Writers’ Roundup: October 22

Even though I’m now working a full-time job (which I LOVE so far), I’m planning to keep up with these weekly roundups. They require me to think critically about the better posts I read each week, which can only be good for me.

Enjoy!

• The Online Journalism Review suggests five questions you should ask about your online brand. It’s aimed at journos, but works for writers, too, and, well, everyone. A snippet: “Often, it’s not the embarrassing or offensive stuff that does the most damage to your brand, it’s the off-topic drivel that bores your audience and gets them into the habit of ignoring you.”

• An interesting story from The New York Times about how students still cling to paper textbooks even in the digital age.

• Awesome post from Copyblogger about how to write magnificent copy. Write drunk; edit sober. (Not literally, people.)

• How to turn your side project into a sustainable business using social media. From Problogger. Excellent advice.

• Author Mary Carroll Moore explores finding your theme. “Theme can't be rushed,” she writes. “It doesn't surface until it's good and ready, until we have understood enough to see beyond the narrative, the basic story.”

• Another New York Times story, this one on travel: How to make your dream trip a reality. I’m working on a project about this very topic; more details to come.

• Lastly, one longer read: A guide from Chris Guillebeau about how to turn any project into an online success. Fabulous tips here about building a blog, community and products with reach. I’m a big fan of Chris’ work; I recently wrote about how much I enjoyed his new book, The Art of Non-Conformity. This is equally as good.

Happy weekend!