Book Writing with an Audience in Mind

Posted on September 21, 2017 by

I’ve toyed with turning this blog into a book for a while now, but I haven’t made as much progress as I would like, so I’m working with my buddy Kate the coach again to get myself back on track. Over the next few entries I’ll be sorting through the various ideas I have been batting around with Kate to make sure I put together a good product in a reasonable amount of time. And “good,” of course, shouldn’t just be my in opinion but in the opinion of you, my audience. Continue reading →

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Blogging for Your Audience (i.e., The Space Industry Blogs Were Not a Detour)

Posted on September 18, 2017 by

For the last 2-3 weeks, I’ve been writing blogs targeted to my audience members who have emailed me about getting a job in the space business, as those are the majority of readers who contact me. I basically kicked out the remaining chapters of the book I never wrote. While this was satisfying, I noticed something odd about my readership numbers: practically no one was reading them. So okay, lesson learned. From here on, I’ll try to make my postings more generalized unless I get another special request. Continue reading →

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Putting the Pieces Back Together

Posted on September 14, 2017 by

As you folks might have noticed, I was a little preoccupied by Hurricane Irma last week. The good news–and there really was a lot here, all things considered–is that despite the storm’s eye wall passing over or right next to my neighborhood, I got through the night without losing electrical power, communication, or the structural integrity of my apartment. That’s worth losing a little sleep over. Still, while I’ve been multiply blessed, others here in Florida and in Texas will have a lot of recovery work to do to get back to normal. Today I’ll share a few thoughts on that process. Continue reading →

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Taking Care of What Needs to Be Done

Posted on September 11, 2017 by

I’m writing this post on Saturday, September 9, before the arrival of Hurricane Irma. Given that I could lose electricity in my home (and along with it internet access), it is entirely possible that any posts beyond today will be delayed. This should not be a sign of my demise (I expect to survive this storm), merely a temporary loss of communication. Meanwhile, I’ll be doing what I can to prepare for the storm and then get myself back to regular living soon thereafter.

Take care of yourselves.

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Life in the Cone of Uncertainty

Posted on September 7, 2017 by

I’m going to interrupt my regularly scheduled posting to talk about hurricanes. Unlike earthquakes, however, hurricanes come with plenty of warning signs. And with warnings, I have the opportunity to take action on my own behalf. There are lessons here for technical communicators in this. Continue reading →

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Government Contract Types

Posted on September 4, 2017 by

Okay, okay, I’ve gone a little overboard with the space-related content, but that’s been on my mind lately. Today I’ll switch over to something that’s a bit broader, as it relates to anyone working on proposals in Government Contractor World. Happy reading! Continue reading →

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Working for Space Outside NASA, Part 4: International Space Efforts

Posted on August 31, 2017 by

This will be my last posting on the “working for space outside NASA” topic…at least for now. Today I’ll be talking about space efforts managed in nations besides the United States of America (fair warning: this entry is ~3,000 words). This article will serve as nice-to-know information for my fellow Americans and more practical information if you live elsewhere in the world and are interested in working in the space business. As these articles have made clear, NASA is not the only game in town. Continue reading →

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