Self Improvement Site
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
Articles from Wm. Hovey Smith | Selfgrowth.com
- Hemingway Award Winning Screenplay Seeking Producers - by Submitted on Dec 04, 2023 from Wm. Hovey Smith“Blood Ties” by Wm. Hovey Smith was the Hemingway Screenplay Writing Award winner of the L.A. Live Festival in 2023. The citation for the prize commented “’Blood Ties’ is definitely a feature film that would attract large audiences at even larger venues. The Hemingway Award is our highest award ...
Views: 241 - Is The Goldfarb Chronicles the Worst Book Of the Year? - by Submitted on Sep 22, 2023 from Wm. Hovey SmithWriters very quickly learn to take criticism. Almost any day any working writer will have his article, book, or screenplay rejected, and sometimes very harshly. Over the past half-century, this has happened to me many times, but yesterday I received a Kirkus review of my new novel "The Goldfarb ...
Views: 292 - Chat GBT's Limitations on Screenplay Writing - by Submitted on Sep 19, 2023 from Wm. Hovey SmithThe current Writers and Actor's strikes in the movie industry is partly out of a concern of the present and coming ability of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to replace working writers. At present Google's Bard does not work well with Final Draft formatted screenplays, but Chat GBT does. If you ...
Views: 305 - Getting to Know Artificial Intelligence (AI) - by Submitted on Sep 16, 2023 from Wm. Hovey SmithMany people are rightly concerned with the present and exponential impacts that AI is having on work and life. There is no field whether in competitiveness in retail trade, manufacturing, military activities, law enforcement, education, health care, or in the creative arts where the impacts of ...
Views: 281 - New Outdoor Books Reflect Changing Market Conditions - by Submitted on Aug 08, 2023 from Wm. Hovey SmithNew Outdoor Books Four recent books from southern authors can be used to illustrate changing market demands for hunting and fishing stories. This market is decreasing as pre-baby boomers and boomers are dying off, or becoming so sight-impaired they can no longer read, and the younger ...
Views: 242 - Last Screenplay from The Goldfarb Trilogy - by Submitted on May 01, 2023 from Wm. Hovey SmithFinal Screenplay from The Goldfarb Trilogy Starting the Rounds Texas Justice, the last of three screenplays derived from my soon-to-be-published novel, "The Goldfarb Trilogy" has been submitted to the Wiki Screenplay Contest as well as to the Austin Film Festival. An ad will go out to thousands ...
Views: 305 - Importance of Reviews - by Submitted on Mar 04, 2023 from Wm. Hovey SmithIt is always an ego-stroke to receive an honest, but favorable review on one of your books. This is one received today on my book "Make Your Own Job: Anytime, Anywhere, At Any Age." It has also received excellent reviews from Kirkus and the U.S. Review of books. Make Your Own Job by Wm. ...
Views: 362 - LearnDesk 12-Video Business Creation Course Launches Feb. 7, 2023 - by Submitted on Jan 23, 2023 from Wm. Hovey SmithHovey Smith's School of Self-Reliance will offer its first LearnDesk business creation and training program on February 7, 2023.The course "Make Your Own Job: Anytime, Anywhere, At Any Age" will consist of 12 videos presented on the basis of two a week for six weeks which will explain how to ...
Views: 356 - The Concluding Make Your Own Job Lesson - by Submitted on Jan 08, 2023 from Wm. Hovey SmithThe Concluding Make Your Own Job Lesson The last of 12 LearnDesk lessons on conceiving of and starting a new business in the United States has been posted as a free YouTube video on the Hovey Smith Channel. Lesson 12 summarizes the course which presented the need for everyone to have a ...
Views: 331 - Evaluate Skills Before Starting Business - by Submitted on Dec 27, 2022 from Wm. Hovey SmithIf you don’t know where you are, you can’t know where to go. One of the most difficult tasks that beginning entrepreneurs have is to make a realistic evaluation of their own abilities. Lesson 4 of my LearnDesk series covers a series of points from personal appearance to communication ...
Views: 322 - Self-Evaluation For Starting Own Businesses - by Submitted on Dec 18, 2022 from Wm. Hovey SmithAs part of a series of twelve videos I am doing for a LearnDesk School I attempted to create one using photographs to illustrate my points. To do this I had to re-photograph more than 70 prints into digital format, record the voice and edit using Audacity and try two video production programs to ...
Views: 328 - Triumph of the Snake Oil - by Submitted on Mar 22, 2022 from Wm. Hovey SmithTriumph of the Snake Oil In the United States starting with the expansion of the country to the Mississippi River and westwards during the early 19th Century the traveling Medicine Shows toured towns and cities selling exotic-sounding concoctions generally categorizes by the medical ...
