Tag: blogging

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Do You See What I See?

April 29, 2020-We’ve all seen those photos online that look like inkblots, and the question is always, “What do you see?” Of course, it’s all about perception. One person may look at the image and see a spider where another may look at it and see an angel. The point is perspective is essential, especially for authors.

Around here, we do our best to ensure that when we write, it’s from a different point of view. Let me explain; in my upcoming book King Midas, I tell the story from the perspective of King Midas’ barber. Why do I do that? Because in my opinion, it’s more interesting. The fable of King Midas has been told a thousand times before with a few differences here and there, but usually not many. I wanted to put a different spin on things and put my readers in a place where perhaps a well-known story is totally different than we thought it was.

One of the things that inspired me to write a different take on stories was something called twisted tales. A great example of this is an audiobook titled, As Old As Time, and it’s based on Beauty and the Beast. But instead of rehashing the same old story, the author decided to mix it up a bit. The premise is that Belle and the Beast are living happily ever after in the castle when one day, they find out that it was Belle’s mother who cursed the Beast. Wow! Talk about a totally different spin on a classic story that opens an entirely new can of worms! Writing from a different perspective can open up your writing and give you infinite new possibilities for your work. Here are some more examples to get your creativity flowing:

  • The Wizard of Oz-What if they had written from a perspective of Dorothy’s ruby slippers and how they saw the world through their own “eyes.”
  • Aladdin-What does the magic carpet have to say about the adventure, or how does Rajah the tiger see the events unfold?
  • The Jungle Book-What about the villain Shere Khan? How did he become a villain? Why does he see the world the way he does, and was he always that way? What events unfolded in his life made him so jaded?

You get the point. Every time you sit down to write, it’s crucial to choose a perspective that will entertain and allow your audience to see the world in a little bit of a different way. This helps open up the minds and hearts of your readers. Happy Writing, X LLB

 

 

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It’s Time for a Break…

December 24, 2018– We work extremely hard around here and as an author, you do too! I’m going to be honest and say that it’s the time of year where I am running on fumes and barely making it from day to day at the hectic pace I’ve been keeping for almost a year. It’s time for a break and here’s how I know that it’s time: (Let me know in the comments below how YOU know that it’s time for you to take a break)

  1. I’m not enjoying what I’m doing anymore. Yep, this is a sure sign that I need a break from working. I LOVE what I do, I appreciate the business that I’m in, and I love to work. I know that when I’m not loving things anymore and I’m struggling to get through my fifteen hour days, that it’s time for a break.
  2. I want to stay in bed. Ugh, my day usually begins anywhere from 5:00 am to 6:00 am depending on what I’ve got on my schedule. Usually, I jump out of bed and can’t wait to get my day started, but when I’m in need of a break, I find that I’m sleeping longer and hitting the snooze button on my alarm. My body and my brain are telling me that it’s time to rest.
  3. I have major writer’s block. Words usually flow like a faucet when I’m writing and when I’m working on something I love like blogging. When I’m out of steam, I find that the words are difficult to find, I can’t put words on paper, and it takes me forever to get anything done. The blog posts this week, for example, have taken me almost two weeks to complete. Usually, it takes me a week to write ALL of the blog posts for the MONTH.
  4. I’ve lost my motivation and avoid important tasks while focusing on useless projects. This is a huge sign that I’m in desperate need of respite. Yeah, I’ve got two books to write, four manuscripts to edit, three shows to get ready for, and task, after task, after task on my to-do list, but do you know what I’m going to do instead? I’m going to clean out a junk drawer that has been in the kitchen. GAHHHHHH!
  5. I get crabby, and the little things set me off. WHY IS THERE NO PERIOD HERE? I scream into a random manuscript on my desk. Whoa, take it easy, it’s not a big deal, it’s all going to be ok. When it’s time for a break from it all, the little things will drive me insane. Walk away from the desk and put down the pen for a while, my sanity depends on it.

So, with all being said, it’s time for me to rest, relax, and recuperate over the next few days so that I can be well rested for our big plans in 2019! From all of us at Pandamonium Publishing House, we wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas, and a Safe and Happy Holiday.

X LLB

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Where to Get Great Ideas…When Great Ideas Aren’t Coming

October 26, 2018– Content is hard to come by, for me anyways. I often wonder how many other bloggers have this problem, especially those who write daily. I blog three times a week, or twelve times a month and let me tell you, it can become difficult. I know it’s hard to think, but sometimes it feels as though we’ve run out of things to talk about. The truth is, there’s always something to talk about, and there are still lots new ideas for content, we just aren’t being creative enough, and we aren’t thinking outside of the box.

