Pick the Brain of Harrison McLeod of Men With Pens
September 29, 2008
In case you’re just tuning in, we’ll be posting mini-interviews with top bloggers here at Blue Duck over the next few weeks. You’ll have the chance to get a sneak peak into how these bloggers improve their writing and what inspires them to do what they do so well. I’ve had a blast reading the answers to these mini-interviews and can’t wait to share them with you!
Here’s Harry!
First off in this series is an interview with Harrison McLeod of Men With Pens. Harry is a gifted graphic designer with all the bells and whistles of a fancy degree to back up his work. He also writes thoughtful and entertaining blog posts for the company’s website, as well as content for clients from time to time. His style brings readers back for more day after day.
Let the Brain Picking Begin
To be fair, I asked each blogger the same three questions. Here are Harry’s responses- unedited.
What writing habits do you practice daily?
I have to say there aren’t any writing habits that I practice on a daily basis. I used to be in the habit of writing every day, but the demands of our business keep me occupied with graphics.
Having gotten away from writing on a daily basis, I find that when I do sit down to do some serious writing, it shows. It’s like jumping back into an exercise routine; the muscles don’t respond the way they used to. You get sore and tired quickly at first.
Writing every day, even when you don’t feel like it, is important on so many levels.
What is your process for improving your writing?
The more I read, the more reading stimulates my brain. Sometimes it helps with style. Other times it helps with new ideas and perspectives, or I’ll see a new technique to try or hit on a method to use.
It’s the same as when I was in art school. Critiques and the studio atmosphere do more than foster social interaction. You get ideas from the way other people work. You need the constant give and take of discussion and debate.
You might see what another person is doing and want to try it yourself. It may work, it may not, or it might lead to something better that no one has ever seen before. The world is your studio; use it.
What books or blog posts have influenced the mechanics and heart of your writing the most?
The one book that has influenced me the most is Stephen King’s On Writing. The book was incredible and it helped me see that there isn’t anything wrong with the way I write – I have my own style and that’s fine.
King’s methods and mine are very similar. I may not be the greatest writer on the face of the earth, but I have a knack for connecting with my audience and I’m a very good storyteller.
“The world is your studio; use it.” That just may become a personal mantra for writers, web designers, and bloggers around the world. Yes, Harry, you do have a knack for connecting to your audience, and your responses are… well, they’re classic Harry. Thanks for letting us pick your brain!
If you would like to read more of Harry’s musings, you can visit Men With Pens to read more. You can also view some of Harry’s stunning handiwork on the MwP website. He also designed the banner and logo for Blue Duck Copy. 
We love it, but we’re a little partial.
Do You Write with Integrity?
September 29, 2008
“Pick your gigs wisely, and with integrity. Don’t whore yourself out for a fast buck.”
written by Bob Younce
In a recent post on Freelance Folder, Bob reminds us that conducting business with integrity is an admirable quality. When I first began writing, I took every single job that came through the door. (Hey, I needed the money and the experience.) For awhile nothing I wrote clashed with my personal code of business ethics, but eventually I was asked if I would write adult content and/or misleading sales copy. The answer to both was a resounding, “No thank you.”
I could have accepted the jobs. After all, my name would not appear with the content, nor would my business be linked to the clients’ websites. Who would know? Well, I would. I have nothing against the writer who did accept these jobs, in fact, I recommended him, but my personal code of ethics is to only do during the day what I can live with at night. If my conscience won’t let me sleep, it’s not worth it. Do I always follow my own advice? Of course not. Sometimes I have to beat my head against the wall until it’s bloody to learn a lesson. Occasionally I just seem bent on torturing myself for no apparent reason.
Change Your World for the Better
“One of the sad facts of the Internet is that the vast digital landscape is frequently marred with all sorts of substandard work. There is a case to be made, for example, that most Internet content would never make it past the editorial gatekeepers of the print world. I won’t discuss the merits of that argument here, but I will say there’s plenty of crap online. If it bothers you like it does me, the best way to fix it is starting with your own commitment to standards and to quality.” -Tom Chandler
One of my pet peeves is crap content producers. These writers churn out scum-sucking content faster than a team of professional dumpster divers. Their keyword-stuffed, incoherent articles clog the Internet and frustrate all of us. Now, there is quite a bit of terrific content on the Web, but sometimes it’s hard to find when wading through the muck.
