Jacqui Murray's Blog, page 200

Tech Tip for Writers #30: Menu Command is Greyed Out

As a working technology teacher, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I'll share one of those with you. They're always brief and always focused. Enjoy!

Q: I pushed the menu command I wanted to use (in MS Office 2003). I got the drop-down list, but the command I needed was greyed out. When I pushed it, nothing happened. What do I do?

A: Rest assured, your software program isn't broken or corrupted. Here's the solution: Push escape four times. That'll get you out of whatever you're in that is preventing you from moving on.

This trick always works. Can't say that about much else in my techie life.

Questions you want answered? Leave a comment here and I'll answer it within the next thirty days.

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Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a tech columnist for Examiner.com , Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything . Currently, she's working on a techno-thriller that should be ready next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.

Filed under: tech tips for writers, writers tips Tagged: tech tips, tech tips for writers, writers tips

Writer's Tip #87: 7 Tips Picked Up From the Plot Whisperer

Great tips for soon-to-be great writers

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.

These 7 tips are from a busy plot consultant I just discovered (where have I been?). Her name is Martha Alderson, better known as the Plot Whisperer. Her clients include best-selling authors, New York editors, and Hollywood movie directors (according to her FB bio). She has so many helpful ideas, tips and books on her blog and Twitter. Go visit. If you're short on time, read these seven I culled from the deluge:

Beware: Do not succumb to a personal crisis as protagonist reaches darkest moment. Evoke the emotion in your writing
Crisis scene=cathartic release. Spiritual renewal. Release from tension. Backstory consciousness & expression. Build energy now.
Consider readers' needs & how your story hews to them. Then, get out of the way & get on with writing & discovering…
Long-term goals are simply dreams until broken into manageable, realistic short-term goals.
Face your fear with the belief there is nothing to fear. Today write fearlessly.
The more you believe in yourself as a writer, the more it shows in your writing.
Write at the same time & place daily. Before long your body takes you there effortlessly and the muse awaits.

Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman.  She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything. Currently, she's seeking representation for a techno-thriller that she just finished. Any ideas? Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.

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Filed under: plot, writers resources, writers tips Tagged: plot, writers resources, writers tips

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish you and all yours a wonderful Thanksgiving Break. Enjoy your family and friends, take some time to rest. I'll see you next week.

Filed under: Journalism Tagged: thanksgiving

Tech Tip for Writers #28: 5 Ways to Fix a No-Sound Problem–For Free

As a working technology teacher, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I'll share one of those with you. They're always brief and always focused. Enjoy!

Q: I can't get any sound out of my computer. Do I need a new sound card?

A: Before you invest that kind of money, try these easy fixes:

Are headphones plugged in?
Is the volume turned up?
Are speakers plugged in? This is my personal favorite. About once a year, this happens to me. The solution is exacerbated because I can't reach the back of my CPU (the tower) to check the plugs. Can't being a relative word, because I do finally do so and my problem is fixed!


Is the sound muted? Check the icon on the systray, or the collection of icons in the lower right corner of your monitor.
Are the speakers broken? Plug in a set of speakers that you know work. Does that fix it?

If the sound still doesn't work, you can check the sound card by plugging headphones into the port for that function, probably at the front of your CPU tower. If they don't work, you have isolated the problem to the sound card.

Good job!

Questions you want answered? Leave a comment here and I'll answer it within the next thirty days.

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Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a tech columnist for Examiner.com , Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything . Currently, she's working on a techno-thriller that should be ready next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.

Filed under: tech tips for writers, writers tips Tagged: tech tips, tech tips for writers, writers tips

Writers Tip #85: A Writer's 10 Commandments

Great tips for soon-to-be great writers

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.

These 10 Commandments come via Nathan Bransford who wrote them over two years ago. They're as relevant now as ever. A writer's project may change, but the attitude that makes that story possible doesn't.

Enjoy!

Ten Commandments for the Happy Writer

Writers aren't generally known as the happiest lot. As a recent Guardian survey of some top writers shows, even the best ones don't particularly enjoy it all that much. And in case you think this is a new development, an 1842 letter from Edgar Allen Poe to his publisher recently surfaced in which he was found apologizing for drinking so much and begging for money.

