Web Savvy will go another round with focus on tech and content opportunities

I just mailed the new contract for my column Web Savvy to continue at The Writer. I was thrilled the editors are pleased with the response to my column because I’m passionate about the opportunities technology is opening up for writers. In coming months, I’ll cover a variety of topics and hopefully, find an expert (top bloggers who'd like some exposure, where are you?) who will help explain basics for writers who want to learn about using video to help tell stories. Digital recorders, backup programs, SEO and even favicons are all on my planned content list.

When I bought my first computer at the urging of my husband, I hung onto my word processor. I figured if I didn’t like the computer, I still had a backup. Needless to say, I never used the backup. For me, the computer has really allowed me to expand the services I offer clients in ways I never envisioned. Recently, I discussed with a client the possibility of live blogging an election event. I routinely use video for my posts, and I have become fairly adept at taking still photos. In the early days of freelancing, I never thought I’d do any of that because a lot of the technology didn’t exist yet. I admit I really enjoy learning new things and seeing results of my trial and error attempts when I'm trying out a new program.

The other day my daughter came home and told me she’s thinking about majoring in English. That’s what I did. My daughter likes to write, but I told her the truth—major in multimedia and minor in English. You have to master the language, but you also need to know something about the different options for content.

As publications focus on Web content, opportunities and challenges will continue to arise. I plan to track them diligently for you twice a month at Web Savvy.

Along with a team of writers, I also do a 3x weekly column for Beneath the Brand. If you haven’t read articles there, take a look. The site is an amazing resource for those who want to learn about or work in marketing or advertising.

Today’s writer, regardless of specialty, needs to be savvy about the Web. It goes without saying we also need to be savvy about the language. I view the words as the linchpin, but you can really broaden their impact with a little Web savvy.

FCCJ’s International Education Week in November to feature poetry readings from acclaimed writers

Florida Community College’s Downtown Campus will host two acclaimed writers during International Education Week this November.

In celebration of International Education Week, the Downtown Campus of Florida Community College at Jacksonville will host Celia Lisset Alvarez and Marisella Veiga on November 19, 2007. Both writers will read selections from their works. A reception and book signing will follow the readings. The event is free and open to the public.

Ms. Alvarez is an award-winning poet, the author of two poetry chapbooks (Shapeshifting, Spire Press, 2006 and The Stones, Finishing Line Press, 2006) and an educator. She resides in Miami where she is Interim Director of the St. Thomas University Writing Center in Miami. Ms. Alvarez has held teaching positions at several Florida institutions including St. Thomas University, the University of Miami, Miami-Dade College and Florida International University. Her poetry, essays and reviews have been widely published and anthologized. Her reading will begin at 8PM.

Ms. Veiga’s writing includes news reporting, short fiction and poetry. She has written on a freelance basis for the past six years for clients such as the Washington Post, Hispanic Link News Service, Women’s Independent Press and Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education. Ms. Veiga’s writing has been recognized with several honors including a Pushcart Prize Special Mention in Short Fiction (1996) and the Evelyn La Pierre Award for Journalism (2004). She has taught at Georgetown University and other colleges in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. She will read from her work beginning at 7PM.

Historically known as the “International” campus for its large multicultural student body, FCCJ’s Downtown Campus will celebrate International Education Week with a number of fun and educational events in concert with activities held at the College’s other campuses. The guest poets’ reading will climax the celebration of International Education Week.

FCCJ’s Downtown Campus is located at 101 West State Street in Downtown Jacksonville. The campus has been undergoing modernizations and the event will occur in the newly-renovated Auditorium on the First Floor.

The appearance of the two poets is made possible through an FCCJ Learning Communities Mini Grant.
(from FCCJ news release)

Writers find inspiration like a penny on the sidewalk

I came across this statue at Marywood Retreat as I finished interviews for a newspaper story. I'll gaze at the photo tacked to my bulletin board until, one day, my pen will begin to crawl across my notebook.

I was interviewing an author this morning for my Web Savvy column, and I mentioned inspiration. To me, the process is sort of like finding a penny on the sidewalk. Since I was a girl, I’ve checked first to see whether the coin was heads up or down. Heads up meant pick the coin up, pocket it and wait for good luck to follow. Sometimes I’d make a wish. Heads down meant pass on the coin.

Inspiration is very much like that penny on the sidewalk. You often encounter it unexpectedly, and you still don’t know what to expect from the encounter until you take a closer look. Despite the overwhelming creative bent, this is a key approach to running my business. I call myself a writer, but what keeps me working rests on the information I can provide and craft. The more unique the information and the more unique the style, the chances for publication rise. By unique style, I don’t mean writing the pronoun ‘I’ in lower case or paring away all the modifiers. I mean the way the piece sounds to someone’s ear, how the person’s brain perceives the information.

Poets and writers can often be on inspiration overload. Once you train the eye and brain, opportunities for creating a work of art from words abound. I’ve sold several pieces related to kumquats, all because I discovered those peculiar little fruits as a girl and many years later, bumped into a kumquat tree for the first time as we shopped at a plant nursery. A polychrome sculpture of the Virgin Mary in an art museum in South Carolina almost got me arrested. I sat for so long in the room containing the statue, the security guard began to hover. That experience led me to write a poem that is one of the only poems I’ve written that satisfies me, and it was included in my last collection. Newspapers and old cookbooks, my husband and daughters, my dog, my chicken and my cat have also spurred my pen to write poetry and prose. And the relationship with my mother is a veritable gold mine.

When I speak to groups, people often ask me if I get writer’s block. I have to say I don’t. It is true that sometimes I just don’t really feel very inspired. But if I gaze around my writing room long enough, something is bound to shine, just like that penny on the sidewalk.

To read a sampler of works I've published, visit my page at Media Bistro.

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Five great Web sites for writers

Want to know which digital camera is best for your budget and your purpose? Or how to shorten that URL to an easier-to-remember Web address? Or whether a Web site has published your content without legal permission? How about finding information about fair poetry and writing contests? Or maybe just find a site with forums, markets and writer-bewares (not to mention a free newsletter). Here are five Web sites useful to writers.

1. PC World is a commercial site with information about tools and aids for the computer. There’s a great review of digital cameras. I looked at cameras on-site, and then quizzed an editor I knew about the best camera for my needs. Being able to take a good photo is a great asset if you’re providing content for Web sites or for newspapers. You don’t necessarily need the most expensive camera.

2. TinyURL.com is the site with a quick fix for a long URL. Visit the page to learn how to convert that really long Web address into something snappy and easy to remember.

3. Copyscape allows you to input a URL to see if your content has been used elsewhere on the Web.

4. Winning Writers offers a free newsletter and basic site access as well as a more expansive subscription at a modest fee for information about fair contests.

5. Writers Weekly is tops for general information, forums, markets and writer bewares. I’d say Angela Adair Hoy is probably one of the best independent advocates for writers on the Web. Free newsletter. The Web site also has a great comparison chart about print-on-demand publishing costs.

I’ve personally used each of these sites with great results.