Ava Fails's Blog, page 5

Wattpad: No Good for Book Marketing

As an author, I’m always looking for cheap/free methods to market my self-published titles. I added Wattpad to my app repertoire a couple years ago, created an account, but ended up uninstalling the app because I never used it. Fast Forward to about a month ago. As I was searching for additional ways to market my books, I came across several blog posts about Wattpad. It was almost like every writer had to make an obligatory post about the marketing wonders of Wattpad. Here I am, bandwagon jumping engaged, but…

Who’s On Wattpad?

All those bloggers, me, maybe you, and about a zillion teenagers. Most of the posts I read about Wattpad had a set of loose guidelines that would get your stuff read on the platform:

Fill out your profile
Upload your book
Writer a great description
Participate in Clubs
Respond to any comments and messages
Comment on others’ work
Follow people

I did all of the above. I participated pretty heavily for a couple weeks, and both of my books have less than 100 reads. both of them have about 7 chapters uploaded. I checked this morning, nothing.

What’s the Draw

All the books on Wattpad are FREE. It’s a reader’s paradise. There are millions of books in most genres. You have direct access to the authors via the Wattpad interface. You can comment, message, follow, and interact with the writers directly. There seems to be a pretty good mix of readers and writers. Some of the books and authors have received millions of reads. So what’s the draw here? Not a lot unless you’re like 13. Now, I am in NO way slamming young writers. Some of them are arguably more talented writers than I can hope to be…even when they are writing what I consider to be garbage because I’m the farthest thing from a fan of One Direction.

What does One Direction have to do with writing? A lot when you combine them with the fantasies of young girls who like to write. It’s called fan fiction, and there is a blue-ton of it on Wattpad. You’ll want to gouge your eyeballs out.

What’s the Problem With Wattpad?

In my humble opinion, there are several.

First, the platform is locked down under tight administration. The Clubs, which are like forums are limited to about 8 to 10. Nearly all which are overrun with the aforementioned teenagers. To find adults to network with takes some in-depth searching. You have to find them because they are not looking for you! I’ve seen where users have created books and added additional authors, etc. to them to suffice where the Clubs are so severely lacking.

Readers MUST use Wattpad.com or the app to read your books. After I published portions of my books to Wattpad, sharing them on Social Media was virtually useless. It’s too much to ask people to commit to an app just to read your stuff.

No option to download any book you create using their interface in ANY format. If you create a book exclusively on Wattpad, there’s no way to download the completed work. This would be helpful for a number of reasons. I understand the limits to an extent, but if I’m creating my work for and on your platform and retaining all the rights to that work, I should be able to download it in some form as an added bonus.

The audience at Wattpad is quite limited by age. Even though one of the books I created is geared toward young adults and teenagers, it is performing poorly. I also decided to release my poetry in book form exclusively on Wattpad. Much of it is that emo stuff like teenagers love because I wrote some of it during that time of my life. Still, it is performing rather poorly.

Wattpad provides a frightening portrait of the youth of today. As I said, there are a lot of fangirls on Wattpad, but there are also a lot of kids writing about suicide and self-injury. We are failing our children as a society, and it shows when you find a window into their world. These kids are talented and they matter. They have a lot to offer, but they don’t know it. Something about the way we are pushes them down. That needs to change.

The Benefits of Wattpad

If you write for teenagers and young adults, your target audience is there.
Using it to sell books you have already published for Kindle or some other device – you can upload portions of your published works and throw in a link to your sales pages.
You can upload pictures, video, and other media to the chapters of your books. You can dedicate each chapter to other users.
If you have a rapport with young people, Wattpad is a ministry.
There’s a ton of potential, but it’s all locked down under Adminstration…whoever and wherever they are.

Wattpad for Adults?

You won’t find one. The interface at Wattpad is ideal and user-friendly. When attempting to find another place with less kids and more serious writers AND readers, it just doesn’t exist. Nothing compares. The closest alternative I’ve found is webook.com, and it suffers my comparison with the overall user experience of Wattpad.

Should I Try It?

Well, that’s completely up to you. I did. My username is QuietDeluxe if you would like to find me. Being able to start with friends or having more time to dedicate to interaction would probably make a difference. Like I said, I was fairly active for a couple weeks, but when I saw no results from the time I was spending, I stopped. If you have more patience and perseverance, the results might be different. As for me, I am going to be on the lookout for a better place!

 

The post Wattpad: No Good for Book Marketing appeared first on ProWebWriter.com.

Finding Guest Posting Opportunities for Freelance Writers

So you’re interested in doing some guest posting? This can be beneficial in a number of ways…let’s check them out:

Backlinks to your website
Getting your name out there
Getting paid

Not all guest posting opportunities pay, but the other two benefits above out-value any payment. Getting paid would just be an added bonus. Think about it. If you write a guest post for a big name blog, you get a link to your website and your post on that blog forever. That could mean years or even decades of traffic for you. Of course it depends on what you write about and how much value your post adds to the target audience of the blog.

