"Write now is good."

Thank you for voting!

Photo: "Thank you!" by Zanthia

As the world continues to revel in the most hopeful and historic election of Barack Obama as President of the United States, other positive developments are shining through. One I'd like to note, as a follow-up to my Do you know how to vote? post, is this: in this 2008 election, the U.S. has had its highest voter turnout ever in the last 48 years.

More than 148 million voters cast their ballots, which equals to 64.1% of the voting-age electorate.

Take a look at this chart, National Voter Turnout in Federal Elections, which features statistics from 1960. (For presidential election years, the stats are in boldface. Mid-term elections, nationally held to elect Congress members and for state/local governments, are in plain type.) So inspiring! Our voting electorate has been completely re-energized across age, race, and economic groups; almost 26 million more voters turned out in 2008 than they did in 2004.

After finding and being moved by these significant voting stats, I stumbled across the above photo on Flickr and had to feature it. Before I began writing this post, I read an article in The Washington Post titled "U.S. Hailed Again as Country of Dreams", and this photo expresses much of the gratitude many worldwide are feeling based on Obama's win.

So, I must say this again: thank you for voting! It has made all the difference in the world.

Do you know how to vote? This year, it may be a bit tricky

Photo: "Vote Here Vote Aqui" by myJon

As far as public service announcements go on this blog, I rarely feature them. There are so many worthy causes, my blog would no longer be about its focus if I wrote about all the other topics I cared about.

Today, I make an exception.

Election protection is, unfortunately, a necessary aspect of voting because in 2008, U.S. voters are still faced with a number of impediments to casting their ballots for candidates:   

-- long lines
-- lack of paper ballots at crowded precincts
-- incorrect voter rolls
-- unhelpful or ill-informed precinct staff
-- electronic voting machines which function incorrectly and/or flip votes

*** As of evening November 3rd, the group Election Protection reports that already 100,000 calls have come in to report problems with voting.

Some have also used deceptive tricks during this election season in an attempt to deter voters:

-- fliers which claim that one's voting precinct has moved to a new location, when it hasn't
-- pamphlets or phone calls that falsely claim, due to overcrowding at the polls, the Republicans vote on one day (the real election day) and the Democrats vote the following day (too late to have their votes recorded)
-- blatantly false and inaccurate "robo calls": recorded messages that spam landlines with lies and distortions about candidates

In case you were wondering, acts of voter suppression are criminal offenses.

In an ideal democracy, everyone should be able to vote quickly and easily, on machines that work in polling places staffed by knowledgeable and helpful professionals. We should be able to leave the voting booth knowing that our vote was registered and will be counted, not worried that it may be hacked away or mysteriously lost or miscounted due to machine or human error — or because of someone's underhanded political agenda.

If you're in the United States and over the age of 18, then you have either voted before in an election or have a basic idea how to do so. Still, knowledge is power, so please take note of the following information; this election will have a historically high turnout, and you may be placed in the position of having to defend your right to vote.

1. At any time, please call toll free 1-866-OUR-VOTE to report voting problems you are having.

2. On Twitter, use "#votereport" to contact the Twitter Vote Report, who will in turn, contact the appropriate group about your specific problem.

These articles detail what voters may be up against both in early-voting states and on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4th:

° "Web Hands Voters Power" from The Baltimore Sun
° "Voters Receiving Misleading Robo Calls in Ohio" from CNNPolitics.com
° "Citizens, Media Use Social Media to Monitor Election" from PBS's MediaShift
° "'Tis the Season for Tricking Voters" from Yahoo! News and the Associated Press
° the "Voting Problems" site from The Huffington Post
° "Misleading Calls in Virginia Caused by Computer Glitch" from CNNPolitics.com
° "Video Your Vote" project from YouTube and PBS

If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer it or refer you to the right source.

No questions? Alright, then. Let's vote! Every vote counts — especially yours!

