Communication Compromise

Day 4 / 30-Day Writing Challenge

I love getting a letter in the mail, and I love writing letters, too. 

Letter writing is a dying art. The actual writing of letters on paper is less and less frequent. Indeed, penmanship has been thrown by the wayside in the curriculum of elementary schools. 

The muscles in my hands and fingers aren't what they used to be. It's quite taxing to write more than a paragraph. Plus, the scribble that ends up on the page from my pen is embarrassing! I used to receive all sorts of compliments on my handwriting. 

I received a letter from my brother the other day. He brokered a compromise between technology and the post office. He wrote the letter on a computer, printed it out, and mailed it. 

Yea! What a fun surprise the letter was. And, it was a single space, 2.5-page letter. Reading it via email would not have been as enjoyable. 

Don't you just love getting something in the mail that isn't junk or a bill? Like a personal letter?

V is for Vulnerable

Day 3 / 30-Day Writing Challenge

A quick Google search of “Writing Advice” yields about 708,000,000 results [0.43 seconds]. (For comparative purposes, a similarly quick Google search of “Sex” yields about 790,000,000 results [0.50 seconds].)

I’m hazarding a guess that the bulk of that writing advice falls under the heading of “Just Do It.” Meaning get thee fingers to a keyboard or wrapped around a pen and start moving. (And, perhaps the majority of sex advice falls under the heading of "Just Do It," too. We'll save that for a different blog post ... and a different blogger.)

It’s OK to write something about a “quick brown fox jumping over a fence” (or whatever that typing class ditty was) over and over again until other stuff starts pouring out. What the hey, write the ABCs over and over.

Sounds easy enough, right? So what’s the problem? What’s with the torture? 

I can’t answer for everyone, but for me, it’s about looking like a moron. What if someone should come across one of my journals or peer over my shoulder at my laptop? They might think “man, where does she get off?”

Stripping it down further, looking like a moron is more about being vulnerable.

The V word. That’s pretty much what holds me back from writing.

I have found the best way to not let vulnerability impede what I want to do is a ritual of sorts before writing. A few deep breaths, making a cup of tea while the computer fires up, paper and pen at the ready to the right, and away I go. Maybe it's the sameness of the ritual that allows me to relax a little about writing. 

If there is something other than the mechanics of writing (or desire) holding you back from the page, you may want to consider a ritual of sorts. 

Below, sometimes Google can inspire writers to get started on a project. 

Staying in Style

Day 2 / 30-Day Writing Challenge (and blog post #101)

Some things never go out of fashion. A strand of pearls, an Eames chair, Shakespeare. Clear and concise writing makes the list, too. Writing that delivers the intended message with 100% comprehension has long been a fashion leader.

That's why publications (print, digital, and otherwise) have style guides. The Associated Press Stylebook is one of the best known guides. It sets the standard for newspaper writing. For example: state abbreviations, writing out numbers or using a numeral, and the use of titles such as M.D. and Ph.D.

Style guides enable consistency, a real plus in clear and concise writing. Their purpose is not to dictate what's correct and incorrect but to guide a choice when many options exist. Think about all the ways to write a.m. or pm or A.M. or PM.

Check out Grammar Girl's opinion on style guides. She may inspire you to make a style guide for your posts, Web site, and other writing.

I'd put a style guide as the most important fashion accessory for any publication, document, or Web site. I'd put a strand of pearls as a jewelry box basic.

Today is the first day of the rest of my [writing] life

Today starts a 30-day writing workout. This is the plan: post for 30 days straight on Behind the Scenes at Orozco Ink. Here's why: I need to write more.

Really, for someone who makes their living as a writer I'd really like to write more often.

Ever read the right side of Behind the Scenes at Orozco Ink? The "About Me" part? Where I blab a bit on how my blog is a place for me to work on my writing. Well, recently that's serving as an excellent example of a farce!

