Recent Articles

Friday, February 11, 2011

Find your Blog Voice for each Blog and make it yours

Friday, February 11, 2011 - 0 Comments

One of the most important aspects of any blog is giving it a unique voice. I am still learning how to do this with my fifty plus blogs. You might think it's an impossible task with so many sites to operate but I'm finding that with time, each blog naturally develops a "personality". As the writer, just learn to manipulate and aid that personality a little bit. Then you will discover its true voice.

I can give examples to show what I mean. Let's see, I have multiple blogs but I'll pick a few that are unique.

Ren Faire Reese

A Pirate Queen who sails the continent looking for adventure and yearns to tell about it.

Heaven's Portal
 
Explore the spirit side of life. Prophecy, dreams, visions and near death experiences.

The Midnight Writer's Journal

Combined stories both professional and personal that account the life of a freelance writer.

Classy World Hotels

We're setting out to explore classy hotels around the world.

Now we're not talking about the Hampton or Howard Johnsons. This quest will embrace the unique, the exquisite, the beautiful rare elite hotels in world renowned locations. Have you ever been to Malta or China or the outer regions of Alaska or the remote cities in France? Would you even know how to begin looking for a unique or extravagant hotel in one of these regions? This blog will aim to solve that dilemma for you as we seek them out and review them for you.

A Dog Named Elvis
 
Mom loved Elvis Presley so much that she named her dog Elvis. My Dad followed suit by naming his little terrier Lisa Marie. It was a rock n roll dog's world around the house. I miss them all very much. Mom, Dad and Elvis have gone on to the spirits in the sky. Only Lisa Marie survives and she lives with my sister in a small mountain town in Pennsylvania. This blog is dedicated to Elvis and his family and to the Presley family as well. God bless them all.



Each one of these blogs belongs to me and I have created a voice for each one just by design alone. I wouldn't write the same kind of content when sharing dog stories as I would on a blog about classy world hotels. So begin this art by choosing your blog title and theme carefully. Choose topics that interest you because no matter what you write about you have to be comfortable with it. Explore this idea a little and I'll come back with some follow up on blog voice and how to manage its development. We can explore some famous blogs and writers that have achieved fame just because they have developed a great writing voice.

Have fun and keep on writing.
The Midnight Writer 

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Brainstorm for that elusive Topic

Sunday, February 6, 2011 - 0 Comments

Blogging is fun but it can be challenging if you are a professional freelance writer who is trying to come up with content on a daily basis. Maintaining multiple blogs is like running a dozen companies. Risks have to be taken to find out what works. I have a personal challenge about choosing topics daily. It's not a problem about having enough to write rather it is difficult to choose from the vast realms of ideas flowing from my creative side. I am not one to narrow things down or cut a story short. Blogging requires that your writing be shorter and punchy so you don't lose your reader. That said, let's expore the art of brainstorming. Simply defined, it means writing whatever comes to mind with no predetermined topic or words or length or style.

Just let it flow.
Brainstorm.

If you are unfamiliar with the art of "brainstorming", the following is an example. I'm going to write whatever comes to mind with no presuppositions or plans at all. Sentences do not have to be complete nor do they have to be related. Just literally write whatever pops into your mind. Here goes....

Pickles are not just for pregnant women. Men love them, too but I personally couldn't stand pickles whenever I was pregnant. Hmmmm....pregnant, how I remember the swollen belly, the tired feet and I couldn't reach my shoes to tie them. Getting out of bed required acrobatics when I reached my eighth month. My family was so loving. I enjoyed all those milkshakes whenever I couldn't keep anything down. And dry toast....that reminds me of all the homemade jam I made while living on my farm in Pennsylvania. The kids and I would go on excursions to pick buckets of berries...blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and elderberries...they made my favorite jam. How did we walk all those miles? I didn't have a car till later in life. Now I pay auto insurance every three months. Oh to be free from the gas prices and insurance. I long for walks in the woods and the smell of wild berries as I pluck them from the bushes. Going back in time. Science says it might be possible...I might live long enough to see it happen. Longevity, now there's a subject that fascinates me.

You get the idea. Let it flow and flow and don't restrain it. Keep going for a half hour or an hour if you have the time. You will be amazed at the ideas released from within your mind. Imagine the great writing material that is locked deep inside waiting for a way to unlock it and commit it to the written page. BRAINSTORMING is the KEY to writing fluently and creatively.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

I want the Studio in the Hip Echo Park District

Sunday, May 16, 2010 - 1 Comment


After much careful consideration and searching through studio or small apartment listings in LA, I found an area that suits my tastes very well. The Echo Park District is within close proximity to arts buildings, coffee shops, restaurants and the park. These are all the things I admire in a community that I would enjoy. I can call the Los Angeles Movers as soon as I find out if the cute pink cottage pictured above is available.