I like Tom’s challenge to each of us to take an honest look at our own content and see what could be improved. (That’s partly why I will be interviewing the Net’s Top Bloggers to Pick their Brains about how they improve their writing!) My own writing is constantly in a process of change, hopefully for the better.
Making a Difference
“if you want to make a difference with your business, you need to see the larger picture. You need to figure out what the positive change you wish to effect on your world is, and then work towards it.”- Tom Chandler
Making a difference may not seem like a viable business goal, but on the Internet, it’s surprisingly easy. If you gather a following of loyal readers who come together to socialize, share, and grow together (like Men With Pens), you’ve made a difference. If you help fledgling writers or business owners along their journey, you’ve made a difference. If you help support the writing community, or help raise the standards of online work, you’ve made a difference. Let me ask you, how are you making a difference?
Thanks to Tom for the inspiring post. It stimulated me to think deep and evaluate my own content. Change is a good thing.
PS. If you want a feel-good story about how blogging can make a difference in someone’s life, watch this YouTube video.
Pick the Brains of Top Bloggers!
September 26, 2008
I am constantly looking to improve my writing, and have been struggling with attaining just the right amount of crisp, clean prose while maintaining punch and a flowing cadence. This is my ever-elusive goal. Frustrated by my bang-head-against-wall approach lately, I had a late night/early morning conversation with James Chartrand of Men with Pens yesterday about the issue. (I asked James for help because that’s kind of guy he is. He’s passionate about his profession, cares deeply for others, and is an all-around nice guy. But don’t spread it around that I said that!)
The Wheels Start to Turn
During our email conversation, I began thinking about what other professional writers do to evolve their writing. How do they achieve their writing goals? What motivates them to excel in their craft?
Harebrained Ideas Always Begin After Midnight
So late last night, I came up with a harebrained idea: I would interview top bloggers with distinctive writing styles that others emulate. Whom did I contact? Well, that’s the crazy part. I emailed bloggers like Sean Platt, Darren Rowse, Susan Johnston, Sonia Simone, Bob Younce, and Tom Chandler. Then, a crazy thing happened- they agreed to my interview! (I emailed a few other interesting surprise personalities, too!)
Let the Brain Picking Begin!
I am champing at the bit to read these exceptional writers’ answers! Keep an eye out in the next few days as the responses to my mini-interviews come in as the bloggers’ schedules allow. I will post them, unedited, giving you a chance to pick the brains of top bloggers in the online copywriting and freelance industries.
Does this sound like fun to you? If you would like to see responses from a particular blogging favorite, drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do!
Let the brain picking begin!
Character Development for Dummies
September 25, 2008
Character is a term that most people think they understand. (I mistakenly thought I could accurately define character until recently.)Take a poll in your neighborhood and most will answer that, yes, they have character. But ask them what character is and you may be rewarded with a puzzled, blank stare. If you have a hard time defining character, you are not a dummy (despite what those books say), you are merely like 90% of the rest of us who take moral terms for granted without knowing what the heck they really mean. (I tended to embrangle character with integrity and old-fashioned charm.)
Character Defined
According to Elmer Towns, a specialist in church growth, character is defined as habitually doing the right thing in the right way. (An example of developing character would be keeping on track with your prayer time, despite staying up until 4 A.M. finishing a proposal for a client.) It is consistently choosing the morally right choice despite your circumstances and feelings.
You are not born with character. It is developed through the hard work of self-discipline. Being a good person does not provide you with character. Instead, character development results in habits that make you do good, and is essential for spiritual development.
Food for Thought
Mr. Towns challenges us to ponder what came first, great character or great dreams? Does the person with character seek great dreams to live for God, or does the person with great dreams seek character to live for God? Almost always, the answer is that character must come first. The natural things (character development) always precede the supernatural (spiritual development) because until a man receives revelation from God, spiritual matters are foolishness to him. (I Corinthians 2:14)
So, how is character developed? Character development occurs through perseverance, hard work, and self-discipline.
- Live outside yourself. Those with great dreams for God will develop character because they are forced to live by standards outside themselves. They will not live a selfish life, seeking only self-satisfying pursuits.
- Put forth a conscious effort to create a habit of making the right choices. Make a decision and a commitment to develop character daily.
- Use your principals to guide your every decision in life. (No more no-brainer decisions.)
