The Strong Witch Society

200 SHORTS

Authored by Salvatore Buttaci

Master of the Flash is back! In his new collection of 200 short-short stories, Salvatore Buttaci introduces us to characters hard to forget. In less than 1,000 words they tell stories of humor, hidden emotions, love, nostalgia, violence, time and space travel, and downright horror. The author's flashes appeal to all readers in search of a good read worth the purchase price. It won't be so easy putting this book down.

Go to our BUY NOW page at http://allthingsthatmatterpress.com

Just Tell the Story, Please by Marvin Wilson

In this post I’d like to discuss using restraint in your writing. A sure-fire indication of an immature, novice writer, is the tendency to overwrite; to use extremes way too often in the descriptions of what is happening as the plot moves along. Think of it as ... let’s use parenting as an analogy. You, the writer, are the parent, and your readers are the children.
If you are a parent who is quick to high emotion, easily excited, uses loud, harsh language and outrageous threats all the time to control your kids, well what happens, eventually, to your children? They become immune to the loud decibel levels, the constant haranguing, and all that … to the point where you have to hit them over the head with a frying pan to get them to sit up and pay attention.
If, on the other hand, you parent with controlled emotions, use an even, soft voice the vast majority of the time, and only threaten to exact punishment or disciplinary measures when the real intent is there and then follow through on your word, well … those children, when you raise your voice just a little, will sit up with perked ears and exclaim, “Wow! Better pay attention … Mom almost never uses that tone of voice.”
Get my drift? Here’s an example of unrestrained, loud writing …

~~~~~

John ran out the door as fast as he possibly could. Never in his whole entire life had he ever seen anything so horrible, so awful and terrifying. His blood pounded in his ears like it had never, ever, done so before as he raced with all his might down the street, demanding his legs to carry him away from the hideous scene as fast as they possibly could.

~~~~~

Trust me, I’ve edited books for freshman authors who shout out their prose just like that. So stop chuckling at my blatant overwriting over-exampling. (wink) And imagine an entire book where everyone and everything happening is the mostest, greatest, fastest, unbelievably this or that ever in the whole world or lifetime of the character. It makes you numb. There’s no room left to kick it up a notch, no gas left in the tank when you really need to accelerate your story, hmm?
Okay. Here’s the same passage, toned down, but still getting the point across.

~~~~~

John fled out the door. Never had he seen anything so terrifying. His blood pounded in his ears as he raced down the street, commanding his legs to top speed, distancing him from the hideous scene.

~~~~~

Much better, hmm? Did we miss any story? No. Do I have room left to up the intensity later? Yes. Remember, as you write, the old truism, “Less is more.” Leave room in your prose for acceleration and heightening of intensity when it is necessary, and keep your lead foot off the gas pedal when it isn’t.

Marvin D Wilson, multi-published author and editor with All Things That Matter Press, using the pen name “Professor Old Silly,” posts writing tutorials on his blog each Tuesday. The above tutorial is a re-post from the archives of his blog at: http://theoldsilly.com.

THE SHOCK OF LOVE

Authored by David Appelbaum

THE SHOCK of LOVE is a book about spirit.It is a book within a book. The book found
within is a manuscript entitled THE SHOCKof LOVE. It is purportedly written by Paolo
Cellini, Professor of Romance Languagesand a student of the era of the troubadours
and courtly love. Based on the idea of abook of the heart, current during that time,
it is divided into nine chapters that giveallegorical detail of the journey of love, a
love that completes the spirit in a person.There the reader follows the courtship, the
'alchemical' marriage, and the darkgestation before emerging transformed andcompleted. The outer book, the book thatencloses the found manuscript, tells thestory of Cellini as well as speculating onwhy it came to be written.

AUTHOR BLOGS-DO'S, DON'TS, TIPS

For authors, a blog, or two, can be an important marketing tool. It is a great way to build readership and to 'strut your stuff.' There are some do's and don'ts so here are a few tips.

Don't get into people's faces about your book. If your blog looks like an add people will avoid it like the plague.

Don't scatter your posts on a million topics. You can't be an expert in all areas and people will soon discover that you are just filling the pages to get attention.

Don't take on topics if you have no expertise or interest. readers don't like shallow writing.

Don't rant. You don't want to come off as crazy or weird, unless that is your marketing strategy.

Don't fill your blog with tons of adds-if you have any-be selective.

Do find a niche. As a writer, you must be passionate about something. If it is the topic of your book, that is great, so you'll want to post about issues that your book addresses. When appropriate you can insert a reference to your book. You can also write about the art of writing, How To's, and be a place to visit for guidance.

Don't allow open 'ID or anonymous' for comments. This is just me, but it opens the door to massive amounts of spammer messages. If someone has to put a real email address they are less likely to load you up with spam.

Do offer tips. People love free advice and like to hear what others think work or don't work.

Do be honest.

Do have Favorite Links and a Blog Roll. This is where you can link to your web site, your publisher, other authors and sites that might pertain to your topics.

Do write about things that are of real concern to you. It is okay to be passionate.

Do fill in the Labels or Tag section below your blog. These are what SEO's pick up on. BE SURE that your first sentence or two contains words that you use in these Labels or tags. Again, this is for SEO. BE SURE TO PUT YOUR NAME IN YOUR LABELS

Do make sure that you have enabled your blog with SHARE buttons (Twitter, FB, etc)

Do vary the nature of content. Find videos on YouTube that are germane and copy the html embedd code and post on your blog. Have guests blogs. Have some opinions, some straight facts, etc. Post Cinchcasts that are audio reports (Cinhcast.com).

Do make your links live so others just click and go to the link page.

Do post as often as you can.

TIPS FOR TOPICS:

Go to Google Insights and see what is trending and what is a hot topic. You can also see who and where there may be an interest in your topics.

See what is trending for topics on Twitter and Yahoo.

Ask others if they will share a gust blog with you on a periodic basis.

Set up a set of questions (say 10) and invite others to answer them. These can be author interviews, expert interviews, survivor interviews, etc.

Some sites allow and encourage a re-posting of their blog-wider exposure is good.

Search for articles-there are many sites that offer free articles on just about any topic.

The key is to write about things you care about. Be helpful, offer advice and tips, be honest and caring in your topics. Never defame another author or blogger. And, don't be concerned if you don't get tons of comments. People live busy lives and often will not comment on your blog. Post often and try to thank those who comment on your posts.

A ROWBOAT OUT OF SAND

Authored by Katie Rosa

Katie Rosa was ready and eager to start a family, so when the pregnancy test from the local pharmacy told her she was expecting a tiny tax deduction, she was thrilled. Since this was her first pregnancy, she had no reason to imagine that things might go terribly wrong.
Five months into her pregnancy, Katie was thrust into the scary unknown world of hospital maternity wards, high-risk doctor's offices, and the tedious life of the bedridden.
Through the course of her ordeal, Katie experienced times of overwhelming fear, moments of intense happiness, and learned that humor, family, and friends really do make the difference in a crisis.

Book marketing - The Proactive Author Wins