Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Journal
Writing Is Solitary But Not Isolating
February 22, 2011
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
In my last blog post, I mentioned my book project involving the Lone Ranger character. The book will be based on an article I wrote for the New York State Bar Association’s Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Journal in 2009.
As I wrote the article, I realized that I could greatly expand each section of it. What I soon realized is a lesson embraced by non-fiction writers -- a book proposal is your first goal, not a manuscript. A proposal has a book synopsis, author bio, marketing plan, target audience, 1-3 sample chapters, comparable or competitive titles, and a Table of Contents with a brief description of each chapter. It’s what literary agents want.
The problem was simple. I didn’t know how to do it. Sure, I bought a couple of books on the subject. But I needed feedback. So, about a year ago, I enrolled in a Media Bistro course about non-fiction book proposal writing called, appropriately, Non-Fiction Book Proposal Writing. I sent out some query letters to literary agents, but I needed to go further. I enrolled in another Media Bistro class in September about non-fiction book writing so I could refine my sample chapters and pick up additional tips about my proposal. It was called, appropriately, Non-Fiction Book Writing.
My class instructors and classmates provided feedback that leaves me eternally grateful. Seeing your work through someone else’s eyes is an invaluable part of the writing process. I still exchange ideas with classmates. We’re keeping each other accountable regarding our weekly progress.
About a month ago, I attended the Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City. Again, I picked up tips at seminars, practiced my pitch on other attendees, and learned of their similar ambition, passion, and challenge in the writing process.
The common thread through these experiences of the past year is not my ambition to write a book. Rather, it is my increasing appreciation to connect with other writers, learn from their similar and disparate challenges, and, hopefully, add value to their projects with my insights.
Facing a blank page or computer screen can be daunting for any writer. Writing is, essentially, a solitary endeavor rooted in the writer’s ideas, creativity, and approach to the subject. Compounding the solitude with finite isolation will form a moat-like abyss around the writer who will creatively live in a lonely castle.
If you want to write, then write. But do more than that. Join a writer’s group or form one. Take a writing class. Go to a writer’s conference. Share your goals, fears, and challenges with other writers. You might just be surprised at what you find. I was.
david@davidkrell.com
In my last blog post, I mentioned my book project involving the Lone Ranger character. The book will be based on an article I wrote for the New York State Bar Association’s Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Journal in 2009.
As I wrote the article, I realized that I could greatly expand each section of it. What I soon realized is a lesson embraced by non-fiction writers -- a book proposal is your first goal, not a manuscript. A proposal has a book synopsis, author bio, marketing plan, target audience, 1-3 sample chapters, comparable or competitive titles, and a Table of Contents with a brief description of each chapter. It’s what literary agents want.
The problem was simple. I didn’t know how to do it. Sure, I bought a couple of books on the subject. But I needed feedback. So, about a year ago, I enrolled in a Media Bistro course about non-fiction book proposal writing called, appropriately, Non-Fiction Book Proposal Writing. I sent out some query letters to literary agents, but I needed to go further. I enrolled in another Media Bistro class in September about non-fiction book writing so I could refine my sample chapters and pick up additional tips about my proposal. It was called, appropriately, Non-Fiction Book Writing.
My class instructors and classmates provided feedback that leaves me eternally grateful. Seeing your work through someone else’s eyes is an invaluable part of the writing process. I still exchange ideas with classmates. We’re keeping each other accountable regarding our weekly progress.
About a month ago, I attended the Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City. Again, I picked up tips at seminars, practiced my pitch on other attendees, and learned of their similar ambition, passion, and challenge in the writing process.
The common thread through these experiences of the past year is not my ambition to write a book. Rather, it is my increasing appreciation to connect with other writers, learn from their similar and disparate challenges, and, hopefully, add value to their projects with my insights.
Facing a blank page or computer screen can be daunting for any writer. Writing is, essentially, a solitary endeavor rooted in the writer’s ideas, creativity, and approach to the subject. Compounding the solitude with finite isolation will form a moat-like abyss around the writer who will creatively live in a lonely castle.
If you want to write, then write. But do more than that. Join a writer’s group or form one. Take a writing class. Go to a writer’s conference. Share your goals, fears, and challenges with other writers. You might just be surprised at what you find. I was.
What Should I Write About?
September 21, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Frequently, I meet attorneys at conferences, workshops, and seminars who want to know more about writing. How do I get published? Where should I look to get published? What should I write about?
The first two questions can be answered generally with relationship building, luck, and, oh yeah, knowing how to write effectively. I cover specifics in consulting sessions or speaking appearances.
