Exploring the creativity of the #CreativeLife (Part 1 of 4)

 This month we are going explore creativity a bit more. What is creativity and how does it work. We are also going to explore some things that many people do not consider to be a creative activity but when you understand the fundamental idea, you might change your mind too (as I did).

Today we are looking at how creativity is defined by multiple sources.

CREATIVE: “Creating, able to create, inventive, imaginative, showing imagination as well as routine skill.” (Oxford Concise Dictionary, 1983)

CREATIVE: “Involving the use of skill and the imagination to produce something new or a work or art; having the skill and ability to produce something new, especially a work of art.” (Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 2015)

CREATIVITY: “Creativity is an action, not a feeling.” (The Practice, Seth Godin, 2020)

Commit yourself to do the work instead of waiting for some feeling to tell you that its time to create. (paraphrased from The Practice)

CREATIVITY: “Creativity, ..., is a process by which a symbolic domain in the culture is changed.” (Creativity, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 2013 ed)

Note: a symbolic domain is described as music, physics, art, etc.

Our daily supply of attention is limited and we need to decided how much of this limited resource we are going to spend on the creative process. Because it is a learning process. We need to learn the fundamentals before we can create something new.

🎻 A musician learns musical notation, instrument skills, understand the genre, then create.

📚 A writer learns what makes for good storytelling, style, grammar, plot, dialogue and so on, and then creates the manuscript.

🎨 The artist learns to draw, how to use the tools, studies styles and techniques, and mediums and then creates. (paraphrased with a few extra examples.)

That's a real mouthful, but next time we will leave the academics behind and explore creativity from a practical perspective.

Stay healthy, and live creatively until Monday!

●︙● Linzé 🇿🇦💜

PS: Newsletter out next Monday.

The #CreativeLife 2021- review of week 4

The week started off all guns blazing or is it all radars scanning? LOL! I am busy testing a golf ball tracking radar, and after carrying it around for a bit on Friday, I can attest to the fact that it is heavy. Good exercise! 😂

   We had our tag challenge due this week and I am happy with how mine turned out. I used a serviette, textured paste with a stencil, and then painted it with gold acrylics to add some accents. The challenge for February is going to be fun too. I created the tag challenge because the tags are small and small projects are less intimidating.

My January tag

   With more work coming in soon, I had to spend some time helping to work out a few quotations for a company that manufacturers a huge range of products. Will be fun to get those products in the lab soon.

   If you read the news recently you will have seen that South Africa was hit by a tropical storm that hit land in Mozambique to the east of us. Where I live we have only been receiving loads of rain, although the parts of the country directly bordering Mozambique have been hit hard by floods and high winds. If you are a praying person, please think of the people who were hit by this disaster on top of the current pandemic.

  

   I promised to keep these posts short, so I am stopping here, for now. In February we are going explore creativity a bit more, so remember to subscribe to be notified when the post is live.

   I am also going to add a link or two from people or websites that you might like to follow if you are a crafter, artist, or creative person who likes to learn new things like I do.

In the meantime you can check out this course about Becoming Creative on Udemy.com (I get no financial benefits if you decide to purchase this course, I just liked it.)

Stay healthy, and live creatively until Thursday!

●︙● Linzé 🇿🇦💜

Eating the elephant - one bite at a time: achieving big goals in the #CreativeLife

 You have probably heard this saying about eating an elephant many times before it is especially true for our topic today. We set big goals for ourselves then procrastinate in working at them.  Maybe they are too overwhelming, or scary, or seem unachievable. But they don't have to be.

Big goals or goals that take time are necessary to challenge ourselves to grow as human beings. Without these challenges, we stagnate as humans. The same goes for creativity. If you don't continue to learn and push outside your comfort zone, you will never become a better artist, writer, sculptor, or poet. Or engineer for that matter.

But these big goals are scary, and they can cause us to become paralyzed in our journey towards achieving them. Although I have been drawing and painting actively for seven years, portraits scare me. And one medium in particular: coloured pencil portraits. I have done ink, graphite, and watercolour portraits without (too much) fear. But something about coloured pencil portraits twists my stomach into knots. So I decided it was time to tackle this goal this year. (There is a deadline attached to this goal, in case you are wondering.)

Since I have some experience in drawing other subjects with coloured pencils (in fact I love them), I had an inkling of where to start. So I made a todo list if you like.

