Archive for February 2011

I mentioned last week that my daughter made her first appearance right after the Dallas Cowboys won the Super Bowl. Wow. 17 years. And by this time next year, she might have a decision where she’ll be going to college in the Fall of 2012. I hope we’ll be done with the college application process. Looking at the list of things to do during the junior and senior years is the fastest way to give a heartburn to a parent. I think Tums is calling me. (I prefer Dicarbosil, but they’re no longer on the market.)

As hard as we might live in the moment and appreciate each day, time races on at high speeds. (That’s the best I could come up with to avoid the tired “Time flies.”)

Best headline from “North Texas” ice week: “Snow MG!”

Speaking of OMG, Bitrebels listed me as one of Twitter’s Top 75 Bad*bleep* Women. (I have three kids, you know. This is a safe for work website. *grin*) I followed over half of these great women before the list came out, so I’d say it’s a valid list — not another popularity thing. Me and popularity never go together. OK, better stop with the self-deprecating business before it spins out of control. Anyway, thank you, Bitrebels.

Lots of brain food this week! Not to worry,  it won’t take up your weekend.

Brain food…

• Nancy Pearl’s Rule of 50 for dropping a bad book: Writers, another reason why those first few pages must grip readers. Readers, we have so many books to read — don’t waste it on the ones that don’t captivate you. [Link: Daphne Gray-Grant]
• Amazon Kindle Firmware 3.1 Update: Right now, the update is only available to the latest generation of Kindles (third). I hope they plan to make it available for earlier generations as I’ve been longing for print page numbers. If I can upgrade to 3.1, it’ll be another reason to like the Kindle. It’s growing on me.
• 40 Ways to Build Trust in Your Brand: Excellent tips for every business.
• How Your Name May Cost You at the Mall: Fascinating. Those of ya with last names R through Z (women, go based on your maiden name), what’s your experience? Thinking about it, I don’t recall doing anything in alphabet order other than lining up for 5th grade and high school graduations.
• How the Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie Can Help You Improve Your Problem Solving Skills: I remember trying to read this book in high school as I’m an Agatha Christie fan. I couldn’t get into it. But of course, that could change today. Anyway, I love Avil’s use of the book to share lessons learned.
• Post Super Bowl Twitter Hangover: Frank’s experience of using social media too much during the Super Bowl is a lesson we need to learn. This is one reason why I stop participating in Twitter chats. It took time away from family and getting things done and didn’t pay off enough to make these sacrifices.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• What Lies Are We Telling Our Loved Ones: Hmm… don’t think I’ve committed these… am I lying to myself now? [Link: Guy Kawasaki]
• Chart: It’s Valentine’s Day. What Should You Get Him? Not Kosher, but funny.
• The Social Media World Before Twitter and Facebook: I used bulletin board systems (BBS). In fact, I met my husband through one. I wouldn’t tell people this in the ’90s, but thanks to the Internet and social networking — I shout it from the social media rooftops.

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I use a pen instead of computer when I write in my journal, sign stuff, write thank you and personal notes, capture reminders on a sticky and make a list. It doesn’t take much for my hand to cramp when entering longer journal entries. The left hand tires easily when writing and I type fast. So why would I rely on a pen or pencil for coming up with ideas for articles and blog posts?

Photo by sxc.hu user mzacha

Brainstorming with a keyboard just doesn’t work as well as with pen and paper. Not even when using brainstorming and mind mapping apps. It takes a different type of effort to enter information and draw shapes. This  interferes with the brainstorming process making it feel forced and tedious.

By accident, I discovered a better way. A bunch of ideas hit me while I worked on my laptop in bed. Rather than let risk losing those thoughts, I pulled out the pad stored in the drawer next to my bedside for easy access. I also grabbed a specific right pen instead of the first one available. I had a specific pen that I love to use for special writing with its soft point that glides without teeny bumps as my left hand made circles, dots, crosses, curves, lines.

The brain and hand ran wild bringing more ideas than I had initially. Bullets, circles, notes. No criticizing allowed. Within 15 to 20 minutes, I had enough notes for 25 articles and posts.

I’ve had a pen and pad next to my bed for years. Why did it take this long to realize the benefits of hand mind mapping? Whenever I jotted anything down, it was only an idea or two and then I went back to sleep or resuming whatever I was doing. This time I had a mountain of ideas that grew from there as I continued writing.

So why does opening a document and typing everything that comes to mind not work as well as pen and paper? Even mind mapping and graphing software fails me. Using software merely produces a few notes between a lot of long pauses.

Daphne Gray-Grant gives me the answer in her excellent Power Writing newsletter. She says it’s a left and right brain thing. The right side is the creative side. Using a pen and paper gets the right side’s motor running allowing thoughts to pour out easily and quickly. The act of typing and using the mouse slow creativity.