I can answer the third question with a story. My latest article has just been published in the Summer 2010 issue of the New York State Bar Association’s Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal. The article -- Of Law and Labatut: The Story of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
I cover the legislation authorizing the memorial and its subsequent enhancements, the history behind the origin of the Vietnam War, and the popular culture responses to America’s involvement in Southeast Asia. My inspiration actually came from a paper I wrote in college for Architecture 170, a class taught by Brian Kelly at the University of Maryland, College Park. We had an assignment to analyze a monument or memorial in the Washington, D.C. area according to the paradigm in Jean Labatut’s article Monuments and Memorials.
When I came across the paper last year, I decided to use it as a basis for an article covering the legal, historical, and artistic angles of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
So, if you’re looking for a topic, do some Fall Cleaning! That paper you wrote as a sophomore for your Political Science class may just be a topic or springboard for a law review or bar association article.
david@davidkrell.com
Frequently, I meet attorneys at conferences, workshops, and seminars who want to know more about writing. How do I get published? Where should I look to get published? What should I write about?
The first two questions can be answered generally with relationship building, luck, and, oh yeah, knowing how to write effectively. I cover specifics in consulting sessions or speaking appearances.
I can answer the third question with a story. My latest article has just been published in the Summer 2010 issue of the New York State Bar Association’s Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal. The article -- Of Law and Labatut: The Story of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
I cover the legislation authorizing the memorial and its subsequent enhancements, the history behind the origin of the Vietnam War, and the popular culture responses to America’s involvement in Southeast Asia. My inspiration actually came from a paper I wrote in college for Architecture 170, a class taught by Brian Kelly at the University of Maryland, College Park. We had an assignment to analyze a monument or memorial in the Washington, D.C. area according to the paradigm in Jean Labatut’s article Monuments and Memorials.
When I came across the paper last year, I decided to use it as a basis for an article covering the legal, historical, and artistic angles of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
So, if you’re looking for a topic, do some Fall Cleaning! That paper you wrote as a sophomore for your Political Science class may just be a topic or springboard for a law review or bar association article.
Looking Back at a Season in Hell
March 04, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Today marks a milestone for me. One year ago today, I entered the digital universe by creating my own web site and blog. What I once considered a season in hell because of an apocalyptic economy seems profitable in retrospect. Not financially -- two freelance consulting jobs throughout the year. And I’m still looking for a job or projects. But it was profitable in a Rocky Balboa way. In Rocky Balboa, the title character tells his son:
But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody!
Keep moving forward, indeed.
The questions most often asked of me concerning my web site and blog -- How did I do it? Why did I do it?
Simple. I got laid off from my job as a legal conference producer in November 2008. Rebranding myself seemed to be necessary, if not vital. So, I went through my resume to strongly consider the value that I bring to an employer.
At first, the jobs on my resume seemed disparate -- attorney, gubernatorial campaign’s deputy press secretary, television news writer and producer, freelance magazine article writer, media commentator, legal conference producer. I soon realized the common thread is my passion -- writing.
Ok, I identified my passion. I have the skills and experience to adapt my writing to an employer’s or client’s format. But the worst economy since the Great Depression of the 1930’s gave no hint of loosening up during the holiday season.
I faced factual and anecdotal data concerning an apocalyptic economy. Phone calls to friends, contacts, and former colleagues remained unanswered. Watching CNBC gave no hint of daylight in the gloom and doom. Layoffs, fear, and cutbacks were the watchwords of 2009.
I found inspiration in the movie Any Given Sunday when Miami Sharks Head Coach Tony D’Amato (Al Pacino) gives the big speech before the big football game.
We’re in hell right now, gentlemen. Believe me. And we can stay here and get the shit kicked out of us or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb out of hell. One inch at a time.
I climbed my first inch out of hell by attending the pilot program for Shelly Palmer’s Get Digital seminar at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. I learned the importance of becoming digital savvy, owning a Blackberry, and rebranding myself in a fiercely competitive economy steeped largely in digital technology.
Get Digital inspired me to go further on a digital journey. I took a 2-hour web site design course for novices at Tekserve, an authorized Macintosh/Apple computer retailer and repairer located on 23rd Street in Manhattan. After the course, I bought the RapidWeaver web site design program. Being technologically challenged, I forced myself to read the manual again...and again...and again. Within two weeks, I learned how to design my own web sites and blogs.
I attended the International Trademark Association Annual Meeting in Seattle where I met a law firm marketer. A couple of weeks after the conference, he hired me to write the copy for one of his clients, a prominent law firm based in Mexico City.
