Overcoming a Writing Roadblock

Image by Al Seeger from Pixabay

So, there I am. All set to take on the blogging world once more. Though it has been nearly 10 years since I was at this point, I felt like a kid in a candy store. I've gotten most of my older blogs updated, I have everything in place and I'm ready to really let the outside world inside my own. Then, the Universe threw me another curveball. 

One of my favorite blogs, Para-Mythic, seems to be missing the ability to allow comments. For me, that sucks. The one thing I'd really like to see my blogs do is to bring in real comments from real people. This site and Collected Keepsakes, my other 2 blogs, are both ready for comments. I haven't gotten any, but that's okay. At least I know it's there if it ever happens. 

I've tried changing the blog theme, removed all ads (still waiting for Google to approve the site, even though it used to have ads on it before I revamped it). I've never messed with the code behind scenes. I used to be able to build a whole site with HTML, but this new code just has me baffled.

I've left a question in the Blogger community forum, but haven't gotten any responses as of yet. I've tried to submit a request to Blogger itself, but keep being sent to the community forum. So now I have a dilemma. I have to overcome another writing roadblock.

I really enjoy researching and writing about ancient history, unsolved mysteries, and world mythologies. There's some weird stuff out there. But I'd really love to hear from those out there who actually take the time to read my work. So, do I:

A.) Just keep posting on that site even though I can't get comments?

OR

B.) Create a new blog and start fresh? Yes, I've already created one, but it's not live. I don't have anything on the site yet, but it's there if I need it. Name secured. LOL (that took me over 2 hours to do).

It's something I really have to think about but I would love some suggestions. Please feel free to leave them in the comments. That would just make my day. (Why yes, I would love some cheese with my whine. Thanks for asking)

Here's to the future!!!

Happy Writing

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© Christine Graves 2020

How Writing for Myself has Helped Me Grow

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

It's taken me several years to get to the point of writing I'm at right now. I'm not saying I'm a huge success (I'm not), but I have come a long way since 2012. The year I had to start over.

I've written a lot about the years I had to walk away from writing to revamp my personal life. I won't go into detail in this post, but it took me a long time to get over some personal issues. I owe what I'm doing now to 2 different places; In The Pantheon and Medium.com. If it wasn't for these 2 sites, I'd still be "trying" to find my voice once again.

At In The Pantheon, I wrote in the voice of the ancient goddess, Demeter. I found a way to let "her" voice control the story and I had a blast. Though I wasn't able to stay with this site, I wish the entire Pantheon all the success in the world. I wouldn't be writing this post if it wasn't for them.

At Medium.com, I got to write as a person. I could just be me, in all my opinionated states. I've never had the success on that site that some claim to have, but I'm okay with that. I wrote articles, opinion pieces, fiction, and a ton of poetry. I haven't shared my poetry in years and it felt good to have someone tell me that they liked my style. 

Now, I'm writing on my own sites. I'm still writing on Medium, but I'm spending a lot more time updating this and a couple of other blogs I've had for many years. Yes, I have ads on my site, but it's not to try and become rich. It's so that maybe at some point, I can pay off a few credit cards. 

By writing on my own blogs, I've found a whole new way to express myself. For years, I had it in my head that everything I wrote needed to sound as though written by a robot. I had it in my head that if my posts didn't sound like all the "big blogs", I wouldn't be successful. I had to change the way I viewed success. I stopped trying to be perfect and began writing as if talking to a room full of friends. My words began to flow and I was finding more ideas to write about.

Besides this site, I also run the blogs Para-Mythic and Collected Keepsakes. Each of these sites is a world away from the others, but that's what makes it interesting. Para-Mythic is about ancient histories, mysteries, and mythologies. This is a passion of mine. I've always loved ancient history and am always trying to learn more. The best part for me is in trying to figure out some of the mysteries that still perplex the experts today.

