E PUBLISHING? HOW DO I DO THAT? WHERE DO I DO THAT? BY Chris Keys
Author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises! Due summer 2010 & The Fishing Trip-A Ghost Story-eBook-soon?
Well as life goes along I find that everyday there is something new to learn. Today is no different. I’ve recently finished my second short story and I’m wondering, what I do with a short story. I mean it’s too small to print as a book and it’s too large to submit as an article to a magazine, so what do I do with it?
I was reading a blog somewhere, and wouldn’t you know it, I have forgotten where I saw the blog, but it talked about selling books through e publishing. He claimed to see sales of his seven or eight books over the last year of twenty thousand plus downloads and having made on average something like four dollars and change a book. Now that’s not bad for short books about topics like how to cut wood for your fire place and then build the prefect fire. Really, people will buy something like that? Of course he had couple of crime novels as well which sold for more money.
How real are these claims? Can we really sell that many books as e books? Can we really make that kind of money from them? I mean that’s as good as the numbers thrown about by publishers for paperback books.
So I went looking for the e publishers, and low and behold, there are thousands of them. Of course, I couldn’t seem to find out, what they charged to save my life, but there they were. They were all quick to point out that they were friendly, easy to work with, but they didn’t exactly make the contract easy to find or their prices easy to find either. In fact of the fifteen to twenty sites I looked at I got so bogged down in the technical aspect of the process, which they were all real big on explaining, I gave up and decided I’d write this blog instead.
I would think, they would make their site as easy as possible for the non computer savvy person to find their way to the important stuff and have a package ready and waiting for them, that just takes their book and publishes it in e format. Something that would let a writer like myself turn over the manuscript, edited and ready to go and they’d make a cover, do the formatting and provide the proper listings, where ever eBooks get listed, and that would be that.
Not that I found. Now that doesn’t mean it wasn’t right there in my face and I just missed it. That happens, just ask my wife. So I need some help. Anybody know how to get your e Book published without having to learn a new computer language to convert word to PDF? What is PDF anyway? I still am not completely up to date with the word program I now have. When my last computer died, I went word ’97 to word XP and I still can’t figure out all the stuff they changed to make it better. More confusing is what I say. I understand typewriters and word processing from back in the last century. Does anyone under forty remember typewriters?
Ok, back on subject, HELP, I want to publish my short stories as E books and I haven’t a clue how! Any recommendations for publishers? Do you know where they list the eBooks for sale other than on Amazon? What’s a reasonable cost? Chris Keys
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Getting started a s a writer-traditional vs POD by Chris Keys author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
Well another golden opportunity to inflict upon the unsuspecting public an opinion piece of minor importance and yet great significance as long as you don't look too close or have more expertise than me. Based on my twenty five plus years of sale experience mixed with my year of book marketing savvy, I hope to help you understand and make sense of the ever changing world of book publishing.
If I were writing this, three months ago, I'd have a different perspective. Three months ago, I was thinking I had an agent, a publisher and I was on my way to literary greatness. However, I was being duped. The agent I thought I had impressed and had wanted to represent me, really was only looking to collect fees for editing, critiquing, proof reading, reviewing and reediting.
The Publisher that made me the offer to buy my book was working with the agent to collect still more fees. They are under investigation for fraudulent business practices; and they had seemed so interested in my work. I had thought I had this incredible book and that they were as happy with my style and writing abilities as I was. I believed that they'd help do a final edit and then it was on to literary stardom for me. I still dream of that, and I will get there, just not with that publisher. I discovered the editor, the one suggested by the agent, wasn't even reading my book. They sent me corrections that included characters I didn't have and a story line that wasn't mine. When questioned this, they stopped helping, but kept my money.
So after having my hopes dashed, it was back to sending out inquiry letters and making submissions, to overwhelmed Publishers, who take a year to eighteen months to publish. I'd just done that and discovered they were looking to collect fees, not to sell my book. I highly suggest that anything you send to anyone be highly polished, edited for content and context, so that what your sending them is the best you can do, because it's a money game and they don't want to work with anyone they have to invest too much in, whether it's time or money. Which brings me to the alternative.
Self publishing, what used to be called vanity publishing. To the traditional publishers in New York, LA or London, a self published book is a vanity book and it's definitely an inferior product. However, that may have been true twenty or thirty years or even months ago, it is not so today. I know of two books, self published that are being made into movies, big budget films. The vanity publishing genre has evolved into a profitable Print on Demand Publishing Industry.
The traditional publisher will handle everything for you and pay you for the privilege of selling your book, a whole, if you’re really hot, 20-22% of profit. On average it 12% and in many first time book authors cases it's 7%. If you self publish, your can receive any where from 30 to 70% of the profit, after the cost of printing and handling. Roughly, based on averages costs, you'll receive about three times the money as the best traditional contract will bring in, unless your well established and a big seller or a celebrity. You'll make three times the money, self publishing.
I wouldn't have done the research into the different ways I could be published, if I hadn't been duded so, I guess it was actually a good thing, because now I can make a better, more educated choice of how I wish to be published. The sales statistics show a dead heat between books marketed by the traditional publishers and those of the self published. Traditional Publishers do no put out big bucks for advances or to get you advertised, if your new and not a celebrity. You get lumped in the pile with the rest and its up to you to get reviews done and find ways to get the word out about your book. Nothing will happen as far as moeny expenditures go until you sell the magic number. That number could be 1,000 copies, 5,000 copies, or 10,000 copies or more. Until you hit whatever number they assign your book, you’re just like the self published authors. If your self published book, hits the magic number many times the big publishers come looking for you and then you just might get the big bucks contract, where all you do is write and sign a few books. But with the industry in such a state of flux that too may soon go the way of the old method of publishing, where you had no choice, unless you were rich but to wait on the big publishers to anoint you, author.
If you go with a good Print on Demand Publisher they will have the same distribution capabilities and opportunities as the traditional publishers so there is no advantage to having to jump through all of the hoops and be subjected to internal review after internal review and the long wait to be published as a new or fairly new writer. Usually anywhere from a year to eighteen months from the date you sign a contract.
So unless you have a dream of being with a New York Publisher because you've just got to have the prestige of it, self publish. I'll talk more about how to go about that soon but times are changing and the quicker you can get your quality product in front of the people, the readers, the sooner you'll start cashing your royalty checks. So now that you've decide to self publish, you now have to pick a self publishing publisher. We'll check that out next. What I think the do's and don’ts are what you can expect as far as costs go and some ideas to make sure it pays off in sales.
As with anything that you read, anywhere at anytime. Check the facts. Check it out and make sure the writer got it right, especially me.
Chris Keys-Write what you know, write it with passion-set the world on fire with your dreams!
If I were writing this, three months ago, I'd have a different perspective. Three months ago, I was thinking I had an agent, a publisher and I was on my way to literary greatness. However, I was being duped. The agent I thought I had impressed and had wanted to represent me, really was only looking to collect fees for editing, critiquing, proof reading, reviewing and reediting.
The Publisher that made me the offer to buy my book was working with the agent to collect still more fees. They are under investigation for fraudulent business practices; and they had seemed so interested in my work. I had thought I had this incredible book and that they were as happy with my style and writing abilities as I was. I believed that they'd help do a final edit and then it was on to literary stardom for me. I still dream of that, and I will get there, just not with that publisher. I discovered the editor, the one suggested by the agent, wasn't even reading my book. They sent me corrections that included characters I didn't have and a story line that wasn't mine. When questioned this, they stopped helping, but kept my money.
So after having my hopes dashed, it was back to sending out inquiry letters and making submissions, to overwhelmed Publishers, who take a year to eighteen months to publish. I'd just done that and discovered they were looking to collect fees, not to sell my book. I highly suggest that anything you send to anyone be highly polished, edited for content and context, so that what your sending them is the best you can do, because it's a money game and they don't want to work with anyone they have to invest too much in, whether it's time or money. Which brings me to the alternative.
Self publishing, what used to be called vanity publishing. To the traditional publishers in New York, LA or London, a self published book is a vanity book and it's definitely an inferior product. However, that may have been true twenty or thirty years or even months ago, it is not so today. I know of two books, self published that are being made into movies, big budget films. The vanity publishing genre has evolved into a profitable Print on Demand Publishing Industry.
The traditional publisher will handle everything for you and pay you for the privilege of selling your book, a whole, if you’re really hot, 20-22% of profit. On average it 12% and in many first time book authors cases it's 7%. If you self publish, your can receive any where from 30 to 70% of the profit, after the cost of printing and handling. Roughly, based on averages costs, you'll receive about three times the money as the best traditional contract will bring in, unless your well established and a big seller or a celebrity. You'll make three times the money, self publishing.
I wouldn't have done the research into the different ways I could be published, if I hadn't been duded so, I guess it was actually a good thing, because now I can make a better, more educated choice of how I wish to be published. The sales statistics show a dead heat between books marketed by the traditional publishers and those of the self published. Traditional Publishers do no put out big bucks for advances or to get you advertised, if your new and not a celebrity. You get lumped in the pile with the rest and its up to you to get reviews done and find ways to get the word out about your book. Nothing will happen as far as moeny expenditures go until you sell the magic number. That number could be 1,000 copies, 5,000 copies, or 10,000 copies or more. Until you hit whatever number they assign your book, you’re just like the self published authors. If your self published book, hits the magic number many times the big publishers come looking for you and then you just might get the big bucks contract, where all you do is write and sign a few books. But with the industry in such a state of flux that too may soon go the way of the old method of publishing, where you had no choice, unless you were rich but to wait on the big publishers to anoint you, author.
If you go with a good Print on Demand Publisher they will have the same distribution capabilities and opportunities as the traditional publishers so there is no advantage to having to jump through all of the hoops and be subjected to internal review after internal review and the long wait to be published as a new or fairly new writer. Usually anywhere from a year to eighteen months from the date you sign a contract.
So unless you have a dream of being with a New York Publisher because you've just got to have the prestige of it, self publish. I'll talk more about how to go about that soon but times are changing and the quicker you can get your quality product in front of the people, the readers, the sooner you'll start cashing your royalty checks. So now that you've decide to self publish, you now have to pick a self publishing publisher. We'll check that out next. What I think the do's and don’ts are what you can expect as far as costs go and some ideas to make sure it pays off in sales.
As with anything that you read, anywhere at anytime. Check the facts. Check it out and make sure the writer got it right, especially me.
