Day 71: Analysis of how to write an article

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 71: Analysis of how to write an article

Do you know something that might be of interest to others?  Do you have a speciality that you would like to share or teach?  If you do, you have the stuff great articles are made of and captivate and audience.

Respected authors recommend that when starting out as a writer, you should write about what you know. Just as a child has to learn to crawl before it can walk, so a writer has to get experience in his craft.

 

If you’re not sure what to write about, think about your job, your interests and hobbies. These are usually the things you know a lot about and are passionate about. When you write about them your passion will shine through.

Once you venture outside your comfort zone, thoroughly research the topic you want to write about. You need to know the facts. Nothing destroys your credibility as a writer more than presenting an article with incorrect or outdated information.

A great title is important. You need to make your article easy to find for people who search the web for information. A suitable title will tickle their curiosity. The introduction of your article should consist of a summary of what the reader of your article can expect. 

Remember SEO content. SEO content is keyword phrases that search engines pick up on. These keyword phrases should be pertaining to the subject of your article and repeated a few times in the body of your article. Keywords should preferably be at the beginning or very end of a paragraph. Don’t pepper your article with keywords though, remember that you are directing yourself in the first place to a reader, not a search engine.

If you are writing a recipe, be sure to include all the ingredients and materials so that your readers have all the tools they will need for a particular dish.  Then write step by step instructions on how to go about the preparation of this dish.

Read your work, preferably out loud so you can hear the flow of the sentences.  Pay attention to punctuation.  Finally, spell check your work and read it again. A spell checker may pick up on most of the mistakes, but not all of them.  When in doubt, Grammarly can help. Not only will Grammarly help with spellchecking your document, but the

program also pays attention to good grammar and can be used as a plagiarism checker. 

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Day 53: It's official ... I'm someone's muse

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 53: It's official ... I'm someone's muse

After reading my blog for a couple of weeks, a friend of mine is starting her own. In other words, I was her muse. I’m well and truly chuffed, as far as I know, I’ve never been anyone’s muse before.

She won’t be short of inspiration. Not only does she have a family and a job, but she also has a cat, a turtle and thousands of bees. Yes, she is a beekeeper. She’ll have stories coming out of her ears.

As for me, I started my blog some ten years ago. I was dealing with several issues and a friend suggested a blog. I started somewhat reluctantly, but I soon discovered the benefits.

Every day things happen that makes one happy, sad, frustrated, or downright boiling mad. Having someone to talk to might help, but isn’t always the best option. People usually don’t have the time to listen, might not be interested, or might not feel the same way you do. 

When sharing an experience with someone you can’t just talk, talk, talk, other people will want to get a word edgewise in too.

With the written word you don’t have to worry about that. You can talk to your heart’s content without anyone interrupting you or disagreeing with you. So, a blog is perfect to get something off your chest.

The latter was rather important to me. When I see, hear or read something that bothers me, I can’t just shrug it off. I carry it with me, it influences my mood and it gives me sleepless nights.

Talking about this, that or the other isn’t always possible. For one, I spend most of my days alone and two, sharing with Dieter isn’t always an option because his attitude is ... who cares, just forget about it. Well, I can’t forget about it because I do care.

Once I’ve written about something, and as such get something off my chest, I have peace of mind again. As such, I can recommend writing to anyone who deals with certain issues. If you’re like me and you feel strongly about this, that and the other, keeping a blog is rather therapeutic.

Some might think that they have no talent for writing. Who cares? You don’t have to be an Ernest Hemingway or a James Patterson to put ‘pen to paper’. Just start something, anything, and if you enjoy it, keep going.

Many of us, especially girls, kept a diary in our younger days. It was a book with or without a lock and we were very protective about it. Nobody was supposed to read it and if someone did it was considered an invasion of privacy. 

Things are very different now. Modern diaries, blogs, are put online for all and sundry to read. Bloggers promote their work, are pleased when they get followers or are offended when nobody cares. Getting a comment on a particular piece of writing can make their day.

So to my friend I would say, start that blog, have fun with it. As soon as it's out there, I'll be the first subscriber.