I hate rehashing the same old stuff over and over, so that’s why I try my absolute hardest to come up with new and exciting tips and topics! Here are a few of my personal tips about where to get great ideas:

  1. Shower. A lot. Seriously, some of my best ideas come to me when I’m standing there in the shower with the water beating down on me. Apparently, this is a thing, and there’s even science to support it! Brains give us our best ideas when a lot of dopamine is released, and dopamine is released by, you guessed it, taking a shower! Dopamine equals happiness and the next great idea.
  2. Subconscious. This is a true story; when I was in college, I remember doing some crazy math problem and no matter which way I tried it, I couldn’t figure out the formula. I finally said screw it and went to bed. I swear to you that when I woke up, I had the answer and the formula was as clear as day in my mind. Yep, to this day, I never go to bed without asking my subconscious a question and rarely does it not answer or work out a solution. Try it, it works!
  3. Study. Read everything you can get your hands on. The newspaper, magazines, online, books, tutorials, instruction manuals, and so on. Why? Because this alone will trigger an idea to write about. You can write about the time you were so blocked in your writing that you became desperate and read the instruction manual to your vintage VCR. But seriously, read it all. Especially stuff that is regularly out of your genre. That’s where some of my greatest ideas have come from.

There it is, my ideas for creating content. And remember, when you’re stuck, get unstuck by following the above tips.
X LLB

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As an Author, Are You Doing This Right?

October 10, 2018– Social media in this day and age is of the utmost importance when you’re self-employed. As authors, this includes us, because if we don’t have a proper, effective platform, how are we going to sell books, connect with readers, and participate in discussions?

Anyone who signs on with my company knows that I expect them to start building their social media platform BEFORE their book launches. This is because I want my authors to have a solid space to promote themselves where they can get readers excited about what’s to come. It’s never too early to start talking about your work and about what you do. Authors often question, ” My book doesn’t come out for another year and a half! Isn’t this too soon to start promoting it?” The answer. No. And here’s why it takes at LEAST EIGHT times of humans being exposed to the same message for them to even take NOTICE! Yep, that’s how much noise is coming at us every day and how much of that noise we filter out. So, it’s NEVER too early to start talking about your book.

But, Lacey! What do I post on social media if I don’t have a product? Easy.

  • Behind the scenes looks at your work
  • How you came up with the idea for your book/ inspiration behind it
  • A typical workday for you when writing
  • Sneak peek of the manuscript title
  • Any art sketches if applicable
  • What your goals are with writing
  • What books you’re currently reading
  • What books your book compares to
  • Why you became an author
  • Why your story matters
  • Contests
  • Giveaways
  • And everything else that relates to your book that you can possibly think of

So, here are some tips on building a solid social media presence.  You need to be on Facebook, preferably with business page, Instagram, Twitter, Amazon author profile, and you better have a blog or a website. Now, I know what you’re thinking, Ummm I don’t want to waste my life and time just posting to social media! Trust me, there are days when I want to detox the whole process of this craziness entirely out of my life, but I know how important it is so I don’t. Don’t worry, I got you, there’s a cool tool that can take away the stress!

  1. Hootsuite is a social media posting tool that allows you to schedule posts to Facebook business pages, Twitter, and Instagram. Get the app, it will change your life, I promise.
  2. Stick to a schedule. Figure out what you’re going to post about and when.
  3. Be consistent in your posts. Yes, I admit that sometimes I fall off the face of the social media world, but in a couple of days, I’m back in the saddle, and I ALWAYS answer questions and comments.
  4.  Hashtags. Know what they are, what they do, and use them effectively, ESPECIALLY on Instagram. Why? Because this helps more people find your posts, let’s them know what you have to say, and it leads to more followers.
  5. SEO. If you don’t know what this stands for, learn it immediately and start implementing it on your blog/website NOW.

At Pandamonium Publishing House, we teach this stuff. Drop me a line if you want in on the next custom course, pandapublishing8@gmail.com.

You can do this. It may seem like an impossible hurdle, especially if you’re not part of the generation that grew up with this stuff. It’s never too late to learn. And the more you learn, the more you earn.

X LLB

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So, You Want to be a Blogger?

September 10, 2018– Blogging is a blast! I absolutely love creating blog content for clients and for most, it’s an untapped market for writers to capitalize on!

Blogging is not only fun, but it’s also a great side gig for writers to get paid. Blogging helps us write about different topics and helps us flex our creative writing muscles and sometimes even our non-fiction muscles depending on the type of blog posts we write!

Now let’s say that you’re ready to start your OWN blog! What to write about is the biggest question. Here are some tips to help you get started.

  1. Take a trip to the store. Browse the magazine section and take note of all the types of magazines there are. Which topics interest you? Is it Cooking? Lifestyle? Gadgets/Technology? Parenting? Fashion? Finance? Sports? Home?
  2. Write what you like to read about. Simply put, if we like to read about it, it may be something easy for us to write about. For example, You enjoy reading gardening magazines, why not blog about this year’s crop of cherry tomatoes that you have growing in your backyard? You could blog about the challenges you faced with too much rain, or how you expertly got rid of bugs that threatened your fruit, with a natural insect repellent. You get the picture.
  3. Write about your hobbies or interests. Are you stuck on stamps from the early 1900’s? Do you like to knit things for kids? What about sports, are you into horseback riding? Do you love to travel around the world while staying in Air Bnb’s? Chances are if you’re interested in it, someone else in the world is too and would be intrigued to read about it from your perspective.
  4. What are you an expert in? Maybe you’re a contractor who specializes in custom horse barns, or perhaps you’re a classicly trained pastry chef who specializes in all things sweet, whatever you’re an expert in, is valuable to your readers! Write what you know and write what you’re the best at.

Happy Blogging! But before you go, make sure you subscribe to this blog!

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