@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

Rayne_Hall_Author

@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange

#Author (#NonFiction #Gothic #Horror #Fantasy). Anthology Editor. #Writing Coach.
Rescuer & Trainer of #Cats. #Permaculture Gardener in #Bulgaria.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

Rayne_Hall_Author, to permaculture
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

Periwinkle (vinca major) plants make great ground cover. They suppress weeds, keep moisture in the soil, have pretty flowers in the spring and provide attractive foliage for 10 monthsof the year. They're super-easy to grow (at least here in Bulgaria, Zone 7B) and require zero work.
My kind of plant! :-)

They're even easy to propagate through tip rootings. I've planted them in many places in my permaculture garden and foodforest orchard.

Rayne_Hall_Author, to Flowers
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

The first calendula (pot marigold) flower of the year has appeared in my garden.
I didn't plant it - it's self-seeded in my vegetable bed .
I let it grow among the vegetables. My garden is a mish-mash of things anyway, everything growing in a merry mix, which is good for the soil and for plant health. Besides, calendula petals are edible - I can add them to soups, stews and smoothies - so this makes it a vegetable anyway. 🤣

Rayne_Hall_Author, to writing
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

Apr 4 0 Is there writing advice you used to follow but changed your mind?

Any advice including the words 'always' or 'never'. 🤣

Over the years I've come to realise that those who are dogmatic about what other writers must or mustn't do are the ones who don't have much understanding of the craft. 🙂

Rayne_Hall_Author, to writing
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

374. Antagonist POV: How do you feel about animals?

"I like animals, especially dogs. I used to keep dogs, had a close relationship with them.

But now that I'm Undead, this has become problematic.

I pass for Living, and dogs can sense that I'm Undead. I must avoid dogs, because their behaviour would give me away.

Sometimes, I miss the companionship of dogs terribly."

Rayne_Hall_Author, to gardening
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

The chemical industry tries to convince gardeners that dead-nettles amust be destroyed with chemicals.

But there's no need to poison them or to pull them out. They're not harmful weeds. Actually, they're edible and contain valuable mineral nutrients so you can simply treat them as volunteeer vegetables. 🙂 I like to add them to creamed soup.

They're also good for supporting bees.

Rayne_Hall_Author, to permaculture
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

Of the carrots I sowed last autumn for a March crop, only one has survived. However, it tasted superb, with a juicy, crunchy texture, much nicer than the store-bought, chemical-laden carrots.

I grow all my vegetables organically, without nasty chemicals.

#permaculture #gardening #vegetables

Rayne_Hall_Author, to writing
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

As a ghostwriter, you write, but someone else – perhaps a celebrity, a bestselling author or a subject authority – gets the credit. For this service, you get paid, often handsomely.

Unlike writers who publish under their own names, you don’t need to get involved in the marketing and promotion.

Mariana Sabino and I have pooled our experience so you can learn from two experts in different fields of ghostwriting.

mybook.to/GWr

Rayne_Hall_Author, to Bulgaria
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

Today is Baba Marta Day in Bulgaria. People give one another red-and-white bracelets. These are worn until you see the first stork of the year. Then you hang them on a flowering twig.

Честита баба Марта - pronounced 'chestita baba marta' = Happy Baba Marta Day!
I've crocheted my Baba Marta bracelets from cotton, so when they get hung into trees, they won't add to the plastic pollution.

Rayne_Hall_Author, to writing
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

Feb 28: How often do you back up your work?

Everything I write gets backed up automatically.

But I would never again rely on a backup service.
I had a horrible experience. For years, I used DropBox and thought my files were safe. Then, why my laptop broke, I tried to restore them - and DropBox had lost them.
Years of work, lost. DropBox refused ot help or compensate.

Now I use Tresorit, and periodically back up on a memory stick for extra safety.

Rayne_Hall_Author, to permaculture
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

Hurray! Today I've seen the first crocus of the season in my garden.
Such a small flower, and such beauty!
Crocuses are important for bees, because they are among the first flowers to provide nectar and pollen.
that's why I've planted a lot of crocuses along my hedge.

DevonEllington, to random
@DevonEllington@bbq.snoot.com avatar

20 Feb.: What's the secret to writing a good blurb?

Active language, giving a sense of the voice of the book, including the hook, and making the reader excited about the book.

That's true whether you're writing your own cover/marketing copy or blurbing someone else's book.

Rayne_Hall_Author,
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

20 Feb.: What's the secret to writing a good blurb?

Introduce a character and a problem the character needs to solve. Optional: add a time limit and dire consequences of failure.

"Debutante Arabella needs a husband - and she needs him before Christmas, or her brother will go to prison..."

Add a couple more sentences. "But the only man who..."
End with a question. "How can Arabella....?"

(The example is for Historical Romance. The same principle works for other genres.)

Rayne_Hall_Author, to Dogs
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

😍 My Ginger (left, male) and Jane (right, female) are very fond of each other, always hanging out and playing together.

Both are . Ginger came to me four and a half years ago.

Two years later, when I wanted a second dog, I allowed Ginger to choose his companion.
The moment he met young Jane, it was clear that she was The One. 🥰

They're such happy dogs, it's a joy to watch them.

Rayne_Hall_Author, to books
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

I love indie books. I don't need gatekeepers to decide what I may read.

Rayne_Hall_Author, to writing
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

Day 21: "If a scene is boring, add dragons." What do you do if a scene is boring?

  1. I change the weather. A sudden downpour, blistering heat or an approaching thunderstorm add always make everything more exciting.

