recopy one in your own handwriting to add to your sweetheart’s box of chocolates.

She Walks in Beauty

by Lord Byron (George Gordon)

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that’s best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

Read the entire poem here:    http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173100

Lord Byron was the inspiration for the main character in The Vampyre, the novella by John Polidori, considered the first romantic vampire character.

Annabel Lee

By Edgar Allan Poe

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of Annabel Lee;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me.

The rest of the poem is here:  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174151

Strange as it may seem, the flawed and tragic Edgar Allan Poe had a sentimental side.

 

And, one of our favorites, regardless of the occasion:

 

The Highwayman

By Alfred Noyes

PART ONE

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees.

The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.

The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,

And the highwayman came riding—

Riding—riding—

The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

All 17 stanzas are here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171940

Read it all. The things we do for love indeed.

The Poetry Foundation website has every poem you studied in any high school or college lit class, plus biographies of the poets.

A New Year’s Revelation: Ways to Discover Your Passion

It’s January 10 – how many people have already abandoned their New Year’s resolutions?

New Year’s resolutions date back to Ancient Rome and customs related to the god Janus, the two-faced god of doorways and beginnings, as people hoped that the new year would mean better times ahead.

There is a lot of pressure surrounding New Year’s resolutions. First, there’s the idea that you have to break a bad habit just because January 1 has come around again on the calendar. There is also a tendency to set unrealistic expectations and expect instant results, so that by January 15, when you haven’t lost 30 pounds, or your closets are still overflowing, you’re ready to give up. To make matters worse, we’re bombarded by media hype about resolutions. On New Year’s Eve, network TV hit most of the big ones: lose weight, quit smoking, shred paper …

I started thinking that maybe the problem with the concept of New Year’s resolutions is that there’s too much focus on stopping the negative or breaking bad habits. What if we resolve to do more of what’s working, to fuel everything that’s good – a “New Year’s Revelation,” if you will. Instead of finding a habit to break, resolve to create something or focus on what you’re passionate about – what inspires you, what brings you joy. If you’re not sure what it is, perhaps resolve to identify that.

Find some solitude – no company, no computer, no smartphone – and take some time to consider what drives you, what makes you feel great in your gut, in your solar plexus. Trying brainstorming. Maybe you’ll steer yourself toward something you haven’t tried but are interested in – a new type of cooking, or dancing, or a new language. Most community colleges offer short session courses that fit a variety of interests designed to help you get your feet wet.

Perhaps you’ll find that what makes you feel great is helping others – volunteering for a favorite cause, sharing your knowledge with peers, or acting as a mentor toward someone are all great ways to give back to your community.

If you already know what your passion is but feel it’s a bit anemic, find a way to create some new spark. Most creative people –  writers, musicians, artists – go through a period in which they’re no longer sure what inspires them. Try creating in a different than usual manner. For instance, if you’re a writer or a musician, try your hand at visual art, either painting or drawing, or even making a collage. If you’re a visual artist, try writing some song lyrics or a poem.

The key is to reinvigorate yourself. Resolve to make 2012 your best year ever – not because you finally managed to drop those last 10 pounds, but because you have tapped in to something that makes you feel grounded, connected, alive. Take advantage of the “New Year, New You” movement you are being bombarded with, but refuse to focus on the things you shouldn’t do or can’t seem to quit. Set your sights instead on expanding something rewarding, expressing that unconventional urge, nudging yourself in a new direction.

Because the media and the pundits have it wrong. One doesn’t emerge fully formed as the “New You” on January 1 – that unveiling will most likely surprise you sometime mid-summer. This month is for the looking inside and taking that first step on your journey, that slight change in your course that brings the fun back into the trip. Push your boundaries, express your gratitude, reach a little for that dream – you have a whole year to work on it.

In Appreciation of the Android

Much to my dismay, I have become one of those annoying people who are dependent – okay, addicted – to their smartphones. For years, I made fun of my “Crackberry” friends, but now I am one of them, although for a number of reasons, Android is my smartphone of choice.

Only a few months ago, my phone was a simple LG EnV3. I could make phone calls and text my husband and kids. That was it. Very basic. But then…May 2011. I was due for a phone upgrade. There was a Mother’s Day special…from that weekend, I was hooked.

All joking aside, as the co-owner of a writing and editorial services business I realized that regardless of how much I liked my basic cell phone, it wasn’t going to cut it anymore, and I would need to make the smartphone leap. If it was all about e-mail, I would have gone with the Blackberry. But I chose an Android because it seemed to have more of the features that I would need to access certain things quickly. I knew that beyond e-mail, I would need to quickly access and view web pages as well as documents at any given moment. Plus, my husband, a technophile who is not fond of the iPhone, already used an Android, so it made sense for me as well.

