Heather Weidner's Blog, page 117

Summer Blog Hop - My Writing Life

I've been asked to participate in a summer blog hop. The assignment is to answer questions about my writing, then select other authors to answer the same questions on their blogs within the next couple of weeks. Be sure to see the links to their blogs at the end of this post and find out more about these wonderful writers. A special thanks to Brandy Heineman for inviting me to join in.

What are you working on? I write mysteries. Currently, I am working on several short stories for the next Virginia is for Mysteries. My short story, "Washed up" is part of the first Virginia is for Mysteries anthology.

I am also working on a novel about a Private Investigator from Richmond, VA. PI Delanie Fitzgerald receives an assignment from a tell-all author that sends her on a search for a former rock singer who may be hiding in plain sight. Many of the clues have gone cold in the almost thirty years since the fiery crash that purportedly ended the promising career of Johnny Velvet of the Vibes.

And if there weren't enough dead ends in the hunt for the flamboyant rocker, the PI lands another high-profile client willing to pay large sums for information. Chaz Wellington Smith, III, a loud-mouth, strip club owner, wants her to uncover the mayor's secret life. Chaz's antics eventually land him in jail for the mayor's murder, and he needs more of Delanie's help to clear his name. She uncovers a murder suspect, but he keeps popping up in her other investigation. The intertwining of the two cases causes Delanie to intensify her efforts to find the connection before another murder occurs.

How does your writing process work? I start out plotting and outlining my work. I want to make sure that the humorous moments, crimes, and action scenes are spread out through the chapters. Then when I start writing, I tend to go where the characters take me. It takes quite a few editing sessions and my wonderful critique group to put the finishing touches on my manuscript.

I am a full-time IT manager. My team is responsible for technical writing, training, software testing, business continuity, and records management. I try to squeeze writing time in at lunch, evenings, days off, and weekends.

Why do you write what you do? I write a lot of different things. I blog. I write and edit technical and business writing during the day. But I have loved mysteries since Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew. My friend Katrina and I raced through all the mysteries at our school and public library in Virginia Beach. So when I'm not writing, I'm reading mysteries and thrillers.

What advice do you have for new writers? Keep writing. You can always edit later. And find a good critique group to help you with your writing and to keep you motivated. I love my group. It's a great mix of writers/readers and published/pre-published. We all write some form of mystery, so the group understands the genre and its "rules." You also have to be willing to listen to the criticisms and make changes to improve.

And always take lots of pens with you to your book signings. At our book launch, I left my purse in the car. I took one pen, and it died on me when I started signing. That is one lesson that I will always remember. Thank Goodness, my mom was there with a spare.

Tag. You're it! Check out Brandy Heineman's blog to see her advice for writers.

Brandy Heineman

Brandy Heineman is a Christian novelist infusing her stories with family history and faith. She's a graduate of Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia with a degree in Business Administration and Communication. She is also a first-generation Southerner who occasionally gets caught saying things like, "Y'all want some pop?"

Brandy is a member of ACFW and a Finalist in the 2014 Genesis contest. She's represented by Jim Hart of Hartline Literary Agency, and her first novel is contracted with Elk Lake Publishing. You can find her on Twitter as @brandyhei or like her on Facebook. You'll find her answers to the blog hop at http://brandyheineman.com/.

 

 

How to Use Facebook's "Interests" to Build Specialized Lists

I manage a number of Facebook pages for several groups. I use Facebook's "Interests" functionality to create lists of sites that I want to see in a newsfeed. This gives me one place to go to see what these sites have posted recently in case I want to share pictures or information. I set up one for my writers' group, so that we can promote each other's writing.

To Create a Specialized List

1. Open your personal Facebook page. Click the Home link at the top.

2. Look at the pane on the far left. Scroll down (under "Pages."  Click the Interests link. Then click More.

3. When the Interest page appears, click Add Interests.

4. When the Add Interest page appears, click Create Link.

5. When the Create New List page appears, click Pages (on the left).

6. Search for the people/pages that you want to add.

7. Click on the name/image to select the person or page. A blue check appears.

8. When you are done, click Next. You can always add or delete from your list later.

9. When the Create New List page appears, name your list. Then select who can see it (Public, Your Friends, Only Me).

10. Click Done.

11. Your list will appear on your Home page in the left panel under "Interests."

To Edit Your List

1. Click on the name of your list (on the Home page under Interest).

2. Click the Manage List button (far right under your banner). The options drop-down appears.

3. Click Edit List. You can add members by clicking the "On this List" drop-down and selecting Pages. Search and add new entries.

4. To remove an entry, click on it. When the "X" appears on the image, click it.

5. Click Finish to save your changes.

Notes

When you click on your list to see the newsfeed, you'll notice that the banner page at the top of the screen rotates among the banners of the pages in your Interest List. You can't change this.

If you are sharing content from someone's personal page (one where you've Friended the person instead of Liked), you need to know that not everyone will be able to see it. This is based on the security settings on the person's page.

After you have built your list, the suggestions for other pages to include will pop up on the right of your screen. If you want to add a suggestion, just click on it.

I made a News list from all our local TV stations and newspapers. I can click this if I want to see the latest news stories.

 

 

Book Signings 101

We launched Virginia is for Mysteries last January. Since then, we've done quite a few book signings, panels, and presentations for our anthology. Here's what I've learned...

1. Always have lots of pens and give-aways with you. I had my only pen dry up at our book launch.

2. Stand up at your signings. It makes you look more approachable. I learned this from Lisa Scottoline at the Virginia Festival of the Book.

3. Always bring candy, and it should be chocolate. Thanks, Mary Burton for the tip.

4. Create a supply bag. Include tape, pens, camera, bookmarks, business cards, and anything else you could need.

5. If you're in a large room and you wear makeup, you may want to go with darker colors, so the folks in the back can see you.

6. Ladies, paint your nails. Everyone is looking at your hands.

7. When you schedule a signing, always ask about the location. We did an outside venue in January. And even though they had a heated tent, it was freezing.

8. Even if someone else is selling your books, keep a box with you. We had two signings where the bookstores ran out.

9. Always have something to give away. Print bookmarks, postcards, or business cards with your social media contacts. Don't forget to put your ISBN# on your materials.

10. I bought a fold-up handcart on Amazon. It's great if you're toting boxes of books to different venues.

Happy Book Signings!

A Cool Tool - Text Generator

This site will generate dummy text for you. I use it to create sample flyers or website mockups. I have also used it when I'm testing software, and I need a block of text to check the size of a field.

You can specify how many words and your style preference. One option will create text with letters, numbers, and symbols. It helps if you're looking to design a layout before content matters.

Check out Dummy Text.

It's Slurpee Day

Happy Birthday to 7-11. Today's National Slurpee Day! Enjoy! Coca Cola is still my favorite!

Happy Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July! Many thanks to those who fought to protect our freedoms. And thanks to all the first responders who have to work on holidays to keep us safe.

We live in the greatest nation on earth, and we are truly blessed.

I hope you're enjoying your long weekend with family and friends. If you're on the East Coast, batten down and stay safe in Arthur.

The Virginia War Memorial - Richmond, VA

Downtown RVA through the War Memorial's Wall of Honor

Writing and Editing...

I finished the June writing challenge with my virtual writers' group. I added over 34,500 words to my work in progress. And the first draft is done. Whoo hoo! I need to do some more polishing to get it ready for critique group.

I'm also putting the finishing touches on two short stories that I'm going to submit to the second Virginia is for Mysteries anthology.

I enjoy purusing #amwriting. It's an interesting mix of writers and projects.

What are you working on?

My Dog Blog

My Jack Russells, Disney and Riley, know how to play hard and when to relax. Here's what they've taught me...

1. Play like you mean it. Enjoy what you do.

2. Just go for it. They don't waste time over-analyzing things.

3. Wake up joyfully exuberant (even on Mondays).

4. Find the fun in whatever you do.

5. Live in the moment. Don't stress about the past or the future.

6. Bark when you have to, but not all the time.

Disney Dog in one of her favorite kitchen chairs

Riley the Rocket

The Generational Workforce

I recently completed an online course on "Managing Millennials." I am a member of Gen X. I was always one of the youngest in all of my work groups, but now, we're beginning to hire more of the Gen Y cohort. The work styles and expectations are different among the groups. And sometimes, there is friction.

I've seen a variety of names, and the years for each group vary slightly. Here are the generations that are sharing the workforce:

1927 - 1945 - The Silent Generation, The Traditionalists1946-1964 - The Baby Boomers1965-1983 - Gen X1984-2002 - Gen Y, the Millennials2003- Present - Gen Z, Gen C (for Click), the Digital Generation

This is the first time in history when there have been so many different groups in the workplace at the same time. Gen Y outnumbers Gen X almost three to one.

Gen X was the most "unwanted" group. There was a rise during their early years in the use of birth control, abortion, day care, and women who chose not to have children. This is the generation with more working mothers and latch-key kids. All of this combined to make members of this cohort more self-reliant.

Gen Y, on the other hand, was the "most wanted" generation ever. They were born during the time of test tube babies, adoption, and surrogate mothers. Older parents were having children, and adoptions were on the rise. This generation has always been over-scheduled and busy with activities. Their parents have always been involved in every aspect of their life. They like constant feedback.

The next group that's coming along is Gen Z or Gen C (for click). This is the digital generation.

It was interesting to see the characteristics of each group and the history/cultural events that defined them. The work styles do vary among the groups.

This will give you a sense of the differences in Gen X and Gen Y.

The generations all come with their preferences and styles, and sometimes, it's a challenge to get all of the members to work together effectively.

How to be an Internal Consultant

I recently took a class on internal consulting. The information is good for leadership as well. Many thanks to Bob Huebner. 

Here's what I learned:

1. You need to know your role. Are you the expert, a pair of hands, or a partner?

2. The critical skills you need are listening, questioning, and advising.

3. The communications triangle is an equilateral one. All three sides are valued the same. You need to ask questions, check in frequently, and share information. Keep the balance.

4. If you want detailed information, ask open-ended questions (e.g. how and why).

5. Three quarters of the people you work with have a different style than you. You need to remember that not everyone thinks and communications just like you do.

6. You also need problem-solving, decision-making, and conflict resolution skills.

7. In conflict resolution, you need to address issues immediately. Don't wait until they fester and build resentment and anxiety.

8. Build strong relationships.

9. Communicate throughout your project.

10. The instructor also suggested "brain writing" instead of "brainstorming" as an idea-generating technique. It helps introverts and extraverts work better together.