Archive for the ‘Resources’ Category
Posted on October 7, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Writer’s Block? Check out this Horror Plot Generator
It’s often funny how I get ideas from the weirdest places. Last month at a writer’s meet-up, we were presented with some word lists to help foster our creativity for character types. Before I went to the meeting, I was having a terrible week. (I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about.) I was [...]
Posted on October 6, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
FTC Ruling for Endorsements and Testimonials
Hi folks,
There’s been a lot of chatter the past few days about the FTC’s “new” ruling regarding a website’s or blog’s disclosure about endorsements and testimonials. Unfortunately, there has also been a lot of misinformation circulating as well. I’d like to point out that as of October 5, 2009, the FTC hasn’t published the Guides [...]
Posted on August 24, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Do You Need Your Own Website? Read My New SFWA Article
If you’re an author or a professional freelancer who is weighing the pros and cons of having your own web presence, you might be interested in reading my new article over at the website of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.
Here’s a brief excerpt of the article:
The Pros and Cons of Having Your [...]
Posted on July 24, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
My Article for the SFWA about Personalization
Folks,
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America was kind enough to ask me to write an article about online marketing for their website. After mulling over what I wanted to talk about, I decided to contact a few authors I knew to ask them to weigh in on an aspect of online marketing called [...]
Posted on April 10, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Is Your Next Writing Project Worth the Trouble? Use the K.I.S.S. System and Find Out!
There are a lot of ways to communicate your point, but sometimes the simplest vocabulary and the shortest sentences offer the the biggest benefit. While every writer knows and understands that, what’s not so simple is our process for making decisions.
Enter the K.I.S.S. system, which stands for Keep It Simple Stupid. (The acronym can also be used to describe Keep It Short and Simple, too.)
Sounds easy enough, right? Well, the challenge for a lot of writers is this little thing called “the brain.” This spongy mass tends to get in the way of great writing because it’s easy to “over-think” your projects and what you’re working on. Having a strategy to write is one thing, but thinking about your writing so much that you end up either a) not writing or b) writing something you’re not happy about. Our writing ends up suffering because we feel obligated to write something rather than focus on something we want to write.
If you feel you’re over-rationalizing your projects, then read on because I’ve got good news for you. You can use the K.I.S.S. system to simplify your woes and get back to writing what you want to write. All you have to do is ask yourself these simple questions and limit your responses to one, two or three word answers.
Posted on February 24, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Lessons in Personal Branding: Day Two
Did you enjoy yesterday’s post where I introduced this week’s blog series on how to develop your personal brand as a writer? If you missed it, here’s the link: Lessons in Personal Branding for Writers: Day One.
Here are the next five tips in this series about nurturing your professional reputation and developing a professional brand:
6. [...]
Posted on February 2, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Resume Writing and the Resume Book Essential for Writers
Every day I not only read headlines about layoffs, but hear from peers, friends and people I greatly admire how they had just lost their job. Having been through some of these experiences myself, I’ve often turned to resume writing books, professional agencies and other resources to learn how to market myself on paper, which [...]
Posted on January 26, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
How Much Should You Get Paid to Blog?
Are you new to blogging? Do you know how much writers typically get paid per blog post? Back before blogging existed, most writers would get paid by the word. The higher the word count, the better pay a writer might receive, the more prestigious the publication. For example, publications with national distribution models might offer [...]
Posted on January 15, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
What Social Media Means to Me and My Writing
The term “social media” is something that has been used to capture social interaction on MySpace, Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook, etc.
Social media describes the online technologies and practices that people use to share opinions, insights, experiences, and perspectives. Social media can take many different forms, including text, images, audio, and video. These sites typically use [...]
Posted on December 24, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
Web Analytics Stats: Fact or Fiction?
2008 has been the year of web analytics. In the world of “Web 2.0,” we’ve read a literal flood of stats, analytics and reports. Articles written about everything from statistics in social media to website traffic and usage projections for 2009 and beyond. Stats, numbers and more stats everywhere. What do they mean? Should we [...]
Posted on December 17, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
My Predictions for the Economy and Freelancing in 2009
Every day we read more and more headlines. Layoffs. Record numbers of foreclosures. Bailout. Inflation. While many of these headlines come as no surprise to us, when the word “recession” turns into something that affects our shopping habits, we tend to feel the pinch on a more personal level. Economic recovery is not a “switch” [...]
Posted on August 26, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
Job hunting? Here’s a Search Engine you Can’t Live Without
Monster. HotJobs. Your local paper. Company websites. If you’re looking for a job, conventional wisdom almost always says that looking for work is a job in itself. With so many places to hunt for listings, job hunting isn’t always a quick-and-easy thing to do — especially if you start adding multiple websites to your list.
Enter [...]
Posted on August 13, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
How Search Engine Technology is Catching Plagiarists
Plagiarism, the very word strikes fear into the hearts of writers everywhere, forcing them to clutch their precious stories to their chests and never show them to a single, living soul. In ye olde days, there was no Google, no MSN, no Yahoo! There were simply two, little gems called “ethics” and “copyright.”
If you [...]
My Recent Releases
The Queen of Crows
Download THE QUEEN OF CROWS e-book at DriveThruHorror.com
Family Games: The 100 Best
Order through Amazon.comBuried Tales of Pinebox, TX
Available at Amazon.com
Available at DriveThruHorror.comCurrent Project
