Category: Am Writing

Old School or E-Reader

1/5/2019

I am old school when it comes to books. I like the feel of something tangible in my hand, the swoosh of paper as you turn a page and the smell, oh the smell of the ink melding with the paper. I could go on and on about being able to go to the book shelf to pick one of my favourites volumes to read. It's like having my own private library.

Let's face it, we are not all like me and I have to say, I am open to downloading and reading ebooks. It's a convenience I have come to appreciate when I can't decide which book I want to take on a trip and end up taking several just in case. The weight factor of several paper published books makes for an additional piece of luggage and the ultimate need to still decide which one will be read.

Enter the e-book phenom into my travelling life. I am able to take along ALL of my books if I want and have only to deal with under two pounds of weight and no extra luggage.

Of course, there is a need for some sort of electricity to keep the iPad happy, thus me happy. But in the case of not knowing if I will have a place to charge my 'reader', and yes, that happens, I carry small charging cells that fit easily into my iPad case.

I am not abandoning my books on the shelf. That is not going to happen. I am merely embracing modern technology.

The Quiet Spirits
Moon Rising: An Eclectic Collection of Works
From Our Home To Yours: Cookies
From Our Home To Yours: Cakes & Squares
Birds in my Canadian Back Yard

All of my books are available in e-book format.

How do you read your book, old school or e-reader?

Ann Edall-Robson
Author, Photographer, Lover of Life
"Capturing moments others may never get to experience."

#BuyingEbooks #TheQuietSpirits #MoonRising #FromOurHomeToYours #ImWriting #TheSmellOf Ink#BirdsInMyCanadianBackYard

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#Hashtag Advertising

3/31/2018

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It’s always a joy to receive an email from someone I follow that reaffirms my thoughts and practises. This week, I received a link to a blog providing a list of 180 hashtags for bloggers. Reading through the article, I discovered this was not just for bloggers, but for anyone wanting to be noticed on social media.

Hashtags have come a long way in their meaning and how they can help us advertise to get the word out there Following hashtags that are trending is made easier by lists compiled on social media platforms.

“But I don’t Tweet and I am not on a lot of social media. Why would I need to use #hashtags?”

You certainly don’t have to; however, the use of one #hashtag using your business name or product at the end of anything you post, is better than nothing.

Consider this. If you are working you’re butt off to get the books you've written noticed, you might want to end your blog, your twitter post or your FB post with a few hashtags like #BookMarketing #AmWritingFiction and maybe your latest book title #TheQuietSpirits.

If you only post on a specific day of the week, utilize the hashtags that direct people to the day along with a few highlighting the topic you are posting about - i.e. #MondayMorningBlogger #ThoughtsOnTuesday #WellnessWednesday #ThrowbackThursday #FunkyFoodFriday #SaturdayStomp and #SelflessSunday.

Selling specific products should include a #hashtag referencing direct to your business. If you do custom work include #CustomFiberArt. If your business is a service, use #CateringByXYZ or #RanchBandB or #AllNaturalSoap.

Instagram will tell you if the hashtags you are wanting to use is popular, has been used before, or this is the first time they’ve seen it.

Each time you type in a #hashtag on Instagram, there will be a number beside it. Try to find a happy medium with around 5000 uses (my preference). Under 100 uses is okay, if it is something you want to use and plan to use over and over again as part of your #hashtag program. If the hashtag you want to use shows up with a red line under it, that means it has never been used before. Try a variance of the words to see if you can get it to register. If you’re set on using it, just know that no one out there is doing a search for information that includes the word(s) the way you have written them.

Twitter is a little less forgiving in my opinion as their trending list will show up on the sidebar and is a rapid state of flux changing more often in a day than I care to speak on. Using any of the trending #hashtags will most definitely push you up the ranks.

Play with it, have fun with it, be creative. It is after all free and one of the easiest ways to promote yourself, your product and your business.

Some #hashtag samples from our Instagram and Facebook.

Ann Edall-Robson
Author, Photographer, Lover of Life
"Capturing moments others may never get to experience."

#AnnEdallRobson #TheQuietSpirits #MoonRising #FromWhereICome #CapturingMomentsOthersMayNeverGetToExperience

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Rough Writers world tour

2/19/2018

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Today is Family Day here in Alberta, Canada. A day designated to spend with our loved ones doing some kind of activity or simply enjoying the company of each other.

Along with my immediate family, I am happy to be spending some time with my extended family at the Carrot Ranch. I am the third of fourteen international bloggers participating in the Rough Writer Tour Around the World, as we introduce ourselves and The Congress of the Rough Writers Flash Fiction Anthology Vol 1.

My first attempt at the 99-words - no more, no less - Carrot Ranch flash fiction was egged on by the prompt from Lead Buckeroo, Charli Mills. I remember thinking this can’t be done. Not only did I need to pare away a lot, and I do mean a lot, of that story to reach the anticipated word count, there was a timeline to get it done. Arrrg! I managed, and so the addiction to the 99-word story was born.

I couldn’t wait to read the prompt for the next week and I soon learned, after a few weeks of participating, that the prompt would also take my mind to the thousands of pictures I have taken. Pairing my writing with my other love, photography became part of the weekly challenge for me.

The weeks turned into years, and I am still at it, although sometimes I have weeks when the brain and time do not meld. Thus, the 99-word prompt sits staring at me as the deadline rears its ugly head and gallops on without me. What I do love is the moments when the words just flow; and, how over the years it has become easy to often write my story with 99-word accuracy in the first draft.

Not knowing what I was getting into when I submitted my first piece to the Carrot Ranch, I have discovered over the years it continues to open my eyes to the wordsmith world, giving me further license to tighten my stories, remove unneeded words, and more importantly expand those 99-words into something more as is seen in the five stories found in the Anthology's Part 3: Expanded Flash. It is the section of the Anthology where 99-words became the fuel for my story, Crimson Sunset.

The Carrot Ranch has also given me the opportunity to experience the diversity of all of the other writers, from all over the world, who wander in through the gate to leave their thoughts, encouragement and of course, their stories.

My first visit to the Ranch took place shortly after the launch of Moon Rising: An Eclectic Collection of Works. It was an 'in limbo' time for me while I pondered the need to continue writing as I had been, short stories and poetry or dive into the world of novel writing. The latter eventually won out, and not only did I start one manuscript, I soon found I had three irons in the fire with other ideas flying around the brain wheel. The Quiet Spirits was the novel that got to the finish line first. The others are still under the banner of WIP and have now been joined by the sequel to The Quiet Spirits. In between, I continue to blog, write a monthly newsletter and have published the first of my Backyard Series - Birds in my Canadian Backyard.

Life is grand!

Being involved with the Rough Writer Tour Around the World, encouraged me to take a trip back in time, though my 99-word archives. I couldn’t remember what my first submission was to the Carrot Ranch, and what I found made me smile, nod my head and whisper, “Damn straight!”

I found it interesting how my first post at the Ranch has so much more meaning with the completion of The Congress of the Rough Writers Flash Fiction Anthology Vol. 1. The words I wrote, titled Ivor Oaks, fits the concept of the Carrot Ranch and Charli Mills’ vision to a tee. The prompt on that day in April 2015 - write a story about nurturing a neighbourly relationship.

Not once, did I imagine my early days of writing 99-words would eventually resonate with life at the Ranch, but they have. They are the epitome of what has happened over the years, driven by Charli’s dream for the Carrot Ranch to “provides words for people: stories to read, encouragement to practice craft and a commitment to creating community through literary art.”

I leave you with Ivor Oaks . . .

Ivor Oaks

The old schoolhouse located at the edge of the hamlet of Ivor Oaks was surrounded by oak trees and grain fields.

The windows in the building had been boarded up to protect the flawless six-square glass frames. The walls were solid and the roof had the look of a well loved patchwork quilt. The light from the open door revealed the smooth, well worn, original wooden floor.

Restoration funds had been procured. At the project’s completion, the Ivor Oaks Art and Cultural Retreat would be nurtured into a sanctuary for artisans to gather together to create and inspire.

Ann Edall-Robson
Author, Photographer, Lover of Life
"Capturing moments others may never get to experience."

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Old School or E-Reader

#Hashtag Advertising

Rough Writers world tour

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