Rob Bignell's Blog, page 300
April 21, 2015
Writing Prompt: Try something risky
Suffering from 
writer’s block or need to add some spunk to your writing? The problem may be that you need to change up your routine.
To that end, try this tip: Risk means being vulnerable. Accepting that as a writer is vital to developing your skills. So go ahead and try writing something you’ve never done before – a poem if you write prose, a novel if you’ve only written short stories, fiction if you write just nonfiction. Don’t worry about getting it “right.” Your goal is to make yourself more comfortable with taking risks as a writer.
Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Seattle, Washington, or a small town like Uncertain, Texas, I can provide that second eye.
Amazon.com Widgets
April 20, 2015
How to create bulleted lists in ebooks
One of 
the big problems with ereaders is that they lack the ability to translate fancy symbols used to make bulleted lists in Microsoft Word. The result is that a bullet point ends up being a letter or set of numbers, which looks unprofessional and can confuse readers.
The first rule to follow is to never use Microsoft Word’s built-in bullet list function. Most print-on-demand software such as what Kindle DP uses won’t recognize Microsoft’s coding for the bullet list. Instead, you get an indentation mess on the ereader.
Also avoid exotic fonts that won’t translate. For example, if a reader chooses to view the ereader text in an Arial font but you formatted the manuscript so that the bullet points are in Wingdings font, there’s no corresponding symbol in Arial. Instead, the bullet point ends up being a letter (In this case, often a “g” or an “n”.).
Further, avoid the poor man’s approach to bullet points, which involves not indenting the line and using a dash or an asterisk in place of a bullet point. This looks fairly unsophisticated.
The solution to creating translatable bullet points in Microsoft Word is quite simple. On a PC, hold down the ALT key and hit 7 on the keypad (Remember that you need to have NUM LOCK on to use a PC’s keypad.). On a Mac, hold down the OPTION key and hit 8 on the keypad.
Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Miami, Florida, or a small town like Normal, Illinois, I can provide that second eye.
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April 19, 2015
Five Great Quotations about Books
“Once you 
have read a book you care about, some part of it is always with you.” - Louis L’Amour
“The love of books is a love which requires neither justification, apology, nor defense.” - J.A. Langford
“Thus I rediscovered what writers have always known (and have told us again and again): books always speak of other books, and every story tells a story that has already been told.” - Umberto Eco
“So many books, so little time.” - Frank Zappa
“A room without books is like a body without a soul.” - Marcus Tullius Cicero
Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Austin, Texas, or a small town like Bald Knob, Arkansas, I can provide that second eye.
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April 18, 2015
Writing Inspiration: Don’t worry about mechanics
Do you 
dream of becoming a writer but always have an excuse for not actually writing? If you’re excuse is “I’m horrible at grammar and mechanics,” think again. For five minutes, write whatever comes to you, paying no attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation or the quality of the text. Simply write.
Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like San Antonio, Texas, or a small town like Toad Suck, Arkansas, I can provide that second eye.
Amazon.com Widgets
April 17, 2015
Best time to promote your book on Google+
When 
promoting your self-published book, the social media tool Google+ ought to play an important role in the marketing strategy. Knowing when to share, however, can help you maximize your efforts.
According to a number of studies, the best time to share on Google+ is 9-10 a.m. weekdays. This is because many people check the posts of those in their circles shortly after signing in to look at their Gmail.
Indeed, peak use occurs at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Of course, these times are relative. If your business is national, you need to pin over a longer spread of time than 9-10 a.m. in your time zone, or you’ll miss the peak times in other parts of the country. For example, if your business is based in Chicago (Central Time), you would aim messages for the East Coast (i.e. New York City, Philadelphia, Raleigh) at 8-9 a.m. Central Time and messages for the West Coast (i.e. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle) at 11 a.m.-noon Central Time.
If your book is aimed at the 45-54 year old demographic, using Google+ is a good idea. That age group is the fastest growing demographic of Google+ users.
The absolute worst time to pin are early mornings and evenings. Though people are on Google+ during this time, the number of users drops considerably compared to the previously mentioned peak hours.
Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Detroit, Michigan, or a small town like Carefree, Arizona, I can provide that second eye.
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April 16, 2015
Writing Inspiration: Were You Taught a Writing Process?
Were you 
taught a writing process in school? What were its steps? How did you respond to it? If you used it, what were your thoughts about how useful it would be for the rest of your writing?
Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Phoenix, Arizona, or a small town like Last Chance, Idaho, I can provide that second eye.
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Self-publishing tip: Revise by deconstructing
April 15, 2015
Quick, which one? Imminent vs. eminent
Oh what 
a difference two letters make! Such is the case with imminent vs. eminent.
Eminent refers to a distinguished person, as in The eminent explorer spoke to members of the Los Angeles Geographical Society.
Imminent means about to happen and often implies something that is bad, as in One New York City official said bankruptcy was imminent.
Imagine if the spellings in the above two sentences were reversed. An “imminent explorer” wouldn’t make sense, and a city declaring bankruptcy certainly isn’t distinguished!
Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from an urban area like California's Inland Empire or a rural area like Loving County, Texas, I can provide that second eye.
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Editor’s latest book hits shelves
My 21st 
book – Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northeast Minnesota – went on sale this morning. The indispensable guide to anyone who owns or rents a cabin on the North Shore, in the Minnesota Arrowhead, and along the St. Croix River, “Headin’ to the Cabin” describes more than 200 trails in Chisago, Pine, Carlton, St. Louis, Lake, and Cook counties. It is available in paperback, Kindle ebook and other ebook formats.
Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from an urban area like California's Inland Empire or a rural area like Loving County, Texas, I can provide that second eye.
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April 14, 2015
Writing Prompt: Have a sex change
Suffering from 
writer’s block or need to add some spunk to your writing? The problem may be that you need to change up your routine.
To that end, try this tip: Try writing part of a story from the point of view of a character whose gender is the opposite of yours. What difficulties do you encounter in telling the story? Does your character consist of stereotypes of that gender?
Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from an urban area like California's Orange County or a rural area like Loving County, Texas, I can provide that second eye.
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April 13, 2015
Aussie editing client publishes latest novel
An Australian 
editing client of mine has published his second middle grade novel. Carey Fessler’s “Foiled” tells the story of Kate and Billy, two 11-year-olds living in Roswell, New Mexico during the summer of 1947. When Billy shows Kate some strange items he recovered in the desert, a CIA agent shows up at his front door, threatens them, and orders them to never speak of the alien material to anyone. Thus begins a 200-mile chase across the desert in which Kate and Billy must use all of their skills and wits to let others know that all of their lives are in danger. The book is available for purchase online.
Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Springfield, Massachusetts, or a small town like Burnt Corn, Alabama, I can provide that second eye.
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Do characters' actions arise from their needs?