The bitesize steps

Caran D'Ache Luminance pencils on
PrimeArt 265gsm paper

Last week I did step 1 - swatching the set of coloured pencils I want to use. It may sound like a trivial activity, but knowing what the medium looks like on paper, is an important step. But also for me, it helps me to get a feel for the medium. Unlike paints, a dry medium like coloured pencils has direct feedback to your hand from the paper.

Step 2 (planned for the next few days) is to choose the colours and practice with them (applications and blending) on the actual paper I want to draw the portrait. This step is also necessary since I have different types of pencils, each interacting differently with the various paper surfaces.

There are a few more steps in this process to learn to draw a portrait in coloured pencil. My journey towards that big goal is not the same as yours, even if we have the same goal. I suggest that you take a few minutes and plan the steps to achieve that goal, because, in the end, you are going to be ecstatic when you achieve it.

Remember to stay healthy, and live creatively until Monday!

●︙● Linzé  🇿🇦💜

The #CreativeLife 2021- review of week 3

The week started off okay, with work to do and the prospect of a few hours of drawing and painting. I finished the preliminary inking of the bridge painting, and we started adding watercolours on Thursday evening. But on Friday morning things went downhill really fast.

I woke up exhausted. Not that unusual for someone struggling with hypoglycaemia. But what was unusual was that having a good breakfast (low GI cereal, nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, coconut shavings, blackberries and blueberries, mixed with almond milk) had no impact because an hour later I was still feeling crap.

I decided to have coffee and two tiny hotdogs, (these mini rolls are from our local supermarket) spread with vegan butter, peanut butter, and a squish of syrup). Again an hour later, still really tired. Trust me, I was getting worried.

By now, I had tried to write the report of the tests I had done on Wednesday and Thursday, but I couldn't concentrate. Report writing is tedious, but there were still calculations to be done, so I had to concentrate to ensure that I didn't make mistakes. I gave up and decided to work on a simple drawing where I had already done the pencil outline. It helped me to relax, and with no expectations about finishing it, it turned out really well.

Lunch was stir-fried veggies and leftover jasmine rice that I heated up again. I added two eggs for some protein. I was trying to cheat my taste buds into thinking that it was a Chinese takeaway meal. It didn't taste too bad, I have to say.

It was a difficult day, but eventually, my body recovered and I felt okay after dinner. Lots of calories for sure, but the scale did not punish me too much on Saturday morning.

The planning for this week:

1. Finish that report will be my priority and then plan the tests on the next job as soon as I have all the samples and paperwork.

2. Since I usually finish the drawing for the Inktober52 prompt on Sundays, I have to do that as well. The deadline is Thursday, so enough time to get it done. I have found a reference image, I just have to do the drawing. I finished the outline yesterday.

3. For our art session on Thursday evening, I want to finish the bridge painting, but I will see how far everyone's progressed, to not work too fast.

Take care, stay healthy, and live creatively until Thursday!

●︙● Linzé  🇿🇦💜

Track your progress, the one thing that helps the #CreativeLife

 Even though I don't use a bullet journal, I do keep track of my progress on my goals and the challenges that I take part in. My preferred method is using a spreadsheet. I use OpenOffice, but you can use any application you like or a bullet journal. The important thing is to track your progress.

Of course, not every day is a successful day, and then the progress you have made so far helps to remind yourself of what you have accomplished so far.

The year is still young, but tracking your progress will help you to keep going. My spreadsheet is set up with graphs that provide immediate visual feedback when I update it.

Like many of you, I need to lose weight, but as you undoubtedly know, it is not easy. At my age, it is more challenging. But I have made progress, and the most important thing is that the weight I have lost in 2020 is still “lost”.

Yes, I did not achieve the goal I set for myself, and some days it is difficult to say no to my favourite snacks. The important thing is not to give up, and that downward moving graph helps me to not give up.

What do I track?

My weight-loss is but one goal. I also plan for 6 hours doing art or craft every week. Exercise and meditation time is also on my spreadsheet. So are the Inktober weekly prompts, and the posts for this blog.

By putting my progress out there, in a graph, helps me to keep to my goals, and often exceeding them.

Have a look at your progress so far in 2021, and consider tracking your goals to help keep you motivated.

Stay healthy, and live creatively until Monday!

●︙● Linzé  🇿🇦✑💜

The #CreativeLife 2021- review of week 2

Welcome back to my blog and the review of week 2 of 2021.

