Do you ever think about Time? I don’t mean from the sense of is it 1 o’clock or 2 o’clock, but in its broader meaning. The young feel they have all the time in the world, but as we get older it seems to speed up, and we want to cram as much as possible …
Book blurbs
A recent challenge on a Writers’ group made me think about the importance of book blurbs. Once the cover has attracted a reader’s interest, it’s normally the blurb which is the make or break for whether they move on or press the buy button. A synopsis is a summary of the story, including the ending, …
The English Language
You’ve got to love the English language. Who else would use ‘Fed up’ not to mean you’ve enjoyed a good meal, but the world in general is a bit blur? I’m not even sure if that’s spelt correctly as so many of the words we use are rarely written down, but make a lovely noise …
Balancing the Books
I love writing but hate marketing. When my main career was working in a bank, I enjoyed the customer contact, was good at record keeping and pleased when a plan came together and a problem was solved to everyone’s satisfaction. Occasionally, even giving bad news could be turned into a positive experience. If a customer …
Social Media Statistics
A fellow author mentioned the number of hits on his blog, which started me thinking about the crazy world of social media and how information was collected. This might be one option, so make sure you speak nicely to your gadgets. 😀 You have 647 friends. Your most popular post was on the 29th February. …
Writer’s block – The blank page
As a writer I’m often asked how to overcome writer’s block. You sit down full of enthusiasm and a blank screen stares back at you, daring your fingers to touch the keyboard, or your pen to destroy the pristine surface of a blank sheet of paper. Fortunately, this is something I’ve never found a problem; …
Foxes and writing companions
Some years ago a fox wandered into my garden, and although he was a wild animal in a suburban area we gradually learned to trust each other. Over time he found a little spot in my heart which had been reserved for my dogs, now departed over the rainbow bridge. From the thirty odd years …
Social Media – Facebook
Wearing my Writing Guru hat, I thought it might be fun to look at the use of various forms of Social Media in the life of an author. Facebook, blog, web-site, Twitter, Instagram, author page, newsletters, give-aways, paid advertising – the list is endless, and no sooner have you conquered one than they change the …
Zombie’s dilemma
A friend woke from a weird dream about a zombie invasion, and only having her cooking utensils with which to defend herself. She thought no one could follow the plot of her dreams. Here’s one I made earlier. 😀 It wasn’t fun being one of the undead. Since I’d been killed in a robbery gone …
Boring blurbs and Books.
One of the joys of being an author is being able to connect with others in the industry. A challenge in one of my writers’ groups was to describe your book in the most boring way possible. The results were hilarious, and surprisingly, some of the shortest and most mundane were intriguing for what they …
