Word Nerd Knights Still Kicking Butt!

Time for an update. Word Nerd Knights have been kicking some major butt in recent months. First, Nikesh got published, was nominated for a Costa Award and is now working with Channel 4 on a sitcom called Kabadasses!

Next, Brian got a publishing deal with MuseItUp Publishing for The Blood Chronicles.

Now, Dan has only gone and become an Amazon bestseller! Not only that, but he won the Blackwell's Bookshop 'Favourite Oxford Novel' readers' poll and he's on the brink of making the TOP 50 on Amazon, not only Kindle but for all fiction!! BUY HIS BOOK and get a Word Nerd Knight into the top 25!

Oh ... and I'm now a columnist for Writing Magazine, and I just launched my first novel,

Palaces & Calluses.

Gifts for Word Nerds

Welcome to Word Nerd Gifts.

UK store: zazzle.co.uk/wordnerdarmy*

US store: zazzle.com/wordnerdarmy*

Can a Randomer Win the Shorty Award for Literature?

UPDATE: I came 3rd in the Shorty Awards. More info on my blog and at the Shorty Awards page.

Hi everyone. I may need to introduce myself. My name is Rebecca Woodhead and this is my blog. I'll wait for you to stop saying 'eh? Who is this randomer?' Finished? Jolly good. It has been a while since I posted here, because I wanted to hand over the stage to some other word nerds.

They've done such wonderful work. I love the diversity of opinion and expression on this blog. It is not an easy thing to hand over your blog to others with little more than the guidelines 'try to keep it legal and I won't edit' but I am glad that I have taken that approach because I find it such an interesting place to visit.

The Word Nerd Army is growing. It is not kept in one place - the membership is fluid and diverse. People calling themselves 'word nerds' are cropping up all over the place on Twitter and elsewhere. I want to bring attention back to the 11 issues that started this whole thing off. There is an election due to happen in the UK in the next few months so now might be a good time to raise some of these issues. At the top of the column is a link to how the Word Nerd Army came about. If you click on that you will find the 11 issues. I'd love to hear which of these matter most to you and then invite the Word Nerd Knights to blog about the ones that affect them the most. As ever, I am happy for them to mention their own projects but I would like the issue/s to be the central theme. This will give me something with which to approach the politicians. As votes are the important thing to campaigning political types, they need to see that Word Nerd Army has influence, so I have held off until we have some decent numbers. It is a shame that these numbers don't show up in one place though, as this would have a bigger impact on the people who change policy.

One way to help would be to spread the word about the blog and/or Twitter account: twitter.com/wordnerdarmy and ask people to follow visibly. Another would be for me, or one of the Word Nerd Knights to win the Shorty Award (Twitter Oscar) for Literature.

At the moment, I am beating Neil Gaiman and am in third place but I need help to stay where I am or do better. If I won this, the Word Nerd Army would get much more attention. Since the Word Nerd Army developed in a Twitter contest - Ms Twitter UK - it would be poetic if it found its voice in another contest - The Real-Time Academy of Short Form Arts and Sciences Award for Literature The short link for the literature section is: tiny.cc/TheRandomer and for my own page is: tiny.cc/therandomer

Any help you can give - by speaking to your own followers on blogs, Twitter or Facebook for instance - would help. Publishers are not that impressed with contests and I may yet choose to self-publish, so winning this may not benefit me in any substantial way but what it will do is give me a platform from which to discuss the 11 issues on which Word Nerd Army is based, and I would welcome that opportunity.

If you still don't feel you know me, here's a vid:

Many thanks,

Rebecca

rebeccawoodhead.com

Support Our Lady

I have the utmost pleasure to come to you from my own blog, Mightier Than the Sword, and my YouTube channel, under the username "writeranonymous" to ask for your support for Rebecca Woodhead, our Lady and Founder. I was one of the first Knights of the Word Nerd Army, though I cannot quiet remember what it was that I did. However, I am finally uptaking some Knightly duties and requesting that all of you vote for Rebecca.

