writing

Speakipedia Podcast #27: Marilyn August

 Transcript  Dave Bricker (00:05) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is…

3 weeks ago

Speakipedia Podcast #26: David Murray

Transcript Dave Bricker  (00:05) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia…

4 weeks ago

Speakipedia Podcast #25: Rob Shanahan

Transcript:  Dave Bricker (00:07) This is Speakipedia Media brought to you by Speakipedia .com. I'm your host, Dave Bricker, bringing…

1 month ago

Speakipedia Podcast #23: Mitch Mitchem

Transcript  Dave Bricker (00:00) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia…

2 months ago

Speakipedia Podcast #22: Paula Rizzo

Transcript Dave Bricker (00:07) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia…

2 months ago

Speakipedia Podcast # 20: Mark Entrekin

Dave Bricker (00:07) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence? This is Speakipedia Media brought…

2 months ago

Speakipedia Podcast #19: Humphrey Bower

Dave Bricker (00:00) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia Media…

3 months ago

Speakipedia Podcast #18: Pauline Butcher Bird

Dave Bricker: Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia Media brought…

3 months ago

Speakipedia Podcast #17: Bill Stainton

Transcript   [00:00:00] Dave Bricker: Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is…

3 months ago

Speakipedia Podcast # 15:<br>Simone Vincenzi

  Transcript Dave Bricker: Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia…

4 months ago

Speakipedia Podcast # 13:<br>Rick Lozano

Transcription Dave Bricker (00:07) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speekipedia…

4 months ago

Storytelling Wizard (Demo)

by Dave BrickerLoad a demo and view the AI-generated results. Intro Setup Protagonist Transformation Conflict Steps Characters The Story Introduction…

5 months ago

Speakipedia Podcast #10:<br> Johann Callaghan

Dave Bricker (00:01) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia Media…

5 months ago

Speakipedia Podcast # 9:<br>David H. Lawrence the XVII

Transcript Dave Bricker (00:01) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakypedia…

5 months ago

Pedantic

Pedantic means being overly concerned with formal rules and trivial points of learning, often emphasizing the minutiae of knowledge rather…

5 months ago

Publishing Straight Talk

There are plenty of good reasons to self-publish, but not all are profit-oriented or even rational. Before you invest in…

5 months ago

Writing is Design: Avoid Writing Clichés for Better Prose

Since time immemorial, clichés have sneaked in the door when we least expect them to. They're low-hanging fruit for writers…

5 months ago

Nonfiction Writing and the One-sided Sales Conversation

Business, technology, and how-to books can be viewed as one-sided sales conversations. Though the author may hope to sell products…

5 months ago

Verbs: Spice Up Your Writing with Verbs that Rock

Verbs are the engines that move your writing and your readers, but many authors don’t spend enough time choosing the…

5 months ago

Book Design Basics: Choosing a Book Font

Selecting a book font seems simple enough, but important subtleties and fine points of typography are not obvious to the…

5 months ago

Rethinking Book Cover Design

Book cover design tells the story of the story. It must convey the spirit and intentions of the author authentically,…

5 months ago

The Singular They is Now Officially Correct

Find your favorite writer and give them this message: They no longer have to mire their writing down with awkward…

5 months ago

Publishing Advice – Practices & Principles

The following publishing advice is based on my own experiences and those of my clients. I hope you find it…

5 months ago

Essay Writing and The Art of the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

The principles behind the simple art of essay writing can be applied to most any kind of written work. Even…

5 months ago

Want a Traditional Publishing Contract? Do Your Homework

This article discusses the pros and cons of traditional publishing. Abandon your biases, study the business of publishing, and choose…

5 months ago

Book Design Basics: Quotation Marks and Primes

Writers often ask about the difference between "straight" or "dumb" quotation marks and traditional printers' quotes, commonly referred to as…

5 months ago

Writing is Design: Two-Word Writing Clichés

Two-word clichés are perhaps the least obvious kind. Unless we’re vigilant, they sneak into our prose, steal color, mask our…

5 months ago

The Perfect Book Sales Page

Tom Morkes published The Perfect Book sales Page on his blog. I'm usually the first person to reject formulaic approaches…

5 months ago

Track Changes – The Essential Tool for Writers and Editors

If you’re not using your Word Processor’s Track Changes function, you’re missing out on one of the best writing tools…

5 months ago

Publishing Scams and How they Work

Many self-publishers start their book projects with unrealistic expectations and misunderstandings about how publishing works. A huge industry has arisen…

5 months ago

Book Giveaways: Are They Worth it?

