Pimp My Ride, Talent, and Listening Skills
August 20th, 2006
After meeting with a client today, I finally decided it was time to write about an idea I have been talking about for a few weeks now: true talent in creative industries means the ability to translate a client’s needs and desires so that, when the client sees the finished product, he or she says that it is everything they never knew they wanted. In my opinion, the true test of talent is whether or not a writer/designer/etc. can look beyond obvious requests made by the client and really listen, hearing even what is not being said.
You’ll like this example. When watching MTV’s Pimp My Ride the other day, I noticed an example that truly supported my theory. A girl gave over her junky car to a team of car overhauling experts, not knowing what to expect or what she wanted or even what to suggest. The team took into consideration the girl’s personality and lifestyle and designed a car they could imagine her loving. Of course, she loved it! “That,” I said out loud to the television, “is an example of true talent!”
Here’s a public service announcement of sorts: The advantage of hiring a skilled, talented freelance writer is that you get to experience the excitement and thrill of someone else interpreting your ideas. A good freelance writer will write everything they heard hidden underneath what you actually shared with them. When you read the finished product, you should wish you were able to speak as well as the piece was written. You will wonder how the writer even knew these things about you!
When you hire a writer, or anyone else to perform a creative service for you, make sure that the person you hire is really listening. A good test of this, before you even get a finished product, is to ask them a question pertaining to their services. If they can provide you with a timely answer that completely satisfies your doubts, then there’s a good chance that they really are listening. You can expect a finished product that will make you want to exclaim: “THAT is an example of true talent!”
Playing with Technical and Industry Terms
August 19th, 2006
On August 10th, I wrote an entry about the importance of using common words in place of long, complicated words. That same day, I actually came across The Plain English Campaign, a web tutorial for clear, concise writing (http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/plainenglishguide.html#Words%20to%20avoid).
I’ve been thinking more about this, especially since recent jobs have required me to use unusual technical language and/or industry terms to accurately and fully describe my subject. I realize that in most cases, highly technical words are necessary. For example, there is no truly accurate substitute for galligaskins, a word used to describe loose hose or breeches worn in the 16th and 17th centuries. What a great word! In some cases, these industry terms can add interest and delight to your writing simply because they are so unusual and have such musicality.
If you are addressing an audience that is not familiar with industry terms, don’t be afraid to use these terms. The trick is to define technical language for your audience without condescension. Utilize context clues and the inherent uniqueness of the word. Don’t avoid technical language unless it can be accurately replaced with a simpler word. If you have to explain the word in a roundabout way to avoid it, then you should probably just use it.
Using technical and industry terms successfully means being aware of your attitude. If you feel privileged or superior because you know these words, you should probably reconsider the way in which you write them or use them in context. Don’t take them too seriously – they’re just words! I have a similar attitude toward profanities, but that’s a post for another day.
Be playful with these words, make fun of them and appreciate their sound. Say the word out loud and try to notice something you’ve never noticed about the word. You will probably realize that there’s a lot about these words you never thought about before, especially if they describe something boring. Think of the word as a decoration designed to enhance the concept.
If you remember not to take the word too seriously, your audience will be more open-minded about seeing it in text rather than skipping over it and possibly missing a very important detail.
Narrative with a Split Personality
August 14th, 2006
When I free-write, I usually begin in the first person and eventually find myself in third person. This is not intentional but happens often. Sometimes the easiest way for me to write about a character and help that character through uncharted territory is to write about him or her as an “I”, whether or not I am actually writing about myself. Sometimes the “I” instills the first few sentences with something I actually experienced or felt. Other times, the “I” is me imagining myself in a made-up situation or feeling a foreign emotion.
After the first few sentences, I begin to write freely and less self-consciously, finding that the “I” actually limits me. When I build up my pace and open my mind, I am forced to move into third person to explore and probe even further. I have to inhabit a different personality, body and mind to be able to capture what I truly mean to say. A character develops without much effort or struggle.
This is not to say that my characters are based heavily on myself and my own experience. Usually, when I rewrite, I edit or delete anything true to my own experience or that is narrated in the first person. The character that emerges is usually independent of me, but I couldn’t have created him or her without opening up to my own experience and knowledge first.
If, later on, a character needs to speak in the first person to be heard, I will use the “I” voice for that character. This is not me speaking. This is the character, originally oppressed in the third person, speaking with his or her own voice.