But believe it or not, writing and happiness can, in fact, go together. For our Thursday entry in Positivity Week, here are ten ways for a writer to stay positive:

Enjoy the present. Writers are dreamers, and dreamers tend to daydream about the future while concocting wildly optimistic scenarios that involve bestsellerdom, riches, and interviews with Ryan Seacrest. In doing so they forget to enjoy the present. I call this the "if only" game. You know how it goes: if only I could find an agent, then I'll be happy. When you have an agent, then it becomes: if only I could get published, then I'll be happy. And so on. The only way to stay sane in the business is to enjoy every step as you're actually experiencing it. Happiness is not around the bend. It's found in the present. Because writing is pretty great — otherwise why are you doing it?
Maintain your integrity. With frustration comes temptation. It's tempting to try and beat the system, whether that's by having someone else write your query, lying to the people you work with, or, you know, concocting the occasional fake memoir. This may even work in the short term, but unless you are Satan incarnate (and I hope you're not) it will steadily chip away at your happiness and confidence, and your heart will shrivel and blacken into something they show kids in health class to scare them away from smoking. Don't do it.
Recognize the forces that are outside of your control. While it's tempting to think that it's all your fault if your book doesn't sell, or your agent's fault or the industry's fault or the fault of a public that just doesn't recognize your genius, a lot of times it's just luck not going your way. Chance is BIG in this business. Huge. Gambling has nothing on the incredibly delicate and complex calculus that results in a book taking off. Bow before the whims of fate, because chance is more powerful than you and your agent combined.
Don't neglect your friends and family. No book is worth losing a friend, losing a spouse, losing crucial time with your children. Hear me? NO book is worth it. Not one. Not a bestseller, not a passion project, nothing. Friends and family first. THEN writing. Writing is not an excuse to neglect your friends and family. Unless you don't like them very much.
Don't Quit Your Day Job. Quitting a job you need to pay the bills in order to write a novel is like selling your house and putting the proceeds into a lottery ticket. You don't have to quit your job to write. There is time in the day. You may have to sacrifice your relaxation time or sleep time or reality television habit, but there is time. You just have to do it.
Keep up with publishing industry news. It may seem counterintuitive to follow the news of a business in which layoffs currently constitute the bulk of headlines. But it behooves you to keep yourself informed. You'll be happier (and more successful) if you know what you're doing.
Reach out to fellow writers. No one knows how hard it is to write other than other people who have tried to do it themselves. Their company is golden. If you're reading this it means you have an Internet connection. Reach out and touch a writer. And plus, the Internet allows you to reach out to writers without smelling anyone's coffee breath.
Park your jealousy at the door. Writing can turn ordinary people into raving lunatics when they start to believe that another author's success is undeserved. Do not begrudge other writers their success. They've earned it. Even if they suck.
Be thankful for what you have. If you have the time to write you're doing pretty well. There are millions of starving people around the world, and they're not writing because they're starving. If you're writing: you're doing just fine. Appreciate it.
Keep writing. Didn't find an agent? Keep writing. Book didn't sell? Keep writing. Book sold? Keep writing. OMG an asteroid is going to crash into Earth and enshroud the planet in ten feet of ash? Keep writing. People will need something to read in the resulting permanent winter.

Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman.  She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything. Currently, she's seeking representation for a techno-thriller that she just finished. Any ideas? Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.

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Filed under: writers, writers tips, writing Tagged: 10 commandments, writers life, writers tips

Nominations For Edublog Awards Now Open!

