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The best style is the style you don't notice.  – Somerset Maugham

The Small Satisfactions of Writing by Aaron Michael Ritchey

Okay, I love to complain.  No, I’m really, really good at complaining.  Let me give you an example.  I go into a bookstore, and I see all the books, and I know I’ll never be up on the bestseller’s list and every book I write will eventually end up at the local Goodwill, heavily discounted.  Every minute I write I’m wasting my time.

See, I can complain.  Give me perfection, and I will find the blemish.  Give me plain, old vanilla life, and I will despair.

And yet, more and more, I’m finding satisfaction in normal, everyday life and normal, everyday writing.  No, really.  I’m tired of complaining.  I’ve done enough.  I’m going to practice gratitude and satisfaction.  Why not?  It’s far more pleasant.

Writing and finishing books is deeply satisfying, and yeah, chances are I won’t ever be as popular as One Direction, the popular band.  While I probably won’t ever be a teen sensation, that doesn’t make what I do less satisfying.

But I love the idea of being a teen sensation.  Have you heard of Aaron Michael Ritchey?  Of course, he’s a teen sensation!  Like Stephenie Meyer.

The only difference between me and Stephenie Meyer is scale.  We both write.  We both finish books.  I just got published with a small press.  She gets published with the big boys.  She’s wildly popular and I write in obscurity.  But the act of writing is the same for both of us.

And in some ways, the more obscure I am, the more freedom I have.  When I was unpublished, I could write whatever I wanted and I wasn’t saddled with the marketing and work of selling.  Now, since I’m with a small press, I don’t have the pressures that Stephenie Meyer has.  Can you imagine trying to follow-up Twilight?  Can you imagine continuing to write when huge sections of the population think you are a crap?

I don’t have all that.  I write my books.  I am satisfied, and yet, I yearn for more because I’m human and humans love to yearn.  Yearn and burn, baby.

But the secret to this whole thing?  Love the day you are in.  Love the book you are writing.  Find satisfaction in the little stuff.  Because in the end, it will all be over soon enough.  For me.  For Stephenie Meyer.  For you.

Why complain on this short trip to the grave?  Might as well be content on the trip.

About the Writer:  YA Paranormal author Aaron Michael Ritchey has penned a dozen manuscripts in his 20 years as a writer.  When he isn’t slapping around his muse, Aaron cycles to look fabulous, works in medical technologies, and keeps his family in silks and furs.  His first novel, The Never Prayer, hit the streets on 

March 29, 2012.

Column: Turn Off That Editor! by Karen Albright Lin

I’ve got to get through it, that first attempt at getting my story down, living as my characters live, moving toward an inevitable yet unpredictable end. Those shitty first drafts, as Anne Lamott calls them in her brilliant book, Bird by Bird. All the workshops, all the books, all the talented and successful writers I know tell me to cage up the editor and whip through the sentences, to puke out the chapters, clean up the mess later. My brain, however, thinks more like an editor. I spit out a sentence, stop, fix that sentence, spit out more, notice that I didn’t backload a paragraph with the most powerful sentence, then the grammar checker is indicating I need to look at a word back where I wrote that clever reversal. Then there’s that pesky run-on sentence…

I’m not talking about scrolling back a few pages to edit and refresh my memory, then moving forward into my next chapter. I’m talking about scrolling back each paragraph and, on a particularly critical day, scrolling back each sentence. Yes, I’m an obsessive editor. I’ve always written that way. In fourth grade I did it. Back then I wrote mostly poetry, a very tight and disciplined form. That didn’t help. Next I graduated to a twelve-year-old version of erotica--wish I’d kept some of those scenes to compare to my adult notes. But I digress. Doesn’t it go figure, I’ve reinforced the early analyzing habit by becoming a professional editor.

Some tell me not to worry over it. I’m still prolific, having written almost a dozen screenplays, three novels, a literary cookbook, newspaper and magazine articles, and short stories (some of them erotica--hopefully different than my grade-school imaginings). I wrote all that while raising two boys. Sure, pat myself on the back, but get on with the writing, and slap that hand that continues to go back, go back, go back. As if I just can’t do my book justice without making every sentence perfect as I go. What's up with that?!