I Confess That I Haven’t Memorized the Oxford English Dictionary
August 10th, 2006
Friends and family sometimes treat me like a walking/talking thesaurus and dictionary in one, which both flatters me and makes me nervous at the same time. Just because I love to write, everyone always thinks I have the right word for every situation and know the meaning of any word they might encounter. My knowledge of vocabulary isn’t much better than anyone else who reads regularly and has a college education. I was not born preprogrammed with a dictionary brain.
I think that, to be a good writer, you don’t need to know really obscure words. It might be helpful to possess a really expanded vocabulary, but I don’t think it’s necessary. What’s essential is to have a passion for common words, words used in everyday speech and writing. It’s important to pay attention to the cadence of words and stop focusing so much on how long they are or how difficult they are to spell. I have had many writer friends in my time who always try to impress others with their use of uncommon words. Sure, these words can add interest and personality to your speech, but when you can’t properly communicate to others, what’s the point?
Good writing is all about clear communication. Common words cleverly arranged can make for clear and interesting communication. If a longer, less common word is absolutely appropriate to use, then use it sparingly. These words properly used could add interest to your writing, especially if the word sounds nice. Rather than feel inadequate and alienated from your writing, the reader may actually be compelled to look the word up in a dictionary.
I’m currently studying to take the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) in September, and I am so discouraged every time I complete a practice Verbal test. There are so many words I have never heard used in speech or seen in writing, and I just don’t understand why knowing the definition of one of these words is going to prove that I’m smarter than anyone else. Also, though I manage to figure out the reading comprehension passages in the end, I am constantly ploughing through the difficult words, knowing for sure that there is a way to write each passage in a clearer, more coherent way, that lengthy words and sentences may communicate something but don’t invite the reader to listen.
Giving a Writer a Notebook
August 9th, 2006
In stationary and book stores, sometimes there are designated sections displaying gift items for aspiring and established writers. These items might include notebooks, pens, journals, lapdesks, etc. Personally, I think that, if you were to buy a writer any one of these items as a gift, you would be displaying a complete lack of creativity. Think about it: writers write a lot, and they like to use certain types of paper and writing utensils. Everyone has their own preference, and it’s very difficult to buy someone a gift that satisfies a person’s personal preference unless you already know what he or she likes. I think the only way that the journal-making industry survives is because so many people buy these journals for their writer friends; their writer friends, in turn, never use these journals but are unable to return them to the store. Are there any writers out there who actually use those fancy journals found on the shelves of Barnes and Noble?
When I write, I prefer to use a word processor like Microsoft Word or I use whatever piece of paper, scrap or Post-It note that is nearby. I hate to use journals because they’re hard to maneuver and usually too pretty to be destroyed with whatever stream of consciousness language pours out on the page. For a writing utensil, I love inexpensive, clickable ball point pens, with medium points and blue or black ink, but usually black. I hate anything too thin, too runny or too sharp against the paper. I love the roll and glide of ink across the page.
For some strange reason, I decided to bring an actual hardcover journal with me to the beach last weekend, hoping to use it to write when lounging in the sand. I discovered that journals are actually really handy to travel with because when I’m not at home, I can’t afford to have loose papers and notes, afraid that I might lose them en route. Journals are a form of efficient suitcase packing. They keep everything organized and in one place. Even so, this is no excuse for anyone to buy me a journal and expect for me to like it. I will probably transfer the notes I made in that journal to Microsoft Word and never use that journal again, unless I travel again sometime soon. They are no longer valuable to me in the medium in which they have been preserved, and they must be translated to something actually tangible to me.
Barbara Ehrenreich Has No Sense of Self
July 26th, 2006
In the July 31, 2006 issue of Time magazine, essayist and author (Bait and Switch and Nickel and Dimed) Barbara Ehrenreich writes about shifting gender roles in both education and the workplace. The essay, titled “Guys Just Want to Have Fun: And why they know exactly what they’re doing disturbs me.
Ehrenreich begins the essay by describing the gender roles of her time, “…an era when the cool kids smoked Gauloises and argued about Kierkegaard and Trotsky. In order to become successful, the author knew that she must follow the men’s example, studying chemistry and physics instead of a “girlie major” like Art history or French literature. From the start, Ehrenreich presents herself as an unreliable narrator of sorts. What she finds to be smart and practical, I find to be ridiculous. I do not trust a woman who, rather than feeling confident in her own sense and intelligence, followed the male lead.
Tell me, how am I to respect the opinion of a writer without a sense of self?
