Tools for writers and soon-to-be writers
Rituals that might serve you well...
I was going to title this post, Blogging 101 but I thought better of it. I am attempting to distract you by sharing the first step in any blogging adventure. Writers of all stripes have a wide variety of opinions on the often maligned practice of blogging. I am sharing what I gained and learned so if you are on the fence—you can safely leap.
My blogging journey began about 7 years ago. If it was a cocktail it would be equal parts wanting to safeguard ideas and a curiosity about becoming a writer. A real writer. Ironically I have earned money from writing for over 20 years. First as a medical writer and next as a data storyteller. I knew the words to select for technical writing but my narrative voice for anything less complicated than a gallbladder was definitely blocked. A literary faecolith if you will.
The secret? If you write regularly, your writing improves.
I know, I know—BOOM! Who knew?
My advice to you is to be curious, write stuff down, and read everything. You might be surprised how your observational skills improve when your mind is mapped for descriptive narrative.
Here are a few pennies worth of advice for getting started…
data & donuts is a searchable archive of stories, conferences, and ideas. If you write as well, no need to send off writing clips—it is all out there. Medium is no muss no fuss so is Substack for that matter.
What I am listening to at the moment:
I run for hours on trails and often use the time for learning something ping ponging between podcasts and audiobooks. The Storyteller read by Dave is something you must experience. Click the link to purchase and I think Amazon gives me 10 cents—to be honest I don’t know how that works.
My blogging journey began about 7 years ago. If it was a cocktail it would be equal parts wanting to safeguard ideas and a curiosity about becoming a writer. A real writer. Ironically I have earned money from writing for over 20 years. First as a medical writer and next as a data storyteller. I knew the words to select for technical writing but my narrative voice for anything less complicated than a gallbladder was definitely blocked. A literary faecolith if you will.
The secret? If you write regularly, your writing improves.
I know, I know—BOOM! Who knew?
My advice to you is to be curious, write stuff down, and read everything. You might be surprised how your observational skills improve when your mind is mapped for descriptive narrative.
Here are a few pennies worth of advice for getting started…
data & donuts is a searchable archive of stories, conferences, and ideas. If you write as well, no need to send off writing clips—it is all out there. Medium is no muss no fuss so is Substack for that matter.
- Let the benefits find YOU. Don’t do it for the money. Yes, get paid for work that you are doing but don’t let adverts and pop-ups ruin the experience for your tribe of readers.
- Find a niche or don’t. I write what I feel like talking about or exploring. It can be about a book I read, a movie I saw—or anything else. I do dabble with geospatial analysis and history and I hope we are all learning something.
Writers tend to see stories in almost anything. Take a few weeks or months to simply write about something you observed or something that happened to you. Use your language, not the overly edited prose in a published piece. I write free form and give it one look over before hitting publish. - Don’t be boring. Nobody reads a didactic piece of writing if it is devoid of personality. At least not for pleasure.
What I am listening to at the moment:
I run for hours on trails and often use the time for learning something ping ponging between podcasts and audiobooks. The Storyteller read by Dave is something you must experience. Click the link to purchase and I think Amazon gives me 10 cents—to be honest I don’t know how that works.
Let me know if you decide to start a blog. I honestly wish they were called something else. Maybe verbal blueprints or something. I write before I write. It clears my mind but lets’ the rest of the body know what we are about to embark on…focus and creativity on a good day—a wild and strange ride otherwise.
...days of roses, poetry and prose
The song Martha sung by Tom Waits wrecks me. It feels like a holiday song to me. When I was young and returned home from California for the holidays there were a few awkward collisions with past loves. This wistful melancholy song captures all of that. The simpler times of carefree holidays where you are the intended recipient of other’s generosity. The sadness of goodbyes even when they give rise to a beautiful life beyond your capacity to imagine. This song came to mind as I sat down in my office with the last piece of birthday cake and a cup of spice tea.
...in most fields--especially those that are complex and unpredictable--generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They’re also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can’t see...David Epstein, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World.
Now almost 30 years married, with a son planning a wedding and another navigating planes and airports to return from college for the holidays I still enjoy being the future self of that young girl returning home.
I celebrated a birthday (homemade carrot cake with about a billion ingredients), served a beautiful Thanksgiving meal, and gathered family to decorate the Christmas tree discovered in a Whole Foods parking lot. The temptation to work non-stop has been tempered by a sprained ankle and the distractions of coordinating schedules, planning travel, and decorating the house for the season. Knowing when to step back and bask in the life you miss when locked in an office is emerging. I wish it for you as well.
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I am working on a 1-hour conversation scheduled for December 10th at 1:00 PM. We will be discussing Story and Place. Often we have heard stories our entire lives but never linked them to place. We also know of places described in history but we are unaware of the complicated narrative.
That is the beauty of thinking geospatially. Engaging Story with Place, 12/10/21, 1:00-2:00 PM EST Two books I think you might enjoy: Art & Fear: Observations on the perils and rewards of artmaking and When Women Were Birds: Fifty-Four Variations on Voice. |
Diversions don’t need to be familial obligations. The quote by David Epstein illuminates the importance of juggling many interests rather than focusing on one.
My love of art has been inserted in discussions of bias, graphic literacy, awareness of place and powerful elements of storytelling. Geospatial analytics add a necessary hue to telling a story. Why something has happened is now a harmonic of Where something happens. Add these elements to your story. My writing mentor is Nancy Slonim Aronie. She has a new book out in March. Nancy taught me that I had a voice. And then she taught me how to use it. She is responsible for 6 years of blogging and the countless workshops and presentations I am asked to give. Memoir as Medicine: The Healing Power of Writing Your Messy Imperfect, Unruly (but Gorgeously Yours) Life Story. |
Communication - the human condition - is the key to personal and career success - Paul J Meyer
I never liked the term “content”. It seems to lump together a bunch of stuff and lazily hurl it at a wall to see what sticks. Nevertheless we are creators--behold the fruit of our labors. Also, if you are like me, you want to share experiences, musings, and insights to your colleagues and peers.
I have been writing for a long time. At first, in a constrained voice toward a specific target--say this--not that. The pharmaceutical world wanted “copy” masquerading as a science and I was willing to comply until I got the joke, and realized I was the one writing the punch lines. I had stuff to say and now that I was free to say it the next goal was learning about platforms.
I don’t know where the advice came from but it was pristine. Host your own content. Control the visibility in a way that you won’t disappear tomorrow if say a social media platform operates with more than a sprinkle of maleficence. This is how Weebly became my platform of choice to host this blog. But like you, I get restless. I wrote a little over on LinkedIn, some on Medium, launched a newsletter over on Substack but lacked a single cohesive point of origin.
And then I stumbled upon Authory. Thinking of the title of this section of my blog, I don’t seem to talk much about the tools I use on a regular basis. Once I signed up for Authory, all of my writing from across the interwebs is now hosted in one location. New content can also be created and you are rewarded for new content by Authory as they will send out anything new you write as a newsletter.
I mean if it's good enough for David Pogue of the New York Times who am I to argue?
I can’t think of anything in my workflow more timesaving and efficient than the ability to create a sharp modern presence with all of the bells and whistles of high-powered journalistic websites.
Your mileage will vary and what drives you to the platform might be different but the just-in-time portfolio is the big no brainer for me. Obviously the price point is brilliant as well. During these months of less flights and in-person speaking engagements I have explored different tools. If there is a free trial I try it on for size. If the juice is worth the squeeze I don’t mind the investments. If the juice is really tasty I share it with you.
Full disclosure. I was about to share Authory with my network and I noticed something else. If you try it and are willing to write a review, the folks at Authory will give you some free time on your membership.
Who doesn’t like a company willing to value what we do.
We write.
We want to do it well.
And we want others to engage.
I have been writing for a long time. At first, in a constrained voice toward a specific target--say this--not that. The pharmaceutical world wanted “copy” masquerading as a science and I was willing to comply until I got the joke, and realized I was the one writing the punch lines. I had stuff to say and now that I was free to say it the next goal was learning about platforms.
I don’t know where the advice came from but it was pristine. Host your own content. Control the visibility in a way that you won’t disappear tomorrow if say a social media platform operates with more than a sprinkle of maleficence. This is how Weebly became my platform of choice to host this blog. But like you, I get restless. I wrote a little over on LinkedIn, some on Medium, launched a newsletter over on Substack but lacked a single cohesive point of origin.
And then I stumbled upon Authory. Thinking of the title of this section of my blog, I don’t seem to talk much about the tools I use on a regular basis. Once I signed up for Authory, all of my writing from across the interwebs is now hosted in one location. New content can also be created and you are rewarded for new content by Authory as they will send out anything new you write as a newsletter.
I mean if it's good enough for David Pogue of the New York Times who am I to argue?
I can’t think of anything in my workflow more timesaving and efficient than the ability to create a sharp modern presence with all of the bells and whistles of high-powered journalistic websites.
Your mileage will vary and what drives you to the platform might be different but the just-in-time portfolio is the big no brainer for me. Obviously the price point is brilliant as well. During these months of less flights and in-person speaking engagements I have explored different tools. If there is a free trial I try it on for size. If the juice is worth the squeeze I don’t mind the investments. If the juice is really tasty I share it with you.
Full disclosure. I was about to share Authory with my network and I noticed something else. If you try it and are willing to write a review, the folks at Authory will give you some free time on your membership.
Who doesn’t like a company willing to value what we do.
We write.
We want to do it well.
And we want others to engage.
Reach out with any questions or insights...
@datamongerbonny
Here is a quick scroll through my site--If you decide to give it a try, redeem your free month at the link--authory.com/BonnyMcClain/invite?key=QRTKd
@datamongerbonny
Here is a quick scroll through my site--If you decide to give it a try, redeem your free month at the link--authory.com/BonnyMcClain/invite?key=QRTKd
A year to remember, learn, and reflect...
We are tired of hearing how this was a year like no other--the loss and chaos is unprecedented. Even if history points toward other pandemics, economic declines, or profound loss, this year is the only where we watched in real time. We heard the vitriol, lies, sadness, and despair in the first person.
But there were also moments of light. We watched front-line workers with huge hearts and inexhaustible waves of hope show up every day besieged by catastrophic loss and fear. In our own communities, protected from the onslaught of disease and death, we masked up, stood in lines--6 feet apart, and tried to comfort each other with kindness, generosity, and most often simply acknowledging that we indeed see each other.
Professionally I was unable to travel. Scheduled talks and speaking engagements were reimagined or canceled. I slowed down. Waaaaay down. The National Press Club Journalism Institute had a small idea. Would a few of the interested members care to meet over Zoom to support one another, participate in a writing task for discussion, and quite often simply guide one of us through a challenge or celebrate a success. We met more frequently in the beginning but even recently still found time in our schedules to gather twice a week. I learned a lot about how different our paths were then and how many of us redefined what the future will be for us in reimagined careers or different work environments. A small idea grew.
The little video below is humbling. A Pulitzer Prize winner, accomplished author and many others share what journalism or the NPC Journalism Institute meant to them during this time. I was recorded extemporaneously from one of our casual zoom discussions so although the production quality is low--I am happy that I was selected to share what I gained from these months of community and gathering.
Find a group, find others to support you and support them back.
More importantly, discover why you write--and whom you want to write for.
-B
But there were also moments of light. We watched front-line workers with huge hearts and inexhaustible waves of hope show up every day besieged by catastrophic loss and fear. In our own communities, protected from the onslaught of disease and death, we masked up, stood in lines--6 feet apart, and tried to comfort each other with kindness, generosity, and most often simply acknowledging that we indeed see each other.
Professionally I was unable to travel. Scheduled talks and speaking engagements were reimagined or canceled. I slowed down. Waaaaay down. The National Press Club Journalism Institute had a small idea. Would a few of the interested members care to meet over Zoom to support one another, participate in a writing task for discussion, and quite often simply guide one of us through a challenge or celebrate a success. We met more frequently in the beginning but even recently still found time in our schedules to gather twice a week. I learned a lot about how different our paths were then and how many of us redefined what the future will be for us in reimagined careers or different work environments. A small idea grew.
The little video below is humbling. A Pulitzer Prize winner, accomplished author and many others share what journalism or the NPC Journalism Institute meant to them during this time. I was recorded extemporaneously from one of our casual zoom discussions so although the production quality is low--I am happy that I was selected to share what I gained from these months of community and gathering.
Find a group, find others to support you and support them back.
More importantly, discover why you write--and whom you want to write for.
-B
Our newsletter, mumble. delegate. ponder, has a new home on Substack.
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Subscribe for industry specific insights, data, and skill building.
Look over here, not over there...
There are things I didn’t have time for before. Or wait. Correction. There are things I did not make enough time for before. I live in my head. You might relate. I have obsequious habits of running and writing that are solo endeavors. I prefer literature to prating gossip and persistent whining.
Working from home, spending abundant time alone, and not having to make excuses when I don’t accept invitations to drink cocktails I shouldn’t have and food I don’t like are blessings. Not being able to travel freely or visit my friends scattered across the country or speak live to audiences--these are sucky. The constant worry about an invisible threat allowed to propagate while our government brands the story to their benefit is a real threat--to our health and lets be honest--to our democracy. Regardless of your politics. But we aren’t going there.
Literary festivals have been a delicious treat. I am in the middle of my second (The New Yorker) after thoroughly enjoying my first (The Atlantic Festival). Sitting in a virtual audience also has advantages. Margaret Atwood isn’t as tidy as you would imagine while Adam Serwer's cat takes cleanliness to a new level. I am reminded of something long forgotten. I am a writer. I don’t need to be picked by a client or a company for work to feel professionally fulfilled. If we focus on the creative bits we will be fine. Don’t let the panic of the unknown sideline your work.
If you are craving a level set for your creativity--an invitation to return to your writing or art here is what worked for me. I watched The New Yorker Documentary The Many Lives of a New York City Doorman. It helped me figure out how to contextualize what I am feeling and what I am missing the most in our new normal. If you have spent time traveling to and within big cities this will be familiar. Meeting the extraordinary ordinary beauty of humans living their lives. Visual storytelling is my thing. I am a constant learner. These vignettes are priceless. I was reminded of a Sudanese driver I would call when I was in DC on an irregular regular basis. He was telling me about how Ebola was raging in his town and he was worried about his mother. Moments later he was inviting me to dinner. These moments allow us to engage our humanity and enjoy life and all its hidden beauty.
Working from home, spending abundant time alone, and not having to make excuses when I don’t accept invitations to drink cocktails I shouldn’t have and food I don’t like are blessings. Not being able to travel freely or visit my friends scattered across the country or speak live to audiences--these are sucky. The constant worry about an invisible threat allowed to propagate while our government brands the story to their benefit is a real threat--to our health and lets be honest--to our democracy. Regardless of your politics. But we aren’t going there.
Literary festivals have been a delicious treat. I am in the middle of my second (The New Yorker) after thoroughly enjoying my first (The Atlantic Festival). Sitting in a virtual audience also has advantages. Margaret Atwood isn’t as tidy as you would imagine while Adam Serwer's cat takes cleanliness to a new level. I am reminded of something long forgotten. I am a writer. I don’t need to be picked by a client or a company for work to feel professionally fulfilled. If we focus on the creative bits we will be fine. Don’t let the panic of the unknown sideline your work.
If you are craving a level set for your creativity--an invitation to return to your writing or art here is what worked for me. I watched The New Yorker Documentary The Many Lives of a New York City Doorman. It helped me figure out how to contextualize what I am feeling and what I am missing the most in our new normal. If you have spent time traveling to and within big cities this will be familiar. Meeting the extraordinary ordinary beauty of humans living their lives. Visual storytelling is my thing. I am a constant learner. These vignettes are priceless. I was reminded of a Sudanese driver I would call when I was in DC on an irregular regular basis. He was telling me about how Ebola was raging in his town and he was worried about his mother. Moments later he was inviting me to dinner. These moments allow us to engage our humanity and enjoy life and all its hidden beauty.
Watching the short documentary we see a man working as a doorman, being an engaged father, pursuing several side hustles and raising awareness and money in the art world to build a school in Haiti.
He picks up his violin during his work day and we are all the better for it. We are all more than how we earn a living. What do we do in our personal time? How do we engage our children or families? Look over here. Thank you. |
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Do I really know what I think I knew 30 seconds ago, back when I began the sentence?--Irina Dumitrescu
How are you friend? I am gobsmacked that July is right around the corner. These weeks and months of isolation are things of wintry mixes and blustery cold temperatures. Peering outside to witness the cacophony of bird song and locusts or walking silently on newly planted clover is not intended for isolation. Typically we bust forth into the streets to enjoy laughter and the company of friends.
