Whinging Wednesday

Welcome to my 'Whinging Wednesday' posts. The first one is the original whinge post appearing in its entirety. The subsequent (weekly-ish) whinges are linked below with short descriptions of each one. Just click on the heading of the one you wish to read and it will take you to the individual post.

Whinge Wednesday - Making it Difficult to Leave Comments

Many of my good friends and blogging colleagues dutifully display a fantastic weekly entry on their blogs called, ‘Wordless Wednesday.’ They showcase exquisite designs and photography. These items evoke such profound emotions, words themselves would cheapen them.





Me on the other hand, with no particular flair for photography, and not the slightest inclination to exhume my glory days of knitting and cross-stitching, have decided to host a ‘Whinging Wednesday instead.’





Wednesday, personified is a wrinkled, wrathful, wretched wife uncomfortably sandwiched between workaholic husbands and wayward, children. It’s the perfect day for a whinge!





So what am I cross about today? You must have encountered blogs that do the following:

• You leave a comment and the page refreshes. You think your comment has been saved so you get ready to move on your jolly way.


• However, because you’re careful, you check just to make sure.


• Nothing happens for a second, then this message pops onto your screen, ‘Your request could not be processed. Please try again.’


• You click ‘post your comment’ again. Surely this time it’s going to take (how difficult can it be, right?).


• The page takes a bit longer to refresh the second time but then comes up with your comment still not posted, asking you for a word verification. What?


• You type that in, trying not to bang too hard on your already worn computer keys. You ‘post comment’ for a third time before it finally takes. Am I the only person who this gets to?

What is your whinge this Wednesday? Let it all out so we could fume together.



And here are the other whinge posts:



Hard Copy Only 



I often wonder how it benefits writers for Literary Agents to request hard-copy manuscripts only. We toil at the computer from morning until night time. We neglect our families and hair appointments so that we could finish that all-important chapter (all the chapters are important, right?). We stalk Agents’ sites and listings so that we could pick the perfect one for our genre. We find one after hours of searching, only to read, ‘Sorry e-mail submissions not accepted.’





Your And You're



We all have our nemesis where the English language is concerned. For me, it’s words that end in ‘tor’ or ‘ter.’ I know, I know, for you it’s easy and you can't understand why I can’t spell. Well, on the flip side, many people (and writers) don’t know the difference between your and you’re, while I think it’s a piece of bake (or is that cake?). As we all know, ‘your’ is a possessive pronoun which denotes ownership.





Shopping Trolleys in Supermarkets



They park their trolleys in the middle of the aisle, oblivious to the rest of all the other shoppers in the store. You stand behind them, really close, so that you’re almost breathing down their necks, hoping that by some miracle, they’ll notice that you want to go by.







Joining Blogs To Leave Comments

 

More and more I’m encountering blogs that ask you to join or sign in before you’re allowed to make a comment on their post. Now, I’m not the most learned blogger out there, but surely this does more harm than good.

 

Swearing On The Internet 

 

I’ve been thinking about this for a while because I know this particular whinge will upset some people. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that if I can’t share my strong feelings on my own blog, where else can I do so?





Reality TV; And The Winner Is... 



I’m not a fan of reality TV, but I do watch the X-Factor and I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. For my American friends, American Idol is the American version of the X-Factor. I’m a Celebrity... sees forgotten (in most cases) celebrities who’re staging a come-back of sorts, dumped into the Australian jungle. They’re required to complete stomach churning tasks like chewing on kangaroo testicles to ‘win’ food for the group. They get whittled down one by one until the last man/woman left standing is crowned king or queen of the jungle.





Mobile Phone Nuisance







My husband often travels to work by train because his office is in a city which is two and a half hours away. His favourite complaint is about noisy people in 'quiet' carriages. They actively ignore carriages where everyone is chatting and playing with their phones, to sit in  the designated 'quiet' carriages to indulge in loud activities. One would think that if you plan on being noisy, the last place you'll choose to sit is in an area other than the quiet zone.





OMG, LOL, ROTFLMAO





I've reached a point in my social networking life where my brain involuntarily sets fire to my eyes when I see OMG and LOL. 
Does anyone write messages these days without including one or the other? At first when they arrived on the web scene (when I still had to figure out what they meant) they were sort of cute and entertaining. Months later I was still ignorantly, blissfully convinced LOL meant 'lots of love.' After all, nothing about what was said preceding the LOLs was remotely funny. It's no wonder I didn't catch on. 





Shoes That Tone Your Bottom







Don't know if you've been given the news yet, but the market is awash with shoes that plump your bottom. Yay! No need for that planned surgery any more. I know this sounds a bit crazy, but you've got to hear me out.






What's Up With That Horatio Caine







In case you don't know who he is, (lucky you!) he's the head of the CSI Miami team, played by David Caruso. His series of actions in each painful episode is extensively and redundantly choreographed: a foolish pose, a sideways glance for no particular reason (but to show what he must think is his 'good' side), and then a deliberate slow removal of those daft dark glasses he puts on just to take off. 

My Follow Friday

Following in the giant footsteps of Twitter, each week (more or less) I have my own Follow Friday, blog style. I nominate a writing blog I've just started following or have followed for some time. I give a short description of the site and explain why I follow it and how it could be helpful to you. Simples! Below, you will find the original FF post in its entirety. At the bottom of the page, I've added links and short descriptions to each of the subsequent post. Enjoy!

                                                  

Follow Friday - The Man Who Painted Agnieska's Shoes

Twitter has its own follow Friday (ff). You nominate someone you think others should follow and give a reason why. Lately, people have been merely recommending friends or sucking up to the ‘celebrity twits’ (sorry if that sounds a bit rude), so I decided to start my own ff here. Perhaps I just wanted an excuse to copy ff, or maybe the reason I gave is genuine. Either way, welcome to A Blogger’s Books ff. I hope you like it here.





I follow The Man Who Painted Agnieska's Shoes not only because the writer, Dan is a fantastic author. He’s done an amazing amount of work in indie publishing and is extremely active in helping other writers to acquire the skill to face the publishing industry on their own.





Dan is a co-founder of the writer’s co-operative Year Zero and has organised a Free-e-day Festival to be held on the first of December, 2009. Artists of various genres are going to give away their work for free.





Dan’s blog offers help and advice for struggling authors, book reviews and guest blogs from established and new writers. Follow Dan’s blog if you’re a writer. Happy Follow Friday!



And now, here are my other Follow Fridays: Just click on the underlined headings to go to the original posts to continue reading the ones you want.



Social Blogging Tracker 



I follow Social Blogging Tracker because this blog has been very helpful to me personally. For any new blogger/writer seeking to make it in the social networking arena, this site is one worthy of your subscription. Tips and advice on promoting yourself and your site, and 'how-to' tutorials on using social media sites are aplenty.



A Reader's Respite



A Reader's Respite is different from most of the blogs I follow. For me, as a writer, it’s really a blog of rest because it caters for readers. There, a writer can breathe easy. After all, the more we read the better we write, right?



Author Jody Hedlund



As the name suggests, this is an author’s blog. Unlike many blogs managed by authors, (the temptation is to rattle on about your own work) it gives general information about the entire writing process. It also provides vital tips and advice to anyone involved in the industry. The blog engagingly tells of the remarkable journey through acquisition onto the rewriting stages of a manuscript.





Nathan Bransford



I follow this blog and included it on my 'Best Blogs About Writing And Publishing' section because it showcases vital reading material for writers, agents and publishers alike. If you’re a writer starting out in the business, this is a page you must bookmark.





Write And Earn A Living



I follow Write and Earn A Living because I know that the blogger gives workable advice that she has already tested and proved. This writer earns money from publishing material on several online sites, and has done so for years. She shares the information she’s learned the hard way, by creating tutorials specifically aimed at people seeking to make money writing online.



