Cate Russell-Cole's Blog, page 29

World Suicide Day: Preventing Tragic Loss

I wasn’t going to post this, as this week is crazy on the blog… but just reading suicide prevention stories has made me reconsider the value of this post.

Although I don’t make a habit of putting book reviews on this blog, but this particular novel was such an outstanding example of how to highlight an important issue, I want to share it.

Erica James has a novel, “The Real Katie Lavender.” I bought it as I have enjoyed all her work. The novel is about identity; has the big romance and juicy family power struggles you expect in a good read… and it portrays the after-effects that a suicide can have on a family. Erica did an excellent job. From what I know of the topic (I have a background in social work), her depiction was accurate. She shows how horrifically difficult it is for those who are left behind, to try and grapple with “why,” when no one saw it coming and the answers will forever be unknown. That act threw everyone into grief, questioning their own lives. Who and what do you believe about yourself and those around you? What is really true?

If you would like to read an example of how you can weave a social issue into a book,

then this is the book for you.

I could not leave this post without saying something about suicide. I have been clinically depressed and suicidal myself. I understand it from the point of view of being backed into a corner of torment. You just cannot find any other way out of. I tried. Everything I tried so that my life could change, failed. I know what it is for the pain to be so great, it seems inescapable. Clinical depression can be likened to a state of paralysis. You can’t snap out of it. You are incapable of movement without professional help or divine intervention.

When those days were behind me, I watched a documentary on what happens to the families of those who have suicided and I was shocked. I’d never seen the other side. Family and friends of a victim of suicide, have a high risk rate of suiciding themselves. That left me with serious guilt. In my right mind, I cannot contemplate how I could hurt people like that. The cruelty of the act struck me forcibly. When suicidal, I had no capability of reasoning like that. You are genuinely convinced everyone would be better off without you. Depression twists your mind like a cult.

These are the signs of suicide to look out for in friends and family. This is directly quoted from http://www.suicideprevention.com.au/ It is too important to be shortened to point form.

“The vast majority of people who commit suicide have indeed talked to somebody about it beforehand. Also, it is generally agreed that being forced to promise you will not tell other people what you have been told in confidence does not apply when somebody’s life is in danger, so do talk to a professional if you are in this dilemma about a friend. Also, the statement made by some people that those who talk about suicide would never do it is totally wrong!”

Here are some warning signs:

Talking, writing or joking about death:

This usually indicates hopelessness and perhaps significant depression, both of which are important warning signs. Similarly, even if not talking about death, people who talk about life being pointless and having no meaning are also at risk.

Talking about people who have died from suicide:

Every suicide brings with it the risk of “copycat suicide” by those close to the person who died, especially other family members (please keep this in mind if you are thinking of suicide!). Copycat suicide is particularly a risk when a famous person dies from suicide, especially if media reports describe how the suicide was carried out, or make the action seem justified or glamorous. Unfortunately, every suicide really means the illness won again.

Withdrawing or avoiding contact with other people:

It is not normal for someone who was usually friendly to avoid contact with family and/or friends. Not making or responding to telephone calls or SMS messages indicate something is wrong. This is usually a significant sign of depression

Giving away personal possessions:

Why would anyone, especially a person still leading an active life, suddenly give away possessions they used and enjoyed? This is considered a particularly significant warning sign in young people.

Saying goodbye in a meaningful way:

This may be significant, especially if the person’s behavior has changed in other ways.

Making arrangements for after their death:

Pointing out where important papers or belongings are kept, or suddenly making a Will with unusual haste may be significant.

Risk-taking behaviour:

Unusual behaviour for the person, such as driving dangerously, or generally behaving recklessly, may be significant.

Deliberate self-harm or a suicide attempt:

These events indicate great distress and suffering, and there is very risk the person will repeat the situation (perhaps with a more drastic outcome), if the stresses affecting them have not changed or if the illness affecting them has not been treated. Statistically, suicide risk is highest in those who have already attempted suicide.

