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August 24, 2010
Posted by Carla René in: Accountability, Advice, African-American, Attitude, Biography & Memoir, Book Marketing Online, Book Review, Books, Business, Business Management, Cancer, Cap and Trade, Children, China, Climate Change, Commentary, Comments & Discussion, Communications, Communism, Community, Computers, Congress, Contributor's Audio/Video, Creative Writing, Current Events, Democracy, Democrat, Diet, Economic Crisis, Economics, Education, Energy, Entertainment, Environment, Environmental Issues, Faith, Family, Fiction, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Relations, Freedom, Freelance Author, General Topics, Geopolitical Events, Global Warming, Governance, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Heroes, History, Homeland Security, Humor, Inspiration & Motivation, Internet, Internet Advice, Interview, Islam, Journalism, Latino & Hispanic, Legal, Life Experiences, Lifestyle, Literature, Marketing, Marriage, Medical, Men's Issues, Mental Health, Mexico, Military, Minorities, Morality, Motivation, Music, Native American, Nature/Wildlife, Non-Fiction, Nutrition, Opinion, Personal Experiences, Philosophical Genres, Poetry, Politics, Publishing, Question of the Day, Recovery, Relationships, Religion, Republican, Rhyme, Satire, Self-Help, Sex, Short Stories, Social Aspects, Social Classes, Social Issues, Sociology, Spirituality, Sports, Technology, Television, Terrorism, The Economy, The Media, The Pundit's Corner, The Writer's Corner, Travel, Uncategorized, Website Instructions, Weight loss, Wellness, Women's Perspective, Women's Rights, Working Women, Workplace, World Issues, Writing Essentials
Begun back sometime in 2001, this book was originally a fluke of an idea… [...]
August 21, 2010
Posted by Bob Grant - Editor in: Books, Communications, Creative Writing, Fiction, Freelance Author, Journalism, Literature, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories, The Writer's Corner
Our site has viewers from all over the world. As I have in the past – I invite all writers, from all countries and languages, to become contributors to our site. It does not matter where you reside – or in what language you want to use to communicate – our purpose for having [...]
August 12, 2010
Posted by Genevieve in: Advice, Books, Communications, Creative Writing, Freelance Author, General Topics, Habit Change, Inspiration & Motivation, Life Experiences, Literature, Motivation, Opinion, Personal Experiences, Publishing, The Writer's Corner, Writing Essentials
 …I just haven’t had time / didn’t have the willpower or concentration / didn’t think it’d be any good / didn’t know what to write” …
It’s funny, the evolution of a writer. I started writing five years ago, and people kind of smiled and said things like “Oh, that’s nice.” And when I started asking people if they’d like to read it, they usually would make a kind excuse or suggest they didn’t read that genre, whatever it was. I wasn’t offended. That’s how I would have been.
But there were a few who bravely agreed to read what I’d done, and they were apparently * ahem * impressed. I told them I wanted to get better, so would they please tell me what they didn’t like as well as what they liked. They asked me questions about what I’d written, found errors, questioned impossible plotlines … and I surprised myself by being defensive and somewhat belligerent. This was my baby! How could they possibly find anything wrong with it? I folded my arms over my chest, huffed, and continued along the same line, determined to make it work. Continue reading “Oh! You’re a writer! How exciting. You know, I’ve always wanted to write a book.”
August 12, 2010
Posted by Genevieve in: Advice, Attitude, Books, Creative Writing, Inspiration & Motivation, Life Experiences, Literature, Marketing, Motivation, Personal Experiences, Publishing, The Writer's Corner, Writing Essentials
 I read a neat blog article somewhere today about … waiting.
It talked about how a writer spends their days … waiting. They wait for inspiration, they wait for responses from agencies and publishers, they wait for feedback … from anyone.
All painfully true.
But it’s not just writers. It’s people in general. We wait for the bus. We wait for the paycheque (or should), then wait in line to spend it. We wait for the kids to finish swimming lessons. Wait wait wait. Glancing at my watch or calendar, tapping my toes, hurrying so I can wait some more.
But waiting, and thinking about waiting is a waste of time. You can’t control time. But … you can take control of your time. Continue reading Worth The Wait
August 3, 2010
I’m hooked on John Sandford’s “Prey” novels, featuring the emotionally complex Lucas Davenport, and have several friends who are as well. The latest offering in this series is entitled Storm Prey and is touted as the 20th. The first, Rules of Prey, came out in 1989. That puts him at a book a year, except he’s launched two other series, Kidd and Virgil Flowers and has written a couple others besides. The point is, John Sandford has fallen prey to the New York publishing mill, turning out more and more and, at least for me, satisfying less and less. I’m willing to wager that his manuscripts go from first draft to print, with little if any revision. No time for enriching or embellishing, or working in more complex situations or characterizations, shrieks the publisher – we gotta have a hardcover and at least one paperback on the bestseller lists at all times!
To test my thesis, I recently bought a copy of Rules in a used book store [having collected all of them, then given them to my local library in Holderness, New Hampshire] and re-read it. The writing was scintillating, gripping, a real pleasure to read. By comparison, Storm Prey reads like little more than a good first draft without the rich scene descriptions, characterizations and plot intricacies. Just take a look at the first page of Rules of Prey: Continue reading Reader’s Corner: Sandford’s New “Prey” Novel
August 2, 2010
The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer
The title of Dexter Palmer’s debut novel was the first hook for me. The second was ascertaining this was a steampunk novel, a genre for which I have a penchant. And although I got my literary rocks off on the allusion[s] to Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” [...]
July 2, 2010
Visits
4,726
% of Site Total: 100.00%
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- Pages/Visit
- The average number of pages viewed during a visit to your site. Repeated views of a single page are counted.
Pages/Visit
1.72
Site Avg: 1.72 (0.00%)
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- Avg. Time on Site
- The average duration of a visit to your site.
Avg. Time on Site
00:01:50
Site Avg: 00:01:50 (0.00%)
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- % New Visits
- The percentage of visits by people who had never visited your site before.
% New Visits
77.74%
Site Avg: 77.74% (0.00%)
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- Bounce Rate
- The percentage of single-page visits (i.e. visits in which the person left your site from the entrance page).
Bounce Rate
72.79%
Site Avg: 72.79% (0.00%)
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| 1. |
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3,476 |
1.79 |
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222 |
1.74 |
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192 |
1.55 |
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71.35% |
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129 |
1.50 |
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50 |
1.04 |
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43 |
1.30 |
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40 |
1.30 |
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77.50% |
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37 |
2.59 |
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34 |
1.59 |
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94.12% |
70.59% |
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28 |
1.36 |
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24 |
1.04 |
00:00:06 |
100.00% |
95.83% |
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22 |
1.32 |
00:01:12 |
100.00% |
86.36% |
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20 |
1.05 |
00:00:51 |
45.00% |
95.00% |
| 14. |
|
18 |
1.17 |
00:00:42 |
77.78% |
83.33% |
| 15. |
|
17 |
1.18 |
00:00:21 |
94.12% |
82.35% |
| 16. |
|
17 |
1.76 |
00:04:22 |
52.94% |
64.71% |
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15 |
1.00 |
00:00:00 |
80.00% |
100.00% |
| 18. |
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15 |
1.60 |
00:01:22 |
93.33% |
73.33% |
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15 |
1.47 |
00:00:18 |
100.00% |
86.67% |
| 20. |
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July 2, 2010
Pageviews
8,131
% of Site Total: 100.00%
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- Unique Pageviews
- The number of visits during which one or more of these pages was viewed.
Unique Pageviews
6,645
% of Site Total: 100.00%
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- Avg. Time on Page
- The average amount of time visitors spent viewing this set of pages or page.
Avg. Time on Page
00:02:33
Site Avg: 00:02:33 (0.00%)
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- Bounce Rate
- The percentage of single page visits resulting from this set of pages or page.
Bounce Rate
72.79%
Site Avg: 72.79% (0.00%)
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- % Exit
- The percentage of site exits that occurred from this set of pages or page.
% Exit
58.12%
Site Avg: 58.12% (0.00%)
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- $ Index
- The average value of this page or set of pages. $Index is (Ecommerce revenue + Total Goal Value) divided by Pageviews for the page(s).
$ Index
$0.00
Site Avg: $0.00 (0.00%)
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1,302 |
780 |
00:02:06 |
29.63% |
32.03% |
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367 |
291 |
00:02:55 |
68.86% |
56.95% |
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302 |
287 |
00:04:50 |
90.94% |
88.41% |
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186 |
129 |
00:01:27 |
54.69% |
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158 |
140 |
00:04:33 |
84.80% |
77.85% |
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121 |
113 |
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92.92% |
91.74% |
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116 |
98 |
00:06:43 |
66.13% |
60.34% |
$0.00 |
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108 |
90 |
00:02:35 |
81.11% |
82.41% |
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106 |
99 |
00:01:43 |
91.92% |
92.45% |
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103 |
87 |
00:03:15 |
83.53% |
83.50% |
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86 |
71 |
00:01:07 |
69.57% |
72.09% |
$0.00 |
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80 |
76 |
00:03:27 |
94.59% |
95.00% |
$0.00 |
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80 |
53 |
00:01:01 |
21.88% |
21.25% |
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72 |
63 |
00:02:41 |
93.10% |
80.56% |
$0.00 |
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69 |
47 |
00:00:11 |
65.96% |
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$0.00 |
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60 |
54 |
00:02:02 |
92.59% |
88.33% |
$0.00 |
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53 |
36 |
00:00:35 |
50.00% |
28.30% |
$0.00 |
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52 |
50 |
00:04:03 |
93.88% |
94.23% |
$0.00 |
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50 |
44 |
00:02:02 |
66.67% |
54.00% |
$0.00 |
| 20. |
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June 23, 2010
One
One morning when grandfather and grandmother were visiting his younger brother on the family farm, grandfather looked out the window and said:
“Look, brother, there is a deer in the yard.”
And grandfather’s younger brother, Yojiro replied; “There are often deer in the yard, brother. Have you been gone so long that you’ve forgotten?”
“No,” said grandfather, “but this deer is different. This deer is leaning against that tree.” Continue reading Grandfather and the Deer
June 23, 2010
1
One bright sunny day, a grandfather sat eating his lunch on a long bench when a group of about twelve young wolves came up, sat down on both sides of him and began talking, laughing and enjoying themselves. Since there was not enough room on the bench for all of them, one young wolf remained standing a short distance away, eyeballing the grand-father.
“Grandfather!” the young wolf said, looking sharply at the old man who sat peacefully eating his lunch.
“Yes, I am a grandfather,” replied the old man. Since the young wolf didn’t say anything back, the grandfather went on enjoying his lunch in the sun and ignored the young wolf, who stared at him from where he stood nearby, shifting from one foot to another. Continue reading Grandfather and the Wolves
June 23, 2010
I recently returned from a week of hiking in Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon, in the Southeast corner of Utah. This area, which also encompasses the Grand Canyon of Arizona, has one of the most unique natural architectures you’ll encounter anywhere in the world, where wind and water have carved the mountains into [...]
June 21, 2010
This is a difficult novel to recommend to you, for several reasons. One, I have trouble remembering the author’s name, James Hynes, and the title, Next. It’s also difficult to recommend because it’s a difficult novel to read and understand. That said, it’s a tour de force and if you like edgy, contemporary literary [...]
June 15, 2010
I’m a reader. I LOVE to read. Sometimes I think I’d rather read than…eat. And as a writer, that’s a good thing because a good writer needs to be a good reader. As a matter of fact, I’ve learned some new things about reading fiction as I’ve been working on my novel over the past few years that I never thought about before.
I guess you could say I was a gobbler, reading mostly for entertainment and story. I was like a woman I met recently on an airplane reading James Patterson, who IMHO ranks at the bottom of the bottom-feeder brain-candy writers. [In fact, he doesn't even write most of his novels these days.] Now I read on multiple levels. So I thought I’d start blogging on my reading and share my impressions with you. I read pretty voraciously, so every time I finish a novel [and an occasional work of non-fiction], I’ll write a few comments here.
June 13, 2010
We mostly have the same script about how childhood should be.
A baby enters as a warm bundle into a sometimes wet world. Especially in Britain, we know that that the sun doesn’t always shine. We are realists.
The growing child should be loved and cherished, and allowed to run free (and safely).
At a certain point, school, friendships and romance flow through to a young adult’s triumphal entry onto the world stage as a happy, balanced and generous human being ready to contribute fully towards society, not least by repeating this cycle.
Sometimes this happens.
Sometimes it doesn’t. Continue reading Suffer the children
June 1, 2010
Visits
5,990
% of Site Total: 100.00%
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- Pages/Visit
- The average number of pages viewed during a visit to your site. Repeated views of a single page are counted.
Pages/Visit
1.74
Site Avg: 1.74 (0.00%)
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- Avg. Time on Site
- The average duration of a visit to your site.
Avg. Time on Site
00:01:55
Site Avg: 00:01:55 (0.00%)
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- % New Visits
- The percentage of visits by people who had never visited your site before.
% New Visits
76.21%
Site Avg: 76.19% (0.02%)
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- Bounce Rate
- The percentage of single-page visits (i.e. visits in which the person left your site from the entrance page).
Bounce Rate
72.65%
Site Avg: 72.65% (0.00%)
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| 1. |
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4,096 |
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219 |
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90 |
1.20 |
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63 |
1.38 |
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47 |
3.98 |
00:09:12 |
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12.77% |
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38 |
1.55 |
00:00:49 |
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38 |
1.58 |
00:00:34 |
89.47% |
81.58% |
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37 |
1.46 |
00:00:40 |
48.65% |
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34 |
1.50 |
00:00:52 |
88.24% |
79.41% |
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|
27 |
1.15 |
00:00:42 |
100.00% |
92.59% |
| 13. |
|
26 |
1.12 |
00:00:05 |
92.31% |
92.31% |
| 14. |
|
23 |
1.17 |
00:00:09 |
86.96% |
91.30% |
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23 |
1.35 |
00:00:30 |
95.65% |
86.96% |
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22 |
1.50 |
00:02:25 |
95.45% |
72.73% |
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20 |
1.90 |
00:07:09 |
30.00% |
50.00% |
| 18. |
|
18 |
1.00 |
00:00:27 |
100.00% |
94.44% |
| 19. |
|
18 |
1.17 |
00:00:26 |
88.89% |
88.89% |
| 20. |
|
18 |
1.06 |
00:00:02 |
100.00% |
94.44% |
| 21. |
|
18 |
1.11 |
00:00:05 |
94.44% |
88.89% |
| 22. |
|
16 |
1.00 |
00:00:00 |
100.00% |
100.00% |
| 23. |
|
16 |
1.56 |
00:00:42 |
100.00% |
81.25% |
| 24. |
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14 |
1.07 |
00:00:02 |
100.00% |
92.86% |
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June 1, 2010
Pageviews
10,394
% of Site Total: 100.00%
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- Unique Pageviews
- The number of visits during which one or more of these pages was viewed.
Unique Pageviews
8,233
% of Site Total: 100.00%
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- Avg. Time on Page
- The average amount of time visitors spent viewing this set of pages or page.
Avg. Time on Page
00:02:36
Site Avg: 00:02:36 (0.00%)
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- Bounce Rate
- The percentage of single page visits resulting from this set of pages or page.
Bounce Rate
72.67%
Site Avg: 72.67% (0.00%)
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- % Exit
- The percentage of site exits that occurred from this set of pages or page.
% Exit
57.62%
Site Avg: 57.62% (0.00%)
|
- $ Index
- The average value of this page or set of pages. $Index is (Ecommerce revenue + Total Goal Value) divided by Pageviews for the page(s).
$ Index
$0.00
Site Avg: $0.00 (0.00%)
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| 1. |
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2,015 |
1,106 |
00:02:16 |
28.50% |
31.17% |
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382 |
278 |
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57.36% |
68.32% |
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259 |
192 |
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51.85% |
49.81% |
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235 |
217 |
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92.12% |
85.96% |
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142 |
97 |
00:01:51 |
65.59% |
57.04% |
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137 |
111 |
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79.28% |
79.56% |
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132 |
121 |
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94.07% |
88.64% |
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117 |
106 |
00:02:13 |
88.00% |
68.38% |
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108 |
102 |
00:04:33 |
85.71% |
80.56% |
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80 |
57 |
00:04:13 |
43.24% |
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79 |
73 |
00:02:55 |
91.30% |
86.08% |
$0.00 |
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77 |
73 |
00:03:37 |
93.06% |
94.81% |
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76 |
48 |
00:00:45 |
60.42% |
63.16% |
$0.00 |
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76 |
73 |
00:05:54 |
94.52% |
94.74% |
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| 15. |
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69 |
69 |
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100.00% |
100.00% |
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68 |
55 |
00:06:47 |
70.37% |
51.47% |
$0.00 |
| 17. |
|
67 |
64 |
00:03:00 |
95.31% |
94.03% |
$0.00 |
| 18. |
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64 |
62 |
00:08:23 |
98.39% |
96.88% |
$0.00 |
| 19. |
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58 |
31 |
00:01:23 |
13.33% |
20.69% |
$0.00 |
| 20. |
|
57 |
49 |
00:06:21 |
86.67% |
54.39% |
$0.00 |
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57 |
31 |
00:01:10 |
35.29% |
24.56% |
$0.00 |
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56 |
55 |
00:03:29 |
98.18% |
98.21% |
$0.00 |
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54 |
50 |
00:06:26 |
92.00% |
92.59% |
$0.00 |
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54 |
51 |
00:02:51 |
90.48% |
81.48% |
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May 18, 2010

I read piles of books a year – somewhere between 50 and 100, I would guess.
I pride myself on being a very good and assiduous reader. I concentrate hard on the plot, I try to love all the characters, I suspend copious amounts of disbelief when required to do so, and I tend to devour several books at once just in case I discover some serendipitous synergies between them.
So I think I deserve to get paid for my efforts.
Why should all these authors be adorned with millions of dollars to write their trashy books when I am not paid a single penny for reading them? They write, I read – we have a symbiotic relationship thing going on here. Surely there should be some mutual commercial incentive built into the deal. Continue reading 10 rules for writers from a discerning reader
May 14, 2010
Posted by seamus in: Accountability, Advice, Attitude, Business, Cap and Trade, Commentary, Communications, Congress, Creative Writing, Current Events, Democrat, Economics, Entertainment, Finance, Freedom, General Topics, Geopolitical Events, Governance, Homeland Security, Humor, Journalism, Life Experiences, Lifestyle, Literature, Minorities, Morality, Motivation, Opinion, Personal Experiences, Politics, Recovery, Republican, Satire, Self-Help, Social Aspects, Social Issues, Sociology, Terrorism, The Economy, The Media, The Pundit's Corner, Women's Rights, Working Women, World Issues
Pick Your Reason 10. I voted Democrat because I believe oil companies’ profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn’t.
9. I voted Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the [...]
May 13, 2010

Before reading ‘The Blacksmith’s Daughter’, I was already a big fan of Minnette Coleman’s writing. Beneath an eloquent surface rippling lies a keen habit of observation which manifests as both a warmly empathetic understanding of humanity and a careful detailing of its struggles, foibles and follies.
And it was not far into this epic tale that I realised that this was Minnette at her very best.
A black blacksmith from Alabama decides to make a name for himself through hard work, thrift and the relentless acquisition of land in Atlanta, Georgia. He has a loving and mutually supportive relationship with his wife Bira, five beautiful daughters and one son who is handicapped. The household is run according to a strict discipline and timetable, everyone to her or his task. As the daughters grow up, the blacksmith is most particular as to who they consort with and in which order they will eventually marry. Suitors must be educated and on their way to acquiring wealth in order to assure the blacksmith that his daughters will be appropriately provided for in the future.
Then along comes the Piano Man who has been brought up principally in the North and in Europe, who is circumspect and sophisticated, and who is dazzling at the piano and in appearance. Furthermore, he is about to become a professor of music at the local university. This man is a catch worthy of one of the blacksmith’s daughters – of Minnelsa, the eldest – or so the blacksmith decides. Continue reading Review of ‘The Blacksmith’s Daughter’ by Minnette Coleman
May 1, 2010
Visits
12,003
% of Site Total: 100.00%
|
- Pages/Visit
- The average number of pages viewed during a visit to your site. Repeated views of a single page are counted.
Pages/Visit
1.82
Site Avg: 1.82 (0.00%)
|
- Avg. Time on Site
- The average duration of a visit to your site.
Avg. Time on Site
00:02:07
Site Avg: 00:02:07 (0.00%)
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- % New Visits
- The percentage of visits by people who had never visited your site before.
% New Visits
74.85%
Site Avg: 74.82% (0.03%)
|
- Bounce Rate
- The percentage of single-page visits (i.e. visits in which the person left your site from the entrance page).
Bounce Rate
71.47%
Site Avg: 71.47% (0.00%)
|
| 1. |
|
8,149 |
1.96 |
00:02:32 |
70.06% |
67.85% |
| 2. |
|
765 |
1.32 |
00:00:57 |
79.48% |
80.39% |
| 3. |
|
646 |
1.70 |
00:01:17 |
79.26% |
74.46% |
| 4. |
|
403 |
1.64 |
00:01:23 |
95.04% |
76.92% |
| 5. |
|
204 |
1.29 |
00:00:41 |
94.61% |
87.25% |
| 6. |
|
145 |
1.35 |
00:01:17 |
94.48% |
82.76% |
| 7. |
|
110 |
3.64 |
00:07:03 |
21.82% |
18.18% |
| 8. |
|
86 |
2.59 |
00:02:21 |
82.56% |
53.49% |
| 9. |
|
74 |
1.51 |
00:00:41 |
55.41% |
82.43% |
| 10. |
|
67 |
1.36 |
00:00:22 |
94.03% |
86.57% |
| 11. |
|
66 |
2.55 |
00:03:47 |
72.73% |
68.18% |
| 12. |
|
62 |
1.16 |
00:00:30 |
93.55% |
87.10% |
| 13. |
|
61 |
1.44 |
00:00:53 |
96.72% |
83.61% |
| 14. |
|
53 |
1.09 |
00:00:22 |
98.11% |
94.34% |
| 15. |
|
53 |
1.32 |
00:00:33 |
90.57% |
86.79% |
| 16. |
|
47 |
1.09 |
00:00:07 |
91.49% |
93.62% |
| 17. |
|
40 |
2.15 |
00:07:02 |
32.50% |
47.50% |
| 18. |
|
37 |
1.49 |
00:01:50 |
97.30% |
72.97% |
| 19. |
|
37 |
1.08 |
00:00:21 |
100.00% |
89.19% |
| 20. |
|
36 |
1.00 |
00:00:00 |
91.67% |
100.00% |
| 21. |
|
36 |
1.14 |
00:00:20 |
91.67% |
86.11% |
| 22. |
|
32 |
1.34 |
00:00:30 |
100.00% |
81.25% |
| 23. |
|
29 |
1.10 |
00:00:08 |
96.55% |
89.66% |
| 24. |
|
28 |
2.14 |
00:02:03 |
92.86% |
89.29% |
| 25. |
|
27 |
1.33 |
00:00:42 |
85.19% |
81.48% |
| 26. |
|
26 |
1.15 |
00:00:13 |
96.15% |
88.46% |
| 27. |
|
26 |
1.27 |
00:00:47 |
80.77% |
84.62% |
| 28. |
|
25 |
1.36 |
00:00:11 |
92.00% |
84.00% |
| 29. |
|
23 |
1.04 |
00:00:01 |
100.00% |
95.65% |
| 30. |
|
May 1, 2010
Pageviews
21,839
% of Site Total: 100.00%
|
- Unique Pageviews
- The number of visits during which one or more of these pages was viewed.
Unique Pageviews
17,139
% of Site Total: 100.00%
|
- Avg. Time on Page
- The average amount of time visitors spent viewing this set of pages or page.
Avg. Time on Page
00:02:35
Site Avg: 00:02:35 (0.00%)
|
- Bounce Rate
- The percentage of single page visits resulting from this set of pages or page.
Bounce Rate
71.48%
Site Avg: 71.48% (0.00%)
|
- % Exit
- The percentage of site exits that occurred from this set of pages or page.
% Exit
54.96%
Site Avg: 54.96% (0.00%)
|
- $ Index
- The average value of this page or set of pages. $Index is (Ecommerce revenue + Total Goal Value) divided by Pageviews for the page(s).
$ Index
$0.00
Site Avg: $0.00 (0.00%)
|
| 1. |
|
4,265 |
2,280 |
00:02:23 |
26.59% |
29.10% |
$0.00 |
| 2. |
|
623 |
440 |
00:02:24 |
51.02% |
44.30% |
$0.00 |
| 3. |
|
382 |
278 |
00:01:58 |
57.36% |
68.32% |
$0.00 |
| 4. |
|
252 |
206 |
00:01:50 |
80.98% |
80.95% |
$0.00 |
| 5. |
|
251 |
236 |
00:03:28 |
93.53% |
91.63% |
$0.00 |
| 6. |
|
234 |
166 |
00:02:07 |
65.22% |
59.40% |
$0.00 |
| 7. |
|
225 |
213 |
00:03:36 |
92.50% |
88.44% |
$0.00 |
| 8. |
|
186 |
180 |
00:04:42 |
95.56% |
95.16% |
$0.00 |
| 9. |
|
167 |
114 |
00:00:29 |
64.04% |
68.26% |
$0.00 |
| 10. |
|
156 |
140 |
00:03:39 |
90.57% |
70.51% |
$0.00 |
| 11. |
|
144 |
140 |
00:04:10 |
94.96% |
94.44% |
$0.00 |
| 12. |
|
133 |
127 |
00:05:14 |
96.06% |
95.49% |
$0.00 |
| 13. |
|
133 |
132 |
00:02:07 |
96.97% |
96.99% |
$0.00 |
| 14. |
|
131 |
123 |
00:05:01 |
89.43% |
90.08% |
$0.00 |
| 15. |
|
126 |
119 |
00:02:38 |
95.58% |
89.68% |
$0.00 |
| 16. |
|
126 |
118 |
00:02:53 |
91.45% |
92.86% |
$0.00 |
| 17. |
|
125 |
72 |
00:00:29 |
52.38% |
36.80% |
$0.00 |
| 18. |
|
117 |
96 |
00:04:34 |
66.67% |
58.12% |
$0.00 |
| 19. |
|
117 |
106 |
00:02:13 |
88.00% |
68.38% |
$0.00 |
| 20. |
|
117 |
66 |
00:04:27 |
58.82% |
31.62% |
$0.00 |
| 21. |
|
113 |
73 |
00:01:13 |
25.00% |
22.12% |
$0.00 |
| 22. |
|
110 |
97 |
00:06:29 |
88.46% |
66.36% |
$0.00 |
| 23. |
|
110 |
60 |
00:01:19 |
34.38% |
25.45% |
$0.00 |
| 24. |
|
108 |
102 |
00:04:33 |
85.71% |
80.56% |
$0.00 |
| 25. |
|
107 |
81 |
00:02:46 |
54.39% |
50.47% |
$0.00 |
| 26. |
|
106 |
97 |
00:03:25 |
90.36% |
82.08% |
$0.00 |
| 27. |
|
105 |
72 |
00:01:57 |
0.00% |
40.00% |
$0.00 |
| 28. |
|
103 |
85 |
00:03:32 |
56.00% |
53.40% |
$0.00 |
| 29. |
|
100 |
84 |
00:01:21 |
76.32% |
52.00% |
$0.00 |
| 30. |
|
April 26, 2010
Back in ancient Rome, the Emperor typically had one thought that troubled him more than any other – “Who guards you against your own guards?”, referring to the Imperial Praetorian guards, who either made you or croaked you, according to whim and political calculation (“Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”).
As authors who ghost write the lives of fictional characters, and the occasional real one, the question that betimes intrigues and troubles us is a matching one: “Who ghost writes for the ghost writers?”
One answer, of course, might be your editor. Some editors have defined the very essence of their clients’ styles. I cannot remember whether it was Raymond Carver or Raymond Chandler whose characteristically terse delivery was largely attributable to the preferences of his editor. It is undeniable, but rarely confessed, that some editors end up rewriting their authors’ books.
My first influence was Lawrence Durrell. Although I wouldn’t claim that he is among my favourite authors, his ‘Alexandrine Quartet’ is right at the top of my favourite books. I could never copy the opulent, sensuous prose style he shared with John Fowles and Truman Capote, but I loved the way that he told the same story from three different angles and then developed it further in the fourth. There is nothing more fascinating than turning characters and storylines inside-out and upside-down in successive books. Continue reading Who are your ghosts, and why are they there?
April 6, 2010
PSYCH 101 for Writers & Their Characters or Pavlov’s Dog for Writers
by robert w. walker, professor of creative writing
Robert W. Walker’s Psych 101 Questions — Over time, I have considered these 10 questions that delve into the relationship between psychology and writing the novel, and being a novelist. In other words, what has psychology got to do with imagination and creating whole worlds populated with people out of ink marks on a page? The following questions and answers delve into the psychology of the author himself, and eventually will also ask about the psychology of characters an author creates: This is Psych 101 for Authors and readers interested in the craft and creative impulse.
Q #1:
As a writer, how does knowledge of writing help you? In short, how did you come across your knowledge of writing novels?
A: Anyone can learn to learn, or rather take steps to learn more about a topic–any topic. I learn best via doing, as in teaching. You teach it, you learn it. The more a writer comes to own knowledge, the higher his or her WQ–writing quotient. Continue reading PSYCH 101 for Writers & Their Characters or Pavlov’s Dog for Writers
April 2, 2010
 The very first
If you are interested in having your short story, of any length, published, or unpublished, have a chance at exemplifying the genre of Experimental Fiction on a resource site, Experimental Writing, you are welcome to enter this contest, for 8 dollars. The winner will be featured on that site and its intertwined site, FlameFlower, with a permanent link, along with all the links you want to add in the future to the bio, and a photo and commentary will be displayed, as well as commentary by me, Tantra Bensko, the host and judge, owner of the sites. The winner will also be sent 50.00 and a badge to put on a site, and a certificate fit for framing. Continue reading Announcing the FlameFlower Experimental Writing Contest (tips on winning)
March 27, 2010
Visits
12,320
% of Site Total: 100.00%
|
- Pages/Visit
- The average number of pages viewed during a visit to your site. Repeated views of a single page are counted.
Pages/Visit
2.01
Site Avg: 2.01 (0.00%)
|
- Avg. Time on Site
- The average duration of a visit to your site.
Avg. Time on Site
00:02:35
Site Avg: 00:02:35 (0.00%)
|
- % New Visits
- The percentage of visits by people who had never visited your site before.
% New Visits
71.11%
Site Avg: 71.07% (0.06%)
|
- Bounce Rate
- The percentage of single-page visits (i.e. visits in which the person left your site from the entrance page).
Bounce Rate
69.72%
Site Avg: 69.72% (0.00%)
|
| 1. |
|
8,408 |
2.20 |
00:03:11 |
64.01% |
64.90% |
| 2. |
|
796 |
1.44 |
00:01:01 |
78.14% |
80.90% |
| 3. |
|
562 |
1.57 |
00:01:17 |
91.81% |
84.88% |
| 4. |
|
465 |
1.90 |
00:01:40 |
91.40% |
74.19% |
| 5. |
|
211 |
1.45 |
00:00:38 |
92.89% |
86.26% |
| 6. |
|
164 |
1.37 |
00:00:53 |
93.29% |
82.93% |
| 7. |
|
107 |
3.53 |
00:05:52 |
30.84% |
28.04% |
| 8. |
|
104 |
2.78 |
00:06:41 |
71.15% |
65.38% |
| 9. |
|
93 |
2.74 |
00:02:31 |
74.19% |
48.39% |
| 10. |
|
72 |
1.86 |
00:01:19 |
90.28% |
83.33% |
| 11. |
|
71 |
1.27 |
00:00:57 |
98.59% |
87.32% |
| 12. |
|
68 |
1.37 |
00:00:45 |
92.65% |
83.82% |
| 13. |
|
53 |
1.13 |
00:00:07 |
98.11% |
90.57% |
| 14. |
|
52 |
1.06 |
00:00:14 |
98.08% |
92.31% |
| 15. |
|
52 |
1.65 |
00:00:49 |
69.23% |
71.15% |
| 16. |
|
45 |
1.29 |
00:00:40 |
93.33% |
84.44% |
| 17. |
|
43 |
1.14 |
00:00:17 |
93.02% |
88.37% |
| 18. |
|
40 |
1.10 |
00:00:08 |
100.00% |
90.00% |
| 19. |
|
37 |
1.03 |
00:00:06 |
91.89% |
97.30% |
| 20. |
|
32 |
1.12 |
00:00:34 |
96.88% |
84.38% |
| 21. |
|
32 |
1.28 |
00:00:37 |
100.00% |
84.38% |
| 22. |
|
30 |
1.30 |
00:00:28 |
96.67% |
86.67% |
| 23. |
|
28 |
2.11 |
00:05:39 |
46.43% |
50.00% |
| 24. |
|
27 |
2.15 |
00:02:06 |
92.59% |
92.59% |
| 25. |
|
25 |
1.44 |
00:00:51 |
92.00% |
84.00% |
| 26. |
|
25 |
1.08 |
00:00:17 |
92.00% |
92.00% |
| 27. |
|
25 |
1.28 |
00:00:17 |
100.00% |
76.00% |
| 28. |
|
25 |
1.12 |
00:00:30 |
44.00% |
88.00% |
| 29. |
|
24 |
1.25 |
00:00:11 |
95.83% |
87.50% |
| 30. |
|
23 |
1.26 |
00:00:38 |
82.61% |
82.61% |
| Continue reading SWI – Total List of Countries visiting SWI over the last 60 days |
March 27, 2010
Pageviews
24,716
% of Site Total: 100.00%
|
- Unique Pageviews
- The number of visits during which one or more of these pages was viewed.
Unique Pageviews
18,596
% of Site Total: 100.00%
|
- Avg. Time on Page
- The average amount of time visitors spent viewing this set of pages or page.
Avg. Time on Page
00:02:34
Site Avg: 00:02:34 (0.00%)
|
- Bounce Rate
- The percentage of single page visits resulting from this set of pages or page.
Bounce Rate
69.72%
Site Avg: 69.72% (0.00%)
|
- % Exit
- The percentage of site exits that occurred from this set of pages or page.
% Exit
49.84%
Site Avg: 49.84% (0.00%)
|
- $ Index
- The average value of this page or set of pages. $Index is (Ecommerce revenue + Total Goal Value) divided by Pageviews for the page(s).
$ Index
$0.00
Site Avg: $0.00 (0.00%)
|
| 1. |
|
5,712 |
2,674 |
00:02:49 |
28.13% |
27.10% |
$0.00 |
| 2. |
|
774 |
509 |
00:02:09 |
45.54% |
37.47% |
$0.00 |
| 3. |
|
274 |
194 |
00:02:35 |
62.50% |
61.68% |
$0.00 |
| 4. |
|
238 |
191 |
00:02:33 |
77.89% |
78.99% |
$0.00 |
| 5. |
|
229 |
221 |
00:06:24 |
92.27% |
95.20% |
$0.00 |
| 6. |
|
227 |
212 |
00:03:31 |
94.34% |
92.07% |
$0.00 |
| 7. |
|
209 |
153 |
00:00:09 |
69.28% |
73.21% |
$0.00 |
| 8. |
|
174 |
164 |
00:02:37 |
93.25% |
91.38% |
$0.00 |
| 9. |
|
165 |
90 |
00:01:12 |
46.15% |
36.97% |
$0.00 |
| 10. |
|
152 |
128 |
00:02:11 |
82.00% |
48.68% |
$0.00 |
| 11. |
|
150 |
144 |
00:04:05 |
90.97% |
90.67% |
$0.00 |
| 12. |
|
146 |
144 |
00:01:49 |
95.14% |
95.21% |
$0.00 |
| 13. |
|
138 |
132 |
00:03:22 |
95.24% |
90.58% |
$0.00 |
| 14. |
|
136 |
122 |
00:05:49 |
82.98% |
72.79% |
$0.00 |
| 15. |
|
123 |
36 |
00:00:09 |
28.57% |
4.88% |
$0.00 |
| 16. |
|
122 |
118 |
00:02:37 |
93.81% |
94.26% |
$0.00 |
| 17. |
|
122 |
106 |
00:05:59 |
87.76% |
83.61% |
$0.00 |
| 18. |
|
118 |
40 |
00:01:01 |
100.00% |
14.41% |
$0.00 |
| 19. |
|
118 |
94 |
00:00:45 |
32.31% |
26.27% |
$0.00 |
| 20. |
|
118 |
99 |
00:00:53 |
75.27% |
73.73% |
$0.00 |
| 21. |
|
116 |
111 |
00:03:27 |
95.50% |
95.69% |
$0.00 |
| 22. |
|
116 |
95 |
00:04:34 |
66.10% |
57.76% |
$0.00 |
| 23. |
|
111 |
99 |
00:03:41 |
85.71% |
86.49% |
$0.00 |
| 24. |
|
110 |
76 |
00:02:07 |
50.00% |
37.27% |
$0.00 |
| 25. |
|
105 |
99 |
00:03:19 |
93.94% |
93.33% |
$0.00 |
| 26. |
|
104 |
57 |
00:04:18 |
58.33% |
28.85% |
$0.00 |
| 27. |
|
102 |
78 |
00:02:26 |
55.56% |
50.00% |
$0.00 |
| 28. |
|
102 |
71 |
00:00:41 |
60.00% |
29.41% |
$0.00 |
| 29. |
|
101 |
91 |
00:01:10 |
13.75% |
27.72% |
$0.00 |
| 30. |
|
98 |
90 |
00:02:41 |
87.64% |
88.78% |
$0.00 |
| Continue reading SWI – Top 300 Page Views over the last 60 days |
March 15, 2010
To Self Pub, to POD, or to Not Self Pub or Not POD -..That is the Debate
My Guest Today is here for a DEBATE. PA Brown’s Bio is at the END of this blog.
The question we are taking up today has complicated answers. It involves writers deciding to self publish and/or working with a POD publisher. Does publishing one’s own work have a horrible stigma attached to it, and has it spilled over into stigmatizing POD publishing as well? In short do agents, editors, readers, and many a writer confuse the two methods of publishing and is the stigma warranted or not, and in a world of labeling and assuming the worst…in a world where appearances are more important than reality, does it matter or help if an author has to stop and explain the difference between self publising and Print on Demand Publising even to organizaions and witers groups?
To get at this complicated issue, I asked author PA Brown if she would kindly allow me to debate her over these issues as PA or Pat recently posted her feelings and impressions of what happens to an author who publishes in the manner of self publication (without separating out POD and other legit methods of publishing). Below you find Brown vs. Walker in a friendly but firm banter over these issues. At bottom too find PA Brown’s brief bio and a url where you can locate many titles with PA Brown on the cover..
Question in the main: does producing a self-published version help or harm an aspiring writer find
a legitimate publisher? Continue reading To Self Pub, to POD, or to Not Self Pub or Not POD -..That is the Debate
March 14, 2010
TB: Experimental Fiction is Literary, with a goal towards an artistic presentation of the subject in a unique way. And in any innovative literature, especially the more experimental it is, a big part of the “subject” actually IS the presentation. The WAY it is conveyed can be exciting, and the structure itself, for example, can imply something about the nature of reality, communication, the self, so many things. . . . [...]
March 14, 2010

My sister Sally is a few years older (and a few eons wiser) than me, and she was off and married to the man of her dreams when I was only five.
I used to go round a lot to Sally and Philip’s house – a habit I haven’t particularly broken although I have lived in a different country for the last eight years, and at the other end of the same country for the previous thirty. The hospitality is invariably magnificent there.
Sally has many passions, mostly falling under the headings of either art or charity. She helped set up NADFAS (The National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies) in the region where she lives and spent a year as the Chair for the society nationally, she is a superlative interior and garden designer, she reads about one hundred books a year (we calculated) and she is a devoted and highly skilled cook too. Continue reading Thank you, Sally
March 14, 2010
Setbacks can end forward progress on a writing project but it is not the mistakes and missteps that define us but how we react to them; overcoming the loss of 75 pages is the topic of the ongoing Cook a Book in a Year gauntlet I have thrown down at http://ning.it/aRjND4 Also the contest [...]
March 8, 2010
Hi—this is Steve Sangirardi, and I’ll try to be as terse as possible. When I retired from Clarke last year, I felt a guilty void that I converted into writing. Miraculously, I found a publisher for my novel, Monday Afternoon: Night Reading, located in the UK. Night Reading is featured on its website and [...]
March 4, 2010
She noticed him staring at her through the window. Uncomfortably, she shifted. First on one foot, then the other, as she dizzyingly became aware of his intense scrutiny. Boss lady was coming any time soon and if she found this stranger staring at her through her precious shop windows, she would throw a fit. Suddenly angry at the brazen look this man was giving her, she turned to give him a reproachful glance of her own and mouthed the words “Rude. Rude to stare.” The man only smiled in return, a self –assured grin that maddened her only more. She saw him shrug nonchalantly and before she could take her next breath, realized that he was coming into the shop…heading straight for her. She stiffened.
“Come over here.” She suddenly heard Boss-lady scream at her from somewhere in the midst of the stacked boxes that lay by the corner.
“Yes ma.” She replied with alacrity, her reverie broken by the commanding tone of her Boss.
“Why do you never listen, Anwasia?” the fat lady bellowed at her employee, her jowls shaking with violence, which really was her normal look any given day.
“Yes ma.” The other one replied questioningly.
Boss-lady hissed in derision. “I keep telling you not to stack these boxes here. But do you listen? No. You don’t listen. You must stand there, by the counter, dreaming away your life. Other girls your age are getting married, but for you, no. You are lost in your own world. You are a disgrace, I tell you. A huge disgrace.”
“Yes ma.” She replied unfeelingly. This was the order of the day: Boss lady telling her how she was nothing but a no-good.
“Carry them boxes over there, stupid girl.” Continue reading An African Love Story: When Love came calling (Part One)
February 28, 2010
Visits
11,511
% of Site Total: 100.00%
|
- Pages/Visit
- The average number of pages viewed during a visit to your site. Repeated views of a single page are counted.
Pages/Visit
2.34
Site Avg: 2.34 (0.00%)
|
- Avg. Time on Site
- The average duration of a visit to your site.
Avg. Time on Site
00:03:09
Site Avg: 00:03:09 (0.00%)
|
- % New Visits
- The percentage of visits by people who had never visited your site before.
% New Visits
65.83%
Site Avg: 65.81% (0.04%)
|
- Bounce Rate
- The percentage of single-page visits (i.e. visits in which the person left your site from the entrance page).
Bounce Rate
66.88%
Site Avg: 66.88% (0.00%)
|
| 1. |
|
8,009 |
2.63 |
00:03:54 |
57.70% |
61.58% |
| 2. |
|
747 |
1.56 |
00:01:12 |
74.16% |
81.39% |
| 3. |
|
511 |
1.30 |
00:00:42 |
96.09% |
87.67% |
| 4. |
|
429 |
2.02 |
00:02:09 |
89.74% |
73.66% |
| 5. |
|
165 |
1.79 |
00:01:09 |
84.85% |
79.39% |
| 6. |
|
128 |
5.13 |
00:08:03 |
27.34% |
23.44% |
| 7. |
|
123 |
1.33 |
00:00:46 |
95.93% |
82.93% |
| 8. |
|
103 |
2.42 |
00:05:59 |
76.70% |
72.82% |
| 9. |
|
81 |
1.27 |
00:00:50 |
92.59% |
87.65% |
| 10. |
|
50 |
2.64 |
00:02:04 |
62.00% |
34.00% |
| 11. |
|
49 |
2.22 |
00:01:41 |
89.80% |
83.67% |
| 12. |
|
48 |
1.19 |
00:00:32 |
89.58% |
87.50% |
| 13. |
|
44 |
1.20 |
00:00:14 |
100.00% |
86.36% |
| 14. |
|
42 |
1.52 |
00:00:53 |
95.24% |
76.19% |
| 15. |
|
41 |
1.20 |
00:00:20 |
95.12% |
82.93% |
| 16. |
|
40 |
1.10 |
00:00:06 |
97.50% |
92.50% |
| 17. |
|
37 |
1.11 |
00:00:19 |
100.00% |
89.19% |
| 18. |
|
37 |
1.49 |
00:00:32 |
86.49% |
72.97% |
| 19. |
|
32 |
1.22 |
00:01:42 |
87.50% |
87.50% |
| 20. |
|
29 |
1.86 |
00:01:19 Continue reading SWI – Total List of Countries visiting SWI over the last 60 days |
February 28, 2010
Pageviews
26,981
% of Site Total: 100.00%
|
- Unique Pageviews
- The number of visits during which one or more of these pages was viewed.
Unique Pageviews
18,950
% of Site Total: 100.00%
|
- Avg. Time on Page
- The average amount of time visitors spent viewing this set of pages or page.
Avg. Time on Page
00:02:21
Site Avg: 00:02:21 (0.00%)
|
- Bounce Rate
- The percentage of single page visits resulting from this set of pages or page.
Bounce Rate
66.89%
Site Avg: 66.89% (0.00%)
|
- % Exit
- The percentage of site exits that occurred from this set of pages or page.
% Exit
42.66%
Site Avg: 42.66% (0.00%)
|
- $ Index
- The average value of this page or set of pages. $Index is (Ecommerce revenue + Total Goal Value) divided by Pageviews for the page(s).
$ Index
$0.00
Site Avg: $0.00 (0.00%)
|
| 1. |
|
7,184 |
3,136 |
00:02:36 |
29.72% |
25.71% |
$0.00 |
| 2. |
|
674 |
427 |
00:02:27 |
38.57% |
33.53% |
$0.00 |
| 3. |
|
430 |
168 |
00:00:47 |
40.21% |
22.33% |
$0.00 |
| 4. |
|
336 |
69 |
00:00:07 |
7.14% |
2.38% |
$0.00 |
| 5. |
|
231 |
163 |
00:02:48 |
61.25% |
61.47% |
$0.00 |
| 6. |
|
217 |
172 |
00:02:22 |
75.58% |
77.88% |
$0.00 |
| 7. |
|
209 |
181 |
00:06:03 |
84.96% |
66.51% |
$0.00 |
| 8. |
|
203 |
155 |
00:00:44 |
67.18% |
62.07% |
$0.00 |
| 9. |
|
201 |
151 |
00:00:09 |
74.17% |
75.12% |
$0.00 |
| 10. |
|
198 |
182 |
00:03:50 |
92.82% |
90.40% |
$0.00 |
| 11. |
|
194 |
179 |
00:02:46 |
90.91% |
89.18% |
$0.00 |
| 12. |
|
188 |
182 |
00:05:03 |
93.41% |
95.74% |
$0.00 |
| 13. |
|
183 |
120 |
00:00:36 |
36.00% |
26.78% |
$0.00 |
| 14. |
|
179 |
155 |
00:03:00 |
83.64% |
48.04% |
$0.00 |
| 15. |
|
156 |
56 |
00:01:33 |
87.50% |
19.87% |
$0.00 |
| 16. |
|
148 |
144 |
00:04:11 |
96.45% |
93.92% |
$0.00 |
| 17. |
|
145 |
84 |
00:00:32 |
51.61% |
22.07% |
$0.00 |
| 18. |
|
126 |
112 |
00:05:43 |
82.76% |
71.43% |
$0.00 |
| 19. |
|
123 |
120 |
00:01:37 |
95.83% |
95.93% |
$0.00 |
| 20. |
|
122 |
20 Continue reading SWI – Top 500 Page Views over the last 60 days |
February 25, 2010
We first put our site on the Internet in December 2008 – since then we have had over 110,000 viewers visit our site. We extend an invitation to all writers to become contributors. If you are interested please reply to SpeakWithoutInterruption@gmail.com and let us know the type of writings [...]
February 25, 2010
I don’t want to say that I live in a bizarre world but you see I reside in a town called Topsy Turvy in the country of Before. My name is Todd and I live on a small farm with my parents and my grandfather. I go to school and am proud to be at the bottom of my class. I reside in a small town with just a few neighbors way back in the country of Before. In my small town we do things a bit different than most. You see, when we plant corn, it grows underground. We have to pull it up with corn pickers when it is time to harvest. The carrots grow above ground and the watermelons are red on the outside and green on the inside. All of the people in our little town walk on their hands and when they meet on the street, they shake feet. Even our babies scoot on their backs rather than crawl on their knees. Our faucets point up and our drinking fountains down. Our school desks are on the ceilings, which of course makes seeing that much better since the lights are there.
On this wonderfully rainy morning, I stopped by the butchers on my way to school to give my mother’s shopping list to Mr. Fritz.
“Hello Todd. On your way to school I see,” greeted Mr. Fritz as he stood at the counter loading it with fresh bacon. “Is that your mother’s list for me?”
“Yes sir. Mom will be by later after she finishes making the pineapple right-side-up cake for the county bake sale.”
As I was about to leave, gabby Mrs. Gray walked in snooping for gossip. Continue reading The World Turned Upside Down
February 14, 2010
Julia & Julia Type Journal for Cooking up a Gritty Suspense or Mystery Novel by Robert W. Walker
At Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, yes, you can follow me as I blog on the progress and success or failure of putting together my 50th novel. Without a contract, written on speculation only in my head and faith in the material and myself—I am keeping a dairy-type Journal about the process of crafting the novel.
This is like getting a creative writing course from Professor Walker. Follow me as I write a Suspense Novel Before Your Eyes, and no matter what category or genre you are working in, there is so much you can pick up from following this process. Imagine if you had the opportunity to look in over the shoulder of a veteran author and watch his hand at work. There can be no better classroom, and you are not limited in asking questions or offering comments. Continue reading Julia & Julia Type Journal for Cooking up a Gritty Suspense or Mystery Novel by Robert W. Walker
February 11, 2010
Complete this sentence – If I did not have the freedom to write I would…………
We welcome your thoughts and comments.
February 4, 2010
Posted by Bob Grant - Editor in: Books, Creative Writing, Current Events, Fiction, Freelance Author, Journalism, Literature, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Publishing, Short Stories, The Writer's Corner
What is a Writer? Is is someone who has been trained as one or someone who believes they are one? Is is someone who uses big words and knows proper grammar or is it someone who writes the way they feel with spelling and grammatical errors? Is it someone who has published books, articles, [...]
February 4, 2010
Serious literary writing from the time Modernism came onto the scene with WW1 has been primarily made up of shattering of narrative elements. Time itself is broken and collaged, structure is collapsed, cause and effect can go out the window, the novel can parody itself suddenly, dialogue can be absurdist, and characters can become flattened so we don’t see them as warm humans that we care about in a personal sense at all, or they can be impossible and contradictory, and the whole novel can be self-reflexive, playing on the artifice. The world being perceived as so shattered and irrational now, literary writers can feel it inaccurate to portray it as being unified, going along in a reliable, cohesive manner full of meaning. [...]
February 2, 2010
I have had both a personal, and business, relationship with China – and its people – since 2003. I have written articles – posted to our site – regarding China and have made it no secret regarding my extreme interest in having contributors, from China, post their articles to our site. I am excited [...]
February 1, 2010
It is hard to believe sitting here today, but in 2-3 years’ time paper books simply won’t exist.
I love paper books. Specifically, I love paperbacks. As they say about Toblerone, never eat a sweet that hurts you – so I am not so fond of hardbacks as being uncomfortable and often painful to hold. But paperbacks ……
As with many authors, I read my own books about 30 times – 28 times electronically, and a couple of times in paperback. The first twenty-eight times are OK, except that even I get bored of my books eventually. However, the 29th (final correction) and 30th times are heaven. It is a completely different experience reading a book in paperback. As Steve Sangirardi is always keen to point out, it is the difference between the menu and the meal. Reading about the sensation of eating chocolate is one thing; actually eating it for the first time is another.
Nevertheless, in 2-3 years’ time paperbacks will be gone – almost completely – vanished like an old oak table [don’t you mean ‘varnished’ – ed? For the rest of this reference, see the TV series Blackadder III]. New technology takeover is often catastrophic. It is like the Monty Python running man – sprinting away but no closer – sprinting away but no closer – sprinting away but no closer – past you. Continue reading The attack of the alien multi-media book snatchers
February 1, 2010
Below are the results – from Google Analytics – for our SWI site showing the Top 200 pages visited over the past 12 months:
Pageviews
128,896
% of Site Total:
100.00%
|
- Unique Pageviews
- The number of visits during which one or more of these pages was viewed.
Unique Pageviews
90,609
% of Site Total: 100.00%
|
- Avg. Time on Page
- The average amount of time visitors spent viewing this set of pages or page.
Avg. Time on Page
00:02:45
Site Avg: 00:02:45 (0.00%)
|
- Bounce Rate
- The percentage of single page visits resulting from this set of pages or page.
Bounce Rate
64.67%
Site Avg: 64.67% (0.00%)
|
- % Exit
- The percentage of site exits that occurred from this set of pages or page.
% Exit
41.61%
Site Avg: 41.61% (0.00%)
|
- $ Index
- The average value of this page or set of pages. $Index is (Ecommerce revenue + Total Goal Value) divided by Pageviews for the page(s).
$ Index
$0.00
Site Avg: $0.00 (0.00%)
|
| 1. |
|
27,232 |
12,904 |
00:03:16 |
34.71% |
26.68% |
$0.00 |
| 2. |
|
19,101 |
9,877 |
00:02:57 |
38.13% |
28.75% |
$0.00 |
| 3. |
|
943 |
588 |
00:03:31 |
52.07% |
33.40% |
$0.00 |
| 4. |
|
692 |
550 |
00:01:24 |
45.71% |
21.82% |
$0.00 |
| 5. |
|
655 |
595 |
00:02:53 |
89.15% |
83.97% |
$0.00 |
| 6. |
|
633 |
178 |
00:00:17 |
7.32% |
6.48% |
$0.00 |
| 7. |
|
625 |
502 |
00:01:45 |
66.04% |
64.48% |
$0.00 |
| 8. |
|
610 |
272 |
00:00:56 |
44.85% |
26.72% |
$0.00 |
| 9. |
|
499 |
410 |
00:01:34 |
54.84% |
27.86% |
$0.00 |
| 10. |
|
414 |
329 |
00:01:51 |
75.00% |
26.09% |
$0.00 Continue reading February 2010 (Content by Title – Previous 12 Months) |
February 1, 2010
We have just set up a book readers’ and writers’ site to bring everyone together to discuss books.
Our slogan is “Every book must be published” and, with developments in print-on-demand and e-tablets (Apple, Kindle etc.), they will be.
This site – Night Reading – was conceived last Thursday and kicked off last Friday. [...]
January 30, 2010
With huge thanks to Bob Grant of SWI for publicising our new venture to help writers find their audiences, and vice-versa, here is our report on the first day.
Bruce Essar and I (both SWI contributors) took the concept of Night Reading from conception to execution in a few hours, and the first day has proven extremely promising – 31 members and 16 posts / first chapters.
This is an experiment and although we know what we want to achieve and how we want to achieve it, we don’t know whether the formula will allow us to get there or not. We are seeking a triumph of faith and optimism over cynicism and despair, and so far the signs are that we may even all win.
What we want is a kind of revolution in publishing and we are following D.H. Lawrence’s dictum that if we are going to have a revolution, we are going to have it for fun (a seriously fun guy, that D.H.). Continue reading Night Reading – Day 1 report
January 29, 2010
SWI is pleased to announce ‘Night Reading’ – a publishing opportunity for not only our own SWI contributors but to all writers who are interested in getting their works published. Below is this initial announcement from our contributors Tim Roux and Bruce Essar:
Bruce Essar and I invite you to join our new Ning [...]
January 26, 2010

Angelo Aiello is a New York, Italian Roman Catholic – very New York, very Italian and more Roman Catholic than makes any pragmatic sense nowadays.
He has a wife whom he dreads, a thirteen year old daughter whom he reciprocally adores, and a vengeful, jealous God that he fears (but we know all about that one around here).
Over fifteen years of marriage, his wife, Alice, has learnt to be outraged by Angelo’s jealousy, wounded by his lack of sympathy for her nervous breakdown after her sister died of AIDS, to despise his writing, and to resent the fact that he earns the least of any male in her family, plumbers and electricians included (well, they would be).
He in his turn feels unheard and under-appreciated, regretting that all that he was taught to value in his childhood and undergraduate days has been set at nought during his marriage, while his wife’s plimsoll line attests to her sinking deeper into the cookie jar as every year goes by until she resembles a sack of Orioles. Continue reading ‘Monday Afternoon’ by Steve Sangirardi
January 16, 2010
Sherlock Holmes fans will love this. Written in the style of Conan Doyle, so well that the reader is not aware it isn’t one of his stories, the novel follows Sherlock and Doctor Watson as they take on a seemingly simple case of murder. However, it quickly becomes clear that this is anything but straightforward.
Doctor Watson narrates, and acts, as he helps the famous sleuth to track down clues in this complex crime mystery. Avril Field-Taylor has done her research and takes the reader on a journey which is so well constructed that it is like watching a film of events play out. Set in Devon, Hull and London, with Buckingham Palace playing a role, the story moves rapidly with the trains and Handsome cabs that propel the protagonists through the convoluted plot. The railway stations, backstreets, country houses and, of course, Baker Street, are all described so well that the reader feels at home with them.
The action brings in Mycroft, Sherlock’s brilliant but mysterious brother, the professionally jealous Lestrade from Scotland Yard, the Hellfire Club and Sherlock’s arch-enemy, Moriarty, in a plot which twists and turns without ever losing credibility. The damsel in distress is beautifully drawn and turns out to have more courage and good sense than initially expected, so that the reader really cares about her fate. Watson’s love and concern for Mary, his wife, is very well depicted. And Mrs Hudson gets an unexpected shock when Baker Street is attacked. Continue reading Stuart Aken Reviews Murder at Oakwood Grange by Avril Field-Taylor
January 14, 2010
Seer’s Moon is Karen Wolfe’s second fantasy novel centring on the unusual activities of Granny Beamish and her cronies. With its mixture of comic style and supernatural content, the book had me smiling, chuckling and laughing out loud; much to the consternation of my fellow travellers. The story, or at least the main thread, follows the fate of poor Kenneth who has inadvertently become a werewolf and is being chased by a sinister bounty hunter. Granny Beamish and her friends, family and associates, who have some sympathy with the vegetarian Kenneth and his harmless, if somewhat destructive, werewolf alter ego, do their best to prevent his capture and execution. The incompetent local police, an interfering busybody and a creepy, ambitious member of Granny’s Seer community all provide the necessary conflict. Meanwhile, Granny has to contend with the advances of her ex boyfriend, who jilted her, as he tries to win her back.
Seers, for those who are unsure, are members of a parallel community who use telepathy and certain types of magic; it isn’t wise for a normal human to mess with an accomplished Seer, especially one with the gifts possessed by Granny Beamish.
Karen Wolfe writes in a style of her own; colloquially and with a type of humour that touches my laughter muscles. This is a very English novel in many ways and some of the language and references may be lost on readers from outside. But there is so much that is universal in appeal that this association with Englishness acts as an enhancement, giving the book a quirky character that should appeal to readers of all nationalities. And, talking of ‘quirky’ this is the way her characters come across. All are individual, even the dogs, wolf, griffons and other animals, and especially the rampaging sheep. Her people have flaws as well as positive attributes and all of them are very human, sometimes touching and always hilarious, often in ways that completely escape the characters themselves. Continue reading Stuart Aken’s Review of Seer’s Moon by Karen Wolfe
December 18, 2009
Posted by Bob Grant - Editor in: Books, Creative Writing, Freelance Author, Journalism, Literature, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories, The Media, The Pundit's Corner, The Writer's Corner, Writing Essentials
Our Online Magazine was started in December 2008. Since then we have had visitors to our site that represent 165 countries. Although we have a few contributing writers – outside the U.S. – we “very much” want more. Many, many, many more! If you come to our site from outside the USA – and would like to become a [...]
December 17, 2009
I know that many writers decry the state of the publishing industry, but for me it is in better health than it has ever been.
As a writer you have a choice:
• do you want to produce erudite work which addresses a relatively small audience of cognoscenti?
or
• do you want to make a stack of money writing what sells?
There are very few writers who manage to square this circle and for most of us to confuse these two questions is to cause ourselves chronic misery. Erudite work will rarely sell to the mass market; work designed for the mass market will rarely appeal to the erudite. That is my guess, although reading children’s literature where its authors increasingly manage to conquer two entirely different audiences equally and simultaneously, is maybe to recognise that a new raft of talented writers will emerge to feed challenging work to the mass market. Continue reading The shock of the new
December 16, 2009
Ever since the publication of ‘The Philosopher’s Stone’, I have been troubled by a niggling concern. It doesn’t keep me awake at night but I do regularly accost strangers and ask them “Whatever happened to Harry Potter’s grandparents?”.
Harry Potter was a baby when his parents were killed. His parents look like they were in their twenties, max. thirties. He should have had four of them in this age of increasing longevity. Where did they all go? I don’t remember Hagrid telling Harry “’arry, that Voldemort killed your grandparents, you know”, although I may have missed that page among three thousand and some. Still, nobody has any grandparents in Harry Potter, except Longbottom, and his gran is just plain scary.
Few share my concerns and I usually get sent out to make a nice cup of Yorkshire Tea to stop me hassling the guests with bothersome questions. Continue reading Review of ‘Seers’ by Karen Wolfe
December 14, 2009
Scott Pack, the Head Buyer of Waterstones, once famously boomed “Who on earth could care less what Tim Adams of The Observer thinks about anything?”, his point being that upmarket critical opinion was no indicator of sales potential except perhaps by way of negative correlation (‘the more the praise, the less the sales’). No, what Scott was looking for was the next Dan Brown not an up-and-coming literary stylist.
He upset many an author and many a ‘quality’ journalist (not least Tim Adams), but he was right. Waterstones is not there to parlay up the elitist literary taste of the public. It is there to sell things – like coffee and cake, a few books, and Scott Pack.
As it happens, I have had a few dealings with Waterstones in Hull, UK, and they have been great – really supportive of local Hull & East Riding artists. Rich Sutherland, who is about to become a published author himself with a collection of short stories called ‘The Unitary Authority of Ersatz’, was my main contact before he left for Hull Truck, and he even agreed to come out on a stormy Sunday lunchtime to set up a Waterstones stall for free to back my promotional event. Waterstones in Hull also harbours Peter Knaggs, a rather fine poet, and the even more excellent editor of ‘The Slab’ series of contemporary verse which are the best collections of poetry I have ever come across for their variety, freshness and energy – and consequently very hard to find. Continue reading Is this the new Dan Brown or just the Second Coming?
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Books by SWI Contributors
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The Gaslight Journal is Done
Begun back sometime in 2001, this book was originally a fluke of an idea… [...]