Jacqui Murray's Blog, page 167
May 28, 2013
Tech Tips for Writers #51: Copy Images From Google Images
Tech Tips for Writers is an (almost) weekly post on overcoming Tech Dread. I’ll cover issues that friends, both real-time and virtual, have shared. Feel free to post a comment about a question you have. I’ll cover it in a future Tip.
Q: To copy an image from Google Images (or Bing), right-click on the picture, select copy, then paste it into a document (with right-click, paste). But, It’s hard to move around. Is there an easier way.
A: That’s in the picture ‘wrap’ features. When you paste it into a document, wrap text around it rather than leaving the picture as an in-line image:
Click on image you’ve inserted
Go to ‘Picture tools’ at top
Select ‘wrap’ from ribbon
Select ‘tight’ if you want text to wrap around image
…that should work. If you can read the blurry image. Hmmm….
BTW–don’t copy Google images unless they’re for ‘scholarly purposes’. Or you have permission.
Questions you want answered? Email me at askatechteacher@structuredlearning.net.
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, Cisco guest blog, Technology in Education featured blogger, IMS tech expert, and a bi-monthly contributor to Today’s Author. In her free time, s he is the editor of a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum, and creator of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a thriller that should be out to publishers next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: problem-solving, tech tips for writers, writers tips, writing Tagged: images, tech tips for writers, wrap, writers tips
May 27, 2013
Happy Memorial Day
I’m out back, by the grilling, turning hamburgers, corn, and whatever else can be grilled. Can you smell it? Yum!
I’m taking the day to honor our soldiers. Without their sacrifice, where would we be?
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, Cisco guest blog, Technology in Education featured blogger, IMS tech expert, and a bi-monthly contributor to Today’s Author. In her free time, s he is the editor of a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum, and creator of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a thriller that should be out to publishers next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: I love the USA, politics, writers tips Tagged: American soldier, memorial day, toby keith
May 24, 2013
Book Review: Rules of Crime
Rules of Crime
by L.J. Sellers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Rules of Crime (Thomas & Mercer 2013) is the tenth Detective Jackson mystery by L.J. Seller and the first I’ve read. It won’t be the last. It opens as Detective Jackson is trying to relax and wind down on a Hawaiian vacation with his girlfriend, bored by all the easy-going life and manana attitude that is part and parcel of island vacations. He is horrified (but secretly thrilled) to receive a frantic call from his daughter that his ex-wife and the mother to his child is missing. Though he isn’t too worried–his ex has an alcohol problem–he uses this to escape paradise and return to the rush and tumble of an active investigation.
From, there, the drama never stops as we join his efforts to follow clues, chase down suspects, interview reluctant witnesses, quickly determining this is not an alcoholic binge, but a kidnapping with a time clock on it. He realizes it’s up to him to save the life of a woman he has divorced but whose death would devastate his only child. Add to this, the mystery of Lyla Murray, college freshman dumped at the Emergency Room, almost naked, beaten, and close to death. Seller’s does a great job weaving the two plots together, developing a cast of characters who seem as real as an prime time TV show. I found myself wishing the book wouldn’t end.
Now, excuse me while I go order the other nine Detective Jackson mysteries.
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, Cisco guest blog, Technology in Education featured blogger, IMS tech expert, and a bi-monthly contributor to Today’s Author. In her free time, s he is the editor of a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum, and creator of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a thriller that should be out to publishers next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: book reviews Tagged: book review, book reviews, crime
May 23, 2013
5 Top Steps to Market Your Books this Summer
Photo credit: Hans
If you’ve read my earlier posts, you know I’ve written dozens of books, most on computer education for K-8 and one on getting into the USNA. Here’s what I’m doing this summer to spread the word about these books:
Tweak my publisher’s presentation of my work. I’m at Structured Learning (BTW, you can share your books there, too. You keep ownership and all the money. They charge a set-up and monthly fee to promote your books to their subscribers). I haven’t changed the presentation of my books for a while and it’s important to make changes to web material to grab the attention of spiders and bots. And, I want to make sure the message remains focused, clear, uncluttered.
Clean up my blogs. They have a few broken links, some stuff that is no longer relevant, and who knows what else. I’ll figure it out when I get into it.
Find some themed ezines/websites to submit articles for. I’ve developed a nice reputation on my tech side and want to spread the word, maybe gain some more followers.
Investigate the efficacy of a YouTube channel for my books. I don’t know much about that. I’m starting to do Hangouts for my tech teaching, which are published directly to YouTube. I need to look into this channel more. I remember in past writer conferences, they highly recommended videos/trailers to sell materials. Maybe it’s time.
Get RSS feeds on writing and the topic I’m writing about. Right now, that’s Navy cruisers, DNA computers, AIs. This keeps me current, involved, excited about what I’m doing. Writing is by nature a solitary activity, so anything we-all can do to create a community is good.
