Category: Blog Love

Z – Zzzz or the End

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle12 Comments

a-to-z-letters-zWhy does Z stand for sleep. I am getting quite sleepy right now just think about it. While I would love to take a break and get some sleep, but I can’t. I have way to much to do. To many things are coming up. Z also stands for the end, the final, the last. For my last post of the A to Z challenge, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite post from A to Z:

A – Avengers, Captain America and As I Am by Alex Cavanaugh – Come on, it’s a post about the Avengers. Nothing more needs to be said. 

B – Best Crying Scenes in a Movie at World of My Imagination – The Steel Magnolia and Pursuit of Happiness scenes get me every time.

C – Getting too Comfortable by BDevereaux – Don’t get to comfortable

D – Disaster Movies at Tossing it Out – Some of my favorites are on this list, Titanic, 2012, Poseidon Adventure

E – Energize Yourself to Write at World of My Imagination – How do you do it?

F – F is for Fear at Scribbling in the Storage Room – “The enemy of creativity.”

G – A Grown-up Kind of Pretty by Tasha Seegmiller – on my to read list

H – How to Be a Good House Guest at Laugh-Quotes.com – read before you visit someones house

I – I is for Imagination at Tasha’s Thinkings – Synonymous with being a writer

J – Joy at Spunk on a Stick – You can’t steal mine. 

K – K is for King at The View Outside – my favorite author

L – L is for The Lincoln Memorial by Lara Lacombe- my favorite monument in DC

M – Memento by Alex Cavanaugh – Also includes the sign up for Alex’s Best and Worst Movies Remakes Blogfest, which is coming up on May 17th.

N – Never-ending at Wrote by Rote – Is your love never ending?

O – Oxford Comma by Margo Kelly – All you need to know about the dreaded comma.

P – A-Z Geek (P): The Favorites by Lynda R. Young – Prince Bride, enough said.

Q – Querying at My First Book – You can’t read enough about how to query.

R – What Makes Us Right? at The Madlab Post – Fair Game illustrates the point well. 

S – Sigma at Tara Tyler Talk – Great tips on show. 

T – The Time Traveler’s Wife by Tasha Seegmiller – On my to read list

U – Unified Theory of Writing at Moody Writing – Do you agree? 

V – V is for Villain (Best Movie Villains of All Time) by Reese Ryan – Who are  your favorite villains? 

W – W is for The White House, the Washington Monument and the World War Memorials by Lara Lacombe – Have you been to DC? 

X – X is for Project X at Blogging from A to Z – I have a project X, do you? 

Y – Y is for Young Ladies of Substance at Pensuasion – Love Jo March from Little Women the best. 

Z – Z is for Zola at The View Outside – Have you read Emile Francois Zola?

Thank goodness, I finished the A to Z Challenge. How did you do? What were some of your favorite post? 

EM, Why Do You Blog?

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle6 Comments

Back in June of 2012, I found EM’s blog and we met during JuNoWriMo.  I interviewed her back in June and found out she is from England (my favorite country) and lives in a castle (so cool) and a few months later, she asked me to read one of her short stories (talented writer).  She is amazing. 

So, EM, why do you blog? 

Thank you Sydney for inviting me to guest post on your blog!

Sydney and I both started blogging on March 1st, 2012, and I’m thrilled to be part of her first blogiversary celebrations!

Today’s topic is “Why do you blog?”

I’m a writer. I have been writing Fantasy stories for 15 years, and I’ve been thinking about getting one of them published for about 3 years. When I researched how to do this, it was clear from the start Internet was an invaluable information tool. So at first I just used the writing resources I found online to improve my writing and to research the publishing process, without having an online presence myself.

Then I came across – and followed – a couple of writers’ blogs. If you want to check them out, here they are: Elizabeth May, Susan Dennard and Claire Legrand. Month after month, these ladies documented the writing journey that took them from unknown YA writers polishing a manuscript to successful traditionally published authors. About 18 months ago, I wrote them an email, telling them how I found their blogs inspiring.

And they replied. And they wished me good luck with my own writing journey.

That was when I realised I was missing out on something there. I had always thought I wouldn’t need an online presence before getting published (because honestly, who on earth would want to read a blog written by me?!). Then I read Are You There Blog? It’s Me, Writer by the amazing Kristen Lamb. In her book, Kristen explains how having a blog, when you’re a writer, is as necessary as writing your book itself. Because in this day and age, getting a book published, then read, implies networking with readers, publishers, agents, editors and other writers. And the best way to do this is via Internet.

