Traci Kenworth is an author-blogger who regularly shares a roundup of writing links. Her posts are a massive undertaking that consumes a good deal of time in preparing.
Thank you, Traci. You exemplify the heart and soul of thoughtfulness ❤️
http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/04/why-editor-isnt-bad-guy.html“It seems in Hollywood and even in other circles (not to give a rap and not to say that all self-pubbed authors are like this but this is frequently the case in self-published circles), the editors are the bad guy. They’re the evil grumps that keep the writers from writing freely. I noticed this trend particularly when I watched How to Lose a Guy in Ten Dayswith a friend. Contrary to what the story was trying to portray, what the editor was asking for wasn’t that unreasonable. In the media examples I have these women are not the purest of character (which I also don’t like since I know many editors who are some of the nicest people you could meet), so I’m not defending their attitudes, but I do want to point out that the “obstacles” they’re giving the protagonist are really just what it takes to make a career as a writer.”
http://storyempire.com/2018/04/27/friday-book-cover-kindle-in-motion/ “There’s a new craze on Kindle (at least, it’s new to me) called Kindle in Motion. The books can be read on any device that reads Kindle books, but the covers and insides have motion (hence the name, of course. ) that can be viewed on certain Fire tablets and on the free Kindle iOS and Android apps.” I need to see this!
Zoe the Fabulous Feline has graciously given her monthly guest spot on The Story Reading Ape‘s blog to her human, Emily. She is a most magnanimous feline, even if she is using this time to chill out in her condo 😊
Dear friends, I hope you don’t mind, but my human, Emily, apparently needs some attention. She asked if she could take my spot this month to show off share something she wrote recently. I thought, Yeah, why not? I can use a break. So, I’m sharing my space so she can share her poem. And, without further ado, here it is. Now excuse me . . . I’m going to go chill out in my condo.
Susan Uttendorfsky is on Chris The Story Reading Ape‘s blog with Part 64 of her Editing 101 series: Story Organization. This series is second to none, and I’m sorry to see it end. If you’ve missed any episodes, Chris has indexed them for us so we can bookmark. A heartfelt thank you to Susan and Chris for sharing this outstanding series ❤
We talked briefly about this in Article #21, “Plotting.”But now I’d like to go into a little more detail about it.
Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, you’re simply going to have to keep track of some details, especially if your book deals with the passage of time. And that’s just about every book ever written—whether it’s only one day throughout the whole book or a number of years, or even decades or centuries. You must keep track of what is going on when. In addition to tracking time, you can also plot out your story arc (to be the theme of a future article), false clues (red herrings), foreshadowing, and other details.
As I said in Article #21, some authors use white boards or bulletin boards, notebooks or pads of paper, sticky notes, index cards, or…walls. And then there are those who avail themselves…
Susan Uttendorfsky is over at The Story Reading Ape‘s blog with Part 59 of her Editing 101 series, Character Profiles. Have you considered interviewing your characters as a way of developing them into strong, flexible, and unique personalities? Susan’s articles are invaluable and highly #recommended
Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser (101:21), I’m almost 100% certain that at some point, you’ll have to keep track of your characters’ details. The plotter/pantser post also covered some practical ways that some authors make sure these details are fresh in their minds—or, at least, quickly available.
However, before you can list these precious tidbits of information, you have to either discover them (if your story leads you) or decide on them (if you lead your story). The obvious information is focused on physical appearance: eye color, hair color, stature, body shape, etc. But sometimes authors neglect to round out their profiles with other information that can play a critical part in your story. I’m talking about…
Susan Uttendorfskybrings us Part 40 of her Editing 101 series on The Story Reading Ape‘s blog. She debunks several editing myths, every last one of which has derailed my little grey cells at times. But I now feel I have permission to merrily toss them out the window, in keeping with Susan’s guidelines. I’m such a stickler for correct grammar that I sometimes feel like a train wreck after a long day of writing. I expect Susan’s post will reduce your writing stress level as much as it has mine 🙂
In Part 35 of her Editing 101 series on The Story Reading Ape, Susan Uttendorfsky discusses using the five senses in our writing. I especially enjoyed her examples for the sense of smell, e.g., A gym bag in September that hasn’t been emptied since June. Visit Chris’ blog to read the rest of this superb article and link to the previous 34 in this series…
I love it when an author decides to use the senses in writing their descriptions. It’s so rarely done, it seems, that it keeps the story fresh and exciting for me. Let’s talk about some ways to incorporate each of them into your descriptions—without going overboard, of course! Nobody wants a blow-by-blow listing of everything your main character smelled in a day, especially if he’s a homicide detective in the morgue!
