How do you get started writing a book?
A good friend of mine asked me a question this afternoon that I've heard many times from authors on the proverbial fence about writing: "How do I get started with a book idea?"My answer to this question is always the same, and it starts with the question of how much you love the subject your'e going to write about, because, just like the old saw about a PhD dissertation, you'll probably end your book project with less affection for the subject than when you started! I've known plenty of PhDs who find that their passion is spent by the time they defend their dissertation, and they end up needing a break.
But I'm getting sidetracked. Here's the real answer I gave Bryan...
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Learn more about Google in the Houston Business Review
Alright, the article is actually one that I originally wrote for Free Web Money with the cheery title of How does Google figure out which pages are more relevant? Pagerank., but I'm pleased that the Houston Business Review picked it up for their May 2004 newsletter.
Among other things, it's a good example of the value of keeping that Internet philosophy of openness: the editor of the Review and I have been going back and forth about them reusing some of my material and, as you can see, we've come to a satisfactory agreement.
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Of photography and tourbuses and flash units
I didn't mention it here on my weblog but my pal Bob Rankin let me take over the popular Internet Tourbus newsletter to write about photography and where to find good online resources to improve your own photographs. The result was impressive: I recorded over 20,000 visitors to my online portfolio Boulder Photography and received waves of email from readers (riders?) that were quite enjoyable and interesting.
Among the many questions I was asked were questions about what digital camera to buy, what kind of printer to get, how to get better results from printers, and whether I offer any courses or tutorials on landscape photography. Quite gratifying, as you might expect!
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