We must be patient. I am almost getting used to Zoom-ing my formerly live and in-person discussions or workshops. I don't like it. But it is all we have.
Here is a fun article I thought you might like to read. It matters. My heart can only take so much sorrow and dismay. Today I choose hope. November I will vote. Until then...patience.
We must be patient. I am almost getting used to Zoom-ing my formerly live and in-person discussions or workshops. I don't like it. But it is all we have.
Here is a fun article I thought you might like to read. It matters. My heart can only take so much sorrow and dismay. Today I choose hope. November I will vote. Until then...patience.
Someone is Wrong on the Internet: A Study in Pandemic Distraction
Melancholy minus its charms...
I was recently talking with a friend and shared how it takes me all day to what I was once able to do while juggling at least 3 other tasks. I have a mostly unread stack of books, unwritten book chapters, unrecorded web sessions for a course about focus and attention (go ahead and laugh--the irony isn't lost on me either), and the list goes on. My summer wardrobe winks at me from my grown son's closet--some real estate I decided to invade when he moved in with his girlfriend almost a year ago.
There is also this melancholy. A sadness when I hear or see the saber-rattling of either ill-informed crowds demanding their freedoms to spread a deadly disease as long as they can queue up in Biscuitville take-out lines--or colleagues finger pointing at who has the right to have a voice in what comes next.
Speaking of saber-rattling, Wikipedia defines it as follows, "In Chilean history, saber noise or saber rattling was an incident that took place on September 3, 1924, when a group of young military officers protested against the political class and the postponement of social measures by rattling the scabbards of their sabers against the floor."
There is also this melancholy. A sadness when I hear or see the saber-rattling of either ill-informed crowds demanding their freedoms to spread a deadly disease as long as they can queue up in Biscuitville take-out lines--or colleagues finger pointing at who has the right to have a voice in what comes next.
Speaking of saber-rattling, Wikipedia defines it as follows, "In Chilean history, saber noise or saber rattling was an incident that took place on September 3, 1924, when a group of young military officers protested against the political class and the postponement of social measures by rattling the scabbards of their sabers against the floor."
Over in the twitterverse, clinical scientists, epidemiologists, statisticians, and data scientists argue about who said what and when about COVID-19 and who deserves to stand on the hallowed ground and have an opinion. As in anything, there is truth on all sides but often we tend to over represent our contributions. Especially if there is money to be made or prestige to be grabbed. I have always been clear. Conversations should be started from anyone with a question to a question or a question to an answer.
What is the point in thinking and writing about something if we don't pause to reflect or to consider? We have an abundance of time to savor words, intent, or even go down previously unexplored paths. Is anyone surprised how quickly social media can throw little "thought bombs" over the fence and wait for the disruption to occur? In my day we called those types shit-stirrers but I fear a pinch more of maleficence.
Every week day from 11:30 until about noon a group of communicators/journalists from the National Press Club gather and write down a few thoughts in response to a timely prompt. I suggest you find a circle of co-workers, friends, or family and make a mini time commitment to simply check in and say "hey". I think the secret sauce is keeping it short so everyone can try and show up--and to have a plan of how to use the time efficiently. Let me know what happens!
What is the point in thinking and writing about something if we don't pause to reflect or to consider? We have an abundance of time to savor words, intent, or even go down previously unexplored paths. Is anyone surprised how quickly social media can throw little "thought bombs" over the fence and wait for the disruption to occur? In my day we called those types shit-stirrers but I fear a pinch more of maleficence.
Every week day from 11:30 until about noon a group of communicators/journalists from the National Press Club gather and write down a few thoughts in response to a timely prompt. I suggest you find a circle of co-workers, friends, or family and make a mini time commitment to simply check in and say "hey". I think the secret sauce is keeping it short so everyone can try and show up--and to have a plan of how to use the time efficiently. Let me know what happens!
Urgency can obscure the important...
When I mention that I am a huge fan of the work of Felix Vallotton I can only convey what I am seeing and why I enjoy the experience. I am not an art historian, solely an observer and frequent museum visitor.
During trips to city after city during my years working with pharmaceutical companies I needed to carve out time to pause and experience the spaces I was occupying. Museums are a welcome distraction. As I transitioned to my current role in graphicacy--as a workshop leader and speaker--I welcomed the visual skills gleaned from art appreciation and applied them directly to how we visualize data. Where is your eye drawn in the painting on the left? The artist is focusing your attention to the bold color of the cape and fanciful hat of the central figure moving in front of what seems to be a bookstore window. |
As you prioritize information, be aware of the difference between urgent and important. Urgent concerns scream for our attention, but they usually offer only short-term solutions. Important things contribute value in the long run. While sometimes urgent tasks are also important, more often the urgent obscures the important--Amy Herman, Visual Intelligence, Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life.
My interest; however, notices the cape but lingers around the 3 globes of light. They bathe the inside of the store and focus the patient observer to the display--perhaps books in a bookstore? Explore more of his paintings now focusing on the lightscape in Intimacy Couple in Interior, 1898 or Misia at Her Dressing Table, 1898--masterful.
We may be less aware of how these features of art translate to how we render and interpret visualized data and graphics. Our brains have a distinct preference and pay special attention to first, position--and then color, size, and shape. We call these pre-attentive attributes. We observe and understand almost subconsciously before sending information to our brains for processing.
These patterns can certainly help us to curate complex graphical elements but we need to take the time to decide what is important. Is there a tension between what we are being shown and what we might need presented to have a complete perspective?
Curious for more? Amy Herman (art historian) will be joining us for a writing workshop on Bald Head Island off the coast of NC.
You can read more about the event here and more about Amy below and at these links -- The Art of Perception, Visual Intelligence, and her Ted Talk, A Lesson on Looking.
We may be less aware of how these features of art translate to how we render and interpret visualized data and graphics. Our brains have a distinct preference and pay special attention to first, position--and then color, size, and shape. We call these pre-attentive attributes. We observe and understand almost subconsciously before sending information to our brains for processing.
These patterns can certainly help us to curate complex graphical elements but we need to take the time to decide what is important. Is there a tension between what we are being shown and what we might need presented to have a complete perspective?
Curious for more? Amy Herman (art historian) will be joining us for a writing workshop on Bald Head Island off the coast of NC.
You can read more about the event here and more about Amy below and at these links -- The Art of Perception, Visual Intelligence, and her Ted Talk, A Lesson on Looking.
One more fa la la and you are out of here...
I was poking at a few hors d'oeuvres at a holiday party and noticed the warning on the front of a napkin. One more fa la la and you are out of here. I can relate. Although I don't partake, I do observe the festive sweaters and swinging Christmas ball earrings. This year of work finally ended a few days ago but when you are an entrepreneur -- this changes email by email.
Maybe like many of you, this year has been different. Work life has been self directed in a meaningful and rewarding way. I am more selective and deliberate in engagements to consult, teach, or speak. Am I adding value in a unique way or simply adding to the clatter? I am also done with titles. The closest I come to using one is data curious human. I like the simplicity. It was a process but I am happy with the result. Read a bit more about it here, Comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable. I meditate and run along wooded trails or the sea--why not harmonize personal and "business" pursuits? This year has been jam packed with Python focused Executive Education in Applied Analytics from The Fu School of Engineering at Columbia, multiple opportunities to lead workshops and keynotes, and a return to the basics. Keep in touch for the newsletter with a list and description of a few valuable tools and books you might want to add to the arsenal. Here is a sample below... |
I always assume that everyone else bores easily as well. I know I certainly don't need another data visualization book although I have my favorites. I am talking to you Andy Kirk and Edward Tufte.
So when I find a book that I can align with an edge to make workshops more interesting I am fully engaged. The book is called Plotted, A Literary Atlas. |
Author Andrew DeGraff wrote the following about how his mother, a teacher, stressed the relevance of context...
"You need to understand the big picture in order to see what you still have to learn..." "You need to know how things fit together before you'll be able to take them apart." Context, in her view, is essential for understanding complex things. And I think I agree with her on that. These maps vary pretty widely when it comes to what they show and how they show it, but they all resulted from my desire to provide a spatial context for some of my favorite literary landscapes. I wanted to paint what I imagined (or rather, what great authors allowed me to imagine). The picture depicts a color coded illustration of the night time visitations of Ebenezer Scrooge: Time Traveler. The 5 staves are shown with legends and a temporal graphic map.
The backstory from Charles Dickens is the use of staves mirrors the staff in musical notation. He called the chapters staves to reflect distinctive moods and stories that could be read separately. |
This is the page in the book right before you get to the literary stories and the visual maps they created.
I love the visual of writers as explorers and the similarity of advancing into new land--the maps and literary atlas are creative tools we can use in the visualization of data. Yes, there are best practices and fundamentals at the core of graphicacy and visual design but there is also something much more. An ability to engage and bring others along. Isn't that why we tell stories in the first place? |
Have a wonderful holiday season. The new year promises to be a busy one with January and February already starting to fill up with opportunities.
We get to decide where we show up. We get to decide where we want to focus our attention and how we bring value. Seth Godin uses a phrase I like a lot--"information scarcity". It is hard to imagine this was ever a thing when the 24 hour news cycle is frenetically spinning over our heads. But what if information is incomplete. One perspective, one view, one opinion. I like to think about the real value being derived from a tension. Multiple views distilled in a manner where we can find our way. A stanza of music... Or a harmonic. Back to the staves of Dickens. Think of specific frequencies of a vibratory nature. Yes perhaps these narratives could stand alone but isn't the complete journey far more informative?
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Mandatory evacuations and undesired obstacles...
Although here I am referring to the closing of my vacation island of choice for a few days it will always remind me of a particular long training run along the ocean.
A fellow runner ran nervously over the dune and I yelled after him--"Hey only 2 more miles until a proper toilet!".
His response still makes me chuckle, "Can't wait Bonny, mandatory evacuation!"
A fellow runner ran nervously over the dune and I yelled after him--"Hey only 2 more miles until a proper toilet!".
His response still makes me chuckle, "Can't wait Bonny, mandatory evacuation!"
I notice that when I feel particularly frazzled I head over to this small quasi-hidden part of the website and try to share with you dear reader. I would say that as plural but with all of the changes in tracking algorithms by blogging platforms--I think I hear an echo.
No bother, I know you are out there. I get the messages. I feel the engagement. But I would be lying if I said it didn't matter. Perhaps not in the manner you think but it still is perplexing. How can 10,000 unique weekly visits have been miscalculated and readjusted in the hundreds? What were they counting before? Cells? Atoms? Is everything we rely on hyped and magnified to distort our egos? I am certainly not perfect but I happily put in a lot of hard work. I show up every day. Even if I am not writing I am responding to emails, sitting on webinars trying to help you figure out a data challenge or create a better data environment for curating your insights. |
The plan for the month of September was to head out to the coast and write, record a few podcasts, and catch up on an ever-growing stack of recommended books. And launch my long distance training by taking long morning runs out to Fort Fisher. This %^$&# Hurricane Dorian has made me hit pause as the entire island is closed for business. Not a big deal when you think of the horrors in the Bahamas--but disruption even in the face of extreme gratefulness can still be tough.
My new normal will be a slower pace over the next few days. I packed in all my September meetings over the last few days so nothing but open calendar (give or take an ad-hoc meeting here or there handled over a webinar) until I can board the ferry and step away until early October.
I want to share a spectacular book about writing. Maybe it is equal parts about how to read and how to write. If you are a writer you are also a reader. We can't learn a craft or weave a narrative without absorbing particular phrases or nudges from the words we surround ourselves with--my favorite part of the week is when I carve out a little space to read. Now that I have classes to teach it is even more important to make time to drop off the grid and give something a read.
I want to share a spectacular book about writing. Maybe it is equal parts about how to read and how to write. If you are a writer you are also a reader. We can't learn a craft or weave a narrative without absorbing particular phrases or nudges from the words we surround ourselves with--my favorite part of the week is when I carve out a little space to read. Now that I have classes to teach it is even more important to make time to drop off the grid and give something a read.
'Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative disrupts the outdated belief in how to structure a story. Gone is the prescriptive narrative arc or expectation of the Hero's Journey. Anything can happen.
...but anyone who's ever been in chest-deep at the shore knows there's more fun to a wave than the peak: the swell, the rise, the rush of foamy water on shining sand, the tug back toward the deep. Writers can articulate a narrative wave by modeling parts other than the peak--symmetrical moments on either side for instance--Jane Alison How weird that my writing today seems to be anchored by sea themes. I kid you not it was not by intention but perhaps influenced by the weird maths of a Möbius strip--which end is up or down at any given moment may not be entirely by our design.
Listen to the enchanting story of Wind and Mr. Ug to learn more about the Möbius strip in storytelling. |
The overnight success that took 20 years...
Actually, I'm an overnight success, but it took twenty years.--Monty Hall
Those of us working in the industry for a long time know it. The danger of flying too close to the sun. How often are we warned to avoid flying too low?
I like to show this 1560 painting Landscape with the Fall of Icarus-- historically thought to be by Pieter Bruegel the Elder but likely a good copy--in my data workshops. Attendees notice the ships, the shepard, and farm worker but rarely Icarus drowning in the water. A Flemish proverb "And the farmer continued to plough..." (Ende boer... hijploegdevoort") is often cited to demonstrate the indifference to what is happening right within their midst. I liken it to many graphics we observe in the media where our attention has been averted away to look at something else while the real point of interest remains subtly hidden. |
Who doesn't prefer thinking of the heights and successes preferentially over disappointments and failures? One of the many reasons I adore the podcast, ZigZag is how applicable it is to our busy lives. I too have had to hold a meeting hidden in a closet hoping for quiet but knowing that one of my children might come busting in at any minute. Or when a physician researcher from the local Gene Therapy Center was calling unscheduled and I may or may not have poured a heap of m&ms into the middle of an oriental rug hoping to distract the tribe until child care arrived...
Although I may not have burnt out over the years I have certainly charred and scorched at times. How do you rebuild or better yet avoid the pending catastrophe? I run trails in the early morning hours--letting my mind sort out a lot of the dilemmas bringing new clarity as I return to the parking lot.
I think you will enjoy this episode. Let me know what you think over @datamongerbonny. I will be the one nestled in my husband's dress shirts behind the abandoned exercise equipment.
Although I may not have burnt out over the years I have certainly charred and scorched at times. How do you rebuild or better yet avoid the pending catastrophe? I run trails in the early morning hours--letting my mind sort out a lot of the dilemmas bringing new clarity as I return to the parking lot.
I think you will enjoy this episode. Let me know what you think over @datamongerbonny. I will be the one nestled in my husband's dress shirts behind the abandoned exercise equipment.
Keep saying it, over and over and over...
I have a folder on my iPhone, Thoughts From a Plane. I try to catch up on my ever growing list of must read books and often I want to jot down a thought to explore in greater detail once on terra firma.
I use the Notes app on my iPhone to capture ideas that are synched directly onto my other devices. |
The purpose of my recent trip was to share a data workshop with an integrated health university and to attend a Board Meeting. Two birds--one stone. The data workshop was one of the liveliest and interactive I ever had the pleasure to lead. I even have a new title now, datapractor -- I love it.
So here is my list of 2 edited ideas from the plane. I learned from my friend, Amy Herman that Visual Intelligence is transformative. I integrate works of art into my workshops to relax attendees and help them learn how to flex their "awareness" muscles. The foundation for this (gleaned from my recent read of Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again) is the existence of availability bias. Imagine over 10,000 human diseases. Given the finite number of patients being treated be individual physicians, the diagnosis that springs to mind is more than likely going to be one of familiarity. What is that they say? When you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras... But this heuristic can be problematic in medicine. Especially now where we have so many digital tools at our fingertips--all available for intervention. Behold the Isabel Symptom Checker. |
You simply enter your symptoms and viola you get a list similar to mine depending on what you select. I returned last might from a coast to coast trip, did a 5 mile run, and headed into my office for a full day. So--I picked "tiredness" as my symptom.
I suggest you spend some time playing around with this app. Imagine you are a patient worried about a constellation of symptoms, real or imagined and now you see red flags, links to find lab tests, doctor contacts, or you are directed to bring this information to your physician.
