My First Practice Screencast

A few days ago I downloaded a free 30 trial of Camtasia screen-recording software.

I wanted to try it out because I am venturing into doing online courses and to do it, I need to be able to do video screen capture and then edit it to make it more watchable.

So, I downloaded the software and, in between working on other things, I recorded a short (less than 3 minutes) screencast and then set about editing it.

And while editing was time consuming to learn and to do, it was also quite fun as I experimented with all the things I could do.

It's take me a while but finally I created a video screen recording that is really bad but at least I got to experiment with a lot of things.

The recording is me showing you how I've set up this blog. It actually went on for a while but I cut down to just a few minutes.

I added in a short video of a tree being felled part-way through it, which had nothing to do with the recording but I was just practicing inserting another recording.

I experimented with having things fly in and out, outlining areas I was demonstrating, zooming in and out, having text display on screen and even having the screencast slide to one side.

It's all a big batch of things happening on the screen for no random reason at all most of the time, but it's a demonstration of what the software can do and whether I could do it.

Some of the things I realised, once I started editing, was that I should have used a microphone. In the background you can hear a clock ticking all the time and at one point a crow started making a noise outside. I'll have to use a microphone next time.

Also I need to slow down. When I work on screen on my own, everything seems to happen at normal pace, but when it's filmed it all looks too fast.

I and need to practice not mumbling so much when I talk. When did I get so lazy with my speech? Or have I always been that way?

I also should make sure the area I'm recording is cropped so that it doesn't show my whole screen which, in this video, includes my dock at the bottom and the menu bar at the top. You'll also see my desktop wallpaper which is a young buddhist monk praying at the foot of a huge statue of the Buddha.

Well, for better or worse, below is the eventual MP4 recording if you want to see it.

But be warned that it is nearly 3 minutes of nonsense.

Let me know what you think in the comments. But please (please) be kind. I am a novice after all and I only posted it to give you a laugh.

You can also view it on YouTube at http://youtu.be/iIFqXC3D7m4

The Weekly Newsletter is Dead

A few weeks ago I started republishing my weekly newsletter for writers to see if it was useful.

Last week I checked the online stats and saw that every time I send it out, very few people click on anything in it (in fact there were very few clicks), which means that I’m not providing information that anyone needs.

And it takes me a couple of hours every week to research the contents and put the newsletter together.

So If I’m wasting my time, then it’s time that would be better spent doing my own writing.

If you still want writing news, it can be found in the writers’ news feed at the bottom of this blog.

If you need writing markets you can find thousands of places to submit your work at http://writeaholics.net/writingmarkets.html.

And I’l still be writing articles for Writeaholics.net which I’ll link to in this blog.

Speaking of which, I wrote and uploaded an article this week called “Stock Your Online Writing Store and Ship Goods Daily” which will really inspire you to write and publish more books.

So now my weekly newsletter for writers is dead and will not rise again, which is good news for you because you should be writing, not wasting time reading emails.

So get to work.

Struggling With My Writing Routine

This week I'm struggling with keeping up with my usual writing and publishing routine.

I'm quite the creature of habit (which I'll be talking about in a future article) and I like to get certain writing tasks completed on certain days. That way I never have think about it. I never suddenly have to think "Did I write that article for Writeaholics.net?" Nope. I just know it's been done because I have a set day to do it.

Anyway, this week my usual routine has been monumentally disrupted because...my computer has had to go into the repair shop so I don't have access to my usual files and my usual software.

I know that something is wrong with my computer because it's slowing down and having a few issues, but it is 4 years old and I usually replace my computer every 3 years, but my current Mac Book Pro has been such a great computer that I hate to part with it.

The problem began when I started having issues downloading some of my emails. I phoned my hosting company, Netregistry.com.au, and they discovered that some horrible person has created fake email accounts on my website and is trying to download them every time I try and download my legitimate emails.

The fake email accounts are attempting to download to several different IP addresses, none of which are mine.

Now you'd think, wouldn't you, or at least I would, that with such a hacking attempt going on with my account that my hosting company would do something about it immediately.

But no. It's now been several days - today is Wednesday and they discovered this hacking attempt last Thursday while I was on the phone with the so-called tech support department - and still not one damn thing has been done to put things right despite my making 3 phone calls and sending 2 emails to them.

And in the meantime I cannot download my emails for that particular website (my cheritonhousepublishing.com site) because every time I do, the hackers automatically try to download their emails too and all the IP addresses get immediately blocked from the account, including mine.

So then I can't access anything and I have to ring up NetRegistry.com.au and ask them to unblock my IP address so that I can at least log into my website control panel. But first of all they go through loads of rubbish asking me to send them screenshots of my failed login attempts, etc and I have to keep explaining that it's not a fault on my computer, it's their system automatically blocking me out. It usually takes me about 20 minutes to get them to understand this.

I-Yi-Yi!

In the meantime I wondered if all this is what is affecting my computer. Have the hackers got into it somehow? I'm not sure how online hacking works so I don't know what people have the capability to do.

