websites – Page 2 – Jean's Writing

Do you tell the truth and nothing but the truth?

Published on February 24, 2017April 15, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell19 Comments

As Sgt. Joe Friday admonished on Dragnet, “Just the facts, Ma’am…”

But where to stop?

I’ve researched different stuff for my book and I’m getting bogged down in the details.

Didn’t someone once say, “Don’t sweat the small stuff?” And some of this stuff is small. However, I don’t want a reader slamming me for a glaring mistake just because I didn’t do enough research.

Besides, I love research. I can get lost for hours hopping from website to website reading everything on a subject. And what do I end up with? Files, more files, notebooks and dozens of sticky notes of important information.

“Half a truth is often a great lie.” – Benjamin Franklin

Sometimes I get too technical, too filled with the mundane details forget the magic of writing.

So here’s to remembering the magic and sprinkling my story with enough half-truths that my readers are willing to suspend disbelief. Fingers crossed.

What do you think?

Are you a researcher?

Or do you write and let the facts fall where they may?

Do you think different genres call for varying degrees of research?

As usual, I’ve left some interesting reading at the bottom. See? I just love research. LOL

Leave me a comment – I love comments.

Please head over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or to connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can follow me on StumbleUpon, on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

Please stop by and say, “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

How Much Research Is Too Much?

Research: When and How Much? by Evan Marshall

Fiction Writer’s Guide: How much Research is too much?

How to Research a Novel: 7 Tips by: Chuck Sambuchino

Is it just me?

Published on December 17, 2015December 15, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell22 Comments

Am I the only person going nuts with all the pop-up boxes on websites and blogs?

Enough already! It’s as bad as dealing with 20 commercials every 10 minutes during a television show!

Come on as frustrating as that is, I’m used to it and avoid the dreaded avalanche by recording and fast forwarding through the commercials.

But I just thought TV commercials were the most frustrating sales pitch. Right up there next to the telemarketing phone calls during dinner.

That is, until someone invented the website pop-up box!

This trend needs to fade away and soon.

I hate clicking on a new website, only to have my screen blocked by a huge square wanting me to either, a) buy something or b) subscribe for a newsletter.

We all want more readers and followers. We all want people to like our blogs, and buy our books. However, I’m not sure startling visitors with a gotcha is the way to do it.

So what do you guys out in cyberspace think? I’m I off my rocker here? Do you mind the pop-ups?

Let’s talk. Tell me what you think. Convince me I’m wrong. Pull me over to the dark side. LOL

I concede some of my readers might want to add a pop up box and I do aim to please. So I hope the following video helps.

How to add a pop up box to any website.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9Q7hjJlfnk

Look for me on Twitter @jeancogdell and on Facebook at jean.cogdell! And don’t forget, pay it forward with a click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

7 Content Marketing Campaign Ideas That Will Generate More Leads

How to write Flash Fiction

Published on April 24, 2014 by Jean M. Cogdell3 Comments

I’m not an expert, but I love flash fiction. Love to read it and love to write it.

As with any story flash has the same three parts.

A beginning. Choose a moment in your character’s life that tells us a lot in a short amount of time. The plot must be simple. A hint of conflict and plot involvement is sometimes all it takes.

A middle. Be concise. Here is where you start cutting. Edit everything out of the story that isn’t vital to moving the story forward. Remove modifiers, such as “very,” “quite,” and “actually.” This is where you must plan every word and cut all “pretty purple” words.

An End. The story needs to be wrapped up in a nice package for the reader. Whether that package is five hundred words or two thousand words. Remember flash has but a hint of the depth within a short story or novel.

The rule to show, rather than tell, is especially important in flash fiction writing because your goal is to maximize the impact of each passage. Paint your characters and action with small, vivid scenes. Mike Resnick says, “Brevity is not just the soul of wit; it is damned hard work.”

Another way is to think of your flash piece as a thirty minute TV sitcom. You have but thirty minutes, make each second count. There is no room for scene building, you must introduce the main character to the reader, where they are, what’s happening and bring everything to a satisfactory conclusion in 1800 seconds.

There is little room for elaborate words, purple prose or run on sentences. The flash fiction piece needs to be concise, tight and as elusive as poetry in story form.

Quite the challenge.

Each ezine, magazine, anthology or contest has different rules and word count. Check and recheck those rules. The rules are important and word count will help you tighten the story.

Read, read, and read some more. Reading flash fiction will enable you to understand the craft. Next, write and submit somewhere to someone. This is the scary part for some of us. I get sweaty palms every time I hit that submit button. But as a friend once said to me, I already have a no. This time I might get a yes.

Then do it all over again, write and submit.

Since I’m no expert, I’ve put together a list of websites to help us all. Please click on the links above and below. Together maybe we can learn and enhance our flash fiction writing at the same time.

“I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”~ Pablo Picasso

Who writes flash fiction? Famous authors dead and alive…

NATIONAL FLASH FICTION DAY IS COMING!

21st June 2014

Stories in your Pocket Flash Fiction Chronicles Blog Accepting Flash Fiction Every Day Fiction Haunted Waters Press