My 4 Year Anniversary

My Professional Mentor, Edie Melson

By Laurie Epps

I can't believe that it was four years ago today that I started my first blog. I was inspired by my beloved mentor, Edie Melson to have at least the perfect trifecta: a blog, Facebook, and Twitter. Today, I'd like to do a remembrance of the last four years, and how far I've come not only as a writer, but as a person as well.

Respect the Email

By Laurie Epps

We've gotten so used to corresponding by email, that the very idea of sending a letter via snail mail seems foreign to us. I don't know about you, but I love the feel of a handwritten letter written on pretty stationary. I've got a friend named Betty that our handwritten letters are still the main form of correspondence. However, for the business world, waiting for the postman to arrive is very inefficient.

The norm for the business world is to send a thoughtfully written email. Problem is that it's often taken for granted since it's also the main way we communicate with our friends too. An important thing my professor in college used to say was "to remember you're not writing your buddy." I think that little tidbit of advice is important to remember when querying for work, or even if you're reaching out to readers. Email is tragically overlooked.

Cherish Your Email Signature Line

My mentor, Edie Melson

By Laurie Epps

Sorry about the long break in my posts. But as the cooler temps, and autumn air is sinking in, we're all adjusting to our new schedules. Routines are being established, and I'm adjusting to life without school. 

Now, it's back to work. Be sure to check back on our new day, Tuesday. This will just help me tremendously with my schedule. We're still working in my mentor Edie Melson's book, Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers.

Monday Morning Book Club, Revision

By Laurie Epps

I don't know what it is, but I just love old worn books. I always have. Even their musty book smell is intoxicating to me.

So Monday Morning Book Club, is going to dormant for a little while. For those of you who were enjoying learning about Social Media and Writing Techniques that has been moved to Tuesdays.

So join me now on Tuesdays to learn about Social Media using Edie Melson's book, Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers.

Edie Melson and I

I hope you'll join Edie and I now on Tuesdays with your morning coffee or tea.

Blessings,
Laurie

Sundays: Back to Basics

By Laurie Epps

Looking for my mainline in work, I lost myself. By definition, I'm a writer. Love it, or hate it, that's my roots. I've found looking tirelessly for work is both arduous and exhausting. It sucks out your very soul. But what's a girl to do between gigs? The answer is simple. Create. Create like nobody's watching.

Ok, so I've been stockpiling a little work here. The next phase is the query. Find publishers who might be interested, but the key is sometimes it's ok to write for our own edification. I took some much needed time off for this process.

My most popular column, "Monday Morning Book Club" is now being moved to Tuesday. We'll continue in Edie's book, Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers.

At the conclusion of Edie's book, we'll get back to fundamentals. The column is going to redirect to the process of writing. I need to stay entrenched in what I love. 

Writing itself, is sort of a weird endeavor. You go into seclusion to communicate to the world. 

I hope to see you all on Tuesday.

Blessings,
Laurie

Changing It Up

By Laurie Epps

Hello, my dears. Pull up a chair with your favorite hot beverage and let's talk.

I've had this column for close to three years, and it's time to make some changes to it, don't you think? Since graduation, the purpose of this blog is changing, and I'm going to be revamping it's look. However, that doesn't mean that I've got to stop posting. If you think it's a different blog when you post one week, it just may be that I'm making some formatting changes.

In the last little bit, I'm realizing that I too, have had some major changes in the last three years. I've gone up and down in weight, and I've graduated college. I'm still adjusting to life out in the real world. I've gone from being a wife to being a single mother. I've gone from being a student and intern to writing professional.  Sometimes it's elating much like the cliche ideal of the mountain top experience, but other times it feels like I'm running on empty.

Luckily, for every empty tank there's a nearby gas station, and every different disappointment there's a new beginning. For me, my rock has been my faith. Without God, I'd not have a roof over my head, food in my belly, and the tremendous privilege of raising my two daughters that are still at home. I know that I'm embarking on a new season of my life since nothing in my life is familiar (Ref: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Shouldn't my blog reflect that? I thought so too.

Due to time constraints, I'm moving my Monday Morning Book Club to Tuesdays, and I'm in search of the perfect name for it too. If you've got any suggestions, please share them with me below. We'll still finish up Edie's wonderful book on Social Media, but at it's conclusion, we'll refocus and talk about writing technique. Of course, this will lead to discussions on books about writing, but when appropriate, it will also mean you'll see some columns that are more freelance in nature where they're not based on a book at all.

Well my dears, as we're at the beginning of fall, I recommend that you get out there and get lost somewhere. No, I don't recommend being lost literally, but instead metaphorically. Take your kids to a pumpkin patch, take a drive in the mountains to see the fall colors, or head to Starbucks for a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Who knows, you might find a writer working feverishly in the corner of Starbucks, or with a small notebook jotting down notes while hiking the hills. 

Till we meet again... Hopefully on Tuesday, October 7, 2014 with my new writing column.

Blessings,
Laurie

What is Hootsuite?

Barn Owl

By Laurie Epps

What is Hootsuite? In my opinion, it's the most valuable tool in your social media tool box. But, to understand how valuable it can be, you've already established yourself at least on Facebook and Twitter. Hootsuite's a valuable tool that keeps you from making social media a part-time job. Hootsuite can free up your time to do more writing.

To learn the basics, we'll continue to work with my mentor, Edie Melson in her book, Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers. We're focusing on pages 119-120. 

Owl taking a look at Hootsuite

What do you do if you've been hacked?

Photo courtesy of Edie Melson

By Laurie Epps

Sorry that my Monday Morning Book Club is coming out this afternoon. We're continuing with our book, Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers. We're talking about what to do if you get hacked. It's a risk we'll take every time we get on the Internet.

Many of us become overcome with dread when we realize one of our social media sites have been hacked. The easiest way to be hacked is to click on a bad link that's infected with a virus. But, beware. They bait you. 

Prevent Yourself from Getting Hacked

By Laurie Epps

Welcome back. Today's blog is about preventing yourself from getting hacked. However, be aware that nothing is foolproof. But Edie's straight-forward approach makes it easy for us to follow, but also brings forth things that we might be taking for granted.

We're still working from her book, Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers. A lot of this section seems to be common sense, but in the digital age, it's just too easy to click the wrong click.

Copyright Law

By Laurie Epps

Hi everyone. It's good to be back. We're still working from Edie's book, Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers. Today's topic is very sensitive, and there's a lot of layers to learning all the different copyright laws. Instead of trying to give you every copyright law ever written, this blog will focus on the basics for most writers. If you want to go more in-depth, look at pages 109-114 of our text.

****Disclaimer: Edie Melson and I aren't attorneys, and this isn't meant to be a source of legal counsel. Instead, it's meant to be an introduction to Copyright Law.

What is Klout?

Courtesy of Edie Melson

By Laurie Epps

Are you having trouble managing your social media? Do you wonder what agents and publishers are looking at when they decide your "relevance"? Here to help us along the way is social media expert, Edie Melson.

Edie Melson is my beloved mentor, former boss, and friend. She tours the country extensively, and encourages folks on the writers path who are often afraid of social media. To see her current schedule, click here.

Edie's book, Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers has been the topic for my Monday Morning Book Club since September of 2013, and I highly recommend it as a reference book to get you in the trenches to best display your work on the Internet stage.

Google Plus 101: The Basics

Photo courtesy of Edie Melson

By Laurie Epps

There are so many social media forums, but how do I know which one's the most beneficial? For me, I follow writers such as Edie Melson, but I also follow trends. There's a few websites that I like to do that with, but I just googled it when I was starting out. You'll see if you do this, that the trends are pretty much the same no matter which one you choose.

So, to guide us through the pro's and con's is my mentor Edie Melson. We're continuing with our reading in her book, Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers. The publisher, My Book Therapy is a great resource to learn writing techniques, enter contests, and learn how to create your fiction novel. It's a tireless resource that chalk full of industry insight.

