March | 2011 | Shari Lopatin

Archive | March, 2011

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I don’t care for the word ‘blog’

I recently began a networking project with three other professional writers. And let me tell you, these ladies have a LOT of great advice to offer.

Therefore, I’ve invited each one to write a guest post for “Shari Lopatin: Rogue Writer.” Throughout the next few weeks, I’ll introduce each one to you. I encourage you to visit their sites, maybe even follow their blogs.

Today, please welcome Texas writer, V.V. Denman–who first caught my attention with a hilarious post about book-throwing to get the attention of literary agents. I recommend visiting her site, as she has a lot more great content to share:

I don’t care for the word blog.

Personal preference, but it just sounds weird. And it’s not even appropriately descriptive.

It makes me think of blob, flog, blood, bog and flop.

All of those words conjure negative thoughts in my otherwise happy little head.

Blog rhymes with dog, frog, hog, sog and clog, all of which can be undesirable.

Can’t we call this thing we do something that makes us sound better, not worse?

If I tell someone, “I’m a blogger.” It sounds like I’m a logger/booger mix.

In case you can’t get that visual image out of your head, I’ll give you this photograph of loggers, but spare you the one of the booger.

What’s a nice normal noun we could use to describe ourselves?

The term writer would work, but that’s somewhat overused.

I checked the online thesaurus, but apparently it’s not comfortable with blogger either. The word isn’t listed. So we’re on our own.

How about internet information recorders? Or daily keyboard scribblers? Or online diary makers? Or just public ramblers?

What about you?

What would you like to be called?

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V.V. Denman is a Christian writer from North Texas. When she’s not feverishly typing at her keyboard, she’s rolling her eyes at her husband’s corny jokes or laughing with her five children. Her two dreams in life are to raise said children to be responsible adults, then maybe, just maybe get a bit of her writing published. Visit her at vvdenman.com.

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Photo Credits: Jabba the Hut – Sideshow Collectibles / Bloody finger – Wikimedia Crystl via Flickr / Flogger – Wikimedia Henna / Soggy Field – Wikimedia Alan Murray-Rust / Frog – Wikimedia renwest via Flicker / Drain Out – Buy.com

Tags: blog, blogging, Communications, Creativity, humor, Social media, socialmedia, Writing

Comments 30 Comments
Categories Guest Posts

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5 Killer Twitter Tips: Expand Your Network Power!

21 Mar

I used to hate Twitter. No, seriously–I did.

Until I discovered its networking power. Less than six months ago, I opened my account. I initially had six followers, most of whom were personal friends. I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out how some people had 1,000 followers, yet only followed 300.

Now, I’ve not only helped build my company’s Twitter account to that status, but I’ve reached nearly 300 followers myself. Recently, I hit a personal landmark: more people are following me, than I follow others.

How have I managed to build this growing social media presence? Here are 5 killer Twitter tips that will help you develop your presence into a powerhouse:

1. Don’t make your tweets about you; make them about everyone else. People are selfish creatures. So, what makes you think they’ll care about YOUR blog post? They won’t. But they WILL care about improving their own presence on Twitter (hey, you’re on my blog, reading my stuff, aren’t you?).

2. Ask questions. If you wrote a cool blog post on how gardening inspired your creativity, your tweet could look like this: “How can gardening help YOU become more creative?” Then link to your post. Questions tease people’s curiosity.

3. Always, always thank or acknowledge your new followers. If you choose not to follow certain people or entities back, fine. Be prepared, they may not stick around. However, they’ll be more likely to keep following you if they see you’ve acknowledged their presence.

4. Be an information forum. Choose who you follow wisely–the experts in your field of practice. C’mon, you know who they are. THEN, let them feed you information, and you can tweet it to your followers. Your news will be coming from legit sources, and people will turn to you as an expert in the field.

5. Tweet often, but remember: it’s better to tweet fewer solid tweets, than many useless tweets.

Social media is a time investment. The tools may be free, but becoming an online sensation doesn’t happen overnight. Your community will build slowly, but, it will build. Just keep at it, and you’ll reap the rewards.

Like the advice I offer? Sign up to receive my blog posts by email (upper righthand corner). As a professional writer, journalist, and media strategist, I offer funny life stories, writing tips, and social media strategies to consider.

Tags: blog, blogging, branding, business, Communications, marketing, media, PR, Social media, socialmedia, Twitter, Writing

Comments 17 Comments
Categories Media Strategy/Marketing Tips

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Chompie’s for the Writer’s Soul (Special Post)

17 Mar

I’m shocked I’m not a fat tub of lard today–after all the Chompie’s I eat.

This is the first line of my first guest post, as an official blogger (I guess). The topic? The power of comfort food for creativity.

I’ve been published in magazines all over, but I’ve only been blogging about six months. Therefore, when fellow professional writer and blogger, Leah Singer, invited me to post on her site, “Leah’s Thoughts,” I couldn’t resist!

Come and join the fun. Read about how Chompie’s has changed my life as a writer, how comfort food can inspire YOUR creativity, and share which foods relax you. Read my guest post, Chompie’s for the Writer’s Soul.”

Tags: blog, blogging, Chompie's, Creativity, food, humor, inspiration, Judaism, life, religion, Writer's Block, Writing

Comments 3 Comments
Categories Funny Life Stories, Writing Tips

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The Curse of Knowledge–Do You Have It?

