On great reading for writers...My thoughts...

Michael Stelzner's Writing White Papers blog collected nominations for the Top Ten Books for Writers and is in the process of cutting the list down to size.

Michael dropped me an email (apparently that's a perk of making the Top Ten Blogs for Writers list) reminding me to make my nomination/participate in the voting. I haven't done it yet and I'm not sure I will.

I was corresponding with another writer today who asked me a similar question about the writing books I found valuable. I didn't really have a good direct answer to the question.

After that correspondence, I decided to tackle the subject here.

I don't read a lot of offline "how to write" stuff. Seeing what's happening at Writing White Papers and the other discussion I mentioned has me thinking about why I don't and what kind of materials serve as my "learning tools" since I don't read that much from the "how to" shelf.

There's nothing wrong with "how-to" books. Nothing at all. Anyone who tells you that you can't learn how to write from someone else's suggestions is overstating things. There may be some kind of natural ability involved and experience as a reader is important, but you certainly can learn from others.

I'm going to drop two names from my (increasingly distant) past. I wasn't an English major in college, but I did take more than the required number of courses in the English department. Two of my professors, Gar Bethel and Troy Boucher, had a definite influence on my approach to writing and my understanding of the craft.

They might be surprised to hear that from me. If they remember me at all, they probably remember me as just another not-so-motivated undergraduate who managed a decent grade without ever appearing that engaged in class. Little do they know that Gar's poetry class and Troy's lit courses supplied direction that still matters. They demystified writing, served as living examples of what it meant to write, and had some very solid core technical hints, too.

I also glean many valuable "how-to" insights from my daily RSS feed reading exercise. My addiction to industry blogs continues to grow...

So, I do know that you can learn more than a little bit about writing from other people. That begs the question as to why I don't read more of the "how to" stuff today.

I think the answer comes from the potentially weird way I ended up writing for a living.

I've always loved reading and writing. Somewhere in my head, the idea of becoming a pro has always been bouncing around. I didn't set out to do this, though.

I went to college. I went to grad school. I went to grad school again. I went to law school. In between, during and for several years after those various stops I did a lot of different things in a few different places. Many of them involved writing as part of a gig, but none of them were "writing jobs." Between some of the jobs, all of the coursework, and my love of text I kept reading.

When it came time to hang up a shingle in this business, I did so with a varied professional and academic background and a healthy dose of books in my mental bloodstream.

Now, when people ask me what they should read in order to become a better writer, I tell them to pick up Kundera's "Immortality" or "The Joke." I tell them to read the New Journalists (particularly Hunter S. Thompson). I give a thumbs up to Marcuse, Burke and other more theoretical thinkers who don't make good "at the beach" reading. I recommend Sexton, Bukowski, the beats and other contemporary poetry.

Everyone who wants to be a better writer should probably read "To Kill a Mockingbird" occasionally. Don't cheat and watch the movie, even though Gregory Peck is great.

Read many papers, many periodicals and many blogs.

Alberto Manguel's "The History of Reading" inspired me to look at gobs of other great stuff. Kassiola's "The Death of Industrial Civilization" surreptitiously taught me a few things about persuasion even though I doubt that was really on the author's mind. Fred Inglis' combination of that sort of gentle left-leaning British perspective combined with occasional bursts of bombast and some great subject material made "The Cruel Peace" valuable to me a as a writer.

Forays into social pyschology gave me Festinger and cognitive dissonance theory. Grad school courses imprinted Aristotle's perspective on my noodle. Law school taught me a lot about how not to write.

I watch television commercials carefully. I listen to radio ads. I'm the guy who doesn't skip the ad pages in the magazines. I even read my spam to see if anyone is doing anything particularly exciting in terms of email marketing. I pay attention to what's happening with others and what kind of techniques seem to be working.

But I don't read much "nuts and bolts" writing books. I guess I believe that the best way for me to be informed is by ingesting text at every turn and continually analyzing it based on my own background and the new perspectives I develop in the process.

The great response to Stelzner's nomination process and the glowing reviews many writers are giving to some of those texts, however, is beginning to make me think I should consider keeping my expanded horizons in place while simultaneously spending more reading time closer to "home."

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Why paid posting is worse than a "red wigglers" spot... Payola and blogging...

In 1863, the Hutchinson Singing Family would occasionally squeeze a rendition of "Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Grounds" into their performance. We may have no idea of whether or not HSF loved the ditty, but we do know that their decision to incorporate it into their act was probably motivated by a deal made with the composer. The deal was simple. HSF agreed to croon about the Old Camp Grounds, thus increasing the exposure and potential popularity of the tune. In exchange, they received a portion of the royalties.