Nominations for this year's Edublog Awards are now being accepted! This is where you can nominate your favorite blogs for a variety of awards (it's a long list, but check it out below). You can learn all about deadlines, the nominating process, and categories at Nominations Open – The 2011 Edublog Awards are on! In a nutshell:

Write a post that includes your nominations on your blog, link to them and link to this site (See an example from 2009.)
Use the form at the bottom of this page to send us a link to your nominations

2011 Categories

Best individual blog
Best individual tweeter
Best group blog
Best new blog
Best class blog
Best student blog
Best ed tech / resource sharing blog
Most influential blog post
Best twitter hashtag
Best teacher blog
Best librarian / library blog
Best School Administrator blog
Best free web tool
Best educational use of audio / video / visual / podcast
Best educational wiki
Best open PD / unconference / webinar series
Best educational use of a social network
Lifetime achievement

Tips

Nominate in as many categories as you want
You can't nominate yourself
Nominations must be made somewhere public – your blog, a forum on a ning, a school website, etc.
Even if you see your favorite has already been nominated, it is best to nominate them again
Categories are competitive, and only the most nominated will make it to the voting round
Share your nominations using twitter (#eddies11), facebook, Google+ and email

Feel free to nominate your humble webmaster at Ask a Tech Teacher.

Now back to our regularly scheduled posts…

Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything and Technology in Education. Currently, she's seeking representation for a techno-thriller that she just finished. Any ideas? Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.

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Filed under: blogs, marketing Tagged: 2011 edublogs, edublog award

Book Review: Coup D'etat

Coup d'Etat

by Ben Coes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Note to readers: This review was written as part of my Amazon Vine Voice program

View all my reviews

I wasn't sure being speechwriter for George H.W. Bush qualified Ben Coes to be a thriller author, but Vince Flynn's recommendation–that Coup D'etat (St. Martin's Press 2011) is "one of the must-read thrillers of the year"–encouraged me to try this political insider-turned-writer. I'm glad I did.

The story starts in Australia on what some call a ranch, but they call a 'station'. Coes' description of the setting told me a lot about his writing skills: "The terrain was empty and lifeless for as far as the eye could see. A few large, bulbous clouds sat lazily to the west, just seeming to rest off to the side of the light blue sky. It was almost silent, with only the occasional exhale from Deravelle…" Anyone who can describe land this well deserves at least a few more pages. Coes' wordsmithing  powers go well beyond settings, to the people and culture of exotic areas–"An old man… his brown face deeply creased by nearly a century of wind and sun…appeared as part of the land…"

Coup D'etat is the story of Dewey Andreas, a top-notch Special Forces agent hunted so virulently by people from his past, he's forced to hide out in the remote Australian outback, which is as far as he can get from his girlfriend and the world he loves just to keep them safe. But his enemies find him and he realizes that the only way he can truly escape is by doing one more mission for his country, this one to stop nuclear destruction at the hands of Pakistan and India. To stop the two nations from destroying the world in their bi-national feud, Andreas must defeat those who will go to any lengths to kill him. Coes does a superb job (to my apolitical mind) of analyzing the politics and mindsets behind Pakistan and India's steps to the brink of a worldwide nuclear conflict, weaving the plot threads until they come together in a satisfying frightening conclusion.

This is Coes' second book with this main character. Andreas is an appealing hero, strong but harshly damaged by his past, sincere but untrusting. There is a sadness about him that permeates everything he does, a lack of joy for the world he has helped to protect. Little by little, we learn why Andreas is hiding from terrorists in Australia and the huge price he has paid to protect his country. He's that character all patriotic readers can relate to–a man with enough talent and smarts that he can put his country over everything else, step into the breech and succeed. My only complaint is that Andreas doesn't get enough time in the early chapters. About the time it really started annoying me, Coes' foundation material was through and Andreas moved into the spotlight. Good timing.

Overall, a good thriller with a unique main character. I'll be reading each new book Coes publishes.

Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman.  She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything and Technology in Education. Currently, she's working on a techno-thriller that should be ready this summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.

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Filed under: book reviews, thrillers Tagged: coes, coup detat

Tech Tip for Writers #27: My Taskbar Disappeared

As a working technology teacher, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I'll share one of those with you. They're always brief and always focused. Enjoy!

Q: My taskbar disappeared. What do I do?

A: Push the flying windows key (it's located between Ctrl and Alt on the bottom left of your keyboard). That brings up the start button

It might have disappeared because its properties got reset to Autohide. Here's what you do to fix that:

Hover over the area where the toolbar normally lives.


If it appears, right click on it and select Properties
Go to the tab that says Taskbar
Make sure the box that says Autohide toolbar isn't checked.

