When You Write?

     Where is it does a writer find themselves when the mood strikes them? Is it at work, before they go to bed or perhaps at anytime during the day? I have discovered that writing does not follow a time piece but rather flows whenever the mood strikes. It is when this creative architecture takes place as it bows down and releases words for the writer to grasp then write in such a loving manner.

     Writing is not always sporadic or indecisive. I can continuously move along in such a way that the writer themselves does not have an apparent reason why characters, plot, or meaning is the way it is. Accept it and write at night, during the day, or in the morning. I myself write anytime I feel like it. Writing is one of those wonderful insights that comes and goes and when it comes, be prepared to exhaust your brain.

     The morning hours are usually best for writers just after a morning walk. It inspires the mind to take hold of ideas that had been stirring within. A good jog loosens many good stories ready to leap from the writer's hands. Exercise in the morning wakens the mind and prepares it to write what simmered during the night. Early writing is blurted out so the writer can move forward with their day to do whatever is waiting for them after the words have flowed.

     Day writing can be very soothing too. During the day, the morning is through and the children have gone to school so there is no excuse not to write unless you have a job to attend to. This time can be set aside for you, your mind, and your creativity. Let to move outward where words can distinguish themselves from what transpired during the morning. Release them! Don't hold back. I find that I can receive a headache if I do not write.

     Night writing is especially grand. Many writers are without distractions and feel their outward movement clutch their minds. Write your heart out and do so with integrity and honor. Allow this time to spew your sentences of the day. Sometimes we come up with great concepts for future books and can rehash what we thought about. The main premise is to write, write, write!

~ Author Candy O'Donnell

http://authorcandyodonnell.blogspot.com/

The Heart of the Writer

Writing can be compulsive, complicated and overall exasperating, and if performed according to ones specks, it can be very rewarding. A writer does not just sit down and begin writing each day without a predetermined thought; thought must grow over time and accumulate what it is the writer intends to flow from their minds. Each thought does not blossom upon command; no never at the spur of the moment does an entire novel spout out quickly.

It takes time for a writer to hone their endeavors ever so carefully and with much thought. The reader is always in mind, and whenever a writer does decide a thought is worth revealing they sit quietly and ever so quickly let go of that particular thought, no matter if it is short or long.

Writers work in different ways. Some categorize their characters, situations, and even their minute thoughts. To discuss how a writer operates, it varies from person to person. Writing can become a religion for one human while it has become tedious for another. It was so often assumed that writing always comes from the heart; it can flow from the mind too.

In-depth writing that conforms to the human heart takes time and meticulous thought that must come from inside where no key has ever unlocked it unless the writer grants accessibility. Some of the greatest stories have been pulled from inside the heart and the writer has finally decided to release it. What a tremendous thing to have happen. Profound stories can sometimes cause the writer’s tears to flow along with their words.

That beating organ in the center of our chest is what drags the writer along the path of pebbles, sorrows, and blood-red anger that encourages words to be cast out. Is it natural? At times it is completely natural for a writer to produce extravagant settings from fiction to non-fiction that cause such a rukus that even the reader must pause before continuing. That is what makes a great writer.

All writers contain thoughts that twist and turn within, and sometimes they spew them outward for the world to read. Then there are those writers that covet their work like a charmed amulet and refuse to allow outside eyes to see it. This is sad to hear of—when so many distinguished writers are not fee to show their work because feelings play a lot into a writer and their ability to be open with it.

Please, please, please, be free with your work and show it to others so it can be appreciated. Writing never should be judged or scorned, it comes from the heart and when someone informs a writer that they do not appreciate it, are they really saying they do not appreciate the writer? What a concept to ingest. Our writer friends need to feel free enough to allow for criticisms as well. Everyone has an opinion and it may not reflect the character of the writer. Take it as a learning experience and move on to the next piece simmering beneath.

~Author Candy O’Donnell

http://authorcandyodonnell.blogspot.com/

Book Buying

Bargaining 

Going into a bookstore is like entering a new world, one scented with ink and paper, coffee and tea, dust and wood. I could browse the literary and young-adult sections forever but at the end of the day, I could never purchase any of them. The trip usually results in me buying something from the clearance or the bargain bin. However, I have gone into a Barnes & Nobles or a Books-A-Million and walked out feeling angry about the prices. For all who buy books, we know that at the end of the day it all comes down to money. How much are we willing to spend on a book when we can buy it elsewhere for a better price?

Below, I have ranked the order in which I purchase my books as well as the sites and stores I frequently visit or find the best deals:

You can find free books at your local library and online through give-a-way sites and e-books:

Free Book Friday- It is site that gives you the option to enter a “raffle” to win a free book in any of the four categories.
http://www.freebookfriday.com/

Get Free Books- It is a site that allows you to legally download free books.
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/

Online Alternatives

You can find a multitude of discounted books! I use this to find a majority of my books (I almost never use any e-book format but I do own a kindle for schooling purposes). I would consider these the best options for those who like to have a physical copy of the book:

Best Bargain Books- It is a site that guarantee’s each book to start out at 60-80 percent off its original price. The fault is that books are almost always out of stock and you do pay around $3’s in shipping.
http://www.bestbargainbook.com/

Better World Books- It is an organization dedicated to improving literacy world-wide. It has a “bargain bin” where you can find a majority of popular titles and authors for under $3’s per book. For every book you do buy, the organization gives a book to a child or adult in a foreign country. Shipping is free!
http://www.betterworldbooks.com/

Trick-or-Treat Sellers

Barnes & Noble- It is probably the best known bookstore. However, it’s prices can be drastically lowered if you are willing to look around and price elsewhere. I would recommend checking their website for bargain-buys but shelf buying should be prohibited.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

Books-A-Million- It is a smaller bookstore but a great place to find bargains. Here, you will find popular titles in each genre for under $5’s on clearance. No shelf buying unless you have a membership and even then, it can cheaper through online alternatives.
http://www.booksamillion.com/

Half-Price Books- It sells and buys used books. It is a great place to shop the bargain boxes and clearance shelves. I would recommend browsing the shelves for hidden bargains which cost about the same as a book and its shipping online.
http://www.hpb.com/

I know that finding a good bookstore is often hard simply because of prices. It is tragic that the publishers and owners must sell at a high rate to make their own profit. Over this past year, Border’s went out of business and I was heart-broken;. However, I never bought books except from the bargain table. It is the sad reality of books; it all comes down to price, quality, and format.

