Having a Voice

Some us are writers and desire to express ourselves in whatever is our style. Some of use mixed genre, fiction, nonfiction, advocacy, poetry, informative speech, humor, romance, reportage, opinion. We desire to entertain, educate, provoke conversation and thought, critical thinking, emotion and release.

Some of us use writer venues to practice and prepare our public presentations. Critiques of those rough drafts are essential. There are alternatives to writer groups. There are books. There are courses. The tried and haphazard "do it yourself" in a vacuum behind your locked [fill in the correct word] door. Of course, there's the mandatory practice in order to learn, perfect, develop the ability to do more effectively and faster with little concentration involved because the practice has caused delivery to become instinctive. And there's the critical thinking involved in creating the content.

Unfortunately, some audiences don't leave comments or evaluations so the speaker/presenter moves on in blindness while attempting to sort out for their own selves what was good and effective, what needs attention (as well as specific attention). That's when it becomes rough going because self evaluation and critiques can sometimes focus on adjusting what doesn't need attention - while other parts need work. (Isn't it wonderful that there are content editors available?)

Some of us simply want to convey our joy through a particular type of communication and share it with the rest of the world. But that "P" word [practice] is a critical part of lifting one's voice. The message needs to be effective and attractive so that it can be heard through the speaker's (writer's) voice.

So being part of a communication group, be it Toastmasters, a writers group, a class in some form of writing, is critical to perfecting the message and shaping the voice so the message can be heard.

The beauty of some online writers groups is that they focus on more than merely producing content. Some more effective groups engage in conversation about what some styles are - and then launch into practicing that style. Others share awareness of venues where content is being sought or availability of venues where a certain type of content is sought for publication. They become an unofficial Writer's Market via word of keyboard.

The point is we have voices that convey a particular message in a particular style for a particular reason. Rather than writing in a vacuum and have reception of the message go through hit-or-miss success, it's far better to use our social skills to practice using our voices raise the effectiveness of what's said.

Do you know the name of your Muse?

For Your Consideration:

• WordWizards online writers group
  
• So You Want to Start a Podcast: Finding Your Voice, Telling Your Story, and Building a Community That Will Listen
  
• 3 Tips For Writing Web Copy That Converts
  
• How to Use Imagery: 9 Songwriting Tips with Andrea Stolpe
  
• HR Genius
  

Engagement

Telling a story involves having a subject, attracting your audience to the narrative, and making them glad of the experience (generally speaking).

So what can the subject be? Sometimes it's a person and what they experienced. Then the question becomes why should anyone be interested in the story of Joe or Jane Doe? There needs to be some unique matter about the person (or their experience) that causes curiosity about them, a type of intrigue that creates a hunger to know what happens next.

At this juncture, hearken to the post image. It's merely an athletic tote. Or maybe it's a travel bag. You know, there's a possibility that it's merely a storage bag filled with nondescript items that puff it out and make you wonder what's inside. Just image if it's an unclaimed item for sale at a public storage facility. Maybe it holds the stash that was part of the 1938 bank robbery. That one's not plausible because the bag wouldn't be made of synthetic fiber. Then again, maybe that old lost stash got transferred from the leather bag into the synthetic because (for some reason) the leather needed to be replaced with a more sturdy material. (See how that goes?)

The key is creating engagement with the audience. They may see the image but something needs to be added to the recipe to entice them to discover more - and keep learning more as the the story unravels.

So what's the story associated with the tote?

You May Be Interested:

• New-Book-Plots-Constructing-Storytelling
  
• The Storytelling Edge: How to Transform Your Business, Stop Screaming into the Void, and Make People Love You
  
• Hone your skills in WordWizards
  

Purposeful Writing

When it comes to writing, there are some things that require clarification in order to attack the mission with purpose and make it effective. In particular, it's important to recognize the differences among the many genres. The communication may be excellent but misses the target because it conveyed too much, not enough, or the argument wasn't sufficiently substantiated.

In particular, there is a difference between an article and a blog post. Those two mediums are definitely very different from a report, letter, white paper, memo, or email. Their basis and intent are not on the same level.

