Issue Number 33 - September 2000Home - Subscribe - Archive - Articles - Email |
How We Write: Writing as creative design
What actually happens when we sit down and
try to write? What goes on in our brain
which converts vague ideas into complete
sentences? And what happens to these sentences
when they are read by somebody else?
This is an excellent study of the various
processes of writing - from the origination
of ideas, through their expression in words,
to the physical production of text.
It is especially insightful on revision and
the way in which the meaning of a text can
change. Mike Sharples combines the approaches
of psychology and literary theory to produce
a thought-provoking study.
Oxford Classical Dictionary on CD-ROM 
Electronic dictionaries are increasingly
popular as their search facilities have
improved. It's now usually possible to
search on known words, synonyms, topics,
and cross-referenced issues.
OUP now have a high level of search
facilities on all their dictionaries -
and this one is no exceptio. Reviewer
Tom Norton thinks it combines the best
aspects of a dictionary with those of
a mini-encyclopaedia.
This dictionary also brings the concept
of 'classics' up to date by including
not only the language of the Greco-Roman
world, but topics which range from economics
to breast-feeding and gay issues. Full
review and details at --
File Types and Filename Extensions Do you know the difference between an .mpg and a .jpg file? Or what to do with a .bat or .com file if you come across one? One of our most popular free guidance notes at the moment is that giving details of common file names and file extensions. It's in a section of our site which deals with computers, technology, and the Internet. Don't ask me why, but it gets lots of hits.
Design Tutor - latest issue The latest issue of this elegant guide to DTP covers articles on newsletter design, the use of horizontal rules (lines) cropping photographs for visual impact, and when script fonts can be appropriate. Unlike many other design journals, it assumes you are limited to simple tools such as a word-processing package and maybe a program such as PageMaker. It's very well produced, and has a fine eye for detail. Details at --
FREE newsletter - Widening Participation 'Widening Participation' schemes are designed to encourage students from 'non-traditional' backgrounds into further and higher education. [They are currently being heavily funded by the UK government. Lots of money around.] People involved might be interested in a free email newsletter which comes from a consortium in the North-West. It is issued monthly with updates on local and national initiatives, funding bids, and projects related to non-traditional entry into F & HE. The consortium includes Manchester University, Manchester Metropolitan University, City College, and MANCAT. Subscriptions - just send an email request to
Web Pages That Suck 
This is one of the more unusual design
manuals - one which teaches by negative
example. It began as a web site which
reviewed bad web page design, and was
so successful that it was turned into a
book that became a best-seller.
It seems to split opinion - because it
takes a jokey approach and features its
authors posturing in cheesy photos. But
the points it makes about navigation,
graphics, and content structure are all
quite serious.
See for yourself in a review by guest
author David Gauntlett at --
Web sites for Scriptwriters Fancy your hand at writing a new sitcom? Do you think you could improve the dialogue in soaps? Or do you harbour an original idea which only needs to be fleshed out into a proposal which would have TV or theatre producers ruffling their hair in amazement? But what you need is guidance on how to present your ideas - right? Television scripts have to be written in a special format, and you need contacts, insider information, and maybe even some examples with which to compare your own efforts. We've got just the thing for you! A list of web sites for scriptwriters has just been launched, and we'll be updating it with regular new additions.
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