Election t-shirts build community for candidates

A quick FYI: For those interested in the U.S. presidential election, social media, and t-shirts, I have a new post on The Huffington Post's OffTheBus which may interest you:

"Election T-Shirts Build A Community of Supporters"

To read my other Huff Post/OTB pieces, click here.

And we're off!

Photo: Start! by amirjina

Checking in with other Wrimos out there. Have you started yet?

Twitter Vote Report: Insuring voting works, one tweet at a time

My new post "Insuring Voting Works, One Tweet at a Time: Interview with Allison Fine, Co-Creator" is now live on The Huffington Post's OffTheBus.

The all-volunteer group Twitter Vote Report will be monitoring tweets from now through November 4th and beyond to look for those which report voting problems. When TVR finds them, they figure out which of their vast coalition of election protection groups can help fix them.

With record turnout predicted during this historic presidential election in the United States, many believe there will be problems and system overwhelm as droves turn out on election day. Indeed, Twitter Vote Report has already found problems in early voting states and have worked to get them corrected.

TVR is an example of how social media, technology and an energized constituency can contribute to making a democracy function at its best.

If you're a U.S. citizen who can vote, read to learn about how Twitter Vote Report can help make sure your vote counts. If you are a U.S.-presidential-election spectator from outside America, check to see one way citizens here are participating to make the democratic process work.

Related posts:

° Tech-connected youth use new media to access presidential debates
° It's time to get on "OffTheBus"
° Will the next U.S. President be a blogger?
° Politweets — Political expression, in 140 characters or less
° Artists and Obama: Images + Technology = Votes

UPDATE: This piece was featured in The Huffington Post's "Voting Problems" section. Its tagline: "Some news is so big, it needs its own page." If you are interesting in election protection and voter disenfranchisement, this page is your link to current happenings in this area, so do check it out.

"The Age of Conversation 2" is available now!

 
The Age of Conversation 2, a new collaborative book in which I've written a chapter, is being released today. The book features essays on how social media (like blogging) is changing the conversations we have with each other—in business, our work and personal lives, both online and in the "real" world. My chapter is titled "Crossroads: When micro storytelling meets social media", and if you want to read it, you may purchase the book here.

What is The Age of Coversation 2 about?
Bloggers Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton had an idea in early 2007 to create a book about how blogging was changing their world, and they invited others to join in. The first Age of Conversation had 103 authors, representing 10 countries and 24 U.S. states. 

Based on the first book's success, a sequel naturally followed. Released today, the AOC2 has expanded globally: its 237 authors hail from 14 countries and 29 states throughout the U.S.

All proceeds from the first book went to Variety, the Children's Charity. We hoped to raise at least $10,000 (U.S.), and we raised $15,000 instead.

The goal of AOC2 is to raise $15,000 for Variety, and we hope to even surpass that—with your help. 

A great read for a great cause
The Age of Conversation 2 is available for sale in three formats:

-- Hardback: $29.95 (less printing and shipping, $6.04 to charity)
-- Paperback: $19.95 (less printing and shipping, $8.02 to charity)
-- E-book: $12.50 (less technical fees, $10.00 to charity)

Introducing...

The 237 authors of The Age of Conversation 2: Why Don't They Get It? are (in alphabetical order by first name):

A   Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi

B   Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich

C   C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Chris Brown, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson

D   Daniel Honigman, Dan Schawbel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Dave Davison, David Armano, David Berkowitz, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner

E   Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller

F   Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson

G   Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G. Kofi Annan, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming

H   Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber

J   J. Erik Potter, James G. Lindberg, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne & Todd Cabral, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, John Herrington, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Foster

K   Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kristin Gorski

L   Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux

M   Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel

N   Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice

O   Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz

P   Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman

R   Rachel Steiner, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen

S   Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Sreeraj Menon, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood

T   Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tim Brunelle, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman

U   Uwe Hook

V   Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau

W   Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff

Y   Yves Van Landeghem

Thank you for your interest and support!

Speed-noveling madness—and opportunity—await

In just four days, the 10th anniversary of National Novel Writing Month begins. You can join thousands worldwide in their quest to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Many who never thought they could do this have done so; some have even turned these first drafts into published novels.

