Murmaid Publishing

05/08/2013

http://todayshonoree.wordpress.com/
May 8, 2013
Lisa Hein
Parenting Author & Motivational Speaker

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04/25/2013

Saving an editor time and you money

Show action in your work, do not tell. Sometimes 'showing' may, however, be repetitive and not necessary. We only need to remove the dirty dishes once, after that it's clearing the table.

Bodily functions such as an upset stomach, finding the bathroom or sexual reactions or activity are only necessary if it moves the story. Otherwise they are gratuitous inclusions.

Do not start sentences with "As", "While", "Then." "As they walked," is passive. "Walking" is active.

Too many suddenly(s) take away from their meaning.

Announced, is a formal announcement (like a town crier). Use said, (which disappears to the eye) or something similar where appropriate.

Your sentence should be constructed to give the reader the intent and feeling of it without adding, 'he said sadly', 'he shouted.'

The two, three, etc. of them should be they.

After a character has been introduced, pick a name, one word, instead of repeating the whole title each time.

Instead of using "turned to" so often try, "looked at" or something similar. If there are only two people in the scene it's only necessary for dramatic effect.

Try using something instead of "motioned to", "gestured to" or "directed" etc. Over use of a particular phrase stands out like dandelions in a manicured lawn.

Try to keep sentences in informal dialogue short and not always complete. (Sit in a restaurant and listen to how people speak)

Try to recognize phrases you repeat too often. Someone may need to point them out to you. If you think you have done so, Ctrl+F to find how many times. Think about how to restructure them so they appear 'new' and 'fresh.'

Your story is unique and wonderful. Now, try to find new and descriptive ways to express your words.

"that" omit it when not necessary for understanding the sentence. It's just an extra word.

A favorite quote of mine also applies to writers:
A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. -Antoine De Saint Exepery

Drop the useless words that readers only skim over. Give them something to hang on to.

04/17/2013

All releases are available on Amazon.com

04/17/2013

My old, unreliable, cell phone was, unwittingly and unceremoniously, relegated to the incinerator by accident.
So, now I have a Smart Phone, and understand why they are called "Smart."
Because the user is, well, "Dumb."
It took me a few days to understand how to answer a call. Sorry to those I dropped.
All of my contacts were trashed with my old phone and it's sim card, so I have to begin again to load them.
I went to a basic class about how to use my new phone, and will go to an advanced one, if I can figure out where and when it is, based on my phone's calendar.
Now I can go on the Internet for research and to play games. "Angry Birds" is a great way to learn your phone, and another way to define the term for insanity: Doing the same thing over again while expecting different results.
This phone has the capability to download so many apps. But which ones, and how and where, do I place them on my 'pages.'
There are so many possible things I can do with this marvelous device.
I never used to text, even excluded it (Because everyone wanted to re-finance the truck I do not have). Now I can do it by voice (If I figure that one out).
Bear with me, and welcome me to the new world of instant communication.
When do I get my degree? But, do I even want one? I have to figure that one out.
I still like hearing, after I say, "Hello", it's "Me", whoever you are.
If you call me, I can put you back on my favorite people list.

04/16/2013

Re-release with photo album

04/16/2013

New Release

04/16/2013

New release

04/13/2013

April 12, 2013

Jonathon Winters

The end of another era. He, along with Red Skelton were masters of their art. The men I grew up loving for their wit and sincerity.

Red could never tell a joke without laughing himself, or at himself; the embodiment of a little red-haired elf, who we all loved for his simplicity and honesty as well as his comedy.

Jonathon, who could never look at an object or hear a word with out finding the hidden, hysterical meanings in them, was never at a loss for giving us a good clean and hearty laugh.

These men inspired many others through the years, who have tried to copy them, their 'characters' and their style, yet who among those followers have kept to the high standards of creativity that Red and Jonathon laid down.

We are saddened, and sadder as an audience, for their passing.

04/12/2013

According to an article in "Book Business," (Do people actually read the books they buy?) people are tempted to buy more e-Books then they will ever read.