A Blog Post

What's your definition of an article compared to a blog post? That distinction has been on my mind since June 21 of this year. Perhaps the blog post is an evolved, digital version of an article whereas an article will always be published in a magazine or newspaper. Time to return to investigate by considering those early days when blogging first came on the scene. It was more like a journal entry. It captured the various thoughts the writer had about a particular subject. It seems to have evolved over time to being somewhere between a journal entry and an editorial. Still, it exists as a thought piece. The research that substantiates the conclusions helps to support them. If the research also becomes bibliographic information to accompany the post, some will assume the bibliography is not proof of the conclusions but free research put at their complete disposal.

Back to the distinction between a blog post compared to an article. For that matter, what about those special-interest news programs? Are those merely stories, articles or reports? Sometimes they seem to be entertainment for the sake of helping the viewing public distracted from the tedium of daily life rather than news per se.

Some are quick to call a person a hobbyist because they blog. True enough, there are those who blog about news and endeavor to report the news. They even call themselves journalists and reporters although they have no training in journalism, reporting, and copy editing. Many times they have good communication and writing skills. Some are even paid to blog, compared with write articles. These activities get us into making certain we're using the right term when referring to the writer.

The term for a non-journalist reporter blogger (that is, one who has no formal training or background in reporting or journalism) is a "citizen journalist." There are several opinions expressed about who and what qualifies as citizen journalist as well as the benefits that accrue to that status. Over the course of time, those who have more capitalistic leanings will spot the needs and avail themselves of filling the void. Thus, putting the term "citizen journalism school" into a search engine will result in many options.

An Article

As with any other type of writing, the article (no matter what the medium) needs to be engaging. It needs to tell a good story and make the reader feel it is relevant to their being better informed, better able to make good choices, and live a better existence because of the reliability of the information they used. The same principle holds true with all good writing, whether fiction or nonfiction, business or scholastic, oration or recreation.

Then we move into who is qualified to write the magazine or newspaper article. It's typically a reporter who writes up the information and submits it to their publication. This is the more narrow role of someone who is a journalist. There are certain responsibilities that attend to each capacity that in many instances do not attach to the citizen journalist who blogs about something that happened.

It's important that the journalist and reporter provide as factual an account in their informative disposition as is possible. Their biases need to be put aside or at least admitted so that there's as little slanted reporting and undue influence. Otherwise, it isn't journalism as much as it is editorial and opinion.

The Good Journalist

Providing a good, unbiased, informative article requires the ability to speak up and the courage to push back if the logic isn't sound or the concept is too novel for carte blanche authority. These attributes are also true of the good lawyer, as well as the fact-finding professions that are grounded on getting the best information possible to serve their clients. The accuracy is critical. Working on assumptions, and with little to no exposure nor appreciation of the driving elements of the situation simply is not an effective way to deliver quality. You need to speak up when something isn't clear. It's essential to ask good questions - even during the writing process.

Which leads me to some additional thoughts. Is it mandatory that a good journalist, whether citizen journalist or reporter, be a member of a journalistic organization? Should they be compensated for their time and effort in providing their services? What constitutes eligibility to be a member of any of these formal organizations or even a writers union?

Just a closing aside. Remember to use the style guide appropriate to your vehicle.

Resources:

Citizen Journalism

• Pros and Cons of Citizen Journalism, Crystal Lombardo, Vision Launch (June 2, 2016)
  
• The pros and pros of 'citizen journalism', Jason Stverak, Online Journalism Review, USC Annenberg (March 12, 2010)
  
• Citizen Journalism Pros and Cons, apecsecadmin, Asia-Pacific Economics Blog
  (Apr 18, 2015)
  
• Understanding Citizen Journalism: The Power and Perils of Independent Reporting, Tony Rogers, ThoughtCo.com (Updated February 05, 2018 )
  
• Blogging vs. Journalism: The Ongoing Debate, Jacob Friedman, The Next Web (Aug 18, 2010)
  