I have participated in NaNoWriMo for the past three years, and I have won every time. (For newbies reading this, "winning" = writing 50,000 words within those 30 days. Everybody who reaches this benchmark "wins".) This year, I've signed up again, yet with a different goal from previous years.

Some new characters have been entering my writing life lately, and I'm very interested in who they are. They are unrelated to my other novel drafts (which together are a trilogy), and are a bit mysterious, which intrigues me.

Perhaps some short story folks have moved into my imagination, and, in order to get to know them better, I need to start writing so they can fully pour out their stories to me. This could turn into a novel, and I'll know more when I'm in the process. Short stories never reach the 50,000-word mark, so instead of aiming for the ultimate word count, I'll focus on story exploration within the supportive framework of the program.

So, technically, I'm not initially attempting to win NaNoWriMo, but I'll be there anyway. Having been through this wonderfully fruitful and intense month multiple times now, I find it too enjoyable and constructive to give up.

I've written extensive tips and advice on how to get the most from NaNoWriMo. Here are the most useful of the batch, if you're interested:

°Be the mountain
°National Novel Writing Month: Here's YOUR chance to write that novel
°How to "win" National Novel Writing Month in 5 (no, 6) easy steps
°Sign up today for National Novel Writing Month

If you sign up, drop a comment, I'll link to your blog or NaNoWriMo writer page, and we'll cheer you on!

UPDATE: Julio Angel Ortiz over at Vox Bomb will be joining the fray in his 2nd NaNoWriMo attempt. Best of luck, Julio! (Any other brave participants out there?)

UPDATE 2: QuietRebelWriter and Erik Sherwood are also participating! Happy speed-noveling trails, you two, and keep us posted on your progress!

UPDATE 3: Margay is on the NaNoWriMo road, too. Let's go, Margay!

Still yet more online dictionaries

Photo: "1907 webster dictionary" by jbrownell

In my latest wordy quest through and across teh Interwebs, I have found an abundance of online dictionaries. As I'm still involved in much non-blog writing, I'll quickly post these and dash off to additional wordiness elsewhere online. More link posts will follow soon — I've been finding some very interesting writing, tech and media resources.

In alphabetical order:

1. Cambridge Dictionaries Online — From Cambridge University Press; a portal to five of their dictionaries: Advanced Learner's, American English, idioms, phrasal verbs, and French/English.

2. Double-Tongued Dictionary — It bills itself as "a lexicon of fringe English, focusing on slang, jargon, and new words."

3. Word Spy — An ambitious site which is "devoted to lexpionage, the sleuthing of new words and phrases. These aren't 'stunt words' or 'sniglets,' but new terms that have appeared multiple times in newspapers, magazines, books, Web sites, and other recorded sources."

If you know of any helpful word resources, drop a comment and I'll post the links.

Related posts:

° A basket full of eggcorns
° Free online graphical dictionary
° Build your vocab — for fun and profit
° The "now" dictionary
° Dictionary in there somewhere
° Dictionary.com makeover
° Help finding the right words

Could universal health care eliminate poverty?

Over the past week, I've received quite an education on the connection between poverty and lack of health insurance. I was co-host of a “news hunt” at NewsTrust, a vibrant media literacy project online. The NT community looked for the best journalism on health care, and read and reviewed a wide range of health care stories. Those that stayed with me most explained how the lives of the working poor have been destroyed when they lose health insurance.

Solving poverty is a complex issue, but one within our control if we act widely and directly on it. One solution to poverty in the United States is to provide universal health coverage. The working poor, who amount to roughly 80% of the 45 million uninsured in the U.S., will benefit most from this.

