For about the last 10 months or so, my Facebook page posts have consisted mainly of quotes about reading and/or writing and little else. While I was working the longer hours, posting the quotes was about all I had time for. Now that my work hours have changed and I'm back to having a scheduled writing time every week day, one of my goals is to do more with my Facebook page than I have been.
The problem is I'm not sure what exactly to post that will be of interest. I follow other authors so I have a general idea of what other writers post. Given how Facebook limits how many people actually see a post on any given day, I'm torn between posting every day or just a couple of times a week.
So here's my question to you -- As a reader what do you look for or hope to see on an author's page? As a writer, what type of things do you post that seem to garner you the most views? How many times do you post each week?
Finally if you're not following my Facebook page but would like to, feel free to click on this link - Katherine Grey - Facebook
Monday, June 29, 2015
Friday, June 26, 2015
This I know for sure...
I can't express how great it is to work for an employer that treats his employees like he'd treat his family. Every Friday he buys lunch and we all have lunch together in the conference room. Every morning when he comes in if he comes in after the official start time, he makes sure to say good morning to everyone. If he's there first, he greets everyone as they arrive. Today, he's closing the office at 1:00pm just because. No real special reason, just that he thought we've all been working hard and deserve to get out early with full pay for the day.
These things might not seem like much but considering some of my past employers, this is huge. It's this type of employer that engenders loyalty. And because he's so great to work for, his employees are willing to go above and beyond for him and not think twice about it.
These things might not seem like much but considering some of my past employers, this is huge. It's this type of employer that engenders loyalty. And because he's so great to work for, his employees are willing to go above and beyond for him and not think twice about it.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
What's Up Wednesday
This week...
My current WIP (work in progress): Revised 60 pages last week. I feel like the book is already vastly improved. I've tried to add more detail in regard to emotional and setting content and cut a lot of extra words that weren't needed. My first drafts tend to be a bit wordy. I also did some research on a couple of items that I'd marked on the original draft as needing verification.
Quote of the week: "All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination." ~ Earl Nightingale
What I'm reading: I just started "Sugar's Twice As Sweet" by Marina Adair. I haven't read any of her books before, but my sister gave me the book and told me it was a must read.
Random things: Sunday was the official start of summer. Summer is my favorite time of the year, but I always look upon the Summer Solstice with a bit of melancholy. While it's the longest day of the year, it also means that each day will grow shorter until we're back in that most dreaded of seasons (at least in my opinion) -- winter.
Random Photo of the Week:
This is my nephew's cat, Sgt. Tibbs. He's decided the decorative bowl on the coffee table is his new favorite place to sleep.
My current WIP (work in progress): Revised 60 pages last week. I feel like the book is already vastly improved. I've tried to add more detail in regard to emotional and setting content and cut a lot of extra words that weren't needed. My first drafts tend to be a bit wordy. I also did some research on a couple of items that I'd marked on the original draft as needing verification.
Quote of the week: "All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination." ~ Earl Nightingale
What I'm reading: I just started "Sugar's Twice As Sweet" by Marina Adair. I haven't read any of her books before, but my sister gave me the book and told me it was a must read.
Random things: Sunday was the official start of summer. Summer is my favorite time of the year, but I always look upon the Summer Solstice with a bit of melancholy. While it's the longest day of the year, it also means that each day will grow shorter until we're back in that most dreaded of seasons (at least in my opinion) -- winter.
Random Photo of the Week:
This is my nephew's cat, Sgt. Tibbs. He's decided the decorative bowl on the coffee table is his new favorite place to sleep.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Continuity or What color is your hair again?
A few years ago I woke up with an idea for a new story. I jotted a few notes down so I wouldn't forget the general idea and headed off to begin my day. Since I was already working on revisions for a book under contract, I would write things down about the new story whenever they popped into my head. When I finally was able to sit down and focus on this new idea, I realized I not only had a story line for the main characters but also vague story lines for at least 3 of the secondary characters.
I'd never written a series before so I plunged ahead and wrote the first story. Once that was done, I set it aside and wrote the second story. After that one was done, I wrote about the first 100 pages of the third story and then ran into a brick wall of uncertainty. Not the kind of uncertainty that whispers in your ear in the middle of the night that your work will never sell, but the kind where I couldn't remember the most basic details from the first story that needed to carry through the series.
My writing came to a screeching halt as self doubt crept in. How could I forget the eye color or hair color of the heroine or hero from the first book in the series? How could I forget the most basic premise the whole series was built upon? And more importantly, how the heck did writers who have multiple books in a series manage to keep all these details straight?
