Kay Kennedy travels in a Class-C motorhome with her husband, Joe. They have been full-timers since 1992 and have traveled in Canada, parts of Mexico, and in every state except Alaska, North and South Carolina. Her articles have appeared in Business, Interior Design, Senior and RVing magazines and she is author of two books, the most recent: Portable Writing: the Secret to Living Your Dreams with 25 Projects to Fund Your Freedom. Visit her Web site at: www.kennedyk.com.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Kay Kennedy travels in a Class-C motorhome with her husband, Joe. They have been full-timers since 1992 and have traveled in Canada, parts of Mexico, and in every state except Alaska, North and South Carolina. Her articles have appeared in Business, Interior Design, Senior and RVing magazines and she is author of two books, the most recent: Portable Writing: the Secret to Living Your Dreams with 25 Projects to Fund Your Freedom. Visit her Web site at: www.kennedyk.com.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
MEETING WORD COUNT GOALS
One of the scariest things writers hear is that they’ve got an assignment, but the article must be no more than 1000 words—or whatever number is required. My first assignment absolutely paralyzed me for days. I was pretty sure I could never limit myself to 1000 words.
Finally, I just started writing. First I outlined the article, listing points I wanted to cover. I’m pretty sure the outline numbered around 1000 words. Never mind that it didn’t contain complete sentences!
Then I wrote the article, covering everything listed in the outline. When I thought I was finished, the computer’s word count was a whopping 1600 words. Hey, it sounded great to me! How could I cut the fabulous masterpiece that I had given birth to, and nurtured to maturity? Okay, so maybe it was a morbidly obese piece!
Since I knew 1600 words would never fly, I had to figure out a way to strip the article down to its bare bones.
As I read the article, I spotted areas where I used extra words to say things that could have been put more simply. Then I noticed sentences that didn’t appear to be all that important, so I eliminated them. Next I spotted some connecting words like the, that, of, by, and for that weren’t necessary for the article to be understood.
Example: The book that I am carrying is so heavy that I think that I might drop it. The word that isn’t needed anywhere in this sentence. You wouldn’t use it if you were saying the sentence out loud, would you? What a tongue-twister! And I'm is less formal and stilted than I am. Change the sentence to read: The book I ‘m carrying is so heavy I think I might drop it. You can eliminate more words by saying: The book I’m carrying is so heavy I might drop it. What does the word think do for the sentence? It’s not necessary.
If you still need to get rid of a few words, look at the above sentence again. Do readers really care whether you might drop it, or that you might have to hand it to someone else to carry for you? Do you even need to explain that you are carrying it? Why not say This book is really heavy! Now you’ve cut 11 words! That might not seem like much against the 600 you may need to cut, but it’s still a start.
You’ll probably find several sentences like the one above that can be shortened without losing the meaning. Once you’ve gotten rid of all the obvious excess words and sentences, read the article out loud. Does it read well? Does it flow? You may notice some areas that need to be reworded to make the message sharper, clearer. While you’re doing that, you will probably eliminate more words.
Your final copy will have much more vitality, which will make it more interesting to readers. Maybe you will have eliminated a sentence or paragraph that you thought you couldn’t do without and that you ache for--like an only child who's moved away—but your readers won’t know the difference. And your editor will be grateful that you turned in an article that tells the story, yet sticks to the word count that was assigned.
One of the scariest things writers hear is that they’ve got an assignment, but the article must be no more than 1000 words—or whatever number is required. My first assignment absolutely paralyzed me for days. I was pretty sure I could never limit myself to 1000 words.
Finally, I just started writing. First I outlined the article, listing points I wanted to cover. I’m pretty sure the outline numbered around 1000 words. Never mind that it didn’t contain complete sentences!
Then I wrote the article, covering everything listed in the outline. When I thought I was finished, the computer’s word count was a whopping 1600 words. Hey, it sounded great to me! How could I cut the fabulous masterpiece that I had given birth to, and nurtured to maturity? Okay, so maybe it was a morbidly obese piece!
Since I knew 1600 words would never fly, I had to figure out a way to strip the article down to its bare bones.
As I read the article, I spotted areas where I used extra words to say things that could have been put more simply. Then I noticed sentences that didn’t appear to be all that important, so I eliminated them. Next I spotted some connecting words like the, that, of, by, and for that weren’t necessary for the article to be understood.
Example: The book that I am carrying is so heavy that I think that I might drop it. The word that isn’t needed anywhere in this sentence. You wouldn’t use it if you were saying the sentence out loud, would you? What a tongue-twister! And I'm is less formal and stilted than I am. Change the sentence to read: The book I ‘m carrying is so heavy I think I might drop it. You can eliminate more words by saying: The book I’m carrying is so heavy I might drop it. What does the word think do for the sentence? It’s not necessary.
If you still need to get rid of a few words, look at the above sentence again. Do readers really care whether you might drop it, or that you might have to hand it to someone else to carry for you? Do you even need to explain that you are carrying it? Why not say This book is really heavy! Now you’ve cut 11 words! That might not seem like much against the 600 you may need to cut, but it’s still a start.
You’ll probably find several sentences like the one above that can be shortened without losing the meaning. Once you’ve gotten rid of all the obvious excess words and sentences, read the article out loud. Does it read well? Does it flow? You may notice some areas that need to be reworded to make the message sharper, clearer. While you’re doing that, you will probably eliminate more words.
Your final copy will have much more vitality, which will make it more interesting to readers. Maybe you will have eliminated a sentence or paragraph that you thought you couldn’t do without and that you ache for--like an only child who's moved away—but your readers won’t know the difference. And your editor will be grateful that you turned in an article that tells the story, yet sticks to the word count that was assigned.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
NETWORK WHILE YOU’RE SPREADING HOLIDAY CHEER
I thought this might be a good time to cover networking, since most of us will be out attending parties, dinners and other celebrations during the upcoming holiday season.
First, let me say that I don’t believe in pushing my writing business down the throats of every social contact I make. However, I also don’t believe that opportunities to make contacts should be ignored. If the opportunity to network presents itself to me, I’ll take a low-key approach, but I will take it.
So, when you walk into a large gathering where you may not know some of the other people, how do you make the most of the time spent there? When you meet someone new, what’s the first thing they ask about you? What do you do? or the variation for retirees, What did you do when you worked? People are always looking for a connection to others—maybe a shared occupation or experience.
The next time you’re asked what you do, be prepared. “I am a freelance writer.” You can say that now that you’re retired, you’re working at becoming a writer, or that you’ve begun writing in your spare time if you have another fulltime job. It doesn’t matter what you say, as long as you mention your new career. If they ask what type of writing you do, you have an opening to mention that you can produce a variety of projects such as writing biographies for clients or creating brochures for small businesses. Whatever it is that you want to focus on, mention it.
People will most likely be interested in hearing more. Have some cards with you to hand out to those who are curious. If they’re not interested, you haven’t lost anything.
Now, one of several things might happen:
1. They may say “That’s interesting. I’d like to learn more about it.” Then you can suggest getting together after the holidays for lunch or coffee. This encounter may lead to work for you or it may lead to a friendship with a kindred spirit.
2. They might ask for more information, in which case you can quickly fill them in or make plans to meet somewhere later.
3. They might actually say, “Gee, I’ve been looking for someone to help me ...” or “I have a friend, relative, business associate looking for someone with your skills.” In that case, hand them you business card and get theirs so you can contact them later.
4. They’ll say, “H-m-m-m” and walk away. Okay, these people may decide you’re the most boring person on the planet because you’re a writer, or they may want to digest what you’ve said and will come back over later to talk more about writing.
While you might leave the gathering with no positive feedback, chances are you will make an impression on someone. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve met people who didn’t seem that interested, but that sought me out later for a project or to recommend I call someone who needed my services.
As I write about this, I can remember a conversation from when I first married that, at the time, horrified me. A family member was talking about having joined the country club and taken up golf to meet prospective clients. He said he got so impatient when golfing partners only wanted to talk about golf or football, and he wanted to talk business. I thought that was a ruthless approach to finding clients, but later I realized he was basically right—he just had the wrong approach. However, he did become VERY successful, so maybe he changed his approach, or maybe he achieved success in spite of being pushy and impatient.
There is nothing wrong with taking advantage of social activities to boost your business, but that shouldn’t be your only goal. Don’t go into a situation expecting to blatantly promote your business. Do go in with an open mind, and a willingness to bring up what you do if someone seems interested. And always go in with the goal of helping someone else achieve their goals.
Actually, if I’m at a gathering, the host usually introduces me to people with the phrase, “She’s a writer.” They might mention more. Usually, someone or several people will seek me out to find out more. Sometimes it’s because they want to do the same thing—in which case I offer my help. Sometimes, someone approaches me that wants to know if I can write something for their business, or a personal memoir.
Most people love to help people. It’s inbred, in our blood.
And maybe that’s a good lesson for all of us to remember this holiday season. Perhaps you can’t give time or money to help someone less fortunate, but you can always give someone a leg up by recommending they call you later, or suggesting they call a friend who might can help them achieve their goals or dreams. People don’t always need a handout; they may simply need a helping hand up.
What goes around, comes around. Every time you help someone else, it will eventually come back to you. Look at life that way, and your in-basket will always be overflowing.
HELP FROM THE GRAMMAR LADY
I just discovered a Web site that you might find useful. It is at www.grammarlady.com, where you’ll find grammar courses and helpful tools to make your writing stronger, smarter, richer. An extremely useful program can be found at www.whitesmoke.com. It offers a dictionary, thesaurus, spell and grammar checker and more to help increase writing skills. You can download a copy for a trial run before purchasing. I currently use the one that comes on Microsoft Word and it has problems, such as outrageous suggestions at times. Whether White Smoke is any better, I don’t know, but it may be worth checking out.
I just discovered a Web site that you might find useful. It is at www.grammarlady.com, where you’ll find grammar courses and helpful tools to make your writing stronger, smarter, richer. An extremely useful program can be found at www.whitesmoke.com. It offers a dictionary, thesaurus, spell and grammar checker and more to help increase writing skills. You can download a copy for a trial run before purchasing. I currently use the one that comes on Microsoft Word and it has problems, such as outrageous suggestions at times. Whether White Smoke is any better, I don’t know, but it may be worth checking out.
IF IT’S THURSDAY, IT MUST BE TEXAS!
Okay, I’ll admit we’re not traveling so fast that it’s a different day, different state. We are in the state of Texas, which is impossible to cover in our RV in a week, much less a day!
We’re now parked at Lake Conroe in a beautiful RV resort on the lake. It’s just an hour or so north of Houston. The weather has been quite warm, but the humidity has equaled or exceeded the temperature on many of the days. Today when I got up it was seventy degrees, but it’s supposed to drop to 30 degrees by tonight. In fact, it's dropped 20 degrees in the past hour! You gotta love how the temperature can swing that far in one day!
When we lived in north Texas for a couple of years back in the sixties, we used to believe that the only thing between there and the North Pole was a barbed wire fence. The wind blew constantly, and many of the buildings on the Air Force Base closed at 40 mph. so many, many days we couldn’t go to the movies on base or even to get groceries at the commissary. So we hunkered down and watched the sky, which was easy there since trees were few and far between. Occasional tornadoes poking out of that vast sky gave us one frightful experience too many, so we were thrilled when we got orders to go to Hawaii.
Here at Lake Conroe, trees are dressed in all their fall splendor, we have views of the lake, and we’re close to civilization—all things that make us happy. Still, we’ll be heading out as soon as we receive our mail next week. Cold weather doesn’t thrill us at all. We’ll probably stop in the hill country for a couple of days before hitting the highway for the long trek across west Texas.
Don’t forget to order writing books for Christmas for your friends and family who want to become published or well-paid writers. You’ll find the largest selection of books on the art of writing and making money at http://www.booklocker.com. Select freelance writing and click, and it will take you to those books.
Also, http://www.amazon.com has a good selection of books. I often order from them when we’re too far from a large town to go check the bookstore. I’m assuming that all of you know that you can just click on the link here to take you to their Web sites—no need to type in the urls.
Since I may not get another chance to make posts on the portable writing newsletter blogsite (http://www.portablewritingnewsletter.blogspot.com) while we’re traveling, Happy reading, Bountiful writing, and a Wonderful Holiday Season to you all.
Okay, I’ll admit we’re not traveling so fast that it’s a different day, different state. We are in the state of Texas, which is impossible to cover in our RV in a week, much less a day!
We’re now parked at Lake Conroe in a beautiful RV resort on the lake. It’s just an hour or so north of Houston. The weather has been quite warm, but the humidity has equaled or exceeded the temperature on many of the days. Today when I got up it was seventy degrees, but it’s supposed to drop to 30 degrees by tonight. In fact, it's dropped 20 degrees in the past hour! You gotta love how the temperature can swing that far in one day!
