Squidoo Lens-A-Day Challenge

Now that I'm getting more serious about the writing thing, I realize that the most important thing for me to do is to write. A lot. And preferably, to write things that other people will see, because that forces me to be on top of my game.

That's why I love Squidoo. Squidoo is a site that provides users with a template to easily generate content on the web. It also gives users tools to add all sorts of fun modules to their sites, or "lenses" as they're called in the Squidverse.

And the best part is, if you get really good at it, you can make money! There are two ways to earn money on Squidoo. All the ad revenue generated by the website goes into a big pot, and half of that goes directly to the writers, or "lensmasters." In addition, some of the modules (such as the Amazon module) give you cash if people follow the links and buy the products.

I've been getting more into Squidoo lately, for three reason:

Writing for Fun and Profit

So I've managed to make huge steps in the "writing for fun and profit" venture over the last couple of weeks.

I signed up for the Cracked Comedy Workshop run by the irreverent humor site Cracked.com. I immediately submitted a pitch to the workshop, and I immediately got shot down. The thing is, I had no idea all the work and intelligence that goes into a Cracked article! (Feel free to laugh, but next time you're reading one, take a closer look. You'll see what I mean.) I thought the whole thing was just making fun of movies and talking liberally about various parts of the human anatomy, but boy, was I wrong. It takes a lot of research to make an article that meets the Cracked standards, and a lot of time and effort. Which I will keep in mind as I continue to pitch in the future.

I wonder if this means that I have to start being funnier in my posts? God, I hope not. Being funny is hard work.

Naming Characters with Baby Names

Just found something interesting today that made me smile. It was an example of someone modifying a website designed for one purpose to suit another, and I thought that it was great.

I don't know about the rest of the writing population, but often when I'm stumped for character names I turn to the wonderful Baby Names website. (Heaven forbid my boyfriend catches me on the site without an explanation!) Anyway, it's a great tool that can be used many ways. For example, you can simply browse through the lists of names for inspiration. Or you can use the advanced search function, which allows you to search for names by gender, meaning, origin, and more.

Nanowrimo Novel Progress... and Sequel!

I didn't want to say anything before, in case I jinxed my progress. Now that I've been going strong for more than a month, I think it's about time that I talk about what I've been up to.

After I finished my Nanowrimo novel, I decided to let it 'settle' for at least a month. Okay, so let's be honest: the thought of editing terrifies me. I proved to myself writing The Hidden Land of Gre that I could write a novel-length first draft. But I've always gotten snagged when it comes to taking that tangled collection of duds and gems and spinning it into something beautiful.

Life Changes

Greetings! Long time no see!

I felt that the time had come for an update, so here it is.

I've made a lot of huge changes in my life recently. I'm working as a consultant now, and living in my very own first personal apartment (yay!) I'm also easing myself back into fiction writing, with Nanowrimo of all things (yikes!).

Things are moving forward, and I'm very happy.

Cheers to all!