Archive for December 2009

Cradle of Rome is one of my all-time favorite match three games. I played it for days and hours trying to get the last trophy and finish the 100th level. I never reached either goal. Alas, I had to move on as games needed to be played and reviewed.

Of course, I am excited about the upcoming release of Cradle of Rome 2, which is due out in the spring of 2010. Here’s a preview from Awem Studio:

Awem also posts its developer’s diary for those wanting details.

Image credit: Mateusz Stachowski

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been brainstorming and reviewing my work and passions to see what I can do to take it up a notch in the next year. Unfortunately, the planning has turned out to be more of a struggle than a successful one. As much as I love working as a freelance writer, I feel like my passion went on a hiatus. I couldn’t get excited about anything. To wake up the passion, I started reading Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crush It. (Very quick, easy and powerful read.)

Seeking Creativity and Passion

While the book is motivating, I’m not sure where to go or what to do. I’m already passionate about social media (and most everyone else I know). But what product or service should I focus on? That was the problem. I’m lucky to be able to work on a diversity of assignments rather than in a niche. A lack of a niche can be a problem, too. A niche comes in handy for developing email courses, e-books and other products. It also helps people associate you with the niche, giving you a brand.

So I took  Julia Comeron’s — author of The Artist’s Way —  advice to do morning pages, which is writing three longhand pages of notes about any topic to kick-start creativity. I just started doing this activity, and she says it takes about 12 weeks for it to pay off. It’s suppose to help people who lack clear direction find something that’s exciting and challenging.

Reviewing Work and Making Changes

I had more success in reviewing the work I’ve done for the past year as well as look at where I spend my time including…

• Paid work.
• Non-paid work.
• Social networking time.
• Other time spent during working day.

After reviewing my time spent, I made the following changes:

• Dropped one non-profit board position as the meetings took too much time of my work day. But, I still volunteer for the organization where I have more control over when and how much I volunteer.
• Became a substitute on my tennis team rather than a regular player. The matches, especially those away from the home courts, took a lot of time. I still attend weekly team drills and benefit from the practice, socializing and fun that comes with the sport.
• Attended fewer weekly mah jongg games with other moms, some who also work. It gives me a break from the computer and lets me catch up with friends without cutting into evening family time or kids’ extracurricular activities.

I’m still evaluating the time I spend on social networking. This is my marketing tool. My way of keeping my name out there. My way of helping others. My way of sharing knowledge.

I enjoy working with all of the clients and projects I currently have. So I don’t need to let go of any. In the past, I have let go of clients because they were energy drainers. When a project makes me feel this way, I tend to procrastinate and avoid the project — something that’s not my nature. Many people fear dropping a client, but think how much more energy you’ll have that you can replace one negative assignment with two energizing ones.

Making Plans

Right now, I haven’t added anything new to my plate for next year. Rather, I’ll continue with my morning pages and evaluating social media. This blog will also take a greater focus on business for writers, which includes marketing, social media and anything not having to do with the act of writing and publishing. Lots of fabulous blogs and web sites already cover these in depth.

On the bright side, I did get things done to clear the cobwebs for the new year.

Meeting your needs comes first. What are you favorite topics to read here? Why do you come here? What do you want to see more of?

How do you plan for the new year?

The following games will be discounted next week on Game du Jour, the first ‘one-deal-a-day’ website dedicated to indie and casual games:

Sun. December 27th: 50% off on Kino One

Mon. December 28th: 43% off on The Cake Mania Mega-Pack

Tue. December 29th: 65% off on Build It! Miami Beach Resort

Wed. December 30th: 65% off on Escape the Museum 2

Thu. December 31st: 45% off on Hotel Dash: Suite Success [My review]

Fri. January 1st: 50% off on Super Collapse! Puzzle Gallery 5

Sat. January 2nd: 65% off on Natalie Brooks: Mystery at Hillcrest High

Anyone looking to finish the year off with a bang and lots of fun should head straight for Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove. This point-and-click game tells the story of four friends who are  graduate students filming their adventures only to run into trouble. The friends have disappeared and you find their movies dispersed throughout the captivating game.

In England, you run into a snowstorm where you come across an abandoned car with a video camera just outside of Dire Grove. Naturally, you can’t help but become curious and investigate the four friends’ claim that the legend of Dire Grove is real. While you won’t see a big leap between this one and Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, it takes on a whole new story that comes together nicely with a satisfying ending. I wasn’t too happy with the ending Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst. Return to Ravenhearst is good, but it’s not a stand-alone story like Dire Grove.

Some scenes require you to find items that appear in the list — like in hidden object games, but then you’ll be rewarded with something you need for your travels. One of the strengths of the series is that you can go any place you wish. The only time “order” matters is when you need to find something before you can move forward. You’ll see sparkles appear in scenes, which indicate you need to explore the area.

The setting goes far and wide, although it won’t look that way in the beginning. Then you discover openings to bigger areas as you explore and check everything possible. For the longest time, I made no progress because I had overlooked a barely noticeable door in one of the rooms. You may get stuck at times when you have everything and yet, can’t progress. Do not give up. Keep looking around and touching everything or ask for a hint. Sometimes you just miss a step. Hints are almost always available, but you’ll need to give the hint meter a few moments to refill.

I’m not a fan of horror films, so I can promise you that those who feel the same won’t have a problem with this one. The films only make up a part of the action and I’m grateful they came with closed-captions. When I first heard about the game and its use of video, I freaked because my experience has been that most things don’t come subtitled.

A couple of short phrases that didn’t have captions, but you can find out what was said with a little research. These little quotes aren’t detrimental to the story. Do pay attention to the videos because they give you clues that can help as does your casebook, which captures your notes of what you’ve seen. The film also has some jerky action, not too agreeable for this gal who gets dizzy easily.

Considering the Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove takes place in England, the actors also have a British accent adding to its authenticity. The whole production reels you in making you feel a part of the game. A Collector’s Edition is available, which offers bonus game play, challenge and achievement system, tracking down 50+ objects that change shape and a strategy guide.

Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove is a superb game that will entertain you for a full day, a wonderful way to spend a winter day huddled around the computer and staying warm even though the most of the scenes are frozen.

Image credit: getwired

Merry Christmas to all my friends who celebrate. Enjoy your time off and the spirit of the holiday. I hope that everyone takes at least one day off and do something that makes you happy.

Thank you for stopping by, reading and commenting. Thank you for connecting with me outside of this teeny place on the web. Thank you for being you.

Brain food…

• 91 Journalism Blogs and Websites You Will Love: No Kidding!
• The 10 Biggest Mistakes We Made So You Don’t Have To! Excellent, excellent advice.
• Top 10 Everything of 2009 from TIME: You know it’s the end of the year when the best of lists start popping up.
• 6 Unexpected Events That Can Take Over a Web Worker’s Life (and How to Deal With Them): I’ve been sick for the past three, a time when I needed to be well especially since the next two weeks are slow and a time to be with family.
• Ten Thousand Tweets Worth the Effort? I agree with conclusion, “I just want to say thank you to all the people I’ve met on Twitter and who put up with my endless stream of rants.” Thank *you*. [Link: Karen Swim]

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Christmas Lights: Guitar Hero style. Holy rockin’.
• Letters of Note: “Correspondence deserving of a wider audience.”
• Top 10 Geeky Christmas Decorations: May the force of Christmas be with you. Live long and celebrate.
• 12 Creepiest Children’s Books: OK, why is If You Give a Cat a Cupcake on there? Agree with Mommy, Why Is There a Server in the House (Published by Microsoft, heh.)
• 6 Animals That Show Mother Nature’s Sense of Humor
• Sketchy Santas: You’ll smile. I promise.

Image credit: Shlomit Wolf

Yee haw! (I’m a Texan, I can do that.) Happy to do another Middle Zone Musings “What I learned from…” project. This time, we share our favorite posts of 2009. I put this together based on what I thought were most valuable to you based on your feedback.

7 Traits of Bad Twitter Followers: The things to do if you hate Twitter.

50+ Writer Uses for Twitter: Who knew there were so many things you can do within 140 characters?

50+ Writers Uses for Facebook: Facebook can do more than connect you with friends and family.

Short, Powerful and Favorite Books: If you crave reading a book without a lot of time, these are the ones sure to fulfill your reading desires.

How to Join Twitter Chats: And videos to help. One of my favorite things to do… connect with intelligent individuals and participate in conversations without barriers.

How to Manage Your Time with Social Networks: Writing is a lonely business and it’s very easy to fall under the hypnotic trap of social media.

Twitter Success Means More Than Numbers: Stop asking, “How can I get more followers.” It defeats the purpose. I know plenty of folks with about 200 followers who are great tweeters.

40+ Writer Uses for LinkedIn: You can do more than just connect with people.

Watch What Your Blog, Post and Tweet Online: Many times I’ve thought about tweeting something and then I’d back off.

27 Most Used Applications in a Writing Business: I was surprised how well-received this one was. I guess we all like to peek into people’s work.

10 Commandments for Writers on Using Social Media: I had fun with this one. Wish I were inspired more often.

How Muscle Memory Affects Writing: I found some old English papers from college. Eww! It does show me I write faster and better thanks to years and years of practice. And I am still practicing!

Applying the Pomodoro Technique in Writing: This technique can range from simple to full-blown. What I like about it is that you can just focus on the 25-minute, break, 25-minute aspect. It works.

How to Create a Twitter Profile for Writers: A couple of tips that some of us experienced users may not think about.

The following games will be discounted next week on Game du Jour, the first ‘one-deal-a-day’ website dedicated to indie and casual games:

Sun. December 20th: 50% off on The Clockwork Man

Mon. December 21st: 45% off on Gemini Lost

Tue. December 22nd: 65% off on Nat Geo Adventure: Lost City of Z

Wed. December 23rd: 50% off on Little Shop – Memories

Thu. December 24th: 50% off on HdO Adventure: Secrets of the Vatican

Fri. December 25th: 65% off on Farm Frenzy 3

Sat. December 26th: 50% off on Zuma’s Revenge! – Adventure

Wanted: Missing Gingerbread Pal (click for story)

Ah… kids get out early today as we begin winter break. We don’t have anything planned except a couple of trips to Grandma’s in Fort Worth for the younger set. Maybe play some board games. 5th grader has to work on his science project. I imagine there will be movies and board games happening during the break. What about you?

Please vote for your top 25 books on writing.

Brain food…

• How to Track Freelance Job Leads Via Spreadsheet: Excellent and simple set up.
• Top 100 PR Websites and Resources Part 1: News websites, business, PR & marketing and social media [Link: Sarah Evans]
• Top 100 PR Websites and Resources Part 2: PR corporate sites, PR newsletters, news distribution, PR software and communication misc.
• 36 Twitter Tips for Book Publishers: “Tweet your way to successful title and author promotions.”
• Flashlight Worthy: “Handpicked books on hundreds of topics.” I could spend hours on this site.
• Reflections on, Takeaways from #eBookSummit: Guy LeCharles Gonazlez has done a lot of reporting from conferences and we stay-at-homers appreciate it.

And for fun because we’re allowed… FailBlog edition (most links from the I Can Has a Cheezeburger crew)

• Very Demotivational: When you need to get off your high horse.
• This is Photobomb: Where photojackers of the world unite.
• Autocomplete Me: “Feeling luck just got weirder.”
• Poorly Dressed: Note to self, stick with sweats and tees. Can’t go wrong… can you?
• 10 Real Houses Inspired by Cartoons: Simpsons, Flinstones, Hobbit…

Playfirst Original Games for $6.99. Expires December 21.

Save 50% on all downloadable Mac Games from PopCap.com

Five Cake Mania Games for $19.99.

10 Reflexive Games for $54.99.

Facebook has done a great job of attracting the masses including those who don’t do much social networking. For goodness sakes, my mother uses Facebook! That gives you a hint of Facebook’s enormous reach, one that you should capitalize on as a writer.

Whether you’re a published author or freelance writer, Facebook offers many opportunities to keep your name out there and connect you with prospective clients, agents, publishers and editors.

If you worry about how much you share online, don’t. If you need tips on this, read How Much Should You Reveal About Yourself Online at Web Worker Daily. Your time on Facebook counts as marketing. Yes, even when you play games. If you score high, your name shows up in the high scores list — which others will notice and remember you.

Facebook status updates

Now for the tips of what you can do with Facebook…

1. Read the Facebook rules.
2. Create a complete profile. Mention that you’re a writer so it appears in your “Education and Work” section of your profile and link to your web site and portfolio.
3. Set up your notifications. Review email notifications so you don’t miss out on any Facebook action. Facebook can let you know when someone wants to connect, leaves a comment on your wall, leaves a comment on another person’s wall where you also left a comment, etc. You can also receive notifications from Pages and Groups. (Settings are for all Pages and all Groups, rather than per Page or Group.) Some are too active, so you can set the notification to be once a week instead of daily.
4. Add applications to enhance your profile. NetworkedBlogs, for example, feeds your blog entries into your Facebook account. Selective Twitter Status lets you control which tweets you want on your Facebook updates. Remember many people who use Facebook don’t know anything about Twitter and they don’t care to. If you Twitter regularly, you can select which tweets show up in facebook by adding “#fb” to your Tweet.
5. Create a Facebook page related to your platform. I wish Facebook would drop the “fan” references because the connotation bothers many of us. But when you create a page focused on your platform’s topic such as “Technical Writing,” it’s less annoying than “Become a fan of Meryl K. Evans.” (That’s what shows up when you invite someone to join the page. Ick.)
6. Become a fan of writing-related Facebook pages. Search for pages with “writing” and other related keywords. Note that “Groups” and “Pages” are two different things.
7. Become a fan of pages related to your platform and topic.
8. Join writing-related groups. Facebook pages and groups are not the same thing. Search groups for “writing” and similar keywords.  Facebook explains, “Groups are meant to foster group discussion around a particular topic area while Pages allow entities such as public figures and organizations to broadcast information to their fans. Only the authorized representative of the entity can run a Page.”
9. Join groups related to your platform and topic.
10. Join Networks. These tend to connect colleges, schools and workplaces. These are limited and tend to require an email address for the network. For example, my local school district has a network. To join, you need to have an email address with the school district’s domain like john.doe@school.edu.
11. Post requests for experts and sources for a story.
12. Link to your stuff. This includes blog entries, stories, videos, newsletters, podcasts and more. Add a brief description about the story from the readers’ perspective. In other words, tell them what they gain from checking it out.
13. Share an interesting fact related to the topic you cover. Remember the platform!
14. Reply to other people’s status updates. This helps with networking and keeping your name out there. It also makes you accessible. Even just clicking “Like” instead of “Comment” is fine.
15. Link to interesting articles, comics and information related to your topic. That’s right — link to stuff to you didn’t write.
16. Ask for help. Yes, it’s OK to ask for help for things not related to a story. It builds relationships. When my husband got laid off, I mentioned I was helping him find a job. People responded with connections and useful resources.
17. Find guest bloggers.
18. Advertise your services. Facebook has targeted advertising.
19. Help others without expecting anything in return.
20. Discuss books. A friend asked for book recommendations and many of us swooped in with suggestions.
21. Discuss publishers.
22. Discuss agents and agencies.
23. Discuss self-publishing and digital publishing.
24. Discuss copyrights and other legal issues.
25. Discuss the business side of writing.
26. Discuss reputable and not so reputable sites.
27. Discuss grammar usage and language.
28. Discuss writer organizations.
29. Discuss the blurring lines between work and personal lives.
30. Stay connected. When I had surgery to repair a torn ligament in my hand, I couldn’t type much. I stayed connected through status updates. They don’t require much typing.
31. Tag people. If you mention someone in a note, video or a photo, tag ‘em. Connections, baby!
32. Report news. Your own or breaking news.
33. Visit connections’ sites and blogs. Facebook provides a good reminder. You see someone’s update and think, “Oh, yeah! I need to visit the web site.”
34. Post urgent queries. Twitter is also good for this, too. Again, not everyone is sold on Twitter.
35. Connect with other writers. We support each other. We meet on Facebook and other social networks for a friendly chat to fill the void.
36. Announce conference plans. This way you can try to set up meetings with others who will be there or live in the city where the conference occurs. Some people worry that posting this is an invitation to thieves. If you control who can see your content with Facebook’s privacy options, strangers won’t see this. Besides, you may not live alone.
37. Receive feedback on writing. Share your writings and people might respond with suggestions on how to make strengthen your piece.
38. Connect on other social networks. Mention your blog, social network IDs, etc. so you can connect with people outside of Facebook.
39. Search for gigs. You can create a new list titled “Gigs” or whatever and add contacts who provide job listings to this list.
40. Find local writers. It’s an opportunity to meet and find out about local writing-related events.
41. Find speakers for local events.
42. Ask about other locations. Planning to attend an event or researching a city for a story? Find people who live and breathe that locale for hot spots, secret places and more.
43. Look for local events. This could be under groups, pages or somewhere on Facebook.
44. Discover inspirational quotes.
45. Have fun! You deserve a break.
46. Play games. I love Bejeweled Blitz (BB) and Word Challenge. Beware, BB is addicting.
47. Post photos. Share your photos from conferences or places and things related a story you wrote.
48. Reach goals. Post your goals in your status updates to pressure yourself to meet them.
49. Kick start your day. Checking in Facebook boosts some folks.
50. Refresh your day. Feeling sluggish? Visit Facebook for a pick me up.

What else can you do with Facebook?

You might also like 40+ Writer Uses for LinkedIn, 50+ writer uses for Twitter and the other Twitter articles.