When we lived in north Texas for a couple of years back in the sixties, we used to believe that the only thing between there and the North Pole was a barbed wire fence. The wind blew constantly, and many of the buildings on the Air Force Base closed at 40 mph. so many, many days we couldn’t go to the movies on base or even to get groceries at the commissary. So we hunkered down and watched the sky, which was easy there since trees were few and far between. Occasional tornadoes poking out of that vast sky gave us one frightful experience too many, so we were thrilled when we got orders to go to Hawaii.
Here at Lake Conroe, trees are dressed in all their fall splendor, we have views of the lake, and we’re close to civilization—all things that make us happy. Still, we’ll be heading out as soon as we receive our mail next week. Cold weather doesn’t thrill us at all. We’ll probably stop in the hill country for a couple of days before hitting the highway for the long trek across west Texas.
Don’t forget to order writing books for Christmas for your friends and family who want to become published or well-paid writers. You’ll find the largest selection of books on the art of writing and making money at http://www.booklocker.com. Select freelance writing and click, and it will take you to those books.
Also, http://www.amazon.com has a good selection of books. I often order from them when we’re too far from a large town to go check the bookstore. I’m assuming that all of you know that you can just click on the link here to take you to their Web sites—no need to type in the urls.
Since I may not get another chance to make posts on the portable writing newsletter blogsite (http://www.portablewritingnewsletter.blogspot.com) while we’re traveling, Happy reading, Bountiful writing, and a Wonderful Holiday Season to you all.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT WORD
How do you find the right word that means exactly what you want to say? It’s easy! Just pick up a thesaurus and look up the word you’ve used. You should find several words that mean the same thing, or almost.
Most new writers think they’re supposed to know all about writing and shouldn’t need help with grammar, spelling or finding a synonym. However, that’s just not true. Most writers, no matter how long they’ve been at it, have problems. It is impossible to keep every rule and word available in your mental filing cabinet. Oh, it may be there, but it may take awhile to access it.
So why obsess about it? You can quickly find the best word to use in your thesaurus. You’ll save time and increase your profits by doing this quickly instead of sitting and racking your brain for the right word.
I once worked for a magazine that insisted their writers and editors use a thesaurus. It didn’t take long to find out why. They wanted us to be able to say cute, sweet and precious in as many ways as possible. That’s the kind of magazine it was. And we had to include these words many times in each issue. I finally got to where I thought I would gag if I ever had to say those words in any form again. But I could see why it was done, so I quickly learned to rely on the thesaurus.
All writers find that sometimes it’s necessary to use the same word over and over again throughout an article. I used to write a lot of business articles, and it was important not to use the word business over and over again. It doesn’t look professional, and it’s boring. So I used enterprise, industry, and all the other words I could find that meant essentially the same thing. For business man or woman, I could use entrepreneur if I was talking about the owner. There is a limit to words that work, but simply replacing business a few times helped make the articles more interesting.
Learn what tools work best for you and use them. Don’t forget the dictionary, too. You may think you know how to spell a word, but if you don’t use it regularly, you might have forgotten. Or you might not remember its exact meaning.
We have a general dumbing down of American, as you can see by watching any network news program any day as supposedly smart people use the wrong word or pronunciation. It tends to make us all sloppy and lazy. After all, if these people can’t say it right, who is going to know that we haven’t, either? Your editor, that’s who!
There are lots of rules that we’ve all forgotten if we haven’t been in school for awhile, so it’s important to always remember that anyone can make a simple mistake. Any of us. Sometimes I make really stupid mistakes. Hopefully, I catch them every time before they’re published, but realistically I know some may slip through. I’ll misspell a simple word that I definitely know, but if I’m in a hurry, I may make a typo. Or, I hate to admit this but I might simply not be thinking.
Don’t obsess about mistakes. Use your spell and grammar checker on the computer to check your work. If you question this tool’s suggestion, don’t use it automatically. I’ve found that they are not always right! If one comes up, look again at your word to make sure you haven’t made a typo, such as three letters in a row instead of two, or something else that isn’t easily spotted. If it looks okay, then look the word up in your dictionary. It may be the low-tech, old-fashioned way, but this remains your most trusty tool.
How do you find the right word that means exactly what you want to say? It’s easy! Just pick up a thesaurus and look up the word you’ve used. You should find several words that mean the same thing, or almost.
Most new writers think they’re supposed to know all about writing and shouldn’t need help with grammar, spelling or finding a synonym. However, that’s just not true. Most writers, no matter how long they’ve been at it, have problems. It is impossible to keep every rule and word available in your mental filing cabinet. Oh, it may be there, but it may take awhile to access it.
So why obsess about it? You can quickly find the best word to use in your thesaurus. You’ll save time and increase your profits by doing this quickly instead of sitting and racking your brain for the right word.
I once worked for a magazine that insisted their writers and editors use a thesaurus. It didn’t take long to find out why. They wanted us to be able to say cute, sweet and precious in as many ways as possible. That’s the kind of magazine it was. And we had to include these words many times in each issue. I finally got to where I thought I would gag if I ever had to say those words in any form again. But I could see why it was done, so I quickly learned to rely on the thesaurus.
All writers find that sometimes it’s necessary to use the same word over and over again throughout an article. I used to write a lot of business articles, and it was important not to use the word business over and over again. It doesn’t look professional, and it’s boring. So I used enterprise, industry, and all the other words I could find that meant essentially the same thing. For business man or woman, I could use entrepreneur if I was talking about the owner. There is a limit to words that work, but simply replacing business a few times helped make the articles more interesting.
Learn what tools work best for you and use them. Don’t forget the dictionary, too. You may think you know how to spell a word, but if you don’t use it regularly, you might have forgotten. Or you might not remember its exact meaning.
We have a general dumbing down of American, as you can see by watching any network news program any day as supposedly smart people use the wrong word or pronunciation. It tends to make us all sloppy and lazy. After all, if these people can’t say it right, who is going to know that we haven’t, either? Your editor, that’s who!
There are lots of rules that we’ve all forgotten if we haven’t been in school for awhile, so it’s important to always remember that anyone can make a simple mistake. Any of us. Sometimes I make really stupid mistakes. Hopefully, I catch them every time before they’re published, but realistically I know some may slip through. I’ll misspell a simple word that I definitely know, but if I’m in a hurry, I may make a typo. Or, I hate to admit this but I might simply not be thinking.
Don’t obsess about mistakes. Use your spell and grammar checker on the computer to check your work. If you question this tool’s suggestion, don’t use it automatically. I’ve found that they are not always right! If one comes up, look again at your word to make sure you haven’t made a typo, such as three letters in a row instead of two, or something else that isn’t easily spotted. If it looks okay, then look the word up in your dictionary. It may be the low-tech, old-fashioned way, but this remains your most trusty tool.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Photo on right: Musicians play for crowds of festival-goers in Mountain View, Arkansas.Photo on left: Curtains decorate the inside of an outhouse which is lined up to try and outrun its competitors at the Beanfest and Championship Outhouse Races.
100 MILES TO EAT BEANS AND WATCH OUTHOUSES RACE EACH OTHER?
We recently attended the Beanfest and Championship Outhouse Races in Mountain View, Arkansas. How many people can say that? Well, it turns out, a lot of them. Probably millions! Especially RVers and musicians.
The last weekend in October each year sees the town holding its fall festival, and there are few places that can match it for fun and festivities. Mountain View is a small town, 2500 friendly people or so, that is big on charm and fun. Since the 1960s, crowds have been flocking to the community for festivals such as the one mentioned above and the Spring Festival in mid-April.
Musicians gather around the Courthouse Square to jam and sing on the lawn, porches and sidewalks. During festivals, they even get together in the streets surrounding the Courthouse. You see, Mountain View is the folk music capitol of the world!
You won’t find rock and roll or rap. What you will find is the traditional mountain music that original settlers brought over from Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland. You’ll also hear some folk music like the songs that were brought back to popularity during the early sixties.
The reason this town is the gathering spot for this type of music: When Jimmy Driftwood, a local school teacher wrote, then performed “The Battle of New Orleans” for country music moguls in Nashville, it was recorded and became a colossal hit. Jimmy traveled the world and performed this song and others he wrote along with other musicians interested in folk songs and music based on history.
About this time, Jimmy realized traditional music and old crafts needed to be preserved. He gathered up a bunch of musicians from Mountain View, many of whom had never been outside Stone County, and took them to Washington D.C. to perform for Congress. His goal: to get a few thousand bucks to build a folk center where tradition could be preserved. He came back to Mountain View with a few million dollars, enough to build the Ozark Folk Center and install a new water system for the town.
The Ozark Folk Center now sits on a mountain top in Mountain View. There you’ll find craftspeople dressed in old-fashioned clothes demonstrating traditional crafts, and musicians performing on stage in the theater. The Center also holds workshops on traditional music, including bluegrass, where students are taught how to play instruments like the mountain dulcimer, the hammered dulcimer and the autoharp.
But in October, most of the action is downtown! Musicians surround the downtown Courthouse playing all types of traditional music, and outrageously decorated outhouses line up for hilarious races while crowds cheer them on. Dozens of cooks come from all over to prepare their special recipe for beans, which are furnished by the town. After being judged for the best taste, the beans along with cornbread are served free to festival goers.
There’s always something going on around the Square in Mountain View, so anytime is a great time to visit. The views from surrounding mountains are breathtaking. Mountain View is in north-central Arkansas, below Mountain Home and in the Ozark foothills. Several RV parks dot the area as well as motels, bed and breakfasts and inns. You'll leave town full of beans and warmed by the friendly hospitality of these humble, talented mountain folks.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
WRITE TO BE UNDERSTOOD
Good writing can be as eloquent as you are capable of making it or as technical as you need. However, if you plan to write for the general public, you need to write simply. Instead of large words and long paragraphs, everything will need to be written in as few words as possible, with short sentences broken down into brief paragraphs.
In the first place, the average reading grade level of the person who will read your consumer magazine piece is at the seventh or eighth grade. Shocking, isn’t it? It’s not that your average reader is dumb. It’s simply that most people reading an article or book won’t stick with it unless sentences are short and to the point and the words are easy to understand. In other words, the average reader is somewhat lazy!
Don’t get in the habit of writing sentences that contain 30 words or more, especially if they can be easily broken down into two or three short sentences. Don’t use ten-dollar words when a ten-cent word will do. If you ever watched the TV show, Frazier, then you know how pretentious his and his brother Niles’ word choices and sentences were. That’s what readers will think if you use rambling sentences and unfamiliar words: pretentious and boring!
If you’re unsure about a more familiar word to use, check a thesaurus. No, this is not cheating. If you don’t use one, you’re cheating readers. When I worked for a publishing house, the first thing they handed me was a thesaurus.
If you’re unfamiliar with any of the suggested words, look them up in a dictionary.
Now that I’ve said all this, if you know that the reading level of your typical reader is college level, then you probably want to use some compound sentences and more educated words. When I first started writing I had a program on my computer that would tell me the grade level of the article I had just written I checked every article for a couple of years to make sure I wasn’t talking above or below my targeted readers’ skill level. Since I wrote for consumer publications and for professional business owners with graduate degrees, I found it very helpful. I wish I knew what the software was and if it is still available.
For professional clients or readers, you should write at the eleventh or twelfth grade level, but for the general public, seventh to eighth grade is best. Read the publication you want to write for and study sentence construction and word use. I’ve been told that Reader’s Digest articles are written at the seventh to eighth grade reading level, so it is a good publication to study. When writing for professionals, get a copy of a trade magazine for their profession and study the words and sentence structure used so you’ll have an idea of the level at which you need to write.
Being a professional writer means knowing how to write simply when needed, or how to up the level for higher educated readers.
One quandary for new writers is making their article fit the word count an editor has given them. It’s way too easy to come up short or to go way over the specified length. In the next issue I’ll write about how to cut words from your article to meet a publisher’s word count guidelines.
Good writing can be as eloquent as you are capable of making it or as technical as you need. However, if you plan to write for the general public, you need to write simply. Instead of large words and long paragraphs, everything will need to be written in as few words as possible, with short sentences broken down into brief paragraphs.
In the first place, the average reading grade level of the person who will read your consumer magazine piece is at the seventh or eighth grade. Shocking, isn’t it? It’s not that your average reader is dumb. It’s simply that most people reading an article or book won’t stick with it unless sentences are short and to the point and the words are easy to understand. In other words, the average reader is somewhat lazy!
Don’t get in the habit of writing sentences that contain 30 words or more, especially if they can be easily broken down into two or three short sentences. Don’t use ten-dollar words when a ten-cent word will do. If you ever watched the TV show, Frazier, then you know how pretentious his and his brother Niles’ word choices and sentences were. That’s what readers will think if you use rambling sentences and unfamiliar words: pretentious and boring!
If you’re unsure about a more familiar word to use, check a thesaurus. No, this is not cheating. If you don’t use one, you’re cheating readers. When I worked for a publishing house, the first thing they handed me was a thesaurus.
If you’re unfamiliar with any of the suggested words, look them up in a dictionary.
Now that I’ve said all this, if you know that the reading level of your typical reader is college level, then you probably want to use some compound sentences and more educated words. When I first started writing I had a program on my computer that would tell me the grade level of the article I had just written I checked every article for a couple of years to make sure I wasn’t talking above or below my targeted readers’ skill level. Since I wrote for consumer publications and for professional business owners with graduate degrees, I found it very helpful. I wish I knew what the software was and if it is still available.