James Moran



I follow The Pen Is Mightier Than The Spork mainly for personal reasons. As some of my readers know, I work in TV and have done quite a lot of work on Dr Who and Torchwood. This blog’s owner, James Moran, has written some of the very work I’ve done. Isn’t that amazing? Well, now you know why I have to follow this blog.



How Publishing Really Works



I Follow 'How Publishing Really Works' because of the wealth of writing tips and publishing advice the blog stockpiles. Not only are there definitive articles like ‘How to find a good literary agent’ or ‘How to test a copy editor.’ There are also vital grammar lessons for those in the writing world and beyond.





This site may not be a very ‘personal’ blog or what is construed as a ‘friendly space,’ but it’s the result of a lot of hard work by talented and professional people (there are posts by a few guest writers as well).





Lulu Blog





Lulu is an online printing/publishing company that publishes novels, calendars, cook-books, picture albums and a number of other print paraphernalia. If you wanted one copy of a personal calendar professionally printed as a gift for someone else, or you required 200 copies of your carefully edited novel, Lulu will print and supply these for you. The print on demand service means that anything from hard copy novels to picture books can be printed at a relatively affordable price.





A Book Inside, How to Write and Publish A Book







I follow ‘A Book Inside - How To Write And Publish A Book' because it’s crammed full of tips and expert advice for writers. There are tutorials on writing fiction and non-fiction; finding a publisher; or marketing your book in a way that’s right for you. 





Viperchill





I follow ViperChill for the thrill it injects into my blogging experience. There’s a two-fold aspect to this site: it uniquely targets the marketing and promoting needs of both bloggers and writers. I’ve come across a sea of Internet marketing blogs so filled with jargon, only a small amount of niche followers could decode the seemingly secret messages. 





Authors Promoting Authors







As writers we're aware of how difficult it is to get your foot on the first rung of the literary ladder. This impossible 'feat' never happens for most potential writers. For the few who've made that first step, it wasn't without the help of colleagues and well-wishers who helped to promote them and their craft. 
I follow Authors Promoting Authors because this is a blog set up to specifically support and promote other writers. 





The Write Worship







I came across The Write Worship some time ago by accident. The striking thing that first impressed me about this blog was the charming and peaceful way in which the writer conveys her thoughts. I follow theblog, not only because it beautifully outlines the path to being published, but because of the way the author demonstrates her talent in weaving the most beautiful phrases and sentences.





Dragos Roua - Brilliantly Better







This is the first time I'm featuring a non-writing blog on my follow Friday. However, it has more than earned its place here because it showcases some seriously useful blogging tutorials even though the focus is on self-improvement and personal development. 
I've listed Dragos Roua - Brilliantly Better on my relationship blog list because the posts are similar to my particular niche there. 
Dragos Roua is not just for writers, even though we can benefit tremendously from his informative articles (have a look at his 'top posts' list, accessible from the header panel on the home page). 





Year Zero Writers







I follow Year Zero Writers because there is simply no other site on the Internet where one could read such fascinating, rich, professional, free and well-written pieces. Year Zero showcases work from some of the most talented, contemporary writers around (and I'm not just saying this because I'm part of Year Zero). 

Hard Copy Only

I often wonder how it benefits writers for Literary Agents to request hard-copy manuscripts only. We toil at the computer from morning until night time. We neglect our families and hair appointments so that we could finish that all-important chapter (all the chapters are important, right?). We stalk Agents’ sites and listings so that we could pick the perfect one for our genre. We find one after hours of searching, only to read, ‘Sorry e-mail submissions not accepted.’



Bummer!



Okay, I know there are two sides to this story. Happily (it depends how you look at it, work with me here), I don’t know the other side. What I do know is that this puts pressure on our already skint resources. If you haven't heard the word ‘skint’ before, look at a writer's larder and you'll see what I mean.



We have to print several copies of our work and stamp each one not once, but twice so they could be easily returned. (I don't want them returned!) In fact, some agents insist you’re not a proper writer if you 'don’t take the time' to include an SASE in your submission package. Notice it’s now a ‘package,’ not just a ‘letter.’



After all the writing – on a computer with a broken ‘E’ key; editing – in the cold, because the heating bills haven’t been paid; printing – off a cousin’s office printer when her boss stepped out for a ‘meeting’ from which he returned with lipstick on his collar; post office visits – in the old banger with the duct-taped side window; posting – with money borrowed from the weekly shopping budget; we’re expected to wait for nine months for a reply.



Some of this is exaggeration. Okay, most of the last paragraph is exaggerated (apart from waiting for nine months for a reply). But you see where I’m coming from. I asked in one of my early posts on my older blog, 'Do I Need A Literary Agent?' Can you blame me? I’m sure you’ve asked yourself this very thing.



I don't dislike Literary Agents. Honest.

Available Books

These are my available books on Kindle. Below are the longer versions of the introductions and details. If you just want a quick visit, I suggest clicking on the links. Hard copies and other e-formats are available. Just see below for details.  

      

Longer versions, hard copies and additional books.

HOW TO SPEND LESS

Additional places to buy 'How To Spend Less.'

    As an e-Book on Smashwords 

    As a hard copy on Lulu for $4.55. Shipment in 3-5 days.

Short synopsis



The author has spent four years of active research uncovering well-kept secrets which will help the average family spend less on food shopping, household bills, entertainment, large purchases and arbitrary outgoings. She's acid-proofed all the examples given in this book so you don't have to do any of the hard work.



Longer Introduction



There are a few money saving books out there especially in this current credit crunch, but not many of them have been written by an author who has previously managed to squeeze through to the other side of abject poverty, to a life of comfort and relative wealth. This one is, and speaks from an expert position of first-hand knowledge. For the purpose of this book, the author has conducted three years of research by living all the examples given therein, so you don’t have to do any of the hard work.



How to Spend Less is compact and self-explanatory. Information is presented as swift, easy-to-find solutions, written on a personal level in jargon-free, everyday language. It caters for the widest of readerships, as it discusses a real-life situation with which we all battle, and offers a chance to save money at every turn.



We live in a throwaway society where everything from an electric iron to a semi-detached house can be gotten rid of at the drop of a hat. We’re steadily filling up landfill sites, and crazily stumbling downhill with the weight of collecting more than we can use. Yet despite flailing our hands in desperation as we plummet, we cannot stop.



It is not inevitable that we fall into this out-of-control race. We can make our lives different – simple, and present ourselves with the accomplishment of saving for what we want, rather than borrowing to buy an excessive amount of stuff we never use.



But how do we do this without any more money than we presently have? And how in this present climate can we manage to spend less than we do at the moment?



How to Spend Less uncovers several well-kept secrets which will help the average family to spend less on shopping, household bills and arbitrary outgoings so that they can save money where it counts!



This little book carves out devious means by which you can avoid spending. It helps you to think creatively about ways to get around this new compulsion to throw away the money you simply do not have.



How to Spend Less is a resourceful genie that has concocted brightly-lit avenues filled with ideas of how to keep frivolous (and what was previously thought as necessary) spending to a minimum, thus maximising the amount you actually have. Apart from helping you save on household bills, 'How to Spend Less' makes it possible to entertain without spending any extra money and concludes with a chapter of one-liners of fabulous money-saving ideas. For example, did you know that just shifting your eyes to a lower shelf at your favourite supermarket can save you at least £20.00 at each shopping? Find out how creating a clothes shopping list can save you at least £200.00 annually. How does the price of frozen meat differ from fresh? Can shopping lists in general help us spend less?



How to Spend Less is a cute, handbag-sized book, perfect for reading while travelling, or as a present for someone you know who definitely needs it, perhaps just as much as you do.

Also: http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/author/Lyken-Garner,%20Anne/results/10-Default/1.html



BOOK 2 - HOW TO REALLY LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT DIETING

Where to buy 'How to Really Lose Weight Without Dieting.'

• As an e-book on Amazon


• As a hard copy on Lulu £5.98 ships in 3-5 days.


• Other e-book formats on Smashwords

Short synopsis



‘How To Really Lose Weight Without Dieting’ is a workable solution to banish nagging weight issues and keep them gone for good. It’s a powerful, new guide which hands over responsibility to the readers by inspiring them to take on individually targeted lifestyle changes, and gives them the option to move at their own pace.







This innovative programme teaches a way of life, not a diet. It coaches readers on issues of portion control, a new system of mind-training and sustainable physical activities, with no strenuous exercises.





This is a clear, easy-to-follow, step-by-step plan with solid psychological reinforcements. It offers the readers the option to personalise the steps for individual tastes, and is a strong and precise link to staying healthy and maintaining a balanced lifestyle.



Longer Introduction





How to use this book



A step-by-step guide which painstakingly outlines how to lose weight naturally and sustaining this weight loss for life. It is vital to note that this programme is presented in a chronological order and has to be followed in this way. The book is small and handy, ideal to keep with you to dip into while travelling or listening to music etc. Use the empty pages at the back and the large margins to scribble on so that whatever catches your eye can be found again with little effort. This is about you, the reader, taking an active role in making this all about your efforts.



~Chapter one is the general description of the programme giving the readers samples of how the guide works, what to expect and a description of the tasks ahead.



~Chapters two, three and four deal with different aspects of the first four weeks and introduce the basics of programme. These chapters go hand in hand to set the foundation of the new lifestyle. The last chapter (Kilo 4) in this section outlines devious ways to prevent hunger from attacking and points the readers in the way of healthy snacks rather than banning them altogether.





~Chapter five offers vital psychological support and gives guidance on how to behave when temptation presents itself after the stepping stones have been laid. It provides the interim maintenance crutches between the introduction and the honeymoon period of the programme.





~Chapter six starts week five of the lifestyle course. This entire chapter is dedicated to the issue of desserts because it’s crucial to address this before moving on with the mind-training aspect of the programme.





~Chapter seven is another interim chapter dedicated to the issue of food shopping. It’s imperative that this be addressed because it has been revealed that our shopping trolley is a direct reflection of who we are and how we eat.





~Chapter eight settles into the new lifestyle with the added bonus of a healthy and rational mind-set about food. It validates the safe period and steps up the commitment to the work at hand.





~ Chapters nine, ten and eleven reaffirm the journey and show how people who live healthy weight lifestyles maintain it permanently. It reveals the secrets of creating a different outlook about life and weight and gives the courage to keep at it.





Each chapter concludes with a timetable of what has gone on and what is to be undertaken next. Everything is laid out clearly in a simple format that shows what the journal (known as the H.I.T journal) entries should look like. There is an ultimate task at the end of the programme which will reveal to the reader their individual take on the entire system.





Also: http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/author/Lyken-Garner,%20Anne/results/10-Default/1.html



BOOK 3 - HOW TO RAISE KIDS TO BE RESPONSIBLE ADULTS





This book is presently only available on Kindle. Hard copy and other e-formats are coming soon. Click on the link below for details. 

Here’s a brief description of the book

This book is written as a guide to help parents lovingly mould and nurture their children into responsible adults. Providing food, shelter and entertainment are elements of the very basic nurturing we must provide for our children. However, if we want to go one step further and help our children to be productive members of society long after we’re not there to see the fruits of our labour, it’s our duty to formulate in their minds, an awareness of what is expected of them socially.



This guide was written by a qualified and experienced Youth Worker who has worked in her field for over ten years, in vastly different communities, with children and young people from diverse backgrounds. Many of the young people she works directly with are slightly or severely incongruous individuals seeking to find themselves and their positions in the already-developed communities around them. 



The strategies in this book are geared towards enabling parents to help these children and young people find their niche and take up their place, not as a parasite of said community, but as an asset on their way to building up and enriching the lives of the people with whom they come into contact.

Easy Marketing for Articles and Blogs

image



Artists like us continually plummet to bottom of the literary food chain due to the present economic situation. People are striving to maintain the ‘necessary’ things in life. Bills are expanding, while food shopping lists are contracting. The finer things in life – the very things we want to share - are abandoned at the wayside.



Yet, we write and create. We would stop if we could and perhaps spend more time at that ‘proper job’ we’ve heard about all our lives. There comes a time though, when we have so much of our creations lying around that we simply must get rid of some of them or go mad. How do we supply something that no one wants to buy?



This article by Louie Jerome discusses how to start marketing our ‘product’ and some ways in which we can build up a demand for the service we provide. Being a writer has now evolved into much more than creating.

Naughty Characters

A large part of writing a great book is about having the skill to create engaging, memorable characters. Honourable characters lend hope and restore faith in human nature. Wicked ones spell doom but also create a balance to the story, instilling that all-important ‘conflict’ to the plot. The funny guys hang around the periphery to inject a bit of fun, freedom and laughter. These are all straight forward traits and somewhat easy to create and handle throughout the book/film. A more difficult job is to craft characters like Will and Grace’s ‘Jack,’ who’re naughty yet loveable. I admire writers who can perfectly sum up and maintain this balance. They’ve enchanted us with these naughty characters from the days of Tom and Jerry (when that wicked little mouse got away with the most criminal of RSPCA’s violations), to today’s Greg House. Here is an article to demonstrate this trend.





 

Online Writing Tutorials

This group of articles is called, ‘How to Make Your Online Content Earn You Money and Recognition.’ They’re divided into five parts and discuss the value of adding friends to your network, and the art of sharp writing which attracts readers and keeps them hooked on your work. Issues of getting the right content to the right people, and how to keep topped-up on a good supply of ideas are also tackled. Skill and technique are examined, and several ways in which we can become the sought-after web writer that everyone wants to read. This is a definitive writing series for anyone serious about building a career in online writing.



Part 1 - Why Add Friends

The first question we need to clear up is this one. Why add friends? Why do I need friends if all I’m doing is attempting to share my work with the public? Well, if all you want to do is see your work published on screen and you have no interest in having anyone read it, you do not need to add friends. If you have no interest in earning money from your online content, but merely like to see your creativity displayed on the internet scene, you do not need to add friends. Read More



Part 2 - How To Keep People Reading Your Work

Through your hard work of paying attention to other people’s projects, you’ve finally managed to get a few to return the favour to you. This was just the first step, so how do you manage to keep them coming back for more? If you know anything about angling you’ll know that catching a fish does not stop at the point of it biting your bait. You have to reel it in and place it inside your bucket. Sometimes, even this is not enough, as fish are known to jump out of buckets, and back into the freedom of the sea. Read More



Part 3 - How To Keep The Ideas Coming

Ideas can sometimes evade us, especially if we’re doing this as a full time job, on a constant basis. The best ideas come from real life. Why? Because even though it may not be the first time someone has thought of that topic, it may be the very thing the market needs revived at the moment. As we all know, many times we’re injected with a sudden brainstorm about something which we think is fantastically original, only to find that someone has already given the idea a good scouring and airing in the internet, way before our mind gave birth to it. At the risk of sounding cynical, there is hardly anything we can come up with these days, that’s not already been beaten to death on the internet. Our job is to make sure that our version is unique. The only way to do that is to put our individual spin on it. Read More



Part 4 - Developing Skill and Technique

Learn to develop the skill and technique needed to make your internet content stand out from the thick, muddy pools of the cyber slush pile. There are several ways in which our writing can be made to positively stand out. This of course is what you’re aiming for as a serious writer. If we’re content with chugging out drab, half written pieces, then we’re fine just as we are and don’t need to develop any further. However, if progress is what we’re seeking, here are some tips to help us on our way. Read More



Part 5 - Setting Out Your Article For Internet Skimming

We have to face the fact that people who regularly read online content generally tend to skim though the works because of lack of time. If, however, they find material that offers help in a way that relates to their specific need, works that amuse them, or content in which they’re interested, they will stop and take the time to indulge in a more thorough read. This considered, if you do not enable easy skimming on all of your work, you may lose fans to writers who are more succinct in their articles. Here are some common ways to ensure that your internet articles are ready for easy reading and skimming. Read More