An amusing exercise you may wish to try. (Free copy & paste material included)

This is quite a long post, but bear with me and read on. I think you will find it funny, enlightening, useful, and well worth the few minutes of your time it takes to read it.

You may have read my other post regarding the recent surge of ‘Book Marketing experts’ commenting in the threads of author’s posts to get attention, and/or an initial conversation started. Read it here on Ramblings from a Writers,  https://ramblingsfromawritersmind.wordpress.com/2024/04/07/warning-to-authors-dont-fall-for-this/

Not all are direct “let me promote your book” comments, some are low-key, from ‘You have an amazing book’, ‘I love your cover’, to ‘What inspired you to write such a captivating story’, basically anything to make a live connection.

So, I entered into several conversations with the people who made contact with me. Mostly these contacts came from one of two recent social media posts. Occasionally I received an identical message on both of those posts.

Anyway, against the advice given in my blog, (which I still recommend), I decided to do some research… (or play a game) with these ‘promoters’ to see just how committed and genuine their claims are/were.

As I briefly mentioned above, these opening gambits come in several guises, including ‘authors’ making the initial connection and eventually recommending ‘A promoter/marketer they have worked with’… yeah, right.

I took my time and carefully nurtured many of my ‘new friends’ (I was contacted by 234 in total) into thinking I was genuinely interested in the services they offered.

Others I was, let us say, a little harsher with, even sarcastic on many occasions, although much of my sarcasm was missed, or taken literally. I know the common conception is that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but one still needs a reasonable amount of intelligence to comprehend it.

Or maybe it is that Hank from Illinois, (the all-American author) who would clearly understand the irony of my words, is actually Abaeze from Lagos, (the all-Nigerian scammer) who has absolutely no concept of the absurd satire this form of English wonderfully embodies.

Now, my reason for taking the above action, besides amusing myself, was to discover these marketeer’s premise.

Without exception, they all wanted payment for their proposed service in advance, although some, the more desperate ones I guess, Offered a range of concessions, from the first few days free, to hugely discounted fees.

Surprise, surprise, not one would/or could give a firm guarantee of any sales figures, or would even commit to a target number, a goal to be achieved; especially when I said I would only pay on qualified and quantified results, and for an author results equal sales.

I further explained that as nice a person as he is, my bank manager did not take deposits of likes, comments, exposure, visibility, or any other non-tangible factors, nor did my energy supplier accept such payments.

For some reason, my ‘new friends’ began to evaporate rather swiftly.

Some, however, were far more persistent and, as I was now in a fully-fledged piss-taking mood, I continued with this experiment.

I have not mentioned, because of its complexity, that at each stage I drafted, and sent a message to gauge the ability, understanding, and comprehension of each ‘new friend’ regarding the field they proclaimed to be expert, and/or professional within.

As the exercise progressed, and the responses were returned, I altered and honed these messages until I found the sweet spot, a letter which, by its very nature dismisses these people, or, at least in one instance, exposes the AI involved. To this, I sent a final missive.

I am giving you a copy of these messages (below) so you can send them to the unwanted and unwarranted approaches you receive.

Just before I do, a quick word on the exposition of the AI, as mentioned above.

In answer to the first message, part of the reply I received runs something thus;

“Your book [insert title] was so captivating…  I particularly enjoyed [insert chapter number]…”

Yeh, right. This lady promoter has obviously purchased and read my book… or maybe not!

My book in question, Within the Invisible Pentacle https://bit.ly/WTIPpw

As I mentioned at the start of this message, I undertook this initiative out of curiosity and for amusement. You do not need to indulge these people as I have, you can simply block and delete.

On the other hand, if you have a few minutes, in which you would like to entertain yourself… then go for it!

Thanks for reading this post.

KEEP HAPPY, Paul

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Following are the two letters/messages I now send out to dissuade other book marketers/promoters/video/trailer makers and such if I decide not to simply delete and block them immediately.

Simply copy and paste when needed.

MESSAGE ONE

I send this on initial contact.

Thank you for showing an interest in my book.

I understand you offer a service to market, promote, and advertise.

To carry this conversation forward, please answer the following questions.

1, How did the cover initially capture your attention?

2, What was the main thing about the back cover/introduction that appealed to you most?

3, How far through the book have you read so far? What chapter have you reached?

4, If it is one of my short story collections, which story has captivated you most, and which story has made you consider and think most?

5, Did you purchase the paperback or eBook?

6, When did you purchase the book, and where did you purchase it from?

Lastly, please forward a photograph of you holding/reading my book.

Thank you.

I look forward to your reply.

MESSAGE TWO

For replies received after sending message one, when the responese dso not fit the criteria you requested.

I do not expect you will need to send many of these!

Clearly, regarding your answers to my questions, and the lack of the requested evidential photograph, I understand that you have not purchased a copy of my book.

If you are not committed to owning a copy, in reading it, learning, sampling, and understanding my product, there is no way I could commit to, or even wish to purchase your service.

Without knowing the book intimately, understanding it, and realising its placement in the market, you cannot possibly promote this product using an accurate and cohesive targeted marketing strategy.

Therefore, this is the end of this conversation.

(You are now blocked and deleted.)

Goodbye.

Eighty per cent of your social marketing efforts are falling into a void.

This assertion could come across as stark, but it aligns with the Pareto Principle, or the ’80/20 rule’, which suggests that approximately 80% of outcomes result from 20% of the causes. Named after economist Vilfredo Pareto, this principle emerged from his analysis of wealth distribution, revealing a consistent pattern across different domains.

The essence of the Pareto Principle lies in the realisation that focusing our energies on the few critical tasks can lead to disproportionately positive results, compared to spreading our efforts thinly across many. This principle nudges us towards identifying and prioritizing our actions on the few impactful tasks that lead to significant success.

The principle gained further traction in the 1950s when psychologist Joseph Juran extended its application to management and dubbed it a ‘universal principle’. He observed that 80% of a company’s profits often come from 20% of its customers and that a majority of production issues stem from a minority of error sources.

This principle proves invaluable across various fields, from sales optimization to agricultural yield maximization, by highlighting areas ripe for improvement.

I would recommend reading the blog, ‘Book Marketing Strategies With The Pareto Principle’ by Jamie-Lee Armstrong, the link can be found at the end of this post.

Relating this to my personal experience, the day began with plans for a ‘soft’ promotion of one of my books across social media platforms, including Facebook.

‘Soft’ promotions are subtle ways to maintain active engagement on social media and keep your work in your audience’s consciousness, possibly attracting new followers, without resorting to aggressive advertising.

My marketing approach has always been one of gradual evolution, akin to nurturing a plant from seed, believing in the power of invested time, effort, care, and yes, love. This contrasts starkly with the “instant gardeners” of authorship, who may quickly abandon their promotional efforts once the initial enthusiasm wanes.

Returning to our main theme, envision me at my desk, coffee at hand, meticulously selecting Facebook groups for this promotion. This manual selection process underscores the value I place on personal engagement over automated solutions.

I hear some of you gasp, “Wot, no automation? No pre-planned AI-assisted media programme?”

While I am no modern-day Luddite, there are certain times, and certain tasks, that are best undertaken personally, and today was one of those occasions.

As I scrolled down my list of groups, or communities as I think they are now officially called, I took a moment to check the status of each.

I was looking for a few things, such as did I have any posts pending, and if so, how many and for how long had they been awaiting attention.

A day or two is fine, a week is just about acceptable. Any longer becomes questionable regarding the management of the group.

If posts are stacking up then, with no doubt whatsoever, the group is at best inefficient, at worst defunct and neglected. Neither do I need, or want, to be associated with, nor do I wish to waste my time in posting or engaging with them.

In this instance, I leave the group. I delete any unpublished materials and simply delete them from my system. I lose nothing. I do save myself wasting time in posting to such groups. Each is easily replaced by other groups who are probably newer, and/or better managed, and far more active.

The same goes for groups whose last posts, other than my own, were several months ago. This lack of activity shows such groups have few, if any active members.

This is not an area where my promotions are going to show any return.

Another point to look for is the ‘Dump and Run’ groups. While these may have larger membership numbers and many active postings, they are simply pages where uninformed writers, inexperienced authors, so-called book marketers, and other chancers pump advert after advert onto a group’s page with no interaction or other activity undertaken.

Check the comments, and read the streams… oh, no, there are none because no one sees these posts. There is zero engagement and zero interaction. These groups are simply a dumping ground, a wasted heap of lost marketing effort.

I leave and delete ALL groups which fall into any of the above categories. Every group of this sort is a drain on my time and is part of the 80% of wasted effort as per the Pareto Principle.

Today, I urge you to replicate this exercise.

Allocate 20% of your marketing efforts in the coming days to identify and disengage from non-productive groups, replacing them with vibrant, active communities. It’s crucial to remember that engagement quality often trumps sheer numbers; a mere 20% of group members typically drive 80% of the interactions and results.

(By the way, it can be a different 20% each time!)

For a comprehensive guide on applying the Pareto Principle to your book marketing strategies, including useful tools and advice, do explore this blog post by Jamie-Lee Armstrong: https://medium.com/@jlatales/book-marketing-strategies-with-the-pareto-principle-b9442e286211

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Research demanded a substantial portion, of the time it took to write Within the Invisible Pentacle.

Order your copy today, https://amzn.to/3Vvq61l

Still, it was worth every moment so I could create this collection of poignant, emotive, and entertaining stories. Ones which explore the depths of our human character, the quintessence disposition of living, and of life itself. These stories will embed themselves within your soul. They will remain in your heart and mind, forever.

Order your copy today, https://amzn.to/3Vvq61l

The image below is a rough sketch of how I think I look researching stuff.

Keep happy, Paul

Loss, affect, and bleeding hearts

A short while ago I lost a friend.

Jamie passed away from ‘natural causes,’ with a notation on his death certificate stating the exact cause was unknown.

I had not seen Jamie in person for quite a while because I had moved overseas. We did, however, stay in contact by text, messages, and the occasional video chat, although they were erratic and not frequent. After all, we are men and, in general, men are not good at talking… unless there is a reason or topic to be discussed.

I received a phone call from a mutual friend, who told me of Jamie’s death. I was surprised but not shocked. You see, Jamie was not a bronze Adonis, he was more of a rusty Shrek. He was overweight, unfit, a heavy drinker bordering on alcoholism (if not already there,) and a lover of overeating, especially overindulging on junk food.

I, along with many of his friends, on numerous occasions, warned Jamie about his lifestyle and we tried to convince him to change his habits, all to no avail, as time proved. (A far shorter time than I envisioned.)

Jamie’s death has me considering loss. It is something I have grown familiar with as I enter the winter of my life. I have witnessed many losses and know there are more I shall behold before my passing.

With my writer’s mind pondering this, my thoughts expanded to the other forms of loss we experience, the ones we live through frequently, often oblivious to the fact of their happening in the moment and, maybe, for years after.

You see, there are many forms of loss, and I am sure, I am certain, that each and every one of them affects us in some way, at some point.

Mostly we never give these losses any thought. We don’t consider many as a loss at the time they happen. We never ponder how they may shape our lives, even our personalities.

So, I shall in my usual, rambling, semi-coherent way attempt to convey to you my thoughts, and how, almost unconsciously these losses have influenced my writing.

It is said that a little of ourselves finds its way into everything we write, even if we do not wish it. I wholeheartedly agree.

I believe it is impossible to write creatively and constructively without shedding part of one’s soul onto the page. The part of us that bleeds into the ink is the combination of our awareness, sensitivities, experiences, intuitions, perceptions, understandings, our wisdom. All aspects accumulate over our lifespan.

These things do not come to us gratis, they are earned, bestowed by an immeasurable number of experiences, and encounters we endure during our daily lives, and continuous loss is one of those factors.

Take your mind back to your childhood, the earliest memories of your friends. Think back to your school days, your teenage years, who was your ‘Bestie’?

Where are they now?