No one blames physicians for availability heuristics but all the same--I don't think we are helping.
A recent podcast by Vinay Prasad, MD MPH began with a discussion about the problematic engagement of medical writers. Employing Medical Writers & Frequentist vs Bayesian Methods is worth the listen.
I no longer write for pharmaceutical publications within the manuscript ecosystem but Dr Prasad's words sting. He lumps all medical writers as specialists in messaging, crafters of messages that highlight positive attributes, cleverly crafted ways of not saying the truth, and medicine by press-release.
Think of the multitude of papers beyond pay-walls, not available for review that claim practice changing insights--we have allowed for profit entities to take control of information dissemination.
The medical writer described as akin to the White House spokesperson OUCH.
I am not arguing that he is wrong...
I suggest you spend some time playing around with this app. Imagine you are a patient worried about a constellation of symptoms, real or imagined and now you see red flags, links to find lab tests, doctor contacts, or you are directed to bring this information to your physician.
No one blames physicians for availability heuristics but all the same--I don't think we are helping.
A recent podcast by Vinay Prasad, MD MPH began with a discussion about the problematic engagement of medical writers. Employing Medical Writers & Frequentist vs Bayesian Methods is worth the listen.
I no longer write for pharmaceutical publications within the manuscript ecosystem but Dr Prasad's words sting. He lumps all medical writers as specialists in messaging, crafters of messages that highlight positive attributes, cleverly crafted ways of not saying the truth, and medicine by press-release.
Think of the multitude of papers beyond pay-walls, not available for review that claim practice changing insights--we have allowed for profit entities to take control of information dissemination.
The medical writer described as akin to the White House spokesperson OUCH.
I am not arguing that he is wrong...
Just because reporters say something over and over and over again doesn't start to make it true.--Sarah Huckabee Sanders
And in response to the statement above by the outgoing Whitehouse spokesperson...yes it does. If we are data literate and fastidious in our information gathering--'The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.'--Neil deGrasse Tyson
Women in Tech Summit--Raleigh
You may have noticed a new option on the blog pages here at "the donut". If you hover over the title a little pink play button appears. Press it and you are now hands free while AI generates a voice and reads the blog! Women in Tech indeed--the ability to enhance your message and extend to a larger audience? Yes please!
I also discovered another freebie while working with a client's proprietary data. Wouldn't it be nice if I could customize the color palettes in Tableau with greater precision and less squinting and trial and error? Well, now you can upload any image or logo and presto, Tableau Magic generates a palette for your visualizations. You are welcome! If you are local to the Raleigh-Durham area, sign up for Women in Tech Summit. I will be speaking from the stage about data literacy in healthcare and medicine. I am beginning to squirrel away interesting themes and ideas so currently open to any and all ideas. So things are best in threes so here is a cool podcast for you to fall in love with...ZigZag |
Seeing the world through your wounds...
The writing from the heart workshop with Nancy Slonim Aronie was last weekend. Imagine being in the place you love, with people you love and being inspired by the most beautiful soul you can imagine.
Still not even close to capturing the wonderment.
A friend mentioned it has been 7 years since I first took a workshop led by Nancy. It seems like yesterday. She told me I was a writer and I learned to believe her.
I started a blog, I became visible, and I changed my perspective on writing about medicine. I originally joked to Nancy all of those years ago that I couldn't possibly do anything else but technical writing.
After all, the gallbladder has no voice.
Now in the intervening years, I lecture about data literacy, writing in medicine, and improving numeracy in medicine. Hundreds of thousands of folks read the blog and most recently I was invited to join the National Press Club.
Perhaps my favorite accomplishment has been accountability. A willingness to bring all of the data to conversations about improving health outcomes, to thrive and become insightful while holding a tension, and encouraging others to do the same is electric.
The stories written all of those years ago were raw and came from deep inside. I liberated them, shared my truth, and evolved to become something different--informed and willing to change again if the data leads me.
Yes, as Nancy says, we see the world through our pain--but there is more. We can see the pain of others and offer a shoulder, an ear, or an embrace. We can grown beyond what we ever thought possible--with our words and our willingness to not only hear--but to listen.
Still not even close to capturing the wonderment.
A friend mentioned it has been 7 years since I first took a workshop led by Nancy. It seems like yesterday. She told me I was a writer and I learned to believe her.
I started a blog, I became visible, and I changed my perspective on writing about medicine. I originally joked to Nancy all of those years ago that I couldn't possibly do anything else but technical writing.
After all, the gallbladder has no voice.
Now in the intervening years, I lecture about data literacy, writing in medicine, and improving numeracy in medicine. Hundreds of thousands of folks read the blog and most recently I was invited to join the National Press Club.
Perhaps my favorite accomplishment has been accountability. A willingness to bring all of the data to conversations about improving health outcomes, to thrive and become insightful while holding a tension, and encouraging others to do the same is electric.
The stories written all of those years ago were raw and came from deep inside. I liberated them, shared my truth, and evolved to become something different--informed and willing to change again if the data leads me.
Yes, as Nancy says, we see the world through our pain--but there is more. We can see the pain of others and offer a shoulder, an ear, or an embrace. We can grown beyond what we ever thought possible--with our words and our willingness to not only hear--but to listen.
Writing from the Heart Workshop with Nancy Slonim Aronie
We have the beautiful talent and grace of Nancy Slonim Aronie coming to teach a writing workshop on Bald Head Island the weekend of April 5th through the 7th.
We are full but in true Nancy fashion she has allowed us to bring perhaps as many as 5 more people to the island to join us.
I would share an agenda but that isn't the Nancy way. Her heart guides where we go. Nancy knows our stories before we do and helps us tell our truths.
Several of us met during her first workshop on Bald Head Island. I don't typically talk in generalizations but I can safely say we were changed--cellularly. Called to write down our words, think in possibilities, and joined forever in friendship.
Join us...
Register here https://www.dataanddonuts.org/writing-from-the-heart-worksh…
Meet Nancy below...
We are full but in true Nancy fashion she has allowed us to bring perhaps as many as 5 more people to the island to join us.
I would share an agenda but that isn't the Nancy way. Her heart guides where we go. Nancy knows our stories before we do and helps us tell our truths.
Several of us met during her first workshop on Bald Head Island. I don't typically talk in generalizations but I can safely say we were changed--cellularly. Called to write down our words, think in possibilities, and joined forever in friendship.
Join us...
Register here https://www.dataanddonuts.org/writing-from-the-heart-worksh…
Meet Nancy below...
My secret sauce is storytelling. I learned 99% of how to do this from Nancy. I challenged her and declared "The Gallbladder has no Voice"--what is a medical writer going to do with a "voice"?...well, she showed me and so have hundreds of thousands of eyes reading these blog pages...hope to see you there.
Humor me and tell me lies...
I am writing from a decent Marriott near Disneyland California. I decided to be loyal to a particular hotel chain (when not indulging in the freedoms of airbnb) and it makes all of the difference. Horrible in room coffee aside it works out pretty well. I am a member of a board in the Los Angeles area so routinely anticipate quarterly visits to the area.
We were joking at dinner last night how much we love our needs being met--particular car I prefer waiting for me at car rental, fruit basket in room sans crappy "delicious" apples, window seats on airplane, music recommendations in my room aligned with my preferences but what about what we sacrifice?
The data that informs what I like to help curate my experiences while I am traveling are gleaned from tracking devices and anonymity we exchange for simplified decision making.
I will be speaking at Women in Tech in Raleigh this fall. I have a lot to think about...
We were joking at dinner last night how much we love our needs being met--particular car I prefer waiting for me at car rental, fruit basket in room sans crappy "delicious" apples, window seats on airplane, music recommendations in my room aligned with my preferences but what about what we sacrifice?
The data that informs what I like to help curate my experiences while I am traveling are gleaned from tracking devices and anonymity we exchange for simplified decision making.
I will be speaking at Women in Tech in Raleigh this fall. I have a lot to think about...
Are we following best practices or simply picking low hanging fruit?
The problem is right there in the wikipedia definition. A best practice either produces superior results or is simply a standard way of doing things.
A best practice is a method or technique that has been generally accepted as superior to any alternatives because it produces results that are superior to those achieved by other means or because it has become a standard way of doing things, e.g., a standard way of complying with legal or ethical requirements. Wikipedia |
You don't have to work in continuing medical education to master writing need assessments. I would argue that the process is the same whether you are a journalist, continuing medical education professional, published author, or simply attempting to make informed choices. You need to find the kernel of tension or truth. The ability to find the signal in the noise and build or curate empathy and action.
Also, I also think what passes for needs assessments in continuing medical education is dangerously antiquated.
The survey findings below are emblematic of an out of date "best practice" not up to the task of informing patient and physician choices at the point of care. Obviously the n of 104 of survey "starters" is problematic but it does shed a bit of light on the task at hand. I applaud the professionals attempting to assess the current state of writers in medical education. This may be the best point of entry into influencing change that matters.
The poster section reporting Sources of Evidence lists the top 3 "most essential for inclusion in a first-rate needs assessment". If this is truly what the most activated writers are doing--we are doomed. Here are a few links to improve the quality of selected sources of evidence.
1. Review of Medical Literature -- Articles retracted due to lack of efficacy or safety, Grey Literature (no commercial influence)
2. Clinical Practice Guidelines-- Conflicts of Interest in Clinical Practice Guidelines, Trends in National Institutes of Health Funding for Clinical Trials Registered in ClinicalTrials.gov
3. Interview with key opinion leaders--Payments from device an pharma companies to physicians
There are "0" data analytics or graphics of value included--mostly recycled charts from past surveys, pre- and post-test findings from prior activities, and a non-definition of what constitutes relevant clinical trials. Read A graph is worth a million numbers if you aren't convinced this is problematic.
Validity of references selected appears to be defined as peer-reviewed or validated by a third party. I would argue there is much, much, more to consider.
Also, I also think what passes for needs assessments in continuing medical education is dangerously antiquated.
The survey findings below are emblematic of an out of date "best practice" not up to the task of informing patient and physician choices at the point of care. Obviously the n of 104 of survey "starters" is problematic but it does shed a bit of light on the task at hand. I applaud the professionals attempting to assess the current state of writers in medical education. This may be the best point of entry into influencing change that matters.
The poster section reporting Sources of Evidence lists the top 3 "most essential for inclusion in a first-rate needs assessment". If this is truly what the most activated writers are doing--we are doomed. Here are a few links to improve the quality of selected sources of evidence.
1. Review of Medical Literature -- Articles retracted due to lack of efficacy or safety, Grey Literature (no commercial influence)
2. Clinical Practice Guidelines-- Conflicts of Interest in Clinical Practice Guidelines, Trends in National Institutes of Health Funding for Clinical Trials Registered in ClinicalTrials.gov
3. Interview with key opinion leaders--Payments from device an pharma companies to physicians
There are "0" data analytics or graphics of value included--mostly recycled charts from past surveys, pre- and post-test findings from prior activities, and a non-definition of what constitutes relevant clinical trials. Read A graph is worth a million numbers if you aren't convinced this is problematic.
Validity of references selected appears to be defined as peer-reviewed or validated by a third party. I would argue there is much, much, more to consider.
I have been a huge advocate of discrete choice analysis in the medical education setting. In my work as a data scientist I am required to consider the how and why of data collection. Posts like Medical education, biting hand that pays, Make Measurable What is Not So, Change isn't Necessary--Survival is not Mandatory, and How do you Calculate Risk Tolerance in Medicine were brief toe dips into cooler pools to measure reaction to perhaps a new way of thinking.
When asked to collaborate on survey design and development I am particularly engaged. Mainly because if I am doing the analysis it is in my best interest to be able to deliver usable and insightful data to a client. I am giving a bit of my secret spice to you. Please use liberally.
Any needs assessment in medicine should include political, economic, social, and technological analysis of any therapeutic category or disease state. These are called PEST analysis and although not as familiar as a say SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), we still need the data. How can we identify interventions if we lack an awareness or understanding of the big picture?
When asked to collaborate on survey design and development I am particularly engaged. Mainly because if I am doing the analysis it is in my best interest to be able to deliver usable and insightful data to a client. I am giving a bit of my secret spice to you. Please use liberally.
Any needs assessment in medicine should include political, economic, social, and technological analysis of any therapeutic category or disease state. These are called PEST analysis and although not as familiar as a say SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), we still need the data. How can we identify interventions if we lack an awareness or understanding of the big picture?
A recent summary of Alliance 2019 presented a more patient and optimistic view of the trajectory of CME and healthcare education. I for one remain gobsmacked that system thinking and design thinking have not penetrated the impermeable mindset of the power elite in CME. I have presented at Alliance, and other CME affiliated events for years saying similar things. Insights that those of us working outside of CME have been integrating into behavioral frameworks for over a decade seem to be bright and shiny to far too many.
Behavioral economics, choice architecture, and social incentives have long been operationalized in discussions of physician knowledge and how to address practice gaps but at least in my experience--are challenged when sources of funding innovative interventions or survey development are discussed.
Behavioral economics, choice architecture, and social incentives have long been operationalized in discussions of physician knowledge and how to address practice gaps but at least in my experience--are challenged when sources of funding innovative interventions or survey development are discussed.
We need to think about different starting points for identifying educational needs and clinical/performance gaps. In addition to identifying gaps in competence and performance, we should probably pay more attention to the social contexts in which healthcare is delivered; the emotional pathways through which clinicians process information and make decisions; and the cognitive/psychological biases that inform decision-making and keep people anchored to old and out-dated ways of thinking. Attention to these parameters could help educators to better frame their interventions.--Alexandra Howson, Learning as Rationality or Behavior Reflex
Here is what I am suggesting. Or better yet, a client of mine suggested. The creation of an online workshop with a scheduled date for live participation--a walk through of survey design, selecting learning objectives that articulate a "need", designing outcomes and measures, finding data to elucidate, familiarizing participants with available tools (R, Python, Tableau, Qualtrics), open source data, introductory analysis skills, brief data literacy, and an introduction to discrete choice analytics.
Participants will receive templates, resources, and nudges ahead of the live webinar (upon registration) that can be integrated immediately--ahead of the April 18th event. Check for updates and to register here.
Participants will receive templates, resources, and nudges ahead of the live webinar (upon registration) that can be integrated immediately--ahead of the April 18th event. Check for updates and to register here.
Discrete choice models statistically relate the choice made by a participant to the attributes of the participant and the
attributes of the alternatives available to the participant. The models estimate the probability that a participant chooses a particular alternative. The models are often used to forecast how choices will change under changes in demographics and/or attributes of the alternatives. This model mirrors how clinical decisions are mitigated more closely than evaluating a representative case-scenario or study.--Bonny P McClain
The magic of modern technology...
Nicholas Thompson is the editor in chief of Wired Magazine. A recent conversation with Yuval Noah Harari, author and historian, and Tristan Harris, the director of the Center for Humane Technology and previous design ethicist at Google is a must listen for everyone—especially if you are in the technology space.
Wired magazine will be celebrating its 25th anniversary and Nicholas reflects how all those years ago “technology was good and change is good”. He artfully blends the commonality between these two inspiring speakers around the nature of “agency over our minds”—and do we have as much free will as we believe?
Tristan uses a great analogy about magic. When you create an illusion you need it to work on all the minds in the room right? . It doesn't matter their education level -- it works on everybody. Magic is a discipline about universal exploits on all human minds.
Now think about Engineering students being tasked to apply the principles of persuasion to advances in technology, hacking human feelings, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors to keep people engaged with products. And its application to how we consume social media.
Our society is built on the ideas that the voter knows best, that the customer is always right, that ultimate authority as Tristan said is the feelings of human beings. and this assumes that human feelings and human choices are this sacred arena which cannot be hacked, which cannot be manipulated. Ultimately my choices, my desires reflect my free will and nobody can access that or touch that. And this was never true but we didn't pay a very high cost for believing in this myth in the 19th or 20th century because nobody had the technology to actually do it. -- Yuval Noah Harari
You might see where this is headed. According to experts, technology is now able to hack our minds or at the very least—command our attention under the guise of free will.
Religion for example isn’t actually hacking us. Yes, it strongly influences behavior but it doesn’t inherently understand what's happening inside you on the level of the body, of the brain, or of the mind hereby lacking the predictive capability to manipulate and control.
If you are still not convinced think about YouTube. It’s a “supercomputer pointed at your brain”. When you press play you're activating Google Alphabet's billions of dollars of computing power. The data they have amassed includes behavioral algorithms from two billion other humans and what they needed to see in order to click the next video and the next and the next. It likely will work on you too!
