Archive for September 2011

Ahh … rough week. Best I let y’all go adventuring through these links.

Brain food…

• Where to Find Free Market Listings. An alternative to the awesome Writer’s Market.
• The 12 Golden Rules of Great Conversations. Tips also apply to writing. For example: Instead of “That’s a huge burger!” use “That thing is a heart attack on a plate!”
• How to Kill the Facebook News Ticker. I use the AdBlock Plus extension in both Chrome and Firefox. It works! Put the two lines in two separate filters, not one.
• Read One Book a Week. Once you get rolling, you’ll keep going. Here are great books with fewer than 200 pages.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

Welcome to meryl’s notes blog (this here place you’re lookin’ at) in Plano, Texas. We’re honored to be a stop in Joanne Lewis and Amy Lewis Faircloth‘s WOW! Women On Writing Blog tour. We’re hosting a giveaway of a Kindle version of their book Wicked Good [affiliate]. Read on to see how you can win.

About the authors: It was a chilly day in Maine when Amy received the call from her sister, Joanne, “Wanna write a book together?” Amy said yes and the journey began.

Amy is the older sister who loves her two sons and nephew, dogs, volunteering at the Bangor Humane Society, running, hiking, snowshoeing, surfing the web, her brown poodle Teddy, Lola, writing, reading, cycling, going to bed early, spending time with her friends and family, being outdoors when it’s nice outside and indoors when it’s not,and editing Joanne’s writing. She is a pescatarian and a lawyer in Maine.

Joanne is the younger sister who loves her three nephews, her grey poodle Frisco, writing, hiking, snowshoeing, kayaking, cooking, traveling, Florence, Italy, anything to do with the Italian Renaissance, Michelangelo, spending time with her friends and family and being edited by Amy. She a vegetarian and a lawyer in Florida.

Two sisters, both attorneys; as sisters, Amy and Joanne have learned to play to each others strengths—an important lesson for any co-authors.

Two Attorneys Spill the FAQs by Joanne Lewis

Amy and I get asked all the time (FAQ#1) how did two sisters who live in different states and are both attorneys end up writing a book together? My best answer: It beats the heck out of me! Okay, that’s only partially tongue-in-cheek. I know how it happened.

I’m a novelist and I was looking to write another book. I was in my home in Florida and on the phone with my sister and without thinking asked: do you want to write a book together? She was frost-bitten from a long Maine winter and figured, why not? The hard part was actually writing it.

Get ready for the answer to FAQ #2: it took us three years.

Throughout this amazing journey from deciding to write a book together to publication, we have been asked many questions. I have compiled the top 10 FAQs. You already know 1 and 2. Here are the others.

FAQ #3. How did we actually write the book while living in different states? A lot of emails and telephone conversations. Wicked Good takes place in Maine and Massachusetts so one time when I visited her we took a road-trip to Salem and Gloucester where part of the novel takes place.

FAQs#4 and 5. Who came up with the story idea? and Did you alternate writing chapters? We developed the plot as we went along with a lot of trial and error. The mad scientist who wanted Rory’s DNA to cure cancer was thankfully stricken from the novel. The chase scene through the city forest was also mercifully cut. If we didn’t enjoy writing something we figured no one would enjoy reading it so that was a main indicator of needing to take the plot in a different direction.

As the plot moved forward and we came up with ideas we’d ask each other: do you want to write that? Typically, Amy wrote the mother-son scenes, capturing the emotion, and I filled in the rest. We also edited each other’s work, which leads me to FAQ#6: If you have a disagreement over something involving the book, who wins? My answer: Amy. Amy’s answer: Jo.

FAQ#7. Do you write books without the other? Yes, as to me. No, as to Amy. While I am not working as a lawyer, volunteering and writing the Wicked series, I am writing other novels on my own. When Amy is not working as a lawyer, volunteering and writing the Wicked series, she is playing with her dogs.

FAQ#8. How do you find the time to practice law and write novels? It’s not easy. That’s why Wicked Good took three years to write.

Are you writing another book together is FAQ #9? Yes. It’s called Wicked Wise. Rory is nineteen years old and about to graduate high school. We’re hoping to have it published in 2012. We are also planning on continuing the Wicked series where we follow Rory as he ages.

And the FAQ #10 is (drum roll, please): Did writing Wicked Good bring you both closer together? Absolutely!

