Inspiration From Panama City Beach

Though it might appear from my last post on Writing Creatively that I haven't written much since the beginning of April, I assure you that if you check out my Gallery of Posts, you'll find a lot of blogs and articles written over the past two months.

Today's post however, is merely a video, one that refreshes and inspires me – the sights and sounds of Panama City Beach. I hope you will enjoy it.

Has Your Work Been Stolen? Here's What to Do!

Writers sometimes wonder if, once they put their work "out there," somebody will come along and steal it. Guess what? Sometimes somebody does! 

So does that mean you just don't write anything anymore or that you have to copyright everything you write when you post a blog or an article? 

You CAN do it that way or you can put the copyright symbol – © – at the bottom of each blog (on Apple click Option G – on PC click Control G). Still, despite your best efforts, your work might be stolen.

You are competing with millions of other bloggers and many of those "writers" troll the blogosphere looking for content to steal. Your words might be fodder for their blogs – IF you write well and provide interesting content. In other words, if you are a good writer, you'll probably get your work stolen.

I did. You could say that I should have been flattered that my work was worthy of thievery, but I wasn't. Criminals STOLE my work and while I did not seek revenge, I did find a way to stalk THEM, I mean stop them. ;)

Want to know how? Read How to Stalk a Thief: What To Do If Your Work is Plagiarized – Stolen!

And to find out How to Report Internet Crimes, click that link. 

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The Wonders of a Website Chat Tool Known as Chatwing

Guest Blog Post from aaron@chatwing

In the modern era, blogging is now more than just a trend—it is an unfaltering discipline that will be remembered for many years. Through blogging, people are learning new information every now and then. Information in the blogosphere is divided into niches, complete with thousands of subscribers to know and meet. If you want to enter the realm of blogging, you can have a clever head-start with a simple but wonderful application known as Chatwing.

Chatwing is a chat box that can be installed to your blog. Like other chat boxes, it provides another way for you and your visitors to communicate effectively. What sets the Chatwing tool apart from the bunch is its level of customization and accessibility options.

Color schemes, font styles, and sizes are common in the Chatwing chatbox. If you have a creative mind, you can try out these styles in the account dashboard. Background images are also available, so you can really overhaul the appearance of the chatbox. You can change the appearance as often as you want.

The wonders of the Chatwing tool don’t stop on customization alone. You can take advantage of the tool’s social media connectivity option. Visitors of the chatroom can log in with their Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Yahoo accounts. This is beneficial for online marketers who want to reach more people in lesser time. Do you only want a single login method for everyone? That is easy—you can check or uncheck the login methods in the dashboard. For greater accessibility, it is advisable to put two or more login methods.

Currently, the chat box can be used in five languages. Since the chat tool is in a very dynamic stage, you can expect for more upcoming features in months. With the Chatwing tool embedded in your site, better online visibility is now ensured.

Find Chatwing on the web @ Chatwing.com

New TV Shows Not Yet Made

Ever since I first watched The Dick Van Dyke Show, I have wanted to write for television. I wanted to be part of a team that would mold the characters everyone else would either love or hate. I wanted the camaraderie of writing buddies. I wanted to recline on couches or walk around the office drinking coffee and brainstorming sensational ideas. I wanted to create at least one television show that would result in phenomenal success.  

But I didn't. Instead I raised a family and worked at a variety of places performing numerous – sometimes mundane – other times interesting – tasks, where I contributed my talents to everything from ad design to cocktail waitressing. Wait. I had absolutely no talent for cocktail waitressing. 

But I could have written for television. "I could have been a contender." But maybe I'm just good with concepts. Does Hollywood buy concepts?

Well, Hollywood, here are the top 4 television programs I would have created if only I had known how to move them from my mind to the screen:

(Before I list them, I must explain my spelling on this first one. I was once reprimanded by Google for mentioning certain body parts, so in accordance with Google's rules, I will exchange the first vowels in each "threatening" word with symbols. Apparently mentioning certain body parts classifies one as a sexual deviant. Case in point: Little Boys Love Their Urinators, previously written as Little Boys Love Their P^nises) – you can read it, if you like, to find out what a deviant I am. 

Anyway, here are the NEW TV SHOWS NOT YET MADE:

Four P^nises and a V^gina

Imagine the pitfalls of a married mother raising three boys. Her very tall husband barely hits the toilet and doesn't really care anyway because he never has to clean it. Her teenage son sulks through numerous puberty situations, her toddler son thinks his penis is a weapon, and the baby loves watching his toddler brother.

Next door to Four P^nises and a V^gina live Four V^ginas and a P^nis – a couple with three teenage girls (teenage son from next door is in love with all of them) whose home has become a common refuge for the next door neighbor mom who LOVES their clean fresh bathroom and yearns for escape from her male dominated home while husband of Four V^ginas sneaks next door for some male bonding.

