All Things Writing

The Craft of Writing

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Strange Topics

Somewhere along the way to becoming a full-time freelance writer, I developed a taste for strange topics.

The first topic was extra-virgin olive oil. That topic piqued my interest when I learned that not all extra virgin olive oil was actually extra virgin. My attempts to follow up were met with stony silence. The result? Someone else wrote what I will always regretfully consider “my” book.

The next topic was master sauces. I know. Who gets excited about master sauces?[That’s me waving madly, by the way.] What about master sauces? I’m not sure. I’ve read several books about them and tried a few on my own BUT the great good news is that there is a three-part sauce techniques class coming up in October and I will be one of the students!

Where is this going to lead? No clue. I’m in what I believe journalists refer to as the “reporting” part of the story. I have enough experience now to understand that this is a time to enjoy as I learn about my topic and see what resonates with me.

I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for over a year!

Go me.


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Rounding Third

So close to completion of my book on applied fluid dynamics. It’s due to my editor on Monday and the thing that takes me a bit by surprise is how much I love this book. Still. It’s the book I envisioned at the start. It’s a book that fills a niche — I know this for a fact because I looked everywhere for a book like this when I was trying to understand fluid dynamics in nature and in practice.

The Book, as we refer to it at home, has four sections. The first is about fluid dynamic principles in action. It covers aquatic animals, mans attempts to imitate the fish and the birds, and flight. The second section covers the theorists in hydrodynamics and aerodynamics. It fits it all together so you can see how the work of one laid the foundation for the others. The third section covers scale model testing from William Froude through the Wright Brothers. It also covers prototyping with Goddard. The last section covers computational fluid dynamics.

It’s not a highly technical book; it’s intended to be accessible to non-scientists. For pure elegance, nothing can touch Adair’s “The Physics of Baseball,” but this book sings to me. After all this time and effort, I’m delighted that’s still the case.


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Journalistic Integrity

I am appalled. Absolutely appalled. I’ve just listened to the retraction issued by  This American Life in relation to the Mike Daisey story about Apple in China. Entitled, “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs,” Daisey’s stage show recounts his visit to Apple’s Foxconn factory.

This retraction (Episode 460: Retraction) to the story run on This American Life (Episode 454: Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory) includes conversations with the interpreter, Cathy Lee, that Daisey told This American Life reporter Ira Glass, he had no way to contact. Her reaction to the discrepancies is that Daisey “is a writer. So I know what he say is only maybe half of them or less actual But he is allowed to do that, right? Because he’s not a journalist.”

That would be fine if Daisey had portrayed what he wrote as a work of fiction but he did not. In fact, Daisey knew that his story was going to be used on This American Life, and he was told that whatever was aired on that show had to be factually accurate. This is what Daisey told Ira Glass in the interview about fact checking with This American Life producer Brian Reed that followed the Schmitz interview in the retraction:

  • Glass reads from email from Reed to Daisey: …Being that news stations are obviously a different kind of form than theater, we wanted to make sure that this thing is totally, utterly unassailable by anyone who might hear it.
  • Glass reads from Daisey’s return email: I totally get that. I want you to know that makes sense to me. A show built orally for the theater is different than what typically happens in a news station. I appreciate that you’re taking the time to go over this.
  • Glass: And so you understood that we wanted this to be accurate in the most traditional sense.
  • Daisey: Yes. I did.

Rob Schmitz, China correspondent for the public radio program Marketplace first noted the discrepancies in Daisey’s show. It was he who interviewed Daisey in the first part of the retraction show. Even simple things were suspect and Daisey admitted he had visited fewer factories than he’d said. He also said he didn’t actually have a girl say she was twelve; he used that age to cover the spread of the age of the girls that he suspected they were. And, he did not actually meet hexane-damaged workers — shaking uncontrollably or otherwise — as he said he had in his monologue.

  • Schmitz: Let’s talk about the hexane poisoned workers. Cathy says that you did not talk to workers who were poisoned by hexane and were shaking uncontrollably.
  • Daisey: That’s correct. I met workers in Hong Kong going to Apple protests who had not been poisoned by hexane but had known people who had been, and it was like a constant conversation we were having about these workers. So no, they were not at that meeting.
  • Schmitz: So you lied about that. That wasn’t what you saw?
  • Daisey: I wouldn’t express it that way.
  • Schmitz: How would you express it?
  • Daisey: I wanted to tell a story that captured the totality of my trip and so when I was building the scene of that meeting I wanted to have the voice of this thing that had been happening that had been talking about.
  • Glass: So you didn’t meet any worker who’d been poisoned by hexane?
  • Daisey: That’s correct.

