Jacqui Murray's Blog, page 207
August 2, 2011
Tech Tip For Writers #12: Wrap Text Around a Picture
Tech Tips for Soon-to-be Great Writers
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 want my text to wrap around the picture I inserted, but it goes under/above it. There's a big white space I can't type in. What do I do?
A: I get this from students a lot. They want text to flow around the picture, but when they add the image to their Word doc, the text stays above and below. Not pretty.
If you have this problem, here's what you do:
double click the image
go to the middle tab on the dialogue box that comes up
go to the middle selection
say OK
Text now flows around the picture
Questions you want answered? Leave a comment here and I'll answer it within the next thirty days.
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, an 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: tech tips for writers Tagged: image editing, tech tips, writers tips
August 1, 2011
Writers Tip #70: Dump Your Spouse if They Complain About Your Writing
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.
I just finished James Frey's outstanding How-to book for thriller writers, How to Write a D*** Good Thriller (St. Martins Press 2010).
One of my favorite thriller authors
I learned more about writing in my genre from these 246 pages than I've learned since I began writing. Each genre is different. If you try to apply rules of, say, literary fiction, to your thriller, you'll bore your audience, not to mention drive them away. Thrillers are fast paced, less introspective and more moral than other genres. Don't mix that up with exploring global warming or the political correctness of current labor laws.
I'll be reviewing it soon, but wanted to share a truncated list of tips he has at the end of the book. These are reason enough to purchase this book.
Commit yourself to creating strong conflicts in every line of every scene
Decide you will have fresh, snappy dialogue and not a single line of conversation (read the book to see what that means)
Decide to write quickly when drafting. Fast is golden (hard for me to do)
If your significant other complains your thriller writing is taking up too much of your time, get a new significant other
Trick the expectations of the reader and create nice surprises from time to time
Have powerful story questions operating at all times
End each scene or section of dramatic narrative with a bridge, a story question to carry the reader to the next one
Try to be fresh. Don't use the same old cliches. Be sure your prose is colorful and sensuous
Keep the clock ticking and the excitement mounting right to the climactic moment
About #4–try to educate him/her first. It's hard to find good mates.
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 , an Editorial Review Board member for SIGCT, an 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 tips Tagged: thriller writers, thrillers, writers tips
July 29, 2011
103 Most Beautiful Words? You Decide
There's a list of beautiful words going around the internet–the 100 most beautiful words, or so they claim. I love words. I've written
103 Most Beautiful Words? (image created in Wordle)
several posts about words in general and this one about the beauty of words. I'm always interested in adding to my list. Here's their list:
100 Most beautiful words in the English language*
Ailurophile A cat-lover.
Assemblage A gathering.
Becoming Attractive.
Beleaguer To exhaust with attacks.
Brood To think alone.
Bucolic In a lovely rural setting.
Bungalow A small, cozy cottage.
Chatoyant Like a cat's eye.
Comely Attractive.
Conflate To blend together.
Cynosure A focal point of admiration.
Dalliance A brief love affair.
Demesne Dominion, territory.
Demure Shy and reserved.
Denouement The resolution of a mystery.
Desuetude Disuse.
Desultory Slow, sluggish.
Diaphanous Filmy.
Dissemble Deceive.
Dulcet Sweet, sugary.
Ebullience Bubbling enthusiasm.
Effervescent Bubbly.
Efflorescence Flowering, blooming.
Elision Dropping a sound or syllable in a word.
Elixir A good potion.
Eloquence Beauty and persuasion in speech.
Embrocation Rubbing on a lotion.
Emollient A softener.
Ephemeral Short-lived.
Epiphany A sudden revelation.
Erstwhile At one time, for a time.
Ethereal Gaseous, invisible but detectable.
Evanescent Vanishing quickly, lasting a very short time.
Evocative Suggestive.
Fetching Pretty.
Felicity Pleasantness.
Forbearance Withholding response to provocation.
Fugacious Fleeting.
Furtive Shifty, sneaky.
Gambol To skip or leap about joyfully.
