Suggestions to Improve Your Blog

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         I first encountered blogger Daron Henson on a discussion forum at LinkedIn.  Soon I was a regular visitor to his blog Daron Henson--Freelance Writer to read his series of short stories based on some of his favorite country songs.  The stories are peaceful and optimistic.

         Since I had already been offering my critiques of his stories and suggestions about blogging, Daron recently contacted me for some advice about how to freshen his blog and attract more readers.   Here is what he wrote:
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I would like your opinion on something. I have had an "Inspired by ... Country Music" feature on my site for quite some time. However, I believe that my site is getting rather monotonous. Do you think I should add in occasional accents to my site such as top 10 music of different genres/styles/themes? Maybe an occasional focus on other aspects of pop culture? 

Check out my site at http://newkidintown1995.blogspot.com. 
Tell me if you have any ideas to enhance my site. 
Thank you.

Dear Daron:

What I latched onto shortly after I started blogging was regular features.  I don't adhere to this as closely now, but for quite a while I would have a special theme for each day I blogged and I'd make sure I was consistent in my posting of these.

This method is what made me start 3 extra blogs concerning niche themes.  So now I deal with blogs concerning dreams, memoir, and Bible study, publishing one day per week and always on the same day for each respective blog.   In other words, my Bible blog posts every Sunday, the memoir blog every Saturday, and the dream blog every Thursday.  Readers of those blogs have expectations of when posts will appear and I make every attempt to meet those expectations.

On my main blog, Tossing It Out, I consistently post on  Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.   Lately I've been delving into the theme of controversial debate topics and that has been getting a decent response with many long well-thought comments.  I think I've got some readers interested in this debate concept.

You might want to consider a 2 or 3 day schedule where you continue to do what you've been doing on one of those days but maybe expand the story themes to some extent.   You can stick with your current stories based on country music concept since that's kind of like a trademark and it's a good concept that you can take a long way.  Then on other days you could explore non fiction themes about writing, pop culture, life, or whatever.  The mix of fiction and non-fiction will create a nice balance and display your versatility as a writer.

Your posts don't need to be long or complex and most importantly you should involve the reader.  Make the posts as much or more about them than you or what you're doing.  Engage in conversation.  ASK QUESTIONS--this is the most important thing I've done to get better reader response. When I began including questions at the end of my posts, my comments increased significantly You want them to listen to you, but remember a lot of them would like to say something too.    It's up to you to facilitate those conversations.

Variety is good.  As I've mentioned before, you might want to consider the rigor of the A to Z Challenge.   It's a good way to test the waters to see what readers respond to best and to develop a networking system for yourself in order to make social rounds a bit more organized.  Check out some of the posts at the Blogging from A to Z Challenge Blog to get some ideas.

Hope that helps.  Happy to assist in any way I can.

Please stop by Daron's blog and provide him your words of encouragement and support.  Hopefully you will discover a new blog to follow.

      Do you blog according to a schedule?   Do you use recurring regular themes on your blog?  What are some suggestions you might offer to make a blog more interesting to capture a larger audience?

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Ten Ways To Write a Bloodless Death Scene: Jim Murray Guest Post

         I've found that LinkedIn is a wonderful place to meet other bloggers and authors.  Recently I met James Murray and was impressed by his new blog.  Jim's fiction deals with murder mysteries.  You can find his blog at James J. Murray.  Today I've invited Jim to share some of his sinister knowledge.   This is intended as information for writers--do not try these at home!


Ten Ways To Write a Bloodless Death Scene

Recently I was doing research for a new book.  The storyline called for one of the characters to be murdered.  Simple enough!  Shoot or stab the person, or use a dozen other ways to kill off the character.  But that didn’t fit with the storyline.  It was important that the killer not leave ANY blood at the crime scene, ESPECIALLY the victim’s.  Hmm?!  What method would I use to accomplish that?

