Tag: advice

12 Dumb Tips New Writers Share

Published on by J. Kelland Perry12 Comments

pexels-photo-640x426In this modern-day world of widespread social media and information overload, it seems everyone professes to be an expert on something. This, of course, includes the “rules” for writing novels and memoirs.

I have to make a confession. I’m sharing the following link from writer Anne R. Allen’s blog for my benefit as well as yours. Thankfully, I haven’t been taken in by most of the “stupid writing rules” listed, but I’ve also bookmarked it to refer to the many helpful links she shares throughout the post.

If you are a new or aspiring novelist, you would be wise to give it a read. Above all, make sure you get your writing advice from a reliable source.

Stupid Writing Rules: 12 Bad Writing Tips New Writers Give Each Other

Making Memories That Will Last Forever

Published on by J. Kelland Perry24 Comments

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Have you ever looked at your children when they are teenagers – or beyond – and wished you could go back in time to enjoy a day when they were little? I certainly have.

Children grow up so incredibly fast! It’s almost like you blink and they are grown. All the way through childhood they are making firsts: Their first word, their first steps, their first day of school. There is so much to relish and celebrate about these milestones that you almost forget about the time whizzing past.

Kids need a solid grounding and good examples to learn from, therefore conscientious parents want their kids to remember their childhood fondly, and with love. Their formative years are important because they’re going to remember certain things forever, so if you do fun things together as a family, they will remember these events fondly for the rest of their days. Here are some ideas on how to make memories that will last a lifetime.

Play with paint

It’s a great idea to teach a child creativity from a very young age. If they learn not to be afraid of a blank page, they will probably go on to create great things. (As a writer, I have faced that blank page many times.) One of the most imaginative and artistic things you can do with your children is to create and paint together. Let them go wild with crayons, colouring pencils, acrylic and water paint, and glue. They will feel proud of their results in the moment, and it will be fun to look back on their creations together in the future.

Pose for a picture

The wonderful thing about smartphones is that you have a camera almost always at hand. This give you the chance to capture as many candid photos of your children as possible. And don’t forget taking videos of them. If you would like something a bit more professional, a photographer can give you great results. A professional family photo is something that everyone loves to look back on because it perfectly captures a moment in time you can cherish forever. Not only will you have the physical photos, but you’ll have great memories of the actual day as well.

Read stories together

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My girl’s favourite: The Owl & The Pussycat

This was a big one for me when I raised my kids. When your children are little, it’s a great idea to get into the habit of reading them a book every evening. This not only calms them before they sleep, but it also helps them learn. The stories that you first read them will probably stay with them forever. Almost everyone can remember the first book that they loved to have read to them. It’s a child’s way of really using their imagination to form the pictures in their mind. Keep a couple of their favorite books for you to show them when they are grown up.

Cook together

If you can teach your children a family recipe that has been passed down through the ages, they’ll remember it forever. A cherished recipe can be pulled out and enjoyed again and again, and it will strengthen the memory for your child of when you first made it together. 

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Our boy making muffins!

Notice the recurring theme here? Creative endeavors seem to be the best way to make memories for you and your family!

What do you and your children do to make memories that will last a lifetime?

Not-So-Obvious Reasons Why Italy Should Be Your Next Travel Destination

Published on by J. Kelland Perry36 Comments

Ah, wanderlust. I’m experiencing you again.

My husband and I are beginning to yearn for a return trip to Europe. We are planning on seeing England sometime in the future, but we still get a warm and fuzzy feeling when we look back on our trip to Italy.

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We all know that food is one of the main draws to Italy. After all, it’s undeniable that their pizzas and pastas are the best in the world, and we feasted on both often, during our travels there.

Many people visit the country to experience the renowned cuisine, and crowds upon crowds of tourists frequent the popular cities of Venice and Rome.

But there is more to Italy than these things. Here are some not-so-obvious reasons why Italy should be your next travel destination.

Wonderful Festivals

One thing I hadn’t known when we visited is that Italy knows how to put on a good festival. If we ever return – and I hope we do – we won’t forget to sample a few. In the summer months, there are many outdoor festivals, full of music for locals and visitors to enjoy. One festival you won’t want to miss is the Carpino Folk Festival. It’s the biggest folk festival in the country and is fantastic if you want to listen to some haunting melodies. You can find out more about this festival in this article.