Glamour Beauty.
Gossamer The finest piece of thread, a spider's silk.
Halcyon Happy, sunny, care-free.
Harbinger Messenger with news of the future.
Imbrication Overlapping and forming a regular pattern.
Imbroglio An altercation or complicated situation.
Imbue To infuse, instill.
Incipient Beginning, in an early stage.
Ineffable Unutterable, inexpressible.
Ingénue A naïve young woman.
Inglenook A cozy nook by the hearth.
Insouciance Blithe nonchalance.
Inure To become jaded.
Labyrinthine Twisting and turning.
Lagniappe A special kind of gift.
Lagoon A small gulf or inlet.
Languor Listlessness, inactivity.
Lassitude Weariness, listlessness.
Leisure Free time.
Lilt To move musically or lively.
Lissome Slender and graceful.
Lithe Slender and flexible.
Love Deep affection.
Mellifluous Sweet sounding.
Moiety One of two equal parts.
Mondegreen A slip of the ear.
Murmurous Murmuring.
Nemesis An unconquerable archenemy.
Offing The sea between the horizon and the offshore.
Onomatopoeia A word that sounds like its meaning.
Opulent Lush, luxuriant.
Palimpsest A manuscript written over earlier ones.
Panacea A solution for all problems
Panoply A complete set.
Pastiche An art work combining materials from various sources.
Penumbra A half-shadow.
Petrichor The smell of earth after rain.
Plethora A large quantity.
Propinquity Proximity; Nearness
Pyrrhic Successful with heavy losses.
Quintessential Most essential.
Ratatouille A spicy French stew.
Ravel To knit or unknit.
Redolent Fragrant.
Riparian By the bank of a stream.
Ripple A very small wave.
Scintilla A spark or very small thing.
Sempiternal Eternal.
Seraglio Rich, luxurious oriental palace or harem.
Serendipity Finding something nice while looking for something else.
Summery Light, delicate or warm and sunny.
Sumptuous Lush, luxurious.
Surreptitious Secretive, sneaky.
Susquehanna A river in Pennsylvania.
Susurrous Whispering, hissing.
Talisman A good luck charm.
Tintinnabulation Tinkling.
Umbrella Protection from sun or rain.
Untoward Unseemly, inappropriate.
Vestigial In trace amounts.
Wafture Waving.
Wherewithal The means.
Woebegone Sorrowful, downcast.
Source: So Much To Tell You
What do you think? Vestigial, susurrous, talisman… There are some beauties.
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 , an Editorial Review Board member for SIGCT, an IMS tech expert, and a weekly/monthly 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: words Tagged: beautiful words, words
July 27, 2011
Six Great Blogs You May Not Have Heard Of
There are a lot of blogs available to help you hone your craft on writing. I list some of them here throughout my blog posts, others on my Writer's Resources page, but
Blogs you wont want to miss
I wanted to set these six aside so you don't miss them. It took me months of digging to find them and now I wouldn't be without my weekly fixes. See if you agree.
Alexandra Sokolof
Alexandra Sokolof is the author of a string of thrillers. In her blog, she shares everything about how to write, from details to check lists. There is nothing about your obsession she doesn't know and discuss.
Forward Motion
Forward Motion's core purpose is to help writers become professionally published, which includes big publishers, small press and electronic publications with a traditional set up (submissions, chance of rejection, and editing as part of the regular makeup of the company). We welcome serious writing hobbyists as well, but our purpose and goals are geared toward professional careers. We do not allow fanfiction posts and we don't promote self-publishing.
Grammar Girl
Quick and dirty writing tips on lots more than grammar
Kill Zone
This one's for thriller writers (that's my genre when I'm not writing non-fic) . Great writing. Great personalities. A lot of fun to read–and motivating. It makes me want to write better.
Newbie's Guide to Publishing
This is one of the best blogs I've seen that discusses how, why, and where to self-publish. J. A. Konrath, the webmaster, has published traditionally, but now self-pub's. It's a choice. He explains every facet of this decision right down to the balance sheet. He has lots of guest bloggers who share their stories, too. If you are struggling to find an agent, this might be the perfect blog for you.
Writing World
So many tips and tricks, resources and freebies, I can't mention them all. I found it when I had my first book show and it had tips for manning my booth.
What are your favorites?
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 SIGCT, 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: blogs, writers, writers resources Tagged: blogs, grammar girl, j a konrath, professional careers, sokolof, thriller writers, writers blogs, writers resources, writing
July 26, 2011
Tech Tip For Writers #11: How to Show the Entire Drop Down Menu
Tech Tips for Soon-to-be Great Writers
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: Every time I click on a drop down menu in MS Office (Word, Publisher, Excel, PowerPoint), it shows only some of the choices. How can I see all of them?
A: How often has some good-hearted soul who's trying to help you with something techie said, 'Select the menu command Edit (or whichever it might be). Now click on…' And they rattle off a choice that you don't see on your drop down menu. Right there, you're stuck.
Here's what probably happened. The menu commands are the words at the top of your program (i.e., MS Word). When you click on them, they drop down a bunch of choice. You make your selection from those. If you click on the menu command, and see a double arrow at the bottom, that means there are choices Word is hiding because you don't use them often. You could click the double arrow to reveal those, or you could do the following:
Go to the menu command Tools
Select Customize (toward the bottom of the list)
When the dialogue box comes up, select the tab for
Now, every time you select a drop down menu, it will fully drop down.
Note: This is for Office 2003 only
Questions you want answered? Leave a comment here and I'll answer it within the next thirty days.
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 , an ISTE article reviewer, 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: tech tips for writers Tagged: Office 2003, tech tips, writers tips
July 25, 2011
Writers Tip #69: 5 Tips From Cory Doctorow
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.
Today's tips come from Cory Doctorow, author of With a Little Help, For the Win, Makers, and Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. He's also the co-author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Science Fiction.
Cory is a Canadian science fiction author, but also a blogger who serves as co-editor of Boing Boing and a tweeter with over 167,000 followers. That is a profile most writers I know can relate to–we write our novels, but also have active blogs and Twitter worlds. How have you (and I!) never heard of him?
Here's what he says about writing:
Write every day. Anything you do every day gets easier. If you're insanely busy, make the amount that you write every day small (100 words? 250 words?) but do it every day.
Write even when the mood isn't right. You can't tell if what you're writing is good or bad while you're writing it.
Write when the book sucks and it isn't going anywhere. Just keep writing. It doesn't suck. Your conscience is having a panic attack because it doesn't believe your subconscious knows what it's doing.
Stop in the middle of a sentence, leaving a rough edge for you to start from the next day — that way, you can write three or five words without being "creative" and before you know it, you're writing.
Write even when the world is chaotic. You don't need a cigarette, silence, music, a comfortable chair, or inner peace to write. You just need ten minutes and a writing implement.
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 , an ISTE article reviewer, an 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: authors, writers tips Tagged: boing boing, doctorow, writers tips
July 22, 2011
Book Review: Before Cain Strikes
by Joshua Corin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Note: This review written as part of my Amazon Vine Voice series
Joshua Corin's new thriller, Before Cain Strikes (Mira Books 2011) at first blush seems like yet another female FBI agent struggling to balance work and family, caught in the middle of a psychopath's murderous spree, but as with all great reads, the author's voice saves the day. Sure, her failing marriage suffers and her young daughter is caught in the middle, and I worry until the end that she will come out divorced and alienated from her family, but Corin peoples her world with such edgy, quirky characters that you quickly forget the story has the ring of familiarity. Soon, it feels like coming home to your favorite sort of story–a brilliant criminal (Cain42) that requires an outside-the-box thinker to capture, told by a fresh voice with mounds of creativity.