I set the manuscript of the 3rd book aside and started revising the first draft of the first book in the series. I had intended to do that after I finished the second book, but the words were flowing for the 3rd book and I didn't want to lose those ideas that were coming so quickly. Now as I'm editing that first book, I'm putting all the pertinent details about each character whether they will have their own book or not into a spreadsheet. These details include physical descriptions, character traits, occupations, background information about their childhoods, their parents, and the key event that has made them the way they are today. I've also included setting details and anything else I think I might need for a book further down the road.
At this point I don't know if I'll write more than one series but if I do, I'll know to keep track of such details at the beginning instead of later and save myself a lot of editing in the process.
I'd never written a series before so I plunged ahead and wrote the first story. Once that was done, I set it aside and wrote the second story. After that one was done, I wrote about the first 100 pages of the third story and then ran into a brick wall of uncertainty. Not the kind of uncertainty that whispers in your ear in the middle of the night that your work will never sell, but the kind where I couldn't remember the most basic details from the first story that needed to carry through the series.
My writing came to a screeching halt as self doubt crept in. How could I forget the eye color or hair color of the heroine or hero from the first book in the series? How could I forget the most basic premise the whole series was built upon? And more importantly, how the heck did writers who have multiple books in a series manage to keep all these details straight?
I set the manuscript of the 3rd book aside and started revising the first draft of the first book in the series. I had intended to do that after I finished the second book, but the words were flowing for the 3rd book and I didn't want to lose those ideas that were coming so quickly. Now as I'm editing that first book, I'm putting all the pertinent details about each character whether they will have their own book or not into a spreadsheet. These details include physical descriptions, character traits, occupations, background information about their childhoods, their parents, and the key event that has made them the way they are today. I've also included setting details and anything else I think I might need for a book further down the road.
At this point I don't know if I'll write more than one series but if I do, I'll know to keep track of such details at the beginning instead of later and save myself a lot of editing in the process.
Friday, June 19, 2015
This I know for sure...
As a a child I was fascinated by dinosaurs. I read everything I could about them, had a couple of models of the T-Rex and the Brontosaurus (which now scientists say didn't exist) I went to every museum I could get to that had a dinosaur exhibit. This fascination continued until I reached my early twenties then other things replaced the dinosaurs.
It goes without saying that I've seen the first 3 movies of the Jurassic Park series. Now a fourth movie has been released. So guess what I'm seeing this weekend. I hope it lives up the hype. It's very disappointing to go see a movie and the best parts are what's shown in the trailer to draw audiences in.
It goes without saying that I've seen the first 3 movies of the Jurassic Park series. Now a fourth movie has been released. So guess what I'm seeing this weekend. I hope it lives up the hype. It's very disappointing to go see a movie and the best parts are what's shown in the trailer to draw audiences in.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
What's Up Wednesday
This week...
My current WIP (work in progress): I revised two more chapters last week. I was only able to work on my WIP 3 days as I had appointments after work two of the days. I had another appointment this past Monday. I'm looking forward to a week when I don't have anything going on after work and just come home and work on these revisions.
Quote of the week: "Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve." ~ Mary Kay Ash
What I'm reading: I'm currently reading Double Play by Jill Shalvis. It's one of her older books. I believe it was written before her Lucky Harbor series. Somehow I missed it when it first came out and found it at the library the other day.
Random things: I just started watching The Big Bang Theory this last fall even though it's been on for a while now. My excuse is that I don't watch a lot of television. My sister asked if I watched it and told me about an episode that reminded her of me. Well, of course I had to watch a few episodes just to see what she meant and now I'm hooked. I watch the reruns though they're new to me on the weekends because one of the channels usually runs 4 to 6 episodes in a row at night. Can I say how much I wish I could be like Sheldon and just say what I'm really thinking and not worry about the consequences? Maybe that's his appeal - that we all wish we were able to speak our minds without repercussions.
Random Photo of the Week: Sorry no photo this week. Would you believe this is the hardest part of my Wednesday posts? I'm just not a picture taker by nature so I don't think "ooh, I should take a picture of this" when I see things that are cute or interesting. This, of course, makes it a tiny bit hard to post a picture every week that's even remotely interesting. LOL
My current WIP (work in progress): I revised two more chapters last week. I was only able to work on my WIP 3 days as I had appointments after work two of the days. I had another appointment this past Monday. I'm looking forward to a week when I don't have anything going on after work and just come home and work on these revisions.
Quote of the week: "Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve." ~ Mary Kay Ash
What I'm reading: I'm currently reading Double Play by Jill Shalvis. It's one of her older books. I believe it was written before her Lucky Harbor series. Somehow I missed it when it first came out and found it at the library the other day.
Random things: I just started watching The Big Bang Theory this last fall even though it's been on for a while now. My excuse is that I don't watch a lot of television. My sister asked if I watched it and told me about an episode that reminded her of me. Well, of course I had to watch a few episodes just to see what she meant and now I'm hooked. I watch the reruns though they're new to me on the weekends because one of the channels usually runs 4 to 6 episodes in a row at night. Can I say how much I wish I could be like Sheldon and just say what I'm really thinking and not worry about the consequences? Maybe that's his appeal - that we all wish we were able to speak our minds without repercussions.