Think about when Garry Kasparov loses against deep blue…When Garry loses against IBM deep blue, that's checkmate against humanity for all time.-- Yuval Noah Harari
Wired magazine will be celebrating its 25th anniversary and Nicholas reflects how all those years ago “technology was good and change is good”. He artfully blends the commonality between these two inspiring speakers around the nature of “agency over our minds”—and do we have as much free will as we believe?
Tristan uses a great analogy about magic. When you create an illusion you need it to work on all the minds in the room right? . It doesn't matter their education level -- it works on everybody. Magic is a discipline about universal exploits on all human minds.
Now think about Engineering students being tasked to apply the principles of persuasion to advances in technology, hacking human feelings, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors to keep people engaged with products. And its application to how we consume social media.
Our society is built on the ideas that the voter knows best, that the customer is always right, that ultimate authority as Tristan said is the feelings of human beings. and this assumes that human feelings and human choices are this sacred arena which cannot be hacked, which cannot be manipulated. Ultimately my choices, my desires reflect my free will and nobody can access that or touch that. And this was never true but we didn't pay a very high cost for believing in this myth in the 19th or 20th century because nobody had the technology to actually do it. -- Yuval Noah Harari
You might see where this is headed. According to experts, technology is now able to hack our minds or at the very least—command our attention under the guise of free will.
Religion for example isn’t actually hacking us. Yes, it strongly influences behavior but it doesn’t inherently understand what's happening inside you on the level of the body, of the brain, or of the mind hereby lacking the predictive capability to manipulate and control.
If you are still not convinced think about YouTube. It’s a “supercomputer pointed at your brain”. When you press play you're activating Google Alphabet's billions of dollars of computing power. The data they have amassed includes behavioral algorithms from two billion other humans and what they needed to see in order to click the next video and the next and the next. It likely will work on you too!
Think about when Garry Kasparov loses against deep blue…When Garry loses against IBM deep blue, that's checkmate against humanity for all time.-- Yuval Noah Harari
Writer's refrigerators...
Leave it to the Paris Review to intrigue and amuse. Being true to my art--even whilst procrastinating I stumbled upon the Writer's Fridges Archive. Writers are commenting on the photographic image of the inside of their fridges. Most are sparse and reflect a smidge of the personalities of the owner. Wouldn't it be fun to try and identify them with little or no context or information?
I don't read a lot of fiction but have enjoy anything by Walter Mosley. Most recently The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey. I enjoy his style and include him in my list of fiction writers that I am unable to ignore (Joan Didion and Philip Roth immediately come to mind.
Read Walter Mosley describe the innards of his fridge...
I don't read a lot of fiction but have enjoy anything by Walter Mosley. Most recently The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey. I enjoy his style and include him in my list of fiction writers that I am unable to ignore (Joan Didion and Philip Roth immediately come to mind.
Read Walter Mosley describe the innards of his fridge...
The champagne is something I’d never drink alone. I like having it there to remind me of something missing in my social life. It’s been there for over a year, gathering the chill but always welcoming. An ostrich egg was something I’d always wanted, but I didn’t know where to get one. Then I was at Whole Foods and there it sat among the turnips and beets in the produce section. That was three years ago. I’d leave it to my heirs if I had any.
The ground beef and rib-eye steaks are always there, but like the river—never the same.
My refrigerator, I now realize, has a past with little concern for the future. It could be a writer.--Walter Mosley
Scroll through the images and the big ostrich egg should catch your eye. I would suggest you read the series. I love how the writer's describe their choices or lack thereof--Writers' Fridges
A keen eye might see where I inserted myself into the photo collage. An attempt at humor or more truthfully--procrastination from a large data project. The interior of my fridge is conveniently aligned next to me if you are looking at this as a two column gallery. I buy most things fresh so there is a vicious cycle to only buy what can be eaten quickly while fresh and cooking bulk items for convenience on behalf of my youngest son Ryland, a 16 year old x-country runner and high school junior.
I am vegetarian so meat sauces are stored separately from pastas or rice and I notice a few emergency sweet potatoes wrapped in foil. It is a weird assemblage I would agree but so are the eating habits of the household. The bag on the left is fresh dog food for our dermatologically sensitive hound and perpetually GI distressed French bulldog mix.
Go peer into your fridge. You might find your next story or perhaps a deeper insight into what fuels your writing.
XOXO
I am vegetarian so meat sauces are stored separately from pastas or rice and I notice a few emergency sweet potatoes wrapped in foil. It is a weird assemblage I would agree but so are the eating habits of the household. The bag on the left is fresh dog food for our dermatologically sensitive hound and perpetually GI distressed French bulldog mix.
Go peer into your fridge. You might find your next story or perhaps a deeper insight into what fuels your writing.
XOXO
The "so what" element of medical writing
As a writer the only prompt may be to answer the "why should I care" test. Writing compelling narrative in non-fiction is part of the challenge that makes the pursuit worthwhile. When it shares an edge with a creative ideology--double win for sure.
A new podcast by Radiotopia (99% invisible by Roman Mars is one you may be familiar) Everything is Alive is a brilliant example of compelling writing. The first episode is an interview with a can of generic store brand soda. If it sounds weird, it is. If you aren't expecting to be moved by the storytelling? You will be... |
Everything is Alive is an unscripted interview show in which all the subjects are inanimate objects. In each episode, a different thing tells us its life story--and everything it says is true.
This is how you learn. Listen, read, and watch for inspiration. I have never been a fan of listicles or recommendations based on algorithms or recipes. Trust your own creative mind. Once you experience something out of the ordinary you can't help but be different...
The gallbladder has no voice...
I was a medical writer for many years. Stop me if you heard this one before but if you are a professional writer or hope to become one--I would like to share this story. This is how I worked. I read a bunch of technical information, read through complicated data models and methodology and somehow created words and insights free of gobbledy gook thus making it relevant to the end-user. I was a one woman play-doh fun factory for medical science.
Not a bad way to make a living but I wanted a writerly life. The ability to infuse my writing with parallel conversations or insights garnered from a conference floor, speaker's podium, or healthcare adjacent conversations I was having with leading scientists, policy makers, and economists. There was just one problem. I was stuck in technical mode.
Always conscious of the words I was selecting and how a certain sense of sterility was required to avoid bias or my voice from creeping onto the page.
Until I met Nancy Aronie. My family has been vacationing on Bald Head Island in North Carolina for many years--all seasons, many times a year. The place is magic so I didn't need much prodding to attend a writing conference about "finding your voice" in writing.
What I will tell you is, the experience changed my life. As I struggled during the first morning I joked with Nancy that I was a medical writer and the gallbladder doesn't need a voice. I started two blogs shortly after attending that have provided limitless opportunity and engagement.
My friends and I have invited Nancy back for a second workshop. These are teeny weeny gatherings so if you absolutely must be in attendance you will need to officially register sooner rather than later.
Reach out with any questions. I am accessible over on twitter as @datamongerbonny...
Always conscious of the words I was selecting and how a certain sense of sterility was required to avoid bias or my voice from creeping onto the page.
Until I met Nancy Aronie. My family has been vacationing on Bald Head Island in North Carolina for many years--all seasons, many times a year. The place is magic so I didn't need much prodding to attend a writing conference about "finding your voice" in writing.
What I will tell you is, the experience changed my life. As I struggled during the first morning I joked with Nancy that I was a medical writer and the gallbladder doesn't need a voice. I started two blogs shortly after attending that have provided limitless opportunity and engagement.
My friends and I have invited Nancy back for a second workshop. These are teeny weeny gatherings so if you absolutely must be in attendance you will need to officially register sooner rather than later.
Reach out with any questions. I am accessible over on twitter as @datamongerbonny...
The potential of a clever brain and a human heart...
Sunday is long run day and I wasn't feeling it. Tired legs, busy schedule, oldest son graduating from college next week--the excuses kept ticking off in my muddled mind. Some things you just do out of habit so there I was heading out on the trail none too inspired. Until I saw the next podcast in rotation. A long insightful interview (about 1:45) with Nick Thompson the Editor-In-Chief of WIRED.
I am a huge fan of Nick Thompson. I didn't know much about him before listening to his interview on the Tim Ferriss Show this morning. I was aware of his career trajectory but nothing more than media headlines or a few press releases. As a digital journalist in an infinitesimally small universe in comparison, anything Thompson writes floats to the top of the "must read" file. As he elegantly outlines during the interview, you can learn much by mapping out the structure of an article you enjoy.
Nicholas also helps you put writing challenges in perspective. He was fired from one job within 24 hours. Oh, and another time he was kidnapped and held in a room--forced to eat fish heads.
Feeling better about your career bumps?
What kind of writer are you? Are you lucky enough to have a business around writing or any of the collateral fields? I hope you will listen to the entire podcast. You will learn more about the business of writing--for free--than anything else I can recommend. Here are a few highlights:
Draft No.4 by John McPhee, the writer that influenced Nick to head over to The New Yorker How to write a pitch--but better yet, how do you create a succinct but effective summary of what you plan to deliver? Listen to him candidly discuss the variety of pay streams available to fund digital long-form or any length for that matter stories or articles. |
My entire household sans me headed out to see the latest Avengers movie. What do you do when gifted several hours of quiet household time in a typically chaotic stream of dogs, people, and distractions?
I decided to watch JANE a brief documentary about Jane Goodall. I found it for free over on HULU.
I decided to watch JANE a brief documentary about Jane Goodall. I found it for free over on HULU.
Jane was not a scientist when she first entered the jungle, she was an observer. Often these things are not mutually inclusive but lately it seems many are driven by confirming persistent biases or monetarily rewarding insights.
A reminder of how curiosity can be a powerful motivator to problem solving or idea curation was artfully rendered in this film. I know, as a women, I particularly liked hearing about her research challenging the male-dominated scientific consensus on primate behavior. These are just a few multi-media snippets that inspired me this week. Let me know what you think over @datamongerbonny on twitter. |
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“Only when our clever brain and our human heart work together in harmony can we achieve our true potential.”
― Jane Goodall
Lessons from the push me-pull me...
I am not going to share how old I was before I realized there is no such thing as a two-headed llama but let's just say it would be embarrassing.
The fantastical tales of Dr. Doolittle come to mind when discussing two-sided platform strategies for engagement. The choices are to push your message (advertising and marketing) or pull readers into your orbit because of the value you provide. Are you facilitating social currency through meaningful engagement, serving your community, and prioritizing an outward focus? The old pipeline method of costs and revenues are being replaced by platforms that are scalable, nimble, and sustainable. |
Why does it matter? The push me-pull me has two sets of front legs.
Right away this introduces the art of compromise. It is hard to move forward in one direction without taking a step back in the other. |
Well, this is information...
Two things you might not know about me. I make a metric ton of mistakes AND I learn the most from the near misses and air balls. Let's face it. Winning is easy. The invitation to speak, the inclusion in a group, or the inbox message with a sincere thank you. The other stuff is where you need to make the tough choices. Repeat to yourself--this is information--I can use it and do better next time.
Second, I am an endurance athlete. By default likely because I am not the fastest person in the pool, on the bike, or running the trails but I don't quit. And neither should you... I love writing for writers. You get it. Everything you touch, taste, hear, smell shifts your perspective. You don't write the same words every day. The long trail run or slow walk down a lane alters you on a cellular level and the response is curated and captured on paper (or on a screen). I have a rule. I call it The Ten Laps Rule. Mainly because the habit began during a particularly horrible swim session. I show up for every work out and give myself permission to stop swimming after 10 laps if it just isn't coming together. The benefit to at least showing up is, well at its worst--at least I swam 10 laps. |
I started paying attention and realized I also have a 30 minute on the bike trainer rule, a 3 mile run rule, and a variety of other habits that increase the likelihood that something is going to get done--In spite of my amygdala. As luck would have it, quite often our biggest asset is just showing up.
Sitting down and doing the work or keeping the commitment regardless of the nature of the habit. I learned Python by sitting down for 30 minutes every day over a certain period of time. I write because I sit down at the laptop every day. Listen to Seth's podcast about what you can learn from your amygdala and why there is no such thing as writer's block. Stick around for a few laps--enjoy the information.
Sitting down and doing the work or keeping the commitment regardless of the nature of the habit. I learned Python by sitting down for 30 minutes every day over a certain period of time. I write because I sit down at the laptop every day. Listen to Seth's podcast about what you can learn from your amygdala and why there is no such thing as writer's block. Stick around for a few laps--enjoy the information.
The Strong Bend
Akimbo is an ancient word, from the bend in the river or the bend in an archer's bow. It's become a symbol for strength, a posture of possibility, the idea that when we stand tall, arms bent, looking right at it, we can make a difference.
Akimbo's a podcast about our culture and about how we can change it. About seeing what's happening and choosing to do something.
The culture is real, but it can be changed. You can bend it.--Seth Godin
I am starting a new book of stories collected from the blog and anchored in the data that curated the narrative. Follow along here for updates or on twitter if you are the tweeting type!
Rainy days and Mondays may be hidden opportunities
This feels like a Monday. The activity of the weekend has receded, family has scattered to school or jobs, and it is time to pivot to the week ahead.
Here is how I did it: I opted for a long trail run. I knew it would be muddy but Fred (the hound) needs just the right ambient temperature and humidity level to participate--and since I will be on the road for over a week soon--I wanted to get one more in. The 2 podcasts in rotation were timely and interesting. I run a digital media and data analytics company. I like to learn as much as I can from across a variety of industries and rely on podcasts to integrate that into my running life. It is also helpful to have a mentor. I rely on Tim Ferriss to share his conversations with leaders across a variety of cultural spaces. Pick the voices that matter to you--and lean in. |
It's your problem now--freakonomics radio |
How to build popular podcasts and blogs--Tim Ferriss |
It needs to be said...
I remember attending a cardiology conference in New Orleans as a medical writer. They had a format that was dynamic and informative--a sort of point/counter-point presentation on standards of care. I remember when it was time for a female cardiologist to approach the podium, the moderator said something like, "Okay, be nice to her now--she is a nice lady." I nearly fell out. I looked over my shoulder looking for smoldering outrage or at least a modicum of disgust but the audience sat patiently waiting for the opposing view.
I sat in the Dean of the medical school's office. I had been offered a scholarship but was being denied my interview slots. He noticed I was pregnant and said, "I don't know what you are concerned with--one complication with your pregnancy and you are out of the game anyway."
I got tired of male colleagues asking if I preferred red or white wine--I learned to drink scotch.
I watch women in healthcare heralded as the new blockbuster for innovation--but I watch--not invited into the conversation. Women are obviously not a homogeneous bunch but I notice things in aggregate. The climb for most of us has been solo. Lonely and painful with more hard work than you can imagine unless you are one of us. Many aren't going to invite you or mentor you in a meaningful way. Or they are looking over your head when you try and engage--who else is in the room.
My professor in graduate school would not let me attend an already scheduled final exam alternate date. I had a scheduling conflict because my baby was sick. Sick enough to need a chest x-ray. She also wouldn't delay the final paper submission. When I came to her office to turn in the paper (on time) she chuckled and said she had already registered an "A" because she knew the quality of my work. And then she offhandedly apologized for refusing the exam rescheduling. She said she had a tough climb to professor and didn't want me to think it was going to be easy working as a scientist in a male dominated field.
Really? Because up until then having to nurse a baby while studying for a genetics exam was a picnic, walking to campus 10 months pregnant was fun, and defending your thesis while your husband was suffering from bacterial septicemia and about to have his second open heart surgery within a month was simple.
I am often heralded for my accomplishments but they often forget the secret reason I created my own data and writing company. I did not want to wait around to be picked from outdated HR algorithms. I am a woman with 20 plus years of experience. Try getting a job if you don't want to change geography or work as a glorified administrative professional. I was working fairly regularly for an HEOR consultancy and when I challenged the data, I was told "Don't worry about the technical stuff, just follow the outline." No thanks. If I am not writing about the data, what exactly would I be writing?
I could go on and on but so could you probably. You don't need to be in the public eye to feel the sting of unfairness. But meanwhile, we do it all--backwards and in heels. Be sure what you are doing is worthwhile. Make sure it moves the needle. Be sure it is fabulous.
I sat in the Dean of the medical school's office. I had been offered a scholarship but was being denied my interview slots. He noticed I was pregnant and said, "I don't know what you are concerned with--one complication with your pregnancy and you are out of the game anyway."
