Archive for April 2010

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:

Mon. April 12th: 65% off on Whisper of a Rose: Gold

Tue. April 13th: 60% off on Dawn’s Light

Wed. April 14th: 65% off on Green Moon

Thu. April 15th: 50% off on My Life Story

Fri. April 16th: 65% off on Super Granny 5

Sat. April 17th: 60% off on Lilly and Sasha: Curse of the Immortals

Sun. April 18th: 45% off on Diner Dash 5: Boom [Diner Dash 5 review]

The local newspaper had a tasty article about cookie balls. It tells the story of a teacher who received round sweet treats from a student. She couldn’t figure out what they were, but she knew the treats weren’t cake balls.

The article explains that the centers of cake balls include a mix of cake crumbs and icing. The cookie balls blend cream cheese and ground sandwich cookies (Oreos and Nutter Butter, for example). A clear cut definition, wouldn’t you say? Unlike cookie and cake balls, the boundaries between memoirs and autobiographies blur.

I could quote the definition of memoir from many dictionaries, but instead I will share Writer’s Digest‘s definition. WD editor Brian A. Klems explains the difference between memoir and autobiography.

An autobiography focuses on the chronology of the writer’s entire life while a memoir covers one specific aspect of the writer’s life.

Christina Katz commented that she needs to read more because so many great memoirs await. (She must’ve read my mind because after I drafted this post, she published a list of memoir recommendations.) So I started thinking about the memoirs I’ve read and couldn’t recall a single one until I checked my books read list [pdf] (thank goodness for the list and Goodreads). In reviewing the first part of the looonnnngggg list, most were essays, autobiographies or neither. Like WD says, Amazon does put memoirs and biographies together.

I can’t think of a memoir that focuses on one aspect of a person’s life.  Oh, wait! What about Henry Kisor’s What’s That Pig Outdoors?: A Memoir of Deafness? The book focuses on Kisor’s experiences as a person who is deaf. But he shares a variety of stages in his life. So does that count as a memoir? Autobiography?

Christina’s list includes Stephen King’s On Writing, which I’ve started reading. Like Kisor, the book revolves around one topic (can you guess?) throughout his life. So does that mean Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott qualifies as a memoir?

Sounds like I need an memoir education beyond the fabulous guest post from Linda Joy Myers. Bet many others want to know the same thing.

What are your favorite memoirs? Why? What do you think of the distinction between memoir and autobiography?

klatsch n. “A casual social gathering, usually for conversation.” Source: The Free Dictionary AKA A meryl.net blog post centered on a discussion topic.

I’m a BB-holic, a Bejeweled Blitz-holic. I couldn’t stop playing the game over winter break until I finally set a resolution to break free. I played one day in the first week of January and haven’t touched it since.

Well, Popcap Games — the company behind the addiction — has released a Bejeweled Blitz for Windows. You don’t have to be on Facebook to play it. You don’t have to be connected to the Internet to play it.

The Windows version offers:

• Full screen play.
• Ability to play without an Internet connection.
• More control over your screen size.
• More audio sound and effects.
• One million coins for “Blitz Boosts,” power ups and score-stimulating effects (must buy the game from Popcap to get the coins and use with Facebook Connect).
• 48 achievement badges to earn.
• Connect Facebook from the game’s main menu and play the game from the PC without having to open a Web browser. The game will publish high scores and star medals to your Facebook page when logged in Facebook.

You can download a free trial of Bejeweled Blitz, or buy the game.

You can do more with YouTube than posting videos of bloopers and sleepwalking dogs running into walls. Creating videos and uploading them to sites like YouTube and Vimeo provide writers with the opportunity to share expertise, promote a book and connect with others. Camera shy? You don’t have to be in the video. You have many possibilities with videos beyond being a talking head on camera!

Furthermore, YouTube has a lot of traffic. Alexa ranks it as #3 in traffic rank and comscore reports, “Six out of seven U.S. Internet users now view online video content in a month.” Verdict: Include video in your networking and marketing toolbox, writers.

Here are 30+ ways writers can benefit from creating videos and uploading them to YouTube and other video web sites.

Expertise

1. Show your public speaking skills by recording your presentations.

2. Share presentation slides. Apps like E.M. PowerPoint Video Converter can convert your PowerPoint slides into a video.

3. Interview experts related to your writing topic(s).

4. Create screencasts showing how to use a computer application, tool, web site (that’s not your product or service) — anything that is on your screen. Screencast by me.

5. Produce short videos of you providing tips related to your expertise.

6. Convert podcasts into videos to extend your reach. (Heck, turn them into blog posts, Facebook updates — get the idea?)

7. Join the conversation. Most video sites let you leave comments and good conversations happen there. No video production required.

YouTube Account Profile (Click to view larger)

Marketing and Promotion

8. Select a user name that reflects you and your brand. It’s OK if you already have an ID that doesn’t reflect your brand. See #9.

9. Edit your profile to include as much information as you can about you and your business. While you’re at it, review all your setups and options to make sure it’s what you want. Yes, upload a picture of you or your business logo.

10. Record customer testimonials to let them do the talking about your business. Easy to fake text testimonials. Videos — not so easy to fake.

11. Create a video that explains your business and services.

12. Create a trailer for your book or other products. Here is a book video from dear friend Cindy Ray, creator of The Stapler Caper. Another example: Witch Fire book trailer.

13. Put your video channel URL in your signature, in your social media profiles and on marketing collateral.

14.  Tweet your videos. Of course, don’t promote your stuff too often or in a row. Also, give people a reason to check out the video.  Ex: “Screencast: How to create Twitter lists.” Imagine the retweet (RT) possibilities.

15. Link to videos in Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media networks.

16. Show the results of a client using your product or service.

17. Record events — not just presentations — such as book signings, poetry slams and book readings, panel discussions and teaching. You can use these as edit pieces for other videos. Also, if you do multiple events, these videos can give people an idea of what you have to offer.

18. Introduce colleagues, if you don’t work alone.

19. Give people a tour of your office.

20. Hold a contest.

21. Add your company information in every video such as your name, company name, URL, phone number, Twitter ID and email address.

22. Add call-to-action overlays to your videos for potential web site traffic.

23. Create a channel to reflect your brand.

24. Connect with Facebook to share videos.

Customer Service

25. Create videos answering common questions you receive from clients. When someone asks a question, you can link to the video with the answer. Sometimes visuals do more than an email or a phone call can.

26. Create a podcast-style video of your videos for those unable to view videos.

27. Add captions / subtitles to reach those unable to hear your videos. (You’ll instantly have a fan in me!) Plus, add your video to 22frames, a web site that collects videos with captions or without spoken words.

28. Create how to videos for your products or services.

29. Embed videos on your web pages where appropriate.

30. Write a blog post where you can embed a related video for more support.

31. Create videos of solutions to common problems.

32. Post video of work in progress. Some writers do content for videos and other visual products.

How do you use videos in your writing business?

Some of you are probably hopping now that it’s April — the first half of the month we all love to dread. But those who celebrate Easter — I hope you take the time to block out taxes.

My son’s first grade teacher played a cute April Fool’s joke on the class. First, she wrote it was Monday, March 32, 2008. Then, she passed out 5th grade work. Man, I wish I saw the looks on those kids’ faces!

Brain food…

• Marketing Your First Book: 9 Tips for Authors: Better yet (on #1), get an audience before you write the book or think about it.
• Why reading your work aloud might be a mistake
• Dear Competitor: Keep faxing and snail mailing away!
• 23 Ways to a Better Feature Press Release: PRs aren’t just about a company’s latest news. Besides, who cares if ABC company won MNO prize?
• Top 10 (or 11) Writers’ Anthems of All Time: Stolen from Yahoo Music Everyone points to the music, but here are links to the lyrics. (I need lyrics to learn a song.)
  1. Every Day I Write The Book – Elvis Costello [Lyrics]
  2. Paperback Writer – Paul McCartney [Lyrics]
  3. Lady Writer – Dire Straits [Lyrics]
  4. Writer’s Minor Holiday – Calexico [Lyrics]
  5. Shadow Stabbing - Cake [Lyrics]
  6. Dancing In The Dark – Bruce Springsteen [Lyrics]
  7. When I Write The Book – Nick Lowe [Lyrics]
  8. There She Goes, My Beautiful World – Nick Cave [Lyrics]
  9. Wrapped Up In Books – Belle and Sebastian [Lyrics]
  10. Screenwriters Blues – Soul Coughing [Lyrics]

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Marshmallow Peep Art: They just never go away! Seriously, creative use of peeps especially the hilarious pole picture.
• 10 Coolest Decoration Stickers: Not just for kids anymore.
• VH1′s Greatest One Hit Wonders of the ’80s: Enjoy the ride back in the DeLorean However, some bands had legitimate second hits.
• 15 Things You Didn’t Know About the Simpsons: Typo in the infographic #9: “costumes” should be “customs.”
• Top 10 Time Travel Movies: I’m currently reading The Time Traveler’s Wife. Good stuff… dizzying good stuff.
• Geeky Pickup Line Contest:
  • Winner: “I wish I were your derivative so I could lie tangent to your curves.”
  • Runner up: “If I were an enzyme, I’d be DNA helicase so I could unzip your genes.”

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:

Mon. April 5th: 65% off on Empress of the Deep

Tue. April 6th: 65% off on My Kingdom for the Princess

Wed. April 7th: 100% off on Hidden Expedition: Devil’s Triangle

Thu. April 8th: 65% off on Mishap: An Accidental Haunting

Fri. April 9th: 65% off on Jane’s Realty 2

Sat. April 10th: 60% off on Unwell Mel

Sun. April 11th: 45% off on Alice’s Tea Cup Madness