Weekly Writer’s Roundup Volume 1 – Articles about Writing, Publishing and Promoting

Looking for something to read this weekend?  Want to learn what’s up in the world of professional and near-professional writing and authorship?  I’ve got you covered.

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Weekly Writer’s Roundup!  Each Friday, I’ll publish a list of articles about writing I’ve found, enjoyed and from which I’ve learned something.  Happy reading!

Vintage Typewriter
Vintage Typewriter

Continue reading “Weekly Writer’s Roundup Volume 1 – Articles about Writing, Publishing and Promoting”

Ancient Pregnancy Tests

The modern urine-based home pregnancy test first appeared in drug stores in 1977.  Unlike the streamlined, simple color-coded test results prospective parents enjoy today, this test was complicated, involving several implements and steps, and was also finicky and time-consuming.  The slightest vibration could spoil the test results.

“it contained a vial of purified water, an angled mirror, a test tube and red blood cells taken from a sheep.” — New York Time

egyptian-wall-carving-of wheat

But, the idea that the urine of a pregnant woman was perceptibly different from that of a non-pregnant woman has persisted since ancient times.  The first known recorded pregnancy test dates to 1350 BCE in ancient Egypt.

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Wherein I ponder family, politics, and mortality – Part 2

This is Part 2 of a series of articles I will post this month.  Part 1 is here.

My first day back in Florida is mostly a blur. I flew to the Pensacola airport, where my brother met me.  It was an hour’s drive to the town where my parents and siblings live.  Our conversation on the drive, and later at the restaurant where we had lunch was probably the best preparation for seeing my father’s current condition one could have.  My brother mentioned that my dad was concerned there was something wrong with his computer.  He’d been so concerned about it one night that week that my mom finally called my brother at 2 or 3 in the morning to talk about it.  Bro drove over to their house to see if he could find the problem, but there was nothing obvious.  Being there and working on the computer was enough to calm my dad for the night, at least.

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The change in my dad was stark.  Physically, he didn’t seem all that different.  He still had the taut, stringy musculature of a long distance runner.  Though the line from tautness to gauntness had been crossed, it wasn’t obvious through his khakis and t-shirt. The thick, fine salt and pepper hair had gone pure white.  The stark change was in his alertness, his finely honed sense of humor, his wit, and his facile use of language.  When he talked, there were long pauses as he struggled to find the right words.  Sometimes, his attention wandered before the words were found.  Other times he was visibly upset, fighting against the brain fog, determined to communicate, to be there.

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The Green and Gold Blog – by Chris

Chris is pursuing an MS degree in Environmental Studies.  He’s recently started a blog about Climate Science.  This article is a good summary of where he’s headed and what he intends to accomplish as a science blogger.  Enjoy!

A Discussion About THE Discussion

So today I wanted to talk about climate change, specifically the discussion behind climate change. Thanks to any number of things (politics mostly) any discussion about climate change always starts the same. Whether it is real or not… whether it is natural or man-made… or whatever ‘us vs. them’ argument of your choice (I’m partial to angry spirits vs. magic myself). Ask the average media personnel and they’ll reference an interview between a scientist and climate change denier. With media coverage framed like this obviously scientists are split down the middle as to whether climate change is a real thing or whether it’s just make believe right?Well….actually no. The debate is not 50-50. Now there are multiple documented sources; that indicate that a vast majority of people and organizations with qualified opinions believe in the components of climate change. Skeptical Science (the third link) were the ones who coined the 97% figure often thrown out. Is that a true and accurate number? Ummm…who knows? The point is a vast majority of qualified people do understand climate change and that’s the important part. So why does this 97 vs. 3 non-issue seem so contentious?

Read more here:

Source: The Green and Gold Blog – by Chris

Useful Stuff for the Indie Author Part 1 | C.S. Wilde

I ran across this blog article by C. S. Wilde in my wanderings today, and found it thought-provoking.  I’m still in revision mode with miles to go before I sleep.  I can hardly look out far enough to focus on the eventual task of finding beta readers.  Once in a while I think ahead to blurbs, book covers, etc., but it’s inscrutable.  I brush the thoughts away with an assurance to self:  “It surely will all make more sense when I get to that point”

This article and others like it shine a light on the path ahead.

As an indie author, I focus most of my budget on editing. One, because I want to get a FANTASTIC book out there, and two, indies in general have a bad reputation. And that bugs me. Some of us put r…

Source: Useful Stuff for the Indie Author Part 1 | C.S. Wilde