The author relays the facts: “Boys are less likely to go to college in the first place (only 45% of college students under 25 are male) and are less likely to graduate as well. According to Ehrenreich, following the male example now would be absolutely foolish. Interestingly enough, she contradicts herself in the next paragraph, when she explores the possible validity of male ambition or lack of it. She observes a future matriarchy, “…in which high-achieving women will rule over a nation of slacker guys, citing examples found in the socially penetrating and deeply insightful film You, Me, and Dupree which, according to her, we’ve all seen.
We’ve all heard about the male education crisis before. But here’s the real epiphany, the propaganda-shattering piece of wisdom: “But it may be that the boys still know what they’re doing. I don’t understand why it’s necessary for Ehrenreich to define everything in terms of what men are doing and where they’re going. Just when I think she’s starting to celebrate female progress in the corporate and intellectual worlds, she turns her essay into a male trend-watching update.
However, as the article goes on, Ehrenreich doesn’t just turn her back on the females; she also unfairly stereotypes males. It turns out that, just because men aren’t going to school, it doesn’t mean they’re not working on their personalities. “In a June article on corporate personality testing, the Washington Post reported on a woman who passed the skills test for a customer-care job but wasn’t hired because she failed the personality test…the best preparation for that all-important personality test may well be a college career spent playing poker and doing tequila shots. Is that really fair?
I’m not sure if the following is a rhetorical device used by Ehrenreich to defend her alarmist theory or if it’s a symptom of poor health for America: “The business world isn’t totally hostile to higher education – an M.B.A. still counts for something. And, paraphrasing G.J. Meyer, she writes: “…a higher degree in something other than business or law – or, worse, a stint of college teaching – can impart a deadly “academic stench” to one’s résumé. Whichever it is, I don’t think G.J. Meyer’s work appropriately supports her argument.
Ehrenreich concludes that men should continue developing their personality skills “…at keg parties”, that women should continue to be brainiacs because someone is going to have to correspond “…with Chinese and Indian brainiacs”, and that she’d still major in physics because at least one person should be smart enough to navigate through this and maybe write a lousy essay about it. Is Ehrenreich’s thinking so black and white that smart = science and dumb = party? Is there no room in America for literary geniuses and visionary artists? In an effort to promote her books, Ehrenreich has successfully alienated herself from males, females, and America.
“Birds of America” by Lorrie Moore
July 25th, 2006
Last night, I finished reading Birds of America by Lorrie Moore (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312241224/sr=8-1/qid=1153851779/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-6852188-7676618?ie=UTF8). This is the third book (Like Life, Anagrams) that I have read by the breathtakingly articulate, wise, sensitive and creative author who won Seventeen magazine’s fiction contest at the age of nineteen. Her work astounds me.
The second to last story in the collection, People Like That Are the Only People Here, was originally published in The New Yorker and was also reprinted in the The Best American Short Stories. Though the characters in the story are profoundly heartbreaking, Moore’s supreme talent for description and insightful narrative gripped me throughout.
My personal favorite was “What You Want to Do Fine”, a story about an alcoholic housepainter who embarks on a relationship with a blind man. Her rich use of metaphor and figurative language is neither heavy nor distracting. I want to spend a day in Moore’s mind.
Learn from My Mistakes
July 22nd, 2006
If you remember my Ebay post on June 26th, I have some interesting news to share regarding my experience. I turned my embarassing experience into an opportunity. Like Comma says, no experience can be bad as long as it gives you something to write about.
Flipping through the latest issue of Deliver (http://www.uspssales.com/deliver/Deliver_ViewIssues.asp) , a direct marketing magazine published by the USPS, I noticed a call for feedback: “we want to hear about the failed campaign, the half-baked strategy or the lamest client pet project you’ve had the joy of experiencing - and what you learned.” I wrote an email to the editor, describing my Ebay direct marketing disaster and, a few weeks later, I heard back.
My feedback letter will be published in Deliver #10. Look out for it soon!
Write with More Authenticity
July 7th, 2006
I’ve been working on a longer piece of fiction, and a good part of it takes place in a city I’ve never even visited: Montreal. Why would I choose to write about a place I’ve never been? I think it’s the most appropriate setting for the characters and the situation. Also, my descriptions may be more fresh and unique than if I had actually visited because I am relying on travel guides and testimonies to inform me.