Why does it matter? It matters because those of us who write narrative nonfiction take what we do very seriously. Everything must be true. It must happen the way it happened; not the way we wish it had happened. The dialogue, the details, the characters — they need to be true. Composite characters are out. Moving events in time or space is out. Guesstimating is out.

To portray something as true when it is not true is the ultimate betrayal of public trust.

As for Daisey? This excerpt is from his website as of today, regrettably, says it all:

What I do is not journalism. The tools of the theater are not the same as the tools of journalism. For this reason, I regret that I allowed THIS AMERICAN LIFE to air an excerpt from my monologue. THIS AMERICAN LIFE is essentially a journalistic ­- not a theatrical ­- enterprise, and as such it operates under a different set of rules and expectations. But this is my only regret. I am proud that my work seems to have sparked a growing storm of attention and concern over the often appalling conditions under which many of the high-tech products we love so much are assembled in China.

This American Life Episode 460: Retraction

This American Life Episode 454: Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory


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Time to Read!

I’ve been reading and listening to a number of new nonfiction titles. Some have been great. Some not so much. It just feels wonderful to have enough balance in my life to add this back into my routine. A quick rundown:

“Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil” by Tom Mueller — Overview: Just what is in that bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil? Does the designation have any meaning? Is there any hope for this product? Plus: Exhaustive treatise on extra virgin olive oil. Well written. Minus: Sometimes circles around on itself. Sometimes has far more information than you could possibly want. Bottom Line: Well worth the time to read or listen. Will give you a solid working knowledge of the topic.

“Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” by Susan Cain — Overview: This book posits that there are introverts and extroverts, and that introverts are far better suited to many positions of importance. Plus: I learned a lot about studies into personality. Minus: More a personal journey than a scientific work. Bottom Line: The pro-Introvert bias is annoying enough that I nearly did not finish the audio book.

“The Perfection Point: Sport Science Predicts the Fastest Man, the Highest Jump, and the Limits of Athletic Performance” by John Brenkus — Overview: Just how fast can a man run? How far can he drive a golf ball? How much can a person bench press? Plus: Convivial voice. Thoughtful reasoning. Minus: A lot of conjecture despite the ‘science’ in the book. Bottom Line: The conjecture is right up front. An interesting book.

“The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon” by David Grann — Overview: Percy Fawcett vanished in the Amazon jungle in 1925. This book tells the story as Grann works to solve the mystery of his disappearance. Plus: Well written. Fascinating topic. Minus: Too many threads and outtakes. Bottom Line: The book is well done and the topic fascinating enough that it is well worth the read or listen.


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“An honest mistake”

Okay. That’s it. I’m interrupting my writing blog to comment on an act of racism. The ESPN writer, Anthony Federico, the one who wrote the culturally insensitive and frankly racist headline, “Chink in the Armor: Jeremy Lin’s 9 Turnovers Cost Knicks in Streak-stopping Loss to Hornets” has been fired.

Where do I begin?

First – According to CNN, Mr. Federico wants us all to know that he’d like to tell Jeremy Lin what happened and explain that this was an “honest mistake.”

Second – Who cares that it was an honest mistake? Would it be better if it were somehow dishonest? Does it matter less because this guy actually thinks of Chinese people as “Chinks.” Would it be someone better if he were someone who didn’t think of Chinese people in this way and was led astray by someone else?

Third – Where were the copyeditors? Did it not ring a bell anywhere that this was highly offensive. Does ESPN not have a STYLE GUIDE?

Fourth – Mr. Federico is sorry “if” he offended people and “if” he offended Jeremy Lin. Be real. Who likes to be referred to by an ethnic slur that is older than the people involved in this event?

Archie Bunker had his time upon the national stage. He opened an age of dialogue about racial terms that I thought had ushered in a new era of thoughtfulness that was more than skin deep. Evidently, not so much. At least not for Anthony Federico and ESPN.


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To PayPal or Not to PayPal

PayPal. The ubiquitous money-mover that’s popping up ever more often as a method of payment.  The question is, do you use it as a way for people to pay for your services?

Let’s consider the pros and cons. Since I like my bad news first and quick, I’ll start with the cons:

  • PayPal takes a 3% fee for each payment made to you via a PayPal button on your shopping cart. (The majority of similar services also take a fee.)
  • In the case of a customer dispute, it will take approximately 8 weeks for the funds to be re-deposited to your account if you are victorious. Yes. Eight. Weeks. If your business is as cash-starved as mine, that will be a very looooonnnnnggggg eight weeks. And I’m here to ensure you that no amount of pleading, crying, whining, threatening, or cajoling is going to make that less than eight weeks.  Even if the customer informs his credit card company that the charge was correct and he was in error. Eight weeks. Just saying’
  • You could have your client deposit your funds into your bank account automatically – without any fees.

