Reflections on writing

Are You Critical of Others? @NonnieJules @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA @4WillsPub @4WP11 #RRBC #RWISA

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Someone, probably my Mom, once told me that when you point your finger at someone in criticism, you’re pointing three fingers back at yourself. I believe most of us like to think we aren’t critical of others, but is that true? Nonnie Jules, who is as honest with herself as she is with others, shares our common flaw, and gives us a great tool to rid ourselves of it! I’ve copied it and plan to use it daily. Read on…

Watch Nonnie Write!

I woke up this morning with a question in my head. Nonnie, are you critical of others? Now, don’t confuse this with being honest in a book review, please. (You all knew I would clarify that, right?) What I was asking myself was, do I find that I sit (or stand) in judgement of others? Because I posed this question to myself in my mirror, it was on my spirit that I share it with you and ask you the same question…

Do you find that you sit (or stand) in judgement of others? Do you find that you do it often?

Do you find yourself in a restaurant looking at someone who might have a few extra pounds on them, wondering why they are returning to the buffet table for a third time? Or, do you wonder why they are at a buffet in the first place?

Do you…

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WRITING AND PRE-RELEASE DAY CHECKLIST

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The manuscript is finished and you’ve decided to Indie publish. So what do you do next? My friend, published Author D.L. Finn, has a handy checklist for you…

Story Empire

Hi SEers! Denise here to talk about an exciting and stressful time, getting a book ready for release.

After you receive your book back from beta readers, if you do that, made your final revisions, and checked it over just one more time—it’s ready to go to your editor. An editor is the one step I recommend you never skip. Even though there are many programs to run it through, they still miss things.

What should you do while you wait for your book to be edited? Here are a few suggestions.

TO DO LIST

  • If you have not done so, now is the time to create a cover or have it done.
  • Do you have a blurb?
  • Want to do a preorder? You can once you have a cover, blurb, and doable date for release. Here are a few place you can get started: Kindle Publishing (Amazon), Smashwords, or IngramSparks

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You’re #TraditionallyPublished? But Why Do I Need To Know That? @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA

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Traditionally published or independently published? Does it matter? Author Nonnie Jules lays it out for us in this no-nonsense comparison. I know what I choose!

Watch Nonnie Write!

You all are begging me to write this post, aren’t you?  Yes, you really are!  If I see one more bio or tweet that says #TraditionallyPublishedAuthor, I am literally going to scream!

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What exactly does that mean anyway?  What are you trying to tell us?  Does that mean that your books are better than #IndiePublished books?

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Seriously?  Is that what you fell for?  Ha!  Well, they fooled you, honey, so please wipe that silly look off your face; and close your mouth.

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Here are the facts…

*They say that being traditionally published brings prestige.  Well, maybe 15-20 years ago it did. Listen, saying to me that you’re traditionally published, is going to get you the same reaction as one of those Sunday-only Christians telling me they live in church all week.  (FYI, I watch my purse closer in church than I would if I frequented a smoke-filled bar 5…

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D.L. Finn’s #newrelease A VOICE IN THE SILENCE

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Do you love animals? D.L. Finn’s new release has some exceptional animals you’ll fall in love with! Add some paranormal, a sprinkling of scifi, and a compelling mystery, and …. See for yourself!

Staci Troilo

Ciao, amici! Today I’m happy to invite friend, fellow author, and Story Empire colleague D.L. Finn back to my blog. I trust most of you are familiar with her and her work. For those of you who aren’t, you’ll find her down-to-earth nature and whimsical imagination impossible to resist. Today, she’s here to discuss her latest release, A Voice in the Silence. Please join me in giving her a warm welcome.

Thank you for having me on your amazing blog, Staci, to share the release of “A Voice in the Silence.”

A Voice in the Silence Unusual stray animals... Her husband's best friend... A set of footprints in the snow... Can Drea and her loved ones survive the danger that surrounds them? When nothing is what it seems... except survival. D.L. Finn's new cozy paranormal release.

A dog, cat, and rat are characters in A Voice in the Silence and are based on my pets. Our family has been blessed with many amazing dogs. Our first pup Butch, a collie-mix, went everywhere with us and loved to play hide and seek with my husband. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body. Cher…

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MKTG #15 – Paid Book Blog Tours

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Authors, do you need more exposure for your books? Jan Sikes explores this method, but also gives us links to more of her informative marketing posts. This is a MUST READ!

Story Empire

Hello, SE’ers! It’s Jan again. My last marketing post about doing book blog tours raised a universal question. Since we tend to pretty much follow the same bloggers, how do we widen our circle and gain new readers?

Courtesy Pixabay

In response to the question, the most effective answer seemed to be paid blog tours. Let me make a disclaimer here. I have not actually tried any of the tours I’m going to share with you today. But that’s not to say with the next release I won’t try some of them. I do think it’s a great way to find new readers and new followers.

I gathered this list of services from other authors whom I know and trust their experience and opinions.

Each promotion has specific guidelines so just check them out thoroughly before you choose one.

