Fred On Something'sComments

Building Blogging Relationships - Be a Good Host

Another way to Build Blogging Relationships is to be a good host on your blog.

V and I went out to a friend’s home recently for a meal and had one of the best nights we’ve had in a long time simply because of the efforts of our hosts. They went to a lot of trouble to make sure that our night was just perfect on so many levels. Our wine glasses were never empty, they had a wood fire burning, they took genuine interest in us and asked a lot of stimulating questions, they offered us the best seats in their living room, they served some wonderful food and basically spoilt us rotten all night. As I look back on the night I realize that because of all of the little things that they did, V and I went home feeling very special and wanting to return the favor and have these friends over to our home as soon as we could.

A post like the ones I like to read Darren

How could we not agree with such a writing? It’s impossible…

So, I would like to suggest a book to David: “On Writing Well” by William Zinsser. For Zinsser, a good writing is a “human” one. One that you know it was written by someone human This is applicable for any type of writing: corporate, personal, memo note, technical, anniversary card, etc.

However, when I read this book some months ago, I tought that all bloggers ought to read it. Everything is in the writing style

I think I blogged something on this book… wait I’ll check it… Yes I wrote something about the general idea of the book, but I tought that I had wrote some quotes, unfortunately, I didn’t. So, you can have an idea of the book by reading this post.

Anne Lamott: Put the puppy back on the paper

I’ve previously mentioned Bay-area writer Anne Lamott in the context of her fondness for index cards and her belief in the importance of capturing ideas at the moment they come to you (it’s something I also really believe in). It’s fun to hear her talk about this stuff, too. She has a discursive speaking style that’s, by turns, insightful, frustrating, and very funny.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been reading her book Bird by Bird a section or two at a time whenever I have a few minutes, and I have to say, it’s one of the most inspiring books I’ve read in a long time.
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You enjoyed On Writing Well? I’m currently reading “Writing to Learn” also by William Zinsser. It’s another great piece of writing.

“[…]that we write to find out what we know and what we want to say […]”

“[…]Writing and thinking and learning were the same process[…]”

Also, “Page after Page” is another great piece of writing by Heather Sellers.

Anne Lamott on index cards

Lots of people had been suggesting I read Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird (subtitled “Some Instructions on Writing and Life”) becaues she mentions how much she loves and relies on index cards for more than just composition.

In casting about for more information, I Googled across this wonderful quote, courtesy of Orange Crate Art:
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It worth his reading… it also worth his rereading each years. You get stock with your writings? You need inspiration? This is the book

I blogged about it a while ago and wrote some quotes from it:
Other quotes from Bird by Bird

You finished to read the book and need more? I can suggest you “Page after Page” by Heather Sellers. The book is in the same trend with another voice and other tips and tricks.

Good reading,

We All Have a Life. Must We All Write About It?

In 1884, Ulysses S. Grant, desperate for money and terminally ill with cancer, did what countless statesmen and military leaders had done before him: he sat down to write his memoirs. Racing against the clock, he turned out two substantial volumes on his early life and his military experiences in the Mexican and Civil Wars.

By any measure, he had a lot to write about and a lot to tell. He produced a classic memoir, as the genre was then understood: important events related by a great man who shaped them.

But that was then.

Today, Grant’s memoirs fall into the same sprawling category as “Callgirl: Confessions of an Ivy League Lady of Pleasure,” “Bat Boy: My True Life Adventures Coming of Age With the New York Yankees” and “Rolling Away: My Agony With Ecstasy,” to pluck just three titles from the memoir mountain looming in the next month or two.”

We All Have a Life. Must We All Write About It?

The question is: To whom must we all write about it? Are we writing for ourselves or for others? Personally I write for myself. Other will write to get published. But I think that when we talk about journals and diaries, that can eventually lead to a memoir, we can’t really talk about to get published. It’s sure that they are really good foundations to future writings. But, in themselves, they are not wrote for others, but firstly for yourself, eventually, for your family, and finally, possibly, for the world. There are some quotes that can help you to answer that question that I extract from the book: Leave a Trace by Alexandra Johnston.

