Technique Tuesday in 2011

Technique Tuesday

Tuesday is about techniques for makers in general and writers in particular.

What's the distinction between techniques and the other topics we discuss here?

The Free Dictionary defines technique as:

1. The systematic procedure by which a complex or scientific task is accomplished.
2. The way in which the fundamentals, as of an artistic work, are handled; Skill or command in handling such fundamentals.
   

Our focus on techniques strives for practical advice. That said, topics in 2010 have spanned the spectrum from geek hints and life hacking to conceptual frameworks (like the series of posts on Dale Carnegie for Writers).

This year I propose to continue in the same vein, but with an emphasis on practicality. I realize that not everybody is as fond of abstractions as I am. And while I still believe that having the right conceptual framework and building on a solid foundation are practically synonymous*, I'm going to try to stay away from theory in favor of practice on Tuesdays.

To that end, I'll need your help: in addition to asking questions and suggesting topics, please let me know if I seem to be getting to abstract. And if you have something you'd like to contribute, I'll happily consider guest posts.

* For example, as a school boy, the mathematician Gauss produced, in a matter of minutes, the answer to an assignment that his teacher intended to occupy the class for at least an hour. The assignment was to add all the numbers between 1 and 100 (inclusive). Instead of adding 1 + 2 + 3 and so on, Gauss realized that if he folded the number line at 50 he would get fifty pairs of numbers that each summed to 100, so the answer was 50 x 100 + 50, or 5050.


Image: luigi diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net