I also met an editor from the Latin American intellectual property magazine Marcasur. She requested that I write an article about my passion -- writing. My article Your Writing Is Your Trademark appeared in the July - September 2009 issue. I’m also moderating a writing workshop at the INTA Annual Meeting in May 2010.
I lobbied the New York State Bar Association’s Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Journal for a regular column focusing on important deals, people, and events from historical and legal perspectives. Result: Krell’s Korner was born. The first column was published in the Fall-Winter 2009 issue. It concerned the deal between ABC and Walt Disney that allowed the animator to build Disneyland.
In November, a former colleague hired me to conduct legal and historical research concerning one of his company’s well-known entertainment characters. The research culminated in a massive report that left no stone unturned concerning the character’s business and legal history.
I attended the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Conference where a panel discussion concerning the new economy persuaded me to further my rebranding as a communications expert. Result: The Writing Guy™ communications was born.
I reconnected with a friend who hired me to consult on a trademark issue for one of her clients, a designer of games and applications for the iPhone.
I lobbied my alma mater, Villanova Law School, to host my CLE legal writing workshop for alumni. Stop Writing Like A Lawyer!™ will take place on April 7th.
Throughout, I wrote more than 70 blog entries about writing and communications. I created a second web site called Our Television Heritage™that houses my blog and articles regarding television history.
Last night, the last night of my first year as a digital savvy attorney/writer/blogger, I attended a panel discussion hosted by the City Bar Association of New York -- Using Your Law Degree for Something Other Than Practicing Law: Exploring Non-Legal Roles Within Law Firms. The panelists believe that the economy is showing signs of loosening regarding hiring law firm marketers with legal backgrounds and outside writing consultants.
I certainly hope so.
david@davidkrell.com
Today marks a milestone for me. One year ago today, I entered the digital universe by creating my own web site and blog. What I once considered a season in hell because of an apocalyptic economy seems profitable in retrospect. Not financially -- two freelance consulting jobs throughout the year. And I’m still looking for a job or projects. But it was profitable in a Rocky Balboa way. In Rocky Balboa, the title character tells his son:
But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody!
Keep moving forward, indeed.
The questions most often asked of me concerning my web site and blog -- How did I do it? Why did I do it?
Simple. I got laid off from my job as a legal conference producer in November 2008. Rebranding myself seemed to be necessary, if not vital. So, I went through my resume to strongly consider the value that I bring to an employer.
At first, the jobs on my resume seemed disparate -- attorney, gubernatorial campaign’s deputy press secretary, television news writer and producer, freelance magazine article writer, media commentator, legal conference producer. I soon realized the common thread is my passion -- writing.
Ok, I identified my passion. I have the skills and experience to adapt my writing to an employer’s or client’s format. But the worst economy since the Great Depression of the 1930’s gave no hint of loosening up during the holiday season.
I faced factual and anecdotal data concerning an apocalyptic economy. Phone calls to friends, contacts, and former colleagues remained unanswered. Watching CNBC gave no hint of daylight in the gloom and doom. Layoffs, fear, and cutbacks were the watchwords of 2009.
I found inspiration in the movie Any Given Sunday when Miami Sharks Head Coach Tony D’Amato (Al Pacino) gives the big speech before the big football game.
We’re in hell right now, gentlemen. Believe me. And we can stay here and get the shit kicked out of us or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb out of hell. One inch at a time.
I climbed my first inch out of hell by attending the pilot program for Shelly Palmer’s Get Digital seminar at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. I learned the importance of becoming digital savvy, owning a Blackberry, and rebranding myself in a fiercely competitive economy steeped largely in digital technology.
Get Digital inspired me to go further on a digital journey. I took a 2-hour web site design course for novices at Tekserve, an authorized Macintosh/Apple computer retailer and repairer located on 23rd Street in Manhattan. After the course, I bought the RapidWeaver web site design program. Being technologically challenged, I forced myself to read the manual again...and again...and again. Within two weeks, I learned how to design my own web sites and blogs.
I attended the International Trademark Association Annual Meeting in Seattle where I met a law firm marketer. A couple of weeks after the conference, he hired me to write the copy for one of his clients, a prominent law firm based in Mexico City.
I also met an editor from the Latin American intellectual property magazine Marcasur. She requested that I write an article about my passion -- writing. My article Your Writing Is Your Trademark appeared in the July - September 2009 issue. I’m also moderating a writing workshop at the INTA Annual Meeting in May 2010.
I lobbied the New York State Bar Association’s Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Journal for a regular column focusing on important deals, people, and events from historical and legal perspectives. Result: Krell’s Korner was born. The first column was published in the Fall-Winter 2009 issue. It concerned the deal between ABC and Walt Disney that allowed the animator to build Disneyland.
