Elana Johnson's Blog, page 72

Blogging Tips

Wow. This week has been epic. But next week is going to be EPIC. Make sure you come back for some major Epic EPICness, okay? Okay.



Today is the last day of The Blogging Trifecta. It's been a good run. I could give a million (okay, maybe not a million) more tips on blogging. I'm not going to. I think you've got the gist of what I've done and continue to do. So I'm just going to leave you with a few things.



My Best Five Tips:

1. Poach.

2. Be Authentically You.

3. Write Short Posts.

4. Give

What Do I Blog About?

In case you didn't know, Jennifer Daiker, Alex Cavanaugh, and I are blogging about blogging this week. Before we go any further, I feel impressed to share this poster from despair.com.







I LOVE THIS. Sometimes I really think it's true. Sometimes I'm sitting in my writing lair (aka at my lame card table), writing blogs, and I think, "There's no way anyone cares about this."



I worry about the post for days. I edit it mercilessly. I postpone it. Then I finally let it go live, and it becomes ...

PERSONAL DEMONS Prize Package!

Okay, you guys. Today, I'm launching a blog book tour with epic prizes for Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers. I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this book, and I pretty much only have one thing to say: I've never met a bad boy this bad and liked him so much.



I really enjoyed this book, with it's quick pacing and fresh spin on demons. Even if you don't think you'll like demons, you'll like this. And hey, it's got an angel too if that's more your type. *bats eyelashes*



Lisa's crafted...

Leaving Your Mark Behind

Okay, so today is Day Two of The Awesome Blogging Trifecta. Check your parachutes. Jen, Alex, and I are attacking COMMENTS. Be sure to check out their posts/opinions too. (Note: Alex will post on this tomorrow.)



So comments. We all want people to appreciate out words enough to leave a comment. We think it's a sign of our success, a way to indicate the worth of our blogs. But is it?



Quick Answer: YES.



Here's why. If you don't inspire something inside of someone, they won't feel like they n...

Blogging Trifecta Explosion!

Okay, so today is Day One of The Awesome Blogging Trifecta. Strap in. Jen, Alex, and I are attacking FOLLOWERS. Be sure to check out their posts/opinions too.



So. Most of us have that little widget with the tiny heads. We judge our worth, the worth of our blogs, on how many little heads we can get in the sidebar. We can't pinpoint why, but we're desperate for more tiny heads.



Have you ever stopped to wonder why? Are we all really just junior high kids with bigger bodies and more money?

Dig Deep

So it's Labor Day weekend. It seems like everyone in publishing is off the grid. I sent in my outlines and my sample pages. I had to dig deep to get those suckers done.



I am projectless. I'm going to have to dig deep for something to work on.



I sent off my author photos. I got the auto responder that my editor is gone until the 7th. I had to dig deep to finally push the send button on those babies, let me tell you. It'd almost be better if my face wasn't on the book. #dangIalreadysentit

THE REPLACEMENT

Dude, you guys. If you want to read a book that you've never read before, get this one: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff.



Things I Loved That You Will Too:

1. Mackie. At first I was like, really? That's your main character's name? Mackie? But after about 50 pages, I was like, Duuude, Mackie. He's fantastic. Insecure. Likeable. Fiercely loyal. Strong, even when he's dying.



A fantastically imagined character, well-written.



Don't we all dream of writing like that? Even better, don't we a...

Staying True

Okay, so I don't know why I've been thinking about this now, as school is just starting. It's more of a school-is-ending thing. But you know how in junior high and high school you sign yearbooks at the end of the year? And you get all the same siggies, and they all say "Stay cool. Have a great summer."



Yeah, that's what I've been thinking about.



My book is astronomically far from actually being a book. At the same time, it's coming so fast fast fast I can't even take a moment to breathe...

Outlining Update

I know you're all dying to know how I fared on my outlines this month. I suppose it's time for a status update.



Goal: Have three different outlines for three Shiny New Ideas ready to send off by Sept. 1. With each outlines, include sample pages (about 50).



What I Actually Achieved: Two full outlines, with sample pages for both ideas. One with 93 pages, one with 57.



Grade: 2 out of 3 ain't bad, right? 66%? Okay, that's a D. Whatever.



So, how did I--self-proclaimed hater of outlines...

Help A Sistah Out

Okay, so I'm preparing for a class I'm teaching at a conference in a few weeks. It's called "Building Your Blog Into An Online Platform" and I have a lot of ideas, but I'm wondering about a few things. Maybe you guys can help me out.



What questions do you have about blogging? I want to hear from beginning, intermediate, or advanced bloggers. (Let me know what you think your level is in your comment, okay?)



What's the hardest part for you?



What's the easiest part?



What do you wish someone ...