The computer store rang me today and said that my computer hard drive is corrupt and had some adware on it. They've removed the adware and are cloning my files so that they can install a new hard drive and put all my clean files and software back onto the new hard drive. I should get it back today, at a hefty price, but it will be worth it.

I'm currently using my Mac Book Air which is the computer I use if I want to work away from home.

I do sometimes like to work in the park or at the library, or sometimes at a really nice lookout (that has toilets and a drinking fountain) that's not too far away from here. That's one of the good things about living in the mountains. The views are fantastic.

I don't keep anything on this computer just in case it gets damaged or stolen. I don't have my emails on it and I don't store personal or business files on it. Only files that don't matter if others see them.

And it's password protected which means that once the lid is closed, a password is required to use the computer again. I really use it as nothing more than a glorified Word Processor.

And it doesn't have any of my software on it or passwords to my internet accounts.

I like to stay safe. Yet still there is adware on my main computer which I'm usually really careful with too.

On the upside of all this, I've managed to get plenty of writing done because I don't have much else to do while my other computer is AWOL.

I can't do a lot with my writing because I can't upload anything without my passwords and I don't want to use them even once on this computer just in case it remembers them. I can however, log into this blog and make a new post. It's one place I am auto-logged into on this computer.

So I'll keep waiting till my Mac Book Pro returns and in the meantime I'll just keep writing and writing.

My usual routine may have been disrupted but at least I'm getting plenty done.

There really is no excuse not to write.

3 Useful Reviews

Today I posted 3 book reviews on Amazon.com

These reviews are all honest and you should find them really useful, especially the review of "Crypto Copywriting Secrets" and you'll see why when you read it.

Crypto Copywriting Secrets - How to create profitable sales letters fast - even if you can't write your way out of a paper bag now (Kindle Edition)

Finding Sanctuary: Monastic Steps for Everyday Life (Hardcover)

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (Hardcover)

What? No Happily Ever After?

I recently received a review of my romance novel, Stand By Me.

The reviewer said they were "confused" because my novel doesn't end with a happily ever after.

My romance novel does have an ending.

It has a surprise ending.

It's a great ending.

But it's not a happily ever after ending.

And I think it makes my romance novel better than the rest.

It rolls along as if it's just like any other romance story (only better than most).

And then the end comes.

Boom!

Not what you expect at all.

I could, if I'd wanted to, written an airy-fairy "girl gets guy in the end" type of ending. But that would have been just too boring.

Instead, I provided a surprise at the end that really gets you thinking and makes you look back at their whole relationship in a different way.

It makes you realise that not everything was as it seemed.

The ending really makes you think.

But I guess not everyone wants to think.

You can download Stand By Me (and the free reading app) right now, straight onto your Kindle or your computer, laptop, smart phone or just about any device.

Enjoy reading it today.

And let me know what you think of the ending in an Amazon Review.

:)

Do You Have Great Writing Plans for the New Year?

Today is the 31st of December. New Year's Eve.

It's a time when most of us reflect on what we did throughout the year and make plans for things we'll do better next year.

And this is especially true for writers. If you're anything like me you already have a whole list of writing projects for the coming year.

I've also made a list of things I want to stop doing too. Things that didn't work out quite as well as expected or that I found I didn't enjoy. But nothing was a failure. It was all a learning experience because we need to learn what we don't want to do as well as what we do want to do.

I've spent quite a bit of time over the Xmas break going through my past and ongoing writing projects and also catching up on a bit of reading that I wanted to do but didn't always find the time for.

And it's been a really interesting time reading about new things and having a good look at what I've achieved and how much my writing business is moving on.

And to wrap up this year I've compiled a short reading list of articles that might help you to review  your past 12 months of writing and make new plans for the coming year.


The Best Way to Make a Living as a Writer
http://www.writersdigest.com/awai-copywriting/the-best-way-to-make-a-living-as-a-writer

The Simple Shift That Lets You Earn More from Your Writing
http://writetodone.com/earn-more-from-your-writing/

Why You Should Do a Year-End Review for Your Writing
http://thewritepractice.com/year-end-review

Here’s How Daniel Pink Writes
http://www.copyblogger.com/how-daniel-pink-writes/

Amazon SEO – Understand Amazon Keywords & Categories
http://thewriteoneblog.com/amazon-seo

50 Articles on Writing to Help You in 2015
http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/50-articles-on-writing-to-help-you-in-2015


Have a great New Year.

:)

Write Articles That People Want to Read

Saying that you should only write articles that people want to read sounds like common sense, doesn't it?

Yet it's surprising how many people don't do it.

There are 3 things that your article needs if you want people to read it.

They are Calling Me "an online writing guru"

With my years of experience of writing, freelance writing, and online writing I was offered the opportunity of teaching a course at my local community college.

Yesterday they sent me an email with a link to my new course page.

I clicked through and two things struck me.

The first was that the course is already listed as "sold out."

The second thing was that they have called me "an online writing guru."

The Author Whose Readers P*ss Her Off

I was reading an interview with a new fiction author last week and I couldn't believe what she was saying.

The whole point of doing author interviews is to attract readers (or so I thought) and not to repel them.

In the interview, one of the questions she was asked was what "p*ssed" her off the most.

