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Author: lwidmer

Funky Town

Posted on by lwidmer

I’m in a funk today. When work is completed and the desk is thin with more work, I get like this. But I’m not going to dwell on it because it’s boring. Keeping it short today. I saw my parents over the weekend and my mom was relating a story about someone from her class….

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Going Professional

Posted on by lwidmer

Amie over at Written Expressions has a neat discussion going about talking about someone else’s work in a negative light and getting called on it. We’ve all done it at some point, and some of us have lost jobs (well, there were other things going on there, but yes, I did lose a job), lost…

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Banding Together

Posted on by lwidmer

Some very interesting discussion is going on over on the Certified Professional Writers Association on LinkedIn. What options can we choose to help improve our profession and stabilize earning power among the ranks? I highly suggest you join the discussion (and the group – group leader Leon Sterling is a staunch supporter of protecting freelancers’…

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Client Boo-boos That Become Yours

Posted on by lwidmer

I was listening to a friend lament about a client who is a blamer. Apparently this client, a woman, doesn’t make mistakes, nor does she forget anything. My writer friend knows this because the mistakes and forgetfulness of this client are passed right down the food chain into said writer’s lap. I sympathize. I’ve been…

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Using Scammers as Bait

Posted on by lwidmer

My guest blog is over at Devon Ellington’s Ink in My Coffee today. Go on over and check it out. Here’s a new one – I received a message on my phone last week, a bit convoluted, but basically the caller was asking about an organization I was part of (?) and mentioned he wanted…

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The Value-added You

Posted on by lwidmer

Maybe it’s because work has arrived again. I went cruising a favorite job listings site yesterday, but I couldn’t bring myself to apply to anything. In one job listing in particular where price wasn’t mentioned, I knew by the wording that it would be a huge waste of my time to A) craft a solid…

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The New Etiquette

Posted on by lwidmer

Maybe it’s just rotten luck, that there are too many email filters, or that people move around more than their email accounts can keep up. There’s a reason why my emails to editors with story ideas go unanswered. For every ten emailed ideas I send out that aren’t used, I get zero responses. And it’s…

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How Low Can You Go?

Posted on by lwidmer

Irreverent Freelancer Kathy Kehrli has found yet another Get-a-Clue Freelance Request, which offers a whopping $5 for a 500-word article. I don’t know what’s more disturbing: the offer or that Kathy’s repository of lousy offers appears bottomless. She’s been exposing these requests for years and each time I think I’ve seen it all, she brings…

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Street Cred

Posted on by lwidmer

I won! I won! Yay! Thank you to Maria Schneider, her blog community, and you guys for naming this blog one of the Top 25! Head over to the Editor Unleashed blog and see the other cool choices. Many are new to me. One in particular is a favorite – The Urban Muse. Congratulations to…

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Here Comes the Sun

Posted on by lwidmer

It seems the work reappeared right when the school buses did. I’m inches from swimming in it again. Fantastic! Given the fact that I didn’t get much marketing in, this is great. I now have three regular gigs and a number of others coming that are going to make it a nice fall/winter. I was…

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  1. Devon Ellington Avatar
    Devon Ellington

    I leave for Prague next Monday, and they will think I'm SO nice because I'll be asking everyone how they are and wishing them a nice day, which is all I've managed to learn so far!

    I'm going to seem far more polite in the Czech Republic than I do here!

    I have to learn "please" and "thank you', but i have a feeling that's about as much as I'll retain in the next few days.

    I can understand more than that when I read, but that's all I can speak in Czech.

    I am VERY uncomfortable going into a place and not knowing any of the language, so I always try to learn at least a little bit.

    I love really good writing that teaches me something new. I don't know if I've ever actually taught anyone — if I'm enthusiastic about a concept, I try to communicate it, and I think there are certain things like social justice that are more effectively communicated in fiction and genre fiction than in non-fiction. But has anyone learned anything from me? You'd have to ask my readers.

    Reply
  2. Gabriella F. Avatar
    Gabriella F.

    Lori, I don't have much to say on writing as teaching (I think we do that every day), but I want to say that you did a good thing writing that letter and casually confronting the clerk. Not many people would have. I only wish the Spanish-speaking customer would have been there to hear it. Nobody deserves to be treated that way.

    Reply
  3. Katharine Swan Avatar
    Katharine Swan

    Lori, I've done the same thing — stick up for non-English-speaking foreigners, I mean. English is a very difficult language to learn, especially when you have no formal training — and let's be honest, how many of these immigrants have the money for English lessons? They're coming over here because they're poor, and are trying to make a better life for themselves.

    As for Americans learning the language when they visit foreign countries — you're right, most don't. I remember a lady I used to babysit for telling me I should travel Europe after college. I told her, "But I don't know any of the languages," and she said, "You don't need to! Everyone over there speaks English anyway." It's very nonchalant, this attitude that everyone ought to speak English for our convenience, but it certainly isn't limited to immigrants.

    Reply
  4. Lori Avatar
    Lori

    Gabriella, I can only hope it'll do some good. I've taught foreigners English for the last 8 years. I volunteer. I would hope someone in another country would do the same for me or someone like me. You said it exactly: No one deserves to be treated that way. My student thanked me. She said that's why she won't go out in public and order food, buy groceries, etc. She's come across the same attitude – and she's trying like hell to learn the language. And frankly, her langauge skills are pretty darned good. Her pronunciation is off, but her understanding and translation is mid-level.

    Katharine, it's that blase attitude that bugs me. These are people who automatically assume the world will adapt to English. I would love to see any one of them dropped into Brazil for one day. Hell, one hour would have them thinking twice about how they treat foreigners here.

    Devon, that's common courtesy, and you're a good egg for attempting the language. 🙂 Unlike some Americans, people do appreciate the effort.

    Reply
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