If Jeopardy! had a category for useless information I’d be a shoe in.  Seems my head is chocked full of it. The rest of the categories on that show?  Truth be told, I’d be hopeless.

What I do know about is writing and how to make a living as a writer.

A few months back, I asked all of you to email questions to me.  Holey guacamole, did I get them.  

First, let’s clear the air and you know who you are when I say:  I have no clue why the guy in the next cubicle insists he’s a better writer Amy Tan, J. K. Rowling and John Grisham combined, but he doesn’t write because it would hurt their feelings.  Or when your aunt will finish crafting that horror novel she says, “Will kick Stephen King in the bum.” This is a writing blog and not Dear Abby. Sorry.

That said, here are some Q:&A’s I can answer:

Q:  What kind of writing makes the most money?

A:  Ransom notes.  (This is a joke.  I do not recommend it.)

Q: What is a clip?

A: Clip (or clipping) is a published article, a sample of a writer’s work typically asked for in the magazines’ submission guidelines.  The clip is a magazine, photocopied if necessary and sent to a magazine’s editor when requested. They’re sometimes called tear sheets.  If the article is online, reference the URL.

Q:  What does it mean to let writing “cool”?

A:  To cool or let it cool down in writing means to put the work aside for a few hours, a few days or even weeks.  So? When a writer returns, he or she will have a fresh eye for creativity, revision, editing and polishing.  

Q:  What is a genre?

A:  A genre is a fancy French word for a category of art, in our case writing, distinguished by a definite style, form or content. Fiction genres include mysteries, romances, and adventures. Nonfiction genres include how-to books, inspirational book, humor books.  Even magazines can be sorted by genre…Real Simple, Goat Farmer Today, and National Geographic are different magazine genres.

Q:  What is a writer’s journal and what does one write in one?

A.  Every writer, that’s you, needs to discover thoughts, ideas and urges before putting them into your life story.  The best place to do this is in a writer’s journal. The journal is a private spot to capture the feelings inside and to investigate them.  You might want to keep a list of character names or even bubble some story ideas. 

There’s no right or wrong in the journal.  However, I don’t recommend allowing others to read your journal. Doing so might stifle your creativity.

Allow the thoughts that appear in the journal to come from your heart and your brain. Pour out feelings, too.  It could be you’ll write the “he did this, she did that” stuff and then one day, out of the blue, will come a memory that has been forgotten or the plot for a novel you know will be good.  You can keep your journal on your phone or computer, but it’s rather nicely old fashion to have a book in which to scribble ideas.

Q:  What is the best definition of imagination?

A:  Tiffany Fox, a science writer at Qualcomm Institute, UC San Diego says it best with: “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.  Wisdom is not putting one in a fruit salad. Imagination is putting one in a fruit salad, adding a little feta and mint and serving it in a watermelon carved to look like Carmen Miranda.”