Pinterest & Image Copyright Issues

Photo courtesy of Edie Melson

By Laurie Epps

Let's hit the bricks together. What images can you use on the Internet? Which ones can't you use? How to know the difference is covered in our text, Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers by Edie Melson. If you need to purchase a copy, just follow my link.

For example, if you'd like to use one of Edie's photos on her blog, she's got expressed written consent directly on her blog, just as I've done.

Pinterest doesn't change those rules, and anything you've posted wrongfully, you're liable for personally.

Do You Pinterest?

By Laurie Epps

Although I've got a Pinterest, I know it's grossly underused. As a writer, I only saw it's application to post book covers. My main line is feature writing, so it's first impression lost my interest. That's changing now.

We're continuing with our book, Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers. Authored by my mentor, Edie Melson, she breaks down the good, the bad, and the ugly of social media, and explains it in very easy to read terms. If you don't know where to start with your branding, or a blog, this will be a great addition to your resource library.

Pictured with Edie Melson, my first day as an intern

Utilizing You Tube--It's Big

Compliments of Edie Melson

By Laurie Epps

As writers, it's easy to overlook video as an option for getting our name and platform out there, but since You Tube is still #2 most popular form of social media, it's something we shouldn't overlook. 

Edie has been in a number of You Tube videos and usually about social media. So we're going to continue to talk about social media in her book, Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers.


She's going to walk us through the most basic of basic information. The nuts and bolts of creating your own You Tube videos. This can be the difference of working or not working because it gives your work a face and person behind the work.

Headline Techniques

By Laurie Epps

You've only got 140 characters, so how do you grab your readers attention? That's not a lot of time. Edie Melson teaches us that by knowing some basic headlining techniques, we'll grab the attention of our readers in our Tweet blasts.

We're continuing with our book, Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers. Everybody's busy nowadays, and so most consider their time to be valuable. As writers, it's our job to pull them away from their every day tasks, and spend a few minutes thinking about our products, services, or simply read our blog. Just like novelists have one page to grip the reader, a blogger has only one Tweet. 

Finding Relevant Hashtags

By Laurie Epps

Now that we've talked about hashtags, but what makes for a good one? How do we find relevant hashtags, that maximize our blogs? How do I know if a hashtag will reach my audience? 

Back to Twitter bootcamp in Edie's book Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers. We'll help you have the most phenomenal hashtags imaginable.

Six Twitter Taboo's

By Laurie Epps

There's a lot to remember when you're first getting started on any social media site, but here to play watchdog for you is Edie Melson. Not only was Edie a pleasure to work for and with, in her book Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers Edie breaks it down in simple and manageable pieces for us.

I confess, I'm learning right along with you! But that's part of the whole purpose of this column, to share experiences with one another. We're all in this together. What's wonderful about being a writer is that we're all so different, that we can all just make a little room for each other.

Today, we're going to talk about all the things we're doing wrong so that we can fix them. There's a double edged sword with social media, but there's also a little bit of grace. So let's get serious, and stop doing the six little faux-pas on Twitter.

Twitter Etiquette

Cassin's Sparrow

By Laurie Epps

Twitter has a lot more rules compared to other social media outlets, especially in regards to composition. All users have an 140 character limit per Tweet on Twitter. If you plan to re-tweet, you've got to keep it under 120 characters.

Not only is Twitter restrictive on how many characters you can use, there's lots of subtleties that make people mad. As a conscientious blogger, I just know you don't want your Tweets to undermine all the hard work you're doing on your blog.

In Edie Melson's book, Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers she gets down to the nuts and bolts of the fundamental unwritten rules of Tweeting.

Making Every Tweet Count

Western Bluebird

By Laurie Epps

Twitter has become more and more popular. This is both good and bad. Here to guide us through the gauntlet is my mentor in her book, 
Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers. 


The popularity of Twitter is:

• good, because it's easier than ever to connect with other people.
• bad, because it keeps getting increasingly harder to stand out.