Writers develop biases for how they capture the words in their minds and record them for others to read, hear, or see. We both like to use paper, pens, and pencils for notes to ourselves. Susan keeps a notebook on her desk for thoughts and I have several notebooks on…
Category: General
Not about writing or reading; more generalized information.
Admittedly, I dislike the stylistic rules of academic writing. Citations, I understand, but style rules should be limited to those rules that help ensure clarity. In science, I want the Oxford comma, for example, so groupings are clear within a list. I am not a stickler for citations, either, as…
We know there were no posts to the Tameri blog for 2017. We had a lot happening, not the least of which is the completion of my (Scott) master of fine arts degree in film and digital technology. We did maintain posting to the Facebook page and to our Twitter…
Beat sheets, outlines, storyboard, and other tools help me organize my thoughts when writing. Too many writers stick with word processors as their sole “digital tools” when many other great applications exist — and “applications” for various applications, too. How can you use a spreadsheet to write? And why might…
As I was writing a post about “comments” in computer programming source code, I noted that I like comments and marginalia when I write for “human” readers. Even when writing for myself, I like to preserve my notes. One of the things we lose with the transition from paper to…
You as a Brand If you are a writer or artist of any kind, you are a brand. I tell my students, every person is a brand: you become associated with a product or service. Your reputation for integrity and quality will proceed you. I could write a long essay…
Concluding our survey of book review formats, I want to explore the “analysis” or “coverage” that publishers and editors sometimes provide to authors. In the film industry, script coverage is something many screenwriters pay a consultant to provide. Knowing what others think about your manuscript helps identify when you didn’t…
This weekend, TNT aired “The Librarian” movies. It reminds me of other great references to books and libraries. From The Mummy (1999): Evelyn: I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr. O’Connell, but I am proud of what I am. Rick: And…
Before exploring the mis-named “impartial” book review format, I want to mention the most influential form of book review today: the customer review. Just as “word-of-mouth” reviews by friends and colleagues can help you select a book (or avoid it), the online customer reviews found on Amazon, Goodreads, and elsewhere…
We learned a lesson tonight when I was trying to submit a script to a production company: PDFs from DOC files are much, much smaller than PDFs generated from DOCX files. Microsoft Word migrated from the familiar “.DOC” format of Word 97-2004 with the release of Word 2007/2008 (Windows/OS X).…