So I launched my blog. I started a Facebook page. I got on Twitter. At first, I was shy, and obsessed with the quality of my blog content. And in many ways, I still am. But I have also built an amazing network of writerly friends, who have all contributed to making me a better writer, closer to publication than I could ever hope.

I always say my blog is a way of “paying it forward”. I’m still not published, so I have nothing to sell. But I’m hoping all the people who stop by my blog, read my posts and comment on them, follow my blog or my Twitter feed, find something useful there. I relay news from the publishing industry, recommend books I like, share my writing tips and interact with whoever is kind enough to follow me. I cheer other writers on. I promote their books. I discuss trends with book bloggers. I give away books I love.

So why do I blog? Because writing is a solitary business. Sometimes you have to remember there are awesome book lovers out there. And Internet is the best place to find them. 

http://www.elizabethmaywrites.com/

http://susandennard.com/blog-2/

http://claire-legrand.com/blog/

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ (Kristen Lamb’s blog)

http://emcastellan.com/

http://twitter.com/EMCastellan

http://www.facebook.com/EMCastellan

Mark, Why Do You Blog?

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle7 Comments

I meet Mark from The Phantom M-pire during the June session of IWSG, Let’s Open it Up to the Group. 

His comment, “Hi Sydney, You have a lot of great advice here already, so I won’t pretend that I can add anything that hasn’t already been said. I will say, though, that as far as my ‘in the zone’ experiences go, they’re a lot like yours. I do that quite often and, sometimes, it’s like having a fresh pair of eyes on the story. Best wishes and keep writing!

Humble, encouraging and supportive. What more could you ask for? So, Mark, Why do you blog? 

I’ve spent the past five or six days really thinking about that and the answer came to me, late at night, when I was finishing up a blog post on how I’ve been trying to grow tomatoes in a bucket, of all things.

Way back when……back when I first started discovering and reading blogs, I started to get enchanted with getting a glimpse into a total stranger’s life. Their ups and downs, good times and bad, all that stuff. Why this appealed to me so much, I really can’t say. It was like I was kind of/sort of having a conversation with a total stranger and they were sharing their deepest, most intimate, thoughts with me. Of course, most of the blogs I was reading/following were of the “mundane” (to most people) variety and included such topics as comic books, writing, day to day activities, etc.

The more blogs I began to read, though, the more I thought ‘Hey, I like to write. I could, probably, do something like this. I had these thoughts of people coming across my blog and thinking ‘Wow, this guy is pretty neat!’ or something like that. A bit how I thought when I came across a cool blog. So, I set up a quick and easy blog on Blogger, because it looked to be the most ‘user friendly’, at the time….and went to work.

Then I realized that, while I thought I was a pretty neat person, I wasn’t necessarily all that interesting. I mean, I live a pretty normal life. I don’t cliff dive, jump out of planes, live in a cabin in the mountains, draw pictures for a living…..nothing like that. After a while, I resigned myself to the fact that I really didn’t have much of interest to “blog” about, so I stuck to just being a viewer. My blog went to the mothballs.

It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I decided that I really wanted to be a writer. I’ve always loved writing and drawing as well as just creating things…..I figured writing would be where my greatest strengths lie.

I took part in National Novel Writing Month in 2011 and, actually, completed a novel…well, I mean, as far as getting 50K words down. I’m still working on the story so, maybe someday I’ll write an ending to it. Anyway, participating in NaNo brought me in touch with a ton of writers….many of them had…you guessed it….blogs.

Still a fan of reading blogs, I checked many of them out and, again, thought…’Hey, I could do this.’ So, that’s what I started to do….again. The main difference being, I was doing it for the exercise of writing….not because I was trying to be interesting or a neat-o type person.

I’ve had a few people say that they thought I was pretty neat and, honestly, that feels great. I am still a huge fan of reading/following blogs and still love glimpses into total stranger’s lives. I also hope people think the same thing when they visit my little corners of the blogosphere.

If they don’t, though, it’s o.k. My writing and my blogging is for me…for my writing exercise and to help hone my skills as a writer.

So, long story longer…..I blog because it’s a great writing exercise, it’s fun, and best of all, I’ve met a ton of great people along the way.

