WELCOME… WELCOME… WELCOME…! TO ANOTHER EPISODE OF PATTY’S POST PICKS!
Hi everyone. I hope this posting finds you doing wonderful during this sizzling summer like WordPress Wednesday.
I tell you; I don’t think I’ve ever had such grand content to choose from before. We’ve got old favorite bloggers and new folks you’ve never seen. So, grab a cool drink or if you’re starting to feel the chill of the southern hemisphere a warm brew, settle back cause I’ve got a blogging treasure trove for you!
NEWCOMERS…
I’d like to open this week with someone I ran into quite by accident earlier today. I used to read her blog all the time but somehow over the years I lost track of her so for me finding her today whilst scrolling through blogs was a FAB way to begin my day.
Thanks to The Story Reading Ape for leading me to my long-lost fellow blogger.
If you’re a writer of short stories, this is a post you don’t want to miss. Since I’m trying to learn to write better short pieces, this was quite helpful to me.
How to Keep Your Short Story Short
Appears to be: Couch. Appears to say: How to Keep Your Short
Story Short
www.Fiction-University.com
By Rayne Hall, @RayneHall
Part of the Focus on Short Fiction Series
JH: If you’re used to writing novels, switching to short fiction can be rough. Rayne Hall shares tips on how to keep your word count down.
Shorter stories are quicker to write. This means, you can produce more stories, and multiply your chances of getting them accepted for publication. But stories often expand as we write them, trying to grow into novels, demanding more and more words. How can you keep your short story short?
Keep reading for the answer here
Next up we’ve an old blogger friend but she’s coming from a blog that’s new to us.
I stumbled on Story Empire a few weeks back and liked what they had to offer so much I decided following them might be a great idea. Turns out my blogger intuition was spot on because today I found someone, I’ve followed for some time blogging there.
If you’ve always wondered where you got some talent or another from here’s your chance to read about another’s thoughts on the subject.
 | Can The Writing Gene Be Passed Down Through DNA?by Jan Sikes |
Hello, SE’ers! This is Jan Sikes, and I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to post my first blog on this site. It is truly an honor to join such a diverse and talented group of writers. Today I want to talk about a topic that I’ve had on my mind a lot lately […]
It’s always exciting to be introduced to new blogs in the blogosphere so, I hope you’ll check out some of what I shared above and broaden your blogging network just a bit.
In the meantime, I’ve got a couple old-timers back in Patty’s World today.
OLD-TIMERS…
First up, we’ve author Abbie Johnson Taylor with her #WednesdayWords post.
 | A Historical Literary Figure #Open Book Blog Hop #Wednesday Words |
Welcome to another edition of Open Book Blog Hop. This week’s question is: “What historical/public figure would you most like to learn more about? Would you ever write about them?”
***
I’ve always been interested in Laura Ingalls Wilder. As a child, I lost myself in her Little House series. I imagined what it would be like to live on the prairie during the 19th century with no running water, electricity, or phone service, surviving blizzards and other hardships, and often going hungry and fighting to stay warm during the winter months. I was fascinated to learn about how Laura started teaching when she was only a teenager and about her sister Mary, who went blind during an era when there were no support services like there are now.
Next up today, we’ve author Barbara Spencer with some thoughts on a writerly balance.
A Question of Balance
24TH MAY 2021 ~ BARBARA SPENCER
A million books a year is the boast of Amazon – for me a mind boggling number but not unreasonable when authors churn out a book a month. It is a market in which I flounder, and each day see myself slipping further and further into obscurity. Among the million or so authors marketing their books, I can’t be the only one who feels this way? For me, every time I put on a spurt and think I have got up-to-date , someone publishes a new way of doing things or someone delivers a homily about what not to do when Facebook and Amazon change their operating procedures and remove reviews unless you spend money with them (currently $50). Sometimes I totter away from the screen bedevilled by all the rules and regulations connecting the use of social media. I don’t want to learn how to create ‘paid-for’ ads or study the in-depth rules on how to get more reviews. I want to enjoy the experience, something which has disappeared over the hill since everything became so very technical. As for the many different apps you are urged to download, I ignore them, aware my eyesight doesn’t register with the tiny print on my mobile, convinced that only the athletic brain of the young can grasp every twist and turn with ease and efficiency.
I have decided like the swan, I shall sail on regardless of everyone else content to stumble on copies of my books in public libraries and schools (and Waterstones on occasions) and leave others to take the strain.
Keep reading here to see what words of wisdom Barbara has to share…
I must agree with Barbara on one thing. One must pick their battles in the ever-changing world of marketing one’s work. However, I’d also like to say, that if one also picks one new thing to learn they might just find themselves able to continue moving forward in the big bad marketing world.
Now, I’ve one of my favorite friends from the blogosphere for you.
No Patty’s Post Picks would be complete without Sally Cronin and Robbie Cheadle. Check out what they’ve got going on below.
Smorgasbord Posts from My Archives – Past Book Reviews 2020 – #WWII – While the Bombs Fell by Robbie Cheadle and Elsie Hancy Eaton.
Posted on May 26, 2021 by Smorgasbord – Variety is the Spice of Life.
I read some amazing books in 2020 and I would like to share them again with you, updated with the authors most recent releases and their biography.
This is my review from November 2020 for While the Bombs Fell which is written by Robbie Cheadle and her mother Elsie Hancy Eaton.
About While the Bombs Fell
What was it like for children growing up in rural Suffolk during World War 2?
