C.C. Wiley's Blog, page 7
January 27, 2017
Sharing: Generation Butthurt—How Being Constantly Offended (and Offensive) Costs BIG — Kristen Lamb’s Blog
Today we are going to dive back into social media because who we are on-line impacts the odds of our success. Whether we like it or not, engaging on social media and cultivating a following is going to massively impact our professional success (or lack thereof). In sales we had a saying, Fish where the fish […]
via Generation Butthurt—How Being Constantly Offended (and Offensive) Costs BIG — Kristen Lamb’s Blog
December 31, 2016
Let the Games Begin
This coming year is going to be quite busy. Lots of learning. And being active on social media.
I’m still getting the hang of changes to my website theme. WordPress.com has evolved in many beautiful ways. So many buttons and widgets, customization has become easier.
Lots of learning about adding my own artistic touches. I’ve been having some fun with depositphotos.com. So many lovely photos to choose from.
[image error]Depositphotos
By using my mouse, I can write my name, but my hand is a bit too shaky.
[image error]Just when I started to get the hang of it, I found out that I can add more layers by using Canva.
[image error]Canva
Just remember to SAVE it before you change to the next best thing to learn.
And one last thing that I dearly love. Grammarly. It works in the background, especially on social media. It’s like a little fairy, watching over those fat-finger typos that tend to slip by.
Time is of the essence, I must remember to click on save before heading on to the next rabbit to chase.I’ve three books coming out in 2017. I think time management will need to be on my To Do List for 2017. I’ll let you know if I find anything new.
KNIGHT SECRETS is Featured in a Goodreads Giveaway 12/30-1/9, 2017
KNIGHT SECRETS will be featured in a Goodreads giveaway running from 12/30-1/9, 2017 https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/217225-knight-secrets
Sworn to protect the crown, a Knight of the Swan must never surrender—not even to love . . .
England, 1415. Ordered never to leave the lonely tower on her family estate, Lady Clarice Margrave is suddenly set free when her home is plundered. Now she is determined to discover the truth behind her father’s alleged treason. But an act of daring only propels her into a new prison, with the very knight who destroyed her home as her keeper. Sir Ranulf, Lord of Sedgewic, is ruthless in his inquisition, though there is a searing tenderness in his touch. Is it possible her bold jailor is the Red Wolf of whom her father spoke—and the one man she might be able to trust?
As a knight, Ranulf never questions his troth, but his beautiful prisoner stirs his heart and mind like no other. Clarice is achingly vulnerable—and extremely closed-mouth about her possible ties to the plot against the king. Duty demands he keep his distance, though he yearns to take her to his bed and adore her until he discovers what lies within her heart. And he would—if he weren’t in danger of losing his own . . .
June 23, 2015
Brave New Publishing—Amazon Testing Paying Authors by the Page
“The Writing Matters No Matter What”
Image via Flickr Creative Commons, courtesy of Kenny Louie
We live in a really strange time and technology has altered the publishing landscape into something we could never have imagined in 1999. The changes have been nothing short of science fiction. Well, buckle your seat belts because it is about to happen again. Just about the time we kind of get the knack of things, it seems there is yet another upheaval and we have to adapt.
This is why I wrote my social media branding book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World. My methods keep us from having to tear down and start over every time something in the tech world goes topsy-turvy and we can maintain brand momentum no matter what. But this time it isn’t social media throwing the curve ball.
It is Amazon.
I’ve worked hard to be balanced in all my opinions…
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March 3, 2015
March 1, 2015
The Doctrine of the Doers—5 Principles of Achievement
Love me some Kristen Lamb telling it like it is.
Same can be said about writing a book…
Success has a LOT of common denominators. Whether we want to be an excellent parent, run a thriving business, earn a promotion, have great friendships, become published, lose weight, one day have enough money to build a secret lab in the side of a mountain…? There are fundamentals we are wise to understand and apply.
Thus today, we are going to talk about 5 Principles of Achievement or The Doctrine of the Doers because I dig alliteration
February 25, 2015
Going Pro—Earning Rhino Skin & Learning Which Opinions Matter
Once again, Kristen Lamb tells it like it is in her latest blog post.
Love this quote. “Tigers do not lose sleep over the opinion of sheep.”
I heard somewhere that, statistically speaking, 10% of people will simply not like us, no matter what we do or how much we try. Whenever we decide to do something remarkable or even just different, this is when we’re most likely to encounter push-back.
Also, if we enjoy any measure of success or achievement, expect to be knifed. This is reality. We cannot control others, only ourselves and how we respond and what we choose to internalize. As writers, we’ll experience this with friends, family and even strangers.
Ah, strangers…
If I met someone and told them I was an HR manager, most people likely wouldn’t reply, “No I meant, what is your real job?”
I wouldn’t have to give a resume of all my accomplishments and proof I made money as an HR manager or even a roster of how many people I had in my charge. Yet, no one seems…
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October 29, 2014
Write a Terrific Novel (NaNo), Minimize Revisions, & Improve Odds of Finishing AND Publishing
Image via Flikr Creative Commons. Bansky’s “Peaceful Hearts Doctor” courtesy of Eva Blue.
We’ve already discussed the importance of fueling the muse BEFORE NaNo. But, fueling the muse, creativity, talent and all that jazz IS NOT enough. Finishing, while fantastic, is ALSO not enough. If we finish, yet have written something that can never exist off life-support? We’re back at Square One.
Though I am a fan of NaNo (National Novel Writing Month which is NOVEMBER) and Fast Draft, these tactics will work for writing ANY novel and minimize revisions.
AND…you don’t even have to be a plotter (Hint: I’m not. More of a Plotser–> Plotter + Pantser)
One of the major reasons many writers fail to complete the story is there isn’t a single CORE story problem in need of resolution. The story dies because it lacks a beating heart and a skeleton.
Stories with no hearts…
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September 19, 2014
Want to Reach New Heights as a Writer? Learn to QUIT
Image vis Flickr Creative Commons, courtesy of Yuya Sekiguchi.
NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month—November) is just around the corner. Many new writers take this as an opportunity to test if they can do this professional writing thing “fer realz.” Some of us dust off an old story and see if we can toss it in the crucible of peer pressure and FINALLY finish. This is a good plan…most of the time.
We have to be careful. Never giving up might keep us from ever succeeding.
Want to know the secret to success? Quitting. Yes, you read correctly. And, if you’re a creative professional, it is in your interest to learn to get really good at quitting. Maybe you’ve felt like a loser or a failure, that your dream to make a living with your art was a fool’s errand.
Ignore that junk and understand…
Winners Quit All the Time
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September 3, 2014
How to Intensify Conflict & Deepen Characters—The Wound
Hmmm, what’s the story behind THIS?
There are all kinds of arguments about which area of craft is the most important for creating great fiction. Plot? Character? Voice? Theme? My opinion. They’re all organs in one body. Our brains will still work if our lungs have bronchitis, but maybe not at an optimal level. Similarly, there are people with brain injuries who have a strong heart. A body can “live” without everything operating in concert, and so can any story.
It’s ideal to hone our skills in all areas, and our goal is to be skilled at all of them. Can we be equally skilled? That’s another debate for another post.
I will say that plot (skeleton/brain) is very important. Our characters (heart) are only as strong as the crucible. Ultimately, all stories are about people. We might not recall every detail of a plot, but we DO remember characters…
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