Journalists and Reporters

• What Is the Difference Between a Journalist & a Reporter?, Scott Knickelbine, Chron.com (Updated July 01, 2018)
  
• What is journalism?, American Press Institute
  
• What is the purpose of journalism?, American Press Institute
  
• Understanding Bias, American Press Institute
  

Journalism Organizations

• Professional Journalism Organizations
  
• The National Press Club
  
• Society of Professional Journalists
  
• Associated Press
  
• National Writers Union
  
• Online News Organization
  

Additional Resources:

• The Elements of Journalism, Revised and Updated 3rd Edition: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect
  
• Associated Press Guide to News Writing: The Resource for Professional Journalists
  
• Read Consultant's Desk on Kindle
  

The Implied Sense

So many words are part of our daily lexicon that it's rare that we consider the implied meaning or sense that it gives to the listener or the reader. As writers and communicators, we're setting the mood that envelopes the audience. To give substance to the piece, the tone needs to deliver the right attitude. That's one of the reasons why a few lessons in university English were indelibly learned while also coming to the realization about one particular word, "but."

Such a simple word. There were a few subtle things about it that were shared the night that the instructor faulted me on its use. She then turned to another student to explain what it meant to use the word "but." She also asked him to come up with some alternative words that convey a more positive attitude. The word "however" was one that was offered. Other words offered were "also" and "yet." Thesaurus.com offers some additional alternatives. During that class night, poor "but" was left standing in the corner like a rejected distant cousin.

The problem with "but" was that it is a negative word, implies a negative exception. Yes, it has a dual function in our vocabulary. It is a preposition that allows one to transition from one thought to another. It's also a conjunction used for similar purposes. However, it is best used to transition from the positive to the negative. For example, "We had a wonderful trip but the car broke down so we didn't have time to do all the sightseeing that was planned." Dictionary.com explains this.

The "usage notes" regarding "but" are also very helpful. They deal with punctuation associated with the use of the word as a conjunction and when it is used as a prepositional beginning of a sentence.

No matter how it's used, consider the tone that your striving to achieve with your communication. It can be more positive if it weren't for all those "if"s and "but"s. It all part of the implied message.

Resources:

• Commas before conjunctions (e.g., and, or, but)
  
• How to Begin a Sentence With 'And' or 'But'
  
• But vs. yet
  
• Coordinating Conjunctions
  
• But vs. Though, Grammar-Quizzes.com
  

Useful Tools:

• Read In a Word via Kindle
  
• PHR/SPHR Certification Exam Preparation
  

Guidelines to Publishing

Those of you who've been following my activities on social media are aware that I gave a talk last month about domestic and workplace abuse.

There was the research for the most current information and practices. There was getting past the barriers to reaching those sources. And the challenge of getting digital handouts was enormous. (Consider attempting to collect paper copies from a physical - not virtual - location when you have no personal vehicle but do have mobility impairments and the resources are more than 15 miles away in any direction.) Then came writing the manuscript (think speech). Started as a script with a resource list. Became a PowerPoint. Moved back to script. You're also aware that I was developing digital resources to accompany that talk. That was why we returned to the idea of a script. That resource was to become my first ebook.

Needless to say, there was a lot of learning to do about how to self publish. Enter the generosity of some virtual colleagues who shared their knowledge of e-publishing - from 2008. Technologies and software have changed about every two years. So the guidance about how to do things from one source was good but the the way to do it was obsolete (not to mention time consuming when it came to interpolation). Fortunately, some of those authors pointed to updated versions. And those updated versions pointed to newer instructions.

Ultimately (around the tenth hour and return to PowerPoint - with more success), I kept being steered to some of the best known self publishing sites that have instructions about preparing your manuscript for digital publication. (Some of them even offer advice on how to convert from digital to print!)

Publishing is more than researching and then writing a manuscript. There is an entire process to it. The foundation is creating a plan. (Yes, I know. Planning detracts from inspirational writing. Spontaneity detracts from delivering a meaningful message.) Over the past five months, I've uncovered some remarkable materials about the steps involved in publishing a book. It can be applied to publishing anything, including a resume or profile. And what has me talking to you today is coming across an email promo from Writers Market that talks about the 100 things a writer should know about publishing. It's extremely similar to other content that went before it. You know, I think we can rely on this information.

