WriterByNature.com

February 26, 2008 5:45 am

Style, like DNA or fingerprints, is what identifies a writer.

Here are some techniques you can use to create the appropriate style for your written work: (more…)

February 5, 2008 6:29 am

A reader contacted me recently and asked:

Do I walk into, or in to the building? Do I go into the bedroom to get dressed, or do I go in to the bedroom to get dressed. I believe ‘into’ in both cases. Right, or wrong? I sometimes have problem with this. Is there a rule?

I had to meditate on this for a while. But there is a clear distinction between into and in to.

Use the word into, when you mean enter or transform.
Use the phrase in to, when you mean anything else.

The best example I found when searching for an illustration of the difference comes from writer George Roupe. Consider the following two sentences:

Turn the assignment in to the teacher.
Turn the assignment into the teacher. (more…)

January 8, 2008 11:23 pm

There is a connection between the brain and the hand.

The longer I live, the more I’m convinced that I need to actually write on paper in order to recall information I have learned but not yet internalized.

I use my eyes and hands differently when I keyboard. I need to actually grip a pen or pencil and push it across paper in order to remember. (more…)

November 28, 2007 6:02 am

As the opportunities to access the Internet grow, so do the options for communicating for business and pleasure.

I prefer to spend my time in the woods, so that makes me one of the few people I know who limit computer time. My goal is to find the most productive online communities. Lately, I’ve been overwhelmed. I signed up for a lot of these groups. I’m still in the lurking stage. (more…)

November 16, 2007 5:57 pm

Besides the very clever play on words of her name, writer Janet Riehl’s site, Riehl Life, is filled with art and music rich in cultural heritage. I’m crazy about her 92-year-old dad, who is still making music.

Janet and I participated in a recent blog chain. I had no clue how to make the best use of a blog chain or guest blogging, so I turned to my marketing maven, Angela Parker of Wicked WordCraft, who answered my questions.

Janet has posted my article Exploring Inwood Hill Park - An Old Growth Forest in New York City. So, please visit Riehl Life for a rich helping of Janet’s Village Wisdom for the 21st Century.

November 12, 2007 8:54 pm

I’ve just discovered the world of guest blogging. That’s where you post an article on someone else’s site. Why would you do that?

One good reason is to provide readers with broader access to interesting and relevant content. Another is to build both business and social relationships.

I am truly honored that fellow writer and remote professional, Katie Baird at Loose Ends, invited me to guest blog on her site.

It’s always exciting to find people who share my sensibilities. Loose Ends posted my article on my locavore harvest; I did not need to define locavore.

Continuing education is a vital part of business survival. Sharing what I’ve learned enriches everyone. Loose Ends has excellent food for thought. Enjoy your visit.

October 26, 2007 5:53 am

I’ve been writing a lot of what Anne LaMott calls “crappy first drafts.” This writer’s challenge gives me some comfort. I would like to feel that what I am writing will become publishable. Maybe I’m too hard on myself.

I’m in a dark mood.

I struggle with the physical aspects of rage. Why am I raging? Everything I love and care about is being destroyed and I feel powerless to change. (more…)

September 10, 2007 9:29 am

I love watching flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) on a warm summer night.

They really should be called gliding squirrels, because what allows them to be airborne is a loose flap of skin called the PATAGIUM. (more…)

August 28, 2007 5:23 pm

When I started this business almost two years ago, my goal was to be able to be out in the woods while writing and working. My budget does not include finances for a hard-wired computer, like those used by our military.

My woods time is spent writing with pen or pencil and paper and transcribing my written work to the computer. I do work at my computer, but need to swim the butterfly strokes in order to be able to move my arms and shoulders freely.

So, when I heard about Nicholas Negroponte and his One Laptop Per Child program, I was inspired by his dream to ensure every child in remote third world countries has access to a computer. (more…)

July 31, 2007 6:40 pm

I love it when my writing life is enriched by a new word, especially one that relates to my lifestyle and values. My attempt to eat food growing locally makes me a locavore.

I am a member of Harmony Farm, a local CSA. They are very happy to let me take the weeds in addition to my share of freshly harvested vegetables.

Most people attempting to eat locally are dealing with farm-raised food. But some of them are finding that foraging provides added benefits.

I went back to one of my usual hiking trails knowing that I would find wineberries:

Black trumpet mushrooms:

And staghorn sumac tea:

These delicacies, added to my share of the farm harvest, means that more than half the food on my table was grown within 35 miles of where I live.

(more…)