Edie Melson's Blog, page 429

A Writing Book You’ll Want for Your Library—Imagination @Work by Alton Gansky

A Review by Edie MelsonMy friend and Blue Ridge cohort has just published a new e-book. It's a nonfiction work containing several years of essays he’s written about creativity and writing. Each of the 80 essays is short, designed to be read quickly. This book is full of wisdom gleaned from years in the publishing industry. Reading it you’ll feel like you’re sitting, having coffee with a mentor.
These essays are not profound or formal. They are me being me. Some are meant to be serious, others humorous. They are also designed to be read quickly, the kind of thing a reader can pick up, read a chapter or two, then set down until some more free time appears.It is not a how-to book. The world is filled with how-to write books. Some are very good. I don’t intend to add this to that number. My purpose is to share a bit of my journey, encourage new writers and other creatives, and occasionally provide a push forward. I hope it has meaning for you. Who knows, it might even make you smile, or, better yet, dream big dreams.***
The $2.99 book is available on Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook. I hope you enjoy it. More than that, I hope you find it inspirational. Alton Gansky is a full time writer, director of BRMCWC, founder of Gansky.Communications and host of Writer's Talk. He is the award winning author of over 40 books. Prior to turning to full time writing, he was the senior pastor to three Southern Baptist churches. In addition to his writing, he speaks to writers groups and church organizations.  www.altongansky.com His newest novel WOUNDS (Broadman Holman) released in May of 2013. ( Amazon ,  Barnes & Noble ) 

Social Media Monday—Learn How to Pin Your Blog Posts

by Edie Melson
Pinterest is growing by leaps and bounds as a valuable social media tool for writers. It’s a great way to connect with readers and there are numerous ways to utilize this image driven platform.
It’s also a great way to generate interest for your blog. Today I want to concentrate on that aspect of Pinterest, with step-by-step instructions on how to pin a blog post.
First, you’ll want to create a board to place your pins. 
To do this, go to your Pinterest home page (hover over your name and click BOARDS) From here, either click on the square that says, CREATE a BOARD, or click on the + sign to the left of your profile picture. A dropdown menu appears and you want to choose CREATE a BOARD.
first, create a board for your blog pins (screenshot above) Name your board and describe it (screenshot above)
I recommend you name this board after the topic your blog covers, rather than your blog title. Pinterest is just like EVERY other social media network, you don’t ever want it to become all about you. If you choose a topic, you can also pin other valuable blog posts and that will keep it from becoming Me, Me, Me looking.
Not sure what I mean about choosing a topic? I actually chose two for my blogging boards—writing tips and social networking tips—because my blog has more than one topic.
Once you have your board ready, click ADD a PIN. To pin a blog post, choose THE WEB.
To pin a blogpost, choose The Web (screenshot above)

Copy and paste the URL from your blog post (not just your general blog) into the window and click NEXT.
Now choose the image you want to represent that specific blog post. (The image options are ones from your blog site)
Use the URL that links to your blog psot, NOT just your blog
Click PIN IT.
Pinterest will automatically link it to your blog post.
Here are a few things to remember when you pin: Share the limelight. Like any social network, being me-centered can drive away traffic. Remember to pin things that will draw in your audience.Tag your friends. It’s easy as easy on Pinterest as it is on Twitter. Just like Twitter put the @ sign in front of a Pinterest user name. I would be tagged on Pinterest as @EdieMelson.Utilize Hashtags. Use them in your pin descriptions so you’ll be found more easily.And most important— Pin everyday, but not all at once. When you pin or repin an image it shows up on the community boards and you don’t want to dominate the conversation. There are several tools that allow you to schedule your pins, although right now they all charge a monthly fee.
Have you had the opportunity to add Pinterest to your social media plan? What's your favorite way to use it? Share your experiences and we'll all learn together.
Don't forget to join your conversation!Blessings,Edie
TweetablesLearn How to Pin Your Blog Posts on Pinterest (Click to Tweet)
Pinning your blog posts to increase your traffic is easier than you think (Click to Tweet)

Weekend Worship—Recognizing God’s Provision

by Edie Melson
When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it. Numbers 11:9
This week I was reminded of what the word Manna means (Thank you Marcia Moston), and it got me to thinking.
First—in case you had forgotten or didn’t know—in ancient Hebrew, Manna means, what is it.
I find it comforting to know that the Israelites didn’t have a clue what it was. Because, truthfully, I find myself hard-pressed to recognize God’s provision when it first appears on the scene.
So many times I’ve prayed for relief or help in a situation, feeling like God had forgotten me. But when I looked back I could see the things He had already put in place to take care of my worries.
So here are the three things I’ve learned about God’s provision: God’s provision often appears quietly, with little or no fanfare.God’s provision can find us where ever we are—from safe at home to lost in the wilderness.God’s provision is exactly what we need, when we need it. 