- Change your attitude.
Attitude is Everything
Your personality is formed by your attitudes and grows out of your character. Contrary to popular belief, you are not born with your attitude. (You are, however, born with a temperament.) You choose your attitude in every situation. Mr. Towns reminds us we cannot determine our circumstances or control our fate, but when we have the right attitude, we get the best out of the conditions handed to us and are able to rise above our circumstances.
The pessimist complains about the wind.
The optimist expects a better wind.
The person with character changes the sail.
Emotions Vs. Character: How are You Living?
There are two basic motivators for behavior choice, emotions and character. Many people live emotionally based, often without even realizing what influenced their actions. Consider these statements about emotional living.
- You can’t determine your physical emotional response, but when you have the faith attitude, you can rise above your feelings. You cannot stop feelings, but you can keep your feelings from stopping you.
- God chooses what we will go through; you choose how you will go through it.
Learning to live according to your character takes deliberate action on your part. It requires increased mental energy, concentration, and frequent self-examination.
“Every time you make a choice, you are turning the control part of you into something a little different from what you were before. And taking your life as a whole, with all its innumerable choices, you are slowly turning the control thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish one.” – C. S. Lewis
Three Reasons Why Character Matters
Character is an important and desirable quality for three main reasons.
- People with Character will have long lasting friendships, successful marriages, satisfying vocations, and an inner happiness.
- Character development is the essential precursor to spiritual development.
- A person with character is able to carry out a decision long after the emotion is gone that first motivated the choice.
Do you display character in your business practices? Do you model character for your spouse and children? (Mr. Towns points out that character is no longer taught to children in public schools.) Take a few moments to pray and earnestly examine your level of character development.
Emotional living is widespread today, but God calls us to live separately from the norms of society. I pray that you will have the courage to work toward personal character development by actively seeking to make right choices every day.
You Can Help a Desperate Writer!
September 23, 2008
If you are a parent, you know that there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for your kids. You watch hours of Sponge Bob, pretend to like asparagus, clean up vomit, pinch pennies for that new pair of Sketchers, and read Pat the Bunny for the millionth time. You lose sleep, become poor, skip showers and personal hygiene rituals, ponder their needs at all hours of the day and night, and pray like you’ve never prayed before.
But what would you do if you were unable to give your children what they need? I’m not talking about not having enough money to take them to the movies and buy pizza because gas went up, again. I mean physically not able to provide for them- becoming completely dependent upon the goodwill of strangers and friends to care for your family?
Well, one of our own knows intimately what it feels like to stare into little eyes and be unable to quell the tears staining your beloved child’s face. Lori Hall Steele is a gifted freelance writer and single mother to seven-year-old Jack. Last fall, Lori was stricken with inexplicable paralysis that slowly spread throughout her body. Currently, Lori is confined to a hospital bed. She has been diagnosed with a severe case of Lyme’s Disease, and possibly ALS.
This once vibrant woman is now paralyzed- dependent on a type of ventilator to breath normally, and a staff of health care givers to meet even her most basic needs. She is unable to work or care for her son.
To add to this tragedy, Lori is now in danger of losing her home to foreclosure. Adding insult to injury, since she is a freelancer, she has no health insurance and is amassing large hospital bills by the hour.
In her Washington Post article, Not Out of the Woods: A Boy and ‘Bambi’, Lori writes about her then four-year-old son, Jack, who asks:
“Will you look after me when I’m a grown-up?”
I tell him I’ll always be here for him, one way or another. Always always always. Just like my mother is here for me. Just like I was there when he was 3. It is an impossible promise, a gamble with his trust. I secretly pray I don’t let him down, not on this.
Lori wrote those prophetic words three years ago, before her illness began, before becoming a single mother, before she faced losing everything to a disease that is out of her control.
Helping Lori
We now have the chance to make a difference in the life of a bright freelance writer and loving mother desperately in need of assistance.
The freelance writing community is getting involved, and we challenge you to get involved as well. Her friends have set up a blog about Lori, and freelance writers Kristen Hains, Jane Boursaw, and Rachel Weingarten have put up a website to help save Lori’s House. Renegade Writer has issued a blog-a-thon challenge to benefit Lori as well.
How Can You Help?
- Spread the word about Lori. Send emails, blog about Lori, change your Facebook page.
