New Goals for Blogging

This is the time of year we take a breath, get a contented grin on our face, and make all kinds of self improvement promises to ourselves. We were told at sometime in our life that if we tell others about these goals, we will be inclined to meet them (under fear of public failure if we don't). That doesn't work for me.

The reality is, we need a set of skills or tools to accomplish our goals. Often there is a great abyss between our desire for change and the goal. That is where a plan and method fit. It needs to be ordered steps that are measurable with benchmark dates that are reasonable (and obtainable).

I'm beginning to chuckle at the number of people I know personally who have said they are going to try to be more diligent with posting regularly on their blogs. In the famous words of Yoda (StarWars), "Do or do not, there is no try."

Yeah, that was helpful, Nadine.

How about this? Since it is obvious that everyone using blogger knows how to post a new post, go to that window and look at the bottom of the box where you write your brilliance. See at the bottom left are the words, "Post Options"? Click on that and you can schedule when your post will go live. Easy-peasy.

There, you have your new tool to meet your goal. For the times when you have time to write several posts, but don't want them all posted "now," this is an easy way to use that creative (or quiet) moment to set up future posts.

We know that people follow blogs that post on a regular schedule better than they follow a sporadically posted blog. Set up a schedule of posting. Commit to it.

Many publishing industry bloggers post once a week. That allows time for them to get picked up in the media and jet propelled onto everyone's tweets and other wire-like services (they milk it for all it's worth). That proved successful during the blog party last summer. My opinion is that people don't follow as well if posts are less than once a week.

Honestly, I don't tweet, so perhaps I'm not maximizing the potential of my blog. I am convinced that First Draft has not drastically improved the sell numbers of the trilogy, which was why I was talked into blogging. That brings us to the topic of purpose. Chose a topic to blog that interests you and that you think will interest others.

I like to talk about writing, the craft and the industry, much more than I like being all commercial about marketing my books. (You have to decide on your own if you want them.) I like to give information that would have been helpful when I was starting out, but wasn't there then. Judging by the traffic through First Draft, it seems there is some interest in this information.

A word about following blogs. Even if you blog on one of the other formats, become a follower on the blogger blogs you read. Why? Because people who are looking for blogs do click on those links to see if you are 'like-minded' and find your blog. I also visit the blogs of people who comment on my blog. Those two ways are how I found most of the blogs I read. So if you want your blog found by others, try following blogs that are likely to attract the audience you want.

Good luck and best wishes in obtaining your 2010 blogging goals.

Social media overview here: http://socialmedia.coolpage.biz/blog/

(Don't forget to click on the contest link on the sidebar to the top left of this post.)

My 200th Blog Post!

Here it is! My 200th blog post and not a bright idea for something stellar to write. Sheesh!

All I can say is that it has been quite a year that began April 2, 2009. Of course, the blog party comes to mind as one of the memorable moments. I still can't believe the size of the Blog Party book. We really did have a grand time and it is because of everyone who participated that it was such a success.

I certainly went out of my comfort zone to do this blog on my own as much as possible, since I rely so completely on my web designer, Joyce over at DesignByJoyce.com. She fixes things I do all over the net, not just my own website, which I think is fantastic (this is my third redesign for http://www.nadinelamanbooks.com/). She did some of the graphics on the sidebar of this blog too.

I've laughed at the fact that I rapidly gained 45 followers and when I go over that mark, people un-follow. Hope it isn't personal???

FIRST DRAFT was my official coming out as being dyslexic. In many ways, it is no big deal to me since this is my normal. In other ways, it was admitting a point of embarrassment as a child and sometimes a reason for abuse by my teachers and a few peers. I hope though, in the end, it shows that if I can write novels, and write them well, that anyone who aspires to be a writer can be, if they pay their dues and pursevere.

In my typical sloppy sentimental way, I want to say 'thank you' to everyone who takes the time to read my blog and my books. You have made the time FIRST DRAFT takes well worth the journey.

Now I look forward to starting a small publishing company in 2010, Cactus Rain Publishing, that is different from any other company I know. It is a new model and there will be more innovative projects coming in the years ahead. I hope you will take this journey with me as we laugh at my goofs and celebrate all of our successes.

I love you guys. Sounds strange, but even though many of us have not met, I do love you.

Leaving a legacy or living a legacy?

In the comment section yesterday, Stephanie Faris said... "It's all about leaving a legacy behind after we're gone. I often wonder...will these blogs and comments still be here 100 years from now? Will people study us to learn more about what it was like living in this century?"

I don't think these blogs (or their comments) will be here in 100 years. They might be archived in some way. I often think that the system could go down and everything lost from before as it comes back up. It happened once my first day as a moderator over at My Writers Circle dot com forum. That is one reason that I'm putting the blog party into book format.

I remember the 386 computer and the large floppy discs. Thank God, it was only months before windows arrived, because I was no good at DOS. My hubby's first computer had punch cards. Can you imagine? I miss the 3.5 discs and we seem to have a hard time sharing our external 3.5 driver (someone takes it to his office and leaves it there and the person he shares with - me - bought it, so I expect sharing to mean it is here part of the time).

Now we have thumb drives and they last a nano second in the big scheme of my needs for data storage. I have never found the CD back up to be worth the trouble. As a matter of fact, I've become horrible about backing up my computer because of them.

I just purchased an external drive back up and have not been able to get it to perform to my expectations based on the cost. Maybe I'll go by Staples and see if they still sell the 3.5 discs.

What I do part of the time with a few important files to email them to myself from my desk top to my lap top computers.

It is hard to imagine that not everything we do will be kept. NASA didn't keep the original tape of the moon walk, so what is the likelihood that what I write will be kept. I do hope a copy or two of my printed books survive a hundred years, someone's will.

