Tag: #MondayBlogs

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Favorite Hashtags!

Hashtags!  

They’re everywhere!

Used correctly, they can help us maximize our reach.

Below, I’ve listed hashtags that I’ve found quite useful.

Microsoft Word ClipArt
Microsoft Word ClipArt

Connect with writers:

#AmWriting

#AmEditing

#AmRevising

#Author

#Writer

#WritersLife

#Writing

#WordCount

#IndieAuthor

#WIP

Connect with Readers

#AmReading

#FictionFriday

#FridayReads

#GoodReads

#GreatRead

#IndieThursday

#KDP

#Kindle

#MustRead

#WhatToRead

There’s also: 

#MondayBlogs

#SundayBlogShare

Did I miss one of your favorite hashtags?  If so, please share in the comments!

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Writers Workshop – “Lions, Witches, and Wardrobes…”

The Hampton Roads Writers Group offers a monthly workshop through The Traveling Pen Series.  I was fortunate to be able to attend Saturday’s session – “Lions, Witches and Wardrobes…Oh, My! – Writing Paranormal and Fantasy” presented by YA and Paranormal Author, Vanessa Barger.  The 2 1/2 hour workshop was $20 for non-members ($10 for members) but was well worth the price.

As a writer of young adult fiction, I am always looking for fresh ideas.  Nothing against vampires and werewolves, mind you, but in my humble opinion, they are a bit overdone.  Barger presented each participant with a mythical creature, complete with the general description and instructed us to make the creature our own.  I received a Wendigo.  For those unfamiliar with this beast, he appears in Algonquian legends and seems to discourage cannibalism (apparently, those individuals who consumed human flesh were at risk for turning into the monster).  For the exercise, I decided that my wendigo would indeed eat people but only those that were evil and needed to be eaten…  He/She would prefer to live in solitude, in order to minimize chance encounters with said evil people.  Just by changing a couple of details, the possibility of a new story emerged.

Downtown, Suffolk, VA
Downtown,
Suffolk, VA

As the workshop ended at noon, my husband and I drove over to Suffolk, VA. We visited the downtown area and had some amazing she-crab soup at a little place called The Baron’s Pub and Restaurant.

With the sun shining and a nice breeze, we did a little sightseeing.

This particular church caught my eye.  I love the windows and the ornamental details.

And I couldn’t help but wonder what stories this church would tell if it could only talk…

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Body Language and Writing

Updated 08/16/15

Years ago, my family owned a small business. As any small business person will tell you, customer service is important. Not only did I try to meet our customers needs, I made sure to smile and say thank you. I engaged in small talk and stayed involved with community events.

Our customers were as varied as the products we sold. Most were likable but there were those couple of people who just didn’t make me feel all warm and toasty. I thought I’d managed to hide those feelings only to come to the realization I hadn’t been successful.

After paying for his purchase, the customer lingered, wanting to talk. At some point in the conversation he asked whether he smelled bad. I assured him that he didn’t. He then went on to ask why I kept backing away from him. The truth was that while he didn’t smell bad and there was a counter between us, I felt like my space was being invaded. While my words and facial expression (smile) said one thing, my body language (unconsciously moving away) told the truth of how I felt.

she sat he stoodI have been reading  She Sat He Stood: What Do Your Characters Do While They Talk? by Ginger Hanson.  She points out the importance of studying body language and how our subconscious actions can reveal our true feelings. We can apply this to knowledge when writing dialogue.  She also covers the use of settings and props. Having purchased several writers handbooks and being unable to finish reading them, I was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed this one.  Hanson offers a variety of helpful suggestions without putting the reader to sleep.

If you think you could use a little help with dialogue/body language, click the cover image. At only 99 cents, you can’t beat it!

If reading another writing advice book doesn’t appeal to you:

You might try watching old movies.   I find that black and white movies work quite well because there are less visual distractions.  Black & White Movie Nightwatch and learnMake sure to grab a pen and paper to take notes, otherwise, it becomes too easy to get lost in the film. Study the interaction between the actors.  She (feeling vulnerable) might turn away and hug herself.  He (feeling agitated) might lean on a balcony railing while taking a deep drag on his cigarette. The important thing is to recognize the actions the actors use to convey their characters’ feelings. This is ultimately what we as writers are trying to do – show not tell.

Have you stumbled across a tip or technique that has improved your writing?  If so, please share.

 

 

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Finding the Perfect Social Media Fit

Social media is the ultimate equalizer.While I’m not a social media guru, I’ve tried to educate myself.  I’ve listened to podcasts and read e-books/blog posts.  I’ve found that there’s a lot of competing voices, offering multiple strategies.  It’s been a challenge trying to sift through the various suggestions.

Below is a summary of my social media experiences:

Twitter – I’ve learned that Twitter is great as long as you aren’t spamming the Twittersphere with loads of self promotion.  I think this advice is accurate.  I catch myself scrolling past those writers who are continually hawking their books.  On the other hand, when I see an author who shares quality content, I’m all about liking and retweeting.  I can’t afford to purchase everyone’s books, but I try to be supportive and share the love.

Facebook –  There has been a lot of uproar over the change in Facebook algorithms.  This change has meant that our posts are less likely to be seen.  Some writers have decided it’s not worth their time/effort anymore.  They are choosing to focus on Instagram or their personal website, etc.   As for me – what can I say?  I don’t love my Facebook Author Page.  This probably has a lot to do with the fact that I tend to be relatively quiet on my personal page.   BUT – I can see my daily interactions, likes and numbers reached and I am convinced that of all the different social media sites I’ve used, my Facebook Author Page has led to more sales.  (Whether this changes over the next year is to be still to be seen.)