So today I'm providing you with links to the self publishing sites as well as the resources they provide about using their site to self publish. (Disclaimer: The next sentence is unabashed promo.) Just remember that you can come to me to get proofreading (or editing) services for your masterpiece. As is indicated in the name of this site, you can also just get a constructive critique.

All of that messing about that went into preparing for last month's talk had a starting point. The idea and presenting it along with a plan in the back of my mind about how it was to be delivered and to whom it was intended to reach. Of the 100 things a writer should know is start with a plan.

Now for that list of resources.

Resources:

• IngramSpark - 100 Things Authors Should Know (check the Entrances Bulletins for information and link)
  
• Plan Your Book
  
• IngramSpark - Publishing IQ Quiz from IngramSpark
  
• BISACs: Cracking the Code
  
• How to make and publish an eBook from BookBaby
  
• Five Steps to Self Publishing from BookBaby
  
• SmashWords Style Guide
  
• Formatting Parts of an eBook from Digital Publishing 101
  
• Introduction to Ebook Publishing (Smashwords tutorial series, #1), a YouTube video
  
• What is KDP?: Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing Explained
  
• KDP Tools and Resources
  <-- amended items 11/9/17 >
  
• KDP How-to Resource Guide
  
• KDP Help Pages
  
• CreateSpace How-to Resource Guide
  

Sponsored Links:

• The McGraw-Hill Desk Reference for Editors, Writers, and Proofreaders
  
• Poets & Writers Magazine
  

About Copyright Notices

So the publication is written, formatted, and ready to be published. Time to do the happy dance.

But wait a minute. There are those folks who think that because there's no copyright notice anywhere on the content that they're free to reproduce it or even put their name on it or submit it elsewhere and say they produced it. Let's get the copyright notice on this baby.

Er, what should be in the copyright notice? It's pretty simple. "@ [insert year] [insert name of author]". There. You've created the copyright notice. Want a variation of it? Okay. "Copyright [insert year] [insert name of author]". Just open any book to the cover page or the copyright page. You'll find an example in either of those locations. (Sometimes the copyright page is combined with the cover page.)

If you're dealing with those copyright neophytes, you may want to include some restricted rights language. Follow your copyright notice with the sentence, "All rights reserved."

Unfortunately, these folks have no clue about what "reserved" means. So you can expand the statement with additional details. The Book Designer provides the language that can be used for legal notices, both long form as well as short. There's no guarantee that they'll pay any attention to the language. However, duplicating services do understand what it means and they will not reproduce a work that lacks the proper notices. Heavy penalties are levied if they're caught violating these laws.

The Book Designer goes into a lot (I mean a lot) of detail about what to do if you discover your content is being "shared" all over the place. (Can you tell I've discovered another book publishing magi?)

Okay. It's time to start working on the manuscript, inserting the images, formatting the table of contents and chapter headings. Then this precious babe can get submitted to the publisher.

And the next bit of satisfaction can start. Rehearsing the speech.

Wait a minute. What about that thing called the ISBN?

Resources:

• Copyright Page Samples You Can Copy and Paste Into Your Book
  
• Self-Publishing Basics: An Unabridged List of the Parts of a Book
  
• Avast! Piracy and the Self-Publisher
  
• Digital Millennium Copyright Act
  

Sponsored Links:

• The Self-Publisher's Quick & Easy Guide to Copyright (The Self-Publisher's Quick & Easy Guides)
  
• Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook: Updated Guide to Protecting Your Rights and Wallet
  

Is This What You Want?

Yes, it's very prudent to go into a new environment and do a lot of listening before speaking up (and showing how much you don't yet know). It's also very easy to listen a lot and attempt to make an addition to the conversation. Then it's time to muster the courage to launch into doing something in the venue to gain experience and recognition.