Do you think I’ve forgotten the usual–join a writing group, create a marketing package, offering my services as a speaker and reviewer, doing book signings at my local bookstore. If you’ve found my blog, you’ve found those ideas elsewhere. They’re all good, but this list is more nuts and bolts.
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, Cisco guest blog, Technology in Education featured blogger, IMS tech expert, and a bi-monthly contributor to Today’s Author. In her free time, s he is the editor of a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum, and creator of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a thriller that should be out to publishers next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: marketing, writing
May 22, 2013
How to Describe a Character’s Neighborhood
Does a dog make the neighborhood?
A character’s neighborhood provides the opportunity to tell us about him/her without narrative. People live where they’re comfortable, so how you describe the protagonist or antagonist’s home town will reflect his values, beliefs, passions.
When your character is out and about, take the opportunity to describe his neighbors, what he notices around him, the traffic–vehicles and foot, the flora and fauna, the rhythm of his world. Does he live amidst spreading estates or in a cluttered old apartment complex? Are homes stately and old or nouveau riche?
The descriptions I’ve included below are from novels I’ve read. I hope you like them:
Buildings were tan stucco and wood slat, built around grassy knolls
It thrived as people went about their daily business, some walking or packing loads, others pounding corn in hollow mortars. The sound of shrieking children mingled with flute music. The slanted morning light gave everything a hazy look as it passed through the moist air.
The quiet of an older neighborhood
The town seemed to pulse with life and excitement
A short, squat tower topped by a wide, gently sloping octagonal roof
I’d tell you the paint was peeling, but it’d be more accurate to tell you it was shedding
It looked like a nice place to live. An older woman with wispy white hair eased a Hughes Market cart off a curb and across a street. She smiled at a man and a woman in their twenties, the man with his shirt off, the woman in an airy Navajo top. They smiled back. Two women in jogging suits were walking back toward Hoover, probably off to lunch at one of the little nouveaux restaurants on Clasper. A sturdily built Chicano woman with a purse the size of a mobile home waited at a bus stop, squinting into the sun. Somewhere a screw gun started up, then cut short. There were gulls and a scent of the sea.
Home. Eight acres of scrub and savanna, a pasture and paddock, a pond, a stream, avocado, lemon and orange trees loaded with fruit.
Fair-sized house built of red Lyons Sandstone with the most god-awful-looking picket fence I’d ever seen.
He stared up at the arch, knew little of the history, only the name. It was yet another symbol of a glorious empire that had collapsed into the dust of this desolate place. What armies have you seen? He thought. How many generals have passed beneath you, expecting their accomplishments to stand like this, a monument to history?
Small upstairs apartment on Newport Island, a tiny piece of land accessible only by a bridge so narrow, it would admit just one car at a time.
If these snippets don’t speak to you, I understand. That’s the beauty of literature–there’s room for every description. I’d love to hear yours.
For more descriptors for characters and settings, click here.
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Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, Cisco guest blog, Technology in Education featured blogger, IMS tech expert, and a bi-monthly contributor to Today’s Author. In her free time, s he is the editor of a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum, and creator of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a thriller that should be out to publishers next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: descriptors, setting, writers resources Tagged: describe neighborhoods, descriptors, homes, neighborhoods, setting, towns
May 21, 2013
Tech Tip for Writers #50: The Easiest Way to Outline
Tech Tips for Writers is an (almost) weekly post on overcoming Tech Dread. I’ll cover issues that friends, both real-time and virtual, have shared. Feel free to post a comment about a question you have. I’ll cover it in a future Tip.
Q: I always outline before I write my novel. What’s an easy way to do that?
A: Outlining can’t be easier than doing it in Word. Here’s what you do:
Select the Numbered List or Bullet List in MS Word. MS Word 2010 lets you select the style up front. MS Word 2003–it’s a bit more complicated
Your first bullet or number appears on the screen. Type your item
Push enter to add another number or bullet
To create a subpoint, push tab after you’ve pushed enter to start the next bullet/number
To move a subpoint up a level, push Shift+tab after you’ve pushed enter for the next bullet/number
That’s it–three keys:
bullet list or numbered list
tab to indent
Shift+tab to exdent
The biggest problem is when you inadvertently get outside the numbered/bullet list. If that happens, do one of two simple steps:
backspace until their cursor is up against the last bullet/number, then push enter to generate the next bullet/number
click the tool for bullet/numbered list and reactivate the list
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Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, Cisco guest blog, Technology in Education featured blogger, IMS tech expert, and a bi-monthly contributor to Today’s Author. In her free time, s he is the editor of a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum, and creator of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a thriller that should be out to publishers next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: tech tips for writers Tagged: outlining, Word, writers tips
May 20, 2013
Writers Tip #49: Yes, You Must Format
When you read your story, does it sound off, maybe you can’t quite put your finger on it, but you know you’ve done something wrong? Sometimes–maybe even lots of times–there are simple fixes. These writer’s tips will come at you once a week, giving you plenty of time to go through your story and make the adjustments.
