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The Mic Is On: Do you Remember the Time When. . .? Whatâs Your Favorite Family Story?

December 26, 2006 by Liz

It’s Like Open Mic Only Different

Here’s how it works.

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME
The rules are simple — be nice.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

What’s your favorite family story? You have several, don’t you? They are each as different as a snowflake.

We might also talk about

what happened this holiday season that will become a repeated story
our most embarrassing story
stories that make us roll on the floor laughing
how our memories differ from those of our family members

AND THE EVER POPULAR,
Basil the code-writing donkey, and Milton the Skinny Moose.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Open Mic 7pm Chgo Time: We’re Misbehaving! Well, Sort of . . .

December 12, 2006 by Liz

That One Time I Said I Was Twins . . .

YES, the mic will be open again tonight. So start collecting your thoughts. Remember, you get to bring what you want to talk about.

The rules are simple — be nice.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

Tonight we’re misbehaving — well, sort of . . .

We might also talk about

things we did as kids
pranks we pulled with our friends
funny stuff that happened
the weirdest situations we got in at school

AND THE EVER POPULAR,
Basil the code-writing donkey, and Milton the Skinny Moose.

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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The Mic Is On: We’re List Crazy!

Bookcraft 2.0: Why Consistency Makes Authors Look More Intelligent

November 27, 2006 by Liz

This week Phil and I reached a benchmark. We finished the first edit on the first of four parts of his book. This first section will serve as the prototype for the rest of the book. As the prototype section, we used it to test our ideas for how the book would work. Could the vision we talked about be a reality when we tried it out across a complete section of posts from Phil’s blog?

As we moved through the section, we were to careful keep to these standards.

The content and structure work together.
If one isn’t working, don’t force a fit. If the structure works for all but one page, that page doesn’t belong. If many pages don’t fit, the structure needs to be refit.
Consistency is a value, a benchmark of quality, and a support for readers. It also makes authors look smart.

That’s right. Consistency makes us look more intelligent.
In fact,

It’s better to be consistently wrong than inconsistently right.

Why Being Consistently Wrong Is better than Inconsistently Right

When we meet someone who thinks and talks like we do, we call that person someone who “gets” it. We think people who think like we think are intelligent . . . and those who donÃ¢â¬â¢t, well, theyÃ¢â¬â¢re not.

I can adjust when I talk to someone. I can put my “best brain” forward. I can listen actively and organize what I say to meet how someone takes in information. Teachers do that every day.

But how does an author do the same thing? Book readers think in many ways. An author can’t adjust for each reader.

The answer is one word, consistency.

Why is it better to be consistently wrong than inconsistently right?

You can spell the word house as hous, and if you do so consistently, readers will accept it as an alternative spelling. Miss once and they will see the mistake.

How Does Consistency Make Authors Look Smarter?

Consistency is key to a predictable book. When a book is predictable, readers know where you’re going without thinking about it — they “get” how you think. Giving readers consistency in every facet of a book means they can concentrate on what you’re saying. Your message and it’s brilliance can shine right through.

At the Book Level — A consistent structure offers orderly navigation. Readers know what to expect and what will come next. The experience is predictable and repeatable. Readers can feel safe that they know where the author is going. That can make an author look smarter, because readers feel the author is following a logical, predictable progression.

At the Detail Level — Many companies have a house style that determines how they phrase terms and spell certain words. Publishers and journalists follow a style manual for the same reasons. A consistent style provides credibility and accuracy. If an author is consistent in matters of detail, he or she establishes trust on matters of accuracy — inconsistency undercuts that bond and makes readers wonder whether the thinking is equally inconsistent and flawed.

Staying consistent lets a reader know how an author works and where he or she is going. Authors can’t adjust for readers, but they can make it easy for readers to follow their thinking. When authors do that, readers feel like the author “gets” it.

We all know that someone who “gets” it is really intelligent. — as intelligent as we are. It proves itself out consistently.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you’d like Liz to help you find or make a book from your archives, click on the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

Links Leaked over the Lyrics and Quotes

November 8, 2006 by Liz

Can I Quote You?

Wisdom and conversation were the same thing at Tuesday Open Comments Night, last night. We heard from Oscar Wilde, Somerset Maugham, and Betty White So it was no real surprise when the links started leaking as they always do.

The Link Leak Virus seeped into every thing we saw. — The Link Leak Virus is a special strain of the indie virus with blogtipping mutations that occur in threes at Open Comment Night they become a link free-for-all.

Welcome to all of the new folks who came. It was great fun having you!

Cool links were shared in a word or twol

Quoting Geniuses

2
Ellen Weber Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:03 pm e
My quote – Ã¢â¬ÅWe can learn from experts – and we seek them for mentors as well as partners. Yet, when these pros grow stagnant and compacent – we call them on their relapse, and encourage their evolution forward.Ã¢â¬Â

3
Sean says “It’s yet another in a long series of diversions at an attempt to avoid responsibility.” – Chris Knight (Real Genius)

6
Ah Pek Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:07 pm e
Ã¢â¬ÅImagine all the people..living life in PeaceÃ¢â¬Â¦.Ã¢â¬Â

7
Joe Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:07 pm e
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far awayÃ¢â¬Â¦

14
Sean Says:

“You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat.”

