Social Media Minute—My Social Media Image Cheat Sheet

There’s not a lot as frustrating as trying to look at an image on Facebook (or any other network) that’s the wrong size. By the time I blow it up big enough to see it, it’s too blurry. To combat that, here are some exact dimensions to help you avoid that trap, and not just for Facebook.

It’s my Social Media Image Cheat Sheet

This list will give you the specific information you need to upload photos to various social media sites.

What Is The Best Place To Find Craft/Critique Partners?

Are you busy working through MBTWRIMO?

Pretty soon you will have a first draft. Where will you go from there? Where do you find someone who can understand writing and all the necessary components to make a great story?

We’ve tackled that question today.

I’m back with my absolute favorite editors, Edie Melson and Beth K. Vogt.

If you would like to watch this question and answer session, click here.

If it’s easier for you to read, read on!

Where do you find craft/critique partners and what’s the difference?

Linking Your Social Accounts and Other Major Blogging and Social media No-nos

Successful social media is something of an art form—with lots of gray areas. Building a successful online presence takes a good amount of flexibility and a little bit of experimentation. But even though I encourage people to find their sweet spots, there are a few things you want to avoid. Today I’d to weigh in on linking your social media accounts and other major blogging and social media no-nos.

No-no Number One

Do not link your blog with social media. What I mean by that is you don’t want your blog o send a notification of your newest blog post to Facebook or Twitter or any other social network. On the surface it seems that would be a great shortcut for those (almost all of us) who find ourselves in a constant time crush. But it’s not.

Here’s why:

Rachel Hauck

Story Blocking

Story blocking is key to giving readers a sense of time and place in a scene. Just where are the characters in relationship to each other and what are they doing?

Ever read a book where you know the protagonist went into the kitchen to talk to her mother but you never “see” what they are doing while talking, or where they are standing in relationship to each other?

Is the mother cooking? Is the protagonist sitting at the kitchen table or leaning against the counter? Does she fiddle with a napkin holder as the conversation goes on?

Maybe the characters are just walking through the woods or sitting on a beach. Do they reach for a low swinging branch? Scoop up a handful of sand and let it slip through their fingers?

Show the reader where the characters are in relationship to one another and any movements.

Now, we don’t want them jumping all over the place like Mexican jumping beans. But they aren’t card board either, all stiff and standing in place as they talk.

If the protagonist is sitting on the sofa talking to her husband, then you only need one or two movements to make the “setting” clear.

What exactly is blocking?

Blocking is a theatre term that refers to the precise movement and positioning of actors on a stage in order to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera. — wikipedia.org.

Readers need to see and know where your characters are on you book stage.