Remember the New Url?

The new URL for the

Far Isle Half-Elven Bog:

is 

Click Here.

Explanation why I set up a new blog URL.

Stumbling over Meta-Tags

While trying to improve the search engine results for my fantasy Half-Elven world website --  The Far Isle Half-Elven --  I discovered I had completely messed up on setting up the URL for the blog.

Live and learn.

Result:  A New Blog URL.

http://half-elvenblog.blogspot.com

Visit my new Half-Elven blog to learn the gory details.

Have a Verra Merra Holiday

What do you think of my "Half-Elven Home Page" picture?  It arrived in my email this morning, just like a present. ---  There's one more picture to go up, for sure, for this blog, but it may be awhile before it happens.  We'll see.

That's the good news.  The normal mire:  I'm still working on the website ... trying to come up with a way to add new content on a regular basis.  The best idea I've had so far is "Renna's Gossip" about the main characters -- Mariah, Ashton, and Linden.  New content would be easy if I was selling stuff regularly ... but at this point, I'm not.

Next step:  I have to start promoting the site ...  which means adding meta-tags without stuffing keywords in every sentence.

Unless there's some tremendous news ... like maybe Samhain accepting Dark Solstice ...  I won't be blogging until the New Year.  

So, enjoy the holidays ... 

and take the time to watch snowflakes fall, 

walk in fresh snow, or

or day dream to flames dancing on the hearth ... 

or whatever calms the frantic chaos of the season for you.

How about a couple snoozes listening to carols?

Pride Goes Before the Fall

Last week, I worked hard on the Half-Elven site.  My critique session with a professional computer guru gave me all sorts of insights on how to do the keywords.  I had them in the text, but not in the proper search slot.

The new picture of Mariah and Renna came in.  I learned how to cut out thumb-nail pictures and applied them on the website pages.

Oh, I was feeling soooooo good and pleased with myself.  I'd even corrected all the typos I could notice.

Then, I decided to reformat Renna's page so I could have two columns of links to the various "gossip sessions"  since I've given up on full-blown short stories as a way to add new content to the website.

The screaming and gnashing of teeth you heard last Saturday night was me.  I deleted all the the changes I worked so hard on all last week.  I even managed to delete the website page leading into Renna's Half-Elven Tales so I can't find it to restore.  *^#_@%*!!

The Far Isle Half-Elven Progress

It's probably cold comfort, but I'm getting happier with the Half-Elven website.  Just cleaned up a bunch of typos and made some clarifications in the text.  

Also, put the Renna page back up so people can link to different stories.  I'll keep the stories on the blog because I can get many of them up without using site pages.  --  Even coordinated the blogs ... and like the look better. 

[Having the blogs on Blogger is just another example of my cheapness in paying for hosting 10 pages instead of 100.  Maybe GoDaddy should have an intermediate pricing option ... like for 25 pages?  Whatever, I'm grateful for them having an easy-to-use platform for computer idiots like me with live help to get me over the bumps.  So, I spend enormous amounts of time on the Half-Elven website.  I'm learning.  As always, life is a trade-off between time and money.]

Guess I should be spending all this time building "my name url", since most author sites go that way.  But, I write adult and middle grade fantasy.  I don't think the two would mix too well ... like my half-elves are into sex though I don't go into much detail.  I think.

Just a couple more illustrations to go ... and I can submit the website to 1st Turning Point to get shot down.  Like I know I should get a media kit up on the site.  I'm thinking of putting it up on a separate page from my author bio ... but it seems a little presumptuous to put one up before anything is published ... or at least, within a couple months of being published.


If anyone has any suggestions about how to juggle the two age levels, I'm "all ears" ... or is that eyes?

Never Ending Website Building

The pictures are coming along.  Just approved another one for coloring ... for the History of the Far Isle Half-Elven page.  This is the good news.

The bad news?  I can't get the home page to come up as the home page.  Will be calling GoDaddy customer service come tomorrow ... today.

The middling news.  I'm in the process of deciding whether I should mention my new sale on the website home page when I get the thing working properly.  Only problem is that the short story I just sold to Spectra Magazine ** isn't set in the Half-Elven world.  This promotion thing just keeps getting more and more complicated.  I'll probably keep any more comments on the writer's blog.

Why can't modern writers hide in a garret?  [Not that I'd like to starve.]

** I give the link to this e-pub because they include info about the science fiction/fantasy world.

Surprise. Surprise.

Got surprised the other day when doing the "name search" bit.  WolfSinger Publications has Taking Vengeance, my novelette about Mariah and Ashton discovering the threat posed by Trestemontan magic, listed on their site in the middle of their 2011 list.  Guess that means it'll be published somewhere around June to August -- right when I'll be doing the traveling thing.  Guess you can't have everything.

Worse, it means I have to get serious about this platform thing ... but am disinclined.  Maybe I'll feel different when I finally get my illustrations up on the website.

