(TM) 1997, MasterClips Collection, IMSI PrintMaster We’ve all heard we need to stay away from the usual tropes when writing a story. But what is a trope anyway? Most dictionaries define it as the language used in a figurative sense, or a theme or device so overused it becomes cliché. Other definitions exist, but for … Continue reading Turning Tropes Topsy-Turvy
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Thoughts on NaNoWriMo
(C) 2019 JJ ShaunNaNoo Today starts the annual running of the writers through the streets of the month-long insanity we call NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Am I participating this year? No, I’m not. Why? You might ask. Well, every year for the last twenty years, this grandma drives over the river and through the … Continue reading Thoughts on NaNoWriMo
Welcome to Wednesday Word Day
Late last week, an idea struck me out of the blue. What if I devoted one day a week to a new word? The notion wouldn’t leave me alone, and when I mentioned it to a friend, she loved it. So did First Reader. Thus was born Wednesday Word Day. Without further ado, I present … Continue reading Welcome to Wednesday Word Day
I Want To Be A Tech Writer
(TM) 1997, MasterClips Collection, IMSI PrintMaster What do Technical Writers do, exactly? A lot of things. What Do Tech Writers Do? According to the US Government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, Technical Writers perform a variety of functions: “… prepare instruction manuals, how-to guides, journal articles, and other supporting documents to communicate complex and technical information … Continue reading I Want To Be A Tech Writer
Overcoming Writer’s Block
(C) 2019, JJ ShaunThe dreaded Writer's Block Monster. (I'm no artist, can you tell?) I realize this is a familiar topic, but I’ve been reading a lot about Writer’s Block in the forums I follow. So, how do *I* break through my writer’s block when it threatens to derail my progress? Keep reading for a … Continue reading Overcoming Writer’s Block
Starting Slow
I’ve spent the last couple of weeks busier than a one-armed wallpaper hanger. Mostly, I’ve been catching up on those little things that get away from you when you work a full-time-plus job. (My career would have eaten my life if I’d let it.) I needed to talk to a financial advisor to make sure … Continue reading Starting Slow
The Travel Bug
First Reader and I have traveled a lot of the United States, in the car, or on our motorcycles. Our first road trip was right after Christmas the first year we were together. We spent a little more than two weeks traveling around the Midwest, visiting friends, and reconnecting with my kids. That trip set … Continue reading The Travel Bug
Finding Stories
Sometimes it’s hard to home in on a story to tell. The Vignette Many times, what comes to my mind is a vignette rather than a story. A vignette is defined as “a short descriptive literary sketch” or a “brief incident or scene (as in a play or movie)”. If you have studied any languages, … Continue reading Finding Stories
LGBTQ History Month
(C) 2019 JJ ShaunSign in front of the Rainbow House in Topeka, Kansas October is LGBTQ History Month. Why do I mention that you ask? Well, if you haven’t already figured it out, I’m a lesbian. I struggled with my identity in the early 80s when being gay was still considered a “mental illness.” It … Continue reading LGBTQ History Month
Welcome to Tech Writer Tuesday
© 2019 JJ ShaunWhere the Tech Writer fits. Welcome to Tech Writer Tuesday, my new feature that explains what a Technical Writer is and what they do. What Makes Me Qualified? My path to Tech Writer began some thirty-something years ago when I joined the US Navy under a six-year obligation and became an Electronics … Continue reading Welcome to Tech Writer Tuesday
J.J. Shaun 