Manon Eileen – a Writer's Blog

I took a year-long break from blogging – not proud of it, but I had to recharge. Before I took my break, I blogged about 4-5 times a week for about a year (yeah, no wonder I got a blogging-block). Back then I was always quite concerned with my website audience, and often checked my Google Analytics. Actually, I had a little plugin for my Google Chrome that would keep me up to date of my numbers all the time. I was a little obsessed.

Then, my break. I didn’t even look at the website for a while. When I returned a year later, I checked my Analytics, and was absolutely flabbergasted.

I still got 6000 unique page views per month. 

That’s quite the crowd. In the existence of this website, I have attracted one hundred and twenty thousand individuals to my website. Yeah, that’s a bit daunting. Whether or not these people return to my website in my opinion is not very important – they find my website, read my blogs and see my work!

How come I got these kinds of ratings? I know you too want more than just your mom, dad, significant other and grandma to read your blogs. So, let me tell you.

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Yes, you have probably heard about Search Engine Optimization about a million times. But trust me, don’t discard this one! It’s probably the most important reason I get so many visitors. Google is my friend. See the evidence here:

Traffic sources (of all time)

Almost 60% of my visitors find me through search engines. And most of them find me through Google. Look:

Search Engines Data (of all time)

How good a friend of mine is Google? About 94%. I’d call that a best friend.

SEO can be really complicated. I’ve mostly come across complicated explanations that make my brain hurt. Algorithms schmalgorithms, I say. My trick?

The WordPress SEO Plugin

All you need to do is install this baby on your WordPress (or, if you use a different content manager, I am sure they have SEO plugins for those as well), toy around a little with the settings (not too much or you blow stuff up), and make sure you fill in the WordPress SEO details for every post. It will even give you a page analysis on what you can do to improve your SEO. Once you’ve done that, you are set!

2. Don’t underestimate StumbleUpon.com

Almost 30% of my visitors finds my website through referral websites. In the following table I want to focus on StumbleUpon.com for now.

Referral Data (of all time)

SU.com is number one of all referral sources! It has sent me about 10,000 visitors which is pretty impressive.

StumbleUpon needs people to add a certain page to their database (I won’t go into detail too much, if you are interested in exactly how it works, go visit their site). So what I always do is, as soon as I’ve published another blog post, I upload my page to their database. You can install a StumbleUpon plugin into your web browser (Chrome, Firefox) and make it even easier (click the thumbs up button in the bar to go to the add page). Or, if you have social media buttons added to your blog post, add SU.com as well and use that one.

You’ll be directed to an “add page”, where you can add your blog. Fill in the details as carefully and fully as you can and select appropriate tags (I usually skip on the comment though). That’s all there is to it! From there, people will automatically stumble upon your site through SU.com’s randomizer.

I admit it’s a hassle to have to add each blog manually to SU.com, but as you can see, it pays off.

One last tip: make sure you don’t change the URLs of your blogs after you’ve added them to the SU.com database – once you do, it can’t find your posts anymore.

3. Don’t overestimate Facebook and Twitter

As you can see in the table above, Facebook and Twitter combined lead only about 7% of my audience to my website. Harrumph. That’s not very many. I spend a lot of time trying to write good tweets, deciding which hashtags to use, etcetera. Perhaps these numbers are more an indication of my sucking badly at social media, but … Somehow I do doubt it.

I know you reach more people on Twitter than on Facebook (even more so now that FB has their immensely stupid Promote rules, limiting your audience even further). But I think that (and this is from personal experience) people have a “READ MY BLOG PLZ” overload, from all the blog-shares going on on Twitter. I very rarely open a link to a blog anymore, and if I do, it must have really appealed to me. I’ve become a lot more efficient with my time, lately, and not spending hours reading random blogs I found through Twitter is part of that. I can imagine others feel the same.

But, are all my efforts to spread the word through social media futile? No, certainly not. And this is why.

Why this isn’t a reason you should give up on social media

Look, my data aren’t really useful for a generalization (the external validity is rather low). Your data would probably look quite different compared to mine. I took a year-long blogging break, and during that time, I did not really share anything on Twitter or Facebook, either. So, people technically and practically couldn’t find my stuff on there!

What I think really speaks for the use of the social media is the following (click on them to enlarge)

As you can see above, although Google and Stumbleupon send me a lot of visitors, these people tend not to visit the site for long. They visit one, occasionally two pages. The amount of new visits is high, but the bounce rate is, too (80% of the Google visitors closes the page after just a few seconds, deciding this was not what they were looking for).

However, the stats for Twitter and Facebook show something entirely different. They more often visit two or more pages, they tend to take their time to read on the site, the amount of people who return here more often is actually higher, plus people are much less likely to close the page after a few seconds.

Morale of the story? Although you attract tons of people through the search engines, they might find your blog post didn’t really match their search query and will close your site immediately. However, the ones that decide to click on your tweeted/shared link on FB or Twitter do so because it appeals to them. They take their time reading your site, and quite likely also return if they like what they see.

So there are pros and cons to both SEO/SU.com and Social Media: with the former, you reach a lot of different people, with the latter, you reach less people, but you reach the people that are already interested in you and/or in what you write.

4. Lastly, write a lot (but not too much)

My last tip is to write a lot. I have published many posts that attract people. Another tip: write about a few topics, don’t limit yourself to one. You’ll attract more kinds of people. But make sure it’s not too haphazard – my posts have always been related to what I do in my academic career, what I find interesting and stuff that I use for my books. If it’s too far removed from what you think would make your blog readers buy your book, they won’t buy it (and this applies to any kind of business, really). It’s as simple as that.

On the other hand, don’t write too much, or you’ll be burnt out like I was. Four to five posts a week is doable with more people, but trust me, two to a maximum of three is more than enough on your own. And you’ll appear as more stable and trustworthy to your returning reader, too.

And then, one very last piece of advice: don’t expect major changes in your stats overnight. For instance, Google’s algorithms work in such a way that once your site is visited more, it will put you on the top of the search results more often. That takes time – give it that. Don’t check your analytics every day, because you’ll be obsessed and disappointed, like I was.

Well, that is it for now! I hope this is useful to you. If you have any questions, please ask .

If you have any tips for me or other readers, please share them in the comments section. What do you do to attract people to your site?

Some time ago, I came across a post on Google+ by Angela Ackerman of The Bookshelf Muse (which is one of my favorite writing tools ever, btw).

She shared The Writer’s Diet Wasteline Test.

This tool will decide whether your writing is ‘flabby or fit’. The Wasteline Test looks at your use of be-verbs, abstract nouns, prepositions, adjectives/adverbs and the use of waste words: is, that, there and then.

What does the test do exactly?

To quote the website:

Based on a simple algorithm, the Wasteline Test™ calculates the fitness of your writing sample in each of five grammatical categories. The higher the percentage of highlighted words, the flabbieryour score. 

Each of the grammatical categories will be rated with one of the following ratings:

• Lean: fat-free prose
• Fit & trim: in excellent condition
• Needs toning: Would benefit from a light workout
• Flabby: Judicious editing required
• Heart attack: May call for editorial liposuction!

You will also receive an in-depth analysis of your sample. Words that fit in any of the grammatical categories are highlighted with different colors (a color for each category). The use of any of these words isn’t necessarily wrong or bad, you just have to use them sparingly. The creators of the test simply want you to think about how often, why or how you use these words, but you’re not expected to cut all of them or banish them from your writing.

Of course, I had to put this to the test.

I’m working on a sci-fi novel. It has some gore here and there, and I thought these scenes were perfect to see how this tool works.

First thing you do is put your piece of text in the text box. Your sample should be between 100 and 1000 words. You can choose for the “basic” analysis, or the “advanced”. In the advanced analysis, you can make the tool include words inside parentheses and quotation marks, which is something the basic doesn’t do. In the advanced test, you can also exclude certain words should you want to.

I’ll spare you the actual gore, but here were the results for two of my samples.

Sample 1 (601 words)

Sample 2 (237 words)

I was happy when I got my first score – yay, my writing is lean \o/ no need for a diet! It does look like my second piece could use some work, but according to the guidelines, fit and trim means it’s “in excellent condition”, so I’m not too worried.

However, should you get a lower score, no worries, because the test also offers a full diagnosis. You can’t miss it – it’s the bright red button next to the ratings. A PDF with your diagnosis is downloaded automatically after you click it. It will give you some suggestions on how you could improve your grammar and general writing.

If you ever have a scene that makes you feel uncertain about your grammar, just put it to the test.

You can find the Wasteline Test here. The creators have also answered a few frequently asked questions, you can find them here.

Had you ever heard of this tool before? If you’ve used it before, do you like it? Why or why not?

I’m curious to the results you get – feel free to share in the comments!

BehindtheName.com is one of my favorite tools. What it offers is simple: random names.

You can generate a first name, last name and up to three middle names sorted by gender and category. These categories are what makes BehindtheName so interesting. There is a huge list of languages your names can be randomized in, there are the categories Mythology (and sub-categories), Ancient (and sub-categories), Biblical, History, Literature and Theology. Additionally, there are the categories Witch, Fairy, Goth, Hippy, Rapper, Wrestler, Hillbilly, Kreatyve and Transformer, which are all a little more specific than the rest.

A few examples (all first, middle and last names):

A masculine Arabic name: Ali Ikram Albaf

A feminine Chinese name: Hui Xiang Chu

You can also combine the backgrounds, for instance, I selected both Dutch and Japanese (masculine), and this was the result: Maarten (a Dutch first name) and Yoshiru (the Japanese last name).

A feminine Fairy name: Twinkleeyes Flittermist Sungleam

A masculine Celtic myth name: Ailill Áed

When you use the generator and you don’t like the name it prompted, simply press F5 to refresh the page, and it will give you another option.

I usually have a lot of international characters in my stories, and this random name generator helps me find fitting names for them. I have been complimented on the names I give my characters a few times (“they fit so well” and “they’re realistic so they make the character feel more real”, etc.) – it’s all thanks to this random name generator. Because in all honesty, I suck at thinking of names for characters myself.

There is a near unlimited amount of names in this database, and it will most certainly help you find the perfect names for your characters.

What I should also add is that BehindtheName.com offers a lot more than just this random name generator. If you go to the main page, it will offer you information about nearly every name you can think of. For instance, look at this page about my name, Manon. Or the name translator. Or a list of anagram names. Or check out the name themes. Basically, it has everything you ever wanted to know about names. This is one handy website for writers, that’s for sure.

Have you ever worked with BehindtheName? Do you like it?

If you haven’t yet worked with it, will you try it out?

P.S. Elizabeth Craig published an interesting post on her blog about naming characters two days ago. Read it – it has a lot of useful do’s and don’ts.

Today, I would like to welcome Gene Lempp for a guest post! Thank you Gene, for sharing your knowledge here!

I recently completed a 30-day trial of WriteWay Pro and liked it so much that I purchased the program. Whether you’ve used writing software before or not, this is an excellent program. I’ve heard WriteWay compared to Scrivener (another popular writing platform), although to date, I’ve not used the latter. At a later date I plan to test Scrivener out so I can do a comparison review of the two programs. [Manon notes: I wrote a review of Scrivener, you can find it here]

Like many, I started out using a written journal and an assortment of Word and Excel documents. Over time this grew to be such a mass that I began looking for ways to organize the material. I tried out a dozen different programs but each one only offered a singular use; file organizer, story board, etc. As none were designed with writers in mind, none worked quite the way I wanted. Then I found WriteWay through a post by Kait Nolan and now I’m hooked.

So what does WriteWay Pro have to offer the overworked author?

WriteWay Pro offers full project organization. If you are familiar with the Treepad system, it allows for an organizational chart on the left side starting with your Book, then up to nine Acts on the second tier with Chapters and Scenes following in hierarchy (see the screenshot on the left). Each of these can be titled as you wish and color-coded making it a quick reference story board. The writer can attach up to nine Note Cards to each of these objects and access them with a single click. I’ll cover Note Cards in a minute.

The tree also adds the feature of a Scratchpad where you can store scenes that you aren’t sure about the ultimate placement of yet but want to keep around for easy access.

Templates, Characters and Notes

WriteWay Pro comes with user-adaptable templates for Characters and Note Cards. Character Bios can include any information you desire and allow for the easy insertion of pictures. Up to nine different types of Note Cards (Plot, Character, Scene Sketch, Revision, Dialogue, etc.) can be attached to each item on the organizational tree allowing you to track all the layers of your story with ease.

Charting

If you’re a chart lover, like me, then WriteWay has several to help organize and track your progress. By imputing your expected word count and desired end date, WriteWay will let you know how much you need to write per day to reach your goal. You may also exclude any days you don’t plan to write and the program will adjust your goal accordingly. The Daily Log allows you to watch your progress throughout the project. See the screenshot on the left for a sample.

Useful Features

WriteWay Pro also comes with a Research organizer that allows you to keep all of your hard-earned research one click away from your writing.

The Future Book Projects file allows you to store all of the shiny new ideas that emerge while you are working on your current project. By simply entering the Future Books file, you can drop in your idea or addition or promote an idea to “full project” status.

Ever come up with a great tidbit of dialogue or a snippet of a scene that left you searching through hundreds of files or post-its when you needed it? WriteWay Pro comes with a Miscellaneous Pages option that lets you keep all these nuggets in an easy to find spot.

The program also assists when it comes time to write the dreaded Synopsis by helping fill in the basics so that you can concentrate on the details.

WriteWay uses RTF format, allowing for easy movement of material between it and Word, Wordpad, Notepad, Jarte or any of the host of  RTF-based word processing programs out there.

The Help File

WriteWay Pro comes with the best Help File I’ve ever used. Designed as a built-in tutorial, I was able to learn WriteWay over the course of about three hours by simply reading through the Help File and looking at each item listed as I went along.

If you’re like me and tired of trying to wade through a mountain of notes and files to get your project moving, I’d highly recommend WriteWay Pro as an option. It comes with a 30-day trial and a short learning curve.

