When I took a boat to Robben Island a decade ago, I was not eager to "tour" the prison not far from Cape Town, South Africa. I had read about the place of imprisonment for Nelson Mandela and other South Africans resisting apartheid. I had no idea how inspiring the tour visit would be, guided by a former prisoner and also a close associate of Nelson Mandela.
Sports and history stories, separately, can be inspiring. Put them together, as does Invictus, and you get history and sports genres in one powerful story based on true facts from the 1990s, and early in President Mandela's presidency. Originally titled Playing the Enemy, the story of Invictus, book and film, is described like this, on Amazon.com: "After being released from prison and winning South Africa's first free election, Nelson Mandela presided over a country still deeply divided by fifty years of apartheid. His plan was ambitious if not far-fetched: Use the national rugby team, the Springboks-long an embodiment of white supremacist rule-to embody and engage a new South Africa as they prepared to host the 1995 World Cup. The string of wins that followed not only defied the odds, but capped Mandela's miraculous effort to bring South Africans together in a hard-won, enduring bond."
The film did well at the box office, but not, in my opinion, as well as it should have done. People perhaps expected it to be tense to the utmost, very serious, and possibly political. It was, in all of those ways. It is a film to recommend-highly. I expect the same should be said of the book, which I have not read...yet. Try either one, and I'm sure you'll learn about good writing, for print or for film.
My News & Views
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Friday, July 02, 2010
You can learn Zemanta and other technology stuff
Writers are creative people, and lots of writers are engineers, architects, math whizzes. Some might even call themselves tech geeks. However, many and maybe most writers not in those categories think they cannot master technology on the WWW today
If that's you, be assured that if you have an inquisitive mind and you're smart--and of course you are: you're a writer!--then you can figure it out. At least, what you need to figure out. As What about Bob says, Baby steps! Baby steps!
Use search engines to answer just about any question you have along your way of self-teaching. Don't expect to learn everything in a day, or a year, or even five years. It's always changing. So, if you are not learning more, start now. Try a blog or whatever you've not tried yet, to let others learn what you're writing about. Aim to reach those with similar interests Start now?
Search Join Google, Create a blog, Experiment, Add features, Try Zemanta Assistant for links, Join Linked In, Facebook....keep going!
If that's you, be assured that if you have an inquisitive mind and you're smart--and of course you are: you're a writer!--then you can figure it out. At least, what you need to figure out. As What about Bob says, Baby steps! Baby steps!
Use search engines to answer just about any question you have along your way of self-teaching. Don't expect to learn everything in a day, or a year, or even five years. It's always changing. So, if you are not learning more, start now. Try a blog or whatever you've not tried yet, to let others learn what you're writing about. Aim to reach those with similar interests Start now?
What every writer needs to know about scams, bad deals, and day jobs
If you are invited to receive an "award," "special status," or a listing in an "important professional/executive registry," and then...you find out there's a payment, from you!, attached to the "honor," what do you do?
To quote Shutter Island, Run!!!
Professional agents do not ask for or require money up front, before they've arranged contracts or sales; then, their fees are based on percentage of what they earned for the writer!
Professional registries, directories, and awards do not ask for or require any payment from the honoree, or listee! Ever.
Not a scam, but not a good deal, is the self-publishing contract that does not allow the author to set the list price for his or her book. Self-publishing means the author is the publisher, and publishers set the prices.
Authors need to look for companies, print-on-demand (POD) or other, that give pricing decisions to the author, who is their client.
Also not a good deal, in OQ's view, is the case where authors are required to buy books from the printer at prices that vary, based on number of books ordered together. Re: pricing, a better deal is to find a printer, POD or other, that gives the same, fair, low (compared with the list price) author (owner) purchase price every time.
Don't leap into any business opportunity. If it cannot wait 24 hours or more, it likely is not worth much.
Writers are targets of more scams than bulls eyes at a shooting range. Unfortunately, writers beginning to seek publication often do not know this. "Buyer beware" if "offered" a special status or client position attached to payments outgoing from your wallet.
Also, as we say: "Don't quit your day job," especially if your first book is a bestseller or award-winner. The shelf life of most books is strongest six months after publication. It is the rare book that sells well beyond that time. At the point of some success with one book, it's the next books' marketplace successes the writer cannot take for granted. Huge success may, or may not, happen again.
Keep writing!
To quote Shutter Island, Run!!!
Professional agents do not ask for or require money up front, before they've arranged contracts or sales; then, their fees are based on percentage of what they earned for the writer!
Professional registries, directories, and awards do not ask for or require any payment from the honoree, or listee! Ever.
Not a scam, but not a good deal, is the self-publishing contract that does not allow the author to set the list price for his or her book. Self-publishing means the author is the publisher, and publishers set the prices.
Authors need to look for companies, print-on-demand (POD) or other, that give pricing decisions to the author, who is their client.
Also not a good deal, in OQ's view, is the case where authors are required to buy books from the printer at prices that vary, based on number of books ordered together. Re: pricing, a better deal is to find a printer, POD or other, that gives the same, fair, low (compared with the list price) author (owner) purchase price every time.
Don't leap into any business opportunity. If it cannot wait 24 hours or more, it likely is not worth much.
Writers are targets of more scams than bulls eyes at a shooting range. Unfortunately, writers beginning to seek publication often do not know this. "Buyer beware" if "offered" a special status or client position attached to payments outgoing from your wallet.
Also, as we say: "Don't quit your day job," especially if your first book is a bestseller or award-winner. The shelf life of most books is strongest six months after publication. It is the rare book that sells well beyond that time. At the point of some success with one book, it's the next books' marketplace successes the writer cannot take for granted. Huge success may, or may not, happen again.
Keep writing!
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Sports writing
Whether they write their notes for broadcasts and regular sports program, or they write columns and books for print and electronic media, sports writers are in a talent category.
Some of the best stories you can read and some of the best writing you'll find today anywhere come from the sports writing genre. The Washington Post, the newspaper closest to me, along with Washington Examiner, has good-to-outstanding columnists in the Sports section. And when I say "good," then I mean really good. A few names that come to mind, led off by Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon, and Thomas Boswell. Boswell has also written books about baseball, including How Life Imitates the World Series. Dan Steinberg does a good job, I think, leading the Post sports blog.
Dan Patrick, of ESPN, is another sports writer, broadcaster, and author of note.
Tony Dungy, retired from football coaching, mentors young athletes on life and sports skills. His books help support his efforts to keep giving back.
Some of the best stories you can read and some of the best writing you'll find today anywhere come from the sports writing genre. The Washington Post, the newspaper closest to me, along with Washington Examiner, has good-to-outstanding columnists in the Sports section. And when I say "good," then I mean really good. A few names that come to mind, led off by Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon, and Thomas Boswell. Boswell has also written books about baseball, including How Life Imitates the World Series. Dan Steinberg does a good job, I think, leading the Post sports blog.
Dan Patrick, of ESPN, is another sports writer, broadcaster, and author of note.
Tony Dungy, retired from football coaching, mentors young athletes on life and sports skills. His books help support his efforts to keep giving back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)