I got tired of male colleagues asking if I preferred red or white wine--I learned to drink scotch.
I watch women in healthcare heralded as the new blockbuster for innovation--but I watch--not invited into the conversation. Women are obviously not a homogeneous bunch but I notice things in aggregate. The climb for most of us has been solo. Lonely and painful with more hard work than you can imagine unless you are one of us. Many aren't going to invite you or mentor you in a meaningful way. Or they are looking over your head when you try and engage--who else is in the room.
My professor in graduate school would not let me attend an already scheduled final exam alternate date. I had a scheduling conflict because my baby was sick. Sick enough to need a chest x-ray. She also wouldn't delay the final paper submission. When I came to her office to turn in the paper (on time) she chuckled and said she had already registered an "A" because she knew the quality of my work. And then she offhandedly apologized for refusing the exam rescheduling. She said she had a tough climb to professor and didn't want me to think it was going to be easy working as a scientist in a male dominated field.
Really? Because up until then having to nurse a baby while studying for a genetics exam was a picnic, walking to campus 10 months pregnant was fun, and defending your thesis while your husband was suffering from bacterial septicemia and about to have his second open heart surgery within a month was simple.
I am often heralded for my accomplishments but they often forget the secret reason I created my own data and writing company. I did not want to wait around to be picked from outdated HR algorithms. I am a woman with 20 plus years of experience. Try getting a job if you don't want to change geography or work as a glorified administrative professional. I was working fairly regularly for an HEOR consultancy and when I challenged the data, I was told "Don't worry about the technical stuff, just follow the outline." No thanks. If I am not writing about the data, what exactly would I be writing?
I could go on and on but so could you probably. You don't need to be in the public eye to feel the sting of unfairness. But meanwhile, we do it all--backwards and in heels. Be sure what you are doing is worthwhile. Make sure it moves the needle. Be sure it is fabulous.
Words that mean what you want them to mean...
'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'
'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.'
'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master — that's all.'
Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll
It appears in healthcare that there are words regarded with a sacerdotal devotion seemingly unworthy of debate. Think about it. Value for one. Value for whom? Innovation. This is a big one. It is the whispered utterance to explain the high cost of break out drugs and interventions. Strategic or strategy. Merriam Webster offers up an anemic "a careful plan or method" so basically it means just plan before you do something? Mind. Blown. I feel the same way about poverty, race, and all the other words we use instead of specific variables that measure social correlates of health. We can do better than confusing double talk and "where things are not the way they should be"... |
Wisdom alone is the science of other sciences--Plato
The countdown begins. End of year projects yield to first quarter travel and speaking engagements. I am starting a new tradition this year. Humbled by a growth in patronage and support of the blog, it is about time I provide a year-end assessment of the conferences, speaking engagements, and "road" I have been able to cover with your loyal support.
I suggest you do the same. Where were you a year ago? Have you reached any new milestones? Tough lessons learned? Maybe a few successes you would like to share. I added mentorship to my list of new responsibilities. The data journey can be tough especially if you are intimidated by maths. I can share a few of the presentations in a few weeks. I hope it makes your journey a little smoother. Subscribers should anticipate the 2017 wrap up in early January... |
CLICK DONUT TO MAKE A DONUTION (see what I did there?)
I don't accept articles on assignment. I go where the data and information lead and ask questions--and question answers. There is quite a bit of effort involved with travel and the business of being a systems thinker. I appreciate your patronage.
If you find value in any of the content I would certainly appreciate a small token--or heck--don't be shy. Big tokens are also welcome. First quarter of 2018 will be exciting. I am presenting at Alliance in Orlando, HIMSS in Las Vegas, and will be attending SXSW for the first time. I hope to see you there or anywhere. Thank you for the continued support. This year alone we gained over 50,000 unique visitors with over 350,000 page views. This doesn't include all of the RSS feeds and other channels of engagement but nevertheless...I am humbled. |
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Ignoring the burbling crowd and not eating bacon
We are habitual creatures. My good day habits are a long morning run (usually with informative podcasts in the queue), a bit of reading, and writing a few words about a recent conference or conversation in healthcare, policy, or economics. Upstream from my writing responsibilities is always the data. Do you ever get an idea lodged in your brain that won't allow you to consider anything else until its unraveled? A recent LinkedIn article was the release I needed to get on with my day. Politics, Ideology, and bias in bad data revealed the filtered focus of what I like to discuss when I speak about data and how we need to be better curators of what we measure.
I recently was invited to apply to attend a gathering of listeners (and blog readers) of one of my favorite podcasts, On Being. The application asked about questions. What questions did we want to discuss? What are "the possibilities of this moment to generatively inhabit the spaces of our lives and renew common life in a fractured world?" I feel passionately about healthcare data stories and apparently the topic resonated. Over 3600 applied and only 100 were selected.
I recently was invited to apply to attend a gathering of listeners (and blog readers) of one of my favorite podcasts, On Being. The application asked about questions. What questions did we want to discuss? What are "the possibilities of this moment to generatively inhabit the spaces of our lives and renew common life in a fractured world?" I feel passionately about healthcare data stories and apparently the topic resonated. Over 3600 applied and only 100 were selected.
The lesson I learned from all this? Habits are great but occasionally we should reach outside of our comfort zone. I am going to share insights from the small and large group sessions facilitated by Seth Godin, Maria Popova, and others. The inaugural gathering is in February and I am ecstatic. Thanks for allowing me to share the journey.
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Habits like blogging often and regularly, writing down the way you think, being clear about what you think are effective tactics, ignoring the burbling crowd and not eating bacon. All of these are useful habits--Seth Godin |
Before you think outside of the box--figure out what is actually in the box
One of the best decisions I ever made was to work at intersections. The intersection of science and math, data and healthcare, health policy and disease, health economics and real world evidence, you get the idea. Think long and hard across a variety of disciplines and focus on the peripheral overlap. Many of our colleagues work in a lane and that is where they remain. Often it is because of the thing that they are selling. A data framework, dataset, or strategic perspective only they can fulfill. I am cautious of one size fits all solutions to complex network problems.
I know the type. They call me weekly. Their side-hustle is Always Be Selling. Trying to sell me either services I already provide or services they think I should be providing. It is exhausting and honestly I do try and be polite but when so many folks are casting with wide nets the lack of due diligence can actually be offensive. An energetic and successful business woman I know and respect shared this picture from a recently visited museum. It is the picture of Albert Einstein's desk from the day he died.
I know the type. They call me weekly. Their side-hustle is Always Be Selling. Trying to sell me either services I already provide or services they think I should be providing. It is exhausting and honestly I do try and be polite but when so many folks are casting with wide nets the lack of due diligence can actually be offensive. An energetic and successful business woman I know and respect shared this picture from a recently visited museum. It is the picture of Albert Einstein's desk from the day he died.
He was still working on the unified field theory when he died. His notebook trailed off as if one more line of his thoughts would help guide his peers closer to proving a single fundamental field theory and unite gravity and electromagnetism under one ideology.
I find it challenging to read biographies. I drift off, lose interest, and often feel like I am the only one not in on the joke. But so far, Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson is delivering. Perhaps because I have walked past the Einstein home in Princeton or walked the same cobbled streets.
Either way it seems easy to conjure up his exploits both professional and personal when sharing a common point of reference. The ability to multitask outside your own conclusions and acknowledge the validity of a seemingly conflicting opinion is a lesson to all of us. The quote below is posted in my office. It is an act of humility, diligence, and confidence in staying with the challenge, unpacking the problem, and arriving at a new insight. |
It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer--Albert Einstein
The cult of busy...
I met a busy person. Once. A truly self-less professional that was indeed busy. He was a transplant surgeon. Not an ordinary transplant surgeon. The type of specialist transplanting a pancreas and other rare but urgent organs.
The rest of us? We are not busy. Distracted, inefficient, overburdened? Perhaps. But isn't this a monster we created? I heard a saying over the weekend. "A strength carried too far becomes a weakness".
Find your pain point and spend some time addressing the gaps in your professional skills. I learned the hard way--you can't please everyone. You aren't a pizza.
The rest of us? We are not busy. Distracted, inefficient, overburdened? Perhaps. But isn't this a monster we created? I heard a saying over the weekend. "A strength carried too far becomes a weakness".
Find your pain point and spend some time addressing the gaps in your professional skills. I learned the hard way--you can't please everyone. You aren't a pizza.
Shhhh. Don't tell anyone...
If you found a way to make your business more profitable or stumbled upon the secret sauce to living your ideal life, what is the first thing you would do? Assume your skills and assets apply broadly to everyone? Bilk people for access to your "secret sauce"? Create a jaunty listicle?
I was recently interviewed and asked to describe my daily routines. Being that I am not in prison there is a lot of variety in how I--and likely you structure any given day. But I think we can tell when things are on track for a great day and when things are a little pfffft and we keep looking forward to starting anew the next day.
There isn't a person on this planet, Tony Robbins included, that can create something spectacular in your professional life. Its all you. And no matter how precious we all are--some days or weeks will be stinkers. Our skins have had to thicken to survive 24-hour social media and deal with the flames of fake indignation. You know the type. You write something. They write something. And then somehow they are the victim, boo hoo, and stop following.
I don't care and you shouldn't either. We are writers. Where you write the words, or why you write them, makes you accountable. You can't please everyone and you shouldn't even try. Think about it. What kind of nonsense would you need to write that could cause 30,000 people to click or share or comment?
If you read this far I feel inclined to think of a few useful things I learned this week to share that might help you along.
I was recently interviewed and asked to describe my daily routines. Being that I am not in prison there is a lot of variety in how I--and likely you structure any given day. But I think we can tell when things are on track for a great day and when things are a little pfffft and we keep looking forward to starting anew the next day.
There isn't a person on this planet, Tony Robbins included, that can create something spectacular in your professional life. Its all you. And no matter how precious we all are--some days or weeks will be stinkers. Our skins have had to thicken to survive 24-hour social media and deal with the flames of fake indignation. You know the type. You write something. They write something. And then somehow they are the victim, boo hoo, and stop following.
I don't care and you shouldn't either. We are writers. Where you write the words, or why you write them, makes you accountable. You can't please everyone and you shouldn't even try. Think about it. What kind of nonsense would you need to write that could cause 30,000 people to click or share or comment?
If you read this far I feel inclined to think of a few useful things I learned this week to share that might help you along.
I went outside my office and did a bit of the administrative stuff. I liken it to cleaning the house before the housekeeper arrives. Even if you have a part-time assistant you can best use their time if you put in a little on your end. I use Viewpost and a simple Hubspot CRM account to keep things quasi organized.
Travel season is about to reignite so I spend a few hours updating my travel calendar. I add the hotels and whether I am presenting solo, on a panel, or working as media. The extra detail is helpful for at-a-glance info for family and clients that never plan ahead and ask you to somehow fly from a meeting in Indiana to the west coast in a bizarre scenario that only works with different time zones... |
Two great articles you might consider reading are here and here. I have been working with a lot of oncology datasets and have evolved my thinking over the last two years. It isn't enough to read the clinical studies or sensationalized headlines about Watson or Moonshots. As writers, we need to be asking questions and questioning answers.
And I am excited to read a new book this week (keep reading, it is your second best advantage) Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. I have been studying Big Data and Machine Learning as I integrate bigger data solutions into my work as a data analyst. Part of that is understanding how we use algorithms in healthcare.
Happy to connect...
And I am excited to read a new book this week (keep reading, it is your second best advantage) Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. I have been studying Big Data and Machine Learning as I integrate bigger data solutions into my work as a data analyst. Part of that is understanding how we use algorithms in healthcare.
Happy to connect...
think. tinker. create
The freedom of our wireless untethered lives allows intentional focus on context and our surroundings. I lean towards comfy leather sofas, books scattered everywhere, and apparently nail polish options in close proximity. What do your spaces say about you?
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This is the last Friday of summer break. My oldest son is already back in college and the youngest is a sophomore in high school. I usually have the keen ability to focus but it feels different today.
Looming deadlines and a frightening media schedule are already plucking the last ripe days of ocean dips, long early morning runs, and slow leisurely breakfasts. Have you ever observed major professional shifts in your career that remind you of the escalator time lapse below? This scenario typically--at least for me--begins with a new and different sort of opportunity. The best case scenario? A current or past client thinks of you for something new and innovative. You are matched to the task based on proficiencies in another area perhaps but the client sees the similarities and nudges you forward. I encourage journalists and writers to let their personal interests and passions inform their professional life. They serve as jumping off points for novel career opportunities or an invitation for a cannonball into the deep end as autumn fast approaches. |
Escalator time lapse from Anders Jepsen on Vimeo.
"If you fight for your limitations you get to keep them"
I talk data the better part of each day. I am taking a Python course as a refresher. Not because I code on a regular basis but because I need to be fluent in the "languages" and context of the data I generate and analyze. You may be familiar with my story of an early data client. When all was said and done--he got what he asked for. Unfortunately, it wasn't what he wanted.
An important lesson in our chubby data landscape--you can't run a business from the periphery. Data is dynamic and so is the dev/ops landscape that drives innovative ways to yield information and knowledge from a bunch of 0s and 1s.
I am a data-monger in the Shakespearean use of the term. Okay you got me. Hamlet referred to a fishmonger and I remember being curious about the phrase. "You are a fishmonger". My high school Shakespeare teacher replied it meant a seller of fish.
But as is often the case, there is a more amusing interpretation. Hamlet was accusing Polonius of being a panderer or procurer who used women for profit. So I am basically a data pimp. I use data for insights and since it is the focus of my business--profit.
I tell you this because so many of you reach out with data-related questions. When it comes to our data we are guilty of optimism bias. Clients are disappointed in data generated by rigid question formats integrated into learning platforms. I don't want to burst bubbles but health care providers rarely deal in binary decisions at the point of care where a single multiple choice response would save the day.
Optimism bias convinces us it will never happen to us and as a result we underestimate the likelihood of an adverse event, such as nonsensical learning frameworks or bad data generation. Our frameworks should be built around the robust data generation needed to evaluate learning and comprehension. Instead we restrict question formats and squeeze limited rigor out of what comes out the other end.
As a consequence of this bias, some clients disregard precautions that might curb these risks. They might not, for example, comprehend the limitations of their narrow field of understanding or limited data perspective.
When we admit that we are just not "data people" or "not good at maths" we are indeed fighting for our limitations. And unfortunately, we get to keep them.
An important lesson in our chubby data landscape--you can't run a business from the periphery. Data is dynamic and so is the dev/ops landscape that drives innovative ways to yield information and knowledge from a bunch of 0s and 1s.
I am a data-monger in the Shakespearean use of the term. Okay you got me. Hamlet referred to a fishmonger and I remember being curious about the phrase. "You are a fishmonger". My high school Shakespeare teacher replied it meant a seller of fish.
But as is often the case, there is a more amusing interpretation. Hamlet was accusing Polonius of being a panderer or procurer who used women for profit. So I am basically a data pimp. I use data for insights and since it is the focus of my business--profit.
I tell you this because so many of you reach out with data-related questions. When it comes to our data we are guilty of optimism bias. Clients are disappointed in data generated by rigid question formats integrated into learning platforms. I don't want to burst bubbles but health care providers rarely deal in binary decisions at the point of care where a single multiple choice response would save the day.
Optimism bias convinces us it will never happen to us and as a result we underestimate the likelihood of an adverse event, such as nonsensical learning frameworks or bad data generation. Our frameworks should be built around the robust data generation needed to evaluate learning and comprehension. Instead we restrict question formats and squeeze limited rigor out of what comes out the other end.
As a consequence of this bias, some clients disregard precautions that might curb these risks. They might not, for example, comprehend the limitations of their narrow field of understanding or limited data perspective.
When we admit that we are just not "data people" or "not good at maths" we are indeed fighting for our limitations. And unfortunately, we get to keep them.
"Wherever the people are well informed," Thomas Jefferson wrote, "they can be trusted with their own government."
How is your day going? I am procrastinating. Typically I orchestrate a delicate balance between client work, personal projects, and an increasingly busy speaking calendar. I am a little bottle-necked with timely posts specific to several oncology conferences and a smattering of infectious disease projects but one thing I miss from the road--In addition to my family--the easy dialogue of blogging.
