Welcome back this Monday, June 24, 2013. I hope you had a great weekend, and I hope you are refreshed and ready to dazzle the world today.
And that is what this post is all about….dazzling the world.
I write SEO content articles each morning for a handful of customers. I don’t write for one of those content mills, but the result is the same. Plug in keywords and try to make the article sound like a semi-intelligent human being wrote it. I mention that only because in writing those articles for pay I figure I have sacrificed enough quality for the remainder of the day. When I am finished with them it is time to turn on the creative juices and let them flow, and I refuse to insult the great writers of the past by doing less than my best on my own articles.
So the question for you today is this: Do you sacrifice quality at times, or do you give each piece the time and effort that it deserves?
QUOTE OF THE DAY
David Nicholls, One Day, 2010
What an interesting quote. This is one of those that can mean a variety of things to different people, but the first thing I thought of was compromising quality for quantity, or becoming a parody of yourself after a certain amount of time. In other words, we must always seek the best we have at that moment.
I have read some authors whose work declined in quality over the years, and I found that sad. The first one that comes to mind is Robert Parker, the author of the “Spenser” series. When I first started reading him thirty years ago his books were witty and well-crafted. As the years went on, however, it appeared that he was simply going through the motions to meet a contract deadline. James Patterson strikes me the same way today.
I hope that doesn’t happen to me. I hope I don’t become a punch line in an old joke, or a writer who finally just gave up quality in favor of sheer numbers. Know what I mean?
TIP OF THE DAY
Modifiers should only be used when the noun that they describe is not strong enough to stand alone.
In other words, keep your writing simple unless it is absolutely necessary to give strength to it. Read “The Old Man and the Sea” if you want to see brilliance in simplicity.
“Atticus told me to delete the adjectives and I’d have the facts.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
You can use thousands of adjectives, but if the story is weak then no amount of adjectives will save it.
PROMPT OF THE DAY
Love this picture. Hope you do too. Take a moment and let it flow….is there a story in it?
SITE OF THE DAY
From Shaw Guides comes this online site that details many writing workshops across the country. If you have ever given thought to getting away for a few days and being among other writers, then maybe you will find a workshop here that you can attend.
CONTEST OF THE DAY
Sign up for Winning Writers, a monthly online newsletter that will keep you informed of the latest writing contests. I like this site because it is relatively small and it maintains a personal feel about it. Find it here.
MORE TOMORROW
Yes, probably more tomorrow. I don’t like this every-other-day format. I feel better writing this blog every weekday, so back to that I will go. Constantly adjusting according to my inner voice. J
Thanks for stopping by. Again, if you would like to be a guest blogger just let me know in your comment and I’ll get in touch with you.
Bill
“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”
Billybuc
Artistry With Words 