Corin sets up a fascinating premise for his protagonist, Esme Stuart (love that name)–an online training school for wanna-be serial killers hidden behind impenetrable firewalls. Supported by a caste of characters that seem to be average people leading average lives who rise to the challenge of stopping this horrid creature, Esme keeps finding clues, moving forward one step at a time with alacrity and intelligence. For the sake of her personal life, she wants to stop–not run down that next clue–but her mind won't stop working, coming up with solutions and inching toward a successful end. There are a few plot twists that strain credibility, one almost made me put the book aside, but the strength of the characters and Corin's solid writing skills overcame my doubts.
Corin does one thing that annoyed me, though. He does what writers call 'head hopping'. He jumps inside people's heads to share with the reader what they are feeling. It's OK to do this at a scene break–between paragraphs if you're desperate, but Corin does it within paragraphs. I had to stop occasionally to figure out who I was at the moment so I could attach the right emotions.
That, though, didn't stop me reading this book to its frightening end. Overall, it's fresh, creative, intelligent and Esme is a great addition to literature's quirky collection of FBI agents. I look forward to Corin's next book.
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 , an ISTE article reviewer, an 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: book reviews Tagged: cain42, corin, fbi thrillers, thrillers
July 20, 2011
I Got An Invite to Google+
Thank you, Therese!
I'm sold
I am having so much fun organizing my Google circles. I couldn't get into Facebook because I'm not one of those who exposes my life to the world. Google understands me. Anything I post goes only to those I want it to.
For example, I have a split personality. I'm part writer, part geek, and part attached to my military kids. Google lets me send tech tips to my tech friends, WIP updates to my writer friends and discuss patriotic stuff with my military folk. No one has to wade through posts and links they aren't interested in anymore.
I do need to add people to my circles. The few I have there are mighty lonely. Anyone else on Google who wants to be friends? Anyone not on Google that wants an invite so we can be friends.
I hope I don't sound desperate.
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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 , an ISTE article reviewer, an 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: social networks Tagged: google plus, social networks
July 19, 2011
Tech Tip For Writers #10: How to Undelete
Tech Tips for Soon-to-be Great Writers
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 was typing and wanted to make a change (formatting, etc). Suddenly, my whole paragraph/sentence/document (fill in your disaster) disappeared. How do I get it back?
A: Let me start by saying, this Undelete tip doesn't apply to deleted files or folders. I'm talking about when you're typing and for some reason known only to God, all or part of your work is deleted. One moment you have thirty pages of your WIP completed; then, before you can scream Stop! it's gone.
Two ideas:
Push Ctrl Z to undo your last steps. You may not even realize you deleted, so go back in time one step at a time until it comes back
If the entire program disappeared from your screen, check the taskbar. It might be sleeping down there. Click on it to awaken.
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 columnist for Examiner.com , 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: tech tips for writers Tagged: tech tips, undelete, writers tips
July 18, 2011
Writers Tip #68: Three Tips From David Shenk
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.
Today's tips come from David Shenk, non-fiction author of The Forgetting and The Genius in All of Us. If you're a non-fic writer like I am, you'll enjoy the lecture David Shenk gave at Brown University, November 11 2009, called "The Art of Nonfiction". For all my fiction friends out there–and for myself as I struggle to finish my thriller by the end of summer–you'll find these three tips critical. Good writing crosses all lines.
Enjoy!
Make it great, no matter how long it takes. There's no such thing as too many drafts. There's no such thing as too much time spent. As you well know, a great book can last forever. A great book can change a person's life. A mediocre book is just commerce.
Get feedback — oodles of it. Along the way, show pieces of your book to lots of people — different types of people. Ply them with wine and beg them for candor. Find out what's missing, what's being misinterpreted, what isn't convincing, what's falling flat. This doesn't mean you take every suggestion or write the book by committee. But this process will allow to marry your necessarily-precious vision with how people will actually react. I find that invaluable.
Let some of you come through. You're obviously not writing a memoir here, but this book is still partly about you — the world you see, the way you think, the experiences you have with people. And trust me, readers are interested in who you are. So don't be afraid to let bits and pieces of your personality and even life details seep into the text. It will breathe a lot of life into the book.
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 , 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: writers tips, writing Tagged: non-fiction, shenk, writers tips