Even though my experience with my Android hasn’t been completely trouble-free (particularly when I had to switch from a Samsung Galaxy S to a Motorola Droid after a software glitch), I am still quite satisfied with my Droid. (In my experience, the Droid is superior to the Galaxy S when it comes to calls and battery life.)

But even beyond phone calls, e-mails, viewing documents and web browsing, I’ve discovered a number of apps that are particularly useful for writers, freelancers, small business owners or any combination of the three. Plus I’m accumulating a list of interesting looking apps that I’d like to test drive when I have the time.

In case Santa brings you an Android phone or tablet, here are some of the apps that I’ve found to be most useful:

•  Evernote – for ideas, notes, photos, anything you want to save. On my laptop too.
•  Color Note – great for a quick note or reminder. Can place them on your home page.
•  CamCard and CamScanner – The first is a business card reader that can add the person’s information into your phone. A bit tricky but still a time saver. CamScanner scans documents and can convert them to a pdf.
•  K-9 Mail – much better than the default e-mail on my Droid. I like the fact that I can access all of my accounts from one screen. Plus it’s free.
•  Out of Milk – my preferred grocery shopping app.
•  Seesmic and HootSuite – More useful than the regular Twitter app.
•  Get It Done – This is based on David Allen’s Getting Things Done book/system, which is widely recommended for freelance writers. Promising, although I am still getting the hang of it. Also on my laptop.

There are several other apps that I’ve read about that I’m planning to try. These include:

• Thinking Space – a mind mapping app.
• Droid Room – for saving plain text files.
• Time Tracker – for tracking time spent on projects and generating time sheets.

In the meantime, I am still searching for a good project tracking app for PC and Android, similar to Manymoon, which is not available for Android.  If anyone has any other recommendations, please let us know.

Lessons from Jacksonville

Two weeks ago, I was in Jacksonville attending the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) national conference.  As always, it was a top-notch affair with numerous sessions jam-packed with information, and plenty of networking opportunities. I had a chance to touch bases with previous co-workers and to reconnect with other members from my local AMWA chapter. I left Florida pumped up, primed to go home and get to work.

However, my momentum seems to have been derailed by reality. I came home to a house that had been straightened and rearranged (which necessitated several frantic “where did you put…?” phone calls as we raced to catch the school bus), and a child nursing what would become bronchitis. There were stacks of mail to sort through, laundry to catch up on, grocery shopping, and a 90-pound dog that wanted to sit in my lap. There was work to catch up on as well, meetings to schedule, the newsletter to launch, blogs and proposals to write.  All in all, it made me want to plop down at the desk and play solitaire until it all went away.

What was most disappointing about this return to earth was the disparity from the prior week. I had been essentially on my own for roughly 4 days – it’s been over 20 years since that last happened – and rather than being bored or lonely, I enjoyed the hell out of it. I got up early (hard to believe, I know) and ate whatever I wanted for breakfast. I went to seminars every day about things that I was interested in. I was amazed at how good it felt to learn! I wandered from restaurant to restaurant until something on the menu sounded appetizing, and nobody complained. I talked to people, not just networking , but actually speaking to other women about the reality of their lives and how they were making  a career around their families and responsibilities. It was empowering. It was humbling. It was somehow surprising to learn that every mother there had the same mountain of stuff piling up awaiting her return.

What did I learn at AMWA? I learned things about medical writing, editing and social networking. My heart ached for the families from some of the case studies I heard.  I was stunned by the achievements of cutting edge medical research. But mostly I learned that no matter how many initials there are after your name, or whether the desk you work from is on the 5^th floor or in the corner of your dining room, none of us gets to spend enough time with our kids and all of us feel the pressure of too many responsibilities. My challenge between now and next AMWA? To figure out a way to help. And, since it’s obviously a universal need, I’ll then be able to retire.

A Brief Halloween History Lesson

I haven’t heard too much negative press about Halloween in the news this year (or maybe I’m just doing a better job of ignoring it). In the recent past, there has been quite a bit of controversy in some circles of the dangers of Halloween and its alleged pagan origins. For the most part, Halloween in the last 50 years has become a secular and highly commercialized celebration focusing on candy and licensed character costumer (in fact, Americans will spend nearly $7 billion on Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation). Author Disclaimer: Halloween at my house typically involves some combination of Disney characters, Star Wars costumes, vampires, ghosts, Sour Patch Kids, Skittles and lots of chocolate.

 As a result, many people are surprised to find that Halloween is, in reality, tied first and foremost to a Catholic religious holiday. The pagan origins are really all about timing.