Elsie and her family live in a small double-storey cottage in Bungay, Suffolk. Every night she lies awake listening anxiously for the sound of the German bomber planes. Often they come and the air raid siren sounds signalling that the family must leave their beds and venture out to the air raid shelter in the garden.
Despite the war raging across the English channel, daily life continues with its highlights, such as Christmas and the traditional Boxing Day fox hunt, and its wary moments when Elsie learns the stories of Jack Frost and the ghostly and terrifying Black Shuck that haunts the coastline and countryside of East Anglia.
Includes some authentic World War 2 recipes
My review for the book November 7th 2020
Keep reading for Sally’s review and to learn how to buy Robbie’s books here.
Before we go, I’d like to share something of great import with you. Yesterday evening you may have seen my post, UNITE A FAMILY! BRING BONNIE TO NEW ZEALAND
. Today, I want to share with you another wonderful way you can help. This incredible offer comes just after Mother’s Day and right before Father’s Day. So, if you’re in need of a belated gift for mom or a quality gift for the animal loving father in your life, here’s just the PURRFECT thing.
Ceejay’s Digital Pet Prints
Pet photos of any kind will be turned into digital abstract art and then emailed back to the customer for a set price. Photo tiles of art cost extra and include postage – there are different prices for photo tiles for the UK and worldwide.
PRICES:
£20 per photo/per pet: Emailed art only.
£40 per photo tile/per pet: UK only.
£65 per photo tile/per pet: Worldwide.
Half price for anyone who donates to the fundraiser: https://gf.me/u/zt3gv3
Offer for a LIMITED TIME ONLY.
Well, that’s a wrap on another Patty’s Post Picks and the end of WordPress Wednesday.
I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s post picks and all the other FAB posts found on the blog as much as I’ve enjoyed putting them together for you to read.
Today, I tried a few new techniques so your feedback on how this reads visually and with a screen reader or magnification is welcome and wanted.
Did you find it easy to navigate? Do the links work for you, done in this way?
I’d also love to know if you found the content to your liking as well.
If you’ve got a suggestion for Patty’s Post picks or would like to possibly have your blog featured be sure to drop me a link at: patty.volunteer1@gmail.com
Until next time this is Patty and Prince Edward saying…
Thanks for reading and blessid be.
abbiejohnsontaylor
May 26, 2021Thank you, Patty, for including my post here.
Lynda Lambert
May 27, 2021I liked reading this today Patty. Your thoughts made me think.
To follow up on Barbara’s comments, I’d like to ask what you think would be an excellent NEW step to investigate that would help us move forward. Like Barbara, it can be overwhelming, but worse yet is that it is all so time-consuming. Every few days, new hot topics seem to be screaming at us from the screen. Doing a variety of new things is usually costly and something. I am not interested in constant new maneuvers of self-promotion. There has to be a better way of selling books than constantly self-promoting. I’d like to think that my writing is not all about me. That what I do has universal truth far beyond who I am.
I have no intention to write content or market this kind of work – I think Barbara stated the observations and concerns well. Seeking to write content pieces for a variety of websites and virtual magazines is not for everyone. I have no interest in doing such work. I have a particular niche market in my mind – not looking for mass marketing adventures. Can you expand on what you think could be usable for a writer like me?
I know that your comments here are for a general group of writers that are not targeting a niche audience? I’d like to see something more from your mind – Those of us who have a clear and specific niche and write only in that genre, do you have additional thoughts that would help us? My interest is only in poetry and non-fiction essays. They are my expertise and my interest in literature. Perhaps you can share additional insight for writers who do not want to cover a wide variety of genres? I don’t even consider writing on demand for particular magazines or websites. What do you think? Is it vital for us to know who our audience is?
Do you have any further thoughts on something like this? The shotgun approach would never work for what I do. I think about some of my most esteemed authors. I ask myself if they would do it this way? Can I imagine that writer doing something this way, or is there a better path to follow? It might be valuable for us to imagine a particular writer that we admire and try to picture ourselves following their lead in answering these questions. I want to know the logic of what I am about to do. Does this fit who I am? I think there is a lot more in your box of wisdom that can be added to this discussion. Lynda
Patty
May 27, 2021Hi my friend!
As I stated earlier. I think you have to just decide what means the most to you. You for example have a goal in mind, and everything you do seems to go toward that goal. So I think that’s what you have to decide you want to work on just the one thing that’s really important to you. I know that it seems to everyone that I have my fingers dipped in several pies. And Innoway I do. But my main focus is my blog and my magazine. The social media the way I am doing it pretty much does it self. I don’t have to do much to that. I have it all automatically set to pick up my post etc. so while I get on a couple times a day and answer comments and share things around it is all just a matter of doing it very quickly. I have the Facebook app the Twitter app and the LinkedIn app all on my phone. So basically while I am doing whatever I happen to be doing at the moment which right this moment is sitting in my chair petting my cat it’s basically just swipe to open, leave my reply, double tap, and I’m done. It will take longer for me to dictate this comment, then it will for me to actually post it. So you just have to find what works for you and stick with it. And you have to understand that everything you see everything that comes at you all the different suggestions whatever, you don’t have to do it all. This is just options. You can ignore all of that hype if it doesn’t interest you. It’s not necessary to join every group it’s not necessary to try everything. Just find that one niche and you called it that works for you and stick with it.
robbiesinspiration
May 29, 2021Hi Patty, this is a good idea and thanks for sharing it to FB. I like the selection of posts you’ve shared here.