Author Archives:

When Blogging Is Seriously Hard

GirlWithTear

We have all been there before. We sit down at the keyboard, poised to crank out today’s blog post. We stare at the screen, willing the words to come. We type a bunch of garbage, in hopes that the good stuff will eventually spill out. We fidget. We frown. We try some more. But the…

6 Interior Design Tips to Make Your Blog User-friendly

BlogHouse

This week, a guest post by Bob Dunn, AKA @bobwp. I think he’s been living around a writer for too long because he’s into those metaphor and analogy things. Learn how to spice up your blog so it’s a comfortable and inviting house your readers won’t want to leave. 6 Interior Design Tips to Make…

Here She Comes to Save the Day!: ‘Wanton Exclamation Point’

dancer

I’m not a big fan of  rant blog posts. They get old fast, especially when every blogger on the block is doing them. But problematic punctuation? Well, that  pushes all my buttons. What can I say? I’m a writer. Three months ago, I wondered who the first person was who put an apostrophe in where…

I Just Got a Warm Hug from Larry Brooks and He Wants to Give You One, Too

stressed out person

Last summer I broke my wrist in a bizarre gardening accident. I look back on that event now with gratitude and affection. It was June 30, 2011. The day my crazy life stopped long enough so, between the ice packs and painkillers, I had time to ponder why I am on this planet. I mean,…

Is Writing with Vulnerability a Sign of Low Self-Concept?

sad baby

When I was a teacher, one of the worst things a kid could have, the thing that would hold her back throughout life and beyond, was low self-concept. It was whispered about children, as though they would never get any farther than flipping hamburgers at McDonald’s because they had, you know: a low self-concept Of…

How to Remove the OCD from Your Blogging

boy at computer

Please give a warm welcome to Krissy Brady, the first guest blogger on the Cat’s Eye blog in 2012. I met Krissy when she began reading and commenting here. I checked out her blog and was impressed by the resources she so freely offers to writers. I encourage you to visit her blog. And if…

What Is Your Online Avatar Saying About You?

alien

You have a blog, or comment on blogs, or hang around on Facebook and Twitter for a reason. Usually, it is because you want to get noticed. So you can sell your book, or get customers, or find business leads, or whatever your goal is for being on social media. I have written before about…

Is Twitter Making Us Crappy Writers?

childwriting

Whether you are a writer by profession or not, one thing is true. We are all authors now. Every time we get on Facebook or LinkedIn or Google+ or Twitter, we are publishing something. You might have heard the rumor that Twitter is dumbing us down, making us like teenagers who text on their cell…

Write Better in 2012 by Reading More: What’s on Your Bookshelf?

bookshelf

I hope you are finding time to refresh and rejuvenate this week between Christmas and New Year’s. I’ve been reading a lot, since Bob, Mr. WordPress, gave me the best Christmas present ever. It was better than the warm, fuzzy socks. Better even than the foaming bath oil and scented candle from L’Occitane. It was…

Harry Potter Headlines: 10 Ways to Conjure Up a Viral Blog Post Title

girl wizard

Writing your blog post is a lot of work. But it’s usually not the part that gives you the most grief. Your toughest task is coming up with the right title. Someone once said, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” But you know what? People do that all the time. Just go to…

How to Write an Irresistible Blog Bio

girl kissing boy

Once, before the world was nichified, before online bios—or online anything—existed, I had eight different résumés. I was a freelance writer and my  skills and experience were all over the place, so I needed to separate them to appeal to each of my audiences. My husband Bob suspected I had multiple personality disorder, but, actually,…

‘Clean Slate’ Blogging: How to Write a Post Your Readers Will Remember

girl writing

In my tenth year of teaching, I learned a lesson that forever changed the way I look at people, their abilities and, in particular, my own capacity to produce great things. As a writer, I have revisited this discovery time and time again. For reasons unknown to me at the time, I was recruited to…