That was well before anyone decided to take the word "payment" and slide it into "Victrola" (the standard bearer of record players) to come up with "payola," which is now associated with sleazy business of all types.

The biggest payola story was attached to the biggest name in rock 'n' roll in the late 50s--Alan Freed. The powerhouse DJ who may have been half-inventor of the very term "rock and roll" was dragged before Washington politicians who had developed a fond interest in encouraging the "race music fad" to come to a close.

Freed was trading spins for cash. Here's some dough, Alan, make sure my record gets noticed. A lot like the Hutchinson Family Singers. Freed argued the honorariums he received were tokens of appreciation or consulting fees. He also claimed he earned those occasional songwriting credits that would pop up on records now and again, too. No one believed him.

Unlike Dick Clark, who played ball and promptly divested himself from some questionable "investments," Freed went down in a ball of flames. Many speculate that his decision to drink his liver into jerky status was a byproduct of the scandal.

In 1979, Doug Winner was taking payola from a radio industry scum bag in exchange for cocaine. The ensuing controversy led to the reinstatement of Dr. Johnny Fever's morning show at WKRP. Yes, I realize that was a sitcom. I couldn't resist.

Fast forward nearly 50 years from Freed's fall. Nowadays, the FCC has regs in place to protect us from payola. The free marketeers in the audience might think that's unnecessary in a market economy where choice should solve all problems, but the FCC likes the idea of airwaves being a public asset. Besides, if they didn't regulate the hell out of radio people might actually wake up to the fact that those vital public resources are all owned by seven rich guys or something.

Anyway, payola is back in the news. The music industry guys aren't sliding baggies of coke into LPs ala WKRP, but they are hiring third party promoters to take care of radio play decision-makers. Cash for spins again. The NY AG is making noise and many of those who hate corporate radio are undoubtedly cheering the Empire State's apparently upcoming attack on the payola people.

Payola is alive and well online, too.

I've been Alan Freed, Doug Winner and the Hutchinson Family Singers a few times. I have received the filthy lucre of cash payouts for blog posts announcing new sites and hyping products. I get offers from Blogsvertise, Pay-Per-Post and Blogitive. I've taken those offers a few times on some other blogs I maintain.

I don't know who has what kind of disclosure policy right now, but when I traded a paragraph and a link for a few bucks here and there, I don't remember any requirements being in place. It's my understanding that no one prevents disclosure right now and that some of the sites even mandate it now, which is a definite improvement.

In the wake of the Edelman controversy, where those authentic pro-Wal-Mart blogs were revealed as corporate shill work, and the growing feeling of nausea many experience about the world of paid blog posts, disclosure is becoming a bigger and bigger deal.

I've decided that's a good thing. A few months ago, I supplied a piece to the Main Edition newsletter that discussed the potential downside of paid blog posting to bloggers and that article came down squarely on the side of full disclosure, so that isn't a revelation on my part.

Nonetheless, I think that if I was writing it again today I would take an even stronger position.

My original critique primarily dealt with the disadvantages to the blogger who engages in paid posting. Today, I would probably concentrate a little more on the deleterious effects on the greater information world and consumers of those blogs.

I'm also increasingly convinced that disclosure isn't a perfect solution in all cases. The paid posts are a pollutant, even when people understand why they've wiggled their way into the RSS feed reader.

Anyway, I'm no longer interested in trading a paragraph for a ten spot, even if it is on an old blog my "regulars" will never find or read.

I want the people who read long posts like this one to do so with some level of confidence in the integrity of my remarks. If there's a chance that I'm getting paid, there's a chance that money is influencing my commentary. I don't want that to happen.

Let's say Alan Freed was playing a certain Chuck Berry record a lot. Let's say he recommended it to everyone. If we didn't know Alan's little payola problem, we might take his advice and go out to pick up a copy of "Maybeline." If we did know that Alan occasionally played shill to the guys at the label, we might look past his sage advice. He'd be too hard to trust.

Right before Christmas, I received a package in the mail. It was a book. I didn't order the book, it was sent to me free of charge. A holiday present? Not entirely. On the inside of the book there was a post-it note signed by the author. It said something like, "Hope you like this. Maybe you might want to mention it in your blog if you do."

I've been reading the book off and on and I like it. But I haven't mentioned it. Why, because if I do mention it, I will feel obliged to also explain how I found the book in the first place. If I did that, there'd be every reason to believe that I was rewarding the giver with a big thumbs up--even though I do like the book (really!).