Hiss and Growl

This animated cat and dog show points out our human frailties, prejudices, stupid ideas, and more, as different breeds of cats and dogs with amazingly human characteristics interact with other cats and dogs.

"I HATE Michelle Dogama!"

"Why? What has Michelle Dogama ever done to you?"

"Nothing. I just hate her. HATE HER! DO YOU HEAR ME? I ABSOLUTELY HATE HER!"

"OK! I get it! But what about her do you hate?"

"Everything!"

"You can't just throw a blanket over her to cover everything. Be specific."

"The way she talks, the way she looks, the way she dresses, EVERYTHING!"

"I think she speaks very well, looks very classy, and dresses quite elegantly."

"Well, yeah, you would, you Dogamat!"

These Are Your Lives

Viewers become unwilling participants just by accidentally tuning in (some people just can't help themselves) to These Are Your Lives where they find themselves spiritually transported onto the set of a show that is always in progress. The host and other members of the viewing audience examine the past lives of contestants to explain why viewers are wrestling with their current situations. As their bodies remain in their homes they are aghast when they realize that they have accidentally tuned in to the only program they were warned to avoid!

The show addresses all kinds of problems. Here is one of them:

"I don't want to be here."

"But you tuned in."

"It was an accident! I didn't mean to land on your channel!" (crying now)

"But you did. And now you're here."

"But why??????"

"Well, isn't it obvious? The reason you are fat in this life is because you made fun of fat people in your last life. Here. Watch yourself."

The screen shows the contestant at various stages in her life making fun of fat people. Her body is obviously different on the screen and she, quite naturally, has no memory of her past life.

(still crying) "That is NOT me. I would NEVER say anything like that."

"Yes, folks, the common thread that unites all of our contestants is denial, denial, denial."

And what do contestants win? An opportunity to have their past lives examined and the chance to be on TV, of course!

In Character

(I won a Reader's Digest contest with the logline for this one – my award? – Larry Brody's, Television Writing from the Inside Out!)

In Character, a spinoff of various television programs, brings actors together who remain “in character” from their different sitcoms, dramas, and reality shows while interacting with a three-generation family of "characters." 

Imagine all of your favorite actors from all of your favorite programs coming together week after week in one new offbeat comedy where they remain “in character” from their previous sitcom. In Character is a sitcom about an eccentric but young ex-hippie grandmother, a creative attractive ad-copy mother, and a trying-to-find himself college-age son, who daily interact with characters who remain “in character” of the sitcom from which they come. Audiences watch their favorite actors from a variety of programs, perform together in an offbeat comedy where, week after week, different characters work together In Character. I even wrote the pilot for this one. Oh, well.

And that, my dear readers, is my contribution to the new generation of TV shows that are not yet made – and probably never will be – in my lifetime anyway. Having said that, I would LOVE for somebody – anybody – reading this to prove me wrong. :)

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Writers – How to Publish Your Book FREE!

You've written a book and you want to publish it, but you're stuck. How do you publish it? 

Some of us pull out our Writer's Market to find an established publishing house that may or may not ever look at your unsolicited manuscript or we read Writer's Market online to find a publisher where we pay $5.99 a month for the privilege. Others of us of check online publishing companies to find the best deal, but these days the Internet is so filled with them, how do we know what's legitimate and what's not? 

You may have forgotten to ask yourself one very important question: is your manuscript really publishable? While some of us painstakingly comb through each letter of our manuscript, polishing it until it practically gleams before we send it off, others whisk it away without even a first edit.

Please – for your own sake – NEVER send your manuscript anywhere without editing it first. Let me tell you about my experience publishing my book, Mud Puzzles: Vengeance With a Fury. You'll find it online, by the way, but you won't be able to purchase it – I pulled it from the publisher, because I was unhappy with the company for continually asking me for money, money, money, money, money – the more money I was willing to pour into my book, the more successful my book MIGHT become. HA! Don't believe it!

After sinking hundreds of dollars into Mud Puzzles, and seeing absolutely no return on my investment, I became disappointed – not only with them, but also with me – because during the publishing process, after receiving the initial galleys, I discovered more mistakes that I needed to correct.

Again and again, spending more and more money, I would receive more and more galleys and discover yet again ANOTHER mistake. I was beginning to think the publisher was deliberately making mistakes on my behalf just to screw me out of more money. But when I looked at my original manuscript, I discovered that I was the one making all the mistakes! 

The problem? I was in too much of a hurry! I should have taken the time to edit my book properly before I sent it off. We are supposed to be learning from our mistakes, right? – not making more of them!

