writing – Page 71 – Jean's Writing

Good Manners Require Thank Yous

Published on July 30, 2015July 16, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell15 Comments

So a big thank you goes out to Charles French for his kind recognition for sending the

Dragon’s Loyalty Award my way. Be sure and check out his blog Words Reading and Writing.

In the spirit of gratitude I want to thank a few more bloggers who have enriched my life with great stories, inspirational motivation and educational content.

Here Are The Rules For This Award:

* Display the award certificate on your website.

* Announce your win with a post, and link to whomever presented your award.

* Present 15 awards to deserving bloggers.

* Drop them a comment to tip them off after you’ve linked them in the post.

* Post 7 interesting things about yourself.

Me:

Love music of all types, but Country is my favorite
Love dancing
Back pain stops me from dancing as often as I’d like
I’ve lived in several states
Half of my family lives in France (I miss them)
The M in my name is my maiden name (McIntyre)
Visiting Scotland and Ireland is on my bucket list. (Reason #7)

Below are 15 deserving bloggers. I can’t thank them enough for their loyalty, their comments of encouragement and their posts that inform and enlighten my day.

Sarah at Mom Turned Mom
Cassie at MY ETCH-A-SKETCH LIFE
Viv at The Owl Lady Blog
Sheila at Cow Pasture Chronicles
Vanessa at Romance Done Write
Donna at Heron There & Everywhere
Kristina at Kristina Stanley.com
Christine at Before Sundown
Tracey at Finders Keepers
V Rose at Fire Fly’s Journal
Tamara at Orange Pond Connects
Kimberly at Kimberly Cooper Blog
Jo at Labyless
hsampson at The power of Quantum Thinking
jmpayer at J M Payer.com

I love comments, almost as much as I love clicks, so after you pass this on to your Facebook and Twitter pals remember to tell me what you think.
If you’re not already, please follow me @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!

Are ebooks here to stay?

Published on July 28, 2015July 16, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell2 Comments

I think ebooks are here to stay and one day self published ebooks will be available everywhere.

A while back I blogged about Self-e library service. [Post] As a followup I’m reblogging a post from Jane Friedman by Porter Anderson A Conversation With the SELF-e Team: Exploring Payment for Authors on July 14, 2015

This in-depth article explains a lot about the early stages of this program and its future.

Library Journal’s SELF-e Select is the curated collection of indie ebook submissions for the national library system.

I know this is not widely available yet, but I do envision Self-me or something very similar coming to our libraries in the future. Because ebooks are here to stay.

Do you want to write the right name?

Published on July 27, 2015July 12, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell2 Comments

Don’t know about y’all, but I struggle with names of all sorts.

Reading this article, by Roz Morris, was like a cool spring breeze showing up on a hot July Texas afternoon.

Too many times, as I begin to write, my character does not fit the name I’ve given them. And so begins the struggle. Same thing happens with towns, businesses, and places. As the entities come to life they begin to assert themselves and uncertainty works its way into my brain.

Did I choose the right name? Has their personality gone astray? Or does my writing just plain stink?

Ms. Morris suggested if unsure about a name, use a label until you are sure. Great idea!

Shakespeare wrote, A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. But does it?

She is right about the names we choose.

What’s in a name? Everything!

Click on the link below and head over to Nail Your Novel to read a terrific post.

Naming your characters and settings by Roz Morris

What to do after rejection

Published on July 24, 2015July 11, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell7 Comments

What to do when you receive those dreaded rejections?

Step 1: Squeeze those lemons in to a glass

Step 2: Add water and sugar, lots of sugar and make lemonade!

Step 3: Add vodka and ice

Last but not least: Get back on that horse and start writing

Next listen to Stefanie Flaxman, Editor-in-Chief brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform for some tips on the best way to proceed when getting those dreaded rejections.