A Blogger's Nightmare - "What Do I Write About?"

Many writers maintain a blog on at least a monthly basis as a way of keeping their name out there and staying in contact with their reader audience. What is happening to me (especially since I made the commitment to blog on a weekly basis) is that I at times find myself at a loss for ideas for content. The idea for today's blog came from my writer friend Jean Maurie Puhlman. Her suggestion was to present a list of sentences with blanks at the end. I immediately felt that these could act as writing prompts, and I thought that was a great idea! So, thanks to Jean Maurie, here we go!

• John, did you see where I put _____?
• Why on earth did you _____?
• You think it was a coincidence that _____!
• They only thought the show was going to go on. The black hole that it was going to create would _____.
• Who knew that the mystery dinner was going to end up _____.
• We had no idea who he was, or that _____ was about to be set loose!
• The gun just sat there, on the table, waiting to _____.
• When the smoke cleared, there was going to be _____.
•  Little old ladies are not always _____.
• History may repeat itself, but only _____.
• As the car crested the hill, Jillian panicked as she realized that the brakes were _____.
• She had made it all happen, but the credit went to _____.
• Things that happen in the fashion business are not always _____.

Enjoy!

(c) January 2019 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.

Bonnie's World

I recently read an amazing blog by my artist/writer friend Pamela Steele, where she talks about who she is. I love when writer's share a bit about who they are, and what is going on in their lives. Today I am going to share a bit about myself.

We are one week out from Thanksgiving, and two things are prevelant - I am very happy that I came across a new vegeterian recipie that I am going to make for Thanksgiving, and I am getting very irritated by Macy's constant blasts for their Thanksgiving Day Parade (I have left some choice responses to their posts). The parade has gone commercial, and, IMHO, is no longer worth watching.

I am enjoying my Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations (yes, I left Halloween up, just because), and am looking forward to putting up my Christmas decorations. I still have to purchase an artificial Christmas tree - which will be a first for me! I was torn between not wantng to see trees cut down for a one month celebration, and taking some of the "Chirstmas" out of Christmas with an artificial tree. Factoring in the cost of a cut tree, the artificial tree won. Wish me luck!

I am a bit behind myself this year, as I still need to order Christmas cards, seasonal stamps, and a day timer for 2019. I should have that done this week. I am also looking at taking a professional writing class , and joining at least one professional writing organization. Small steps that will take me into a (well) paid writing career!

(c) November 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproducton prohibited without written permission of the author. 

How I Manage My Writing - Or How It Manages Me!

How I manage my writing day is by the seat of my pants! I have a WIP, as well as a monthly committment to write a newsletter, and weekly committments to write one flash fiction article, and one writer's blog (this blog). And I am a co-writer on another project that for now will remain under wraps. I also have a 9-5 that pays the bills. (The good thing about the 9-5 is that it is not 9-5 - I work for a phone line that allows me to log on and off at will.)

I have designated seperate days of the week for the flash fiction and this blog. Monday's are for this blog - I try to find topics that interest me, and that will interest other writers. Starting in March (next week) I will be following a pre-set schedule of topics, with each months topics being connected. Tuesday's are for my flash fiction (under 100 words). I find a graphic that I like, and work from that. I love trying to fit some semblance of a story into 100 words!

My WIP, and the project that I am co-author on, I work on during the weekends. Each of the four chapters that I am writing for the book that I am co-authoring has a pre-set topic, which simply needs to be fleshed out. My WIP already has an outline, and the beginnings of a bible, with work-ups for each of the major characters. One thing that I realized this past weekend is that my bible is going to have to reflect when major events happened, and where (there is a lot of reflection to the past).

My newsletter is a WIP on its own. It's purpose is to help me build a fan base for my mystery books, and to help connect me with other authors. I am fine tuning it on a monthly basis, offering snippets from my current WIP, a flash fiction piece that only appears in my newsletter, links to my existing work, and links to reference materials for writers. I occasionally showcase work that other writers have done. For my April newsletter, I will be featuring a book give-away, with a winner chosen from my subscriber's list.

Things that I am looking into doing are writing submissions for mystery short story contests, and writing pamplet sized books (around 20,000 words) on topics of interest in a wide variety of areas. 

For all of my writer friends - how does this compare with your writing days? Share how you handle your writing - we can all stand tolearn new tricks!

(c) February 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.

Where You Can Find My Work

As an author, I am probably not alone in this: people do not seem to be finding my work. So the command decision was made to put up a post that gave my readers the links to where they can find me. Bored? Then move on while I chat away!

My website is Bonnie Cehovet - Author

My Facebook page is Bonnie Cehovet

I have specific blog sites set up on Word Press is where I put anything related to my music interests:

Bonnie Cehovet is where I place non-Tarot reviews.

The World of Flash Fiction is where I place my flash fiction writing. Generally under 100 words, there are a couple of longer pieces.

The World of Tarot is where my Tarot related reviews can be found. 

Books that I have either written or co-written include:

Tarot, Birth Cards and You: Keys To Empowering Yourself

Tarot, Rituals & You: The Power of Tarot Combined With The Power of Ritual

Surviving The Holidays

Seek Joy ... Toss Confetti (Co-Written with Brad Tesh)

The World of Tarot As Seen Through the Eyes of the Interview

 

Now you know where to find me!

(c) April 2017 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without written permission from the author.

Kungphoo.com

 

I have been following the blog for kungphoo.com on Google +. Excellent blogs, including the one today entitled "Homey Don't Play That!" It was this blog that made me decide to make this site the topic of my author's blog today. No, this is not a writing site. It is a site where you can market your product by joining different circles (buying, selling, and information are the three headers for the community of circles). They market themselves as a site that brings people together. Through their "circles" concept, you can target your interest,whether you are buying, selling, or gathering information.

With kungphoo.com a user can join a circle, create a circle, and share a circle. It is free to create a circle, and you can speak directly to anyone within the circle. This site can be used by individuals or businesses, to promote and grow whatever they are interested in. This is a free advertising and promotional platform. To become active within the site, you can either register for free, or sign in with Facebook. You can join a circle or leave a circle at any time.

The blogs are quite interesting, and talk about what the site has to offer. I just glanced through the FAQ, and it seems to hit the questions that I might want to ask.  The site is evolving, so I am sure that the FAQ will also. There is also a feature called "stir the pot". When you have a circle, and you are not getting the results that you want or need, Kung Phoo will get involved, and "stir the pot". Very col!

The current Hot Circles include: Free Women In Business Mentoring, Facebook Like Exchange - Free Advertising,Business Pinterest Follower Exchange, Free Friends For Life, Work From Home, Free Advertising Program, and Twitter Follower Exchange.

I was going to sign up through Facebook, but too much information would have been shared: public profile, friend lust, e-mail address and news feed. So, I did the free sign up. Basic information required - name, e-mail addy, user name, and password. I am now a member! I checked out a few keywords for circles, and it is clear that this site is in the beginning stages. This is a good thing! We can grow with it!

I think that I am going to have fun here! You may want to check this out ... you can have fun too! Especially if you want to promote your work!

(c) 2000 - 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without the written permission of the author.

Video Blogging

 

No, I am not going to start video blogging any time soon! I thought it might be fun to look into, though. The first thing that I saw when I was searching for an image to use for this blog was that there has been a Video Blog Week as far back as 2009! Where the heck have I been!  

When a non-techie like me thinks of video blogging, I am thinking of using the camera on my laptop, or perhaps have someone tape me using my hand held camera (it does both stills and video). It appears I am a bit out of the loop! There is another option, called Google + Hangouts On Air! I have been to a couple of Google Hangouts (but never hosted one), so I know the basics - you can host up to ten people, and do all kinds of neat things. Until today, I had never heard of Google + Hangouts On Air. What exactly is this new little person?

Google + Hangouts On Air are live broadcasts, with Google handling all of the tricky technical stuff. (Or so they say!) How do you access them? Sign on to Google +, and click on Hangouts On Air (on the left hand side of the screen). A new screen will open. If you have not already downloaded the Hangout Plugin, you will need to do that. (It is free.) 

The next step is to connect Hangouts On Air to your You Tube account. If you don't already have a You Tube account, it only takes second to create one. To connect the Google + Hangout On Air with your You Tube account, there are two steps, The first step is to verify the account by phone (you have to give them your phone number). You will be sent a verification code from Goggle. The second step is to input your code and click verify.

The next step is to name your Hangout On Air. Since this is a video blog, the name should be catchy, the same as for a written blog post. Leave the space where you can invite people blank. Next you click "Start Hangout On Air" (which does NOT actually start the recording. ;-) )

Read the Terms of Service, agree to them, and you can start recording! Note: Before you start recording, make sue that the lighting is good. Back lighting will leave your face in shadow, so you don't want  to do this. Turn around and look at the area behind you, This is what your viewers will see. Make sure that it is appropriate - not cluttered, and not too "busy". A little thought here will go a long way!

I am going to think on this ... you may see a vlog (video blog) in the future ... the distant future! In the meantime  ... have fun with this!

(c) 2000 - 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited in allvenues without the written permission of the author.