What I planned for last week:

Work: Finish the tests on a device used in vehicles.

Art and craft: 6 hours

What I did last week:

Work: A few things went wrong on the vehicle device, and the client wanted the units back to upgrade them before I can finish the tests. The next samples are only coming this week for tests, so I did not have much else to do except answer a few emails and help with some technical questions.

Art/craft: With more hours to myself, I spent about 18 hours drawing and painting. One of the coffee-dyed papers was made into an envelope for a page in my personal journal.

Envelope made from coffee-dyed paper
stamped with VersaMagic ink

I also worked on the #inktober52 prompt due this week, so check out my Instagram for the drawing.

My art group and I are working on an ink and wash painting of a bridge. I will post a picture when it's done. It will take about another 2 weeks because I don't work ahead since my friends are learning new techniques and I support their art journey as best I can.

A few thoughts about the second week

Despite having more time to play in my workshop, I have to confess to procrastinating and watching YouTube videos for a day or so. In my defence, I also attended an online art class in watercolour painting.

I also went shopping at my favourite art store, since I needed a new sketchbook it is a favourite and they don't seem to get new stock from the supplier these days. Maybe Covid, or maybe something else. I did find a larger size than what I wanted, but that's okay, I can always cut it into smaller pieces.

If you are an artist or crafter, you will understand when I say that while I got my sketchbook in the second aisle of the store, I spent over an hour there just browsing and seeing what other new stuff they have. Yeah, I can never resist any art, craft or stationary shop.

This week there will be more work and less time to play, but I have to start earning my paycheck, LOL!

On a more personal note: I lost a cousin to Covid-19 this past week. We were not close at all, but it was still not good news. This virus definitely made an impact in many areas of my life as I am sure it did yours.

So please stay healthy, and live creatively until Thursday!

●︙● Linzé 🇿🇦💜

Planning the practical side of the #CreativeLife

 If you are expecting a post about my bullet journal and how I spend hours every month drawing and colouring many lovely pages, I am going to disappoint you. Bullet journaling in that style is not my style.

I use a plain diary/planner with a week to a view. They change every year since I don't prefer a specific brand or style. This year I am using one from my local Typo store. I divided every weekday with a pencil line into three columns.

The left-hand column is for tasks like writing this blog post, and my inktober prompt for the week. The right-hand column is for the work I do at the lab. The middle column is for chores, the odometer readings for the days that I go to the lab (I keep a logbook for tax purposes), and other tasks required for my own business.

Linzé's planner for 2021

I keep it simple; the decoration you see are just stickers from my huge collection suitable for planners.

Here you see my next week's planner. I cannot show a week with actual detail because I use the names of the companies I work with.

Of course, there is a list of things that have to be done this year, like renewing my car's licence, but those I only schedule in the month when it has to be done.

But if you like a bullet journal and enjoy setting it up with more details and designs, then you may want to check out these YouTubers - TorrynMarie and JashiiCorrin. Both ladies design a bullet setup for every month, although with very different styles.

Stay healthy, and live creatively until Monday!

●︙● Linzé

The #CreativeLife 2021: review of week 1

Setting intentions means that you have to regularly check up on yourself. 

What I planned for last week:

Work: Finish the tests and the report of a job from 2020.

Art and craft: 6 hours

What I did last week:

Work: I finished the tests as planned but struggled with writing the report. Friday was such a frustrating day, but I eventually made some progress by late afternoon.   It was not the report's fault, I assure you. It happens sometimes, but I will get it done.

Art / craft: I ended up spending about 11 hours working on a drawing, and coffee dyeing a piece of fabric and a few pages of white printer paper.

I worked on the #inktober52 prompt due this week, although I will only post it later today or tomorrow.

I also worked in one of my art journals. As a practicing Stoic, I have an art journal specific to exploring some aspects of stoicism to help with both my study and my understanding. I only work in the stoicism art journal occasionally.

A few thoughts about the first week

As far as first weeks go, this one was not too bad. It never fails to surprise me that the first day back at work always feels like the break never happened. Of course it is just a story I tell myself, but by the end of the first week, things are usually back to the hectic schedule before the Christmas break.

Self-care is part of my #CreativeLife, but more about that in a future post.

Stay safe and healthy, and live creatively until Thursday!

●︙● Linzé 🇿🇦💜

Planning the week ahead for a #CreativeLife

Like everything I have to do whether it be work, shopping, washing the dishes, or drawing the next inktober52 prompt, I have to allocate time for it in my weekly schedule.

The problem we all have is that we have only 24 hours in a day. You may assume that since I am self-employed, I can allocate my hours in any way I want, and in some ways it is true. But it is not that simple.

My job is to work with other companies and their products, which means that I cannot call a client with a question at 3am because I prefer to work night owl hours. I love my job, and scheduling meetings and other client interactions require planning especially if I have to contact them during business hours.

But being self-employed is not only about the work, but there are also several other activities required. Think of all the kinds of company taxes, invoicing, following up on a non-payment, and so on that most of us dislike. Running a successful business, however, means that these tasks also have to be scheduled and done.

Planning is essential for other aspects of my life too. In my last post, I mentioned that I do not plan to do any specific art project, but after thinking a bit about this, I realised that it is not 100% true.

I do schedule time to work on prompts like the weekly inktober52 challenge. I plan for playtime in my workshop to try out new materials or new techniques without a specific project in mind.

Details will follow in my week-in-review post coming next week.

Stay healthy, and live creatively until Monday!

●︙● Linzé 🇿🇦💜

  

Planning the #CreativeLife today

 The new year is already taking up its fair share of time. I am due to start working again tomorrow, which means that planning becomes more important to make time for drawing and art projects.

Working from home as well as at the lab makes it essential for me to plan for creative time since it is my time to relax and reboot.

Some things are simple to plan like the art sessions I have with a few friends on a Thursday evening. The other regular task to plan is the inktober52 prompt. Since it is a weekly challenge, I have found that I much prefer it to the traditional daily prompts of Inktober during October. But it is still early days, and I might change my mind when October arrives.

Back to planning: I don't plan to create something specific. Instead, I plan to spend at least 6 hours every week doing something creative. The time includes the inktober52 drawing, but it can also be working on a painting, or making and binding a book, or building the model I am busy with.

Since it is Monday, my 6 hours are still ahead, and I can already feel the urge to pick up a pencil to draw.

More about my planning next time. 😃

Stay healthy, and live creatively until Thursday!

●︙● Linzé

Setting an intention - blogging the #CreativeLife

Happy New Year! We have not yet shaken off the vestiges of 2020 just because the calendar ticked over. The pandemic will probably continue to have an influence on our lives for many weeks to come. That does not mean that I cannot make a decision (set an intention) to do a few things differently this year.

My intention for 2021 is to blog twice a week about my #CreativeLife. My twice-weekly tweet at #TheTinyBroom will also continue, as will my monthly newsletter, a Grain of Sand.

Tweets are short, so the blog posts will be a bit more detailed and longer, but I promise it will not take more than 3 minutes to read. Mostly because I know you don't have a lot of time to read stuff, so I am not going to waste your most precious resource with a lot of fluff. This post is probably going to be the longest post of the whole year, except for April, where I plan to take part in the annual Blog Challenge. April's blog posts might be a bit longer, maybe.

So what does it mean to live a creative life?

I am sure that if you have at any point in time read my bio (in my books or my social media profiles), you will know that I am an engineer, an author, and an artist. I am often asked on how I can be self-employed (I have two businesses), write books and also be serious about being an artist. This year of blogging, I am inviting you along on my journey of being me, on living a creative life, while still continuing to learn to improve the person I am.

One exception I have to state upfront: because of the nature of my work, some aspects have to remain confidential but what I can share, I will.

So, here is to 2021 and living the creative life!

Stay healthy, and live creatively until Monday!

💜Linzé

Mindfulness Guest Post Opportunity for Bloggers and Authors

I am looking for guest posts for the month of September. If you like to write about the life of an author or blogger this is an opportunity for you.

The twelfth of September is Mindfulness Awareness day and as a mindfulness practitioner, I want to help spread the word of the benefits of the practice. Mindfulness is the practice of being present and focused in the moment without judgement of yourself or others.

If you are interested in contributing a post about practicing mindfulness in your life as a writer or blogger (or both) then please keep reading.

Here are the requirements:

1. Post must be about your LIFE as a mindfulness practitioner - formally recognised or not.
2. How do you practice being mindful in your daily life - work, kids, relationships, writing, hobbies, art, crafts, household chores, spiritual practice - the works. Some emphasis is required (please) on your writing schedule. Blogging and journaling also count as writing.
3. Pick one day of the week, and tell my readers what your schedule looks like, from waking up to bedtime. Offer lessons learned, benefits gained, what works for you, what doesn't, etc.
4. If you are mindfulness meditation practitioner - please include that in your post.
5. Word count 1500 to 2000 words, minimum. You are welcome to go up to 4k, as long as the post is relevant and keeps to topic.
6. Use references if necessary, and use your own life experiences as the basis for your article.
7. No advertising, but you are encouraged to include links to your website/blog, social media profiles, etc. - max 5 links.
8. Author bio - +/- 300 words, or shorter if you prefer. A recent picture of fairly high resolution - at least 100dpi x 100dpi.
9. Deadline for submissions: 31 August 2019. Please submit your post using the email address in the graphic below. Subject: Mindfulness Post
   

   
   And that is my story for today. For more regular updates follow #TheTinyBroom on Twitter.
   
   Until next time!
   💜 Linzé
   

   

   
   
   
   

A-to-Z Blog Challenge: U is for...unbelievable

I chose unbelievable for my word today, because that is how I felt when I saw the list. Yesterday, I posted my 750th post to this blog. It's true, even though I am not sure quite how all that happened.

Number of posts
per year

I suppose it happened the usual way - one at a time! 😉
Thank you for reading and here is to the next 750. May I continue to strive to not bore you to tears 😂 Cheers! 🍸

💜 Linzé

The Life of a Writer, and Blogger

www.NaNoWriMo.org

November is almost upon us, and in that month I hide in my writing cave, aka my study, to take part in the writing challenge more affectionately know as NaNoWriMo.
Tomorrow there is a book feature post, if you crave the adrenalin rush of being scared (horror fiction), and be sure to get a copy. These authors don't pull any punches, guaranteed!

If horror is not your thing, so much, you can read a few short stories I wrote in the Writers Write 12 Short Stories Challenge so far this year. Varied prompts, varied story lengths and a mix of genres. I took the challenge to stretch my creative wings in this challenge. I hope you will find something you will like too.

Fantasy: https://12shortstories.com/2018/01/24/dragon-key-linze-brandon/

Fantasy: https://12shortstories.com/2018/02/21/just-desserts-by-linze-brandon/

Suspense: https://12shortstories.com/2018/03/21/serve-well-chill…by-linze-brandon/

Modern: https://12shortstories.com/2018/04/18/to-buy-or-not-to…by-linze-brandon/

Romance: https://12shortstories.com/2018/05/16/scars-of-love-by-linze-brandon/

Comedy: https://12shortstories.com/2018/06/13/dont-lose-your-g…by-linze-brandon/

Tongue-in-cheek: https://12shortstories.com/2018/07/11/with-apologies-t…by-linze-brandon/

Adult (18+): https://12shortstories.com/2018/08/08/jacksons-game-by-linze-brandon/

Sci-fi: https://12shortstories.com/2018/09/05/xenacious-reverse-by-linze-brandon

Adventure/mystery: https://12shortstories.com/2018/10/03/finders-keepers-by-linze-brandon/

If you prefer something a bit more real, my other blog might interest you. Why not have a look?

Enjoy the break, and if you are writing along with the rest of 300 000+ Wrimos in November, all the best to you.

Until December!

💜✒️🙋‍♀️ Linzé

Coursework, writing, blogging and life

Photo by Emily Rudolph on Unsplash

I was a bit quiet this week, and not entirely of my own doing. I am doing an online course in Training and Development Management and the homework this past week was a bit more challenging and required more of my time. It is one of those things that you cannot just email the lecturer and tell him: "Sorry, I need more time because my blogs required my attention."

But I have a sneak preview of a new book for you on Tuesday, an interview with author and playwright Dan Weatherer where he reveals the story behind his upcoming book, The Dead Stage.

If you are an author or working on your first book, make sure you bookmark the post, because I will give you a pre-order link very soon.

Speaking of books, I have not only been studying, and the first draft of my next book, Take Your Journal to the Next Level is now at 69% complete. If you are a journal writer, and you live in Pretoria keep a lookout for the Facebook invitation to take part in a special project involving this book. But I am not going to reveal all the details yet.