Are you worried and stressed? Don’t despair, God has already put the things in place that you'll need.

Social Media Image—Who Would You Thank for Helping Your Writing Dreams Become Reality?

I've been thinking lately about all the people who have helped me get where I am as a writer. It's made me curious. If you could thank someone publicly, who would it be? I'll chime in too.

"We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever
becomes a master." - Ernest Hemingway
Share your thoughts in the comment section below. 

I also invite you to use this image any way you like online. Post it to your blog, share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, anywhere you'd like. All I ask is that you keep it intact, with my website watermark visible.

Don't forget to join the conversation!Blessings,Edie

Life Lessons—The Gift in You

by Reba J. Hoffman, Ph.D

Yes, I’m talking to you. I know that about now you feel you should chunk the computer in the electronics recycle bin and pick up knitting. Your words won’t flow and you just know you made a mistake deciding to be a writer.
You’re having a meltdown. Really, it boils down to an issue of trust. Judging by your fast drafting, mistake-making mumbo jumbo called prose, you don’t believe you can do it. Simply put, you don’t trust the gift in you.
You’re in good company. Author Terri Blackstock gave her husband strict orders to keep her rough drafts from falling into anyone’s hands should anything happen to her.
Don’t let a rough draft that’s well, rough, alter your faith in your God given ability to string words together. What’s more, no one can tell that story but you. Oh, I could grossly paraphrase it or someone else could report the story. But only Y.O.U. can write it.
God gave you a gift. His Word promises a couple of things:The gift—and the call—are irrevocable. He won’t snatch it back in the middle of your edits. (Romans 11:29)You gift will make room for you. (Proverbs 18:16)
So if that’s the case, don’t you think it’s time for you to begin to trust the gift in you? Oh sure, it may need developing. There’s not a writer out there who doesn’t need to hone our craft, but the gift is in you. It’s there and it’s time you learn to trust it.
No matter how many decades you write, regardless of how many New York Times Best-Selling books you pen, you will NEVER write an award winning first draft. It ain’t gonna happen. So why would you ever judge your gift based on how well you fast draft?
Get over your first draft. What’s more, get a first draft. Write the thing, for crying out loud! Then, use your gift to add and subtract words like an artist would with oils to a canvas. Soon, you’ll create a literary masterpiece. That’s what gifted people do.
Believe in yourself!
Trust the gift in you!
Do you trust yourself as an author? Or do you sometimes think you’re only kidding yourself when it comes to being able to be an author? Share it here!

Reba J. Hoffman is the founder and president of Magellan Life Coaching (www.magellanlifecoaching.com). She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Counseling and is a natural encourager. She serves as Member Care Coach for My Book Therapy and is the author of Dare to Dream, A Writer’s Journal. You can connect with Reba through her motivational blog, Finding True North, or by email at reba@magellanlifecoaching.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at @MagellanCoach.

Thursday Review—The Emotion Thesaurus

by Lynn H. Blackburn
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard the phrase Show Don’t Tell I could afford to take all of us to a writers conference. Where we would, again, be reminded to…

Show Don’t Tell!
Telling is so easy though. If I say, “Caroline was so angry when they fired her” you know she’s mad.
Unfortunately, telling is also lazy writing. It takes a lot more of our creative juices to say, “Caroline turned toward the window and took a slow breath. Then another. Heat coursed through her limbs as she considered her options. If they thought she would be willing to go quietly, they had underestimated her. Again. She drove her heels into the floor to stop her legs from shaking…”
You get the idea.
The tricky part comes when you tackle a book length project and catch yourself using the same responses…over and over and over again.She let out a deep sigh.She crossed her arms.She pursed her lips.Her face flushed. 
It’s fine to use those now and then, but wouldn’t it be great if we could be more descriptive? Get the point across without using the same tired phrases?
Last month, I reviewed DiAnn Mill’s excellent book, The Dance of Character and Plot . In it, she recommended The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi as a resource for helping writers do that very thing.
The Emotion Thesaurus opens with a brief but excellent primer on writing nonverbal emotion (and yes, it will cover Show Don’t Tell) and then gives suggestions for using the thesaurus.
The thesaurus itself includes both internal and external examples of each emotion. So whether your POV character is feeling or observing the emotion, you’ll find plenty of options.
For each emotion, you’ll find the following entries: (I’m using Anger for our examples)Definition:helps you make sure this is the emotion you’re going forPhysical Signals: this is usually a long list and covers the outwardly obvious signsInternal Sensations: Helps you describe what your character is physically feelingMental Responses: Helps you describe what’s going on in your character’s thoughtsCues of Acute or Long Term {Anger}: This is a fascinating option. For our anger example, this list includes road rage, hypertension, ulcers, and exploding over little thingsMay Escalate to: RAGEWriter’s Tip: These are general tips about how to make the emotions believable.
I found The Emotion Thesaurus to be a wise investment. It’s available in paperback and while I usually prefer my craft books to be paper books (I like to highlight, dog-ear, and spill coffee on them—makes me feel like real writer) I’m glad I made an exception with The Emotion Thesaurus and went with the Kindle version (available for a very reasonable $4.99).
The May Escalate To portion of each entry includes links, so if I want to see if the responses for Rage are a better fit, one click takes me there. I also like the Kindle version because I do a lot of my writing away from home and I’m enjoying being able to access it from my phone or laptop.
So what about you? Do you have any pet phrases you catch yourself falling back on in your writing? Seen any unique descriptions recently? Share them with us in the comments!

Don’t forget to join the conversation!Lynn
Lynn Huggins Blackburn has been telling herself stories since she was five and finally started writing them down. She blogs about faith, family, and her writing journey on her blog Out of the Boat. Lynn is a member of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild and the Word Weavers, Greenville. She lives in South Carolina where she hangs out with three lively children, one fabulous man, and a cast of imaginary characters who find their way onto the pages of her still unpublished novels. She drinks a lot of coffee.

Quit Procrastinating—Instead Sit in the Chair and WRITE—8 Tips to Keep You Moving

by Edie Melson
I love writing. And I love talking about writing.
Sitting around with other writers, discussing all things literary is one of my favorite things. It’s one of the reasons I love attending writing conferences.

But there are people we know who like talking about writing so much that’s all they do. They join writers groups, critique groups, even take classes. The one thing they don’t do is write.
Unfortunately, this problem of avoidance can happen to any of us.

Writing is hard work.  Avoiding it is often easier than just sitting in the chair and banging out words. There comes a time though, when we have to just quit procrastinating, sit in the chair and write.
Today I’m going to share some things I do when I’m tempted to do anything but write.  Be creative when you set goals.Set a goal. I play games with my goals. Sometimes I’ll set a time goal—I’m going to write for an hour—no matter what. Sometimes I’ll set a word count goal—I’m not going to get up until I’ve written 1000 words.Set a reward. I try to avoid food related goals, but truthfully, nothing helps the words flow like the promise of chocolate.Break it into manageable pieces. Don’t tackle a hard goal all at once. Break it into small manageable bits. This will help you see the progress.Turn on the music.For me, music (instrumental—no words) helps me get in the groove.Change the scenery.When I hit a wall, it helps to go around it—literally. If I’m in my office, I may move to the dining room or even the back porch.Turn off the Internet. Or at least log off your social media. It’s tempting to ask for support or commiseration on Facebook, but it can lead to conversation. And the only words you need are the ones that show up on the page. Me, Mary Denman, and Reba Hoffman
cheering each other on.Schedule a Write-in.Get a friend or two and hold each other accountable. If you can’t meet in person, get together online, through Skype or a Google Hangout.Throw up on the page.NO, not literally. But I’ve found that sometimes I have to write junk before I can get to the good stuff. So go ahead and write crap, get it out of the way and keep going. Chances are there is something useable in it.
Now I’d like to hear from you. What tricks have you found to keep yourself in the chair banging out words?
Don’t forget to join the conversation!Blessings,
Edie
TweetablesQuit Procrastinating—Instead Sit in the Chair and WRITE - @EdieMelson shares her tips to help you write through (Click to Tweet)
Finding it hard to write through a rough patch? Author @EdieMelson shares her top 8 ways to keep moving (Click to Tweet)

Social Media Monday—Find Your Social Media Easy Button

by Edie Melson 
Social Media—so vital and yet so frustrating.
As of this moment, there are 200+ social networking sites out there. If you do a search for the top sites, you’ll get listings of anywhere from 7 to 20.
And none of those numbers is manageable when it comes to building a viable online presence.
There is just no way anyone can stay actively involved on even as few as seven networks.
So how do we decide where to focus our attention to get the most bang for our buck?
In the past, I’ve taught writers to have a presence on both Facebook and Twitter. I’ve also added a third online component—blogging. These three platforms will get you the highest percentage of exposure to your audience.
And I advocate ONLY spending 30 minutes a day, five days a week, on social media. In addition to that, I suggest you set aside one to two hours to write weekly blog posts.
All of this still holds true.
But there’s another player in the game now, Pinterest. Authors find LOTS of valuable connections to their readers through Pinterest.
Does that mean you need to divide the pie even further?
I don’t believe it does. I think it’s important to find your social easy button, and spend the bulk of your time there.
For me, that’s blogging and twitter. Those are the two networks where I get the most interaction. How do I know they’re my sweet spots? Two ways:I look at the numbers (12,00 + on Twitter and 30,000+ unique hits per month on my blog)I notice what I enjoy the most. 
That’s it. There’s no complicated formula. Just look at where success comes easiest.
Your easy button may be Pinterest or Facebook. It doesn’t matter which one it is. What matters is concentrating your effort there.
This isn’t a pass to stop with the other basics. You really do need a presence on all three (blogging, Facebook and Twitter). But just do the bare minimum and have fun hanging out in the place you like best.
Several things will happen when you do:Your numbers of follower/friends will grow.The number of meaningful conversations (engagement) will increase.You’ll enjoy your time with social media more.
So I’m curious, what social media networks work best for you?
Don’t forget to join the conversation!Blessings,Edie

TweetablesFind your social media easy button and find success! (Click to Tweet)
Social Media doesn't have to be something you dread when you find your easy button! (Click to Tweet)

Weekend Worship—A Colorful Life

by Edie Melson
And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5

Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the cool, crisp days that bring relief from summer’s heat. But most of all, I love the beautiful colors adorning the trees in our Blue Ridge Mountains. My husband and I get great joy from driving through the mountains to see the changing leaves. It always amazes me how vibrant the colors are and, until recently. I took that beauty for granted.
Last year, I learned what makes the trees brighter some years as opposed to others. The intensity and brilliance of the colors is virtually unaffected by the amount of stress the tree has suffered during the previous season—as long as it has plenty of rain. 
That knowledge stopped me in my tracks, as God immediately began to apply its spiritual truth to my life. God is the water, the lifeline that keeps my life healthy. It doesn’t matter how great the trial, as long as I look to Him for provision, I can come through triumphant.
Inevitably, I think about people around me who’ve suffered intense pain and come through to a place of peace. I could see that the constant in their lives had also been the Living Water of God’s Spirit, sustaining them, no matter the stress. The more God worked through their stress and suffering, the more vibrantly His brilliance shined through them.
Now this knowledge leads me to a choice. Will I fight God’s plan, turn my back on Him, and seek the path of least resistance—the path that leads to a life without color? Or will I let God transform my trials and tribulations into brilliance?

Social Media Image—Scattered Words

When I'm writing, sometimes the words come in abundance. At other times they drift, beautiful, but just out of reach. How about you?

"For the time being words scatter. Are they fallen leaves?" - Ruth OzekiShare your thoughts in the comment section below. 

I also invite you to use this image any way you like online. Post it to your blog, share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, anywhere you'd like. All I ask is that you keep it intact, with my website watermark visible.

Don't forget to join the conversation!Blessings,Edie