How to deal effectively with online complaints and criticisms Recently, a woman accused a Starbucks barista of using caramel to create satanic symbols in two cups of coffee that she’d bought: one was a Pentagram symbol and, the other, 666. She posted her complaint to the Starbucks Facebook page and her post was liked and
Breaking writing rules: is it ever okay? In 11th and 12th grade, 20 or so students from my class were able to take a computer programming class – learning Fortran and Cobol – back when programming meant typing each individual command on an individual manila punch card and then feeding a thick set of these
Ethics in writing: where is the line in the sand? Isaac, a high school senior, was dying of leukemia. He wished, with all of his heart, to survive long enough to graduate. I learned about Isaac when my newspaper editor called me and said that I needed to be at the football field where his
Finding the courage to write “I worry that I’m not good enough,” says Joy Bautista Collado, although she can’t define precisely why. “I need courage.” And, even though other people encourage her to write, she doesn’t try to publish much because of her fear. “My biggest insecurity,” the writer from the Philippines confides, “is that
Deadly sin of over-confidence: managing your ego Now, I usually don’t brag. I really don’t. But, in this post, I’m going to do so, openly and without shame. Through my entire elementary school career, I was the spelling bee champion. Yes, I was. Without question. I didn’t just win some of the weekly spelling bees.
How to critique writing effectively Last week, our blog post on critiquing focused on: finding the right critique partner(s) for your writing helping you to eliminate feelings of defensiveness to get the most out of the feedback provided This week, we’re turning the topic upside down and sharing tips on how to provide quality feedback
How to be open to receiving quality writing critiques In 2008, I had an opportunity to pitch a script for an historical fiction play that highlighted the role that people in northern Ohio played during the pre-Civil War years. A small percentage of Ohioans, mostly during the years between 1830 and 1860, helped slaves to
Celebrating writing mentors Recently, the head of the Cleveland Job Bank, Kelly Blazek, made the news – at first locally and then nationally and then internationally – for writing harsh responses to younger job seekers. The story has even apparently qualified as Hollywood gossip; been dubbed “BlazekGate”; risen to the level of a top trending
The dreaded writer’s block – and ways to smash through the barriers If you ask 100 people how to define writer’s block and/or what causes the blockage, you’ll get at least 101 answers, ranging from those who don’t believe in the phenomenon to those who have elaborate theories on the subject. When making the case
The Search Guru chats with K.D. Sullivan, CEO of Untreed Reads Publishing For four years, I edited a full-color print magazine, one that was costly to produce. The tone of the publication was friendly, cheerful, upbeat and neighborly, while the audience consisted largely of conservative women in their 50s. In one issue, we were including
