Ellen Hartman's blog

I’m a technical writer. That means I write FAQs on a regular basis. Did you know that FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions? I bet you did.
Did you also know that most FAQs are made up by technical writers and have nothing to do with actual questions anyone has ever asked? Yep. It’s like writing fiction, except about bytes and bandwidth and secure passwords. And also the FAQs are usually nonfiction. Usually.

My friend, Diana Holquist, makes funny book trailers. And now I have one. Yay!

A book trailer is like a movie trailer, except with a really, really, really low budget and no actors. The exception to this is the trailer for a book written by Dennis Hopper's daughter. Watching it I learned that industry connections go a long way toward improving the look and feel of the trailer. Where are my movie star relatives when I need them?

Music or not?

I write with the headphones on and the music playing. I work up a soundtrack for the book and play those few songs over and over and over and over again.

I write because it’s tidy.

No, not the process. The process sucks.

Writers are asked, "Where do you get your ideas?"

If I were to answer honestly, I'd say, "From my fears and insecurities."

I finally found the cord that connects the digital camera to the computer. So I was finally able to upload a photo of the ornament Ronda sent me in the ornament exchange.

How'd you meet your honey?

I'm in the mood for some romantic stories. (Or funny ones. Or weird ones. Or sad ones with a happy ending. Or just, you know, whatever you have. Your story.) Here's mine: New Year's Eve, early 1990s...

I've recently come to recognize a serious (and growing) problem. I'm writing this blog as a Call To Action.

(My blog is excited. We're hardly ever serious around here.)

My friend, Diana Holquist, posted a reading challenge on her blog (http://blog.myspace.com/dianaholquist). I decided to take her up on it. The idea is that you post 12 books you're planning to read in 2008. She posted all romance, I'm not doing that because my romance choices tend to be based on my mood--I can't plan ahead!