P.H. Solomon's Blog, page 333

What is Needed – Part 2

Photo used in The Bow of Destiny book trailer

Author’s Note: This is Part 2 of the prequel blog serial entitled “What is Needed”. This series is a companion to The Bow of Destiny (Part 1 of The Bow of Hart Saga) as expanded writing samples for the current Indiegogo campaign for the novel. The events of the blog series pre-date those of The Bow of Destiny by several hundred years but include several long-lived characters who appear in the forthcoming novel. Please read this post and consider supporting the fundraiser. To learn more about The Bow of Destiny campaign click the provided link. This material is copyrighted and not intended for reproduction except at the author’s consent. Note: I’m releasing this part in sections so there will be more to read on Thursday.

 

What is Needed (Part 1)

by P. H. Solomon

Hands grasped Hastra. She screamed. It’s killing me! Her heart thudded in her ears. I’m dying. She blinked into the blackness.

“Hastra!”

“Get it off me!”

Zelma’s face, ringed with light, replaced the darkness. “Sister, what’s wrong. You’ve fallen.” Tears brimmed in Zelma’s green eyes.

“It was here, a hobgoblin. It attacked me.” Broken crockery and ruined food lay strewn on the rough stone. Hastra groaned, lay back on the cold floor and grabbed her head. “Another vision?” Tears streamed on her cheeks. Breathe. Her chest heaved.

“What’s wrong?” Someone called. “Do you need help?”

Zelma helped Hastra from the floor. “My sister is injured and fell.”

Someone stepped closer. “What do you need?”

“Howart? That’s Howart.” Hastra twisted and placed her back against the stone wall. The gaunt Withling stood in the pool of light at the corner.

Zelma coaxed Hastra to her feet. “Send a student to clean the mess and have another bring more food to our room. It’s second level, seventh door on the right. Hastra’s weak from her travels.”

“Can you get her to your room?”

Zelma nodded. “What is needed is given.”

Hastra trained her voice to a low tone. “Good, I’m not ready to share visions yet.” There’s no impression for action or meaning. She winced when she put weight on her leg.

Howart frowned and left while Hastra leaned on her sister as they hobbled away. They arrived at the stair and Hastra put her weight onto Zelma as she used her good leg and climbed steps one at a time. I hope there’s a prayer for this or I’m down for a while. She sucked air through clenched teeth as her boot soles scraped on wooden stair.

“You’ve had visions?” Zelma huffed and grunted as Hastra pushed against the smaller woman.

“Yes, the first knocked me off my horse and that’s how I got hurt. Thank Eloch, Kregen helped me.”

“Tell me what you’ve seen.”

Hastra shook her head. “Not here, not yet.”

They reached the second level and shambled to their door and Hastra hopped to her bed while Zelma closed the door.  The young woman rounded on Hastra with arms crossed and brow creased. “Tell me why this vision’s so secret in Withling’s Watch.”

Hastra rubbed her leg and related the exact details. “Darkness howled from the gate with a gust of wind and punched me from the saddle. There was fire-“

Zelma whirled at a feeble knock and snatched the door open. “Good, this is good. Is the floor cleaned?” The young Withling closed the door as the student mumbled an answer.

She handed the plate to Hastra who nibbled and waited as the student’s footsteps faded. She related the condition of the gates, the screams and everything else between mouthfuls of warm food. Zelma stood with her head cocked and the furrow between her eyebrows unwavering. I’ve got her attention now. Hastra paused, bit into her bread and chewed.

“And in the passage?” Zelma motioned in the direction of the stairwell.

“A second vision.” Hastra nodded with vigor. “Yes, on the heels of the first. A hobgoblin stepped out of a door and attacked me as darkness descended again.”

Zelma sat on her bed and leaned forward with her elbows braced on her knees. “That’s rather emphatic, two in one night.”

“But there’s more.”

“Ah, good you haven’t told me your impressions or inclinations. These are pivotal to interpretation.”

Hastra frowned and set her plate aside. “That’s just it. I have none.”

Zelma leaned further forward. “Nothing at all? There must be something.”

Hastra brushed crumbs off her skirt. “It’s like an empty well. It should have water but the bucket brings nothing up.”

“You need to write it in the Book of Prophecies. Someone else will know what it is for, what the interpretation is.”

An edge crept into Hastra’s tone. “Didn’t you hear me? I have nothing from Eloch instructing me what to do, not even that.”

“Then maybe it’s not real. If I didn’t know better I’d say you were…” Zelma fell silent and lowered her head.

“What, crazy?”

Zelma displayed a weak smile. “Perhaps over-worked. You said yourself you pushed to return before the winter snows.”

“I’ve only been allowed to tell you this. There is warning and likely danger but it is not to be spread, at least not yet.”

Zelma stood and opened the door.

“Where are you going? Give me something more since I’ve been allowed to share this with you.”

“I have. Enter your visions in the book or go to sleep and forget them. Either way I’m due to say prayers to Eloch.”

The first snow of winter left drifts in the courtyard for three days and Hastra’s leg ached worse each day. She shuffled to morning prayer on the morning after the snow ended before someone healed her with a blessing. There’s a message in that injury and the timing. She nodded her thanks to the old Withling in the felt hat whom she did not recognize. Where’s Zelma? She wheeled back to ask her healer’s name. And he’s gone. Hastra brushed past the three smiling sisters from Grendon. What are their names? Zelma’s hair blazed in the crowd where it thrust from beneath her head scarf.

“There you are, sister. I’ve gotten a healing this morning.”

“Who.” Zelma searched the crowd.

“I didn’t recognize him but he’s wearing an old, wide-brimmed hat.” Hastra sat on the wooden bench beside Zelma.

“In here?”

“Oh, he’s probably left it outside.” Someone cleared their voice as the morning cantor started prayers.

Halfway through the intonation Hastra’s head rose before she remembered herself and bowed again. I’ll serve in the Hall of Silence until I have more direction. The smile grew throughout the end of the prayer as the dour mood of several days crumbled from her face like melting ice.

 

Look for the conclusion of this part on 8/14 and the next part on or after 8/17. Please leave comments and see the Indiegogo project linked above or from the News page. See the Contact page for ways to connect with me on social media. Thanks for reading!

P. H. Solomon

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5 “Be’s” for Twitter

Just a quick post this afternoon.

I’m sure these have been written about on someone else’s blog but these are just a few of my thoughts regarding interaction on Twitter.

Be polite – thank people for following and for retweets that affect your product.
Be helpful – seek out ways to help others, the easiest being retweeting.
Be accessible – getting DM spammed? Just block them or unfollow and be open to legitimate messages from others.
Be cordial – follow someone back and answer their DM as best you can (remember, if you don’t follow back but send a DM to a new follower the other person cannot reply).
Be outgoing – Twitter is a very friendly place where even introverts can network or make new friends easily so stop standing on the sidelines waiting to be followed. Go follow someone who clicked Favorite or Retweet on your post or a post you found interesting.

That’s all for now, thanks for reading! Please leave comments below and view my News and Contacts pages. I’m also in the middle of a Indiegogo campaign so please check that out and consider supporting publication of The Bow of Destiny. I’m working on the next episode of the The Bow of Destiny prequel blog serial, What is Needed, so check out that post from Monday too.

PHS

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Deep POV Tips Part 2

A few weeks ago I attended a webinar the subject of which was deep third person POV and wrote Part 1 of this series shortly after that time. As promised, here are more tips gleaned from the presentation that you may find helpful you as I know they will for me.

Editing for Deep POV

The effects of deep POV

The reader is inside the POV character’s mind which keeps the reader part of the action as opposed to being an outside observer.
Show vs. tell problems are eliminated by deep POV so the reader is closer to the action as a result.
Most writers have trouble with passive voice seeping into their writing. With deep POV this passivity is also eliminated in favor of the POV character’s ongoing action.
With deep POV the author’s voice intrudes far less and as a consequence brings the reader closer to the character so that they are fascinated with the motivations of even a repugnant antagonist.
Deep POV keeps the story moving ahead by being in the present, reducing the need for flashbacks (unless the character experiences such an event from trauma) and also reveals only the details the POV character is experiencing. For instance, the POV character cannot know what events and circumstances are affecting another character unless the POVC are informed in some way.
This make the writing tighter so the reader’s attention is more strongly fixed  and energized so the reader’s focus wants to find out what happens next and turns pages.

That’s all I have for today. I’ll write more about what I’m learning concerning this writing technique in upcoming posts. Looking for more resources on the subject? Here are some related links you may find interesting:

The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Akerman.

Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

Writer’s Guide to Emotion: Fiction Writing Tools by Sherry Soule

Looking for more articles on POV? Check out Janice Hardy’s Fiction University.

Please see my Contact page for ways to connect with me and view my News page for information on my current fundraising campaign for The Bow of Destiny on Indiegogo which ends on 9/5. Also read the companion blog serial for The Bow of Destiny entitled “What is Needed“.

I’m always interested in comments so please feel free to leave them below. Also, remember that followers of this blog via email receive a coupon to download my short ebook, The Black Bag from Smashwords so sign-up today.

Thanks for reading!

PHS

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What is Needed – Part 1

Photo used in The Bow of Destiny book trailer

Author’s Note: This is Part 1 of the prequel blog serial entitled “What is Needed”. This series is a companion to The Bow of Destiny (Part 1 of The Bow of Hart Saga) as expanded writing samples for the current Indiegogo campaign for the novel. The events of the blog series pre-date those of The Bow of Destiny by several hundred years but include several long-lived characters who appear in the forthcoming novel. Please read this post and consider supporting the fundraiser. To learn more about The Bow of Destiny campaign click the provided link. This material is copyrighted and not intended for reproduction except at the author’s consent.

 

What is Needed (Part 1)

by P. H. Solomon

 

Withling’s Watch squatted in shadow as the dregs of sunlight dwindled behind the Gray Spires. Hastra’s head bobbed with the motion of her mare’s hoof-dragging gait. It’s good to come home. She yawned. I long to see Zelma. Hastra’s stomach rumbled. But first some food. The expansive stone building loomed out of the dusk as the horse climbed the cobblestoned incline to the walled keep where lights flickered in windows and smoke puffed from chimneys.

Cold wind gusted from the eastern flanks of the mountains and flung Hastra’s fur-lined cloak in wild contortions. She tugged the garment under control, held it one-handed against another blast and gripped the reins in her other hand. She chuckled. I’m awake now. Her teeth chattered. We’re a house of mystics and miracles but even we suffer the winter and hunger. The Withling’s stomach growled again.

Horseshoes rang on the road as lamps in the gatehouse cast a pool of light in the gloom. Hastra pulled her cloak tighter and lifted her head. It’s threatened snow all day and night comes fast below these peaks. She gasped at the gatehouse after she returned her attention to the road. The lights are out and the keep is dark. Her eyes narrowed. The wrought-iron gates stood ajar and listed like a ship in a gale. She pulled reins and the mare halted with a snort.

The wind howled and exploded past the squealing gateway. Shadow slammed into Hastra and she fell off the mare. Screams of terror and snarls of violence echoed from the courtyard. Fire belched from the darkness and roared past her. The mingled voices fell silent while gusts moaned like ghosts from the desolate square.

Boots clattered on the stone pavement.

Hastra recoiled and gasped as a figure distilled from the gloom. Her hand fumbled for her belt-knife. “Who’s there?” The Withling blinked and the spectral gloom faded.

“Hastra? It’s me, Kregen.” The Rokan Withling trotted to Hastra’s aide with light streaming behind him. He extended his arms. “You fell off your horse. Are you ill or just tired? Are you injurded?”

The Withling stammered for words. He looks like a vulture stooping over a corpse with that bald head and hooked nose. “I’ve had a…” She stifled her tongue in sudden wariness. Best not speak of a vision too soon. “I must’ve nodded off a moment. I’ve pushed hard to return before the snow.”

“Can you stand? Here, let me help you.” Kregen clasped hands with Hastra as she climbed to her feet.

“Just bruised, I think.” She rubbed her injured hip.

Kregen released Hastra. “You’re young, that’ll heal soon enough unless Eloch instructs someone to heal you.”

“Yes, perhaps.” Hastra blinked at her surroundings. Light glimmered from the gatehouse and the gates stood open and whole. Lanterns gleamed in the courtyard while lamps or candles glistened from the keep’s windows. She turned and found nothing behind her except the mare and the gathering night. That was a vision but of what? She arched an eyebrow and shifted her gaze over her surroundings again.

Kregen gathered the mare’s reins. “Come warm up in the gatehouse. I’ll have your horse taken to the stable.”

Hastra limped beside the Rokan who held her arm and led her mare. That vision came with neither instruction nor other impressions. She grimaced at her hip and stepped into the gatehouse as stray snowflakes fluttered on the night wind.

“Noe, please see that mare over to the stable. It should be curried and fed.” Kregen motioned to the door and the young student scurried out the door on the assigned errand. “Is anything wrong, Hastra?”

Hastra stood at the door. The gates leaned on the hinges in that vision. She rubbed her chin.

Kregen touched her shoulder. “Hastra?”

“Hmm? Oh, I’m fine. Just a bump.” Hastra released her frown and smiled. Those gates, the dilapidated keep in darkness. It was abandoned after the screams and fire. She shivered but not from the night chill. “I’ll go up to dinner. Can the boy bring my baggage?”

“As you wish, there should be food on the table even now. I’ll send him around later with your bag.”

Hastra nodded and hobbled into the courtyard as her brows furrowed. I’ll speak with Zelma, maybe pray and write it in the book for others to inspect. She winced as she climbed the steps to the door. The Withling turned at the top and found the courtyard dappled in light and dark. Kregen’s head drew back into the gatehouse. He was watching me. By those narrowed eyes he guessed more happened than I let on. Hastra frowned again and opened the main door of the stone keep and entered. Wind snuffed lit candles by the door.

“Who’s that?” The doorkeeper stepped out of the shadows and held a covered lamp aloft. “Hastra! Welcome back to Withling’s Watch. I’m sorry to discomfort you with candles at the door but I’m still lighting lamps.”

“No bother, I just fell outside is all, Zeld.” The familial hooked nose of Kregen’s brother cast an odd shadow on his face as he lit a lamp by the door. Hastra tugged her gloves off her hands and held them folded in one hand.

“Do you need help? You look pained by the fall.”

“No, I just want food.” Hastra removed her cloak and draped it over her forewarm.

Zeld motioned across the cavernous entry-hall. “Well there are plenty of our fellow Withlings still sitting at the table. I should like to hear of your journey when you have the time.”

Hastra flashed a brief smile and nodded. “We can speak on the morrow. Good night.” Zeld bowed as she limped away across the marble floor. This vaulted ceiling leaves this place too cold. It’s too proud for our humble order. She grunted at her halting stride. All safe until the end of the journey. Candle flames fluttered as she entered the passage leading to the dining hall. Muffled murmurs transformed to tangled conversations as Hastra entered the dining hall.

She stood in the doorway as the wave of voices washed away her silent journey. The Withling shuffled among her fellow mystics. Scents of roasted meats and spiced vegetables tickled her nose and her stomach grumbled. If only I can find Zelma. She should hear of this vision. There’s frizzy, red hair down that row of tables. Hastra waved. “Zelma!”

The din of the clattering crockery and chattering mystics drowned Hastra’s call. She hobbled along the aisle and met a familiar face. “Howart, greetings!”

“Hastra? Have you returned on the wings of a night-bird?” The Grendonese switched the pitcher he carried to his left hand and offered his right in greeting. “What is needed…”

“Is given. Yes, but my owl walked the whole way.” Hastra rubbed her sore haunch as Howart laughed. This bruise was given for a reason so don’t linger. “I must speak to Zelma if you will excuse me.” The gaunt Withling nodded as she stepped away among the trestle-tables.

Hastra picked Zelma’s voice from the mingled voices. “Zelma!” Hastra waved her gloves over her head as she approached.

The freckled face with receding chin and prominent nose turned toward Hastra. A moment of arched eyebrows and thin lips parted changed into wide eyes and grinning. “Hastra!” The young woman scrambled over the bench and jostled her companions with apologies. “Sister, you’ve come with the night.” Zelma hugged Hastra, drew back and touched her cheeks. “You cold. Come warm yourself and I’ll fetch you a plate of food.”

“But I need to speak with you.”

“You can tell me all about the negotiations after you’re warm and full.”

Zelma found space for the two of them on the bench and hurried a plate to Hastra piled with steaming food and warm bread. The others eating around them welcomed the returning Withling.

“Has the snow started?” Sila, the Shildran, handed Hastra a cup of water.

“Flakes fell as I entered the gate.” Hastra drank. I’m thirstier than I knew. She smacked her lips as the dryness washed away.

“Is Last Landing at peace now?”

“Oh, you know it is. Hastra sent word with the bird weeks ago.” Zelma shouldered her way onto the bench next to Hastra with a grin and an expectant glance at her sister’s food.

“What is needed is given.” The other’s around them mumbled the saying with Hastra. My voice sounds smoother after the water. She shifted near her younger sister and lowered her voice. “I really need to speak with you, Zelma.”

“Eat first.” Zelma offered Hastra bread.

“I can take the plate with me but I must tell you fresh news.”

Zelma’s pale green eyes shifted between the food and Hastra’s furrowed brow. The young woman’s head tilted and her smile faded. “As new as when?”

Hastra leaned close again. “Now, at the gate.”

“Well, fine. We can go to our room I suppose.”

The sisters rose and excused themselves from those sitting near them. Hastra took her plate and followed Zelma among the tables with a wince. The hip’s so tight in those few moments. I’ll need someone’s prayers if healing is given. They exited into a narrow side-hall with fewer lamps shining against the darkness.

Zelma turned back and gasped. “You’re limping!”

“Now you notice.”

The younger woman’s gaze lowered to the floor. “Don’t scold me, you’ve just returned.”

“You’re right, dear, of course. I’m tired, hurting and hungry.” She patted her sister’s clasped hands.

“You could have eaten in the hall. What’s so urgent?”

They resumed walking and turned down another passage with less lights than the last. Zelma’s mass of wild hair flamed red even in the gloom.

“I fell off my horse when…”

The candles faded. A snake-faced hobgoblin stepped out of a darkened door by Hastra. The troll drew a curved sword. She uttered a wordless shout and dropped her plate. Hastra thrust her hands at the creature. She stumbled on her sore leg as shadow descended. The hobgoblin’s dark eyes glittered malevolence. A merciless grin spread wide and revealed discolored fangs.

“No.” Hastra’s senses failed as the sword whistled at her. Darkness snuffed her thoughts.

End of Part 1 (Part 2 will be posted within a week)

Comments are welcome so please leave them below. See my Contact page for information on how to connect with me or follow the blog by email. Visit my Indiegogo campaign for more information and help support the novel’s publication.

Thanks for reading!

PHS

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Announcement – The Bow of Destiny

I have several announcements regarding The Bow of Destiny crowdfunding campaign.

Photo used in The Bow of Destiny book trailer

1. Some of my backers have requested that I extend the campaign to the full 60 days allowed by Indiegogo. I have requested this from Indiegogo so the campaign is still in effect through 9/5.

2. I will continue working on The Bow of Destiny to send to my editor for a structural edit which could be back well before the end of the campaign. This will be followed by more work on my part and a final edit after the campaign is over.

3. This is the big announcement. Realizing that readers are not familiar with this work and that an excerpt is not enough to encourage backing, I will release serialized blog posts that serve as prolog for The Bow of Destiny. I intend to release about one edition a week during the campaign to introduce readers to my fantasy world. Look for the first release within a few days. Since these will be developed during the campaign these serial posts will be somewhat fluid and have a few changes in them so readers get a chance to see examples of my work and even make suggestions as I go.

A picture included in my trailer.

4. If there is enough interest expressed I will schedule at least one party over social media.

5. If there is enough backing in the crowdfunding campaign then I will announce some stretch goals which may include the opportunity to receive the serialized blogs compiled into an ebook as well as being able to shift how I deliver autographs when the time comes using one of the e-autograph services available.

For more information about The Bow of Destiny see the News page or click the link above. Click on the Contact page for more information about connecting with me on social media. Please leave comments below. Also, blog subscribers receive a Smashwords coupon for a FREE copy my short story, The Black Bag in any current format – get your coupon and DOWNLOAD today!

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3 Tips for Editing to Deep POV PT 1

Last week I attended a webinar about using deep third person POV. Here are some tips gleaned from the presentation that you may find helpful you as I know they will  for me.

Editing for Deep POV

1. Eliminate all words about thinking, seeing, etc. from the POV character. Instead let the internal dialog carry out that function.

2. Eliminate all prepositional telling – those prepositional phrases that tell  about emotion, thoughts, moods, etc. of the POV character. Instead convey these by showing.

3. Forego using words for emotion and state of being (angry, happy, sad, etc.) and use physical effects from the POV character’s actions, dialog, etc. Familiarize yourself with emotions and how to express them. A great book for this is The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Akerman.

Still need more pointers? Try these books for deeper POV explanations:

Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

Writer’s Guide to Emotion: Fiction Writing Tools by Sherry Soule

Looking for more articles on POV? Check out Janice Hardy’s Fiction University.

I’ll share more tips from these books and the webinar over my next several posts and even expand on the concepts as well.

Please see my Contact page for ways to connect with me and view my News page for information on my current fundraising campaign for The Bow of Destiny on Indiegogo which ends on 7/31.

I’m always interested in comments so please feel free to leave them below. Also, remember that followers of this blog via email receive a coupon to download my short ebook, The Black Bag from Smashwords so sign-up today.

Thanks for reading!

PHS

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3 Marketing Thoughts

 

1. Why is social media marketing important? The simple answer: it’s main street America now. People used to spend time on the street doing business and seeing all the sales ads in windows. Likewise, most people got news from a newspaper – and saw all the ads. Now they view news on the internet and see all the ads there. If you have a product then your wares need to be in a virtual storefront on Social media for virtual window shopping and advertising sales.

2. Exchanging FB pages, Twitter follows, etc. I recently read one blog that indicated requesting someone follow or like you on social media was a major mistake. While I prefer not to request interactions this way perhaps there is another viewpoint. Our social media is like exchanging business cards. We may not actively use that information but we might one day and people we know might find use in that connection too. It’s one of the reasons why business cards are exchanged - you may not need that service or product but you may know someone who does and that’s one favorable point of social media. In that light, I’m not opposed to being approached for connections at all on Facebook, etc. though I still reserve the right not to follow or like.

3 Experiment – I’ve read some people say offer a book for free to boost sales and other indicate that this is a changing tactic that no longer works. I’ve been trying a sale this week The Black Bag which will end on Sunday – it’s generated interest but not much else. The latest information released indicates that the freebie marketing effectiveness is dwindling. To me what gets people’s attention is not the saturation of freebie books that may or may not be good but word of mouth and quality. For this reason I see reviews as an important factor in sales since people trust that more than anything. Is that movie good? What did the reviewer say? Here’s some marketing tips by C. Lee McKenzie.

Your thoughts and opinions are welcome, please leave them below. Speaking of FREE, The Black Bag is available at not cost for email followers of this website. Please see my Contact page to follow me on various social media channels or click the buttons on this page. Also take a look at my Indiegogo campaign for my novel, The Bow of Destiny.

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One of Those Days Pt. 2

Just a quick post to follow-up on my post earlier in the week.

Ever stare at your own work?

I intended spending a lot of time on writing endeavors yesterday afternoon. That quickly changes with a minor family emergency involving a car accident. Thankfully everyone appears to be fine and that’s something to smile about.

However, all my plans went out the window quickly since my presence was needed for several hours. Once the proverbial smoke cleared I had much less time to work than anticipated. But hey, I’m glad I could be of help even if it interrupted my plans and the day turned into “one of those days”. Instead of phoning it in, sat down and edited a short story and it’s now close to being ready for submission to some magazine markets.

So that’s all I have for the moment. What are the disruptions – large and small – that you encounter while writing? Do you let them stop you in your tracks or do you push on anyway? Leave comments below.

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Quick Tip: YouTube for Authors

Need to get more use out of

When I was preparing my video for The Bow of Destiny campaign on Indiegogo several weeks ago I haphazardly uploaded my material without thinking too much about YouTube and the channel I was presenting. Since I don’t intend to post large amounts of video I just didn’t see the value. But like most social media this it is a fallacy to underestimate the value of any service. I was focused on the project and thought little of what I could do.

Tip #1: Even if you are working on a project and getting into a new social media platform stop and learn a few things.

Tip #2: Link as much as you can to your channel. I recently went back to my channel and linked as much of my other social media channels into YouTube so people can see what I’m up to easily. Many people are not on every type of social media or they don’t visit their accounts everyday so the information is beneficial to them and you to better connect.

How do you add all your information? On your channel click on the About tab and there you can add all the links you want so you can make it easy for all those high-visual folks to find and connect with you elsewhere.

Tip #3: I found it best to link my channel with my Google+ account even though I don’t use it that often (though I’m working that more now too).

What tips do you have for YouTube usage? How are you leveraging the this channel for writing? Share your thoughts below.

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Filed under: Crowdfunding, Crowdsourcing, Indie Publishing, IndieGoGo, Marketing, Self-publishing, Tips, YouTube Tagged: Book Trailer, Crowdfunding, Crowdsourcing, Indie Publishing, IndieGoGo, P. H. Solomon, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, You Tube

One of THOSE Days

So I’m working away today fighting off the blues about some things that creep up on everyone from time to time. Nothing big, nothing new, just sad. Then BAM – I notice a mistake that I overlooked days ago. The saying, “If it was a snake it would’ve bit me.” applies. I corrected it but that only made the day worse. I was almost ready to phone it in and then I got a huge laugh from someone on Twitter and got some wind back in my sales a little.

Hopefully this “one of THOSE days” will float away and I will be productive the rest of the day. There’s a lot of editing to complete and messages in need of response.

I’ll just keep my head up and do what I can with what I have today! CHEERS!!!

Thanks for reading!

PHS

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