Avoiding the Passive Voice
Oct 29I started to title this, Passive Voice, why it should be avoided, but that’s just a bit much, don’t you think? It’s not a half-bad example of passive voice though. In short, passive voice is when the subject is not doing the action. Above, “it” isn’t avoiding anything, right? Here are some more examples of the passive voice, as well as better ways to write...
Using Lulu to Self-Publish
Oct 28I ran across an interesting blog tonight, which covers self-publishing through Lulu. I’ve linked to her most recent post, but I’d recommend exploring the site further. She gives some good tips and insights into how Lulu works and what some of the pitfalls are. I know a lot of us will have a novel rough draft in a month or so, and if print-on-demand is what you’re thinking of,...
Writing Inspiration
Oct 27Just in case you’re feeling a little less than inspired, here are some links to get the creativity going, help with your writing style and give you a chuckle. Enjoy! Dreams as Inspiration for Writing This one really speaks to me since the idea seed of this year’s novel came to me on the verge of sleep. Has that ever happened to you? Writing Inspiration, or Sex on a Bicycle You...
Quick Poll
Oct 25For all the bloggers who are doing National Novel Writing Month, I’m curious about how you’re preparing for it. I’m posting this quiz here and on the NaNo forums, and I’ll post the answers here as well. The poll… Will you continue to blog during NaNo? Will you try to keep your normal posting schedule/frequency? Are you writing any posts ahead of time to use in...
Using Blog Search to find Ideas and Build Readership
Oct 24If you haven’t tried it out yet, then give Google’s Blog Search a try. Type in keywords that relate to a topic you’re interested in, and you can see what’s being talked about in blogs on the subject. If you’re looking for others in your blogging niche, then type in keywords that describe your blog. You can also try the search terms that are used most often by people...