To make matters worse, I write my shitty first drafts long hand, scrawling my additions and corrections all over the yellow pad – yellow to boost creativity. Unfortunately, yellow also nourishes my editing fixation. To make matters doubly frustrating, I have the worst handwriting known to the literate world. So my crazy first drafts are often indecipherable. Even to me. I have only my sisters to turn to when I’m puzzled to the point of pop-eyed madness, for they know me so well that they often step in to save my shitty first draft by interpreting my Gs that look like Ss and my Rs that look like Is and my ups and downs and arrows and my bubbles with sentences that are absolutely necessary to the line above or below or up the side and let’s not forget the middle phrase in the run-on sentence near the bottom of the page. This is no exaggeration. It’s a joke between us.

But when I’m working away solo at a restaurant over lunch, it’s not a joke. Sometimes I wish I could ask my waitress just what it was I wrote half a page up. Ten minutes ago. But then they’d think I wouldn’t be able to read the menu and so would bring me the picture menu. If they had one. OK, now my train of thought has drifted from editing to first drafts to penmanship. I think I need to go back and consider giving this blog entry a work out. Yes, the above photo is of a typical shitty rough draft page of mine, taken by my sister Storm Petrel. Is there a 12-step program for this obnoxious inclination?

It’s no use for me to seek advice on what I can do to improve my penmanship; teachers have been trying to help me there since my early erotica days. But I do ask, dear blog visitor, if you have any hints about how I can turn off my editor.

(Originally posted at the Sisters of the Quill blog on February 17, 2011)

About the Writer:  Karen is an editor, ghostwriter, pitch coach, speaker and award-winning author of novels, cookbooks, and screenplays. She’s written over a dozen solo and collaborative scripts (with Janet Fogg, Christian Lyons and director Erich Toll); each has garnered international, national and regional recognition: Moondance Film Festival, BlueCat, All She Wrote, Lighthouse Writers, Boulder Asian Film Festival, SouthWest Writers Contest, and PPW Contest. Find out more at www.karenalbrightlin.com.

August Write Brain: Blogging with Brandon and Bryan

When:  Tuesday, August 21, 2012 – 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where:  Community Room - Colorado Springs Fire Station 16, 4980 Farthing Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80906

(Note: The fire station is set back from the main road, behind Oak Meadows Park.)

Please RSVP:
 Note that an RSVP does NOT commit you to attending, but helps us plan to have enough refreshments and materials on hand.

 Send RSVP now.

As writers, Bryan Pedas and Brandon Meyers understand that any author—aspiring or published—needs to promote themselves, and they firmly believe that blogging and getting involved in the blogging community is one of the best tools an author can use for self-promotion. Over the course of the past two years, they have learned a great deal about the ins and outs of the process and would like to share the tips that have helped them find success in the blogosphere.

Specific topics that will be covered are:

•    Why it’s important to blog

•    Where to blog (for computer gurus and those who struggle with computers, alike)

•    How to find your niche

•    How to consistently come up with topics to blog about

•    How to reach out to other bloggers inside and outside of your blogging community

•    Blogger etiquette

•    The general dos and don’ts of blogging

Brandon and Bryan are a pair of fraternal, mostly unrelated twins. Bryan is from just outside of Denver, Colorado and has never left because of a fear of the unknown. And Brandon was once from Denver, Colorado but moved to Chicago, Illinois to pursue his lifelong dream of dodging urban gunfire.

Both brothers are writers, and between the two they've completed 46 short stories (40 from Brandon, 1 from Bryan, 5 collaborative) and seven novels, a good half of which are readable. They co-author the moderately popular blog/web-comic A Beer for the Shower. When they aren't penning collaborative novels together, you can find them throttling their livers at the local bar, posting politically incorrect web-comics, or indulging in one of life's greatest victories: a beer in the shower (separately, we assure you--get your mind out of the gutter).
Read Bryan and Brandon’s blog, www.abeerfortheshower.com.

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You know, it's hard work to write a book. I can't tell you how many times I really get going on an idea, then my quill breaks. Or I spill ink all over my writing tunic. – Ellen DeGeneres, The Funny Thing Is...

Things to Remember When Writing Post-Apocalyptic by Shannon Lawrence

You've envisioned a world where some large-scale event has wiped out hordes of humanity.  Your characters are alive in your head, probably struggling to survive.  You can see the blighted landscape all around you.  What do you need to do now?

There are a few things that must be part of your post-apocalyptic story, or you have no story.  Let's take a peek.

1. An apocalyptic event.  That's right, you can't have a post-apocalyptic world without something that got them there.  What will yours be?  Viral, bacterial, natural, man-made, space-related or nuclear?  These are all options, and there are probably plenty more.  Did the swine flu get out of hand?  Was it helped by humanity or just one of those things that happens in nature?  Did the Earth tilt too far off its axis?  Did nuclear Hell flame rain down upon the continents?  There must be a reason the people in your story are stuck in this particular landscape.

