Yesterday, I spent most of my day preparing for -- and then undergoing -- an interview with a foundation that is considering making a major grant to the non-profit organization of which I am president for one more month. I think I'm going to be glad to move on to "immediate past president" status, where I can keep a finger in the pie without being held responsible for daily crises. When I got home from the interview and changed out of my "go-to-meeting" clothes, I actually sat down to do some writing -- something I've been avoiding for the last couple of weeks. Much to my surprise, the words started flowing easily. Time to get back to work! But life intervenes again. We're waiting for an electrician to arrive to figure out why we spend Memorial Day with five smoke detectors going off. (And no, it wasn't the BBQ grill that triggered them!) The only way we could get them to stop -- and allow the cats to crawl back out from under the bed -- was to yank them out of the ceiling and undo the wires. In the meantime, here are some interesting tidbits I found on the internet and scooped to the pages I curate. The Historian's Point of View: The Experiences of the Past, Seen through Current Events On this site, I'll be gathering articles about the craft of history -- new discoveries, new methods, new controversies. I enjoyed a short video on why the Dark Ages Weren't Dark. We've all been preaching this point over and over, but this short lecture sums it all up nicely. Find it at: http://www.scoop.it/t/the-historian-s-point-of-view The Writing Game: A Collection of Advice and Clever Tips for Writers of all Genres Every writer has a set of tricks to help navigate through thorny spots in the writing process. Maybe some of them will help you, too. There's a new way for non-fiction writers to handle their source materials. Historians will particularly appreciate the simplicity of this citation machine. And there's a bonus article here on the debatable merits of Amazon's Associates program. Find it at: http://www.scoop.it/t/the-writing-game Self-Publisher: How To Be Your Own Publisher without Going Bankrupt Current views and helpful tips from authors who have switched to self-publishing. Today I found an article that takes a clear-eyed view of rejection letters instead of instant fame. Find it at: http://www.scoop.it/t/self-publisher |