When using any of the senses in writing description, you want to remember “Show, don’t tell” to get the most effectiveness out of it.
Taste
Your first cup of coffee in the morning—does anything taste better? Or, on the other hand, it can be your biggest…
Susan Uttendorfsky is a guest on The Story Reading Ape, bringing us Part 25 of her Editing 101 series: Style Guides for Fiction. Even though The Gregg Reference Manual is typically for business, I’ve used it for decades and find it an invaluable resource. Susan lists several other editing guides that you might find helpful. Bottom line: If self-editing, a style manual is a necessity!
In order to make the English language (or any language) consistent, style guides and manuals have been developed to use certain consistent rules or standards. Most industries or professions have their own style manual, so that all materials written for that industry are of the same standard. This not only includes punctuation, but also capitalization and grammar.
For instance, all newspaper articles in the US are written using AP (Associated Press) style. For business, there’s The Gregg Reference Manual, and for web publishing, there’s the The Yahoo! Style Guide. Each of these style guides has different rules, and someone writing for those industries must follow those rules.
If you’re working for the United States government, it has…
Author Andrew Joyce spells out the reasons why writers should have their work professionally edited. He introduces his editor, Emily Gmitter, whose rates are very reasonable. Speaking metaphorically and from personal experience with Emily, she will find a needle in a needle stack! Hop over to The Story Reading Ape‘s blog for the details, and check out Sunrise Editing Services. It will be well worth your time …
My name is Andrew Joyce and I write books for a living. I’ve been lucky enough to have three of my books become best-sellers on Amazon, and two of them have won prestigious awards. I only tell you this because I want you to know that I am serious about my writing and will not publish a book until it is free of errors, and that means not until it has been edited many, many times.
I am also associated with another writer that you may have heard of, the famous (or infamous) Danny the Dog. He is also serious about his writing.
One thing both Danny and I agree on is that a writer cannot edit his or her own work.
Let me repeat that: YOU CANNOT EDIT YOUR OWN WORK!
Excuse me for yelling, but it is important that I get that thought through to you.
I’ve thought for some time now that I’d like to have a theme for my blog. Many of the blogs I follow have themes I find most enjoyable. I’ve asked several of these folks to be my guest, tell us what they envision for their blog in 2017, and include their images and links.
I want to thank all of those who responded and wish them great success in the New Year. They are listed below in alphabetical order by first name. Please visit their sites, like and follow, and perhaps download a book or two. Enjoy!
2017 will see the South Branch Scribbler hosting a variety of authors with some artists, photographers, and musicians. I have a lineup of terrific folks for the first three months of the New Year and am adding more weekly. I will be trying some different things in regard to formatting as well as featuring selected authors for back-to-back posts and serials.
I have started a new page called The Detective Jo Naylor serial, where I will adding chapters to an ongoing story I am writing. My main goal is to showcase some of my writing occasionally, but my favorite posts are of other authors; I get to read a lot of great stories. I know the struggle all too well in trying to find a new audience. I receive tremendous pleasure from showcasing authors, hoping they might at least find one new reader. At present I’m getting over a 1000 page views per week from all over the world, and I’m very excited. I extend to all of you an invitation, should you like to be a guest. Send me an email if interested: aandghudson@live.ca.
This is the cover for my novel, Wall of War, to be published in Spring of 2017. Thank you, Tina.
Many thanks to Tina for inviting me onto her blog to promote my blog.
As many of you know, I created my blog to be an Independent Author Promotions Platform and Resources Hub(Click and read HERE)
Since it started, the viewing stats have stunned me:
2013201420152016
As you can see, 2016 saw a staggering (to me) number of blog visitors and followers, leading to viewing stats exceeding 500,000 over the year (as of 29th December).
Note: the number of direct WP followers = 4,000+, but because I use WP Publicize to upload also to Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn, the blog’s a total number of followers = 10,500+ (many of whom re-share the posts on their blogs and/or other media).
