Master Class With Margaret Atwood

I stumbled across the Master Class series some time ago. At that time I thought that an all access pass was the way to go. My wallet decided otherwise! I just signed up for the class that I was primarily interested in - Margaret Atwoods class on writing. The link above talks about the general outline of what is offered. This post takes a look at what I am actually experiencing in the class.

"Creativity is one of the essential things about being human. So you don't have to apologize for it. It's something human beings do." ~ from the workbook

I downloaded the workbook - which is a true gem!  In it, Atwood references her own work, as well as presenting writing prompts for her students. There are assignments, links to reference material, examples of various techniques that can be used to create beginnings, middles, and ends, deciding on what voice to use in a story, and so much more!

In her videos, Atwood is very clear about her topic, has a very eloquent speaking voice, and a lovely sense of humor. The next chapter that I am going to be working with is all about layered narratives and how to structure a story. I am very happy that I took the plunge and paid for this course ... you will see better work coming from me in the very near future!

(c) July 2019 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.

Video Marketing

Marketing is not my favorite activity, although as a writer it is a necessary one. Making videos - well, I have not attempted doing that yet. So why am I even considering it? If I will follow a link to a video, others will too. And I have learned a great deal through videos placed on individual sites, and on You Tube. There are some definite marketing advantages here.

Videos have their place in personal branding, as do the social media sites. Together they can form a marketing plan ... on that cinches an individual's brand, and gets (and keeps) their product known. We have to "be" how we choose to brand ourselves. Our work, our product, as to reflect our brand. When our respective audiences can see us :in person", through a video, they can identify with us. We become real to them. Now, all videos do not have to be personal videos, but the ones that are will, IMHO, have a greater impact.

We also need to consider conversion rates. What percentage of individuals clicking on a link are then going to follow through and purchase? If we can connect with them through videos, and get them to identify with us, and our brand, we will not only have a single purchase, but we have an audience that will follow us on social media, and want to purchase that next book, or CD, or attend that net seminar.

Allow your personality to come through. I am who I am ... in my mid-60's, a conservative liberal, and a wanna-be writer of cozy mysteries. This is who I am, and any prospective audience needs to understand this. My target audience is specific. Who are you? What do you want people to know about you? Who is your target audience?

I love videos - each has a story to tell! I look forward to getting my story out there ... and to hearing your story!

(c) 2015 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.  

What Do You Want Your You Tube Video To Do For You?

 

Is doing a You Tube video a one time thing for you ... or do you have a plan? I have had a reason for putting up each of my videos ... but I made  he mistake of not connecting them ,,, of not branding myself on You Tube, if you will. So what can You Tube videos do for us, and how can we make best use of them?

First of all, I want to thank Mary Nale, the person behind 99% of my videos. She has great insight, great vision, and can make an awesome video  from just a few keywords and a general theme. If you are doing your own videos ... pat yourself on the back right now! If you are having someone else do them for you, take a moment out to send them thanks!

To make our You Tube videos work for us, we want them to be seen, we want people to connect to them, and we want people to subscribe, How do we do that? As with the written word, we want to provide valuable content ... content that people want and need. Content that they will share. Word of mouth is a tremendous asset in marketing, and in building up a following.

We want our content to be relevant, to appeal to the people that we want as clients/customers/readers. There are all kinds of videos that can be done, from those that talk about your services, to a tutorial on how something can be done (I love tutorials!), to information on a specific product. For authors, our product is our books. 

Something that I did not realize is that we can feature a video at the top of our You Tube channel when non-subscribers visit. I am going to have to look at that, and see which of my videos is something that I want so show there. Or ... I may do a video that defines me, and my work. I am going to need Mary's expertise with that one!

Doing a video that includes stats lets people know where you stand, and that you are doing your research. Numbers mean a lot to me ... I am sure that they do to others also. You could also share a video that gives feedback on your product. For writers, we could do videos that focus on feedback from our reade s. Or do a tutorial ... for writers that might include tutorials on outlining a book, developing characters, or the dreaded editing phase!

Guess what else we can do with videos! We can embed them in our blogs, or on our sites. A whole new world is opening up here!

Take a look at one of the videos that Mary Nale did for me: "Seek Joy ... Toss Confetti". You can contact Mary about her video work at marynale@attunemagazine.com.

(c) 2000 - 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction in any venue prohibited without the written permission of the author.

Wendy Stokes - A Force To Be Reckoned With!

The Internet is a wonderful way to meet some very incredible people. One of them (that I met through Facebook) is an awesome lady by the name of Wendy Stokes. Wendy lives in London, UK, and is administrator for an very eclectic blog entitled "MBS Circle Network". Her blog includes articles, reviews, interviews, extracts and videos about such diverse things as ecology, ethical business, spirituality and personal responsibility,  and community initiatives.

Some of the most recent entries include a review of the "Angels of Atlantis Oracle Cards", a review of the book "Elen of the Ways", a review of what looks to be a very good book on "Loneliness in Philosophy, Psychology, and Literature", an oracle reading for April, a review of the book "Living Shamanism", a review of the book "Immortal Yearnings", a review of the "Sacred Geometry" cards, a  video on "Adventures In Eco-Therapy" and much, much more! For anyone who loves to read, and loves to find diverse subjects presented in one place, this blog is for you!

As an administrator Wendy does a marvelous job of presenting the material in a professional manner, on a "clean" site, that is easy to move around in. It is like going down the rabbit hole once you click on this site - there is so much that you want to see, read, and experience that you could easily, pleasantly leave a good chunk of time behind you!

Wendy has a separate blog entitled the "Wendy Stokes Blog". I found this one to be just as fascinating, with the focus changed to reflect Wendy's personal work in her capacity as a qualified counsellor, workshop tutor, spiritual healer and channeling medium. Material can be found here on her Egyptian Goddess Workshop, articles on Ancient Egyptian Wisdom, Spiritual Healing, Chakras and more. IMHO, this blog is a learning venue in its own right, and I am delighted to have discovered it!

What I could kick myself soundly for is that it took me this long to discover what Wendy is all about! We need to network with a purpose, and part of that purpose is to get to know the people that we are meeting. Only in this way can we know what we have to offer them, and what they have to offer us.

I hope that you take a few minutes to discover what Wendy has to offer!

(c) 2000 - 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

All material copyright Bonnie Cehovet - written permission is needed to share this work

in any venue - print or electronic.   

Motivated To Succeed!

 

We all have to look for motivation to keep going, to define that BIG DREAM, We then strive to keep the motivation going strong so that we can achieve that dream. What I have found personally is that I feel most comfortable with multiple streams of income. One of those streams will always be my writing ... whatever form it takes. Another stream very recently opened up for me ... one that I never thought would work for me. 

I have tried network marketing once or twice ... I lost money ... never got close to understanding the process. In large part, this was because I could never get behind the alleged "product". I have to believe in something if I am going to be encouraging other people to invest. Then a product that I can believe in crossed my path.

That product is a unique mobile applicati. on called the Inspired Living Application. On a weekly basis short (6-9 minute) motivational videos are brought to your mobile device. (Note: There is also a web application for those that do not have mobile devices.) These are high quality videos presented by leaders in their respective fields of personal motivation, business development, time management, goal setting and more. Interested? You can find out more here - Inspired Living Application. 

If what you see on these pages interests you, iLA has a webinar that acts as a short overview of what iLA has to offer. Please take a few minutes to view it here. 

What I have found is that my writing skills came in handy is developing documents to send to those that sign up under me to help them get this program going. For the first five days of enrollment I send out a document each day with pertinent information. I am also available to answer any questions that potential associates might have about the program. I can be contacted at bonniecehovet@gmail.com. 

The corporate office is available to answer questions at any time, and there are two Facebook groups that have been developed to support those working in this program. For those that are interested, watch the videos, watch the informational overview, and feel free to ask me any questions that you might have.

How big is your dream? Make it come true! 

Inspired Living Application  

(c) February 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

Videos Rule!

I don’t have a Smart phone, so apps are not part of my world. So why did an app for videos draw my attention? I stopped to listen because it was presented to me by someone that I respect and trust, and because the app site is clean and straightforward. And because the apps are all about personal development. 

What, pray tell, is this wonderful app? And why am I talking about it on my author’s blog?

This wonderful app is the Inspired Living Application, known as iLA. I am talking about it on my author’s blog because the videos that are sent out on a weekly basis (or will be sending out … it is in prelaunch, with a launch date of February 1^st) are of the personal development nature. You will be learning about things like personal development, time management, and wealth building.

The videos are high quality, and professionally produced, presented by top professionals in the field. They are delivered to your mobile device on a weekly basis, and are archived on the site. Topics include goal setting, time management, personal development, business development, leadership development, financial management, personal motivation, and more.  

The app was developed by John Marr, Vice President of iLA, and developer of over 20 five star apps.

There are three defined levels of enrollment:

Free: Delivery of the weekly video content.

Retail Customer: Delivery of the weekly video content, with access to archived videos.

Associate: Delivery of the weekly video content, access to archived videos, a personal website, and the ability to earn from the matrix program.

As writers, we need to see ourselves as business people. We need to stay motivated, and we know how to build a future for ourselves. Motivational videos have a place here … they are a tool that we can use to define and meet our goals, and create the life that we really want.

If you want to check the iLA program out, here is the line to my site (yes, I am an associate): http://ilivingapp.com/bonniecehovet.

Wishing you all much success!

© January 2013 Bonnie Cehovet