Reblogged

How to understand keyword and blog ranking

Jean's Writing

Well, it’s the end of another year.

And as your reading to ring in 2018 you may want to see how your blog did during 2017.

First, do what I did, Check those  WordPress Stats. 

In 2016, I published 222 posts, with 16,046 views. In 2017, I published 172 posts with 14,636 views. Not too bad, considering, in 2017 I cut back my blogging to 3 times a week.

Understanding blog ranking, blog stats, and keywords can help improve your blog views.

There are lots of ways to check your blog stats and ranking. Websites that show which keywords work best for your posts.

Some of these tools I understand and some I are a bit over my head. But most of them are a big time suck. So bloggers, beware. Look, if your curious but don’t get mired in the muck. Or like me, you’ll end up with a big headache.

There…

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Should Your Story Use Prophecy?

A Writer's Path

by Stephanie O’Brien

In some stories, the plot’s resolution takes everyone by surprise. Nobody knew how the story would end, or how the outcome would be achieved. In others, the ending was a surprise to absolutely no one, because a prophecy had already spoiled the ending long before it could happen.

The downside to having a prophecy:

Having a prophecy about your plot or protagonist has one obvious drawback: it spoils the ending of the story, and removes much of the dramatic tension that you otherwise could have built.

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On The Necessity of Flawed Characters

A Writer's Path

by Mary Kate Pagano

I’ve gotten super into podcasts in this past year (file under #latetotheparty). Why? I think I thought they were all nonfictional musings on things. I didn’t realize there were a plethora of podcasts out there dissecting my favorite books and TV shows. Now I know, and I listen to them voraciously. And two things have come up recently on said podcasts I wanted to discuss, and relate back to writing.

In particular, flawed characters.

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5 Basic Tips on Staying Focused When Writing a Book – Guest Post…

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

hhe11o

To be able to work with sheer dedication, a writer needs the ability to fully concentrate and stay focused at all times. Maintaining your focus for sustained periods can be a difficult task to do. Psychologists suggest a powerful form of concentration for writers called ‘flow’. This refers to an individual fully engaging in the task they are doing. For a writer, ‘flowing’ concentration is essential to write pieces with utmost fluency.

Inability to concentrate can be fruitless, especially for a writer. In order to make each day productive, writers must employ these 5 basic tips to stay focused on work and exercise their minds for better concentration:

Stick to the Schedule

The type of schedule you keep doesn’t matter as long as it caters to your needs and helps dedicate time to your book on a regular basis. If you’re not experienced in writing projects, avoid scheduling as you…

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5 Reasons Fiction Writers should use Critique Circle

Sounds like a winner – check it out – I plan to! 🙂

Jed Herne: Writer

Critique Circle is a free website that helps writers get feedback on their stories. It also lets you critique other writers’ stories. To use the site, you need to create a (free) account.

I’ve used Critique Circle for my WIP novel, and a recent short story. Basically, I posted excerpts from these stories onto Critique Circle, and members of the site gave me feedback.

Editing is all about gaining objectivity so that you can see your story as it truly is. Software like Pro Writing Aid helps you gain objectivity, and Critique Circle also provides objectivity in bucketloads through allowing you to get feedback from other writers.

Here’s 5 reasons you should use Critique Circle:

1. Improves your editing skills

To submit a story to be critiqued, you first need to get ‘credits.’ You get credits by critiquing other writers’ stories. This is a great system, because it develops…

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Character Goals: the Key to Great Conflict

Writers – do your characters have clear goals?

Jed Herne: Writer

“Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.” – Kurt Vonnegut

Character motivation is the key to great stories. If you think about the stories you love, chances are they’re great because everyone in them has clear goals, dreams and desires. The clashes between these goals, dreams and desires creates conflict.

For example, in Game of Thrones, every character has a clear goal. These goals make each character seem more lifelike. They also give readers a reason to root for each of the characters, which is an impressive feat considering that each book in the series features 10+ point of view characters!

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