Tag: authors

Guest Bloggers Wanted!

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In honor of my first year completion (8-18-15) I have decided to implement Guest Bloggers this year for the days where I will be off. I wanted to wait until I had been blogging for at least a year to do this and now that I have, I’m ready.

To volunteer to Guest Post here please Visit the new GUEST BLOGGER page. I travel often and I would really like to have Weekend Guest Bloggers (Sat and Sun) and also Guest Bloggers for when I need to be away for longer than a week. My immediate need is Weekend Guest Bloggers, someone to fill in with exciting posts from week to week on The PBS Blog. I plan to start scheduling them within the next couple months so feedback is needed if you want to participate. I don’t have a 50,000 follower blog but some exposure is better than none for those wishing to promote their writing for free. Plus I think my followers would appreciate the variety.

I appreciate any re-blogs of this post:

  • Must be at least 18 Years or Older
  • Must not use extremely vulgar language or nude images
  • Must have the post submitted to me no later than 8:00p CST the Thursday of the week you are to guest post. If I choose you for a Weekend Blogger your post must be into me by 8pm every Thursday.
  • Must include attachments of any images you want me to include in the post in your response email.
  • Suggested length: Anywhere between 100-1000 words (Please try to keep from writing extremely long posts)
  • The article must be your own work. Do not copy and paste work from other sites.
  • Multimedia: images, podcasts, and videos are welcome
  • A short bio and photo of yourself can be included at the end of your post. You may include a link to your own website

Comment Moderation:

By default, blog postings are set to allow comments from readers. I always try to respond to every comment but I will not comment on a post you wrote. Please respond to comments made on your own blog posts. The idea is to keep in context with how I run my blog. If I respond to comments, I expect you to as well. Always respond positively and professionally :).

That’s it! Thank you for your time. Yall be great.

My One Year Blogiversary

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Many of you have probably noticed an extreme increase in the amount of re-posts from this blog, or re-spins. I have been doing this to lead up to this day or rather, yesterday: My One Year Blogiversary! I remember the exact date I published my first post here on The PBS Blog. It was August 18, 2014.

I have learned so much about the blogging experience and writing in general from this blog. Primarily, I believe I was capable of being progressive with this blog  in particular because I set out to devote more time to it. I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone. I subscribed to other blogs, commented on other blogs, shared other people’s material that I found interesting, and participated in writing Challenges and Blog Awards. I also publish very frequently, at least 2-3 times or more every day for at least 5 and sometimes 6 days a week and I have done this since the beginning. I don’t exactly consider myself a power blogger but I do believe that the quantity of my posting has played a big part in the growth of my blog. If I could at all help it, I tried not to miss more than a day without publishing something to my blog. A poem, an article, current events / news, etc., whatever I found to be of quality material or funny material or thought provoking, I shared. I set time aside specifically to blog. I treated this like a part time job and it has paid off. That is because I believe in consistency. I am a very dedicated and loyal individual and I transferred this over to my blog. I try to make sure that my blog is not one stale compilation of regurgitated ignorance and conscientious stupidity. I believe this draws people in and helps build solid supporters. All of these components together assists me in reaching my blogging goals which I must say, were not very clear in the beginning. I had a purpose, but I was not sure how I wanted to navigate the online world. In fact, I remember my first few posts, which got no likes, no comments, and no views for the first few months of blogging.

I hope that the future of this blog will continue to hold the same versatility in which I now strive for. It was not this way initially, but over time as I gained more understanding on how to blog, I unintentionally created a place where all people could get something out of it, despite where they were in their lives. In short, I hope that the contents of this blog will always be thought provoking and inspirational for positive change and growth.

In honor of my first year completion, I have decided to change my blogs theme up a bit. I’m still working on putting everything back since the new theme did away with the sidebar and pages (now located at the bottom).  I appreciate your patience as I rearrange everything.

But how does everything look so far? I’m going for a neat, clean feel. Yay or Nay? Keep it or Trade it?

…if yeez LUV yer books… it’s okay to LUV yer Authors, too… let them know it!…

Seumas Gallacher's avatarSeumas Gallacher

…I’m an unashamed user of the SOSYAL NETWURKS in pursuit of my ‘business of writing’… in reflective self-honesty, I try to steer clear of SPAMMING, which I find as abhorrent and annoying as most of yeez Lads and Lassies of Blog Land… that does not preclude from time to time an acceptable amount of inclusion  in my posts, elements of my own WURK… there’s a proper way to do that… I like to think, in balance, the majority of my posts are aimed at entertaining, p’raps even educating, and certainly empathising with my fellow scribblers in support of their wee masterpieces… that balance is generally about 90% for others, 10% for my stuff… and I’m comfortable with that… when occasions arrive, such as this present period, running up to and including the launch of my latest Jack Calder  crime thriller, KILLER CITY, there will inevitably be a…

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3 Reasons I am Not a Professional Author

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I strive to implement levels of professionalism in everything that I do whether it includes monetary compensation or not. In which case people who know me are already familiar with my level of organization and from that end, professionalism. However, I do not consider myself a professional author in the traditional sense of the word. Here’s why:

I’ve heard my share of advice from author blogs, books, tweets, Facebook, Twitter, articles, the list goes on and on (and on). I’ve taken valuable advice under my wing and even incorporated some into my day to day schedule and strategic writing techniques since it is, after all, wise to consider the advice of others. But the truth is that I will never be a professional author because my writing process is not the same as what is perpetuated in the mainstream.

The professional says:

  • Use the same business name across all accounts. This is the easiest way to brand yourself and to get people used to associating you with that name.

Makes sense, but I totally transgressed this rule! My blog, author website, and social media sites, for the most part, all have different names which I heard is bad. To balance this, I have taken to using one picture to represent every account. This photo you see associated with this blog will probably never change because it’s attached to all of my accounts: My personal Facebook Page, Twitter, Blog, IG, You Tube, LinkedIn, etc. I believe images are a strong form of communication and that many people have already become used to seeing this picture and associating it with Yecheilyah Ysrayl. I have also taken to using the same email address to represent these accounts across the board (with a few exceptions).

The professional says:

  • Plan out your book before you write it. Create an outline for your new masterpiece.

Umm, I think I’ll just go ahead and skip this step. I do not write outlines before each book. I just write and organize as I go along. Once I start to build on a story idea and start to write and develop some kind of form to the story, then I know what it is I need to research or the books I need to read for better clarity of this particular genre. It only makes sense to me that you write something down first and get an idea of how the story will develop, only then will you be able to clearly see what kind of information you will need for this story and can thus move on from there. For instance, its not until I start writing the story that I am able to create a Family Tree of my characters.

I know, I just said something else different didn’t I? Yes, a family tree. I found it easiest to organize my characters (after I’ve written about them) using a Family Tree. I’ll speak more about this in a separate post, but after I’ve written the characters into the story to some extent, I sit back and think about how to better develop them as real people. Not just by way of physical attributes (ethnicity, hair, eyes, relationships, persona, etc.), but also lineage. Where did this person come from? I do this by using a Family Tree, which can be created easily using Microsoft Word. The reason I choose this method is because the one rotating around blogs and professional websites is boring to me. (You know, that long list of questions you ask yourself about the people in your story: Hair:__________ Eyes:_________ Nose Shape________ …just kill me now). Not to mention I’m a visual learner. I have to see it to better understand it and laying out the family in this way helps me to accomplish this. Far as outlines go for the entire story, the first draft is the outline.

The professional says:

  • Stick to one specific genre.

I write in whatever genre the story that just popped into my head falls in. I heard this is a no no. According to the rules, in order to brand yourself it’s important to stay within a certain genre because it’s easy to become known for it. But in my opinion, brains don’t work like that. Well, at least mine doesn’t. What am I gonna say, “Sorry totally awesome story idea, I can’t use you right now because your Sci-Fi and I only write Romance”. That’s like telling me to write one kind of poem. Yea, that’s probably never going to happen. I mean sure, every idea is not meant to be built on. Some of them should just stay ideas until it is time for that idea to be brought forward. However, because the creative mind is not one dimensional, I find it hard to believe that I can force my thoughts to only create stories that appeal to one category.

The truth is that I will probably never do exactly as the professionals say do. If the world says this is how it is to be done, you can rest assured that chances are Yecheilyah’s over here doing something completely different…and maybe even a little weird. 🙂

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Anais Nin

My Writer’s Quote Wednesday author of choice for today is Anais Nin, her words speak truth:

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I don’t have much to add here; the quote pretty much speaks for itself. What are words without a voice? Let who you are be the inspiration to put pen to paper. What is it that you want to say? If your an author it is not something that just sprung upon you, it is something that’s already inside of you. So let the inherent talent speak.

About The Author:

Mirages: The Unexpurgated Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1939–1947

Anaïs Nin was an author born to Cuban parents in France, where she was also raised. She spent some time in Spain and Cuba but lived most of her life in the United States where she became an established author.

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And that’s it for this week’s episode of Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Don’t forget to check it out, you know what to do ; )

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Being of Service

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I’m no expert, but I do know that writing is a unique career. It’s the same as other businesses, and yet it is not the same. It requires the same level of dedication, professionalism, and hard work. However, it is also a lot different than lets say, selling your neighbor a bar of soap.

Reading takes a lot of time. It is on a level that is a lot more personal. Readers actually get very sensitive when it comes to buying a book that sucked than buying a bar of soap that also sucks. People are also easily bored these days, so as authors we have to constantly keep our ears to the ground, discovering what’s trending and what’s throwback. It is for this reason that readers tend to find an author they love and stick to him or her. If you’re that author, great, but the story does not always end this way. As I thought about this, I started to really think, not about selling books, but being of service. As I babysat these thoughts, I ran across some great advice from one of my subscription blogs:

“Don’t SELL to your readers, SERVE them. With the changing dynamic between readers and writers, authors need to listen, gather knowledge about readers, foster communications, collaborate, and build long-term relationships.”

We have to be realistic. Authors are constantly told not to sell. But full time authors, those who don’t hold secondary positions elsewhere or receive money from additional sources, have bills to pay, food to put on the table, and needs that require monetary investment. So we can’t just tell writers that they should not sell their books no more than we can tell bloggers not to get excited over new readers. Despite how we gloss it up, the reality is that an author’s end goal is to sell you this book. But here is where being of service comes in:

For me personally, anything that I bring into my space should teach me something. This just means it should advance me in some way. Will it make me laugh? Cry? Think? Discover? Will it inform me? Teach me? Show me? What does this book, more than any other book, do for me? This is the same way that I look at Blogging. I am more than likely to bond with blogs that have something to offer.

Now, back to soap:

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When you’re selling soap, I want to know that it’s because the benefits of this particular soap outweigh Irish Springs; not just because you’re trying to make a quick buck. If you can convince me that your product is of some significance to my life and you can back this up, then I will be more than happy to become a dedicated supporter. I have enough sense to know that you have bills to pay, but I also see that your purpose is bigger than dead presidents on paper.  Why does this matter to authors?

Because people want to matter.

I believe this is true in everything that we do, and not just writing. But specifically, the first clue to readers that they matter, is the amount of hard work we put into the end product. Our professionalism, or lack thereof, speaks volumes far before these books hit the shelves. So I just want to encourage my writers out there to do the best you can, because it doesn’t get any better than your best. And I believe this is the difference between selling a product and being of service to the people. Readers (and bloggers) want to know that they are getting something out of the process. So I wouldn’t say don’t sell to your readers, instead I would just say to be of service to them.

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – George Orwell

For today’s segment of Writer’s Quote Wednesday, I take inspiration from George Orwell:

 

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“When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself, ‘I am going to produce a work of art.’ I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention (to)….” —George Orwell

I think this is a great way to sit down and write a book or article or poem. If you think more about your purpose for this particular piece, or you engage and have fun with the writing process in general, then I think you will unintentionally create something unique. Because you’ve put your all into it, you have the potential to create something really beautiful and powerful for readers. I do not believe the best songs were built under the notion that they will become hits, they were just written from the heart and that’s what makes them great. Anyone can write a book, poem, or sing a song, but when you can feel the passion, really feel it, and you know that it’s truly coming from the heart, that’s what makes it art.

About The Author:

I was first introduced to Orwell about seven or eight years ago when I read his book, 1984. I wouldn’t say he’s my favorite author but I did enjoy the book. At a time where I was just coming into a proper understanding of both myself and the world around me, it was an enlightening read.

Orwell was born June 25, 1903 in Bengal, India. His birth name was Eric Arthur Blair in Motihari, and he was a novelist, essayist and critic who went on to become best known for his novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Speaking of Nineteen Eighty-Four, the title sounds like a throwback to us, like something old but for Orwell it was the future. He wrote 1984 back in 1949. In short, it is a look into the future of the world which is divided into three nations. In the story, Orwell gives us a look into what would happen if the Government controlled every aspect of a person’s life, all the way down to his private thoughts. It was the first time, before Minority Report (the movie), that I had ever heard of something called thought crime.

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And that’s it for my portion of Writer’s Quote Wednesday. As always, don’t forget to check out the links or the pic to see how you can join the fun. Don’t forget to also Like or Comment on the post of other participants. You get support by giving it :).

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