Then again …

  • The fee is tax deductible. Truly. Check it out for yourself in IRS Publication 334.
  • The money is in your account and ready to use – immediately.
  • For many individuals who are using your services, using PayPal is simple, easy, and not a matter of a cash outlay on their part.

Bottom line? The entire time I was waiting for my money to re-appear in my PayPal account, I swore I’d never use PayPal again. Then I had over sixty families in four separate locations registering for my KidWrite program and – what can I say – PayPal was once again a no-brainer.

Next time – Getting your money out of PayPal!


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Who Knew? Katherine Paterson

The first amazing writer I met and had a conversation with was … Katherine Paterson! Yes. THE Katherine Paterson! How did I have the nerve to strike up a conversation about the fact that we both could trace a part of our family history – her’s through her husband – to Scotland via the Paterson (one “t”!) name, as well as the fact that we are both adoptive moms?

Obviously, the first factor was that I’d never heard of her because I’d been living under a rock and deep in the trenches of young children when her amazing work first came out. The second factor was that I met her under the least auspicious circumstances possible: she was at a regional SCBWI conference at the request of a long-time friend. The conference was a one-day affair in a church with a parking lot that is always jammed.  Factor three?  It was the very first children’s writing conference I attended.

Imagine my horror when she was ultimately introduced – full credentials cited – and went on to tell a very funny story about her granddaughter, the Queen of Denmark, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. (If you’re cringing in horror, you definitely get it!)

Since that day, I’ve been at one other conference where Katherine Paterson was a speaker. This time it was the SCBWI Annual Winter Conference. I probably would have gotten it that she was an author of note that time from the fact that she was a prominent part of the program, but honestly, she is such a warm and gracious person that I still might have gotten up the nerve to speak to her — Not!

I’m blushing crimson to admit there are several other authors I’ve met in similar fashion. More in the future!


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Who Knew?

When I launched my freelance career, I had no idea I would be fortunate enough to meet some of the most amazing writers alive. Let’s face it, even if I had, I wouldn’t have guessed the names and or the circumstances. I suppose it’s been serendipitous. I know for sure it’s been a lot of fun!  From time to time I’ll share the story of one of my adventures.


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Author Page on Amazon

I just created my Author Page on Amazon.com.  It was easy and — to tell you the truth — sort of fun!  Assuming I’ve done everything correctly, this post will show up on the page sometime in the near future.  We’ll see!

Meanwhile?

It’s all in the works at this url: https://www.amazon.com/author/ginahagler


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Apps to the Rescue

I’ve been running like a fool, trying to keep track of too many things between too many devices.  The result?  An exhausted, frazzled me.  And a hot mess of note, notecards, notebooks, pads, scraps of paper…

Today I decided it was time to tackle it all and find a way to get my iPad, iPhone, and Mac to play nice with the software I use most often.  The result — SUCCESS!

I use Scrivener for my nonfiction projects. I’ve also started to use if for organizing other projects.  For instance, I’m using it to keep track of everything associated with the redesign of my website and the associated considerations for the type of business I’d like to pursue this year.  If I were in my office all day, I would just work in Scrivener on my computer but most days I have at least an hour or two of accumulated time when I could be doing something work-related but I’m not in my office.  Don’t get me wrong!  If I’m caught up with my work, I actually read or catch up with friends.  But sometimes that’s just not possible.

I’d read somewhere that I can use simplenote to synch with Scrivener!  The Scrivener program is on my desktop, with the data file in Dropbox so I can access it from my laptop if I want.  The simple note app is on my iPad2 and my iPhone4.  The data file is in the cloud.  I watched a video about synching the notes I make or the changes I make to existing content and voila, I can do work on my iPad and synch it back to Scrivener.  It really works!

I also have started using Evernote to keep track of my ideas.  There is an app for my desktop or laptop as well as for my iPad2 and my iPhone.  The data is stored in the cloud so all I need to do is log in and add a note or make a change.  It’s available to all my devices whenever I want to plan or work.  It’s simple to use and I have the notes categorized with tabs to I can see by market, stage of progress, overall topic, etc.  For me at least, it’s far more useful than a simple reminder or ToDo list.

So as long as the cloud and Dropbox and Evernote are available, I’m good to go …

What software and/or apps do you use to keep track of your ideas and work in progress?  Please share your experience!