Tempted to Throw Away the Manuscript on 5 Separate Occasions

😣The dark secret about showing the client the “first” version

I just finished reading my first book written during the pandemic era. The title is Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel by Anthony Doerr. A significant length of 640 pages, but the book didn’t seem long. You can hear the editor’s praises (without giving away spoilers) here.

Now I know why the book was on the New York Times bestseller list for 19 weeks. The novel is about five characters whose stories cover almost six centuries. The people are all interconnected through a priceless ancient text.

Why mention it?

First, in case you didn’t know, Anthony Doerr is famous for winning the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. He invested ten years researching and writing the award-winner, All the Light We Cannot See.

The book received reviews like this:

“If a book’s success can be measured by its ability to move readers and the number of memorable characters it has, Story Prize-winner Doerr’s novel triumphs on both counts. Along the way, he convinces readers that new stories can still be told about this well-trod period, and that war–despite its desperation, cruelty, and harrowing moral choices–cannot negate the pleasures of the world.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

And this:

“Intricate . . . A meditation on fate, free will, and the way that, in wartime, small choices can have vast consequences.” The New Yorker

But if you suspect I’ve drunk **the Anthony Doerr is the Greatest Author of All Time kool-aid**, hold on.

Continue reading Tempted to Throw Away the Manuscript on 5 Separate Occasions

How to Blog Consistently: Create a Blogging Habit

How’s your blog doing?

Remember in high school when the cheerleaders would spell the letters out loud for the word CONFIDENCE to the crowd? They’d yell ā€œC-O-N … F-I-D … C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-C-Eeeeeeee!ā€ The cheerleaders wanted people in the stands to join in the chant and encourage their team to victory.

For blogging, I think the word we need to pay attention to is C-O-N-S-I-S-T-E-N-C-Y.

If your company has a blog, and you’re not publishing consistently, then you’re probably:

  • Losing followers.
  • Missing new leads.
  • Losing online authority.
  • And your website may be penalized by search engines, including Google, for the lack of fresh content.

Maybe you’re feeling a little regret. A year is almost done and your company has missed the lead generation gusto a regularly published blog can bring.

Do you want a different result next year? Continue reading How to Blog Consistently: Create a Blogging Habit

Five Takeaways from Visiting Ireland

Cliffs of Kerry

Cliffs of Kerry

The Wild Atlantic Way is Ireland’s first long-distance driving route. Where land and sea collide. Where untamed beauty abounds. Welcome to unforgettable experiences. Welcome to the Wild Atlantic Way. Ā www.wildatlanticway.com

Vacation to The Emerald Isle

We recently returned on a family trip to Ireland. it’s the third-largest island in Europe in landmass. Ireland ranks the second in population of islands in Europe after Great Britain. Experiencing many invasions from Europe in its history, the island has been inhabited for 7,000 years.

We mainly visited points along the Wild Atlantic Way, the longest defined coastal drive in the world. Thought I’d share insights about visiting Ireland’s west coastal region through marketer-colored glasses.

Photo by theplanetd.com
Photo by theplanetd.com

I noticed the Wild Atlantic Way signs about a day into the trip. Once I returned home, along with joy of recovering from jetlag, I examined the marketing side of Ireland’s tourism. My first impression? Continue reading Five Takeaways from Visiting Ireland