The ABCs of Blogging

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

TWEET THIS: #Blogging Success is as Easy as ABC – via #socialmedia expert @EdieMelson 

Today I’d like to give you 26 tips for success with your blog. I’m calling this my ABCs of Blogging.

A is for Accessibility—Make sure your blog is easy to find, easy to navigate, and easy to read. And don’t forget to make it accessible to those who are visually impaired. 

B is for Basics—Whatever you’re doing, make it excellent. That means take time to check for typos and readability, in your posts. Also be sure you’re using giving accurate links. There’s nothing more frustrating than clicking on a link that takes you nowhere.

Fear of the Camera—Know Your Photographer

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills


Tweet This: Fear of the Camera—Know Your Photographer
 
She was my friend until she shot me.

I know what you’re thinking. As a suspense writer, I’m always looking for ways to deepen my brand, and the opening line did get your attention. But actually this blog is about the value of an up-to-date head shot.

A photo shoot is part of every writer’s life, although we writers often cringe at the thought. We’d rather be writing than posing and plastering a unique smile. My newest photos were taken in South Carolina by Mary Denman a longtime friend and fabulous photographer. Her setting for a suspense writer’s new look was at an old textile mill. Sections of it had been restored and fashioned into lofts while other areas were so dilapidated that they were unsafe to go inside.  

Perfect, I thought, but I dreaded the whole smile on demand thing. 

Mary walked around the mill and studied fallen brick, chipped paint, weeds, and the sun. All the while she chatted, and I slowly attempted to act semi-normal. She pointed to a raised, concrete dock and asked if I could climb atop. My short legs  managed to follow her instructions. 

I peered into the shadowed mill, and my mind raced with a wild chase scene and a firefight.

“DiAnn, it’s time,” Mary said.

I froze. Brainstorming a new novel was more appealing.

“Toss your head,” Mary said. “Roll your shoulders.”

“Okay.” I cringed.

“Look all around—the sky, the tower. Turn with it.”

And the click of the camera began. I had a fabulous time—being serious, silly, and just plain crazy. When we were finished, I realized I’d had fun. So totally unexpected.

So why should we writers periodically have new photos? Here are three reasons:

1. A new photo freshens and updates our online presence.
2. A new photo gives our business card and printed material a “now-time” look. Nothing is worse than a reader remarking how the writer didn’t look like her photo.
3. A new photo shows the publishing industry and readers that we care enough to invest in our career. 

Here is one of my new shots. 

How about a caption? 

Your name will be entered in a random drawing for an edit of the first five double-spaced pages of your manuscript.  

Tweet This: Fear of the Camera—Know Your Photographer

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. Library Journal presented her with a Best Books 2014: Genre Fiction award in the Christian Fiction category for Firewall.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers; a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association; International Thriller Writers, and the Faith, Hope, and Love chapter of Romance Writers of America. She is co-director of The Author Roadmap with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.

Don't Destroy Your Online Platform - 10 Things to Watch Out For!

by Edie Melson @Edie Melson 

Tweet This: 10 Ways you may be hurting your online platform - from #SocialMedia expert @EdieMelson 

For writers today, an online presence can mean the difference between success and failure. But if we’re not doing it right, we may be our own worst enemy. Today I want to share 10 ways you may be wrecking your social media presence.

1. You have an inconsistent social media presence—I’m not talking about taking weekends off, but on spending consistent time building your online presence. This includes showing up on Twitter and Facebook with reasonable regularity, and keeping a regular schedule for your blog posts.

2. You over-promote—The promotion I’m talking about is SELF promotion. Use Edie’s 5 to 1 rule—for every 5 social media updates, you’re allowed one additional update about yourself.

3. Your website doesn’t have social share buttons—I don’t know how much time I’ve spent on your sites looking for your twitter handle or trying to follow you on Facebook. Most people won’t spend more than three seconds. That’s not long.

4. You engage in Hashtag overload—Hashtags are great, and using them CORRECTLY can net you a lot of new followers. But correctly means no more than two per update. When you up your ante to three, the results begin to drop off.

5. You use auto-responders—Is there anyone out there who likes to talk to computers? Not me. Beyond that, we’re a pretty savvy group. We can tell an auto-respond message from a real one.

6. You’re obsessed with the numbers—Social Media growth takes time. Shortcuts bring more trouble than help. As long as you’re seeing growth, you’re doing well.

7. You don’t utilize a scheduling program—Personally I prefer Hootsuite. It keeps me visible online without having to spend hours a day tied to the Internet.

8. You’re guilty of hogging the stream—This means you post three or more updates in a row. You’ll find that behavior will encourage people to unfollow and unfriend you in droves. Spread out your updates and keep your connections happy.

9. You try out every new platform that appears—No one can do everything well. Focus your energy on Facebook and Twitter. With these two platforms you’ll hit almost 100% of your audience. After that, no more than one or two more. Focus, focus, focus.

10. You send out game invitations—This is a personal one for me. I used to get so many game requests I finally made it a hard and fast rule that I do NOT play games on Facebook. I’ll give anyone a pass for the first invitation you send, but after that, I will immediately unfollow anyone who sends me another one.

Tweet This: Don't hurt your online presence - 10 things to watch out for from @EdieMelson 

Now it’s your turn, what turns you off when it comes to social media? Is there something that leads you to immediately sever a connection? Share, so we can all see things from a different perspective.

A 12 Program for NOT Becoming a Successful Writer

  By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Tweet this:  A 12 Program for NOT Becoming a Successful Writer

We fiction writers chase our stories like toddlers on a sugar-high. I’m one of them. I can dream and plan and plot all day long. Yet sometimes I get sidetracked.

For writers who live and breathe their addiction but have a problem staying on task, I’m offering a twelve-step program call Story Chasers (SC). These are writers who want to be called authors but don’t want to do the work. If any of these descriptors fit you, consider your career choice. Writing fiction may not be for you.
 

1. Pacifier Writers
A pacifier is used to keep a baby from crying. In the instance of a writer, it’s whining about the publishing industry instead of writing better manuscripts.
 
2. Paint Writers
Don’t paint your world with illusions such as, “My mom says I’m the best writer in the state. I don’t need feedback.” If you want a realistic edit, ask someone other than a relative.
 
3. Passionless Writers
If a writer’s passion is not for her story idea, then a reader won’t be enthusiastic about it either. Develop ideas that keep you excited about the project.
 
4. Peacock Writers
Ouch. Pride stops us from success. It also brands us as unteachable. A humble writer learns the craft, develops a sense of the market, and is enthusiastic about edits.
 
5. Peanut Writers
George Washington Carver discovered 325 uses for the peanut. A peanut writer is one who writes everything from T-shirt sayings to theology books. We all have varied interests, and that’s commendable, but find your writing niche and stick with it.
 
6. Perspiration Writers
Some writers don’t like to sweat. If you’re not dripping over your manuscript, then you’re not writing a quality story. Writing is a contact sport: your mind engaged with your heart and fingers. Sweat. It’s good for the soul.
 
7. Pickle Writers
Weak writers are afraid to write themselves into a pickle. They don’t want the challenge of discovery, research, or unpredictable happenings. They also don’t sell their work.
 
8. Plumber Writers
Plumber writers flush all their work down the toilet and never seek publication. Need I say more? Find your confidence and reach your goals.

9. Plywood Writers
Plywood is flexible, inexpensive, easy to work with and reusable. But it’s very hard to bend perpendicular to the grain. A plywood writer is one who refuses to accept constructive criticism or change with the industry. In short a plywood writer insists upon writing her own way. 

10. Popcorn Writers
Popcorn writers are those who jump from one frying pan to another. They submit, are rejected, and submit again without looking at the manuscript for ways to improve it.

11. Potato Writers
Some writers don’t want to write for free. It’s beneath them. Small potatoes grow into big ones, and those nonpaying manuscripts build your resume. A writer always learns in the creative process.

12. Piranha writers Some writers will do anything to keep from writing. They like to swim through swift waters with published writers, but they have one excuse after another not to work. They never make deadlines - even self-imposed ones - because I doubt they have any. Piranha writers set themselves up to be devoured by the sharks who are swimming upstream.
 
If you’ve discovered a characteristic that slides you into a Story Chaser, now’s the time to change bad habits into good ones and begin the next bestseller.

How are you changing your writing habits?

Tweet this:  A 12 Program for NOT Becoming a Successful Writer


DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. Library Journal presented her with a Best Books 2014: Genre Fiction award in the Christian Fiction category for Firewall.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers; a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association; International Thriller Writers, and the Faith, Hope, and Love chapter of Romance Writers of America. She is co-director of The Author Roadmap with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.

Spending the Week Working on The Author Roadmap

This past weekend, DiAnn Mills and I were on faculty for Weekend with the Writers. Since it was held here in Greenville, SC, she and I are spending this week together, finishing up our book, The Author Roadmap.

Tweet This: Working hard on The Author Roadmap to help authors navigate #socialmedia & #marketing

We’re so excited about how it’s shaping up and all the wonderful things we’ll be able to share with you. 

We’ve been mining our own writing journeys, looking for things that would have helped us along the way.

Here are just a few extras you can expect when the book comes out:

• A clear guide to take you one step at a time as you navigate the social media and marketing aspect of being an author.
• Spreadsheets and timelines so you not only know what to do, but when to do it.
• Extra links within the book that lead to videos and screencasts to help everyone actually see what we’re talking about.

We’ve been brainstorming, taking pictures, and burning up our keyboards trying to make this a resource that will help you accomplish your writing dreams.

Edie Melson is the author of numerous books, as well as a freelance writer and editor. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands each month. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy. She’s also the Military Family Blogger at Guideposts. Com, Social Media Director for Southern Writers Magazine and the Senior Editor for NovelRocket.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Look for her newest book, While My Soldier Serves (Worthy Inspired), available at bookstores and online.