A Nonprofit Commons workshop by Dr. Cynthia Calongne on The Writer's Craft: Writing on Fire hosted July 19, 2019

1. by Lyr Lobo, Fantasy Faire 2019
The Writer’s Craft
Writing on Fire
Lyr Lobo, CTU & CCCS
Dr. Cynthia Calongne
Nonprofit Commons
July 19, 2019
Workshop in Second Life
http://bit.ly/NPCinSL
Image: Lyr inside the volcano
A tale well told

2. The Goal for the Writer’s Craft
To inspire you to write – be on fire!
To build a sustainable professional practice
To hear your voice as you join our finest authors
For you to share your tales of triumph & transformation
To see your nonprofit & educational communities flourish

3. Bestselling author Jonathan Maberry
is one of Today’s Top Ten Horror Writers
He wrote V-Wars, coming soon on Netflix
and publishes in the X-Files
http://www.jonathanmaberry.com/
As a child, his writing group featured
Arthur C. Clarke and Ray Bradbury
He wrote over 35 books, five book series, &
nonfiction, comics, and a pop culture podcast
Early in his career
He wrote the snarky Maxine greeting cards
He wrote the blurb on Burpee seed packets and
receives royalties for them
Jonathan Maberry
https://twitter.com/JonathanMaberry

4. What should I write?
Image by Lyr Lobo from her VWMOOC18 scripting workshop held in a volcano, location byThe Vesuvius Group

5. Do not wait for the Muse
Roger Ebert (2008) wrote the following thoughts:
“I take dictation from that place within my mind that knows what
to say. I think most good writers do.”
“There is no such thing as waiting for inspiration. The idea of
"diagramming" an essay in advance, as we are taught in school,
may be useful to students but is foolishness for any practicing
writer.”
“The Muse visits during the process of creation, not before.”
Ebert. R. (2008, October 24). I think I’m musing my mind [Blog post]. Retrieved from
https://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/i-think-im-musing-my-mind

6. Inspiration is everywhere

7. Professional Writing
Everyone is a writer.
Academic – books, papers, blogs
Business – proposals, projects, white papers
Creative – genre & short fiction, literature
Technical – scientific books & papers
Memoir – a tale worth telling
Nonprofit – social good, write from the heart
Freelance copy/content – promote & inform
What do you write?
Ready for Action by Lyr Lobo

8. Shelter (2018) gives advice on how to write academic books.
1. Don’t write a book that no one wants to read.
2. Know and read the books in your series.
3. Share the story! Coauthor and collaborate with friends.
4. Always work on multiple projects.
5. Do not wait until summer to write.
Shelter, A. (2018, April 12). 5 Tips for Would-Be Academic Book Authors [Blog post].
Writing Academic Books

9. Academic Books – Collaborate with Friends!
Remapping Mental Models of Collaboration Using
Immersive 3D Design Thinking Studios
Recent Advances in Applying Identity and
Society Awareness to Virtual Learning
The Immersive Internet
Reflections on the Entangling of the Virtual
with Society, Politics and the Economy
Integrating an Awareness of Selfhood and Society
into Virtual Learning

10. Editor & Author Technical Books & Papers
International Journal of Hyperconnectivity and the
Internet of Things (IJHIoT)
Applications of Decision Tree Analytics on Semi-Structured
North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Forecasts
Social Media Intelligence in the Exploration of National Cultural
Dimensions for Online Social Communities

11. The Professor as a Writer
What my friends
think I do
What my family
thinks I do
What the world
thinks I do
What my publisher
thinks I do
What I think
I do
What I actually do

12. Dancing at Elf Circle by Lyr Lobo
If you wrote a book and wanted to
publish it, what do you need?
1. A title
2. Content
3. A book cover
4. Front matter
5. Back matter
6. A blurb about your book
7. An audience
Writing & Publishing a Book

13. Professional Publishing
How to find resources, publishers, editors, agents, & publicists
Publishers Marketplace https://www.publishersmarketplace.com
30,000+ authors
Book sales
Agents, editors, publicists, bloggers, & publishers
Curated book deals & news
Job Board
Great way to find publishing resources and work
Visit Joanna Penn’s inspirational site on writing and publishing.
Penn, J. (2019). The creative penn. Retrieved from
https://www.thecreativepenn.com/publishing/

14. There is a story in everything that we do.
Is it nonfiction or fiction?
Is it memoir, literature, or humor?
Is it designed to inform, promote, inspire, or entertain?

15. Finding Freelance Writing Opportunities
Freelancer http://hongki.at/freelancer
Elance http://www.elance.com/
Upwork https://www.upwork.com/
Toptal http://www.toptal.com/
99designs http://99designs.com/
Envato Studio http://studio.envato.com/
Fiverr https://www.fiverr.com/
StackOverflow http://careers.stackoverflow.com/jobs
Dribble https://dribbble.com/jobs
Behance Job https://www.behance.net/joblist
Wordpress http://jobs.wordpress.net/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/job/
Smashing Jobs http://jobs.smashingmagazine.com/
Guru http://www.guru.com/
Krop http://www.krop.com/
MeFi Jobs http://jobs.metafilter.com/
Coroflot http://www.coroflot.com/jobs
Problogger Jobs http://jobs.problogger.net/
Dice http://www.dice.com/
WPHired http://www.wphired.com/
WeWorkRemotely https://weworkremotely.com/
Gun.io https://gun.io/
LocalSolo https://localsolo.com/
OnSite http://onsite.io/
Firdaus, T. (2019, July 7). 40+ freelance job sites for designers & programmers (2019). Retrieved from
https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/50-freelance-job-sites-for-designers-programmers-best-of/

16. Writers Write
Do you smell like an author?
Our organizations grow stronger when we spread the word. Tell
the stories of past struggles, triumphs, and transformations.
Writing is a practice. It is a profession, whether you are paid or
when you share your work freely.
Writing is free, but your time is invaluable. Make the most of it.

17. Write often, write well, and keep on writing!