I've discussed this idea of new media vs. old media and the concept of "blogger as citizen journalist/columnist" a few times in the past. I'm not in that hardcore corner of cyberspace that believes the blogosphere is a perfect replacement for corrupt old media structures. I'm also anything but an apologist for the old-timers.

I am, however, a participant in a massive exchange of information and opinions that is reshaping how people understand and relate to the world. I am a very small part, but I am a part. I think that creates a responsibility.

Does that mean all commercialism is out the window. Nope. Here I am, blogging under the Content Done Better flag, completely cognizant of (and happy for) the fact this blog brings me customers. There's no inherent evil in marketing. There are some blogs (a blog, after all, is merely a website with chronological content ordering and an easy-to-use CMS system) where it makes perfect sense. I can envision affiliate marketer's blogs and others in which pushing products would be AOK (with appropriate disclosure).

Paid posts and covert marketing are ethically tricky and practically dangerous.

You can thank the Hutchinson Family Singers for creating this mess, I guess.

I have decided that I'm personally better off being more like Dr. Johnny Fever than Doug Winner. When Johnny had to pay the bills, he didn't keep it under wraps...

Addendum: Thanks to Tom Chandler's comment, I was forced to create the following:

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Content isn't a playing card...Assessing the value of content...

Well over a year ago, I read Andrew Odlysko's "Content is Not King," which argues that connectivity and point-to-point communication is far more important in terms of the net's growth and value than is traditional content.

Last week, I read a post at "What Will You See Next," which makes a similar argument. Hayden Shaughnessy, using "Mobile Web 2.0" by Joakar and Fish as a jumping-off point, maintains that content is being subsumed by connectivity in terms of overall importance.

Shaughnessy titled the post, "Content is King-Make that Queen, Jack. Content is Unimportant."

I don't think content is king. I don't think content is a queen, a jack or even the seven of spades. In my estimation, content isn't a playing card at all. It's the reason we gather around the table and play the game in the first place.

Those who are arguing that the value of content is in decline often point to the experience of wireless providers and various elements of the growing "Web 2.0" movement as proof that content is a relatively small cog in the overall internet machine.

Shaughnessy, for instance, asks the very insightful question,

"What is MySpace other than content as the wrapper to facilitate connections?"

Odlysko states,

"The Internet has done quite well without content, and can continue to flourish without it. Content will have a place on the Internet, possibly a substantial place. However, its place will likely be subordinate to that of business and personal communication."

I'm a content producer. I have a vested interest in people believing in content's importance. Oldysko astutely warns those interested in the content vs. connectivity argument to beware of people like me because we have every reason to defend content's role as part of a healthy and growing web due to our own financial and personal interests.

My background is in communication and communications studies. I'm not just a content peddler and I am keenly interested in the communicative potential of new technologies.

Meanwhile, Oldysko is Head of the Mathematics and Cryptography Research Departments at AT&T Labs, so we should probably keep the potential biases and attitudinal tendencies associated with that line of work in mind, too, right?

In any case, don't judge the argument by the messenger on this one. Consider why one shouldn't reach any hasty conclusions with respect to how most of us interact with the web and/or run online businesses.

Let's start by conceding about 90% of the argument folks like Shaughnessy and Oldysko are making. Connectivity is at the heart of the online experience. The ability to connect with one another and to communicate is wildly important and is a driving force behind a great deal of usage. It's a big part of why people "go online" and as the email experience and all of its point-to-point successors demonstrate, it's a bigger piece of the online pie than information retrieval or knowledge-gathering.

That's right, I'm starting my defense of content's value by conceding a significant portion of the "content is unimporant" argument. I'm not going to make unsubstantiated claims that the net is all about content. That isn't the case now and never really has been. The content detractors are correct in their thinking on that level.

The problem with the "content is unimportant" perspective isn't in the base evidence. The problem is interpretive. You can't reasonably jump from "communication is the biggie" to "content isn't that important."

That's because there is an underlying meta-question that has "content" as its answer. That question is "Why do people want to connect in the first place?"

I don't want to email you because I have some vague need for a pen pal in order to satisfy my human desire for communication. I don't want to contribute to a forum, IM you, blog about content, or make a call via Skype out of a desire to connect for the sake of connection.

I want to connect with you so we can have a meaningful exchange of some kind. More often than not, that meaningful exchange involves information or perspective. I email you for your opinion on Widgetry. I want to know what you think and why. You reply with an answer based on your understanding of Widgetry and the information you have. We dialog about Widgetry.

