Category Archives: Research tips
Are Writers Made or Born? by Jack Kerouac (transcribed for the first time!)
I transcribed this article from two image files at the Writer’s Digest website. I have introduced line breaks of my own to make the text more readable online. This is a six minute read. Kerouac reserves the word “genius” (and … Continue reading
Posted in art, editing writing, fiction, Newspaper article, non-fiction writing, organizing writing, Research tips, revising writing, Thoughts on writing, Uncategorized, Writing tips
Tagged .pdf, advice on writing, Kerouac, transcription, writer, writer's digest, writing, writing style
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Revising an Ontra White Paper
Revising an Ontra Whitepaper I rewrote an Ontra (external link) white paper recently to show them how I could write and edit for their company. I have over five years of legal content creation experience and that is what they … Continue reading
Sound Check!
Good audio trumps bad video. People tolerate fairly poor video with good sound. If the video is great but the audio bad, well, people tune out. This iRig mike (external link) can also plug directly into an iPhone’s Lightning port, … Continue reading
Posted in editing writing, Research tips, Uncategorized, video
Tagged audio, good audio, interviewing, iris, microphones, poor audio
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What Does Junk Mail and Wikipedia Have in Common?
The answer is that both only get a two to three percent response to their solicitations. And while junk mail sells junk, Wikipedia serves a good purpose. Their articles do a fine job of providing secondary source material (external link) and … Continue reading
A Stock Photography Tour of the Southwestern United States
I’m off to New Mexico and Arizona in the first week of October. I’ll be gone at least seven days, possibly ten, looking at rock shops, places to collect, museums, and natural wonders. Along the way I’ll be taking photographs … Continue reading
The Essential Errata
NB: Updated for clarity on June 14, 2022 The Essential Errata An errata or corrigendum is a corrections list, a paper or web page noting and correcting errors in a publication, typically a large academic work. The errata fills the gap … Continue reading
Posted in books, BYU Introduction to Geology, editing writing, non-fiction writing, Research tips, Thoughts on writing, Uncategorized, Writing by others
Tagged academic work, An Introduction to Physical Geology by Christiansen and Hamblin, corrections sheet, corrigendum, editing, errata, errors, revisions, textbook
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An Expanding Balloon
Have you ever attempted an article so complex that it demands a timeline or a character map? Right now I am working with an editor to come up with an angle on a story about an inland lake. What do … Continue reading
Battling Through a Cold – Working on A TOC
After I got back from Atlanta a week ago I developed a bad cold. It lingers still. I want to get a book proposal (internal link) done by January 2d and I fear I may not make it. Aside from … Continue reading
Estimating Nonfiction Book Sales – One Example
I’ve been in touch with a book publisher about an idea I have for a Nevada travel book. He asked me to work up some figures. How many copies would it sell? Not knowing any way to estimate, I spent … Continue reading