Goddess Fish Promotions has successfully coordinated more than 3600 tours in…

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A Cheat Sheet on Body Language for Writers

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How many ways can you describe a character’s emotions? John Howell shares a handy cheat sheet for writers in this informative post. I know I’ll be using it! Thanks, John!

Story Empire

Pixabay image

Hi SEers. John with you today.

As a wrap-up to the subject of gestures (or beats) to convey non-verbal communication, I found a great cheat sheet for writers on body language. The cheat sheet is below the text and was developed by ArchetypeWriting.com.

The cheat sheet can be used in developing characterizations beyond having to explain just how your character is feeling. I hope you find this cheat sheet useful and perhaps dig deeper into the subject of body language.

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I became more confident in using beats to convey my character’s emotions in looking into this subject. However, I got a comment from a beta reader on my next book that maybe I went a little too overboard on the beats. There is always a warning on using any of the writing tools. The writer should use moderation with all of them.

How about you? Let us hear…

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WRITING AND THE COMMA

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I don’t know about you, but I often misplace commas when I write. My friend and fellow author Denise has some great advice about how to figure it out. Did I need a comma in that sentence? Hmmm.

Story Empire

Hi SEers! Denise here to talk about one of the grammatical things that give me trouble, commas!

Definition of comma
noun
the sign (,), a mark of punctuation used for indicating a division in a sentence, as in setting off a word, phrase, or clause, especially when such a division is accompanied by a slight pause or is to be noted in order to give order to the sequential elements of the sentence. It is also used to separate items in a list, to mark off thousands in numerals, to separate types or levels of information in bibliographic and other data, and, in Europe, as a decimal point…
—Dictionary.com

The comma has many uses, which added to my confusion. A teacher once told my English class, way back in the 1970s, to put the comma in the sentence where you naturally pause when speaking. That never worked for me. I…

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In Honor of #RRBC’s Random Acts of Kindness Day, Meet Author, Robbie Cheadle and all her #books! #RAOK @RRBC_Org @BakeandWrite @RobertaEaton17

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In honor of RRBC’s Random Acts of Kindness Day, Nonnie Jules shines a light on Robbie Cheadle, an amazing author and great person! And for your reading pleasure, a snippet from Robbie’s entry in RRBC’s latest anthology…

Watch Nonnie Write!

I’m sure Robbie Cheadle has been at my place before, but today, I’d like to shine a light on her and her written works, in honor of RRBC’S RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY!

Friends, meet my dear friend, Robbie…

Robbie Cheadle

Robbie is such a generous, loving and caring person, there was no way I was going to let this day go by, without sharing her (again) with all of you!

Robbie has so many books, that I can’t list them all here for you, but click…

HERE to visit her Amazon Author Central Page!

HERE to visit her RRBC Author Page

Robbie recently submitted a piece for our MEMORIES OF MOM Rave Soup For The Writer’s Soul Anthology, 2022 at RRBC, and here is just a snippet of her piece called THE NEW BABY…

When I was a little girl of nearly four years old, my sister, Catherine, was born. She…

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STORY SETTINGS AND POETRY

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What do story settings and poetry have in common? When they’re done right, the reader becomes immersed and the story and poetry come to life. My friend and wonderful author, D.L. Finn, has some great advice on how to draw readers in.

Story Empire

Hi SEers! Denise here to talk about story settings and poetry.

Have you ever read a book and come to a passage where the description is so beautiful you had to stop and reflect on it? I have many times. These are words so skillfully written that I can see the sun setting or the grime on the dirty city streets through the character’s eyes. It has brought me into that moment.

A poem can also create a beautiful setting through creative images and carefully chosen words.

In fact, when I see a wonderful setting in a story, I think how poetic.

I’ve found that writing poetry, and the settings in my stories have a lot in common. Both are trying to see a place in someone else’s eyes. They use vivid imagery, emotions, and creative words to capture the reader’s imagination.

A setting in a book is trying to…

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MKTG #14 – Book Blog Tours

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I’ve always approached marketing with fear and trepidation, and the idea of doing a blog tour gets me hyperventilating. Besides being an outstanding author, Jan Sikes is a master at doing blog tours! She makes it fun, and in this article, she shows how it’s done. As a bonus, she added links to her other marketing articles, all of which I plan to visit! Thanks for this, Jan!

Story Empire

Hello, SE’ers! It’s Jan again here to talk about another marketing tool. And it’s one I think most all of you are very familiar with.

Image courtesy Pixabay

First the question.

Are blog tours worth the effort?

I think the answer to that question will be as varied as the people answering, so I will throw out my answer.

With several successful blog tours under my belt, I say a resounding YES!

I’ve learned some things along the way that help make the tour more interesting for the readers, and more manageable for the author. Those tips are what I will share with you today.

  • Content – We’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it, Content is King. If every stop on your book blog tour is the same, it’s boring with a capital B! So each post needs to be unique, entertaining, and engaging.
  • Variety of Hosts – This…

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