|
September 2009
Sharpening Your Axe
Morven Westfield is the author of two vampire novels and multiple works of non-fiction, including technical manuals, though some would argue that technical manuals are more fiction than non. Living in central Massachusetts with her husband and her very spoiled cat, she also is a member of the Motherboard of Broad Universe.
Perhaps you've heard the parable about two men in a competition to cut a large pile of firewood. One man chops steadily, never stopping. Furtively he looks over at his competitor and notices him taking a break. "Aha," he thinks, "I'm sure to win if I just keep going." And so it goes, on through the competition. Surprisingly, though, the man who kept stopping wins. "I don't understand," our non-stop chopper said to the winner. "I never stopped, even once, yet you beat me. What were you doing?" The answer: "Sharpening my axe." This parable is often used in business seminars to bring home the concept that to be effective workers, we need effective tools. Though the tool in the parable is a physical tool, the tools mentioned in the seminars are often software, or even information. As writers, we, too, need to sharpen our axes to stay ahead of the competition. It's hard enough to find the time to write. How do you find the time to learn more about the craft of writing? By multi-tasking. And just when do you find the time to multi-task just one more task? During your daily commute. All it takes is an MP3 player, and these days the iPod isn't the only one. For example, your computer is an MP3 player. Unless it's a laptop, it might not be very portable, but it will play MP3 files, and that's what's important. An MP3 file is a type of audio file that many different devices can play because it's based on an international industry-wide standard. If the file is compliant to the standard, then the file will play on any device that says that it supports the MP3 standard. These devices are usually referred to as MP3 players. [What does MP3 stand for? I hesitate to tell you that because it might be a bit confusing. The "3," as you might guess, stands for a section of the standard. The standard, though, covers more than just audio. The "MPEG" stands for Moving Pictures Expert Group and the complete standard does indeed have a section (section 2) that covers digital video. As someone who wants to listen to audio files, though, you're just interested in section 3 (MP3).] With a portable MP3 player (iPod, Zune, Sansa, laptop, possibly even your cell phone), you can listen while you walk, drive, or wait for the bus. Working at or from home? Listen while you weed the garden, iron that shirt for your job interview, clean the closets, take out the trash — you get the picture. A laptop is less versatile, but you can still listen while you ride the train, wait for your flight to depart, wait for your car to be serviced, and so on. You have fewer choices with a desktop computer, but you can still listen while you clean your desk, pay your bills, iron your clothes (bring the ironing board to your computer), make jewelry, or brush the cat. In other words, you can listen while doing any task that you can bring to the room where the computer lives. And what can you listen to? Plenty. There are podcasts on grammar, vocabulary, and, of course, writing itself. There are podcasts on organizing, procrastination (avoiding), promotion, and getting published. Has your multi-tasking stressed you out? There are health podcasts on relaxation. The catalog of podcasts changes daily, but I'll list some of the ones for writing that I've found useful. All of the ones here are free. My favorites on writing include:
There are many podcasts that feature interviews with authors, but there are two that feature women who write speculative fiction, both by Broad Universe members.
My favorite vocabulary and grammar podcasts include:
Podcasts come and go. All the ones I've listed are available online at this time, even if they've stopped adding episodes. If you want to find more, here are some places to look.
For any area of your craft that you want to improve, you can probably find a helpful podcast or audiobook. Need more background in the literature? Your local library might have downloadable MP3 files of Wuthering Heights or some other tome you'd like to revisit. And if your library doesn't have electronic files yet, they might have books on CD that you can play through your laptop. Commuting and waiting time, unfortunately, is a way of life for many of us. With podcasts and other audio files, you can use it to your advantage. |
||
|
|
||
