tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63533032679587696362008-10-06T22:23:50.631-05:00How to write and why you probably shouldn't.ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comBlogger158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-56650950643747573592008-10-06T22:20:00.000-05:002008-10-06T22:23:50.775-05:00

I do not suggest radical procedures for people with common problems. If you are slightly overweight, there is no need to consult a lap band physician; if you have smelly feet, you do not need to get Botox injections. Try a better diet and more exercise and use some foot powder! But some people are seriously overweight - dangerously so, even! - and if that is the case, the LAP BAND procedure is

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-8012672216771420582008-10-06T22:14:00.002-05:002008-10-06T22:18:39.988-05:00

Because of my heavy workload - and also because I like to share - Weird Ink is looking for contributing bloggers. There is no quota and few restrictions. I only ask you not add new tags without consulting me, follow basic AP formatting (italicize periodical titles, boldface book titles, etc.), know how to attribute links, and be good. Guest-blogging helps both of us. You are free to include as

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-45029711730998951682008-10-02T10:24:00.000-05:002008-10-02T10:24:00.996-05:00

Fellow blogger, Dawn, has decided she wants to go to New Zealand and is saving up the money to do so. Unfortunately, she's going to need a lot more than what she has. Ever enterprising, Dawn scoured the Web and found a site that allows for a collaborative cookbook to be made for fundraising. No, her trip is not the only thing to which you will be contributing; she plans to split the proceeds

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-54510733528015266812008-10-01T13:12:00.002-05:002008-10-01T13:16:52.742-05:00

We make a lot of the whole "function over fashion" debate here, but the truth is there is nothing wrong with wanting to look nice. In fact, there is a lot to be said for those who take some pride in their personal appearance and how others perceive them based on how well they care for themselves and their possessions - even their cars. Of course, finding a good auto body shop that will not rob

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-35433506151803911352008-09-25T09:30:00.001-05:002008-09-25T09:30:00.842-05:00

Geez... it just, I just - I want... geez. A Kansas City woman wants John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men - the single greatest American short story published to-date - to be removed from the USD 500 required reading list. She objects to the "obscene" and "violent" use of the word nigger. Spokesperson for the school district, David Smith, responded, "It's not a pleasant part of our history, but kids

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-26861493488935468872008-09-24T09:30:00.001-05:002008-09-26T16:26:58.964-05:00

Today is National Punctuation Day. I am not sure how to celebrate it... aside from making this post. I know a lot of people consider holidays like this to be useless, but I like it. We need more holidays, when you think about it! Americans work more, more often, than all the rest of the world. But holidays like this aren't really for "celebrating," they are more to remind and inform us. And the

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-80611741130836046432008-09-22T12:15:00.001-05:002008-09-26T16:29:35.073-05:00

Dictionary compilers have come up with a list of words that face possible extinction. The only way to save them is to vote on which one word you would like to "save." Language - especially English - is an ever-changing, always evolving, animal. Like fashion, art, and cuisine, words rise in popularity and are then forgotten. Dictionary compilers make it their job to keep track of these things and

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-50704689412994605792008-09-19T10:14:00.001-05:002008-09-19T11:26:23.472-05:00

We all do it. Hell, I did it writing this post - halfway through, I got up and washed a few dishes to give myself time to better formulate my words! And though I am making this part of the Blogging the Write Way series, it is applicable to all forms of writing. The truth is it is sometimes okay to procrastinate - sometimes, it can't be avoided - and you shouldn't let that get you down. This

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-46815181971071156702008-09-12T18:15:00.000-05:002008-09-12T18:17:40.488-05:00

You know, I went through a "regular" day here not so long back, listing all the many things I have to do everyday, and amongst them was listed "deal with at least one drama." SO let me tell you about the drama I dealt with today. Now, regular readers know of the corrupt Decatur County, TN politicians. I don't mean "corrupt" as in they have extra-marital affairs or murder people - they do, but it

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-45287573407226318232008-09-09T19:20:00.000-05:002008-09-09T19:23:42.664-05:00

When Mt. St. Helens erupted, there were a bunch of particles floating around the atmosphere. The reason they are not still floating about is because ionization caused by the sun eradicated them. The FDA and EcoQuest are now using this same process for food. With all the recent events concerning food poisoning, especially with meats and imported seafood, this could be the big break we have all

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-54715881003111074772008-09-09T17:39:00.003-05:002008-09-09T17:45:38.770-05:00

Sorry. I know I started off strong and then disappeared, but I am sick - one of those sick-sick things that goes around far too often in this hick county. Largely because the people are uneducated and therefore rather filthy. Illnesses are passed around like hookers here. I had to nap for a bit, though I couldn't sleep for anything. Anyway, this is just a quick missive to let you know what I am

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-47144455092686773222008-09-09T12:50:00.002-05:002008-09-09T12:53:23.245-05:00

Many writers lack good medical coverage. Unless you are already successful, or well on your way to being quite successful, you likely cannot join most unions and other organizations which help provide and coordinate your medical insurance and generalized coverage options. This results in a lot of writers trying to make a go of it without any coverage at all, or paying astronomical rates for what

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-20923458100375872582008-09-09T12:45:00.000-05:002008-09-09T12:45:22.680-05:00

I wanted to ask how you handle your workload. In general, there are two basic approaches to handling your writing workload and most of us use one or the other: Writing draft straight through and editing later as a separate processEditing more or less as you goI tend to go with the former, though I have to admit I usually fall somewhere in the middle. Whenever I get too much draft, I find it nigh

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-67800579278426797422008-09-08T20:22:00.002-05:002008-09-08T20:27:05.772-05:00

JK Rowling won her legal case concerning the Harry Potter Lexicon. We brought you extensive insight into the trial and laws surrounding the issue a while back. The Associated Press later printed and distributed an article which repeated everything I said, line by line, and added no original insight or research to what I had done, but did not credit me nor cite my original article as a reference.