Sadly to date, only a few of the 500+ writers in my Authors Hall of Fame have made the effort to use this independent promotions platform beyond their Introductory Guest Author posts; so, because 2017 has the potential of even greater viewing stats, I encourage all writers who are in my Authors Hall of Fame, to reap the benefits of this level of potential promotional exposure. HOW? CLICK and READ HEREHow do new writers get into the Authors Hall of Fame? CLICK and READ HERE
I have two blogs. Fairy Whisperer is my main author blog. I like to share book reviews from the Indy authors I have read, my poetry, and interesting fairy nymph lore. On January 3, 2017, I will release my début novel, The Heart Stone Chronicles: The Swamp Fairy. Book Two, The Meadow Fairy is well under way, with my intention to publish by Autumn 2017.
I also host a weekly challenge called Tanka Tuesday, a chance for poets to share their love of poetry in the form of a Tanka poem. Join me on my other blog, A Mindful Journey, where I am learning to be kind to myself through yoga and exercise, weight loss, spiritual awareness, and mindfulness.
Hello all you neophytes out there. It is I, Danny the Dog, come to bring you into the New Year with a little class.
First, I must thank my hostess, Tina Frisco, for having the perspicacity to invite me here today. She’s one smart cookie! I mean, who else but the great Danny the Dog could lead you into a new world, a strange world, a world where up is down and down is up? A world known as 2017.
Tina told me that the rules—or the guidelines, if you will—for this post were to be what I, as a blogger, will be doing in the coming year. Well, that’s easy. I’m gonna do what I did last year. I’m gonna reblog everyone else’s hard work. Why should I kill myself writing new stuff and searching the internet to find appropriate pictures to go with my posts? You guys do a great job and I thank you for it. Tina also told me my piece was to be one paragraph. Sorry, Tina, but once I open my big yap, I find it hard to shut up.
P.S. I was informed that I could promote my services or beg for treats if I gave up a paragraph for the cause. So, if anyone has need of a good doggie, I’m available.
Thanks for inviting me over, Tina. I think it’s important to set goals for ourselves; and although some plans may change sporadically, our goals at least allow us to have some structure.
I’ll continue my Friday Authors with a New Book series, my Sunday Book Reviews, and my author guest posts; but they won’t be every week. My weekly posts will be restructured, because I’ll be taking a break come February and part of March in order to relax and rejuvenate. 2016 took a lot of wind out of my sails trying to keep up with life, book writing, my husband’s illness, and other interferences. But I still plan on visiting Facebook to post updates, photos, and maybe a few short videos while on vacation, so my readers won’t think I’ve abandoned them.
In March I’m heading back to my beloved Arizona, and I’m sure I will post at least once weekly. In April I’ll resume scheduling authors with new books, as well as posting book reviews, ‘memoir bytes’ – snippets of life – and articles on tips and gadgets I find useful and interesting. I’ll be working more with video and hopefully doing some podcasting. I’m also aiming to complete my next book by summer 2017. Then Fall will bring re-writes, edits, and publishing. Before I know it, it will be Christmas again!
So, what do I envisage for my blog in 2017? I’m planning a brand new feature, which will be promoting bloggers over the entire year. I haven’t invited guests as I’ll be making the selections myself during the course of the year. I’m also bringing back ‘Hugh’s Weekly Photography Challenge.’ This proved to be very popular on my blog during 2016; only postponed because of the time I had to dedicate to getting my first book ready for publication. I am also planning lots more posts containing blogging tips. Again, these posts proved very popular during 2016, and I always enjoy sharing blogging tips and advice that work for me.
I’ll be participating in writing challenges, which will go on to create new Short Stories. I will also be participating in photography challenges to satisfy my growing interest in photography. Books will also feature on my blog, including my ‘Book Of The Month’ that showcases a book and its author. As a member of the Bloggers Bash committee, I’ll also be promoting the Bloggers Bash to be held in London on June 10th, 2017. I’m sure lots of ‘off the cuff’ posts will also appear as and when events unfold or when something happens that prompts me to immediately write about it. Humour? Yes, there will also be plenty of laughs, as well as the occasional look at posts that dwell inside the archives of Hugh’s Views And News.
Tina asked what I envision for my blog in 2017. I have several goals.
1. I recently published
an eBook. I hope to continue my monetization efforts.
