You Asked: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Genre’s

October 31, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 3 Comments

Welcome to another, You Asked, the Experts Answer, segment. This week ‘s question is: What are the major literary genre’s?

In simple terms, genre is the type of story you’re writing and it’s best if you know where your story fits before you begin; however, sometimes it evolves as your storyline develops.

Knowing where your story belongs is important. Agents and editors look for books that fall within the genre they represent and choosing the right one is invaluable in marketing. But, deciding on a genre can be a bit confusing given the number of sub-genre ‘s and the way they overlap.

Major Genre’s Include:

Romance
Crime & Mystery
Thrillers
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Science Fiction
Horror
Literary
Mainstream

In addition, Women’s Fiction and Upmarket Fiction are two genre’s I believe it’s worth mentioning. These two fall between literary and mainstream fiction.

Women’s Fiction is more commercial than literary. Usually written by women, for women, and the stories (about women) appeal to a large mainstream audience. You can find more about this genre at Find Me An Author.

Upmarket Fiction is a blend between literary and commercial fiction. Relatively new, this genre is growing in popularity, especially with agents. Check out Chuck Sambuchino’s, article on Upmarket Fiction at Writer’s Digest.

Sub-Genre’s: Too numerous to include in this post, I’ve provided you these resources for examples of the most popular sub-categories.

To date, there is no complete list of genre’s, but The Book Industry Study Group (BISG), working with publishers, has compiled the most comprehensive list.

To find out more including the most popular genre’s, free downloads, and access to the book genre finder, check these out.

Now Novel outline the major genre’s in their post, Genres of writing: How to choose your story’s vehicle.
Writer’s Digest offers a free genre description download.
Writer’s Relief offers a whole series on Genre Defined.
Book Genre is one of the best sites and offers the book genre finder with complete listings.

In the next segment of, You Asked, the Experts Answer, we’ll look at: How do I identify my books genre?

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

You Asked: SEO, What is it, and How Do I Use it ?

October 17, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 4 Comments

Welcome to another, You Asked, the Experts Answer, segment. This week ‘s question is: SEO, what is it, and how do I use it?

For those of you who are as confused, as I am most of the time about SEO, I’ll try to make this easy to understand. First off, if you have a WordPress blog, they take care of all the technical stuff related to SEO.

What is SEO? The acronym stands for Search Engine Optimisation.

“… the name given to activity that attempts to improve search engine rankings.” In search results Google™ displays links to pages it considers relevant and authoritative. Authority is mostly measured by analyzing the number and quality of links from other web pages. In simple terms, your web pages have the potential to rank in Google™ so long as other web pages link to them.” Redevolution.com

Why is SEO so important? Simply put, SEO is a way for your website/blog to be found in search engines from relevant keywords or phrases.

What are Keywords? Keywords are words or phrases that your target audience might use when searching for your site. Example: if I want to find information on iCloud. I might type into Google, “Tips on using iCloud.”

SEO and keywords are nothing more than how we find things, information, or websites on the internet. Knowing that, we certainly want our website or blog discoverable.

And the more often your page is found or linked to by someone else, the higher your website is ranked by Google. The higher the rank, the more Page Authority Google gives your site.

What is Page Authority?

“Higher page authority means greater chances of your page showing up on search engines, and that your page will be placed closer to the top of the search results. Note that page authority is related to the pages within sites, not the site itself.” Drumbeatmarketing.net

Images can give your blog/website a big boost in rankings as well, but you have to label them correctly. Google doesn’t know an image is about the Eiffel Tower unless you provide a clue. ie. the image name, the URL of the image, or using a keyword to tag the image.

WordPress handles the technical aspect, but it’s up to you to choose the right keywords and phrases. The good thing about that is you can search for trending keywords or even tags right in your WordPress Reader.

Like everything else, there is a knack to using keywords:

Use some broad words: ie. Dogs
Then get specific: Bichon Frise’
Don’t overdo it.
Don’t use the same word, repeatedly.

Want more Information? Check out the following articles and always remember WordPress support is always available.

So, before you write your next post, check out what’s trending.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

You Asked: What in the Heck are Hashtags?

October 16, 2015November 14, 2015 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 14 Comments

Welcome to the Cow Pasture’s, You Asked, the Experts Answer.

First up, a question from a recent Twitter chat. “What are hashtags and how do I use them? ”

I’m definitely not the expert on Twitter. So, let’s ask the experts.

Hashtags Defined by Twitter

“The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.”

How to #Hashtags:

Anyone can use a hashtag.
Place the # before a keyword (without spaces) to help categorize Tweets; examples include (#writingcontest, #flashfiction).
To find trending topics and those talking about it, search by the #keyword.
Can be placed anywhere in a Tweet and as a keyword in a blog post.
Use, clear, memorable, and common hashtags (those universally understood).

Advantages of Using Hashtags:

Lead to connections.
A search by #hashtag will help locate everyone who is talking about the topic.
Link’s you to social networks.
Increases traffic to your social sites and blog.
Can help you develop your own brand (#cowpasturechronicles).
People will notice you or your business.

Best Practices:

Don’t spam.
Don’t overuse hashtags, your message will be lost.
Twitter recommends no more than two hashtags per Tweet.
Make sure the hashtags you’re using are relevant and on topic.

There you have it, the run down on #hashtags. I hope I answered your questions, but if not, shoot me a note. Have another burning question? Submit it below in the comments.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

Answers to Your Questions Found in the Cow Pasture

October 15, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

I’m having a wonderful time participating in, Robert Lee Brewer’s, 2015 October Challenge. The Writer’s Digest has been a favorite resource for me since the day I began writing in earnest. So, when the opportunity came to take part in a challenge focused on building and/or improving my platform, he could count me in.

It’s day 15 and I’m pleasantly surprised to find myself ahead of the game, so to speak. Yesterday, while chatting on Twitter with fellow challengers, several people expressed confusion regarding #hashtags. I’m not the expert when it comes to Twitter, but I did my best to answer their questions. The conversation reminded me of an idea for my blog, I’d been tossing around for a while, and decided now was the time.

Each week I’ll answer questions on writing, blogging, or any related topic, posed by my readers. I understand many of my readers are way ahead of the curve, but we all have questions from time to time, regardless of one’s experience. I don’t profess to know all the answers, but I can share what I‘ve learned and what the experts say.

So, here’s your chance, ask away. I’ll do my best to find the answers. Leave your question(s) in the comment section below and check out the first Q & A in my next post.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter @cofcmom, and Contently.