During the news hunt, I read and reviewed 36 health care stories (including a podcast and a documentary) from many sources. Based on what I've read, I know now that there is a consistent, tragic pattern that occurs when the working poor lose health insurance. The basic steps are:

1. working adult gets sick and loses job
2. after losing job, they lose their health insurance
3. they can no longer afford medications, so they get sicker
4. since they have no insurance, they receive either no care at all or substandard health care which they have to pay for themselves
5. the bills pile up
6. still sick, they cannot work, so they lose their home and belongings because any money they have goes to basic subsistence and paying medical bills
7. very few rebound, and many die

Providing health insurance, available no matter their employment status, would solve this horrible situation. It would help the working poor in multiple ways. It would give them access to any needed medical care for themselves and their dependents. They would stay healthy and be able to look for and get additional work. If sick workers could no longer work, they would still get care, which is the right and compassionate thing to provide.

When people are healthy, they can still contribute meaningfully to their communities; when many in one community are unemployed and sick, their community suffers along with them. With health insurance, adults can take care of the children who depend on them; without it, their children may lose, either temporarily or permanently, their mother's or father's care.

During this economic downturn, prospects for the working poor will absolutely become more dire. Adding guaranteed, universal health insurance to the poverty equation would directly improve the quality of their lives. To read some of the top rated stories from NewsTrust's health care news hunt and decide on this issue for yourself, click here.

THANK YOU to those who left comments here that they too would join Blog Action Day:

- Crafty Green Poet writes on "Poverty and the Environment".
- Lily Hydrangea penned "Blogging for Poverty".
- Nipun at 50 Word Fiction has an "uber short" take on the theme.
- Rachel's post is titled "My skin or my soul" over at The Slow-Cooked Sentence.

Poverty: What would you write to help solve it?

Big problems can be solved when many participate in a solution. Focusing concentrated energy on one central issue is Blog Action Day's goal for October 15th. This year's topic is poverty:

Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion...We ask bloggers to take a single day out of their schedule and focus it on an important issue. By doing so on the same day, the blogging community effectively changes the conversation on the web and focuses audiences around the globe on that issue.

If you choose to participate, you have 8 days to craft your most persuasive post, film a compelling video, or record a captivating podcast, to bring attention to poverty in your way, from your perspective, featuring your insight and innovation.

Would you like to be part of this global community? As I write this, 5,742 blogs — with an estimated readership of 9,038,385 people — have already registered to participate. If you do sign up, leave a comment here and I'll link to your blog on October 15th for Blog Action Day.

Read more about Blog Action Day and register your blog here.

Tech-connected youth use new media to access presidential debates

This U.S. presidential election season continues to draw massive interest from both the American voting public and others around the world. One of the most fascinating aspects to me, as a writer focusing on media and tech, is how Web innovations and platforms are increasing political expression and participation.

Social media platform Twitter has blended with user-driven cable network Current TV to offer a venue for tech-connected youth (primarily 18-34) to be involved during the three presidential and one vice presidential debates; it's called "Hack the Debate". My post about this, "New Media Forms Boost Youth Participation in Debates", is now live on The Huffington Post's ground-level election coverage, OffTheBus.

If you'd like to read about this innovative media experiment, get a preview of how technology will change media for future elections, and perhaps even participate, click here.

Related posts:

° It's time to get on "OffTheBus"
° Will the next U.S. President be a blogger?
° Politweets — Political expression, in 140 characters or less
° Artists and Obama: Images + Technology = Votes

Thesaurus-loving zoo keepers make signs like this

Behold: eighteen different words used to describe how visitors should not interact with a zoo's animals. The keepers, and their zoo-signage team, earn points in my book for:

1. shameless use of their zoo's thesaurus
2. a focused passion for synonyms
AND
3. creative design incorporating a misplaced punctuation mark (That bold, eye-catching exclamation point, standing alone, gives a shout even BEFORE the sentence starts.)

Bravo!

I would love to see the other signs in this zoo. Does anyone know where this is from? This image has been posted and emailed and re-emailed so many times, its original sourcing (if it ever existed) cannot be found.

Image from GreenUpgrader's post "Sunday Funnies: Signs That Remind Us To Respect Nature", found via NOTCOT

Busy writing

Hello, Readers! I have been writing much lately, but not for my dear blog.