2. I would like to try to increase my Pinterest traffic. I have already
started making changes to my graphics and hope to reap the rewards in 2017.
3. I plan on using a virtual assistant more often since I am getting busier.
4. I have heard bloggers consider my site a resource, which gives me great joy. I would like to see Mostly Blogging become an even greater resource for bloggers, and I plan on implementing that goal.
In 2017 I’m looking forward to interviewing other authors who write in the same genre as me: family sagas. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a while, but with my publishers releasing the prequel to my trilogy in August, it seems an apt time to buckle down and concentrate on that. Around July, I’ll be starting my usual interviews with authors who will be attending the annual book fair that I organise alongside my friend and fellow author, Thorne Moore. It’s a lot of work but great fun and will take place on the 23rd September. This year we’ve changed to a bigger venue so will be hosting around forty authors at the Narberth Book Fair.
I tutor creative writing, and every now and then, I post something one of my students has written. I’m hoping to do more of that next year; there’s plenty of great material comes from my classes. In between I want to add more blogs about our holiday apartment. I’ve written a few accounts of the visitors we’ve had over the years, mostly humorous, and they have been well-received. Reading back on this, it does all seem slightly ambitious. But as long as I can manage on four hours sleep each night, who knows; I might succeed in doing it all.
Well, the description of my blog is “the metaphysical and mundane meanderings of a female maverick writer,” and that’s what the blog will continue to express – both mystical and mundane aspects that appeal to me or that excite my need for self-expression. I write spiritual novels and my passion is for eastern mysticism; but I also enjoy many ordinary aspects of life, and my blog reveals all these facets of my personality.
There will be a few changes to my blog in 2017. I will build on my author promotion platform, center it around Sally’s Café and Bookstore, and simplify promotions to only two. The first will be for the 120 authors in the Café who release a new book or enjoy a great review. They will be assured a place to announce and showcase. The second will be for authors who are not yet in the Café and are new to the blog. They will be included in the seasonal reading post and their books will then be posted to the Café. I will continue Café updates and seasonal reading posts throughout each week.
New collaborators will be introduced. Author Paul Andruss will provide an article on a variety of subjects every fourth Thursday. William Price King will continue to provide jazz and classical music in a weekly post.
I will continue with the Sunday Interview, my own health posts, humour, and videos. I will change to a bloggers review three times a week instead of many reblogs each day. And I will continue writing The R’s of Life on the blog, which has just four chapters to go. That will be followed by another short story collection and three other books for release over the year. The one thing that is very important to me is that Smorgasbord retains its variety… the spice of life.
Thank you so much Tina for featuring a few words about my blogging/writing plans on your wonderful site! I had to think hard about this, as in almost 4 years of blogging, my plans have gone rather pear-shaped more than once. I never schedule a post, because life with an Aspie brings different, daily challenges and I need to be flexible. (I have posted a few articles about Asperger’s Syndrome).
I used to post three times a week, but my blogging suffered in 2016 while I worked on those dreaded revisions of my memoir (Stranger in a White Dress), the first draft of which I began 3 years ago. When my lovely mum suffered a stroke in March (she is recovering, thank God), and my darling dad died in July, blogging came to a standstill. Since I returned in October, I post when I can, about every 2 to 3 weeks, until I get back on my blogging feet. But I am still chasing the dream: God willin’ and the creek don’t rise, my goal is to hit my revisions hard in the New Year, keeping hope alive that 2017 is the year I publish at last. Whether blogging about my life as a Brit living in California, my English garden, my alcoholic dad and our crazy adventures, history and travel articles, photo challenges, 99 word flash fiction, and featuring Guest Bloggers, I aim to keep the dust from settling on the Summerhouse and the writing flowing, rain or shine. At least, that’s the plan.
Hi, Tina. When you asked me what I saw for my blog in 2017, my inner TV screen went black. I still don’t know what I intend for Teagan’s Books.When I started my blog at the end of 2012, I did a few posts. By 2013, I wanted a theme — something more than just talking about my début novel (Atonement Tennessee)each week. That’s how the first of my serials began — The Three Things Serial Story, a Little 1920s Story.
The narrator of this novella is Pip, a young flapper with a gift for getting in the middle of adventure. The Three Things Serial was followed by two more serials with Pip as protagonist. However, those also became culinary mysteries. My intention is to put them into book format as well, and release at least one during the first quarter of 2017.