Wicked Good is the story of a single mom raising an adopted Asperger’s Syndrome child. The adventure begins when Rory, the boy, decides to set off in search of his birth parents. The story is part mystery, part drama with a good dose humor and a bit of “witchy” history. In the end, mother and son discover more than just the origin of Rory’s birth — they discover the deep bond of love that they have with each other.

Comment and win: For a chance to win a Kindle copy of Wicked Good [affiliate], please leave a comment at least 50 words long about writing about parents or Asperger’s. You could share a favorite memory, an intriguing fact in your family history or even something witchy. You have until 11:59pm on October 4, 2011 to qualify for the drawing. The unbiased and robotic Random.org has the honor of picking the winner.

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Photo from sxc.hu user Spiders

Can’t believe fall arrived on time in the Dallas area after one of the hottest summers ever. Today is the first time I donned my sweater while working in the office. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about fall aside from changing leaves? For me, it’s candy corn. I know Halloween is over a month away, but somehow it’s become a bad habit for candy corn (and it must be a specific brand) to find its way into my house along with a few candy pumpkins.

Brain food …

• The Great Big (30+) List of iPhone Apps for Writers. Ooh. Saving this in case my next phone is an iPhone. BlackBerry still fighting … battery flipped out, but found a replacement and it’s still working.
• Blog Book Tour Providers. Blog tours are a great way to spread the word about your book without the cost of travel. You also get a search engine boost.
• What Is the Point of Writing a Book If You Have No Online Presence? Authors need to think platform and presence long before the book deal.
• Attitude Counts. This economy can bring anyone down because it keeps beating on us. It’s OK to be down, but don’t be out for too long. Take action.

For fun because we’re allowed …

• When Parents Text. How about “When kids new to texting text?” I hope I never land on this list. 10 Funniest Parent Texts from Oddee.
• 88 Ways to Make a Stranger Smile. Nothing lifts one’s spirits than making another smile just because …
• X-Men Restroom Sign.
• What It Would Look Like If Facebook Was Honest About Its New Changes.
• The past and the future of famous logos. So future logos will be boring, or turn into generic icons?

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

OK, so you can barely see us... but gotta have the traditional photo with Big Tex

The State Fair of Texas organizers have announced the winner of Big Tex Choice Awards — aka fried food wars. (Yes, the one with fried bubble gum, fried Coke, fried butter, etc.) It’s not a fried food contest, but rather a new and unique food competition for the fair’s concessionaires. One of the finalists is the Walking Taco, not a fried food item. However, that’s the only one I can recall in the history of the awards.

The Fried Food Nugget

Fair organizers knew that food was one of the top reasons fairgoers came to the fair. According to the State Fair website, Fletcher Corny Dogs debuted at the State Fair of Texas. “1942: Neil and Carl Fletcher come up with a new fast food product – corny dogs – which they offer to the public for the first time during the summer midway operation.”

In 2005, the fair organizers came up with a brilliant marketing idea to take its food theme to another level when it started the Big Tex Choice Awards. Thus, the fried food games was born. Eventually, the organizers added the slogan of “Fried Food Capital of Texas” leading people to associate the fair with fried food. The website even includes a map showing the location of the concessions for each fried food finalist and winner. (Some past food winners like fried cookie dough are available at the fair.)

No focus on the giant Ferris wheel, auto show, animals, shows or other attractions. It’s all about the fried food. The smart marketers found something that intrigued people and exploited it. Fried food became the magic nugget.

Using Nuggets to Write Stories

I write about many brands and models of cars for one client. At last count, I’ve written over 70. How many ways can you describe how fast a car goes from 0 to 60? Besides, when will you ever need to hit 60 mph in an instant? (I’d like to think most of you wouldn’t have a need to run away from cops.) In reality, this kind of info grips some buyers.

Nonetheless, I need more than just the magic number for hitting 60. The trick to writing a story about a car comes in finding the little nugget and creating a story around it. I study the car’s marketing materials ignoring luxury, comfort, sporty, safety references. Eventually, I find one word or phrase that stands out and capitalize on it.

This works great for coming up with articles and blog posts. You can look at past articles and find an idea or nugget that deserves its own article. How many articles have you seen touting the benefits of Twitter? Yet, they continue to come out daily with a different focus. Just look at the previous posts on Twitter. (8 Steps to Start Strong in Twitter and 5 Clues Affecting Twitter Follow back.)

Have you made the most out of a little nugget? How did you turn the nugget into a pot of gold?