Her response astounded me and I thought "Wow! Just wow!"

"I Can Write A Book In A Weekend" And Five Other Annoying Things Beginners Say

Since every literate person can write, most people think they can be writers. Interestingly enough, we all can speak quite well, but few of us would deem ourselves ‘speakers.’ However, this prevalent belief encourages beginners to say the oddest things that make professional writers want to cringe (or preferably strangle them with a thin wire). If you find yourself saying the following, please stop:

1. “I can write a book in a weekend.”

I’m certain you can mutilate a couple hundred pages with words; however, that doesn’t mean that anyone will want to read them. Yes, I know there are prolific writers who can write a book in two weeks (Voltaire supposedly wrote Candide in three days). Usually they are professionals who have mastered a style and understand the craft of writing. Have you?

My New Romantic Novel Is Out

This is just a quick update on my latest (in fact, first and only) romantic fiction novel called Stand By Me.

I formated and uploaded it yesterday to the Amazon Kindle Store and now it's published and available for download all over the world.

I'm not sure yet if I'll be publishing more romantic fiction novels, but I probably will. I've enjoyed writing this one so it's an experience I want to repeat.

Most Ridiculous Song Lyrics Ever!

This is something that is not educational but it sure is funny so I wanted to share it with you. Go and get a box of tissues first though to wipe the tears of laughter from your eyes.

Depending on your age you may or may not remember this band. They had a string of hits and record albums for years and did really well.

But I always thought that not only did they have a stupid band name but also their songs were the most ridiculous I'd ever heard because none of the words made sense. It was always as though they got drunk (or stoned), wrote down a load of crap and put a catchy tune to it.

And yet somehow they had hit after hit.

But when you see the actual lyrics to their songs written down, you can see just how stupid they are. I have absolutely no idea what their songs are about because they're just load of words that don't make sense at all.

But I'll let you make up your own mind.

Here are the lyrics to just two of their songs.

Are you ready? Do you have your tissues handy?

Here we go (spoiler alert: that is a line in one in their other songs.):

Too ill to Write

I've been out of action for a few days now. I came down with some sort of wretched virus that has had me flat on my back since last Saturday.

Thankfully I'm almost back to full health now but I'm still finding it hard (impossible) to breathe through my nose.

The biggest problem with beling ill, though, was boredom.

Bored! Bored! Bored!

We have a cable TV channel called TV Hits and I watched it constantly for days. NCIS, CSI, The Mentalist, Law & Order and lots of other crime shows, one straight after the other, all day every day.

I slept on and off and dozed through nearly every episode.

Bored! Bored! Bored!

Then 2 days ago I felt well enough to sit up (which had been a struggle for a few days) and do limited work on the computer before my eyes began to stream. My creative spark seemed to have been extinguished so writing was out of the question.

But what I found was that it was a good time to do catch up work.

Writing For The Love of Writing

Why do you write?

Can you answer that question?

It's a simple question yet it can stumble so many.

A question I get asked a lot is "how much money can a writer earn?"

And I tell people, that is really the wrong question.

A better question is, why do writers write?

The answer is because they love to write.

My Horoscope Was Spot On Today

I have an astrology app on my iPhone. I read my horoscope every day.

Usually what it says is far removed from my life and how I live it. So I mostly ignore it and give it my haughty snort of derision after every reading.

But this morning  it was so spookily accurate that I had to sit up and take notice. 

It was as though it knew what I'd been doing and what I was thinking.

Perpetual Writing Student

I’ve been a writer now for almost 20 years (boy that makes me feel old) and a lot has changed in that time.

I used to make money from my writing by typing articles and short stories (on a typewriter) and mailing them to magazines.

If I needed to do research I had to go to the library and write my notes by hand. Sometimes, if I needed a few pages of info, I’d pay to photocopy it and take it home.

Now I email most of my work, write and publish my own books online and Google nearly all my research.

And to keep up with it all I’ve had to be a perpetual student of writing.

Recent Lack of Blog Posts

You may have noticed that recently I’ve not been posting to this blog nor have I been sending emails, but I have a really valid excuse, although there’s really no excuse for not blogging and writing articles no matter how busy I’ve been.

But I have been working hard behind the scenes and there’s even a free offer in it for you.

One of the things I’ve been busy working on is a series of emails and 2 free ebooks that I’ll be giving away to subscribers only.  And by subscribers, I mean those who are subscribed for emails from writeaholics.net.

Is Google Stealing Money from Web Site Owners and Cheating AdWords Clients?

I’ve had my own websites for quite a few years now and I’ve always had AdSense Ads on most of my sites to earn a bit of income on the side.

I’ve never earned very much money from the AdSense ads, but the odd hundred dollar payments are nice.

Most of my online income comes from my own eBooks and from affiliate products that I recommend. So AdSense has always been very much a sideline for extra income. I use it because it’s simple to use. I just place a few ads on my web page templates and then let them do their own thing. It was a really easy “set it and forget it” system.

And it worked really well until recently when I started noticing money being taken from my AdSense account. Not only that but the number of clicks kept disappearing too.

So I started to wonder if Google is not only stealing from website owners, but cheating their Adwords clients too.