Another exciting thing that is in the making is the republication of Negotiating the Maze - from self-published writer to successful authorpreneur. The ebook was withdrawn after Pronoun went under, but I have found a new publisher and hope to tell you the good news on where to find the ebook again very soon.

The paperback book is still available for South Africans if you want a signed copy.

The library indie book fair will take place again in November, and my place is secured. But more on that closer to the date.

Enough of all the exciting things going on right now. I have a book to write and more coursework coming in the week ahead.

Until next time!

Linzé

PS: I have another blog about life, wellness and life coaching. Take a look here.

35 Day Blog Challenge - Day 35: A Writer's Journey

While writing a post for this challenge, a few days ago, I reached a total word count of 1.8 million words. I was quite surprised when I updated my word count spreadsheet to see that it had actually happened. One moment I was a few thousand words short, the next moment...there it was.

It is something I started about two years ago after a Facebook friend mentioned her lifetime word count. Since I still had every manuscript I had written on my backup drive (I changed computers a few times over the years) it was purely a matter of opening each file and recording the word count on the spreadsheet.

While I include the word count of blog posts (it is creative writing after all), it accounts for less than ten percent of the total number of words.

In the overall scheme of things, this number of 1.8 million doesn't mean anything. What keeping track does show me, is how many words I write per day, on average. Right at the beginning I was still feeling my way around at creative writing and have only been a serious writer for the past four years. This is evident in my daily average number of words that have more than doubled from where I had started fifteen years ago.

I personally believe that it is not only the number of words that I have written over the years, that has helped me improve as a writer. What stands out to me is that it has become a daily necessity to me, to write. A habit has been established, and it is the habit that grows my word count.

Of course, doing 50,000 words in one month makes a significant contribution, but if it is only 50k in one year, there is no real habit, no real growth. At least not for me.

Anyone can write 1667 words per day for 30 days. The true test comes if you can write 500 words per day for 365 days. It is not the 500 words that is the issue but establishing the discipline of writing each day.

My daily average this year is 740 words per day. During NaNoWriMo months, the average goes higher, but that is temporary and I don't worry about it.

At 740 words per day, I can write 270,000 in a year. This translates to 30,000 words for blog posts (+/- 300 words twice per week) and two full-length novels of 120k words each.

Just looking at these numbers is enough to make my pants shake, and yet that is what I do.

I don't see a huge mountain of words rising before me, I read the numbers as they fall behind me. Because, like any other goal, I take it one step - or rather one sentence at a time.

This has been 35 days of sharing some of the things that I have learned on my journey as a writer. Thank you for being on this blog challenge journey with me. Until next time!

35 Day Blog Challenge - Day 34: The Last Word - Back Matter

About the Author

This may be the last paragraph in your book, but do not disregard its importance. The About the Author paragraph (or two) provides your reader a personal view into the person whose book they have just finished reading.

What should this paragraph entail? It is entirely up to you, but here are a few pointers to help you decide how to word your Author Bio:

1. Don't lie about yourself. This does not mean that you have tell all, but don't say things that are not true to make yourself sound more important or more educated.
2. Don't brag. It is all good and well that you have a PhD, but you can word it in such a way that people won't feel inferior to you when they read it. You want to come across as someone that your readers can relate to, PhD notwithstanding.
3. Share something that you are interested in. A hobby or two, or something that you like to do with your family.
4. Keep the bedroom door closed. While the sex lives of celebrities might be fascinating to the tabloids, you do not want to air your bed sheets in public. It is bad enough that the perception exists that any and all sex scenes in books are based on the writer's own experiences. It is not true for the majority of writers, but even if it is the truth in your case, refrain from mentioning that.
5. Since you are a writer, don't forget to mention something about how you got started, or what made you write your first story.
6. Keep it short. This is not the time for colourful prose and literary thoughts. Keep it under 200 words as far as possible.
7. Social media contact details. Add you four (maximum) best social media profile links of which one should be your blog or website. 

For print books a photograph can be added, but check the ebook requirements as some platforms may not allow another graphic aside from the cover to be part of the published files.

35 Day Blog Challenge - Day 32: To Submit or Not to Try?

For some unknown reason, people are scared to enter writing competitions. I say why not? If you win you get all kinds of exposure, if not a publishing contract. And, it saves you the pain and sleepless nights of having to write a query letter, which seems to be worse than writing an actual novel. There is no pitching an agent or editor, or any of those worries about what they will think of you.