What if the toolbar doesn't appear when you hover over it? That means it got minimized to the bottom edge of your screen. Here's what you do:

Hover over the extreme bottom edge of your screen. Does a double headed arrow appear?
If it does, that's a sign of life for your toolbar. Click and drag upward to bring your toolbar back from the edge.

Now you know as much as I do.

Questions you want answered? Leave a comment here and I'll answer it within the next thirty days.

To sign up for Tech Tips delivered to your email, click here.

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Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a tech columnist for Examiner.com , Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything . Currently, she's working on a techno-thriller that should be ready next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.

Filed under: tech tips for writers, writers tips Tagged: taskbar, tech tips, tech tips for writers, writers tips

Writers Tips #84: 20 Hints that Mark the Novice Writer

Great tips for soon-to-be great writers

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.

If you believe in formulaic writing, there is no better self-help writer's manual than Evan Marshall's The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing (Writers House Books 1998). Not only does Marshall lay out the exact steps required to produce a publishable novel, he includes a wonderfully pithy section called "How to be your own Editor". Mine is dog-eared, highlighted and pretty much unreadable from the dozens of times I've scoured it during the editing process of my three novels. I can't list all the hints he shares, but I'll give you some. For more, you'll have to buy the book:

Make sure time tracks correctly in your story
Make sure the character's goals are clear in your writing
Make sure character behave logically in light of what has already happened to them and in light of what they know
Use adverbs sparingly. If you decide to use one, use only one
Write in the language that comes naturally to your POV character, be that formal, casual, slanged
In almost all cases, you can strengthen a sentence by removing very
Be specific. It's not just a dog–it's a toy poodle or a white Labrador
Use similes and metaphor that would occur to the POV character
Use the five senses
Give description in action, not narrative
Treat walk-on characters as furniture
Write in the positive. Tell what is, not what isn't
Delete redundancies like past history, tall skyscrapers
Get rid of qualifiers like a bit, a little, fairly
Watch for circumlocution
Watch for autonomous body parts like His lips curved into a smile
Get rid of began to, started
Don't tell reader something twice
Don't use mitigators like appeared to, seemed to
Limit was, is, were

These are basics. They mark you as a novice writer and should be scrubbed early from your manuscript.

Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman.  She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything and Technology in Education. Currently, she's working on a techno-thriller that should be ready this summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.

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Filed under: editing, writers tips Tagged: Marshall Plan, novice writer, writers tips

5 Great Websites for Thriller Writers

When I'm not teaching or running my fledgling business, I write thrillers. The first one took me ten years. The next two were much quicker–2-3 each. During that long time frame, writing any type of novel has become much more sociable, thanks to the internet. No more must I go to the local library to research a topic, call an expert and exchange call-back messages until we finally connect. Now, I google my question, click, and read. No writer with a computer and an internet connection can ever be uninformed.

More than blogs--websites too that you'll find useful

I've developed a nice list of helpful spots I go to when researching various details of writing my thriller. Some are factual, some subjective, but they all provide essential ingredients to the thriller soup.

International Thriller Writers –the biggest and most authoritative group for thriller writers. ITW sponsors an annual conference (ThrillFest), a monthly magazine and a comprehensive website. If you're a published thriller author, membership is free.
ScienceThrillers.com--This is specifically for thriller writers in the science and medical genre. The buyline– Where thriller fans put their geek on– says it all
ThrillFest –Hands down, the best annual meeting of thriller writers, agents, aficionados. This year it's at the Grand Hyatt in New York July 11-14
American Academy of Forensic Science –the website of AAFS. It includes links to those details so important to thriller writers with the credibility only provided by those in the trenches.
International Association for Identification –the world's oldest and largest forensic science/identification organization. It includes access to their publication, their annual conference, links they consider important and more.

If you write thrillers, do you have any favorite websites, blogs, Nings that help you excel at your craft?

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Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything and Technology in Education. Currently, she's working on a techno-thriller that should be ready this summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.

Filed under: thrillers, writers resources Tagged: childrens writers, thriller websites, thriller writers