Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
My first post on my new blog. I’m just getting started but stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
I’m trying to learn how to blog. This is my first attempt. I envision using this space for many things. Since I currently network with other writers I hope they will respond to my posts with ideas of their own. That way we can help each other.
I write historical novels and short stories and I would like to post more history at this site and then hyperlink to it from the ebook. That way I can include some background in the text of the book and additional background, for those interested, available via a hyperlink to the website.
Maybe I will use this site to list resources that have helped me and I believe will help others. Things like books on editing, setting up a blog, how to promote books on Amazon or Facebook.
I might write a series of articles on how to write historical fiction. It’s more difficult than general fiction because you have to do a lot of research and your story has to adhere to a timeline. I draw a timeline on a large sheet of paper and post the history to one side of it and then post the highlights of my story to the other side.
Another idea for this blog is to post my progress as a writer. I attend relevant seminars in the area, research topics on line, read helpful books on related topics. I read a lot and look at techniques other writers use and try to apply them to my work.
I have taught four courses in our area on ‘How to publish your work on Amazon for Free’ and will probably teach more. I can post the notes and techniques I discuss in the classes on this blog and students will be able to find them.
As I experience new techniques I can post them in this category. For example, after writing and publishing three novels and then editing and rewriting two of them, and writing and publishing three short stories, I came to this earth-shattering idea. When you finish writing your manuscript, go back and rewrite the first chapter (maybe the second, too). Why? Because you want the first chapter to be awesome. And you want to set the stage for the rest of the story, or at least, say something that gets the reader to continue reading.
Those are some ideas that are rolling around in my head as to what I may write about in the weeks and months ahead.
I retired a couple of years ago and took to writing as my new hobby. I’ve published three books and I’m working on #4. On this blog site I hope to share ideas and techniques with other writers and learn from their comments. If you know of a good book or video on the topic, or where to find them, please share it here.
Tom Raif, Author 