In November, a former colleague hired me to conduct legal and historical research concerning one of his company’s well-known entertainment characters. The research culminated in a massive report that left no stone unturned concerning the character’s business and legal history.
I attended the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Conference where a panel discussion concerning the new economy persuaded me to further my rebranding as a communications expert. Result: The Writing Guy™ communications was born.
I reconnected with a friend who hired me to consult on a trademark issue for one of her clients, a designer of games and applications for the iPhone.
I lobbied my alma mater, Villanova Law School, to host my CLE legal writing workshop for alumni. Stop Writing Like A Lawyer!™ will take place on April 7th.
Throughout, I wrote more than 70 blog entries about writing and communications. I created a second web site called Our Television Heritage™that houses my blog and articles regarding television history.
Last night, the last night of my first year as a digital savvy attorney/writer/blogger, I attended a panel discussion hosted by the City Bar Association of New York -- Using Your Law Degree for Something Other Than Practicing Law: Exploring Non-Legal Roles Within Law Firms. The panelists believe that the economy is showing signs of loosening regarding hiring law firm marketers with legal backgrounds and outside writing consultants.
I certainly hope so.
The Luxury of Time
February 12, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
When tackling a project that requires writing, one cardinal rule stands out -- start early.
During the new year’s holiday, I started working on a piece concerning the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for Krell’s Korner. Krell’s Korner is my column in the New York State Bar Association’s Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Journal. The piece about the memorial will appear in the Fall-Winter 2010 issue.
The deadline is May 21st.
During the massive snowstorm that hit the East Coast on Wednesday, I finished the first draft. I also completed a double-check of the footnotes against the format rules in A Uniform System of Citation (18th Edition), a.k.a. The Bluebook.
The Bluebook has a rule for every type of citation in a legal brief, legal memorandum, or law review article. The EASL Journal follows the law review citation requirements.
So, just a few tweaks for another draft and I can send the column to my editor for comments.
That’s one approach.
But I will use the next couple of months to do the following three things.
First, I will send the draft to some potential interviewees for the column with the luxury of time to respond. The column will stand alone, but interviews will enhance it. If I give myself a deadline to get the interviews by April 1st, I will have six weeks to get the interviews and, in a worst case scenario, another six weeks to incorporate the new information into the column.
Second, I will take a break from the column for a couple of weeks because absence makes the editorial mind grow sharper. After a break, I will see areas for improvement that I did not see during the adrenaline rush of writing.
Third, I will work on other projects. Now that the first draft is finished, I have the time, attention, and energy to focus on looking for consulting projects and a full-time position. I can also practice for my Stop Writing Like A Lawyer™that I’m hosting on February 25th at my alma mater -- Villanova Law School in Villanova, Pennsylvania. In May, I’m moderating a writing workshop at the International Trademark Association Annual Meeting in Boston.
Start early. Give yourself the luxury of time.
david@davidkrell.com
When tackling a project that requires writing, one cardinal rule stands out -- start early.
During the new year’s holiday, I started working on a piece concerning the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for Krell’s Korner. Krell’s Korner is my column in the New York State Bar Association’s Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Journal. The piece about the memorial will appear in the Fall-Winter 2010 issue.
The deadline is May 21st.
During the massive snowstorm that hit the East Coast on Wednesday, I finished the first draft. I also completed a double-check of the footnotes against the format rules in A Uniform System of Citation (18th Edition), a.k.a. The Bluebook.
The Bluebook has a rule for every type of citation in a legal brief, legal memorandum, or law review article. The EASL Journal follows the law review citation requirements.
So, just a few tweaks for another draft and I can send the column to my editor for comments.
That’s one approach.
But I will use the next couple of months to do the following three things.
First, I will send the draft to some potential interviewees for the column with the luxury of time to respond. The column will stand alone, but interviews will enhance it. If I give myself a deadline to get the interviews by April 1st, I will have six weeks to get the interviews and, in a worst case scenario, another six weeks to incorporate the new information into the column.
Second, I will take a break from the column for a couple of weeks because absence makes the editorial mind grow sharper. After a break, I will see areas for improvement that I did not see during the adrenaline rush of writing.
Third, I will work on other projects. Now that the first draft is finished, I have the time, attention, and energy to focus on looking for consulting projects and a full-time position. I can also practice for my Stop Writing Like A Lawyer™that I’m hosting on February 25th at my alma mater -- Villanova Law School in Villanova, Pennsylvania. In May, I’m moderating a writing workshop at the International Trademark Association Annual Meeting in Boston.
Start early. Give yourself the luxury of time.