Views: 380 - Spring Break is THE Time for Authors to Sell to Universities - by Submitted on Mar 18, 2022 from Wm. Hovey SmithSpring Break Is THE Time For Authors to Sell to Universities I have just returned from my nearest component of my state’s University System to sell my most recent books to libraries and arrange speaking events with the library and two University Departments. Although fewer librarians and ...
Views: 429 - When To Do A New Website - by Submitted on Mar 13, 2022 from Wm. Hovey SmithTechnology and activities change throughout life. When I posted my first website a decade ago I had written a series of self-published books, sold one to a conventional publisher and was writing others. Because my newest book "Backyard Deer Hunting: Converting Deer To Dinner For Pennies Per ...
Views: 425 - Wines and Spirits in Screenplays and Movies - by Submitted on Mar 09, 2022 from Wm. Hovey SmithWins and Spirits In the Blood Ties Screenplay It would be very difficult for an author to set a screenplay in Italy without showing or discussing some aspect of Italy’s wine culture which goes back at least 3,000 years. Wine is consumed at lunch and dinner, during celebrations, Catholic mass ...
Views: 423 - Promo Video lFolr Your Screenplay-Movie Project - by Submitted on Mar 06, 2022 from Wm. Hovey SmithIn Hollywood screenplays are like assholes, everybody's got one. One relatively new wrinkle in screenplay presentation is the video pitch which is a short, 3-5-minute video that is seen in mass screenings by studio executives who select those they think are worth further attention - like ...
Views: 353 - Novel "Until Death Do You Part: An American Family Meets Their Sicilian Cousins" Released as Audio Book - by Submitted on Jul 26, 2021 from Wm. Hovey SmithAs a writer I have written more than 20 books on outdoor and business topics. "Until Death Do You Part: An American Family Meets Their Sicilian Relatives" is now available as an audio book and is to be followed by an e-book, softcover, and perhaps ultimately a movie. My novel whose progress ...
Views: 599 - Lost Your Job? Remote Work Could Be the Answer - by Submitted on Jul 16, 2021 from Wm. Hovey SmithSince the publication of my book "Create Your Own Job: Anytime, Anywhere, At Any Age" I have occasionally received correspondence from others working in the same field. The following article is by Amy Collett who requested that I post it on some of my sites. She was in the corporate world for 17 ...
Views: 564 - On Tom Anton's "Screw The Commute" Podcast on Friday - by Submitted on Jun 24, 2021 from Wm. Hovey SmithDay before yesterday I did an interview for Tom Anton's "Screw The Commute" entrepreneural podcast radio show which will be posted on Friday to iTunes, and just about every other podcast outlet you can think of. Tom is a radio host who likes to have a bit of fun with his shows, and he and I ...
Views: 513 - A Spineless Cactus as A Source of Animal and Human Food - by Submitted on Jun 13, 2021 from Wm. Hovey SmithA Georgia Spineless Eatable Cactus as A Potential Source of Animal and Human Food In a YouTube video titled Reconciliation that was published in December, 2020, I described my finding and cooking an unusual species of spineless cactus, and said that I would attempt to propagate it. This ...
Views: 742 - Wealth - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2021 from Wm. Hovey SmithWealth Many strive throughout their lives to accumulate wealth to escape misery. Yet, once obtained, they discover that great wealth was a bubble that burst once it had been achieved and became meaningless even while it was still accumulating. For those who are less well off, there is a wish ...
Views: 554 - Reactions After My Second Covid-19 Vaccination in U.S. - by Submitted on Mar 03, 2021 from Wm. Hovey SmithIt has been a week since I had my second shot of the Covid-19 vaccine at my local VA hospital in Dublin, Georgia. There have been two problems with administering this vaccine. One has been reluctance by some to take the shot for fear of having an adverse reaction to it and another has been ...
Views: 676 - What is a One-Sheet and Why An Author Needs Them - by Submitted on Feb 13, 2021 from Wm. Hovey SmithWhen institutional buyers are considering purchasing books for their organizations, libraries, or bookstores, the thing that they are NOT going to do is to sit down and read every book they might consider. In fact, some buyers almost never read books, and are not going to lug them around at ...
Views: 631 - How to Sell Books to Libraries - by Submitted on Feb 13, 2021 from Wm. Hovey SmithAn Effective Library Appeal For Your Book In the 1970s, before the internet, the standard way for an independent author to publicize his book to libraries was to send a copy to the institutions’ Acquisition Librarian. It helped if the author was a faculty or student member of the ...