Collected Keepsakes is a place about being a collector. I collect a lot of things, and I love all those shows about finding collectibles in the most unlikely places. I get a kick out of it. The thing is that I almost let go of this site. I was having a heck of a time trying to come up with topics that would make Google's search list and I guess it freaked me out just enough that I couldn't write at all. Then, I began writing about what I enjoy about collecting and gave up on Google. It was just what I needed to do. 

My ultimate goal is to get back to making money with my writing, but for now, I'm just going to work on being a writer I'd like to read. I'm having fun writing again and I think that's worth more at this time. What about you? What are you doing to advance your writing? Let me know. And if you have a site, send me the link. I'd love to check it out.

Happy Writing!!!

© Christine Graves 2020

FindIndieBooks.com: A Review

Image made possible by FindIndieBooks.com

So I got the surprise of my life here not too long ago. I got a notification that my e-book, Promptly Chronicled, had been reviewed by the site FindIndieBooks.com. I was nervous, to say the least, as to what the reviewer would say. However, my nerves were quickly calmed when I noticed that I'd gotten a 5-star review. Whoo Hoo!!!

Now, up to this point, I'd never heard of the site, so I thought I'd check it out. I felt really stupid when I realized it was run by a writer friend of mine from a site I'd written for called InThePantheon.com. Way to go, honey. I'm totally proud of you!!!!!

I ended up spending quite some time on this site, checking out what it was about and all the books listed. I was impressed. As of the time of this writing, there are nearly 500 indie books listed. And I'm one of them. YEA!!!!!

I'm really impressed with the way this site is put together. The books drop-down menu showcases the books in easy to find categories. From Kindle Unlimited to those only available in European markets and those in hardback only.

There are also links to author websites, so you can meet your favorite indie authors. Check out some of the reviews listed on the site and really get to know the authors from their author interviews. There really is a little something for everyone here.

Do you have an indie book you'd like to have submitted to FindIndieBooks.com? Check out the site's submissions page for all the information. It's free to submit (for now) and you'll usually hear back from them within 72 hours. Each author is allowed to submit up to 3 books at a time.

In order to have your book placed among those listed, your book must be self-published or published by a small publishing company (publishes no more than 10 titles a year). You can also send a link to your author website if you have one. All they ask is that you follow them on Twitter.

If you're an avid reader, or an author looking to get your book out to the masses, you've got to check out FindIndieBooks.com. Be part of the journey toward this site becoming the largest book repository in the world.

© Christine Graves 2020

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This review is of my own wording and my own observances. All opinions are mine and mine alone. No monies or other forms of payment were exchanged for this review.

Teaching Myself to do a Newsletter

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

So I'm about to embark on a whole new writing endeavor. I'm about to work on putting together a newsletter for one of my publications at Medium.com. The problem is that I'm not sure what I'm doing and I've got myself kind of freaked out over it.

I did a newsletter many, many years ago for another website I ran. But that was back in the day when everything was text-based and not so much visual-based. The good thing is that I don't think Medium newsletters are set up for images, so that's one good thing.

My fear is that I won't have anything interesting to say. I've got a few ideas, but my inner critic keeps telling me that I'm an idiot and no one is going to want to read it. I know I'm just psyching myself out, but every time I get set to write, nothing comes out.

The site I'm going to do the newsletter for is Enticing the Muse. It's a site to provide writing prompts for other writers, but I'm feeling stale. I need to get a new post up on the site before I do a newsletter inviting people to stop by and see what I've got going.

I have a few ideas for the newsletter, including adding links to a few of my other works, a section for Must See publications, and a Meet the Author page. I think that would be a great thing to do for the many writers who've helped me along my Medium journey.

The sad part is that I can't post anything about this site or any of my outside Medium writings. Totally bums me out, but I'll figure something else out. I can still post about anything or anyone I like here. Maybe I'll start doing author bios and book reviews here. We'll see. I do want to give a shout out to the many men and women out there that have made me the writer I am today.

So, here I go. Off to try and put together a newsletter, though I'm not at all sure about how to do it. Wish me luck. Got any ideas? I'm all ears. I would love to see some ideas. Leave them in the comments. I'll be forever grateful.

Until next time,
Happy writing.

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© Christine Graves 2020