In the view of some, this is proof that content is of secondary value. See how connectivity is king and content is the four of diamonds? We want to connect, not to read or to experience a broadcast!

That's flawed thinking though. You see, my motivation to ask you about Widgetry was spurred by something I read about the subject. Your answer was informed by your research on the subject. I might have been curious about your reaction to editorial content about the future decline of widget use. Your response may have been based on a short film about widget history you watched just the other day.

Our connectivity orbits the sun of content.

Now, an IM exchange that involves little more than "Wazzup?" "Nuthin'" "Cool." may not have that kind of foundation in content, but once we work our way past the longstanding tradition of adolescents yammering back and forth to one another just for the sake of doing something, we find ourselves relying upon content to give our connectivity meaning.

Look at Digg.com, for instance. It's a social tool, a means of sharing and connecting. What are Diggers using? What are the connecting over? Content. Right there at the heart of every Digg entry is content. Web 2.0 might be changing the way we connect with one another, but it isn't changing why we are making the connection. Information, opinion, insight, data... It's always about content.

You want to make a communicative connection with people. Part of that is probably an innate human need. However, you don't run around trying to befriend every person you see just because you feel a burning need to talk. You tend to be choosier. You find people with similar interests or who have interesting opinions. That way, your communications have a depth of meaning and offer a fulfilling experience.

What do you talk about with those people? What is the subject of your connectedness?

Something tells me that your answer probably has an underpinning in content.

Admittedly, online content is divorceable from the net. If the internet existed merely as a point-to-point communication tool with no additional content present, it would still have a slew of emailing, IM'ing and otherwise connecting adherents. Their discussions and connections would revolve around their personal experiences and interactions with content found in other sources.

However, the web is the perfect launching pad for content. "Publication" is efficient and easy. The net has given voices to many whose opinions would otherwise go unheard while the big boys are also getting their messages out. Content may not be a prerequisite for the net's success, but it certainly fits within the technological framework quite nicely.

It's also become quite clear that the internet is being used more and more as an information source. Just ask your local newspaper editor. Now, the information gathering patterns may be somewhat non-traditional, as the folksonomic underpinnings of Web 2.0 show, but content has found a home on the web and there's no compelling reason to think it will be changing its address any time soon.

Could the net flourish without content? To some extent, yes. It could be the 21st century telephone, a connectivity/communication tool with popularity and utility completely divorced from any particular message.

Does that make content unimportant? Not at all. It may not be a necessary element of the web's existence, but it has certainly become an essential and expected characteristic of the online experience. Using the web as a means of distributing content makes sense on a variety of levels.

What is Shaughnessy's insightful blog post if not content? What is Odlysko's paper?

They are both messages. Part of a communicative process, but simultaneously content that spurs additional communication and content (i.e. this post).

Trying to argue that content has minimal value while writing an archive-ready piece online about the topic isn't just a cute irony. It's proof that content does matter--even in a world where point-to-point communication tools are the killer apps.

All of those blog posts, reports, papers, rants and essays are "wrappers" for connectivity. Unlike bubble gum, however, you'll find it difficult to enjoy the morsel on the inside without the wrapper. The wrapper influences, directs, creates, inspires and provides meaning for the connectivity.

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Dangerous questions...Martin Luther King Day...

Well, it's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I am sure at least one carpet superstore has found a way to use today as justification for a storewide blowout spectacular on carpet and padding (with installation).

Others are spending the day reminding everyone that King was a philandering plagiarist and part of the Red Menace.

Others are taking time out of their schedules to tell tales of St. Martin.

TV news producers all over the country are scrambling to dig up that file footage of "I have a dream" in the archives for the six o'clock lead in...

I don't have a real problem with any of that. I believe that individuals should relate to holidays and the events or people they celebrate in their own ways. My Christmas isn't your Christmas and that's cool. Your feelings about Memorial Day and mine might be a miles apart, too. MLK Day is more of the same.

I'm predicting that by the end of the day you may reach your limit for MLK platitudes and insults. I'm also willing to wager that you'll grow weary of superficial spin-laden efforts by those of all political persuasions who want to latch onto the pretty pieces of the King legacy.

I have no real reason to believe you care about my perspective on King or today, but thanks to the net and this too-easy blogging thing, you're going to get it.

Here's a few reasons why I celebrate the life of Martin Luther King that may or may not get mentioned by your local action news team with triple doppler weather forecasts from Rainy Steele and the rest of the Storm-Master team...