Blogging – After attending a writers conference last year, I came away convinced that I had made a huge mistake by using blogger.  If I was serious about my writing, then I needed to look like a pro and having .blogspot following my name didn’t look professional.  Never-mind, that I had a .com website – one that displayed my blog feed.   I jumped ship – diving headfirst into WordPress.  I let my website go, transferring the .com over to my WordPress blog. However, I have since realized that when I jumped, I left the majority of my followers on the good ship Blogger.  It has been a challenge, building up an audience again.  To be honest, I’m not sure making the switch was worth it.

Pinterest – Not everyone is convinced that a writer needs a pinterest board.  I certainly wasn’t.  However, I decided to give it a try.  With fingers crossed, I set up my page.  I don’t have a lot of followers but I’ve created boards that feature my books, trailers, etc.  I’ve also added boards featuring images of interesting faces and exotic places – things that might inspire a new story.  What I like about Pinterest is this – people who check out my pinterest page should come away from it feeling like they know a little more about me than those following me on other sites.

Summary –  While using social media is necessary to building our author platform, I’ve come to the realization that there isn’t a one-stop-fits-all plan out there.  What works for one author might not work for another.   No matter what options we choose, consistency is key.   It takes time to get our name out there and to build a true following.

What about you?  Are you still searching for the right fit?  Or have you found something that works?

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Episode 3

Add text (1)The assembly…

Flatulence.  It’s a pervasive problem.  Especially when you’ve eaten your father’s special bean soup for dinner the night before.  As far as bean soup goes, my dad’s may be the best.  I love how it tastes… It just doesn’t love me.  So, I was on the bleachers, when it started.  My stomach growled, low at first.  I shifted in my seat, hoping that no one had heard it. That must have been the wrong thing to do.  I offended my whole gastrointestinal system.  The next rolling, growling noise caused a minor disturbance on the bleachers.  I tried to affect the whole “Oh my gosh!  I wonder who did that?” look, then glanced around the group as though trying to find the guilty culprit.  My stomach did it again, only louder.   Jon Taylor, the boy  seated ahead of me, turned around, shaking his head.

“What did you eat last night?” He asked, not bothering to keep his voice down.

My face flamed, my ears burned.  “What?”  I shook my head.  “That wasn’t me.”

Jon laughed, “Whatever, Max…  Just make sure to warn me before you let one rip!”

The angry, gurgling noise that followed, shamed me.  I dropped my head, not wanting to acknowledge that such un-girlie sounds could be emanating from my midsection.  And then I felt it—the intense pressure of gas building up…

There comes that moment where we have to ask ourselves, “What do I do?”  That was my dilemma. Was it better to sit and wait, hoping  my condition would go away? or Should I excuse myself to the bathroom?  Another resounding snarl and I made my decision.  I carefully worked my way down the steps, trying desperately to hold in the excess gas.

Principal Hightower picked up the microphone.  “Please rise for the National Anthem.”

Could the timing be any worse?  Tradition and respect dictated that I stand at attention.  A sheen of sweat appeared on my face and as the trumpet player hit a particularly foul note, it happened.  I farted. The screeches of my fellow students will be forever burned in my memory.

After the assembly…

April was waiting at my locker when I finally made it out of the gymnasium.  “Ryan asked me to go to bowling with him.”

“Cool.”  I tried to remember if April had ever mentioned liking him.  “I didn’t know you had a thing for him.”

April shook her head.  “It’s not a marriage proposal.  It’s bowling.  You know—going out, having a good time.”

I felt like I’d been chastised by my mother.  “I get that…  I just—”

“You just nothing,” April scoffed.  “I told you I was moving on.  Maybe you should consider doing the same thing.   Life is going to pass you by while you’re waiting for Jake to notice you.”

That hurt.  But the truth has a sting, doesn’t it?

“Anyway,” she continued, “Why don’t you ask someone to go with you and we can meet up there.  Bowling is more fun with a group.”

“I don’t need a date to go bowling.”

“Except that you’ll be the odd man out.”  April put her hand on her hip and then added, “Get a date or don’t come…”

 

Sometimes, April gets on my nerves.

 

“Ask Brandon, ” she encouraged.   “He’d say yes and you know it.”

I grabbed a strand of hair and twisted it around my finger. “He asked me out last week.”

“And?” April looked totally confused.

“And I lied.  I said I had plans…”

April rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t know you lied.”

“But—”

“No buts…”   Taking hold of my shoulders, April turned my body in the direction of Brandon’s locker.  “There he is,”  she whispered before walking away and leaving me alone with my insecurities.

It was with some trepidation that I made myself walk to Brandon’s locker.  An onlooker might have mistaken me for a prisoner, walking to the gallows.  Thank goodness, I remembered my deodorant. Brandon was standing with his back to me, his attention focused on pulling out several books from an overly stuffed space.  I tapped him on the shoulder.

“What’s up?” he asked, his face puzzled.

I cleared my throat.  “Um, yeah, I was wondering,” I cleared my throat again, “I was wondering if you’d like to go bowling with me on Saturday?”

Brandon looked down at his feet.  When he looked up, I knew.  “I’m sorry.  I’ve already got a date.”

I tried to look cool and unaffected.  “Maybe another time,” I said as I backed away.

“Yeah,” Brandon nodded, “Maybe another time.”

I quickly walked away, surprised by my disappointment…    Brandon has a date.