Four Horsemen of Apocalypse, by Viktor Vasnetsov. Painted in 1887;
Viktor Vasnetsov [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

2. A time frame.  Are they living through the event or has it already happened?  Is it fresh or decades down the line?  You have to know when it happened and what stage humanity is in to really tell your story.  If it happened decades ago, the landscape is going to be significantly different than if it just happened yesterday.  Quality of life will also probably be very different.  If they've been coping for decades, they probably aren't struggling to find food or water sources as much as if it just happened and everything is tainted or burning.  If it's a new problem, there will be mostly individuals and small groups, whereas a length of time may mean there are established towns/cities.

Stalingrad after the battle;
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

3. A fully realized landscape.  World building is important in any story, but you need to build this post-apocalyptic world so that people see your vision of what it looks like.  They must know what your characters' reality looks like.  Are there fires raging?  Or is everything underwater?  Are there bodies everywhere?  Or has nature reclaimed what once was solely hers?  Let us know what it is your characters are looking at.  Make sure it makes sense for passage of time and the particular event that occurred.

4. Strong characters.  We need to believe that these people can make it (or not, as the case may be).  It must be a real struggle.  We have to care whether they can survive, one way or another.  Maybe we hate this guy so much that we question why he survived, when better people died.  Maybe we love this character and desperately want to see her rebuild her life.  Whichever characters you have, we must believe in them, and they must have a mission, of sorts.  Does Evil Guy want to take over what remains of the world?  Find natural resources to survive?  Or just be left alone?  Does Lovely Heroine have a child to fend for?  Is she just trying to find a home she can call her own?  What drives them?  What are they trying to accomplish?  This is important in every single kind of story you may write, but don't get so intent on your world building that you forget your characters.

5. A purpose.  All right, we get it.  The world has ended.  The apocalypse has found us.  Whoopty-doo.  What is so important about this world that you just have to tell the story?  What are we going to take away from this?  I'm not talking about a moral (necessarily), but just a life story that means something to us when we read it.  A violent post-apocalyptic world, where survivors are constantly under siege, does us no good if we don't come out of the story feeling something.  Perhaps you want us to know that humanity will always find a way to thrive.  Or that love will always pull someone through.  Whatever it is, make it part of your story.

The aftermath of Hurricane Camille. Ruins of Texaco gas station with Rambler automobile,
Biloxi, Mississippi, 17 August 1969

There are many elements that are important in a story, but these are just a few of the top ones to keep in mind when writing a post-apocalyptic tale.  Now that those stories are becoming more popular, it's important to keep them high quality.  Want to read a story that takes something familiar and turns it on its head, all the while showing us the strength of humanity and the power of good versus evil?  Read Stephen King's The Stand.  Watch Book of Eli for another viewpoint.  There's also The Road, Mad Max, Water World (hey, I'm not saying these are all good), The Postman, Jericho and The Walking Dead for movies/television shows.  For books, this link should take you to a comprehensive list of classic post-apocalyptic stories.  Of course, The Hunger Games and Forest of Hands and Teeth should be on there.  Also, I recently read Without Warning by John Birmingham, on a whim, and I enjoyed it.  It was more a political/government/military-type book that took on what happened in those facets – so different than I'm used to for this genre, but also quite good.  I don't know how The Marbury Lens and The Maze Runner are qualified, but I'd consider both to be sort of post-apocalyptic.  We really aren't sure with The Maze Runner, but we get a sense something big must have happened, and in The Marbury Lens, the alternative world he visits via the lens seems quite post-apocalyptic.  Both are excellent books, though be aware that The Marbury Lens can be graphic or disturbing, despite being Young Adult.

The short of it is, fully realize your story so we can be drawn into it, feel for your characters, smell the fires, feel a sniffle coming on as everyone dies of the Hulk of flu bugs.  Watch some of these movies or read some of the books (or both) and figure out what you like in them, so you can duplicate that, in a sense.

About the Writer:  Shannon Lawrence is a mom of two, a freelance writer and aspiring novelist.  She lives in Colorado Springs and is inspired by the beauty of Pikes Peak and the Rockies.  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, she has recently thrown herself back into it.  Her main focus is fantasy and horror and she has just finished a Young Adult Fantasy novel.  She has also recently discovered a love of photography and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children.  She blogs about writing at www.thewarriormuse.com.