Chris Keys-Write what you know, write it with passion-set the world on fire with your dreams!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
I posted a couple of blogs! By Chris Keys
I posted a couple of Blogs
I posted a couple of blogs recently and I am astounded by the reaction. The blog postings were controversial and political in nature. But only three people, three, on one site, said anything. Only three!
I have always heard that writers have passion. They have definite opinions. They have something to say on almost everything. They have the spine to stand up and make their opinion known. But not on twenty seven supposed writers sites. There was silence.
I’ve heard statistics about the number of people who write books. Hundreds of thousands of books are written every year and maybe 2 % make any significant sales; with only 10% of that 2% making the best seller list. Now I don’t read every one of them, who could, but I do read a lot. I’m willing to bet all of your money, that every last best seller except for the “how to books” or “technical journals” and then even some of them, are brimming over with opinion. They stink with the authors take on politics and morals.
Every book contains the battle between good and evil, right and wrong, moral and amoral, the political left and right.
Every single best seller has the author’s opinions just leaping off the page and that passion is what makes that book what it is. Would any of the classics be as good as they are if they were written to avoid sharing any opinion, of course not! Gone with the wind would have never had an impact, The Old Man and the Sea wouldn’t have any were made to the book shelf. The book itself is an opinion piece. Even Steven King has lots of political and moral opinions. Just pick one and really read it.
I had expected to receive a great deal more reaction than I did. I expected to see writers come out of the wood work, whether good or bad, stating their opinions. But no, that wasn’t to be. They stayed in neutral territory, which is where their books are. It is hard to write anything from a blog to poem to novel and not interject passion. People do it, I see it every day. They write long boring blogs filled with words and nothing to say.
Develop some passion. Just look at the world around you. The people enjoying success in every field have deep unabashed passion for what they are doing or saying. From the comic to political hack to the TV commenter’s to the writers that are on the best seller list.
I can’t tell you what you have to do to find your passion, but you’d better find it. If you really want to be writer, you really better find some passion. Otherwise people can read cereal boxes and not have to pay for it!
Chris Keys-Write what you know, write it with passion-set the world on fire with your dreams!ChrisKeys2010@
P.S. If you’re a shamed of your opinion or just think it’s popular and you don’t want to offend anyone or let anyone to know you hold it; then you’re probably of the wrong opinion and you know what is right, so change your opinion. A man who won’t stand for his principles, stands for nothing!
I posted a couple of blogs recently and I am astounded by the reaction. The blog postings were controversial and political in nature. But only three people, three, on one site, said anything. Only three!
I have always heard that writers have passion. They have definite opinions. They have something to say on almost everything. They have the spine to stand up and make their opinion known. But not on twenty seven supposed writers sites. There was silence.
I’ve heard statistics about the number of people who write books. Hundreds of thousands of books are written every year and maybe 2 % make any significant sales; with only 10% of that 2% making the best seller list. Now I don’t read every one of them, who could, but I do read a lot. I’m willing to bet all of your money, that every last best seller except for the “how to books” or “technical journals” and then even some of them, are brimming over with opinion. They stink with the authors take on politics and morals.
Every book contains the battle between good and evil, right and wrong, moral and amoral, the political left and right.
Every single best seller has the author’s opinions just leaping off the page and that passion is what makes that book what it is. Would any of the classics be as good as they are if they were written to avoid sharing any opinion, of course not! Gone with the wind would have never had an impact, The Old Man and the Sea wouldn’t have any were made to the book shelf. The book itself is an opinion piece. Even Steven King has lots of political and moral opinions. Just pick one and really read it.
I had expected to receive a great deal more reaction than I did. I expected to see writers come out of the wood work, whether good or bad, stating their opinions. But no, that wasn’t to be. They stayed in neutral territory, which is where their books are. It is hard to write anything from a blog to poem to novel and not interject passion. People do it, I see it every day. They write long boring blogs filled with words and nothing to say.
Develop some passion. Just look at the world around you. The people enjoying success in every field have deep unabashed passion for what they are doing or saying. From the comic to political hack to the TV commenter’s to the writers that are on the best seller list.
I can’t tell you what you have to do to find your passion, but you’d better find it. If you really want to be writer, you really better find some passion. Otherwise people can read cereal boxes and not have to pay for it!
Chris Keys-Write what you know, write it with passion-set the world on fire with your dreams!ChrisKeys2010@
P.S. If you’re a shamed of your opinion or just think it’s popular and you don’t want to offend anyone or let anyone to know you hold it; then you’re probably of the wrong opinion and you know what is right, so change your opinion. A man who won’t stand for his principles, stands for nothing!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Constitution? What Constitution?
So our constitution states we are all entitled to the same health care plan the congress has made for itself. Sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!
enjoy
FINALLY SOME ONE ASKED HIM THE QUESTION!
ON "ABC-TV" Monday October 12, 2009
DURING THE "NETWORK SPECIAL ON HEALTH CARE".... OBAMA WAS ASKED:
"MR PRESIDENT WILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY GIVE UP YOUR CURRENT HEALTH CARE PROGRAM
AND JOIN THE NEW 'UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE PROGRAM' THAT THE REST OF US WILL BE ON ????"
THERE WAS A STONEY SILENCE AS OBAMA IGNORED THE QUESTION AND CHOSE NOT TO ANSWER IT !!!
IN ADDITION, A NUMBER OF SENATORS WERE ASKED THE SAME QUESTION AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS."WE WILL THINK ABOUT IT."
AND THEY DID. IT WAS ANNOUNCED TODAY ON THE NEWS THAT THE "KENNEDY HEALTH CARE BILL" WAS WRITTEN INTO THE NEW HEALTH CARE REFORM INITIATIVE ENSURING THAT THAT CONGRESS WILL BE 100% EXEMPT !
SO, THIS GREAT NEW HEALTH CARE PLAN THAT IS GOOD FOR YOU AND I... IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR OBAMA, HIS FAMILY OR CONGRESS...??
WE (THE AMERICAN PUBLIC) NEED TO STOP THIS PROPOSED DEBACLE ASAP !!!! THIS IS TOTALLY WRONG !!!!!
PERSONALLY, I CAN ONLY ACCEPT A UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL THAT EXTENDS TO EVERYONE... NOT JUST US LOWLY CITIZENS... WHILE THE WASHINGTON "ELITE" KEEP RIGHT ON WITH THEIR GOLD-PLATED HEALTH CARE COVERAGES.
If you don't pass this around, may you enjoy his Plan!
*************************************************************************************************************************
WHAT???
The Republic has a CONSTITUTION???
Amendment 28
Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators or Representatives, and Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States .
Imagine what would happen if everybody passed this around?
from Chris Keys wake up before its too late!
enjoy
FINALLY SOME ONE ASKED HIM THE QUESTION!
ON "ABC-TV" Monday October 12, 2009
DURING THE "NETWORK SPECIAL ON HEALTH CARE".... OBAMA WAS ASKED:
"MR PRESIDENT WILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY GIVE UP YOUR CURRENT HEALTH CARE PROGRAM
AND JOIN THE NEW 'UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE PROGRAM' THAT THE REST OF US WILL BE ON ????"
THERE WAS A STONEY SILENCE AS OBAMA IGNORED THE QUESTION AND CHOSE NOT TO ANSWER IT !!!
IN ADDITION, A NUMBER OF SENATORS WERE ASKED THE SAME QUESTION AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS."WE WILL THINK ABOUT IT."
AND THEY DID. IT WAS ANNOUNCED TODAY ON THE NEWS THAT THE "KENNEDY HEALTH CARE BILL" WAS WRITTEN INTO THE NEW HEALTH CARE REFORM INITIATIVE ENSURING THAT THAT CONGRESS WILL BE 100% EXEMPT !
SO, THIS GREAT NEW HEALTH CARE PLAN THAT IS GOOD FOR YOU AND I... IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR OBAMA, HIS FAMILY OR CONGRESS...??
WE (THE AMERICAN PUBLIC) NEED TO STOP THIS PROPOSED DEBACLE ASAP !!!! THIS IS TOTALLY WRONG !!!!!
PERSONALLY, I CAN ONLY ACCEPT A UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL THAT EXTENDS TO EVERYONE... NOT JUST US LOWLY CITIZENS... WHILE THE WASHINGTON "ELITE" KEEP RIGHT ON WITH THEIR GOLD-PLATED HEALTH CARE COVERAGES.
If you don't pass this around, may you enjoy his Plan!
*************************************************************************************************************************
WHAT???
The Republic has a CONSTITUTION???
Amendment 28
Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators or Representatives, and Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States .
Imagine what would happen if everybody passed this around?
from Chris Keys wake up before its too late!
Using your blog to market your book 102 by Chris Keys author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
Using your blog to sell books 102 by Chris Keys
Author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
Well, I was overwhelmed by the response to the last training piece, thanks sis for reading it, so I’m writing another one. Now, I want to assure each one of you, that this piece was as thoroughly researched and investigated, as the last of the cuff remarks, I passed off as being somewhat authoritative and backed by years of on going and thorough investigation.
Having completed the exhaustive mental exercise of contemplating for several seconds and a moment in time, I’m ready to pass along my exalted and exhausted wisdom from nearly ninety days of doing it myself, with over twenty five years of real world business networking. It’s the same, only different!
In Blogging 101, you learned to keep the name of your book like mine, since I don’t know yours, Reprisal! The Eagle Rises! Right out front where everyone can see it and make sure, you spell it right when you post.
In Blogging 102, I’m going to explain the value of having an actual picture of yourself attached to any internet site you’re involved in, plus the value of providing your readers with inspirational and motivational pros that will keep them coming back for more.
Then we’ll go into partial detail about how your page should be set up and the deep pyshologocial under pinning’s of the reasons why. Or at least I’ll mention that it should be set a certain way because we read from left to right.
Then we’ll go into color as an attractant or repellant. And why having deep dark colors, like deep brown or black and maybe even deep blue are colors you may want to avoid on your site and how having a similar site compared to others is also a completely bad idea.
Ok, why do you need a picture? Well think about for a minute I’ve got time… Ok that’s enough you’re a writer and thinking to much about non-writing issues is beneath you.
SO, a picture makes you look professional. Take my picture. Would you trust that guy with watching your family for the weekend? I doubt it. That guy you’d be hard press to trust him to wash your car, but it is the effect I was looking for, relaxed and in control. He is own man, the kind of guy doesn’t need the establishment. A rebel filled with angst and maybe a bit bored. Either that or he’s inebriated. I don’t remember much about that day, other than it was festival of some sort.
Anyway, enough about the author of “Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!” We’re here to talk about you. Unless you specifically want to risk, that no one takes you serious and thus may not read your writings, try to have professional picture to post of yourself. You can use it for your book cover as well, so it’s worth it. It shows the prospective agents and publishers that you take your writing career seriously and that they are investing in someone who is going pay off. It also tells the reader your not some crazy serial killer with access to a computer. You look normal, which mean your writing will be pretty much what they expect for your genre. I write action adventure so I look like I’m ready to hangout where the adventure is or at least fake it well (If you buy this have I got some Florida waterfront for you. It was the only picture I could get out of my computer. I’ll be changing it as quickly as I can.) So remember, you need a serious and professional type picture. It’s an image thing!
I read a blog the other day that explained that we read from the left to the right and so we should put the important part of our blog on the left and make the field the biggest field on then page. The reader’s eye is drawn to that spot the moment they look to check out your site and you hardly want to have them see another guy’s book cover because of a link you’ve created and have the reader jump to their site. You want them to stay on your page until they buy, hopefully. To that end, you need to make sure your name and the name of your book, like mine for example, “Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!” Are at the top of the page, starting on the left hand side; then you want your book info, title again, excerpt(s) and an ever changing running commentary about something interesting, then, you want your reviews underneath on the middle left hand side and your ordering info under that. On the left side is where you show case your writing style with innovative pieces that give the reader pause, not the “What am I doing here?” type but the, “Oh that’s cool or that’s a good point.” All this stuff, I’m telling you, will be wasted if you post nothing but blogs about your cats or dogs or your kids or celebrity rehashes; without making some kind of point, the reader can relate too. Ok you’ve got the left side handed so, shove all of your links to the far right under your picture and small blurb about you.
If you have some ads you’re running from Google push down your picture and place the ads there, right under the banner because that is where they will get seen the most, other than the left hand side, which translates into more advertising income. Another blog, another time, just remember, they can make you money so they go above, the friends links and a picture of you. That’s a professionally done photograph of course, making you look, marvelous! I know, some prefab sites won’t let you move them around much, but do what you can with what you have. “Successful people are the ones that make the best of what they have.” Good quote!
If you go to, Tony Eldridge/The Sampson Effect click on his advertising link and you can read more blogs about page setup. The one other thing I see people doing that can cause you lost sales is that they fail to include excerpts. An excerpt is designed to catch the reader’s attention and entice them to want to read the rest of the book. Stop by my page and read the excerpts I have there. Then honestly tell me, you’re not curious about what happening next in the book. I pass them out to anyone who’ll take them, book clubs, bank tellers, tax preparers, nurses, doctors, friends of friends, store clerks I know and I even give them away at church. But that’s not blogging so we’ll save for a blog about gorilla marketing. When you set up your site, why not play the odds, instead of bucking them.
You have website or a webpage and its bright yellow and orange; which is really bright and cheery and hard on people’s eyes. When I ran for office, yes I am a reformed politician, I learned from a professor at the University of Detroit, just how important the colors that we choose, can make or break an advertising campaign. Your website or page or blog are advertising campaigns, in case you didn’t realize it. Treat it differently at your own peril.
Some colors like greens, blues, white and soft pinks, make people feel comfortable, relaxed, and safe. Reds, yellows oranges, bright pink make them feel on edge; black, browns, dark reds, dark blue, dark green (not forest green, darker) cause people to feel apprehensive. Beige, gray, blue grey, taupe makes people feel melancholy. Purple, deep blue, magenta, burgundy make people feel inferior. They are the royal colors. That’s about all I remember from my quick course on using colors to make a statement in your advertising. I took that class, actually it was lunch at a trendy downtown Detroit eatery and it was worth every penny.
I chose the colors white and blue and promptly had my flyers, campaign signs handouts, bumper stickers and door hangers all with a blue background and white lettering. My main competitor chose red and yellow with bold, black lettering. When you looked at his sign for a couple of seconds you started to feel aggressive. I over heard him, talking at some township meeting, saying that he chose those colors because people could see the signs from a long way off. The guy was an athletic coach and football referee when he wasn’t working at trying to get elected or working as the parks and recreation, supervisor. He really liked bright colors. He was college educated, with a master’s degree in recreational science. Apparently, you need to be a scientist to enjoy recreation today. You may have noticed that there aren’t too many really bright colored uniforms in any pro sports, why? Because you don’t want your uniform making the other guy anymore aggressive. You don’t want him feeling than he already is, so they chose more subdued colors. Look the number of winning franchises there are who have bold bright colors. I think you got it!
The third person in the race used purple, white and I believe burgundy. He was the former village manager who had several degrees in city management. He also had been caught having an affair with his secretary, while in the office in front of a little old lady who needed 911 afterwards. He’d said things like he deserved the job because he was so educated and he was smarter than, me or the Parks and Rec Director. The colors matched his attitude. They arrogant and standoffish, and so was he. The colors sealed his fate.
Oh, you’re wondering what degree I have? Well, I have a degree in hard knocks from Rock and Hard Place University. College for me was supposed to be football practice all week and a game in Saturday, with educational game films on Sundays at the local bar. After my football career was canceled, college proved to be the hardest and longest two hours of my life. At the time getting an education, was just something I had to do, if I wanted to play football. High school had been the same way. I guess you could, say I was the typical joke or I mean “Jock”. And like Mark Twain said, “I have never let my schooling, stand in the way of my education!” Yeah, that pretty much sums up my academic life.
Anyway back to our discussion. I had some other advantages over the other two candidates but this isn’t the place to discuss them, but I did win the election. Did the colors make a big difference, I’m not to sure; I didn’t keep any tracking numbers on them. The scandals, the other two were involved in probably went a long way to helping me win, but people did say publicly how tacky the purple signs were and how the yellow looked ugly. I won with sixty-three percent of the vote. The thirty seven percent left was split between the other two candidates, but was a landside as they say. The uneducated, right, and the less than qualified, probably right, and the guy that made everyone feel alright, definitely right, won in a landslide.
The professor claimed the credit for having taught me well. I think he gave good advice. So no dark colors unless you write horror and then be sure you using white lettering. No purple colors unless you write only about nobility or romance novels maybe. And No super bright colors unless you’re writing persona is that of a clown and you write children’s books. Pick colors that are easy on the eyes, not too vivid and give the reader, some back of the mind comfort, subliminal comfort.
If they leave your site feeling comfortable and safe, they’ll view your book, like mine “Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!” as a comfortable and safe reading choice. I need to take my own advice here and change my page colors as well. Their gray, white and red I think.
Ok well, I think I‘ve done enough damage here today, and when you least expect it I’ll pop off another totally worthless bit of writing fluff that may or may not be very effectual in your life. Just remember that you want a professional quality photo, no weird pictures, no art work, no kids, no wife’s or husband’s, no pets and no pictures of celebrities. Put your picture up there and make it a good one.
Organize your webpage, so it directs the customer to everything about you, first, then, the ads and links. The biggest section to the far left for your writing examples; links and ads to the far right and in a space half the size or less than your space. They, the experts, seem to recommend 2/3 to the left and 1/3 to the right. Be sure to mention your own website if you have one and be sure to ask the reader to “BUY” your book and give clear and easy instructions to do it. Then pick your site colors to fit in. use highlights to set you apart from the other people. You don’t want people finding it hard to read your page because of color bleeds or colors over powering other colors or the light reflecting too much off them. People are just going to move on if they’re uncomfortable in anyway and then you’ve lost a sale. Bad author, bad business person! Yes being an author, is being in business. It can make you rich and if you’re going to make living do it, then get serious and treat it like a business. That is another blog for another day.
My last thought about the blogging is simple one. Don’t spend so much time blogging that you neglect to write the important stuff, like that new book or series of poems or whatever. Blogging, unless your trying to make living doing so, is strictly for marketing and you need to focus on the dream and not the minutiae. Blogging can help but it cannot sell a book not written or a book written poorly.
Chris Keys “Write what you know, write it with passion-set the world on fire with your dreams!2010@ author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises! Catch him on blogspot at writerchriskeys@ Blogspot.com
Author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
Well, I was overwhelmed by the response to the last training piece, thanks sis for reading it, so I’m writing another one. Now, I want to assure each one of you, that this piece was as thoroughly researched and investigated, as the last of the cuff remarks, I passed off as being somewhat authoritative and backed by years of on going and thorough investigation.
Having completed the exhaustive mental exercise of contemplating for several seconds and a moment in time, I’m ready to pass along my exalted and exhausted wisdom from nearly ninety days of doing it myself, with over twenty five years of real world business networking. It’s the same, only different!
In Blogging 101, you learned to keep the name of your book like mine, since I don’t know yours, Reprisal! The Eagle Rises! Right out front where everyone can see it and make sure, you spell it right when you post.
In Blogging 102, I’m going to explain the value of having an actual picture of yourself attached to any internet site you’re involved in, plus the value of providing your readers with inspirational and motivational pros that will keep them coming back for more.
Then we’ll go into partial detail about how your page should be set up and the deep pyshologocial under pinning’s of the reasons why. Or at least I’ll mention that it should be set a certain way because we read from left to right.
Then we’ll go into color as an attractant or repellant. And why having deep dark colors, like deep brown or black and maybe even deep blue are colors you may want to avoid on your site and how having a similar site compared to others is also a completely bad idea.
Ok, why do you need a picture? Well think about for a minute I’ve got time… Ok that’s enough you’re a writer and thinking to much about non-writing issues is beneath you.
SO, a picture makes you look professional. Take my picture. Would you trust that guy with watching your family for the weekend? I doubt it. That guy you’d be hard press to trust him to wash your car, but it is the effect I was looking for, relaxed and in control. He is own man, the kind of guy doesn’t need the establishment. A rebel filled with angst and maybe a bit bored. Either that or he’s inebriated. I don’t remember much about that day, other than it was festival of some sort.
Anyway, enough about the author of “Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!” We’re here to talk about you. Unless you specifically want to risk, that no one takes you serious and thus may not read your writings, try to have professional picture to post of yourself. You can use it for your book cover as well, so it’s worth it. It shows the prospective agents and publishers that you take your writing career seriously and that they are investing in someone who is going pay off. It also tells the reader your not some crazy serial killer with access to a computer. You look normal, which mean your writing will be pretty much what they expect for your genre. I write action adventure so I look like I’m ready to hangout where the adventure is or at least fake it well (If you buy this have I got some Florida waterfront for you. It was the only picture I could get out of my computer. I’ll be changing it as quickly as I can.) So remember, you need a serious and professional type picture. It’s an image thing!
I read a blog the other day that explained that we read from the left to the right and so we should put the important part of our blog on the left and make the field the biggest field on then page. The reader’s eye is drawn to that spot the moment they look to check out your site and you hardly want to have them see another guy’s book cover because of a link you’ve created and have the reader jump to their site. You want them to stay on your page until they buy, hopefully. To that end, you need to make sure your name and the name of your book, like mine for example, “Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!” Are at the top of the page, starting on the left hand side; then you want your book info, title again, excerpt(s) and an ever changing running commentary about something interesting, then, you want your reviews underneath on the middle left hand side and your ordering info under that. On the left side is where you show case your writing style with innovative pieces that give the reader pause, not the “What am I doing here?” type but the, “Oh that’s cool or that’s a good point.” All this stuff, I’m telling you, will be wasted if you post nothing but blogs about your cats or dogs or your kids or celebrity rehashes; without making some kind of point, the reader can relate too. Ok you’ve got the left side handed so, shove all of your links to the far right under your picture and small blurb about you.
If you have some ads you’re running from Google push down your picture and place the ads there, right under the banner because that is where they will get seen the most, other than the left hand side, which translates into more advertising income. Another blog, another time, just remember, they can make you money so they go above, the friends links and a picture of you. That’s a professionally done photograph of course, making you look, marvelous! I know, some prefab sites won’t let you move them around much, but do what you can with what you have. “Successful people are the ones that make the best of what they have.” Good quote!
If you go to, Tony Eldridge/The Sampson Effect click on his advertising link and you can read more blogs about page setup. The one other thing I see people doing that can cause you lost sales is that they fail to include excerpts. An excerpt is designed to catch the reader’s attention and entice them to want to read the rest of the book. Stop by my page and read the excerpts I have there. Then honestly tell me, you’re not curious about what happening next in the book. I pass them out to anyone who’ll take them, book clubs, bank tellers, tax preparers, nurses, doctors, friends of friends, store clerks I know and I even give them away at church. But that’s not blogging so we’ll save for a blog about gorilla marketing. When you set up your site, why not play the odds, instead of bucking them.
You have website or a webpage and its bright yellow and orange; which is really bright and cheery and hard on people’s eyes. When I ran for office, yes I am a reformed politician, I learned from a professor at the University of Detroit, just how important the colors that we choose, can make or break an advertising campaign. Your website or page or blog are advertising campaigns, in case you didn’t realize it. Treat it differently at your own peril.
Some colors like greens, blues, white and soft pinks, make people feel comfortable, relaxed, and safe. Reds, yellows oranges, bright pink make them feel on edge; black, browns, dark reds, dark blue, dark green (not forest green, darker) cause people to feel apprehensive. Beige, gray, blue grey, taupe makes people feel melancholy. Purple, deep blue, magenta, burgundy make people feel inferior. They are the royal colors. That’s about all I remember from my quick course on using colors to make a statement in your advertising. I took that class, actually it was lunch at a trendy downtown Detroit eatery and it was worth every penny.
I chose the colors white and blue and promptly had my flyers, campaign signs handouts, bumper stickers and door hangers all with a blue background and white lettering. My main competitor chose red and yellow with bold, black lettering. When you looked at his sign for a couple of seconds you started to feel aggressive. I over heard him, talking at some township meeting, saying that he chose those colors because people could see the signs from a long way off. The guy was an athletic coach and football referee when he wasn’t working at trying to get elected or working as the parks and recreation, supervisor. He really liked bright colors. He was college educated, with a master’s degree in recreational science. Apparently, you need to be a scientist to enjoy recreation today. You may have noticed that there aren’t too many really bright colored uniforms in any pro sports, why? Because you don’t want your uniform making the other guy anymore aggressive. You don’t want him feeling than he already is, so they chose more subdued colors. Look the number of winning franchises there are who have bold bright colors. I think you got it!
The third person in the race used purple, white and I believe burgundy. He was the former village manager who had several degrees in city management. He also had been caught having an affair with his secretary, while in the office in front of a little old lady who needed 911 afterwards. He’d said things like he deserved the job because he was so educated and he was smarter than, me or the Parks and Rec Director. The colors matched his attitude. They arrogant and standoffish, and so was he. The colors sealed his fate.
Oh, you’re wondering what degree I have? Well, I have a degree in hard knocks from Rock and Hard Place University. College for me was supposed to be football practice all week and a game in Saturday, with educational game films on Sundays at the local bar. After my football career was canceled, college proved to be the hardest and longest two hours of my life. At the time getting an education, was just something I had to do, if I wanted to play football. High school had been the same way. I guess you could, say I was the typical joke or I mean “Jock”. And like Mark Twain said, “I have never let my schooling, stand in the way of my education!” Yeah, that pretty much sums up my academic life.
Anyway back to our discussion. I had some other advantages over the other two candidates but this isn’t the place to discuss them, but I did win the election. Did the colors make a big difference, I’m not to sure; I didn’t keep any tracking numbers on them. The scandals, the other two were involved in probably went a long way to helping me win, but people did say publicly how tacky the purple signs were and how the yellow looked ugly. I won with sixty-three percent of the vote. The thirty seven percent left was split between the other two candidates, but was a landside as they say. The uneducated, right, and the less than qualified, probably right, and the guy that made everyone feel alright, definitely right, won in a landslide.
The professor claimed the credit for having taught me well. I think he gave good advice. So no dark colors unless you write horror and then be sure you using white lettering. No purple colors unless you write only about nobility or romance novels maybe. And No super bright colors unless you’re writing persona is that of a clown and you write children’s books. Pick colors that are easy on the eyes, not too vivid and give the reader, some back of the mind comfort, subliminal comfort.
If they leave your site feeling comfortable and safe, they’ll view your book, like mine “Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!” as a comfortable and safe reading choice. I need to take my own advice here and change my page colors as well. Their gray, white and red I think.
Ok well, I think I‘ve done enough damage here today, and when you least expect it I’ll pop off another totally worthless bit of writing fluff that may or may not be very effectual in your life. Just remember that you want a professional quality photo, no weird pictures, no art work, no kids, no wife’s or husband’s, no pets and no pictures of celebrities. Put your picture up there and make it a good one.
Organize your webpage, so it directs the customer to everything about you, first, then, the ads and links. The biggest section to the far left for your writing examples; links and ads to the far right and in a space half the size or less than your space. They, the experts, seem to recommend 2/3 to the left and 1/3 to the right. Be sure to mention your own website if you have one and be sure to ask the reader to “BUY” your book and give clear and easy instructions to do it. Then pick your site colors to fit in. use highlights to set you apart from the other people. You don’t want people finding it hard to read your page because of color bleeds or colors over powering other colors or the light reflecting too much off them. People are just going to move on if they’re uncomfortable in anyway and then you’ve lost a sale. Bad author, bad business person! Yes being an author, is being in business. It can make you rich and if you’re going to make living do it, then get serious and treat it like a business. That is another blog for another day.
My last thought about the blogging is simple one. Don’t spend so much time blogging that you neglect to write the important stuff, like that new book or series of poems or whatever. Blogging, unless your trying to make living doing so, is strictly for marketing and you need to focus on the dream and not the minutiae. Blogging can help but it cannot sell a book not written or a book written poorly.
Chris Keys “Write what you know, write it with passion-set the world on fire with your dreams!2010@ author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises! Catch him on blogspot at writerchriskeys@ Blogspot.com
Sunday, March 21, 2010
SOUNDS LIKE EDGAR ALLEN POE???? by Chris Keys
Sounds like Edgar Allen Poe??? by Chris Keys author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
Another writer said that this sounded like Edgar Allen Poe, Do you?
I heard the beating of his fingers on the tell tale keys, he's blogging again as easy as he pleases. I crept up close to have just a peek, when suddenly he turns and begins to speak.
"Watch where you’re stepping the boards are quite loose and please duck your head, so it does not accidentally slip into the noose. I tried to warn the last customer too. But he wouldn’t listen or take any off my clues. So he crept up and looked over my shoulder. His move was quite rash and couldn't have been bolder. But I stood my ground, for these words I write in jest; for I am such private man I had cleaved open his chest. I buried him there, right under the floor and now I hear the sound of hearts beating and the damn bird keeps saying never more! Never more!
Well it may not be as good as old Edgar wrote, but it's an example of the freedom you have as a writer. You can explore the depths of your soul or just play around the edges. Writing opens up the imagination to a whole host of possibilities and only you limit where it can take you! So I'll say it again, Go write something, it doesn't matter what, even if it's grocery list, but write it with passion and enthusiasm. Chris Keys- "Write what you know, write it with passion-set the world on fire with your dreams! Write your own Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
Another writer said that this sounded like Edgar Allen Poe, Do you?
I heard the beating of his fingers on the tell tale keys, he's blogging again as easy as he pleases. I crept up close to have just a peek, when suddenly he turns and begins to speak.
"Watch where you’re stepping the boards are quite loose and please duck your head, so it does not accidentally slip into the noose. I tried to warn the last customer too. But he wouldn’t listen or take any off my clues. So he crept up and looked over my shoulder. His move was quite rash and couldn't have been bolder. But I stood my ground, for these words I write in jest; for I am such private man I had cleaved open his chest. I buried him there, right under the floor and now I hear the sound of hearts beating and the damn bird keeps saying never more! Never more!
Well it may not be as good as old Edgar wrote, but it's an example of the freedom you have as a writer. You can explore the depths of your soul or just play around the edges. Writing opens up the imagination to a whole host of possibilities and only you limit where it can take you! So I'll say it again, Go write something, it doesn't matter what, even if it's grocery list, but write it with passion and enthusiasm. Chris Keys- "Write what you know, write it with passion-set the world on fire with your dreams! Write your own Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
EDIT LAMENT! by Chris Keys author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
Edit Lament by Chris Keys
I have no job
I have no life
I live for my book
I may lose my wife
I stay up all night thinking words
I struggle all day
Sleeping with crowing birds
I write and rewrite
Each time
I’m filled with delight
Each time
I’m filled with dread
I’m beginning to believe
I’ll finish a day after I’m dead.
Chris Keys2010
author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
I have no job
I have no life
I live for my book
I may lose my wife
I stay up all night thinking words
I struggle all day
Sleeping with crowing birds
I write and rewrite
Each time
I’m filled with delight
Each time
I’m filled with dread
I’m beginning to believe
I’ll finish a day after I’m dead.
Chris Keys2010
author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
OH GOD, NOT BLOGGING! by Chris Keys author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
Oh God, not blogging! By Chris Keys
Author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
Let me begin by apologizing to all of you, who like blogging and feel it serves some meaningful purpose in your life. I started writing because I want to craft stories that would spark the reader’s imagination and provide them with entertainment. I wanted to write stories and novels, that may not revival Hemingway, C.S. Lewis, Arthur C. Clark or some of the other literary greats, but they would at least provide an escape from the television, with it’s endless parade of rerun everything and constant, completely mind numbing, trove of commercials.
What I have found, that in order to get to the stage where someone can read my stories, I have to spend countless hours writing mundane and superficial paragraphs, dealing with basically gossip. Facebook, MySpace and many of the writing/writer sites, are choked with people who really aren’t writers just people who like to see their words on the screen, no matter how idiotic they maybe. Half the people on some sites haven’t participated in over a year. They are not writers! They have no passion!
Don’t people get enough of celebrity gossip on TV and in every other format there is? How many times can you rehash Brad and Jolie? Who really cares what type of shoe so and so bought, while drinking coffee with so and so, at what’s its place? I sure don’t! Do you want to know what I had for breakfast? Will that help my celebrity status?
Maybe it’s a guy thing! Maybe as a male of the species, I am predisposed to wanting to run and hide, every time the talking heads on TV start talking about the tragic results, of the relationship between some rich butt head so and so and some rich want to be blonde, who’s willing to do anything or say anything, to get the guy and the media’s attention.
Maybe it’s the allure watching the emotional train wreck of the Godless souls, who sold their souls, for five minutes in the spotlight and fist full of dollars that is never enough to support their life style dreams of sex, drugs and rock & roll! I have to admit, when I was twenty, that didn’t sound half bad. Then I grew up and found those who actually lived that way, didn’t really enjoy it. They weren’t very happy and just acted happy so that they could to keep the cash coming in.
Maybe it’s just an exercise in writing? That’s all this is for me. Craft a few well thought out sentences and post it, hoping someone will critique it, so I may judge how well I’m progressing in my writing skills. Notice I didn’t say typing! Nor did I mention punctuation. Damn punctuation! It’s the devil’s own spawn of mischief for me.
My publisher insists I practice blogging, for when my site, the one they are building for me, comes on line, I will have to blog daily, in order to properly market and stamp my brand upon the world. They say readers want to know all about the writer. It’s not enough to say he lives here and is happily married. They want to know deep inner thoughts and all of the salacious tid bits of their life. But some of us just aren’t that exciting.
I myself, you may have seen, like to quote other, more exciting and notable people, in the hopes that I might learn something from their insight and thus be more memorable myself. I figure, that’s much more interesting than listing my numerous crushed and broken bones. Or showing you a color coded map of the multiple scars I have earned, acting foolishly both on and the sporting fields. Of course, I could regale the reader with my tales of bravery when I stopped a crime ring, single handedly and had to face down three men, my size, (over six foot, two hundred plus pounds) in hand to hand combat. Or when I was a youth, foolishly wandering about late at night, in the inner city of Detroit and had to escape an armed robber, bullets bouncing off the alley walls around me, as I ran for my life.
No, that’s all so last century, almost a life time ago. I’m almost embarrassed to bring it up. So I’ll keep struggling to write something interesting, something that a reader might want to know. But if you hear a low deep resonant moan coming from cyberspace, just know it’s not a ghost or some malevolent spirit, about to set siege unto your home. It’s just this old fart, trying to think of some clever thing to say, in some new and oh, so exciting way! I wonder how Mark Twain, would have viewed blogging? I can hear him now, insulting the gentry with yet another back handed compliment. My favorite Mark Twain quote is: “I did not attend the funeral, but I send a letter saying I approved.” I feel the same way about blogging.—Chris Keys-author Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
Author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
Let me begin by apologizing to all of you, who like blogging and feel it serves some meaningful purpose in your life. I started writing because I want to craft stories that would spark the reader’s imagination and provide them with entertainment. I wanted to write stories and novels, that may not revival Hemingway, C.S. Lewis, Arthur C. Clark or some of the other literary greats, but they would at least provide an escape from the television, with it’s endless parade of rerun everything and constant, completely mind numbing, trove of commercials.
What I have found, that in order to get to the stage where someone can read my stories, I have to spend countless hours writing mundane and superficial paragraphs, dealing with basically gossip. Facebook, MySpace and many of the writing/writer sites, are choked with people who really aren’t writers just people who like to see their words on the screen, no matter how idiotic they maybe. Half the people on some sites haven’t participated in over a year. They are not writers! They have no passion!
Don’t people get enough of celebrity gossip on TV and in every other format there is? How many times can you rehash Brad and Jolie? Who really cares what type of shoe so and so bought, while drinking coffee with so and so, at what’s its place? I sure don’t! Do you want to know what I had for breakfast? Will that help my celebrity status?
Maybe it’s a guy thing! Maybe as a male of the species, I am predisposed to wanting to run and hide, every time the talking heads on TV start talking about the tragic results, of the relationship between some rich butt head so and so and some rich want to be blonde, who’s willing to do anything or say anything, to get the guy and the media’s attention.
Maybe it’s the allure watching the emotional train wreck of the Godless souls, who sold their souls, for five minutes in the spotlight and fist full of dollars that is never enough to support their life style dreams of sex, drugs and rock & roll! I have to admit, when I was twenty, that didn’t sound half bad. Then I grew up and found those who actually lived that way, didn’t really enjoy it. They weren’t very happy and just acted happy so that they could to keep the cash coming in.
Maybe it’s just an exercise in writing? That’s all this is for me. Craft a few well thought out sentences and post it, hoping someone will critique it, so I may judge how well I’m progressing in my writing skills. Notice I didn’t say typing! Nor did I mention punctuation. Damn punctuation! It’s the devil’s own spawn of mischief for me.
My publisher insists I practice blogging, for when my site, the one they are building for me, comes on line, I will have to blog daily, in order to properly market and stamp my brand upon the world. They say readers want to know all about the writer. It’s not enough to say he lives here and is happily married. They want to know deep inner thoughts and all of the salacious tid bits of their life. But some of us just aren’t that exciting.
I myself, you may have seen, like to quote other, more exciting and notable people, in the hopes that I might learn something from their insight and thus be more memorable myself. I figure, that’s much more interesting than listing my numerous crushed and broken bones. Or showing you a color coded map of the multiple scars I have earned, acting foolishly both on and the sporting fields. Of course, I could regale the reader with my tales of bravery when I stopped a crime ring, single handedly and had to face down three men, my size, (over six foot, two hundred plus pounds) in hand to hand combat. Or when I was a youth, foolishly wandering about late at night, in the inner city of Detroit and had to escape an armed robber, bullets bouncing off the alley walls around me, as I ran for my life.
No, that’s all so last century, almost a life time ago. I’m almost embarrassed to bring it up. So I’ll keep struggling to write something interesting, something that a reader might want to know. But if you hear a low deep resonant moan coming from cyberspace, just know it’s not a ghost or some malevolent spirit, about to set siege unto your home. It’s just this old fart, trying to think of some clever thing to say, in some new and oh, so exciting way! I wonder how Mark Twain, would have viewed blogging? I can hear him now, insulting the gentry with yet another back handed compliment. My favorite Mark Twain quote is: “I did not attend the funeral, but I send a letter saying I approved.” I feel the same way about blogging.—Chris Keys-author Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
WHERE ARE THE WRITER'S? by Chris Keys-author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
Where are the writers?
by Chris Keys-Author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises! Due out summer 2010
I've surfed the Net and I've looked under all the furniture but I can't seem to find them. Them? The writer's who have signed up on this and a few hundred other sites. As I surf here and there, I fine the same people exchanging comments or posting new work. More than half of the so-called writers who have signed up on a site, haven't written anything new, that they have posted, anyway, in over a year. On some sites the number of missing writers is almost ninety percent of those claiming to be members. It was one hundred percent of the members on another, I watched it for two weeks and they had nothing new posted at all. Needless to say I did not join that site!
I've found that it is awfully hard to write, while watching TV or going out to the bar or while hiding in the closet. Are you a closet writer? Someone who wants to be the next best selling author, but no one has ever heard of you and no one ever will, because you’ve never showed anyone anything you’ve written. Few if any closet writers ever get a book published, so the only conclusion I can reach, because you're not writing anything or if you are, you're not sharing it. Is your really not a writer but someone who wants to say they are but not actually do it. As a writer, if you do not post, no one can read it and if no one can read it. You’re not a writer! You can not have followers if you do not lead!
To be a writer, you have to believe you have something to say, that others, just can't wait read. You’re not politically correct or overly concerned, that the words you write will rub people the wrong way. You write and accept; and sometimes enjoy the controversy the writing may cause.
If you truly want to be a writer you take the risk of exposing yourself to other people, rather they be experienced pros or just someone who is trying to learn. It’s a big risk. It can be very humbling. I've had people provide feed back that has been hard to hear but it has been right and I needed to hear it!
If you're a writer, you want others to read what you have wrote and you can't wait until you can write again. You look for inspiration everywhere you go. You read books about writing and subscribe to writing magazines. You do whatever you can, to make yourself a better writer and you can't wait to post something new, even if it's just a comment.
What you are not, is someone who sits alone and scribbles feverishly in a darkened room, only to file your work in the circular file or in a drawer, under your underwear. You are not someone who shies away from criticism but accepts it and does their best to learn from it. You take each criticism as a challenge. Another stumbling block, that you have to conquer on you way to success.
So where are all the writers? I really wish I knew. ‘Cause I want to sharpen my skills and I can only do that with comments and feed back from from you! The writer’s of the world. Unfortunately, the opposite is true as well. You will never reach your full potential unless you risk ridiculed by your peers.
So write something would you? I'm tired of reading what I have written. I need, I want, new and fascinating works of fiction to feed my hungry brain. Feed me! If this sounds like too much work, while understand you are a reader and not a writer. That's ok. As a writer I need readers far more than I need another writer competing for the reader’s attention.
Chris Keys-Spread the Word- Author of “Reprisal! The Eagle Rises! Due out summer 2010
by Chris Keys-Author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises! Due out summer 2010
I've surfed the Net and I've looked under all the furniture but I can't seem to find them. Them? The writer's who have signed up on this and a few hundred other sites. As I surf here and there, I fine the same people exchanging comments or posting new work. More than half of the so-called writers who have signed up on a site, haven't written anything new, that they have posted, anyway, in over a year. On some sites the number of missing writers is almost ninety percent of those claiming to be members. It was one hundred percent of the members on another, I watched it for two weeks and they had nothing new posted at all. Needless to say I did not join that site!
I've found that it is awfully hard to write, while watching TV or going out to the bar or while hiding in the closet. Are you a closet writer? Someone who wants to be the next best selling author, but no one has ever heard of you and no one ever will, because you’ve never showed anyone anything you’ve written. Few if any closet writers ever get a book published, so the only conclusion I can reach, because you're not writing anything or if you are, you're not sharing it. Is your really not a writer but someone who wants to say they are but not actually do it. As a writer, if you do not post, no one can read it and if no one can read it. You’re not a writer! You can not have followers if you do not lead!
To be a writer, you have to believe you have something to say, that others, just can't wait read. You’re not politically correct or overly concerned, that the words you write will rub people the wrong way. You write and accept; and sometimes enjoy the controversy the writing may cause.
If you truly want to be a writer you take the risk of exposing yourself to other people, rather they be experienced pros or just someone who is trying to learn. It’s a big risk. It can be very humbling. I've had people provide feed back that has been hard to hear but it has been right and I needed to hear it!
If you're a writer, you want others to read what you have wrote and you can't wait until you can write again. You look for inspiration everywhere you go. You read books about writing and subscribe to writing magazines. You do whatever you can, to make yourself a better writer and you can't wait to post something new, even if it's just a comment.
What you are not, is someone who sits alone and scribbles feverishly in a darkened room, only to file your work in the circular file or in a drawer, under your underwear. You are not someone who shies away from criticism but accepts it and does their best to learn from it. You take each criticism as a challenge. Another stumbling block, that you have to conquer on you way to success.
So where are all the writers? I really wish I knew. ‘Cause I want to sharpen my skills and I can only do that with comments and feed back from from you! The writer’s of the world. Unfortunately, the opposite is true as well. You will never reach your full potential unless you risk ridiculed by your peers.
So write something would you? I'm tired of reading what I have written. I need, I want, new and fascinating works of fiction to feed my hungry brain. Feed me! If this sounds like too much work, while understand you are a reader and not a writer. That's ok. As a writer I need readers far more than I need another writer competing for the reader’s attention.
Chris Keys-Spread the Word- Author of “Reprisal! The Eagle Rises! Due out summer 2010
The lost art of communication by Chris keys Author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
LOST ART OF COMMUNICATION!
I won't try to tell you I'm some expert on the topic of communication, or even spell it right, but I say I'm a fairly open and communicative kind of guy so I think I'm allowed some observations on the subject. Growing up people used to sit on their front porches and wave hello when you walked past. Sometime they'd even stop and stand around talking for several minutes. The neighborhood used to have community Bar-B-Q's and everyone watched out the others child. Not anymore. Everyone for blocks around knew each others name and where they worked. Today we're lucky to know if they're home.
A few years ago, I made a big deal out of the fact that people had stopped being neighbors, I was a small time politician then and lived in small town that was growing rapidly, people went to work thirty or forty miles away and when they came home they clicked the garage door opener and drove their car inside and clicked it closed again, without ever seeing or hearing a soul. Somewhere along the way, we became this society of recluses. If it weren’t for the internet I’d never tell anyone about my book due on this summer. It’s titled, Reprisal! The Eagle Rises! We hire people to mow our lawns and we shop on line. We don't go in the front door of our houses any more we enter through the attached garage. We hang out on the back deck, where we grill out almost every night but never invite the neighbor over; just wave as we head inside after grilling for the night. We've got so much to do with our cable TV, internet access and our private little world where we can be the focus even if it an empty way to live.
And along comes the social networking age, we're on Face Book, Myspace, Hi5, BeBo, YouTube and probably a dozen more I haven't bothered to find. We no longer write letters or talk on the phone, we e-mail and text message. People now interact on Farmville or Mafia Wars or Badge of Honor or whatever game is available on the net for free. We communicate in random snipets without ever meeting face to face. And then there's blogging. Oh yes, blogging, blogging, blogging! It's the new speed dating and get acquainted meeting site. It's the sales meeting, job interview, talent show and personal confessional. People will say anything and nothing while blogging, mostly nothing. They simply, for a simple analogy from a by gone age, talk just to hear themselves speak. That statement has had a long history of use from when phones first became the rage to the cell phone craze. It probably was first used when man first learn to speak and a few people just kept talking even when there wasn't any real reason to speak. It also sounds so much better than; they're clicking just to hear themselves click. Just not the same ring to it.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that all this new techno stuff may not be for the better. We talk less and less each day. We spend hours typing away in anonymity, safe from the retort of our verbal adversaries behind our monikers. We can ignore the give and take by just not reading the replies. But I must confess there is one positive for someone like me who wishes to write and to be read. People are rediscovering they know how to read. They read e-mails, text messages and every newly popular blogs. It's just another small step to everyone using something like a kindle to read novels. When that trend breaks, “I'll be a best seller”, for sure. Did I tell you the title of my book due out this summer, it’s Reprisal! The Eagle Rises! Oops back the conversation. Because I'm getting pretty good at writing, just to read what I have wrote! What was my point? That was it. as bloggers, we're all writing just to read what we have wrote! Chris Keys-Spread the word! Free lessons, in gibberish. Just pay $9.95 for shipping and handling. Honest it's free! Trust me! I used to be a politician!
I won't try to tell you I'm some expert on the topic of communication, or even spell it right, but I say I'm a fairly open and communicative kind of guy so I think I'm allowed some observations on the subject. Growing up people used to sit on their front porches and wave hello when you walked past. Sometime they'd even stop and stand around talking for several minutes. The neighborhood used to have community Bar-B-Q's and everyone watched out the others child. Not anymore. Everyone for blocks around knew each others name and where they worked. Today we're lucky to know if they're home.
A few years ago, I made a big deal out of the fact that people had stopped being neighbors, I was a small time politician then and lived in small town that was growing rapidly, people went to work thirty or forty miles away and when they came home they clicked the garage door opener and drove their car inside and clicked it closed again, without ever seeing or hearing a soul. Somewhere along the way, we became this society of recluses. If it weren’t for the internet I’d never tell anyone about my book due on this summer. It’s titled, Reprisal! The Eagle Rises! We hire people to mow our lawns and we shop on line. We don't go in the front door of our houses any more we enter through the attached garage. We hang out on the back deck, where we grill out almost every night but never invite the neighbor over; just wave as we head inside after grilling for the night. We've got so much to do with our cable TV, internet access and our private little world where we can be the focus even if it an empty way to live.
And along comes the social networking age, we're on Face Book, Myspace, Hi5, BeBo, YouTube and probably a dozen more I haven't bothered to find. We no longer write letters or talk on the phone, we e-mail and text message. People now interact on Farmville or Mafia Wars or Badge of Honor or whatever game is available on the net for free. We communicate in random snipets without ever meeting face to face. And then there's blogging. Oh yes, blogging, blogging, blogging! It's the new speed dating and get acquainted meeting site. It's the sales meeting, job interview, talent show and personal confessional. People will say anything and nothing while blogging, mostly nothing. They simply, for a simple analogy from a by gone age, talk just to hear themselves speak. That statement has had a long history of use from when phones first became the rage to the cell phone craze. It probably was first used when man first learn to speak and a few people just kept talking even when there wasn't any real reason to speak. It also sounds so much better than; they're clicking just to hear themselves click. Just not the same ring to it.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that all this new techno stuff may not be for the better. We talk less and less each day. We spend hours typing away in anonymity, safe from the retort of our verbal adversaries behind our monikers. We can ignore the give and take by just not reading the replies. But I must confess there is one positive for someone like me who wishes to write and to be read. People are rediscovering they know how to read. They read e-mails, text messages and every newly popular blogs. It's just another small step to everyone using something like a kindle to read novels. When that trend breaks, “I'll be a best seller”, for sure. Did I tell you the title of my book due out this summer, it’s Reprisal! The Eagle Rises! Oops back the conversation. Because I'm getting pretty good at writing, just to read what I have wrote! What was my point? That was it. as bloggers, we're all writing just to read what we have wrote! Chris Keys-Spread the word! Free lessons, in gibberish. Just pay $9.95 for shipping and handling. Honest it's free! Trust me! I used to be a politician!
So you want to write! by Chris Keys
So you want to write! by Chris Keys Author of Reprisal! The Eagle Rises!
So you want to write! That’s great, fantastic, beautiful, and incredible! So what are you going to write and who are you writing for. It’s easy to say I want to write. It’s harder to clarify what it is you want to write and who you think will read what you write.
Any agent or publisher is going to ask what genre you’re writing in and who do you think you’re target audience is. I knew even before I started to write that I wanted to write to entertain people. I was and still am an avid reader of action/adventure, thrillers, crime, mystery, self help and inspirational books. If I were to be pressed to put a number on the amount of books I’ve read and I’d have to say it’s probably in the neighborhood of 12,000 to 15,000 books. I never thought to keep track of just how many I was reading though. At times I’ve read as many as five books in five days.
I started writing for self entertainment after I’d read all the books I could find by the top ten action adventure writers and dozens of books by authors who didn’t quite write at the same level as the top ten did. After reading the lesser authors, I decided I could write a story as well or better than all of them except the top ten and I set out to do it, because I had nothing to read at the time.
Surprise, surprise! It turned out harder to do then I thought, but I did it. It was a challenge to keep the story straight. It was hard finding the time to write and even harder to find the time to do research. But it has to be done and I found a way. The type of book you write may require no research at all or it may require tons of it with footnotes.
The first book I wrote is not the first book I’m getting published. The book I’m publishing is actually my second book. The first is still in my computer and I’m still rewriting it, because I’ve had to write it on two different computers after my first computer died and I couldn’t recover the story. I learned my lesson and got a system to back it all up. Now if the computer should take a dive, I can just type in my info and code in the new one and presto, everything is restored. You should get this type of system right away.
Anyway, you need to decide what your genre is. Is it fiction, poetry, romance, non-fiction, thrillers, mysteries, sci fi, children, instructional, inspirational, technical, fantasy, religious, screenplays, television scripts, plays, comedy, political, whatever. Pick one to start and focus. Then you have to know who you’re writing for. What is the age group, the education level, maybe income level, the sex of the reader not just that they have it or want it. You may find, you want to write so you can vent about personal things rather write a book for others to read. That’s fine too, so figure it out.
Once I had done that I was ready to write. I knew what I was going to write and where I wanted it to go. You can do the same and then you’re on to bigger and better things. And your on your way to getting published.—Chris Keys-Spread the word! Reprisal! The Eagle Rises! due out summer of 2010
So you want to write! That’s great, fantastic, beautiful, and incredible! So what are you going to write and who are you writing for. It’s easy to say I want to write. It’s harder to clarify what it is you want to write and who you think will read what you write.
Any agent or publisher is going to ask what genre you’re writing in and who do you think you’re target audience is. I knew even before I started to write that I wanted to write to entertain people. I was and still am an avid reader of action/adventure, thrillers, crime, mystery, self help and inspirational books. If I were to be pressed to put a number on the amount of books I’ve read and I’d have to say it’s probably in the neighborhood of 12,000 to 15,000 books. I never thought to keep track of just how many I was reading though. At times I’ve read as many as five books in five days.
I started writing for self entertainment after I’d read all the books I could find by the top ten action adventure writers and dozens of books by authors who didn’t quite write at the same level as the top ten did. After reading the lesser authors, I decided I could write a story as well or better than all of them except the top ten and I set out to do it, because I had nothing to read at the time.
Surprise, surprise! It turned out harder to do then I thought, but I did it. It was a challenge to keep the story straight. It was hard finding the time to write and even harder to find the time to do research. But it has to be done and I found a way. The type of book you write may require no research at all or it may require tons of it with footnotes.
The first book I wrote is not the first book I’m getting published. The book I’m publishing is actually my second book. The first is still in my computer and I’m still rewriting it, because I’ve had to write it on two different computers after my first computer died and I couldn’t recover the story. I learned my lesson and got a system to back it all up. Now if the computer should take a dive, I can just type in my info and code in the new one and presto, everything is restored. You should get this type of system right away.
Anyway, you need to decide what your genre is. Is it fiction, poetry, romance, non-fiction, thrillers, mysteries, sci fi, children, instructional, inspirational, technical, fantasy, religious, screenplays, television scripts, plays, comedy, political, whatever. Pick one to start and focus. Then you have to know who you’re writing for. What is the age group, the education level, maybe income level, the sex of the reader not just that they have it or want it. You may find, you want to write so you can vent about personal things rather write a book for others to read. That’s fine too, so figure it out.
Once I had done that I was ready to write. I knew what I was going to write and where I wanted it to go. You can do the same and then you’re on to bigger and better things. And your on your way to getting published.—Chris Keys-Spread the word! Reprisal! The Eagle Rises! due out summer of 2010
Reason to write!
REASON TO WRITE!
By Chris Keys
What exactly started you writing? I'd bet most of us couldn't answer that question. I know when it first crossed my mind I couldn't think an answer that made any sense. Oh sure, I had the standard ones like, I wanted to express my inner most thoughts or what I wrote down, I wanted to entertain other people or there is the one they state in many profiles. I just wanted the money!
If I had to say, I'd say any reason is a good enough reason to write. But being a good reason isn't what writing is all about is it? It’s more of a passion thing. That is to say, you’re passionate about your reason to write.
Yeah that's the ticket. You see all of the great writers or for that matter anyone who is great at anything, is considered passionate about whatever it is they are great at. You can have tremendous skill and yet be considered as average at something. Take professional athletes. They usually end their careers by saying they weren't having any fun anymore or that they wanted to go out on top. It’s a passion thing. The truly gifted players always talk about how passionate they are to play.
The same holds true for writers. The truly gifted ones always have a passion to write. They also always know what their writing for. It's not to get money, though that does play a factor, though not much. Because if the person is truly gifted, as writer, the money just shows up. The words they write, naturally entertain the reader and they are always fresh in their approach and delivery.
A passionate writer never struggles to write something. It may not be for publication but they write. They skip TV and they don't worry if they spent the whole day writing something. It’s their passion. It is what they want to be doing. For some they become so passionate it becomes detrimental to they're everyday life. So be careful developing your passion, because you don't want to lose everything else in your life or the passion. Everything is in its place and in moderation. By being moderate you can keep your ideas fresh and exciting, while avoiding burnout and loss of passion.
For the first time in quite a while, I have a strong passion again. It is to write. As a youth, I had a strong passion for football and I might have had a chance of making it a career but I was hurt on a summer job and that passion died. I still watch but I was forced to stop playing. I've had several things that I've had a passion for but after a while they've faded or I became burned out. Things like companies I’ve founded and built, jobs I've held, running for office, making wooden fish and nic/nacs. I still like doing some of those things but I'll never achieve greatness at them unless I can rekindle the passion I had to start with.
So what makes you passionate about writing? What triggers your emotions and gets the creative juices flowing? To be passionate as a writer, you need to figure that out and encourage yourself in those areas. Then once you've figured out what makes you passionate about your writing, you will need to figure what you’re attempting to accomplish by writing and set for yourself goals. Write them down and be very specific. Like, I want to win a Pulitzer in 2012. Or I want to write a best seller by next year. Then go out and do the things that will allow you to reach these goals. It is up to you! If you plan you may very well win! If you fail to plan, there is no doubt, you will lose! You can't hit a Bullseye, without having a target to aim at!
So set your goals, aim high, believe you can achieve them, develop your passion to write and write passionately. If you tap into your passion and you can hold on to its intensity, then focus that intensity on achieving your goals, nothing can stop you from achieving what you believe!
Have a great day! Write something, even if it’s a grocery list but do it with passion! Chris Keys-
By Chris Keys
What exactly started you writing? I'd bet most of us couldn't answer that question. I know when it first crossed my mind I couldn't think an answer that made any sense. Oh sure, I had the standard ones like, I wanted to express my inner most thoughts or what I wrote down, I wanted to entertain other people or there is the one they state in many profiles. I just wanted the money!
If I had to say, I'd say any reason is a good enough reason to write. But being a good reason isn't what writing is all about is it? It’s more of a passion thing. That is to say, you’re passionate about your reason to write.
Yeah that's the ticket. You see all of the great writers or for that matter anyone who is great at anything, is considered passionate about whatever it is they are great at. You can have tremendous skill and yet be considered as average at something. Take professional athletes. They usually end their careers by saying they weren't having any fun anymore or that they wanted to go out on top. It’s a passion thing. The truly gifted players always talk about how passionate they are to play.
The same holds true for writers. The truly gifted ones always have a passion to write. They also always know what their writing for. It's not to get money, though that does play a factor, though not much. Because if the person is truly gifted, as writer, the money just shows up. The words they write, naturally entertain the reader and they are always fresh in their approach and delivery.
A passionate writer never struggles to write something. It may not be for publication but they write. They skip TV and they don't worry if they spent the whole day writing something. It’s their passion. It is what they want to be doing. For some they become so passionate it becomes detrimental to they're everyday life. So be careful developing your passion, because you don't want to lose everything else in your life or the passion. Everything is in its place and in moderation. By being moderate you can keep your ideas fresh and exciting, while avoiding burnout and loss of passion.
For the first time in quite a while, I have a strong passion again. It is to write. As a youth, I had a strong passion for football and I might have had a chance of making it a career but I was hurt on a summer job and that passion died. I still watch but I was forced to stop playing. I've had several things that I've had a passion for but after a while they've faded or I became burned out. Things like companies I’ve founded and built, jobs I've held, running for office, making wooden fish and nic/nacs. I still like doing some of those things but I'll never achieve greatness at them unless I can rekindle the passion I had to start with.
So what makes you passionate about writing? What triggers your emotions and gets the creative juices flowing? To be passionate as a writer, you need to figure that out and encourage yourself in those areas. Then once you've figured out what makes you passionate about your writing, you will need to figure what you’re attempting to accomplish by writing and set for yourself goals. Write them down and be very specific. Like, I want to win a Pulitzer in 2012. Or I want to write a best seller by next year. Then go out and do the things that will allow you to reach these goals. It is up to you! If you plan you may very well win! If you fail to plan, there is no doubt, you will lose! You can't hit a Bullseye, without having a target to aim at!
So set your goals, aim high, believe you can achieve them, develop your passion to write and write passionately. If you tap into your passion and you can hold on to its intensity, then focus that intensity on achieving your goals, nothing can stop you from achieving what you believe!
Have a great day! Write something, even if it’s a grocery list but do it with passion! Chris Keys-
Really, you think it's a good idea?
REALLY, YOU THINK IT’S A GOOD IDEA?
Do you really think the government vcan handle yet another program designed to make our lives better and their power greater!
Check out what they’ve accomplished so far! Would you hire them to help run your business?
Why would you ever remotely think you could ignore them and not get totally screwed by these people!
New Political Party. I'm now officially a POP Member!
Not Democrat, Not Republican, Not Independent.
It's called the "PISSED OFF PARTY" (or POP).
This party is dedicated to vote every incumbent out of office in the next elections.
If you're Democrat, vote Democrat. Just don't vote for the incumbent.
If you're Republican, vote Republican. Just don't vote for the incumbent.
We need to send a message to all politicians, that we're tired of their B.S.
If the country votes out all the incumbents, the new incoming politicians will get the message.
It's pretty simple. Nobody needs to change parties and let’s face it, there's plenty of blame to spread around.
A few good politicians will lose their job but they probably have better retirement and insurance then 95% of the American public.
You've had to struggle for the last 5 years. Some of you have lost your job and may be working in some other sector just to feed your family.
I guarantee you none of them will suffer like this country has.
If you like what's going on and think this is a bad idea, delete this.
But if you're fed up and think this is a good idea, then pass this E-mail on.
If you really think this has legs then a website and a blog could help get the word out.
Here's an irritated Senior!!
This should be read and understood by all Americans
Democrats, Republicans, EVERYONE!!
To All 535 voting members of the Legislature; it is now official you are ALL corrupt morons:
• The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broke.
• Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is broke.
• Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is broke.
• War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and they only want more.
• Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.
• Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is broke.
• The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.
You have FAILED in every "government service" you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars
AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM? IT'S NOT ABOUT THE NEED FOR GOOD HEALTH CARE; IT'S ABOUT TRUSTING THE GOVERNMENT TO RUN IT.
They can’t and won’t other than into the ground! Your grand children will be slaves working strictly to payoff the debts run up by this corruption group of incompetent fools and thieves. Do the country a big favor, next election, vote every single incumbent out of office! Every last damn one of them! Then do it again, the next election and the next. Demand that the new ones prosecute the old ones for ethics violations and criminal tax evasion and other corrupt practices involving sweet heart deals for relatives, wives and friends of politicians through the pork projects that they rarely read the bills on.
CHRIS KEYS-AMERICA FIRST AND FOREMOST! IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT GET THE HELL OUT!
You want change the world start with France! Leave America alone!
Do you really think the government vcan handle yet another program designed to make our lives better and their power greater!
Check out what they’ve accomplished so far! Would you hire them to help run your business?
Why would you ever remotely think you could ignore them and not get totally screwed by these people!
New Political Party. I'm now officially a POP Member!
Not Democrat, Not Republican, Not Independent.
It's called the "PISSED OFF PARTY" (or POP).
This party is dedicated to vote every incumbent out of office in the next elections.
If you're Democrat, vote Democrat. Just don't vote for the incumbent.
If you're Republican, vote Republican. Just don't vote for the incumbent.
We need to send a message to all politicians, that we're tired of their B.S.
If the country votes out all the incumbents, the new incoming politicians will get the message.
It's pretty simple. Nobody needs to change parties and let’s face it, there's plenty of blame to spread around.
A few good politicians will lose their job but they probably have better retirement and insurance then 95% of the American public.
You've had to struggle for the last 5 years. Some of you have lost your job and may be working in some other sector just to feed your family.
I guarantee you none of them will suffer like this country has.
If you like what's going on and think this is a bad idea, delete this.
But if you're fed up and think this is a good idea, then pass this E-mail on.
If you really think this has legs then a website and a blog could help get the word out.
Here's an irritated Senior!!
This should be read and understood by all Americans
Democrats, Republicans, EVERYONE!!
To All 535 voting members of the Legislature; it is now official you are ALL corrupt morons:
• The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broke.
• Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is broke.
• Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is broke.
• War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and they only want more.
• Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.
• Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is broke.
• The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.
You have FAILED in every "government service" you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars
AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM? IT'S NOT ABOUT THE NEED FOR GOOD HEALTH CARE; IT'S ABOUT TRUSTING THE GOVERNMENT TO RUN IT.
They can’t and won’t other than into the ground! Your grand children will be slaves working strictly to payoff the debts run up by this corruption group of incompetent fools and thieves. Do the country a big favor, next election, vote every single incumbent out of office! Every last damn one of them! Then do it again, the next election and the next. Demand that the new ones prosecute the old ones for ethics violations and criminal tax evasion and other corrupt practices involving sweet heart deals for relatives, wives and friends of politicians through the pork projects that they rarely read the bills on.
CHRIS KEYS-AMERICA FIRST AND FOREMOST! IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT GET THE HELL OUT!
You want change the world start with France! Leave America alone!
Friday, March 19, 2010
The first Blog of a new site By Chris Keys
Well we're trying again, the site would anyone in, so I now I'll just have to do it all again.
Oh God, not blogging! By Chris Keys
Let me begin by apologizing to all of you, who like blogging and feel it serves some meaningful purpose in your life. I started writing because I want to craft stories that would spark the reader’s imagination and provide them with entertainment. I wanted to write stories and novels, that may not revival Hemingway, C.S. Lewis, Arthur C. Clark or some of the other literary greats, but they would at least provide an escape from the television, with it’s endless parade of rerun everything and constant, completely mind numbing, trove of commercials.
What I have found, that in order to get to the stage where someone can read my stories, I have to spend countless hours writing mundane and superficial paragraphs, dealing with basically gossip. Facebook, MySpace and many of the writing/writer sites, are choked with people who really aren’t writers just people who like to see their words on the screen, no matter how idiotic they maybe. Half the people on some sites haven’t participated in over a year. They are not writers! They have no passion!
Don’t people get enough of celebrity gossip on TV and in every other format there is? How many times can you rehash Brad and Jolie? Who really cares what type of shoe so and so bought, while drinking coffee with so and so, at what’s its place? I sure don’t! Do you want to know what I had for breakfast? Will that help my celebrity status?
Maybe it’s a guy thing! Maybe as a male of the species, I am predisposed to wanting to run and hide, every time the talking heads on TV start talking about the tragic results, of the relationship between some rich butt head so and so and some rich want to be blonde, who’s willing to do anything or say anything, to get the guy and the media’s attention.
Maybe it’s the allure watching the emotional train wreck of the Godless souls, who sold their souls, for five minutes in the spotlight and fist full of dollars that is never enough to support their life style dreams of sex, drugs and rock & roll! I have to admit, when I was twenty, that didn’t sound half bad. Then I grew up and found those who actually lived that way, didn’t really enjoy it. They weren’t very happy and just acted happy so that they could to keep the cash coming in.
Maybe it’s just an exercise in writing? That’s all this is for me. Craft a few well thought out sentences and post it, hoping someone will critique it, so I may judge how well I’m progressing in my writing skills. Notice I didn’t say typing! Nor did I mention punctuation. Damn punctuation! It’s the devil’s own spawn of mischief for me.
My publisher insists I practice blogging, for when my site, the one they are building for me, comes on line, I will have to blog daily, in order to properly market and stamp my brand upon the world. They say readers want to know all about the writer. It’s not enough to say he lives here and is happily married. They want to know deep inner thoughts and all of the salacious tid bits of their life. But some of us just aren’t that exciting.
I myself, you may have seen, like to quote other, more exciting and notable people, in the hopes that I might learn something from their insight and thus be more memorable myself. I figure, that’s much more interesting than listing my numerous crushed and broken bones. Or showing you a color coded map of the multiple scars I have earned, acting foolishly both on and the sporting fields. Of course I could regale the reader with my tales of bravery when I stopped a crime ring, single handedly and had to face down three men, my size, (over six foot, two hundred plus pounds) in hand to hand combat. Or when I was a youth, foolishly wandering about late at night, in the inner city of Detroit and had to escape an armed robber, bullets bouncing off the alley walls around me, as I ran for my life.
No, that’s all so last century, almost a life time ago. I’m almost embarrassed to bring it up. So I’ll keep struggling to write something interesting, something that a reader might want to know. But if you hear a low deep resonant moan coming from cyberspace, just know it’s not a ghost or some malevolent spirit, about to set siege unto your home. It’s just this old fart, trying to think of some clever thing to say, in some new and oh, so exciting way! I wonder how Mark Twain, would have viewed blogging? I can hear him now, insulting the gentry with yet another back handed compliment. My favorite Mark Twain quote is: “I did not attend the funeral, I send a letter saying I approved.” I feel the same way about blogging.—Chris Keys-Write what you know, write it with passion-set the world on fire with your deams!ChrisKeys2010@
Oh God, not blogging! By Chris Keys
Let me begin by apologizing to all of you, who like blogging and feel it serves some meaningful purpose in your life. I started writing because I want to craft stories that would spark the reader’s imagination and provide them with entertainment. I wanted to write stories and novels, that may not revival Hemingway, C.S. Lewis, Arthur C. Clark or some of the other literary greats, but they would at least provide an escape from the television, with it’s endless parade of rerun everything and constant, completely mind numbing, trove of commercials.
What I have found, that in order to get to the stage where someone can read my stories, I have to spend countless hours writing mundane and superficial paragraphs, dealing with basically gossip. Facebook, MySpace and many of the writing/writer sites, are choked with people who really aren’t writers just people who like to see their words on the screen, no matter how idiotic they maybe. Half the people on some sites haven’t participated in over a year. They are not writers! They have no passion!
Don’t people get enough of celebrity gossip on TV and in every other format there is? How many times can you rehash Brad and Jolie? Who really cares what type of shoe so and so bought, while drinking coffee with so and so, at what’s its place? I sure don’t! Do you want to know what I had for breakfast? Will that help my celebrity status?
Maybe it’s a guy thing! Maybe as a male of the species, I am predisposed to wanting to run and hide, every time the talking heads on TV start talking about the tragic results, of the relationship between some rich butt head so and so and some rich want to be blonde, who’s willing to do anything or say anything, to get the guy and the media’s attention.
Maybe it’s the allure watching the emotional train wreck of the Godless souls, who sold their souls, for five minutes in the spotlight and fist full of dollars that is never enough to support their life style dreams of sex, drugs and rock & roll! I have to admit, when I was twenty, that didn’t sound half bad. Then I grew up and found those who actually lived that way, didn’t really enjoy it. They weren’t very happy and just acted happy so that they could to keep the cash coming in.
Maybe it’s just an exercise in writing? That’s all this is for me. Craft a few well thought out sentences and post it, hoping someone will critique it, so I may judge how well I’m progressing in my writing skills. Notice I didn’t say typing! Nor did I mention punctuation. Damn punctuation! It’s the devil’s own spawn of mischief for me.
My publisher insists I practice blogging, for when my site, the one they are building for me, comes on line, I will have to blog daily, in order to properly market and stamp my brand upon the world. They say readers want to know all about the writer. It’s not enough to say he lives here and is happily married. They want to know deep inner thoughts and all of the salacious tid bits of their life. But some of us just aren’t that exciting.
I myself, you may have seen, like to quote other, more exciting and notable people, in the hopes that I might learn something from their insight and thus be more memorable myself. I figure, that’s much more interesting than listing my numerous crushed and broken bones. Or showing you a color coded map of the multiple scars I have earned, acting foolishly both on and the sporting fields. Of course I could regale the reader with my tales of bravery when I stopped a crime ring, single handedly and had to face down three men, my size, (over six foot, two hundred plus pounds) in hand to hand combat. Or when I was a youth, foolishly wandering about late at night, in the inner city of Detroit and had to escape an armed robber, bullets bouncing off the alley walls around me, as I ran for my life.
No, that’s all so last century, almost a life time ago. I’m almost embarrassed to bring it up. So I’ll keep struggling to write something interesting, something that a reader might want to know. But if you hear a low deep resonant moan coming from cyberspace, just know it’s not a ghost or some malevolent spirit, about to set siege unto your home. It’s just this old fart, trying to think of some clever thing to say, in some new and oh, so exciting way! I wonder how Mark Twain, would have viewed blogging? I can hear him now, insulting the gentry with yet another back handed compliment. My favorite Mark Twain quote is: “I did not attend the funeral, I send a letter saying I approved.” I feel the same way about blogging.—Chris Keys-Write what you know, write it with passion-set the world on fire with your deams!ChrisKeys2010@
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