Category: I’m A Fan

Best proofreader EVER

I came across @nyttypos from these two articles – here and here – and now I’m wondering where he’s been all my life.

A self-described “appellate lawyer and persnickety dude,” he’s delightfully witty and scathing* in his tweets – a college-level course in grammar.

Follow and learn!

*Normally I wouldn’t use “scathing” to describe something positive. However, in the case of proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation, scathing is appropriate. There are too many means of checking your writing to ever claim ignorance.

What can you accomplish in 10 minutes? More than you think!

If you find yourself crunched for time amid your work-in-progress, I highly recommend 10 Minute Novelists.

The header on the site says, “Recognized by Writer’s Digest List of 101 Top Websites in 2016, 2018 & 2019,” and there’s good reason why. The site includes informative blog posts, writing challenges, and perhaps most important, a community of like-minded people – i.e., time-crunched writers.

It was started by Katharine Grubb back in 2006, and … well, she tells the story best here.

The community “gathers” in a Facebook group (check it out here). I joined many years ago, and it’s still one of my favorite groups. Like many Facebook groups, there are strict rules (e.g., no self-promotions, membership restricted to individuals, professional courtesy maintained, etc.), which keeps the group – now up to 15,000+ members – running smoothly.

The Facebook group includes a Question of the Day, Monday Blogs (where you can share the latest post of your blog if you have one), Buddy Day Tuesdays (where you can find help, such as beta readers), and Author Happiness Wednesday (where you can share whatever good is happening in your world).

The posts from members, usually regarding a particular problem the writer is having with a work-in-progress, are often valuable lessons and sometimes entertaining.

Mike and his spaghetti models keep us all even-keeled

Huge shout-out to www.spaghettimodels.com (on Facebook as Mike’s Weather Page and on Twitter as @tropicalupdate). I recommend following him everywhere you find him.

It’s not necessarily something to help with your writing, but it’s definitely a sanity saver if you live on the coast and see a hurricane heading your way. As was the case this week with Hurricane Isaias.

Mike’s web site is a treasure trove of graphs, charts, and models curated from weather sources. Seriously – this screen grab (below) is showing only a tiny piece of all the site offers.

Mike typically gives live updates on Facebook to explain the different models and charts – and he does it with a dash of humor, which, let’s face it, one can use when the weather gets crazy. He often features his two sidekicks (French bulldogs), Hurricane Louis and Hunter.

spaghettimodels
http://www.spaghettimodels.com

 

Remote and flex jobs

If you’re in the market for remote/virtual or flexible job, two of the best job posting sites out there are Virtual Vocations and FlexJobs.

The job postings include part-time, full-time, remote, and contract.

You can access both to browse jobs, but you have to be a paid member to access the full postings.

I’ve used both and have gotten decent gigs through them. Highly recommend.

Winning your way onto the screen

Here’s one for my fellow screenwriters out there. MovieBytes is my go-to for all the info on upcoming screenwriting contests, including:

  • Full details (objective, rankings, deadlines/entry fees, discounts if available, awards, etc.)
  • Contest directory (sorted a host of ways, such as: most significant, regional, festival, free, etc.)
  • Contest calendar (final deadlines only)
  • Deadline alert on the righthand column
  • Contest news
  • Info on winning scripts (writers can add to the database where producers/agents/managers can access them)
  • HollywoodIQ (news and interviews from the industry)
  • Free newsletter delivered to your inbox

Circling the © sign: resources on copyright law

If you’re going to write and get published – whether blog posts, newspaper/magazine articles, books, whatever – sooner or later you’re going to encounter these (and other) issues with copyright:

  • Knowing how and when to file a copyright on your work.
  • Making sure you’re not violating copyright or fair use laws when you’re quoting or linking to someone else’s work or site.
  • Knowing what to do if someone violates the copyright on your work.

The U.S. Copyright Office has more information than you ever thought you’d need on copyright laws and policies, including details on Title 17 of the U.S. Code and Fair Use.

Find them on Twitter (@CopyrightOffice) or on YouTube (/uscopyrightoffice).

They also have a blog and offer several email subscriptions.

Another excellent resource is Copyright Law in 2020 Explained in One Page, which is much more readable than the .gov info.

LOC is a researcher’s BFF

Doing some research on your work-in-progress? Check out the Library of Congress Research and Reference Services. You’ll want to bookmark it so you can spend quality time there.

I found it to be one of the most pleasant rabbit holes I’d ever gone down.

If you’re not familiar, I recommend starting at the Quick Links (on the far right column) with the Getting Started and Frequently Asked Questions pages.

Also bookmark-worthy: