Web Site Promotion | Download Everything for Writers - for Free

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I ran across a site with a list of 100 places to download everything from Audio Books to Web Design.

http://supergeekland.com/09/100-sites-to-download-all-sorts-of-things/

These are two of the most interesting sites on the list:

Scribd, a site with over 50 billion words in ebooks and articles that authors post at no charge. You can easily search for anything imaginable, and find almost every subject you can think of.

Project Gutenberg: The most comprehensive repository of ebooks on the Internet. Project Gutenberg was built by volunteers and has 27,000 ebooks online.

Good Luck in all your writing and web site promotion efforts.


John Lombaerde
Web Site Promotion Blog
SEO East Coast Blog
Google Wave Blog

Narcolepsy and Russia

Our last meeting took place on Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Pobanz home. Present were Kerry Pobanz, June Saunders, Richard Panzer and Bob Beebe. Kerry began by presenting a recent essay entitled "Who Am I?" in which he expressed a heartfelt lamentation over the human state of what he called "spiritual narcolepsy," or sleeping sickness. In other words we live our lives unaware of our true value and identity, oblivious of the immense love God feels for each one of us. Because of His never ending love, however, the day will come when God will be able to lead His children back into the light of His love.

Next Bob presented several pages of his Russian novel in progress. Jim and Father Vladimir finished their conversation/debate and we switched back to St. Petersburg to catch Jim's wife doing a bit of Christmas shopping in a country that till recently had all but ignored the holiday and for whom Dec. 25 still meant nothing at all (Jan. 7 being Orthodox Christmas). We get another flashback to the time when they first came to Russia and were unceremoniously thrown out of their apartment for failing to go along with their landlady's decision to suddenly double the rent. (In the early 1990s Russians were beginning to experiment with capitalism in their own way.) Stay tuned for more in the coming months!

This Sunday, Nov. 22, we will be gathering at Richard Panzer's home for our next meeting at the usual time slot of 3:00-5:00 pm. June will be presenting another chapter of her Civil War era novel. We hope you won't miss another of her insightful and readable updates of her book.

Web Site Promotion | Use Google, Yahoo-Local Search | Web Site Promotion Blog

Image by w2scott via Flickr

How do you use local search for your web site promotion ?

I wrote a post on my web site promotion blog about local search at the following URL.

http://www.websitepromotionblog.net/web-site-promotion-promote-web-sites-local-search-web-site-promotion-blog

There is also an excellent reference article about local search at Search Engine Land.

http://searchengineland.com/blocking-and-tackling-10-fundamentals-of-local-seo-29115

You may also want to visit these blogs I have set up recently.

Web Site Promotion Blog Carnival

Google Wave Blog Carnival

SEO East Coast

More to follow soon.

10 Best Writer's Blogs - Winner copyblogger

Image by retro traveler via Flickr

We discussed blogs, (among many other things), at our last writer's meeting.

The fourth annual best blogs for writer's was held recently, and copyblogger received the award for the best blog for writers.

You can see all 10 winners here.

10 Best Blogs for Writers.

If you want to put a link to this list on your desktop, you will have access to some great information to refer back to over and over again.

copyblogger is one of the sites I use on the blog roll on my site at:

The Web Promotion Blog

Any feedback in terms of comments would be gratefully appreciated.

I recently changed the site design to a new sportier design. I wish I could do the same with cars. One minute your driving the old model and the next, the latest and greatest.

Also, here is a happy writer's site with some light-hearted cartoons about writing that I think you will enjoy.

Inkgirl

Happy Writing !

Inside Google Books: Books Digitized by Google Available via the Espresso Book Machine

Inside Google Books: Books Digitized by Google Available via the Espresso Book Machine: "Question or comments about Inside Google Books? Contact us."

John Lombaerde - The Web Site Promotion Blog

How to cure writer's block

Image via Wikipedia

From a comment posted on copyblogger about writer's block.

Here’s a sure fire method to cure writer's block.

Keep a copy of any classic work of literature that is over 1000 pages in length, preferably something that you had to read in school, and really disliked, near your desk. For me it would be Thomas Mann – Magic Mountain (sorry to you T.M.)

Every time you get writer’s block, say to yourself, “if I don’t break out of writer’s block in 5 minutes, I will have to read that rather dusty, incredibly long book that I had to read in school”.

This is truly a magic motivator to cure writer’s block.

lol

Screenplay for a short film

Image by tata_aka_T via Flickr

I'm not exactly sure what the following writing selection is. I woke from a dream with the image of this story in mind. I guess you could say it would be a screenplay for a short film. At least that's how I best envision it. I hope you enjoy it.


Screenplay for a short film. "Up to Jamal"

There is little boy (8-10 years old) together with his parents at an airport. The father is white and the mother is black, the boy is much more fair-skinned than his mom. The Father drops off his wife and son at the curb with their luggage, and goes to park the car. The mother moves with the luggage to the check-in counter. She tells her son to stay close, while Dad takes care of the car.

The little boy hears the sound of faint music and leaves the side of his mom. He follows the sound of music and it becomes stronger. It is an African rhythm, with a strong beat, and an unusual, but very beautiful sound. The boy stops and looks ahead of him. There is an African man dressed in tribal costume standing perhaps 30 or 40 feet away. The man nods his head slowly, and looks at the boy. He has a beautiful feather in his hand. It is striped with both black and white feathers. A broad smile comes to the face of the African man. He gently lifts the feather in the air, and the wind takes it up in the air. It floats up high, and across to the little boy.

The boy looks up at the feather and is blinded momentarily by a flash of light from the sun. He hears a strong, deep voice say to him. “It is up to you to solve the problems between black and white in this country”. The feather lands in the boy’s hands and as it lands, the colors of the feather seem to reverse between black and white from their original colors. The boy blinks in astonishment, and grabs the feather and holds it tightly in his hand. Suddenly he remembers what his mom told him, and thinks she might be looking for him. As he runs back to find her, he glances over his shoulder and the African man is gone.

The boy finds his mother around a corner, and she shouts as she sees him. “Jamal, where did you go, I was looking everywhere for you ? Didn’t I tell you to stay close ? I’m waiting for Dad, now don’t wander off ! And where did you get that feather ? We are running late, so your Dad is going to meet us at the gate.”

With baggage in hand, the mother and son move toward the gate and approach the security area. The mother passes the security check point without incident, but the boy sets off the alarms. Unlike the normal sounds, the buzzers do not buzz just once, but continue to buzz, abnormally, without shutting off for half a minute or so. The boy is asked by a security person, if he has anything in his pockets, and the boy says no.

The security guard, (a black man), asks the boy to put the feather in the box, and the boy hesitates, but looks at his mom, and she nods to him, so he reluctantly agrees. The security guard watching the feather pass through security sees a bright blinding light as the feather passes under the radar, but there is no sound. The security guard shakes his head and his partner asks him, Is everything OK ? The man says "yeah, I guess so".

The boy passes through security the second time without a sound. The security man stands up and moves over to the little boy. He gives the boy a big smile, and says to him, "Take care of that feather, OK" ? The boy responds, “I will.”

As the boy and his Mom move away from the security area. The security guard can’t take his eyes off the boy as he walks away. A voice in the background, (same voice that Jamal heard before), says. “Don’t leave everything up to Jamal. We are all brothers and sisters in one Family of Man under the one True God.”

Web Site Promotion Blog

Image via Wikipedia

Greetings to all !







I hope everything is going well at this back to school time. I'm sure Bob is extremely busy right now, as any family would be now, sending kids back to school.

If anyone has a moment to spare, I would like to introduce you to a new blog I have started. I would very much appreciate any feedback at all from any member of the group, (or anyone reading this blog).

It is located at Web Promotion Blog until I release it for public consumption. Like most blogs, it is a work in progress, that has a beginning, but no end, and I'm sure I will be devoting a significant amount of time to it.

I am migrating information I had on a different blog to this new format. (A hosted Wordpress blog, which is better for search engine promotion).

By the way, sorry for the image of the Goldfinch. It is a European goldfinch, not an American one. I couldn't easily find an American goldfinch. It looks sufficiently spirited though, to me, for a Goldfinch. Nonetheless, it seems to be a fine specimen.

If anyone feels that a WordPress blog would more suitable for our group, I would be happy to set it up. They look significantly more attractive than most. It could be an additional blog to this one, or maybe it could promote our Spirited Goldfinch publication. Please let me know if there is any interest in doing that.

Additionally, if anyone is interested to set up a blog for business or personal use, give me a call, and I can give you some good recommendations, and assist you in the process. Note: it is simpler than you might think. Almost all blog options are totally free, so there is no cost, other than the time to set it up, (and to post of course).

Blogs are great ways for writers to promote themselves, and you can find a template on Google that suits your style rather easily. There are lots of free WordPress templates available for you to Google. Is that correct grammar, "to Google" ? If it's not yet in Webster's I'm sure it will be soon.

Happy Writing !

Poems and Other Things

We had a wonderful meeting of the Writers Haven on Sunday, August 16, at the home of Richard Panzer. Present were Richard, Valerie Shimoyama, June Saunders, Kerry Pobanz, Jerry Chesnut, Bob and Karen Beebe, and newcomer Mike Yurechko. Mike shared with us some wonderful poems he has written, reflecting his intimate relationship with nature. He also shared with the group his desire to write down some of his many experiences "on the road" in the course of his life. We look forward to more of his writing in the coming weeks and months. June shared with us a poem about her written by her neighbor entitled "Lady in the Yard." It captured June to a "T". Richard also reported how things have been going with the publication and promotion of his new book "The War on Intimacy." Finally, Bob reported on the progress with the upcoming second issue of the group's The Spirited Goldfinch. There will be between 8-10 submissions of short stories, essays and poems and will be available on lulu.com by the end of the month.

Our next meeting is scheduled for this Sunday, August 30, 3:00-5:00 pm, at the New Home of Valerie Shimoyama (42 Carmer St., Belleville). She will be presenting a recent piece she wrote. She distributed copies to some of you at the last meeting. Also, Kerry will be presenting a new piece entitled "Breathing Love in the Spirit World." It should be an exciting meeting. I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

Web Site Promotion - 5 Open Source Applications for Writers

Web Site Promotion - 5 Open Source Applications for Writers

Here are a couple of excellent sites for writers that are link sites or directories.

From Writers Digest - 101 best writers sites on the Internet
Note: Do NOT miss this article !

Internet-Resources.com writing Links & Links for Writers
Writers' Resources on The Web and More

In addition, don't miss this one. It is quite funny ! Rules for Writers.

I have written and blogged about Open Source quite a bit on my own blog. Just to review for a minute, Open Source software is developed by committee, not by large corporations. Usually the Open Source companies are non-profit, but this is not an absolute requirement. They merely have to allow access to the source code of their software and follow established rules for collaborative efforts to develop the software.

This is democratization of software development at it's finest. The best aspect of Open Source software for computer users is that these are quality software programs available for free. One of the best known Open Source software programs is the Internet Explorer alternative, Mozilla Firefox. For additional information on Open Source visit my blogfather blog (post # 3)

I ran across a very interesting article on Open Source applications for writers. This article highlights 5 different programs designed specifically for writers:

1) Kabikaboo - This program allows writers to more easily manage large documents, technical manuals, and long novels.

2) Storybook - Helps keep writers of novels focused on the big picture by keeping characters and story lines straight.

3) Celtx - This is the application of choice for scriptwriters. This app helps scriptwriters pre-produce all sorts of media, including film, theater, comics, radio, and even podcasts.

4)Lyx - This program can help you if do academic writing, theses, or scientific papers. There are specific formal rules for acceptance of these types of papers. Lyx will help ascertain that the structure of your documents meets formal acceptance requirements.

5) Scribus - This program seems to excel at desktop publishing, presentations and newsletters. It also can be used effectively to put together your next best selling novel. Once you've written the content, you can design cover pages, manage content, insert images, and create page layouts.

There you are. Take a look at these programs if they are "up your alley". I'm sure you will not be disapointed.

Good Luck in your writing and web site promotion efforts.

If you would like to promote your writing on the Internet, or another type of business, contact me for some free consulting.

John Lombaerde
973-860-1325

This post was written by John Lombaerde, a CNC programmer with over 15 years experience designing, programming and cutting complex parts on multi-axis computer numerically controlled, (CNC) milling machines.

He is an experienced Product Designer, CNC Programmer, CNC Machinist, and CAD CAM Consultant.

He is also an SEO Consultant specialized in Search Engine Placement for Web Site Promotion.

For additional information, see:

CAD CAM Consulting

Web Site Promotion by Veretekk

NPN Lead Generator

Web Site Promotion, What will be the effect of the Google Chrome Operating System ?

Web Site Promotion - Google Chrome Operating System

What will be the effect of Google's new Chrome Operating system on web site promotion efforts ? The simple answer to this question is that it probably will have little or no effect. Google's search engine rules and methods will not change appreciably under a new operating system. What will be the impact of a new Chrome Operating System on the computing world ? It may significantly affect the type of computer you buy in the future. It may also have a significant effect on Microsoft, and this is why.

We have yet to see really low-cost netbooks hit the market, but it is quite possible that we will see sub $ 200.00 netboooks in the very near future. We already have cell phones with multi-function capability, namely Internet and e-mail capability, and this trend will likely continue. We probably will also see hybrid types of devices that are not quite a computer, but more than a cell phone.

In order to keep the price of netbooks and hybrid devices as low as possible, it will be necessary to eliminate the cost of software. The only practical way to do this is to use Open Source software with this type of computer. It is impossible to bundle any of Microsoft's operating systems, or Office Productivity software in at such a low price. Windows plus any other piece of software is already more than $ 200.00 retail, even in OEM versions.

Linux is an alternative, but it doesn't quite measure up to Windows in terms of usability and user-friendliness. It has been around for quite a while, and although servers run Linux quite effectively, Linux has not really shown it's strength as a personal computer operating system in the way it has as a network operating system. Google Chrome actually sits on top of a Linux kernel, but it is not Linux itself. It is something brand new.

If you think for a moment about how many computers are used mainly to access the Internet, read e-mail, and for some kind of simple office-related task; that accounts for a very large number of computers, easily fifty percent, or more, of the PC's in use right now. Microsoft products dominate this market today, but 5 or 10 years from now, there could be a much different looking landscape in the world of personal computers. There are computers in libraries, schools, second and third family computers at home, Internet cafes, and guest computers in offices, that really have no compelling reason to run Windows or other Microsoft software. (Sorry Microsoft, but that's the way I see it).

It is these types of shared computers, that would benefit the most from a Google Chrome Operating System. Especially if this kind of computer could be made to access the Internet faster, start nearly immediately on boot-up, and run on-line applications faster than the equivalent software running under Windows, wouldn't it be an obvious choice to opt for the free, (and faster), alternative ?

The keys to the success of this new operating system are threefold.

1) It must run an Internet browser, (Chrome, of course), and Internet applications faster than Windows.

2) It must be more stable than Windows. This means it must have bullet-proof security. This is a tall order for any operating system, but it should have built-in protection against viruses, spyware, and other type of intrusions. This could easily be the key differentiation between Windows and Chrome. since Windows has had, (and continues to have), so many security vulnerabilities. It should be a top priority for Chrome.

3) It should run the widest possible array of software programs. Google has done a good job of providing internet applications up until now, but there needs to be a Chrome, (or online) application to match, or nearly match most of the software that currently runs on Windows. Chrome will not go head-to-head with Windows across the software spectrum, but the wider the choice of Internet-based software available, the more success Chrome will enjoy. It it not intended to be a network server operating system in the same way that Microsoft Windows Server is, but just the personal operating system of choice for computers connected to the Internet.

Google is probably the only company in the world today with the resources to be able to develop and maintain an operating system like Chrome. On the other hand, since it is open source, Google may be content to manage from the sidelines and eventually let the Open Source community take it over. Note: At least that way Google may not be tempted to have sponsored links pop up on your screen as you work. (lol - Sorry Google)

It is true that Google as a company cares little how you access the Internet. In other words, they are computer hardware and operating system neutral. Of course, I'm sure Google's management and software engineers will be smiling ear to ear if they are able to compete head to head with Microsoft, (Google's main search rival), on Microsoft's home turf of the PC operating system. Nothing would be sweeter for Google than to have Chrome enjoy a resounding success in the marketplace. Google has everything to gain, the more computers there are on the Internet, and nothing to lose.

We will have to wait until the second half of 2010 to see Google Chrome, according the Official Google Blog. It is possible that the most significant beneficiaries of Google Chrome will be thirld world computer users. The dream of a $ 100.00 computer is not yet a reality, and remember that 75 % of the world's population does not yet have e-mail.

The availability of free computer operating systems and software is essential to begin to close the gap between have's and have not's in this world. This author, for one, hopes that Google Chrome becomes the operating system of choice for many of the world's PC's, and helps to hasten the day when the vast majority of the word's people have access to computers and the Internet.

Good Luck in all your writing and web site promotion efforts.

This post was written by John Lombaerde, a CNC programmer with over 15 years experience designing, programming and cutting complex parts on multi-axis computer numerically controlled, (CNC) milling machines.

He is an experienced Product Designer, CNC Programmer, CNC Machinist, and CAD CAM Consultant.

He is also an SEO Consultant specialized in Search Engine Placement for Web Site Promotion.

For additional information, see:

CAD CAM Consulting

Web Site Promotion by Veretekk

NPN Lead Generator

Web Site Promotion Blog

Spirit World and Reunion

I hope that you all enjoyed your July 4th weekend. Our family rushed directly from the Manhattan Center celebration on Saturday to my sister's house in CT where we had a traditional July 4th picnic/BBQ with lots of activities and our very own fireworks.

Our last writers' meeting took place at the Saunders' home on June 21st, the first day of summer. Present were June, Valerie Shimoyama, Kerry Pobanz, Jerry Chesnut, and Bob and Karen Beebe. Kerry started us off with his essay entitled "The Whole Reality of the Spirit World" in which he examined both Rev. Moon's and Emanuel Swedenborg's descriptions of the spirit world as resembling the human body and how all of us, according to our nature, become part of that body. We are reminded that we are more than individual entities, but are utlimately part of a greater whole that we are meant to fit into.

From there, we were treated to Jerry's latest installment of his novel. Here, the main character, Jerrod, gets his old drama class together for a 40th year reunion. In what may be a dream or fictional reality (Jerry hasn't decided yet), Jerrod goes beyond himself to pull his old classmates together, breaking through old barriers to... well, it's still in process. We look forward to where this is leading, but we are sure it's restoration of some kind.

Our next meeting will be this Sunday, July 12, 3:00-5:00 pm, at Kerry Pobanz's house. June Saunders will be presenting the latest chapter of her Civil War-era novel (attached). We look forward to a stimulating discussion as the story enters the war itself.

Also, I am about to finalize the next issue of our literary journal, so whoever was planning to submit something (June!) needs to get it in quickly.

Look forward to seeing you all this Sunday!

Siberia and Spelling

The latest meeting of the Writers' Haven took place at the Beebe residence. On hand were June Saunders, Kerry Pobanz, Jerry Chesnut, Richard Panzer, Valerie Shimoyama, and Bob and Karen Beebe. We got right into the agenda with a discussion about Bob's story (not sure yet whether it's novel, novella or short story) set in the hinterlands of Siberia along the transcontinental railroad in the village of Slyudyanka (anybody been there?) where a Bob-type American character gets stranded after failing to get back on the train after a short stop. He's left without money, passport or any kind of identification. Eventually he meets up with a Russian priest and so begins a meeting of cultures. I appreciate the encouraging feedback everyone gave and hope by the next meeting to have the American kidnapped by terrorists and taken into one of the Central Asian Islamic republics. Stay tuned.

From there we turned our attention to Valerie's piece, entitled "Spelling," about her real-life experience in which she was removed from a spelling bee as a result of the action of a nun from her school. Her heart-wrenching story was a look into an unforgettable childhood experience and its tie-in to an adolescent child's family and social situation. Truly our childhood experiences shape the kind of people we become, for better or worse. Sometimes we spend a lifetime trying to get out from under their influence.

Our next meeting is planned for this Sunday, June 21, 3:00-5:00 pm, at the Saunders home (6 Emerson St., Clifton). Although it is Father's Day, no one seemed to object to having the meeting, so we plan to go ahead with it. Presenting will be Kerry (you should have all received his latest piece) and June (still coming). We look forward to a stimulating meeting together.

God bless you and see you soon!

Spiritual Things

I hope all is well with you. The school year is coming to a close, so we are very busy at New Hope School, but not too busy to have our next meeting this Sunday.

But first, something about our last meeting. It took place at Jerry Chesnut's house. Present were Jerry, June Saunders, Valerie Shimoyama, Russell Giordano, Kerry Pobanz and Bob and Karen Beebe. Bob began by sharing a few words about the importance of setting to a story. Sometimes setting is almost like another character playing an important role in the progress of a story. When we think about Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn, we immediately think of the Mississippi River, or of Victorian England in Charles Dickens' novels, and, of course, czarist Russia in Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky. Writers write about what they know. They have specific places in mind when they describe a setting, even though they may give it a different name. Good setting gives life and realism to a story.

From this we went to the spirit world by the grace of Kerry Pobanz. The piece, "The Springtime of Life After Death," although but two pages, gave rise to an extended discussion on the relation between love, freedom and appearance in the afterlife. The more we grow in love, the freer we become, and the more we can appear as we want to appear in our life after life. We are truly destined to be "forever young." A happy and comforting thought--as long as we grow in oiur love and concern for others.

Our long discussion unfortunately crowded Valerie out of the meeting's agenda. Hence she will be presenting at our next meeting along with myself. This is scheduled to take place at the Beebes, 26 Amity St., Little Falls, from 3:00-5:00 pm. I plan to get a few pages of my Russian story out to you in the next couple of days (cross your fingers). Valerie, what about you?

FYI, I received another contribution for our next anthology--this one from a retired English professor living in Puerto Rico! Our range is growing, brothers and sisters! Please take a look at the attachment and let me know what you think.

God bless and see you on Sunday.

May Musings

Thank you for making our last meeting such a success. It was the first meeting hosted by our newest member, Russell Giordano, and he did a fantastic job. Actually I heard it was the first event he's ever hosted at his place. Let's hope there will be many more! Present were Russell, Kerry Pobanz, Jerry Chesnut, Valerie Shimoyama, June Saunders, Richard Panzer, and Bob and Karen Beebe.

Bob started things off by sharing some words about what holds writers back (basically fear: fears about your own ability and fears about how others may respond to your work). Fears about yourself prevent you from doing your best work. Fears about your reception by others prevent you from doing your own work. He followed this up with 8 tips for creating compelling conflict in writing fiction.

Following this, Russell bravely presented a debut piece: a reflection on the life of an old friend who recently passed away. Its theme, one we can all relate to to some degree: unfulfilled potential; what might have been; how things could have been different if our response, or the response of others to our circumstances, had been different. We hope Russell will continue developing this piece.

Next Jerry presented the latest installments of his ongoing story: the next chapter from where he left off, and a chapter slated to be near the end of the work. In the former, protagonist Jerrod proposes a first ever class reunion from college. The latter focused on Jerrod's relationship with his teenage son and reflecting on his departed wife. Heavy stuff. Jerry is nothing but honest. We pray for the continuing development of his story.

Our next meeting is scheduled for this Sunday, May 17, 3:00-5:00 pm, at Jerry's house (11 Sorbello Road, Paramus). Kerry will present another essay on life in the spirit world (see the attachment). We expect Valerie to offer one of her writings as well looking back on her life.

I am attaching a couple of submissions I received for the upcoming second issue of The Spirited Goldfinch. I look forward to any of your comments at the meeting.

Of the People

My apologies for getting this off so late. We have a meeting scheduled for this Sunday, but first...

Our last meeting took place on Sunday, April 19, at the Pobanz residence. Present were Kerry Pobanz, June Saunders, Valerie Shimoyama, Jerry Chesnut, Russell Giordano, and Bob and Karen Beebe (and we thank Carol for all the nourishments provided during the course of the meeting). Bob began by reading something about "Turning Your Characters Inside Out", in other words revealing the inner thoughts and emotions of the characters in your writing (the main ones anyway). This is importance if you want your readers to care about what happens to them. They have to be able to get inside their heads, to "be" them in a sense.

Then we heard from someone who is very good at doing that, June, who presented a newly written chapter of her Civil War novel that goes back and tells how her two main protagonists, Gabriel and Simeon, first met each other and what happened to build a friendship between these two very different kinds of personages. She even threw in a little known story about young Abe Lincoln getting into a fistfight with the local tough, ultimately winning the respect of the townspeople and the tough himself.

So, our next meeting is planned for this Sunday, May 3, 3:00-5:00 pm, at the home of Russell Giordano (91 Warren St., Apt. 1B, Nutley). Russell will present a little something (haiku, poem, some kind of vignette?). Then Jerry will come forth with the latest installment of his work-in-progress. Should be exciting, so I look forward to seeing you there despite the late notice (mea culpa).

God bless you all!

Bob

Online Promotion - words we don't know

Hi all. I haven't seen the group for a while, but when I run across something interesting I like to post it here. This is an article I ran across at
http://havemacwillblog.com/2009/04/11/10-words-you-dont-know/ It is reproduced in it's entirety for you below.

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Some people who find this web page will surely know one or two of these words, because that’s just the way of the world. But most of you will not know these words and, to be honest, you will not find them hard to forget. Here’s the list of ten, randomly selected from a much longer list of obscure and strange words:

1. Anopisthography. This refers to the practice of writing on just one side of the paper. When I have a notebook that opens left-to-right I’m not an anopisthographist, but when the pages are bound at the top, I convert to anopisthography immediately. I’ll bet most of you are the same. I’ll also bet that all of you suffer from “post-it anopisthorgraphy.” Only a curmudgeonly pinchpenny would fail to do so.

2. Quomodocunquize. Quomodocunquize is a word for recessionary times. I’m hoping it will see much greater usage now that so many of us are impecunious. It means: to make money by any possible means. Naturally that includes both immoral and amoral means, but could also include ingenious means, such as making money from Google Ads by doing nothing more than blogging about unusual words.

3. Jentacular. What could be more jentacular than the smell of bacon and eggs cooking on the stove and the rustle of cornflakes as you pour them into the bowl. The answer is: nothing, really, as long as you live in America or the UK. However, if you live in Scandinavia, such things are not jentacular at all - although the sight of sliced cheeses and cold meats on a plate certainly are. Jentacular means relating to breakfast.

4. Pigmentocracy. From the presidential perspective, 2008 saw the end of pigmentocracy in America - pimentocracy being government by those of one skin color. To noone’s surprise, pigmentocracy tends to be the rule in most countries. The US is now one of the few exceptions.

5. Squaliform. This means shaped like a shark. It’s the kind of word you don’t get to use very often, even if you know it. All sharks are, by definition, squaliform. But not many other denizens of the deep are similarly shaped. Also, should you actually be sailing in shark infested waters, and you see the cliché sharks fin sticking out of the wave, you’re more likely to explete the presence of the shark than calmly pronounce “I believe there’s something squaliform out there.”

6. Quickhatch. A quickhatch is not what it sounds like (to me); a relatively premature chick emerging from its egg. It’s something else entirely. Hugh Jackman portrays a human quickhatch in the X-Men movies, with the latest movie in the series being very specifically about Hugh Jackman’s acquisition of his quickhatchness. A quickhatch is a wolverine. Apparently the word derives from an American Indian word.

7. Gossypibom. I love really really specialized words and gossypibom is a great exemplar. A gossypibom is: a surgical sponge accidentally left inside a patient’s body. It’s a surprising fact that patients occasionally leave the operating theater with a little souvenir from the surgical team. Statistics suggest that it occurs about 30 times per week in the US and a couple of times a week in the UK (but they do more operations per person in the US.) Things left behind include swabs, clips, screws and surgical implements. Only the first on this list is actually a gossypibom.

8. Noxal. When people discover, to their dismay, that they are the proud owner of a gossypibom, they are likely to regard it as a noxal thing. As a word, “noxal” has, on occasion, been used to mean noxious, but the meaning of this adjective is properly a little more specialized than that. It pertains to damage or wrongful injury from an object (or possibly an animal belonging to someone else.)

9. Hypothecary. I’m sure you’re well aware what an apothecary is. It’s an alternative word for pharmacist. A hypothecary, however, is not a hyperactive pharmacist. It’s much more topical than that. A hypothecary is a mortgagee - someone who loans money to house buyers. Under normal circumstances hypothecaries simply make a living by gathering interest payments from the mortgage. In recent times hypothecaries bundled up tranches of property loans into derivatives and sold them to banks all over the world. This created an unsustainable financial bubble. The bursting of the bubble gave rise to a stock market crash and a huge increase in unemployment. This left many people with little option but to quomodocunquize.

10. Xenobombulation. I’ve got a white paper to write right now, and I really should get on with it, but I’m xenobombulating again. Xenobombulation is the act of avoiding ones duties, malingering, even feigning illness or pulling some stunt like writing a blog post when you really should be getting on with real work.

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NJ Writers Group - The Spirited Goldfinch

Trans-Siberian Experience

Dear Friends,

I hope that you all enjoyed a Happy Easter this past Sunday. Finally the weather seems to be cooperating and we are looking forward to a very nice weekend. Our last meeting was held at the home of June Saunders with all of the accompanying hospitality. Thank you, June! Present were June, Valerie Shimoyama, Jerry Chesnut, Kerry Pobanz, Russell Giordano, and Bob and Karen Beebe. I began the meeting by presenting an article by Alan Rinzler on "Falling in Love with Your Characters." He begins, "are you an author who'd rather spend time with your fictional creations than with a real significant somebody who's waiting in the next room?" Well, hopefully we are not that extreme, but the point is to be a good (great) writer you have to make your characters real. Most great literature rests on the foundation of great characters: Huckleberry Finn, Oliver Twist, the March sisters, Don Quixote, etc.

From there, I (Bob) presented the most recent addition to my budding novel (now all of 9 pages) about an American riding the Trans-Siberian railroad who has all his money stolen and misses getting back on the train after a stop at a village on the shores of Lake Baikal. There he meets up with an orthodox priest which is destined to become one of the great relationships in literature (well, maybe that's being a little presumptuous). In any case I am very grateful for all the feedback I received at the meeting. Since then I have added a few more pages in which the two engage in a fluctuating conversation in the priest's church office. It is a clash of civilizations on one level, but one where each has something to teach the other. From here, the American guy begins a long trek physically and spiritually back to his family waiting in St. Petersburg.

So our next meeting is this Sunday, April 19, 3:00-5:00 pm, at Kerry Pobanz's house. June Saunders will be presenting another chapter of her novel, which you should have already received. As she explained, this one goes back to a previous period in the novel to give some background to the relationship between her two main male characters. Unfortunately, Russell won't be able to make it this time, so his "homework assignment" is now due on May 3 (the next meeting).

See you this Sunday!

Bob

What are the key elements to an effective Online Promotion ?

As of March 2009, Google reports that their index contains over 25 Billion web pages. In addition, Google engineers have discovered over 1 trillion unique Internet addresses. The Internet is truly a vast, (and rapidly growing), repository of the world's information.

There are approximately 6.7 billion people in the world today. Currently, only a fraction, or about about 1.5 Billion have access to the Internet. The distribution favors Asia, with 657 million, Europe with 393 million, North America with 251 million, Latin America with 173 million, and the rest of the world with a little over 100 million.

Although Asia has the largest number of users, the percentage of users with access to the Internet is also the lowest. Only 17% of the population of Asia is online. Japan (72%), and Korea (74%), have high percentages of their population on the Internet, but China and India both lag far behind. In Europe the percentage is nearly 50%, and in North America it is over 75%. Asia is clearly the area with the most potential for growth.

Certainly the size of the web at 25 billion is impressive, but more importantly, how can your customers find your web site on the Internet out of the billions of web pages that exist ? Regardless of whether you are promoting a book, a product, or a service on the Internet, the principles of online promotion are the same.

It doesn't matter how big the Internet grows, your customers will probably find your web site using one of the major search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask.com, etc.

The most popular search engine on the Internet is Google, by quite a wide margin. Over 63 % of Internet searches are made through Google, according to recent information.

If you want to get good search results on Google, the basis of any online promotion should first consider the keywords by which your site can be found. This is one of the most important things to investigate. It is worthwhile to carefully consider the keywords you select when an online promotion is created.

Think of it in terms of advertising. Every word, every image in advertising is carefully crafted to create an impression in the minds of potential prospects. The "impression" on Google is not based on image, or on aesthetics, or clever ad copy, but solely on quality content using keywords. That is the critical importance of keywords on Google and the other search engines.

Do the keywords that you plan to target generate a significant amount of monthly traffic on Google ? Obscure keywords will not generate significant traffic for your web site.

Another key component is to use these keywords to create original written content. You may not feel that you are a professional writer, but you do not need to be one. Believe it or not, there is no ranking on Google that gives credit for writing ability. In reality, if you own your own business, who can create content in your own unique way for your particular product better than you can ?

Quality content sprinkled with keywords is the fertilizer that will grow good results on Google searches. Since spring has now arrived, it is definitely the time to plant some good keyword seeds for your business on the Internet.

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NJ Writers Group - The Spirited Goldfinch

Hi all !

Does anyone have cacoethes scribendi ?

It sounds like some kind of exotic disease, but actually it is Latin for an "insatiable urge to write". I hope all of you are blessed with this benign disease.

If you didn't have a chance to check out the last set of links I posted here, scroll down below a couple of posts to check them out.


Here are some additional internet resources.

http://www.internet-resources.com/writers/

http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/links.html

http://www.stevens-arce.com/Links.html


http://www.artistresource.org/poetlinx.htm

http://www.google.com/Top/Arts/Writers_Resources/


PS - don't forget to add The Spirited Goldfinch http://www.lulu.com/content/5548827 to all of your blog and forum posts.

Good Luck in your writing endeavors !

February Meeting

We had a very inspiring meeting of our group a week ago Sunday at Valerie Shimoyama's apartment. Thank you, Valerie! Present were Valerie, June Saunders, Kerry Pobanz, Richard Panzer, Jerry Chesnut, Bob and Karen Beebe, and newcomer Russell Shen, invited by Valerie (welcome!).

Bob started off the meeting by sharing some responses he had received from people who had heard about the publication of The Spirited Goldfinch and about the existence of our group. Several writers, both published and nonpublished, wrote very encouraging messages, expressing a desire to contribute to the next edition of the journal (still this summer, hopefully!) and wanting to keep in touch. One writer, an English professor from Washington State connected to Free Teens, already sent in a short story he had written. Concerning the journal itself, we have currently sold over 30 copies. Slightly short of being a best-seller, but it's a start.

Then Jerry shared an update on his sort-of autobiography, which is growing more fictional as he brings us up to the present and into the future. Whether fact or fiction, however, Jerry continues to delight us with his inimitable style and way with words (e.g., "all shows led to the Friday Night Movie, the last stop before test patterns and pre-civilization.")

From there we heard from June on her latest chapter of "Into the Breach," entitled "First Blood." The Civil War has begun, young men are going off to war, while Gabriel stays back to wed Genevieve to protect her from the shame of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. In this chapter, June did a masterful job at conveying the conflicting feelings at work as they attempt to sort out their relationship.

Our next meeting is scheduled for this Sunday, March 15, 3:00-5:00 pm, at the Beebe residence (26 Amity St., Little Falls). Valerie is supposed to present some of her work. If, perchance, she is not ready, I will present one of my short stories. In this case, I will send it out by the weekend for you to read.

God bless you all! I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

The Spirited Goldfinch - Links for Writers

Hello all.
Do you like this map of NJ ? I thought I would add an image to the blog, just to see how it looks.


Here are a few web sites that might help in your writing.

This website updates it's main page twice weekly. This week's article is on the 10 most important web resources for writers. www.writetodone.com

http://www.languageisavirus.com/ you may find interesting. There is a section on how to overcome writer's block. Another entry is a character name generator, if you are looking for an appropriate name for one of your characters.

Also see:

http://preciseedit.com

http://www.planetebook.com/

http://www.triond.com/ - get paid (small amounts), for writing articles.


http://www.oneword.com/


http://www.webook.com/911writersblock

http://www.webook.com/WritingTips/index

By the way. Whenever you post anything on-line, regardless of whether it is on a blog, forum post, web site, etc., don't forget to include the following line:

http://www.lulu.com/content/5548827

and The Spirited Goldfinch, NJ Writer's Group, as well.


Happy Writing !

John Lombaerde

NJ Writer's Group

Hello all,

Every time someone posts to this blog, Google will search the page and add it to it's index.

Note: You can verify this by going to Google and do a search for "NJ writers group", then click on the top of the page under the "more" title, under blogs. You will see the latest posting there on the first page.

When you post here make sure to use words "NJ writers group" in your post and "The Spirited Goldfinch". You can highlight "The Spirited Goldfinch", and then click on the chain icon at the top of the editor to type in http://www.lulu.com/content/5548827 to make a "hot link" that will go directly to the purchase page where our anthology can be found.

Check the following link to verify. The Spirited Goldfinch

You can also add tags in the label section at the bottom of the editor as well to help the search engines find our page. Note: if you have forums or other blogs that you post to, put the previous information into the post. That will increase the links to our blog as well.

Happy Writing !


John Lombaerde

NJ Writer's Group: The Spirited Goldfinch

NJ Writer's Group: The Spirited Goldfinch

Click here,

or type http://www.lulu.com/content/5548827 into your browser.

The Spirited Goldfinch

Dear Friends,

It's been quite a while since anyone has posted something here, but it doesn't mean we haven't been busy. We've continued our biweekly meetings, hopping from home to home, getting to know each other and sharing each other's works. Now we have something to show for all our efforts. Our so-called anthology has just been published in the form of a literary journal, going by the name of "The Spirited Goldfinch," named after the state bird of our fair Garden State (that's New Jersey, for the uninformed). One hundred and twenty-one pages in length, it contains 8 works of both fiction and nonfiction written by six of our group's members. Rather than say more, let me just post here the introduction to what we hope will be a continuing periodical:

In December 2006 a circle of literary-minded friends began meeting on a bi-weekly basis in Little Falls, New Jersey. They shared a common passion for writing and a desire to use their creative skills to engage America in re-examining her role in the world as a nation of goodness.

Month after month, members of the group have been meeting in each other’s homes, sharing their literary efforts and exposing their work to one another’s constructive criticism. We encouraged each other to express his or her vision as a spiritual artist and to showcase his or her unique “song”. When enough material was generated, we decided to launch the first volume of a literary digest.

Being New Jersey-based, the Writers’ Haven, as the group decided to call itself, chose to name its first publication The Spirited Goldfinch. This conjures up the image of the New Jersey state bird singing a passionate song of the soul. Our first work is an anthology of writings from the group’s members with their diverse literary interests. In these pages the reader will find short story fiction, semi-autobiographical material, literary analysis, biblical exegesis and reflective essays on various topics.

For all the diversity of this collection, the group shares certain fundamental values that bind the material together. We believe in:

1. God – There is a benevolent, all-encompassing and all-loving Creator to whom we are beholden as children. Our status as God’s children makes us brothers and sisters to one another. We are one human family under God.

2. Spirituality – There is a spiritual reality and a need for spiritual insights in this age. We believe in an afterlife that reflects the quality of our life on earth.

3. Marriage and Family – Marriage between a man and a woman is the basic building block and most fundamental unit of society. Marriage is precious, holy, and the only fitting place for the expression of human sexuality. As such, marriage should not be easily abrogated. The families that result from marriage are human beings’ schools of love and a foundation for relating to others throughout one’s lifetime.

4. Service – Those who consider and live for the benefit of others bring joy to God, their fellow human beings, and themselves.

5. Unity – Because we are one human family under God, any distinctions based upon race, ethnicity, religion or nationality, are ultimately inconsequential in the light of our fundamental identity as sons and daughters of God and should not divide us or affect our essential unity.

We hope that the reader will find this introductory volume interesting, thought-provoking, inspiring, and illuminating. We invite others to join with us as we work to create a more heavenly culture.

Please feel free to contact us at http://njwritersgroup.blogspot.com/.

Well, that's where you are right now, so you needn't go any further. We invite interested parties to go to www.lulu.com to order a copy of The Spirited Goldfinch and check it out for yourself. We hope you will find it inspiring and uplifting. We invite you to contact us and give us your thoughts on the book.

Our plan is to come out with a second issue this summer. All aspiring or already successful writers are welcome to submit their work, be it fiction, nonfiction or poetry for review.

God bless you all until next time.