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

My high school’s college fair — gathering of representatives from different colleges — looks pitiful compared to this week’s in Plano (a skip north of Dallas). Plano holds two nights of college nights at two of its three senior high schools in mid-September. Over 200 colleges come. We also went one last spring in Irving that was bigger. These give kids a great opportunity to meet many colleges and narrow their lists.

It’s best to start attending them in 10th grade because by the senior year, you should know where you want to apply because the application process mainly occurs in the fall of the senior year. Thank goodness we went to two of them last year. Now, we’ll be sure to go to at least two during our sons’ junior years. Maybe sneak one in 10th grade. It depends on many factors.

For example, our daughter wants to go to a school in the Northeast. Because of the Irving college fair, she found out about two schools that offer scholarships she can get based on her scores and grades that would bring down the costs. No, she’s not one of those who has a 4.0 GPA or super high SAT scores.

My older son wants to go to Texas A&M or TCU. But he’s 12. Of course, he could change his mind. When I was growing up, I wanted to go to A&M like my big brother did. I got accepted there, but ended up going to TCU for a year and finishing at American U in Washington, DC. What changed my mind was partly personal and partly the realization I needed a smaller school and a better chance of getting smaller classes.

Some kids know exactly where they want to go. In this case, the college fair is an opportunity to learn more about the schools and check out other options.

What was your experience in preparing for life after high school?

Brain food…

• If Things Aren’t Going Right, Try the Left! While focused on art, the advice can work for a lot of areas of our lives.
• 100+ Free HTML Email Templates. Wow. These are beautiful. They’ve also been tested in many of the most popular email apps.
• You’re Reading Too Fast. Better to read fast and get through more books, or to savor and absorb everything? I think it depends on book.
• Codecademy. If coding was this fun back when I took Javascript, Java, PHP, etc. classes, I might’ve been a coder today. Nahhh… like my writin’ biz.
• From Writer to Writer. Emily Suess asked writers — me included — to share their advice for handling rejection.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• To Boldly Go Where No Cookie Has Gone Before… Nom nom.
• You’re Mocking Me Aren’t You? Many faces of Buzz Lightyear.
• 10 Neatest Monopoly Boards. Three Monopoly games is enough. We have the original, kids’ version and the fancy one from Franklin Mint that we ordered years ago.
• Old Timey Star Wars. I love old timey pics.
• The Future According to Sci Fi Films. Better watch out… according to 2012 and I Am Legend, we’re facing the end of the world and zombies taking over next year.
• 100 Years of Fashion. 100 years, 100 seconds, catchy music and rockin’ dancin’.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

Image by mattknow

After seeing a few folks with #hashtag after #hashtag in their Twitter bios, I asked what people thought of that. Along the same lines, I tweeted, “‘I follow back’ in a twitter bio does the opposite of what is intended … at least for me. How about you?”

I don’t follow back because this tells me they’re about numbers not quality. OK … OK … I admit following back one person with “I follow back” in his bio because he posts great quotes worth sharing.

What folks say …

“I follow back” comments

AshDHart: “I follow back” generally = I don’t engage I just build up a collection of followers.

rachaelgk: Agreed, and, I DID follow you because of your tweet that you don’t. Haha.

Booklorn: It suggest the person has no discretion/standards in who they follow, so yeah, not a good thing to put in profile.

#hashtag abuse in bio or tweets comments

zerocattle: if it’s funny, great! If it’s clearly spamming, boooo! (to both cases)

mmonsen7: I try to keep my hashtags to 3 or less per tweet. Often, it’s just one. Looks better, I think.

ZBzacbrown: I think it’s sort of a rookie move and an attempt to make their handle associated with the hashes..advertising..

Aside from those who follow everyone back, users rely on a few visual clues to decide whether to follow someone.

Clues Affecting the Twitter Follow Back Decision

1. Avatar picture. Default or original? Person, logo or other image?
2. Bio. Info, length and format. Format refers to whether the person uses a bunch of keywords or #hashtags. (Unless done with a sense of humor.) You only have 165 characters for your bio. Yet, some people use few words that reveal nothing about themselves. “I follow back” usually gets no follow.
3. URL. Some folks are suspicious of those whose URL uses a URL shortener service like bit.ly, tinyurl or is.gd. Most legitimate URLs should be able to fit that you shouldn’t need a shortener. No URL is also no good even if you don’t have a website.
4. Stats. Tweets, follower, following and listed numbers. People look for unbalanced numbers unless you’re Ashton Kutcher or  Oprah. High numbers don’t necessarily mean the person is popular or a good tweeter. With all the automated tools available, it’s not hard to drive up your numbers.
5. Tweets. Is there a variety of tweets? Or do you see all quotes? (OK, I follow some who do nothing but quotes — there are exceptions.) All “Title of article or blog post” followed by same type of link URL? Do you see other Twitter user IDs mentioned like @merylkevans? Some people look like they’re talking to no one like a “whaling wall” (Credit: Robin Dickson) when they never mention anyone. A sign they’re not listening.