If my written words aren't enough, here is my exhausted-from-lack-of-doing-anything plea for her, with some of my mad mumbles on either side. I think that just about proves how serious I am about this - I wouldn't put my face onto just about any website if I didn't have a good reason for it (and to be honest, I couldn't be prouder to put my face onto this one).

So vote Rebecca Woodhead in the Shorty Awards and make a Word Nerd's dreams come true. It would also make Rebecca very happy, as far as I'm aware.

Just when you thought the internet was full of advice...

Hello. I'm Nikesh and I'm a word nerd. I've been addicted to words for nearly thirty years now. I can't say exactly when it started or what it is about words that makes me feel so alive but I know that this addiction is ruling my life.

I'm Nikesh and I'm a word nerd.

I write. I read. I consume pretty much all the time. If I'm not online, I'm listening to podcasts or music or reading or watching quality television. I'm never switched off from pop art. I write all the time. I have three levels of writing, reflected by the three sizes of notebook I have with me at all times. The small one is where I collect fragments of ideas, like if I'm at a party and I'm talking to someone whose t-shirt reads 'You look like my next girlfriend' and that's an important detail to collect for a future story creep, I note it down. I have a medium sized notebook for lyrics. This is good for jotting down poems and lyrics for songs, for being able to make it look manageable and easier to balance on your knee if you're on planes, trains or automobiles. Then there's the A4 sized notebook which comes in handy in cafes and my mind wanders and I want to write my book or work on a short story or jot down sketch ideas. I go through each of these 3 a quarter. Check out my carbon footprint.

I could introduce myself properly and boast about the gigs I've done in India or New York or my award-winning film or the time I was on BBC2 busking in the rain on Brick Lane but that's what my website's for. This blog is to connect with you because you're more likely than not, in the same position as me.

I love words.... AGREE/DISAGREE
I want to write for a living.... AGREE/DISAGREE
I have written a book.... AGREE/DISAGREE
I'm finding it hard to get it published.... AGREE/DISAGREE

Even if you agree with one of those, you're in the right place. If you agree with all of them, then... errr... maybe you're actually me and I'm in some sort of temporal timeloop reading my own blog about my own experiences.

So, I could offer you advice and I have lots of positive experiences to share, both working in publishing for an organisation and as a writer but here are my handy top five tips for developing a profile, because, to be honest, we're all aspiring writers and we need to stand out. We may be fellow word nerds, but we're also competition and sadly, it's not just about the words at the beginning. That's not to say we're in competition. We're not, but you get what I'm saying.

1) Enter competitions and submit for magazines. People read these and look for writers there. Send off your stories. Find the print magazines and the good respected online magazines and submit to them a lot.
2) Write a blog. My blog is a collection of stories of my performing and writing and publishing, but also a collection of funny anecdotes because I want to write funny stuff and it's like a diary of bits to use, an aide memoire of characters, turns of phrase and events.
3) Read at events. Most independent bookshops have open mics and reading opportunities, there are an abundance of short story nights across the country. Go and read at them. Develop a reading voice and a stage personality and perform. Be more than the page, but with your words.
4) Read everyday.
5) Write everyday.

Why are you reading this blog? You know all this stuff already. Everyone's got an opinion and who cares about yours Keshla, you're stillunpublished? Yes. This is very abundantly true. But sometimes you need affirmation that you're heading in the write direction [sic].

Right, now, plug time: There's an awesome literary venue in Farringdon, London called Free Word Centre. On 11th December, I'm putting on a microfiction night there. The theme is 'THAT TIME OF YEAR.' The story should be 3 minutes/500 words. To take part, email me your story here and I'll choose the ten best to battle it out at Wham! Bam! Story! Slam!

Also, if you're on Facebook, sign up to the Book Club Boutique group. They're awesome. I'm extended fam. Salena Godden is mega-amazing and submit work to her to perform because this night is off the chain.

Write, I'm off.

Yours wordily,
Nikesh

Word Nerd Army On Parade - Your Chance to Take a Bow

This is your chance to be heard. Look through the 11 issues we all came up with. Tweet/blog/email all your Word Nerd chums - every single one of the mad group of book lovers that voted for me - and let 'the world' know how you feel. This is my last guest blog for Booktrust. It is a great gig and this particular blog is about you. It is about how my bid to be Ms Twitter became less about platform building and more about what 'word nerds' as a whole were telling me.

If 'the pen is mightier than the pin-up' was a slogan that meant anything to you, if you helped to construct this list of issues, or if any of these issues matter to you then you have bragging rights. Your voice needs to be heard. Please comment on the Booktrust site and under this post. Please put this information up on your blogs and tweet it up. This is the biggest publicity for the Word Nerd Army so far and it won't be up long so let's make the most of it. Now's your chance to tell your story and take a bow for your part in the campaign.

You earned it :)

Word Nerd Army News - Booktrust (1)

The first of two posts I wrote for Booktrust went up today. The next post - which is about the Word Nerd Army - goes up mid-week. Exciting stuff! Please link to it from your blogs.

http://news1.rebeccawoodhead.com/

Thanks

Rebecca

Word Nerd behind Word Nerd Army
Ms Twitter UK

So the Pen is Mightier than the Pin-up. Now What?

The shared ideas that emerged from my campaign to win Ms Twitter with the slogan 'The Pen is Mightier than the Pin-up'. To comment on any of these ideas, please click on the URL and go to the relevant post. You can use the memorable URLs to deep-link from Tweets or blog posts about these subjects. General comments on Ms Twitter or the idea of Word Nerd Army can be left below. Thanks...

1. Millions of people don't read, because they can't read. More money needs to go into schemes to give word skills and confidence http://tinyurl.com/wordnerd-1
2. Millions of people don't read, because they are not inclined to read. Being a 'word nerd' needs to be seen as a good thing. http://tinyurl.com/wordnerd-2
3. Libraries are variously under-funded or under-attended. More effort needs to go into reconnecting societies with libraries. http://tinyurl.com/wordnerd-3
4. Many people are not aware of the benefits of using libraries during a recession (free books, cheap DVDs & music, free net access etc.) This needs to change. http://tinyurl.com/wordnerd-4
5. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a pin-up. There is everything wrong with thinking that is your only option. Choice is crucial. http://tinyurl.com/wordnerd-5
6. Men and women can work together towards a common goal - as can different cultures - on twitter. Twitter has a positive part to play. http://tinyurl.com/wordnerd-6
7. The online book community is very motivated & incredibly supportive of new & established talent. Reading and writing are solitary activities. Twitter brings in a social element regardless of location or physical mobility. http://tinyurl.com/wordnerd-7
8. Illness, bad fortune and/or poverty need not be a significant barrier to success. Web 2.0 can re-enable people facing hardship. http://tinyurl.com/wordnerd-8
9. Books give you access to great minds. http://tinyurl.com/wordnerd-9
10. Stories are important. http://tinyurl.com/wordnerd-10
11. A large number of people in UK prisons (around 3 in 5 according to one prison librarian) have reading problems or dyslexia. There needs to be research into the connection between difficulties with literacy and eventual crime to help people before they resort to crime. Access to good help with reading and communication difficulties needs to be a priority. Wouldn't it be great if by addressing this issue, we could build more libraries and fewer prisons? http://tinyurl.com/wordnerd-11

Point 11 is a big issue and we, as a group, didn't have the necessary information to suggest anything. It may be coincidence but it's got to be worth a look.

This Blog exists in the first instance to promote the above ideas. They all need research, probably a bit of re-wording will happen as we discover more. It would be great if the literary blogging community did battle with some of these concepts and reported back. I'd love to be able to link to lots of great, well researched, blogs about ideas and actions sparked off by this campaign.

If you link to this blog, please write a post about us or about one or other of the aims to help spread the Word Nerd word and support words and books through a really tricky financial time.

I've put this elsewhere but please feel free to promote your books, literacy programmes, libraries etc and link to interesting news and developments in publishing etc. Don't make it a constant advert though or your posts will be removed and you may be blocked. If your comment is specifically about something you've found that directly relates to the goals of the Word Nerd Army then put it in the body of the comment. If you want to comment on one of my posts though, just put it under your name.

Bring on the dancing blog-posts!

Rebecca