It's time to get back to this blog's basics, which are an outlet for writing and telling the back story of making a living as a writer. Read the post What's so funny about peace, love, and billable hours? That's more the spirit of Behind the Scenes at Orozco Ink.

I'm a big believer in practicing the basics, honing one's skills. This will be fun (she says trying to convince herself as her feet get colder and colder). The next basic I'm going to tackle is sending out query letters.

See you tomorrow!

See the following photo, that's me with my five charges! The photo is more than a few months old. Which reminds me of something else -- I need to get professional photos of myself. 

When the going gets tough, the tough IMPROVISE!

Love, love, love the Improv group. Helps so much with my writing ... even though I don't do a lick of writing with or for the group. We meet once a week and play for two hours. It's not a free-for-all. It just looks that way. The foundation of our success is teamwork. Listening and supporting each other is what it is about. 

So how does it help my writing? Keeps the ol' brain in shape. Makes me think on my feet. You know, a brain in motion tends to stay in motion ...

Hmmm ... maybe I need to start bringing pen and paper to Improv. Jot down all the million dollar ideas that pop into my head during all the fun. Hmmm ... stay tuned.

Pictured above, the Plaza Playhouse Improv Troupe members include, from left, Chuck-Hou Yee, Judy Sirianni, Amy Marie Orozco (that's me!), Juliet Rohde-Brown, Hope Zweig, Pauline Reyes, Sherri Mendenhall, and John Pagano. 

She's Back! Madeline Dawkins is on the prowl ...

I had the pleasure of being part of the proofing process for "High Price to Pay," the second book in the Madeline Dawkins mystery series written by Cynthia Hamilton. "High Price to Pay" is a fun, fast read. If you haven't already met Madeline, allow me to introduce her. (Actually, this is copy from the author, Cynthia Hamilton.)

Madeline’s dual professions as event coordinator and private investigator cross paths during the most lavish affair of her career—a weekend-long fortieth birthday extravaganza for the wife of a famous film director. A simple background check after the disappearance of precious family jewels quickly turns into a murder investigation, and before Madeline and Mike can put the pieces together, another body turns up. As the Santa Barbara police and sheriff’s departments search for clues, the Mad Dog P.I.’s use their own methods to untangle the crimes, discovering some unsavory truths behind the glittering façade of their clients.

Adding to Madeline’s already overflowing plate, the D.A. informs her that Rick Yeoman, one of the men who abducted her three years earlier, has been prematurely released from prison after cutting a deal with the Feds. Besides fear of reprisals from the man she helped to convict, Yeoman’s parole also triggers the reappearance of soulless Lionel Usherwood, lured out of his hideaway by the call of revenge. When Yeoman’s body surfaces in Lake Cachuma, Usherwood moves on to the next target: Madeline.

"A High Price to Pay" is the second novel in the Madeline Dawkins Series. Available in print and eBook formats on Amazon.com.

Get the book; read it. It's good! Then, get ready for the next in the series to come.

The Most Humbling of Tasks

Want to know the most stressful aspect of Orozco Ink? Uh, that'd be proofreading.

No, not proofreading my own stuff, because no one should ever proofread their own stuff. I mean being paid to proofread another's writing. The pressure I put on myself is rattling, which, of course, doesn't make a good environment for proofreading.

It's easy to get caught up in the minutiae of serial commas while missing the glaring misspelling in the title. It's happened. How about this one: I took the leap of creating a Facebook page for my writing and editing business only to have a huge grammatical gaffe in the About section of Orozco Ink - Writing & Editing. Yes, of course, people saw it. Thank goodness some of them pointed it out to me.

Plus, when proofreading, I get tripped up on elementary things, such as rein or reign. Lie versus lay. Is it effect or affect?

Yes, proofreading can be quite humbling. (Like my Facebook debut.) On the other hand, it can be quite fun and rewarding, too. I love it when I find something buried in the middle of document that could have been a real problem for a client.