Should you give away books for free? The value of book giveaways can't be assessed by formula. The prevailing mythology…

5 months ago

Writing Ergonomics: Avoiding Injury at Your Desk

This article explores ergonomic solutions to writers’ repetitive stress problems. As static as it may seem, writing is a physically…

5 months ago

How to Produce Audiobooks with Amazon ACX

This article explains how to produce and market a professional quality audiobook using Amazon ACX. Through ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange),…

5 months ago

Self-Publishing Scams: Keep the “Self” in Self-Publishing

Here's an addendum to Publishing Scams and How they Work. I wonder why so many authors, after spending thousands of…

5 months ago

Tabs, Indents, and Margins: How to use the Tab Ruler

This article explains the tab ruler found on every word processor and typesetting application. Understanding the simple and elegant split…

5 months ago

Encouragement for Those On The Path to Better Writing

So many writers get discouraged. This stinks. I quit. Others are overconfident. They've always had "a gift for words" so…

5 months ago

A Manuscript is Not a Book: Ten Tips for Manuscript Preparation

In my work with writers, I come across many common technical problems with manuscripts. These usually spring from the best…

5 months ago

Creative Nonfiction, Memoir, and the Nature of Truth

A few years ago, I attended a nonfiction-writing workshop where I was told by the instructor that to qualify as…

5 months ago

Not Selling Books? Did you do the Math?

You threw a grand party but nobody came. Your novel is so good but you're not selling books. What happened?…

5 months ago

Writing is Design: Boring Words & Generic Descriptions – Not Nice!

Generic descriptions are telltale signs of lazy writing. Add color to your writing by replacing overused and boring words. It's…

5 months ago

Writing is Design – Writing Dialogue: He Said. She Said.

Dialogue presents challenges for writers. Some prefer to simply declare what was “said.” Many authors feel that “said” is both…

5 months ago

The Grammar of Book Design

Are images analogous to words? Is what makes a sentence sound "right" the same thing that makes an image "pop"…

5 months ago

Writing is Design: Shy Away from Timid and Passive Writing

"Passive writing" refers to a specific set of grammatical circumstances where emphasis switches from subject to object. The money was…

5 months ago

Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 3

This third installment of Judging a Book by its Cover looks at great book cover designs that won the 2012…

5 months ago

Writing is Design: Avoid Bland Pronouns and Boring Verbs

As a graphic designer, I see numerous parallels between the values that create engaging imagery and the values that create…

5 months ago

Writing is Design: Eliminate THAT Fat From Your Writing

The word "that" is often abused. "That" is a perfectly useful pronoun but it's often the useless fat that slows…

5 months ago

Blogging to Build a Speaker or Author Platform

How can speakers, indie writers, and self-publishers use a blog to build a platform? This article explains how to publish…

5 months ago

Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 2

Part 1 of Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover critiqued "professional" covers taken from Amazon's Editor's choice…

5 months ago

What’s a Professional Editor Worth?

What do you think a professional editor's pay scale should be? Assume that a proofreader would be at the bottom…

5 months ago

Co-Publishing – Alternative Path or Another Trap for Writers?

I recently published a post about the difference between vanity publishing and true self-publishing. Fundamentally, the article defines a publisher…

5 months ago

Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by Its Cover – Part 1

Nothing screams “amateur” like a poorly crafted book cover. The standards for book design aspired to by trade publishers are…

5 months ago

Reality Checklist for Self-Publishers

One question that loops endlessly on writers’ forums is “How can I sell more books?” The question is a natural…

5 months ago

Why You Need a Professional Editor

After completing the final draft of a manuscript for my fifth book, I wanted a reality check. I hired a…

5 months ago

Proposed Standards for Book Typography

The word processor has placed new burdens on writers to understand how to use italics, big and small capitals, dashes,…

5 months ago

Straight Talk About Book Reviews

Book  reviews are critically important. Have you ever read a book hoping it would get better, only to find that…

5 months ago

Gatekeepers and Self-Publishing

Indie publishers complain that the mainstream publishing establishment acts as a "gatekeeper." Many readers rely on big publishing houses to…

5 months ago

Self-Publishing: Art or Business?

The very idea of "book marketing" is vague. It's like subsuming advertising and fine art sales into a single realm…

5 months ago

Indie Publishers, Bookstores and Readers – the Indie Ecosystem

Indie publishers are everywhere and so are indie bookstores, but apart from their names, the two have little in common.…

5 months ago

Book Design Basics – Dashes, Hyphens and Dots

This section on dashes, hyphens and dots goes beyond typographic aesthetics to explore how we can communicate more effectively as…

5 months ago

Self-Publishing IS Real Publishing-The Difference is up to You

The notion of real publishing­ as opposed to self-publ­ishing and the stigma surrounding it is obsolete. I have no objections…

5 months ago

Book Design Basics: Small Capitals – Avoiding Capital Offenses

Use of Small Capitals—uppercase characters designed at lowercase scale—is one aspect of writing and book design that isn’t taught in…

5 months ago

Book Design Basics Part 3: Running The Numbers

Part 3 of Book Design Basics explores better ways to present numbers on your pages. Numbers (called figures) look simple…

5 months ago

The Single Most Important Contribution to Publishing

Many readers still love to feel the subtle emboss of letters stamped on paper with metal type. I was rummaging…

5 months ago

Book Design Basics Part 1: Margins and Leading

Book design is a lost art. Though book design discussions usually focus on covers, consider how much more time a…

5 months ago

Book Design Basics Part 2: Optical Margins, Indents and Periods

Part 2 of Fundamentals of Book Design explores optical margins, paragraph formatting and spaces. Read about margins, layout and leading…

5 months ago

Self-Publishers Should Not Be Self-Editors

Editing is one of the first hurdles you’ll encounter as an independent writer. Your fan club is your enemy. Encouraging…

5 months ago

Self-Publishing? Get Real(istic)!

