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

I’m taking advantage of my self-imposed vacation from writing and doing other fun stuff  instead. One week left. Caldwell County offers some interesting entertainments and there were a lot of people downtown this Saturday afternoon taking advantage of them. Many were at Smitty’s Market eating barbecue. Many were at Kreuz Market and Blacks eating barbecue. (Lockhart is the barbecue capital of Texas.) But some were with us at Henry’s having their all-day breakfast special or the chicken fried steak. 

Down in Fentress I bet  Frank’s Place was extra busy. It’s a delicious little restaurant that looks like a big shed. Don’t let the outside looks fool you (or the full parking lot, either–there’s room for you). And further down the road in Martindale there’s the Cottonseed Cafe & Deli with its equally delicious food. Hope they were busy too. We were doing our driving around in the beautiful countryside up Lyntton Springs way and didn’t go much further than our own town Saturday.

Hope some of those people in Lockhart were checking out the Buffalo Clover gift shop (I bought Valentines/had to fight my impulse to get some of their impossibly cute balloons). I know some tourists were at the historic old jailhouse behind Walgreens because I saw them when I drove by. Hope they also went to  the Southwest Museum of Clocks and Watches. 

 The clock museum attracts horologists, to be sure (learned a new word today–horologist). But it’s equally interesting as an art museum. And for movie fans, the building on 101  San Antonio Street that now houses the clock museum was the setting for the hotel scenes in Natalie Portman’s movie “Where The Heart Is”. In fact, there is a lot of Lockhart in that movie. And our beautiful courthouse right across the street figured in Johnny Depp’s movie “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”. (I keep looking around here for that water tower Leonardo DiCaprio  climbed in that movie, but it either was never here or is long gone.)

They’ve made a lot of movies in Lockhart. While Jack Black was in town late last year I believe he went over and ate at Black’s Barbecue.

On another note, the good people at Just A Contest are promoting Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story contest.  http://www.justacontest.com/writing-contest-0000000864.htm.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK–In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason.

Smitty’s Market www.smittysmarket.com/ Kreuz Market www.kreuzmarket.com /Cottonseed Cafe & Deli www.cottonseedcafe.com/  Black’s Barbecue www.blacksbbq.com

                Southwest Museum of Clocks and Watches www.swmuseumofclocks.org

PHOTOS BY ROXANNE RIX

I am officially notifying everyone that the Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story writing contest is up and running for its third year. Full contest information and rules are available at www.clarklibraryfriends.com.

Entries are accepted starting July 1, 2011 (we don’t disqualify anyone for entering earlier). The deadline is October 1, 2011 (postmarked). First place prize is $1000.00 and a trophy. Second place is $500.00 and a prize ribbon. Third place is $250.00 and a prize ribbon.

We also have a Junior Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story writing contest that is exactly like its sister contest except for the age restriction. Writers aged 12-18 are elibible for the $250.00 and a trophy first prize. All other finalists receive prize ribbons. If any of you have children or grandchildren in this age range who have fiction writing talent, encourage them to enter.

All we want are original, never before published ghost stories no longer than 5000 words. The stories can be scary, or they can be romantic. They can be ugly, or they can be funny. They can even be children’s stories (however, don’t enter the Junior contest if you are an adult, even if you have written a children’s story. ) There are no restrictions beyond the word count.  BUT.  The stories have to be ghost stories. That means a ghost. Not a vampire or a zombie or a monster under the bed. A ghost.

The contest is open to anyone from any country. The only thing we ask from writers out of the U.S. is that they send the entry fee money via international money order, if possible. Oh yes. There is an entry fee of $20.00 for the Scare The Dickens Out of Us contest and $5.00 for the Junior contest. This writing contest is a fundraiser for the Friends of the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart, Texas (see photo), which is the oldest, continuously-in-use library in Texas. The contest is privately funded. All money received goes directly to the Friends of the Library, who then give it to the library to use for whatever projects they want.

Last year we received entries from Canada, the U.K., South Africa, and Australia, as well as throughout the United States and Texas. The stories were great.  The contest is open to published and unpublished authors alike. So far, the top prize was won both years by unpublished writers.

If you have any questions you can direct them to www.clarklibraryfriends.com and I will receive them.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK—The White Pipes by Nancy Kress, The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. And, The Death-Defying Pepper Roux by Geraldine McCaughrean. 

The link for The Death-Defying Pepper Roux, one of the best and most surprising books I’ve ever read, is www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032JQ7E4.

Photos by Roxanne Rix

One of the most horrific murders ever written opens Andrew E. Kaufman’s debut mystery novel While The Savage Sleeps. In quiet little Faith, New Mexico, someone channeling rage-incarnate goes-to-town with farm implements while on a lonely and abandoned road the police use for naps while on duty. With one of their own fatally violated by this monster, the police are frantic to find quick answers. But before they even get the investigation off the ground, their nice little mountain town is hit by a new series of even more brutal and unexplainable murders, with no sign it’s ever going to stop.

WHAT ELSE I’VE READ THIS WEEK–Tarzan and the Golden Lion by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Photos courtesy of  Andrew E. Kaufman.

I’ve read about the difficulties of published authors balancing full time careers and families with their writing efforts. After the last six months, I think I’m ready for prime time.

I dedicated the first half of 2010 to perfecting my craft. I attended a workshop every month, sometimes two. I revised one of my manuscripts in preparation of publishing via Smashwords. Progress on my paranormal WIP was moving along and I was motivated to complete it.

Then came the summer and life happened. We moved to Oklahoma from Texas after my husband was forced to take early retirement. It wasn’t a move we relished but family was there, cost of living was less, so we decided to give it a try. We rented a house sight unseen from Craigslist. Not a good idea.

The place was horrible. I wanted to cry when we first arrived. It was a nightmare of toxic mold, leaky roof and black water seeping out of the ground from a damaged septic system. Our landlady assured us she would make things right if we stayed. We did. We had no option.

I found a full time job right away and worked a part time job on the side. I was not writing, and it bothered me. A lot. How could life snatch all that away at the exact time momentum had began to take over?

Refusing to fall prey to a lengthy pity party, I began taking my Netbook to work and writing through my lunch hour. After dinner, I would sometimes write until two in the morning. I consumed enough 5 Hour Energy drinks to have earned stock in the company. But I was writing. I could see progress.

That is until social security discontinued hubby’s retirement benefits because he earned too much money the first month. We were barely squeaking by on finances. This was devastating news. So devastating that my muse hid her head under the cover and refused to come out. I stopped writing…again.

Our landlady had not followed through on her promise to make the house livable. We were sick from mold. The roof still leaked. Even our pets were suffering form skin allergies which I’m sure came from the toxins flowing through our back yard.

We broke our lease and she agreed not to take us to court. Smart lady. Our daughter graciously offered us lodging at her home in North Carolina until we could get back on our feet. We accepted. I’m from an era where parents don’t live with their children. This was very humbling but what doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger. I should have Herculean strength at this point.

For the second time in six months, we relocated. This time the move has been positive. Hubby applied for a part time job and was hired the same day. His retirement benefits are being restored. The pension we requested five months ago was finally processed. I applied for two jobs, had second interviews with both and will be starting work next week. The pay is good, the benefits great.

I’ve been writing up a storm. Instead of pursuing Smashwords, I’m focusing on my WIP. My head is swimming with new scenes and plot twists. I’ve stumbled onto some research that will add authenticity to my story and give it a unique spin.

Last year was one of the most challenging I’ve experienced in quite some time. I’m glad it’s over. When I look at how much writing I managed to accomplish through the ups and downs, I’m still amazed. I think diversification was the key. I began reviewing for The Season For Romance. I blog at New Kids On The Writers Block, as well as post to my own blog. I managed to keep my website fairly current.

Those small projects were instrumental in keeping my mind on writing. They kept me motivated on days when I couldn’t even look at my WIP. But I never gave up on my dream of being published. I never will.

Deb Sanders

www.author-debsanders.com/

http://newkidonthewritersblock.blogspot.com/

http://www.theseasonforromance.com/

As far as writing went, 2010 proved a very good year for me. Late in December my horror short story “When Gymkhana Smiles” was accepted for future publication by Fantastic Horror, an online short story site. I couldn’t have received better news. Also in December, The Cowboy’s Baby came out at blurb.com as a paperback book. It looks just great. It was published as a Kindle book on Amazon.com in July and looks good there too. And I just finished the 80,000-word first draft of my next novel, Arroyo, a pulp adventure Western with horror aspects. That’s a lot of writing for me.

Either with this blog or the next I will showcase the paperback The Cowboy’s Baby in a separate section with a link for purchase.  But it’s pretty easy to look up. Blog.com/then bookstore/then literature and fiction/then The Cowboy’s Baby. Check it out on Amazon.com for Kindle too, also easy to find under Kindle/then ebooks/then The Cowboy’s Babyby Gretchen Lee Rix.

I’ll let you know when my short story is out.

I’m going to take a month off from writing fiction (probably a mistake but I’m doing it anyhow). Then I’ll begin the process of revising Arroyo. And I think I’ll write a new short story.

Best wishes for all of you.

WHAT I’VE READ THIS WEEK—The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr.

Photos by Roxanne Rix.  Follow me on Twitter and join me on Facebook. Read chapter one of The Cowboy’s Babyby scrolling back to the beginnings of this blog site. Read a later chapter by going to the notes section of my Facebook page. Buy The Cowboy’s Baby in either format (ebook or paperback)and have an enjoyable read.

HAPPY NEW YEAR