  2. I emphasise the PoV character's scene goal, state it repeatedly and add urgency and obstacles. This makes the readers root for the character and the outcome.

MarjoleinRotsteeg, to Haiku Dutch
@MarjoleinRotsteeg@mastodon.nl avatar

the old fireplace
hearth and heart
of the house

- fireplace




@dailyhaikuprompt

@poetry

Rayne_Hall_Author,
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

@MarjoleinRotsteeg @dailyhaikuprompt @poetry

Does it still get used,
that ancient hearth in your home?
Does it still give warmth?

Rayne_Hall_Author, to writing
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

Day 20: Do you have an author's website specifically for promoting your writing?

I have a website which combines information about my books (e.g. the Writer's Craft series) with useful stuff (e.g. tips on how to write a fight scene) and entertaining stuff (e.g. a page in which my cute cat Sulu reviews cardboard boxes in a parody of Amazon reviews). https://www.raynehall.com/my-cats-cardboard-boxes

Book promotion on an author's website works only if people actually visit.

Firlefanz, to random
@Firlefanz@writing.exchange avatar

Gute Nacht, Freunde.

No writing.

It's really strange. I have one chapter and the epilogue to write, and I know what I want to happen. Then I'll have to go through the story and sprinkle Christmas all over it. 🎄

But it's like I'm hibernating. Maybe I do need some rest, after pushing hard for two weeks.

At any rate, I'll get it done. I know I can.

I also sent out an invoice for my proofreading and uploaded a video to my new channel on MakerTube. A good day.


Rayne_Hall_Author,
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

@Firlefanz It sounds like you do indeed need a rest - but do you need a rest from , or a rest from this particular WiP? Often it helps to set that project aside for a few days or weeks and work on something copletely different. I find this refreshes the mind, and the creativity and writing urge start gushing again. 😀

Rayne_Hall_Author,
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

@Firlefanz A deadline - argh! Deadlines can be productivity-enhancers or joy-killers.
I tend to write my seasonal stories a year before, so thankfully there isn't that pressure.
(I used to write seasonal non-fiction for magazines, and I remember it well.)
Would getting input from another writer (e.g. a critique, a personal reaction, a list of questions) help? That always helps me in such situations, somehow firing the creativity stove.

Rayne_Hall_Author,
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

@Firlefanz That's what I mean. You know what your story needs. But your brain doesn't want to write it, at least not now.

So you trick your brain into wanting to write by introducing an outside element. Faced with disagreement or competition, the brain suddenly wants to claim the story as its own and shut out the intruder. 🤣

At least, this seems to be how it works for my writing at this stage, and it may work for yours, too.

Firlefanz, to random
@Firlefanz@writing.exchange avatar

#phantastikprompts 9.11. Was bedeutet es für dich, mit dem Schreiben erfolgreich zu sein? Wie definierst du diesen Erfolg?

Ich habe zwei Definitionen von Erfolg, eine kurzfristige und eine langfristige:

Kurzfristig: Für mich ist es ein echter Erfolg, wenn Leser eine gekaufte Geschichte mögen und mir das mit Glück auch sagen.

Langfristig: Ich werde den Erlös von Buchverkäufen brauchen, um meinen Lebensstandard im Ruhestand (unter Armutsniveau) einigermaßen zu halten.

#WritingCommunity

Rayne_Hall_Author,
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

@Firlefanz
Ich will mal fragen, wenn ich darf:
Kurzfristig: Ist das ein Erfolgserlebnis, das du schon oft hattest? Oder eines, auf das du noch wartest?
Langfristig: wird das einziges Einkommen sein? Oder ein Nebeneinkommen? Oder ein Haupteinkommen? Hast du schon berechnet, wieviel du monatlich brauchen wirst? (Du brauchst die Summe nicht zu enthüllen, ich will nur wissen, ob du sie weisst.) 😀

Rayne_Hall_Author, (edited )
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

@Firlefanz Super! Da bist du ja in einer guten Ausgangssituation. Hast du vor, im Ruhestand weiter zu schreiben?

Rayne_Hall_Author,
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

@Firlefanz So spricht eine wahre Schriftstellerin! 😀

Rayne_Hall_Author, to writing
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

"Horror Writing Prompts" by Rayne Hall.
This book is crammed with fertile seeds for fiction that will thrill, disturb or scare your readers. Each prompt comes with a wealth of suggestions for how you can develop it to suit the kind of story you want to write. Plant those seeds into the rich ground of your own imagination, and watch them grow.

Paperback ebook. mybook.to/HWP


Rayne_Hall_Author, to writing
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

😊 Sulu the book-reading black cat recommends:
"Writing Gothic Fiction: Learn to Thrill Readers with Passion and Suspense" by Rayne Hall.
E-book or paperback. http://mybook.to/Goth

Rayne_Hall_Author, to writing
@Rayne_Hall_Author@writing.exchange avatar

We had a powercut in the evening. So I sat on the verandah, in the light of candles and solar fairy lights, and longhanded in a notebook.




  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • megavids
  • thenastyranch
  • rosin
  • GTA5RPClips
  • osvaldo12
  • love
  • Youngstown
  • slotface
  • khanakhh
  • everett
  • kavyap
  • mdbf
  • DreamBathrooms
  • ngwrru68w68
  • provamag3
  • magazineikmin
  • InstantRegret
  • normalnudes
  • tacticalgear
  • cubers
  • ethstaker
  • modclub
  • cisconetworking
  • Durango
  • anitta
  • Leos
  • tester
  • JUstTest
  • All magazines
    •