I like the effortless conversations with colleagues, comments, even a few phone calls here and there to continue the narrative. I am working my way back over the next few weeks. Learning lessons about how thin to stretch a calendar and importantly, what types of projects to prioritize. Summer is around the corner. Pick a corner of the world and start a conversation. Scientists need us. Heck. Science needs us. Sharpen your pen and stay inspired. |
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The F Word |
I don't care what anyone tells you or believes. Writing is hard. I am not the best writer, far from it but I do know one thing. I work hard. I will tackle the most technical topics, challenge the data, and be up at dawn to get the story, write the editorial content, or analyze the data. I travel to dozens of meetings, network with stakeholders from Pharma, physician groups, FDA, patient advocacy groups, government organizations, agencies, the list goes on...
I am speaking at the AMWA Medical Writing and Communications Conference in November. The link to the conference is below. I decided to write about what is happening in healthcare. This is where CME needs to evolve. Failure isn't an option. The f-word stops many of us from doing the hard work. It isn't "failure" to question the data, or to ask for more information. Or to include a 360 degree perspective--look upstream to disease. Become curious about social determinants of health, agri-business, profit motives, and risk/benefits of therapies or interventions.
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Be steadfast and pay attention to evidence. What is the source, quality, and purpose of the data. Our job is to communicate. The science is what matters. Ignore everything else. If anyone tries to stop you--lean gently toward their ear--and whisper the f-word.
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All this science, I don't understand. Its just my job 5 days a week...
Yup. That is Sir Elton John playing a private concert for attendees of the Qualtrics Insight Summit. I have at least a year's worth of insight to share about the conference but you will have to be patient. I am not a fan of a post-conference data dump. Easily forgotten and not how I assimilate information. He sang Rocket Man and as would be expected the sciencey types in my corner definitely joined in on the title phrase.
Data is here folks. What we need, ironically, is not big data--we need information. I realize many of my writing colleagues aren't interested in immersing themselves in statistical principles and machine learning but you won't be able to hide for long.
We need all of us at the frontline of fake news, dubious research claims, and data chicanery. This is why I am recommending a great resource. I had to learn statistics from the ground up without the context of how to apply mathematical insights to a narrative. Not you, my friends. I learned of this book, The Chicago Guide to Writing about Multivariate Analysis while attending and presenting at DIA Medical Affairs and Scientific Communication. I am happy to share insights from the book here in the blog but I recommend investing in this resource specifically focused to writers. It's a big book--definitely worth having on your bookshelf. If you buy from the link--you don't pay more money--but data & donuts gets a few "donut holes" to keep the lights on...thank you! |
"Inside the writer is all the machinery that drives him..."
I am casually reading about Jaquet-Droz and a remarkable automaton completed in 1772. Make no mistake--It is clearly the predecessor to modern computing and technology. I use the term "casually reading" but it would be more accurate to say procrastinating. You know what I am talking about. Projects swirl around your office, emails need to be answered (true confession I let hundreds accumulate over the last few weeks), and progress needs to be made on scheduled presentations--but you need to reset.
Data literacy at the Venn overlap between health policy, economics, and healthcare created a demonstrable pivot in my professional life. When I think back to my freelance work prior--It seems vaguely secretarial. Nobody really cared about the insights buried in data or 360 degree views of a previously siloed challenge. We rarely looked upstream from disease toward prevention.
True attempts to improve health, wellness, and evidence-based medicine require an understanding of circumstances and context. The Kaiser Family Foundation has described social determinants of health as including economic stability, neighborhoods and physical environments, education, food, community and social context, and health care systems. You know why you became a writer. An inexhaustible curiosity about scientific facts and reason. A world view that informs all you do--even when you are pausing in front of art in a museum, running on a trail, or spending time with family. |
When new writers reach out for guidance many are surprised about all the reading. You need to bring your perspectives and reasoning to all you create. Otherwise dear reader--you are an Automaton.
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Generous persistence and selling your ideas...
opening image--comfreak | Pixabay
Whenever I have the opportunity to talk to groups of writing colleagues, I am asked how to create an independent writing career like my own. I don't have an algorithm because it happens by accident, kismet, or dumb luck. It depends on what you think you want. Do you want to solely write or is there a passion you can no longer ignore?
My "rock in the shoe" has always been to shift the status quo--by challenging the questions being asked and also the answers being pushed out to the masses.
A funny and relatable anecdote about Faith Popcorn CEO of BrainReserve told by Seth Godin made my day today. Listen to the audio below for the complete context (and his winning response) but in a nutshell, Seth meets with the team at BrainReserve, they love his ideas and immediately have 9 top of mind projects for him to spearhead. And then he waits. And waits. For a call or email that never comes.
The hard truth? This happens more than you would think. Likely for different reasons but a good friend in the business puts it quite bluntly. These "interested" clients are fearful of change and many are hoping to get something or everything for free. I have personally caught potential clients red handed. I have written proposals that were well received and deemed innovative and not been hired. Well not really anyway. The proposal was passed to a vendor already promised the work. Typically a vendor with limited vision, modest talent, but a loyalty to the funder's mission. Fast forward to today--I do not write proposals and certainly not for free. You shouldn't either.
You don't need all the clients. You only need the ones that value what you create. The obligating question was originally described by Zig Ziglar. I read about it succinctly in Survival is Not Enough: Why Smart Companies Abandon Worry And Embrace Change. The gist is after the 3rd objection stop answering the client's questions. They complain about the cost, the color, the "whatever". Now you ask the obligating question, "If we could agree that I could fix problem x, y, or z are you willing to sign on the dotted line today? Spoiler alert, the answer is rarely yes. If they say no, they are only trying to get you to go away.
What they are really saying, according to Seth Godin, is that there are not enough benefits on offer to offset the risks I would feel in making this change happen. The important lesson here is you can never "answer" your way to a yes. Find another client--one that is interested in the value you bring.
My "rock in the shoe" has always been to shift the status quo--by challenging the questions being asked and also the answers being pushed out to the masses.
A funny and relatable anecdote about Faith Popcorn CEO of BrainReserve told by Seth Godin made my day today. Listen to the audio below for the complete context (and his winning response) but in a nutshell, Seth meets with the team at BrainReserve, they love his ideas and immediately have 9 top of mind projects for him to spearhead. And then he waits. And waits. For a call or email that never comes.
The hard truth? This happens more than you would think. Likely for different reasons but a good friend in the business puts it quite bluntly. These "interested" clients are fearful of change and many are hoping to get something or everything for free. I have personally caught potential clients red handed. I have written proposals that were well received and deemed innovative and not been hired. Well not really anyway. The proposal was passed to a vendor already promised the work. Typically a vendor with limited vision, modest talent, but a loyalty to the funder's mission. Fast forward to today--I do not write proposals and certainly not for free. You shouldn't either.
You don't need all the clients. You only need the ones that value what you create. The obligating question was originally described by Zig Ziglar. I read about it succinctly in Survival is Not Enough: Why Smart Companies Abandon Worry And Embrace Change. The gist is after the 3rd objection stop answering the client's questions. They complain about the cost, the color, the "whatever". Now you ask the obligating question, "If we could agree that I could fix problem x, y, or z are you willing to sign on the dotted line today? Spoiler alert, the answer is rarely yes. If they say no, they are only trying to get you to go away.
What they are really saying, according to Seth Godin, is that there are not enough benefits on offer to offset the risks I would feel in making this change happen. The important lesson here is you can never "answer" your way to a yes. Find another client--one that is interested in the value you bring.
The thing I am offering is worth more than it costs--Seth Godin
Don't we all know how to get more eyeballs on what we create? Pander to the lowest denominator, create lists, or misleading headlines? Or show up week after week. Offer value, be consistent, and be generous...
Actually, more data might not be what you're hoping forThey got us hooked on data. Advertisers want more data. Direct marketers want more data. Who saw it? Who clicked? What percentage? What's trending? What's yielding?
But there's one group that doesn't need more data...
Anyone who's making a long-term commitment. Anyone who seeks to make art, to make a difference, to challenge the status quo.
Because when you're chasing that sort of change, data is the cudgel your enemies will use to push you to conform.
Data paves the road to the bottom. It is the lazy way to figure out what to do next. It's obsessed with the short-term.
Data gets us the Kardashians.--Seth Godin
“Though she be but little, she is fierce!”-- William Shakespeare
Only a day or two left in 2016. Last project of the year is all but done. New demands of the new year already beckon with deadlines, scheduled flights, and presentations to prepare.
As a parent it has been a great year. My youngest started highschool. He is running x-country and track, skateboarding...I mean longboarding (apparently these are different), with his friends in the carefree way that only highschool seems to allow. My eldest is immersed in his final years of college having returned from a semester in Germany. In fact he just arrived in Miami to spend time with friends. Professionally I am able to decide the types of projects and better yet the type of colleagues I collaborate with--long time coming but highly recommended. Here are musings I wanted to share as the year in travel and writing comes to a close... |
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I am thinking of some of the dumbest things I have heard all year. The sorts of things that make me want to yell for a time out or a do-over. Perhaps for many, the election comes to mind. But if you look for more granular stupidity--look no further than bad data. Or misleading data. Or intentionally false data.
Here are 3 things I want to share with my dear readers. Things I learned or found of extreme value during a year some are branding as the worst in recent memory. I am talking to you David Bowie angel. I see your plan. Now you are cherry picking the best of the best for your eternal cocktail party. Well played Starman--well played.
1. Invoicely
Think about it. Why would you pay to invoice your clients? I am so impressed with the flexibility in the free option I may just upgrade for the sheer entertainment. Seriously I work for global clients with the weirdest billing requirements--and invoicely just laughs and delivers.
2. Tableau Public
Data isn't like disco. It is here to stay. You might as well come aboard. I have been using Tableau for over 5 years. Tableau Public is the free option of a powerful data visualization platform. I use this for data with millions of rows--it is a steal. And shhhh...don't tell anyone but all the sessions I attend every year in person? They are free too.
3. The London School of Economics and Political. Science
If your screening tool for hiring writers is some sort of a PhD litmus test--you are an idiot. There are a lot of talented PhD writers out there--and more that stink up the room with bad methodology, poor research skills, and mediocre writing. Writers write. MSc and PhDs and even MDs (gasp) aren't inherently going to be dynamic writers. Most of us investigated an obscure topic a decade or so ago. My area was population genetics. To be specific, Constraints of Landscape Pattern and Fish Mobility on Ecological Genetics of Salvelinus namaycush and Salvelinus Alpinus in Arctic Watersheds (2000). I know. You want to hire me--don't deny it.
My point in this tirade is just continue learning. Read about what interests you but even more importantly "what challenges you". You know those later in lfe "aha" moments when revisiting a Shakespeare sonnet or The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer and seeing the beauty of the language? Beauty that you might not have appreciated when facing finals after a marathon winning streak of beer pong at the Tuesday night Fraternity Drinking Club--or was that just me?
The LSE podcast is brilliant. If you ever sat through an economics course or two this is your reward. Listening to experts in the field challenge prevailing wisdom or discuss global political theories. You need smarts. This is the real deal.
Happy New Year!
Here are 3 things I want to share with my dear readers. Things I learned or found of extreme value during a year some are branding as the worst in recent memory. I am talking to you David Bowie angel. I see your plan. Now you are cherry picking the best of the best for your eternal cocktail party. Well played Starman--well played.
1. Invoicely
Think about it. Why would you pay to invoice your clients? I am so impressed with the flexibility in the free option I may just upgrade for the sheer entertainment. Seriously I work for global clients with the weirdest billing requirements--and invoicely just laughs and delivers.
2. Tableau Public
Data isn't like disco. It is here to stay. You might as well come aboard. I have been using Tableau for over 5 years. Tableau Public is the free option of a powerful data visualization platform. I use this for data with millions of rows--it is a steal. And shhhh...don't tell anyone but all the sessions I attend every year in person? They are free too.
3. The London School of Economics and Political. Science
If your screening tool for hiring writers is some sort of a PhD litmus test--you are an idiot. There are a lot of talented PhD writers out there--and more that stink up the room with bad methodology, poor research skills, and mediocre writing. Writers write. MSc and PhDs and even MDs (gasp) aren't inherently going to be dynamic writers. Most of us investigated an obscure topic a decade or so ago. My area was population genetics. To be specific, Constraints of Landscape Pattern and Fish Mobility on Ecological Genetics of Salvelinus namaycush and Salvelinus Alpinus in Arctic Watersheds (2000). I know. You want to hire me--don't deny it.
My point in this tirade is just continue learning. Read about what interests you but even more importantly "what challenges you". You know those later in lfe "aha" moments when revisiting a Shakespeare sonnet or The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer and seeing the beauty of the language? Beauty that you might not have appreciated when facing finals after a marathon winning streak of beer pong at the Tuesday night Fraternity Drinking Club--or was that just me?
The LSE podcast is brilliant. If you ever sat through an economics course or two this is your reward. Listening to experts in the field challenge prevailing wisdom or discuss global political theories. You need smarts. This is the real deal.
Happy New Year!
The things we make...
Morning is my favorite time of day. I think of it as an opportunity to squeeze a few more hours out of a busy day, a chance to meditate, run on dark streets, or balance out the demands of a chaotic work life. The early morning is time I schedule for personal projects outside the grasp or responsibility of client work. I might sketch out an idea for an upcoming talk, write a few blog ideas, make progress on a book, or hunt around for new data sources to add to my library of variables and yet untapped insights.
Often the stillness and relative quiet (lets be real; I have 3 dogs, a cat, and 6 chickens) provides an opportunity to procrastinate. While hunting for my reading glasses I noticed a book on the coffee table, Chris Orr: The Making of Things. Immediately I remember the Museum of Modern Art book sale. I was in town for work and had maybe an hour or two to visit one of my favorite cultural spots. I spent the entire time poring over the vast selection of books.
Chris Orr is a British printmaker with a long career of print making and teaching and a casual flip through the hardcover edition had me swiftly tuck it under my arm--I couldn't chance losing the bargain or the opportunity to add the book to my collection. Naughty, clever, and artistic--the prints vary from sepia monochromes to bright splashes of modernity.
A quote by Chris Orr reminds me of my work with data...
Often the stillness and relative quiet (lets be real; I have 3 dogs, a cat, and 6 chickens) provides an opportunity to procrastinate. While hunting for my reading glasses I noticed a book on the coffee table, Chris Orr: The Making of Things. Immediately I remember the Museum of Modern Art book sale. I was in town for work and had maybe an hour or two to visit one of my favorite cultural spots. I spent the entire time poring over the vast selection of books.
Chris Orr is a British printmaker with a long career of print making and teaching and a casual flip through the hardcover edition had me swiftly tuck it under my arm--I couldn't chance losing the bargain or the opportunity to add the book to my collection. Naughty, clever, and artistic--the prints vary from sepia monochromes to bright splashes of modernity.
A quote by Chris Orr reminds me of my work with data...
Print is the great contradiction; the liberation of raw information and the enslavement of meaning.
Maybe you have talismans that help you start your work day. I begin with books--then ideas--followed by quiet. The making of things happens in the white space. The time we create to listen. Even if the day is committed to other tasks or obligations--the morning returns each day--and I will be ready to seize it.
The validation of women in statistics--taking risks
I once had a scholarship to medical school abruptly cancelled because I was deemed "not black enough" for a racial diversity NIH grant by the school administrator--my father was indeed African American. When I met with the Dean to protest he commented, "What's the difference--one complication with your pregnancy and you are out of the game anyway"--I was several months pregnant.
That was over twenty years ago and while it seems like a long time ago, it simultaneously seems like yesterday. Not that long ago an HEOR professional told me not to worry about the data as I was a writer and it was really complicated. Little did she know that I studied statistics my entire professional life. Shame on her. |
Recently I was invited to attend an event sponsored by the American Statistical Association--Women in Statistics and Data Science. I was excited to attend. Logistically, the meeting was a drive away--and professionally, the agenda was filled with Bayesian goodness.
Immediately I noticed what happens when women are in charge. Extraneous men's bathrooms are converted to facilities for women--win, win. I hadn't noticed--most of my conference experiences, client engagement, and professional relationships were skewed toward men. The process was gradual. I once drank wine at client dinners--now its bourbon or scotch. I challenge strategic missteps, direct meetings, and lead large initiatives without a second glance. I never thought about the shoulders that lifted me up or even who to thank. The road was tough, many leaders were weak, and it was hard--uphill both ways.
What happens at a women only event? The pre-conference workshop Effective Presentations for Statisticians: Success = (PD)2 would never be delivered to a male audience. I marveled at the attention to characteristics more likely of interest to women. If I am to be totally honest--even bristled at some of the stereotypes. But you know what? If not here, in this safe space, where else can women learn how to balance their careers in a male-dominated industry--seek tenure in academia, collaborate with cross-discipline teams, and oh yes--start a family.
Immediately I noticed what happens when women are in charge. Extraneous men's bathrooms are converted to facilities for women--win, win. I hadn't noticed--most of my conference experiences, client engagement, and professional relationships were skewed toward men. The process was gradual. I once drank wine at client dinners--now its bourbon or scotch. I challenge strategic missteps, direct meetings, and lead large initiatives without a second glance. I never thought about the shoulders that lifted me up or even who to thank. The road was tough, many leaders were weak, and it was hard--uphill both ways.
What happens at a women only event? The pre-conference workshop Effective Presentations for Statisticians: Success = (PD)2 would never be delivered to a male audience. I marveled at the attention to characteristics more likely of interest to women. If I am to be totally honest--even bristled at some of the stereotypes. But you know what? If not here, in this safe space, where else can women learn how to balance their careers in a male-dominated industry--seek tenure in academia, collaborate with cross-discipline teams, and oh yes--start a family.
Do you work with data? Join the ASA. Not knowing what you don't know is a liability. I may not do statistical modeling (but my colleague and collaborative biostatistician partner does) but I can question the chosen model and suggest better analysis plans based on your unique set of variables. I can set up for good study design, address confounding, and tell you if your study is designed to answer the question it purports to solve.
And I learned a few new things at the close of a remarkable 3-day conference. Women are bad-ass. I listened to Bin Yu describe pursuing science and statistics during the Cultural Revolution in China, learned about advances and challenges in 'omics data analysis, and scratched my head with interest learning about heteroscedasticity and constrained regression splines. Most importantly--I learned whom to thank. I shared coffee with a beaming statistician who ran off one morning during the meeting to earn a second place ribbon in a fencing tournament, I ate lunch with the President of the ASA, quite by happenstance. She was so welcoming and engaging we discussed mutual interests in literacy and numeracy, Karl Popper, and her upcoming travel. It wasn't until we exchanged business cards that I noticed her immense role and responsibility. |
Consider attending next year. Follow along at data & donuts for focused discussions, data insights, and statistical tune ups for your toolbox.
Women in Statistics and Data Science Thank you... |
Behold the firefly: bad economy, getting fired, time to fly...
I am casually writing a manifesto. The idea isn't mine but belongs to Jonathan from the Good Life Project. He is one of my podcast finds--a virtual mentor and creative soul that helps me to return to what matters. If I am to be completely honest, sometimes I need a reminder of all of the bits I need to be thankful about--professionally mostly. The personal is always abundant. I have two beautiful and fun loving sons, a marriage of 23+ years, and a few relationships so poignant and wonderful I am prone to grin without provocation.
On the business side, before launching data & donuts I became a fire-fly as Jonathan calls it. The economy was bad, a bunch of us got fired, so it was time to fly. I had options to hop back into the 40+ hour work week but I was tired. Tired of the hierarchy skimping on quality because things were "good enough". Fireflies have a nice glow but can quickly die under a glass with all of their oxygen dissipating.
I like to be frank about the good and bad. The good is walking hand in hand with your kids to grab an ice cream, a morning trail run without an externally imposed time frame, and the gift of waking up each morning with things to discover, ideas to solidify, and powerful colleagues working toward a common goal. The bad--clients that don't pay on time, a strong incentive for status quo in an industry devoid of innovation or evolution, and watching your peers barter away the good in exchange for the quick and easy funding channels.
On the business side, before launching data & donuts I became a fire-fly as Jonathan calls it. The economy was bad, a bunch of us got fired, so it was time to fly. I had options to hop back into the 40+ hour work week but I was tired. Tired of the hierarchy skimping on quality because things were "good enough". Fireflies have a nice glow but can quickly die under a glass with all of their oxygen dissipating.
I like to be frank about the good and bad. The good is walking hand in hand with your kids to grab an ice cream, a morning trail run without an externally imposed time frame, and the gift of waking up each morning with things to discover, ideas to solidify, and powerful colleagues working toward a common goal. The bad--clients that don't pay on time, a strong incentive for status quo in an industry devoid of innovation or evolution, and watching your peers barter away the good in exchange for the quick and easy funding channels.
I share my experiences to maybe resonate with an urge or impulse you may also have--to make a difference. Here are 5 critical parts of writing a Manifesto. Join along...
1. The Reality Check (the "felt" problem) 2. The Pivot (what is the possibility) 3. The Path (rallying cry) 4. The Resonant Story (tell your story) 5.The Call (move people to action) Read Jonathan's. Unbusy [A MANIFESTO] |
What story are your data trying to tell?
Data provides the signal and insight--the storyteller needs to apply the narrative and judgement--the combination of art and science. The best advice you can heed as a writer is just "be interesting". Not so easy you say? How about if I substitute "interesting" for curious? Is that better?
I like to collect stories. I recently learned about the premier source of design in the world. WGSN. Honestly it is where Apple and all major companies look for trends in end-user behaviors. Are rentals outpacing home purchases? Perhaps this peripatetic signal leads to redesign in response to a signal seeking a narrative? WGSN is the leading global trend authority for creative thinkers. Members get access to premium research and resources that will shape the future of their business. Don't let the pay wall fool you. There is much to be learned visually and by reading pieces accessible to the public. Go ahead...explore and let me know what you find...I bet there is a data story in there somewhere.
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Seth Farbman CMO, does a masterful job of describing the stories behind the data collected by Spotify.
Pause a moment and look at how the visual aspect of what many view as solely auditory (our Spotify playlists) influences the story. Professionally, I am having a rare opportunity to build a story slowly and intentionally. The story goes live in a few days but for now--I am choosing to listen. The data and clinical report remain embargoed for several days allowing me to be thoughtful of any missing parts of the story. What a unique opportunity to peruse additional data sets, published clinical trials that may be similar, or even small data. Are there any patient surveys that may provide additional context? What about hospital or provider perspectives? Take time to see the story your data is trying to tell you... |
Where do you set your gaze?
I love this ear worm. As a painter you may prefer to focus on lush wilderness landscapes or the delicate internal quotidian brilliance of a flower stamen or pistil. The scope is vastly different but many writers commit and stay the course inspite of a still inchoate sensibility. I tend to start big picture but always strive for the granular elements of a story. What is the saying? 1 is a person, 5 million is a statistic...
Do you know why we pay attention to a gecko selling insurance? The triangulation of the unexpected invites a perspective and a story. Don't fear merging your interests or passion into your narrative. I teach journalists and healthcare stakeholders both--we learn about creating stories from what we perceive. The more multi-modal your lens, the more tools you have onboard. Listen to the discussion about food & poetry. Two subjects I love--especially when they are mashed up--and drizzled with butter. Enjoy!
Do you know why we pay attention to a gecko selling insurance? The triangulation of the unexpected invites a perspective and a story. Don't fear merging your interests or passion into your narrative. I teach journalists and healthcare stakeholders both--we learn about creating stories from what we perceive. The more multi-modal your lens, the more tools you have onboard. Listen to the discussion about food & poetry. Two subjects I love--especially when they are mashed up--and drizzled with butter. Enjoy!
"Poetry's a hard sell sometimes, whereas the sandwich or the steak frites. And yet what happens is we come to these certain times where nothing works except for the poem. The sort of 9/11s of your experience. You're kind of like, 'I can't walk, talk, sleep, eat.' And then the poem comes in and kind of provides salve... It's a kind of feeding. But, then you know, there's the bad poetry. Whereas a kind of shitty roast beef sandwich works out."--Gabrielle Hamilton, On Food and Poetry NYPL podcast
Let's connect on twitter or linkedin...its easier to communicate on social media platforms. Blog comments can get spammy--no time for that, right?
Can you hear me now?
How many words do you need to write before anyone hears them? I always think of Jo Jo from Horton Hears a Who (the original) quietly playing with a yoyo while everyone around him is shouting trying to be heard.
Horton's tormentors are chanting "boil that dust speck" with sinister leering grimaces unable to hear anything from the small world embedded on the clover desperately grasped in Horton's trunk. What do you do when others don't hear your message? I suggest you have two options. Be more persistent--write more--the equivalent of shouting louder. You can also recruit others to share your message. Find your Jo Jo... |
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The answer to how many words? A lot. A crapton is probably a more accurate measurement. My first freelance gig was writing about how things are made. Here is a snapshot of a few of the gems. I was paid well and the work kept coming. The secret I discovered--the US patent office. It was possible to peek under the hood at the skeleton framework and put a little flesh on the bones--creating a narrative or story.
As a writer or communicator it is critical to bring content down to the substrate. Stop accepting face value as "good enough". I know we are tired of the rambling cry of big data being the answer to all of our content woes. But hold on. Big data is one part of the triangulation needed to tell a complete story. A database of claims data holds a wealth of information but where are the insights? The digital cloud only whispers a small part of the larger picture--we need more Jo Jos--more yopps.
A writer and the sea...
I am not sure how you approach vacation time-- hopefully you will step away from routine and demands before summer wanes. My idea of a summer vacation always includes the sea. This summer passports can remain tucked away as the family heads to the North Carolina coast. The past 10 years have been spent falling in love with Bald Head Island.
As a writer or creative there is nothing like morning runs through a maritime forest looping through trails along the ocean and harbour. Although the time is unscheduled, I am guilty of writing during these weeks. Or relaxing under a beach umbrella reading the latest book purchased months or years prior waiting for the opportunity to dive in.
Re-entry to my home office and a ramped up travel schedule is choppy at best. I thought I would share a favorite podcast where Robert Bound discusses the difference between the beach and the seaside. I use many of the stories discovered here or in a variety of Monocle podcasts to ease back into the routine. Often these digressions offer a mini-break from the ordinary. The sip of a cold drink or a toe in the briny sea are desired but not required...
As a writer or creative there is nothing like morning runs through a maritime forest looping through trails along the ocean and harbour. Although the time is unscheduled, I am guilty of writing during these weeks. Or relaxing under a beach umbrella reading the latest book purchased months or years prior waiting for the opportunity to dive in.
Re-entry to my home office and a ramped up travel schedule is choppy at best. I thought I would share a favorite podcast where Robert Bound discusses the difference between the beach and the seaside. I use many of the stories discovered here or in a variety of Monocle podcasts to ease back into the routine. Often these digressions offer a mini-break from the ordinary. The sip of a cold drink or a toe in the briny sea are desired but not required...
Quote the crow...ever more.
As writers, I think we should consider the crow our power animal. I watch them in the park across the street. Ever vigilant they appear to keep the hawks a safe distance from our backyard chickens. In exchange, I leave them bird seed among the tree stumps and fallen branches.
I have read many stories of crows and associated myths and find them symbolic of the human struggle between good and evil or in a less dramatic fashion--right and wrong. A favorite theme is as a symbol of communication and divination of the future. They often find beauty in the discarded and forgotten. Patiently extracting fabric, string, hair, wood shavings and other buried treasures to co-mingle with moss, bark, and natural elements. |
Their complex vocabulary is one sign of their intelligence, and is also a sign of their significance as power animals. When a crow explores something new, others watch closely to see what happens and then learn from it.--Ina Woolcott, Shamanic Journey
Maybe when we focus less on the "other" and more on what unites us all--we can appreciate parallel insights and opportunities.
Crow is surrounded by magic, unseen forces and spiritual strength. If crow enters your life, get out of your familiar nest, look beyond your present range of vision, listen to the message(s) in its caw and act accordingly.--Ina Woolcott
Seeing with your mind...
I like to remind writers (including myself) to look at the details. It can be clinical trial data, a meta-analysis, or just a crowd of people passing by. What can you infer from snippets of conversations billowing past or details like described on this book cover? There was a popular book years ago called, The Artist's Way that encouraged habits to stimulate creativity. I don't remember a lot of the details from the book but I still practice the art of observation. I often rummage through bookstores or art galleries peering beyond the surfaces. I am introducing a 5-hour course (at your own pace) to help journalists, writers, or any of us wanting more insights from our big data world. It is called Improving Data Literacy in Medicine and Clinical Research. If you sign up prior to launch its only $10.00. The price will go up so you really have nothing to lose. I figure the tools--slides, checklists, and videos are worth the cost of admission. You can enroll or request more information here. Often the hardest part of writing is identifying your purpose. You need to make decisions about what you are going to say and how to say it. |
Rituals and habits for creativity...
Sunday is typically a "reading" day. I build the day around a long run, errands, and family time but also focus on reading a few books on my list.
I like to listen to The Tim Ferriss Show podcast on my long-run playlist. Not all topics interest me but the format is workable if you like getting to the nitty gritty of how creative types schedule their day or live their lives. Today was Paulo Coehlo. The audio is a wee bit scratchy but he answers a list of questions about his highly regarded writing career. Click the link below--its worth a listen. Washington DC is naturally a great place for health policy discussions and scenic running along the trails but there are many really great bookstores. I discovered an obscure series of books titled Seeing & Writing. The illustration is from the series and sums up the perspective of the book. The topics covered are varied and include, Writers on Writing, Visualizing Composition, and Observing the Ordinary. The book is full of exercises and insights on defining "place" in your writing. My point with this short post is to remind you (and myself) the importance of experiences to inform creativity. Paulo talks about a book or story being a dress. It doesn't really become anything unique or different until it is draped over an actual person. Step outside and find a story--wiggle into something interesting. |
A writer is a reader who is moved to emulation--Saul Bellow, Nobel Prize--winning writer.
I like hearing how other writers or artists start their days. I am an early bird. The quiet of the morning and a house before everyone else is awake is often the most productive times of the day.
What works for you? Do you like to listen to music? I either listen to classical on WQXR NYC or Amazon Prime music library--often french jazz tunes or blues. A cup of coffee and I am ready to go! |
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A recent visit to my local medical library reminded me of the under appreciated utility of a hardcover text. It is easy to do a quick Pubmed search, read a few articles, and consider the topic reviewed or topically addressed.
The challenge is to offer a little something more. Dig a little deeper into a topic. The biggest advantage is the ability to challenge a status quo or add a little more depth to a conversation. There is a black hole around discussions about healthcare, medicine, and the economics driving the evolution of a new perspective on high-value care.
Join the discussion. Go visit your local academic library...you might find something interesting.
The challenge is to offer a little something more. Dig a little deeper into a topic. The biggest advantage is the ability to challenge a status quo or add a little more depth to a conversation. There is a black hole around discussions about healthcare, medicine, and the economics driving the evolution of a new perspective on high-value care.
Join the discussion. Go visit your local academic library...you might find something interesting.
Improving numeracy--one article at a time...
I like to end the week sharing a resource you should know about. I don't believe statisticians need another resource. I mean--who do you think the technical clinical literature is already addressing?
STATS.org is for the rest of us. If you write about science now or plan to in the future, grab a cup of tea or coffee and dig in. We consume infinite amounts of data in our personal and professional lives. Even if you aren't creating content, you definitely need a "rosetta stone" to be an informed consumer of data. The data is big for sure but is it relevant? Are you able to present your research findings, hypotheses, or narratives in a cogent and scientifically rigorous framework? Statistics is the only way to hold this new empiricism accountable; statistics is—in our information age—the new journalism. Which is, presently, a problem. If you are a statistician you are unlikely to engage in journalism in a serious way, and if you are a journalist you are unlikely to engage in statistics in a serious way.--STATS.org Come visit my bookstore for more offerings... |
Dull light bulbs, rejection, and a good hustle...
There are days when you need a clear voice. A person that can create words around a feeling idea, or sense-datum.
It was raining today. Fred didn't care. He is a hound and has his own priorities--none of which respect the weather. My ritual is to listen to Good Life Project on my daily walks. I don't want to miss a word. I hope you become a fan too. I doubt you will be disappointed. |
Jonathan Fields states clearly "you still need to hustle in an age where it's often said that content is king. Content is the long game, hustle is the now game." What is hustle? Let me explain. If you create "content" and it doesn't seem to resonate--you can always blame the idea. No one liked the idea. If you engage in a conversation and there isn't any uptake--you as an individual feel rejected. This explains while content is churned out so readily. Not much of a risk. You are protected.
