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Thursday, October 20, 2011

Defeating the Curse of the Blank Screen

From time to time many of us are faced with the prospect of producing a piece of writing. It could be a report, a letter, a speech, or as in my current situation, a piece for a regular newspaper column. Sometimes this can be a fairly torturous exercise when the idea of what to write can seem depressingly remote. This prompted me to have a look at what the library has available for anyone needing help with a writing assignment, and hopefully come up with my next column at the same time.


There are of course many different types of writing, for many different purposes, and the library has numerous books available to help, ranging from the general to the specific. Obviously we have many examples of creative writing in the library, including all our fiction and poetry titles, and numerous collections of stories or writings. If there are more aspiring writers out there we have a number of books to assist with the process.


Included amongst these are The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creative Writing by Laurie E. Rozakis; The Everything Guide to Writing Your First Novel by Hallie Ephron; and How Fiction Works: Proven Secrets to Writing Successful Stories that Hook Readers and Sell by Oakley Hall. There are guides to writing in specific areas such as short stories, graphic novels, even song-writing. We also hold many titles aimed at helping children and young adults with their writing including the Write that… series by Shaun McCarthy which covers film scripts, poems, reports, and stories.


If you are looking for inspiration from the lives of famous writers we have a number of biographies of famous authors. Included amongst these are New Zealanders such as Ngaio Marsh (Her Life In Crime), Joy Cowley (Navigation) and Fiona Kidman (At the End of Darwin Road), and international writers such as Agatha Christie: the Woman and Her Mysteries by Gillian Gill, Hide-and-Seek With Angels: a Life of J.M. Barrie by Lisa Chaney, and Kitchen Privleges: a Memoir by Mary Higgins Clark. In On Writing: a Memoir of the Craft, popular and prolific novelist Stephen King provides not only an autobiography but also invaluable advice on becoming a writer.


Much of the writing we have to do is non-fiction rather than fiction - although some CVs may blur this distinction. Sometimes this writing is for commercial reasons which books like The Language of Success: Business Writing that Informs, Persuades and Gets Results by Tom Sant and Power Sales Writing by Sue Hershkowitz-Coore can help with. History is another popular topic and titles such as Writing Your Family History: a New Zealand Guide by Joan Rosier-Jones, and Local History: a Short Guide to Researching, Writing and Publishing a Local History by Gavin McLean could be of assistance here. There is even a book Great Personal Letters for Busy People by Dianna Booher which, as the title suggests provides examples of letters that can be adapted and used for situations ranging from disputing an account statement to turning down an invitation.


A major concern many people have with writing is grammar, and wanting to ensure that things such as spelling and punctuation are correct in a piece of writing that is going to be read by others. Amongst the books that can offer guidance are Eats, Shoots & Leaves : the Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss and Your Joking: an Easy Guide to Correct Punctuation, Including How to Know the Difference Between Your and You’re by Mary Mountier. Particularly useful in the New Zealand environment is Māori for the Office: Te Reo Māori mo te Tari by the Māori Language Commission, while the Yahoo Style Guide by Chris Barr provides advice for writing, editing and creating content online. Correct referencing is also an important concern, particularly for anyone engaged in a course of study and The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagarism by Colin Neville illustrates the correct procedures to follow.


One of the most important documents we may have to write is a curriculum vitae and cover letter when looking for employment. We have a number of books offering advice in this area including The Resume Handbook: how to Write Outstanding Resumes & Cover Letters for Every Situation by Arthur D. Rosenberg; Situations Vacant: how to Prepare an Effective Curriculum Vitae by Shelley Burt; and 202 Great Cover Letters by Michael Betrus. We are also very fortunate to be able to host fortnightly sessions here at the library by Careers New Zealand consultant Lindsey Grott. Lindsey is available for 30 minute sessions to help job hunters prepare their written documentation. Come into the library or contact us to make a booking for Lindsey's next visit.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library