Fantastic overview of the year in publishing with opinions and statistics to back up facts. Also, a thoughtful look at the advantages and disadvantages of Mainstream Publishing vs. Self-Publishing. A real gem of a post. Thank you for writing and sharing!
Category Posts by Other Authors
The Real First Thanksgiving
As promised, the second instalment of Noelle Granger’s informative and entertaining posts about Thanksgiving. This time she’s she’s sharing her knowledge about the Pilgrims ‘ arrival and their First Thanksgiving.
Much has been written about the first Thanksgiving which took place at Plimoth Colony. Here is some information that is probably closer to the truth. As usual, click on the pictures.
The First Thanksgiving 1621, oil on canvas by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1899)
The voyage from Plymouth, England, had taken 65 days. Once the decision to settle on the shores of the harbor of what is now Plymouth, MA, the Pilgrims faced a daunting future:they had no houses, no stored goods, no knowledge of the country they faced, nor any knowledge of its inhabitants besides wild stories of cannibals. And the season was winter, harsh and cruel. A common house that had been built to house some of the Pilgrims burned on January 14, 1621, and those who had lived there had to return to the Mayflower for shelter.
Pilgrims going to church (1867) by George Henry…
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Growing Up Pilgrim
A riveting post on Plymouth, US, where blogging sister Noelle grew up. Just right for this time of year!
I love my home town and decided to take the opportunity of the upcoming holiday to tell you a little about it and also disenchant you of some of the first Thanksgiving myths. I grew up in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and was lucky enough to be indoctrinated into Pilgrim ways from a young age.
Don’t forget to click on the pictures to enlarge them!
Dressed as a Pilgrim girl, I walked in the Pilgrim Progress. These are held on the first four Fridays in August, and local citizens dress as Pilgrims re-creating their procession to church. The number of persons, and their sexes and ages have been matched to the small group of Pilgrims who survived the first winter in the New World. We marched up Leyden Street, to the clicks of tourists’ cameras.
Leyden Street was originally called First Street, and the Pilgrims began laying out the street before Christmas…
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A Witchcraft Tour of England
A well – researched and informative overview of witchcraft in England. Entertaining reading for All Hallows Eve…
England has a long and varied history of witchcraft. As a tradition stretching back centuries, it is hardly surprising that there are a great variety of places that abound with legends, stories and histories about witchcraft, witches, persecution and execution. When researching the topic for my novel ‘The Black Hours’, I came across lots of interesting stories and made a long list of places that I’d love to visit. Some of them I have been lucky enough to visit although I would like to visit again one day. In fact, what I’d really like to do is go on a witchcraft tour of England – spending time in all these places. All offer something interesting and informative; some are fun and have more to do with legend, myth and fairy tale than the brutal truth of the horror of the witch hunts; other places I have found to…
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“Writing: often it is the only thing between you and impossibility.”
nothing can save you except writing.
it keeps the walls from failing.
the hordes from closing in.
it blasts the darkness.This is exactly how I feel about writing.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful poem Michelle….
Writing
often it is the only
thing
between you and
impossibility.
no drink,
no woman’s love,
no wealth
can
match it.
nothing can save
you
except
writing.
it keeps the walls
from
failing.
the hordes from
closing in.
it blasts the
darkness.
writing is the
ultimate
psychiatrist,
the kindliest
god of all the
gods.
writing stalks
death.
it knows no
quit.
and writing
laughs
at itself,
at pain.
it is the last
expectation,
the last
explanation.
that’s
what it
is.
Charles Bukowski, “Writing.”
The Joy of Getting Book Reviews
This Post on writing reviews is so true.
Reviews are important for authors, but unfortunately the reading public isn’t used to interacting with authors by giving opinions and reviews. I say this because I know many readers who think writing reviews is something ‘other people’ or ‘experts’ do. Most readers have no idea their opinions as readers are so vital for authors. I didn’t realise myself until I started writing and self-publishing novels. Now, I hasten to add, I review (almost) everything I read, and even offer to review and beta read on Goodreads and my own webpage.
Readers’ reluctance to review is understandable. Traditionally, readers have not entered into correspondence with writers regarding their craft or their work, but online author platforms have changed all that. Contemporary writers (those traditionally published as well as Indie and self-published authors) are keen to hear their readers’ opinions. On the other hand, nowadays reviews are vital for marketing and sales purposes, too.
Our challenge as authors is:How can we convince readers to interact with authors by writing reviews and/or visiting our webpages etc.?
Any ideas?
Book reviews are helpful marketing tools for authors, but more importantly they give the author much needed feedback. They let the author know how readers feel about his or her books. Each time I publish a new book, I feel excitement about giving my book wings and letting it go out into the world, relief that I can take a breath and relax after months of hard work, and a bit of anxiety about readers’ reactions. I’m in the dark until the first reviews start coming in, and that can be a bit of a nail-biter situation. Will readers love it or hate it? Will they relate to the characters and the situations? Have I let them down in any way? Will they be hooked and have a hard time putting the book down, or will they be bored and stop reading? Will they want to read the next book?
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The Value of a Writer
Thank you, that was a wonderful post! We should never forget why we write. Thanks for reminding us.
While I wrote the following with “my writers” in mind, I hope you’ll see this message applicable to your heart too. Because even if one day my words grow silent, the meaning of what I say goes deeper than words. Enjoy!
***
Do not place your value as a writer in numbers of “likes” on a page, in numbers of sales in a statistic, in numbers of views on a blog, in numbers of stars on a review.
Your value comes from the heart of your message. Whether told through a tale of a fictional journey or through the facts of real life events, your worth comes from your story. You embody something valuable to say about a life worth living. It doesn’t matter if 10 million people or one person reads what your heart yearns to say because if one lost soul finds his/her way back to life because of your…
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Rereading Jane Eyre 