You know what? This one story little cottage sure does ease my earthquake in Los Angeles since its only one level. If my husband agrees with my apartment choice he can call the number for the Movers Los Angeles who was recommended by some friends. A lot depends upon the decision we make regarding our project in Los Angeles whether we make a move for one year or just rent a studio for a few months at a time. We could be traveling among several states so that's a question that's still up in the air.  I'm a little torn about the idea of living in such a big city in California or moving to a quaint cabin in the Rockies and traveling. I'll call the LA Movers to get an estimate so we can talk about the total cost. It's an exciting venture either way. Maybe we'll become LA suburbanites, you never know!

The Midnight Writer

Monday, May 3, 2010

Is there a Proper Form for Leaving Comments?

Monday, May 3, 2010 - 0 Comments

This is a question I have often posed but I have not found one suitable answer. So I am exploring this puzzle in hopes of providing good information.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Goal Setting for Blogs is very Important

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 - 0 Comments

If you don't have a plan already, create one. Don't worry, you can edit later. You can also change your mind on certain plans to a degree. Just commit some strategy and a few big goals to paper. This will drive your vision for your blog forward.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

8 Sources for Blog Topics

Thursday, April 15, 2010 - 1 Comment

Frequent Bloggers who write professionally often struggle with producing blog topics. There are days for me that seem as if there is just nothing new under the sun to write about. Other times I see the same topics written and rehashed by hundreds of sites and I tell myself that I don't want to hang in with the crowd. Popular content for the day is not always the best topic to choose for your blog. I find that my mood reflects what interests me on any particular day so tap into that inner source and go for writing about your passions. Brainstorm and write whatever comes to mind. You'll be surprised how many topics will develop this way in a matter of minutes.


For those off days when the hot topic of the day doesn't suit you and your mood is off kilter so that nothing seems to resonate, I give you some tips to pull you out of the funk. Try these methods and see if it helps. I'd love to hear how your experience goes so drop a comment sometime to let me and my readers know how you develop your blog topics.


Search Engines: If you are inspired, type in some keywords about a subject and see how many links appear. If there are not too many articles written on your choice of the day, then come up with an angle, get passionate and write about it. If you have no idea what you are trying to find, then type the first set of words up to five maximum and see what comes up. Do this two or three times if necessary. You'll be amazed how quickly this will spark ideas for your blog.

Twitter: The effervescent Twitter is always a sure thing for me. I just type in the search bar "trending topics today" and let the streams of ideas fly before my eyes. I have trouble choosing so some times I use this method to create blog topic titles for multiple posts on multiple blogs. Then I go back later to brainstorm the articles that match the title. It's a fun sort of mad hatter way to write but it gets very creative and helps me to step out of my comfort zone.

FacebookEvery blogger who is a serious professional freelance writer needs a facebook account. There are two writing tools that I consider essential: Twitter and facebook. I mean, isn't every one using both these social mediums to communicate to the world? This will get you noticed. Now how to find topics using facebook...scan your friends to see what they are chatting about. Select a common topic and create a blog post about it. Perhaps your friends are posting thoughts and questions back and forth. You can expound on the topic by relating thoughts in depth and by answering a list of questions on the same topic. Then send a message to your friends on facebook with a heads up about your post. Don't forget to tweet it, too!


Technorati


Social Networks

Entrecard

News and Current Events

Personal Life - This might surprise you but your life is a wealth of events, thoughts, ideas, people, places and things. Tap into this endless resource and you will never want for blog topics. Try an experiment. Get a blank piece of paper - a very large piece of paper...OR....open the notebook on your computer and start thinking about your life. Let your mind wander. Write the first thoughts that come to you or the first event you begin thinking about. There are no boundaries and no rules here. Brainstorm. Remember. Question. Ponder. Daydream. But write it all down. Don't worry about punctuation or sentence structure. Just let if flow naturally and spontaneously. Do this once a week religiously. Time yourself for perhaps fifteen to thirty minutes. Save all your scribbles. Now look at your notes and start writing down every lucid thought, topic, full sentence, title idea or paragraph. You should have enough blog topics for at least a month if you write two to three times a week.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Health Insurance Contracts that Save you Money -Contrats d'assurance médicale maladie qui économiser toi argent

Tuesday, April 6, 2010 - 0 Comments

Les politiques d'assurance-maladie chargent des primes annuelles basées sur l'information empêchée et des critères préexistants. Souvent les gens payeront l'assurance de la laquelle ils n'ont pas besoin. Étudiez un fournisseur d'assurance-maladie qui vous sauve argent parce qu'il se contracte pour donner l'assurance quand vous avez besoin de soin médical. Avec mutuelle hospitalisation vous recevrez les avantages qui se prolongent au delà du séjour, des procédures et des médicaments de base d'hôpital. 