Today’s tip: Submittals must be done right.
Take it from one who’s been there, when agents and editors see a manuscript with formatting and grammar errors, they know right away the author hasn’t done the basic groundwork needed to submit an Inquiry. To them, that means the mss will not be polished–and thus, not worth the agent’s time.
Don’t blare that message to the person you desperately need to take you seriously. Follow your mom’s advice: Put your best foot forward every time you’re in public. In this case, ‘public’ is the eyes of the person who holds your future in your hands.
Here are a few simple rules:
Double-space the mss. The Query letter can be single-spaced, but not your submittal
Address the agent by name, not ‘Dear Sir/Madame’. Take the time to get the name of the agent who handles your genre from the website.
Keep the Query to one page. If they want more, they’ll ask.
12-point font is standard and Courier or Times New Roman. Don’t try to be fancy or slip by with font size 11. They’ll notice.
‘SASE’ means ‘self-addressed stamped envelope’. Send one if they request one.
Have one-inch margins.
That’s it. That’s formatting. Now be as creative as you can about selling your story.
What other formatting tips would you recommend?
–Click to have Writer’s Tips delivered to your email.
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, Cisco guest blog, Technology in Education featured blogger, IMS tech expert, and a bi-monthly contributor to Today’s Author. In her free time, s he is the editor of a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum, and creator of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a thriller that should be out to publishers next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: publishing, writers resources, writers tips Tagged: agents, query letter, submittal, writers tips
May 17, 2013
Book Review: Writing the Breakout Novel
Writing the Breakout Novel
by Donald Maass
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have a library of books on how to write, each supposed to rocket me to the next level, morph me from mid-list writer to best-seller. Each of them provided some tidbit that is now integral to my writing style, something I remember and use every time I sit down at my computer and unleash my muse.
Well if I’m honest, some of them were a waste of money. Those, I tossed so they don’t remind me how I wasted my hard-earned money.
But Writing the Breakout Novel is one I keep as a reference. Donald Maass’ voice is one I enjoy. It’s down-to-earth, friendly, not pedantic, not judgmental. He doesn’t frighten me or make me feel the information he’s sharing is something I won’t be able to achieve. He’s humble about what he’s achieved, which makes me feel I too can conquer those mountaintops. Here are some of the high points:
He includes critical aspects of good fiction–premise, time and place, plot, characters, techniques, viewpoints, pacing, voice, endings. In fact, he has most of what causes problems for writers.
Each chapter includes a checklist, reminding me what I should have learned from that section. Since this is not casual reading for me–I read these types of books to improve my craft–I like this. For example, the chapter on ‘Premise’ includes this checklist:
A breakout premise can be built
Plausibility means that the story could happen to any of us
Inherent conflict means problems in your ‘place’.
Where most writer’s how-to books warn that the preponderance of novels are never published–plead with us not to get our hopes up–Maas has the guts to say, “If you have indeed written your breakout novel, chances are some people along the road to publication are going to think so, too. Big things are going to happen.” Wow. Now I’m excited about my prospects. Sure, I heard his disclaimer–if I have indeed written that magnificent novel–but Maas assumes if I’ve taken his advice to heart, I will write a great novel, and proceeds to explain what the next steps are. He includes Breakout Publishing, Breakout Living, Success, Sequels, Series and Beyond. OMG. I might hyperventilate.
The only thing I found wrong in this book was on page 31 when Maas confidently puts in stone words that are probably haunting him as you read my review, “The e-revolution may not save us; indeed, it may not happen.” It’s happened and woe the writer or publisher or agent who sticks his finger in that dike.
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, CSG Master Teacher, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, Cisco guest blogger, Technology in Education featured blogger, and IMS tech expert. She is the editor of a K-6 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-6 Digital Citizenship curriculum, creator of technology training books for middle school and ebooks on technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a thriller that should be out to publishers next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: authors, bloggers resources, Uncategorized, writers resources, writing Tagged: book review, maas, writer, writers resources, writing the breakout novel
May 16, 2013
10 Things I Learned From My Blog
When I started this blog four years and 586 posts ago, I wasn’t sure where to take it. I knew I wanted to connect with other writers so I used that as the theme. Now, thanks to the 430,000 people who have visited, I know much more about the ‘why’. Yes, it’s about getting to know kindred souls, but there is so much more I’ve gotten from blogging. Like these:
Photo credit: Nemo
How to write
We bloggers divide ourselves into two categories: 1) those who write short, under-1000-word posts and 2) those who write in-depth, lengthy articles. I’ve chosen the former. I like pithy ideas that readers can consume in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee. As a result, I’ve learned to be frugal with my words. I choose verbiage that conveys more than one-words-worth of information and I leave tangential issues for another post. Because I realize readers are consuming on the run, I make sure to be clear–no misplaced pronouns or fuzzy concepts like ‘thing’ or ‘something’.