Views: 635 - Multiplicity of Jobs for the Post-Corona Decade - by Submitted on Jan 24, 2021 from Wm. Hovey SmithMultiplicity of Jobs for the Post Corona Decade Having the ability to do multiple jobs, perhaps in widely varying fields, is going to be a definite asset in the coming decade. Included in this mix is starting your own jobs to keep yourself going between periods of paid employment. Such jobs ...
Views: 577 - Make Your Own Job: Anytime, Anywhere, At Any Age A Business Softcover, E-Book, and Audio Book - by Submitted on Jan 17, 2021 from Wm. Hovey SmithReaching potential audiences where they are with business books is best done by offering products on a multiplicity of platforms as author Wm. Hovey Smith has done with his new business title, "Make Your Own Job: Anywhere, Anytime, At Any Age." which was nearly simultaneously published as a ...
Views: 697 - Learning to Write a Movie Script Without Taking College Classes - by Submitted on Apr 23, 2020 from Wm. Hovey SmithStay at home rules and closing colleges has interrupted educational activities for many people. However, resources are available to enable you to learn how to write a movie without being on campus. I have completed a 30-minute video listing books, a writing program, and two college courses that ...
Views: 730 - Old Guy Adapts to Social Distance Turkey Hunting - by Submitted on Apr 10, 2020 from Wm. Hovey SmithAge and the ills that go along with it happen. At 78 with the loss of agility and stamina in my leg muscles, I can no longer do the run-and-gun style of turkey hunting that I did as recently as five years ago. In addition, the social distance requirement of the corona virus outbreak keeps me and ...
Views: 856 - Incorporating Outdoor Materials into Novels - by Submitted on Mar 19, 2020 from Wm. Hovey SmithIncorporating Outdoor Materials into Novels Wm. Hovey Smith “Write what you know,” is a hackneyed piece of advice usually given to students in grade school when they are assigned their first story to turn in at the end of class. Fast forward 70 years and the novelist sitting at his computer ...
Views: 638 - Increased Productivity in the Time of Coronavirus - by Submitted on Mar 17, 2020 from Wm. Hovey SmithIncreased Productivity in the Time of Coronavirus Writing is by its nature a generally solitary occupation where for many of us a self-isolation is generally desired during at least part of the process. Now being 78 and a widower it is just me and Hector, my Lab, at home, and I do not have ...
Views: 932 - Generating Scenes: The Backbone of a Screenplay - by Submitted on Feb 25, 2020 from Wm. Hovey SmithGenerating Scenes The Backbone of the Screenplay Making a movie begins with a concept, then this idea may be captured in a novel, and the third stage is often a screenplay. Sometimes the novel stage is omitted, and the writer/s go directly from concept to screenplay. If you are fortunate ...
Views: 759 - Protect Yourself and Financial Position from Chronovirus - by Submitted on Feb 25, 2020 from Wm. Hovey SmithProtecting Yourself and Financial Position from Coronavirus A five day trend for worldwide stock market plunges in reaction to the threat of the Coronavirus caused a fall of 1,000 points on the New York Stock Exchange’s on the news of new cases of the virus being located in Iran and Italy. At ...
Views: 844 - How to Write Your Book - by Submitted on Jan 15, 2020 from Wm. Hovey SmithAn extract from my forthcoming book "Make Your Own Job Anytime, Anywhere, At Any Age" to be published in February, 2020 Writing a Book Often the most rapid way to establish credibility in a field is to write a book about a hot topic and use this book as a springboard to access members of ...
Views: 863 - The Return of Coal - by Submitted on Nov 19, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithThe Return of Coal Straight off the Graveyard Shift the 6-foot 200 lb. guy on my back steps was at the point of tears. The contrast between him and me at now less than 5-foot 7-inches and about 165 pounds was striking as I opened my back door in response to his rap. I appreciated that he had ...
Views: 687 - The Case for a Child Parent Hunt - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithThe Case for a Child-Parent Hunt Wm. Hovey Smith November 4, 2019 By the end of the third day of Georgia’s Primitive Weapons hunt on Ossabaw ...
Views: 747 - Untangling the Knotty Problems of Life - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithUntangling Life’s Knotty Problems Wm. Hovey Smith, Nov., 2019 “Don’t sweat the small stuff” is an often heard admonition. Cleaning up after a camping trip brought this lesson into focus in a powerful way as I attempted to untangle a knot of three different sizes of ropes and cords after a ...
Views: 837 - Recreating a Sicilian Terror Weapon of 1000 B.C. - by Submitted on Jun 05, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithRecreating a Sicilian Terror Weapon of 1000 B.C. Luigi, The Claw, one of the characters in the novel I am writing, Father of The Grooms, has been an active Mafia member since World War II. As a boy he participated in the resistance against the Germans and suffered the loss of his left hand ...