My manuscript now has a new name and is free of mistakes (hopefully)! I'm ready to publish it again, but not with my original publisher and not with the old title. Once again, I have decided to go with Print-On-Demand (POD) publishing, but this time I am choosing one that doesn't ask for upfront payments.

A friend of mine recommended a free web site, createspace.com, which for obvious reasons became a viable option, but since I learned about that recommendation, I've discovered a publisher who allows me to write without having to take care of publishing details. 

Shorehouse Books (sister to Humor Outcasts Press) takes a manuscript, publishes it, designs the cover and, until the author reaches sales exceeding 500 books, splits its revenue 80/20 in favor of Shorhouse Books. After 500 books sell, the author benefits because the 80/20 split is now in the author's favor. I personally like that kind of attention. I don't have to spend my time getting an ISBN number or looking for someone to design my cover. All I have to do is submit my book to them.

Why go with Shorehouse Books or Humor Outcasts Press as opposed to other POD publishers?

While both Shorhouse Books and Humor Outcasts Press do not supply authors with a PR budget, they do provide initial and ongoing social media plugs. They also provide links to your book in their Humor Outcasts web site. 

As with many other publishing companies, the bulk of the marketing is up to the author. Unless you have a book so immediately popular that consumers rush to buy your book after standing in long lines to purchase it, you will need to promote your book yourself. 

As Chuck Sambuchino claims in his Reader's Digest article, How to Promote Your Book: Press Releases, Media Pitches, and Promotional Materials, "Publicity is not a spectator sport." In the article, Sambuchino gives authors a whole itinerary of steps to take: Make a plan; Prepare your promotional materials; Craft your press release; Shrink your sound bite; Hone your pitch – and he explains each one in detail – well worth your time to read before you publish your book (just click the link). 

Because both Shorehouse Books and Humor Outcasts Press are new (Shorehouse Books doesn't even have its own web site yet), the publishers are accepting only those submissions that meet their stringent standards. Your book may or may not get published.

Still interested? After you've followed Sambuchino's instructions and if you truly believe Humor Outcasts Press or Shorehouse Books will accept your manuscript, contact either Betsy@HumorOutcasts.com or Donna@HumorOutcasts.com to find out if your book is publish-worthy. If it gets published, don't forget to PROMOTE PROMOTE PROMOTE, using Chuck Sambuchino's tips.

Haven't written a book, but you write comedy? Write for Humor Outcasts (click the link)! 

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Writers Make Money HERE!

Every writer I know wants to make money writing. Whether we blog or write articles or books, we hope to make a living with our writing.

For a few years I have been writing for Yahoo Voices. For a number of reasons, the quantity of articles I've submitted to them has been low. I'm not going to get into why I've cut down my submissions to them. Suffice it to say, I'm disappointed with them.

Recently I came across a writing site that appears (so far) to be a legitimate writing site that shares its Adsense revenue 50/50. The more articles you submit, the more money you'll make.

Like any legitimate writing site, BubbleWS lists rules to follow. You must follow the rules!

The nice thing about BubbleWs is that you can immediately see how much you're making through The Bank and you'll find the community of writers there enjoyable and helpful.

BubbleWS charges you nothing to join (which is as it should be). As BubbleWS states in its How It Works category, "Write Your World. Speak Freely. Join the movement. The time of not sharing revenue with the very people who create your content is OVER!"

How refreshing!  – I have only just begun writing for them on February 24, 2013, and already I've made $4.00 from only 5 articles (the site shows 6 because I accidentally posted one twice)!

So explore the website (everything you need to know is posted on their Home Page, check out the writers (join to be one of them), and if, after looking through the site, you decide to write for BubbleWS, please follow the links posted under each BubbleWS in this blog.

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The Mayor Who Inspires Children and Gives Away FREE Classroom Materials

While all of us might agree that education is more than just reading, writing, and arithmetic, many of us would also agree that education can be adventurous and exciting – especially when students are fortunate to have educators who inspire them to explore the world around them, experience their senses, develop relationships, and gain knowledge. But educators shouldn't stop there. They should also help kids develop common sense so they will learn to make sound decisions. And schools should serve as a repository of creative tools students can access to tap into their individual passions. 

Once those passions are explored, children discover the joy of invention and creativity, and they conceive of ways to combine their joys with their talents – talents that become careers – careers that make valuable contributions to the world.

Who doesn't want to ignite a spark in our children that creates a fun and entertaining environment conducive to learning? Who wants our children to learn by rote when we can inspire in them a desire to learn for themselves? By providing learning that goes beyond the standard educational studies into the creative arts, we enable our children to thrive and to prosper.