For professional clients or readers, you should write at the eleventh or twelfth grade level, but for the general public, seventh to eighth grade is best. Read the publication you want to write for and study sentence construction and word use. I’ve been told that Reader’s Digest articles are written at the seventh to eighth grade reading level, so it is a good publication to study. When writing for professionals, get a copy of a trade magazine for their profession and study the words and sentence structure used so you’ll have an idea of the level at which you need to write.
Being a professional writer means knowing how to write simply when needed, or how to up the level for higher educated readers.
One quandary for new writers is making their article fit the word count an editor has given them. It’s way too easy to come up short or to go way over the specified length. In the next issue I’ll write about how to cut words from your article to meet a publisher’s word count guidelines.
CREATE A FAMILY KEEPSAKE BOOK
One of the finest endeavors writers can undertake is to put their talents to work creating something for their families. In some instances your family may not understand what you write, or they simply are not interested. A family keepsake book can become a cherished heirloom and it will give your family a deeper appreciation for what you do.
A family cookbook is always a popular gift. Gather favorite recipes from all of your relatives such as parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and siblings. If your family always celebrates holidays together, don’t forget to include the dish that’s always a hit every year.
Another great gift is a remembrance of someone in the family who has passed away. A book on any beloved family member would be welcomed by those who want to keep precious memories alive. Even one about a favorite family pet would be welcomed and bring back warm memories for your siblings.
I created one about my younger sister who died from cancer before her grandchildren were in school, and one not even born yet. Since I had known her from birth until the day she died and spent many of those years under the same roof, I felt it was important that her children and grandchildren know who she was and the things she liked to do when she was young. I titled it “When Grammy Was a Little Girl.” I put three photos staggered across the front of when she was very young, when she was a teenager, and of shortly before she passed away—the way her children and grandchildren would remember seeing her towards the end. I had requests for additional copies for cousins, aunts and uncles who had loved her and wanted a remembrance to keep her close in their hearts.
A book can be typed into your computer using any good word processing program and then transferred into a page layout program. Put any photos you want onto your pages where you want them to appear. Minimal sizing and moving can be done here, but if photos need cropping you should do that in a photo edit program first. Design a cover that fits the book subject in your page layout program.
An alternative method if you lack design skills and don’t have a page layout program is to simply type each page and put photos into the word processing program. Under “page set-up,” go to “landscape,” and “two pages per sheet,” which will print out two pages on one sheet of 8.5 x 11” paper.
There are several issues you will face about setting up the pages correctly, including starting the first page on the right side of the layout, and how to place pages if you’re printing front and back.
Front to back printing:
On the copies that come from your home printer, the printing on one side will show through on the other side because you’re probably using paper that’s thinner than what a commercial copy company would use. So print those pages only on one side. Printing might also smudge if the page has to run twice through the printer.
Number your pages AFTER you’ve finished typing the book. That’s because you will need to do some shifting around if the sheets are going to be printed front and back. In the case of recipes, you’ll want to group the same types together. Also, if you’re printing on both sides, page one will have either have a blank page on the left, or it may have the last page on the back side depending on whether there are an even or odd number of printed pages. Remember that the book looks more professional with a blank page in front of the first printed page, but it can have the book’s title printed on it. Look at published examples to get an idea of how you want your book laid out. People were doing these things on typewriters before computers came out, so don’t stress out about it!
To get the pages placed correctly, you’ll have to type all of the pages and print them out, then tape or clip them together in the order you want them. Then you can figure out what number needs to be put on each page and how to go back and lay it out correctly on the computer for final printing. This can get very confusing, so talk to a printer beforehand to get instructions, or take the time to figure it out by looking at published examples. It’s really not that difficult once you get the hang of it.
One-sided printing:
If you are doing a cookbook and want to print only on one side of the paper, type each page and then COPY the same information on the right side of the page. That way you have two copies of the same text on each 8-1/2 inch by 11 inch page, so two books can be printed at the same time. Do the same with the cover and table of contents or index.
So if you need fifty books, you’ll only need twenty-five copies of each page. Each page will be cut in half by the printer, and then bound with wire or comb binding. This is the easiest way to do it and it saves money!
If there are fewer than sixty-four pages, you can have the books staple bound. In this case, type your recipe on the right side of the page only. Then you’ll want to have them printed front to back, but the copy showing through shouldn’t create a problem since the page behind each recipe will be blank. I think it’s helpful to have every other page blank since cooks might want to add their own notes about the recipes.
Assuming you are going to have the books printed on a copy machine, this is all you’ll need to do. You can do it all on your home printer (if you’re making only a few copies). You’ll have to make copies of every page, front to back. You’ll probably need to take them somewhere to get them stapled into the covers since it takes a longer than normal stapler to do the job.
If you’re having your book printed at a copy center, just tell them what cover stock and paper you want to use, and what type of binding. Spiral and comb bindings are great for cookbooks because the books will lie open for easy reading. The printer will have examples of paper and cover stock, plus bindings to show you.
Whatever type of binding you use, your cost will probably run around $5.00 each. Get estimates from several copy places before you have them printed. If you want to do a large cookbook and will have more than 100 copies made, contact Morris Cookbook Publishers to get their estimate as well as directions for formatting the book to fit their requirements (http://www.morriscookbooks.com.) There are also other professional cookbook printers who do the same type of work for reasonable prices but I haven’t had experience with them.
If you do all of the work yourself, you can probably get a project like this completed by Christmas if you get everything together before sitting down at the computer. If you plan to use Morris or another publisher, it will take longer because of their printing schedules.
I promise your gift recipients will love their thoughtfully created keepsake book. Best of all, this project will give you confidence to tackle a larger book project later.
One of the finest endeavors writers can undertake is to put their talents to work creating something for their families. In some instances your family may not understand what you write, or they simply are not interested. A family keepsake book can become a cherished heirloom and it will give your family a deeper appreciation for what you do.
A family cookbook is always a popular gift. Gather favorite recipes from all of your relatives such as parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and siblings. If your family always celebrates holidays together, don’t forget to include the dish that’s always a hit every year.
Another great gift is a remembrance of someone in the family who has passed away. A book on any beloved family member would be welcomed by those who want to keep precious memories alive. Even one about a favorite family pet would be welcomed and bring back warm memories for your siblings.
I created one about my younger sister who died from cancer before her grandchildren were in school, and one not even born yet. Since I had known her from birth until the day she died and spent many of those years under the same roof, I felt it was important that her children and grandchildren know who she was and the things she liked to do when she was young. I titled it “When Grammy Was a Little Girl.” I put three photos staggered across the front of when she was very young, when she was a teenager, and of shortly before she passed away—the way her children and grandchildren would remember seeing her towards the end. I had requests for additional copies for cousins, aunts and uncles who had loved her and wanted a remembrance to keep her close in their hearts.
A book can be typed into your computer using any good word processing program and then transferred into a page layout program. Put any photos you want onto your pages where you want them to appear. Minimal sizing and moving can be done here, but if photos need cropping you should do that in a photo edit program first. Design a cover that fits the book subject in your page layout program.
An alternative method if you lack design skills and don’t have a page layout program is to simply type each page and put photos into the word processing program. Under “page set-up,” go to “landscape,” and “two pages per sheet,” which will print out two pages on one sheet of 8.5 x 11” paper.
There are several issues you will face about setting up the pages correctly, including starting the first page on the right side of the layout, and how to place pages if you’re printing front and back.
Front to back printing:
On the copies that come from your home printer, the printing on one side will show through on the other side because you’re probably using paper that’s thinner than what a commercial copy company would use. So print those pages only on one side. Printing might also smudge if the page has to run twice through the printer.
Number your pages AFTER you’ve finished typing the book. That’s because you will need to do some shifting around if the sheets are going to be printed front and back. In the case of recipes, you’ll want to group the same types together. Also, if you’re printing on both sides, page one will have either have a blank page on the left, or it may have the last page on the back side depending on whether there are an even or odd number of printed pages. Remember that the book looks more professional with a blank page in front of the first printed page, but it can have the book’s title printed on it. Look at published examples to get an idea of how you want your book laid out. People were doing these things on typewriters before computers came out, so don’t stress out about it!
To get the pages placed correctly, you’ll have to type all of the pages and print them out, then tape or clip them together in the order you want them. Then you can figure out what number needs to be put on each page and how to go back and lay it out correctly on the computer for final printing. This can get very confusing, so talk to a printer beforehand to get instructions, or take the time to figure it out by looking at published examples. It’s really not that difficult once you get the hang of it.
One-sided printing:
If you are doing a cookbook and want to print only on one side of the paper, type each page and then COPY the same information on the right side of the page. That way you have two copies of the same text on each 8-1/2 inch by 11 inch page, so two books can be printed at the same time. Do the same with the cover and table of contents or index.
So if you need fifty books, you’ll only need twenty-five copies of each page. Each page will be cut in half by the printer, and then bound with wire or comb binding. This is the easiest way to do it and it saves money!
If there are fewer than sixty-four pages, you can have the books staple bound. In this case, type your recipe on the right side of the page only. Then you’ll want to have them printed front to back, but the copy showing through shouldn’t create a problem since the page behind each recipe will be blank. I think it’s helpful to have every other page blank since cooks might want to add their own notes about the recipes.
Assuming you are going to have the books printed on a copy machine, this is all you’ll need to do. You can do it all on your home printer (if you’re making only a few copies). You’ll have to make copies of every page, front to back. You’ll probably need to take them somewhere to get them stapled into the covers since it takes a longer than normal stapler to do the job.
If you’re having your book printed at a copy center, just tell them what cover stock and paper you want to use, and what type of binding. Spiral and comb bindings are great for cookbooks because the books will lie open for easy reading. The printer will have examples of paper and cover stock, plus bindings to show you.
Whatever type of binding you use, your cost will probably run around $5.00 each. Get estimates from several copy places before you have them printed. If you want to do a large cookbook and will have more than 100 copies made, contact Morris Cookbook Publishers to get their estimate as well as directions for formatting the book to fit their requirements (http://www.morriscookbooks.com.) There are also other professional cookbook printers who do the same type of work for reasonable prices but I haven’t had experience with them.
If you do all of the work yourself, you can probably get a project like this completed by Christmas if you get everything together before sitting down at the computer. If you plan to use Morris or another publisher, it will take longer because of their printing schedules.
I promise your gift recipients will love their thoughtfully created keepsake book. Best of all, this project will give you confidence to tackle a larger book project later.
GO WITH THE FLOW
One of the most important rules we’ve learned since starting RVing is to be prepared to go with the flow.
For instance, we were planning to leave this Wednesday for Texas after a tire we had ordered came in. Well, the tire’s not in and we still need to get with some family before we leave. So, we’re now planning on getting a new tire on Thursday and then heading in the general direction we want to go. As I write this, we don’t know for sure which way we’ll head yet.
The latest dilemma started with our trip down from Cape Girardeau. At the last minute we called some friends along the way and made plans to spend the night in their town so we could visit. Then about twenty miles the other side of them, one of our tires blew out. The closest place to get it replaced under warranty was Little Rock.
So we spent the night in Wynne, Arkansas and then traveled to Little Rock next day on our spare. We’ve been waiting ever since for the new tire to come in!
Meanwhile, as the clock ticked off the hours we hadn’t decided what to do after leaving here. Should we go to the Houston area first, then head back north to near Ft. Worth to visit friends? Or should we go to Ft. Worth first? We decided to go south first, then head back north, but a phone call from a friend in Houston changed those plans.
We also hadn’t decided whether to go to Southern Arizona, Phoenix or Verde Valley, but that same friend may have answered that dilemma for us. She asked if she could hitch a ride to Phoenix with us.
So as of right now we think we’re heading to Ft. Worth first, then to Houston area where we may spend a few weeks before heading west. Then we may stay in the Phoenix area, or we might park the motorhome south of there and take our friend to Phoenix in the car.
We’re flexible because we’ve learned not to obsess about planning every detail. The first year we traveled my very good friend in Washington came down with cancer, then my sister in Arkansas. Suddenly we couldn’t focus on traveling for pleasure. We shuttled back and forth between Washington, Arizona and Arkansas in a desperate attempt to support our loved ones who needed us.
Then a sudden illness for me and an operation at the same time for my husband caused us to have to stop in our tracks. We didn’t have a choice.
How wonderful that we owned an RV that could transport us, or house us wherever we needed to be. It still keeps us flexible so we can go where we want or where we’re needed. We never plan ahead much anymore. And we don’t obsess about itineraries. We simply go with the flow . . .
Aah the flexibility of changing course in midstream!
One of the most important rules we’ve learned since starting RVing is to be prepared to go with the flow.
For instance, we were planning to leave this Wednesday for Texas after a tire we had ordered came in. Well, the tire’s not in and we still need to get with some family before we leave. So, we’re now planning on getting a new tire on Thursday and then heading in the general direction we want to go. As I write this, we don’t know for sure which way we’ll head yet.
