The Decline of Handwriting: 41%?!

This makes me sad. I love handwriting, most especially being able to see letters and essays uploaded from the early 20th century. Calligraphy and penmanship are such beautiful arts in their own right. It’s amazing what penmanship can reveal about personalities. I’m sure there are personality traits that can be traced from the fonts selected in certain word documents… but that just doesn’t have the same feel. I’m going to miss paper and pens.

The Decline of Handwriting: 41% of Adults Haven’t Handwritten Anything in the Past Six Weeks.

Florida Facebook Contest Seeks Hemingway Look-Alikes

Posted by the Writer’s Write blog, I thought a little humor might be necessary on the day where I honor a man of great humor, my father. Granted, I don’t know that he read Hemingway. My father certainly doesn’t look anything remotely like Hemingway. But, if it put a smile on his face, he would have wanted to share it. So, in his honor, I’ll share a little literary something that put a smirk on the ol’ mug today. Enjoy!

Florida Keys Facebook Contest Seeks Hemingway Look-Alikes.

Hey, Freelancers!!!!

Here are two free-lance work sites that have been pretty good to me. Thought I’d share the wealth!

Guru and Elance are online databases for free-lancers to search and submit proposals for posted jobs. Also, if any of you are looking to hire a free-lancer want ads can be posted there, too!

Hope you’re all enjoying your weekend! 😀

“You are when you say you are. Screw what everyone else says.”

I thought my dream was to become a writer. I spent a lot of time writing and reading as a kid. It was more that than anything else that kept my active mind a little bit sane.

Although, I have to admit that rescuing any bits right now is an effort in futility.

Har, har… Anyway, seeing this article reminded me of when I was reaching for the star of being a writer. I needed to know what the benchmark was for being deemed a writer. Was it publication? Was it simply sending out a manuscript? Was it completing a story?

Over time I realized that I was a much better editor than I was a writer. I liked it better. It felt better. And now, recently, since I’m a clerk in a local newspaper’s advertising department, I’m asking myself what makes me an editor? Do I have the right to call myself as such, since I’ve only edited one thing professionally and everything else for friends, as a favor. Does that make me an editor? Really?

According to this blog, from Copyblogger.com, I am an editor when I say I am. Regardless of what anyone else says.

So, here it is. My statement of identification:

Hello. My name is Melissa, and I’m an editor. Nice to meet you.

Now, clicky-click, and think “editor” (or whatever your dream job is called) every time you see “writer.” REALIZE this DOES apply to you, too!

The Simple Reason You’re Not a Writer (Yet) | Copyblogger.

Struggle

If it’s this hard to be a freelance editor–doing something I love–it must be absolute hell to be a freelance anything. But, on the other hand, if you didn’t love what you were doing why would anyone ever want to do anything freelance?!  However, would I ever appreciate having my own business enough if I didn’t struggle at it just a bit??

Blind Harry’s Wallace: Or How I Started Thinking About Digital Editing

Dear Book Publishers Looking to Transfer Period Texts for Digital Access,

I would LOVE to have this job! Editing and preparing period texts for a greater, wider distribution just fills me with glee! Even more so, that they will very, very likely be public domain! 😀

I only include this link because I was looking up the true story behind Braveheart. Finding Blind Harry’s Wallace epic poem made me realize how much fun this kind of job could be.

People are always looking for more reasons to be on their Nooks, Kindles, or iPads–just sayin’!

Blind Harry’s Wallace: Introduction and Index at Mostly Medieval – Exploring the Middle Ages.

AP Stylebook

I am currently working in a newspaper office, and so I’ve been knee-deep in AP, which I haven’t seen since my undergrad years. It makes me miss classes like Feature Writing, Principles of Interviewing, and News Editing. Here are the links I’ve discovered for access to or purchasing the guidebook to the Woodward and Bernsteins amongst us!  Stylebook. and   Stylebook 2