What I’ve Learned on Twitter (in way more than 140 characters) by Cindi Madsen

Any writers out there looking to do more social media? Twitter’s a big one now. I remember being a little hesitant to start an account. I mean, what do you do on Twitter? Does everyone really want to know what I’m eating/thinking/feeling? What I ended up finding was a world of people who like to talk books and music, plus a lot of other random things, as much as I do. For this post, I’m going to focus on what I learned about authors and readers.

1.  People are different.

Yes, I knew this before. But people have a lot to say about characters in the books they read, whether they love them or hate them. They fall for different love interests. They connect with different heroes and heroines. Sometimes personal experiences will affect how readers react. Sometimes they pick up a book and hate it, then give it a chance a few weeks later and love it. So what does this all mean? How does this knowledge help me?

Well, I’ve got a couple books coming out at the end of this year. When people don’t love my characters the way I do, or my writing style, or the cover, or the fact I use “the” all the time, I’m going to try not to take it so personally. I’m not pretending it won’t hurt, but I think knowing that some people will love it, some people will hate it, and some people will have mediocre feelings about it, will keep things in perspective. I read an excellent post from Beth Revis, who talked about how some people don’t like chocolate, puppies, bacon, or Harry Potter. Great, bestselling books have thousands of 1-star reviews. Remember that if (or most likely when) you get one. But...

2.  Do NOT respond to negative reviews or bash people who didn’t like your novel.

Trust me, you don’t want to do this. It’s unprofessional, and people won’t want to read your book, so just don’t. You know how on “American Idol” or “So You Think You Can Dance?” or whatever competition show you watch, there’s one person who talks back to the judges and looks like an ass? Do you want to be that ass? (Hint: No, no you don’t.) The publishing industry is a tight-knit community. If you offend publishers or agents or authors or book bloggers, your name will soon be mud and no one will be talking about your actual book. But they will talk about you and how unprofessional you are.

3.  People see your tweets.

Yes, that’s the point. But think about it when you post your 140 characters. Think it doesn’t matter? Tell that to the Greek athlete who posted something racist on Twitter right before the Olympics. Guess what, she’s out of the competition now, something she trained for her whole life, all because of one tweet. Even if you delete it, a simple screen capture will be proof forever.

4.  It’s called social media. Be social.

Find common interests with people. Respond to their comments. Interact—do not just tell people to buy your book. It feels like spam and soon you’ll be down followers. Before I knew what I was doing, I wasn’t interacting with people and Twitter was dull. Once I found people to talk my favorite books with, I finally saw what all the fuss was about. I know different groups, we have different jokes, and I learn about their lives. That means that Twitter now takes up some of my time, but since I’ve met so many cool people, I’m okay with that. I reward myself after writing with some tweeting.

The world’s changed. We now have to be out there, creating our platform, doing blog interviews, and trying to make a name for ourselves. But it’s also a great opportunity to connect with people you’d never otherwise meet. So jump in and have some fun.

And good luck squeezing everything you want to say into 140 characters or less.

About the Writer:  Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting, revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes this makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She lives in Colorado with her husband and three children. Look for her YA novels, All the Broken Pieces with Entangled Publishing, and Demons of the Sun with Crescent Moon Press, to be released Fall 2012. More information can be found on her website: cindimadsen.blogspot.com.

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I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers done. – Steven Wright

Column: Writing Boot Camps by Deb McLeod

With so many writing classes and groups out there, writing doesn’t have to be a lonely journey. Online classes, in-person classes, MFA programs, critique groups, writers book clubs, Meetups, conferences: You can find a group or a class to fit any writing need you might have. You can create your own writing boot camp.

I teach classes, but I also take them. I read craft books, too. These practices keep me thinking about the process and challenge me to try new ways to reach writing goals for myself and my clients.

Over the course of my coaching career, through the classes I’ve taken and the books I’ve read, I’ve developed a Boot Camp Process I use with my clients and in my own work.

The stages aren’t always clearly delineated and they vary in length from project to project or person to person. But all processes can be broken into smaller steps, and writing is a process.

The breakdown I use for myself and my clients to define the process, is this:

1.  Gathering

2.  Shaping

3.  Editing

4.  Publishing

5.  Marketing

Gathering

In the gathering stage I’m researching and playing with ideas. I’m collecting freewrites and material that may or may not make it into the project. I’m getting to know what it is I want to say. Here is where I’m looking for classes and methods that let me play. Sometimes it helps to take a poetry class when I’m writing a novel. Or to read fiction that isn’t at all like the story I’m working on. Whatever I do, I step away from my editing mind and open myself to any possibility. In this stage I do a lot of freewriting. I avoid any class or group that is going to engage my editor or the writing rules.

