Jacqui Murray's Blog, page 198
January 5, 2012
10 Hits and Misses for 2011
Since I started this blog thirty months ago, I've had almost 360,000 visitors–more than double last year, 1300 on my busiest day, visiting the 520 articles I've written on
Top 10 hits and misses for 2011
every facet of writing. As with most bloggers, I write what's on my mind 3-4 times a week. It may be about the craft of writing, trends in the industry, or how my writing business is doing. I have regular features, like Tech Tips for Writers and Writing Tips. It's a fast changing writing world. I'm just trying to hang on and share the ride.
It always surprises me what readers find to be the most provocative–as surprising as what holds no interest for anyone but me! It's usually a post I put heart and soul into, sure I was sharing Very Important Information, and I get three readers who slog their way through it. Talk about humility. Here they are–my top 10 and bottom 10:
Top Ten Hits
How to Describe Dogs–almost double last year's top post which included a creepy picture of a spider bite. Yuck!
My Character is Sick–How to Show (Not Tell) Some Illnesses–need a disgusting illness for your character? Click here.
Ten Favorite Geek Words–Part I–vocabulary is far more popular than I ever thought it would be–especially geek words. Maybe techno-thrillers re making a comeback
Do You Have a Character Who's a First Lady?–I think this one got a lot of non-writer hits from people seeking info on Michelle Obama
178 Ways to Describe Women's Clothing–I learned a lot writing this post, so I'm not surprised readers were curious
How To Write Descriptions People Want to Read: Wild Animals
How To Write Descriptions People Want to Read: Horses
How to Show (Not Tell) an Emotion–A to D
How to Tell if Someone is Lying: Body Language
How To Describe Your Character's Appearance
Overall, the craft of writing articles were more popular than the business end of the job.
Top Ten Misses
Science as Storyteller
The Business of Blogging: Reviews
Book Review: Cold Glory
Recognize the Early Warning Signs of a New Book Inside You
Selling on Amazon
File This Under 'Fact is Stranger Than Fiction'
Tech Tip for Writers #21: How to Make a Small Webpage Window Big
Calling All Thriller Writers–ThrillerFest is Here
Book Review: Act of Deceit
How Do You Use Twitter
If you're a writer, what were your most popular posts about?
Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and author of two technology training books for middle school. She wrote Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a tech columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for ISTE's Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything. Currently, she's seeking representation for a techno-thriller Any suggestions? Contact Jacqui at her writing office, WordDreams, or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: authors, blogs, writers, writers resources, writing Tagged: 2011, top ten, writers resources, writing
Book Review: The House at Sea's End
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
If I hadn't agreed to review Elly Griffiths' The House at Sea's End (Houghton Mifflin 2011), I might have stopped reading after a handful of pages, but I did promise so I read on. By page seven, that turned out to be a good decision.
You see, the first six pages were more like the character-centric and emotion-driven writing of literary fiction than the action-intensive plot I'd expect from an author who won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for an outstanding suspense novel. Nothing grabbed me by the throat–until the ambivalent, happy-go-lucky troupe of archaeologists Griffiths chose for her opening scene uncovered dead bodies and called the police. Then, finally, I knew I had the right book.
The House at Sea's End is the story of sixty-year old dead bodies which turn out to be those of six German soldiers. Ruth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist and the main character of this series, is contacted to determine whether their deaths are attributable to WWII or murder. When more people are killed, it becomes clear whichever the answer, someone wants the secret to remain hidden and the story takes off, moving toward a fast-paced surprise ending that is satisfying enough to make me want to read more about the adventures of the homely sometimes doddering Ruth Galloway, her infant daughter's clandestine father Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson, and the eclectic mix of supporting characters.
Lets start with the characters. They are a dour group, with an impassive approach to life as though it were a difficult child to be tolerated rather than enjoyed. Yet, in the few short scenes Griffiths devotes to each supporting actor, she does a masterful job of fleshing out their motivations, their desires, making me care for their ruminations about an upcoming dinner party or the TV show that might be missed due to work demands or a visitor they haven't sufficiently prepared for–all in the middle of what could be a serial killer inhabiting their hamlet. They are so believable, I am left to wonder if their attitudes are typical of Brits or pulled whole fabric from Griffiths' fertile imagination.
This quirky group, as well as the cold British coastline, transform what could be an overused plot (someone finds dead bodies, police must track down the killer and stop him/her from more murder) into a solid story. I give much credit to Griffiths' skill as a storyteller, told with a hint of humor ('the effect is slightly ruined by the fact that he has forgotten his car keys…') and an instinct for weaving motive and emotion in at just the right places. For those in a hurry, here's all you need to know: If you like Elizabeth George, you'll like Griffiths.
One piece I dislike is that Griffiths writes in present tense. I find it annoying, its only saving grace that it makes flashbacks as obvious as a sunny day on the British coastline. That aside, once I put aside my distaste for her chosen tense, I found myself completely engrossed up to the last surprising sentence. I'd highly recommend it.
Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything. Currently, she's seeking representation for a techno-thriller that she just finished. Any ideas? Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: book reviews, thrillers Tagged: book review, mystery, suspense, thrillers
January 4, 2012
2012, I Resolve…
Beyond losing weight, quitting smoking, paying more attention to my family, here's what I want to do
New Years–a time for rest, rejuvenation and repair. A time to assess ourselves. Do we settle into our life, enjoy where it's headed, or is it time to grab our purse, our iPhone, our car keys, and get out of there?
Last year on New Year's Day, I shared my resolutions for 2011. Here's how I did:
Fiction
Finish my current techno-thriller, Seek and Destroy (although I haven't settled on a title). I'm in the editing phase. I got a lot done over my two week Christmas break, but not enough. I have another break in February and March, but that won't be enough, so I'm looking at summer. Unfortunately, I have a writer's conference in February and Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award in January. I'm not ready. I don't know what to do. Finished.
Market Seek and Destroy when it's finished–this summer. I have a few people interested. I know (aka, hope) one of them will grab it. I'm done sending it out. Now, I'll see if anyone is interested.
I have a historic fiction novel, Part I of a series, that deals with paleo times. I'm thinking of jumping into the ebook market with it. I can upload to Smashwords, get them on Apple, Kindle, other ereaders. If nothing else, I'll learn about ebook publishing, which I can share with you. Check out this year's resolutions.
Non-fiction
Finish an ebook I started called How Not to Hate Your Computer (I'm a tech teacher by day, intrepid writer by nights and weekends). I have most of the content collected, but must format and edit. It doesn't take the concentration of fiction writing, so I think it's reasonable to complete this book by end of summer. Finished two ebooks on different topics, so I'll still stick a fork in this one and call it done. They're on my publisher's website and a few other ebook distributors. And they're selling!
Finish an ebook I started on Writer's Tips . Actually, I'm collecting them from the good folks in my writers group. If they come through with enough tips, I'll come through with the publishing. So far, the ball's in their court so I can put this off. Whew. This went nowhere. It turned out I was the only one who cared to accomplish this. I decided the quickest way to finish it was to kill it.
Figure out a better marketing plan for my core stable of books on teaching technology to grades K-8. I sell 80% of my content through Amazon and I know from my MBA program it's a very bad idea to put all of your eggs in one basket. I've tried to expand (I also sell them on Teachers Pay Teachers and Scribd), but those are a drop in the bucket compared to Amazon. I am now selling on Google ebooks, but the digital version of my textbooks doesn't sell nearly as well as the hard copies, which probably has something to do with that I can't figure out how to get them into epub format. I'd add the latter as a goal, but I've already spent far too much time on that exercise in futility. Worked on this all year. Amazon is down to 60% of sales–still too high, but better. More on this later.
Blogs
Continue publishing 3-4 posts a week on my blogs, Ask a Tech Teacher, Ask a Tech Teacher Homeschool Edition, WordDreams and USNA or Bust. These are my passion, so they're fun to write. Did this. Loved it.
Continue with my columns for Technology in Education and Examiner (I write a thrice-weekly column as their examiner for technology and another on USNA). These are a different sort of writing and have become valuable to my overall expertise. Still doing columns, but I made a few changes where necessary. I want a good fit for my experience, background. Take takes experimentation.
Decide what to do with Sizzle in Science. I started this blog out of my love for science, but when I run out of time (which is often), this one suffers. I should make a decision on its future rather than let it languish. That's my bias for action. I hate inactivity. Still pondering.
Find guest bloggers for my blogs. I've reached out a bit, but not enough. My readers would benefit from other opinions. I had some great guest posts! Will continue to look.
Be a guest blogger for others. On that note–anyone interested? This went great–I got more requests than I could handle. I need a better plan for this.
So what am I doing this year? Much of the same, but kicked up. the more I write, the more I love doing it. I need a good blend of day job and writing until I make a decision on my future. Here's what I hope to accomplish in 2012:
Fiction
Work on the second in my paleo-historic fiction series. This topic is my passion, but has at best a niche audience. I don't care. It's drafted, but there's lots of work before it's ready. A novel takes me at least two years to write. I'm about 6 months into this one, so reasonably, finishing this one fiction book is all I'll manage. There is a problem: Usually I write intensively over summer when I'm not teaching, but this year there is rumbling about needing me to work August. I won't pre-worry. I'll make decisions about that when the deadline looms.
Get my thriller published–either traditionally or self-pub. I've collected a lot of names of people who can help me make that happen. I'd rather write my paleo-historic novel (and have an agent take care of my thriller), but I'm prepared to step in if I must
Non-fiction
I have at least two more ebooks I want to publish, both on technology. I think that's a doable goal for 2012.
Market the technology curriculum I edit. It has a great following among school districts, private schools and homeschoolers. One of the fun parts is interacting with the teachers. I'd like to expand on that.
Figure out how to sell books on Google ebooks. It should be a vast market, but my sales are abysmal–5% of overall sales. I'll research how other authors are making that venue work.
Blogs
Continue publishing 3-4 articles a week on my core blogs Ask a Tech Teacher, Ask a Tech Teacher–Homeschool Edition, and WordDreams (this blog). I want to increase the number of posts on the art of writing. I love reading these on other writer's blogs and get a lot of ideas from them. I want to return that favor to other writers looking for inspiration, innovation and the introduction of new ideas.
Expand the reach of my blogs. I've read most of the articles that start "How to Write Blogs That Everyone Reads…" and they don't work the way the author promises. Time to get creative. I'm at about a thousand readers a day on my core blogs. Where will I be at the end of 2012?
Get some of my own writing (meaning, novels, ebooks, etc) on this blog. As I review my 2011 posts, I see I don't reference my work much. Most writer's blogs do, so I'll try it.
Develop my social network. I have amazing connections on G and my blogs. While I'm fluent in rushing through life, I don't know much about smelling the roses. This year I will notice the world around me. I want to learn from my efriends, support them, enjoy their successes.
What are your resolutions? I want to learn from you.
Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and author of two technology training books for middle school. She wrote Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a tech columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for ISTE's Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything. Currently, she's seeking representation for a techno-thriller Any suggestions? Contact Jacqui at her writing office, WordDreams, or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: blogs, writers, writing Tagged: 2012, E-book, newyear resolutions
January 3, 2012
Tech Tip for Writers #34: My Program Froze
As a working technology teacher, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I'll share one of those with you. They're always brief and always focused. Enjoy!
Q: I'm writing a very (very) important paper and all of a sudden, the screen is frozen. I can't save it, or anything else. What do I do?
A: Programs do freeze for no reason sometimes, but not often (I'm assuming you take care of your computer–defrag, don't download with abandon, update it occasionally). Before you declare a dog-ate-my-homework sort of catastrophe, try this:
Check your desktop for an open dialogue box and close it. You might have to answer its question first.
Push escape four times. You might have inadvertently got yourself into something you don't even know you're in. Escape often lives up to its name.
Click your program on the taskbar. You might have gotten out of it by accident.
90% of the time, your computer is back to normal. If you're one of the ten percenters, I hope you saved early and often (every ten minutes).
Questions you want answered? Leave a comment here and I'll answer it within the next thirty days.
To sign up for Tech Tips delivered to your email, click here.
Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, an Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, an IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything. Currently, she's seeking representation for a techno-thriller she just finished. Any ideas? Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab.
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Filed under: tech tips for writers, writers tips Tagged: tech tips, writers tips
Write Anything–My Bi-Monthly Post
Just a reminder to check out my twice-monthly post at a wonderful writer's blog called Write Anything. We're an eclectic group over there with a bit of everything that relates to writing.
Now back to my regularly scheduled postings…
Filed under: blogs Tagged: columns, guest posts, write anything
January 2, 2012
Writers Tip #91: 11 Tips You Don't Want to Miss about Writing the Novel
Great tips for soon-to-be great writers
When you read your story, does it sound off, maybe you can't quite put your finger on it, but you know you've done something wrong? Sometimes–maybe even lots of times–there are simple fixes. These writer's tips will come at you once a week, giving you plenty of time to go through your story and make the adjustments.
Lawrence Block's (publisher of over thirty books and winner of such prestigious awards as the Edgar Allan Poe award) Writing the Novel: From Plot to Print provides a step-by-step guide to taking a nascent idea to fully-fleshed novel. It's packed with ideas (including a bibliography of his recommended books for writers), but I'll list eleven ideas he stressed–the ones that made a difference in my writing. Add a comment and tell me if you agree:
There's no such thing as a formula
Some novelists outline briefly, some in great detail… (Block has a funny story which I could so relate to)
If you want to write fiction, the best thing you can do is take two aspirins, lie down in a dark room and wait for the feeling to pass (His book has a light sense of humor writers will appreciate)
The best seller list abounds with the work of writers whom no one would want to call polished stylists
Novels…are time and again written with no original central idea to be found (Sigh with relief and then read his book for more detail on that provocative thought)
Isn't it harder to write a novel? No. Novels aren't harder. They're longer
I want to (write). What do I do first? what you do first is read (How many times have I read that? Here, yet another successful writer proclaims reading to be the cornerstone of writing).
(To find ideas on what to write) Pay attention. The little atoms of fact and attitude which can link up into the molecules of an idea are all over the damn place.
Writing the novel is an ongoing organic process, and we carry the book with us wherever we go.
When an idea comes along, make sure you don't forget it.
The reason the reader care what happens next is because of the author's skill at characterization.
Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything. Currently, she's seeking representation for a techno-thriller that she just finished. Any ideas? Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: book reviews, Uncategorized, writers tips, writing Tagged: lawrence block. writing the novel, writers tips
December 21, 2011
Happy Holidays!
I'll be taking a week (or so) off–until after the New Year–to play with my children and work on some writing projects with a deadline. I may add a post here or there, or drop in on you-all as you enjoy your holidays, but mostly I'll be regenerating.
I wish you a wonderful season, safe and filled with family. See you shortly!
Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and author of two technology training books for middle school. She wrote Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a tech columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for ISTE's Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything. Currently, she's seeking representation for a techno-thriller Any suggestions? Contact Jacqui at her writing office, WordDreams, or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: christmas
December 20, 2011
Tech Tip for Writers #33: My Desktop Icons are Messed Up
As a working technology teacher, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I'll share one of those with you. They're always brief and always focused. Enjoy!
Q: I have several kids/students who share the same computer. Kids being kids loving moving the icons around on the desktop. Sometimes they create the first letter of their name in icons. It's cute, but makes it difficult for the next student to find the shortcut they need. What's the best way to handle this?
A: I've tried everything. Refusing to allow them to play doesn't work and asking them to undo their play at the end of their time doesn't eitehr. The best solution is to teach all students how to organize their desktop:
Right click on the desktop
Select 'arrange icons'
If you're in Win &, pick 'sort by' and 'type
This can be part of their start-up maintenance when they sit down to begin their class. They've learned a new skill. They feel empowered to solve their own problems. Life is good.
Questions you want answered? Leave a comment here and I'll answer it within the next thirty days.
To sign up for Tech Tips delivered to your email, click here.
Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, an Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, an IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything. Currently, she's seeking representation for a techno-thriller she just finished. Any ideas? Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab.
Filed under: tech tips for writers, writers tips Tagged: tech tips, writers tips
December 19, 2011
Writer's Tip #90: 11 Tips to Consider Before Declaring Your Manuscript Done
Great tips for soon-to-be great writers
When you read your story, does it sound off, maybe you can't quite put your finger on it, but you know you've done something wrong? Sometimes–maybe even lots of times–there are simple fixes. These writer's tips will come at you once a week, giving you plenty of time to go through your story and make the adjustments.
These 11 tips are from Renni Browne and Dave King's wonderful book, Self-editing for Fiction Writers. If you are preparing a story for your writers group, for a beta reader, or want to knock out the most obvious errors before spending money on a professional copy editor, this book should be on your Christmas list. You'll notice their comments are more non-judgmental than most reviewers. Their focus is to make you consider important elements of your writing–do they deliver the message you want them to in your writing? Feel free to read more of my review, then check back here for the most important tips Browne and King cover. Here are my favorites:
Narrative summary no longer engages readers the way it once did. Showing your story… will not only give your writing immediacy. It will give it transparency.
Are you describing your characters' feelings?
It's often a good idea to introduce a new character with enough physical description for your readers to picture him or her.
Some writing books distinguish as many as twenty-six different flavors of point of view, but there are really only three basic approaches: first person, third person, and omniscient
(If you move from head to head) Would your story gain power if you stuck with a single viewpoint character or broke your scenes up at appropriate places … to make this possible?
Take a look at your language. Is it right for your viewpoint character?
Take a look at your descriptions. Are the details you give the ones your viewpoint character would notice?
Do you have tangents–little subplots or descriptions that don't advance the plot?
(On the importance of dialogue mechanics: This from an agent): The first thing I do is find a scene with some dialogue. If the dialogue doesn't work, the manuscript gets bounced. If it's good, I start reading.
Can you get rid of any of your speaker attributions?
Read your dialogue aloud
Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything. Currently, she's seeking representation for a techno-thriller that she just finished. Any ideas? Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: writers resources, writers tips Tagged: plot, self-editing, writers resources, writers tips
December 16, 2011
Book Review: Resuscitation
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Note to readers: This review was written as part of my Amazon Vine Voice program
I have just had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of "Resuscitation" by Mr. D.M. Annechino. Mr. Annechino has written a previous thriller titled "They Never Die Quietly" which carries on with the same central character Detective Sami Rizzo. This is a novel about a vicious serial killer, a crime which Ms. Rizzo has demonstrated considerable expertise and brilliance in bringing killer/s to justice
The plot revolves around an extremely competent heart surgeon who has recently had a government grant rejected for further research into the medical problem of atrial fibrillation, the evaluation committee felt there wasn't enough germane data. The surgeon Dr. Julian is extremely disappointed and determines to solve the problem by abducting innocent people and performing experimental operations on them all designed to result in their death, in order to obtain the required data for the grant. Yet one survives, giving Ms. Rizzo the hook she needs to reel him in (no spoiler).
This is truly Jack the Ripper "light" minus the government grant. The novel is brutal and gory, certainly a fast paced page turner. There are some parts that may be a little much for the squeamish amongst us, I encourage you to persevere. I look forward Mr. Annechino"s next novel, I think, you will too.
Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter's journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything. Currently, she's seeking representation for a techno-thriller that she just finished. Any ideas? Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: book reviews, thrillers Tagged: book reviews, resuscitation
