M is for.....

 

MARKETING (SUBTLE):

Even though your blog is perfect for marketing your book(s), & merch, it is adviseable that it is not the only thing you do there. Your followers wont appreciate it, which is why you include all the other things we've mentioned, they keep it interesting, and your followers coming back for more.

Don't forget to talk about your other methods of marketing, this can help newbies out who may find your page and who need help.

MERCH:

When we talk about merch, we mean things like bookmarks, pencils, pens, notebooks, cups, totes, key fobs, digital drawings, & tees to mention some things. There are loads of sites that can put images and logos on items for you at varying prices, it depends on what you want to pay. Some things you can do yourself, others not so much.

MOTIVATION:

Another two fer here, 

First up, talk about what motivates you to write, to keep going when it all seems daunting. What gets your ass in the chair and starts you writing?

Second is your characters, let your followers know what motivates your characters, what keeps them going as well.

Writers Workshop: Write a post based on the word expire.

 

Badge by Patty, http://anothercookieplease.com

The Writer’s Workshop is open to anyone and everyone. Here’s how you can join:

• Choose one of the prompts (or as many as you want) and write a post that addresses that prompt.
• Publish your post on Thursday (or earlier or later).
• Leave a comment on this post with the URL of the post on your blog. If you’re a WordPress user, you may use a pingback to do this (just be sure it’s there when you do so).
• For good blog karma, drop by this post starting on Thursday and comment on as many other posts as you can.
• If you’d like to participate, jump right in! We have plenty of room!

Here are this week’s prompts:

1. Write a post based on the word expire.
2. Write a post in exactly 9 sentences.
3. Write about an interaction you have with a salesman.
4. Write about the best advice your paents (or guardians) gave you).
5. Write about your favorite restaurant when you were 12. Do you still go there?
6. Write about when you learned to drive.

PROMPT 1: EXPIRE

EXPIRE, what a strange little word, used in various ways, yet it means the same thing, the end, it's over, done, kaput. 

We humans are never good with our loved ones expiring, we want that end date to never come, some will do almost anything to stop it, others rush headlong towards it, souls too precious to remain. Yet others again never show their pain, can't explain, don't want to be a burden.

We are afraid to remember them, to ask for stories from those who grieve expired loved ones, urging them to *get on, get over...aren't you done yet?* life goes on, it gets easier, and yet...

Also, there is what we grieve for, or what we are told is ok to grieve for, a life too short, a life in pain, a four legged fur baby ( sure it was just a cat, dog, fish, bird, snake) all expired, all leave, all were loved who are missed, and grieved over.

The following is about our end, or the end.

Expire, when you take your last breath, 

Expire when the world goes dull, and your vision ends, 

Expire, blood runs cold, you shiver,

Expire, your husk becomes paper thin,

Expire when your ancestors come to get you, 

Expire when you leave them all to go apologise at the rainbow bridge, 

Expire at the end, null and void, to be forever remembered in silence because humans can't handle grief

EXPIRE...THE END! ;

L is for...

LENGTH OF ARTICLE / POST:

How long is a piece of string? No I'm being serious, depending on what you are doing, it can be a paragraph, two, three or a full blown page. But no matter up, break up blocks of text with the odd image or four. 

It's like asking how long is a chapter, as long as it takes. 

LOCATION:

Share info about location, that of your novel, and that (never reveal your address), you live, your novels location could be off world, the moon, a floating self contained land within a glass dome powered by tech and Magick, a space station shaped like an axe, or a city like New York, or Dublin with some slight changes as they are through a portal. Sharing your visions of these locations can also help your followers *see* where your characters are especially if you can't go into detail about that world.

As for your own location something like*...half way up a mountain in county clare, forest and rivers all around, where the trees breathe and the wild animals stop in to say hi* or *Non trad house with bar, spacious guest / office in county Tipperary* is vague enough. 

K is for...

KEEPING DOCUMENTS:

When do you get rid of things? 

I personally think you should keep the idea, along with date. 

The outline with date.

First Draft with date. 

Any draft with significant changes and their date. 

My reasoning is in case you ever need to prove it's actually your idea, which is why I like some of my work to be on paper. 

Keep character and world building notes and bios, all dated of course. 

These could be printed out and use as a novel bible, or put in a digital folder, as a novel bible as well.

KNOWLEDGE:

There is a saying that you should write what you know, which can throw a lot of would be writers. If you want to know something, then learn about it, become knowledgeable in that area. Once knowledgeable then write. 

Also don't forget to share gained knowledge with other writers, there should be no gate keeping in our community of writers.

Well that's me for another day. 

I have been checking on some WordPress blogs, but can't leave comments.

See ye around the Web.

TWW

Some answers to asked questions...

 

A

I really need to update my own about page on my wix site, that is when I get a minute.

B

I had tried WordPress, but I kept getting lost, just couldn't get my head around it and unfortunately it doesn't come with an idiots guide, not that Im an idiot, I just like things being easy to use.

My only fault with blogger is trying to find other blogs like mine, searching for them is awkward. 

C

I have found the blogging community to be friendly and their comments friendly over all.

D

I do my best to keep things neat and tidy, the blog is good, but the website needs an over haul.

E

Taking time to engage is also a reason why I do the blogging challenge, and keep up with the Insecure Writers. 

Editing is very time consuming, and not sure if I get it right all the time. I do my own as I can't afford to pay one.

F

You would be surprised how many times I have seen newbie writers ask about publishing after first drafts, when there is still a tonne of work to do.

You never know if you are boring your readers unless you try. Post about your characters maybe one a week, and if your following interact with you, ask them what characters would they like to know more about, or places in your world.

G

I don't see why memoir writers, can't be guest bloggers, talking about how to write them, stories you didn't put in or the difficulties.

I'll be back with more q&a next week.

See ye round the web

TWW