Shaping

The shaping stage for me is the most rewarding and the most challenging. Here is where distance becomes important. I peel the story away from myself so I can see what it is I’m trying to say. Once I begin to see the themes I find it easier to find the proper structure.

It is in this stage that many people will turn to critique groups. I don’t advocate critique groups until the editing stage. (See my blog: Testing Your Voice: Are You Ready for Critique). When you’re in the shaping stage your voice is still vulnerable to groupthink. So, instead of critique groups, I look for classes that approach structure. The three-act structure, the journey structure or specific genre classes will do. Writer’s book clubs are good here, too.

The gathering and shaping stage overlap for most people. While I’m outlining, looking at arcs and moving material around during the shaping stage, I’m still producing and keeping as much playful energy around the project as I can.

Editing

My editing stage is divided into two segments: combing and editing. Combing is where I go through the manuscript and smooth out the transitions, check the dialogue, tighten and polish as much as I can. If I were going to attend a critique group, here is where I would feel safe bringing my manuscript to a group. It’s their job to find fault and this is where it’s appropriate.

Instead of using a critique group, I send my work to a small number of writing friends whose work I admire and who are great readers. They read the manuscript individually. I may or may not edit the work based on their suggestions, but once I receive their feedback, I comb through the whole manuscript again.

I have not begun my indie publishing journey yet, but when I do I know I will submit my work to a professional editor at this point. Even though I’m a professional editor myself, when it’s my work, there are continuity issues I might not see. I know my grammar leaves much to be desired. And, everyone makes typos.

Publishing

Once my manuscript is complete, I move into the publishing stage. In the past, this was where I attended conferences and made pitches. I sent out letters to agents, etc. With indie publishing, here is where I will design my cover and upload my project. I’m starting to see lots of classes that cover this material and all have great suggestions and ideas for this rapidly evolving industry.

Marketing

Finally, I begin the long cycle of marketing (which will be the subject of another blog).

But at the same time, I’m beginning the gathering stage for a new project.

If you break down your projects into stages, you might avoid that sense of overwhelm that sometimes happens when you’re tackling a large project. You’ll also be more aware of what you need to help you through to the next stage.

For more information on Writing Boot Camps or Coaching, please see www.debmcleod or www.thewritingschool.org.

About the Writer:  Deb McLeod, is a writer, creative writing coach, co-founder and executive director of The Writing School. She has both an MFA and a BA in creative writing. She has been teaching and coaching for over ten years. Deb has published short fiction in anthologies and journals. She has written articles and creative nonfiction. Deb has been a professional blogger, tech writer, graphic artist and Internet marketing specialist. 

From the Editor: Check Your Ego at the Door

A few days ago, I was perusing writing craft books at an online retail site, looking for one that would suit my present needs. I clicked on a few that looked promising, read the descriptions, and then, reluctantly, checked out ratings and reviews given by readers.

I say “reluctantly” because among the thoughtful and useful comments lurk occasional venomous tirades whose only purpose appears to be inflating the egos of those writing them. Such postings are usually attached to the one or two low ratings given to books that otherwise rank highly in readers’ opinions. While I recognize these attacks for what they are, I simply detest subjecting myself to someone else’s negativity.

One of the titles I looked at fell squarely into this category: mostly positive 4- and 5-star reviews with a solitary one-star review. And sure enough, the person behind the one-star felt the need to declare that the author, a long-published journalist with many credits to his name, “lacks writing skill.” Curious, I dug a little deeper and discovered this “reviewer” had nothing positive to say about any of the three writing books he/she has “reviewed.”

These kind of commentaries really do nothing except make the person who’s writing them look bad. Even if the writer has a valid gripe against an author, or the publishing industry at large, hiding behind a fake name to spew hateful comments destroys any credibility the argument might have.

Writing is hard work. Successful writers diligently work at their craft, write as much and as often as they can, and never give up. Instead of tearing someone else down, they build themselves up by continuing to learn, grow, and try. They are professional in their dealings with others.

Keep writing, keep learning, keep growing. Have a goal, and keep it firmly in your sights. Use criticism as an opportunity to re-evaluate and improve your work. When you get a rejection, understand that your book may not fit a particular market, might need more work, and that agent tastes can be subjective. Be polite and professional toward your fellow writers.

And don’t be that writer who is memorable for the wrong reasons.  