- Donate to Save Lori’s House. (even $5 will help if we all pitch in)
- Email Michigan Senators (see links below)
- PRAY for Lori, Jack, her family, and the doctors and nurses caring for her. Start your local prayer chains, sponsor a prayer vigil, or add Lori to your church’s prayer list. Pray earnestly and pray often.
Everyone can do something. Please, help support a fellow freelance writer and her little boy.
Blue Duck Copy will be praying for Lori every hour, on the hour during business hours and several times during down time. Please join with us in praying for Lori’s recovery. There is tremendous power in prayer. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” –James 5:16b. Another translation of the Bible states, “ When a believing person prays, great things happen.”
We will also be donating one half of the business’ weekly tithe to Lori’s fund every week until she is back on her feet. I encourage you to do the same if you feel led to help.
If you don’t have a PayPal account, you can mail letters, cards of encouragement, and donations to:
Lori Hall Steele
c/o Denali & Co.
Po Box 1015
Traverse City, MI 49685
More Ways to Help
According to Lori’s website:
You can read more updates on Lori’s condition here: http://www.hallsteele.blogspot.com or a great piece on Lori’s story here: Can friends and a website save a sick woman’s house?
To find out how you can help, write to Jane Boursaw: Jane@savelorishouse.com or Kristen Hains Kristen@savelorishouse.com
Join the FaceBook group here http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=27262941938&ref=mf
Lori puts a human face on the current mortgage and inadequate healthcare crises facing our nation. If you’re a member of the press interested in doing a story on Lori please contact Rachel Weingarten: rachel@shoutoutpr.com or Erin D. erin@bigbocapr.com
Buzz it up – story about Lori on Yahoo
Tell a friend, forward the link, if you live in Michigan call your local congressperson to spread the word.
Give a little or a lot to help save Lori’s house!
Write to Congressman Dave Camp here and ask him to help champion Lori’s cause.
Write to Senator Jason Allen to encourage him to help out too!
Do You Contribute to the Caducity of Words?
September 23, 2008
Erasing the Dictionary
As a child, I remember reading through the dictionary and delighting in discovering new words that appealed to me. Some, I fancied for the way they sound when spoken, like atelectasis (the collapse of a lung). Others found their way into my writing and vocabulary because of their definition, like Junoesque (marked by stately beauty). Words have a special place in the heart of writers.
This morning, I happened upon a blog post over at CopyWriterUnderground.com that tells a woeful tale of words in danger of deletion from the dictionary. It seems that once a word is deemed archaic, it is deleted from the next edition of the dictionary, never to see the light of day again. While this practice seems unnatural and more a than a little sadistic, it continues year after year with dozens of words withering away to oblivion at the hands of a team of heartless dictionary editors suffering from caffeine withdrawal and hemorrhoids.
Tom’s post is based on an article in the New York Times that allows readers to vote for their favorite delightful words in danger of extinction. As a preview of some of the worthy words facing the axe, we’ve decided to reprint a portion of the list here.
• Abstergent: Cleansing or scouring
• Agrestic: Rural; rustic; unpolished; uncouth
• Apodeictic: Unquestionably true by virtue of demonstration
• Caducity: Perishableness; senility
• Caliginosity: Dimness; darkness
• Compossible: Possible in coexistence with something else
• Embrangle: To confuse or entangle
• Exuviate :To shed (a skin or similar outer covering)
• Fatidical Prophetic
• Fubsy: Short and stout; squat
• Griseous: Streaked or mixed with grey; somewhat grey
• Malison: A curse
• Mansuetude: Gentleness or mildness
• Muliebrity: The condition of being a woman
• Niddering: Cowardly
• Nitid: Bright; glistening
• Olid: Foul-smelling
• Oppugnant: Combative, antagonistic or contrary
• Recrement: Waste matter; refuse; dross
• Roborant: Tending to fortify or increase strength
• Skirr: A whirring or grating sound, as of the wings of birds in flight
• Vilipend: To treat or regard with contempt
If you see a word or two you like, head over to the NYT website and give it a vote. Tom also encourages bloggers to use a few of these unusual gems in their posts and copywriting to help save these words from extinction and slow down this olid practice of word executions, which we think is an excellent idea! No word deserves to be thrown out like literary recrement! Thanks for sharing Tom.
By the way, how many of these obscure words can you use in a sentence?
