I’m a great believer in privacy and although I’m happy to share personal information with people of my choice, it’s important there are rules and regulations in place to help prevent scamming. Unfortunately, it seems in so many instances lately common sense has gone out the window. A simple statement on a web site, Facebook …
Category: writing
Procrastination and Social Media
As an author it’s sometimes difficult to decide where to concentrate your marketing efforts. Facebook is probably the first choice, but then you need to get to know your readers so should your personal page include fans, or be restricted to actual physical friends and family? If you have a business page, should it constantly …
Writing and Publishing
‘You should write a book.’ How many times has someone been told that by a friend and thought ‘It seemed a good idea at the time?’ There are two routes to becoming a published author (or possibly three.) Write a book, perhaps find an agent, submit it to a publisher and do the happy dance …
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 …
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 …
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 …