So, while I can’t see what I plan to do at my blog in the new year, I am planning things for my books. As always, I hope the drain that comes with my “real job” and earning a living will finally subside and allow me to finish one of my many novels in progress, including Atonementin Bloom.
Every New Year is an opportunity for a fresh start. I don’t like resolutions because I suck at them. When asked what I envision for my blog for 2017, I paused. Hmm. Envision? My imagination is ocean-wide but I plan to keep this short. My modus operandi has always been by the seat of my pants and JIT (just-in-time). This year I’ll buckle down—get serious—I must.
My immediate plans are to:
Continue re-posts of the best highlights of my China adventure.
Share new travel adventure posts coming late May. Yay.
Initiate Newsletter sign-up with a free giveaway. Yes, moi. Blush.
Publish 26-story collection (imminent).
Prepare cover reveal.
My blogging schedule will take a hit as I concentrate on getting this book moving.
An aside: My story, The Woodshed, was published December 21st in Short Fiction Break along with almost 400 others. Read this amazing and outstanding collection.
I am so happy to be included on Tina’s blog today to share my blog plans for 2017! My blog has evolved slightly in the 2.5 years I’ve been seriously blogging. Although my niche is writing about leisure and lifestyle, I also share blogging tips and enjoy photography challenges, all while educating readers about leisure, “one blog post at a time.”
I rebranded my blog in 2016 and also delved into the world of self-publishing, gathering various subjects together for potential eBooks. In July, I launched my first eBook, Better Blogging with Photography, a
compilation of posts and information on how bloggers can utilize their own images to maximize their blog/website. I am also working on my next eBook tentatively titled, How Midlife Women Reclaim Their Leisure Time, for publication next Fall.
I will continue to share exciting photos, follow and read other bloggers who have self-published books, and actively review and share their work. I started a new link-up called Seasonal Sensations that is themed to the season-du-jour. Winter Wonders is still taking your links! I hope you find new inspiration for your own blog as the New Year begins!
Greetings! Tina has graciously invited me here today to talk about myself and my blogging plans for 2017. My name is Zoe, and I am a cat author. Just to be clear, I am not a human who writes about cats. I am a cat who writes about humans, or, more precisely, my adventures around them. On occasion, I reblog interesting articles and posts I have found along the way. So, my plan for the coming year is to continue this activity, but I also aim to help my human, whose name is Emily, expand her editing services business.
She’s inclined to look for errors in just about every piece of printed material that crosses her path. And she finds them! She does this without even realizing she’s doing it. In fact, she drives me a bit crazy with her love of words because she is always finding something to edit, somewhere, somehow. She has edited three different Amazon best-sellers, one of which has been awarded a couple of prestigious accolades—Book of the Year and Best Historical Fiction of 2016. So, if you find yourself in need of an editor for your work, check out Emily’s website. By the way, I hear her rates are very reasonable. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I think it’s good.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the 2017 blog visions these fabulous folks have contributed. Again, please visit their sites, like and follow, and perhaps download a book or two. I wish each of you a peaceful and prosperous New Year. And as my friend, Tess, reminded me: It’s coming soon on a calendar near you. 😊
Until the next time, my friends . . . Namaste ❤
*************
Thank you to Lucie Stastkova for the use of her images. Please visit and like her Facebook pages:
Susan Uttendorfsky brings us Part 18 of her Editing 101 series on The Story Reading Ape. The focus is writer’s block, and she lists 14 ways to attempt breaking through. I love it when an editor helps the harried writer hike the hurdles. 🙂
Ok, so maybe you’re not quite done writing. Maybe you’re stuck. Horribly stuck, and you have no idea where to go next in your book. You are so completely, terribly, frantically stuck that you can’t even write a darn thing! (Yes, that’s a lot of “ly” adverbs there, isn’t it?
What now?
Aha! Super Susan to the rescue. I can’t say I’ve ever been there, because I don’t do a lot of writing. But I can imagine how horrible it is, and I’ve read a lot of threads in LinkedIn writing groups talking about writer’s block. So I’ve stored up quite a few hints and ideas to get you over the hump. No, not Hump Day—that’s the Geico® camel*…
very excited. I extend to all of you an invitation, should you like to be a guest. Send me an email if interested: 
TINA FRISCO 
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