 To learn about the history of Halloween, there’s no better place to start than the word itself. The word “Halloween” is a contraction of All Hallows Eve, or night before All Hallows, or the Feast of All Saints. The Feast of All Saints, or All Saints Day, has been observed by the Roman Catholic Church on November 1 since the 8^th century. The day is a solemn Roman Catholic holiday which honors “all saints known and unknown.” The following day, November 2, is the Feast of All Souls, in which the Catholic remember and pray for their dead.

All Saints Day was originally a springtime observance for the Catholic church, and there is some evidence that Pope Gregory III moved the holiday to November 1 to coincide with the Celtic festival of Samhain, a celebration of the new year and the end of the harvest. It was also one of the days during which dead could cross over to the world of the living.

According to the History Channel’s website, the tradition of donning costumes and visiting one’s neighbors for treats is a common part of celebrating both Samhain and All Saints Day. The idea of wearing a disguise to confuse wandering ghosts or spirits is found in a number of traditions, including those with Irish and English origins. Originally, walking from door to door asking for food also involved offering prayers for deceased relatives. Costumes and food offerings also figure prominently in Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico (another holiday honoring the dead which was also changed to November 1 from a different time of year).

I found a number of websites with fascinating information about Halloween folklore and the religious aspects of Halloween just while doing my bit of research for this post. Here are some of the most entertaining:

http://www.history.com/topics/halloween

http://catholicism.about.com/b/2011/10/24/halloween-a-catholic-view.htm

http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/Irish-traditions—Halloween-in-Ireland-132912653.html

 

 

Is Your Website Up to Speed?

Regardless of how anyone feels about the World Wide Web (commonly but erroneously referred to as the Internet), it is a fixture of business today. I’ve a few opinions about various aspects of the Internet, but today I want to focus on websites. Specifically, how can you, as a business owner, critique your website? (Note: “website” is one word, lowercase, no hyphen. The AP Stylebook and I now agree on this.)

Let’s start with perhaps the most basic question of all: Do you have a website? A website is an essential for customers to find you. Just yesterday, I actually got out the phone book to look up a number — it took a while to find the phone book, and if my daughter hadn’t been immersed in Mazin’ Hamsters, I probably wouldn’t have bothered. As much as I’m a stickler about changing the language, I wholeheartedly endorse the use of “Google” as a verb. I “Google” just about any company – contractors, doctors, restaurants, grocery stores. If I have not done business with you, I will look you up on the Web. A quick search will usually yield location, phone, hours of operation, and depending on the business, credentials, menus, sales items, etc. You can’t get all that from the Yellow Pages. In some cases, a business name search will also provide endorsements (or the opposite), as well as mentions of the company in the media, a lawsuit, or by private users. But mostly what I am looking for when I Google you is YOUR website.

What components should your website have? First, you must have a “Home” or “Landing” page, so that your customers know they’ve found the business they’re looking for. Depending on how elaborate your site is, there should at  least be enough info so prospective customers know they’re in the right place. Many businesses might not need more than a home page, and that’s okay, as long as you convey the information that a potential customer needs.

What does this elusive potential customer want to know? Think journalism here for a moment and answer the big questions: Who? What? Where? When? How?

• Who? Business name and logo.
• What? Your industry. You can expand on this by offering a list of all the things you do, what you do better than everyone else, and so on, but you need to say something. You do not want your website to be like those trendy TV ads that never say what they are selling. My suspicion is that they end up selling very little.
• Where?  If your customers come to you, tell them where you are and how to get there.
• When?  Your hours of operation, if applicable.
• How? Your contact information including phone number and e-mail address.

You might be able to fit your answers to these questions on one or two pages, or maybe even one little paragraph. What should you do with the rest of that space? As a prospective customer I want to see the things you believe I should know about your company. Do you explain your services? Educate the reader about why you are so good at what you do? Offer FAQs? Testimonials?

There are also things you should not do. Here’s a list of what I consider to be “website killers:”

• Typos on your landing page. Especially typos in your business name. It sounds obvious, but I have seen this. It makes the consumer question your attention to detail.
• Artwork that does not jive with your message. If you are an author who writes horror or erotic fiction, do not put kittens and bunnies on your website. If you are a surgeon, I don’t recommend anything too hip, trendy or childish. The obvious mismatching of artwork and purpose is jarring, and makes me wonder if you are a.) not as professional as you want me to think, or b.) psychotic.
•  Out of date content. If you offer seminars, and there are listings from 2009, I’m going elsewhere.
•  Phone numbers that don’t work.
•  Links that come back “page not found.”
•  Pages that are not finished, or where the text is “Greeked.” I saw this on a web designer’s site — and up until those four unfinished pages I was ready to hire them because their work was beautiful. What a shame.

These are the biggies. And if you can check off all the Do’s and have not checked any of the Don’ts, congratulations! Odds are good that your website is actively aiding your business.