There are plenty of good reasons to self-publish, but not all are profit-oriented or even rational. Before you invest in…

5 months ago

Runny Noses, Sunspots and Thesis Writing

Thesis writing is one of the purest forms of self-publishing. In my work as a professor, I regularly encountered students…

5 months ago

Many Unhappy Returns – Think Outside the Bookstore

If you're hoping to have mainstream bookstore distribution, using a Vanity Press may present some obstacles. Book buyers will likely…

5 months ago

Tips For Book Cover Design

Most book designers make the same errors. One sore spot for me and with many of my university design students,…

5 months ago

Epithet

Epithet—a descriptive phrase that expresses a characteristic of the person or thing mentioned. It’s used to add to a person’s…

5 months ago

Colloquialism

Colloquialisms are informal words or phrases that people use in everyday speech but which might not be suitable for formal…

5 months ago

Cacophony

Cacophony refers to a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds, used to describe a situation where a lot of noise makes…

5 months ago

Hyperbaton

Hyperbaton—a literary device that involves altering the normal order of words in a sentence for emphasis, to create a dramatic…

5 months ago

Hyperbole

Hyperbole—an exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally but used to grab attention, emphasize a point, or…

5 months ago

Monomyth

The monomyth, or the hero's journey, is a common narrative archetype that involves a hero who goes on an adventure,…

5 months ago

Allegory

Allegory is a narrative technique in which characters and events represent broader themes and ideas. Through allegory, storytellers explore complex…

5 months ago

Metonymy

Metonymy—a figure of speech in which one object or idea takes the place of another with which it has a…

5 months ago

Litotes

Litotes—a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite. It’s often used to convey modesty…

5 months ago

Oxymoron

Oxymoron—a figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear in conjunction. It's used to create a dramatic effect or to…

5 months ago

Motif

A motif is a recurring theme, subject, or idea that appears throughout a literary work, which helps to develop the…

5 months ago

Narrative Hook

Narrative Hook—an opening to a story that grabs the audience's attention so that they want to keep reading or listening.…

5 months ago

Homiletics

Homiletics—the art of preaching or writing sermons.  It involves the construction of a message and the effective delivery of that…

5 months ago

Rhetorical Question

A rhetorical question is a question asked to make a point rather than to solicit an answer. It’s a common…

5 months ago

Asyndeton

Asyndeton involves omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. This can create a fast-paced and concise effect, adding urgency or…

5 months ago

Rhetoric

Rhetoric is the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, particularly the use of figures of speech and other…

5 months ago

Pleonasm

Pleonasm, which means using more words than necessary to convey meaning, often redundantly. ‘I saw it with my own eyes'…

5 months ago

Paronomasia

Paronomasia, or punning, involves using words that sound similar but have different meanings, often to humorous effect. 'Time flies like…

5 months ago

Synecdoche

Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa. It…

5 months ago

Verisimilitude

Verisimilitude is the appearance of being true or real in a literary work. It helps in making a story or…

5 months ago

Tone

Tone in writing and speaking refers to the attitude or approach that the author or speaker takes toward the subject…

5 months ago

Solecism

A solecism is a grammatical mistake or nonstandard usage in speech or writing, such as a misplaced modifier or incorrect…

5 months ago

Simile

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things using 'like' or 'as' to highlight similarities explicitly.…

5 months ago

Speakipedia Podcast #7: <br>Kelly Swanson

Transcript Dave Bricker (00:07) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia Media…

6 months ago

Speakipedia Podcast #5:<br>Neal Petersen

Transcript Dave Bricker   (00:06) This is Speakipedia Media brought to you by Speakipedia .com. Want to expand your speaking and storytelling…

6 months ago

Free E-Books by Dave Bricker

Effective speakers wrap their messages in stories—but few understand what stories are and how they work. This brief guide explores…

10 months ago

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

Ethos, pathos, and logos combine to form a mode of persuasion that has ancient roots. Ethos appeals to the credibility…

10 months ago

Speechwriting: The Magic of the One-Sentence Paragraph

One-sen­tence para­graphs are com­mon when short pieces of di­a­log are being ex­changed, but con­sider the ef­fect of se­r­ial one-sen­tence para­graphs…

10 months ago

Speaking Vocabulary

Words and Terms related to speaking and speechwriting: Adynaton [ad-uh-NAY-ton]: A form of hyperbole in which the exaggeration is so…

10 months ago

Speechwriting: Come to Your Senses

Writing teachers encourage us to engage the mind and senses. Describe sights, smells, tastes, sounds, feelings, thoughts, and tactile experiences…

10 months ago

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