Category Archives: Social Media

Warfare for Writers - Irregular Warfare

Warfare for Writers - Irregular Warfare.

In the last post, I looked at the Fog of War and previously discussed Open and Close Units of soldiers. Formal Warfare, the familiar wars, like WWII have been depicted in various media. Also, Irregular Warfare has been popular: Tom Clancy's works are a good example. So, how does Warfare for Writers - Irregular Warfare affect the writer?

These types of units are rarely under efficient direct control of a military commander, which can lead to CHAOS!

Many times, these units of irregular forces come from cultures where  men go armed, all the time and are made up of:

Privateers (navy) with letters of Marque and Reprisal.

Mercenaries are paid units from elsewhere.

Guerrilla Warfare are in support of war, especially by part-timers: The Arab revolt that made T. E. Lawrence famous. (Yes, Lawerence of Arabia was a real person!)

Private units and armies, like Muqtada Al-Sadr's Mehdi Army in Iraq.

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What does this mean for a writer?

If your characters are engaged in irregular warfare, what tensions does it cause for military commanders and the characters themselves? How well are they fitting in?

Note: this information was taken from lectures by Timons Esaias with his permission.

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Warfare for Writers - Fog of War

Warfare for Writers - Fog of War

Unfortunately, Hollywood, TV, and yes, a few authors have privates and sergeants knowing the overall situation of a battle. Audie Murphy who played himself in the movie To Hell and Back won the Congressional Metal of Honor and was the most decorated soldier in WWII. He didn't know what was happening a mile away in most cases and such is Warfare for Writers - Fog of War.  Have this uncertainty effect your characters and the plot! Have it get on their nerves, and in some cases they may  become irrational. It is definitely a good plot device.

Soldier Deployment:

Historically, soldiers and troopers have been put on the battle field in one of two ways: Close Order or Open Order.

Close Order:images

Close order is where warriors are more or less shoulder to shoulder and within an arm's reach of the warrior ahead or behind.

Benefit:

Soldiers are psychologically supported by direct, even physical peer pressure. Your "buddy" is helping with his actions and words to lead you forward.

It puts a lot of power in one place and ready to strike.

The warriors in the trenches during WWI would be considered in close order as would warriors in columns or lines.

Cons:

Projectiles or artillery would kill more warriors when rained down on the warriors head or even nearby in a hard-to-miss target. A lot more people would die.

Open Order:unequal-battle-18937280

A formation which is spread out in either groups of two or three men, if not, singly.

Benefits:

There will be reduced casualties.

Cons:

Psychologically, the warrior is on his own to face the fears and indecisions of the situation.

Communications with the leaders may break down and with other groups of men.

It requires more training.

Summary:

If you have a warrior in battle, you should have some sense of what formation they are in, what they can and can't do, along with what they can see. Also, the unit's purpose must be clear. These factors will effect the warrior psychologically.

Note: This information was taken from a lecture by Timions Esaias with his permission.

 

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Social Media AD Sizes 2

In this post, we'll discuss Twitter and Google+ for Social Media AD Sizes 2:

Twitter account header an profile photo: Profile Photo: 400x400 pixels upload; it will show at 200x200 Twitter doesn't state a pixel size for tweets. Nonetheless, 1024 wide and 512 high will give you a lot of space. Logos: Standard , 100 wide x 60 high, Square 50 x 50

Google+ Cover  photo can be 480 wide x 270 high, recommended: 1080 wide x 608 high, max is 2120 x1192. Profile photo can be 250 x 250 but a larger size is recommended.imgres images

NOTE: These are the basics. Other formats can be used with a range of pixel sizes. Check the site for their requirements.

If you find this blog useful, please add me to your social media sites and share. Thanks, Dameon

 

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Cover Artist 5

Brian C. Hailes is my Cover Artist 5. He has worked as a professional illustrator, designer, author and commission artist for fifteen years, and has received numerous awards for his art from across the country, including Winner of the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future contest out of Hollywood. He has written and illustrated two graphic novels, entitled Dragon's Gait and Devil's Triangle. Other titles he has illustrated include Passion & Spirit: The Dance Quote Book, Continuum (Arcana Studios), as well as McKenna, McKenna, Ready to Fly, and the 2015 Girl of the Year ebook, Grace & Sylvie (American Girl). His work can be seen at www.HailesArt.com

Blink by BC Hailes_screen Continuum A_Hailes Devil's Triangle OGN_cover_web Heroic_front cover

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Social Media AD Sizes 1

facebook-793049_640Having trouble getting your photos sized for your different platforms? There's a lot of information and I'll split the blog posts by platform. It's frustrating, but once you get the hang of it, it goes smoothly. This post, Social Media AD Sizes 1 is dedicated to Facebook.

  • Cover Photo:        851 pixels wide by 315 pixels tall. Your profile photo, name, category and interaction buttons will cover areas of the photo
  • Ad images:           Facebook objectives: 1,200 pixels wide - 444 pixels high for page likes, etc - 675 pixels for video - 900 pixels for Page post - 628 pixels for all other objectives
  • For Carousel       3 to 5 images with clicks to website - 600 x 600 pixels

Keep in mind the Facebook chat for Ad Help is quite good and responsive.

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Cover Artist - 4

Continuing in art with Cover Artist - 4 by Joshua Jadon. Joshua states, "I am a passionate Graphic Designer that focuses on delivering professional work to my clients all over the globe. I started drawing at the age of 6 years old which later evolved into designing graphics." Joshua's website is located here: JoshuaJadon.com

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SO, YOU WANT TO BLOG 2

SO, YOU WANT TO BLOG 2 is a summary from WordPress and Blogging Basics by Giselle Aguiar (AZSocialMediaWiz.com)

WHAT TO BLOG ABOUT: I've been asked several times what to blog about. As you know, this is an informational blog for writers and authors. What is your blog about?

Courtesy of AboutDo
Courtesy of AboutDo
  • TRENDS
  • INTERVIEWS
  • SUCCESS STORIES
  • QUESTIONS (each one you've been asked can be a BLOG post.
  • Hypothetical Situations
  • Lists EX: 10 ways to find a Title
  • Educational
  • Inspiring

To name a few.

Always remember to obtain permissions for Media you place in your blog.

QUOTES: Consider highlighting quotes and/or putting them in italics. 

BLOGGING TIPS:

  • Write Quality Content ~ Don't plagiarize!
  • Give them what they want like solutions to their problems.
  • Keep it simple.

Between 300 and 400 words, if possible.

ALWAYS PREVIEW YOUR POSTS!

 

 

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Don't Jeopardize Your Work - Making your book easy on the eyes.

This is a summary of an article by Smith Publicity with their generous permission. The original article can be found at http://alturl.com/kg5hd.

You've accomplished all that work to get a book written. Now, you Don't Jeopardize Your Work, making basic mistakes by not conforming to generally-accepted practice. One standard I'm asked about at times is the best font to use. You want a font that is: easy to read over a long passage!

There are five that, not only look good,but are often used. NOTE: THE FONTS BELOW ARE Examples by Adobe:

GARAMOND: Named after the 16th-century French "punch-cutter" or type designer Claude Garamond.

 

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JANSON:

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BEMBO: Designed by Francesco Griffo in the late15th and early 16th century. (Hey, I didn't name it!)

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CASION: It was one of the most used type faces in the late 18th and 19th centuries designed by William Casion.

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ELECTRA: Designed in 1935 by D. W. Dwiggins, Electra adds a distinctive "color" and evenness to the printed page.

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My novels use Garamond and I'm, obviously, pleased with it as a font. Look around; there are certainly many more to chose from, but you want a font that will not tire your eyes--or your brain--while reading a long passage.

 

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Copyright Law Basics

Copyright protection exists from the moment a work is created in a fixed, tangible form of expression. The copyright immediately becomes the author's property who created the work. Only the author, or those he/she gives rights to, can claim copyright. In works made for hire, the employer—not the writer—is the author.copyright-sign-5005639

Ownership in Copyright Law Basics of a book, does not give copyrights.

Duration: If you right it now, you own it until seventy years after your death. Pseudonymous works (unless the author's identity is in the Copyright Office),  the copyright is 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever is shorter. Works prior to 1978 are different. See an attorney.

A copyright notice has three parts:

  1. The symbol © (the letter C in a circle), the word "Copyright" or the abbreviation "Copr."
  2. The year when the work was first created.
  3. The name of the owner of the copyright.

"International" Copyright

"International" copyright that automatically protects a work throughout the world does not exist. Nonetheless, the most widely-adopted copyright treaty, the Berne Convention, states that once a work is protected in one of the Convention member countries, it is protected by copyright in all of them. As of mid-2004, 156 countries, including the U.S., belong to the Berne Convention.

As always, if you have questions about Copyright Law Basics, see an attorney!

Summarized from web content by Dameon Cox

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SO, YOU WANT TO BLOG

When I started my blog, I thought long about what to feature. There are many blogs covering a host of posts on just about any subject. I decided to make mine an informational blog for authors. I've gotten several comments from readers stating they  like the content of the various posts; and, I thank you! After reading my blog, I'd appreciate your comments

Courtesy of AboutDo
Courtesy of AboutDo

Today, my blog comes from a summary of material by Giselle Aguiar (AZSocialMediaWiz.com). Disclaimer: I am one of Giselle's clients, but these are general tips for any post.

So, you want to blog! Giselle suggests not copying in Word material. It might be okay with straight sentences, but in some uses and platforms, the Word formatting is also transferred. You might not want that. Test it out and see if you get the desired results; if not, retype it into your platform.

 

Some Tips: 

Write Quality Content - Don't Plagiarize - See my earlier post on Copyright Law

I -0 Copyright symbolGive Solutions to your readers' problems.

Keep it simple; don't use fancy words

Remember your audience

Preview your posts, and by all means, read it several times for mistakes. I found two in this post.

Godo lcuk and hapy bloggering! Remember to check your post for mistakes!

 

 

 

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