What’s New

I have big plans for the next few weeks. Blue Duck will be getting an overhaul, with a little help from a whole crew. Most changes will be behind the scenes, but some will inevitably leak out onto your screen.

Here are a few highlights of what’s been happening while I’ve been on blogging vacation:

Scott Hendison at Search Commander has been a tremendous help recently and we think he and the Search Commander crew are Blue Ribbon material.

James Chartrand of Men with Pens has suffered through my endless stream of emails and chatter over the lats few days, and has functioned as the logical half of my business brain this week. I would have been medicated with Thorazine and other anti-insanity drugs if it weren’t for James’ levelheadedness and focus this past week. He saved my butt….again.

Harry at Men with Pens has become enlightened to my sheer stupidity when it comes to imaging and graphics, and we seem to have worked out a common language beyond my senseless grunts and growls about logos and headers and such. He’s such a gem.

Sean Platt at Writer Dad has served as a sounding board and an eternal spring of encouragement and humor. His banter and chatter have helped keep me sane.

B J Keltz at Enriched by Words has added another exciting project to my heaping pile, and this one tends to float to the top. I’ll let you know more when it’s up and running, but this one has huge potential and value.

Naomi Dunford and I will be sitting down to pick her brain royally in January, after she gets all settled-in in England. Online Business School sparked a ton of ideas and 5 new projects for Blue Duck Copy, along with an idea on how to expand the Blue Duck’s services.

Dave Wright of Blogger Dad has provided advice and editing for a piece I am working on for the local newspaper. He has invaluable experience as a reporter and is generous beyond words.

My friend and soul-sister, Toni, has nudged me into finally writing that book I have outlined. I have the first 3 pages done, and think I may be able to finish it before school starts again.

A big, huge, bear hug goes out to each of these people, along with my sincere gratitude and prayers for blessing. Thanks.

Getting Personal

And on a personal note, my oldest son recited the entire Christmas story form Luke for the school play and gave the salvation invitation as the kids gathered around to reenact the nativity. He spoke with confidence and expression, and never missed a beat. He also looked very grow-up and handsome in his little shirt and tie. And yes, I cried.

I have been taken aback by the sheer need of people in my community this year. It seems that everyone is getting laid off, or having hours cut. Money is tight, and the local food banks and churches are exhausted. People are scared and hurting. They need prayer. If you are the praying kind, please pray for those hurting this Christmas Season.

If you find yourself in need, the Pen Men have started a wonderful program in their forums called Helpline Exchange, where you can hook up with someone who has what you need. I think it’s a fantabulous idea and shows just how big James, Harry, and Charlie’s hearts are.

That’s my rambling about my time away from the blog. Thanks for hanging in there till the end. We well resume a modified posting schedule this week, and get back to Blog Nirvana on Saturdays.

Merry Christmas to everyone and I hope and pray that God will meet your needs and provide you with joy and peace in the busy days to come.

They have passion, heart, dedication, persistence, vision, and a genuine concern for others. They work harder than any human beings should. They work hard, they play hard, and they live life to the fullest.

If you want an inside look at the Pen Men Trio, we did mini-interviews with Harry, James, and Charlie awhile back, just after the site launched.

If you haven’t been to the new site yet, head on over now! Be sure to check out:

• The super cool RSS button in the right corner. Hover over it for a Harry-special surprise!
• The eBook selection for writers
• The Guest Post section to track down Pen Men posts around the Web
• The Forums, where you can hang out, kick off your shoes and sit at the feet of masters and friends

See ‘ya there!

We end this week with an interview with one of my favorite people on planet Earth; James Chartrand. James is the spunk and panache behind Men with Pens. He has heart and passion and occasionally breaks the rules, but that’s okay. He makes his own rules (he’s cool like that). James cares about the business of writing, but more importantly, he cares about people. He works hard to make the Internet a better place for us all. If you don’t believe me, just read one of his posts. In fact, read all of his posts, James writes terrific content.

Now that I’m done singing his praises, let’s get on with the interview already, jeesh.

Now Live:  James Chartrand

Like everyone else, James received the same three thoughtfully constructed questions as the other bloggers. Here’s what he had to say.

What writing habits do you practice daily?

I don’t have any particular writing habits beyond my routine schedule – daily emails, daily content writing, blog posts for clients, ebook writing…

I mean, my keyboard is always rattling away, so the writing habit I have is writing!

What is your process for improving your writing?

I love to analyze and pick things apart. I look towards certain writers that I admire and I read over their work to see what they do, what their strategies are and how I can apply the same to my work.

If I decide to try something myself, I focus on that one thing for a little while and I analyze the results. Did I achieve what I wanted? Was it a hit and miss? Did I enjoy this type of writing?
If I have a bad habit (and I’m always picking up one or the other), once I recognize it, I work daily to eliminate it with conscious effort.

Then of course, another bad habit crops up

What books or blog posts have influenced the mechanics and heart of your writing the most?

Brian Clark has a way of rocking my boat every now and then with very powerful posts. They’re not just ones I admire, they’re ones that get me thinking, that make me go, “Hmmm…” I toss around his ideas for days and find myself thinking in new directions. His Crossroads post sticks with me still today after months of its being posted.

And Stephen King’s On Writing. I picked that up recently and found myself hating adverbs after reading it.

One heavy influence has been RPG gaming. Creative writing in this style was a true joy for me. Why was that scene good? What made it dramatic or beautiful? What could have been done better? How about this dialogue? I wrote many pieces of indulgence that had no more focus than a post-it note in a scene. When I managed to stop time for a reader by drawing the person into that world for a moment, the feeling was awesome.

And from that, I wanted to keep getting better and replicate the experience.

“When I managed to stop time for a reader by drawing the person into that world for a moment, the feeling was awesome.” The power of words continues to amaze me daily. Your words matter to many, brother. Never forget that. You inspire many to achieve their dreams.

James, your wisdom is timeless, your friendship is priceless. Thanks for agreeing to this interview.

Next up on the interviewee list is Charlie Pabst of Men with Pens/ Charfish Design.  Charlie recently joined the Pen Men and has been fairly quiet thus far. We’re not sure if he just can’t get a word in edgewise, or if he’s playing up the whole man of mystery thing.

Mr. Pabst is a self-taught web designer and writer with loads of style. He’s got a street-smart way about him and he fits in nicely with James and Harry. Charlie has a background in architecture, which brings an interesting and pleasantly unique style to his web designs. He also hails from Seattle, Washington and may find me on his doorstep some day if I get the time to travel to the West Coast. (If only JP Beaumont were a real person, I’d look him up, too!)

Charlie’s Responses

Charlie received the same three questions for the mini-interview, and these are his responses.
What writing habits do you practice daily?

My only real writing habit is to be sure I do it every single day. Not necessarily a blog post, or a story or even something remarkably literate, but something.

What is your process for improving your writing?

Part of it is just doing it and doing it and doing it. Another part of it is actually reading the things I write. Not in a critical fashion, but from the viewpoint of someone who may be reading my work for the first time. Being able to see your writing from another’s viewpoint is really important.

As a writer, when you put ideas down on paper, you do so with a concept in your mind already. I mean, you’re writing what you’ve already envisioned in your mind. Your readers don’t have that same concept. You, as the writer, have to GIVE it to them.

Some new writers I know have that problem and wonder, “Why don’t people get my writing? It seems so clear to me.” It’s much easier for us to understand what we’ve written ourselves.

Another thing I do is practice. I don’t like to be lazy with my writing. Say, if I’m just writing an email and I want to say something funny, I’ll purposely try to write something really funny. If I’m in a bad mood and writing a friend or associate, I’ll explain it in a way that’s more creative than just saying, “I’m grumpy.” Once you start practicing like this, it starts to feel like your repertoire is starting to grow. You’ll start to have more confidence that you can convey moods and ideas more successfully.

What books or blog posts have influenced the mechanics and heart of your writing the most?

One person I’ve learned from is Seth Godin. He’s got a very punchy style. His writing doesn’t have that, “I’m going to talk about this now. Now I’m talking about it,” sort of rigidness to it. He just gets right into stories and concepts, and he really makes it work. He’s my go-to guy for seeing how to make really succinct writing work, without losing your reader conceptually, as I brought up earlier.

Another is Nick Cernis of PutThingsOff.com. My interest in his writing is not with his choice of topics or subject matter. I just like his style. It’s loose, humorous and it often involves regional patois that, again, he just makes work.

Bill Bryson, who’s not a blogger as far as I know, is an incredible non-fiction essayist. He can write about anything and make it luscious, funny and vividly real. I feel like I know him personally just from the heart and honesty he puts into his writing. That honesty is something that is ultra-necessary, regardless of the type of writing you’re doing.

Honesty and heart make a writer’s work vividly real.  It sounds like those two qualities deserve active development and nurturing in writing if we want that lucidity and lusciousness that Charlie talks about.

Great responses, Charlie. Thanks for letting us pick your brain!

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.