Crazy for Words
Heather Weidner ~ Writer, Reader, Lover of Quirky Trivia
Heather Weidner ~ Writer, Reader, Lover of Quirky Trivia
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Crazy for Words
VIRGINIA IS FOR MYSTERIES
My short story, "Washed up," is part of the Virginia is for Mysteries anthology that slated to be published in January of 2014. The publisher is working on some cover designs. Please go to Koehler Books and vote for your favorite one. Right now, it's down to two choices.
The book contains mystery and thriller short stories from fourteen Virginia authors. Watch for more updates on Facebook (Virginia is for Mysteries) or follow us on Twitter (@VAMysteries).
The book contains mystery and thriller short stories from fourteen Virginia authors. Watch for more updates on Facebook (Virginia is for Mysteries) or follow us on Twitter (@VAMysteries).
What I Learned This Week...
It's Friday, and we've made it through another week. We get points for that.
Writing
I learned that I have some pet phrases that I use over and over in my writing. I didn't realize that I was doing it until we talked about it in critique group. I started a list and used Word to search/replace. It was a little surprising to see how many times that they actually popped up.
Job Skills
My friend sent me this link to LearnDash. It has some good information on skills for those who create training or instructional materials.
Presentation Skills
I took a course this week with Becky Clay Christensen on improving presentations. She is an amazing facilitator and instructor. She has this unique ability to model techniques and tips even in casual discussions. It was humbling to be videoed and critiqued, but it was a worthwhile experience to see yourself how others see you.
My Biggest Shock
Yedda Stancil did a nutrition consultation with my team at work this week. (We've got a fitness and healthy lifestyle challenge going on in my department.) I was stunned at the amount of sugar in processed food. She had visuals that hit home. I just didn't think about it too much, and her presentation hit home. Another big surprise was the amount of hidden sugar in products that looked healthy.
I hope you have a great weekend. The Dominion RiverRock Festival is in town this weekend. I hope I get to check out some of the extreme events, including the dog challenges.
Writing
I learned that I have some pet phrases that I use over and over in my writing. I didn't realize that I was doing it until we talked about it in critique group. I started a list and used Word to search/replace. It was a little surprising to see how many times that they actually popped up.
Job Skills
My friend sent me this link to LearnDash. It has some good information on skills for those who create training or instructional materials.
Presentation Skills
I took a course this week with Becky Clay Christensen on improving presentations. She is an amazing facilitator and instructor. She has this unique ability to model techniques and tips even in casual discussions. It was humbling to be videoed and critiqued, but it was a worthwhile experience to see yourself how others see you.
My Biggest Shock
Yedda Stancil did a nutrition consultation with my team at work this week. (We've got a fitness and healthy lifestyle challenge going on in my department.) I was stunned at the amount of sugar in processed food. She had visuals that hit home. I just didn't think about it too much, and her presentation hit home. Another big surprise was the amount of hidden sugar in products that looked healthy.
I hope you have a great weekend. The Dominion RiverRock Festival is in town this weekend. I hope I get to check out some of the extreme events, including the dog challenges.
National Limerick Day
There once was a...
Happy National Limerick Day!
Are you still marketable?
Do you keep your job skills current? It's really easy in today's busy work world to push training and learning tasks to the bottom of the to do list. And sometimes, corporate training budgets have been slashed, so it's hard to get support for some efforts. You've got to depend on you and not a supervisor or an employer to push to keep what you have relevant.
Make sure that you keep up with the changes in your industry or field. It doesn't take that long for skills to become stagnant.
1. Look for online libraries or book services. Books 24x7 or Safari have a variety of membership plans, and they give you access to thousands of professional books and videos.
2. Look for users groups. Local chapters often provide access to speakers and local networking opportunities. Sometime organizations, offer virtual user groups. Also check out Meetup.com to find out what's available in your area.
3. Look for conferences or seminars. In addition to the training opportunities, it is a chance to expand your professional network. If you're not able to attend a conference, look at the organization's website. Sometimes, the conference notes or white papers are available for a nominal fee.