• King combined his talk with action in a way too few people are willing to do. We might remember moments behind the podium, but the King story is also one of action at times when the cameras weren't running.

• King demonstrated that the flawed can make a difference. His closet had its skeleton collection. He made his mistakes and took his lumps in the process. He made brilliant moves and politically foolish speeches. He cheated on papers and wrote words that still resonate with millions.

• King is symbolic of the American political experience. We like to pretend, especially on MLK Day, that he was universally-loved, with the exception of a few weekend sheet-wearers (one of whom shot him dead). That wasn't the case then and it isn't the case now, either. King's advocacy went well beyond his recounting of visions from the mountaintop. When he talked about Viet Nam and income redistribution it didn't always play well. Yet he kept talking, didn't tone it down for the sake of his "legacy" or to "pander to a base." At the same time, he certainly compromised--acting as a realpolitik go-between trying to simultaneously encourage and temper a growing movement so that its actions didn't destroy its political base of support. If nothing else, King's story is always fascinating.

• King asked dangerous questions. Those are always the interesting ones. The answers to those questions often give us an idea of why others try to vilify the asker. For instance:

"[T]he movement must address itself to the question of restructuring the whole of American society," King said. "There are 40 million poor people here. And one day, we must ask the question, 'Why are there 40 million poor people in America?'

And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. And when you ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy...We are called upon to help the discouraged beggars in life's marketplace. But one day, we must come to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.

It means that questions must be raised. You see my friends, when you deal with this, you begin to ask the question, 'Who owns the oil?' You begin to ask the question, 'Who owns the iron ore?' You begin to ask the question, 'Why is it that people have to pay water bills in a world that is two-thirds water?'"

Amazing that no one is willing to ask those questions out loud any more. I have my version of an answer. You probably have yours. The questions, though, are essential and force us to provide an honest accounting of motivations and realities. Those questions don't let any of us pretend to be saints or to cast others as devils.

That "celebrities" of King's status are today mum on these matters tells you a lot about the consequences of speaking out and the courage it takes to risk one's status, reputation, standing and everything else in the pursuit of something big and important. Dangerous questions and the guts that go with them are reason enough for me to bid you a very Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

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Net neutrality...

I'm not going to go into detail about my support for net neutrality and, more particularly, the "Internet Freedom Preservation Act," which reappeared in 2007 form on Tuesday in D.C.

Although neutrality seems to be a "cut and dried" issue for a lot of people on both sides, I think it's a complicated issue that deserves detailed consideration. The net has become a marketplace inside a marketplace (and I mean that in both a commercial and "marketplace of ideas" kind of way) and matters of regulation, control, profit, and access aren't quite as simple as who owns the pipes and who should have to pay to flow through them.

In the end, I come down on the side of net neutrality legislation.

That's not really my point today, though. What has surprised the heck out of me is the seemingly low percentage of people out there who have any idea what all of the commotion is about (if they are even aware a commotion exists) and the even lower percentage of people who seem to give a damn one way or the other.

So, instead of preaching my particular viewpoint, I thought I would instead invite those who haven't made up their minds (or who aren't really even that familiar with the concepts at play) to start digging. If you aren't sure where to first plant your spade, you might want to try:

Text of the Act, recently re-introduced in the Senate (PDF).

Propaganda extolling the virtues of net neutrality:



Propaganda in opposition to net neutrality legislation:



Articles opposing net neutrality from The Washington Post and PhysOrg. Oh, and something from the folks at Cato who don't care much for the idea, either.

Articles advocating net neutrality legislation from GigaOm, Barack Obama, and warnings from Bill Moyers.

The motivated may want to read some Senate Judiciary Committee testimony.

Oh, and even though I am trying to be even-handed here, I can't resist poking fun at Ted Stevens, the anti-neutrality Alaskan Senator famous for his dumping, tubes and stuttering. Something tells me that even those who oppose neutrality are probably happy Stevens won't be their front-person from here on out...

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Here's what I'm going to do in 2007...Resolutions, goals and certainties...1994 flashback...

NEW YEAR THING

Baby New Year is almost two weeks old and you know what that means... Approximately 90% of all New Year's resolutions are already as difficult to remember as what aunt Jenny sent you for Christmas (gloves, by the way).

Everyone knows the New Year resolution thing is a doomed exercise in delusion. We create a fictional tabula rasa based on calendars that aren't yet filled. We take a quick inventory of ourselves, of the Joneses and of what others around us think would be wise. One blank sheet of paper and a Bic pen later, we have a New Year Manifesto. All of those things we will accomplish... All of the changes we'll make.