Desperate for some genuine feedback about Montreal, I decided I would find a way to use Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org) for help. On the main page, there is a list of a cities on the right hand side. Under Canada, I just clicked on Montreal and tried to find the best category for my posting. I decided to post under “Community” in the category “General”. Here’s my post, titled “Share Your Montreal Expertise and Experience with a Writer”:
I’m a writer who lives in New Jersey, and I’m working on a short story that takes place in Montreal during L’International des Feux Loto-Québec (Montreal Fireworks Festival). I’ve never been to Montreal (I’d love to go, but am on a student’s budget) and know only what other people tell me about it. I really want to get a sense of what it’s like to live in Montreal, especially from someone who is young (20s-30s) and likes to dine out/enjoy the nightlife. We could correspond by email as I have a lot of questions. I would like to speak with someone who isn’t really looking for anything in exchange, just someone who is excited enough about Montreal to share their enthusiasm and experience. Thanks so much for your time!
I received two responses to my post, both from willing and enthusiastic Montreal residents, who were more than happy to answer my long list of questions. I will interpret their answers and adapt them to my story without copying them. It’s helpful to really try to visualize a written response because words can never convey anything exactly. Therefore, my imagination will show me a slightly different Montreal than the one they are describing - this is the Montreal I will use as the setting in my story.
If you’re ever stumped for a setting, it’s possible to write about it even if you’re never been there. You just have to ask the write questions of people who live it. Craigslist is a great place to generate discussion and dialogue and, for the most part, anyone that responds to your post, will be excited to corespond with you!
Del.icio.us: A Tasty Marketing Tool
July 1st, 2006
Del.icio.us (http://del.icio.us) is like the “Favorites” toolbar in your web browser, except that, by posting your favorite websites to your “my del.icio.u” page, you make them available to you and other registered users on any computer, as long as you have your username and password at hand.
It is also a social networking tool. When you add a new favorite website to your “my del.icio.us” page, you have the option of including “tags”, one-word search terms that you choose. These tags are both to help you organize and classify your favorite websites and as a way to make your favorite websites accessible to other users, who might come across a site you have tag if their search term matches your tag.
As you can probably tell, del.icio.us is very intuitive and rather difficult to explain. To really understand what it’s all about, I would suggest you register a username and explore the page for yourself. I did so yesterday, and I found that it all makes sense once you actually use the tool. There is an option to download a toolbar which become integrated into your IE toolbar for easy URL posting and access to your bookmarked websites, but I have found that it’s not necessary to download this.
It takes some creativity, but there are definitely ways to use this as a marketing tool:
1. Research
Exhibit A) So you’ve set up a del.icio.us account, and you have a specific topic in mind, snack cakes for example. If there is a snack cakes blog or website that you think may serve as an important media outlet, you can bookmark it. When you bookmark a website, regardless of whether or not you add tags, del.icio.us will show you how many other people have put that website on their favorites list. You can browse the favorites list of each and every one of those users, possibly finding other important snack cakes blogs or websites that they have hand-picked.
Exhibit B) Imagine if you could see the sites a journalist has bookmarked - you may gain some insight into what’s interesting to them. That’s what viewing a journalist’s del.icio.us account could do, if he/she has one. If the journalist has a blog, there’s a good possibility they have posted a link to their del.icio.us favorites site, which, when you click on it, would show you which sites the journalist frequents. (Based on a tip from http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/01/rss-feeds-and-online-pr)
2. Communication
Exhibit A) A team of two or more people are working on a similar project and want to update each other on content they have found on the internet. When one person comes across an article or website that he/she thinks another person on the team should read, that site can be bookmarked with del.icio.us with a unique tag previously agreed upon. The new URL will show up in an RSS reader. In addition, he/she can agree to share an account and, upon return to the my del.icio.us page, it is possible to view what anyone else sharing the account has added to a certain tag. (Adapted from http://www.intuitive.com/blog/interview_with_experts_whats_so_cool_about_delicious.html)
3. Marketing
Exhibit A) This is perfect if your product has its own website because the site can be used to generate hits through del.icio.us. All you have to do is bookmark the product’s website as a favorite and encourage other people (team members, friends, loyal customers) to do the same. Most important are the tags you choose when classifying the website – it’s vital to generate as many different tags as possible, thinking about what people might search for when they’re looking for a website. It’s like search engine marketing, in a way. (Adapted from http://www.dominicfoster.com/blogging/tools/website-marketing-with-wp-noteable-plugin/)
Hopefully this gave you a little more insight into the capabilities and functions of del.icio.us. Del.icio.us’ potential depends on your creativity and intuition. I think it’s a great tool.