The latest dilemma started with our trip down from Cape Girardeau. At the last minute we called some friends along the way and made plans to spend the night in their town so we could visit. Then about twenty miles the other side of them, one of our tires blew out. The closest place to get it replaced under warranty was Little Rock.
So we spent the night in Wynne, Arkansas and then traveled to Little Rock next day on our spare. We’ve been waiting ever since for the new tire to come in!
Meanwhile, as the clock ticked off the hours we hadn’t decided what to do after leaving here. Should we go to the Houston area first, then head back north to near Ft. Worth to visit friends? Or should we go to Ft. Worth first? We decided to go south first, then head back north, but a phone call from a friend in Houston changed those plans.
We also hadn’t decided whether to go to Southern Arizona, Phoenix or Verde Valley, but that same friend may have answered that dilemma for us. She asked if she could hitch a ride to Phoenix with us.
So as of right now we think we’re heading to Ft. Worth first, then to Houston area where we may spend a few weeks before heading west. Then we may stay in the Phoenix area, or we might park the motorhome south of there and take our friend to Phoenix in the car.
We’re flexible because we’ve learned not to obsess about planning every detail. The first year we traveled my very good friend in Washington came down with cancer, then my sister in Arkansas. Suddenly we couldn’t focus on traveling for pleasure. We shuttled back and forth between Washington, Arizona and Arkansas in a desperate attempt to support our loved ones who needed us.
Then a sudden illness for me and an operation at the same time for my husband caused us to have to stop in our tracks. We didn’t have a choice.
How wonderful that we owned an RV that could transport us, or house us wherever we needed to be. It still keeps us flexible so we can go where we want or where we’re needed. We never plan ahead much anymore. And we don’t obsess about itineraries. We simply go with the flow . . .
Aah the flexibility of changing course in midstream!
Monday, October 16, 2006
FALL ARRIVES IN MISSOURI
The colors of fall are beginning to show up all around the countryside, especially in the colorful displays of pumpkins and mums. The trees are still green, but now have tinges of red and yellow.
The hills of Missouri and Arkansas always hold plenty of fall festivals each year, and we love hitting as many as possible, including the Octoberfest outside of Cape Girardeau which took place this past weekend.
For a small town, the Cape has lots of historical sites to interest and entertain visitors. Downtown is particularly charming because of the murals on the seawall (which would otherwise an ugly concrete monstrosity that blocks views of the Mississippi River) as well as on many of the buildings around town.
North of town is an area where Eastern Native Americans spent frigid winters on their march to Oklahoma in 1837, 1838 and 1839. They traveled by wagon and horseback, but many were forced to walk the entire route. A trip to The Trail of Tears State Park is a beautiful and educational spot to learn more about this unfortunate piece of our country's history.
Our visit to Cape Girardeau produced this image of me through the lense of a Taliedoscope. (I hope I have the name of this correct!) Unlike a kaliedoscope, this instrument reflects the scenery through the end where you would normally find colored designs. In this case, the only scenery was me, blocking the view out the doorway.
We found it necessary to spend another day in the area because of heavy rain. It started about midnight and before it's done, the area expects to receive at least three inches. We're parked next to a pond that has been known to flood, so we're holding our breath and planning to get out as soon as the downpour lets up. We'll head south, but even that area is getting tons of rain today!
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
TRAVELING TOPICS
Writing on the road
Another trip, and more challenges to meeting my writing goals. However, even I realize that I could have done better!
Those old temptations have certainly lured me away from writing during the past two weeks. First there were the days we traveled, and this time we spent longer days on the road. There just aren’t that many places to spend the night along I-40 that meet our requirements (quiet, clean, on-site managers). So by the time we settled in each evening, it was time to cook and eat, relax for a couple of hours, then get some sleep.
Then when we finally arrived in Arkansas, we had family to visit. We also have friends there, but I didn’t have time to contact them this time. I had scheduled a family reunion, which took even more of my time. We also spent one afternoon visiting one of the top tourist destinations in Little Rock. We toured the Clinton Library, and wished we had left a full day open for the tour. It is a beautiful, energy efficient building in a gorgeous setting right next to the Arkansas River. One end of it juts out over the river, and it’s next to an old, abandoned railroad bridge that will someday be turned into a pedestrian bridge across the river.
Both Little Rock and North Little Rock have walking and biking trails that extend for several miles along each side of the river. Now a brand new pedestrian and biking bridge has been built west of town that is the longest pedestrian bridge in the world. We walked on part of it and took a couple of photos, but it was a little windy, which didn’t make a walk all the way across the river very appealing.
On Monday we left for Cape Girardeau, MO, about 300 miles north and east of Little Rock. We’ve settled in for a few days and hope to do some sightseeing here, but in the meantime I realized I needed to get this newsletter done.
So if I can’t seem to write while I travel, does that mean you won’t be able to, either. No. There will always be times when writing has to take a back seat to other responsibilities. However, it’s important to keep writing goals in mind and plan to escape for a few days to a location where you can focus. That’s what I’m doing right now.
Our nephew and his wife flew here from Massachusetts for a fly-in and we’ll spend some time with them, but he’s responsible for putting on the fly-in, so that leaves more free time for us. We’ll be traveling again in a few days, so I’ll try to write as much and as often as possible. I’ll work on my novel and my blog site www.freelancewriter.booklocker.com. Then maybe I can take a few days off to visit friends when we pass through central Arkansas again.
Writing is the way I make my living, and living is what I do. I try to create plenty of time for both, and strike a balance between the two. It isn't always easy . . .
Writing on the road
Another trip, and more challenges to meeting my writing goals. However, even I realize that I could have done better!
Those old temptations have certainly lured me away from writing during the past two weeks. First there were the days we traveled, and this time we spent longer days on the road. There just aren’t that many places to spend the night along I-40 that meet our requirements (quiet, clean, on-site managers). So by the time we settled in each evening, it was time to cook and eat, relax for a couple of hours, then get some sleep.
Then when we finally arrived in Arkansas, we had family to visit. We also have friends there, but I didn’t have time to contact them this time. I had scheduled a family reunion, which took even more of my time. We also spent one afternoon visiting one of the top tourist destinations in Little Rock. We toured the Clinton Library, and wished we had left a full day open for the tour. It is a beautiful, energy efficient building in a gorgeous setting right next to the Arkansas River. One end of it juts out over the river, and it’s next to an old, abandoned railroad bridge that will someday be turned into a pedestrian bridge across the river.
Both Little Rock and North Little Rock have walking and biking trails that extend for several miles along each side of the river. Now a brand new pedestrian and biking bridge has been built west of town that is the longest pedestrian bridge in the world. We walked on part of it and took a couple of photos, but it was a little windy, which didn’t make a walk all the way across the river very appealing.
On Monday we left for Cape Girardeau, MO, about 300 miles north and east of Little Rock. We’ve settled in for a few days and hope to do some sightseeing here, but in the meantime I realized I needed to get this newsletter done.
So if I can’t seem to write while I travel, does that mean you won’t be able to, either. No. There will always be times when writing has to take a back seat to other responsibilities. However, it’s important to keep writing goals in mind and plan to escape for a few days to a location where you can focus. That’s what I’m doing right now.
Our nephew and his wife flew here from Massachusetts for a fly-in and we’ll spend some time with them, but he’s responsible for putting on the fly-in, so that leaves more free time for us. We’ll be traveling again in a few days, so I’ll try to write as much and as often as possible. I’ll work on my novel and my blog site www.freelancewriter.booklocker.com. Then maybe I can take a few days off to visit friends when we pass through central Arkansas again.
Writing is the way I make my living, and living is what I do. I try to create plenty of time for both, and strike a balance between the two. It isn't always easy . . .
WRITING TOPICS
Gift buying time approaches again
Think books, especially for the writers on your list
While we’re still getting the kids ready for Halloween and haven’t even begun to think about Thanksgiving, stores are already putting out Christmas decorations. Yes, it’s that time again, and retailers are pushing all types of useless goodies for you to buy for your friends and relatives. You know the types of gifts that are opened and then quickly forgotten? New commercials for perfumes and colognes are already on the airwaves. Okay, I admit I’m not a fan or either, but I can think of a lot of items I’d rather buy for others, too.
Books make a great gift for almost anyone on your list. Who doesn’t like to read? Okay, there are some people who are content to sit in front of the TV every day and night for hours on end, and claim to never read. Still, books are a welcome addition to most people’s lives. They entertain, and enrich lives by informing, encouraging curiosity and firing the imagination.
Mothers tend to become more difficult to buy for as they grow older. They’ve already received enough cologne to float a battleship and enough jewelry to make a serious dent in the precious metals market. Also robes, lingerie, blouses, purses, and sweaters in sizes too small or large fill their closets to overflowing.
One Christmas I decided to buy a selection of books for my mother that I knew she would enjoy, along with some comfy slippers. So I picked out several books on a variety of subjects, including fiction and nonfiction, and boxed them together with the slippers. She was thrilled! She had something to fill her hours, which would have otherwise been spent watching uninspired TV shows. She remembered that gift for years afterward, something that couldn’t be said for the fancy robe my sister and I purchased for her when we were teens, or the costume jewelry that was our favorite gift to give when we were young.
I recently sent a book that was written and autographed by an Arizona writer to my five-year-old great-niece. It was about bedtime for desert baby animals and had a photo of the author and the illustrator in the back. My niece tells me little Maddi shows that book to everyone and points out the pictures of the writer who signed it, and the artist who drew all the cute pictures of animals. It’s become her favorite bedtime story.
Books have a way of opening up the world to adults and youngsters, alike. I can remember favorite books from when I was a child. So if you’re in a quandary about what to buy for those special people on your gift list, think about their interests and find a book on a subject that they love. They’ll long remember your thoughtfulness and appreciate the thought you put into choosing a gift especially for them.
If you know any aspiring writers, young or old, why not give them a copy of Portable Writing for Christmas. Or maybe you’d want to buy a group of writing books that will help them get started on their writing adventure. They’ll always remember that you’re the one who opened the doors for them, and encouraged them to take the leap. It’s amazing what books can do.
Another idea for this holiday season is to create a book about a beloved family member, including a favorite pet for someone special. I'll tell you how to put one of these together using your computer in the November issue. It doesn't take a lot of time if you start organizing your thoughts and getting photos, notes, etc. together now.
Gift buying time approaches again
Think books, especially for the writers on your list
While we’re still getting the kids ready for Halloween and haven’t even begun to think about Thanksgiving, stores are already putting out Christmas decorations. Yes, it’s that time again, and retailers are pushing all types of useless goodies for you to buy for your friends and relatives. You know the types of gifts that are opened and then quickly forgotten? New commercials for perfumes and colognes are already on the airwaves. Okay, I admit I’m not a fan or either, but I can think of a lot of items I’d rather buy for others, too.
Books make a great gift for almost anyone on your list. Who doesn’t like to read? Okay, there are some people who are content to sit in front of the TV every day and night for hours on end, and claim to never read. Still, books are a welcome addition to most people’s lives. They entertain, and enrich lives by informing, encouraging curiosity and firing the imagination.
Mothers tend to become more difficult to buy for as they grow older. They’ve already received enough cologne to float a battleship and enough jewelry to make a serious dent in the precious metals market. Also robes, lingerie, blouses, purses, and sweaters in sizes too small or large fill their closets to overflowing.
One Christmas I decided to buy a selection of books for my mother that I knew she would enjoy, along with some comfy slippers. So I picked out several books on a variety of subjects, including fiction and nonfiction, and boxed them together with the slippers. She was thrilled! She had something to fill her hours, which would have otherwise been spent watching uninspired TV shows. She remembered that gift for years afterward, something that couldn’t be said for the fancy robe my sister and I purchased for her when we were teens, or the costume jewelry that was our favorite gift to give when we were young.
I recently sent a book that was written and autographed by an Arizona writer to my five-year-old great-niece. It was about bedtime for desert baby animals and had a photo of the author and the illustrator in the back. My niece tells me little Maddi shows that book to everyone and points out the pictures of the writer who signed it, and the artist who drew all the cute pictures of animals. It’s become her favorite bedtime story.
Books have a way of opening up the world to adults and youngsters, alike. I can remember favorite books from when I was a child. So if you’re in a quandary about what to buy for those special people on your gift list, think about their interests and find a book on a subject that they love. They’ll long remember your thoughtfulness and appreciate the thought you put into choosing a gift especially for them.
If you know any aspiring writers, young or old, why not give them a copy of Portable Writing for Christmas. Or maybe you’d want to buy a group of writing books that will help them get started on their writing adventure. They’ll always remember that you’re the one who opened the doors for them, and encouraged them to take the leap. It’s amazing what books can do.
Another idea for this holiday season is to create a book about a beloved family member, including a favorite pet for someone special. I'll tell you how to put one of these together using your computer in the November issue. It doesn't take a lot of time if you start organizing your thoughts and getting photos, notes, etc. together now.
