Colloquium on Writing

Many bloggers routinely publish end-of-the-year wrap-ups, directing readers to re-read what they consider to be their best work of the year, or give readers a second chance to experience a post or two that they missed when they were originally published. Since I am completing my second year publishing weekly entries on the topic of […]

Yesterday, another blogger asked if Christmas is the “season of goodwill to all, a time for merriment, joy, peace and … horror?” He wrote about the British tradition of incorporating “spine-tingling terror” into holiday stories. But when I first glanced at the title of his article, Scary Christmas, I thought he was going to address […]

“It boggles the mind.” The was the reaction from the sister of Abraham Biggs, 19. “We don’t understand,” she added. Biggs posted his intent to take his own life on a bodybuilding internet forum message board. He included a link to the site where he was broadcasting via webcam to a live audience. His suicide was […]

Lipstick on a pig, a secret terrorist signal vs. a fist jab show of solidarity, Obama Girl’s crush, Paris Hilton’s faux campaign, Wardrobegate, Barack Obama’s kindergarten declaration of ambition, and, of course, Joe the Plumber! This is Janie the Writer checking in to say, “Are you glad all of that is over?” I thought so. […]

I’ve followed several online discussions in recent months about how to become an “authority blogger.” Ryan Imel wrote a short piece at Copyblogger about it, there is a forum by that name, and Chris Garrett is marketing an online course designed to teach “strategic blogging for business and professionals.” Before a writer who is devoted […]

There really are not enough hours in the day. Or the week. Or the month. And the years are certainly elapsing too quickly. How can it possibly be October again? If I had a small sum for every great article I have written in my head at various times when I did not have access […]

Pat Ruppel at Plain Talk and Ordinary Wisdom is one of my favorite bloggers.  Recently, she wrote Defining Words, discussing a theory about language, i.e., that one, single word can be used to describe a city, the dominant mindset of its citizens or … an individual. I have many writing tools to which I turn […]

A writing exercise makes its way through the blogosphere periodically: “Pick a book of fiction you’d never read (e.g., if you read sci-fi, pick a romance). Open to a random page and read the last couple paragraphs of the page. DO NOT TURN THE PAGE. Now continue writing the story. Feel free to change the […]

Becca started a terrific meme at Write on Wednesday: The Writing Style Meme. In honor of the beginning of the school year and, for those of us no longer in school, memories of “shiny new notebooks and pens,” she invited readers to “take out a fresh sheet of paper” and answer a series of questions […]

One of my favorite bloggers, Becca, of Becca’s Byline, launched a new site a few weeks ago. Write on Wednesday is, according to Becca’s introduction, “a place to gather if you love playing with words and putting them to the page.” She encourages readers to respond to the topic she posts each Wednesday either by […]

Perhaps this series will never be concluded so long as the creative ways in which people use the Internet and the true impact of the information disseminated via the web continue to be revealed. “Update: [Name Deleted] Wants to Pay Less” was the title of the post that caught my eye and compelled me to […]