Day 30: To all crazy cat ladies

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 30: To all crazy cat ladies

In the past, when someone called me a crazy cat lady, I was somewhat offended. One can have five dogs, four parakeets, a dozen fish, two tortoises or even a snake and nobody will think anything of it. Have more than one cat though and you’re a crazy cat lady.

A little research revealed that rather than being insulted, I should feel flattered. There are a number of famous people who loved cats, so I’m in great company.

Freddy Mercury 

John Travolta

Robert Downy Jr.

Meryl Streep 

               Cameron Diaz

Taylor Swift

And what, if I may ask is so wrong with loving cats? I’m rather fond of dogs too, all animals come to that, but cats are my favorites. They are beautiful, affectionate, clean and self-sufficient.

Cats are also less trouble than dogs. Cats use a litter box, but dogs have to be taken outside. Taking pooch for a walk or to do his business might be pleasant on a warm sunny day, but it’s quite a different story when it’s raining buckets or when the temperature falls to -35 deg C (-31 deg F). 

Not to mention that dogs have to be trained to do their business outside, which can take days or even weeks before the puppy gets it. With kittens you don’t have that problem. Show kitten where the litter box is and you never have to worry again. If a kitten or a cat uses anything other than the litter box, you can bet there is a health problem.

Then there’s the noise. Cats are quiet but dogs bark. We used to have a neighbor who had an Alsatian and the poor dog missed his owner so much during the day (and often night) that he barked and barked while scratching the door. I felt so sorry for the poor animal. Cats aren’t that vocal and even if they are the noise level isn’t as intrusive as a barking dog.

Then there’s the hygiene. Cats are self-cleaning, but dogs have to be washed. Giving a small dog a bath doesn’t seem all that difficult, but I imagine it’s quite a chore to get an unwilling Labrador or Golden Retriever into the bathroom.

As for food … unless you have a teeny tiny dog, feeding a dog is far more expensive than a cat. I can only imagine the amount of food a big dog goes through.

Last but not least, sleeping arrangements. I regularly have two to three cats sleeping on my bed. If this were two to three dogs … well, there wouldn’t be room for me anymore.

So yes, I prefer cats over dogs and I have four of them. If that makes me a crazy cat lady … so be it.

https://bestlifeonline.com/cutest-celebrity-cats/

Day 131: Some much to do, so little time

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 131: Some much to do, so little time

Some people complain that they are bored. For me there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do. 

Reading

Ever since I was introduced to James Patterson, I’ve been reading his work one book after another. For me this is unusual because even with my favorite authors, no matter how much I like the story or the writing style, I could only read one book and then had to read something else. Two books in a row of the same author just didn’t agree with me.

That changed when I tried James Patterson. I’ve read about ten of his books in a row now and they are all so different that the stories hold my attention start to finish. All except one that is, I started reading ‘Princess’ and I couldn’t get into that story. Other James Patterson fans enjoyed the book though, so I might give it another try.

​At first I didn’t like the book I’m currently reading, ‘Invisible’, but that soon changed and now it’s so riveting I would do nothing but reading. I swear that man could write about a doughnut going stale and make it sound interesting. 

Diamond Painting
​
Another hobby that takes up my time is diamond painting. Up until about a month ago I didn’t even know what diamond painting was. I imagine quite a few people are just as clueless. Rather than explaining what diamond painting is, let this video do the talking.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bReU2hBt_7g
 
There's a variety of designs to choose from, partial or fully drilled. Be warned though, diamond painting is not only a beautiful and relaxing hobby, it's also very addictive. You can't just do one. See anything you like?

Writing

Finally there my new manuscript. I had this idea for a new story, which I thought was going to be easy to write but it proves to be anything but. I’ve become way too conscious about word choice, sentence structure and showing vs. telling that writing is no longer a pleasure but sheer torture. I had originally planned to finish this new story by Christmas 2018, but the way things are going, it could be Easter before I write ‘the end’ or worse, Christmas 2019.

Working

Yeah this last one really throws a spanner into the works, but it's something most of us do between 9:00 and 5:00. 