Wild Mind

Ten years ago I was dumbstruck reading the snippet below - and I’ve never forgotten it - from Natalie Goldberg’s classic for writers and writer wannabees (highly recommended).

Ten years ago, I was curled up in the dot’s lap (patience…read further) cranking out C++ computer programs.

I am dumbstruck again recalling ten years ago. I would have thought it utterly impossible - crazed even - to live the way I do now. Note to self: Scrap five-year plans - I’d only limit myself.
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Thank a lot for this great post. Such books are always a pleasure to read. They all say the same things, but in other words, images and contexts. The authors tell you how they started to write, their family situation (most of the time literacy families), and tricks that helped them to get published, but more important then this: what the benefits of writing in their lives. All the same? Mostly… but… how inspirational! I can’t wait to read this one; he is already en route to my door.

I lately read another great work on journals and diaries keeping by Alexandra Johnston. I would like to share this reading with you. I posted about it some days ago:

http://radio.weblogs.com/0140770/2005/03/27.html#a114

I hope you’ll enjoy the reading.

Writing is fighting

Have you ever read a book about blogs? They all tell you to be spontaneous. Good advice, uh?
I always try to be spontaneous, anyway I do rarely immediately publish what I write. This is a rule of life to me.
Some write their posts directly on the blogging software box, I could never.
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I’m like you, I get a break between the writing and the publishing.

The only thing I check after is if I think that my idea is complete and understandable. I don’t really check if it’s too arrogant or anything else (probably because I’m not in my life, so I’ll not write like this instinctively).

For me, the most important thing is not to be misunderstood. It’s not ease, I don’t always reach this aim, but I try I hard as I can

In answer to Max: Question : I want an English dictionary of usage and common errors

I was strolling in my local bookshop, looking for new books to put in my bookshelves for future reading. I get stock some times at the English dictionaries section. I checked the few they had wander if I would find an English dictionary like the French Multi Dictionnaire.

What this dictionary is about? In French you have two main dictionaries: an encyclopedic one, Le Larousse, and a linguistic one, Le Robert. There is also another one that has small definition of words. It tells you how to use the word and how not to use the word. It tells you the common errors people do when using it. There it is: Le Multi Dictionnaire.

It’s exactly this type of English dictionary I need. I need to know how to use and not to use a word, the errors I would make by using it.

Which English dictionary are you using? Is there such an English dictionary available on the market? Do you have other reference books to suggest?

Glad to see that you seem to have the same problems with Italian that I have with French;)

You are probably right, I’m searching for something that not have sense in English.

The best I see for my purpose is the Longman. I think it’s specifically build for students. It have some tricks on how to use some words, the most important English words are in red the others in blue. All definitions are wrote with 2000 words. It’s probably the dictionary the nearest of the one I was looking for.

The thing is that I don’t need a French/English dictionary; I already have one one. But I’ll check if there is no other reference books for French natives.

In answer to Todd: Two things why writing is now so important to me

Why writing is now so important to me?

Because writing is thinking.

While I write things, I think about them. It’s a moment I take in a day to think about things that fly in my mind.

Sometime I wrote my short and long term goals on a sheet. I check them; I check what I’m doing right now to reach them. While I’m writing them down, I think about them, I make them clear in my mind.

Because writing is learning.

While I write things, I learn from them. Sometimes, things will emerge from my unconsciousness: I’ll learn from them. It will give a new angle of attack to understand the thoughts I was writing about.

I started to read Page after Page by Heather Sellers. It’s one of the reason why I wrote this little post and why I’ll probably wrote others in the next days. It’s a really inspirating self help book on writing. It’s the same type of book as Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott.

It put you in mood to wrote such things

On writing: an anticipation of a future post

Hello, world. This post represents to me an experiment: starting from a previous one,I talk about the next post I’m going to write. So, this article stands
between what is done and what is to be done. You know the past, maybe
the present, not the future.
By this point of view, this is a sci-fi post!!!

If I can suggest you a book:

Birds by Birds by Anne Lamott.

It’s a really inspiring reading on writing

I already posted quotes of the book in my “On Writing” section.

GO check on amazon for feedback; I’m sure you’ll love it