Space exploration and writing - An Analysis of two similar paths

On this forty-third anniversary of the man first stepping foot on the moon, I thought I’d go space with my blog.

If you’re like me, writing is really important. I want to make a career of writing. I want to leave an imprint with my writing. I want to make people laugh, cry, think and dream. I’m not saying that I do—it’s what I strive to do. This past week I started to think about writing in the grand scheme of things. Get a load of this for a sec:     

Let’s say that we look at recorded history and squeeze it into a fifty year equivalent time-span. For the first forty years of our shrunken recorded time-line, we know very little.

New Review for The Card

I just received a new review for THE CARD, posted on Amazon and Hide and Read a review blog site. She rated it at three stars, which I'm really okay with because of the excellent comments. Every reviewer has their own process and scale in which to rate books.

Take a moment and check out the review, I especially liked this opinion straight from the review:

 "...This novel takes us inside the world of baseball, or specifically, that of bat boys, with the introduction of Van's new job. For young sports fans, this may present a point of interest, especially as it is told through the eyes of a neophyte who is both awed and enthralled by each new experience. This "insider look" is one of the high points of the novel and ... "

A big thank you to Hide and Read for taking the time to read and post a review.

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Jim Devitt is the author of the #1 Kindle bestselling novel, The Card, and a weekly contributor to the indie writing and publishing resource, Indies Unlimited.

Stop the Insanity - Using the Right Words in the Right Places

I’m not big on posting boring lists, but today, I’ll make an exception.

It's RBI not RBI's

We all run across words, phrases and issues from time to time, that don’t make a lot of sense. Okay, I’ll come right out and say it, they are flat out WRONG. I don’t consider myself an expert on grammar or proper use of words so I’ve kept an ongoing list of the top pet peeves/mistakes I’ve made in the past. Here we go and, hopefully I hope, you’ll find a couple that will help.

The Devitt Clan has expanded

I'm back!

After a brief hiatus here on the blog, I have returned to the blogosphere with a new addition to the family. My wife and I recently brought Jovie Taylor into the world. This little bundle of joy was born on June 4th, 2012.

Her four-year old brother Gavin loves having a new sister!

I'll be back to regular submissions now that we've gotten through the first month. Stay tuned for some cool and informative articles.

Illuminating Blogger Award

Woo Hoo!

So here I am, minding my own business (okay everybody's business, I was on Twitter) when I see a Tweet that I was nominated for the Illuminating Blogger Award. Where did that come from??

I am honored and humbled by the recognition and I must send out props to KD Rush from The Rush Room for the nomination. The Illuminating Blogger Award is bestowed upon individuals or groups with informative content or blogging techniques or personalities. I have to think most of the content that has garnered this attention is through the Indies Unlimited Site that I contribute to on a weekly basis. While I do separate the content from this blog to IU, I tend to provide the more "how to" stuff over at IU.

Please visit the site for the award "givers" here.



The Rules
1. The nominee should visit the award site (http://foodstoriesblog.com/illuminating-blogger-award/) and leave a comment indicating that they have been nominated and by whom. (This step is so important because it’s the only way that we can create a blogroll of award winners).
2. The Nominee should thank the person that nominated them by posting & including a link to their blog.
3. Share one random thing about yourself in your blog post.
4. Select at least five other bloggers that you enjoy reading their illuminating, informative posts and nominate them for the award.
5. Notify your  nominees by leaving a comment on their blog, including a link to the award site (http://foodstoriesblog.com/illuminating-blogger-award/).

Random Fact
I was a member of the College All-American Marching Band and performed at the Statue of Liberty Centennial celebration in New York City.

Five Blogs
1. Storyfix  Author Larry Brooks, Story Engineering
2. Book Dads  Author Chris Singer
3. A Newbies Guide to Publishing    Author JA Konrath - Hugely influential
4. Amanda Hocking's Blog Author Amanda Hocking - Hugely influential in the early days
5. Full Moon Bites - Author Holly - She posted my first review ever!

These are five blogs that have changed my life. I don't say that lightly.

Lonely Life? Not as a Writer

Writer.

Lonely?

That word looks so lonely. Every author has heard the proverbial, “Writing is the loneliest profession.”

Really.

We spend countless hours in front of the keyboard, with our imaginary and sometimes not so imaginary friends.

Think about it, if you write 750 words per hour (a decent clip, about what I average when I’m rolling) that means in the best case scenario, that’s 133 hours for a 100,000 word novel. In other words if you wrote for a solid five hours per day, it would work out to roughly 27 days—month and a week if you believe in weekends.

Nice reference letter from a client

Hi All, 
I know I've been quiet lately. Lot's going on. I wanted to share with you a letter I received from a non-profit that I worked with on a recent fundraising campaign. 


As I've grown in the indie publishing world, I've gotten more involved with social media. This has led to various freelance projects and helping others with developing platforms. Social media is a constant maze that changes almost daily. 


In this recent project, I worked with two non-profits to help them set up a social media program and then launch a fundraising campaign. It was a very rewarding project and we were able to help them raise enough money to receive a dollar for dollar match by the WK Kellogg Foundation. 

Some nice props from the Southern Partners Fund

I just received this letter in the mail today. It made my day!


Thanks to Linda and her team for helping make this a truly successful experience.  

If you are interested in learning more about working with social media please leave a comment below and I'll be happy to discuss with you.