I talked to a friend about my dilemma and the discussion led to some interesting suggestions about how to construct a bloodless murder scene, and the resulting research became even more fascinating.  To say I’ve become an expert at describing a bloodless murder scene might be going a bit too far, but I did learn a little valuable information that I’d like to share with my fellow writers of crime.

I say I learned “a little” because there are SO MANY ways to kill without shedding blood that it sort of overwhelmed me.  I began to think, “So many ways to kill and so little time to write about it!” 

At any rate, the following is a list of some of the more interesting and believable ways to accomplish the task.

                        The Temple Blow – The skull is thin there and the temple bone shatters easily.  More importantly, though, the middle meningeal artery is located there.  Rupture that and you cause a build-up of blood and brain compression.  That’s called an epidural hemorrhage.  Very effective and death will follow if the pressure from the blood is not relieved in a relatively short amount of time after the trauma.

               Cobra Venom Darts – Cobra venom is a powerful neurotoxin (causes general muscle paralysis and respiratory failure) and it contains an anticoagulant (causes blood not to clot and the victim can bleed to death).  It kills in as little as 60 minutes.  Imagine the cool chapter you could write if the victim realizes what’s happening but can’t do anything about it.  

                      The Russian Omelet – Cross the legs of your enemy and pin him to the ground chest down.  Then push the legs up toward his back and sit on them to fold and break the base of the spine.  It’s usually fatal.  I’m thinking the killer should be of “substantial” weight to make this a believable kill method.

                 An Airborne Toxin Release – There are any number of good choices, from a viral toxin to a lethal poison.  A simple Internet search fuels the imagination.

                      An Insulin Overdose – Insulin is the hormone that spits out of our pancreas whenever we eat sugary or starchy foods.  It transports the resulting blood glucose into our cells to be used as fuel.  Too much insulin primarily causes a low blood sugar level and this leads to a variety of symptoms (shaking, sweating, blurred vision, seizures and coma) before death.  Describe the symptoms properly and you’ve got a great murder scene, and some kinds of insulin don’t even require a prescription.

                        Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning – It’s a simple way to kill, but not very imaginative.  Lock someone in garage with a car running and soon the carbon monoxide build-up will kill because it replaces the oxygen in blood.  (The oxygen we breathe binds to the hemoglobin in our blood to oxygenate our bodies, but carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin instead and we essentially suffocate).  There are products, however, that kill in the same way as CO.  In a murder scene I wrote recently, I used an organic solvent that preferentially binds to hemoglobin instead of oxygen (like CO) in a murder scenario.  It proved to me once again that there’s no substitute for good research when writing creative, interesting scenes.
 

                  Ethylene Glycol – This is the main component of antifreeze.  It’s a colorless, odorless, sweet-tasting chemical that’s easy to add to most any food or drink.  It’s rapidly absorbed in our GI tracts and distributed throughout the body, creating a variety of wonderfully toxic effects.  The initial symptoms mimic a drunken state, but kidney failure is what usually causes death.  Interestingly, alcohol is the antidote of choice.  Maybe the KILLER should down the shot INSTEAD to celebrate a good kill!

                           Strangulation – A dramatic death for sure, but it’s been used A LOT.  It causes death in one of two ways: compression of the carotid arteries and/or the jugular veins, and deprives the brain of oxygen.  It can also fatally compress the larynx and/or trachea to prevent further air intake.

                         A Fatal Drug Dose – Any number of drugs (both legal and illegal) could be used, but the most rapid effects are gained if the drug is injected.  I recently blogged about what drug makes the perfect murder weapon and will talk more about that in future blogs.

                          The Adam’s Apple Crush – This is a hit to the larynx and a prime strike point to cause death if you connect dead center and with substantial force.  It makes a great kill scene for those Special Forces type characters.  The knuckle punch or a strategic kick closes the airway and denies the ability to draw in air.  Death from oxygen deprivation results.

       As mentioned, these are just a few of the more interesting murder methods to add to your crime research.  I’m sure you’ve come across others.  Want to share them with us?

Thoughts?  Comments?  We’d love to hear them.