Yes, creative arts programs are costly, and creative programs fall by the wayside as more conventional programs find funding, because language, math, science, and sports have been deemed more important. As a result, many of our nation's schools suffer from lack of funding for programs that would enrich our children's creative lives, and our children suffer because we provide them with only a basic academic experience.

Why is Creativity important?

According to an article written by John M. Eger in the Huffington Post a few years ago, Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, once said, "You need to understand things in order to invent beyond them." In saying that, Mr. Gates announced a link between knowledge and creativity. 

The article further states that it is important for us to recognize that, "a whole new economy and society based upon creativity and innovation is emerging and that as a consequence, it is of vital importance that we reinvent our communities, our businesses, our government, and most importantly our schools to meet the challenges such major structural shifts are compelling."*

But how can we educate our children creatively if we can't fund programs that will enable our children to become creative? 

Well, thanks to the man I am about to introduce, funding is no longer a reasonable argument for denying our young students the necessary pleasure of exploring their creativity – at least for students in the younger grades. Because now one Mayor is GIVING creative educational materials to schools, not only in the United States of America, but also around the world. 

Who is this Mayor?

A father of two, married for nearly two decades to the mother of his two children, the Mayor of Storyville® is also the voice of Alien Answer Brain, Billy Borschtbelt, Camp Counselor Kenny, Dutch, and other Click-a-ma-jig cartoon characters on Nick.com. 

The Mayor of Storyville's name is Kenny Haas #25, and this Mayor's goal is to create a syndicated children’s program – shot live in schools that don't have an entertainment budget – and share his stories with the world. 

Every night as the Mayor of Storyville tucks his little girls (9 and 11) into bed (something he has been doing since the day they were born), Daddy tells his daughters an original story, and he has written down over 200 of his stories.

What is the Mayor of Storyville giving away?

The Mayor of Storyville is giving teachers and parents around the world the same thing he has given to Shriner’s Hospital, Chicago Commons, City of Hope, Feed My Starving Children, and numerous churches and schools – free access to his Mayor of Storyville® Channel. The Mayor of Storyville organizes fundraisers for the aforementioned organizations, films his shows in front of a live audience, and gives all of the proceeds from his shows to organizations that help children. And he uses those videos to reach even more children through his podcasts.

But more than giving to organizations he supports, the Mayor of Storyville, through his stories, helps each child's imagination and creativity to flourish. His interactive style engages students and teachers alike, because of the richness of his characters and because of the way he presents his material. 

And because of the way the Mayor of Storyville structures his presentations, teachers everywhere can benefit from his collection by bringing his videos into their classrooms to stimulate their students' creativity and enhance the classroom experience. Teachers can pause the podcasts while students construct their own zoos filled with animals they create, write their own stories, learn to draw, learn empathy and compassion, and so much more.

Parents, too, benefit from the Mayor of Storyville, whether they are homeschool parents or parents who just want their children to excel. Because anyone who listens to and watches the stories provided by the Mayor of Storyville immediately grasps Kenny's love for children and his love of story. You can tell that the spirit of the Mayor thrives on interaction with his young audience, and that he genuinely loves sharing his gifts with them.

How the Mayor of Storyville affects audience members: 

One audience member who had the fortunate experience of attending one of the Mayor's in-school presentations had this to say about the Mayor of Storyville, "If I was a teacher I'd use every tool at my disposal to keep the students inspired and engaged, and one guy has cornered the market at keeping students' attention, the Mayor of Storyville. I imagine that all teachers's schedules are hectic, and school finances are too tight to bring a writing program, but that is no longer a problem."

How to introduce a creative arts program when you have no funds:

That's right. School funding is not a problem for teachers who agree with the experts, that creativity is a necessary component in acquiring knowledge, because some creative people are stepping up to help schools out. The Mayor of Storyville is one of those people. His podcasts are FREE! 

Kenny's Mayor of Storyville CD just won a 2012 Parents' Choice Award and his podcasts are ranked #4 for Kids and Family on PodOmatic, one of the largest podcasting presences online. 

For 20 years the Mayor of Storyville has been inspiring children in the Chicagoland area to explore their imaginations and empower their creativity. Now Chicago is sharing their Mayor with the world.

Please join the Mayor of Storyville as he relates the adventures of his many characters. Share the Mayor of Storyville podcasts with your children and students. Have them post comments; the Mayor enjoys receiving comments and he always responds to them. Don't forget to "Like" each Mayor of Storyville story, and visit the Mayor of Storyville on Facebook too. 

You can also access the Mayor of Storyville through iTunes!

Here are links to the podcasts:

 http://mayorofstoryville.podomatic.com  

Create a Zoo

   

The Loneliest Crayon

   

Draw Along – Peepalot

 

 Little Lucky Lou (audio only)

 

*http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-m-eger/debate-over-intelligence-_b_986770.html