That draws two obvious conclusions:

Some people may be hoarders, cannot resist the temptation to download, or have good intentions about their reading habits. Perhaps something caught their attention and it looked like a good or informative read.

More print books (p-Books) means more book shelves. More e-Books do not create actual weight, only more data storage used on their devices. There is no physical incentive, or guilt trip, to sit and read those books. Sure, maybe one day.

It could be a plus to an author. A sale is a sale. Whether it is read is up to the buyer. With that in mind, always opt to have your books available in all forms.

It would be interesting to have a poll from owners of e-Readers: how many books do you store, and how many have you read?

04/05/2013

This has nothing to do with writing or publishing.

What I want to share is something you should make a habit to do. I did it once, long ago, but didn't, sadly, keep up with it.

Take everything out of your wallet—and photocopy it. Now.

Not just once, as your cards and IDs change, but check it out every April 15th (a date we all are familiar with. When we have to report our financial info to the government, review your personal info) to make sure it is all up to date.

Imagine yourself: No cash. No charge cards. No driver's license. No medical cards. You cannot even buy food or gas.

If everything should disappear, as recently happened to me, you may make three attempts at the DMV to get your license replaced, may wait two months to get your Medicare card replaced, don't ask about so many other tasks involved to get your identity back.

Then there is that awful time you are waiting in line and get ready to pull out an ID, discount or other valuable card, and say, oh! That too! I forgot about it.

Hopefully you have a cell phone service that stores your contacts on the Cloud. What work that is. "Please send me your phone numbers again while I painstakingly re-enter those valuable connections again."

If you don't have a scanner, the cost of photocopies at an office supply or UPS store is well worth the investment.

Another thing to consider: keep cards such as social security, voter registration, cards you don't need on a daily basis, in another location. It saved me from attempts to get those back.

Protect yourself and your identity!

03/17/2013

QR codes

Okay, I don't have a 'smart phone' yet. But guess I will get one soon to take the place of my degenerating brain cells from doing so much research.

Now we are on to QR codes. I have been more than a little aggravated in the past when 'to find more info' you needed to click on the QR code with you phone. Hey, how about the rest of us out here?

But I guess they finally have us (mature beings) by the short hairs. Kids already have smart phones. Soon that's all we'll have.

So, back to QR codes. You can generate them for free. They will direct users to your website, blog. You can even design your logo into them, but I have not been pleased by the results of mine.

The important thing I am trying to figure out now is, how small can they be printed to be of use on say, a business card.

Most sites I visited to find out merely bloviated about the wonderfulness of them. So, guess I will take put my ruler next time I see one in print, or (heavens forbid) upgrade to test them out myself.

Anyone out there with a small sample and a ruler, I'd love to hear from you.

03/16/2013

Critiquing

My sister loves it!
My neighbor thinks it's just wonderful!
My family is so proud!

Really? Our friends and those we love err on the side the relationship. None of them either want to offend you or have the expertise to judge a manuscript or cover design.

There are many considerations in a book's readability, look and feel.

The cover will be first to attract a reader. It's not just a 'pretty' picture. It's not a 'see what I thought was cute,' or 'look what my kid did', maybe a potential buyer may not think it so appealing. It should speak to the character of the subject. A gaily colored cover does not send the message that this is a mystery; a cover filled with graphics does say this is a book about business. It should set the mood for the subject to attract a reader interested in that genre.

After they flip through a few pages they may not immediately notice (unless it's rampant) the lack of grammar, sentence structure and format. They will notice if the pages don't look professionally laid out. Fonts, thumb margins and rivers (which I have addressed before). Even if they don't find it on a bookshelf, Amazon's 'Look inside the book' will display any lack of professionalism.

Do you want to be just a 'published author' (there are so many of them due to DIY) or a person who can create and produce, with the right help, a fine book to unleash on the world?

If it's worth publishing, it's worth getting it right. It's your legacy and you should treat it as such.