THERE’S A 99 CENT SALE on “The Cowboy’s Baby” Kindle e-book. For those of you who enjoy humorous little romances– 

Most of these photos are of Galveston’s tree sculptures. For more information see www.galveston.com/selfguidedtours/ 

When I was asked to write a blog post for a writer I thought: “How am I going to blog for a website that is read by other writers?”   What if my writing is below average?  What can I write about that would help writers in general?   So I decided to write about how I became a better writer and give some tips on how to get more free traffic to your website. 

So, in my desire to learn how to write better, I purchased a couple of books on writing and set about it.   Augh!!!!!   Do you remember your high school English class?  Do you remember how much fun it was to learn about dangling modifiers? Yeah? Well.  Not much has changed over the years.  It is still not any more fun now than it was then.

I persisted in studying and learning. While my writing is still not the best, I have made progress.  Now I can critique most of my own writing and correct my own errors.  

Okay, you are probably wondering when I will get to the part about the “free traffic” to your website.

You do not need to spend a ton of money in advertising to get more traffic to your website.  Here are a couple of tips to free traffic.

The #1 Secret  is “Consistency”

Many new writers want to build a following overnight. It just doesn’t happen that way.

The most important thing to getting a ton of free traffic is consistency. You won’t get a ton of readers by publishing one good article. You will not get a ton of watchers by releasing just one video.

The key to consistently getting high traffic is putting out great content on a regular basis.  The more you get your name out there the more traffic you will get to your website.

Social Media

Social media like Twitter, Facebook, Digg, StumbleUpon and many others are often overlooked by writers. It is a great way to connect with people from all over the world.  While you are on Facebook or Twitter tell them about your blog posts.  In time some of the same people will return to your blog and leave comments. This is a great way to interact with readership on your blog. This is good.

Getting your website to the top of Digg can get you so much traffic that it could get your hosting shut down – Even if you’re running a dedicated server.

There are two types of social media: Media that will generate traffic, such as Digg or StumbleUpon, or media that will help you get people who are already interested to come back – Such as Facebook fan pages or Twitter accounts.

The key idea behind social media is becoming a part of the conversation of your target market. If you’re in the romantic writers’ community for example, your goal is to become well known enough in that community that your name means something. All these social media outlets are tools to help you do that.

How Successful Can You Be With Free Traffic?

There are hundreds of examples on the internet of people building six or even seven figure businesses online without paying a dime in advertising.

The secret is producing consistent high quality content and marketing it well. If you apply even just one of the techniques above properly, you’ll get yourself a very nice stream of traffic.

Elaine Evans Wilson

If you would like a free special report on how to get traffic to your web site and how to set up a Facebook Fan page then visit http://elaineEvansWilson.com

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WHAT I HAVE READ THIS WEEK—Pork Pie Hat by Peter Straub http://www.amazon.com/Pork-Pie-Hat-Peter-Straub/dp/1587672324

Photo by Roxanne Rix.

After taking a full month’s break from writing Arroyo, I have just finished reading the first draft. Like Scott Bakula used to say as Sam Beckett on Quantum Leap, “Oh, boy!”

 Lots of work to do.

I found I hated the beginning section and don’t like the very end of my novel much. But there’s plenty to like in the middle.

After much thought I’ve decided to revise the beginning section and then let my Beta reader see it.  Then from her reaction I’ll know whether to toss the first three chapters or to revise it a second time.

My first impulse has been to toss it. And that may end up being what I do. I have another novel sitting on my desk where I think it’d probably be better to get rid of the first four chapters. Ouch! But that’s what happens when you write a complete rough draft without revising it as you go.

Use an outline, you say? I like it this way better. At least I have a finished draft and didn’t get stuck in the middle typing the same page over and over again trying to get it perfect.

And how is The Cowboy’s Baby doing, you ask? Sales trickle in from Amazon.com Kindle (operative word is trickle), no sales from Blurb.com on the paperback, and some success selling locally (Lockhart, Tx) at Buffalo Clover downtown on the square and to members of The Irving Club, the oldest literary club in Texas. Check out my bookstore page for links. Also, I’ve added another page called Neat Places to Visit with links to interesting people.

WHAT I’VE READ THIS WEEK–Goldengirl by Peter Lear and The Woods Are Dark by Richard Laymon.

Photos by Roxanne Rix

Starting with the Battle of Plum Creek and ending with the attempt to steal the government archives away from Austin, Texas, this rousing, old-fashioned shoot-em-up historical novel takes you directly into early Texas post-revolutionary history. If you like Westerns, if you like historical novels, you’ll love Saga of a Texas Ranger by Jeffery Robenalt.

Instead of cowboys versus Indians this is Texas Rangers versus Indians, then Rangers versus the Mexican army, complete with rousing action scenes and deft description. Caleb McAdams is the titular character, the only survivor of the Indian raid that killed his entire family. He vows revenge, seeing his chance at it early on when he’s accepted into the Texas Rangers. Saga follows Caleb on his rite of passage to manhood taking the reader handily through much of Central Texas history from the mid 1800s on.

This is only the first of a series of four books. Saga mixes adventure and romance with history and, with a keen sense of place and time, introduces us to the men Texas counties are named for—Houston, Hays, and Caldwell.

Saga of a Texas Ranger is available both as a hardback and as an e-book for the Kindle reader.

http://www.amazon.com/Saga-Texas-Ranger-ebook/dp/B0049B2DSS