Thanks again, Sydney and happy one year anniversary in the blogosphere!

Misha, Why Do You Blog?

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle22 Comments

I have know Mish from My First Book  for quite awhile. She interviewed me on July 24, 2012 and her first comment on my blog was on September 18, 2012 in response to the Genre Favorites Blogfest (A Ninja Captain Alex creation).   

“I used to LOVE James Patterson, but it now feels like he just churns out stories without caring about quality. I mean, he never even writes his books any more. :-/”

So, Misha, why do you blog?

When Sydney asked me to write a post on this topic, I was sort of stumped. Not because I don’t have a reason for blogging, but because I have so many motivations for blogging that it’s difficult to pick one.

Basically, I started blogging because writing book after writing book highlighted the importance of building a platform. Easy, I’d thought. It wasn’t.

Blogging is actually very hard work, if you want to build a big following. And the bigger it becomes, the more work you have. So although having a following might one day be useful when I have a book to sell, it’s not really the reason why I blog. If it was, I’d have given up years ago.

No. Now that I’m actually writing this, I realize that most of the reasons why I blog comes down to one. You. Yes. You. The wonderful person reading this.

By writing something on my blog or someone else’s, I’m gifted with a wonderful opportunity to touch your life. If you comment, you get to touch mine in return.

I find that to be a wonderful experience. You advise me, guide me, sometimes you just listen to me or even commiserate with me. All that you require is that I do the same for you.

If you think about it, blogging is actually a profound experience. One we take for granted sometimes, but amazing all the same.

And I’m honored to be part of such an amazing online community.

Why do you blog? 

Alex, Why Do You Blog?

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle48 Comments
While I was made aware of a presence on the Internet known as the Ninja Captain during last years A to Z Challenge, I felt privilege to have his words grace my blog on May 2, 2012.  Alex commented on a post I wrote during my first month as a member of the IWSG, Distracted, Again. 
His words of wisdom: “Certain movies will distract me, although I’ve gotten good at writing with the TV. And music playing. Yes, I really know how to create a peaceful writing environment!
Thanks for posting for the IWSG today.”
And, he has been a solid resource, support and source of entertainment ever since.  
So, Ninja Captain Alex, why do you blog? 

Why I blog has changed over the years. The transformation is probably just as interesting as the end result. Life isn’t so much about the destination as the journey.

I began blogging to build an author platform. When I signed the contract for my first book, CassaStar, I wasn’t even online. I had no interest in social networking. However, my publisher told me in no uncertain terms that I was to get my butt online, and I opted to start a blog.

It took a while to understand the connection part. I figured that since I was a science fiction writer, I needed to follow a lot of science fiction blogs and I’d be set. Sadly, most weren’t interested in a not-yet-published science fiction author who didn’t seem to know what to blog about.

It wasn’t until the very first A to Z Challenge in 2010 that I began to understand how to connect with other bloggers. It was then that I found my groove. Now, a lot of writers and authors post on their genre or on writing. Science fiction alone just wasn’t enough for me and I guarantee no one wanted my writing tips. (Believe me, you still don’t want my writing tips!) However, I could talk about my favorite subjects, which included movies, music, tech, and geek stuff. I’d found my groove and I was off and running.

By the time the second A to Z Challenge hit though, that began to change. My topic that year was blogger buddies that corresponded with each letter. I had fun featuring my friends. After the support from everyone when CassaStar was released, it felt good to give back to the community.

That eventually led to the Ninja News and the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. It wasn’t about me anymore – it was about my friends. And as I amassed even more followers, I realized that I could make a huge difference in the community. With a Ninja Army of 1800, I can really make an impact.

CassaStorm by Alex J CavanaughWhich brings me to why I still blog today. Yes, I do have another book coming out this fall, CassaStorm. I never planned to write more than one book, but spurred by the success of the first and second (CassaFire) I’ve continued writing. And blogging.

But that’s not why I’m here.

My blogger buddies are the reason I blog. Every accomplishment, success, and struggle of theirs that I can share means a lot to me. I know what it’s like to wonder if anyone truly hears me and even cares. If I can shine a light on someone who needs it, then that matters more than all the book sales in the world.

Why do I blog? To give back to the community.

Why do you blog?

Alex J. Cavanaugh

http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh  

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. The author of the Amazon bestsellers, CassaStar and CassaFire, his third book, CassaStorm, will be released September 17, 2013.