4. Use Google to your advantage. Look for blogs and websites related to your subject matter. You'll be amazed the number of online communities for a given topic.
5. Join LinkedIn. And if you're already a member, cultivate your connections and see what's available.
6. Search for your subject on Twitter. You may be surprised at the resources and conversations that are occurring.
7. Many professional journals are offered online now, and their websites offer information for those interested in your field.
8. Look for professional organizations that meet locally. Many offer free or low-cost training programs to their members. One of my groups also offers scholarships for members who want to take a class.
Good luck with building your skills or enhancing the ones that you have. Think of it as an investment.
Make sure that you keep up with the changes in your industry or field. It doesn't take that long for skills to become stagnant.
1. Look for online libraries or book services. Books 24x7 or Safari have a variety of membership plans, and they give you access to thousands of professional books and videos.
2. Look for users groups. Local chapters often provide access to speakers and local networking opportunities. Sometime organizations, offer virtual user groups. Also check out Meetup.com to find out what's available in your area.
3. Look for conferences or seminars. In addition to the training opportunities, it is a chance to expand your professional network. If you're not able to attend a conference, look at the organization's website. Sometimes, the conference notes or white papers are available for a nominal fee.
4. Use Google to your advantage. Look for blogs and websites related to your subject matter. You'll be amazed the number of online communities for a given topic.
5. Join LinkedIn. And if you're already a member, cultivate your connections and see what's available.
6. Search for your subject on Twitter. You may be surprised at the resources and conversations that are occurring.
7. Many professional journals are offered online now, and their websites offer information for those interested in your field.
8. Look for professional organizations that meet locally. Many offer free or low-cost training programs to their members. One of my groups also offers scholarships for members who want to take a class.
Good luck with building your skills or enhancing the ones that you have. Think of it as an investment.
Fun with Words...
We're doing a health challenge at work, and we all have pedometers to track our steps. I think the instructions were translated from another language...
- Mount the pedometer properly according to the manual and ensure your walking method is right. (I'm probably not walking correctly.)
- Be sure to operate and maintain this precision instrument properly. (It's a plastic pedometer with a digital read-out.)
- False mounting or walking way will possiblly arouse inaccurate results. (I'm not even going to touch that one.)
Here's a linguist's site that could help if you have to write an awkward job recommendation...Thanks, Cortney for sending this one to me.
http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~beatrice/humor/ambiguous-recommendations.html
Interesting Blogs and Websites
I ran across these this week. These are some interesting blogs/websites...
- The Militant Writer
- Antipollenstuff - This site is for those suffering with hayfever. Cute t-shirts and mugs!
- The Boomer Consumer Blog
What I Learned This Week...
I went to some interesting training this week in Charlottesville, VA. One session was on the emotional intelligence, and the other was on generational differences in the work force. Joanne Loce and Matt Thornhill were great presenters.
Here is some of what I learned this week...
- Bradberry and Greaves' book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 is very good. With each purchase, you're able to access the online assessment. It's also full of ideas for improving your self- and social awareness.
- The Boomer, GenX, and Millennials demographics are characteristically different, but they share some commonalities.
- There are all different types of age groups in the work force, and we have to deal with each other.
- Millennials have a special relationship with their parents, and they often relate well to the Boomers at work.
- There are helicopter parents and then there are Black Hawk Down parents. The workforce is going to have to deal with Millennials and their parents if they aren't already doing so.
- If you want to get something done, assign it to a GenX-er.
- Millennials are hyper-connected. They are the largest demographic of technology users; however, GenX-ers are the ones that really understand the technology. Millennials have always had technology and depend on it for everything. GenX-ers have had to learn it.
SinC-CV Upcoming Programming
Here is upcoming programming information for the Sisters in Crime - Central Virginia Chapter. Email me if you want more details.
