Creative Reviews discussion
Member's Blog's, Twitters...etc
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For all your blogging needds!!
Cambria, which blog are you following. OBS or nerdalien.com? I'm asking cause I don't see you on nerdalien lol. ~Annabell
Yep. Or, in some cases, you just give in and hire a professional.
Thanks guys, by the way! I really appreciate your help in publicizing my blog-hope your's are successful too!
Debra, I'm not too bad with interwebby things but the thought of learning code scares the life out of me, probably because I have no idea where to start.Reading interesting posts is definitely a good thing!
TC wrote: "Debra, I'm not too bad with interwebby things but the thought of learning code scares the life out of me, probably because I have no idea where to start.Reading interesting posts is definitely a ..."
The thought of learning code scares me too, but I'm told that you don't need to learn much code these days, as places like WordPress make creating a website pretty easy for those of us who are technically challenged. I'm going to test that later this summer when I build my own website for the first time.
Mod
Amy wrote: "I think I am going to have to get on Wordpress and get my website going. I keep saying I am going to start a webpage to help my editing business, but like some of you, the idea of starting one and..."Amy, that's awesome! I've been thinking of doing the same. I edit novels sometimes for authors who send their work in via OBS and have been told I should start my own editing biz. I have no idea how to go about doing that though lol. Maybe we can tag team LOL
~Annabell
OpenBookSociety.com wrote: "Cambria, which blog are you following. OBS or nerdalien.com? I'm asking cause I don't see you on nerdalien lol. ~Annabell"LOL. I am pretty sure it is open book society. It was through the link you provided, I thought it was weird b/c when i clicked follow it would only let me do it through Facebook. I figured thats why my pic didn't show up was b/c it was through FB.....is that not right? LOL
Put both links up here again and I will try and follow both again.
I'm sorry...I am not so good with computers. But it did tell me I was following. LOL
Amy wrote: "I think I am going to have to get on Wordpress and get my website going. I keep saying I am going to start a webpage to help my editing business, but like some of you, the idea of starting one and..."Girl I will help you!!! You are the BEST editor ever!!
Is that you running and screaming from the computer I hear?? My help is scary to you?? LOL
Mod
You know Annabell, I think you may be onto something!! We should chat!!
OpenBookSociety.com wrote: "Amy wrote: "I think I am going to have to get on Wordpress and get my website going. I keep saying I am going to start a webpage to help my editing business, but like some of you, the idea of star..."Go girl Go! I will help spread the word about you! Let me know if i can do anything to help
Angel wrote: "Thanks guys, by the way! I really appreciate your help in publicizing my blog-hope your's are successful too!"No problem! We are all here to help!
I think we all need a class on making a blog banner
Cambria wrote: "OpenBookSociety.com wrote: "Cambria, which blog are you following. OBS or nerdalien.com? I'm asking cause I don't see you on nerdalien lol. ~Annabell"LOL. I am pretty sure it is open book soci..."
LOL you joined via Networked Blogs which is another way to be able to follow my blog. You are now following me so don't worry ;) You did it right. Networked blogs is another website dedciated to helping spread the word of people's blogs. I can send you the info if you want to link your blog to it to help spread the word for your own =) I should have told yaz there were TWO ways to join my blog. My bad homie lol.
~Annabell
Amy wrote: "OpenBookSociety.com wrote: "Amy wrote: "I think I am going to have to get on Wordpress and get my website going. I keep saying I am going to start a webpage to help my editing business, but like ..."Oh I didn't think you'd agree haha! Fair warning, I am sure you have far more training than I do. I've never been to school for it but I've learned through being a writer myself and helping other writers polish their own manuscripts. I do plan on trying to take editing classes this fall. Hopefully, I will be able to. There's this class taught by a highly respected literary agent in the industry and its to learn how to run your own editing business and work with authors and such. I can email you the information if you want to take a look at it =) ~Annabell
Cambria wrote: "I think we all need a class on making a blog banner"YES! We need to find someone who can teach us how to make banners and buttons! lol ~Annabell
I have some tutorials saved on my computer on how to make them. I have also made them before I had my blog custom made. They aren't that hard to do.... hardest part is deciding what you want it to look like :)I will find the tutorial links and post them.
Angel wrote: "Hi! My name is Angel, and I just started a book review blog with a couple of my friends a few months ago. My blog mostly features YA Literature. Hope you guys enjoy it! And if you really like it, p..."Following you!!
Cambria wrote: "Okay everyone, I finally got my blog to a point where I will show it to people and ask for followers!!! Woo Hoo!!here is the link:
http://theunlockeddiary.blogspot.com
Please check it out. I wo..."
I'm #14!