Prove my point
This part of writing transcends what print journalists and novel writers must do. Yes, they do it, but my readers expect me to support ideas with links to sources. If I’m reviewing a book, I can easily link to the author’s website for deeper reading. That’s something that can’t happen in paper writing. Sure, they can provide the link, but to put the paper down, open the laptop, copy that link–I mean, who does that? In a blog, I get annoyed if someone cites research and doesn’t provide the link.
What my voice was
I write thrillers. To pen a good thriller, you have to do what James Frey suggested in his exemplary guideline for thriller writers, including:
Have no bland, colorless characters
Have a hook at the end of each chapter
Be fresh in your writing
Keep the clock ticking and the excitement mounting
For me, that means keep my writing relevant and engaging with hooks that make readers come back for more. Literary fiction writers do it differently. My blog approach matches my novels.
How to work through the dry times
I rarely have writer’s block, but when I do, I jump into the blogosphere and see what my colleagues are writing. In my novel, I discovered that researching would water down the dry spells. The same thing works for blogging.
How to persevere
Three years of blogging and I’m still waiting to make it big. What’s that mean to me? I want that knock on my virtual door from Atlantic or USA Today asking me to come on board as a paid house blogger. Truth, that probably won’t happen and by now, I wouldn’t know what to do if I stopped personal blogging.
How to market my writing
I try lots of ideas to market my writing, but thanks to the blogosphere, I know what everyone else is doing. I can try as much or little of it as I want. For me, I found a comfortable baseline and add a few pieces every year (this year, it’s Pinterest).
One point worth mentioning is headlines. Usually, all you get from a reader is seven seconds–long enough to read the title, maybe the first line. If that title doesn’t seem personal and relevant, potential readers move on. There are over 450 million English language blogs. That’s a lot of competition. I better hit a home run with that title.
There are lots of opinions out there
Often, I share my thoughts on the pedagogy of writing. Sometimes, I’m surprised at comments I get. They might touch a corner of the idea I hadn’t thought of or be 180 degrees from my conclusions. It forces me to think bigger as I write, consider how people who aren’t me will read my words. That’s both humbling and empowering. I think I’m much better at that than I used to be.
There are a lot of smart people in the world
In a previous lifetime when I built child care centers for a living, I read lots of data that said people thought the education system was broken–but not in their area. They considered themselves lucky because their schools worked. Well, as I meandered through life, I realized that applies to everything. People are happy with what they’re comfortable with and frightened/suspicious of what they aren’t used to. Through blogging, I get to delve into those ideas with them because we feel like friends. I’ve found that lots of people are smart, intuitive, engaged in life, looking to improve the world. I’m glad I learned that.
How to be responsible
Yes, blogging is demanding. I have to follow through on promises made in my blog profile and posts. When I say I’ll offer writing advice weekly, I have to even if I’m tired or busy with other parts of my life. It’s not as hard as it sounded when I first started. If you’re a mom, you’ve got the mindset. Just apply it to blogging.
How to be a friend
My readers visit my posts and comment or poke me with a ‘like’. Maybe, on good days, they repost. Those are nice attaboys. I always return the favor by dropping by their blog to see what they’re up to, drop a line or two on their latest article. It takes time, but like any relationship, is worth it. I have online friends I’ve never met who I feel closer to than half the people in my physical world. I’ve seen them struggle with cancer, new jobs, unemployment, kid problems. I’ve learned a lot about life from them.
Thank you to my virtual friends who have taken time to get to know me–you know who you are.
What I haven’t learned is how to engender a conversation. I love reading blogs that have lots of comments, everyone weighing in. How the H**** do they do that? Can anyone tell me?
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, CSG Master Teacher, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, Cisco guest blogger, Technology in Education featured blogger, and IMS tech expert. She is the editor of a K-6 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-6 Digital Citizenship curriculum, creator of technology training books for middle school and ebooks on technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a thriller that should be out to publishers next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: blogs, writers Tagged: bloggers, blogging, writing #amwriting
May 15, 2013
Check Out My Today’s Author Post
I invite you to drop by my article over at Today’s Author, Who is Today’s Author. If you can’t make it, no worries. I’ll post here soon.
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, CSG Master Teacher, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, Cisco guest blogger, Technology in Education featured blogger, and IMS tech expert. She is the editor of a K-6 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-6 Digital Citizenship curriculum, creator of technology training books for middle school and ebooks on technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a thriller that should be out to publishers next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: Guest bloggers Tagged: guest post, writing