May 11 - Tuckahoe Library - Henrico County 11:00 - 1:00 - A law enforcement panel with local police, FBI, evidence response team, and national security background check experience
September 21 - Central Library - Chesterfield County 11:00 - 1:00 -Adding romance and suspense to your writing
November 16 - Location TBD - 11:00 - 1:00 - Laurin Witting on Self-publishing
All of these are brown bag sessions. Bring your lunch and join us.
May 11 - Tuckahoe Library - Henrico County 11:00 - 1:00 - A law enforcement panel with local police, FBI, evidence response team, and national security background check experience
September 21 - Central Library - Chesterfield County 11:00 - 1:00 -Adding romance and suspense to your writing
November 16 - Location TBD - 11:00 - 1:00 - Laurin Witting on Self-publishing
All of these are brown bag sessions. Bring your lunch and join us.
Critique Group...
I rejoined a critique group this month, and I am really excited about getting feedback for my manuscript.
Background
My group is genre-specific (mysteries, thrillers, suspense), and that works best for me. I am working on a mystery, and I appreciate comments from those who read, write, and understand the conventions. None of us knew each other outside of the group before it formed, and I think that is a big plus for group dynamics. There were no predetermined friendships or loyalties that affect reviews.
Process
We review about fifty pages from each submitter each month. We have to have at least two submitters in order to have a meeting. We also don't have more than four to five submissions to review. We meet for two hours on a Saturday (usually once a month). No one is pressured to submit all the time, but we are required to take the necessary time to read and review the other members' entries.
Submitters can choose to resubmit previously reviewed sections for additional comments or more of the same manuscript. You can attend as many sessions as you want without submitting something.
I had a good, solid draft of my manuscript before I submitted it to the group. Some people use the monthly deadlines as away to keep themselves motivated. They prefer to get reviews before the piece is finished.
This has been really helpful for me with my writing. These ladies are detail oriented, and they see flaws and inconsistencies that I've missed in my multiple self-edits. Their feedback is always constructive. The writers are at different stages in their careers, and it's nice to listen to all of the perspectives.
If you want to improve your writing, my two suggestions are to write (write, and write), and to find a critique group that you're comfortable with. Their comments have been invaluable.
Background
My group is genre-specific (mysteries, thrillers, suspense), and that works best for me. I am working on a mystery, and I appreciate comments from those who read, write, and understand the conventions. None of us knew each other outside of the group before it formed, and I think that is a big plus for group dynamics. There were no predetermined friendships or loyalties that affect reviews.
Process
We review about fifty pages from each submitter each month. We have to have at least two submitters in order to have a meeting. We also don't have more than four to five submissions to review. We meet for two hours on a Saturday (usually once a month). No one is pressured to submit all the time, but we are required to take the necessary time to read and review the other members' entries.
Submitters can choose to resubmit previously reviewed sections for additional comments or more of the same manuscript. You can attend as many sessions as you want without submitting something.
I had a good, solid draft of my manuscript before I submitted it to the group. Some people use the monthly deadlines as away to keep themselves motivated. They prefer to get reviews before the piece is finished.
This has been really helpful for me with my writing. These ladies are detail oriented, and they see flaws and inconsistencies that I've missed in my multiple self-edits. Their feedback is always constructive. The writers are at different stages in their careers, and it's nice to listen to all of the perspectives.
If you want to improve your writing, my two suggestions are to write (write, and write), and to find a critique group that you're comfortable with. Their comments have been invaluable.
Cannon Fire...The New Normal...
I work in a building in downtown Richmond that's on a tall hill overlooking the city and the mighty James River. Down the hill, you can see the former Tredegar Ironworks (now the American Civil War Center).
It's a beautiful view. Last week when most of the schools were out for spring break, they had some sort of special event, and they fired a cannon. It echoed off the building and surprised just about everyone. It took a few minutes and my co-worker's pair of binoculars to figure out what was going on.
It's a beautiful view. Last week when most of the schools were out for spring break, they had some sort of special event, and they fired a cannon. It echoed off the building and surprised just about everyone. It took a few minutes and my co-worker's pair of binoculars to figure out what was going on.