As I wrap up a big project tomorrow, I'll be blogging again by this weekend.

Autumn is an industrious time for me. The back-to-school, cooler-air, leaves-about-to-change shift always propels my to-do list to seriously industrious proportions. (Plus, I have consistent deadlines every fall, so they add to this.)

Hope this post finds you all creative and inspired.

Image above: Time-saving "What do you mean I'm always too busy?" stamp found at SwissMiss.

Bookshelf furniture seek 'n' find

Look closely. This bookshelf, designed by Charles Trevelyan of Viable London, is imitating a word search puzzle. Once all furniture is found, a home mini-office, which very efficiently uses living space, is revealed.

This piece rounds out the first ten items of this blog's growing "bookshelf furniture" collection. More to come.

Top 10 lists from the Grammar Home Office

Photo: "pens" by ChrisB in SEA 

Learning to write well is a continual process. When readers ask me about how to become a better writer, I always say, "First, write every day." And I mean it. With writing, the only way to get better at it is to keep at it. Writing doesn't improve just by thinking about it.

Then I give this advice: "When you write, don't worry about misspellings and grammatical errors. That's what editors are for." Writing and editing are completely different skills. Great writers often make spelling and grammar errors, and great editors and/or proofreaders are often better at catching mistakes than creating compelling stories.

When writing for our jobs, however, we must often be both writer and editor extraordinaire. Also, if you are a blogger and don't have anyone else to review your work before you post, then occasionally reviewing lists like these from TechRepublic Senior Editor Jody Gilbert can help you catch your own errors:

"10 wording blunders that make you look stupid"

"10+ tips for keeping your writing sharp and professional"

"10 flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid"

Here are two simple, additional tips I recommend for self-editing your writing:

1. Read your work aloud. The ear often catches errors that the eye does not.

2. Do spell check. (Seriously. While it doesn't fix words used out of context, it does catch misspellings. Use it!)

How was your vacation?

Photo: "the perfect vacation" by OneGreatClick

How was your vacation?

Did you relax your body and mind completely?

Are your batteries recharged? Have you again pinpointed your creativity's source on your artist-self map? Ready to write, draw and blog anew?

Did you get a necessary change of scenery? See new places? Smell different, more fragrant air?

You did? All of the above? Wonderful. So did I.

Wait — you didn't? No worries — August's remainder beckons. There's time enough for a last weekend escape — or at least one earnest day trip, swimming in a sea of daydreams.

Introducing "Matinée Muse", a creativity boost

Matinée Muse, now in its third week, is a blog that presents two weekly creativity prompts based on movie themes. You can participate in this online community by following three steps:

1. Use the Matinée Muse prompts to inspire your creativity. (You don't have to write about the movie, though you may.)
2. Write a poem or a short story, or create some artwork or take a photograph—related to one of the prompts.
3. After you have created your work, post it to your site, and add that post's link to the comments of the Matinée Muse post.

Other MM members will visit your post and comment on your work. If you haven't participated in an online-prompt community before, introduce yourself by commenting on other's posts; many (if not all) of the bloggers you visit will click through to see your work in return.

Participating in online-prompt communities can have many benefits:

-- If you create every week consistently, you get regular practice in your art form and, thus, get better at it.

-- You build a body of work over time. (A year of doing the weekly prompts = 52 new works! What a vibrant, current portfolio that would be.)

-- Seeing other takes on the same prompt expands and challenges your interpretation of the prompt. I consider this healthy artistic and intellectual brain exercise.

-- If you're suffering from a writing or art-making block, switching creative gears for a moment and approaching a prompt with lightness and fun can keep you creating. Keeping creative energy flowing builds your momentum and staves off long creative dry spells which can deplete artistic energy.

-- Regularly commenting on other bloggers' works creates an online creative community and network.

One extra bonus for movie lovers: MM features movie poster images and links to more information about all films mentioned. One of this week's prompts is based on the classic whose poster is shown above.

Which writers have inspired you? And who has inspired them?