14 Mar

I bet Adam and Eve never saw this phrase coming thousands of years after that dang apple.

Google Images

Nevertheless, here it is: The Curse of Knowledge.

“What in God’s name is she talking about?” you might ask. Well, it’s the golden piece of advice for any writer OR business owner trying get a message to the public.

What is the Curse of Knowledge?

You cannot summarize the curse of knowledge in one sentence. It’s an idea, an understanding.

Think of this: Have you ever listened to a doctor describe a diagnosis, and every term they used scrambled your brains? Or perhaps, a lawyer’s “jargon talk”confused your understanding of a topic even more.

This doctor, or lawyer, was so engrossed in his or her field of specialty, that upon talking to YOU–an outsider–he or she FORGOT how much they know. Consequently, you did not understand or fully absorb their message or information.

This is the curse of knowledge. And every professional deals with it.

Break the curse!

Journalists know about the dreaded curse. They are some of the foremost experts in taking something complicated, and breaking it down. The result? The average reader can absorb the information.

How can you learn this skill?

First and foremost, self-awareness is key. If you know the curse exists, try to identify when it reveals itself. Here are some other techniques you can use to break the curse:

1) Ask yourself, “Could a 5th-grader understand what I’m trying to explain?” If not, go back and simplify. (Hint: Layman’s terms)

2) Ask a colleague or acquaintance OUTSIDE your field of specialty to review your article, or blog, or video, etc. Then, ask what message they took away. If it’s not what you wanted to convey, you know the curse struck.

3) Your communications are littered with jargon. This is very typical in business or corporate writing. If you’re writing for your executives, then fine. However, if you’re writing to encourage the average person to take action (whether it’s to buy something or donate their time), this type of communication will turn people away.

So tell me, have you been struck with the curse of knowledge? And how did you overcome it?

Tags: blog, blogging, business, Communications, journalism, marketing, PR, professional development, Social media, socialmedia, Writing

Comments 9 Comments
Categories Writing Tips

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Are You Platinum-Worthy?

7 Mar

I am finally a person.

After all these years, my bank has deemed me “Platinum-worthy,” at last. I received my new debit card via mail the other day. Not because I ordered it, but because my other three-year-old card expired March 1.

Google Images

Here’s a little secret though: I didn’t even know Platinum debit cards existed.

I’m not quite sure what makes me Platinum-worthy. I don’t even own a credit card. Is it because I’ve been a loyal customer since 2003? Or perhaps the fact I’m finally a homeowner? Maybe, since I’ve broken my record of longest-held job (three years!), my bank said, “NOW she’s a grown-up. Send her the silver!”

Regardless, I now know I’ve made it to the “middle class,” even if I’m at the bottom.

Here’s my question to you

I know this particular post may not be writer-related, but I thought it was worth writing about. Therefore, here are some questions to consider, even for writers:

Do you think you’re “Platinum-worthy?” Why or why not? How do you think these labels define, or even separate, a society? And can they have positive effects, such as incentives to work harder and succeed?

Finally, for my WRITERS . . . how might these questions develop into a deeper theme for a story?

Tags: Banking, blog, blogging, business, Communications, Creativity, Finances, humor, investing, investments, money, philosophy, Writing

Comments 13 Comments
Categories Funny Life Stories, Writing Tips

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Barnes & Noble Welcomes Self-Published Writers? Yup!

1 Mar

For the first time ever, self-published authors may have a shot at placing their books on the shelves of Barnes and Noble–so to speak.

Google Images

This news, reported in a Feb. 24 article published by GalleyCat on Mediobistro.com, comes right as Borders announced it’s filing for bankruptcy. According to the article, Barnes and Noble opened its doors to writers using the PubIt! self-publishing program.

Just to make sure this was a legit report, I hopped onto Barnes and Noble’s corporate website. Sure enough, there sat the official press release, “More than 11,000 Independent Publishers and Self-Publishing Authors Bring Their Digital Works to Barnes & Noble’s PubIt!™ Publishing Platform.”

How does PubIt! work?

Personally, I’d never heard of PubIt! Therefore, I followed the link to this program from the Barnes and Noble press release. Here’s what I found:

PubIt! appears to be Barnes and Noble’s self-publishing platform for eBooks.
It launched four months ago, according to the press release.
The website for PubIt! states there is no cost to use the service.
According to the PubIt! service policies, “the publisher will set a List Price for each eBook between $0.99 and $199.99.”
It also appears, from the service policies, the publisher will be paid royalties off the List Price.
I personally found the site and platform easy to use, from my brief time poking around.

What does this mean for writers?

This is a huge paradigm shift for publishers and writers. Can lesser known, self-published authors now compete with major names such as Nora Roberts, Dan Brown and Sara Gruen (Water for Elephants)? Do publishing houses and literary agents hold the same weight as they used to? Or can any marketing-savvy writer now make his or her way into the world of publishing and take the literary audience by storm?

Here’s another scenario to consider: perhaps this is a way for giant, Barnes and Noble, to tap into the huge market of self-published writers. Is this just a ploy to make money, while the real edge still remains in the hands of major publishing houses?

Take a moment and contemplate. Then tell me: what do you think?

Tags: articles, Barnes and Noble, blog, blogging, books, Borders, branding, Communications, Creativity, eBooks, journalism, marketing, media, news, publishing, self-publishing, Social media, Writing

Comments 14 Comments
Categories Industry News

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