Random Photo of the Week: Sorry no photo this week. Would you believe this is the hardest part of my Wednesday posts? I'm just not a picture taker by nature so I don't think "ooh, I should take a picture of this" when I see things that are cute or interesting. This, of course, makes it a tiny bit hard to post a picture every week that's even remotely interesting. LOL
Monday, June 15, 2015
Monday, Monday
I've been thinking about what today's post should be about since last Wednesday. It's now Sunday night at 8:30pm and I still can't come up with a topic that doesn't seem trite, or one that I haven't already touched on in one of my posts from the last 4 years.
On Mondays I usually write about something writing related whether it be the mechanics, my process, or something along that line. Is it possible that I've run out of things to say? That seems as though I know everything and have already imparted it to you, my readers. And that's hardly the case. I learn new things about writing or the industry nearly every day.
So this week I'm asking you -- What would you like me to talk about that's writing related? My process, my research experiences (though I may have already exhausted this topic), writing in general, what I like to read, where I get ideas...Let me know. And in the meantime, I'll do some poking about on the internet and see if I can get some ideas for future posts that will be of interest.
On Mondays I usually write about something writing related whether it be the mechanics, my process, or something along that line. Is it possible that I've run out of things to say? That seems as though I know everything and have already imparted it to you, my readers. And that's hardly the case. I learn new things about writing or the industry nearly every day.
So this week I'm asking you -- What would you like me to talk about that's writing related? My process, my research experiences (though I may have already exhausted this topic), writing in general, what I like to read, where I get ideas...Let me know. And in the meantime, I'll do some poking about on the internet and see if I can get some ideas for future posts that will be of interest.
Friday, June 12, 2015
This I know for sure...
I consider myself a modern woman able to do almost anything a man can do. Well Wednesday night I found out one thing I'd rather leave to a man to do - building any type of furniture if the directions I was given are now the usual type included with the item.
I ordered a dresser from a local furniture store. All they had in stock was the floor model. It was scratched and scuffed in places so I had no interest in purchasing that one. I could have one sent to me directly from the factory or I could have one sent to the store. If I had it sent to the store, they would assemble it before it was delivered. If I chose the factory delivery option, it wouldn't come assembled. Having assembled an amoire and a desk in the past, I chose the factory delivery option. (Not to mention the fact that it was $75 cheaper to assemble it myself.)
Well, it was much more difficult than I expected. I'm blaming it on the directions which weren't really directions at all but just a series of pictures of what the dresser should look like at each step in the assembly process. What happened to written step by step directions?
I did manage to get it put together with only a couple of places where I had to backtrack. Here's a picture of the finished piece.
I ordered a dresser from a local furniture store. All they had in stock was the floor model. It was scratched and scuffed in places so I had no interest in purchasing that one. I could have one sent to me directly from the factory or I could have one sent to the store. If I had it sent to the store, they would assemble it before it was delivered. If I chose the factory delivery option, it wouldn't come assembled. Having assembled an amoire and a desk in the past, I chose the factory delivery option. (Not to mention the fact that it was $75 cheaper to assemble it myself.)
I did manage to get it put together with only a couple of places where I had to backtrack. Here's a picture of the finished piece.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
What's Up Wednesday
This week...
My current WIP (work in progress): Still working on revisions. My main accomplishment was ripping out two chapters that were wordy and kind of didn't really do anything. I rewrote them into one chapter, tightened the pacing, and now it moves the plot forward.
Quote of the week: "Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. " ~ Babe Ruth Although in my case, it would be every rejection letter brings me closer to the next publishing contract.
What I'm reading: I'm about a third of the way through Mean Streak by Sandra Brown. It's almost as good as her novel, Lethal. Both of these books are next to impossible to put down.
Random things: I spent last weekend working in the garden. I pulled out the orange tiger lily plants that were on the left side of our porch and moved them along the side of the house. I'm not a big fan of these because after they blossom, I think they're kind of unsightly with these long stems sticking out of green leaves that remind me of rushes. They came with the house when we moved in and I've been wanting to move them ever since our first summer here which is about 5 years ago. I planted Cranberry Ice Dianthus in their place.
Random Photo of the Week:
Here's a picture of the Dianthus in their new home. They're a perennial that will bloom from spring right into the fall.
My current WIP (work in progress): Still working on revisions. My main accomplishment was ripping out two chapters that were wordy and kind of didn't really do anything. I rewrote them into one chapter, tightened the pacing, and now it moves the plot forward.
Quote of the week: "Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. " ~ Babe Ruth Although in my case, it would be every rejection letter brings me closer to the next publishing contract.