Before you know it, you decide that you like melting cheddar cheese on top of every other thing you eat too much to make that "healthy diet" thing work. You catch the flu and realize that the "8 solid hours of writing every single day" thing just isn't happening. You meet up with the guy on I-35 who doesn't understand concepts like turn signals or acceleration lanes and that "positive disposition/kindness" notion is out the window along with your left hand (which is flipping him the bird).

Diane Penna wrote a nice post about resolutions and goals. Read it when you have chance. She discusses just how important it is to have a plan and how big-time dream statements don't mean nearly as much as taking concrete action, among other things.

If you want to change yourself or your patterns for 2007, realize that you have a load of bad habits and tendencies that will fight you every inch of the way. If you can see it, they say, you can be it. They leave out the part about working your ass off in the process, of course.

2007 is 2006. Only the calendar hanging in the kitchen wall has changed. Your weaknesses are still here. Your skeletons are still jangling in the closet. Your kid will still want to play Candyland when you want to work. Your friends will still call and interrupt you. Cheese will still taste good. Running will still actually require a not-so-fun pumping of the legs. January 1 wasn't magic.

Obviously, based on my opinion, I'm not playing the New Year game, right?

Well, here's the deal... Even though I know it's silly, crazy, unworkable and more than a little foolhardy, I am playing. That's right. You can count me in!

Why? Because everyone else is doing it? Maybe. That could be part of it--getting caught up in all of the "2007 Will Rock the House" madness might be fun. Maybe it is the symbolic value of a new calendar. Maybe it's just convenience--seems like a good time to start making some changes. Maybe I'm just a sucker.

I decided to do things a little differently, though. I am not referring to my objectives as "resolutions." I have goals, I have plans and I have the end-states to which they lead in mind. But "resolution" feels weak. I've decided to have "certainties."

How's that for stupid and bold? I thought about "inevitabilities," but that seemed too much like some kind of Calvinistic predetermination thing. "Certainties" is a better fit.

Without further ado, the Content Done Better Certainties for 2007

• I'm going to hit that $125K mark as of August, 2007 (updates next week here and in the newsletter).

• I'm going develop a larger component of my online business that is not dependent on writing for others on a project-by-project basis.

• I'm going to share something (hopefully) helpful to other online-focused writers every week.

• I'm going to share something (hopefully) helpful to webmasters and buyers of content every week.

• I'm going to make the Content Done Better Report into a 2x month piece of email people will actually want to read.

All of those certainties have underpinnings in concrete actions and plans. I might end up discussing some of those in the Report and here at the blog.

Do you have goals, resolutions, plans or certainties? What are you going to do to prevent this year's resolution list looking a lot like that crumbled 2oo6 version that's currently decomposing in your local landfill? Have you given up on the "it's a new year, time to envision a changed me" thing completely? What kind of odds are you laying on my certainties? Have you ever seen so many consecutive questions in a single paragraph?

FLASHBACK

I was listening to my Finetune playlist (mentioned yesterday) and one of the songs belongs to Frank Sinatra--"That's Life."

That got me thinking about something that happened thirteen years ago. I don't know how many people remember this, but Sinatra received a lifetime achievement Grammy in 1994. Bono did the introduction, which people say Sinatra loved.

Today, if the deal is remembered at all, it's usually because the Grammy people committed the cardinal sin of cutting the Chairman of the Board short, cuing the out-tro music to get to a car commercial or something on time. It was a massive Grammy faux pas.

Regrettably, the production team's decision to stomp of Sinatra's toes overshadows one of the best introductory speeches of all time. When I heard Frank singing today, it inspired me to dig up Bono's gem.

This is one of the only versions I could find online. The punctuation/carriage return thing is lacking, but it still reads well.

This has nothing to do with writing. Or does it? There's a message in there beyond how bad-ass Francis Albert was and it is one of those great opportunities to find spectacular writing where you might not expect to find it.

Excerpt:

"This is the conundrum of Frank Sinatra
Left and right brain hardly talking
Boxer and painter, actor and singer, lover and father, bandman and loner Troubleshooter and troublemaker
The champ who would rather show you his scars than his medals
He may be putty in Barbara's hands
But I'm not gonna mess with him, are you?

Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to welcome a man heavier than the Empire State, more connected than the Twin Towers, as recognizable as the Statue of Liberty, and living proof that God is a Catholic!

Will you welcome the King of New York City, Francis Albert Sinatra!"

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Music...More on help wanted...

Music...

I found Finetune.com via WidgetsLab.com. You can now find it here, on the right sidebar.

It's a fun little widget. You choose a playlist of up to 45 songs from a pretty impressive collection and can then put it on your blog, Myspace page, or whatever so that others may have a listen, too.

So, if you aren't jamming to something else, click play on my Finetune box and get an idea of my potentially questionable musical tastes. Feel free to leave nasty comments about including Diana Krall, The Clash, Dean Martin and Ennio Morricone instrumental pieces on the same list, if you feel the need. However, I never claimed to be qualified as a programming director for a radio station.

Help no longer wanted...

I recent posted about developing an ongoing working relationship with another writer. The response has been awesome and I'd like to thank all of you who dropped me a line. You should all receive a response today or tomorrow.

Right now, it looks like I have someone pinned down, so I'm no longer soliciting "I'm interested" emails.

Thanks again.

Also...

At some point, this blog will return to its usual pattern of providing information and perspective about writing for the web. Probably tomorrow.

Sunday, not Saturday...The vast anti-efficiency conspiracy...Help wanted...

Well, it's Sunday, not Saturday. That makes me one day late with this blog update.

That's because I've been victimized by the vast anti-efficiency conspiracy that has undermined the efforts of countless freelance writers over the decades.

***Former full-time employer/friend needs emergency assistance. Two television and one radio interview later, I find myself pulled out of semi-retirement for a day to "hold down the fort" at the old job site.

***Bubbly, fun, tough, laughing, dancing, silly, Energizer Bunny-channeling almost-three-year old emerges from bedroom at midnight, crying. "Daddy, I choked-ed." Translation: "I puked." Bedding changed. Second round of vomiting follows. Bedding changed. Child currently watching "Doodlebops," eating Pedialyte popsicle and proclaiming that she needs "to sleep a little bit." Pistol-hot forehead and sneezing also involved.

***Former high school friend, unseen since approximately 1989, emerges and just so happens to be in town this evening. Unlikely to happen again any time soon. Obligatory get-together on tap. What's that in the background? "Tick tock tick tock tick tock." Oh, yeah, it's that damned clock reminding me of looming deadlines.

***Dental surgery approaches. Full anesthesia, subsequent pain (hopefully less than current pain) coming right up! Not excited about (a) the tick tocks that will pass during surgery/recovery, (b) prospect of straw-delivered diet. That's a joke. I should be able to eat. After a day or two.

That's the conspiracy.

HELP WANTED

I had an arrangement with a really talented writer. I paid this individual on a monthly basis for work on various web content projects. Said writer, however, opted to move in a different direction and we (quite amiably) ended the deal.

I could use someone else. Here's how it works.

You supply X number of words per month, always with at least two weeks warning. Usually SEO content articles or something similar, although projects may vary. I pay you an agreed upon sum on a monthly basis in exchange for those X words.

Either party can bail out at any time with a couple of weeks warning. It's a loose partnership perfect for someone who wants extra work and who is Extremely Reliable. I like the idea of stable, long-term working relationship.

I'm not big on formality and like to keep it friendly. I need to work with people who tend to respond to emails about projects quickly. Did I mention Extremely Reliable? Good.

Interested? Here's what you do... Send me an email tagged "YOURNAME - Content Work" to contentdonebetter@gmail.com. That's not my regular email address, but it's the one I'm using for this. Let me know...

A. How many words per month you can do. We're talking about general interest topics. Usually articles, conversational style, factually accurate, completely original, well-written, etc. Don't give me a big number if you can't hit it. I'd rather find three people who can actually get stuff done than one who ends up dropping the ball.

B. How much money you'd want to do X words per month.

C. A representative sample or two as an attachment.

I will then follow up with you. It might take a few days due to my war against the clock and circumstance, but I will get back to you. Swear.

This doesn't supplant the occasional job postings and offers I make through WriterWrangler. This is more of an ongoing thing. In fact, I'd be willing to guarantee at least six months of work, probably.

Anyway, that's that.

Now, I have to tend to the sickly, finish an ebook, and perform other tasks on a should-be lazy Sunday.

Speaking of Lazy Sunday, I'd hate to be the last person in the world to link to this comedic gem:

A luxurious frustration...See you Saturday...

Over the past week, I have had about eight kerbillion post topics rattle around in my noggin. I wish I would've written them all down for later instead of letting them evaporate.

Usually, I would just login, type away, and share my meandering thoughts with those (un)lucky enough to stumble upon this little virtual soap box, but I've been too busy to maintain my usual blog-related schedule.