Learn more about Stephanie here: http://www.blogger.com/profile/10461865229341760836

Friendship Award

Ella, blogging The Clock Monkey, shared the "Let's Be Friends" award she received. Thank you, Ella, I accept your friendship and the award.

Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers.

Now, it is my honor and privilege to pass on this award to eight other bloggers:

Carolyn 'Carrie' Sheppard, fiction author, blogging The Somewhat Odd Life of a Folk Musician http://ukfolkie.blogspot.com/

Jeannine Garsee, YA author for Bloomsbury USA, blogging Elusive Sanity http://onegrapeshy.livejournal.com/

Carolyn Howard-Johnson, fiction & non-fiction author and poet, blogging War, Peace, Tolerance and Our Soldiers http://warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com/

June Austin, non-fiction author, blogging Podding Along Nicely http://juneaustin.blogspot.com/

Dr. Nidhi Dhawan, fiction writer, blogging Incontinent Pen! http://incontinentpen.blogspot.com/

Joy Collins, fiction author, blogging Joyful Thoughts http://joycollins.blogspot.com/

Marsha Stewart, professional photographer and writer, blogging Prairie http://prairie.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Susan Gabriel, fiction author, blogging Susan Gabriel author http://www.susangabriel.com/blog

Barbara, fiction writer, blogging Everything Victorian http://myvictorianbooks.blogspot.com/

Anita Davison, fiction author, blogging The Disorganised Author http://thedisorganisedauthor.blogspot.com/

AND HONORARY MENTION, Ella, fan fiction writer, blogging The Clock Monkey http://theclockmonkey2.blogspot.com/2009/06/my-first-award.html

Congratulations, best wishes.

Sheesh!

This is too funny for comment. Go look.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/14/how-the-kindle-now-lets-you-steal-this-blog/

or this one: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/18/AR2009051802637.html

Writing forums, newsletters, links...

I've been asked lots writing questions in the last two weeks. There is no particular reason for that, as far as I can tell. But...here is some information.

I know there are a lot of non-writing readers on my list. Please send this blog link to the people on your email list - you may have friends and family who are closet writers, thinking about writing, or openly writing. Let's get them connected to the good stuff in this industry and help them avoid some of the scams. No one has money to waste. Friends look out for their friends.

Forums: I only recommend two writer's forums. There are other good forums, but here are my picks: Backspace (www.bksp.org) which has a small fee (Well worth it. Lots of serious -- and successful writers here), and My Writers Circle (www.mywriterscircle.com) a less formal, very international free forum. (And sometimes a wild free-for-all in the coffee shop.) This is the one I helped moderate at one time.

Newsletters: I support many fellow writers' newsletters, so don't be upset if I don't list yours at this time. I'm keeping the list short for now, and going specifically for those newsletters geared toward information beginning writers will find useful. If you are looking for newsletters geared for publishing or promoting, or basic BS (but good BS), email me and I'll give you those links.

How to tell a great story: In the latest issue is a link to an interview of ME! Whaa-hoo! and info about the eight types of pronouns. (Personally, I'm a fan of the 48 prepositions, but pronouns are nice too.) www.howtotellagreatstory.com/byot/byot125.html

Wow! Women On Writing (Okay, this one even looks girly, but there is info guy writers can use too) www.wow-womenonwriting.com

Learn the industry: This is from the UK and covers US trade too. Less biased than many US industry newsletters. I read this daily. www.booktrade.info/subscribe

This one is US info; good stuff: agentquery.com/genre_descriptions.aspx

Blogs: Gosh, I love mine. Since it seems I'm still mentoring or coaching...(I wanta coach's whistle! - no, don't dare send me one, I'm being funny.) I add to my blog at MN Arizona time, 8 AM GMT (M-F). I've decided to post these sorts of informational blog posts periodically.

Watch this space. I'd like to get away from mailing out bulk notices. Subscribe to my newsletter and follow my blog M-F, and you will periodically find info about writing or publishing, or perhaps get some ideas from the stuff I'm doing. I've never charged a fee for consulting. This seems the best way to provide and store the information online. Email me or leave a comment on my blog, if you have something to say about this.

I do not allow people to solicit my endorsements. My endorsement is earned. Sometimes, I change my mind and withdraw my endorsement. If you have any problems with anyone I recommend, let me know. Rant all you want. I want to know.

As I said in the beginning, pass this link to your email list and ask them to pass it on. Why? Because it might help an aspiring writer out there who is secretly struggling. This is a hard row to hoe at times, especially alone at the beginning.

Don't come crying to me if someone you know gets scammed and taken to the cleaners when you could have simply forwarded this link. Lend a hand. Friends look out for each other.

Blogs are a first draft environment

I've been a 'member' of Blogger since 2007, but created my blog in 2009. It isn't that it took two years to compose this first entry. I simply didn't want to blog. That's even in my newsletter: http://www.nadinelamanbooks.com/. (I guess I'll be changing that now.)

The biggest issue that deterred me from blogging was I have an opinion on nearly everything. That doesn't necessarily mean I should voice it. I don't know if it can be blamed entirely on being dyslexic, but I often see things much different from the accepted norm. At any rate, that trait has caused plenty of 'stir' and it isn't always a good thing.

The other issue about blogging is dealing with that pesky dyslexia. I'm sure there are specific factors documented somewhere on why dyslexia is not static. Some days my brain fires on all cylinders and some days -- well, my spark plugs need re-gapped. (Don't worry if you didn't understand that reference. You'll either get used to my metaphors or move on.)

And that is the first draft of my first entry.