– Albert Einstein

22
Mermaid Renée Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:18 pm e
Ã¢â¬ÅTo be successful at anything you have to have the guts to be hatedÃ¢â¬Â – Bette Davis

26
Sheila Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:21 pm e
Ã¢â¬ÅYou canÃ¢â¬â¢t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.Ã¢â¬Â

27
HART (1-800-HART) Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:21 pm e
Sudden-savage-shining-solid-soiled-solid-sanded
Steel-shuddering-shattering-shovelling until the
Sabre toothed rooter roots the earth
The eater eats his fill and is not satisfied and
Roars and reves his mathematical rage
on the footprints of Vikings
trapped on a sonic tape recorder
ten million years old, ten million years old, ten million years old.

60
Delaney Kirk Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:36 pm e
WOODY: Pour you a beer, Mr. Peterson? NORM: All right, but stop me at one. Make that one-thirty.

61
cat Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:36 pm e
Ã¢â¬ÅNo offense intended, IÃ¢â¬â¢m also fiery passionate about the brand of nuts I eatÃ¢â¬Â

62
ME Strauss Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:36 pm e
Ã¢â¬ÅI canÃ¢â¬â¢t believe I ate the whole thing!Ã¢â¬Â

71
Chris Cree Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:42 pm e
OK, Instead of Bette Davis, how about a quote from Betty White?
All creatures must learn to coexist. ThatÃ¢â¬â¢s why the brown bear and the field mouse can share their lives in harmony. Or course, they canÃ¢â¬â¢t mate or the mice would explode.

73
Scorpia Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:43 pm e
More like:

YouÃ¢â¬â¢ve got questions. WeÃ¢â¬â¢ve got security flaws.

84
Rick Cockrum Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:50 pm e
Or maybe a pod? The kids look at me like I came out of a pod sometimes. Would that make us iPods?

85
Jessica Doyle Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:50 pm e
Ã¢â¬ÅI fear what i do not know.Ã¢â¬Â from my boyfriend eric.

86
Marti Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:51 pm e
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.

92
Service Untitled – Douglas Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:54 pm e
Ã¢â¬ÅEverything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted. Ã¢â¬Å

94
Steve Sherlock Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 7:56 pm e
Still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the restÃ¢â¬Â¦ Simon and Garfunkel

157
Sandra Renshaw Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 9:10 pm e
A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her.
– David Brinkley

158
Char Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 9:11 pm e
Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.
Brian Tracy, Eat that Frog

207
Ben Yoskovitz Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 10:01 pm e
Ã¢â¬ÅMoneyÃ¢â¬Â¦itÃ¢â¬â¢s a gasÃ¢â¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â
Ã¢â¬ÅHello out there, weÃ¢â¬â¢re on the air, itÃ¢â¬â¢s hockey night tonightÃ¢â¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â
Ã¢â¬ÅAll in all weÃ¢â¬â¢re just a Ã¢â¬Ënother brick in the wall.Ã¢â¬Â

209
Candice brought the lovely Christopher Walken video

227
Troy Worman Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 10:29 pm e
Ã¢â¬ÅSuccess is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.Ã¢â¬Â Ã¢â¬â Sir Winston Churchill

245
John Richardson Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 11:55 pm e
It was 90 degrees here in Sunny California todayÃ¢â¬Â¦

All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey

248
ME Strauss Says:
November 8th, 2006 at 8:10 am e
Ã¢â¬ÅAnd in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love, you makeÃ¢â¬Â

The Beatles

-ME “Liz” Strauss

Bookcraft 2.0: Why Bloggers Choose Better Titles than Authors

November 6, 2006 by Liz

In a conversation with Phil early this morning, we realized we are ready for the collaboration part of this endeavor. Here’s how it will work:

Phil will choose two days or evenings per week we can meet via voice.
He’ll arrange his time so that after each call he has a block of writing time.
I’ll arrange my time so that before each call I have prep time. I’ll send a list of the pages we’ll be talking about.
When we talk we’ll cover 3-8 pages in one section, discussing what rewrites they might need to flow together.
Phil will do the rewrites immediately after.
Phil will hold all of the rewrites until we’ve been through the entire first pass of the book.

Now the book is shaping up as a whole. We’ll be looking at how things fit together and flow. One of the relevant key word strings in Phil’s working title is “practical tips.” On the pages, we made a rule that each page has a real-life application of what Phil has described. During our two phone calls each week, we’ll be testing each tip to make sure that there are no repeats, that all of them can be done, and all can be called practical.

We’ll revisit the working title even more often than we already were.

The cover and the title are a promise of what is inside of the book. So we are careful to constantly revisit the title to make sure that the choices we make are in keeping with what our goal is.

This is where bloggers outshine the average off the street author. Bloggers know the value of relevant key words. They know readers search for important terms.Bloggers understand from their daily publishing that they should call a book what it is, not something clever that readers won’t understand.

We’re scaffolding down to a manscript that is beginning to be more like a book.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you’d like Liz to help you find or make a book from your archives, click on the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

It Was Halloween and Links Were Leaking!

November 1, 2006 by Liz

Look Out Behind You!

Disguises and mystery were part of a Halloween Open Comment Night as people showed up as their alterego or even the alterego or their alterego. We had our own version of the Bloggy Horror Picture Show. The Dread Arachnid terrorized us and may have eaten Boxcar Willy and we know that Darth Varder ate Jar Jar as B-B-Q even before the show. So it was no real surprise when the links started leaking as they always do.

Welcome to all of the new folks who came. It was great fun having you!

You should see the links that everyone was treated to..

And now for the Ghastly, Ghostly Plot of Horrors

Thanks to Rick Cockrum who did the honors of gathering the dirt on the despicable deeds done there.
[Read more…]