Bio for James J. Murray:

With experience in both pharmaceutical manufacturing and clinical patient management, medications and their impact on a patient’s quality of life have been Jim’s expertise.  His secret passion of murder and mayhem, however, is a whole other matter.  His obsession with reading murder mysteries and thrillers left him longing to weave such tales of his own.  Drawing on past clinical expertise as a pharmacist and an infatuation with the lethal effects of drugs, Jim creates novels of Murder, Mayhem and Medicine that will have you looking over your shoulder and suspicious of anything in your medicine cabinet.   

           Be sure to stop by Jim's blog and see what it's all about.

Web Presence

Telephone Directory, 1896 (Photo credit: MildlyDiverting)

Information Please 

      These days telephone books and other specialized directories have nearly become obsolete.  Like most people probably do, when I want to find a business or information about somebody or something, I will typically do an internet search.   Most information provided by directories can be found on-line, plus we have the added ability of cross-referencing information in multiple sources.  If you are in business or trying to market something, this is why you need a web presence.

Leave Footprints

        If you're reading this, it probably indicates that you already have some web presence.  Odds are you have a blog and that's one step in establishing your place in cyberspace.  You are also probably signed up on one or more social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.   The more places on the web that you can be found, the more significant your web presence is.

        I am of course stating the obvious to most of you.  My blog entry today is not going to be any extensive how-to on the subject of search engine optimization or building a website or anything of this nature.  And since I am no expert on these types of topics I can only allude to them and recommend that you do your own research in the many books, blogs, and websites that are dedicated to these topics.

         Tied in with physical visibility is the virtual visibility provided by the internet.  The platform that concerns most of us is our blog.  Once you have a blog established it is important to infuse quality content into it, especially if you are intending it to be a professional showcase of who you are and the abilities you possess.  A blog can be a great marketing tool as much as it can be the stage for a fool.  Hopefully you are not putting yourself in the latter category unless buffoonery is the persona you are trying to sell.

         Blogging web presence is not just limited to your blog.  Realize that your comments on other blogs are also part of that presence.  Quality comments can get noticed in a good way.  A caveat which I know well is that an inappropriate comment can linger as well and bite you in the behind when you least expect it.  Be careful what you say.

Be Sociable

        Another very important aspect to blogging presence is being recognized on the blogs of others.  Make friends in the community of other bloggers.   Give credit to what other bloggers are doing and showcase them on your blog.  Host guest bloggers if you can.  And whenever possible be a guest on other blogs if you are invited to do so.  Maximum exposure without overexposure is the name of the game in blogging.

Be My Guest

            So with that opening let me extend my invitation.  After the April Challenge it's business back to normal on my blogs.  I will be looking for the occasional guests on Tossing It Out who have books released or something of particular interest to my audience.  On Wrote By Rote I frequently feature those who have memoirs in print or who have something of special interest to those who are interested in the topic of memoir writing.  If you have something that might fit well on my dream blog I'll even consider a guest now and then on A Faraway View.  We will also be looking for a lot of guest posts at the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge Blog during the course of the rest of the year--contact us or watch that blog for more details.

         If you are interested in doing guest posts for any of these, please contact me at arleebird@gmail.com.

Some of my past guests include:

Teresa at Journaling Woman has long been a blog friend of mine.  If you haven't visited her A to Z entries you must experience the unique treats she has to offer.  She's been working very hard on her stories.

Karen Walker is another blogger whom I have followed since my earliest blogging days and will provide some food for thought when you visit her blog Author Karen Walker...following the whispers.

Larry Cavanaugh at DiscConnected could not join us for this year's Challenge but he's given much input into my site both on the page and behind the scenes.  Music lovers will especially appreciate his site.

Marcus Clearspring has not actually been posting in this year's Challenge, but he's made an important contribution.   You know those A to Z Navigation Buttons that so many of you have added to your pages?  Well, Marcus is the guy that created those for you to use.  Please stop by to say hello and thank him.

       
            What are some ways you have left digital footprints?  Do you host guests on your blog?   Do you make guest appearances on other blogs?

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