You lost them, you lost contact. You moved away, or they did. Their lives and their choices took them along a different path from yours.

Your life moved on, you made new friends, and new contacts, had new lovers, maybe a family. Work, a career that placed demands on you? Your social status and your circle took precedence over old contacts. Life’s pressures, illness, travel? They all combined to make your loss an ‘everyday’ acceptable ingredient of living.

Those promises of staying in touch, of meeting regularly faded with the years, the passage of time, and the distances involved.

Your losses became a conventional, established, normal part of life, so much so you never considered these events as a loss.

Yet each one of those people touched you. They left their mark on your being. Some good, some bad, some otherwise. But they all influenced you, making you become the person you are today.

Edmond Locard’s exchange principle, “Every contact leaves a trace” is as factual here as in the forensic world.

As we age, we move from attending birthday parties to engagement parties, and then weddings, births, and inevitably funerals.

You can assess where you are in life by the ratio in which these events occur.

As for funerals, well, the more of those you attend the greater your focus on mortality becomes. They are one form of loss we cannot help but recognise.

But we accept them with, in all honesty, far less stress and mourning than often one thinks about. As hurtful and as traumatic as some will be to us, all the previous losses, those of our friends, our past colleagues, our old lovers, ex-partners, husbands, or wives, and all those we lost without so much as a backward glance, have built an endurance into us, an acceptance of ‘this is how things are’, of this is how life is. Our realisation of mortality and the inevitable recognition of the inexorable passage of time.

This is one factor which enables us to write in a captivating creative manner, in a fashion which enchants our readers, leads them line by line, page by page into our fictitious world of imagination… but, as we know, not all is invented, spread over the pages, soaked into the ink is that trace of us, our authors blood and tears, hopes, fears, rejoices, regrets, and all those thousands upon thousands of losses, whether we recognise them or not, they bleed out of our hearts as we weave our magic with our pens.

Long be it so.

Keep happy, Paul.

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Read ‘Dark Words‘ today, a book of short stories and emotive poetry by Paul White

CQ Magazine said, “Dark Words is the literary equivalent of listening to Leonard Cohen, wonderfully soothing for the soul.”

Dark days come to us all at some time in our lives but they are not the place for us to dwell for too long. They are not our home… To accept and acknowledge the blackest days of our lives often reveals the pathway from the shadow maze of obscure reflection, into the sunlight of possible future.

https://amzn.to/43cjW7T

A word, or two, in your shell-like, if I may.

I hope you liked reading the short stories I’ve posted here recently(ish). If you’ve not read them, take a little time out and enjoy them now.

Many of you know I love words, not just from a writer’s viewpoint but from understanding their origins. The same goes for phrases we find ourselves using frequently.

I wonder where they came from, and often ask myself how such-and-such an expression became an acceptable term, one in common, often daily use.

I am, of course, referring to the English language. One of the aspects that makes it such a wonderful tool for storytelling, poetry, and song lyrics is its flexibility and its ability to absorb words from other languages, and forms of the English language spoken overseas, such as in the USA and Australia, and blend them seamlessly into its lexicon.

Many recent developments in the English language, in terms of neologisms, have emerged as a result of various military and political conflicts of the 20^th  and 21^st  centuries.

War works powerfully on language for there are weapons, military technologies, and strategies, often developed with little publicity during times of peace, which become familiar to the public due to the media, newspapers, radio, TV, and social media, due to politicians introducing new rhetoric to describe and justify their actions and intents.

In major conflicts, such as the two ‘world wars’, the armed forces swelled with civilian conscripts and volunteers. They learned military jargon, and the previously unfamiliar slang of regular soldiers, and brought those sayings back home, continuing to use them in general conversation for years afterwards. Many became so familiar to the population it became accepted as ‘normal, regular peacetime language, often the origin forgotten or never questioned.

For example, during the First World War (1914-18) a rather obscure word spread through the army serving in colonial India. It was an Urdu word, simply meaning foreign(er).

The soldiers began to use it to refer to Britain, their home country. The word is Blighty.

The 1939−45 war (WW2) Saw the word rise in use once more. ‘Blighty’ ‘Old Blighty’ and ‘Getting a Blighty’ became commonly heard phrases once again. The word still appears in most dictionaries of the English language.

Another word from WW2 which is still going strong as a military term is ‘flak’. It is a word based on the German word Fliegerabwehrkanonen – (Fl(ieger)a(bwehr)k(anone),) – flier defence gun.

In the 1930s an adaptation of this word came into general use, spelled Flack. Note the addition of the letter C. (Its introduction is a far too long and convoluted story to tell here). Both words can be used almost interchangeably.

Originally used in a political sense, the word’s primary meaning now is when one is to receive heavy criticism, such as when the Prime Minister receives a grilling in parliament and/or from the media… he is ‘getting a lot of flack’ from – well, from almost everyone, the voters, the newspapers, his own party, other European leaders!

The Iraq war is a perfect example of how new words and phrases carry us into war and through war. The ‘enemy’ is demonised and linked with recent traumatic events.

War is full of events some people would like to see buried. It is said truth is the first casualty of war; news management and propaganda have long ensured this.

‘Axis’ is a word applied to the alliance of the UK, America, French, Dutch, and many other nations fighting against Nazi Germany and Japan during WW2.

In this conflict, it was linked to evil, We were told Iraq was led by an evil dictator, Saddam Hussain, who was part of an axis of evil. It was an axis that held ‘Weapons of mass destruction’ – WMDs.

The Cold War, the stand-off between Communism and the capitalist West, dominated much of the latter half of the twentieth century and was fought through political and economic strategy, and many proxy wars in national conflicts around the globe.

Since World War II, we know any war has the possibility of becoming a total war, with civilians as likely to be casualties as soldiers.

We are now being advised, that through the use of ‘drones’ and ‘smart weapons’ with computerised guidance, the military has the capability of directly hitting strategic targets while leaving civilians unscathed. (Maybe these smart weapons aren’t quite that smart?)

The old favourite, collateral damage, familiar from the late 20th century, has been rolled out again and is happily banded around the media along with its new counterparts, ‘Global struggle’ and ‘Violent Extremism’.

The French reputation sank to an all-time low during the Iraq conflict, so low in fact that McDonalds stopped selling French Fries and replaced them with ‘Freedom Fries’. Kids in the USA no longer French Kissed, but… you guessed it… gave each other Freedom Kisses.

Many new words, terms, phrases, sayings, and idioms roll off the presses, are blasted over the airwaves on TV and radio broadcasts, and zip onto the screens of our cell phones and laptops in a repetitive stream of pumped-up media sensationalism and frenzy.

So powerful is such a constant stream of high-intensity media propaganda that many ‘new’ words and phrases find themselves in regular usage within days. Some fade from the public mind quickly, others linger for longer, a generation or two, maybe. While some become an integral part of the English language forever, forging their recording into dictionaries, books, and public records for eternity.

However, even once a word is indelibly ‘inked’ into the English language there is no guarantee that in, say 100, or 1000 years, that word, term, or phrase will have any correlation to its original meaning, or any plausible route to trace its origin. The English language is in continuous flux, ever-changing, developing, growing, and adapting.

Long may it do so.

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I have recently updated, edited, simplyfied my author website. Please take a little time and browse through the pages as I would love to hear your views and comments. (I’ve not quite got it set up perfectly on mobile/cell yet… but I’m working on it.) This is the link, https://bit.ly/myfictionbooks

Thank you, Paul

Keep happy.

A bit about me

A couple of years ago I was interviewed on an internet radio station. In preparation, I was forwarded a set of questions the presenter wished to ask. This is normal practice, it saves the interviewee, me in this case, from having a mind-blank moment, or from giving an incorrect answer to a factual question.

It also allows the presenter to guide the interview and keep their show running smoothly. A well-presented show keeps the listeners engaged for longer.

One of the tricks for creating a good, captivating TV or radio chat show is to have the guest speak far more than the presenter, so having a set of well-planned questions which allows the guest the opportunity to answer in full, to explain in detail, or add a relevant anecdote is paramount.

One of the questions in this interview was a common one, one which is often asked of all authors. It is “When did you start/begin writing?”

Many authors will reply to this question by speaking of the first book they published, or a short story they had accepted into a magazine, possibly they may relate the question to a small essay or article which appeared in a periodical.

I have similarly answered this question many times. However, this time I considered the very basic premise of the question. When did I start writing?

I assumed the presenter was not probing into my initial education, they were not asking when I achieved the ability to form an alphabetic letter with a pen, but when I began consciously writing in a creative form.

To ascertain this took some thought. It took some time to sift back through my memories in an attempt to recall the first time I scribbled something onto paper with the full intent of writing something original, something artistic and inspired, although I may not have appreciated, or even comprehended I was doing such at the time.

In 1963 I had a small poem ‘published’ in my school’s Christmas magazine. It was a poem relating to the Angle of Death from the bible, (Exodus 12:23). I was six years old. My teacher was rather taken by the descriptive content. Possibly, nowadays I would be sent for some form of woke counselling rather than being encouraged for my imagination and inventiveness.

However, that was not when I began writing. You see when I was told that my poem would be printed in the school magazine, I became excited, I could not wait to get home and inform my mother.

I can recall, after doing so, I ran to my bedroom and pulled out, from under my bed, a small tin where I had secreted several other things I had written. I have no idea now when I wrote them, where, or what they were about. Sadly, they have been lost over time, but I do remember sitting on my bed that evening and reading them.

It is amazing what a little recognition can do for a young child, for anyone at any time in fact. I am sure my teacher had no idea what her acknowledgement meant to me, or what effect it may have on my life, and I was far too young to comprehend or express my appreciation at the time.

When it came to answering the question “When did you start writing?” during my Radio interview, I said I didn’t know, at least not precisely, and gave this as my answer.

It is still the way I reply to that question when asked now.

Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment and like

Keep happy.

Paul

You can see my books on my website, just follow this link, https://bit.ly/myfictionbooks

Your website is now irrelevant

NOTE: This is, unapologetically, long post. You will know why once you read it!

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The thing is, I am so busy with various projects I rarely find the time to write anything of substance for these ramblings, and I don’t want to fill these pages with the type of uninteresting drivel I see on so many people’s blogs.

I assume they do so simply to fill their pages with ‘content’, regardless of quality. Something I am not prepared to do.

This post, which I have titled ‘Your website is now irrelevant’, came from a discussion I watched on the BBC last night, or rather during the early hours of this morning. (11^th of January 2022)

The subject of the conversation was regarding the first anniversary of the Capitol Riots in the USA when ‘a violent mob’ stormed the Capitol building as Congress was certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. (The ‘riots’ happened on January 6^th 2021)

Now, the TV program was about the media action/reaction to this event more than the actual event itself.

During this discussion, an editor from Vibe Media, (I did not catch her name), said something which I found interesting enough for me to be motivated to write this post, as it is something I believe we, as indie authors, who self-market our books, try and maintain a strong social media presence, and promote our ‘brand’, should take seriously.

We all know the world, particularly in respect of the internet and communications, is exponentially changing, and this continuous transformation is difficult to keep abreast of.

One of the basic premises of marketing most indie authors have adopted is having an author or brand website.

We use this as our home for all things bookish and publishing. We use it as the solid base from where we promote and market our works. To entertain and inform our readers, to attract ‘new’ readers to our books.

We spend hours creating, editing, altering, and polishing our websites to make them attractive enough to seduce people to buy our books. (Not to mention the costs involved in maintaining a good site.)

These sites are often treated as our ‘babies’. The hub of our author presence on the net, the web, and on social media.

However…

I love a ‘however’, so I’ll say it again.

However…

According to Vibe Media, your website, my website, most, if not all websites, are now archaic forms of internet interaction.

Soon websites, as we know them, will become superfluous.

They are becoming outmoded with every day that passes and will soon be redundant.

This got me thinking… and researching.

Now I agree.

This ground shift is happening, and it’s happening right now.

It’s all to do with effective connection to the masses.

You see a website, any website, yours, mine, theirs, is a static medium.

To get traffic you must attract people to visit your site. This means promoting the site, advertising, posting, and such.

Secondly, you need them to interact, buy, click links, comment, subscribe and, most importantly, and return frequently.

I don’t know your websites numbers, such as visitors, bounces, returners, or how long visitors spend browsing, or even buying stuff.

I guess it’s not as many as you wish, and not often enough, even if you have spent a fortune on learning about funnelling or paying a tech guru to assist you.

Author websites are good for storing a ton of information about you and your products/books, but not good for ongoing engagement in the marketplace.

I mean, when was the last time you found people working their way through your site’s archives and reading the information and posts? (I won’t wait for an answer.)

Taking into consideration you need to write and curate a ton of fresh content, constantly and continually. It’s a lot of hard work, especially when you should be promoting your books and writing the next.

Bearing this in mind, I agree with Vibe.

Websites are no longer the go-to places people look for engaging content. Especially the younger ones, those born since the year 2000.

This age group prefers online media, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr, Live.me, and Facebook.

Of course, there’s more site our younger generations adopt; WhatsApp, Omegal, MeetMe, Yubo, Monkey, Whisper, and so on. These tend to be ‘Chat’ sites, many only known by the Gen X’s and Millennials.

Some of these are ‘self-destructing’, they erase all, (text and images) after a certain time making communication private… and possibly dangerous… I’ll just leave that one here.

So, what is the point of this post from our, the indie author position, and our rapidly becoming redundant websites.

It is for us to accept change is inevitable and to change our ways along with the inexorable shift. (Yep, it all happens so quickly ‘Nowadays’!)

I am taking a leaf out of Vibes marketing strategy. My author website will remain, but only as a repository for information, such as my library and author info.

I will not be promoting it as much as previously. I certainly won’t be spending hours creating and curating content, which after posting about new content, the initial flow of visitors dries up, meaning you need to do the same all over again.

Instead, I shall concentrate on creating posts I can post directly onto the social platforms where there are either substantial numbers of people hungrily devouring its content, or directly onto sites, pages, and platforms where I know my target market is engaging.

The time and effort in doing this will only equal, if not be less than the time needed to housekeep my website, or websites… some I’ll soon be closing, as time is more important to create quality media which will be seen, rather than simply tending to what was once my baby.

Although I doubt William Faulkner could have envisaged the internet, let alone social media, I do think his quote, “You must kill off your Darlings” expresses this concept perfectly, even if we need to interpret it in a new light.

Let me know your thoughts.

Keep Happy, Paul

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While I still have a website! Please visit and browse through my books, artworks & Photography. I am certain you’ll find something you’ll enjoy reading or seeing.

http://bit.ly/paulswebsite

You Won’t Finish This Article

This is an interesting article I found while searching for something completley different!

It is primarily about online writing, blogs, posts, articles, websites etc.

Let me know what you think.

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Why people online don’t read to the end.

By Farhad Manjoo                                                                                                For Slate.com

She’s already stopped reading

Photo by Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images

 

I’m going to keep this brief because you’re not going to stick around for long. I’ve already lost a bunch of you. For every 161 people who landed on this page, about 61 of you—38 percent—are already gone. You “bounced” in Web traffic jargon, meaning you spent no time “engaging” with this page at all.

So now there are 100 of you left. Nice round number. But not for long! We’re at the point in the page where you have to scroll to see more. Of the 100 of you who didn’t bounce, five are never going to scroll. Bye!

OK, fine, good riddance. So we’re 95 now. A friendly, intimate crowd, just the people who want to be here. Thanks for reading, folks! I was beginning to worry about your attention span, even your intellig … wait a second, where are you guys going? You’re tweeting a link to this article already? You haven’t even read it yet! What if I go on to advocate something truly awful, like a constitutional amendment requiring that we all type two spaces after a period?

Wait, hold on, now you guys are leaving too? You’re going off to comment? Come on! There’s nothing to say yet. I haven’t even gotten to the nut graph.

I better get on with it. So here’s the story: Only a small number of you are reading all the way through articles on the Web. I’ve long suspected this, because so many smart-alecks jump into the comments to make points that get mentioned later in the piece. But now I’ve got proof. I asked Josh Schwartz, a data scientist at the traffic analysis firm Chartbeat, to look at how people scroll through articles. Schwartz also did a similar analysis for other sites that use Chartbeat and have allowed the firm to include their traffic in its aggregate analyses.

Schwartz’s data shows that readers can’t stay focused. The more I type, the more of you tune out. And it’s not just me. It’s not just here. It’s everywhere online. When people land on a story, they very rarely make it all the way down the page. A lot of people don’t even make it halfway. Even more dispiriting is the relationship between scrolling and sharing. Schwartz’s data suggest that lots of people are tweeting out links to articles they haven’t fully read. If you see someone recommending a story online, you shouldn’t assume that he has read the thing he’s sharing.

OK, we’re a few hundred words into the story now. According to the data, for every 100 readers who didn’t bounce up at the top, there are about 50 who’ve stuck around. Only one-half!

Take a look at the following graph created by Schwartz, a histogram showing where people stopped scrolling in Slate articles. Chartbeat can track this information because it analyzes reader behaviour in real time—every time a Web browser is on a Slate page, Chartbeat’s software records what that browser is doing on a second-by-second basis, including which portion of the page the browser is currently viewing.

A typical Web article is about 2000 pixels long. In the graph below, each bar represents the share of readers who got to a particular depth in the story. There’s a spike at 0 percent—i.e., the very top pixel on the page—because 5 percent of readers never scrolled deeper than that spot. (A few notes: This graph only includes people who spent any time engaging with the page at all—users who “bounced” from the page immediately after landing on it are not represented. The X axis goes beyond 100 percent to include stuff, like the comments section, that falls below the 2,000-pixel mark. Finally, the spike near the end is an anomaly caused by pages containing photos and videos—on those pages, people scroll through the whole page.)

Chartbeat’s data shows that most readers scroll to about the 50 percent mark, or the 1,000^th pixel, in Slate stories. That’s not very far at all. I looked at a number of recent pieces to see how much you’d get out of a story if you only made it to the 1,000^thpixel. Take Mario Vittone’s piece, published this week, on the warning signs that someone might be drowning. If the top of your browser reached only the 1,000^th pixel in that article, the bottom of your browser would be at around pixel number 1,700 (the typical browser window is 700 pixels tall). At that point, you’d only have gotten to warning signs No. 1 and 2—you’d have missed the fact that people who are drowning don’t wave for help, that they cannot voluntarily control their arm movements, and one other warning sign I didn’t get to because I haven’t finished reading that story yet. Or look at John Dickerson’s fantastic article about the IRS scandal or something. If you only scrolled halfway through that amazing piece, you would have read just the first four paragraphs. Now, trust me when I say that beyond those four paragraphs, John made some really good points about whatever it is his article is about, some strong points that—without spoiling it for you—you really have to read to believe. But of course, you didn’t read it because you got that IM and then you had to look at a video and then the phone rang … The worst thing about Schwartz’s graph is the big spike at zero. About 5 percent of people who land on Slate pages and are engaged with the page in some way—that is, the page is in a foreground tab on their browser and they’re doing something on it, like perhaps moving the mouse pointer—never scroll at all. Now, do you know what you get on a typical Slate page if you never scroll? Bupkis. Depending on the size of the picture at the top of the page and the height of your browser window, you’ll get, at most, the first sentence or two. There’s a good chance you’ll see none of the articles at all. And yet people are leaving without even starting. What’s wrong with them? Why’d they even click on the page? Schwarz’s histogram for articles across lots of sites is in some ways more encouraging than the Slate data, but in other ways even sadder:

On these sites, the median scroll depth is slightly greater—most people get to 60 percent of the article rather than the 50 percent they reach on Slate pages. On the other hand, on these pages a higher share of people—10 percent—never scroll. In general, though, the story across the Web is similar to the story at Slate: Few people are making it to the end, and a surprisingly large number aren’t giving articles any chance at all.

We’re getting deep on the page here, so basically only my mom is still reading this. (Thanks, Mom!) But let’s talk about how scroll depth relates to sharing. I asked Schwartz if he could tell me whether people who are sharing links to articles on social networks are likely to have read the pieces they’re sharing.

 

Don’t let the rain drown your novel

Too many times do I read the same old, same old, scene.

It’s raining, grey clouds overhead. Drizzle, cold wind.

Why?

Because it is a funeral, or someone has discovered a friend’s death.

OR

There is a tempest, heavy rain, thunder, lightning. Gale force winds rattling the windows.

Why?

Because its eerie, a big house, a derelict building, a graveyard. Or the cars broken down on a country road.

OH, PLEASE. Come on. Enough is enough.

I know you want to set the scene, make the reader ‘feel and see’ what is in your mind. But not like this; not again.

Hollywood and television overworked this format years ago. Mary Shelly used it way back in 1817… (yes, I know Frankenstein’s Monster was not published until 1818. 11 March 1818 to be precise! but Mary completed her work in May 1817).

After that, I can understand some writers utilising Mary’s techniques (which she stole anyway!); but that was almost two hundred years ago! Surely you can work your wordsmithing magic without falling back on this old literary cliché?

Let’s take a look at the graveside scene again. This time, dismiss the notion of grey skies and rain.

Try and build that ‘feeling’ you want, let’s say, for this exercise, sadness and sorrow. (Although in another version it could be joy and relief, dependent on your character’s viewpoint).

‘The solemn parade of black clad mourners slowly crunched their way over the gravel and melted into the dimness of the church, passing under the gothic arches of time worn stone’.

Here the tone is set using a few simple, but descriptive words, to create the mood. ‘Solemn, black, mourners, slowly, melted, dimness, gothic, time-worn’ All carefully selected words that imply the general emotion of the procession.

An alternative may be something along these lines.

‘James glanced at Mary, her eyes glistened as tears formed. Small dew-drops of sadness sparkling, reflecting in the sunlight. The scent of yew trees and grass added to James’s sense of numbness as he watched the coffin being lowered into the grave’.

Approaching the scene from an oblique angle often offers the author an opportunity to ‘drip-feed’ the reader, only giving them a small bite sized piece of the overall scene with each sentence. This allows for an element of surprise, or revelation.

Neither of the above paragraphs have fallen back to the old ‘grey sky and rain’ chestnut. Yet they convey the very essence of emotion which one wishes to communicate with the reader.

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Onto the scary stuff!

The haunted house? The killer lurking in the dark woods, the stranded car on that country lane.

Hey, guess what?

You’re right, it’s NOT raining here either! No lightning, no storms and no doors banging in the wind.

So, how to get away from those ‘same old, movie style embedded notions’.

Well, let’s try. Let’s start with an approach to that (possibly) haunted house or old barn.

‘Two huge stone eagles balanced precariously on the dilapidated columns. The bindweed twisting about their talons as if securing them, denying them of flight. Framed between and beyond stood the old mansion house. The bright sunlight reflecting from the walls enhanced the blindness of long lost windows. Empty hollows, gaping holes beckoning us towards them’.

Note the ‘bright sunlight’. This time using the opposite, of what has become expected, to enhance the ‘darkness’, the brooding mood.

Not a raindrop in sight and the clock is not about to strike midnight!

As for breaking down on a country lane, perhaps having to abandon your vehicle to seek help…Let’s attempt to approach this in an unexpected style too.

‘He had been foolish for stopping; but nature would not wait and the hedgerow of holly offered the ideal shelter to hide behind while he answered her call. The car was going nowhere. The tyres just spun in the deep snow. With each attempt they sank lower until now; now the car was axel deep. He was stranded.

In the far distance the occasional puff of smoke drifted upwards into the crystal blue, cloudless sky. Turning his collar up, ramming his hands as far into his overcoat pockets as they would go, he started to plod through ankle deep snow towards the smoke. Gregory guessed it was from a cottage chimney. How wrong he was…’

Here I have constructed the paragraphs to portray a relatively normal situation, feeding the reader small tidbits about the weather, not only to ‘set the scene’, but as miss-direction, so that I can increase the effect of the final few words.

I beg you, if you are about to write, (or re-write), a section of your novel where you have been sucked in by the old ‘rain & storm’ caper, alter it. Dismiss the rain; freshen up your narration, pleasantly surprise your readers with something new and exciting.

Please do not let the rain make your book a wash-out.

Thanks for reading, Paul

Feel free to comment, leave feedback and ‘follow’ Ramblings from a Writers Mind.

Oh, don’t forget to read the new edition of CQ Magazine. It is jam packed full of great ‘stuff’!

https://issuu.com/ramblingawaymagzine/docs/cq4prt1_1_2016

From bare bones…how I build a story.

We all have different systems for writing our stories. Some like to plan everything out, make charts and story boards. Others write copious notes and character biographies, graphs and guides. Some just start scribbling away and see where their words lead them.

The way we set about our writing is personal preference. If, at the end of the day (or many day’s) we end up with a completed work that we are satisfied with, then all is good.

But some parts, some of the stages of writing are I suggest, common to all. These are; the re-writing of the first draft, the re-writing of the second draft. Editing, beta reading, more editing, proofreading, another re-write, more editing and so on.

This will eventually lead to a finished work which we are happy with, (mostly), except for one or two minor alterations…and a little more editing!

The final polished work, which you are now totally and completely satisfied with (?), will now be ready for publishing.

Your amazing work will then sell like proverbial hotcakes; be turned into a TV series, a Hollywood blockbuster movie and a West End play, which will run for at least thirty-five years.

You will become, a multi-millionaire, live on a yacht when you are not staying at one of your several million dollar mansions, which are scattered around the world in the most exotic locations and have a Lear jet to flit from one place to the other.

Your life will be good.

Yeah okay, I got carried away, so maybe not that last bit, at least not yet!

Back in the real world…

The reason I know that we all have differing ways of going about the construction of our novels is a simple one, I have spoken to many of you, read your posts, articles and followed the threads of a thousand and one conversations.

In general, the stages are common, the concepts are common; it is the application, the mechanics which vary.

It was to address this issue that I decided to write this post. But then it became clear, that to include the many minutiae of variances was an impossible task, unless I was to write an entire thesis. Not something I had intended or actually wish to do, at least not now!

So what I have decided is to give a sketch of how I build my own stories, of how I take an idea, a concept and turn it into a book or a novel.

As with many of my posts I am staying away, as much as possible, from any technical jargon, because I think that will help the novices and uninitiated to comprehend my concepts and explanations better.

So here goes!…

 

Using the analogy of a human body!

My initial concept is rather like a jumble of bones. I can easily identify a tibia, the radius and, of course the skull. But the others are mixed in with bones from other species. In this case notes, rough drafts and such that belong to other stories.

The first job I have to undertake (see what I did there!?) is to lay out the bones in an order which loosely resembles a skeleton. The second job is to sift through the remains (at it again!?) and start connecting the larger bones with the smaller ones.

At this stage my bones…read story line…is looking basically as intended. The final pieces of the skeleton, all those niggly wrist bones, the teeny-weeny ear bones can be slotted into place. Standing back, (reading through a day or two later) I can judge how well my efforts have been and make any adjustments needed.

The next step is to double check that the arm is in the position I want it; the legs are angled just so. After all I don’t want my skeleton just hanging around like those from the biology lab. I want mine to pose, to attract and captivate the onlooker. Once I have all the sections (Chapters) in the order I wish, I can the start to put some meat and flesh onto those bones.

This is where I start over again.

Carefully layering, word by word the ‘flesh’ onto the bare bones. Taking my time back and forth over each section of the skeleton ensuring that the thickness of the ‘meat’ is correct in relation to the basic underlying structure. For instance, nobody has a fat forehead!

In the same way I do not want to pad out the first sentence or paragraph of my book with a ton of unnecessary bumf. I want my readers to instantly recognise what kind of person this is… (read- what style of book).

I also want my creation to be attractive to that reader. If they like romance then my words must convey that, if it is tension as in a thriller, that must be portrayed too. All this must be accomplished within the first few lines, or at least the first few paragraphs. In this analogy it must be love at first sight.

As I, or you the writer, progresses down the body the same process must take place, adding just the right proportion of flesh to the various areas of you skeleton. By the time you reach its little pinky you should have a basic, rather stout figure laying out before you.

That is the end of that stage, but just the beginning of making your Frankenstein a wholesome human being, or you book into a readable tome.

At this point it is worth standing back once more and regarding the whole. Have a family member or a couple of your close friends inspect your handiwork. Listen to their comments and suggestions. Often two or more pairs of eyes are better than just your own, especially as you will be wearing those rose tinted spectacles.

The next step is to become a cross between Ed Gein (see Texas Chainsaw

<This one…not that one>

Massacre) and Michael Angelo. Your job is to carefully sculpt each and every inch of your work. Ruthlessly cut away all the unnecessary, useless, divergent, misleading crap. In fact, everything that is not in harmony with the premise of the story should go.

But don’t throw it away. Keep it filed for another book, a short story or that twist which will let you escape from the dead-end you will write yourself into at some point.

What you have left will be a mean, lean, fighting machine…or not!

Once again work on the sections and chapters of your book, make certain all the joints connections and move smoothly. That the transitions work. This may mean adding some more flesh, but this time ensure it is lean meat and not fat, unless you need that little extra padding. But be cautious.

Time now to stand back again. Sleep and eat properly and regularly for a day or two. Then review your work.

Happy…No? Then go back and polish it some more.

Happy…Yes? Good. Now it is time to beautify your creature, lay on the outer skin.

This is yet another review, edit if you wish. Tidy up anything and everything which is not sleek and smooth. Dot your i’s and cross the t’s. Change ‘that’ to ‘which’ colons or commas to semi-colons, past tense to present. This is like eliminating the moles and birthmarks.

Next stage. The test run, test drive. Time for your beta readers to see and feel what you have made. What tasks you have set, or asked your beta readers to do, will affect the feedback you get.

One thing is almost certain. Each beta reader will have poked, prodded, sniffed, licked, and tasted your creation. It will have been tossed about and pulled apart. So you will have to go back and patch it up. All those imperfections that you will…note I say ‘will’…have missed before need correcting.

One good thing is, at this stage of the process is that you can now add the final flourishes. The hair gel and the make-up. Dress your work in fine clothing, titivate it. Get your creation ready for the cat-walk, the promenade. The editor.

You see a good editor wants to look at your work with a critical eye. They are the sage, the modern day Maharishi. With blue and red pens, they (the editors) will clutter the margins with various annotations that require your attention. Oh glory be!

Now you can start from the top, once more, working your way down, through each layer of flesh, each rise and fall, curve and dimple until eventually and exhaustedly you reach that little pinky toe on which you have etched those wonderful words….

But as you well know that is not the end, because your editor, or another should take at least one more run through…. just in case!

Only after this should you even consider letting your monster out of your laboratory.

I feel I must say, especially those new to writing and who have read this far! That doing everything above only means that you have finished your manuscript.

I have not touched on the subjects of pagination, typesetting, design, book covers, illustrations, blurb, publishing, marketing, promotion, or anything else at all. I have only briefly covered the very simple bit, the writing of a story for a book.

Happy days! 

 While I have you attention why not pop over and take a wander around my website? 

 

 

 

HOW TO “WRITER”

Originally posted on http://coolerbs.com/  (Now updated & re-posted here!)

 JANUARY 17, 2015

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For everyone who wants to be a writer, I present the honest answers to all of your questions:

—

What are writers?

People who write words, preferably ones that chain together to mean something.

Can I become a writer?

Yes.

Who can be a writer?

Anyone.

Is (blank) a writer?

Does that person write words? If so, then yes.

How do I become a writer? 

Write.

What do writers do?

Write.

How do I become a professional writer?

Write for free until someone offers to pay you for it. Then, write for them.

Does writing take practice?

Yes. Everything takes practice.

Do writers make a lot of money?

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA… not usually.

Will I become a professional writer?

Statistically? Probably not.

Do I need to write every day?

You don’t need to, but I recommend it.

Do writers need to read books?

Yes, constantly. How do you think we manage to get all of those words into our heads?

What is the worst thing you can do as a writer?

Mass murder.

Can I make a living as a writer?

That really depends on what type of writing you want to do. Fiction writing is really risky and hard. You could crash and burn at any moment, and that’s assuming you manage to get off the ground at all. Ghostwriting or technical writing, on the other hand, is fairly consistent work, and pays decent. Editing, which is sort of like writing in its own way, also pays well. Writing for a website is actually feasible, but the website has to be really successful. It’s entirely possible, but it’s an upward battle.

Will writers exist in one hundred years?

I hope so.

Why are writers important?

Because, without us, all you would have to read are the labels on food packages.

Why do writers not like people?

We like people! We just don’t like being around people.

Does writing give you a God Complex?

Yes.

Why are writers crazy/depressed/weird?

Couple of reasons:

• We’re isolated all the time, partially by choice.
• We create and kill fictional people.
• A combination of crippling self-doubt and an over-inflated ego.
• We’re constantly told we’re supposed to be crazy.
• We’re in our heads all the time, and sometimes we forget to come out.
• We have to wait for things to happen without any guarantees.
• We have to survive on the money we make writing.
• Critics.

Why are writers alcoholics/drug-users?

That’s a stereotype.

How do I write a book?

In no particular order:

• Write thousands of words.
• Rewrite thousands of words.
• Overcome writers block.
• Create a plot.
• Create characters.
• Create conflict.
• Cry a little.
• Fight carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Learn about yourself.
• Learn about what it means to be human.
• Cry heavily.
• Spend years on it.
• Spend more years on it.
• Procrastinate
• Write an ending.
• Rewrite nearly everything.
• Have a party
• Finish the book.

What is the best genre to write?

If you’re going by sales, then probably Erotica or Young Adult Dystopian Fiction.

Can I write about Werewolves/Vampires?

Yes, but I won’t like you very much.

What should I write about?

Really? You’re asking me? If you don’t already have hundreds of ideas, then I think you are in the wrong line of work my friend.

What is a “Muse”?

A little voice in our heads that tell us what to write about.

What is “Writer’s Block”?

When your “Muse” stops talking to you.

How do I know when I’m done writing a book?

When it’s the exact story you want to tell, and has absolutely no grammar errors, spelling errors, font issues, size issues, formatting mistakes, or plot holes.

Self-Publishing or Traditional?

Both are fine. Choose what you think will work better.

Do I need to get my book professionally edited?

Yes.

Do I need to get it professionally illustrated?

Yes.

Do I need to get my cover professionally made?

Yes.

What’s a first draft?

The first version of a book, before you go back in and tear the whole thing apart, fixing errors as you go.

How many drafts are there of a book?

As many as needed, sometimes more than 10.

Will my first book get published?

Unlikely. Sorry.

Am I going to become famous when I publish my first book?

No.

How do celebrities write books?

They don’t. Usually a ghostwriter does it for them.

How does James Patterson and Stephen King write so many books?

They write all day. Every day. Till their fingers bleed, heal, and then bleed again.

What is NANOWRIMO?

A contest where you have a month to write the first draft of a book.

What is a manuscript?

According to Google:  “A manuscript is any document written by hand, or manually typewritten, as opposed to being mechanically printed or reproduced in some automated way.”

Why does no one like my writing?

I’m sure someone likes your writing.

Am I a good writer?

Possibly.

Am I a great writer?

If you think you’re a great writer, then you’re probably not. The greats are hyper-critical of themselves.

What are the downsides of being a writer?

• Eye strain.
• Loneliness.
• Hand cramps.
• Back cramps.
• Self-doubt.
• Awkward at parties.
• Madness.

What are the upsides of being a writer?

The things you create are immortal.

How hard do writers work?

Harder then you could possibly imagine.

Is it worth it?

Yes.

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