Kat (LvnEvryMin) wrote: "I have some tutorials saved on my computer on how to make them. I have also made them before I had my blog custom made. They aren't that hard to do.... hardest part is deciding what you want it t..."Kat, that would be so great! We really are tech literate lol.
~Annabell
http://www.nerdalien.com/
Annabell wrote: "Cambria wrote: "OpenBookSociety.com wrote: "Cambria, which blog are you following. OBS or nerdalien.com? I'm asking cause I don't see you on nerdalien lol. ~Annabell"LOL. I am pretty sure it i..."
Oh well good. I am glad I didn't mess it up. :) Sure, I will take the link to link my blog up to it, that sounds like a great idea! Thanks for sharing!!
Kat (LvnEvryMin) wrote: "Cambria wrote: "Okay everyone, I finally got my blog to a point where I will show it to people and ask for followers!!! Woo Hoo!!here is the link:
http://theunlockeddiary.blogspot.com
Please ch..."
Hooray!!! Thanks Kat!! You rock
Kat (LvnEvryMin) wrote: "I have some tutorials saved on my computer on how to make them. I have also made them before I had my blog custom made. They aren't that hard to do.... hardest part is deciding what you want it t..."thanks! that would be great!!
Mod
I am always up for brushing up my skills!!! Send me an e-mail at amy@journalstone.com!! You rock girl!
Making a "scrapbook background" http://www.kevinandamanda.com/whatsne...Making a button/badge:
http://www.parajunkeedesign.com/2009/...
All kinds of tutorials
Includes lining up scroll widgets, how to make a scroll widget, making a google document for give aways, and some blogger info for changing the look of the templates.
http://www.parajunkeedesign.com/searc...
Another site with TONS of tutorials
http://www.bloggerbuster.com/2008/04/...
And another: this one includes how to link your blog to your Facebook and Twitter so that every thing you post on your blog goes to FB and T.
http://www.simplebloggertutorials.com/
AND: Youtube Channel for Blogger Help
http://www.youtube.com/user/BloggerHelp
THANK YOU for the help!!! We all love you!
I will keep looking though my "favs" and post some more as I come across them. Those in the above post should keep you busy for a bit ;)
You all are most welcome!!!
Tons more from Adori Graphics...also includes some Twitter tutorials http://www.adorigraphics.com/2008/07/...
"BlogU"
I love this site... it also has some free icons that you can download.
http://bloggeruniversity.blogspot.com...
This is another one from Parajunkee. She does a weekly post called "Book Blogging 101" that includes things like how to contact an author or publisher, legal things like copyrights, morals, how to build your followers etc. She's really great.
http://www.parajunkee.net/bb101.html
HTML code... this crap still confuses me!http://www.htmlcodetutorial.com/
Even More
http://www.bloggersentral.com/search?...
Kat, you are awesome! Now, I just need time to go through all that & work on it! LOL
Thanks a TON Kat! We couldn't have done it without you, and now all our blogs are going to look awesome!
@ Cambria - I don't have a button either, it's graphics related and I can't even draw a straight line with a straight edge. I will only make one when I absolutely have no choice. And I'm not so good at slowing down, it's one of those things I haven't learned yet lol.
@Annabelle I don't keep track of things any better in person than online. I would post a photo of my desk on here but I don't think I can. There are 4 different notebooks within read and a cupboard of them on the book shelf that's included in my desk. Two more on the dresser, one or two on the nightstand, I think I might have even set one down on Ed's desk or nightstand or both. Each of them has random reminders, so many that I can't find the reminder within minutes of writing it. I'm one of those people that that Helen person of the Organizing TV show would absolutely love. I get the principals of organizing, but not the follow through.@ Kat love the blogging 101 link, you know I follow that blog but have yet to notice that as many times as I've been there.
@Amy don't envy you your job. I used to do that for an ebook company. I remember arguing with writers about whether or not a word was misspelled. I could prove it, they STILL didn't want to make changes. I kept running into writers that liked the idea of being edited but didn't actually want to change anything, they didn't want an editor they wanted someone to pat them on the back and say good job. Maybe that's why I'm so critical in reviewing now... who knows. Anyway good luck with your business.
@Kat Wowsers Kat! You rock, thank you for all the info. I know we all apreeciate it =) *high five*@Amy I will email you the info that you requested =)
@Cambria Here is the link chica: http://www.networkedblogs.com/ Its good for networking. If you need any help let me know. From what I can remember, its supposed to be easy to set up though lol.
@Jenn Holy moly girl! Those are a LOT of notebooks! I'm good at remembering majority of my ideas and if I forget just coming up with new ones so I don't always write stuff down. I do write out my outlines for my books and notes of research. Sometimes I write out ideas I'm afarid I'll end up forgetting. But you totally beat me in that! I wonder what it would be like to take a trip through your brain *hehe* Have you ever seen the movie Dreamcatcher or read the book by Stephen King? There's this scene where Stephen King writers about what it's like to be inside one of the characters mind and how the character has it built to where he can only understand the insanity. Like there are filling cabinets and notes and song lyrics. Pretty cool part of the book and movie. Made me think of you just now =)
@Jenn @Amy HAHA YES! Writers, especially aspiring or self-published, tend to have bits of attitude when you recommend a change. Even if its something small as changing a word or pointing out grammer mistakes they made. I've dealt with a lot of Indie and aspiring writers. Some of them are understanding of the process and thank me afterwards. Some I don't hear back from. Some like to believe they know what they are doing when it's obvious they don't quite yet. Editing is sucha HUGE part of the writing world, you can't expect to be a good writer if you don't open yourself up to learning how to get better. Editing and reading are how you do that.
And yeah, I think that's also why I'm more critical in my reviews as well. So much of what I have to read for OBS sounds the same. This vampire craze I'm SO DONE WITH! lol I'm use to looking at a book as a reader, writer, and editor. That's just how I'm built now lol.
I don't know about all these bad behaving writers who argue over word changes....gheesh. i didn't hire an editor to hear how wonderful I am...(not that I wouldn't mind hehehe) i hired one to make my book better. I always say if you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen....
And Amy's a real peach when it comes to editing....even when she tells you ya messed up. LOL
Annabell wrote: "@Kat Wowsers Kat! You rock, thank you for all the info. I know we all apreeciate it =) *high five*@Amy I will email you the info that you requested =)
@Cambria Here is the link chica: http:/..."
It is really easy to be critical when reading a book. Just with all the editing I do of my own sutff i have learned so much...now when i read I find myself saying ...."that could have been done better...or the writer should 'show' not 'tell'. sometimes i annoy myself bc i just want to read and enjoy the book but its like my brain won't shut up. lol
Jenn wrote: "@ Cambria - I don't have a button either, it's graphics related and I can't even draw a straight line with a straight edge. I will only make one when I absolutely have no choice. And I'm not so g..."LOL. well, slowing down is something i'm not always good at either.
@ Annabell- thanks for that link! i will let you know if I have any trouble.@Kat- thanks for all those links and helpul sites!! Now if only i had twenty hours to go through it all!
@Cambria You are very welcomez =) And that's exactly how I feel! You hire an editor to help you become BETTER in your craft. Someone who is supportive and respectful and someone who will push you. That's what I try to do when I edit writer's work. I know how hard it is to write a book so I can understand where they are coming from. But not all writers know what they are doing and I don't mind poiting it out to you lol.I do that too when I read a book. Realize where the author could have changed something or a word to make it better or make the pacing flow better. And definitely with show or tell. It's a hard concept to get use to at first when writing a book but I hate when writers use more telling than showing. Makes me feel like the book is being dictated to me instead of my imganation and the author's talent flowing together.
I also have trouble sometimes shutting off the editor side to my brain but I've learned to do it. But there are just moments something in a book really bugs the hell outta me and then forget it, editor all the way LOL
I know exactly what you mean and I'm not even and editor! LOL.But I want an editor who will call me out and say hey, that's a plot hole. you have to explain that. Or point out that they were confused by certain things. It only makes it better. As long as they say it in a way that isn't terribly rude...I'm good. I'm a big girl and frankly if I'm paying you then I better hear some feed back. I want to to know at the end of the day that my book is the best I can make it and I am doing everything i can to write a banging story!
and isn't it crazy how one certain error or moment in a book can completey destroy the reader side, then you become an editor/reviewer and the poor book is doomed.
As a writer i am like Oh boy. that's why I NEED a good editor. I dont want to ammoy anyone with my book. (even thought i undoubtedly will. lol)
Hey! My name is Michelle and I recently started a book review blog to stop my slow descent into madness during the exam period. Even experimented a little with CSS to make it look pretty.I'd love it if people would check it out. Hopefully you'll like it! I'll try and check out all your blogs as well.
http://vilutheril.wordpress.com/
LOL that is EXACTLY why I love editing and reading. I always say even the books that you end up hating are good to read only because they teach you what you don't want to do with your own writing and characters. Editing isn't about chopping up your novel to fit a certain trend just because it's profitable. It's about having your novel reach its full potential and having the author grow in confidence. Writing is a constant learning process. You're never done learning and growing. Some some of these self-published and aspiring writers don't get that sometimes. They think all it takes is writing up an idea and your done. There's so much more to writing a book!Yes! Once you latch on to one thing the writer did wrong in their story, it's kinda hard not to stop searching the pages for more mistakes lol. I do like it though when I find a mispelled word or a word missing in a book I love. Reminds me even the greatest of writers are sitll learning too =) I don't feel so left out then lol.
