Cate Russell-Cole's Blog, page 25

November is Lifewriting Month

Every November, Denis offers November is Lifewriting Month. NILM provides writing prompts via e-mail, free tele-classes on memoir-writing techniques and many surprise memoir gifts. You can sign up here to become a free member of the Network.

Denis is the author of the classic Turning Memories Into Memoirs / A Handbook for Writing Lifestories. Most recently, he completed his mother’s memoir, We Were Not Spoiled, and his uncle’s, Business Boy to Business Man. Denis is currently working on a book about “writing with passion.”

Jumpstart materials are also available for writers wishing to be memoir professionals in their communities.

Keep in touch through their Facebook page or Denis’ blog. Also find them on Twitter.

Filed under: The Memoir Project, What's On Tagged: autobiography, blog, inspiration, life story, memoir, resource, writer, writing

Where to Find The Must-Have Extra Features for Your Blog

http://polldaddy.com Polldaddy is a free poll maker for your blog.

http://audioblogger.com/ Add audio to your blog.

http://www.html-kit.com/favicon/ This is the place you go to have a custom icon made for your address bar and saved bookmarks. It will make the icon from photos.

http://www.slide.com/main This will allow you to add slideshows to your blog: if it doesn’t already have that capability. I know WordPress allows it, but I have no idea how you actually do it.

http://paint.net/ A free online tool to edit images, if you don’t have Photoshop etc.

http://www.wordle.net This is an easy way to make word clouds to use as images. Its customisable. You can simply copy and paste keywords or a full document into it.

http://www.allblogtools.com/category/tricks-and-hacks/blogger-widgets-addons/ Blogger Widgets

http://wordpress.org/plugins/ A quick link to a source for many WordPress plug ins. (Self-hosted Powered by WordPress blogs only.)

http://akismet.com The best comment spam blocker out there.

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/6-blog-add-ons-that-spur-social-media-activity/ A must-read post! 6 Blog Add-Ons That Spur Social Media Activity

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/android-apps-for-bloggers/ 15 Android Apps Every Blogger Should Have

http://www.appolicious.com/tech/articles/9924-top-25-essential-iphone-ipad-blogging-apps-used-by-real-bloggers    25 iPhone and iPad Blogging Apps

http://mashable.com/2007/07/18/firefox-blogging/ 40+ Firefox Add-ons for High Speed Blogging

If you know of another feature worth adding to the list, please use the form below, and I will add it if trustworthy.

[contact-form]

Filed under: Blog Building and Promotion, Writing Resources Tagged: audio, blog, features, icon, Polldaddy, Wordle, Writing Rocket Fuel

Surviving Blogging and Writing Challenges: Wise Choices

*My apologies to anyone who has received this post twice. A poltergeist seems to have taken up residence in WordPress. I’ve had two more post malfunctions today! 

The aim of this blog is to equip, encourage and empower writers. I pass on as many resources as I can, including writing and blogging challenges which appear sound.

We have NaNoWriMo, OctPoWriMo, NaPoWriMo, JuNoWriMo, Camp NaNoWriMo, the Wego Health Bloggers Challenge, the A-Z Blogging Challenge, Story A Day, Script Frenzy, NaPoBloMo, ROW80, NaNoEdMo, Story of my Life Blogathon, Word Count Blogathon, Creative Every Day, #writemotivation, Blog Blitz, Write Non-Fiction in November, more Wego Blogging initiatives, commercial authors such as Jeff Goins have their own… and each time I look at Twitter there are more!

For a full list of the ones I have identified, please visit this page.

There is something for everyone and that’s not a bad thing… however… exhaustion and creative burnout beckons: the time requirements are absolutely deadly on some of those challenges. When considering getting involved in these challenges, don’t follow the crowd. Please ask yourself:

What are my time, family and energy constraints?
Is it flexible enough to encompass the goals I need to work on.
Is the “encouragement” given in this challenge cracking the whip too hard, making me feel pressured or guilty?
Is the stated time period without rest days? (This is deadly to your mental and physical health: ask any counsellor, psychologist or balanced life coach.)
Will this take me away from my work in progress which is my top priority?
Will this actually increase my skill as a writer? Am I just ticking a box that I blogged?
Will this make me feel good or bad at the end, as I aced it or failed miserably?
Can I take the inspiration and do my own version, at my own pace?
Are the social requirements too much or too tempting as a distraction?
Will the time it takes to read other’s posts and check-in be too much time away from what I actually need to be doing?
If you are not feeling motivated to write, are you using this challenge as a crutch to get motivated? If so, don’t use the challenge as a magical remedy to put you on track. It won’t. Especially if your issue is lack of confidence, time shortages or exhaustion.
Am I relying on other’s around me in challenges for affirmation, rather than working on my own self-esteem as a writer?

Sometimes when we feel exhausted as writers, it is because we simply need a break to re-charge our batteries. Like any body part, your mind needs rest. If you over-use any muscle in your body, it will become strained, painful and you won’t be able to work. If you are simply over it, maybe the best remedy is time-out before you burn out. Don’t get to the point where you go months without writing again.

This article / blog post is Copyright Cate Russell-Cole 2013. All rights are reserved Internationally. You may not reproduce it in any form, in part of whole, without Cate’s prior written permission. That includes usage in forms such as print, audio and digital imaging including pdf, jpg, png etc. A fee may be requested for re-using her work if it is for a commercial venture. Link sharing and Pinterest pins are most welcome as long as Cate is the attributed Author.

Filed under: Author First Aid, What's On, Writing Resources Tagged: blog, Blog Blitz, blogathon, blogging, Camp NaNoWriMo, challenge, Creative Every Day, encouragement, goals, inspiration, JuNoWriMo, motivation, Nanowrimo, NaPoBloMo, NaPoWriMo, OctPoWriMo, ROW80, script frenzy, Story A Day, Story of my Life Blogathon, stress management, success, the A-Z Blogging Challenge, the Wego Health Bloggers Challenge, Word Count Blogathon, Write Non-Fiction in November, Writemotivation, writer, writing, writing challenges

Free Author Promotion Lists: Don’t Miss Your Chance to Be Listed!

September was Independent Author Promotion Month on CommuniCATE, but the Linky Lists for you to promote your books won’t close until December 31st. So if you are an Indie Author, use these direct links to list your books, web site, blog or author pages on any site such as Amazon, IAN etc.

Don’t be put off if there aren’t too many entries. Spam content has been removed and the lists will gather momentum as the word gets passed around. If desired, I can extend the life of the lists and they won’t come off this blog. As I said, no erotica and yes, I am removing spam and rule breakers.

Romance Writers

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Christian Writers

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Paranormal and Horror Writers

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Crime, Thriller and Suspense Writers

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Young Adult Authors 

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Memoir / Autobiography / Life Story

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Science Fiction / Fantasy and Fan Fiction for those

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Non Fiction: Biography, Text Books, Sports, Cooking, Crafts, How-To Manuals etc.

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Poetry

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

This is a blog hop, however, due to technical gremlins I can’t get the lists to display in these posts. If you use blogger or a self-hosted WordPress site, you’ll be fine.

Filed under: Book Marketing, Independent Author Promotion Month 2013, What's On Tagged: author, blog, blogging, books, fiction, Independent Author Promotion Month 2013, Indie publishing, promotion, success, writer, writing

Unmissable Memoir Posts from Around the Web… October Edition

This is a list of the best memoir writing posts for October so far. Dawn Herring has also asked me to let you know that #JournalChat Live is moving to a new day/time, Sundays at 4 EST/1 PST (United States) starting October 20th. Enjoy…

Where Do You Find Inspiration, by Sherrey Meyer

Memoir Writing Tips by Denis LeDoux: Describing Characters in a Memoir Can Be Easy Enough, and Action is Essential in Memoir, thanks to Kathy Pooler.

How Long Does It Take To Write A Memoir? by the Memoir Network

How Long Will Your Words Last, and Fact or Fiction? by Sharon Lippincott

List of Memoirs that Show Various Aspects of Family and Can an Adult Learn to Write Stories? by Jerry Waxler

Writing About Painful Experiences: 4 Powerful Tips, by Caitlin White, from Sue Mitchell’s blog.

To Know as We Are Known: David Crumm’s Five Tips for Interviewing, from Shirley Showalter

An Adoptee’s Story | Interview with Linda Hoye, by Sherrey Meyer

Canton Elegy: Astonishing Memoir of Chinese History and a Father’s Love, from Linda Austin

Healing With Words: a Breast Cancer Memoir for Breast Cancer Awareness Month from Cate Russell-Cole

 

Filed under: The Memoir Project, Writing Resources Tagged: autobiography, blog, inspiration, life story, memoir, resource, writer, writing

Where Should I Start? Writing Your Life Story

The single most frequent question I’m asked by people who are thinking about writing their life story, or those who recently began, is “Where do I start?” Variations of this are “How do I start?” and “How do I go about it?”

My answer has two parts and is echoed by everyone I know who teaches life story writing:

1. There is no right way to go about this. You think of one specific memory you want people to know about and start writing. Then you write another and another. Eventually they’ll start clustering in your mind and you’ll know what to do next.

2. You can jump start the process by taking time to make a Story Idea List. Essentially you just make a list and then write a story about each of the items on the list, in whatever order you wish. Some people write an orderly river of story; others write like time-traveling grasshoppers.

I cover the complex relationship between planning and writing in considerable detail in The Heart and Craft of Lifestory Writing. At the end of that section, the concluding wisdom remains: there is no right way to write. You have to find a way that works for you. You’ll only find that way if you pick up a pen or sit down at the keyboard and get those fingers moving.

The other key thing to remember is that almost nobody produces a final copy the first time they write a story. While it is true that anything you write is better than writing nothing, and that your descendants would rather have a hastily scribbled draft written on a discarded lunch bag than not have a story at all, most people realize this work is their legacy, and they want to make it the best they can, within the bounds of time, ability, and motivation.

So don’t be daunted by thoughts like I’m not good at writing … I don’t know how to say what I want to say … People will read this and think I was an ignorant dope. Those thoughts come from your Inner Critic. Send him to his room. Start writing and let the words pour out however they do. You may be surprised to read things you had forgotten or never realized you knew.

For the first draft, it’s enough to just get the story down on paper. Later you can add details, refine descriptions and structure, expand the concept, and get as creative as you wish. Maybe branch out into another story. Edit  the best you can. Ask a literate friend for help. Read a book — of course I recommend my own at the top of the list, and you can find other fine titles on my website. Take a class. Join a writing group. You could even hire a coach.

Circling back around, it doesn’t matter where you start. It matters that you do.

Write now: make a list of 100 story ideas. Even if you are an experienced writer, you’ll benefit from this exercise to inject a dose of freshness into your writing. Make the list as broad or specific as you wish. When you finish the list, pick one idea and write the story.

This post is Copyright Sharon Lippincott 2010. All Rights Reserved Internationally

Filed under: Posts by Sharon Lippincott, The Memoir Project, Writing Resources Tagged: author, autobiography, ideas, inspiration, life story, memoir, writer, writing

Write Where You Are: Sourcing Blog Posts from Your Heart

I think I need to post a blog post more often. People I know tell me they’re amazed I post one twice a week. I don’t know what the “right” posting frequency is, but I do know two things:

1. I don’t think I could come up with more to say more often than I currently do, and

2. I’ve learned to “write where I am.” Or I guess to write about right where I am.

The only way I know to write my posts is to write from my heart. To share what I’m learning and facing. To honestly and hopefully authentically reveal the good and the bad about my experiences. Although I still want readers to gain some value from what I’ve posted, I’ve given up trying to sound smart. It’s too hard to put, and keep, on airs. Anyway, people can smell a fake, even virtually.

So I write where I am – or about right where I am. The blog posts I most love reading on my favorite blogs are the ones about the writer’s human experience. I guess it’s what we all have in common.

I feel the same way about my memoir writing. Maybe I’d be a “better” writer if I tried to be different than I am, or to sound as if I was in a better space than I’m in at a moment, or to tell stories in ways that make me sound good. But I’ve learned in life that realness counts. And I think it should count in writing as well.

It’s funny – I wonder if people will get tired of reading about my struggles. And then I wonder if they’ll get tired of reading about my joy. Or if they’ll tell me I complain too much, or gush too often. I haven’t heard that at all. I’ve had great responses to both. It’s weird – while we all have different stories, there is so much that connects us and unites us. So much we have in common. That’s what I write about, as much as I can.

If you find something to laugh about, capture it on paper (or electronic paper). If you’re brought to tears, chances are someone else will be as well. If you’re facing a challenge your struggle can help someone feel validated, and your triumph can help someone feel hope.

Writing where you are can be easy, because you don’t have to make too much up. But writing where you are can be tough, because you’ll expose the good, the bad, and the ugly. Truth is though, it’s probably only ugly to you.

We’re all on a journey and we’re all on it together – as much as we think we’re alone or different from the rest. Write where you are and share yourself with others. Maybe they’ll write back!

Follow Lisa

Lisa Kohn is the author of the soon to be published, “Way Out,” an autobiographical work about a period in her life which she describes as: “I was raised in and torn between two conflicting, bipolar worlds. There was the world I longed for and lived in on weekends – my mother’s world, which was the fanatical, puritanical cult of the Moonies – and the world I was forced to live in during the week – my father’s world, which was based in sex and drugs and the squalor of life in the East Village of New York City… Way Out chronicles my journey – from my unconventional childhood, through my self-destructive early 20s, through my Way Out to challenges, peace, and healing today. My intention in writing has been to offer hope and potential joy to others who may feel beaten or damaged by their upbringing or circumstances. If by telling my story I can help others find their own Way Out, it has all been worth it.”

She is also an accomplished leadership consultant, executive coach, and keynote speaker with a strong business background and a creative approach. She has over 25 years of experience, including over 15 years direct consulting, coaching, and speaking with Fortune 500 clients in areas of leadership, communication styles, managing change, interpersonal and team dynamics, strategy, and execution.

Lisa has taught as an adjunct professor at Columbia University and New York University’s Stern School of Business, and has been featured in several professional publications.

Blog: http://www.lisakohnwrites.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisakohnwrites

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LisaKohnWrites

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lisakohnccg

Copyright Lisa Kohn 2013. All rights are reserved Internationally. You may not reproduce it in any form, in part of whole, without prior written permission. That includes usage in forms such as print, audio and digital imaging including pdf, jpg, png etc. A fee may be requested for re-using this work if it is for a commercial venture. Link sharing and Pinterest pins are most welcome as long as Lisa Kohn is the attributed Author.

Filed under: "Writing Lessons from the Writing Life", 2013, Blog Building and Promotion Tagged: author, blog, blogging, creativity, encouragement, goals, ideas, inspiration, Lisa Kohn, motivation, problem solving, success, writer, writing

How to (Potentially) Notify Customers of Book Changes UPDATED

Reblogged from Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors:

You've edited your book and reuploaded it. Maybe there were a lot of typos, maybe you had some bad reviews, maybe it just needed a touch up. No matter the reason, the new version is sitting on Amazon's servers, all shiny and new, and you wish you could let the people who've bought it know. After all, if they bought the old version and haven't read it yet, when they finally get to it and leave their review, their criticisms may not even apply.

Read more… 794 more words

A life saving post! If you have ever needed to edit an uploaded book, you will need this.

How to (Potentially) Notify Customers of Book Changes

Reblogged from Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors:

You've edited your book and reuploaded it. Maybe there were a lot of typos, maybe you had some bad reviews, maybe it just needed a touch up. No matter the reason, the new version is sitting on Amazon's servers, all shiny and new, and you wish you could let the people who've bought it know. After all, if they bought the old version and haven't read it yet, when they finally get to it and leave their review, their criticisms may not even apply.

Read more… 601 more words

A life saving post! If you have ever needed to edit an uploaded book, you will need this.

A special thank you to my Triberr tribe mates…

Image from Flowers A Bunch, Sydney. Click on image to go to their web site.

I have been trying to work out for ages how to thank you all. I am in quite a few tribes now, and the generosity shown in passing on my posts has been exceptional and deeply appreciated. There are just too many people to thank individually on Twitter, so I am sending this post through my stream to reach each of you.

THANK YOU! I would not be where I am today and growing if it weren’t for Triberr. I value you all and endeavour to pass on as many of your posts as I am able. Several times a week I max out my stream limit passing your blog posts on. I hope it helps.

(Apologies to my email subscribers and WordPress followers who will receive this, but helpful info is below…)

For those of you who haven’t taken the step and gotten into Triberr yet: there are a lot of social media sites and initiatives out there which I have tested, discarded and labelled as time wasters. In trying to run a business and balancing health and home, I have to be wary of where time goes, and like anyone, I want a sound investment. Triberr is one of the few blogging promotion platforms which has richly paid off for me and does do what it claims.

You don’t have to start your own tribe, but you need to be a member of one to get started properly. There is a “bonfire” which lists people looking for tribe members. Different tribes have different angles on what type of blog they like to include. Mine is eclectic. The only times I have pulled out of tribes is when they were full of aggressively marketing people. I am now more careful with my decisions and don’t ask for invitations to every and any Tribe.

Twice a week I log into Triberr using my Twitter account and look at the posts my fellow tribemates from all the tribes have published. I max out my stream with the full number of posts I can share. I only share good resources for writers and worthy community education health/wellness posts. You can be selective. Just as long as you give something back to the people who support you, everyone is kind.

All you do is read the post and hover over the green square Approve button to send it on it’s way to your linked Twitter or Facebook streams. Posts are timed, so they don’t all appear at once in your streams. You can put in as much or as little time as you like. The more tribes you join, the more time it takes. You can also thumbs up posts and leave comments. It is a great way to meet interesting new bloggers. Their help centre is here. You don’t have to be logged in to read through the information.

When you link your blog/s to Triberr, it will check the RSS feed of your blog periodically and automatically share with others when new posts come in. I love that feature! The more automation, the less work for me. It makes it very easy to pass things on, and have my posts passed on. If you are on the Premium plan, you can auto approve bloggers you like.

If you don’t know what your blog’s RSS feed address is (and every blog has an address which you need to make available on your blog so people can follow you easily) go to the free https://www.rssinclude.com

If it wasn’t for Triberr, I wouldn’t have the readership I have today. With every tribe I join, my blog stats immediately increase. New features are always coming online and it’s worth it. I’ve gotten used to the outdoors terminology. It’s an innovative concept and I’m grateful I discovered it.

If you would like to follow or join my faithful Triberr tribe, log into Triberr and click on this link. Join as a Follower and I will promote you to member.

This blog post by Cate Russell-Cole is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. You are free to share and adapt it.

Filed under: 2013 Tagged: thank you, Triberr