By

Matthew Benton

Welcome Matthew Benton!

The Shaky Shelf would like to welcome our newest blogger Matthew Benton! We can't wait to see what wonderful things you have in store for us!

Dusting off the old books at 'The Shaky Shelf'!

Fellow writers, authors, and book lovers:

I am changing the look and feel of  'The Shaky Shelf'! Among the changes are: the layout, features, and there is even an official domain: www.theshakyshelf.com! Go books!

I am extremely excited about the new page launch (any day now). Be sure to bookmark the new site address. The servers are in the process of updating everything yet so it may take a few days to become live. I am in the process of transforming the lives of book lovers, writers and bloggers everywhere. I assure you, there is no place you would rather be than right here!

Join me as I kick this site into orbit!

Tips to keep you focused as a writer

A good writer needs to be focused, dedicated, and committed. As a writer it can sometimes be very difficult to stay focused especially when there are so many distractions. Here are some tips that can help:

1. Set aside a time each day to write. Turn off the phone and the television.
2. Even if you are not working on any projects, write anyway. You never know when inspiration may come!
3. READ READ READ! It does now matter what you read as long as you read. You have to keep your mind sharp and it is difficult to write when you are not engaged in any outside content.
4. Keep a notepad beside the bed. Sometimes my biggest ideas come at night right before bed or in a dream.
5. Take a walk. You don't want to spend hours in front of your computer. Always give yourself a break and then come back to whatever you were working on.

These are just some quick tips to keep you focused and sharp. I also have several tools that I use as a writer that help me maximize my time. Check out the products (this also supports the site) to the right of this post. Almost every day I use my Kindle, the Livescribe Smart Pen, and Dragon Speech-to-text. These things are awesome because they allow me to get my ideas down quickly. Did you know that the Livescribe also has handwriting-to-text converting software that you can use when you upload your handwritten notes? I use this a lot as well and this saves LOADS of time! If you have any questions let me know. Please let me know how these tips have helped you and if there is anything else that you would like to see on 'The Shaky Shelf'.

Please sign up as a member of the site as well as our email list to receive a FREE ebook!

Twitter contest

Hey guys, I am always looking around the Internet for good promotional opportunities. While it is usually a "swing and a miss", I just found something that could truly be beneficial to anyone who is trying to build their following and their brand. I joined a site called myblogguest.com and I found some contests while browsing the forum. One of the contests offers free retweets to bloggers who post information about their contest. It is a really interesting opportunity because we all know that Twitter is extremely popular and can be a powerful tool in any author's toolbox. Check out the contest here:

http://internetdreams.com/social-media/contest-1-win-free-prizes

Hardest part of being an Author?

What is your biggest challenge as an Author? For me it has to be procrastination as well as marketing. Procrastination can shoot you in the foot before you even start because there is always something else that you could be doing. However, pushing past that has great rewards so sometimes I have to literally throw myself into it no matter what. Marketing is also difficult unless you understand things like demographics, niches, etc. I am learning as I go along and there is no shortage of lessons.

Writer's Group

Hey,

I have started a writer's group at:

http://bookblogs.ning.com/group/writer-s-group

Come check it out and feel free to join, it's gonna be a blast! Be sure to spread the word! If you are not a member of the site..join now, it's free.

Also, don't forget to check out my new Ebook..only .99 at Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/College-Boot-Camp-ebook/dp/B008FQGD9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343624838&sr=8-1&keywords=college+boot+camp

Readers Post Here!

Hey Readers,

What types of books do you like and want to see published? Let the Authors know. It would almost be like having stories that are tailored to your specific interests. The only way for the market to stay on track and for Authors to continue to produce excellent reads if for you to tell us what you want.

Don't be shy, would you like to see an alien who falls in love with a teddy bear, or a poodle that turns into a superhero only on the first full moon of the season? No matter how crazy, funny, scary, or weird..we want to hear it.

Maybe you have been wanting to finish that custom deck but there are no books out that explain how to create exactly what you want..tell us!

Authors Post Here!

Have you recently published any good books? Tell us about it! Let us know your name, title of your book, price, brief synopsis, reviews (if any), and url where we can find your book.

There is no shame in wanting to get the word out so feel free to post! Be sure to let your friends know about this site so that they can check out your work and maybe even post some reviews for you here!

Be sure to tweet/like and share this page so that we can promote all of the up-and-coming Authors!

Your Absolute Faves!

So..

What are your favorite types of books? I like many types of books including: Self-help, Mystery, Fantasy, and Science Fiction. As a Writer, I think that it is important to be open to different genres. You never know where your next source of inspiration msy come from.

What will you be reading tonight? I know that sometimes buying a whole bunch of Ebooks can get expensive. however, there are free alternatives in the Android market. One of the apps is called Wattpad. There are stories that aspiring Authors write as well as some public domain works. If you are itching for a good book..hobble on over to the Google Play marketplace and check it out!