Cade Metz

It's the 40th anniversary of one of my favorite #StarTrek films, and the strongest argument against the old "only the even-numbered ones are good" theory. In this article, I look back at how #Spock actor Leonard Nimoy got to direct #TheSearchForSpock

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The tool I use the most when I would otherwise have writer's block is this: I write down everything I DO know about the project or assignment. Sometimes it's little more than my name, the idea or pitch, and maybe placeholders for "hed and dek." It is a super effective trick at getting started when I am stuck. And I have 5 more tricks similar to that one. https://lnkd.in/ePqjJ6Se

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Did you miss the Writers Conference? No worries - the lectures were recorded, and are now available at a reduced rate Whether you are writing fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, op-eds, for industry, for media, you’ll find something that meets your needs. I know, this seems like it’s just another pitch, but I learned so much. The speakers did a great job and focused on providing tangible guidance, whatever your writing needs may be https://lnkd.in/ebKvmFuK

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As artificial intelligence plays an ever-larger role in automated systems and decision-making processes, the question of how it affects humans' sense of their own agency is becoming less theoretical — and more urgent!

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This is an excerpt from E. Prybylski's insightful post. If you are considering an editor but wondering about the cost, I recommend reading it. Editing is an investment that can help your book transcend into something truly special that speaks to readers. "I want to remind people that, above all, when you’re working with an editor, you are working with a human being. Most of us are deeply passionate about writing and editing and about our professions. Most of us are not wealthy at all (many are barely middle class, if that). Many editors come from backgrounds like disability or neurodivergence. We have studied our profession out of that deep passion I mentioned before, and we truly love what we do... Editors are your cheerleaders, your companions, your friends, and your mentors. And we need to eat, too." - E. Prybylski If cost is a factor you are balancing, consider focusing on one round of editing (developmental, line, copyediting) or an editor who offers a combination service to help you be cost-effective. Note that editing is a time-intensive process, and editors will acknowledge that combination service won't be as effective as both a developmental edit and copyediting pass, but sometimes it is what your budget, your book, and your readers need. Not sure what is right for your book? Ask an editor! Posts like these exist because we genuinely care and want to help you succeed, even if that means we are not the right fit editor for you. We can advise you on what type of editing your book needs to succeed and what might be optional. Feel free to reach out for a sample edit and an opinion! I (and we) are here to help.

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Look who got her first book review on Publishers Weekly!! I love these last few lines of the review: "Temblador’s reckoning with her own blind spots sets an example for probing one’s biases without defensiveness or ego. This thoughtful guide brings clarity to a fraught topic." Thank you Publishers Weekly! #bookreview #writers #creativewriting https://lnkd.in/gRCRAupZ

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Editors, this ACES workshop on ethics in AI will be worth your time!

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You're probably already taking in a lot of information on how to cover this year's elections. These guides are aimed at helping you talk through that information with your news organization, and strategize or decide on how you'll navigate different scenarios long before they arise and leave you thinking, "I wish we'd talked about how we'd actually handle this." Our first two guides help you consider your coverage of misinformation and polling, and we've got more in the works! Let us know if there are other topics you'd like to see addressed.

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"it’s important to remember that there are no rules, and we can choose who we are and what we do every single day. Something I’ve noticed since starting my new job as a writer is just how diverse the label “writer” is. When most folks think of writers, they think of journalists who cover different industries and break the news on stories. But even within the narrow scope of “journalists,” there is so much variety. Some journalists cover finance, and within that, markets, and within that, venture capital and public equities and commodities. Other journalists cover sports, business, politics, and pop culture. Some writers, like me, apply a layer of commentary to the news. More often than not, I’m not telling readers what happened as much as I am why it matters. Some writers are pure essayists. Some are fiction novelists, others write biographies and histories. Some writers are equity researchers and hedge fund analysts, while others are copywriters, crisis comms strategists, and marketing executives. The scope of “writing,” as a profession, is infinite, because writing isn’t a profession. It’s a skill. And fine-tuned skills are valuable in a variety of “jobs.” Replace “writer” with teacher. Investor. Coach. If you only think about your career in terms of the job you do and other jobs that immediately progress from your current role then, yes, there are “rules” on what you may be able to pursue. But if you think about your career from the perspective of which skills you have developed and where else they might be applicable, you’ll realize that opportunities are near-infinite. Journalists can become investors. Corporate executives can become authors. Even in the case of the most rigid disciplines such as law and medicine, nothing is stopping you from going back to school right now, if you want to change course. You can reinvent yourself tomorrow if you’d like. The only “rules,” if any, are those that exist in your head. They’re self-imposed." No Rules: https://lnkd.in/d74EmhwW