Save Your Best Content for Guest Posts

Do you have an idea for a killer article? I mean it’s really one of those posts that will take a few hours to write and blow up your stats for the better? Save it for a guest post. No, no, I’m not crazy. When you guest post, you want to put your absolute best foot forward. In this case, that would include your best post! Now, let’s find out how to find places to guest post.

Finding Guest Posting Opportunities

The best way to find guest posting opportunities is through personal networking. It’s not the fastest way, but reaching out to other bloggers and attempting to build an actual relationship will benefit you in the long run. However, there are some other ways to build relationships and tools you can use to find these opportunities.

Use Google – Do you have a site in mind or a niche you want to write for? Search it on Google like so: keyword – write for us — If you don’t get the results you’re looking for, try some different variations. Replace “write for us” with one of the following: guest posts, contribute, become a contributor, add a post, submission guidelines, or freelance writers. Try your own. You might even find some great places to write that you weren’t expecting
Guest Crew – At Guest Crew, you can find opportunities as well as start a campaign to get posts on your own site. Start with the free plan and try it out
MyBlogGuest – MyBlogGuest was established by seasoned blogger, Ann Smarty. You can join the community and find opportunities for guest posting. It’s a community designed especially for guest blogger. It’s free to sign up
Guestr – As of this writing, Guestr is completely free to use. Now is the time to give them a try. Sign up for both opportunities as well as finding posters for your own site
BloggerLinkUp – This is another completely free site where you can post or find content. Create an account and look for opportunities
ListVerse.com – ListVerse accepts guest content. All of their content is in the form of lists. Check out some of the other posts there. They will pay you $100 for an accepted list
Try a Twitter Search – Try searching Twitter for “guest post” or any of the variations in the first bullet point above. Twitter is great for networking and you might just build a lasting relationship!
Brian Keith May made a list – You can even download a longer list of links to guest posting opportunities. Check it out!

I Forgot to Mention!

You can contribute right here at ProWebWriter as well. I’ve done my best to open this up as a springboard for new and seasoned writers. Please use the resources and opportunities to lift up your own endeavors! It would be an honor to help. Use the contact page to submit your post or proposal. I’m open to ideas!

Guest Blogging Goes Both Ways

Consider offering up your site for guest posting opportunities as well. If you’re posting your best content on other sites, chances are, you’ll get some great content in return. Choose posts or bloggers that offer something to your audience. Providing a variety of content on your site is a great way to keep hungry readers coming back for more. Guest blogging is one of the golden win/win’s of the blogging world.

How’s Your Guest Posting Going?

Finding guest posting opportunities isn’t rocket science, but it can be a challenge. Honestly, I’ve been blogging for years. I have a very few guest posts here at PWW, and I’ve never written anywhere else that wasn’t ghostwritten or that would allow a link back here. It’s time!

Have you ever guest posted? How did it work out? Did it have a positive influence on your website? Do you know of  another great way for finding guest posting opportunities? Let us know in the comments.

The post Finding Guest Posting Opportunities for Freelance Writers appeared first on ProWebWriter.com.

An Alternative to Content Mills

Disclaimer

No, I don’t think that ProWebWriter.com is the end all, be all in the writing world. I’m going for authority site here, not any Best Website awards.

It’s also my goal to help writers do the following:

Build their platform
Learn to write for the web
Learn to publish for Kindle, Nook, and more
See their books in print

To that end, this is one of my offerings.

Building Your Writing Portfolio

If you are going to be writing for the web or doing any kind of freelancing at all, you need some great examples. Building your writing portfolio is not that hard, if you use sites like hubpages, squidoo, bubblews, or other sites where you can post articles without too many guidelines. You can even write for one of the content mills to broaden your experience AND get paid at the same time; all while adding to your portfolio.

These are your other options. Sure, if you have already been published, that’s a part of your portfolio too. In fact, depending on what kind of work you are trying to secure, all of these things can be included:

All online writing excluding ghostwritten content
Published in the school paper? If you’re young, yes!
College papers, including your thesis!
Your website
Your guest posts

Which brings me to……

An Alternative to the Content Mills

You can find a lot of places online that will accept your guest post. Did you know ListVerse.com will pay you $100 if they accept your list post? That’s a great addition to your portfolio AND your wallet! Some freelance jobs will allow you a byline. I’ve noticed most of them work like ghostwriting though. The buyer usually posts content on their sites under their own name. This doesn’t benefit you at all, and you can’t use it in your portfolio.

If you know where to look, you can find a lot of places to post your work and get a link for your writing portfolio; some of them pay, some do not. In fact, a post on this is forthcoming. In the meantime, I wanted to open up the opportunity for you here at ProWebWriter.com. Yes, you are invited to contribute.  Let’s talk about what this means for you, and the benefits you gain by posting here.

Writing for ProWebWriter.com

There’s a lot going on here at PWW right now. The membership part is new and not even fully launched yet. There’s a lot of dust, but there’s tons of potential. We are not currently paying for guest posts, but this may change in the near future. You’ll be the first to know! So, as an initial offering, I’m looking for 10 writers who would like an Author Page here at ProWebWriter. 

Benefits

A dedicated Author Page where you can link your Social Media, contact information, or anything else you want
Your byline on any content you write for the lifetime of ProWebWriter.com (5 years so far)
Backlinks to your website via your Author Page and each piece of content you contribute
Your content remains on ProWebWriter.com for the lifetime of the the site unless you post it somewhere else online (duplicate content will be removed to avoid any penalties)
Links for your writing portfolio to your content on PWW
You retain ALL rights to the content you write for ProWebWriter.com – if you ever wish for it to removed, I will remove it without question
A contributor badge you can post anywhere you like
Access to me via email, Skype, or other communication means that you prefer
Your content shared on all Social Media profiles pertaining to ProWebWriter including, but not limited to, our Facebook Page , Twitter Account, and Google+ Page.
A trial membership at ProWebWriter.com where you get an All Access Pass to exclusive premium content

These benefits are subject to change, but your rights to your content will never change. If I add paid opportunities or any type of revenue share, you will automatically be eligible.

Why ProWebWriter.com?

The content mills don’t provide any of the added benefits above except maybe a byline. Some of the newer opportunities may allow your backlinks to your website, but I haven’t seen any. I would have loved an opportunity like this when I first started writing for the web. I did not have the benefit of any such springboard. I was fortunate that a few of the opportunities I did have allowed my byline and have stayed online for nearly a decade. This is pretty rare. When I was writing for Demand Studios, I would have benefited greatly from a networking opportunity such as this. I was on my own in a large sea of other writers I didn’t know, and they didn’t know me.

In addition to helping you build your portfolio, I’m offering you access to my knowledge and experience. I want to help you be successful in your dream to be a writer. This isn’t about personal accolades, or rubbish like that. It’s about me being able to help you get a jump start to where you want to be. Maybe you lost your job, and you’ve turned to the Internet to figure out how to make money. Perhaps you had a child, and you can stand the thought of daycare. Whatever your situation is, I can help you get on track! I’m living proof! I’ve gotten a few gigs using that website as a link to show I know how to write about Internet Marketing. So, if you want to write over there instead, or both, that can be easily arranged. Two sites are always better than one for your portfolio!

Hey Authors!

The opportunity is open to you as well. Do you need to build your platform? I can help! Contact me about getting the foundation of your platform established in less than a week!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email via my Contact Page linked above -OR- in the comments below. I will answer! That’s a promise.

 

 

The post An Alternative to Content Mills appeared first on ProWebWriter.com.

WordPress Plugins: Jetpack

About Jetpack

Jetpack is a FREE Plugin developed by WordPress that serves several different functions for your website/blog. You can actually replace several different Plugins with Jetpack for things like your Contact Form or your Sitemap. Here’s a few more things:

Favicons – Those little pictures beside your website title in the address bar of your browser
Related Posts – Display a list of Related Post after each blog Post
Monitor – Receive notifications from Jetpack if your site goes offline
VideoPress – Upload videos directly to your site
Likes – Add a Like button to your Posts and Pages
Publicize – Share your content automatically to your Social Media profiles
Mobile Theme – Make your site mobile-friendly (responsive) automatically
Sharing – Add Social Media share buttons to your Posts and/or Pages
Stats – Get stats for your Dashboard

There’s a lot more! Jetpack is just that, a Jetpack for your WordPress website. The set up is easy and your website will be coming together nicely with all of the standard functions the Pros use.

Getting Started With Jetpack

You can find and install Jetpack with a quick search of the Plugins directory. Once you have installed and activated the Plugin, you need to connect a WordPress.com account.

 

 

 

If you don’t have a WordPress.com account, you can create one right through your Dashboard via Jetpack. Once your account is connected, you have access to all of the great features Jetpack has to offer. Let’s do it!

Firing Up Your Jetpack

You’re all connected and ready to go! The first thing you’ll see is is a confirmation that you are now connected, and you have the option of activating Site Management. Site Management is a fantastic feature that lets you manage multiple WordPress dashboards from one place. If you don’t have have multiple sites, this feature won’t be useful to you, so you can leave it deactivated. However, for example, if you are a writer, and you have multiple sites for your different books or aspects of your writing platform, you can manage them all from a single Dashboard with this feature. Try it out!

 

Exploring Jetpack’s Features

Scroll below the Site Management option to view the different features that are available. Some of them will be automatically activated; however, you can deactivate any you don’t feel you will use, and activate the ones you will!

First, you will see the Jetpack developer team favorites. All of the features have a brief description of their functionality.

 

Keep scrolling to Jetpack Features. Here, you will a search box, and some filter buttons where you can view features by Newest, Category, or Alphabetical. If you are new to Jetpack, you’ll want to keep scrolling. If you’re a seasoned JetPack user and know what you’re looking for, this area is for your convenience.

To view the entire list of features, scroll to the bottom and click the View all Jetpack features button.

 

 

Activating and Deactivating Jetpack’s Features

If you see a feature in the list that interests you, click it for more information about that function. If you like what you see, you can activate that feature by clicking the blue Activate button in the lower right corner.

 

 

 

That feature is now available for you to configure and use, but where? Click the feature again in the list inside Jetpack and you will notice the Activate button has been replaced by two buttons: Deactivate and Configure. Configure your new feature using this button.

 

 

 

Most likely, additional options have been added to your Dashboard. For example, clicking the Configure button on the Carousel feature takes me to my Media tab in my Dashboard. Additional options have now been added to that tab. I can use this feature directly from the Media tab from now on, so I don’t have to click it in the Jetpack feature list each time I want to use it.

If a feature you have activated isn’t quite what you were going for, you can click it in the list and Deactivate it easily. Once the feature description opens, simply click Deactivate in the bottom right corner (as shown above). That’s it. You are rid of that feature unless you decide to activate it again at a later time.

How Are You Using Jetpack?

Pretty nifty, eh? I use Jetpack on all of my websites as a general rule. It just does too many things to ignore. When I first started using it, I was astonished by the number of Plugins I was able to replace with just this one.

How are you using Jetpack? Have you found creative ways to use the features? Are you using it as a workaround for something more complicated? Have you managed to duplicate features from more complicated websites you admire by using Jetpack’s features?

Do you hate Jetpack? Does it slow down your site? Have you found something better?

Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.

The post WordPress Plugins: Jetpack appeared first on ProWebWriter.com.

ProWebWriter is Shifting Gears – Let’s Talk Writing for Kindle

And…Shift!

I know it’s a big surprise…shifting gears again. This site has gone through a lot of evolving, or devolving as it were, in our 4 years online. With some small successes on Kindle, I’ve decided that this is where I want to focus with ProWebWriter. After all, I can tell you about all the wonderful writing things out there and be an expert in none of them -OR- I can focus in where I’ve had success and become an expert. Right?

When I started ProWebWriter, I put a little bit of everything on the site. I had “experts” tell me, “Choose a niche, you’re all over the place.” Last year, I finally moved some content (including my most popular piece) off the site because it didn’t relate to writing last year. ProWebWriter has sat here virtually untouched save for a post or two. So, I’m back with a focal point that I’m actively working on and in. I’m here to share my experience, skills, and tips with you and create an authority on indie publishing.

Kindle and Me

I don’t even remember at this point when I realized that an average person like myself could publish books on Kindle. I think it was 2008-ish when the first generation came out. At that point, the device was 3 or 4 hundred dollars, and I had no hope of owning one. If you have read any of the archives here at PWW, you’ll find that I’m broke and if it’s not free, then there’s a good chance I’m not getting it. haha I get a new computer every 6 to 8 years. Life is tough out there for the starving artist who has poor financial planning skills. Well, that was more than I wanted to say…oh well.

So, I realized I could publish for Kindle…I believe I put out my first book in 2010 and it’s still on Amazon although it’s quite outdated. I updated it in 2012, and I don’t think I ever published the update. This is the life of a person with Attention Deficit Disorder. The true problem was that I was working full-time, and I have found in my life that this is often all I can handle. So, I would work, and write when the notion hit me. What ended up happening was that I worked 7 days a week. Only two of which were on and toward writing. Having to place it aside, and pick it up whenever I could made for sporadic focus and a lot of jumping around.

I have a total of 5 books currently on Amazon. No, I’m not rich yet, but I have learned quite a lot. I feel that right now is a great time to pick up the journey and to document it here at PWW. Why? Well, because…I’ll tell you in the next section.

Debuts

I am fresh from completing my first novel. This is my first attempt at fiction, and it has spawned many ideas for articles in the coming weeks and months. I am currently in the editing phase. This is a great time to document my journey as a writer because I have gained a lot of insight coming from a mostly non-fiction and poetry background. It’s difficult to even finish this paragraph without saying too much. Let me talk about my other books.

I’d Call It Moderate Success

Or, we could just say it’s enough success to tell me that I want to explore it more. It’s enough to motivate me. My first book was a “how to” book on creating websites with WordPress. Again, there’s stuff in the archives about it, and the book was actually a free giveaway here for a while, and will most likely be returning. I sold more than 100 copies of the book on Amazon and B&N for the Nook. That’s nowhere near huge, but I did not promote the book at all besides mentioning it here and there on Facebook, and here at PWW. It was enough to keep working at it.

About 6 months ago, I brainstormed and outlined several books when I still worked my full-time job. (More on this later.) I started writing, and I cranked out 3 of them in a relatively short period of time which surprised even me given that I was working and well, ADD. Two of the three were busts. They just weren’t quite there, I guess. Again, I didn’t promote the books at all except on Facebook. I only mentioned one of them here at PWW because I wasn’t keeping the site updated at the time. I’m still not doing a bang-up job on that. LOL

Anyway, one of the books has sold well in both the U.S. and the U.K. I had basically ignored it, but I knew it was selling because I was receiving payments every month. Not big ones by any means, but not too shabby. I didn’t write this particular book for profit anyway. I was quite surprised yesterday to find that it had sold nearly 200 copies. It came out February 5th of this year…so in 6 months, it’s done that well with little to no promotion.

I know, right!?! I need to start promoting my stuff!

April Fool’s

Something pretty exciting happened on April 1st of this year. I landed a work from home job building and managing a Social Media department for an established SEO company.  I should write a book about it! I have so many thoughts and feelings on what a positive impact this had on my life. I went from a job with a 30-minute daily commute, 3rd shift, 2nd shift, and just general misery to Monday through Friday first shift hours from my couch! It has been amazing.

Naturally, with all the new amounts of time, I have been able to write! Hence, finishing my debut novel which started in 2006 with a couple chapters hastily typed and saved until I began actively developing the idea and story in 2011. Now it’s 2014, and one week ago tomorrow, I finished the rough draft. I can’t even begin to express how awesome that felt.

I Just Remembered…

I’m a complete idiot today! I released portions of this story already here at PWW. I applied to make it a Kindle Serial, so that I could publish it and start getting paid before it was completely finished. When I was rejected for that program, I decided to release it right here on PWW. I had a few buyers, but nothing special. I now owe those people a free copy of the whole story because I became disinterested. It was 2 years before I completed the story.

Let’s See What Happens

Let’s see what happens. I’m really curious to know how a fiction book performs. Yes, I totally plan to promote this one! Are you thinking about publishing for Kindle? Have you published for Kindle? I’d love to hear from you. I’m open to communication as well as any and all opportunities. If you’d like to write a guest post here at PWW, that would be awesome. Contact me!

 

The post ProWebWriter is Shifting Gears – Let’s Talk Writing for Kindle appeared first on ProWebWriter.com.

Writers: Engaging Your Followers on Facebook

You know how it is, Writers…you eat, sleep, and breathe writing, but your Facebook friends never relate to your posts. Sure, you’re friends with some decent readers, and probably even some other writers, but when you post about writing, NOTHING happens. About 9 months ago, I accidentally discovered how to get my Facebook friends involved with my writing. I wrote about it here. Basically, all you have to do is make it about them!

Writers, Introducing Drabbles, Now Engage

So, I’m back, and I’ve done it again. It’s nothing too huge, it’s not like all 171 of Facebook friends jumped on board, but it was just enough to feel like I was accomplishing something. Inspiration can come in many packages. I found it this time in the most unusual of places…a conspiracy theory forum. I was scrolling the Recent Posts this past Saturday evening and came across one that implored Readers to “Share Your Drabbles”.

I had to see what a “drabble” was. Apparently, it’s the dumbest name ever for a 100-word story. I’d been a part of communities of this sort in years past on LiveJournal.com. I’ve had a personal blog there since 2001, so this was right up my alley.

It was on! I posted the following to Facebook:

I awoke to 7 Likes the next morning and small crowd who wasn’t going to wait for me to accrue 10. The party was on! So…without further ado, here are my “drabbles” following the prompts I was given:

 From Ms. Beth Dehart, I was given – ” tell me exactly what happened” 

It was a regular day at the beach until sunset. We’d stocked up the house for our week-long stay. On that first night, we sat on the deck with a few brews to catch the long-lost stars and listen to the tide-song.

Just before we went inside for the night, Justin said, “Look!” and pointed toward the sky.

I looked up anticipating a shooting star or an airplane, but the dark triangle loomed silently above us. I’m not sure how long we stood there, but a few moments later, Police arrived.

The officer smirked skeptically, “Tell me exactly what happened.”

Then Marie Ray presented — “Maintenance….can you hold please?”

“Take this job and shove it…” the radio played appropriately in the background. Linda was long past done with this place. Everyday was an endless line of needy nutjobs dialing the phone from rock bottom. Her life had become an virtual sea of schizophrenics and drug addicts. She had dried the well of compassion long ago.

She sat contemplating suicide by paperclip or perhaps a pen to the eye. The phone rang. She answered, “Maintenance, can you hold, please?” Click.

She rose and walked out of the building as a co-worker answered the ringing phone, “Anti-Suicide Hotline…”

“Hi, it’s Linda…”

From Tina Blackwell — “ …and THAT’s how Wal-Mart went out of business.”

The executives sat in the conference room. Paul spoke, “This “People of Walmart” thing is all over the Internet. It’s higher in Google than our own website! How can we stop it?”

Nancy added, “It’s a disgrace to the work we do…offering low prices to our customers.”

“You’re missing the point. These people ARE our customers!” Paul straightened his silk tie.

“Buy the site…this “People of Walmart”. Jerry made the decision. “Promote it. I want a full ad campaign…very image heavy. I want people to see this before they see our products.”

…and THAT’S how Walmart went out of business.

Then I got this one from Lynn Dees — “here she comes just a walking down the street, singing do wa diddy diddy dum diddy do….”

I hated this one! hehe

There she was just a-walkin’ down the street

singin’ do-wah diddy-diddy down diddy-do

snappin’ her fingers and takin’ off her clothes

singin’ do-wah diddy-diddy down diddy-do

The Police came, Police came

Arrested her, arrested her

The Police came, arrested her

Everything else was just a blur

Before I knew it here she comes again

singin’ do-wah diddy-diddy down diddy-do

Still not wearin’ nothin’ but a tan

singin’ do-wah diddy-diddy down diddy-do

She kept on, kept on

All day long, day long

Just wouldn’t keep her clothes on

Now she’s and ex-con

Singin’ do-wah diddy-diddy down diddy-do

do-wah diddy-diddy down diddy-do

ProWebWriter’s own Contribitor, Lisa Lane, sent this one — “And she was never heard from again….”

Helen’s life was average, and her attitude hellish. Never one to be content, her friends called her “Ms. Unpleasant” behind her back.

For Helen, it wasn’t that she was never happy. It was simply that after a lifetime of teachers, preachers, and doctors trying to slap a label on her, she had grown tired of their ill-fitting boxes. She didn’t need medication and counseling, she needed that one thing to ignite a fire in her belly that wasn’t heartburn.

“Wench needed,” read the ad, “Pirate wannabe seeks companion to sail the high seas.”

…and she was never heard from again.

Then I started getting repeat customers.

Beth DeHart with this one from her grandchildren: Cooper, Sydney, and Dax who is still a bun in the over as of this writing –  “the dragon came from his lair”

Hailey had always dreamed of the rolling meadows of an ancient land where knights in bright armor galloped on fine horses.

She and her best friend, Kate, were hiking the less-traveled routes of England when they came upon a cave that couldn’t be ignored. The air was cool and calm with an odd peace.

Rubbing their eyes with disbelief, they looked on as the dragon came from his lair. Smoke poured from his large green nostrils. He spread his giant wings and took flight. Kate scrambled for her camera, but it was too late. The dragon disappeared above the fog.

I even gained a new follower in the process. Ms. Marissa DeHart with –  “And just why are you”

“JACK!” Raylee screamed from the next room. “What is wrong with you!?!”

Jack sat shirtless in the recliner; his beer belly shining in the light of the TV screen. The football commentator yapped endlessly opposite his typical display of manhood…or something. He didn’t respond which was also typical.

Raylee emerged red with anger with her hands on her wide hips. “JACK!”

He exhaled a loud snore and his eyelids fluttered open. “Whut?”

“You left the toilet seat up again and my butt touched your poop water!” Raylee huffed. “You’re useless! And…just why are you…why did I marry such a loser!?!”

Mr. Brian Dimmig began making up words –  “Jagged vacance, thick with ice”

Mary dreaded going to her support group. It wasn’t helping, but she had been ordered by the court. It was the group or jail. All it did was dredge up all the things she had tried to escape by way of the needle. They called this “treatment”. She called it “torture”.

Today’s exercise was “Describe yourself in 5 words or less.”

“Waste of time.” thought Mary. Finally, she wrote, “Jagged vacance, thick with ice.”

Satisfied, she laid down her pen. She didn’t know it, but that day’s “support” would be the beginning of her long, successful career as a writer.

And last, but never least, Ms. Lily Brand with –  “and that’s how it turned out when she wrote her OWN story!”

“And that’s how it turned out when she wrote her OWN story.” Lana listened as Manny finished the article aloud. She was frustrated. Four years ago, she came this Western town full of what her Southern ideals considered to be health freaks and hippies. She was surrounded with self-help buzz words and friends hell-bent on removing “negativity” from her life.

She had to admit, it had started to sink in and change her. She learned to love herself. So, when she lost her job and moved home to the South, everything was new. The familiar scenery revealed it’s silver lining.

There You Have It

If you would like to be a part of the fun, find me on Facebook! It’s not difficult. If you have something to add, please comment below. I’d love to hear from you!!!

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A.D.D. 28 Years and Counting FREE Book Promo

Starting at Midnight tonight through 11:59pm tomorrow night, you will be able to grab my latest book in Kindle format for FREE. That’s right, F-R-E-E. This offer will only be available for 24 hours.

If you miss out on this offer, you can still grab this title for less than 5 bucks!

FAQ

I don’t have a Kindle.

No problem! Did you know that you can read Kindle books on your computer, or Android smartphone? You can even read it on your iPhone, iPod, iPad, and any other iCrap you may have! All you need is an app! They are all FREE.

I don’t have an Amazon account.

Well, what in the world is wrong with you!?! Did you know that Amazon has EVERYTHING? I mean, literally almost everything. And while they are providing the world with everything, they are giving independent authors like me a platform to share my content, and get paid for doing it! Sign up at Amazon FREE! 

What’s the book about?

A.D.D. 28 Years and Counting is sort of a partial memoir for me. It’s about my life with Attention Deficit Disorder. My story is kind of unique, and I wanted to share it.

Unique how? 

Well, after searching for this type of book for years, I decided to write one myself. Most of the A.D.D. books out there are clinical information written by Ph.D.’s, and M.D.’s…most of whom have no direct experience with A.D.D. I’ve been off medication since age 12. So for 26 of the 28 years, I’ve been medication free. As if that weren’t enough, my education has been rather colorful. Get the book.

What else is inside?

In addition to my story, I’ve included a lot of resources. There are a total of 17 chapters. The first 9 chapters are mostly back-story. Then the book changes gears a bit and I share my methods for coping with A.D.D., how to dispel the myth, etc.  There are also 4 Appendices of additional information, and a short photo album.

I don’t have time to read.

I understand. You could probably read this book in a few hours. It’s just over 100 pages. It’s not a difficult read. If you are touched by A.D.D personally, this book would be an insight for you.

How do I get it then?

I am including detailed instructions below. Just look for the heading for the device you will use to read, and see how to grab it.

Get A.D.D. 28 Years and Counting

For Computer

Click http://amazon.com
Sign into your Amazon account or follow the prompts to create a new one!
Type “add 28 years” in the search box at the top of your screen.
Click the book to grab it FREE for this 24-hour period only. If you miss the promo, it’s less than 5 bucks!
Read the book on your computer by going to http://read.amazon.com and using the Amazon Cloud Reader. Just choose it out of the list of titles.

 

For Kindle eReader

Search the Kindle Store for “add 28 years”.
Click the cover of the book to view the information.
Click Buy. Whispernet will deliver the title to your device.

For Kindle App for Android

Open your Kindle app. (If you don’t have it, you can get it FREE from the Play Store by searching “kindle”.

Search “add28″ from the Kindle Store.
Select the title from the list to purchase and download.

There You Have It

So, go over there and get it! Remember it’s FREE from Midnight December 18, 2013 until 11:59pm EST.

If you have time, please leave an honest review at Amazon.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

The post A.D.D. 28 Years and Counting FREE Book Promo appeared first on ProWebWriter.com.

Engaging People With Your Writing

This was something I have been struggling with for a few years. I just couldn’t figure out how to go about engaging my friends with my writing. It’s frustrating. Every writer wants one thing at the most basic level: TO BE READ. Even if no one reads, I would still write. I write because I have all this stuff in me that I just need to get out. I still feel that I have things to say that will help others. Whether that help comes because it’s something people relate to, or simply because they like what I said…this is the rewarding part of being a writer.

I’d brainstormed how to engage people with my writing. I’d run the gamut of “Poor me. No one likes my writing.” I even had some undying fans…3 or 4. I just didn’t know how to get the masses interested, and I still don’t. However, I had a tiny success last night.

Nitty Gritty Engagement

I came across a Twitter account…I believe it was @VeryShortStories. The owner of that account says, “Hey, send me a noun, and I’ll write a Twitter-sized (140 characters) story about the ones that inspire me.”

The proverbial light bulb went off.

It was supposed to be a work night like any other. Sit in a chair, monitor alarms, make phone calls, do paperwork, eat…ad nauseum; ad infinitum. In a spontaneous moment that I can’t explain the how, why, or why now, I posted to my Facebook friends to comment with a word or phrase. I would in turn write a short story or poem with their word and tag them in the post.

Within a few minutes, I had like 4 words. I started writing and more came in. All in all, I had 14 participants. It was amazing! I was on a high. I had to do some major unwinding to go to bed! I am humbled by the kind words and “likes” I received in response to just some quick poems and stories. The entire thing took about 4.5 hours. Here are the words I received in the order they were posted:

true friendship
strength
drums
honesty
badonkadonk (LOL!)
sincerity
grief
integrity
unbreakable
hypocrite
loneliness
boobies (Mercy me)
fart nuggets (o_O)
family

Holy badonkadonk. It was a challenge. As you can see, some people were very serious, and some were silly. It was a lot of fun, and I’m glad I didn’t limit myself in any way. I went into it with the mindset that if they posted it, I would write about it. Thank goodness it didn’t get any more questionable than “boobies” or “fart nuggets”. Perhaps next time I will include a disclaimer to ensure it is kept PG. I wouldn’t want to get much more adventurous than “boobies”. My friends are the best!