LOL I think art is subjective. Writing is an art form and everyone will have their own interpretation to your work. No two people will see your story or characters the same which is what makes writing both so much fun and terrifying. Some people will love it. Some will hate it. Some will be somewhere in the middle. You can't please everyone so you have to write with the hope that someone out there will find your story and characters relatable and write what you would enjoy reading yourself =)
Cambria wrote: "I know exactly what you mean and I'm not even and editor! LOL.But I want an editor who will call me out and say hey, that's a plot hole. you have to explain that. Or point out that they were conf..."
I firmly believe that the world needs more editors, and writers need to use them to best advantage! Kudos to all the editors who really care about the written word! You're worth every penny!
Michelle wrote: "Hey! My name is Michelle and I recently started a book review blog to stop my slow descent into madness during the exam period. Even experimented a little with CSS to make it look pretty.I'd love ..."
I like your blog, but you didn't connect it to GFC and I can't keep up with my email as it is, I've gotten so I'll only follow with Friend Connect, which you can add to word press. I've been slowly unsubscribing from all the ones in my email. I looked up directions for it once for someone, can't remember who. With that I can scan through post titles and go to the ones of interest each day rather than trying to visit hundreds of blogs daily when some didn't bother to post and others are talking about their grandma's new hairdo and freaking out at the idea of actually checking my email because there's too much of it. If you ever add a GFC button tell me I'll gladly follow that way.
Annabell wrote: "LOL that is EXACTLY why I love editing and reading. I always say even the books that you end up hating are good to read only because they teach you what you don't want to do with your own writing a..."I still think you ought to attempt to learn some basic grammar before publishing and to have an idea what someone means when they say pacing or POV. I've actually read self published books in the past where I said that and the person said Huh? Seriously?! With the million and one books out there on writing I don't think it's excusable to not learn at least your basic jargon and high school level grammar and spelling before publishing. I get that everyone has typos, it happens, but not every third sentence in a published work that's been edited.
Also I don't like when someone goes indie and expects to be treated easier than a mainstream method writer, a writer with a major publishing house didn't blink their book into existence they put just as much work into it as an indie author, they may have some advantages of marketing budgets, but I don't think that because of that a review should be sugarcoated for the indie author. I'll give you the same respect and reverence I'll give to a mainstream author, however I'm going to treat you the same in a review or critique as well. I don't think it's a sign of a good writer to think that they shouldn't be treated as such. Ok enough with my rant we're supposed to be talking blog lol.
Oh most DEFINITELY agree with you Jenn! Writers should, for sure, learn basic grammer and practice it within their own work. I'm surprised, at times, how much aspiring or indie writers don't know. You mention the difference in POV--first, third-and they have no clue as what you are talking about. Or how something should be SHOWN instead of TOLD. Or even repetition. I HATE when stuff is repeated in stories and writers never catch on to doing that (myself included). There are soooo many books for writers to use to their advantage so the excuse that they never knew is just crap. You're either too lazy or too full of yourself. Even Stephen King has taken writing classes and never stops reading to better his craft and he's been at it since forever! lolI completely agree with you! Indie authors should be treated just like mainstream or commerical published authors. Indie authors shouldn't expect a water down review or critique or edit just because a major publisher hasn't backed them. They shouldn't be babied. I know there are many who understand that and some who act like being an indie author is better than being a commerical published author. At the end of the day, both sides are still authors and writers from both worlds have room to grow and mature as writers and in their work.
Wow, have you guys really come across authors who don't get 1st, 3rd POV etc? As far as I'm concerned it doesn't matter how you are published, if you are selling your writing to the public it ought to be a finished product with an acceptable level of spelling, grammar and punctuation. I have a bit of a thing about all that, have been considering trying to get into proofreading and/or editing but there are so many courses and none seem to be the outstanding choice and I can't afford to waste money. My brain seems to be hardwired to spot errors, sometimes it drives me mad.
Thanks for all the links to tutorials BTW! Parajunkee's Book Blogging 101 is great, I've referred to those before.
Creative Reviews
Books mentioned in this topic
The Finkler Question (other topics)The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, #2) (other topics)
Unraveled (other topics)
Intertwined (other topics)
The Superiors (other topics)
Am now following a few more blogs, have just been reading some very interesting posts."
Thank yaz TC for following. I shall follow you in return. Tis fun to stalk people *hehe*
~Annabell