This doesn’t mean that mind mapping software has no place in the brainstorming process. They work for many people.

I’m a lefty, so the right hemisphere of the brain dominates. You’d think this advantage would make up for using the keyboard. It doesn’t. I love using technology and gadgets, but sometimes the brain needs extra help and that means switching to pen and paper.

If you’ve struggled with mind mapping or brainstorming or find you can’t get much out of a typed outline, go the pen and paper route and see what happens.

How do you come up with story ideas?

I love the Virtual Villagers series. They don’t quite fit into the popular genres for game downloads. The best way to describe them is they’re adventure games where you have free rein. You don’t move from scene to scene. You roam around the entire island without each scene loading as a stand-alone scene.

It’s worth a try. Doesn’t cost you anything but a little bit of your time.

In this new chapter of the Virtual Villagers series, you explore the center of Isola. Bring in new members to your tribe and make them believe in you! Use your incredible God Powers to impress the New Believers and make them be completely devoted to you. Work your way through perplexing puzzles and survive intense Island events in Virtual Villagers 5: New Believers.

Download and try Virtual Villagers 5: New Believers.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

Photo from sxc.hu user yirsh

My first course outside of the classroom happened through old-fashioned mail. The first was a high school history correspondence course and the second in a college-level marketing course that I took after college to learn more about marketing. These worked well for me with no lectures to follow and missed out conversations.

Over the years, I took several online graduate level courses and completed a certificate program in Internet Technologies from New York University (NYU). I loved taking all the courses through a web-based course environment and from NYU. I love where I live, but I valued the opportunity to take classes at a respectable university out of state without moving or traveling. Besides, I felt connected to New York because my dad hailed from Brooklyn and I still had family there.

I started an MBA program at Dallas’ SMU, which added a small campus within a few miles from my house. This campus held all the required courses while you had to go to the main campus for other classes. I attended for one semester and burned out. It took too much time away from family on the weekends and I worked full-time in a corporate job.

It worked out because I’d rather get an master of fine arts (MFA), master in liberal studies (MLS) or something focusing on communications, literature or journalism. Over the years, I’ve watched for distance learning programs in these areas so I have the information available when I’m ready to go back to school.

Note some are low residency programs. These give you the opportunity to go to the campus several times a year for a week or two. Also, colleges appearing in this list do not imply any kind of quality. The list lets you know what’s available to help you find the school that best fits your needs.

List updated when more colleges pop up. If you’ve attended a program or know of one, please in comments.

Low-Residency Programs

Goddard College MFA in Creative Writing. “The low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program is a 48-credit, rigorous, student-centered program for writers who choose to live their lives and hone their writing skills at the same time. Each semester in the low-residency MFA in Creative Writing Program begins with an eight-day residency at the Goddard College campus.”

Naropa University MFA in Creative Writing: “The online Creative Writing degree requires 49 total credit hours, a combination of online workshops, online literature seminars, online elective studies, contemplative practice, summer residence at the Summer Writing Program and at-home manuscript.”

Pacific University MFA in Writing: Located in Oregon, the program helps experienced writers grow in building a portfolio of fiction, nonfiction or poetry and celebrates writing as an art that has the potential to make a difference in the world. The program consists of two annual residency sessions.

Southern New Hampshire University MFA in Fiction and Nonfiction: Low-residency program lets you write at home and meet peers and faculty online. The residencies occur in the summer and winter.

Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in Writing: Two sessions per year residency program with the opportunity of attending a residency in Slovenia instead of Vermont. Available tracks include poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and a concentration in translation. Dual-genre study options available including study in Writing for Children & Young Adults.

Online Programs

Drexel University MS in Communications. Focuses on technical communication with studies in writing, editing, message design, software documentation and ethics. Graduates can go on to pursue careers as technical writers, computer documentation specialists, or training specialists. Students develop a professional exit portfolio based on course work and professional assignments.

Ellis College MA Communication Arts. Ellis College offers two MAs. One in advertising and public relationships. The other in journalism.  ”The Master of Arts program in Communication Arts is an interdisciplinary program that incorporates sound theoretical principles of research, reporting, writing, and cultural studies to achieve effective professional results.”

Full Sail University MFA: “In the Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts Online Degree Program, storytelling is not merely taught as it relates to the typical output mediums of print and publishing.” Offers several areas of focus.

The New School MA in Media Studies. “As a student in the program, you explore traditional disciplines, develop a strong commitment to research and critical analysis, and create and develop media, perhaps transcending traditional formats. It is through the unity of practical and theoretical work that scholars can contribute to the notion of media literacy and our understanding of the modern world. The New School’s 39-credit master’s degree program integrates the studyof media theory and management with production practices.”