What clues do you look for when you decide whether to follow someone on Twitter? If you look for these traits, what do you consider for each?

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

Image credit: Web Treats Etc.

With a daughter in her senior year of high school, almost anything regarding college catches my attention. I caught a tweet about saving for college with a hashtag worth following. I sent a link to the Twitter hashtag to my husband so he could check it out.

“I have never followed twitter. Where would I set that up?”

I replied, “Can’t you see the search results without logging in?”

“I have never used twitter. How do I follow?”

[Insert proverbial jaw dropping moment here]

He’s never been into social media beyond the occasional Facebook friending and commenting. No, he’s not a Luddite — far from it. In fact, we met online the pre-Internet way through a bulletin board system (BBS). And his entire career has revolved around working in IT.

I loved his question because it revealed how someone someone new to Twitter thinks about the service. He obviously knew that following people was something you do in Twitter. But he didn’t know that it wasn’t the first thing he should do after signing up. He could, but people would unlikely follow back.

While there’s no right or wrong way to start using Twitter, you can take a few steps to make the most of it. For example, if you start following people before adding an avatar, you’re less likely to see people following you back. Having the default avatar has become an unconscious signal that the user isn’t serious about Twitter, and in some cases, could be a spammer.

Here are the steps I gave him for setting up his Twitter account (access these features in Settings — see image):

1. Make a list of names using his real name. Millions have already claimed Twitter IDs including @PaulEvans, which happens to be his name. Why a real name? It’s a connotation thing. His name is common, so it will take a few tries to find one that isn’t taken and consider the following guidelines:
• Avoid numbers. No one remembers them and spammers like them.
• Avoid punctuation like _ and -. While some favorite tweeters use them, it’s hard to tell what they are.
• Keep it as short as possible. Whatever your name is, it affects how much room others have in tweeting replies with your name.
2. Upload an avatar. A headshot photo of you works great.
   
3. Write bio. It’d take another post to describe an ideal bio. For most part, state who you are and what interests you. What kind of people do you want to connect with? If they do a search to find you, what words do you want them to use?
4. Enter location. I live in Plano, but I use “Plano, Texas, north of Dallas” to ensure people searching for “Texas” and “Dallas” find me. To abbreviate or not to abbreviate your state is a tough one. I opted not to because “Tx” is often “Thanks.”
5. Add a URL. Paul has a dilemma. He doesn’t have his own website. One option is to create an about.me type account that links to his LinkedIn, Facebook and other IDs. Another is to simply include his LinkedIn URL. There will be arguments for and against every option. Just avoid using a URL shortener service.
6. Change the background. Using one of Twitter’s background designs may not win over some folks. You can use a favorite photo or wallpaper. Make sure they don’t distract from the content. Many popular tweeters have plain backgrounds, so it doesn’t have to be fancy. Want to customize a background? Instead, search for “free twitter background” and use an online wizard to create one for starters. The downside is that the service will probably add its URL to your background.
7. Start tweeting. Yes, start tweeting before you start following. Some people won’t follow someone with no tweets as they want an idea of what kind of user you will be. Mix up the tweets by including links to great articles (Include the title, URL and an original comment), quotes, replies to other people’s tweets and tips in your area of expertise.
8. Follow … carefully. Don’t follow like crazy. If your Following number climbs way faster than your Followers,  people get suspicious.

You may have friends and colleagues already in twitter. If so, follow them and interact with them first.

What tips do you have for someone setting up an account in Twitter for the first time? What notes would you add or change in these eight steps?

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

Here’s my “where I was” September 11 story. Where were you?

