tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40399690240064437062009-06-22T00:20:45.776-07:00Writing about... writing.Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-50666181374142163802008-07-17T16:25:00.000-07:002008-07-17T18:41:40.307-07:00

Usually in life, more is better. We want more money, more vacation, more good. It's the bad we want less of: less pollution, less crime, less taxes, less words?Words, they are the building blocks of communication and also the biggest hindrance in communicating. For instance, have you ever tuned someone out for talking too much, but communicating too little and told them, "Just get to the point

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-17536748270684099842008-06-17T20:49:00.001-07:002008-12-09T18:49:41.460-08:00

When’s the last time you told a good story? Even if you can’t recall, there’s a good chance you’ve already told many of them today. We often forget that most of our communication is done through the art of story telling. When we want to explain something or convince someone of an issue, we usually use a story to get our point across. A good story will usually give a listener an idea of the

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-43475712965110917352008-05-18T11:56:00.000-07:002008-05-18T12:53:53.125-07:00

I recently composed a guest post on the blog Leisure Views, which is run by Danny Mac, on the topic of writing for relaxation. If you are interested in reading about this topic or are interested in reading about many other ways to relax your soul, I would greatly suggest you visit his blog.I am open to guest posting on other blogs. Just email me at mail@hearmindwrite.com if you have any

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-58857666611257924012008-05-16T17:27:00.001-07:002008-12-09T18:49:41.707-08:00

When you fall in love with anything, letting go is always the hardest thing to do. We hang on, try to look for another way, and expend enormous amounts of energy over a lost cause. The result is usually always crushing. This happens not only in relationships, but also in writing.In my post Playing to the Crowd, I had originally written many examples of ways to turn off an audience. I loved

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-39304795662652036722008-05-13T19:44:00.000-07:002008-12-09T18:49:42.006-08:00

Not too long ago, I was sitting in my car trying to figure how to fix a big problem. My car didn't want to start. I, being an okay mechanic, ran through the usual diagnoses to the problem to no avail. Why didn't the darn thing want to start? I could only ponder at what seemed an impossible question. My struggle that day reminds me of what writers face when dealing with problems in

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-81565651296328533552008-05-08T16:51:00.000-07:002008-05-09T14:13:41.290-07:00

If you've ever written, or been interested in writing, you've probably looked into copyrights at one time or another. Why are they so important? They are the only thing keeping anyone else from stealing your hard work. So how do copyright laws apply to you?I've attempted to compile the most important parts of as U.S. Copyright Law as they pertain to you, the average writer/blogger/whatever you

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-32920574567593029522008-05-05T15:25:00.000-07:002008-05-05T21:50:06.614-07:00

Growing up, I would often hear teachers say that newspapers were written to read at a sixth grade level of literacy. I used to think, "Jeeze, are people that dumb?" Were newspaper companies really bringing down their writing to compensate for the illiteracy of America? Maybe. What I failed to grasp then was that newspapers are written at that level because they aim to reach the widest

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-36050797456793085152008-05-02T10:54:00.000-07:002008-05-02T23:19:55.398-07:00

"I don't know what to write, I just can't think of anything," said the struggling writer.There are times when working through writers block is akin to pounding through a granite slab. Sometimes the end product will be as beautiful as Greek sculpture, or will end up a pile of dust and rocks.If you want to avoid the latter, here are a few tips to help you out:1. Don't write about something you

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-2568486357133845202008-05-01T10:32:00.000-07:002008-05-02T16:18:19.241-07:00

Here are some tracks to get the creative juices flowing:

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-71449859781747657742008-04-29T18:03:00.000-07:002008-05-02T16:07:54.864-07:00

Have you ever watched the show "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" You know, the game show where adults make fools of themselves by struggling to answer questions fit for elementary school students. It can be rather entertaining, and also very sad at the same time. Do we really forget that much as we age?Watching the show reminded me of an experience I had in high school. In one of my "

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-6418190468956396672008-04-28T12:50:00.000-07:002008-05-02T16:09:44.553-07:00

Have you ever wanted to write a story, novel or movie script, but never took the task seriously because it seemed monumental? It's true, working on a project as such as a novel or movie script can be difficult, but it may not be as hard as you think. When writing a story, or novel, or script, where you start writing in terms of story line is not very important. Following a story line can put

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-12343146677963472592008-04-25T12:40:00.000-07:002008-05-02T16:11:20.254-07:00

A university student sits in class looking over a copy of their recently graded essay. Rather cruelly, the professor has left a stinging comment which reads, "You need to learn how to write an essay!" Is it an act of cruelty on the professor's part or is there some truth to the statement? Unfortunately, it may very well be the latter. Surprisingly many people go through elementary and high

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-79108582462332710242008-04-24T15:50:00.000-07:002008-05-02T16:22:31.276-07:00

You've come up with a great idea to write about, but you aren't anywhere near a computer or a pen and paper. You say to yourself, "I'll write about it when I get a chance," but when you sit down to write, you realize that you have forgotten what you were going to write or how you were going to write it. Unfortunately, you've just lost another great idea to an ever expanding list of lost great

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-34377718799085530132008-04-22T09:25:00.000-07:002008-05-02T16:13:18.747-07:00

Read any newspaper, magazine, or blog that is meant to be taken seriously and you will probably run into one: an unsightly spelling error. It happens all the time, perhaps too often. Why is it that these publications, some of which are circulated to millions, can be so careless when rooting out the simplest of writing errors? Has anyone ever heard of spell check?These errors only reinforce the

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-39784983117297603782008-04-18T11:47:00.001-07:002008-05-02T16:13:57.759-07:00

"You can't write your paper without a computer!? Back in my day we wrote everything by hand, and if we were lucky enough, we might have used a typewriter!" I'm sure we could all hear our parents and grandparents disgruntled reply to our generation's reliance on word processors. The truth is, for those of us growing up in the computer age, using a word processor to work on a project from start to

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-67024819839183493372008-04-17T09:20:00.000-07:002008-05-02T16:14:58.774-07:00

I'm sure we can all remember the much loathed annotated bibliography assigned to us in our English courses. "More writing?" you probably fumed to yourself while cursing out your instructor. The truth is, what seemed pointless to us in school may turn out to be our best friend when actually foregoing our own writing endeavors.The annotated bibliography, for those who don't already know, differs

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-11723916485988313482008-04-15T10:21:00.000-07:002008-05-02T16:15:51.109-07:00

How many times have you stared at a blank page not knowing anything other than the fact that you have to write... something! The truth is that writer's block happens to most people. Usually the worst time to write is when you are forcing yourself. It can feel like trying to force the last ounces of toothpaste from a tube and usually you won't get that much out. If you can hear crickets

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039969024006443706.post-75349938252793043532008-04-15T09:01:00.000-07:002008-05-06T23:38:34.274-07:00

Whenever you hear that a university student declares themselves an "English Major" what is the first question that pops into your mind? Are they going to teach English? Do they want to become writers? What the hell can you do with an English degree anyways? Truthfully, English majors may find themselves asking the same questions.The major coursework itself is pretty straightforward for an

Robert Almareshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01907104283354441886ralmares@auctionblot.com0