On the road . . . Backroads of Northern Arizona
Nostalgic times in Winslow
Traveling along I-40, it’s just a short hop off the freeway to downtown Winslow, AZ, but before the Interstate was built, this was one of the top watering spots along Route 66. Those of you who are old enough probably remember the TV series about Route 66 which featured places and adventures along the road with Buzz and Todd, who traveled “The Mother Road” in a Corvette.
I never missed an episode, mainly because even back then I wanted to become acquainted with the places I could visit once I got a driver’s license and vehicle. I definitely wanted to someday get my kicks on Route 66, and amazingly, it wasn’t that many years later until I did.
You may also remember the sixties Eagles hit, “Take it Easy,” which reminisced about standing on the corner in Winslow watching a girl in a flatbed Ford driving by.
Some of the old towns along Route 66 have gotten dolled up to commemorate their former glory days, and to tempt present day tourists off the Interstate. Winslow is one of the better examples of bringing those memories to life. On one corner of the main route is a mural on the wall of a business—a painted depiction of a window reflecting back a girl in a vintage Ford driving by while a statue of a young man with a guitar stands on the corner and watches. It’s an excellent commemoration of the Eagles song and a wonderful backdrop for photo shots.
Another Winslow tradition is the former Harvey House hotel, La Posada. It is being restored to its glory days and is a beautiful 1930s example of the work of Architect Mary Colter and of the former, famous hotels which Fred Harvey built along the route in the West to serve weary travelers.
Much of the roadway of Route 66 still exists and in many places, parallels I-40. If you want to take a scenic trip on two-lanes, get off the freeway and explore towns like Winslow, Flagstaff, Williams and Kingman. Their main thoroughfares are the original Route 66.
For a trip that will bring back memories of wonderful long-ago roadtrips, whether they were along Route 66 or some other two-lane highway, you'll find much of the past still present along this fabled road. Even if you're too young to remember traveling on anything but a freeway, there's something sweet and nostalgic about these relics of the past that conjures up warm feelings of a slower time and pace. Take a trip down Route 66 for some of the same views and adventure that your parents and grandparents enjoyed when they made this trip back in the fifties with their parents.
Nostalgic times in Winslow
Traveling along I-40, it’s just a short hop off the freeway to downtown Winslow, AZ, but before the Interstate was built, this was one of the top watering spots along Route 66. Those of you who are old enough probably remember the TV series about Route 66 which featured places and adventures along the road with Buzz and Todd, who traveled “The Mother Road” in a Corvette.
I never missed an episode, mainly because even back then I wanted to become acquainted with the places I could visit once I got a driver’s license and vehicle. I definitely wanted to someday get my kicks on Route 66, and amazingly, it wasn’t that many years later until I did.
You may also remember the sixties Eagles hit, “Take it Easy,” which reminisced about standing on the corner in Winslow watching a girl in a flatbed Ford driving by.
Some of the old towns along Route 66 have gotten dolled up to commemorate their former glory days, and to tempt present day tourists off the Interstate. Winslow is one of the better examples of bringing those memories to life. On one corner of the main route is a mural on the wall of a business—a painted depiction of a window reflecting back a girl in a vintage Ford driving by while a statue of a young man with a guitar stands on the corner and watches. It’s an excellent commemoration of the Eagles song and a wonderful backdrop for photo shots.
Another Winslow tradition is the former Harvey House hotel, La Posada. It is being restored to its glory days and is a beautiful 1930s example of the work of Architect Mary Colter and of the former, famous hotels which Fred Harvey built along the route in the West to serve weary travelers.
Much of the roadway of Route 66 still exists and in many places, parallels I-40. If you want to take a scenic trip on two-lanes, get off the freeway and explore towns like Winslow, Flagstaff, Williams and Kingman. Their main thoroughfares are the original Route 66.
For a trip that will bring back memories of wonderful long-ago roadtrips, whether they were along Route 66 or some other two-lane highway, you'll find much of the past still present along this fabled road. Even if you're too young to remember traveling on anything but a freeway, there's something sweet and nostalgic about these relics of the past that conjures up warm feelings of a slower time and pace. Take a trip down Route 66 for some of the same views and adventure that your parents and grandparents enjoyed when they made this trip back in the fifties with their parents.
An editorial from Kay
The truth should always rule for writers
No matter what their race, religion, interests or political bent, everyone has an opinion about all of these issues. Race relations are fresh on my mind because returning to Arkansas has reminded me that my 50th high school reunion is coming up in a couple of years. Yikes!
Why would I be thinking about race as an issue? And how does that relate to truth in writing? Well, I was a 1958 graduate of Little Rock Central High School—you know—the one that turned into an international news story when nine black students entered a previously all-white high school for the first time. I have lots of memories of soldiers standing in the hallways holding rifles and bayonets while we students tried to concentrate on learning and enjoying the year.
The anniversary is a hot topic again, but the vast majority of the 2000 plus students who weren’t black, or who didn’t provoke fights or make stupid racist remarks to the press, are being left out of the discussion once more. It is as if our pain and fear didn’t count—or even exist—yet we all lived with daily fear fueled by the press, and bomb threats that regularly sent us scurrying from the building.
Looking back, I was planning on being a news reporter when I graduated from high school and college, but the events that year changed my mind and life. No longer did I want to be associated with a profession that didn’t report the news accurately, but instead sensationalized often fabricated stories. All nine of the black students were depicted as victims while all of the white ones were shown as scurrilous pigs rioting hurling insults at (unseen) blacks. Yes, I admit it wasn’t pretty for those black students who were marched into an all-white school that September morning. They must have been shaking in their shoes and scared beyond belief.
Most of we white students were sympathetic towards them, but most of us were also selfish teenagers who thought the world revolved around us, and all we wanted was to attend school and graduate. We didn’t want trouble, and we definitely didn’t relish the world’s attention.
The truth was we were all scared out of our wits. The day that ended my career dreams was the evening my sister and I were watching the national evening news with our mother, and suddenly we appeared on screen, and these are the exact words as I remember them: “watching rioting and violence against a negro.” What???
We were stunned! We were actually waiting for our ride under the same tree we stood under every afternoon, as were a few dozen other students. Nothing was happening except teenagers swapping news about the day’s activities. It was the stuff we did every afternoon after school.
That was the event that sent me over the edge. No longer did I admire the press, or even respect it. In fact, I also lost all respect for the adults who had created the problems in the first place—the ones who were fighting integration and making life miserable for both the black students and us. The ones who were supposed to protect us all—black and white, alike.
It took me a long time before I could pick up a pen and write again because I could no longer visualize my place in the journalism profession. It wasn’t until the mid-eighties that I suddenly realized I could work as an independent journalist, writing only for magazines and newspapers that I respected.
Sometimes situations in life force faulty decisions, but in reality, we’re all in charge of our own futures. Yes, I was young and impressionable, and I could blame the events of that year for a lot of things besides my decision to not work as a news reporter. I tended to view things negatively back then. However, I now recognize the positive effects that year had on my life—such as giving me empathy for others who are less fortunate, and fueling a determination to not be influenced by what I see and hear reported as “gospel truth.”
The established press still reeks of everything from slanting reality to downright lying to the public that trusts it. But now I know that, and I hope those of you reading this will always remember to not accept facts from TV or newspapers as truthful or complete. Instead, always go to the sources you’re writing about and ask questions until you’re satisfied that what you write is as factual as possible.
This should be your mantra whether you’re writing a piece on a tourist destination or a profile of a well-known politician or celebrity. All news is important to someone. Make sure you aren’t the one responsible for deceiving readers, no matter how unintentionally you might do it.
The words of my high school journalism teacher, Miss Middlebrook concerning reporting the news still echo in my ears: “Get it, get it right, and get it right the first time!” Wise words to remember, don’t you think?
The truth should always rule for writers
No matter what their race, religion, interests or political bent, everyone has an opinion about all of these issues. Race relations are fresh on my mind because returning to Arkansas has reminded me that my 50th high school reunion is coming up in a couple of years. Yikes!
Why would I be thinking about race as an issue? And how does that relate to truth in writing? Well, I was a 1958 graduate of Little Rock Central High School—you know—the one that turned into an international news story when nine black students entered a previously all-white high school for the first time. I have lots of memories of soldiers standing in the hallways holding rifles and bayonets while we students tried to concentrate on learning and enjoying the year.
The anniversary is a hot topic again, but the vast majority of the 2000 plus students who weren’t black, or who didn’t provoke fights or make stupid racist remarks to the press, are being left out of the discussion once more. It is as if our pain and fear didn’t count—or even exist—yet we all lived with daily fear fueled by the press, and bomb threats that regularly sent us scurrying from the building.
Looking back, I was planning on being a news reporter when I graduated from high school and college, but the events that year changed my mind and life. No longer did I want to be associated with a profession that didn’t report the news accurately, but instead sensationalized often fabricated stories. All nine of the black students were depicted as victims while all of the white ones were shown as scurrilous pigs rioting hurling insults at (unseen) blacks. Yes, I admit it wasn’t pretty for those black students who were marched into an all-white school that September morning. They must have been shaking in their shoes and scared beyond belief.
Most of we white students were sympathetic towards them, but most of us were also selfish teenagers who thought the world revolved around us, and all we wanted was to attend school and graduate. We didn’t want trouble, and we definitely didn’t relish the world’s attention.
The truth was we were all scared out of our wits. The day that ended my career dreams was the evening my sister and I were watching the national evening news with our mother, and suddenly we appeared on screen, and these are the exact words as I remember them: “watching rioting and violence against a negro.” What???
We were stunned! We were actually waiting for our ride under the same tree we stood under every afternoon, as were a few dozen other students. Nothing was happening except teenagers swapping news about the day’s activities. It was the stuff we did every afternoon after school.
That was the event that sent me over the edge. No longer did I admire the press, or even respect it. In fact, I also lost all respect for the adults who had created the problems in the first place—the ones who were fighting integration and making life miserable for both the black students and us. The ones who were supposed to protect us all—black and white, alike.
It took me a long time before I could pick up a pen and write again because I could no longer visualize my place in the journalism profession. It wasn’t until the mid-eighties that I suddenly realized I could work as an independent journalist, writing only for magazines and newspapers that I respected.
Sometimes situations in life force faulty decisions, but in reality, we’re all in charge of our own futures. Yes, I was young and impressionable, and I could blame the events of that year for a lot of things besides my decision to not work as a news reporter. I tended to view things negatively back then. However, I now recognize the positive effects that year had on my life—such as giving me empathy for others who are less fortunate, and fueling a determination to not be influenced by what I see and hear reported as “gospel truth.”
The established press still reeks of everything from slanting reality to downright lying to the public that trusts it. But now I know that, and I hope those of you reading this will always remember to not accept facts from TV or newspapers as truthful or complete. Instead, always go to the sources you’re writing about and ask questions until you’re satisfied that what you write is as factual as possible.
This should be your mantra whether you’re writing a piece on a tourist destination or a profile of a well-known politician or celebrity. All news is important to someone. Make sure you aren’t the one responsible for deceiving readers, no matter how unintentionally you might do it.
The words of my high school journalism teacher, Miss Middlebrook concerning reporting the news still echo in my ears: “Get it, get it right, and get it right the first time!” Wise words to remember, don’t you think?
Friday, September 08, 2006
What the Press is saying about the book: Portable Writing.
Escapees Magazine, Sept/Oct, 2006: “Filled with personal anecdotes, her overviews of writing magazine articles, newsletters, news releases, columns, family histories, etc. are invaluable. They will inspire many potential marketing ideas in both beginning and experienced writers who will be motivated to try new writing avenues and ideas. Her enthusiasm for her chosen profession is contagious.
This is a real winner and one every writer or aspiring writer ought to have in their arsenal.”
Escapees Magazine, Sept/Oct, 2006: “Filled with personal anecdotes, her overviews of writing magazine articles, newsletters, news releases, columns, family histories, etc. are invaluable. They will inspire many potential marketing ideas in both beginning and experienced writers who will be motivated to try new writing avenues and ideas. Her enthusiasm for her chosen profession is contagious.
This is a real winner and one every writer or aspiring writer ought to have in their arsenal.”
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Articles in this month’s issue:
--Tips for writers: How to find great networking opportunities
--More tips for writers: Travel and get paid for it
--Traveling topics: Work camping
--On the road: Visit the real Old West in Oatman, AZ
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TIPS FOR WRITERS:
NETWORKING FOR WRITERS:
Look for the best networking opportunities
If you’re looking for prospective clients to network with, you must attend meetings that emphasize exchanging business leads. Here are some ideas.
1. Business associations: If there is a home-based or small business group in your community, see if they focus on making business connections. Attend a few meetings to find out how it works. If I had attended only the first meeting of the Home Based Business Association in my county, I would have come away empty-handed. However, I did note that people made a point of meeting and greeting while enjoying snacks before and after the formal meeting. For best results, don’t eat while trying to talk with new acquaintances. Nothing like some brocoli between the teeth to influence prospective clients!
