Comments for Men with Pens

Comment on Why You Should Ditch Your Blogging Schedule by How to Survive Your First Year of Blogging | Writing Happiness - Writing Happiness

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 02:29:20 +0000

[...] You don’t need a blogging schedule, says James Chartrand of Men with Pens. So does Derek Halphern of Social Triggers, or the Blog Tyrant or many other successful bloggers – judging by their posting style and frequency. [...]

Comment on What to Do When You Hate Your Blog by Dee@ SmallHouseLife

Dee@ SmallHouseLife — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:03:37 +0000

Geez.. is that the truth or what?

But even when I’ve abandoned a ‘dead’ blog, I find it’s best if I sell it. Otherwise it still kinda nags at me like I need to go write over there or something.

dee

Comment on Do You Really Care About Good Writing Advice? by Literautas

Literautas — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:25:44 +0000

This happens in writing and life as well. Most of the times, when people ask for an advice, they’re just waiting for you to say what they want to hear. But because of the 1% that actually gives a damn, I believe it still worths it. And the other ones may show us why we must keep ourselves into this little percentage ^^

Comment on Do You Really Care About Good Writing Advice? by Suzannah Windsor Freeman

Suzannah Windsor Freeman — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:39:21 +0000

Very true thoughts, James. In my experience, those who genuinely want to improve their writing don’t ask for free advice from busy people. Instead, they take the initiative to discover their areas for improvement, either through study or by getting a critique partner, and teach themselves how to do better next time.

Comment on Do You Really Care About Good Writing Advice? by James

James — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:35:21 +0000

I don’t mind something being submitted all over – you spread your eggs in many baskets, after all. But if someone came back and said, “This really needs some work,” I’d probably stop everything to fix it and resubmit, and I’d be thankful for getting the extra advice.

Like you say, willingness to learn and change!

Comment on Do You Really Care About Good Writing Advice? by James

James — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:33:38 +0000

See?! Good advice, right there! (Actually, there’s a LOT of good stuff on Copyblogger. They always got my best posts!)

Comment on Do You Really Care About Good Writing Advice? by James

James — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:32:55 +0000

LOL, that’s hilarious – thank you, thank you.

For Jon’s advice, he certainly knows what he’s talking about, but the biggest bit of advice is right here: Culture a relationship with the person, absolutely… and then by god, appreciate it when you have it.

Comment on Do You Really Care About Good Writing Advice? by James

James — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:31:31 +0000

I think I’m less tolerant… I’m asked often for free advice, and for some people, I’ll happily, willingly offer it. For others? “Sure! I’d love to critique your work, and the buy-now button for consulting is right here.”

The moral of the story? Some people are worth taking under your wing, but wings only spread so far.

Comment on Do You Really Care About Good Writing Advice? by James

James — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:30:10 +0000

Speaking of… where are mine?

Comment on Do You Really Care About Good Writing Advice? by Siita Rivas

Siita Rivas — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:19:45 +0000

I hate to sound ‘sucky’ here but my greatest piece of writing advice came from the DFW course.
As a former deviating creative that wasted hours writing poorly it was a major breakthrough.

It’s what I call ‘writing in a straight line.’ Where each sentence contributes to the next and all words are pruned hard so there are no deviations.
That line can be pencil thin, colourful or bold but it’s written in a unique voice, designed to take you somewhere and makes a valuable point.

Now I only read writers who convey their message uniquely and succinctly.
When I use that approach in my writing – the results speak for themselves.