I can't imagine how many great posts are piling up in my feed reader. I'm jonesing to leave comments in response to some undoubtedly spectacular year-end wrap ups and 2007 preview posts.

I'm resisting the urge and am throwing myself into my work for a little bit. Having a heavier workload is a luxurious frustration.

All freelancers want to stay busy and profitable, fearing the droughts and dancing for a rain of jobs. When the deluge hits, however, we often find ourselves secretly craving afternoons when aimlessly ambling around the net passes for work.

Sometimes, the only thing more unnerving and scary than having an empty cupboard is knowing that you have to make your way through a very big work buffet. I'm gorging myself right now and wish I could justify a hunger strike.

This blog is part vent, part marketing tool, part conversation starter and part lots of other things. It's turning into a nice little client magnet and I love having the opportunity to share my two cents with others. Even if it shoves bedtime back into the wee-est hours, I can't afford to let it rot.

Then again, those magnetically drawn clients have projects and deadlines. They take priority.

Thus, the compromise. Occasional posts. Every few days instead of two daily, perhaps. Duty calls and client needs trump my secret desire for dead time.

See you Saturday.

In the meantime, whether you're high and dry when it comes to work or if your experiencing the luxurious frustrations of a filled plate, keep these recent words from Deb Ng in mind:

"I've said it before, a bad day writing is a hundred times better than a good day at the office."

Shhhhh...See you Thursday...Great marketing and copywriting blogs, etc...

The Content Done Better Blog will be sleeping until Thursday night.

Don't wake it up, please.

Just a few days to take care of the rest of my world...

In the meantime, check out some of these great blogs... I found this handy list at Copyblogger. Definitely some gems in there. I'm going to have to update my links and list of daily RSS feed reads thanks to that. I'm really supposed to feed the meme and add a few more good reads to the list. I'm skipping that part for a moment, because I'm in a hurry.

Poor excuse? Well, it's the only one I have.

• Creative Think
• 8 Wishes
• Movie Marketing Madness
• Blog Till You Drop!
• Get Shouty!
• One Reader at a Time
• Critical Fluff
• The New PR
• Own Your Brand!
• OTOInsights
• bizandbuzz
• Work, in Plain English
• Buzz Canuck
• New Millenium PR
• Pardon My French
• Troy Worman’s Blog
• The Instigator Blog
• AENDirect
• Diva Marketing
• Marketing Hipster
• The Marketing Minute
• Dynamic Copywriting
• Funny Business
• The Frager Factor
• Mindblob
• Open The Dialogue
• Word Sell
• Note to CMO
• That’s Great Marketing!
• Shotgun Marketing Blog
• BrandSizzle
• bizsolutionsplus
• Customers Rock!
• Being Peter Kim
• Pow! Right Between The Eyes! Andy Nulman’s Blog About Surprise
• Billions With Zero Knowledge
• Working at Home on the Internet
• MapleLeaf 2.0
• darrenbarefoot.com
  
• Two Hat Marketing
• The Engaging Brand
• The Branding Blog
• Deep Jive Interests
• Content Done Better Blog
• Copywriter Underground
• Michel Fortin
• Mind Valley Labs
• Simplenomics
• Pearsonified
• SEOmoz
• Online Marketing Blog
• Stundbl
• Jason Van Orden
• Graywolf
• CrapHammer
• Drew’s Marketing Minute
• Golden Practices
• Viaspire
• Tell Ten Friends
• Flooring the Consumer
• Kinetic Ideas
• Unconventional Thinking
• Buzzoodle
• Conversation Agent
• The Copywriting Maven
• Hee-Haw Marketing
• Scott Burkett’s Pothole on the Infobahn
• Multi-Cult Classics
• Logic + Emotion
• Branding & Marketing
• Popcorn n Roses
• On Influence & Automation
• Bullshitobserver
• Servant of Chaos
• converstations
• eSoup
• Presentation Zen
• Dmitry Linkov
• aialone
• John Wagner
• Nick Rice
• CKs Blog
• Design Sojourn
• Frozen Puck
• The Sartorialist
• Small Surfaces
• Africa Unchained
• Perspective
• gDiapers
• Marketing Nirvana
• Bob Sutton
• ¡Hola! Oi! Hi!
• Shut Up and Drink the Kool-Aid!
• Women, Art, Life: Weaving It All Together
• Community Guy
• Social Media on the fly
• Jeremy Latham’s Blog
• SMogger Social Media Blog
• Masey.com

Oh, and Happy New Year to everyone. Let's all have a great 2007.