When you dare to venture out to meetings, keynote events, or become a public face of your business--you become vulnerable. Lets face it. There are those out there primed to criticize or judge. They aren't your audience, your job is to find the people that want to hear what you are saying, writing, or creating.
But what if you are on a timeline? You left your job and need to get clients on board, the hustle is real. Listen to Jonathan and tell me what you think. You can find me on twitter @graphemeconsult or over on Linkedin as well. In the meantime, go hustle...
When you dare to venture out to meetings, keynote events, or become a public face of your business--you become vulnerable. Lets face it. There are those out there primed to criticize or judge. They aren't your audience, your job is to find the people that want to hear what you are saying, writing, or creating.
But what if you are on a timeline? You left your job and need to get clients on board, the hustle is real. Listen to Jonathan and tell me what you think. You can find me on twitter @graphemeconsult or over on Linkedin as well. In the meantime, go hustle...
The mystery of the cookie butter, a violin, and a bite of tagliatelle.
Who doesn't love a Sunday morning. Today is especially beautiful--daffodils are blooming, the air has a residual snap, and the sun is streaming into my office. Like many of you, I write almost every day. Typically if I am writing on a Sunday it is due to a frenetic schedule and I am living between two weeks. Trying to finish up work from last week and hoping to get a jump start on the week ahead. A practice that I hope you will steal is to end the week with a few thoughts on what worked, what inspired, or new ideas for the upcoming days or weeks. A quick warm-up exercise of storytelling and creating a narrative benefits the work at hand.
I have solved the mystery of willpower. And the siren song of Trader Joe's Cookie Butter. The harder you think, the more technical your writing, the more tenuous your willpower come midday. Or maybe its just me. I keep a clean kitchen. I don't have sweets or cookies around, no cereal, perhaps yogurt from time to time. Until I discovered this little gem. If you are weak-willed feel free to proceed no further down the vertical page. I am driven by statistics. I heard on the radio that Cookie Butter is the number one selling item at Trader Joe's. Naturally I had to try it. What kind of insight analyst would I be if I left data on the table--so I put it on my spoon. The hype is real my friends. Listen to what you can do about it below. |
How thinking kills willpower
The Splendid Table Indeed...
I listened to the Splendid Table podcast on today's run as well. A beautiful segment from 9 years ago with Joshua Bell, the violinist. He doesn't know how to cook and has sought out Lynne for a cooking lesson. Listen to the wonderfully executed story. The sounds, their conversation, the imagery is so vivid you can smell the orange zest and caramelization as they prepare Tagliatelle with Caramelized Oranges and Almonds. Listen to the podcast segment.
Transmedia storytelling is an art. I didn't even realize it was a thing. A strong preference for visual, audio, and written word to create a multi sensory experience that closely resembles the world around us--a big goal of Data & Donuts. |
Sometimes a story should be told with room for the audience to complete it. That is the task of the contemporary digital storytelling.
Early mornings, meal worms, and maps...
Sometimes when you travel you need to "bloom" wherever you are planted. It is dark and a wee bit cold this morning but 2016 is off to a blazing start. I am writing in a cozy kitchen nook in the northeast--combining a family emergency with my oldest son's semester--abroad flight to Germany on Thursday.
But as busy writers--we still need to write. Forget those whitewashed social media posts where the words are written effortlessly, a double rainbow is viewed from a window, and dogs curl up in hearths. If you have ever been embarrassed to hire a house-sitter because you fear they will think you are crazy--you are my people. Explaining the breakfast menu for my hens on cold mornings seemed normal until I mentioned the meal worms as a crunchy topper on their breakfast oatmeal. |
Especially when I am traveling I give thanks for my blog. Here is where I sort thoughts, greet the day, wait for the coffee to brew, and make a plan. I only check email 3 times a day when I am on deadline. First thing in the morning, to catch up with clients overseas, again around noon, and a final check between 4 and 5. Its an experiment. Not unlike how I am batching my time this year. I decided to not be a serial killer. Obviously that is good news but click the link. After years of batching projects and multi-tasking I am creating a topographical map where I assign periods of work on complete projects. No switching from a manuscript, back to data analysis, and over to a presentation.
Any ideas you are thinking about? I would love to hear...
@graphemeconsult
Any ideas you are thinking about? I would love to hear...
@graphemeconsult
Resolving to change...
You may already know my views on resolutions or habits. But I consider learning new skills or perfecting old ones a worthwhile pursuit. Especially if you write or aspire to become a writer. Here are a few FREE online courses that I believe rival or trounce many of the webinars that charge for participation. It isn't that I am discouraging anyone from making money from a side-hustle but often it is at the expense of quality, value, and/or relevance.
1. The Many Faces of Dementia Full disclosure I have a blog being evolved into a traditional publication, Alzheimers Disease: The Brand. I am actually participating in this course for the global perspective.
1. The Many Faces of Dementia Full disclosure I have a blog being evolved into a traditional publication, Alzheimers Disease: The Brand. I am actually participating in this course for the global perspective.
In this free online course you’ll discover some of the key issues in dementia care and research by exploring four less common forms of dementia through the eyes of people affected by the condition, and world-leading experts at UCL. We’ll show how research into the signs, stages, symptoms and causes of less common forms can bring us closer to the aim of defeating dementia.
2. Introduction to Journalism The first modern course in journalism for me was an international program here on Future Learn. If you have ever considered working in medical journalism or just want to improve conference attending opportunities--this is for you. Did I mention it is free?
The course contains six topics - what makes a good news story; writing news; writing features; opinion writing; politics and journalism; and investigative journalism - and explores these in relation to a case study running throughout the six weeks. Although the scenario is entirely fictitious, participants will engage in tasks and discussions that reflect real-life situations in journalism.
3. Making Sense of Health Evidence (I have written a book on numeracy in medicine so this is a topic near and dear to my heart...
Every day we read or hear about new health research that looks at what might help or harm, limit or extend our lives. Health research is big business and over a million papers are published every year on health-related topics. So how do we find the evidence we need and, much more important, how do we judge how good that evidence is?
Writing is hard. Maybe not cage-fighting hard but it can certainly leave bruises. I love hearing about rituals that inspire creativity and productivity. Not so much the edited public images but the every day habits--when no one is paying attention. For example, a writer was praising the easy prose of Joyce Carol Oates. He guesstimates she has written over 60 books in 50 years. I was her waitress many years ago in a restaurant in Princeton. What do I remember? She eats very little--and v-e-r-y slowly.
One highlight of the year was attending the estate sale of Dr. Maya Angelou. I couldn't bring myself to rifle through her personal linens and household items so I headed to her library. Modern Essays by Chaucer, Walden, and a beautiful hard cover children's book, A Cat of Paris are now displayed on my shelf.
I have always commented that to be a writer you need a side hustle. Venture out of the office. Meet the stories where they are happening...
One highlight of the year was attending the estate sale of Dr. Maya Angelou. I couldn't bring myself to rifle through her personal linens and household items so I headed to her library. Modern Essays by Chaucer, Walden, and a beautiful hard cover children's book, A Cat of Paris are now displayed on my shelf.
I have always commented that to be a writer you need a side hustle. Venture out of the office. Meet the stories where they are happening...
I guess my point is that you can bring whatever you want to your writing life. But I encourage you to jump in the cage every now and then. I am creating a multi-media journal from the road so stay-tuned... Tackle what you fear. Accept the invitation to speak to groups that can benefit from your message. Write the blog, create the story, join the narrative. We have enough lurkers on social media. It isn't always easy. Travel can be a grind but it doesn't have to be. It can be an opportunity to gain a different perspective, join a conversation, or make a difference. |
The book is taking shape. Once you write the words you need to consider the best way to deliver your story. I will publish the table of contents before release. I am considering it to be fluid at the moment. Sometimes you have to save certain topics for the next book. If you want a deal I suggest ordering at the pre-publication rate of only $5.99. Not much cheddar for a companion book to help clarify our questions around the data. Can we believe the data--or has it been tortured. Improving Numeracy in Medicine. Availability of additional formats will be announced after publication...
It can be a struggle to motivate the new writer or seasoned professional seeking to transition to a creative life. The fire-hose of questions, the doubt, the fear--yup--we have all been there. If I am to be honest,
But this short clip is your own personal cheerleading squad. I know it sounds like platitudes to say "stick with it" or "it will get better" but quite often it isn't enough. In my personal experience it can be cut throat out in the real world. I could tell you stories of maleficence among professionals we all know within our small community. I can also tell you that I would not have the opportunities or joy from what I do if I wasn't able to share what I learn along the way. Enjoy the audio and please, share if you think there is someone that needs to hear a bit of encouragement. |
THE GAP by Ira Glass from Daniel Sax on Vimeo. |
Drip by drip...
Here is the thing. Like anything worth doing there isn't a fast track and sustainable path to a career in writing. But there are a few ways to create a unique brand and niche for your writing. I answer many questions and discovered a lack of appreciation of hard work happening under the hood. Here is a listicle of a few best practices--think of each one as a "drip"...it will guide you to your goal--drip by drip.
1. Be persistent (write every day with your own authentic voice)
2. Read, read, and when you are done, read some more.
3. Exercise (move your body in a meaningful way)
4. Be curious (create a synthesis of ideas from the things that you curate)
5. Be of service (are you an editor, writer, artist, book keeper?) Many people abruptly ask for work, referrals, free advice. Are you able to manage quid pro quo? I am impressed when approached by writers that know their value and will use it as currency for additional work in a new space or one-on-one mentoring.
1. Be persistent (write every day with your own authentic voice)
2. Read, read, and when you are done, read some more.
3. Exercise (move your body in a meaningful way)
4. Be curious (create a synthesis of ideas from the things that you curate)
5. Be of service (are you an editor, writer, artist, book keeper?) Many people abruptly ask for work, referrals, free advice. Are you able to manage quid pro quo? I am impressed when approached by writers that know their value and will use it as currency for additional work in a new space or one-on-one mentoring.
Climbing the ladder of success wrong by wrong.” --Mae West
Metaphors are everywhere. Debate continues about their value in strong informative writing but when I stumbled across this metaphor map I was gobsmacked. Fair warning, it is a rabbit hole of procrastination if you have deadlines!
met·a·phor
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
“I had fallen through a trapdoor of depression,” said Mark, who was fond of theatrical metaphors"
synonyms: figure of speech, image, trope, analogy, comparison, symbol, word painting/picture"the profusion of metaphors in her everyday speech has gotten pretty tiresome"
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
“I had fallen through a trapdoor of depression,” said Mark, who was fond of theatrical metaphors"
synonyms: figure of speech, image, trope, analogy, comparison, symbol, word painting/picture"the profusion of metaphors in her everyday speech has gotten pretty tiresome"
The creation of the Metaphor Map and the analysis of its underlying data was a massive job, involving thousands of hours of painstaking research. This in turn was built upon the 45 years of lexicographical study involved in the production of the Historical Thesaurus. The figures below give a sense of the scale of the Mapping Metaphor project: |
Selecting Health and Disease as a category reveals relationships identified by a key:
External World Mental World Social World Connected Category Metaphorical connection Highlighted metaphorical connection by |
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Taking the subject of metaphor to the stage, this Tedx talk adds a physical dimension to the consideration of metaphor. The description of these puppets as "boiled down essences of life" is powerful. Creative exploration is important for content creation even if it seems like a departure from the nonfiction absolute of medical writing. Enjoy the power of metaphor in conveying emotion, intention, or sense of scene. |
How social is your media?
Naturally, your mileage may vary but there are many tips that you can commit to habit from the infograph "How Often You Should Post to Social Media."
If you are like me and just learning about building an audience and automating office tasks from the road, keep a keen eye on this page. It isn't a blog page and that is by design. I find things that are interesting but I am not clear on broad appeal so I park them here for writerly types. I don't always have time to elaborate but I will be hopping in and out and sharing insights. I heard the funniest thing on a podcast today. While describing ways to innovate your LinkedIn pages, a new term was coined--behold the link-hole. You know what I am talking about. The creepy lurkers that peer at your profile as anonymous, or just members not interested in engaging. Personally if you have a blog and are not optimizing or leveraging your linkedin profile--you my friend are leaving opportunties on the table. And you might be a link-hole... There is a podcast called the Missing Link sprinkling insights freely to dedicated followers. I know you are probably thinking the task is too daunting. None of the recommendations need completion on day one but you should consider developing an action plan. The Framemaker Network produces good shows but there are a few that are uneven. Lots of script-reading or amateur banter but when I find a good one, I will share it here...
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Give a listen to this great podcast, The Writer Files. I am updating content on this page continuously to share the creative lives and works I stumble across.
Today I spent the day at a waterpark with my youngest son. Wet 'n Wild has an interesting professional development activity for lifeguards. Let me describe the scene. Approximately every 10 minutes a wave is generated and undulates out across the large pool. Swimmers closest to the source are just lifted vertically gently while those closer to the shore get a bit tumbled by the breaking wave. Throughout the day there is what can only be described as on the job training to sharpen the skill of lifeguards on duty. One of the most memorable is the tossing of a mannequin baby into the depths to see the reaction time and skill of the guards on duty. Nearby swimmers gasp and panic not quite sure what is about to happen. The drills always end in applause and appreciation as another plastic child is saved from a watery end. Strangely enough the practice is reminiscent of a busy day around my office. Things are humming along and then you get the phone call or email (a tossed mannequin into the depths) from a client. I suggest creating your own list of resources that in a crisis--can decrease your reaction time and help you to bring "the baby" to safety. |
Austin Kleon books (or at least the 2 I read over and over) are a wonderful resource for writing. Show Your Work and Steal Like an Artist (links below) are small square books you must hold in your hands to appreciate. I am all about the e-book for quickly disseminating ideas but these books can be randomly opened to reveal a useful gem. They have a heft and feel to remind you--they are up for the challenge.
If you have time, I suggest listening to the podcast above and at best, subscribe to the series. As a writer you grow by stealing little ideas and sharing your process--don't vegetate, promulgate. |
Although she needs no introduction I would like to introduce you to Margaret Atwood. I am fascinated by the creative source of writers switching genre and form readily and skillfully.
Her voice is clear and succinct and authoritative. Surround yourself with words of writers outside your world. Hopefully you will discover a new perspective or lens. |
Atwood's novels are sarcastic jabs at society as well as identity quests. Her typical heroine is a modern urban woman, often a writer or artist, always with some social-professional commitment. The heroine fights for self and survival in a society where men are the all-too-friendly enemy, but where women are often participants in their own entrapment.
Also a prolific artist, her cartoons are hysterical and reflect a keen sense of humor if not candid communication about her writerly life--lumps and all.
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These are my books for the week. The summer months translate into time away from home while you travel or relax on a beach, boat, or porch. The artful and creative format and design of the Kleon books always provide food for thought. After reading them I decided to format my requested book proposal like a magazine. Perhaps not a standard delivery but how else can I communicate the cinematic reach of the story I am developing? We live in a digital society and topics like Alzheimer's Disease are consumed across a variety of media. strict schedule
When I am actively writing I become disciplined about a strict reading schedule. Here is New York by E.B. White is one example of a great book displaying an appreciation of cadence and word choice. Recognized from the forward of the prescriptive bible of writing, Elements of Style, here you can watch his craft. There are a few authors that I read over and over just to follow along in amazement. William Zinsser, Joan Didion and Christopher Buckley are recent examples. If you are searching or like discovering new authors the Paris Review is another resource that never disappoints. This book is a compendium of short stories or you can seek out a subscription to their magazine (online, print, or both). I also included my little e-book along for the ride. You can find it on Amazon, B&N, and a variety of other sellers in kindle, e-book, and printed or downloadable formats.
When I am actively writing I become disciplined about a strict reading schedule. Here is New York by E.B. White is one example of a great book displaying an appreciation of cadence and word choice. Recognized from the forward of the prescriptive bible of writing, Elements of Style, here you can watch his craft. There are a few authors that I read over and over just to follow along in amazement. William Zinsser, Joan Didion and Christopher Buckley are recent examples. If you are searching or like discovering new authors the Paris Review is another resource that never disappoints. This book is a compendium of short stories or you can seek out a subscription to their magazine (online, print, or both). I also included my little e-book along for the ride. You can find it on Amazon, B&N, and a variety of other sellers in kindle, e-book, and printed or downloadable formats.
Thoughtful discussions about content development and outcomes analytics that apply the principles and frameworks of health policy and economics to persistent and perplexing health and health care problems
http://www.dataanddonuts.org
http://www.dataanddonuts.org