Find the download of the Demo 30-day trial here and more product information here.

My deepest thanks to Manon for hosting me today.

Peaceful Journeys!

Gene Lempp is a post-apocalyptic science fiction writer pursuing publication. He blogs about the uses of history, archaeology and myth in his Designing from Bones series. Gene lives in Northern Illinois and is a friend of trees, squirrels and a resident chipmunk named Bob. “Only the moment seems eternal and in a moment everything will change.”

You can also find Gene Lempp on Twitter.

I would like to welcome C.M. Stewart today. Please enjoy this wonderful blog on sensory psychology and I hope the chart will be of use to you!

As fiction authors, most of us are familiar with the countless Character Questionnaires, Worksheets, and Surveys. These can help us get to know our characters better, and add depth and believability to our characters’ appearances, personalities, and motives.

I highly recommend Manon’s Main Character Survey. Here’s her survey introduction, and here’s a direct link to the survey.

But what happens after you’ve developed your characters? You still need to show them reacting to each other as seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, and smelling (the stuff real people do) individuals. A sensory chart showing how your characters are perceived by each other and how your characters perceive their environments can help you make your characters more “human.”

Why a “sensory chart”?

Our senses- for most of us: seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling- are what connects us to people, to the world, and to our own bodies. From birth, our senses develop before we learn to speak, play, work, and use logic and reason. Our senses are our primal survival guides, and influence everything we do, including how we interact psychologically and physically with other people. “Sensory psychology” is the study of how the internalization of specific sights, sounds, touches, tastes, and smells influences a person’s reaction to an environment. Using a sensory chart is an approach to developing “palpable” character interactions, using all 5 senses (though smell and taste may overlap).

Consider these examples:

Sight- Love at first sight. Being repulsed (or excited) by the sight of war.

Sound- Dancing to a favorite song. Hearing your name called in a noisy room.

Touch- A lover’s caress. The slap of a hand.

Taste (usually self-referential)- Comfort food. Bile in the mouth.

Smell- The intoxicating smell of a lover’s perfume. The nauseating smell of body odor.

By expanding on these sensory examples, and drawing on some of your own examples, you can customize the ways your characters have unique interactions with each other.

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This chart will help you develop your characters and their interpersonal relationships via sensory-based psychology:

(You can copy and paste this table into your word processor if you wish)

How the heck do I use that chart?

After listing your characters in the top row and the senses in the left column, for each of the remaining boxes, choose one or a few examples of the appropriate sensory focus when describing the character, (as the character would appear to an observer) and one or a few examples of the appropriate sensory focus that the character would regularly experience internally (either positively or negatively).

In my opinion, choosing the sensory attributes for your characters is easier after you start to writing your story, rather than before. If you get stuck on some of the boxes, simply write more of your story, or look at the other boxes to see what could be complimentary or contradictory for the story.

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Here’s a full chart example, using my own WIP (click to view full size):

For example, in the box for “PETRA” + “SEE,” I list Petra’s main and / or distinguishing characteristics which are externally observed by another person through sight in the top part of the box. In the bottom part of the box, I list what Petra usually or characteristically observes by through sight herself.

# # #

Tips:

1. At the start of your story, add a few details gleaned from your completed chart. As your story progresses, repeat some of these details in meaningful places.
2. In the case of love interests or obsessive relationships, you could fill in some of the boxes to “match” characters. For example, Ray particularly enjoys the smell of ether, and is attracted to Ramona, who smells like ether.
3. Conversely, in the case of enemies or antagonistical relationships, you could fill in some of the boxes to “mismatch” characters. For example, Petra particularly dislikes the smell of chemicals (cooking crack) and is aggravated by Ray, who smells like chemicals (supplements).
4. Or you could show conflict by and irony by showing Petra’s attraction to Ray in spite of disliking the sight, sound, etc of Ray. Or a Petra could dislike Ray in spite of being attracted to the sight, sound, etc of Ray.
5. Don’t try to make your chart too “matched up,” or your characters will seem formulaic and programmed. Let your characters develop organically.
6. If a character is disabled- for example, is blind or deaf- use this chart to discover how their remaining senses are enhanced and amplified.
7. Using senses to show interactions between characters adds immediacy and strength to your scenes, but don’t overdo it. Not every scene needs to be dripping with sensory detail. Use your completed chart as a guideline for suggested sensory details only when those details will move your story forward.

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Feel free to use the Character’s Sensory Chart as you see fit for enhancing your own characters’ interactions in your own novels. The chart may be altered, copied, printed and shared. If shared, an attribution would be appreciated.

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CMStewart is a psychological horror writer.

http://cmstewartwrite.wordpress.com/

gplus.to/CMStewart