So it is with stepping from reading, to writing, to submitting, to publishing, to becoming self published. There's all the stuff that has different names. What seemed like a straightforward reference to a particular portion of the book is not what it seemed. (This isn't First Grade anymore.) And looking it up before speaking only leads to finding great information but on a different path. Does that mean do more listening? It means learning the terminology.

Foot in Mouth

So you want to know how to handle formatting the front matter. Front matter is just what it sounds like. It means the. beginning of the book. But here we are in the Electronic Age. There are print books and there are digital or ebooks. The front matter for one is very different from the other. So you talk about wanting to format front matter to someone hoping they'll reveal some precious nuggets to get you started on your own project. You think you're talking about the book cover, title page, acknowledgements, foreword, dedication, and the table of content. Right? For a print book, that would be true. For an ebook, that's not the case. How much do you know? Not a lot.

The front matter of an ebook title page, copyright page, and table of contents. There are other parts of a book that are considered front matter. Those are probably what were in the novice's mind as they posed the question. There will be polite responses that attempt to guide. Don't be dismayed. Writers and authors are busy people. They're not in the business of tutoring while they're attempting to make a living at their craft.

Ask the Right Questions

So listen and learn the terminology, the lingo. Because we're so carefree with terminology (and sometimes because it's simply so basic it isn't even discussed), it's important to look up the terms to be certain you know how a term is being used. Yes, it would be ideal to have a mentor. Mentors are people who have the time to guide another. You can find them in discussion groups, professional and fraternal organizations. You can also find assistance from sites that provide professional services - for a fee. Having a professional do the work is going to cost money. If your budget doesn't have that space, your learning and development will be even stronger because you're going to get hands-on application with knowing what it is you seek. It's also called "trial and error" and at other times it's considered practice. Do it; test; see the mistakes; fix them; test again. But at least you have a greater awareness of what it is you're talking about and what you're requesting a service provider (professional) to do.

Screening

Let's say you do have the budget to have a service provider do the work for you. You tell them what you want. You need to do some screening. (No, not silk screening nor film screening; those are something else.) They need to be asking you questions to be certain they understand what you want. You're forming a meeting of the minds, a contract for services, that is the foundation for the exchange of money for product. Furthermore, you need to be asking questions about their level of expertise. You need to be aware of whether this is the first time the gig worker or organization volunteer has done this type of work or whether they have three or four projects under their belt. Where can you find representations of their finished product, their work samples?

Just the Beginning

So there you are. You want to create and publish your digital book. Now you realize "front matter" isn't the same thing in all cases.

By now and because of your research and listening, you've come to the realize that there's also formatting that needs to be done. It needs to be applied to different parts of the digital book in different ways because the publishing processor sees the different parts as separate sections. You need to ask the processor to handle publishing your masterpiece in the proper way. There's book cover. There's the front matter. There's formatting and saving. There's using the right template and properly formatting it.

And then there's the manuscript. It's another story. But the creation of the manuscript, and the various things that are embodied in it, is probably the predominant part of the conversations you've been listening to in those discussion groups. They're all important. But it's essential to understand the language and speak it before you ask for help and get a surprise.

Resources:

• Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines
  
• How to make and publish an eBook
  
• 5 Steps to Self Publishing
  
• How To Format Your E-Book (the Non Migraine-Inducing Way)
  
• 
  Formatting the parts of an ebook
  
• Lulu Ebook Creator Guide
  
• EPUB Conversion: Prepare Your Manuscript for eBook Conversion
  
• One Thing You Shouldn’t Put at the Front of Your Ebook
  
• Smashwords Style Guide
  
• Self-Publishing Basics: How to Organize Your Book’s Front Matter
  
• Best Practices: Front Matter for eBooks by Section
  
• Kindle Formatting: Requirements for the Kindle Book Cover Image
  

Sponsored Links:

• Formatting e-Books for Writers: Convert Your Word File to Kindle
  
• Indie Poet Formatting: How to Format Poetry Collections for Ebook & Print (Indie Poet Rock Star 2)