Dropout!

I dropped out of the contest (Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award). What did that last? All of two days? I decided the biggest push for a goal I’d ever endeavored was TOO BIG. Upon deeper examination of the contest, I noticed that the others who entered were talking about their polished manuscripts. Here I sat with mine only half-finished. So, after accepting the giant challenge of completing it in two weeks, I would have still been uploading half-baked content. Unacceptable.

Aside from that, my manuscript would have been tied up in the contest just for entering until June 16th. That means even if I was eliminated as a winner early on, I couldn’t self-publish or shop my book anywhere else. No thanks. Maybe next year. It’s okay. It motivated me to write nearly 5000 words on a manuscript that was just collecting dust. It’s a momentum I don’t plan to let die.

Now What!?!

I’m going to focus on completing the book while setting regular goals for ProWebWriter. I’ve let the site go back and forth between regular content and a couple months with no new content. Again, unacceptable. PWW has too much potential, and I shouldn’t let my lack of focus ruin that. I have a strong vision; I just have problems with the day to day implementation needed to work toward that vision.

Upcoming

So, what can you look forward to? That’s a loaded question. In the coming weeks and months, here’s what coming to ProWebWriter:

• Regular content updates
• A PLR store
• Site design update
• New Freebies!
• A periodic newsletter (probably quarterly, I’m not trying to invade your inbox)

It’s been nearly a year ago that I decided to write my first fiction novel. I had a robust start with 10000 words in just a few days, and then…I lost momentum. I posted a bit about it here on ProWebWriter. The file for the book has been sitting on my hard drive since June and I’ve made NO progress. My weak defense excuse is that I started a new full-time job in July. I struggled to find motivation.

I found out about the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award via the Kindle Direct Publishing Newsletter. The brief description intrigued me. Two categories, two grand prizes, a publishing contract, and a $15000 advance. It didn’t register right away that the contest required a completed manuscript. I was on board until I figured that out. My manuscript is MILES from complete. Oh well, there’s always next year, or the next contest.

I was telling my partner about it later. How I found this awesome contest and submissions were in three days. Then I realized I needed a complete manuscript to enter, so I just figured it wasn’t possible. “Why not?” she says.

“Uh, because submissions open in THREE days.”
“So.”
“So, I’m not anywhere near done.”
“Well, get it done. You can do it, I have faith in you.”

I was devoid of any excuse. Why couldn’t I do it? So, I’m writing this post in the midst of this endeavor. Submissions open tomorrow, and I have until February 5th to complete my manuscript and write a pitch. Apparently, there’s a whole horde of people who have been waiting since last year for this contest to roll around again. I took a very brief look at the discussion forums before I decided to wing it. I’m a little late to the game to be all researchy and scientific about it.

So here goes nothing. I’ve written nearly 6000 words in 2 days with a long weekend coming up to make an even larger dent. Even if I don’t make the deadline, I win because my debut novel will be complete and ready to publish. I needed that push! If you’d like to enter, check the link above. You’ll find all the info you need there. I’ll keep you posted. Either way, look for some new informative posts headed your way. Happy Writing!

How to change group settings in Facebook. Facebook has made lot of changes to its working in the recent past. Some of the major rollouts include the timeline feature to profiles. Even the fan pages are going to get a new look. One thing that is underutilized in facebook is the groups. Earlier to fanpages groups were used to connect people. After the new changes groups had some change to the way they work including introducing document sharing and emailing options.

You can share documents and email other group members and chat with them real time in Facebook. I would say this facility has been overused by network marketers and facebook is very strict in group settings and email options now. you can easily leave and report such groups to facebook.

1. How to navigate to your subscribed groups: In the right hand side of your home page you can identify your groups.

2.  To leave or report group select option on right hand side corner of each of your groups.

3. To turn ON or OFF group notifications select the notifications option.

This is an awesome tip from an awesome SEO guru and marketer. To know more about Internet marketing, SEO, social media listen to the  SEO expert.

“Known is a drop, unknown is an Ocean.” ~ Tamil proverb

How to enable Secure Browsing in Facebook:

How to enable secured browsing of Facebook or accessing Facebook securely? Go to account settings in your facebook account. In the home page there will be a dropdown in top right side next to Home button. In the settings page select security settings and then select Secure Browsing, enable and save. You are done, so from next time you see https in facebook address bar.

How to get Facebook Session Info:

Facebook session info. You can see who has logged in Facebook using your accounts (userid/password). If you feel someone might be using your Facebook account, its how you can verify. It shows the current active login detail. Go to Facebook Security settings and select Active Sessions.

This is a Guest post by Jay who blogs about free printable grocery coupons and also in free printable coupons

Check out other posts that insists on online personal security while using social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

Youtube Search Tips

How to find and search videos uploaded by Upload date, view count, rating , HD, 3D etc?

When you search for a video in youtube.com search box, it will display the video results and then a filter button on top. Click the filer button and you will see ways to filter your video search results. You can filter videos in the search results and get the videos by date, view count, rating etc. the below screen cast explain it. Youtube has changed to a new interface now but the search feature works in the same way for the new upgraded Youtube as well.

This Tip was posted by an avid Blogger, Youtube searcher and video marketer who blogs at http://www.dealsandcoupons.org  Post your comments below the post.

Being Internet savvy is quite a blanket statement. The Internet is such a vast domain that having a broad knowledge is an ongoing process for any enthusiast. The first time I ever saw the Internet was at my brother’s house in the mid-90′s. I remember he showed me Yahoo and how you could search for people you know. It was a brief introduction, but I was completely intrigued.

A WebTV setup from RCA.

Being a teenager of limited means, I finally got online in 1997 via WebTV. WebTV became kind of a laughable phenomenon as computer ownership became more widespread. It was really an innovator and ahead of its time given all the Internet-ready TV’s and TV compatible devices available today. It was a limited experience without a computer, but my brain was a sponge. Two years later, my parents (God bless them) shelled out nearly $2500 for my first desktop and I haven’t looked back. So with nearly 13 years online under my belt, I am attempting to write a comprehensive list of criteria that makes one “Internet Savvy” since I can’t really find one online.

What Does “Internet Savvy” Mean?

Let’s break it down. If you’re reading this, you know what the Internet is, but what does savvy mean? The beauty of the Internet is that as I’m writing, I can pull up a dictionary definition of any word.

savvy [sav-ee]

verb, -vied, -vy·ing, noun, adjective, -vi·er, -vi·est. Informal .
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)

ProWebWriter hit a traffic milestone last month. We reached and exceeded 3000 visitors. Now on the level of many blogs/websites, this isn’t very impressive especially those nearing their 2-year birthday. This report is a new campaign to be transparent as a website owner for those readers who may be considering starting a blog/website.

In addition to providing informative content, ProWebWriter is the hub for a number of online endeavors. You can read more about the evolution of the site HERE. Stay tuned as well to upcoming posts as I’ve been doing A LOT of research about ways to engage readers more. ProWebWriter has a main focus on the following subjects:

• Blogging
• Content Writing
• Independent Publishing

However, as you can see in the Category list to the right, there are a number of topics that do not fit this niche. As I said, PWW is a hub that first seeks to provide informative content. While that is a broad niche, we are shaping ourselves to be a major web stop for well, information! Expect to see an expansion of topics which will include, but never be limited to, the following:

• WordPress
• Internet Marketing
• Transparent Financial and Traffic Reports
• Special Offers
• Freebies

We will eventually expand to include a store with both free and paid digital products. Our mission statement has not changed:

ProWebWriter is committed to providing a community of resources for writers interested in creating content for the Web. It is our desire to offer writers resources, opportunities, and a place to hone their skills amongst other writers. We want to see YOU succeed.

Don’t hesitate to contact us through the various avenues readily available on the Home and Contact Me pages of PWW. Thanks for reading!

1st generation Amazon Kindle

I don’t often endorse products. I am a writer of limited means and it seems that most cutting edge technology falls well outside of my price range. My regular readers will notice that ProWebWriter has a running theme of FREE. If it’s not free, it’s extremely cheap. I’m typing this entry on my three and a half year old laptop, and I’m okay with that. My phone pretty much just makes calls…that’s it. Yes, I can text and I even sprang for a model with a QWERTY keyboard, but there are no Apps…there’s no touch screen…it’s just a phone with a really crappy camera. I’m okay with that as well. My flat screen TV and Nintendo Wii were awesome deals from a secondhand store. In fact, I didn’t even buy them, my partner did.

Last Christmas, I received a piece of modern technology that I consider pretty cutting edge, and it’s about to get a whole lot better. I remember writing about this gadget when it first appeared on the scene in 2008. The first Kindle retailed for $399 I believe; nearly 400 smackers. It was certainly well out of my price range then and now. Something amazing happened though as happens with all tech eventually, the price dropped…drastically. So last Christmas, I got one as a gift. The Kindle changed what I read, how often I read it, and where I read it for the better.

3rd generation Amazon Kindle

By the time I got my hands on one, Kindle was in its 3rd generation. I’m glad I waited a while. Back in 2008, there were about 90,000 books available for Kindle. Now there are more than a million, and I’m only counting the FREE ones. In addition to ebooks of all lengths about everything you could imagine, there are also games, audio books, applications, newspapers, blogs, and magazines all available for Kindle. All of this great content is delivered to your Kindle in less than 60 seconds.

Imagine what college would have been like if all of your books were on a Kindle. Some of the lesser known features on Kindle are my favorite. For example, the My Clippings file. When you read any type of media on Kindle, you can highlight, make notes, bookmark pages, and clip entire articles. All of this content is saved in a file called My Clippings. That’s right, all of your most important content is saved for you in one place that you can access from your Kindle or your computer. Not to mention, Amazon backs it ALL up to your Amazon account. The Cloud. That’s what they’re calling it now.

I usually abhor companies who release a newer, better product every year. I guess that’s why people who go gaga for Apple baffle me. I might be gaining a new understanding though. Within the last month, Amazon has announced its new family of Kindles. I’m sold already. Amazon has answered every gripe that owners of other ebook readers could have presented: 

• It doesn’t have a light
• It doesn’t come in color
• It doesn’t have a touch screen
• It doesn’t have Apps
• The web browser is laughable
• The music player is “experimental”
• It costs too much
• It doesn’t do PDFs

Their answer? The Kindle Fire.

Just in case that wasn’t enough, Amazon decided that the latest, greatest Kindle should be your one stop for all your entertainment on the go. For the bargain price of $79 a year, you can access 10,000 movies and TV shows. Anything else? Well, it has a customized Android operating system (which means Apps!), a new revolutionary browser called Amazon Silk, FREE cloud storage for all your content, Wi-Fi, and a dual core processor. That laptop I mentioned earlier…dual core. It blows my mind.

So all of this should set you back 400 bucks at the very least, huh? Based on comparable tablets available on the market like the Samsung Galaxy or the Motorolla Xoom…this thing should be right up there. Even though I nearly drooled in my keyboard when I first heard about it, it certainly never occurred to me that it would be even remotely in my price range. I mean for $400, I could buy a much needed new laptop, right? As I read hungrily through the many features which only turned me green with envy, I finally got to the bottom. They always stick the price at the bottom of everything. I literally had to pick my jaw up off my touchpad. $199!?! Someone at Amazon needs to lay off the sauce! They’re serious! ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE for this fantastic device.

My 3rd gen Kindle is a mere shadow of the Fire, but has been one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. $199 is cheaper than the most rudimentary smartphone. On top of that, you’re locked into a data plan that is inadequate or you could feed a small country with your cell phone bill every month. It seems like a no brainer to me. The Kindle Fire is set to ship of November 15th. You can even pre-order it now:

Amazon stopped with the Kindle Fire. But before they got there, they improved on their E-ink readers. Not only are they releasing the Kindle Fire, but they’re releasing an entire line of Kindles to meet the needs and means of any user. For $79, you can own a Kindle…cheaper than any other e-reader manufacturer on the market. You get all the wonderful Kindle content on a basic device that anyone could use. To make navigation a little simpler, you can invest 20 more dollars and get the Kindle Touch for $99. If you think you’ll miss your Kindle QWERTY keyboard, you can still get Kindle Keyboard for $139 including Wi-Fi and FREE 3G. So, you see, Amazon has something to offer every existing Kindle lover. If you’re new to the world of Kindle or just can’t decide which e-reader is for you, look no further than Amazon and the Kindle…proudly endorsed by ProWebWriter.com.

The new Kindle family.

I have put off getting a favicon for ProWebWriter since I launched the site. Those tiny pictures fall to the back burner rather easily, but I came across a favicon generator on StumbleUpon today and decided to throw one together real quick.

That’s Nice, But What is a Favicon?

favicon (fav-uh-con)
noun
– a 16×16-pixel icon associated with a particular website, usually displayed before the URL in a browser.

“Favicon” is a combo of the words “favorite” and “icon”. They first became popular in older browsers so that users could easily recognize their favorite bookmarks.

The red squares in this image indicate the favicons.

Why Do I Need One?

You don’t need one. Like I said, I ignored the fact that PWW didn’t have one for well over a year. The favicon is simply an attention-getter. When someone adds your site to their bookmarks, your favicon will appear in the listing with your URL. Also, since most browsers have all those convenient tabs, favicons help users identify your site quickly while they are browsing or working. Having a favicon surely won’t make you or break you, but it can’t hurt. Not to mention the implication toward your site being a place for professionals.

Tell Me How To Get One Already!

Alrighty!

You need a source image. I’m going to assume that you have some basic graphics skills and a graphics editor like Photoshop or an online one like SplashUp. If not, skip this part and Contact Me instead. I can help.

Here’s the specs I used for my source image:

• 50×50 pixels — It needs to be square
• 72 dpi — Standard web quality
• Colors directly from my color scheme

I saved the final as a JPEG and was able to use that with no problems in the next step.

Step 1. Upload your source file to Favigen.

• Navigate to your source image on your computer by clicking the Browse button.
• Select your size using the drop-down menu. Most favicons are 16×16 pixels.
• Click the Create Favicon button.

Favigen will generate your favicon file and you can download it to your computer. The file will be automatically named Favicon.ico

• Rename the file with a lower-case “f” like so: favicon.ico

The next part of this tutorial will assume you know how to upload files to the domain you have WordPress installed on using an FTP Client. Again, if you need help with this part, Contact Me.

Step 2. Remove any old favicon.ico files from the main folder of your current WordPress theme.

Step 3. Click Appearance in the left navigation of your WordPress Dashboard. A menu will drop down beneath Appearance.

Step 4. Click Editor underneath the Appearance menu. This will open the WordPress Theme Editor.

Step 5. Click Header under Templates to the right of the Editor window.

Step 6. Find the following line of code between the <head> tags and remove it:

<link rel="shortcut icon" and ends with /favicon.ico" />

This code may not exist, so don’t fret if you can’t find it. Just move on to the next step.

Step 7. Paste the following code between the <head> tags:

<link rel="shortcut icon" href="<?php bloginfo('stylesheet_directory'); ?>/favicon.ico" />

*TIP* The <head> tags probably won’t be close to each other. You really only need to find one. Make sure you’re not posting your code inside other scripts or code. Find the </head> tag and create a line above it by pressing the Enter key. Paste your code there.

Step 8. Click the Update File button under the Editor window to save your changes.

Step 9. Clear your browser’s Cache and restart it to view your new favicon.

That’s it! Now when users load your site or save it as a bookmark, your favicon will come to represent your site as a quick visual reference.

Sources:

http://codex.wordpress.org/Creating_a_Favicon
http://www.upvery.com/5103-why-is-it-important-that-your-website-have-favicon.html

Prepping For Critique

Once you’ve got a good start on your novel or you’ve completed the rough draft of your manuscript, it’s time to enter the editing phase. This is the point where you let go of your baby and see if it can stand alone. It’s not an easy step, but necessary in the publishing process. The first step is Proofreading. While it’s difficult to proofread your own work, you will catch mistakes.

If you would prefer your manuscript to be a little more polished before you let others critique it, you can always run it through editing software like Editor by Serenity Software. Editor will set you back $55 for the standard version, but it will find mistakes and inconsistencies that you will initially miss during your proofread. Personally, if I bought every 50-dollar piece of software that I could benefit from, I’d have no space on my computer AND I’d be broke.

Finding an Objective Eye

More than likely, as you seek out a beta reader or critique partner to put an objective pair of eyes on your draft, you’re going to have to count on getting lucky. There are communities online dedicated to such pairings but the caveat is it will be difficult to find a dedicated reader and you may be expected to return the favor. If you haven’t started using Twitter to meet and interact with other writers, now’s a good time to start. That’s the next post.

You can also find readers by blogging. Those who take the time to comment are already reading what you’re putting down. Most Writers’ forums have an area where you can post your work for critique. I suggest that you find a writers’ community where you feel comfortable, interact, and post some good information BEFORE you ask for critiques. You should never have to pay a beta reader, but remember, the relationship is usually a reciprocal one where you will be asked to critique your partner’s work as well. Look for someone in your genre. Writers’ communities are a dime a dozen.

What’s Next?

It’s time to hire an editor. After you’ve done everything you can to get your work to a polished state, bring in an editor. Why now? Well, because it will be a less time-consuming task at this stage in the game. It’s always a good idea to send the editor you choose a sample to edit so you will have an idea of their editing style and what you are getting for your money.

Why Are These Steps Are So Important?

As an indie publisher, the odds and resources are stacked against you. Following these steps will ensure that your work is on a level with mainstream publishing. Churning out the best product you can helps quell the stereotype that indie publishing is less professional and shows readers that you are serious about writing and providing them with the best product possible.

As with most aspects of life, if you’re serious about writing, you’re going to need a serious support system. I know ALL of your ideas are sheer brilliance, but you have to bounce them around a little before you throw them out there as gold. Trust me. I’m no different from other writers, I have several ideas in the works at all times. Of course *I* think they’re brilliant since they’ve made it past the “No, that’s stupid” phase of thought. With me so far?

I’m reluctant to share my ideas before they’re complete because I fear that they’re so brilliant someone might steal them. Please cast my confidence and narcissism aside because I assure you that is not what I’m about. More than anything, writers want to be read. However, we definitely don’t want to read our ideas coming from someone else’s pen. That being said…I’m going to jump out there and share an example.

I had this brilliant idea for a book that would delve into a genre I have yet to explore: the paranormal. I’ve been ruminating on this one for more than a year now. I had the perfect title, perfect start, and had even managed to find a couple of willing victims to contribute to the project. As the project neared the collaboration/writing stage, I unveiled my title…what I thought was an intelligent and luring one-word lull to an interesting non-fiction work.

Are you ready, here it comes: PRINCIPALITIES. Isn’t it beautiful? The first reaction I received from my comrades in arms was, “What does that mean?” So, I proceeded to explain, “It mean evil spirits.” Right? WRONG. The title is based on a verse from the Bible:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ~ Ephesians 6:12

The second reaction went something like, “If I were searching for a paranormal book to read, I’d never search that. Even if it came up in the results, that title wouldn’t prompt me to buy/read the book.”

Well, that’s a huge problem, so there went my gorgeous title out the window. It had to go. Not only did it not represent the project well, I found that I didn’t know the definition of “prinicipality” which is as follows:

noun, plural -ties.

1. a state ruled by a prince, usually a relatively small state or a state that falls within a larger state such as an empire.
2. the position or authority of a prince or chief ruler; sovereignty; supreme power.
3. the rule of a prince of a small or subordinate state.

Boy, was I way off. In my defense, it does have a different theological meaning:

As a writer, you have to be able to separate yourself from your work and look at it from a reader’s standpoint. My title actually fit if you use the second definition, but there’s a serious combination of thought that must take place for it to work, and that is why it doesn’t work. I’m not writing for an academic paper or journal, I’m not doing my research at the Harvard library, so it’s really ineffective to title my book like I am. Keep it simple = reach more readers.

Thank goodness I conferred with my contributors! I was set and completely prepared to proceed with an ineffective title! You can apply this idea to all areas of your writing in progress. Ask yourself a few questions:

• Is my title simple and effective?
• Who is my target audience?
• Does EVERY word in my work cater to that audience?
• Have I separated myself from my work by having it edited?

If you answered “No” or “I don’t know” to any of these questions, you need to reach out to some objective opinions, and I don’t mean your mom. Stay tuned. We will discuss where to go for constructive criticism next.

That’s right! YOU can contribute to ProWebWriter.

I’m going to set this up a couple of ways to best serve YOU. Let’s talk about what ProWebWriter has to offer first. This is simply to help YOU get more traffic to your site, have a website to list on your resume or when you apply for freelance opportunities, and help you build your writing portfolio.

The Specs

• PWW gets between 2500 and 3000 visitors per month
• PWW gets between 10000 and 15000 pageviews per month
• PWW makes on average $2.00 in ad revenue per month
• PWW articles are automatically broadcast via Facebook and Twitter using Networked Blogs
• PWW articles get about 900 impressions via Networked Blogs

While the specs aren’t jaw-dropping, they are significant enough to give your traffic a kick.

Your Options as a Contributor

You can contribute in the following ways:

• Become an Author for PWW and periodically (NO frequency requirements) post articles directly to PWW
• Post articles pertaining to PWW subjects on YOUR OWN SITE and get linked from a special page at PWW (for example, view the Rants and Raves page.

If you contribute directly to PWW as an Author, your posts will automatically be sent out to Facebook and Twitter. They will go out manually should you choose the second option above.

What’s In It For Me?

• A bump in traffic
• Numerous PR2 Backlinks
• A site to add to your writing portfolio and resume
• Becoming a member of a growing community designed for Writers
• Being listed as a Contributor

What’s In It For PWW?

• Perhaps a reciprocal bump in traffic
• Expanding the community to a wider audience
• Networking with some amazing Writers

How Do I Sign Up?

Simply fill out the form below.

You will be set up as a contributor to PWW within 24 hours.

Okay, Writers…let’s review how to get past 10,000 words. I did it! Have you? If you’re a returning reader at PWW, then you’ve seen my posts about getting stuck on my debut novel at 10,000 words. In those posts, I’ve pretty much covered how to push past Writers’ Block. However, we learn by repetition, so I’m going to pull the advice from both those posts and put them here in one place.

Push Past That Writers’ Block

The first and most important piece of advice is to KEEP WRITING. I know, I know, you don’t feel like it, you feel blank, you don’t have time, it will come out all wrong, you’ll have to trash it anyway….etc. etc. WRITE ANYWAY. Even if you just write a few sentences here and there…that’s a few sentences you didn’t have before. Oh, and while we are right here…GET RID OF ALL THOSE EXCUSES. Glad we covered that.

Now…the best case scenario is to WRITE EVERYDAY, but life happens and it is sometimes impossible. If you don’t have time to sit down and write, jot notes and ideas. You can never have too much material to draw from. I am the gold-medal procrastinator, stop that too. NO PROCRASTINATING. If you feel like procrastinating, revert to the above note-jotting and idea-storming.

If You Just Can’t…

…write a coherent sentence, work on the marketing side of things. It will be less you have to later when you really just want to get your book OUT THERE. Here’s a few ideas:

• Create a book trailer for YouTube
• Work on your profiles at: Goodreads or Shelfari
• Release a teaser on Facebook, Twitter, YOUR WEBSITE, etc.
• Get established on sites where you plan to sell your book like Amazon, Smashwords, etc.
• Network with other writers, cover artists, book reviewers, etc.

brev·i·ty/ˈbrevitē/Noun
1. Concise and exact use of words in writing or speech.
2. Shortness of time.

It’s a gift not many writers have. I tend to be a wordy writer whether it’s an email or Facebook status. I recognize that it is somewhat of a problem, and I often use the fact that I’m a writer as an excuse. Ironically, I’m not a fan of reading or writing LONG articles…and by LONG, I mean more than 500 words. As a freelancer, I’ve been asked to write articles that were upwards of 1000 words. As a result, I have an unwritten rule to limit myself to 500 words.

However, there are exceptions. How To pieces and tutorials need to run their course. If you try to shorten these types of articles, you end up shorting your readers on valuable information and steps. While I don’t like to write more than 500 words, it’s really about the subject matter. While writing about a specific product such as a purse, 350 words is probably plenty. If you try to make a finished article longer, you end up with useless information.

On the other hand, how many people do you know who have time to read more than 500 words? The world runs on time and the lack thereof. People today like their information short, easy to read/scan, and BRIEF. I try to write the way I like to read. I need to get to the information I’m looking for easily. I don’t want to read 3 paragraphs of filler only to find what I needed in the last paragraph of the article.

Tips

Here’s a few tips on how to keep your writing brief and easily readable:

• Proofread and EDIT. When you feel done with editing, go through it one more time. Remove words you don’t need or repetitive statements.
• Bulleted lists. Bulleted lists are easy to read and scan.
• Headings. Utilize heading to break up your articles into easy-to-read sections.
• Include images and/or video.

These few, BRIEF tips will get you started.

A Writer Gifted With Brevity

A dear friend of mine and Guest Blogger here at PWW, has the gift! Abby runs a blog called AbbyAsks.com

I strongly urge you to check out her site and give her stuff a moment of your time. I’m not just saying this because she mentions me there once in a while. She seriously has a gift. Not only are her posts funny and witty, but they’re never too long or too short. She truly has a talent for presenting and discussing a complete thought in a brief manner.

This is the second post in my new series for writers and why you should have a website. Read the last one here.

ProWebWriter works to help writers in the community. One of the ways we do that is by featuring writers as Contributors on the site itself. This doesn’t happen very often because the main idea is for writers to establish their own professional websites to showcase their content. However, the other thing we do is help writers up to the same level as PWW by giving them a platform.

Lisa and Joey Lane. 2011

Not too long ago, a dear friend of mine wrote a guest post here at PWW about becoming published. Please read Lisa’s post. Lisa Lane is an up and coming writer who has already created a bit of a buzz with her first published piece. Her first published story will appear in a book coming out this fall called God Makes Lemonade. The movement has spawned a website as well as more information and updates via various social media outlets. Please visit the link for more details.

Check out this promo for the book:

You can read all about how Lisa landed this gig, what kind of compensation she received and how it felt to become a published writer in her article, but just listen to the author of the book talk about her story:

If you would like to contact Lisa, you can do so by using the contact form available from her article page: http://prowebwriter.com/i-got-published/

If you are interested in becoming a contributor here at ProWebWriter, please fill out the contact form on our Contact Page.

This post will mark the first in a new series at ProWebWriter to emphasize the importance of having a website as a writer. Having your own website offers you a certain amount of credibility. The maintenance of that credibility depends upon the type of content you choose to present on your website. It should contain your Writing Portfolio…your best of the best. Your Writing Portfolio can also illustrate your range as a writer. A blog is optional, but a nice touch.

An Illustration in Credibility

Most Americans have probably seen this commercial:

The star of the commercial hasn’t been the guy with the pulsating muscles (CREEPY) per se, but the tiny giraffe on the treadmill. This little fellow has quite the Internet following. I was Stumbling (StumbleUpon.com) last night and came across this website:

Home Page of petitelapgiraffe.com.

This is a website touting the tiny giraffes from the TV commercial above as reality. I admit, I had to check a couple pages on the site and really think it through to realize if there were a such thing as tiny giraffes, I would know about them before now. That is the credibility of a professional website.

Let’s take a look at how the content on this website drives home the point. First, they have a live webcam of a tiny giraffe on the Home Page. There is a rack strategically placed for size reference. Second, the site has and About Page that includes some black and white photographs that scream P.T. Barnum’s sideshow. These photos give an air of credibility of the grounds that the breeders aren’t a new company. Age gives credibility. Third and final, there are just enough photos to present the myth as reality. The whole site makes you stop and say, “Is this for real?”

There is one screaming clue indicating that all of the above is false; however, and that is the written content. Since the breeders are supposed to be based in Russia, much of the content is written in broken English. There is also a cheesy quality to the writing. As a writer, make sure your writing is believable. Back yourself up with credible sources, but don’t stress yourself out about it. The above site is living proof that it’s possible to cause intelligent (and not so intelligent) people to question reality even without proper written content.

Debunking the Petite Giraffe (Irrelevant to Writing – Feel Free to Skip)

A web savvy investigator can easily debunk the above website as a fake. Let’s start with a WHOIS domain search. I used: http://www.networksolutions.com/whois-search/ — This search yielded the following data:

The Grey Global Group is a marketing company (a brilliant one) in New York. Fair enough, but not quite telling enough. Let’s check out some of their images on the above site. First this one:

It looks like la petit giraffe is taking a bath. Further investigation yields that this image of a marble bath is available via Corbis: http://www.corbisimages.com/Enlargement/42-25705449.html — Showing here:

A myth to the madness. Perhaps all is fair in advertising.

DEBUNKING SOURCE: http://iandennismiller.com/blog/2011/03/petite-lap-giraffes/

Read my previous post: http://prowebwriter.com/dont-choke-at-10000-words/

And…your soul is probably screaming, “What do I do now!?!” Fear not, you are not alone. For here I sit, completely stuck at…you guessed it…10000 words. The first thing that I found while researching for this post was that I’m not alone.

A Little Backstory…

I’ve never written anything longer than probably 10 pages all at once. I’ve written loads of blog posts, tons of web articles, lots of web copy, a small collection of poems, and a story here and there. I always figured novel-writing was for everyone else and that my niche was writing things that gratified me in less time. After all, this was the reason I gave up art for writing. ADD has always afforded me the tendency to choose toward the path of least resistance. This is NOT a good thing.

I’ve had the ideas for no less than 5 books sitting in a folder that has traveled with me for the better part of probably 7 years. Some of these ideas included an outline or even the first few pages of a rough draft. One of them is even a completed manuscript for a children’s book. Yet they sit, and I can’t answer the question as to why they sit with anything but a number of useless excuses.

So When I Decided To Do Something About It…

…I made myself a goal for the month of April…yeah, nearly 2 months ago now…to complete the rough draft of my first novel by the end of the month. That would give me May to do a nice long revision and hopefully have it out for summer reading. So, the first week in April, I began writing. I overshot my goal for 10000 words in my first week by nearly 300 words. The sense of accomplishment was AWESOME…and debilitating.

I haven’t opened the file since. It’s a shameful thing. All the talking up I did about writing my first book has become a point of shame with friends and family. The conversations usually go a little something like this: “How’s the book comin’?”

“Er, I haven’t opened the file in __ weeks. I’m trying to get motivated though.”

“Oh.”

Finding Motivation

The only REAL piece of advice when it comes to writer’s block is to write anyway. (I have an excuse for that too.) A solid piece of follow up advice is abandon ALL excuses. For the last few weeks, I’ve been procrastinating by thinking up ways to motivate myself. Oh! There’s another one…stop procrastinating! Aside from the 3 stellar tips bolded in this paragraph, here’s what I came up with:

• Get some software that is actually for novel writing
• Release book teasers via your marketing avenues (Facebook, MySpace, or whatever)
• Create a book trailer for YouTube (similar to a movie trailer with still images)
• Set up your marketing accounts (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Shelfari, Goodreads)

Of course the problem with ALL of these is that none of them include any work on your actual novel. The more time you spend doing things like this, the less time you are spending writing. These tasks are merely mean to re-motivate you and force you to open up that file! Check out this link for some actionable steps to get you back in the groove: http://www.aliventures.com/project-started-in-four-steps/

There are hundreds of programs available to help writers no matter what your genre. Here at PWW, we LOVE free, so without further ado…

7 FREE Tools for Writers

OpenOffice — OpenOffice is a FREE alternative to Microsoft Office. OpenOffice is compatible with Microsoft Office documents and I have used it professionally for three years. I’ve never had cross platform formatting problems and find it a suitable replacement. OpenOffice is easy to use. The interface is similar enough to Office to make it easy to figure out as soon as you install it. There are tons of documentation to execute any task you can do with Office.

FocusWriter — FocusWriter is a fullscreen word processor designed to remove distractions from the writer. This tool is LOADED with features including: autosave, themes, music player, goal tracking, and spell checking. FocusWriter removes flashy menus and covers toolbars so you can focus  on your writing project. If you are easily tempted by the Internet, instant messenger, or other programs, FocusWriter can help.

Wordnik – As they say on their website: “All the words, and everything about them, for everybody.” Wordnik is fast-growing dictionary of words in today’s language and how to use them. You can become a member of the community and add works or your opinions about words. There is nothing to download. Wordnik works right from your favorite browser as a kind of word search engine. It’s worth a bookmark.

Zoho.com – Zoho is a complete in-browser business suite. That means there is nothing to download. If you are limited in download space based on the device you use to write, Zoho might be your answer. The less room you use for programs, the more space you have for writing. Zoho documents are compatible with Office, you can export as a PDF, as well as a number of other formats.

Storybook — Storybook is a free, opensource plotting software. If outlining isn’t quite your style, Storybook will help you organize your novel. Storybook helps you keep track of your scenes and characters as you craft your story. This prevents plot mistakes and eliminates the possibility of elements of your books not adding up in the end. Storybook allows you to work on your novel as a multi-level project in manageable chunks.

yWriter5 — yWriter5 is a lot like Storybook. It helps you organize your novel in small bits instead of trying to memorize, digest and organize a huge amount of text all at once. The maker of yWriter5, Scott Haynes, also makes a myriad of other tools and FREE software to help writers complete their projects. Since Scott is an author, you can count on usefulness and quality from his work. ALL his software is free.

JaLingo — JaLingo will bring a convenient dictionary to your desktop where you can check the spelling and meaning of words. JaLingo will work on any operating system. JaLingo is also equipped with a simple drag and drop feature that allows you to drag and drop words directly from webpages. In addition, you can conveniently search and find words in JaLingo from the convenience of your desktop.

And One Honorable Mention

Liquid Story Binder XE — Liquid Story Binder is second to none when it comes to writing software. It is distributed widely across the Internet as Shareware, but you can get a license for less than 50 bucks. I know this is a list of free software, but LSB XE merits a mention since you can try it before you buy it. There is nothing you can’t do with LSB XE. It does it all from organizing and plotting to creating dossiers of your characters. It’s more than worth a try.

Writing a novel is a huge undertaking and there are a number of ways to go about it. Some authors write an extensive outline that acts as a sort of road map as they write. Basically, the author plots the entire book in the outline. It’s the written equivalent to say, a storyboard like filmmakers use to make a movie. Some authors just write and then revise and revise and then, revise again. There is no right way to do it. You do what works best for you.

I began writing at the beginning of April. I completed more than 10000 words in the first week. The sense of accomplishment was awesome. I’d never written anything that long. Then I choked. It’s like the writing gods stole my motivation. I haven’t even opened my manuscript in 3 weeks. I had set a goal to have the rough draft completed by month’s end. I’m not going to reach that goal.

I don’t have some miraculous tip that will help you make it through the duration of this endeavor. I can only relay the advice any writer would give you and I’m talking to myself: KEEP WRITING. Don’t get wound up in doing too much research or reading too much “help” information (like this post). Just write. Anything that is not writing is procrastination. Any time that you spend doing other things is time you are NOT writing.

If you feel unmotivated, write anyway. In my next post, I’m going to provide some links to FREE writing software. I actually downloaded an alternative software to my word processing program to motivate myself further. Why? Word processing programs are designed to handle A LOT of different tasks including, but not limited to, novel writing. There are several programs available just for the writer that help you compartmentalize and organize your writing in manageable chunks.

This will help not only with feeling overwhelmed, but it’s much easier to proofread and organize small chunks rather than pages and pages of text. At 10000 words, pages and pages is what you have. So stay tuned and find out if any of this software will help you in your journey.

If you’ve already choked, get some advice: http://prowebwriter.com/too-late-im-stuck-at-10000-words/

Smashwords and Why You Need It

Smashwords is a listing and distributing site for ebook authors. All you have to do is format your ebook according to their guidelines and upload it. Smashwords throws it in their conversion software called Meatgrinder, and it comes out the other side formatted to distribute to all the channels you specified when you uploaded. Smashwords has distribution through the following ebook retailers:

• Apple iBookstore
• Amazon.com
• BarnesandNoble.com
• Sony
• Kobo
• Diesel

There will be more. If you are self-publishing your ebook, you WANT to be here. Check out their FAQ to learn more. Oh yeah, and you’ll want to download their Style Guide: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52 It’s free of course…because here at PWW, we LOVE free!

Kindle and Nook

You are probably here because you heard somewhere that you can publish your book to the Kindle, Nook, or both. Somewhere would be correct, and if you want to just stick with one or both of these, there is nothing wrong with that. Ignore what I said up there about Smashwords.

I’ve read in more than one self-publishing book that you want to deal with Amazon and Barnes and Noble DIRECTLY even if you do put your book on Smashwords. Both authors have multiple ebooks self-published through tthese services. I’m gonna take their work for it.

Formatting for the Kindle and Nook

…is NOT that fun. All of these sites have conversion software that is very limited. When you put your book in there, it is not going to look right when it comes out. Do yourself a favor, focus on writing the book, not the formatting. I mean don’t even use Tabs ever! Why? Because you’re going to end up taking them ALL out in then end. Here are a few quick tips:

• Use normal boring fonts. Stick to ONE in this list: http://www.ampsoft.net/webdesign-l/WindowsMacFonts.html
• Don’t underline anything. Use bold (limited), italics, and no more than 14 pt font size to show any sort of emphasis
• Use the Paragraph styling in your word processing software to set a first-line indent for your paragraphs. DO NOT use Tab.
• Do not use the Enter key to create page breaks. In fact, just don’t set your heart on page breaks at all.

TRUST ME and the self-publishing books I’ve read recently.

I suggest going with HTML for Kindle and a barebones Word doc for Nook. Here’s a FREE ebook I wrote about how to format your book using HTML. It’s not as hard as it sounds, I promise!

Book Suggestion

It’s Zoe Winters hands down, people. Her book, Smart Self-Publishing: Becoming an Indie Author, lays it out for you. It’s $3.95, and it covers a priceless amount of information that you could only learn through endless trial and error. Click it and go buy it, yesterday!

Why are you still sitting here? Go get started!!!

My good friend and former boss (best boss in the world), Mark Linsenbardt, posed  few questions to me about indie publishing via Facebook. This post is the result of that conversation. Thanks for asking. PWW answers.

This is the 100th post on ProWebWriter.com!

We’re just over a year old. There will be many more. I’m going to take a look back at the last year and then I’m going to share with you some of the exciting and upcoming things planned for PWW in the coming year.

Casting an Eye on the History Books

I bought the ProWebWriter.com domain in February of 2010 and quickly set about building a WordPress website. Prior to the existence of this site, I used Blogger, a free blogging service owned by Google. Here’s the site: http://waxingpoeticwrites.blogspot.com I have nothing bad to say about Blogger, and I recommend the site for anyone who needs a website on the free. It’s packed with features and a user-friendly interface.

ProWebWriter.com originally started out as my personal and professional website to help me procure freelance opportunities. I had the blog from the beginning, but in the beginning I used it to showcase different types of writing I’ve done. The remnants of that portfolio still exist on the site. It’s much easier to direct potential clients to a website than to attach writing samples to an email. Which is why writers should have websites!

I also chose to write about some personal interests on PWW which is why you see categories like Attention Deficit Disorder and Intracranial Hypertension. Oddly enough, these are some of the most popular topics on the site. It’s not really what I was going for, but I’m okay with it.

After the start of 2011, I decided to convert this website into a community and resource for writers everywhere. As writers, we all take a journey, and this is mine. I hope it can help other writers as they travel. My goal is simple, I will move forward in my writing career while helping other writers get where I am.

ProWebWriter now has a  newsletter, forums, and regular articles to help other writers and to build a community where writers can help each other.

Upcoming

Throughout the coming year, PWW hopes to garner more members and become a resource to writers who are seeking to become independent authors. In the near future, we will be covering how to get your book up for sale at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, as well as a number of other venues. We will tackle getting your book out in print too. Bookmark us, if you haven’t.

Looking for a way to break into the writing business? I found one! My dear friend Ava told me about a site on Facebook called Freellance (sic) Writers. They post daily different job sites where you can submit stories, be a ghost writer, write magazine articles, etc.

It was through that site that I found God Makes Lemonade. It is a series of books containing inspirational true stories from regular folks. I sent in my story, and they informed me that they were going to include it in their upcoming book! They paid me $250, and I get 10 free copies of the book once it’s published to share with my family and friends! It’ll be my first published work, and it gave me the inspiration to keep writing.

Freellance Writers posts new jobs daily, and I’m always checking to find new ways to make a little extra money, and build my writingportfolio. It’s a great way to fill your spare time, and it is not only financially rewarding, but it can also give you a great sense of accomplishment and pride when someone tells you that your writing is good enough to be published.

I’m going to keep looking for new avenues and opportunities in the writing business, and I hope you will too! If I find anything of interest, I will be sure to pass this information on to you!

And be sure to watch for the God Makes Lemonade book, to be published later this year!

Guest Post by Lisa M. Lane

Lisa Lane is an up and coming writer. I asked Lisa to write a post because she had taken and avenue into freelance writing that I had not by utilizing Freellance Writers. I felt this was a viable resource for writers everywhere and who better to present it than someone who has utilized the system. I’m trying to convince Lisa to blog! Help me out!

If you would like to contact Lisa with questions or to hire her to write for you, please use the Contact Form below:

[contact-form 2 "Contact Lisa Lane"]

The requests are starting to come in. How can I get my books on Kindle? I’m here to help you answer that question, but it’s going to be a process because I’m doing this as I go, people. I have ONE book out. I’m going to be throwing out a lot of commands without a lot of reasons. So, if you’re a person who has to know why you do everything, I understand, but bear with me. I’ve included some brief Whys below to help you. Time is of the essence.

Let’s go with what we know so far, quick and dirty like:

• HTML worked best for me in the Amazon Digital Publishing conversion process
• I wrote a FREE ebook on how to format your book in HTML for Kindle. GET IT HERE
• Barnes & Noble (For the Nook) likes Word .doc files
• There is one more IMPORTANT place to upload and sell your ebook: http://smashwords.com
• Don’t distribute your ebook to Amazon and B&N through Smashwords, deal with these two directly
• Facebook, Twiiter and Goodreads are your best choice for marketing

You need to read some books on Indie Publishing. Don’t read any more than a couple because it can become a form of procrastination. Check out Kindle’s Bestsellers List and find out who’s seeing some success. I’ll tell you a few: Amanda Hocking, John Locke, Zoe Winters, and J.A. Konrath. Two of these people have books out on Indie Publishing. These are the “couple” I read:

I recommend both of these, but moreso Smart Self-Publishing: Becoming an Indie Author by Zoe Winters. It’s a shorter read and much more concise. Not to mention, she’s entertaining and funny. These are good people who are helping other writers. Both these books together will set you back less than $10.

Why?

Because you will gain a much better insight getting the information yourself than if I regurgitate it for you. If you don’t have a lot of time, seriously, the Zoe Winters book is the only one you need. Also, if you’re that pressed for time, you might not have time for self-publishing. Just saying.

Get established on these sites if you are not already:

• Kindle Direct Publishing
• Barnes & Noble PubIt
• Smashwords.com
• goodreads.com

Why?

Because you are going to need to be there if you are serious about self-publishing. The first 3 sites are distribution sites, and the last one is for marketing.

Bookmark me and stay tuned. Much more to come.

Why?

Because I’ll be telling you more as we go along…or you could just read Zoe Winters’ book. I don’t know her, she’s not my friend, but her book helped me immensely. I have ADD and it was a short and entertaining read. That’s all I’m saying.

I don’t like to admit I’m a writer.  I’d rather confess to having gonorrhea (which I don’t and if you have it that wouldn’t change my opinion of you).  Still, I write short fiction, personal essays and have made attempts at a novel-like entity.  I even went to school for this stuff (not that you have to.  I mean, did Dostoevsky go to an MFA program?)  I’ve also had a few pieces published in literary magazines I can’t pronounce.  So I guess that makes me a writer.

But why am I so ashamed of this?  I guess I’ve read so much great stuff that I don’t want to be another hack.  I also know what I’m capable of, and more importantly, what I’m not.  That’s not to say I don’t stretch, but I know I won’t write the next Crime and Punishment.

When asked to guest post I didn’t think I’d be such a sad sack.  Hang on:  puppies and kittens!  Well, actually I do have some good news.  I’ve never met a confident writer.  (I assure you the good news is coming.)  But I have met persistent ones.  And that’s the wonder of this enterprise.  We’re sometimes insecure, generally rejected, and suffer from the mother of all writer’s block.  Yet we persist!  I don’t know if we’re all masochists or if we have some special reserve of super strength.  But there’s something that keeps us ticking, and when it runs dry I go to the writing I love.  I guess writing begets writing.

P.S.  I have gonorrhea.

Guest Post by Abby Rotstein

I’ve known Abby now for the better part of 5 years. I’ll never forget the first thing I heard her say. We were supposed to tell one thing about ourselves and one thing most people didn’t know about us. She said,  “90% of the time I’m not serious and most people don’t know that 90% of the time I’m not serious.” Needless to say, I felt an immediate rapport with Abby. Abby writes on occasion for magazines and entertains the world via her blog AbbyAsks.com.

Abby also had these suggestions for breaking into the magazine world:

Duotrope Digest is awesome.  (duotrope.com)  They have listings for tons of magazines and you can search it by genre, among other cool features.  Also, the best thing to do is follow the submissions guidelines to the letter.  Editors are grumpy and swamped with subs, so it’s best not to piss them off.  Plus, do your research.  Most magazines have an online presence.  I look to see what kinds of pieces they publish before submitting mine.  Then I look at the author of that piece and see where else he or she may have published.  This gives me more leads.  Finally, I keep track of my stuff by spreadsheet.  I recommend it b/c you’ll have a lot of stuff out there and you may lose track of it.  If you do lose track, you may wind up bugging a grumpy editor and that’s no good.  P.S. Send editors money.  They like that.

Check her out: AbbyAsks.com

I got a Kindle for Christmas. Before the thing even came in the mail, I was researching, planning and conniving. Oh, the fun my Kindle and I would have. I have thoroughly enjoyed the convenience of the Kindle. I can take it anywhere. It holds loads of books. The thing is just awesome. I have access to millions of books for free, and millions more at discounted rates.

I first wrote about Kindle HERE. I didn’t even have one then, and really no hope of getting one at 400 smackers. It sure sounded cool, but as with most gadgets, it would be a cool I would only read about. Thank goodness technology gets a price drop over time. It’s funny how they price everything so sky high when it first comes out and then the price drops when the next generation comes out…and the next generation is better!

What interested me the most about Kindle was the fact that anyone could create content for it. You didn’t have to be a best-selling author to get your stuff out there. Needless to say, when I got mine, I put this blog on it right away…just for kicks. It’s exhilarating to see your own stuff on sale at Amazon. I’ve since published a book and am currently working on my first fiction novel.

Get To The Broken Screen Part Already!

All good things must come to an end. I stowed my Kindle away in my bag like always. I found myself up in the wee hours of the morning unable to sleep. So as I munched a Pop Tart, I pulled my Kindle out of my bag to find this:

Broken Kindle Screen

I nearly cried. It looks like the screen is broken, but there’s no physical crack. I couldn’t fathom what could have possibly happened to it just sitting in my bag. I hadn’t moved my bag since I had put my Kindle WORKING into the bag. The next day I started looking around on the Internet, and found others with similar problems.

http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/12/29/kindle-screen-woes-anyone-else/

http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/05/26/this-is-what-a-broke.html

Well, at least I’m not alone. I ran through the trouble shooting at Amazon. There’s quite a lot. I finally hit the big yellow Contact Us button hoping for the best case scenario since this seemed to be a widespread problem. I got this page:

You pick your problem using the drop-down menu and then Amazon suggests the best way to contact them concerning that issue. So, I went with their recommendation and clicked the button.

Then Amazon goes a step beyond that. Check it out.

All I had to do was put in my phone number and either click the Call me now or Call me in 5 minutes button. This is perfect for people like me who have a little anxiety about calling customer service stuff. Of course, it that’s not you, you can also call them on one of the two numbers provided below these options.

I did the Call me now and was connected directly with Amazon Customer Service. I explained to the representative what was going on and that I had attempted to troubleshoot the problem myself without success. Since my Kindle was still under warranty, I had a new working device in my hands just over 24 hours after I placed this call. Amazon gets it done!

In addition, they sent me an email with a printable mailing label so I can send the damaged Kindle back at no cost to me. They also preloaded the new Kindle with instructions on how to transfer my content over to it with ease. I’m back in business! FIVE stars for Amazon, and FIVE more for Kindle.