Tag Archives: Writer Resources

Author, Author website, Sharon C. Williams

My website: Sharon C. Williams

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Coming up with content for a blog comes and goes. How often does one post? On what? How long should it be? How do you set up your site so it is pleasing to the reader? So many things to consider when creating and maintaining a website. I’ve been keeping a small notebook on topics I can write on during any given week. It is getting a little lengthy, but that’s okay. I probably won’t use all the ideas but it is nice to have backups.

What photos do you use? Are you sure they are not copyrighted? The videos can be also include in this. I try to use photos of my own, and I do recycle pictures. I try to be careful on what I place up here. When I use videos, the majority are created by me.

What do you decide to reveal? What is to much and what is to little? What sidebars do you use? What menus can you create that makes you shine? It all depends on what you are willing to share with the world. It took me a while to feel comfortable in having myself out there. But once my book was picked up, for it to do well, I had to make a big leap of faith.

I try to mix it up a bit between:

-My books and journey as a writer

-Talk about things that just interest me

-Cross promote with other writers

-And just recently, place book reviews on the site. I do have another website strictly for book reviews.

I been telling a few of my writer friends in town they need to get a blog and any other social media that they are comfortable with. They really aren’t listening. I been working on my social platform for a few years now, it took a lot of time. Oh my gosh it took a lot of time and energy to pull it up to where now it is just maintenance. Well until the next new big thing in social media comes out. I will decide then whether to learn it or not. But once you have it a working copy that you are happy with, the maintenance is minimal, at least for me it has been. It is worth the effort. It gives you a voice regardless of how many members you have.

This is my place and I welcome people in with a smile as they pull up a chair to chat.

Author, Literary Grant, Writing

Literary Grant

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Last Fall I applied for a literary grant and learned afterwards I’d won. The grant was open to everyone from the county. I was one of the seven who were rewarded with a grant. My thinking was, all they can say is no. Seriously that was the worse they could say to me was my thinking as I filled out the forms needed to apply. I received the check this week, 80% of it that is. Once I finish the project and show the council the receipts they will reimburse me for the remaining 20%.

But now I get to spend other people’s money without having to pay it back. That is amazing as I get to be a writer in a store of supplies where the only limits is one’s imagination.

What I included in my proposal:

-Membership in the SCBWI

-Membership in the NCWN

-Upgrade of my website

The physical aspect involved me getting a smart pen which I am so excited to purchase and receive. For someone who writes all their stories by hand and then retyping it, this is huge. It will save me the time and energy of having to type all over again. With the smart pen I will purchase just about every accessory that one can possible get.

For someone who has tried the Dragon program repeatedly this is gold. The more I tried to train the program the more it hung and paused basically thinking, “What the heck did she just say?” I talk fast and I mean fast. Plus my Northern and now Southern accent does not help. So the next best thing short of having someone sit here and type as I speak, is this pen.

This grant will help me move my career and brand forward with the contacts from the two organizations and being able to bring more of my stories to text. I plan to apply for more grants when time permits.

To the people who told me I was wasting my time and that I did not fit the requirements for it, I’m glad I didn’t listen. I’m glad I stuck to my guns and my mantra of, “All they can say is no.”

Editor, Freedom, Writer

Editor:Why I Need One

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I know there are tons and tons of links about why authors need to get an editor. Today’s post is why I need one. I am fortunate to have an amazing woman as my editor. She works tirelessly fixing my bunch of words to where they sparkle.  I will be perfectly honest. I am not a fan of commas. I don’t know where to put them with accuracy. I wrote once on my FB something along the line to how I was sure glad as punch that she knew where they went for I sure as hell did not. I don’t. Something so simple but if you do it wrong it will completely mess up a paragraph, page and eventually a chapter if you make enough mistakes.

I am not always sure when to make a chapter break. I get these right a good portion of the time but not always. Nancy will swoop in and leave in the margins where one should be and I am grateful for that.  There has been times I have not made any chapters at all. A great example of this was NaNoWriMo 2012 where I have 60k plus works but no chapters. I did separate them so it did not look like a hot mess. The sad part is I am still adding to this story I fear what it will look like when I am finally done and have to hand it over to her. I will do my best to separate it where it should be. I had gotten so wrapped up in this story, I wrote the required 50k words in two weeks.  I just wrote and wrote not caring about editing but about the words.

Nancy has spoiled me plan and simple. She lets me be an author without worrying about edits as I am writing down the latest story or MS. Knowing that about her I can be free and just work on my craft. I know a lot of editors heck majority of editors would probably kick me to the curb and say I need to find someone else. At which point I would have to man up and do a better job.

She has polished my query letter and my MS so well that publishing houses even in the rejection letters are saying how polish my work is in content, yeah me, and in edit which is yeah Nancy.  We make a good team. She allows me to write without worry about what I am going to do after. I am so grateful for her. I hope my fellow writers have a great person in their corner. It truly makes a huge difference in where I started to where I am at now.