Progress on the pictures!  Take a look at the home page illustration of Mariah with Ashton and Linden.  I think I drove the poor artist crazy with revisions, but I really like the result.  Now I have to find or write the copy to go with it while the artist puts in the color.  At the moment, can't remember where I saved my previous draft copy -- if I did.

Linden, Mariah and Ashton -- the Triad who launched a Rebellion against persecution but became estranged after they won freedom for the Half-Elven.  [by Igor Glushkin].

AAArrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhh!

Am in the middle of snagging yet another artist to illustrate my website.  At least this one has graduated from college and has sent me a contract with a deadline.  --  Do I relax yet?

While I was supposed to be getting an ending on a free short story for the next Renna's Tale, I've been putting the pieces together to submit Dark Solstice to an e-publisher.  Sample.  Cover info.  The dreaded Synopsis.  All done including a fine-tuning of my query letter that a thousand-and-one agents have rejected.  --  What's that definition of insanity?  Repeating the same thing and expecting a different result?

I think I'm better off finishing my short story about levying tithes and political control.  I have to submit it to a critique group Friday.

Artwork!!! Ain't it Grand.

Artwork:  Hannah Nitecki

The above is the link-artwork I put up on my website ... after over two hours of struggling with the GoDaddy templates.  No wonder website builders charge so much.  You never know when your content will jump away from you to where you don't want it. -- Do you think web designers have more control over the mouses than I do?

The full picture is up on Renna's Tales.  The depiction is the scene where Gorsfeld meets Mariah the first time while she's working in the apple orchard.

Can't believe I've been working on this since August.  Guess patience is a virtue.

Some progress made on the next Renna/Mariah story.  Have the beginning ... and the ending ... and some vague ideas about what's going to happen in the middle.  I'm trying to outline by motivation.  Purpose of story:  to explain why even the Half-Elven are suspicious of elves.  This may be one I put up for e-sale.  

[Frankly, I don't know what I'm doing.] 

Sometimes Delay is Good

I think.  At least so far.  I've been reading a lot about e-publishing lately ... not necessarily self-publishing.  The end result:  I'm thinking about changing how a develop my website.  

Basic change?  Removing the "free" story.  If I can get some "cover" art, I'm going to e-publish them for $0.59, if possible ... with maybe a revolving freebie deal.  I don't know what I'll be doing.  The ideas still swirl in my head.  Whatever, the stories will be on the first page of my site.  Only I must figure out the linkage stuff.

Traffic still shows up at the Tales of the Far Isle Half-Elven site.  Increased almost a hundred since last week [if I round up] from wherever they're finding it.  People even follow the links to my blogs.  So, if you're a new viewer.  Welcome.

Yeah.  Someday I might have pictures of the characters up on the site.  First installment promised by Wednesday.  If it doesn't show, I'm off to find another artist.  I may be easy, but I'm not a patsy.

PS:  I hope you find this color combination easier on the eyes.  I've been dinking with the advance design for over a month.  Think I got the button close to the right spot this time.

Over 300 Viewers and Counting

and they weren't all me.  Believe it or not I only look at the counter on my Half-Elven website a couple times a week.  I wonder what'll happen when I publicize the thing.  I'm sure some gamers have gone away uninterested when they visited. 

Have been looking at Wordpress a bit.  Several people have said they are great for websites.  Guess I'm too simple-minded to use them.   Got so confused, my eyes crossed.  I think I'll stay in the idiot's corner.

Believe it or not I have a date for when I'll get my first artwork ... and the artist is interested in doing more illustrations.  Hopefully, once she gets an idea of what the characters look like, things will go faster.  Maybe I'll have everything up by November.  Then, what do I have to do?  I'm afraid it'll be marketing ... which I hate.

Oh, on the Renna's Tales front.  Revisions don't bore me ... but give me creating any time ... ideas bouncing around like bucky balls is much more interesting than the discipline of editing, etc.  Latest idea.  Renna wants to be a serialized novel of the years just after the Rebellion.  

Think of Renna and Maren arm wrestling.  My mind seems to be doubly active when I'm dozing in my chair with Wiggles sprawled on my lap.

Feeling Good -- Without Pictures

May not have the original artwork yet, but I do have the second Renna's Tale up --  Stubborn Is As Half-Elven Does.  May not seem like much, a 3300 word story.  But I can't write short things ... with any ease.  I always have a huge info dump at the beginning before the action starts ... and often end up with lots of exposition telling how the story fits into the world at hand.

We won't even mention the typos.  Was rather embarrassed to find a couple on my website and don't even want to know how many are in the Renna Tales.  Yeah, I corrected the ones on the website.

Now, I have to decide what if anything I'm going to do about The Foiling of Gorsfeld.  Guess I could try putting it up on Smashwords or Createspace ... but that would work best if I had some artwork I could fit into a cover.  At least, I think I should be doing something else with the story to build a readership for the Half-Elven world.  Back to the old notebook where I've been keeping notes on how to create a platform, etc.

Why do I think the world runs in circles?

Heaving a Sigh of Relief

Yeah.  The artist I've been emailing reminders too ... emailed me back.  She's still interested in my project and promised to have something to me by next week-end.  

Seems she's in college and taking 19 hours.  For some reason, she thinks that supposed to keep her busy?  I'm amazed she's even considering my project ... which is now up to three pictures for my Half-Elven website.

Reminded me of my first couple semesters in college when I was still hanging around the literary magazine crowd.  [I was working full time and carrying 18 hours so I could get out of the place as soon as possible.]  ... Yeah, I was writing at the time though not publishing.

What was this fantasy writer writing?  I'm almost ashamed to say I was imitating what the literati were writing.  Only vaguely remember one piece.  An old man dying, remembering his long-lost unrequited love, breathing in time to the neon sign across the street from his basement apartment.  Why do I remember that?  ...  Well, shortly after, I decided the whole group was inane and gave them up for partying in San Francisco.

Life offers more than one reason to sigh with relief.

Wrestling the Short Story

Still ... trying to cobble together a short story for Renna's Tales.  The piece is progressing, but not as fast as I had expected.  [The story of everyone's life, I'd guess.]  My hopes of knocking out a short story [around 3,000 words] a month have withered for lack of skill.  One problem:  making a magically powerful Half-Elven vulnerable.

While I'm not particularly happy about the delay, I think the effort is worthwhile ... if only as a training exercise.  I'm into "keep it short, stupid" mode.  The "it" being my writing.  Hopefully, I'll get new content on the website next month.  

The going-for-a-story-every-other-month idea made me feel less a dunce ... then, I discovered the anthology Must Love Hellhounds was out in mass paperback.  Sat back with great expectations of a Charlaine Harris and Ilona Andrews story ... plus a couple other entertainments ... and got whopped up the side of the head.  Charlaine, I hardly knew you.  Her story, while interesting, dragged.  It took nine pages to offer the first of her dry [in character] commentary statements.

Must thank the editor for introducing me to a new writer though:  Meljean Brook.  Loved the way she made the stock tough former CIA operative character stand out as an individual.

Pictures?   You wonder.  I'm working on it, but I really feel uncomfortable being a "nag".

Still, Agonizing Over Pictures

First, a Warning ...

I picked up a virus on Sunday night.  As soon as the little shield on my bottom tool-bar popped up, I shut the computer off -- so I don't think I infected anyone.  But, if you visit a lot of the stuff I do, you probably already know you've been infected.  Whatever, it took two days to get the computer guru to remove the stuff.

Seems to be a lot of the stuff going around from the stories the guru told.  So, if you haven't updated your security lately ... you should look into it.

Pictures...

Finally, managed to get my picture transferred to the author bio section of the website.  As much as I'd like the increase in numbers, it's not worth going to to see.  I put up the same picture I have on my blog.  [Not the cat though he's prettier.]  

When I enlarged my new "professional", I was sneering.  Or, at least my lip was curled.  Do you think that's the way I smile?

My first artist backed out of the commission for my home page ... so I'm looking for another picture for the home page of my website.  For now, I'm not going to worry about it.  The page can just sit as it is.

Story Progress ...

Experienced a little deja vu while my computer was off.  I wrote by pencil ... so I could erase often and much.  Discovered I write about twice as fast on the computer in spite of all the backtracking and copy/pasting.  Won't repeat the experiment soon.  My thumbs would whine if I spent one more hour with pencil in hand.

The next Half-Elven short story progresses ...  featuring Mariah after the Rebellion was won.  Again, Renna has her nose in the action.  Now, I get to worry about whether the story has a plot or not.

Here a Picture, There a Picture

Ugh ... pictures.  Spent hours to get the GoDaddy scenery pictures up, thanks to the helpful people in customer service.  They represent the landscape of the Marches my Half-Elven play in ... but am still waiting for the original artist to get back to me.  I need to get some specific pictures up that show my characters.

Think I'm getting an object lesson about working with "family".  Still, I like his style ... and hope to get something soon.  If not, I'll proceed without him ... and let him keep the down payment.

Found another possible artist at AW Water Cooler.  We've exchanged emails, and she's interested.  Surprising thing, she works in markers.  I'm thinking markers fade, but if I get the pictures scanned ...  We're working for a picture for The Foiling of Gorsfeld.  

Am thinking I may have to change my planned schedule for posting stories.  I keep coming up with backstory and infodumps instead of story.  I've never really been able to do short stories, and I seem to be reverting to form.

Somewhere, I saw a comment to the effect:  What happens when your characters stop talking to you.  In this case, Renna's talking too much and to little purpose.