Pick Another Pen Men Brain: Charlie Pabst
October 1, 2008
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!
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.
9 Steps to Clearer Writing: Keep it Flowing
September 10, 2008
“That has got to be one of stupidest movies I have ever seen.” My friend sat curled on the couch with half a snarl as the credits rolled for The Sixth Sense. “You would have had to have seen the whole thing to get it,” I explained. Coming in on the middle of a movie with a complex or fast-paced plot is never a good idea. Unless you start at the beginning, the end is a confusing disappointment.
Beginning Your Journey
We’ve all experienced a similar situation with a poorly plotted movie or book, or when someone spills the beans and tells you that the bomber is really the main character suffering from multiple personality disorder, right after you read the first chapter of Three by Ted Dekker. (Oops! If you haven’t read the story, it’s still well worth the read.) To continue with our Clearer Writing Steps, this same principal of logical flow holds true for your writing.
Your writing must have a destination (focus), but it also must have a means to get to that destination. Every article, blog post, or story is a journey. There are no short cuts and you must know where you are going. In order to write clearly, your writing must follow a logical flow.
Step Two:Keep It Flowing
Just as in the movies, your writing needs to have a clear cut beginning, middle, and end. Your beginning should captivate the reader’s attention and compel them to keep reading. Attention spans are short on the Web, and if your opening is dull, your readers move on.
Introduce Your Destination
Introducing your writing should ease the reader into the point you are trying to make, and if possible, present some kind of tension. This tension can be in the form of two opposing view points, a controversial statement, or a question posed to the reader. Tension is not an essential element for every piece, but it does help draw your readers in and keep them hanging on until the end.
Writing the Body: Digging Into Meat and Potatoes
The body of your article is the meat and potatoes of your writing. This area presents facts supporting your argument, informs the reader, or tells your tale. The body should be streamlined, just like a trip on the highway. This means every point should carry your reader closer to the destination. The scenic route may be great for a country drive, but it is not pleasant in writing. No one wants to read a meandering, winding story with no real destination.
Each paragraph has its own theme or point to make. Sentences should be short, as should each paragraph. Online content is not the same as a college thesis. Each idea should flow logically from one idea to the next, with transitioning sentences where necessary. Break the flow and you lose your reader.
Wrapping It Up: The Fortune Cookie of Writing
Clear writing also includes a conclusion. This does not mean that you can copy and paste your opening paragraph at the end of the piece. Repetitive facts are boring and not worth the time it takes to read them. One way to create a nice wrap up is to read each paragraph of your body and ask yourself what four words summarize each paragraph. I call this this the fortune cookie method. Each paragraph is condensed into a short and sweet Chinese proverb to be listed in your conclusion.
Keeping your writing flowing from beginning to end helps make your posts pleasant instead of painful to read. For clearer writing, hug the curves, check the map often, and put up a few roadsigns along the course to help others find their way.