Day 77: Hitting a snag

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 77: Hitting a snag

It’s day 77 of this writing project and some of you might have wondered what this is all about. What it’s about is simple, I have a list of 365 tasks. Tasks such as:

- The Professor: Write about a teacher who has influenced you

- Mirror, Mirror: What if your mirror started talking to you

- The Stars: Take inspiration from the night sky

- Fire Starters: Write about building a fire

- Fashion: Write about a fashion model

While some tasks work out, these five definitely did not.

For instance …

I can’t write about a teacher who influenced me because no teacher ever has. Actors, singers, and writers have influenced me, but definitely not teachers.

What if a mirror started talking to me … holy crap, I think I’d get a coronary right there on the spot.

Taking inspiration from the night sky … not really working for me. I see the same stars every night (everybody does) and in the event that something exciting is going on, like a super moon or a meteor shower, I miss it. If something is going on in the sky, the sky is packed with clouds.

Building a fire … I’ve never built a fire and if I were to start now the superintendent and the management of my building wouldn’t be too pleased.

Writing about a fashion model … give me a break. I have zero interest in fashion models.

So, there you have it. Even though these writing tasks are supposed to help to get the creative juices flowing, there are topics that just don’t work for me.

Yesterday’s task was to write about a dragon. Well, that didn’t work either. What I know about dragons would fit on a postage stamp.

Today’s exercise was geography: write about a country you’ve never visited and why you would never go there. Seriously, if I was to write about such a country (countries actually) I would offend quite a few people.

So, I’ll do the next best thing. Tomorrow’s task is: write about countries you’ve never visited but would like to. I can most certainly do that.

Stay tuned …

Now, in addition, I’ve taken on posting daily calendar quotes. These are not my ideas, these are quotes that I get from my 2018 calendar. 

Today’s quote:

Despite the many images of cats lapping up milk, most cats are lactose intolerant.

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Would you pity her?

Soon my blog will celebrate its sixth anniversary and over the years many readers have asked me where I find inspiration for my posts. One word … Facebook. Whenever I’m short on inspiration, all have to do is scroll through the Facebook posts and something is sure to jump out at me.

Take today for instance. Someone posted a video of a 22-year old African American woman that was aimed to gear up sympathy for the woman’s "dire" situation.

She works at McDonalds at minimum wage, she had a young kid, and has to make do with what she earns, plus what she gets from child support, plus government assistance.

After seeing the video, I got to thinking and watched it again and again and I found quite a few interesting details.

She complained that she only earns minimum wage at McDonalds. Well, at least she has a job. Millions of people don’t and for one reason or another are refused unemployment benefits.

My neighbor also used to work for McDonalds, but he didn’t stay there. He went to night school, put himself through college and obtained a government job.

The woman lives in a two story house with a beautiful big kitchen. Now it so happens that I have friends and acquaintances who are not exactly well off and I can tell you, none of them live in a two story house. One lives in a cheap apartment, the second shares an apartment with a roommate, the third lives in a trailer and the forth rents one room in a house.

None of these people have children (they can't afford them) so they don’t have the benefit of child support and when they applied for government assistance, they were turned down. Subsequently they turned to The Salvation Army, United Way, and other charities and were sent packing.

The woman in the video states that she only buys frozen foods (as fresh food might spoil and be wasted). Not very smart in my opinion. Frozen food is the most expensive. Take carrots for instance. A tin of carrots costs 65 cents, a bushel of fresh carrots costs 99 cents, while a packet of frozen carrots costs $2.45. If she’s worried about wasting food, she can go to the market on a daily basis for what she needs.

She complains that she had to have a tooth pulled because she couldn’t afford root canal. 

I have news for her, I know quite a few people, working people with medical insurance, who can’t afford root canal either. As for me … I wouldn’t want root canal if you offered it to me for free. 

As for the woman herself … she is African American, yet she has long glossy hair. This indicates a) her hair is straightened, b) has extensions, or c) is a wig. Either way, an expensive look.

As for her clothing … she is seen wearing a GAP T-shirt. Anyone who has ever shopped for clothing knows that GAP is an expensive store. Her jacket I recognized as Tommy Hilfiger (designer gear). Some might say that her T-shirt and jacket are knock-offs, but knock off items are still more expensive than no-name clothing.

All in all, my less than rich friends would trade places with this woman any day. She has a job, she lives in a furnished two story house, she receives child support and government assistance … what exactly is she complaining about?