• Can Pre-Paid Legal Services Help Freelancers? You may have seen ads for Pre-Paid Legal or know someone who told you about it. It turned me off especially because of its MLM setup. But take away the marketing and it’s a good service.
• Book Blogger Directory. A keeper for authors. Remember, don’t just email ‘em all asking to review your book. Target blogs that match your book’s ideal reader. [Link: Chapter and Voice]
• How to Focus in the Age of Distraction. Great mindmap. But I had a hard time focusing and trying to stick with one branch. I kept jumping over. =)
• Where to hang out at Google+ Hangouts. I haven’t joined one yet. Have you? What was your experience?
• Two great Twitter tools. Twitblock: Scans your followers for potential spammers following you. DoesFollow: Quick way to find out if someone is following you without sending a DM or scanning that person’s long list of followers.

For fun because we’re allowed…

• Pencil pictures. Very cool.
• Brandversations: When competitors invade each other’s logos. Love the artwork.
• 8 Retro Imaginary Advertisements for Modern. More beautiful artwork that combines old time advertising styles with modern day gadgets. Think old Coca-Cola ads meet Macbook.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

Ever watch Hoarders, the TV show? What about Clean House? One feeling keeps popping up from the people who live in these messy homes overflowing with stuff: overwhelmed. In a Clean House episode, the homeowner must’ve said “Overwhelmed” at least 10 times when asked how the home spiraled out of control and why didn’t she do something about it.

I understand the feeling. Not from a messiness perspective, but from a mental one. However, I’ve seen my sons’ closets turn into a mini-hoarder zone when they play their little games and mess up each other’s closets. I’d look at the mess feeling overwhelmed. If I were to clean them up (their mess, their job to clean it up), I wouldn’t know where to start because looking at it paralyzed me despite knowing you start by picking up the first item and putting where it needs to go.

The overwhelmed feeling can turn into anxiety and turn into a barrier for getting things done.

Think Day-tight Compartments

I’ve been a worrier since high school, if not before. When I heard about Dale Carnegie’s How to Stop Worrying and Start Living [affiliate], I read the book right around the time I started my first post-college job. Many of its concepts stuck with me for years especially the live in “day-tight compartments” advice. I’ve been applying it a lot lately.

Right before school started, I worried about whether one kid could handle an increased load and how we would manage a busier schedule on top of helping our oldest apply for college and planning a family milestone event.

STOP! Put the blinders on. Think day-tight compartments. OK, I didn’t do this as quickly as I should have. Eventually, I got there after school started and experienced the things that concerned me.

Focus on the Now

Yes, it’s hectic as expected. But instead of making myself crazy, I focus on the now. What do I need to do now? Relish what I am doing now.

Sometimes my mind wanders while watching TV during a workout that I lose track of the story. Stop, rewind, shut out unrelated stray thoughts and listen to the story.  Deal with stray thoughts later.

During night-time book reading, thoughts of things I need to do for work creep in. Wall up. I have a book to enjoy and I smile pleased with myself that I made time to read. Work will wait until morning. If I need to remember something, write it down and forget about it.

Work time arrives. Instead of I need to do this, this ‘n this — it’s, “What is the one thing I must do today?” (Zen Habits talks about this in detail.) I concentrate on making that happen as early in the day as possible. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t.

Notice the theme? Focusing on the present. Block everything else and address them when the time is right. It’s not 100% foolproof. At times, I’ll falter especially when too much comes my way in a short time.

When life overwhelms you, how do you handle it? How do you manage worries and things piling on? What advice would you give to worriers?

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Ah, it’s Labor Day weekend. I’m keeping this short so I can unplug. and I hope you do, too.

Brain food…

• Google + tips for freelancers. A couple of tips that you might not consider.
• 5 Time-Saving Tools to Add to Your Twitter Tool Belt. Ooh, a few interesting ones.
• The Monster Collection of Moleskin Tips, Tricks and Hacks. I never could make it a habit to use something like this, but I know a lot of people who love it — so here you go.
• Best Procrastination Tip Ever. Trying this by doing it as early in the day as possible and feel proud to move on with rest of my day.
• SEO Guide to Creating Viral Linkbait and Infographics. Mega-guide with valuable information.
• Bookboon. Download free ebooks including textbooks, business books and travel guides.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Creative Sign-Offs. Most of the time, I use “Best.”
• 15 Funniest LOLcats Ever. Cookie cat looks like Shrek‘s Puss in Boots when he does that pitiful look.
• 10 Products Discovered by Accident. Whoa! Play-Doh was supposed to clean wallpaper?
• How to Revise Your Work (& Awesome Editing Symbols You Should Know). Ha! I like “That’s a good idea, I’m stealing that!”
• How old is your globe? Looks like the family’s black globe is from 1949. It says “Copyright” on it, but no year.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans