#amwriting – Page 118 – Jean's Writing

Are you staying current?

Published on August 25, 2015August 24, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell7 Comments

What’s current in your genre?

Do you know?

Want to write YA?

Find out what they are reading and writing. Stay Young at Heart

A good place to start is WattPad.

One of my granddaughters, a writer of fanfiction, turned me on to Wattpad. There you can see what’s trending with the YA group, find contests and even test the waters, if you’re brave enough.

Are you writing murder and mayhem? Romance? Hot XXX? Or Children’s books?

So maybe you need to find out what is trending in those genres. A good place to start is with the best sellers list. Check out what everyone is saying about the top ten on Amazon, Goodreads and Barns & Noble.

I don’t have a crystal ball, and I’m not suggesting that you try to guess what the next big thing will be. However, I do believe it’s good to stay current.

For instance, LOL is now old school. Sigh, I was just getting used to using it. LOL RIP

Reading and writing are an important part of my life and I’m always looking for ways to improve. Staying current and reading good writing, no matter the genre never fails to help.

Do you think it’s important to know what everyone is reading?

How do you stay current?

How do you keep your writing from getting stale?

Let me know in the comments section and then share this post with your Facebook and Twitter friends.
If you’re not already, I’d be much obliged if you would follow me @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!

Do you know what to say?

Published on August 24, 2015August 23, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

How do you write a good bio without sounding like a politician?

As a woman who grew up in the South, I was instructed to be modest and not brag about myself. That boasting was vulgar.

So how in the hell can I write a good bio that will not seem either vulgar, boasting or worse come across as fake.

To make it worse each publication wants a different type of bio. Some want 50 words, others want to know everything about you. Sometimes the bio needs to be in first person, other times it needs to be written in third person. Sigh.

So I want to give a big shout out to Rachelle Gardner: Literary Agent, Editor & Publishing Coach, for her post on how to write a terrific bio.

No publishing credits?

You still need a bio and Rachel has suggestions to get you started.

Head over to her blog and read How to Write a Terrific Author Bio for some great tips. I don’t know about you, but I needed every one of them.

Please share my post with your Facebook and Twitter friends.

If you’re not already, I’d be much obliged if you would follow me @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!

Do you want to make a video?

Published on August 20, 2015August 17, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell3 Comments

Well, you’re in luck.

Read how you too can make a video.

Don’t let fear hold you back.

A while back, I made my first video for YouTube. In this video I shared the two programs I use for my videos. Everyone was so kind regarding the endeavor by this newbie.

Easy and simple are my motto.

But for those of you who would like to learn a lot more about making your own videos, check out the following post, and video, by Marlene Hielema.

I think you will find it very informative and helpful.

7 ways to create video content for your blog

Whichever method you choose, don’t let making a video for your blog, Facebook, or YouTube stress you out.

It may not always be easy, but make it fun. For those that missed my video, enjoy.

Please share my post with your Facebook and Twitter friends.
If you’re not already, I’d be much obliged if you would follow me @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!

In the comments section let me know if this helped and share your latest video. I’d love to see it!