Texas Tech Master of Arts in Technical Communications. “This master’s degree combines study of the history, theory, research, and genres of technical communication with practice in applying this knowledge. The thesis option requires students to complete 24 hours of graduate courses in technical communication and electives or a minor, 6 hours of research methods, and a thesis. The nonthesis option requires students to complete 36 hours of graduate courses in technical communication, electives, and a minor. Students who elect the nonthesis option must pass a comprehensive portfolio examination in the semester of graduation.

“The master’s degree in technical communication is also available online. Application and admission processes and degree requirements are similar to those for the nonthesis option for the degree. All distance students must complete 36 hours of graduate coursework in technical communication, language- and communication-related electives, or a minor. One of the courses requires a substantial independent research project that could result in an article for publication. Prospective students are advised to consult www.english.ttu.edu/tcr for details of degree requirements and the course schedule.”

Texas Tech Doctor of Philosophy in Technical Communication & Rhetoric: “Designed for students with an interest in rhetoric, writing, technical communication, and composition. The degree in TCR requires 45 hours of graduate work in rhetoric and technical communication beyond the bachelor’s degree. An additional 15 hours may be used for a minor in a related field. Credits earned on a master’s degree count toward these totals. This degree prepares students for positions in a wide range of college and university writing programs. This degree program requires courses in qualitative and quantitative research methods. The program emphasizes five broad areas of scholarship in its scholarship, coursework, and initiatives: a) Rhetoric, Composition, and Technology, b) Technical Communication, c) Rhetorics of Science and Healthcare, d) Technology, Culture, and Rhetoric, and e) Visual Rhetoric, New Media, and User-Centered Design.”

Utah State University Master of Science in English, Technical Writing Specialization. “There are more than sixty professional directions in professional and technical communication, and our program instructs broadly enough to allow you to choose from most of the most interesting professional directions. In our program, in addition to learning to write professionally, you may design webpages, create technical animations and videos, program special effects for computer applications, study websites for usability, publish book length manuscripts, and create games in two- and three-dimensions.”

University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Creative Writing and the Americas: Offers a bilingual online Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. The goal of this unique bilingual program is to prepare writers for the publishing marketplace and for teaching and editing careers, both in the United States and Latin America.

Resources

Working Mother magazine had a valuable article about online learning and provided some of these resources.

• elearners.com: Search for programs, degrees, courses, colleges and more. It also lets you know about accredited schools.
• projectworkingmom.com: Information and resources for working parents interested in pursuing a college degree.
• studentaid.ed.gov: US Department of Education resource for funding education.

Just discovered Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday is the day before mine. Looked it up because not only does shirt.woot.com feature a cool shirt with ravens creating his likeness, but also it’s this week’s catch. I have the older Edgar Allan Poe Woot shirt: Nevermore.

PC and Mac Catch of the Week: Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue: A dreadful murder and kidnapping has occurred in the Rue Morgue and only you can solve the dark crime! Follow the clues to find the killer and the missing family. Become the apprentice of the famed C. Auguste Dupin and solve the devious puzzles to find the hidden clues that will lead you to the monstrous murderer. Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s most acclaimed murder mystery, Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe’s Murder in the Rue Morgue is a hidden object game full of suspense (when have you NOT heard of “suspense” associated with Poe?) and excitement.

Catch the deal for your PC! Use coupon code CATCH299

Catch the deal for your Mac! Use coupon code CATCH299.

This $2.99 Catch of the Week runs through Sunday, February 13 at 11:59pm.

Remember Big Fish Games has a Daily Deal offering a different game for $2.99 every day. (Look to the right.)

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

Football fans, welcome to Dallas-Fort Worth and places around and in between! First, sorry about the cold weather. It happens when you have Green Bay and Pittsburgh headlining the game. So what can we do? Here are the answers to all your “North Texas” questions and myth crushers from The Dallas Morning News.

Photo by flickr user John Pozadzides

Technically, Cowboy stadium is in Arlington, not Dallas. Oh, not the one with the cemetery. That’s in Virginia. It’s Arlington, Texas where the 2010 MLB American League champions Texas Rangers play. Dang proud of ‘em even if they didn’t win the World Series.

You’ll also find a couple of amusement parks where I spent many summers there including Six Flags and the water park that has changed names many times.

Although Arlington is an entertaining city sandwiched between Dallas and Fort Worth, naming the teams “Arlington” just doesn’t work. Sorry, Arlington.

On top of the identity confusion, did you know that official Super Bowl merchandise say, “North Texas”? Bland, isn’t it?

“Where are you from?”

“North Texas.”

“Where’s the Super Bowl?”

“North Texas.”

Good news is that weather reports predict temps in the 50s on Super Bowl Sunday. I’d say that’s cool. Maybe not South Florida warm, but it’ll do.

