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.

Poetry Against Cancer

Includes poetry by many writers - including Brian, one of the Word Nerd Knights, and me. The Editor is also a Word Nerd Knight, Paul Carroll.

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.

Patience....

Is a virtue we must cultivate daily. As writers this is a critical piece of wisdom to store in the grey matter. In this day and age it seems we are always waiting for something - the economy to improve, companies to start hiring, test results, or that e-mail from an agent or publisher.

It's easy to get trapped in the cycle of just waiting in the name of patience. I think thats why many of us don't have patience, we get confused with waiting and patience. Why do I bring this up to the Word Nerd Army? We are here to change the sentiment of books, make an impact on the world through the use of literature and to see our fellow mates published one day.

All of these things take time and therefore, patience but don't get discouraged my fellow writers for Rome was not built in a day. I believe if we continue fighting on, writing, making ourselves heard we will see a change. How long will it be before we see this change? I can't answer that but each step we take moves us closer to that day when we see the benefits of our work.

If some one learns to read or a child gets a book for a holiday that is a sign of our work here. People talking about authors and books are just the ripples in the waters of society that started when we threw the first rock of information.

Patience is what we need to remember and hold on to as we move forward in this uncertain world and even in our private lives. Patience is a virtue, true, but it is also our friend. Don't wait on patience, patience gives you the access to follow through on other projects.

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

New Knights!

The new knights were announced in the sidebar 'knights' section at the start of the month but I thought I'd put up a little post for them here too.

Our new knights are: Nikesh Shukla and Brian Knight (yes, he was already a Knight by name but now he also has the title!)

They've been given relatively free rein to do what they will with their month of power. Curious to see what they get up to - I will report back!

If you stumble across them on twitter - http://twitter.com/nikeshshukla and http://twitter.com/thenewauthor - don't forget to call them 'Sir' until 5th Nov :) Oooh! 5th Nov - Guy Fawkes Night - wonder who will be the next Knight of the Month. All nominations go into the comments section below.

By the way, when you're tweeting up the Word Nerd Army or our issues, there's a nice short URL you can use - http://tiny.cc/wna - thanks for all your enthusiasm and ideas. You can also now find the Word Nerd Army group on LinkedIn! Remember to look it up next time you're there.

Word Nerd Army Award for Knightly Potential

New Rules

On Monday 5th October, the next knight of the month - if one qualifies - will be announced.

Above is a new award. It is the Word Nerd Army Award for Knightly Potential. Sounds rude but isn't.

This is your opportunity to nominate people you think have made a contribution to the cause of words. Maybe they run a writing group or blog or maybe they're an awesome librarian or teacher or maybe they're a writer or simply just passionate about books. You can even nominate yourself! The Award of Knightly Potential shows that a person has been nominated to go forward into the next tournament to choose the Word Nerd Knight of the Month.

How to Nominate Someone

To nominate someone, simply present them with the above award - which shows that you think they have knightly potential - and pass on the following rules.

Rules of the Award/Nomination

Here are the rules a person must follow to display the award and qualify for consideration for the big award - Knight of the Month:

If you are nominated to be the next Word Nerd Knight of the Month, you can put the above award on your blog/site once you have completed the following tasks. The award shows that you are deemed by one of your peers to have the potential to be a Knight of the Month. It is your invitation to the Word Nerd Knight of the Month Tournament.

1. Follow http://wordnerdarmy.blogspot.com/. You need to follow this blog to be entitled to display the award and be considered as a potential Word Nerd Knight.


2. Put up a post on your own blog/site thanking the person who gave you the award and writing about one of the 11 Word Nerd Army issues that you feel passionate about. Go to the first post - http://tinyurl.com/11issues - to see these issues in more detail and the short URLs for each of them. Write about an issue on your blog and link back here at the end of your post.


3. Come to this post and leave a message in the comment section saying who nominated you and leaving a link to your blog post about the issue you chose to write about. You can also say in your comment why you think you would make a great Knight of the Month.


4. Nominate 3 more potential Knights of the Month by sending them the award, passing on these rules and linking to this post. Once you have completed 1-4 you have qualified as a potential Knight of the Month as you have shown dedication to words and respect for fellow word lovers - all qualities that make for a great Word Nerd Knight.


5. Put up your award! Link back to this blog or link to the post in which you wrote about the issue in your own blog. Wait to see if you win the big prize!

If you win, I will contact you and present you with Sir Word Nerd, Knight of the Word Nerd Army, which you display on your site/blog for as long as you are a follower of this blog.

Good luck!

Rebecca

Could You Be the Next Word Nerd Knight of the Month'?

At the foot of the right hand column you may have noticed a knight. That is the 'Word Nerd Knight' and is awarded to the 'Knight of the Month'. Most months there will be just the one knight but for the first month, the title was awarded to two brave chaps: Paul Carroll and Dan Holloway.

Rather than have a namby-pamby 'here is my handkerchief' Lady and a kick-butt-charging-into-literary-battle Knight, there is just the one character. As all Word Nerds kick butt (as evidenced in every LitChat bunfight I have observed) and in the spirit of honouring the masculine and feminine within all writers, the Word Nerd Knight carries flowers and is addressed as 'Sir Knight'. Anyone can become 'Knight of the Month' but the title will only be handed out when there is a suitable recipient.

Why are you only 'Knight' for a month? It seemed appropriate, given the way the Word Nerd Army was founded. I am only 'Ms Twitter UK' for a month but I can always claim to have been holder of the title. The same is true for valiant Knights of the Word Nerd Army. It's yours for a month BUT 'Sir Knight' - The Word Nerd Knight - can guard your web site or blog for as long as you are a follower of this blog. You'll only lose the right to display it if you are banned from this blog for acts of extreme badness. When your month has passed you can consider yourself to have been 'Word Nerd Knight of Month The Firste/Seconde' or whatever if you like.

Who Is Word Nerd Knight for Next Month?

That's still up for grabs. I will make my choice at the end of the first week in September so you have a little over two weeks to convince me. I will make my decision based on:

• Blogs you post about the 11 issues (you must link to this blog and mention the issue that inspired you in your blog post)


• If you cut and paste the issue as your title, it's more likely to fly up google - points will be awarded for that - remember too that each issue has a memorable URL e.g. http://tinyurl.com/wordnerd-1


• Tweeting up of Word Nerd Army etc (e.g. the Word Nerd article on Booktrust's blog - http://news1.rebeccawoodhead.com/


• General behaviour befitting a Word Nerd Knight.

When you've done something knightly, put it in the comments section of this post. Points will be awarded for comments in the spirit of promoting the issues of the Word Nerd Army and points will be taken away for blatant self-promotion. Good luck!

Once again, if you want to be able to insist on being called 'Sir' for a month - might be a unique experience if you're female - this is your chance. Let the tournament commence..... NOW!