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-29394965925437482112008-09-08T20:15:00.000-05:002008-09-08T20:20:08.453-05:00

I think I have mentioned this before here, because I have certainly discussed it elsewhere, but if I have not, let's face it: pretty people get further in life. And this is just as true in the writing industry as anywhere else. Pick up any number of best-sellers and flip them over. You are most likely to see an attractive author as opposed to, say, me. This is just the way things are and there

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-35940797083652152732008-09-08T20:10:00.000-05:002008-09-08T20:11:33.066-05:00

If you subscribe to Writer's Digest, then I would like to direct your attention to the very first letter in this month's issue. I could not agree more! If you are not a subscriber, one Bill Corbett (no relation to Bill Corbett of MST3K fame, I do not think) writes in as to how more and more writing instructors these days prefer the Hemingwayesque style of short, direct sentences. He calls them

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-87621799432603995372008-09-08T19:50:00.000-05:002008-09-08T19:54:53.943-05:00

I am not exactly sure where to begin here because I have honestly rarely been faced with criticism. I guess I have been somewhat lucky in that I have usually faced a zero-sum game: people either really liked my work or basically did not; I cannot think of any time at which my work has been "panned," with the exception of one or two inferior writers who were obviously lashing-out (either from

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-9932475888372918032008-09-08T19:23:00.002-05:002008-09-08T19:28:23.038-05:00

Have you ever though about self-publishing? How about putting together your own publishing company? Magazines, books, even comic books and graphic novels - you really can do them all on your own, if you have the money, content, and know-how. Not only can you publish your own work, with your own publishing label, you can print the works of your friends and colleagues - under one banner (such as a

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-88905553207258958122008-09-07T18:00:00.000-05:002008-09-07T18:00:00.246-05:00

This applies pretty much across the board, so whether you write copy, for print, online, or blog - no matter your form, media, nor method - this is for you. Time management is always a top priority for writers. Though most every text you will read on the process mentions it, and several go into a little detail, the generalities are always the same. Basically, the Golden Rule is "make time to

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-48035259953983397202008-09-07T14:58:00.002-05:002008-09-07T15:03:06.146-05:00

You might not realize it (though you probably have) but you are the CEO of your own company. Let's face it: you run the show here, do you not? You create the content, market it, generally have to promote it afterward, and make and maintain the contacts in the online and/or publishing world which help you succeed. But do you really know what you are doing? Sure, you may have it all together when

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-21295382273719766112008-09-04T14:00:00.000-05:002008-09-04T14:07:18.983-05:00

There will be plenty of stuff here this week and next and most likely throughout the weekend, as well. I know things have been slow while I get the site together, but I have had some personal issues to deal with as well, because the Decatur County, TN police department and DA, Adam Jowers, have been harassing the living hell out of me for years now. It has started getting worse in recent months

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-1806348705953571532008-08-21T13:40:00.003-05:002008-08-21T13:44:50.306-05:00

Yes, it has been a while. I had problems with transferring the website, then I had a personal matter to which I simply had to attend, and the time simply got away from me. I received an advanced copy of a book to be released for review (galley) and I have not had a chance to finish it yet, but it is on the agenda. Then I will get back to regular posting here and elsewhere. In fact, I am going to

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-48636310108386162252008-08-11T10:45:00.002-05:002008-08-11T10:47:01.590-05:00

Sorry for the delays. The Weirding had some technical difficulties last week and this weekend, but everything seems to be back on track. Obviously, since I can't be in two places at once, I can only work on one thing at a time and the site demands my immediate attention. I'll return soon. In the meantime, enjoy the archives! © C Harris Lynn, 2008

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-57427497946855683832008-07-29T10:00:00.001-05:002008-07-29T10:00:00.653-05:00

Back in The Day, a little sit-com called Happy Days ruled the airwaves - that is, until The Fonz strapped on a pair of water skis and jumped over a shark. Eventually, the phrase, "jumped the shark," came into use to describe TV shows that had lost their former level of quality. Eventually, the phrase came to mean anything that had lost its former luster. In the latest installment of the Indiana

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353303267958769636.post-57731096170705276292008-07-21T09:42:00.000-05:002008-07-21T09:42:01.491-05:00

Fan fiction is a relatively new entrant to the literary world. While the concept has probably been around since the advent of fiction itself, copyright issues have never made it a viable field. But the advent of the Internet has led to an explosion of the form - fan fiction websites, e-mail newsletters, groups, and more. Fan fiction is best described as fans who write stories using others'

ManoDogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362585939645849627noreply@blogger.com