2. The local chamber of commerce always provides a place to network, but they may hold their meetings at some ungodly hour in the early morning or hold after-hours socials. While I belonged to the chamber for awhile, it didn’t fit my schedule to make the most of networking opportunities. That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be great for others. Membership fees might be a little steep for beginning writers, but check it out for your business.
3. Leads clubs: Back in the mid-eighties and early nineties, there was an organization of business groups across the country called Leads Clubs that focused entirely on exchanging leads. At each meeting, everyone got up and introduced themselves and their business. There was time for socializing afterwards so that members could become acquainted with each other and exchange leads. And all members were encouraged to refer fellow club members to friends or business associates. This was the ideal situation for fostering business leads, and I got many from belonging. I don’t know if this association still exists as I haven’t seen mention of it in the paper for a long time, but you might want to start your own club specifically for this purpose. Call it something else, though, because it’s possible “Leads Club” was a trademarked name.
4. Form your own small group to meet weekly to share ideas, provide business help to each other, and exchange leads. This should consist of no more than four people that you admire and enjoy.
I belonged to two such groups. One consisted of four writers who met for lunch weekly for support and motivation. We all focused on different aspects of writing: one was a romance writer, one taught writing autobiographies to the elderly, one wrote magazine and newspaper articles and also produced histories of associations and communities. I was the only one who focused on producing a variety of projects for businesses plus getting articles published. If you’re a writer, you are going to need to get out of the house occasionally, and this provides an excellent opportunity to socialize and achieve some business goals.
What did we have to share? For starters, if we were having trouble with getting a sentence or word sequence just right, we took it to the group. If we needed encouragement or a swift kick in the behind, we got that from our peers. We also exchanged referrals. Some of us are still friends after all these years!
I also formed a group of business owners, again no more than four people. You want to make sure these are people who you respect for their knowledge of business and can trust with your business secrets. These will be your closest business confidantes, advisors and motivators. You’ll also trade referrals. My group became very close-knit friends, and without them my business would have never made it through those first, trying years.
5. Social and service groups: You might find some success by networking with these groups, but you’ll have to attend a meeting to determine what transpires, such as do they set aside time for introductions and business announcements? The Junior League is an example of a service and social organization, but it exists mainly for spouses of successful professionals to do charity work. While participating in activities with the wives of doctors and lawyers might net you an occasional business writing referral, the group is not geared towards business. On the other hand, an organization like Elks is a great place to meet and get to know other business owners.
6. If you want to get your work published, then go where editors and publishers congregate. Attend every writers conference you can find in your area. Sometimes small conferences will take place in nearby medium-size or large cities or at local colleges, and the public can attend. The big ones, like the Maui Writers Conference, are huge gatherings where the cream of the crop gathers to share industry news.
If you can afford it, this would probably be the place to go, but unless you walk in prepared to approach presenters and introduce yourself and your prospective book or project in a brief sentence (you only get a few seconds), you needn’t waste time trying to hook an assignment or sell a book. This conference attracts the most experienced writers and editors, so it’s a great educational opportunity even if you aren’t prepared to sell a work in progress. And you can still introduce yourself to editors that you can send query letters to later and mention that you met them at the conference. You can also meet other writers who may be willing to share information that will help give your career a boost.
When you arrive at a conference, or even beforehand if you get a chance, sign up for the workshops that will benefit you. Some time slots may not have anything you’re interested in, but one time a friend and I signed up for a romance writing presentation even though neither of us was interested in that genre. Still, the presenter became an interview subject for me, and we later became friends. Every experience is an opportunity for education, advancement or friendship if you look deep enough.
Make sure you separate “networking” from strictly social organizations before you commit your time. Determine who your clients are most likely to be and focus on finding ways to reach them. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with belonging to social and service groups—in fact they’re good and necessary, and provide many much-needed services to the underprivileged, sick and elderly in communities nationwide. However, to network successfully and build your business, you MUST ALSO join groups that focus on business networking.
So get out there. Walk up to other attendees, stick out your hand and say “Hi,” “Howdy,” or “Hi y’all,” or whatever is comfortable for you. Tell each person you greet your name and ask theirs, if they don’t volunteer it. You can always say something like, “Hi, I’m Mary Sunshine, what brings you to this meeting.” Some people are shy and at a loss for words at functions where they don’t know anyone, but everyone loves to talk about themselves. A friendly smile and a greeting will usually break the ice for them, and for you if you’re the hesitant one. If they don’t offer their name, say, “I’m sorry, I don’t believe I got your name. Do you have a business card?” You’ll soon be a pro at meeting and greeting, and at building your writing business. Trust me, once the referral ball starts rolling, you'll soon be running to keep up with the business of your dreams!
For an excellent article and different take on starting out as a writer and succeeding, and what she had to do to succeed, read Accountability by Robin Allen. Go to this link: www.writersweekly.com, August 16, 2006.
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More Writing Tips . . .
Travel Writing
Travel and get paid for it!
While RVing is my choice for traveling and writing, it might not be yours. There are many writing opportunities for travel writers who roam the world as jet-setters. However, unless you know a publisher who is willing to pay you to hop around the globe or you already have lots of travel writing credits under your belt, it’s probably not going to happen for you for awhile. It is a goal worth pursuing though, if that’s your dream.
To get started in the travel writing field, concentrate on producing destination pieces and peddling them to magazines and newspapers. You should read other destination articles to see what type of information is included. Are articles written in first person (I was there and this is what I saw and did), or are they all third person. Some publications prefer one type over the other and you must know which they’ll buy before approaching them if you want to appear professional. And you do, don’t you?
It also helps if you can take great photos, but if you don’t, magazines can usually acquire them from stock image companies. Those are businesses that buy photos from a variety of sources and focus on collecting exceptional ones to offer for sale for publication. You can also get great photos from the local or state tourism office.
If you want to take your own pictures, buy a good camera with a telephoto lens. Digital photography is becoming more acceptable to magazines and newspapers, but those using higher grade paper still require slides. If you haven’t taken professional quality photos before, practice by taking several shots of each subject, including close-up and wide-angle. Make notes about what time of day you took each one, what camera setting you used, unless yours is a point and shoot camera, then study the photos to see which works best for telling a story. Take a class on photography. Or maybe you have a talented friend who will be willing to travel with you and take photos to illustrate your articles. Traveling with a friend is a lot more fun, anyway, than going it alone.
I have taken hundreds of slides, which I’ve saved in a file. Keep them in a plastic sleeve made for holding slides, and write with a felt tip pen what the subjects are on the top edge.
Now, I use a digital camera almost exclusively, and those photos have illustrated several of my published articles. Study the publications you want to write for to see what quality they use. Get a copy of their guidelines, which will tell you what they want.
Become a globe-trotting journalist, if you like, by building a portfolio of outstanding articles and photos. You can fly, cruise, drive, ride the rails or go at an even more leisurely pace by RV. I personally don’t like flying, especially now that restrictions are so tight, and it’s such a hassle and so time consuming to catch a flight. RVing is the ideal mode of transportation for me.
One thing you might want to avoid is being comped for a room, meals, or airline tickets while you’re traveling. It can cloud your report and might be construed as a bribe to write a flattering review of your destination. Some magazines won’t accept articles if you’ve received free travel, room and board. On the other hand, if you can find magazines or newspapers that don’t care how you got your information, then you can probably build enough publishing credits to convince resorts, etc. to comp all of your expenses. This is one of those ethics dilemmas that sidetrack many a well-intentioned writer.
Even if you never accept compensation from the people and places you’re writing about, you’ll still be offered small gifts from time to time. I have always refused comps, but there have been times when I’ve become friends with an interviewee and after an article is published, they have offered a small gift, such as a musician’s CD or tickets to a show they’re performing in, or a book from a writer. If the article is already in print and I have an ongoing relationship with the person, I have accepted small token objects on a few occasions. And if there’s any way I can get free publicity for a writer’s book or a muscian's CD, I make sure to do it.
You’ll have to decide how you want to handle ethical questions like this on your own. Be aware that if you get an assignment from a magazine, and they’re paying you for your travel, expenses, and for your time, then there’s no question that you should not accept comps under any circumstances. If you can build a reputation as a great writer whose articles are factual and untainted, you’ll have expense paid vacations for as long as you want to write and travel. If editors from most magazines know you have a reputation for accepting comps, you’ll definitely not win new assignments from them, but you still might become the darling of resorts, etc. and receive free vacations if you’re getting publicity for them in other magazines. See the dilemma?
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For more information on travel writing as a career, check Amazon.com for titles that match this field. Check www.writersmarket.com for market information for placing your articles and books.
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Traveling topics:
Working while RVing
Pay for your travel with jobs on the road
In a previous issue, I mentioned work camping for those who want to earn extra income while traveling. There are reasons why you, as a writer, might want to do this and reasons why you might choose not to do it.
Why you might want to work camp
If you are a new writer who doesn’t have a published track record or enough clients to keep your coffers filled, then you might want to explore working while traveling. There are other benefits besides money. You’ll learn a great deal about the region you’re visiting and will probably find new topics to write about. You might even meet new business clients if you do business writing.
Work camping at RV parks
The RVing world is filled with RV resorts that need workers to help out during their busy season. These resorts and campgrounds actively recruit workers to help out during the summer (or winter in the South).
Some parks offer a free campsite in exchange for a few hours work each week. Often, they prefer couples to fill two jobs, but if you offer to work more hours, they might accept one person. Most parks will ask that you commit to anywhere from two months to an entire season.
If you’re interested in pursuing this route, always check monthly rates at nearby RV parks and divide that by the State minimum wage. In other words, if the minimum wage is $7.00 per hour in that State and average monthly site rents for $350, then you should not be required to work more than 50 hours per month. If the park hired locals to work, they’d have to pay minimum wage, and maybe add some benefits. Don’t sign on to work for less!
Some RV parks will offer a free site, plus salary. Again, make sure you’re getting a fair shake. Most RV park owners are honest and value the RVers who work for them, but some are not above trying to get slave labor from people they perceive as already well-off or they wouldn’t be traveling. It doesn’t matter if you’ve won the lottery and don’t need a penny. If you want to work just to keep busy, you can always volunteer at a national or state park. But if you want to work for a regular RV park because of the social activities offered, demand a fair wage.
Other work options
Another likely spot to find work is at places like Disneyland, Disney World, Six Flags, Silver Dollar City, and many others across the country. These don’t usually provide RV sites or housing, but they do offer a fair wage and you can find a nearby RV Park to stay in. There’s usually a time commitment required.
Many of the national parks hire temporary workers during their busy season. Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and many of their concessionaires provide jobs in their shops, or at their inns. They usually provide housing and a salary since they’re most often located in remote areas. These places also insist on a time commitment.
Temporary agencies are always an option for traveling workers. Sign up with one that hires people with your skills, then arrange to sign on wherever you visit. Many of the jobs they offer will require some commitment of time, but it might vary from a week to several months.
Why you may not want to work camp
The main reason I can think of for not working is that you sometimes end up toiling away more hours than you’d planned, and suddenly you don’t have time to write, or you’re too tired. Don’t forget your writing goals. If you can achieve a balance that allows you to write and to earn income on the side, then this is a great way to expand your knowledge and pocketbook.
If you choose to go this route, perhaps you’re traveling with a spouse or partner who can work while you write. We met a young couple in Massachusetts one summer who return to the same park every year. He works for a nearby nursery while she attends to her own agenda. Finding a place to return to every year is a great option for earning income, but it does limit your travel options. If you are traveling to see the country, then you might get caught in a rut returning to the same place each year and not get to travel as much as you’d planned.
Check the back of RV magazines to locate job opportunities. A great source for jobs for RVers is Workamper News, http://www.workampernews.com. Their magazine lists hundreds of jobs that you can apply to for seasonal work.
Always question carefully any owner you contact about the job, wages, etc. If you travel cross country to take a job with a park you’ve never visited, you run the risk of landing a terrible job with a boss from hell. Try to find out as much as you can before you make the journey. If you’ve found a place you adore, check to see if they need employees. That way, you’ll know the owners and their personalities, and you’ll know whether you enjoy the RV park.
We once took a job that we didn’t check thoroughly enough beforehand. We traveled about 800 miles, and when we arrived we didn’t like the look of the park or the neighborhood. Too late, though, because the owner had spotted us and had rushed out to welcome us. As a result, we ended up spending a few months in a miserable location working for the witch from hell. And, instead of working 3 days on and 4 off, then the reverse for the next week as I had been told--once I arrived there, I found out I was on duty 24 hours a day for those days I worked. That meant I was answering calls as late as midnight and as early as 3 a.m. from sadistic RVers wanting to make reservations at those hours, and getting up at 5 a.m. to return key deposits to those early bird RVers who insisted they had to get on the road by that time. To say I was a cranky camper was an understatement. Don’t let yourself get in a similar situation.
Whatever you decide, remember to enjoy your journey since this is your only chance to get this life right. Don’t waste it doing work you don’t like in a place you can’t stand for people you wouldn’t even waste time with if you weren’t working for them. There are too many special places and friendly people across the U.S. to get stuck with the small percentage of idiots and oddballs who inhabit this country.
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On the road . . . Backroads of northern AZ
(For the next few issues, I’ll write about small, must-see towns in Arizona and the American South.)
Most visitors to Arizona skip the backroads, small towns, and historical, quaint and offbeat sites scattered around the state. Instead, they head for Phoenix, then maybe take a side trip to the Grand Canyon. Those visitors miss the real west full of quirky little places that offer their own charms and delights.
Sections of old Route 66 are still in use in Arizona, and along one narrow, winding strip of this historic roadway west of Kingman lies the rough and tumble ghost town of Oatman. Take it from me, this is not your typical, sanitized, old-west tourist town! Except for a few shops, what you see now is just like it has always been, including dirt sidewalks and weathered buildings. Even the burros that roam the main drag are descendants of those that were tamed and used for gold mining operations back in the early 1900s.
Oatman has had only one brief flirtation with the spotlight when Clark Gable and Carol Lombard honeymooned here. Still, the town is an original, and should be on the must-see list of everyone who likes quaint, out of the way places.
Weekends are best for visiting, when dancing to western music and staged gunfights draw tourists to town.
One warning: Some of the curves on the drive from Kingman to Oatman will make your hair stand on end, so it’s best to leave your RV in Kingman and make the short trip in your dinghy or tow vehicle.
(This is an excerpt from an article that I wrote in 1996 for a now-defunct magazine.)
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You are free to reprint articles from this newsletter for your own publication as long as you credit the author, as follows: Article by Kay Kennedy, author of "Portable Writing: the Secret to Living Your Dreams with 25 Projects to Fund Your Freedom." Web Site at http://www.kennedyk.com
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Readers: Also check out my blog site at http://freelancewriter.booklocker.com/ for more articles.
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Saturday, August 26, 2006
Read what the press is saying about Portable Writing
The following is excerpted from a review of Portable Writing that appeared in RV Lifestyles ezine July 27, 2006.
“RVer Kay Kennedy's new book, Portable Writing: The Secret to Living Your Dream, opens a whole new vista of discovering lucrative writing projects.”
“I highly recommend Portable Writing to you as a way to combine your love of traveling, writing, and adding income to your journeys. Visit Kay Kennedy at http://www.kennedyk.com.”
To read more articles about writing and RVing, subscribe to the monthly newsletter: Portable Writing Newsletter. Send an e-mail with the word “subscribe” to travelingwriter@kennedyk.com. You'll also find more articles on writing at http://www.portablewritingnewsletter.blogspot.com.
The following is excerpted from a review of Portable Writing that appeared in RV Lifestyles ezine July 27, 2006.
“RVer Kay Kennedy's new book, Portable Writing: The Secret to Living Your Dream, opens a whole new vista of discovering lucrative writing projects.”
“I highly recommend Portable Writing to you as a way to combine your love of traveling, writing, and adding income to your journeys. Visit Kay Kennedy at http://www.kennedyk.com.”
To read more articles about writing and RVing, subscribe to the monthly newsletter: Portable Writing Newsletter. Send an e-mail with the word “subscribe” to travelingwriter@kennedyk.com. You'll also find more articles on writing at http://www.portablewritingnewsletter.blogspot.com.
KAY KENNEDY
Profile: I have been a freelance writer since 1986, and started traveling in an RV in 1992. Since then, I've been all over the country--to some places more than once.
I was editor of two newsletters, including Home Office Opportunities (home businesses) and Rolling Ventures (people earning income while traveling). Hundreds of my articles have appeared in dozens of magazines and newspapers and I have had two books published, including Make Room for Success: A guide for planning and setting up an office in your home or on the road, and my newest one, Portable Writing (read about it below). I was a columnist for the Pierce County Business Examiner writing business profiles and feature articles for two years while we lived in the Pacific Northwest, and have produced hundreds of projects for businesses and corporations.
Traveling has been the best decision we've ever made. We can travel when we want, stay put when we choose, and enjoy a lifestyle that offers adventure, joy, and friendship, and a chance to visit family and friends whenever we choose.
This is a beautiful country and I'll try to document some of the lovely spots in articles and photos in this newsletter, but meanwhile, here's a photo of me. Look for upcoming segments with features on tourist sites along Interstate 40 heading east from Arizona. I'll also cover some topics besides writing and RVing, such as work camping while traveling. I'll also cover alternatives to buying an RV if that's how you would like to travel.
If you haven't read the book PORTABLE WRITING, here's what you'll find inside: Learn how to make money no matter where you live or travel with 25 different projects, including several types of newsletters that can be marketed to businesses, plus subscription and advertising projects. You'll also find information on writing for publication. You'll find some unique projects that you've probably never considered, even if you're already making money writing.
Find out why this business is well-suited to military and corporate spouses who must move often, retirees who are looking for something fulfilling and to add income, plus anyone, young or old, who wants to live life under their own terms. The book is based on twenty years experience. Believe me, if I had known about writing at age twenty, I'd have done it much sooner! There are four bonus chapters that focus on writing while RVing.
Become a well-paid writer with these step-by-step instructions to success. Read Portable Writing and take the mystery out of making money. Suitable for all ages, and no advanced degree required. Find out how those with limited education sometimes make it big in the writing field. No matter what your background or education, you can do it, too! Available in paperback--$16.95, or as an ebook--$9.95. To read a two-chapter excerpt from the book or to order, go to http://www.booklocker.com/books/2461.html.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Newsletter: August, 2006
Articles in this month’s issue:
-- Tips for Writers: Getting Published, part 2
-- Traveling Topics: Make Money Writing While Traveling
-- On the Road: Read about the big RV gathering each winter in Quartzsite, AZ
-- Quartzsite’s unusual characters
-- Quartzsite area attractions
-- Volunteer on a houseboat
-- Read a review of the book, Taking the Mystery Out of RV Writing.
TIPS FOR WRITERS:
Get published (#2 in a series of career opportunities)
Pitching your ideas to a magazine editor
To get articles published in a magazine, you have to get the editor’s attention. There are some instances where you can send in the entire article, but in most cases, the editor expects a query letter. What is a query letter, you ask?
A query letter basically outlines what you plan to write about and how you intend to cover it—but it’s much more than that. It is your introduction to the editor if you’ve never written for this magazine before. You need to make it the best darned letter you ever wrote if you want to impress an editor.
First, you might start with a strong sentence that opens your article. This is why you should have done a basic outline of what you propose to write. If you don’t have a good opening sentence yet, then write something that captures the essence of your proposed article. Sometimes I can’t come up with a great opening until after I finish an article. Then when I look through it, I find the perfect idea for the opening sentence.
In the next paragraph tell the editor how you plan to handle the article. Will you interview experts, and if so, which ones. If it’s a travel destination piece, how will your article be different from all the others that can be found in any travel magazine? Sure, you want to write about Disneyland, but what makes your presentation different. Depending on the magazine you’re approaching, it might be a piece on the best rides for kids, or what would interest an elderly parent in the park. Your article must be different from the usual.
Next, let the editor know why you’re the best person to write the article and why the magazine’s readers would be interested. This section might include your previous writing credits. If this is your first time out, then let your writing ability speak for itself. No, don’t tell the editor you’re a great writer because you made straight A’s in high school English and your teacher told you that you were the best. That’s not going to fly.
You’ve got to make your letter sing to the editor. Make sure your grammar is as good as it gets. I can’t tell you how many letters editors get from hopeful submitters that are full of typos and grammatical errors. Those go in the wastebasket immediately, but the editor definitely notices your name and remembers it. Read your letter over again and again until you’re sure it’s perfect; that you haven’t been redundant; and that sentences are short and to the point.
When is a query letter not necessary? If you write humor articles, it’s hard to get the humorous aspects across in a letter. So write the article and send it in with a short note explaining that you’re enclosing a humor article on “Title” and you think it will appeal to readers because… Your article will have to stand on its on.
Privacy is a major concern for this newsletter. You can be sure that your e-mail address and name are never shared with any business or Web site.
========================
Traveling topics:
Working while RVing
Make money writing while traveling
When I first hit the road in 1992, I was publisher of a subscription newsletter and was also producing newsletters for several corporate clients. In addition, I was writing for some magazines that expected regular contributions from me. Here’s how things went those first few months:
After a month on the road, the motorhome broke down and it took three weeks to get it going again. Meanwhile, I had deadlines that had to be met. We stayed with friends during the time the RV was being worked on except for a few occasions when we returned for a day or two and asked the repair shop to hook us up to electricity so I could operate the computer. It wasn’t easy, but I managed to meet the deadlines.
Next, we had arranged to share a booth at Quartzsite with our mail forwarding service, so we spent three weeks there. One problem reared its ugly head quickly—unreliable electrical service. So I worked when I could and shut down when there was no way to keep going. We immediately purchased an inverter with plans to go solar, but we didn’t have solar panels yet, and besides, the desert had one of those rare rainy winters so there wasn’t a lot of sun. Still, I met my deadlines.
What was the worst part of this? No, FUN, that’s what! Stress filled my life for approximately three months until I could find a good location to work. Then that summer we decided to spend a month in Branson, MO to see what all the hoopla was about. And what do you know. We ran into more electrical problems. Branson had grown so much, so fast, that their electric grid wasn’t dependable.
I eventually had to turn my corporate clients over to someone else because I was having anxiety attacks trying to keep up. And, in 1994 I sold the subscription newsletter.
Did that mean I quit earning my living as a traveling writer? No way! I still wrote articles, plus I learned how to focus my business writing on projects that could be produced quickly, and we learned to plan our travels better. We were slow learners, but that didn’t stop me! It just slowed me down a bit.
We found a lot of places that really appealed to us, and spent several months at those locales. That gave me time to find new clients for projects like brochures, sales literature, letters, one-time newsletters and other short-term jobs. I even went to work for a publisher as a writer for a few months until 14 degree temperatures drove us back to Arizona. We have one firm rule about RVing. We don’t do winters!
We started RVing in the dark ages of technology, but today it’s so much easier to work anywhere because of the Internet and other advances. Back then, no cellular service provided nationwide coverage and the Internet wasn’t available to everyone. Now I have a laptop computer, broadband Internet and a reliable cellular phone, all of which make life much simpler for a writer.
We also found opportunities to work in RV parks. I’ll talk more about the pros and cons of doing that if you’re trying to also succeed as a freelance writer in the next issue. It is definitely a way to add to your income or stay for free, especially if you have a partner who can work the parks while you write.
====================================
TRUE GRIT: Glen Canyon National Recreation Area has a second volunteer houseboat program. GRIT stands for Graffiti Removal and Intervention Team. Teams of four volunteers go out on the "True GRIT" houseboat for 5, 7 or 10 days and remove non-historical graffiti from canyon walls and rocks faces within the park. See http://www.nps.gov/glca/grit/grithome.htm for more information.
Reprinted from "RV Lifestyles" a free ezine featuring tips and resources about the RV lifestyle. Visit http://www.rvhometown.com/ for subscription information, back issues, and more RV information.
==========
On the road . . . Quartzsite, Arizona
Almost every RVer has heard of Quartzsite, but if you haven’t been there during January and February, you’ve missed what has to be the biggest flea market this side of anywhere. Hundreds of booths fill shows scattered along the two-mile stretches of roadway on either side of Interstate 10. You’ll find more booths tucked in among businesses and outside RVs, which park helter-skelter throughout the surrounding desert.
You’ll find everything at Quartzsite, including: RVs and everything related to the RV lifestyle; handcrafted items for every imaginable use; gems, rocks and minerals; jewelry at wholesale prices; tools; antiques; metal detectors and a million other things you can’t possibly live without. You’ll also find merchandise that is unusual, to say the least, and can probably find plenty that’s illegal.
Stay in an RV park or pick your own spot in the desert, where you’ll see million-dollar motorhomes parked amidst RVs in every price range, including tiny campers, home-built wood-shingled sheds on truck beds, and ancient, beat-up school buses.
While Quartzsite is busiest during the show season, the LaPosa Long Term Visitor Area nearby is home to hundreds of snowbirds throughout the winter season. Many RVers seek solitude and serenity while others circle together to form tiny, close-knit, albeit temporary, communities. Some like exploring the desert searching for gems and rocks, others enjoy kicking back to soak up the sun and view the scenery, including gazing upon glorious sunsets.
Be sure to bring your walking shoes and a warm jacket in case it turns cold. You’ll need a vehicle of some sort to travel back and forth to the main show area if you park in the desert. If you plan to drive between shows, though, be prepared to make no better time than if you were walking. We usually park the car at one end of the main drag and walk the two miles down to the end, cross the freeway, and return on the other side after a full day of shopping. Tiring, but then, who cares when you’ve got a world of shopping to explore!
==========
Unusual Characters call Quartzsite Home
Even without the addition of hordes of visitors this time of year, Quartzsite has its own cast of unusual characters who call this small town home. You can expect to be surprised at times.
My husband entered a bookstore in a tent on the main drag one day while I browsed some newspaper stands outside. I felt more than saw that someone had come up just a few feet from me on my right, so I cast a sideways glance to see if my husband was ready to leave. Instead of him, I saw bare legs. Very, very tan bare legs. This was January, mind you. I thought, surely this person had on deerskin britches, but they would have had to have been skin tight! I decided to get back in the car where I could get a better look without being obvious.
Well, it was a sight! This guy didn’t have pants on at all. He wore a hat and a hooded sweatshirt, but no pants. About that time, Joe walked up behind him to ask a question and I saw his head jerk back, and then he turned to grimace at me. I burst out laughing.
Turns out the fellow had a string bikini thing on, but you couldn’t tell from the side. He’s lived in Quartzsite and owned the bookstore for several years. He’s a nudist who has told reporters that he often wanders the desert in his altogether. (I spotted an article prominently featuring him in the Phoenix paper.) Well, I was certainly relieved that we hadn’t run into him while we were out exploring the desert on foot! Let’s say we’ve learned to expect the unexpected in Quartzsite.
QUARTZSITE AREA ATTRACTIONS
While you visit Quartzsite, be sure to take side trips to see the ancient Indian Intaglios that mystify even the archeologists. Although some figures measure up to 180 feet, the intaglios (now called geoglyphs) are virtually unrecognizable from ground level. For that reason as well as to prevent vandalism, many of the 250 that have been discovered throughout Arizona and California have been fenced.
The nearest one to Quartzsite is the Bouse Fisherman Intaglio located on Hwy. 72 northeast of Quartzsite. It appears that these ancient artworks were designed to be viewed from the sky, but of course, air travel wasn’t possible by humans back then. They are amazing to see, considering the artist(s) could never have viewed the complete design from the ground, or presumably, from the sky.
==========
Read the book, PORTABLE WRITING: The Secret to Living Your Dreams with 25 Projects to Fund Your Freedom is now available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble Bookstore.
==========
RV TRAVEL MAGAZINE published by Chuck Woodbury is a new print RV travel magazine that is distributed quarterly. Chuck is one of my favorite writers, so his magazine should provide more of the same sharp, smart writing that his readers have come to expect over the years. One year's subscription costs $9.95. Learn more at http://rvbookstore.com/shop/detail.aspx?p=869&m=2
==========
BOOK REVIEW
Taking the Mystery Out of RV Writing by Jaimie Hall and Alice Zyetz. This book clearly explains the process of writing, from forming an idea to submitting a finished manuscript. The book also includes lots of helpful tips from other published writers, editors and writing instructors, along with a sample query letter and book proposal. I particularly loved the exercises and checklists to help writers get their writing projects organized. This is a “must read” for new writers!
Taking the Mystery Out of RV Writing is available as an ebook or on CD. Visit Jaimie and Alice’s Web site at http://www.rvhometown.com/.
Articles in this month’s issue:
-- Tips for Writers: Getting Published, part 2
-- Traveling Topics: Make Money Writing While Traveling
-- On the Road: Read about the big RV gathering each winter in Quartzsite, AZ
-- Quartzsite’s unusual characters
-- Quartzsite area attractions
-- Volunteer on a houseboat
-- Read a review of the book, Taking the Mystery Out of RV Writing.
TIPS FOR WRITERS:
Get published (#2 in a series of career opportunities)
Pitching your ideas to a magazine editor
To get articles published in a magazine, you have to get the editor’s attention. There are some instances where you can send in the entire article, but in most cases, the editor expects a query letter. What is a query letter, you ask?
A query letter basically outlines what you plan to write about and how you intend to cover it—but it’s much more than that. It is your introduction to the editor if you’ve never written for this magazine before. You need to make it the best darned letter you ever wrote if you want to impress an editor.
First, you might start with a strong sentence that opens your article. This is why you should have done a basic outline of what you propose to write. If you don’t have a good opening sentence yet, then write something that captures the essence of your proposed article. Sometimes I can’t come up with a great opening until after I finish an article. Then when I look through it, I find the perfect idea for the opening sentence.
In the next paragraph tell the editor how you plan to handle the article. Will you interview experts, and if so, which ones. If it’s a travel destination piece, how will your article be different from all the others that can be found in any travel magazine? Sure, you want to write about Disneyland, but what makes your presentation different. Depending on the magazine you’re approaching, it might be a piece on the best rides for kids, or what would interest an elderly parent in the park. Your article must be different from the usual.
Next, let the editor know why you’re the best person to write the article and why the magazine’s readers would be interested. This section might include your previous writing credits. If this is your first time out, then let your writing ability speak for itself. No, don’t tell the editor you’re a great writer because you made straight A’s in high school English and your teacher told you that you were the best. That’s not going to fly.
You’ve got to make your letter sing to the editor. Make sure your grammar is as good as it gets. I can’t tell you how many letters editors get from hopeful submitters that are full of typos and grammatical errors. Those go in the wastebasket immediately, but the editor definitely notices your name and remembers it. Read your letter over again and again until you’re sure it’s perfect; that you haven’t been redundant; and that sentences are short and to the point.
When is a query letter not necessary? If you write humor articles, it’s hard to get the humorous aspects across in a letter. So write the article and send it in with a short note explaining that you’re enclosing a humor article on “Title” and you think it will appeal to readers because… Your article will have to stand on its on.
Privacy is a major concern for this newsletter. You can be sure that your e-mail address and name are never shared with any business or Web site.
========================
Traveling topics:
Working while RVing
Make money writing while traveling
When I first hit the road in 1992, I was publisher of a subscription newsletter and was also producing newsletters for several corporate clients. In addition, I was writing for some magazines that expected regular contributions from me. Here’s how things went those first few months:
After a month on the road, the motorhome broke down and it took three weeks to get it going again. Meanwhile, I had deadlines that had to be met. We stayed with friends during the time the RV was being worked on except for a few occasions when we returned for a day or two and asked the repair shop to hook us up to electricity so I could operate the computer. It wasn’t easy, but I managed to meet the deadlines.
Next, we had arranged to share a booth at Quartzsite with our mail forwarding service, so we spent three weeks there. One problem reared its ugly head quickly—unreliable electrical service. So I worked when I could and shut down when there was no way to keep going. We immediately purchased an inverter with plans to go solar, but we didn’t have solar panels yet, and besides, the desert had one of those rare rainy winters so there wasn’t a lot of sun. Still, I met my deadlines.
What was the worst part of this? No, FUN, that’s what! Stress filled my life for approximately three months until I could find a good location to work. Then that summer we decided to spend a month in Branson, MO to see what all the hoopla was about. And what do you know. We ran into more electrical problems. Branson had grown so much, so fast, that their electric grid wasn’t dependable.
I eventually had to turn my corporate clients over to someone else because I was having anxiety attacks trying to keep up. And, in 1994 I sold the subscription newsletter.
Did that mean I quit earning my living as a traveling writer? No way! I still wrote articles, plus I learned how to focus my business writing on projects that could be produced quickly, and we learned to plan our travels better. We were slow learners, but that didn’t stop me! It just slowed me down a bit.
We found a lot of places that really appealed to us, and spent several months at those locales. That gave me time to find new clients for projects like brochures, sales literature, letters, one-time newsletters and other short-term jobs. I even went to work for a publisher as a writer for a few months until 14 degree temperatures drove us back to Arizona. We have one firm rule about RVing. We don’t do winters!
We started RVing in the dark ages of technology, but today it’s so much easier to work anywhere because of the Internet and other advances. Back then, no cellular service provided nationwide coverage and the Internet wasn’t available to everyone. Now I have a laptop computer, broadband Internet and a reliable cellular phone, all of which make life much simpler for a writer.
We also found opportunities to work in RV parks. I’ll talk more about the pros and cons of doing that if you’re trying to also succeed as a freelance writer in the next issue. It is definitely a way to add to your income or stay for free, especially if you have a partner who can work the parks while you write.
====================================
TRUE GRIT: Glen Canyon National Recreation Area has a second volunteer houseboat program. GRIT stands for Graffiti Removal and Intervention Team. Teams of four volunteers go out on the "True GRIT" houseboat for 5, 7 or 10 days and remove non-historical graffiti from canyon walls and rocks faces within the park. See http://www.nps.gov/glca/grit/grithome.htm for more information.
Reprinted from "RV Lifestyles" a free ezine featuring tips and resources about the RV lifestyle. Visit http://www.rvhometown.com/ for subscription information, back issues, and more RV information.
==========
On the road . . . Quartzsite, Arizona
Almost every RVer has heard of Quartzsite, but if you haven’t been there during January and February, you’ve missed what has to be the biggest flea market this side of anywhere. Hundreds of booths fill shows scattered along the two-mile stretches of roadway on either side of Interstate 10. You’ll find more booths tucked in among businesses and outside RVs, which park helter-skelter throughout the surrounding desert.
You’ll find everything at Quartzsite, including: RVs and everything related to the RV lifestyle; handcrafted items for every imaginable use; gems, rocks and minerals; jewelry at wholesale prices; tools; antiques; metal detectors and a million other things you can’t possibly live without. You’ll also find merchandise that is unusual, to say the least, and can probably find plenty that’s illegal.
Stay in an RV park or pick your own spot in the desert, where you’ll see million-dollar motorhomes parked amidst RVs in every price range, including tiny campers, home-built wood-shingled sheds on truck beds, and ancient, beat-up school buses.
While Quartzsite is busiest during the show season, the LaPosa Long Term Visitor Area nearby is home to hundreds of snowbirds throughout the winter season. Many RVers seek solitude and serenity while others circle together to form tiny, close-knit, albeit temporary, communities. Some like exploring the desert searching for gems and rocks, others enjoy kicking back to soak up the sun and view the scenery, including gazing upon glorious sunsets.
Be sure to bring your walking shoes and a warm jacket in case it turns cold. You’ll need a vehicle of some sort to travel back and forth to the main show area if you park in the desert. If you plan to drive between shows, though, be prepared to make no better time than if you were walking. We usually park the car at one end of the main drag and walk the two miles down to the end, cross the freeway, and return on the other side after a full day of shopping. Tiring, but then, who cares when you’ve got a world of shopping to explore!
==========
Unusual Characters call Quartzsite Home
Even without the addition of hordes of visitors this time of year, Quartzsite has its own cast of unusual characters who call this small town home. You can expect to be surprised at times.
My husband entered a bookstore in a tent on the main drag one day while I browsed some newspaper stands outside. I felt more than saw that someone had come up just a few feet from me on my right, so I cast a sideways glance to see if my husband was ready to leave. Instead of him, I saw bare legs. Very, very tan bare legs. This was January, mind you. I thought, surely this person had on deerskin britches, but they would have had to have been skin tight! I decided to get back in the car where I could get a better look without being obvious.
Well, it was a sight! This guy didn’t have pants on at all. He wore a hat and a hooded sweatshirt, but no pants. About that time, Joe walked up behind him to ask a question and I saw his head jerk back, and then he turned to grimace at me. I burst out laughing.
Turns out the fellow had a string bikini thing on, but you couldn’t tell from the side. He’s lived in Quartzsite and owned the bookstore for several years. He’s a nudist who has told reporters that he often wanders the desert in his altogether. (I spotted an article prominently featuring him in the Phoenix paper.) Well, I was certainly relieved that we hadn’t run into him while we were out exploring the desert on foot! Let’s say we’ve learned to expect the unexpected in Quartzsite.
QUARTZSITE AREA ATTRACTIONS
While you visit Quartzsite, be sure to take side trips to see the ancient Indian Intaglios that mystify even the archeologists. Although some figures measure up to 180 feet, the intaglios (now called geoglyphs) are virtually unrecognizable from ground level. For that reason as well as to prevent vandalism, many of the 250 that have been discovered throughout Arizona and California have been fenced.
The nearest one to Quartzsite is the Bouse Fisherman Intaglio located on Hwy. 72 northeast of Quartzsite. It appears that these ancient artworks were designed to be viewed from the sky, but of course, air travel wasn’t possible by humans back then. They are amazing to see, considering the artist(s) could never have viewed the complete design from the ground, or presumably, from the sky.
==========
Read the book, PORTABLE WRITING: The Secret to Living Your Dreams with 25 Projects to Fund Your Freedom is now available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble Bookstore.
==========
RV TRAVEL MAGAZINE published by Chuck Woodbury is a new print RV travel magazine that is distributed quarterly. Chuck is one of my favorite writers, so his magazine should provide more of the same sharp, smart writing that his readers have come to expect over the years. One year's subscription costs $9.95. Learn more at http://rvbookstore.com/shop/detail.aspx?p=869&m=2
==========
BOOK REVIEW
Taking the Mystery Out of RV Writing by Jaimie Hall and Alice Zyetz. This book clearly explains the process of writing, from forming an idea to submitting a finished manuscript. The book also includes lots of helpful tips from other published writers, editors and writing instructors, along with a sample query letter and book proposal. I particularly loved the exercises and checklists to help writers get their writing projects organized. This is a “must read” for new writers!
Taking the Mystery Out of RV Writing is available as an ebook or on CD. Visit Jaimie and Alice’s Web site at http://www.rvhometown.com/.
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