I haven’t seen Texas Stadium except while driving on I-20 to my hometown of Fort Worth. My seven-year-old has (camp field trip), my cousin from New York has (Cowboys – Giants game). I just don’t pass that way often and when I do, I’m on my way to hang out with my family in Fort Worth. I did catch a Cowboy game at the old stadium. Neat experience. TV works just fine for me especially with the high priced tickets and parking.

A memorable Super Bowl: I was 11 days from my due date with my oldest child when the Cowboys won the Super Bowl in 1994. Boy, it took a lot of energy not to jump up and down. Folks were surprised I didn’t go in labor during the game.

Brain food…

• 10 Ways to Make Editors Fall in Love with Your Work: Michelle Rafter shares advice from Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) editors.
• Four reasons why the sales growth of e-books will be slower than industry executives think: Michael Hyatt is one of the most reliable resources on the publishing industry.
• The Problem with Memoirs: Harsh, but lots of truths. [Link: Rachelle Gardner]
• Yes Virginia, You Can Over-promote: Sometimes I’m perplexed. I’ve seen folks like the person described in Lori Widmer’s article. Yet, they’re getting results. I aim to help others, get to know ‘em and occasionally point to my work. I think results could be better, but I’d never promote myself like this. And I’ve unsubscribed to newsletters from people who send too much stuff.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Typography Art: Darth Vader and Typographic Maps. [Links: Bitrebels]
• Browser History Timeline: Eric Meyer updated the timeline. I remember my first browser: Mosaic from Internet in a Box.
• United States of Awesome and United States of Shame: Texas rocks wind power, but fails high school.
• Intel’s Thrilling Chase Movie: How long did it take to create this extremely creative film?
• 7 Videogame Characters Made out of Bottle Caps: Starring Blinky and Mario.
• Gamer Wedding Cakes: Glad we stuck with a traditional one even if we liked playing games. These are cute, though, especially “Game Over.”

I love Playfirst games. Flo, Diner Dash, Wedding Dash, Dream Chronicles and on and on. Over 60 of its original, non-Collector’s Edition games are available for $4.99 at Big Fish Games through February 7, 2011 at 11:59pm. Use code: Playfirst. With the wintery weather hitting a lot of places in the US, playing games is a great cure for cabin fever.

My recommendations:

• Diner Dash series
• Wedding Dash series
• Dream Chronicles series
• Chocolatier series
• Wandering Willows
• Cooking Dash series
• Emerald City Confidential

Check out the Playfirst games sale. As always, you can try the game before you buy it. Just make sure you try it in time to buy the game before the sale ends.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

19 high. 8 low. Whoa. Texas gets below freezing temps, but rarely single digit temps. Cold, yes. Affect work, just a little because the kids didn’t have school. It turns out to be a booming YES.

Image from flickr user innpictime

This week has not gone the way I expected. I knew extremely cold temps were heading toward the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but I never thought my kids would be out of school for two or three days and that we’d have rolling blackouts. Four of them came my way in six hours … so far. (Another place just one mile down the road had zero by the time I had three. Hmm …)

I’m grateful for rolling blackouts with their lasting 15 to 20 minutes max. The alternative is to go without power for hours, freeze in my house and worry about refrigerated food. A friend of my daughter’s went without power for over five hours. Yikes. Yay, rolling blackouts.

My computer connects to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) so that sudden outages don’t hurt the computer. But I need to shut it down as soon as I can to preserve the UPS.

Since I use a wireless network, the network goes down as soon as the blackout hits. This means I can’t save any work done over the Internet. Easy workaround. The content stays on the screen after the wireless shuts down. So I just copy the content and paste it into a document that I save on my computer. Then, I safely turn it off.

The constant shutting down, booting up breaks the work flow. After the fourth blackout, I clock out the computer knowing a laptop stands by I need anything.

I started writing just before the second blackout occurred. When the power returned, I moved on to admin work doing first of the month stuff. It needs to be done and this is a good time to do it as disruptions don’t get in the way of the process.

Constant interruptions during writing produces a scattered draft that’s worse than an expected bad first draft. And when you try to get back in swing of things, the power goes out again. Nasty cycle that. Just not a good use of time.

Cell phones. Amen for them! I email my clients to let them know I’d be out of the loop. Thank you, wonderful and understanding clients.

Snow is A-OK in my book. Ice… not so much. Few of us own ice skates and sleds around these parts. Although, I did have a sled in my childhood home and my parents had a perfect small sloped driveway for sledding. AND my neighbors had an unusual driveway that went below the street (only house to do that), so I’d sled down our drive way gaining enough momentum to make it down the neighbor’s driveway.

My current driveway has a slope, but it’s not safe because it’s in the back facing an alley with fences blocking the view both ways. You can’t see who’s coming unlike the driveway in front of my parent’s house. Besides, there’s very little street space (just enough for a car and one person walking next to it), so the chances of smashing into the neighbor’s fence are very good.

What unexpected work disruptions have encountered and how did you deal with them?

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans