Austin Briggs's Blog, page 68
August 25, 2011
White in the Black
"I will never pray to you again," the gray man spoke aloud. "You have betrayed me at every turn. You have been a bane in my existence since the day I was born!" He sobbed, then cried: "NEVER AGAIN!" He unclasped his hands, rose from his knees, and left the Church never to return… again.
White in the Black is a post from: Aztec Books
August 22, 2011
Bloody Hell
Santana Gomez stepped onto the blazing sticky asphalt in front of the liquor store. Looking downward at the smears of blood painted across his calloused hands, he lifted his massive arms to the sky and whispered "God forgive me." The rain began to fall. Muddled streams of red and guilt washed to the pavement below.
Bloody Hell is a post from: Aztec Books
Xolotl's Luck
He slumps down on the damp wood, his neck pulsing against the icy rail. A final sigh, the empty bottle rolls from his blue fingers to the gravel.
"This gives a whole new meaning to 'catching the train', ya know?" A ragged black dog chuckles above him.
"I'll never be late again… Filthy fuckin' dog…"
K. Shock.
Xolotl's Luck is a post from: Aztec Books
August 21, 2011
5 Lessons from Unreadable Blogs
The blogging phenomenon has taken the world by storm. We, the writers, are advised to dive right in and begin building our "bands of followers". A blog, we are told, is the first step to establish the Writer's Platform, from which we can launch our books to our receptive, loving target audiences.
Here's the main idea:
Where once we had to rely on getting ourselves a publisher and circulating books to get our voices heard, now we have an instant platform that offers us a global audience.
Our blogs work for us when we sleep, crawling around peaceably on the WWW telling people all about who we are, and what we do as writers.
Sounds perfect, doesn't it?
It does.
Over the last few months, I've read a great number of writers' blogs, in an attempt to learn the best practices for my own use.
There's a ton of generic advice on how to do things right, but I'm yet to create my own winning formula. Things that work for one guy (e.g. the life-changing, emotional posts by John Locke) may not work for you and me.
However, I did find a few things of how we writers should not blog.
The amount of poorly designed and badly written "writer's platforms" out there has sent me into spirals of depression. I've become an expert on how to remain utterly unread.
What follows are my top 5 conclusions on how to become such Unread Blogger.
1. "Hello world"
I know this is the default first post in WordPress. So it's not surprising that our Unread Blogger starts his blog with it. There's an impatient audience out there, he's thinking, keen to respond to his hello with enthusiastic shouts of welcome and offers of friendship.
Here's a sample post. I'm changing the wording a little to protect our friend the Blogger:
"Hello world. This is my first blog post. I have no particular reason to write it, but I was told blogging helps reach readers. I bet many readers out there have never spoken with a real writer before, jajaja! So, let me share how I write books: … (then the author goes into a 2,000 word narrative on how he writes books).
So anyway, that's all I wanted to ramble about, and if you want, you can always reach me on Twitter. I'll set it up soon. Tell me what you want to hear about me. Bye."
There's a treasure of learning we can derive from this:
The blogger informs us this is his first post. Otherwise, how would we know? He might also want to remind us we're on internet, just in case someone's still confused.
He clarifies the purpose of writing: there's none.
At 2,000+ words, he makes sure to cover all his rich experience in one go.
He makes contact easy: as soon as he figures out Twitter, you can – finally – express your adoration!
One thing readable bloggers do differently: they begin and stay on topic, sharing bursts of relevant, purpose-driven information.
Here's one of the BEST first posts I've ever seen – by a fellow blogger Derek Flynn: "Welcome".
2. Make my eyes bleed with creative colors
There are so many blogs out there. Millions, literally.
So we must stand out. And it appears that many an Unread Blogger has fallen victim to a massive case of internet nostalgia for the 90'es. Colors… pretty colors and flashing lights.
Here's the list of my favorite approaches by Unread Bloggers:
Make your background really dark. Shiny black is best.
Make fluorescent yellow your main font color. Highlight your greatest thoughts in red, green, or orange (fluorescent, of course) and make your letters flash.
The sidebars are there for a reason. Use every inch to advertise your books and affiliate links. It's best when sidebars go miles down, making it impossible to reach your footer (who needs it, anyway?) and giving your site a good slow-down.
One thing readable bloggers do differently: They start with readability basics: light background, dark text, and readable fonts.
Here's one of my favorite blog designs – by Joe Konrath, which attracts hundreds of comments to each post: J. A Konrath's Blog.
3. Go into extremes of posting frequency
After our Unread Blogger says hello to the world and livens up his page with lots of creative colors, he starts on a path to get noticed.
The first step? Post daily.
And because you'll soon run out of topics, post on anything that grabs your interest.
One such writer posts about his dinners. With mounting excitement, I read about what he's cooked since starting his blog a year ago. Yesterday it was macaroni, the day before he baked a chicken, and – best of all – last Thursday was the time to make brownies!
If you're more of a reclusive kind of Unread Blogger, I suggest you post once a year, so that folks have a chance to really forget you before rediscovering you all over again.
One thing readable bloggers do differently: they have a posting schedule that allows their readers some rest, yet keeps them constantly reading on topic: once or twice a week, or maybe twice a month.
Here's an excellent blog by Clayton Diggs, who posts when the mood strikes him, which happens a few times a month.
4. Annoy the heck out of everyone in comments
If our Unread Blogger has made it this far, and despite his best efforts he's begun receiving comments, now is the time to unleash one's true self.
These bloggers have embraced what you and I don't realize: folks love registering for obscure web services just to post on a new blog. My personal favorites are reCaptcha and a drop down menu of 5 networks I must be a member of to post my comment.
Oh, and never forget to delay gratification! Commenters love it when their posts sit in someone's inbox for a week.
If some comments still make it through, the Unread Blogger has a few best practices here, too. Drip sarcasm, make posters feel like fools – or, on the contrary, agree with everything they say. Attack them, or ignore them completely. It's your blog, so do all the things for which others would ban you; it's fun.
One thing readable bloggers do differently: they use Askimet to filter spam, and make it as easy as possible for readers to post comments. And they're gracious, too.
Here's an excellent blog where the authors have great interaction with their audience in the comments: Men with Pens.
5. Give up after the first 5 weeks
Here's my best piece of learning yet. Because the Unread Blogger knows that blogging success comes fast, you can observe him to these things:
Freak out every day that goes without someone posting a comment.
Obsess with Google Analytics. If the visitor numbers don't come, post a rambling rant and tweet up a storm about how blogging doesn't work.
Reach out and post on lots of other blogs with the sole intent to drive traffic. Here's the proven template:
"Nice article. Check out my own articles at http://blogschmog.com/blog".
And if the traffic still doesn't come by around week 5, give up. This whole blogging thing isn't worth the Unread Blogger's time.
One thing readable bloggers do differently: they persevere.
Here's the blog that has been going strong since 2002, and has become the foundation for the author's full-time blogging career: ProBlogger.
Blogging is cheap or free to set up, takes little technical knowledge, and allows us to express ourselves without censorship.
Making the decision to set up a blog is a simple one – within minutes, you can have a site with all the functionality you need to get started.
Blogs are kind beings. They'll pay you back hugely for the investment you place in them. And, as your confidence grows and your passion for the art increases, so will your audience, followers and feedback.
I have a question to you. What examples of Unreadable Blogging have you seen?
5 Lessons from Unreadable Blogs is a post from: Aztec Books
No Apologies
I pay bribes… to a poor farmer; to keep his children in school, away from choking factories. I kneel and pray for this humble man's fortunes to change; for the dark clouds to disappear, leaving nothing but a harmless blue.
I pay bribes, so lock me away… but leave this man in peace.
T. E. Samad.
No Apologies is a post from: Aztec Books
August 16, 2011
Finding Your Online Persona
This is the fourth post in the Writer's Platform series. Here are the others:
Standing on the Platform, Peering out
Finding Your Online Persona
When you think about your voice as a writer, what does it sound like?
Are you true to yourself, writing with your usual sarcasm or even in your own dialect, or do you write using a persona?
Whatever your preference, finding a writing style for blogging or articles can be tough – striking the balance between being true to yourself, and reaching as wide a readership as possible through your words.
That said, many people have made a living out of truly knowing just how to express themselves online. The rise of the 'Mommy Blogger' shows just how appealing the platform can be for people who have previously had no outlet for their talent or creativity. For every passion, interest or industry out there, there is a person who has seized the moment and carved a niche for themselves online through effectively finding their voice.
An online persona can be tricky to discover, and then develop. Many of us have an inherent nervousness about our writing which is only compounded when we sit in front of a blank document and wonder how to express ourselves. For the first time, our generation is able to write words which can be instantly accessed by a global audience, and this is a daunting undertaking.
What if we get a negative reaction?
What if we simply fail to find an online persona which appeals to our audience?
The advent of blogging has negative aspects to it as well as positive – for every article we publish, there will be people out there who will read it, and dislike it. Your readers have the capacity to both judge you and vocalize that judgment instantly, which can be harrowing for a new writer struggling to find their voice.
The relative anonymity of the web means that people can state their opinions without holding back, safe in the knowledge that their recipient is probably on the other side of the globe somewhere, going to sleep just as the writer of the comment is waking up. This opens things up, frees readers from the necessity to be politically correct or sensitive, and means the new blog writer can suddenly be on the receiving end of a barrage of critical, insensitive, or simply unhelpful comments.
So, how do we find and grow an online persona that works for us?
There are a few things to consider when you first set out to establish your personal brand. Here are some questions that I found helpful.
What's the long-term brand that you're developing for yourself? Is it funny, professional, approachable, or sarcastic; can you sustain that brand over time?
Who are you, and what do you want to achieve by writing online? Are you happy to show yourself as you are to your audience, or are you more comfortable writing behind a pen name to protect your identity, allowing your creativity to pour forth without fear that your spouse, boss or kids may stumble across your words?
A friend of mine resolved this creatively.
A father of three children, all of whom use the internet, he wanted to blog but was concerned that if he truly spoke his mind, he would risk offending his offspring. So, he developed two blogs and ran them alongside each other.
The first is written under a pen name, and it is a platform for him to rant about all that is wrong in the world, use expletives, and let his coarse, funny and irreverent humor shine through. The second blog is his 'shop front' for his writing activities, and it is a mild, professional and honest account of his day to day life as a writer.
In this way, he manages to balance the personal and professional perfectly, fulfilling his need to express himself without compromising his brand in any way.
Ultimately, your online persona needs to be a reflection of who you are, and what you want to achieve. Choose wisely, and you'll have the ideal platform for self-expression which also works to develop your business and cement your professional brand.
After much thinking, I've decided to write under a pseudonym. My real name is difficult to remember, and I'm yet to meet a person who can spell it from the first attempt. But this is where my deception stops; everything else about me, my books and my blog is real.
Is your blogging persona different from who you are in real life? Are you writing under a pen name, and why?
Finding Your Online Persona is a post from: Aztec Books
Sounds from Above
When I heard the news, I didn't cry. After all, real men don't cry, right? I prayed, of course. But still I knew the Reaper was on his way, with his pungent smell of death.
Now, as I lie under the ground, I sometimes hear those prayers, even long after my departure from this world.
T. E. Samad.
Sounds from Above is a post from: Aztec Books
August 15, 2011
Sacrifice
With heated prayer, his weathered hands smear red clay paste of wind and rain on the men's faces. Hoods gift his son, his brother darkness.
"Ready… Aim."
Gunshots travel NC ground.
In unison, Tsali's body tremors, slumps. Awaiting death, he lifts proudly. His last Cherokee breath inhales deeply creating a bull's-eye of Future.
Sacrifice is a post from: Aztec Books
The Clue
"Open your eyes…"
Huh???
"Listen to me, open your eyes…"
In this moment, I don't have an idea of what's going on, but a letter in my bed reveals a mistery…. the words? I know.
I can't stop thinking about it. But in the sunset, my girlfriend said to me "you love me"… she knows.
Juan Carlos Cabrera Luna.
The Clue is a post from: Aztec Books
August 14, 2011
Would you Like a Kindle?
Call me cautious, or silly, but I went against the wisdom of the great ones and launched my first book in August.
I know this is one of the slowest months. I know my "hot new releases" listing on Amazon will fall on empty beach beds. I know lots of folks held back releasing their masterpieces till October.
Anyway, here are some brief facts that may be of interest:
The book is available on Kindle, iBookStore, SmashWords, B&N, and GoodReads. It's coming to the Sony Reader and Diesel Books after a while. I know folks are buying on Amazon, since I'm seeing wild sales rank fluctuations daily.
The launch price is $0.99, which will stay put for a few months. I may increase it later. I'm not making much at this price, but I want to wow my readers with great introductory value.
I'm running a contest: if you read the book and post a meaningful review at Amazon, iBookStore or B&N by Aug 31, you'll enter a draw to win afree Kindle or cash equivalent.
At the time of this writing, I'm dancing around the first 5-star reviews on Amazon, some of which are for the review copy, and others are unsolicited. I really hope the book finds its target audience.
Don't buy it blindly, though. Look inside!
Please five it a try, enter the Kindle draw contest, and enjoy the book!
Let me know what you think. I'm launching myself into writing Dance Two of the series, and will take your input close to my heart.
Would you Like a Kindle? is a post from: Aztec Books