Ils offrent des contrats avec soin qui avance à la maison et pour votre famille et animaux de compagnie.  Ils offrent des contrats avec soin qui avance à la maison et pour votre famille et animaux de compagnie. Obtenez vos animaux de compagnie inquiétés de tandis que vous vous asseyez avec un enfant malade sans devoir inquiéter comment il sera payé. Des médecines peuvent être fournies à votre maison sur le dégagement de l'hôpital. En fait, les provisions à la maison de soin sont disponibles dans la politique médicale d'assurance. Ceci inclut le transport, l'équipement spécial établi et l'aide domestique pendant le processus de rétablissement. Une ligne directe est disponible pour répondre à toutes vos questions. Appel 0.810.816 253 aujourd'hui et début obtenant le soin que vous pouvez se permettre.

Soutenez mon commanditaire  - Support my Sponsor
L'auteur de minuit  - The Midnight Writer

Lisez ce poteau en anglais ci-dessous.  - Read this post in English below.


Medical insurance policies charge annual premiums based on foreclosed information and pre-existing criteria. Often people will pay for coverage that they do not need. Investigate a medical insurance provider that  saves you money because it contracts to give coverage when you need medical care. With mutuelle hospitalisation you will receive benefits that extend beyond the basic hospital stay, procedures and medications.

They offer contracts with care that extends into the home and for your family and pets. Get your pets cared for while you sit with a sick child without having to worry how it will be paid. Medicines can be delivered to your home upon release from the hospital. In fact, home care provisions are available in the medical coverage policy. This includes transport, special equipment set up and domestic help during the recovery process. A hotline is available to answer all your questions.  Call 0,810,816 253 today and start getting care you can afford.

The Midnight Writer

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Twitter is an Asset to your Blog

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - 0 Comments

Are you a member of Twitter yet? If not, you might be wondering what all the hype is about. Well, you have to sign up and promote your blog, your website, your ideas, make new friends, learn about every thing imaginable by surfing the tweets on Twitter. Then you'll know why people love it.

Follow me on Twitter at @midnightwriter1

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Now you can Access an Online Repair Pal

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 0 Comments

The internet provides handy access to almost anything these days and auto repair shops is one of the essentials that people commonly use. It isn't always easy to find a reputable mechanic or a repair shop that meets your needs. Now you can access an online repair pal via the internet and its available on your iPhone, too. Imagine being in a big city like Chicago when your car breaks down. You don't know anyone and you have no idea who to call in the dozens of listings in the yellow pages. So you reach for your laptop or your iphone and look up Chicago auto repair shops that specialize in computer glitches for the latest model Toyota Corolla.

Voila! Ten listings come up in the search but only two specialize in your make and model of car. You can easily run a price comparison then call the phone numbers provided for the two available auto repair shops to find out who can service your car first and for the best price. The tow truck can be there in minutes to get you off the highway and back in service. It was all made possible because of one handy website and the internet. Don't you just love technology?

While a computer glitch in your car might be a job for a trained professional, there are other parts that can be repaired or replaced on the spot. If you're not a mechanic or even a good "fix-it-joe", don't worry because this online website gives detailed descriptions on how to fix certain vehicle problems. One of the most common and possibly one of the most troublesome repairs is the water pump. Granted, it is not as simple to replace as a battery or a distributor cap but it can be done on the road side if you need to fix it right away. Make sure that you consult the directions if you have never replaced a water pump because my husband has experience and he recommends that you get all the needed materials. A list of what you will need is included in the website repair details so you'll know exactly what you need before you begin. Enjoy your travels in more confidence with your new travel buddy.

Monday, March 29, 2010

What is a Blog Disclosure Policy and Why do you Need One?

Monday, March 29, 2010 - 0 Comments

Simply stated, a Blog Disclosure Policy informs your readers that you sometimes write paid reviews that may or may not reflect your personal objective opinion. Avoid offending your readers by showing up front that you are a paid writer who receives compensation for some of the material published on your blog.




Look for this image in the sidebar any time you want to read it again. It's easy to identify and very quick to find. That is very important for your blog audience and any prospective clients that you may have or gain. Write a simple policy in easy to read language that clearly states who you are, what you right, why you write about certain topics and who influences your writing.

Why do you need a blog disclosure policy?

Aside from the obvious reasons stated above, it is now required by the FCC and other federal regulations. Most Blog Companies who hire freelance writers will require you to post a disclosure policy on the main page of your blog, preferably the sidebar so its evident on all pages.

It's really not such a big deal but compliance with this courtesy rule keeps you in humble favor of your readers and the law. DisclosurePolicy.org guides you through this process with ease so use their formatted template to create your own policy today. Publish it as a blog post then create an image that links to that blog post and place it in the sidebar. Voila! Ten minutes and you're done, for the life of your blog. Why not create yours today?

Blogging Network

Subscribe

Donec sed odio dui. Duis mollis, est non commodo luctus, nisi erat porttitor ligula, eget lacinia odio. Duis mollis

© 2013 Blog Day Planner. All rights reserved.
Designed by SpicyTricks