Amazing Craft Shops

Shopping is one of the biggest draws to Italy. The clothes are fantastic, and you wouldn’t want to leave without visiting some of the designer stores. But as well as clothes, there are some fabulous craft shops. You’ll find many towns across the country with stores selling all the craft items you could possibly need. One place to go to is the Palazzo Pitti. As this feature explains, you can find some great artisan shops here, selling ceramics and leather. You’ll be going home with a full suitcase of fabulous finds if you head to beautiful Italy. All you need is the money!

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The Beautiful Countryside in Tuscany

The views are one of the best things about Italy. Places in Italy like the Amalfi Coast are some of the most stunning in the world. If you head to Tuscany, you’ll see the gorgeous countryside, full of vineyards and olive groves that are breathtaking. The Apennine Mountains are a sight to behold. I recommend you find somewhere to stay in the heart of the Tuscany countryside to have an unforgettable Italian holiday.

We stayed in a lovely villa for an entire week while we were in Tuscany, and took day trips to Florence and Siena. Next time, we have to remember to book a trip to a winery for something a little different.

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Beautiful churches

Even if you are not religious, the churches in Italy are worth taking in. For one thing, they are absolutely beautiful treasures of architecture. They were a highlight of our trip and something I will never forget. Just make sure you cover up out of respect when you visit the churches, or you won’t be allowed in. 🙂

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As well as all this, the country has some of the nicest people in the world. My husband and I would go back in a heartbeat!

Have you ever travelled to Italy?
Do you have any not-so-obvious reasons to add it as a destination?

Looking to Increase your Blog’s Audience? Some Dos and Don’ts

Published on by J. Kelland Perry16 Comments

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Hello, fellow bloggers! This little post was written just for you.

I want my blog to reach as many people as possible, and I’m sure that you’re no different. Whether your blog is personal or lifestyle, an author website or a commercial site, once your blog audience increases significantly, you may find that many opportunities will open up.

This applies to noncommercial blogs too; you will meet more people, share ideas, and learn new things. You might even get companies approaching you about sponsorship.

So how exactly do you increase your blog’s audience? Well, it’s not just about the content of your blog posts (although, of course, that helps!). To give you a helping hand, here are my chief dos and don’ts for improving your blog’s audience.

Do: Improve The Design Of Your Blog

More and more web users are browsing sites on their smartphones and other mobile devices. That means your blog needs to be designed so it can be viewed on these smaller screens. If you aren’t sure how to do that, you can always enlist the help of a web design agency.

As well as being easily viewable on a mobile screen, the site also needs to be easy to navigate. If it isn’t, users might not find what they want and could move onto a different blog. Again, you can use a design firm to help you improve the navigation on your blog.

Do: Give Readers A Chance To Engage

There should be a number of ways that your readers can interact with you on your blog. For instance, leave a comments section underneath each article that you post, where your readers can leave their thoughts and opinions. You can use this feedback to tell which topics are the most popular.

You should also leave social media buttons on each article. Then readers can engage by sharing your content onto their social media profiles, which is a great way to reach more readers. Make sure your blog posts are fun and unique so that people will feel compelled to share them.

Don’t Spam Followers

You need to publish a lot of content to your blog, however, it is important that you don’t spam your readers and followers by posting too much. Otherwise, they may end up getting frustrated and could unfollow you. You need to get the balance right when it comes to posting.

Frequency depends on what type of blog you have and what your goals are. Try and aim to publish a new blog post every other day, or as I choose to do, about twice a week. That way, you’ll be giving your followers lots of fresh, new blog posts without overwhelming them.

Don’t Forget About Social Media

Social media is extremely important in the blogging world. It is crucial that you create social media accounts for your blog and share your updates on them, and be sure to use hashtags so more people will stumble across your updates.

One of your tweets or Facebook updates may go viral, and then you will be opening up your blog to thousands of people across the world! Try to follow as many bloggers who write about the same things you do. If they follow back, you’ll be able to create a network of bloggers where you can find support.

Hey, it seems to be working for me. 🙂

Are you actively trying to grow your blog’s audience?
Any tips you’d like to share?

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Change the Way You Think About It

Published on by J. Kelland Perry12 Comments

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Recently, I was catching up with someone I hadn’t seen in a while.

At first, the conversation was pleasant, as was my general mood, but as the chatting continued, I realized this person was swimming in barely concealed hostility.

Almost everything that came out of this person’s mouth was either a brag or a humble brag, a passive-aggressive remark, or a backhanded compliment (don’t you just love it when someone insults you like that – and it’s “socially acceptable”?).

