C.C. Hogan's Blog, page 7
February 18, 2016
The Grammarly Word Plugin
I have been using Grammarly for a little while now and it has been a mixed experience. Although the online editor is well reviewed and the Chrome plugin is useful, the Word Plugin has some serious issues and is probably of no use for the serious writer.
Getting the most out of Grammarly
I have been using Grammarly for a little while now and it has been an interesting experience. Generally, I have been pleased with it, but it does have problems and could do with a little more thought.
February 5, 2016
Dirt - Planning the Next Huge Saga
I can't help myself; I woke up in the middle of the night and realised I had started writing the sequel, or perhaps the prequel, to Dirt.
Set seven thousand years earlier, it is a very different book...
Set seven thousand years earlier, it is a very different book...
January 4, 2016
Why you should have a dedicated site for each book
All authors should have an author website where you can promote your books and build a relationship with readers and other writers with a blog.
But not many authors go that one step further and create a dedicated website for each book or series of books. Is this important? I think it is, and this is why.
But not many authors go that one step further and create a dedicated website for each book or series of books. Is this important? I think it is, and this is why.
January 1, 2016
The wonderful Goodreads Librarians
I still trip and stumble over Goodreads. I truly think it is a phenomenal community and although I do not post much, though I have had some occasional poetic sparring, I enjoy reading through the posts.
As an author, getting my books in the right order is vital, but the management of the same is mind-bending, though probably for good reasons.
When I needed to add new covers to existing books, I first discovered that you needed to add new editions, but I wasn't sure how to do that with the same ISBN and so on.
Off to the librarians group I went and asked for help.
My fantasy Dirt is complicated. It is set over three time periods, 500 years apart. In each time period, there is a series and the possibility of solo books plus short stories.
So, in the first time period, there is Series 1, a trilogy, plus Hope, which is a single volume that acts as a sequel to series one and a prelude to series two, which will be 500 years later.
So, Hope sort of belongs to series one, but is not part of the story that is series one - it is set 10 years after it finished.
Then there is Yona and the Beast. This is a short story which is a fork from part of the tale in series one but has been intentionally written so you can read it without reading the others, or without spoiling the other.
Still with me?
Well, the wonderful Librarian, Nandar, having asked me a few questions, sorted out my new editions and then, bless him, created me a Dirt Series one page and a Dirt Universe page - something I did not think was even possible.
I am incredibly impressed and very, very thankful to the dear chap.
If you want to go hug him, his page is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/xXMzSmilesXx
As an author, getting my books in the right order is vital, but the management of the same is mind-bending, though probably for good reasons.
When I needed to add new covers to existing books, I first discovered that you needed to add new editions, but I wasn't sure how to do that with the same ISBN and so on.
Off to the librarians group I went and asked for help.
My fantasy Dirt is complicated. It is set over three time periods, 500 years apart. In each time period, there is a series and the possibility of solo books plus short stories.
So, in the first time period, there is Series 1, a trilogy, plus Hope, which is a single volume that acts as a sequel to series one and a prelude to series two, which will be 500 years later.
So, Hope sort of belongs to series one, but is not part of the story that is series one - it is set 10 years after it finished.
Then there is Yona and the Beast. This is a short story which is a fork from part of the tale in series one but has been intentionally written so you can read it without reading the others, or without spoiling the other.
Still with me?
Well, the wonderful Librarian, Nandar, having asked me a few questions, sorted out my new editions and then, bless him, created me a Dirt Series one page and a Dirt Universe page - something I did not think was even possible.
I am incredibly impressed and very, very thankful to the dear chap.
If you want to go hug him, his page is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/xXMzSmilesXx
December 31, 2015
Brand new covers for the fantasy Dirt
January 2016 and after a lot of hard work, I have now released new covers for series one of my massive fantasy saga, Dirt.
New dragons, new maps, new backgrounds and a stronger, richer feel. All are now uploaded, though they may not show up immediately in all areas.
New dragons, new maps, new backgrounds and a stronger, richer feel. All are now uploaded, though they may not show up immediately in all areas.
December 19, 2015
Another Day In Writer Land
When the alarm goes off the brave writer is faced by a number of choices. Most of them revolve around caffeine.
December 8, 2015
How to Design a Dragon
I am doing my own artwork at the moment - it is purely for economic reasons - but when it comes to working out the ins and outs of a dragon, the process goes far beyond simply what they look like.
November 25, 2015
Leaning about Reality from writing Fantasy
Unless you are creating a surrealistic world with floating rocks and see through mountains, the chances are that your fantasy world resembles our own in many ways. It has oxygen, is in the "sweet spot" around the local star and people attempt to eat three meals a day.
Writing DIrt has included lots of interesting research about our own world, which has taken me by surprise.
Writing DIrt has included lots of interesting research about our own world, which has taken me by surprise.
November 23, 2015
Make an Author Smile with a Review
Becoming an Indie author has been a trying experience. I have spent hundreds of hours working on my masterpiece (I hope) and now I need to promote it.
But most authors, like me, do not have the money to advertise and we fear that the countless paid book-promotion websites out there will do us little or no good. What is vital to us is reviews.
Write a review, even just one line, and you can make an author smile!
But most authors, like me, do not have the money to advertise and we fear that the countless paid book-promotion websites out there will do us little or no good. What is vital to us is reviews.
Write a review, even just one line, and you can make an author smile!