What I'm reading: I'm about a third of the way through Mean Streak by Sandra Brown. It's almost as good as her novel, Lethal. Both of these books are next to impossible to put down.
Random things: I spent last weekend working in the garden. I pulled out the orange tiger lily plants that were on the left side of our porch and moved them along the side of the house. I'm not a big fan of these because after they blossom, I think they're kind of unsightly with these long stems sticking out of green leaves that remind me of rushes. They came with the house when we moved in and I've been wanting to move them ever since our first summer here which is about 5 years ago. I planted Cranberry Ice Dianthus in their place.
Random Photo of the Week:
Here's a picture of the Dianthus in their new home. They're a perennial that will bloom from spring right into the fall.
Monday, June 8, 2015
A Guilty Pleasure
I'm breaking with my normal routine of posting about something writing related on Mondays to write about a guilty pleasure that I indulge in every summer, well for the last few years anyway.
Last night was the premiere of Food Network's reality show The Next Food Network Star. While I'm not a fan of reality shows, I love watching this show every summer. I think I enjoy it so much because it introduces me to a wide variety of culinary points of view. I always learn something new every season whether it's a new trick for food preparation or cooking or what not to do if you don't want to have a catastrophe on your hands and an inedible meal.
The funny thing about my fascination with this show is that I rarely watch the Food Network channel throughout the year except when this show is airing. I do get a lot of great recipes from their website though. - www.foodnetwork.com If you haven't been to their website, you should check it out, but make sure you have a few hours to peruse all the different categories and recipes they have listed. I'm also a big fan of their magazine, Food Network Magazine, but that's probably a whole separate post right there.
Needless to say if you find yourself with nothing to do or nothing to watch on TV except summer repeats of shows from the fall season, check out The Next Food Network Star. It airs at 9:00pm on Sunday nights EST.
The funny thing about my fascination with this show is that I rarely watch the Food Network channel throughout the year except when this show is airing. I do get a lot of great recipes from their website though. - www.foodnetwork.com If you haven't been to their website, you should check it out, but make sure you have a few hours to peruse all the different categories and recipes they have listed. I'm also a big fan of their magazine, Food Network Magazine, but that's probably a whole separate post right there.
Needless to say if you find yourself with nothing to do or nothing to watch on TV except summer repeats of shows from the fall season, check out The Next Food Network Star. It airs at 9:00pm on Sunday nights EST.
Friday, June 5, 2015
This I know for sure...
After a change in working hours 8 months ago, I struggled to find time in my day to write as much as I had before the change. I never came close. But now that my day job hours have changed once again to almost the same as what they were originally, I have that hour and 30 minute to hour and 45 minute writing time span back. I can't tell you how much I missed it. And how much I struggled to find time to write when I didn't have it.
Looking forward to having a very productive summer!
Looking forward to having a very productive summer!
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
What's Up Wednesday
This week...
My current WIP (work in progress): A new month, a new beginning. My work hours have changed and I have the writing time I had before back and I've been hard at work working on the second round of revisions. I plan on being completely done with this round by the end of the month, if not before.
Quote of the week: "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve." ~ Napoleon Hill. I love this quote.
What I'm reading: I just started Seventh Grave and No Body by Darynda Jones. It's part of the Charley Davidson series. It's so good, I hate having to put it down. If you haven't read any of the series, I highly recommend them, but do caution you to start with the first book (First Grave on the Right) and read them in order.
Random things: I purchased a new phone over the weekend. I didn't really want to as I liked the phone I had, but the battery life wasn't what it used to be. It got to the point where it would be almost dead with 8 or 9 hours even if I barely used it for anything. With the new phone, even though it's by the same maker, I feel like I've never had a smart phone before and don't know how to do anything. It's amazing how much technology has changed in 5 years - the age of my old phone.
Random Photo of the Week:
My current WIP (work in progress): A new month, a new beginning. My work hours have changed and I have the writing time I had before back and I've been hard at work working on the second round of revisions. I plan on being completely done with this round by the end of the month, if not before.
Quote of the week: "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve." ~ Napoleon Hill. I love this quote.
What I'm reading: I just started Seventh Grave and No Body by Darynda Jones. It's part of the Charley Davidson series. It's so good, I hate having to put it down. If you haven't read any of the series, I highly recommend them, but do caution you to start with the first book (First Grave on the Right) and read them in order.
Random things: I purchased a new phone over the weekend. I didn't really want to as I liked the phone I had, but the battery life wasn't what it used to be. It got to the point where it would be almost dead with 8 or 9 hours even if I barely used it for anything. With the new phone, even though it's by the same maker, I feel like I've never had a smart phone before and don't know how to do anything. It's amazing how much technology has changed in 5 years - the age of my old phone.
Random Photo of the Week:
I had to take a photo of this. I can't remember the last time I saw one.
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