The competitions are judged anonymously, and you don't have to do anything except submit a story, long or short.

The downside is that most of the time they don't talk to you either, i.e. there is no feedback. Although there are competitions where feedback is provided, so even that one is no longer an excuse.

The only problem I have with submitting to writing competitions is timing. They always come at the worst times. Either because my next novel is not yet ready for a submission (not finished writing that is) or I don't have a short story on hand that fit the scope of the competition, or there isn't time to write a story, at least a decent one that is.

However, when the opportunity arises, there I go, boots and all! You never know what will happen. And if you don't submit, your chance of winning are zero. Yip, nothing. So grab that story, give it another edit, and submit it. You might be the next winner!

Pop around tomorrow for more mad mutterings on my Broomstick!

If you want to see what the other participants are blogging about, you can find their blogs here. Why not pop on over and leave a comment?

35 Day Blog Challenge - Day 31: Blogging a Book

In a chat group someone asked the other day how does one blog a book, or do you just write posts about the book for marketing purposes? Personally I think you can go either way, but as a writer, trying to establish yourself? Write a book.
It can be fiction or non-fiction, both can work wonderfully as a series of blog posts. Just one thing to remember: once posted it is considered published because it will be in the public domain. So no entering competitions where it explicitly states 'not published before'. Competitions can be funny that way, but the rules are the rules.
On the other hand, if people like your blog posts, ie your book very much, they will tell you. 

To give an example: Yip I have one of those on hand - my friend, Vanessa Wright, wrote a series of posts about her Muse. And they were not only very funny, people like them so much that they had been pestering her to publish them in a book.
And to keep things interesting, she added a few stories, not on her blog - now, that's the part that will sell the book. People have seen and loved her posts, and the book will give them more of that.
Well, the good news is she is busy with the final edits, the cover looks amazing, and hopefully soon I will be able to twist her arm to let me introduce her muse to you right here on the Broomstick.

My attempt to complete a non-fiction book has been done the same way. Using the 35 Day Author Blog Challenge I have written several posts to be included in the book. Some of the posts were edited before inclusion, simply because of the style, but others were used as is.
One or two posts were expanded because I don't like long-winded blog posts, but the topic required more detail before it would have worked for the book.

Whichever way you decide to use your blog to write a book, enjoy the process and may your readers enjoy the journey with you!

35 Day Blog Challenge - Day 30: Blogging to share

As I have taken part in this Author Blog Challenge, I have noticed that some of the blog sites cannot be shared. If I found a post interesting, I had to copy the link and then go to Google+ (where I prefer to share blog posts) to share the link there.

This posed two problems:

I had to this manually. I don't mind, but it could have saved time if I had the opportunity to just click, and the post would be shared automatically.

This brings me to the second problem: the blogger didn't know that I shared his or her post. Without the link on the blog, I would have to tag the blogger in the share to let them know what I did. Since some bloggers don't have their names visible on their blogs, or they don't have a profile on Google+, it was not possible for me to to that.

I have been fortunate that people shared my posts on social media sites, including Google+, but four days ago, a visitor made the comment that she couldn't reblog my post. This was a surprise, since I didn't know how to allow that by means of a app or widget to be clicked.

After a little research (and a very helpful blog) I learned that it was a little more complicated than activating an app to share my posts.

You have to understand that while I trained as an electronics engineer, programming and software code was never my strong point. So when the blog said, go HTML and edit that code, I went ice cold. Fiddling around with software code could create all kinds of havoc, which I simply do not have the patience or knowledge to fix.

But, I have to mention in my defence, I can read a mean instruction manual. Which I did. As holding my breath, thumbs, toes and a few unmentionables, I click save after adding the extra code.

There were no fireworks, or alarm bells screaming at me. Neither was there any smoke pouring out of the keyboard or flashing screens with all kinds of errors in my face.

So far so good. And then I tested it, again too anxious to rush into the process. Too weird! It worked!

It doesn't matter which platform your blog is hosted on, add those social media and reblog buttons, you never know who might want to share your words with the world.

This week is the last of days of the 35 Day Author Blog Challenge and I want to personally thank everyone taking part in the challenge for all the terrific posts you had written. I trust you will enjoy my last five posts too.

If you want to see what the other participants are blogging about, you can find their blogs here. Why not pop on over and leave a comment?