Robin Widmar

Managing Editor, Writing from the Peak

JT Evans on Computer Security for Writers (Part 3) by DeAnna Knippling

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a three-part series. You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

JT Evans, as well as being a writer, is a computer security expert who started programming at the age of seven and has been a Certified Ethical Hacker since 2009. During his June Write Brain talk, he covered three main topics: how writers should take care of their computers, computer security basics for writers, and what the bad guys are doing with computers.

What the Bad Guys Are Doing with Computers

The bad guys are violating one of three principles of computer security when they go after someone’s computer:

Confidentiality. For example, sending your personal information without authorization.

Integrity. For example, changing test scores or introducing a virus onto your system.

Accessibility. For example, taking down a website or server.

These are known as the CIA triad of computer security.

What methods can the bad guys use?

Denial of Service (DOS) or Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack. This kind of attack blocks user access of a computer, website, or network. The DOS too advantage of a particular vulnerability in the Windows 95/ME/XP operating systems that let a bad guy crash your computer (a division by zero error was involved). DOS vulnerabilities are mostly closed now. DDOS attacks are a technique using botnets to send so many requests to a webpage or server that the server is unable to provide access all the requests--effectively taking down the webpage or server for a time.

Weak password vulnerabilities. A computer program can guess a lot of passwords using dictionary files, very quickly. Because a lot of people have easily guessed passwords (from things like “password” to their spouse’s name), a lot of people are vulnerable to this kind of attack. Here are some password tips:

Use at least eight characters.

Use a mix of lowercase, uppercase, and symbols whenever possible.

Don’t depend on replacing letters with numbers (as in p@ssw0rd), because those types of replacements are in the programs’ dictionaries now, too.

Don’t use an easily guessed word or code as a password (password, 123456, qwerty, letmein, etc).

Use a phrase that you can easily remember (like a book title) to build a password, using the initial letters of each word in the phrase (e.g., TQBFJOTLD for “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”).

Don’t use the same password everywhere; in some cases, if a computer or website is hacked, then all the passwords on it are vulnerable (as in the recent LinkedIn hacking). You don’t want your password at your bank to be hacked just because someone hacked into a social networking site, do you?

A good way to store passwords is to have one really good password that you don’t use anywhere else that you save for a GPG-encrypted text file that stores all your other passwords (including user names and websites).

Buffer overflows. When you’re inputting data into a field, if the field is, say, 10 characters long for a phone number, and if the field isn’t protected from someone typing in too many characters, then the extra information (after the first ten characters, in our example) can be used to reprogram the software. In the past, this was the most common way to attack a system; now, with more protection being developed, it’s moving to #2 after...

SQL injection. Structured Query Language (SQL) is the programming language used in relational databases. It’s like a buffer overflow in that you type extra information to force the database to do something it wasn’t supposed to do, but the techniques are specific to SQL databases.

Social engineering. This is using clever tricks to get people to give you information. If someone ever asks you for personal information, and you didn’t initiate the request by asking for something first, it’s probably social engineering (for example, phishing emails or even fake antivirus software).

Cross Site Scripting (XSS). This takes over your browser by injecting code into a website, then letting the website do naughty things to your browser. This can be used to create a browser-based botnet.

Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF). This uses HTML to trick your browser into turning one action into doing a different action instead. For example, if you clicked anywhere on an Amazon page, a bad guy might use CSRF to force the click to work on the “Buy now with 1-Click” button instead.

Lack of encryption. An unsecured wireless network can be used to do many things, include monitoring every action on your desktop. You should use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) if you have one, if you’re on unsecured wifi, and use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) (that is, a site that starts with https:// rather than http://) when possible. Also, when you’re choosing the encryption for your wireless network, use WPA, rather than the WEP or WEP2 options, which are easily broken.

Network/Host scanning. There are a wealth of tools available that will scan for vulnerabilities. These are used by both the bad guys and the good guys: the bad guys to try to break into systems; the good guys to make sure it won’t be easy to break in. Some examples are nmap, Nessus/OpenVAS, Metasploit, and kismet.

If you need more information, you can go to JT’s website, jtevans.net.

If you’d like a copy of his handouts, click here.

About the Writer:  DeAnna Knippling is a freelance writer, editor, and formatter married to a Network Administrator, and she was still embarrassed about some of her personal security practices after hearing JT's talk.  Check out her personal blog at www.DeAnnaKnippling.com or her small press at www.WonderlandPress.com.

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What you have to do now is work. There’s no right way to start. – Anna Held Audette