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If you've read Mark Rogers's brilliant article on "the idea-centric content framework," here are four concepts from the world of filmmaking and worldbuilding that might help you execute it differently. The Logline --> A brief summary (one or two sentences) of a movie, series (etc) that describes the central conflict of your story. But aside from helping you convince folks to buy your script, it helps you describe the core of the story/film - the thing you want the audience to feel at the end of the movie. So, what do you want your audience to feel when they engage with each content asset? The Rule of Threes --> The impact of a shot, scene, or sequence depends on the shot, scene, or sequence that came before it. That shot, scene, or sequence will also directly affect the shot, scene, or sequence that comes after it. To implement this concept, you probably need to map your customer's journey through the content playground you've built, but it's worth considering. The Lean Forward Moment --> These are moments (moments of change) when you get the audience to lean in and pay attention. I mean, you can't expect folks to be clued in all through your movie. I like this for content, especially in a world where skimmers reign supreme. How "I've put the l**k to Mark's piece in you know where"

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The latest AI Marketing Ethics Digest issue, published today, asks a salient question: Is AI the digital Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? Or is it a tool we can use "for" good "or" evil? The choice, it seems to me, is ours to make. What do you think?

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"She expanded her business tentacles." Could generative AI have written that or was it just creative thesaurus-ing by an enthusiastic writer? My colleague who initially edited the draft thought the author may have used generative AI. At first, I only thought the volunteer writer was perhaps inexperienced. But "tentacles"? Tentacles has such a specific and physical meaning that it's hard to imagine a human confusing it with a simpler word, like "reach." Here's one take on how we might detect text written by generative AI: by its "accent." What "accents" do you think AI-generated text has? (The article compares AI to experienced writers, so I'm not convinced we'd see such a clear difference from work by inexperienced writers.) Edited to add the link! It's also clickable from the comments. https://lnkd.in/gY3SU6Cq #Writing #GenerativeAI

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My newest article on my publishing Substack shows authors how to get a strong start at gathering reviews from your release team and through pro reviewing sites. https://lnkd.in/gF7dA_7r

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I saw an interesting post from Erica Schneider recently about the differences between developmental editing and copyediting. And that AI is coming for the copyeditors... maybe. I really enjoy doing both, but they’re very different beasts. They need almost the opposite treatment. I'm a big fan of contrasts. 🏗 Developmental editing: This is a deeply creative and (ideally) collaborative edit. We're working on the physical presentation of the manuscript. The scaffolding is up. Hard hats are on. Heavy machinery vibrates the floors. You, the architect, and I, the building inspector, work together to ensure that your written edifice: 🏡 is stable and secure 🏡 is a shape that pleases you 🏡 has all the rooms you wanted 🏡 has logical flow and functionality between rooms and zones I know, it's a weird analogy! But it seems right for what is also known as structural editing. In practice this means doing some heavy lifting. Large chunks of text are liable to be airlifted and relocated so that the flow is just so. Back to your build: 🤔 Is a room missing? Then we'll add it. 🤔 Too many dining rooms? We'll lose the one with the least natural light. 🤔 Kitchen nowhere near the back door? We'll deal with it. Phew! It takes a while and the dust must settle *completely* before... 🗞 Copyediting Now we're close to the text again. And the process is much more rule-driven. This isn't very collaborative, though I'll explain clearly all the suggestions I make. You can then make an informed decision on each one. I'm looking for errors like: 📝 spelling 📝 punctuation 📝 grammar 📝 spacing. I'm also fact-checking, getting consistency across the piece and looking for anything else that's not making sense overall. Getting it ready for your happy readers to enjoy – without annoying issues. I can see how AI might take the copyeditor's job. It's possible – further down the road. At the moment it doesn't have the sophistication to replicate human thinking and perception. It's a glorified digital library right now. It can regurgitate and 'think' in a narrow context. But it can't perceive as we writers and readers do, yet. The software packages that exist do a reasonably good job, but in my opinion they can't beat an actual person. Meaning is subtle and easily missed. Also, I'm sorry to be yet another person droning on about AI. I really am. I don't personally use it for my writing, and very minimally for my editing (to me, AI is also Track Changes, which I definitely use 😉). https://lnkd.in/dacVHByw #AmEditing #AmWriting #DevelopmentalEdit #Copyedit #WeirdAnalogy #AIAgain #ProofingByPage

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A great test to see if your copy is too formal is the "comma Mary” test. The test comes from Bruce DeSilva, a thriller author and former journalist. The test: put ", Mary" at the end of a statement. Then read it aloud. If it doesn't sound right—namely, too formal—turn the word-choice dial toward less specialized, more conversational until it feels right. Example: “Undergoing regular cancer screenings is the expert-recommended approach to discovering cancer early enough to optimize treatment options and improve health outcomes, Mary." or "Regular cancer screenings help find cancer early, which is why experts recommend them. Treatment works best then and can help patients live longer, Mary." Which one are you most likely to say to a person? Now, it's no silver bullet; you'll want to go deeper and look at your writing decisions—sentence length along with word choice and order. But the "comma Mary" test is a great tool to judge your copy's readability. And to make changes toward making it more human—if that's what it needs, Mary. Alexandra Howson and I talked shop about voice last year. #writing #storytelling #medicalwriting

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