Going To Be a Judge at the 2009-2010 STC DC Chapter’s Technical Communication Competitions

A few weeks ago, I received an email from the regional chapter of one of my associations, The Society of Technical Communication (STC), seeking judges for their 2009-2010 Washington, DC Chapter’s Technical Communication Competitions.  I was glad to hear that you didn’t need previous judging experience, so I decided to apply.

One of the first emails that I saw was that I had been chosen to be a judge! This Saturay I will be attending the first meeting, which will provide a mini training sessions for people new to judging, and also introduce me to my team. I am super excited to do this. In the past, I have critiqued other Technical Writers’ work, and I have supervised junior-level ones. However, this is the first time that it will be an actual contest.

This is a great time to meet other Writers, and I will be able to contribute my expertise to help others. All I need to do now is buy non-prescription glasses and learn how to wear a tight bun that doesn’t get loose.  I guess I should start by reading a few articles and posts on how to judge a contest.  Maybe leave the rest of the getup for another time.

Follow STC on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stc_org

Creating Lists Can Help Writers In Many Ways

If it weren’t for lists, I don’t know how I would survive.  Even though I am a major Internet junkie, I still use notebooks and stickies to keep track of my lists.  I have my to-do lists that I write every morning, so I can check off the things that need to get done.  It’s a great way to feel like you have accomplished something, which is a big motivator.  I also have goals list that I update monthly.  I’ve been doing this since I was in my early twenties, and it has helped me achieve many wonderful things in my life.

I do use Amazon, 43 Things, and Google Tasks to maintain my lists online, but I mainly rely on my paper ones.  There are my wish lists, shopping lists, home improvement lists, etc.

Lists have helped me in writing outlines for stories, project plans, and/or requirements.  It’s easy to detail what I want with a basic list because I know how to effectively create one.  I learned a lot when I bought a Franklin Covey planner  It came along with a tutorial on effective list making.  Even in my mind, I can keep a running list that I can later on put on paper.

List making is fun, and I love sitting down and creating a list.  It’s also a good excuse to go get some new stationary and pens (I am obsessed with buying them).

Photo Detail: Wreck this Journal: Shopping Lists, originally uploaded by Lost Star.

Attend Your Local NaNoWriMo Kickoff Party

I went to the DC NaNoWriMo Kickoff Party this past Sunday. It is one of the regions that I selected, so I decided to venture out, get to know my fellow Writers, and find some helpful tips from the pros. My main region is Northern Virginia, but the kickoff parties are next weekend, which is no good for me because I have the kids, Halloween, and I have to root for my friend who is doing a 5K run on Sunday. Busy life, I know.

It was a little out of the way for me, but I didn’t mind. I used to live in Woodbridge, VA, so I am used to everything taking more than 30 minutes. It was located at Epicurean, which is a nice cafe, very similar to Cosi. I got a glass of the table, red wine (Side story: I was about to give the bartender a $20 when he informed me that it was only $2.75. I asked him two times to repeat himself. $2.75 in DC! I couldn’t believe it!) and sat down right before the Moderator began.

There were people that had been doing it for years, and others, like me, who were only going to start this year. He gave some great tips:

1. Turn off the Intenet on your computer
2. Keep writing and don’t edit
3. Attend the Write-Ins because it will give you the motivation to keep going
4. Be positive
5. Even it’s just crap, it’s better than having nothing on the screen (or paper)

I found out that NaNoWriMo has great gear that you can buy. I saw people with t-shirts and hoodies, which I really liked. They even have a shirt that you can buy that says you completed the 50,000 words. I also found out that NaNoWriMo doesn’t just stop after November ends. They use the donations they get to build schools, libraries, and teach literacy to people all over the world. Another great tidbit I learned about was National Novel Editing Month (NaNoEdMo), which happens in the Spring. Now I know that I will take the 50,000 words I write this month and then use NaNoEdMo to edit it.

The veterans said that this was a great way to build a writing habit and know that you have it in you to write a novel.  Attend your local NaNoWriMo Kickoff Party.  You will get great tips that will help start you in the right way.

Photo Detail: Party Girl, originally uploaded by rod lewis.

Ten Resources to Start Writing Your Book

Books I Have Read Recently, originally uploaded by nbklx17 / Sandy.

Every Friday I am going to post the ten articles or blog posts that will help you with your writing, whether you are a company or individual.  Here are ten great resources for people who are writing a book:

1. How to Write a Book and Publish it for Under $1000
2. How to Write an Ebook that Doesn’t Suck
3. How to Write a Book That Children Will Love
4. Write Your Book: 5 Most Important Questions
5. How To Write A Book
6. Starting Your Book
7. How to Write a Book in 3 EZ Steps
8. How to Write a Book Proposal and Get Your Book Published
9. How To Write Your Book In A Month
10. How to Write the Killer Book Proposal

Exercising Combats Writer’s Block

Reston Diabetes Tour de Cure 2009, originally uploaded by dreamingindc.

This morning I had the worst case of writer’s block. My daughter kept crying over any little thing; I was super tired; and I couldn’t find the keys. We were 15 minutes late leaving the house, and I was hyperventilating before I got in the car. My creative juices were blocked, and I couldn’t even write a single word. After two hours of staring at the computer screen, I headed to my spin class.

It seemed like the heat from the outside had seeped into the spinning room.  Before the instructor started the class,, I was already sweating.  Also, the instructor doesn’t like putting on the fans, so I knew I was in for a treat.  It was grueling and sometimes painful (left leg hurts a little).  Even with all that, I’m glad that I went.  The writer’s block is gone.

Writing and exercising go hand-in-hand.  It helps clear your mind of any stress that you have, so you can begin writing the next chapter of your book, a user manual, press release, etc. My preference is running or biking; however, yoga and pilates are also great ways to alleviate writer’s block. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as it alleviates the blocks that prevent you from writing. If you have children, then take them out for a walk, or go to the pool and swim laps while they are in the shallow area.

The next time you are unable to write, go outside (or to the gym) and get physical.