I have 3 million …

… views.

My blog “Under the Toronto Sun” has 3 million views. What did you think I was going to say? That I have 3 million dollars? Yeah, right.

The “Under the Toronto Sun” blog started out as a place for me to talk and occasionally vent. I didn’t actually think that, other than a few Facebook friends, my blog would be read, but over the years it has become are rather frequently visited site. These were yesterday’s statistics:

United States	17200
France	1224
Poland	394
Germany	277
United Kingdom	234
Ukraine	197
Russia	131
India	122
Singapore	84
Turkey	62

Not all blog entries are equally popular of course, but “Under the Toronto Sun” gets on average 10,000 views per day. Give or take a view.

Some of the most popular blog posts are:

Writing tips – 38,635 views

Writing tips are sure to get a lot of views. Whether writers concentrate on novels, children’s books, short stories, articles or blog posts, they are curious how to perfect their craft or how to drive more traffic to their website or blog.

Employment – 327,157

Unemployment is on the rise and those hungry for a job seek information on how to compile the perfect resume, how to write an attention grabbing cover letter, how to handle an interview and what to expect from an employment agency.

Scam alert – 170,145

Are you aware of a scam? Put it in writing and warn others. There was a time that I found between ten to fifteen scam messages in my email inbox. At one time, I replied to the scammer that I was interested in his offer but that I had contacted the FBI and Interpol to verify his information. Apparently scammers “talk” to each other because that was the last time I received such a message.

Pets – 313,714

Pets are ever popular. If you have a cat, a dog, a ferret, a rabbit, or anything else that’s cute, write about its antics. Just as pet videos are most popular on YouTube, so are blog posts about your fur kids.

If you’re thinking about starting a blog, go for it, you’ll never know what might happen or who might read about it.

My guest blogger ... Debbie

Hello, I’m “Under the Toronto Sun’s” guest blogger today.  If I get lots of hits and possible comments, I might get a regular spot on this blog.

Let me introduce myself.

My name is Debbie and I’m a ferret.  Yes, you read that right, a ferret.

If you think humans are the only bloggers, think again.  Pets blog too, you could say they lead double lives.

When humans are around, they act like animals should: they meow, bark, they’re being cute or they make a nuisance of themselves.  But when their owners go to sleep or leave the house to go to work, to school, or out to dinner, everything changes.  When nobody’s watching, pets’ live get a lot more interesting.  They watch TV, play music, or read books and magazines

Personally, I’ve developed an interest in computers.  I’ve been doing a lot of research on ferrets and I’ve been blogging about them (and other animals) for the past three years.  I even wrote a little children’s book that I named after me … “Debbie”.

I thought it might be a good idea to write about how I got adopted, went to live in a condo and what happened after that.  There are many books available about cats and dogs and even rabbits, but not much is known about ferrets.

Ferrets are generally misunderstood.  Many people think we’re like rats, which is absolutely ridiculous.  I mean, look at the pictures below, one is of a rat, the other of a ferret.  Those who can’t see the difference need to get their eyes checked. 

We’re also a lot of fun, when we’re awake that is.  Yes, we sleep a lot (sometimes 20 hours a day), but during the time that we're awake we’re always up to something.  They don’t call certain species of ferrets “bandits” for nothing.  Which is something you can read about in “Debbie”. 

Okay, so that’s it for now.  If you want to read more of my hand (paw) let me know and I’ll get right on it.

By the way, my book “Debbie”, is available from Rocking Horse Publishing  and Amazon.com 

My interview

In an attempt to tickle reader’s curiosity, I announced the upcoming release of my children’s book “Debbie” a few days ago.

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of doing an interview with Robin Tidwell, during which I got the opportunity to put the real Debbie, and the book’s co-star Charlie, in the limelight, along with a few other details.

While I feared about the length of the interview, my friend Alex immediately put my mind at ease when she said “I personally prefer authors who are not afraid to show their readers more about themselves.  In my opinion, this makes for a better connection with readers.”

I invite you all to hop over to Robin’s blog and read the interview.  It will only take five minutes or so.  Go on, take a break and get to know Debbie and her story better.

http://robintidwell.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/upcoming-release/