But perhaps what rankled most was the obvious avoidance of discussing anything going on in my life. Whether the reason for this was self-absorption, disinterest, jealousy, or whatever, I could only hazard to guess.

So what did I decide to do? Well, I held my tongue and chose to follow the advice from Ms. Angelou as stated above. I decided to look at the experience differently, to frame it in a way that muted the annoyance I felt, and replace it with understanding.

I already know this person has difficulties going on in his own life, which helped me to recognize that the hostility had very little to do with me.

So I chose to temper my hurt with this awareness. The pain he is presently enduring in his life is far worse than anything he could inflict on me with his words. And perhaps, along with that, he was having an especially hard day.

It doesn’t always work, but in this case, a little understanding made all the difference.

Have you ever consciously changed your thought processes about something?
How has it worked for you?
How do you deal with difficult people?

Blogger Bouquet #39

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

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Anyone who has followed my blog for even a short time knows how much I adore cats, and how much our two felines, Maisie and Vivian, mean to my man and me. So naturally I follow other blogs that feature articles on the love and care of our favourite animal.

The Blog Team at Katzenworld is one such wonderful site. Here’s a blurb from their About Page:

“We are a group of friends that are united by our passion for (you guessed it right!) CATS!
Because we loved reading about cats on the internet we were really keen on putting together a portal not just for our own cats but also as a one stop source on all things cats for our friends and fellow cat lovers.”

Because I read this local article yesterday about a surplus of kittens at the St. John’s animal shelter and a half-price sale on adoption, I thought what better article to share than the one below? I only wish I could take more of them into my home!

How to Prepare Your Home For a Cat or Kitten

Comments are closed here but you can leave one on the bloggers’ page.

Have a purr-fect weekend, everyone! ❤

Blogger Bouquet #36

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

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Barbara Vitelli is a book reviewer and blogger at Book Club Mom here on WordPress. She also shares author interviews, indie author profiles and blogging advice.

In addition to all of that, Barbara is a book-clubber, an avid reviewer on GoodReads, and she has over five thousand followers on Twitter.

I chose the following post from her lovely blog, not because it is her most recent, but because I appreciate that she reviews the well-loved classics by famous authors as well as newer selections by current and lesser-known authors.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Comments are closed here but you can leave a comment on the blogger’s page.

Have an inspiring week, everyone!

❤

Blogger Bouquet #35

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

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Pamela Wight is one of the many authors I follow here on WordPress. She writes the blog, Rough Wighting: “Life in a flash – a weekly blog on daily living.”

I enjoy her stories and her engaging writing style.

In Pam’s own words:

“I write because I love the written word…This blog shares that love. Parts of it contain fast flashes of life that I write for the total joy of it.

My last name is Wight, and I teach creative writing for fun – calling it Rough Writing. My students have renamed my class ROUGH WIGHTING, and I think that’s just perfect.”

I chose the following post from her blog because of how it highlights her grandchild’s wisdom and keen observation of people and the world around her. Plus, it’s funny!

The Eternal Optometrist

Comments are closed here, but you can share a comment on the writer’s page.

An Approach To Style

Published on by J. Kelland Perry25 Comments

“A careful and honest writer does not need to worry about style. As you become proficient in the use of language, your style will emerge, just as you yourself will emerge, and when this happens you will find it increasingly easy to break through the barriers that separate you from other minds, other hearts – which is, of course, the purpose of writing, as well as its principal reward.”

~ excerpt from The Elements of Style by Strunk & White

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*Image courtesy of Gregory Szarkiewicz at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Do you agree with this quote?

What is the difference between writing style and writing voice?

I found this article on the topic:

The Difference Between Voice and Style in Writing

Blogger Bouquet #33

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

 

Recently, I discovered and started following Write with Kelly – “writing and publishing advice you can really use.”

Kelly Abell is an author, blogger, and graphic artist whose blog is a wealth of tips for those of us aiming to improve our writing craft. In her own words:

My aim for you is to utilize this blog to help you improve your writing skills, and to educate you on the publishing business. If you need help with writing, want to self-publish a book and need advice, or just want to kick a story idea around to see what works best, that’s what I’m here for. As I gain knowledge from editors and publishers, I will share that knowledge with you.”

Check out this post where Kelly features a fellow author’s knowledgeable views on a genre near and dear to my heart:

Sittin’ On The Porch – Author Fran Orenstein – Tips for Writing Children’s Books

Comments are closed here but you can share a comment on the blogger’s page.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!