Discharge from a psychiatric unit:

The early days and weeks following discharge from a hospital for treatment of a psychiatric problem, are known to be one of the highest risk periods for suicide.

Evidence of depression:

Feeling hopeless about the future and having trouble sleeping, are considered the most serious indicators of suicide risk in someone who has depression.

Sudden calmness:

A person who has been very distressed, especially if they have had thoughts of suicide, may suddenly become calm and appear resigned to accepting whatever is happening. This may mean the person involved has decided to stop resisting the urge to suicide, and is calmly accepting that suicide is inevitable, and no longer able to be resisted.

“Terminal malignant alienation”:

This jargon phrase refers to a distressed person alienating all of those around them, often appearing extremely angry and grossly unappreciative of the help they are getting. While the normal human temptation in response to such behaviour is to lash out verbally in return, this may be the last ling the distressed person has with support. Instead, try to see their unreasonable behaviour and unreasonable irritability as symptoms of what they are suffering, not as the personality of the person involved. Be patient, and the normal person will eventually return, feel bad about the irritability and actually be very appreciative of what you have done!

World Suicide Prevention Day is held globally, every 10th September.
http://www.wspd.org.au

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: What's On Tagged: awareness., depression, Erica James, mental health, mental health awareness, suicide prevention, The Real Katie Lavender, World Suicide Day

Independent Author Promotion Month: Horror and Paranormal Authors Get Listed Here

This post we are supporting the authors of horror, paranormal and anything downright scary! Below is the Linky List where you can link directly to your books, author pages or blog so other authors and readers can find you. You can also use these lists as a blog hop to further promote yourself and gain traffic.

A different genre will appear each post, so please, wait for your genre and don’t spam the list. I will remove entries which do not belong. Plus please note: this is only for Indie authors: any work you have published through a publishing company which sells through book shops, chains or other traditional routes will not be eligible. Authors who have published multiple works through both traditional and Indie sources can list only their Indie works.

This is also a blog hop. You can place the links on your own blog to keep the goodwill flowing.

The rules are as follows: you only get to list two sites per author. Please visit three or more authors on the Linky List, leave a supportive comment and buy a book if you can. I will also say it again, wait for your genre and don’t spam the list. I will remove entries which do not belong. You can always write a blog post listing your books, blogs, social media links etc. and post that. The lists will close as of 31st December, 2013.

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

Filed under: Independent Author Promotion Month, What's On Tagged: author, blog, blog hop, encouragement, goals, horror, Indie Author, Indie publishing, novel, paranormal, promotion, publishing, writer

...have ye hugged a Blogger/Writer today?... ye know ye want to... #TBSU...

Reblogged from Seumas Gallacher:

...by the awesome, omnipotent power vested in me (by myself) I hereby declare the start of the HUG A BLOGGER/WRITER WEEK... the WURLD can be changed one hug at a time... and who better to be on the end of one of yer Beargrabs than a poor, neglected quill-scraper?... one of those solitary, locked-up-for-eons-in-a-virtual-candle-lit-garret producers of penned or laptop-tapped masterpieces for the reading delight of the rest of humanity...

Read more… 230 more words

Go on, you know they need it and you do too! Hug an Indie this week and leave Seumus a virtual hug in his comments too.

Independent Author Promotion Month: Christian Authors Get Listed Here

Today we are supporting the authors of any books with specifically Christian content, whether it be devotional, reference, poetry, Bible Studies, romance, children’s etc. Below is the Linky List where you can link directly to your books, author pages or blog so other authors and readers can find you. You can also use these lists as a blog hop to further promote yourself and gain traffic.

A different genre will appear each post, so please, wait for your genre and don’t spam the list. I will remove entries which do not belong. Plus please note: this is only for Indie authors: any work you have published through a publishing company which sells through book shops, chains or other traditional routes will not be eligible. Authors who have published multiple works through both traditional and Indie sources can list only their Indie works.

The rules are as follows: you only get to list two sites per author. Please visit three or more authors on the Linky List, leave a supportive comment and buy a book if you can. I will also say it again, wait for your genre and don’t spam the list. I will remove entries which do not belong. You can always write a blog post listing your books, blogs, social media links etc. and post that. The lists will close as of 31st December, 2013.

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

Filed under: Independent Author Promotion Month, What's On Tagged: author, Bible Study, blog, blog hop, children's books, Christian, Christian romance, devotional, encouragement, goals, Indie Author, Indie publishing, novel, promotion, publishing, reference, writer

10% On Top: Being a More Efficient Writer

When I was in Senior High School and the dreaded final exams were approaching, our school adopted a program called “10% On Top.” The idea was for every student to pick a teacher they related to, then we’d be given study and exam tips that would improve efficiency and thus our exam results, by 10%.

I don’t know whether it did actually help statistically, but mentally, the support and extra know-how was incalculable. To have someone help you work out a study timetable that was realistic; prepare you for what was to come and steady the nerves was a godsend! Some schools still use the program… ahem, a ‘few’ years later, so it must have paid off.

When NaNoWriMo began to loom last October, a flurry of preparation began. That was when I remembered the 10% On Top program. Having a pre-planned schedule for writing, which was weaved around real life, seemed the best way to approach Nano. Maybe High School had taught me an actual useful life lesson!

Often our passion for our goals overshadows all else. We don’t allow for creative dates to refresh ourselves; we don’t allow for the chaos of everyday family living and we never allow time for the unseen to throw everything out of kilter. It’s hard to sit at a computer or with a pen in hand and write when we’re surrounded by noise, unfinished business and we can’t remember where we’re up to, or know where we are going. Time runs out, we get frustrated; the guilt cycle kicks in.

If you run a business, some preparation is utterly essential. You need staff, business hours, inventory or services to offer. There must be a plan of some sort, or you will fail. Power companies plan for peak periods of demand; Supermarkets stock their shelves based on weather conditions, which determine what products will be the most popular. Writing is exactly the same. You need to plan ahead to achieve and survive.

So wherever you are situated in your writing life now, take the time to prepare to increase your efficiency by 10%. Plan your schedule and tasks realistically. Take into account public holidays, birthdays and weekends; then allow a little extra time for the unseen incidents that will inevitably pop up. Having a plan can help steady the nerves and if the Senior High School program is any example, the benefits are long term!

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.

No images on this blog may be copied, captured, or altered for your own purpose without the consent of the originating owner. Where images are marked as being iStockphoto.com images, they are paid for and licenced to Cate for use on this blog. If you take them, iStockphoto.com has the right to take legal action against you for Copyright Infringement.

Please see the Blog Content and Image Copyright page of this blog for further information in regards to Guest Posts, other images, Cate’s checks on infringements and Liability.

Filed under: Writing Resources Tagged: achievement, author, blogging, conflict, diary, efficiency, failure, goals, growth, ideas, inspiration, motivation, output, planning, preparation, problem solving, productivity, schedule, success, support, survival, time, writer, writing

Independent Author Resources: the CommuniCATE Master List

This month is all about promoting and supporting Independent Authors, and this blog is specifically about empowering writers to achieve their dreams. Below is a list of posts which will make your life easier, inspire you and head you in the right direction as an Indie.

Best wishes.

P.S. I have left the web address next to the link name so this list can be printed for later reference.

The 50 Best Sites for Indie and Self-Published Authors http://augustwainwright.com/the-indie-50-the-50-best-sites-for-indie-and-self-published-authors/


Indie Author Organisations for Publicity http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-22P


Choosing a Book Cover http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-1Uo


Clear Covers, Making Your eBook Identifiable http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-X5


Writing with Kids in Tow? Jodi Picoult Successfully Did http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-17o


An Essential Reminder: John Cleese on Creativity http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-76


A Great Pick-Me-Up for Writers http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-Rz


3 Warning Signs When Bringing Your Own Emotions into Fiction Writing http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-1CM


Handling Criticism As A Writer http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-Md


Bomb-Proofing Your Writer’s Ego http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-UU


The Best Kept Editing Secret http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-1Is


Advanced Editing Resources http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-17t


Editing Checklists and Resources for Writers http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-tg


Story and Character Tracking Forms To Make Life Easier http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-fx


Smart, Personalised Book Marketing: Why Didn’t I Think of That? http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-26g


Aiming for Success: Tasks for Writers http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-wR


Stubbornness: the Writer’s Super Power http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-1QB


Hatching a Killer Plan! http://cateartios.wordpress.com/2012/07/06/businessplan/


Writer’s Markets http://wp.me/p1H1Zj-1br


Shyness in the Marketplace http://cateartios.wordpress.com/2013/05/31/support-an-author-month-shyness-in-the-marketplace/


The Indie Writers Show with Stephen Gordon on iTunes, RSS feed or download http://www.stephengordon.org/show/


InD’tale Magazine http://www.indtale.com/

All of these blog posts are Copyright Cate Russell-Cole 2012 and 2013, or if a guest post, it is copyright the author stated on the post. All rights are reserved Internationally. 

Filed under: Independent Author Promotion Month Tagged: author, books, encouragement, goals, Indie publishing, inspiration, novel, publishing, resource, success, support, writer, writing

Professional, Effective Author Sites: The Problems With Using Blogs

This tweet caught my eye and made me go “hmmm…” Actually, it’s easy to have a bad author website. All you do is fail to plan, use nothing but freebies and put in minimal effort. I often see it done.

It’s essential for authors to have a dedicated website and a blog. I can see the benefits of combining both, however, it concerns me when blogs are used as author websites. I see many where the blog quality is not doing that author justice at all. It can work against you. I also had to ask, “since when is a blog a product website?” In the commercial world, it’s not. You need both if you want to succeed.

I do understand that technology and code can be utterly daunting, plus the expense of hiring a site developer can be exorbitant. I don’t judge any author by using Blogger or WordPress, especially Indie authors. However, there is one exception which makes me back off someone’s site… and which helps give independent authors a bad name: a standard, half-working, thrown together blog.

For those of you who don’t want to be broke or a geek, you can get away with using a blog if it is done well. Here is what will kill your author site credibility if you drop the ball:

~ Using the first theme that comes up as the freebie. We know you didn’t even try! If it is Twenty-Ten, Twenty-Twelve or Twenty-Thirteen it’s a dead give-away. These are the automatically chosen defaults WordPress starts you with. The name appears at the bottom of your blog.

~ Widgets that don’t work! The Twitter widget on WordPress is a frequent offender, for that reason, I stopped using it. I have noticed it malfunctioning on many blogs.

No, no, please no! Readers don’t use them and it looks like you didn’t bother to plan.

~ Old information in the side bars: out of date events, accounts and links that no longer work make your blog look abandoned and show your commitment level. Update regularly and change content to draw new interest (and draw in search engines.)

<<< Using all the basic, standard template features: leaving on calendars, meta data, categories, recent comments etc. all as they appear on the template, without just leaving what works. Also, get rid of the Hello World first post and the rubbish in the Links which are automatically provided.

~ More than one sidebar so the blog is crammed and hard to read.

~ Not adding your copyright at the base of the page, to a sidebar or to posts.

~ Not deleting the standard template page which comes with the blog and adding your own pages, or leaving only one.

~ Too many negative apology posts over not keeping up with your commitment to blog or write.

Also: if you write for an initiative such as ROW80 or #writemotivation, please, get yourself a separate blog and put your writing woes there: and don’t make it open to search engines. You can dent your reputation! Also, put your personal stuff elsewhere: this is your business shopfront.

~ Not replacing the template headers and backgrounds with your own.

~ Please make the small financial commitment to add your own custom web address to your blog and turn off the ads. I was lucky enough to get a blog url which was my Twitter handle, so I dodged one expense, but the ads, they had to go. On WordPress it is $30 a year. Your own domain name is $18.

~ Please, don’t take your blog live until all the technical issues and design are completed. I know you’ll be proud of your new blog, but resist the temptation to go out half-dressed.

So my apologies to the writers who believe it is hard to have a bad website, but when you read a lot of blogs and visit well executed writer’s sites, it is actually incredibly easy to pick out who cares, who is professional and who understands their marketplace… and who doesn’t. It can help you achieve or it can help you fail.

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: Writing Resources Tagged: author, author web site, blog, blogging, failure, goals, growth, Indie publishing, marketing, professionalism, resource, success, web site, writer, writing

How to Build Community as You Prepare Your Book Launch, by Shirley Showalter

Reblogged from Write Your Life Story:

During the holidays, when my tech-savvy adult children were visiting us, we had a blast with an event called a Cover Reveal. It brought my publisher, my audience, and me together for the first time in a formal way.

So, using the holiday theme, I’ve concocted a recipe for the event to share with you. Before you are ready for a cover reveal you have probably done years of work writing and polishing a manuscript, locating an agent or publisher or learning how to navigate the exciting, complex world of indie publishing, and developing a cover you are proud to share.

Read more… 1,235 more words, 1 more video

This is a must-read post for Indies. Regardless of how you publish, the same principles apply. Thank you very much to Shirley Showalter for guest posting on the Write Your Life Story blog, from which this comes. Wishing you all the best with the launch of Blush.

Indie Life: A Sharing Initiative by The Indelibles

If you are an Indie (Independendent Author) sign up for the Indelibles monthly feature called INDIE LIFE. This initiative is ”a chance for indie authors to post about indie life, find each other, offer support, encouragement, news, helpful hints, and anything else that makes life as an indie author a little easier.

What is Indie Life?

How: Sign up on the Linky List at: http://indeliblewriters.blogspot.com.au/p/indie-life.html

When: Post on the second Wednesday of the month (starting 1/9/2013)

What: Write anything indie related: something that will inspire or help a fellow indie; something that celebrates a release or a milestone; something that talks about the ups and downs, joys and heartaches of Being Indie.

Grab: The banner on the right to include in your posts!”

“Because being Indie doesn’t have to mean going it alone.”

Filed under: Independent Author Promotion Month, What's On Tagged: author, encouragement, Independent Author, Indie, Indie Author Life, promotion, sharing, support, The Indelibles, writer, writing, writing initiative

Independent Author Promotion Month: Romance Authors Get Listed Here

This month CommuniCATE is focussed on promoting Independent (Indie) Authors. Several times a week, a writing genre will be featured with a Linky List where you can link directly to your books, author pages or blog so other authors and readers can find you. You can also use these lists as a blog hop to further promote yourself and gain traffic.

A different genre will appear each post, so please, wait for your genre and don’t spam the list. I will remove entries which do not belong.

Plus please note: this is only for Indie authors: any work you have published through a publishing company which sells through book shops, chains or other traditional routes will not be eligible. Authors who have published multiple works through both traditional and Indie sources can list only their Indie works.

The rules are as follows: you only get to list two sites per author. Please visit three or more authors on the Linky List, leave a supportive comment and buy a book if you can. I will also say it again, wait for your genre and don’t spam the list. I will remove entries which do not belong. You can always write a blog post listing your books, blogs, social media links etc. and post that. The lists will close as of 31st December, 2013.

As we love Indie authors, we are starting with romance. *sigh*

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list and join the blog hop…

Filed under: Independent Author Promotion Month, What's On Tagged: author, blog, blog hop, encouragement, goals, Indie Author, Indie publishing, novel, promotion, publishing, romance writers, writer