Photo: "rough first draft" by nuanc

Early spring this year, I posted about Opium Magazine's Network of Writers Experiment. If you have not sent them a quotation from a writer who has taught you something valuable about writing, you can still do so ... now, with a twist.

Opium (creator of the East Coast/West Coast Literary Death Match) would like you to send that writer's quotation ... and also requests that you to contact the same writer to ask them for a quote from a writer who taught them something. It works like this:

...if I quote Tobias Wolff, now I will go and ask Tobias Wolff for a quote, something he's learned from a writer. In this way, the network concept will be a) more amazing, if possible, and b) nearly impossible to design in print, but Opium design mastermind David Barringer will take care of that.

Send any quotes here: opiumwritersexperiment@gmail.com. Also, if you don't know how to contact a writer, or would rather not contact them yourself, we can likely help, so don't hesitate to ask.

Deadline is quick: August 4th (this Monday!).

These submissions will go into Opium's next print edition. And, as offered, they'll be happy to help you contact your writer if you'd like.

If you send in a quotation, drop a comment and let us know!

NOTE: I sent them a quotation from a very popular writer, and I'm crafting my email to him now. We'll see if said-famous-inspiring writer sends me a quotation, too. One of life's little adventures, and I'll post an update when I get a response.

They see plants; I see books.

The various incarnations of the classic bookshelf continue to inspire me.

Add this one to a steadily growing category of "bookshelf furniture".

Found at Below the Clouds.

Be an AWESOME writer

Last month, I wrote a post about a very insightful and funny YouTube video called "Book Launch 2.0". It features Dennis Cass, an accomplished writer and the author of Head Case, conversing with a phone-friend about the pros and cons of using new and social media to launch books.

For those of you who enjoyed Cass's video also, I've got good news: he has created an online community. Its goal: to make creative people more effective and successful at their creative lives and careers. It is called, appropriately, "Dennis Cass Wants You To Be More Awesome."

DCWYTBMA is a site full of "advice, jokes and tough love for people who want to make a living making culture." Dennis regularly answers members' questions, providing sound advice on a variety of relevant topics. The community is active, full of creatives commenting with additional viewpoints and examples. Plus, he features an "Awesomizer" to help improve creative endeavors; it has made me look at some pop culture mainstays with a fresh perspective.

I strongly believe that participating in writing/creative groups (even online!) can help their participants grow in their work, get unstuck when creative blocks arise, and provide camaraderie and support when the creative road is nothing but potholes and speed traps. (If you have done anything creative ever in your life, then you know the ride can get bumpy...)

While reading Cass's articles and answers, I have laughed out loud many times. Knowledgeable creative-career guidance + original insights + active community + humor = WIN! And if you sign up, I'll see you there.

Blogscope down for a moment

Photo: "Yellow Submarine" by benjcarson

Surrounded by impending deadlines, my own personal yellow blogging submarine is submerged in creativity, inspiration and a vast ocean of words.

Thanks to everyone who submitted links to assist my quest for blogs. This choice information has inspired me to create a few posts based on all of it.

More soon!

Dance! It may improve your writing.

If you're reading this post, you spend some time online. And if you've spent any time online over the past week, you have probably seen the following massively played video.

While I've enjoyed Dancing Matt Harding's joyful, international dance-travel just because it's magical, I've discovered another compelling reason why he is a revolutionary of inspiration. One of today's posts on the Well blog from the New York Times mentions studies which tie dancing to increased brain functioning and healing. An excerpt:

...A telling 2003 New England Journal of Medicine report showed a lower risk for dementia among people over 75 who regularly danced during leisure time. But what was so surprising about the report is that other types of physical exercise didn’t affect dementia risk — dancing was the only physical activity that made a difference.

Other studies have shown music plays an important role in depression. Dance therapy has been used to relieve anxiety about taking tests, and researchers are studying the tango to help patients with Parkinson’s. Dance therapy has been shown to improve the quality of life for breast cancer patients as well...

I've joked in past posts that I use my writing music mixes for "my pre-writing dance session". Now I see a connection between these fun