Views: 833 - When is is Appropriate for a Writer to Make a Foreign Trip? - by Submitted on Jun 01, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithForeign travel on an intercontinental scale is time consuming, tiring and expensive. Flight times from the U.S. to China can be 30 hours and 12-15 hours to most locations in Europe. Those living in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, South America and India also face many hours in an aircraft to ...
Views: 911 - Increase Your Wealth and Happiness by Tapping Multiple Sources of Income - by Submitted on Apr 07, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithIncrease Your Wealth and Happiness by Tapping Multiple Sources of Income Generating multiple income streams through starting several small-scale businesses can help you keep your paychecks coming in this rapidly changing economy. As a writer some of my efforts are along the theme of ...
Views: 1025(1 vote) - Recommendations for Reducing Depression While Recovering from Potentially Deadly Accidents and Diseases - by Submitted on Mar 29, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithRecommendations for Reducing Depression While Recovering from Potentially Deadly Accidents and Diseases Interesting, exciting and productive intellectual work can help reduce feelings of depression and lessen the need for drugs while undergoing treatment and rehab. A former U.S. Marine ...
Views: 851 - Crystallography as a Way to Discover the “Unknown Unknowns” Regarding any Process or Question - by Submitted on Mar 27, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithCrystallography as a Way to Discover the “Unknown Unknowns” Regarding any Process or Question Crystallography with its rigid rules of form and symmetry provides a way to consider undiscovered facts and properties of complex problems. Crystallography is a course that is dreaded by Geology ...
Views: 1061 - From Creation to Realization: A Case Study - by Submitted on Mar 17, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithFrom Creation to Realization: A Case Study I consulted with a client who had a large number of business ideas, but did not have the equipment or skills to properly present them to potential backers. The client being discussed will remain anonymous, but his experiences are not unusual ...
Views: 1069 - Muddling Mondays - by Submitted on Jun 05, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithMuddling Mondays You have returned to work on Monday after making a presentation at a trade show and a 4-to- 12 hour flight back home. After making a presentation at a trade show or other event and a long flight back home the body, mind and spirit are going to take time to recover, whether ...
Views: 1997 - Presentation Fridays - by Submitted on Mar 15, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithPresentation Fridays Days that involve travel to an event followed by a presentation are often the most stressful. It is helpful if you can arrive the evening before a presentation to give you, and your body, a chance to unwind prior to the event and eliminate the stress that some ...
Views: 872(1 vote) - Wrap Up Wednesdays - by Submitted on Mar 14, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithWrap Up Wednesdays Consolidate Plans for End of Week Presentations. Everything regarding your coming presentation to the public or company officials needs to be checked and finalized. If postponed until the day before there is a danger that in the rush to pack up that a needed piece of ...
Views: 1020 - Pick Up Tuesdays - by Submitted on Mar 14, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithPick Up Tuesdays Most creative people who are not endowed with the “neatness gene” live a messy existence. Pick Up Tuesdays budgets one day a week to restore a degree of order to their environments. To the frequent dismay of those whose motto is, “Everything has its place and everything is ...
Views: 864 - Writing Fiction while Sitting Before the Bogwood Fire - by Submitted on Mar 11, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithWriting Fiction while Sitting by the Bogwood Fire Bogwood.n. Darkly colored wood that may be 10s of thousands of years old recovered from marshes and bogs in typically northern latitudes that is dried and used for fuel in areas where other wood is scarce or absent. Just as the captive ...
Views: 920 - Starting a Business While Working for Someone Else - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithStarting Another Business While Working for Someone Else Ethical ways to start another company or create a new job while working for someone else. “When you take the King’s shilling, you are the King’s man.” Is a quote from Old English that still resonates today. When you are employed by ...
Views: 1123 - Working Through Sick Days - by Submitted on Mar 08, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithWorking Through Sick Days How you can continue productive work through your annual bout with colds, flu and sinus infections. An annual debilitating fight with colds and other respiratory diseases is something that impacts everyone from the CEO to the worker who is contracted to clean the ...
Views: 1056 - Choose Your Partners as Carefully as You Would Choose Your Parents - by Submitted on Mar 05, 2019 from Wm. Hovey SmithChoose Your Partners as Carefully as You Would Choose Your Parents While sex appeal and lust-driven emotional responses likely played a large part in your being conceived, such responses need to be set aside when taking on a business partner. Maybe a sex partner can be a business partner, ...
Views: 993