R. Frederick Riddle's Blog, page 66

A Christmas Message

I know that Christmas is still a week away, but my next blog will be after Christmas and possibly New Years. So I want to take this time to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and Blessed New Years.

You will notice that I still call it Christmas. In the world we live in today Christ has been all but taken out of Christmas. Instead you get Xmas. People have forgotten why we celebrate this day.

Over 2000 years ago Jesus was born to a virgin not on Christmas day, but that is when we celebrate His birth. A miraculous event that has never been repeated (although some will try to prove it has happened). The world doesn’t mind Him as long as He stays in the manger, but it bothers them greatly when He preaches and claims to be the One True God, the Only Way to Heaven.

You might ask why I am writing this in a blog devoted to authoring. But our writing careers would not exist but for what He did on the Cross. Not only did He save us, he has directed our lives. And He gave us whatever writing talent we may have!

He saved us, equipped us, and is using us. Not just us, but He uses other Christians as well. Perhaps you.

This Christmas I encourage you to remember the Lord and what He has done for you. And let’s keep Christ in Christmas!

Have a Joyous Christmas
and a Blessed New Year!
R. Frederick Riddle

The Business of Writing

As mentioned before in my blog Teresa and I launched our own independent publishing business in 2014. At the time we were just getting into and knew little about such an undertaking. In fact, at the time and until recently I was calling it Real Self-Publishing.

But the good thing about doing research is you learn a thing or two. And I discovered we were not alone in striking out as our own publishers. I also learned that it is called Indie (for independent) Publishing. I had seen the term before but had assumed it was just another name for self-publishing. It isn’t.

I don’t know your preferences, but I am assuming that everyone that follows me either is a writer or is thinking of becoming a writer. And I would encourage everyone to seriously consider that possibility. It is said that there is a story within every person. A story just waiting to get out.

Although life intervened (heart attack and rehab) we have moved forward. Because of the aforementioned heart attack I had to concentrate on rehab before I could return to writing. And my wife, who has started working on her debut novel, had to put everything on hold until I was back to my old self.

That said, we never gave up on the idea and have returned to writing. Our new plan looks to 2016 as the year we produce our first imprints. That is not to say we did nothing in 2015. I have written several ebooks under the T&R imprint. These have been of the Did You Know series of books on American History, Bible History, The World That Was, and 2016 Presidential Candidates.

We are looking forward to 2016, both its challenges and its rewards. Although we are just beginning as Indie Publishers we are excited and anticipating a successful year. I firmly believe that Indie Publishing, while not necessarily for everyone, should be considered by everyone who calls themselves authors.

So here is a brief description of Indie Publishing.

Indie Publishing is the author taking control of virtually every aspect of their career. This involves the writing, editing, proofing, becoming an agent, publishing, and marketing. The demands are great but the expectations are greater!

R. Frederick Riddle

Did You Know Ted Cruz?

• Declared Presidential Candidate
• Personal history & beliefs

Rafael Edward “Ted” Cruz was born December 22, 1970 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to Rafael Bienvenido Cruz and Elizabeth Darragh Wilson. They formerly owned a seismic-data processing firm but Rafael now pastors in Carrollton, Texas.

His education included Faith West Academy in Katy, Texas and Second Baptist High School in Houston, graduating as valedictorian. He graduated cum laude from Princeton University with a bachelor of arts in 1992.

Political history

o First Hispanic/Cuban American Senator from Texas
o Chairman, subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee
o Chairman, subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee
o 1999-2003 director Office of Policy Planning at Federal Trade Commission
o Associate Depute Attorney General
o Domestic policy advisor to President George W. Bush
o 2003-2008 Appointed by Texas Attorney General as Solicitor General of Texas
o 2004 - 2009 Adjunct Professor of law at the University of Texas School of Law

Since Cruz was born in Canada, commentators speculated about Cruz's legal status as a natural-born citizen. Because he was a U.S. citizen at birth (his mother was a U.S. citizen who lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years as required by the Nationality Act of 1940), most commentators believe Cruz is eligible to serve as President of the United States.

He is Southern Baptist.

Political views
o Republican; identifies with Tea Party
o Pro-Life
o Opposes Obamacare
o Pro-Israel
o Moderate on Foreign policy
o Endorsed by the Republican Liberty Caucus
o Pro- citizen rights
o Pro-Flat tax; abolish IRS
o Opposes Common Core

Pros
o Hispanic; a growing constituency.
o he has vast experience in the workings of government.
o Highly intelligent and motivated.
o As senator he has sponsored 25 bills
o pro-life
o Tea Party favorite

Cons
o First term Senator
o Tea Party favorite
o His proposals lack specific details

Observations:

When I first started investigating candidates for my book Did You Know 2016 Presidential Candidates? I knew little about Ted Cruz. But the more I dug the deeper my appreciation.

That said I still favored another candidate. But that gradually changed, primarily because of Ted Cruz’ character, qualifications, and observable traits. The change for me really began when I watched a video of him at a rally. He was the featured speaker, but didn’t get to finish his speach.

As he spoke he was loudly interrupted numerous times. Finally, he stopped and challenged the people. Basically he asked them if they wanted to be heard. When they said yes, he invited them forward.

The rest of the video showed him engaging with them, especially with their spokeswoman. She appeared to be knowledgeable and vocal. But Senator Cruz was able to talk with her while demonstrating how factually bankrupt she really was. By the end of the video she and her cohorts were silenced.

This video showed that Senator Ted Cruz not only knows the facts of the issues, but he knows people. This, in my opinion, is an extremely important point. But there’s more. He not only knew his facts and people, he knew how to diffuse the situation.

I was impressed. Since then I have either heard more about him or seen more. In the debates he has been advancing well thought out ideas and expressing them confidently and clearly.

He is without a doubt a serious candidate that I, a Christian and conservative, can support!

The Importance of Research

Your Blog Host

Today’s blog is about the necessity of research. As an author you will need to do a great deal of research.

With that in mind, let’s take a look.

We are not dealing with research resources today, but rather the necessity and the how of research.

 The Importance

Proper research is exceedingly important. Whether you are dealing with historical figures, places or events, or you are simply dealing in outright fiction you need research.

Imagine, if you will, that you are writing a novel that takes place in Pontiac, Michigan. Now most people have never been there, but I spent a good deal of my life in that city. Now let’s imagine that you write about a small family living on Main Street. Now the main street of Pontiac is Huron or M59. It is rarely called Main Street and I don’t believe there are any signs identifying it as such. So right there, I have caught an error. But it is a small error and I will probably forgive you.

But let’s also pretend that you create an imaginary street that crosses the main street. The chances of you getting that right without proper research would be extremely hard! You see what I am getting at? To a resident or former resident that would stand out. And it would distract that reader from the actual story!

Now that was a very simple example, but it is real enough. Not only would residents of Pontiac see the error, but any reader curious enough to Google the city could also discover the error.

And errors can not only distract they can cripple an otherwise well-written book. Research can save you much embarrassment.

How to Do Research?

In this day and age there are many tools that you can use, but I am going to focus on one: the Internet. There are a growing number of search engines on the Internet, including Google, Yahoo, and Bing. I use Google simply because I like it better than the others. My point is however that search engines are available.

In the example above, I could have Googled Pontiac Michigan and found a ton of information covering its history, industry, politics, and its geography. So using the Internet is both available and informative. This simple technique can be used on virtually any topic. Try it and you will be rewarded with more information than you know what to do with. But be careful. There is good and bad information. The Internet is not discerning. The information is there, but it may be entirely wrong.

I have written on resources in the past, so check out either this blog or Writers World, a free newsletter on writing. I write articles on this and other topics pertinent to writing. Finally, after researching for the book, don’t just state the facts. Weave the facts throughout the story so that the reader is learning all about whatever your subject happens to be. In fact, relay the facts through your characters.

What do I mean? This is answered in another blog more thoroughly, but basically the characters, in the preceding example, would talk about the city. Or they could be walking along a street and the reader would thus become acquainted with the street and its surroundings.

Research is a vital tool in the writing of both fiction and nonfiction. Make it a habit to do the proper research and then incorporate it in a way that the reader is unaware that you are spoon feeding her.

Filed under: Writing Tagged: Authors Resources, basics on writing, book research, Writing, Writing tools

Did You Know Whether Creationism is Science?

This is not an odd question simply because evolutionists are constantly attacking the Bible as unscientific. But just because they attack it doesn't make creation true or untrue.
Here’s the question for everyone to consider: do creationist's claim creationism to be fact or theory?

Once again the answer is obvious to those not blinded by the lies of evolution. Creationists admit that they cannot scientifically prove creation, so it is a theory! Now I call such honesty refreshing.

In a previous article about evolution I referred to predictions. In other words, can it predict the events we know took place? In examining the Evolutionary Model we found that no real meaningful predictions were made and in fact billions of years are constantly being added.

In the case of creation it has been demonstrated by scientists that certain events known to have occurred in history were predictable within the Creation Module. One example is the splitting up of the original super-continent, believed by both evolutionists and creationists to have existed, into seven continents was predictable. Not necessarily the number of new continents but the fact of the split. Evolutionists had to admit that some unknown cataclysm occurred millions of years ago, while creationists merely pointed to the Flood.

Another interesting fact is that the very laws of science that cause problems for evolution actually agree with creationism.

So is creationism a scientific fact? Not scientifically? It cannot be proven and, therefore, must be considered a theory. Unlike evolution, scientists have attempted to test certain aspects of creation and to a certain degree have been able to establish credibility.

In the end, creation is a theory that you must accept or reject based on belief. But it is a theory that is both credible and predictable. As new scientific facts are discovered, this theory does not require major changes in time or any other element to adjust to the new facts. The new facts simply become a part of the whole story.

Is creation science? You decide, but I think it is a credible scientific theory!

Oh, and by the way, an increasing number of scientists, not necessarily Christian or even religious, are turning to Creationism as the only scientifically acceptable theory of origins.

Evolutionists control the media, the classroom, and the courthouse, but they cannot stop the growth of Creationism!

It is impossible to give credit to all the sources responsible for the information contained in this article. However, the information for this article has been gleaned from several sources including Institute for Creation Research, Answers in Genesis, Wikipedia, and my own research.

Did You Know Joe Biden?

• Undeclared Presidential Candidate
• Personal history & beliefs

Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, elected twice. A member of the Democratic Party, Biden served as a United States Senator from Delaware from 1973 until 2009.

Aside from his accomplishments he is known for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Known as Bidenisms, they are colorful and sometimes funny. And sometimes out of place for a political leader.

President Barack Obama commented that Biden "would make outstanding president” and “possess the qualities that are needed.” Fourteen vice presidents have become president, but only four were directly elected after serving as vice president.

Joe is a life long Catholic, who admittedly draws his faith more from the culture than the Bible.

• Political history
o 1973-2009 Senator from Delaware
o 1988 & 2008 ran for but withdrew from race for presidency.
o In Senate worked across aisle
o Supported the Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization
o Instrumental in Budget Control Act 2011
o 2008-2016 Vice President of United States
o Firmly supports Obama strategies
o Had a voice in planning and execution

• Political views
o Democrat
o Pro-Choice
o Supports Universal health care
o Knowledgeable; pro-Israel
o Campaign finance reform
o Law enforcement
o Deficit spending
o Tax credits for working poor
o Mass transit
o Global warming
o Gay and Lesbian civil rights

• Pros
o Rates 80-90 with liberal groups
o Legislatively and administratively experienced
o Excellent debater
o Stronger prospects than Hillary

• Cons
o Not liked by Conservatives
o Not really respected by foreign leaders
o Country leans right

As I write this expectations are that he will soon announce and immediately give Hillary a run for her money. It is possible that he would leap ahead of her.

Today’s Topic: Your Audience

In previous blogs I discussed first steps in learning to write. The following blog is brief but important.
Why?
We can prepare and use all the tools available, but if we are writing for the wrong audience it will be to no avail. We need to know!
YOUR AUDIENCE
 This can be a bit tricky. Especially for new authors. If you have previously written books then you already have something to gauge who your audience is.
So there are three principles:


New Authors:
Make use of reviewers. Who are they, especially those with a positive view. When you get someone to review your books keep a list of who they are. Learn their email address, their blog, and anything else.


Established Authors:
Review your sales data to see who buys your books, and who reviews your books. If you have your own store your ecommerce reports will tell you this. But if all your sales are on other sites, say Amazon, then you can also receive stats from them. Amazon allows you to join Amazon Central where you can track your sales.
Take advantage of these services provided by Amazon and other sites. Learning these stats will help you to learn more about your audience.


All Authors: Look at other authors in your genre. Who is in their audience?
If you know the genre then it is easier to find authors. Use Google or other search engines. Discover who the other authors are and who their audiences are.


In summary, the principle is to make use of reviews, sales, and audiences of other authors. Doing that will enable you to get at least a glimpse of your audience, which in turn will enable you to see what they like as readers.
___________________________________________
Tip #1 – Make a list of audience possibilities.
Tip #2 – Then narrow the list down until you have gotten it as refined as possible.
___________________________________________
 Example
When I first began writing, I thought my audience would be men. After all I am a man and I was writing historical fiction which included adventure. But actual sales tipped in the direction of women. While I now market to both sexes, I see women as my primary audience, although I write for both.
Application
Don’t check out your audience and then forget it. Periodically check it out again. Then apply that knowledge to your marketing, but don’t forget the actual writing and publishing.
Filed under: Authors, Writing Tagged: Author Tools, Authors Resources, basics on writing, Knowing your audience, Writing tools

Author Resources

Today’s blog is about the resources available to you the author. Before you dismiss this, consider the following: As an author you will need to access many resources for research, publishing and marketing.

With that in mind, let’s take a look.

BASICS

Dictionary

“I don’t need a dictionary!”

Think again. A good dictionary is vital to every writer. Your word processing program’s built in dictionary is good, but not perfect. You need a real dictionary; preferably one that contains thousands of words.

Dictionary, Bible

If you are writing a story that is based on the Bible you need a good Bible dictionary. Even better, a pictorial Bible dictionary.

Grammar

Again, don’t depend on your word processor. They are not always accurate. You need a good resource such as a grammar book or a reliable online resource (in which case you bookmark it).

Newsletter

Our Writers World newsletter is an excellent resource of articles on writing. Every other week it comes out with articles on writing tips, and publishing or marketing tips. Plus you have access to the archive of articles.

Thesaurus

You don’t want to be guilty of using the same word over and over. You need a resource for synonyms and antonyms. You need a Thesaurus.

ADVANCED (Website Tools)

1.      Authors need a website

It doesn’t matter whether you are an established author or brand new you still need a website. Consider it an absolute must!

Write a bio that talks about your passion for writing as well as your dedication and enthusiasm. Include your goals, what projects you are currently working on, that which inspires and motivates you, and whatever interests/hobbies you may have. Your goal here is to paint a broad, positive image of yourself, one that the reader will instinctively trust.

The key is not to be shy. The bolder, more assertive you are (if done properly) the stronger your reputation.

2.      The Power of a website

There are many marketing tools. Don’t feel that you have to use them all. Some of them will be covered later and some of them you may decide not to use. However, it would be a severe mistake to ignore a website.

A good website has the capability to communicate to visitors. That is why you are encouraged to have a website in the first place. Many people will learn about you through your website, who you are and what you are doing.

3.      Your website is not a get rich quick scheme

Don’t think of a website as making you a ton of money. Rather, think of it as a storefront. This is where your potential customers will get a chance to meet and learn about you and explore your site.

4.      Unlike stores websites need to attract visitors

People have to be told about your website. There are many ways to tell people, such as Business Cards, newspaper ads, word of mouth, and social media.

5.      Your website is the hub of your activities

When I first started out I made my website my hub. I placed it on business cards, and used it in my email (signature), as well as in social media.

6.      Your website needs to be updated frequently

Actually we are discussing SEO (Search Engine Optimization). This is another necessary thing to promote your website. Google, Yahoo, and others send out robots to examine websites resulting in a placement within their database. The higher the placement the better for you.

Part of having a good SEO for your website is frequent updating. You should update (that is, add or change content) at least monthly. The SEO robots like fresh sites!

7.      You need to OWN your website

You can’t be on the internet very long without learning about FREE websites. Be careful. Some may be scams and others are poorly written and designed.

But you need to own your website. By that I mean own your Domain name. I own the domain RFrederickRiddle.com. Therefore I have control over everything that is on it or within it.

Here is a brief list of domain providers (alphabetical order):

o      1 and 1 (1and1.com)

o      Bluehost (Bluehost.com)

o      Dreamhost (Dreamhost.com)

o      Godaddy (Godaddy.com)

o      Hostgator (Hostgator.com)

o      Hostmonster (Hostmonster.com)

o      Justhost (Justhost.com)

o      Inmotionhosting (inmotionhosting.com)

o      iPage (ipage.com)

o      Mediatemple (mediatemple.net)

o      Name (Name.com)

o      Namecheap (Namecheap.com)

8.      Website creation need not be expensive

See the list above. Hosting plans are relatively cheap.

9.      You do not need to be an expert

You can easily manage your own website. I use Godaddy which provides a user-friendly interface allowing me to build the site the way I want. No HTML experience necessary although it is helpful for a more advanced website.

ADVANCED (Other Tools)

Online

Make use of Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines. Whatever your choice these are great research tools. You simply type in the item in the search box and hit enter.

Your screen will soon be filled up with plenty of documents and/or websites relating to the searched item. Just be sure the site is safe and trustworthy. (You should have at least an antivirus program or firewall in place.)

There are numerous tools online from converting your document to a pdf (free of charge) to information on the xylophone. If you can think of it, then the computer probably has an answer.

Filed under: Writing Tagged: Author Tools, Authors Resources, basics on writing, R. Frederick Riddle, Website, Writing, Writing tools

Writing Tip: Your Work Place

Today’s blog sounds a little boring, but it is important: Your Workplace.

What follows is based on an upcoming newsletter (Writers World) article. Where your workplace is and how you have it set up are very important to you as a writer. That may sound overblown to you, but the truth is that our work place and work habits affect us in multiple ways.

If you have already been writing for awhile you know how important your work place needs to be for optimal results. You know that your work environment impacts your posture, your well being, and your productivity. Since I favor individuality the advice I give leaves you with the ability to conform everything to your wants and needs. This includes the table/desk, the chair, location of resources, and more. So let’s take a look.

The Room

The location and size of the room will vary from author to author. My wife prefers an open room, while I have a small, well-defined room. Both of us have our desks in front of a window. Teresa’s files are in different cabinets not necessarily adjoining each other, while I used a combination of cabinets and bookshelves to create the “walls” of my room.

Both of us like our setups and are able to function well. This is important. Whatever setup you choose, it needs to be conducive to your being able to think, research, and write. My suggestion is for you to design it your way even if others may criticize. You are the one who will be spending a lot of time there!

One other note, sometimes Teresa likes to move into the living room and sit at the table. This gives her a break from the norm while still enabling her to perform her tasks.

The Table/Desk

Once again personal preferences are dominate. Teresa uses a computer desk while I use a computer table. She tends to spread paperwork out, I like things a little tighter.

But once again our own wants and needs strongly influence how it is done. As for how the table/desk is set up, both of us use laptops on the surface. I have a phone beside me, she doesn’t (except when in the living room).

Never place your laptop on your lap. This is because you may be blocking air vents. Buy yourself a lap desk (there are several).

The Chair

Both of us prefer task chairs, but I have seen others who use Executive Chairs. The key here is that you want a chair that is comfortable, but also helps you maintain good posture. This last is important because slouching in your chair cuts off oxygen and causes you to get sleepy. It is very hard to write with your eyes closed!

Another note regarding sitting with a laptop on your lap even with a lap desk. There are issues with back strain, eye strain, etc. that are affected by sitting with a laptop.

The above is an excerpt from an upcoming newsletter article. To get even more insights you can subscribe to the newsletter. This is a great time to do so because we currently are offering a free book (So You Want to Write?), free guides and free newsletter subscription. To sign up just click on Download Now in the video below.

Filed under: Writing Tagged: author's work place, basics on writing, Free book on writing, Newsletter, R. Frederick Riddle, writer's course, Writing

Do You Want to Write?

There is an old saying, Everyone has a story in them. I don’t know what facts that is based on, but I agree with it. Each of us has unique experiences and beliefs providing enough material for a book.

But not everyone can write. Even those who can write need to be taught. Growing up, English was one of my favorite subjects, but I still knew virtually nothing about authoring. I had to learn the hard way.

You might ask why I didn’t take a course on writing? I did. But when the money ran out the course ended. So I enrolled in the school of hard knocks. That is a hard way to learn the basics of writing. I didn’t even know why I wanted to write!

There are courses out there, probably good courses, but they cost money. But what if the average person couldn’t afford the course? They get left out in the dark.

That is why T&R Independent Books undertook the putting together of a book that would provide basic knowledge for those wanting to write. And since the modern author must also have knowledge of publishing and marketing, the book covers those topics as well. We produced for you this self-teaching book called, So You Want to Write?

But we decided that as good as the book is, we needed to provide more. So we have created three guides (Authors Writing Guide, Authors Publishing Guide, and Authors Marketing Guide). Each guide is about two or three pages long and serves as an instant reference for the writer.

In addition to all that, we have started a newsletter appropriately called Writers World. This newsletter is published bi-weekly and deals exclusively with writing, publishing, and marketing. We provide articles with tips and how-tos plus book excerpts to demonstrate.

All this is provided free of charge. And it is available now. See our video for more information.

If you want to write take advantage of this Free offer: One book on the basics, three guides, and a subscription to Writers World newsletter. You can’t miss.

The book comes only as an Ebook and is easily downloaded to your computer. But don’t look at bookstores for it. It is only available from T&R Independent Bookstore. It is our gift to you.

All you need to do is give us your name and email address and we rush it to you.

Thousands of books are published every month. This will give you a fighting chance! Download it now!

Filed under: Marketing, Publishing, Writing Tagged: basics on writing, blog, marketing, publishing, writer's course, Writing