So What Did I Write?

That will have to wait for another post, but you WILL see some, if not all of it here on PWW. I’ve got to make sure it’s okay with the participants, find out who wants to be named and who wants to remain anonymous, and see who wants backlinks! If this post helps you engage your audience, please let me know in the comments below. If you want to participate in the next one, add me on Facebook.

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Things Your Home Security Installer Should Tell You

While you are searching for the right company to install your home security system, ask potential dealers about their support policy. First and foremost, your installer should educate your thoroughly on how to operate your home security system. Not knowing the basics can lead to expensive false alarm fees depending upon where you live. The second most important thing to know about your home security system is that you cannot report a false alarm or make any changes to your account without your unique password.

Once your home security system is installed, have your installer walk you through and show you where the main components are placed. If you have any questions at all, make sure you ask. You need to know how your alarm system communicates. You need to know that if a potential thief cuts your phone line and that is how your system communicates, the Central Station will not receive the signal and you may potentially be in danger. Some installers can set up a fake phone line so if an alarm savvy thief cuts this line, it sends a trouble signal to the Central Station.

Home security systems are expensive and installation isn’t cheap. Your installer should be up front with you about all the costs involved in your installation. Ask for an itemized list. Your installer should make sure that you understand how your system works. Most home security systems are powered by electricity with a battery backup. If you lose power, your home should still be protected by your alarm. You should be provided with three contact numbers: one to your installer, one for after hours, and one for the Central Station.

You have the option of having your home security system set up so that it tests itself one a day, week, or month. If your system fails this periodic test, you will be notified by the Central Station to contact your installer to have your system checked. Your installer should provide you a list of zones. Zones are specific areas of your home protected by your alarm system. They should have a description indicating where they are such as: front door, bedroom window, motion, kitchen smoke, living room glass break, etc.

Learn what the specific components of your home security system do. Things like a motion or smoke detector are obvious. However, a glass break sensor or tamper might be less clear. For example, a glass break sensor picks up the high-pitched sound of glass breaking rather than vibration or the parting of two contacts such as may happen with a door. Make sure you know the steps for troubleshooting your system. Your installer should make themselves readily available should you have a problem. There’s nothing much more frustrating than a beeping alarm system in the middle of the night when you are unable to contact a technician. Odds are, the Central Station will be able to do very little to help. Be proactive, a problem during the day is likely to still be a problem during the night.

Your installer is a busy person. They install keypads and run wires day in and day out. They will be in your home for a few hours installing and testing your system to make sure it works properly. They should also take the time to tell you the basics on operating your system and provide you with documentation to educate yourself. Don’t let them get away without taking the time within reason to tell you what you need to know.

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The Benefits of a Home Security System

Home alarm system installations are on the rise. With the increase in burglaries and home invasions, many are finding that their peace-of-mind has been compromised. There are a lot of options for buyers who are looking for the right home alarm system. As a homeowner, you will find a large number of security companies to choose from. If you rent your home, you’ll find suitable options in wireless home alarm systems that move with you when you change homes. If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person, you’ll even find systems that you can buy and install yourself without difficult wiring or programming. It’s as simple as setting up your cell phone voice mail.

Your home alarm system communicates a number of signals 24 hours a day to a Central Station where operators monitor your system year around. The Central Station verifies your identity with a unique password or code that you specify. Without this code, Police will be dispatched immediately to your residence. When you go on vacation, you can rest assured that your home and belongings are being protected by your home alarm system. The benefits don’t stop there. Installing a home alarm system can reduce your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance rates, as well as increase the value of your home.

Having a home alarm system also gives you the benefit of having access to a number of reports like receiving an email or text when someone arms or disarms the system. This is a nice feature if you are traveling out of town and have a pet sitter or if you own a vacation home that you rent out when you are not using it. The bottom line is that your home alarm system is a service that you can customize to suit your needs any number of ways. Your installer will be qualified to put together the best system for you while considering any special needs you might have.

Your home alarm system offers you the peace of knowing that your home is protected whether you are there or not. Your local responding authority is only minutes away as soon as that alarm sounds. No matter what emergency you might face, help is on the way. 

A Message From the Author:

Hello, my name is Ava. I wear many hats as I am also the owner and primary author of ProWebWriter.com. I’ve written this series of articles based on my “real job” experience as a Security Dispatcher and Operator. I hope this information will help you in your decision should you choose to install a security system in your home or business. 

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