Ian M Rountree

Copywriter, Project Manager, Digital Marketing

How To Get the Most out of Training

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Stop talking so damn much!

I’m learning an entirely new batch of knowledge almost on a daily basis in the new job. Loads about the differing languages of writing (content, copy, creative, technical and so on) as well as, naturally, SEO and other esoteric processes. But one of the things I’m finding is that trying to give input during learning really ruins the entire process.

I keep trying to give feedback. And it’s not helping.

It’s difficult for a lot of people to make sure that their instructors know they’re paying attention, without settling firmly in the camps of either (a) unhelpful “yes” and “I get it” answers or (b) overstating their reactions, or trying to apply too much of their existing knowledge to what they’re being taught that’s new.

It’s a hard line to draw in the sand for yourself, but being aware of the gap between those two camps, and finding ways to navigate the gap in a manner helpful to both you and your instructor, so you both know where you stand, and where there’s room for improvement.

The key can’t be just finding the right sensei.

You’ve got to embrace your inner grasshopper in a productive way. There’s no magic black belt (or in this case black tie) that suddenly aligns you with your best learning and response methods.

Remember, your inner grasshopper is your friend!

By the way, thanks for all the help over the last couple of weeks promoting and supporting The Dowager Shadow, everyone. It’s been a great help – the next chapter begins March 1st, and introduces the majority of the remaining cast. At least, on one side of the story. Action to follow!

Amazing Things: Writing Books

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CC Chapman wants to write a book. I’ll probably buy it when it comes out. Not just out of support; I like the way he thinks enough to acquire the souvenir.

CC, very determined, put the intention out in the smoke on a recent episode of Managing the Grey. But why write a book? Why put in all that extra effort to create a souvenir for people to host dust colonies on, or download onto their kindlePads? Why expend so much effort on such a huge timesink that may, or may not, make you any money, or get any attention, or even succeed enough on the long tail to get a second printing?

I want to write a book. I hope people buy it when it comes out.

Not just out of hubris, I legitimately hope the work I do excited people enough to earn their dollars. Even if most of those dollars go to other people, the owning of the souvenir, the ability to say I did something that made a splash with people enough to garner a near-permanent spot on their shelf. And that’s just the souvenir version.

What about the other options? Are they less viable?

There’s not really one way to write a book any more. More people are publishing eBooks, free or not. More people are creating serialized blogs. Scott Adams released a collection of his blog posts as a book a while ago. I’m publishing The Dowager Shadow roughly three pages a day as a blog, mostly because getting the writing out there is more important – to me – than getting the publishing deal. I’m well aware of authors’ lack of wages just from published books.

So why publish a book? Hell, why write one in the first place?

Writing a book is a massive collection of effort. When I set out to do my first NaNoWriMo in 2008, I had no concept, no story, no idea what was ahead. I chose the Maredran setting which would eventually become The Dowager Shadow mostly because a bunch of the work was already done, and the NaNo project would be collating and expanding on very rough outlines and game posts from a forum community. It made a logical choice. But I still struggled, producing 2500 words a day for a month. I still struggle, producing somewhere around a thousand a day for this blog and others now, mostly because I limit my time to an hour a night. It’s a hobby.

Beware of turning hobbies into jobs.

Blogging is a hobby for me. It’ll remain so. Even doing creative writing for a job will not be blogging – the process is completely different. The same thing with fiction writing. I don’t know how I’d behave, having to produce on a deadline as contract novelists do. So I’m pumping out my work at my own pace, as it’s completed. The volumes will each get released as eBooks once they’re done publishing, as will the entire book at the end of the thing. Sure, I’d like to make money on it. Why not, right?

But, bigger than making money, I want my stuff read. Isn’t that why any of us writes in the first place? Such big work is a great way to start off a conversation with a bang.

Why write a book? Because the method of publishing is irrelevant, the work itself is an amazing thing.