You May be Right

February 24, 2016August 28, 2017 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 19 Comments

When was the last time you walked away from a discussion, only to think of The Perfect Comeback hours later? Recreate the scene for us, and use your winning line.

Don’t you just hate that vague, empty feeling? You have all your thoughts together and your fighting gloves on (metaphorically speaking) and then nothing. It happens every time my husband, and I disagree.

Before we sit down to discuss the situation, I practice my lines and make notes of the last time we had the same discussion (you know the kind); I’m ready. Then he gets in the first word and my brain farts.

Yep, my mind goes blank, and all I can think is, I did not say that. I mean, where in the hell is the recorder when you need it?

For the life of me, I can never get the best of him. But, I have a secret weapon that never fails to calm the situation down.

I reply, “You may be right.”

He isn’t, but I’ve gotten in the last word. What else can he say?

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

Stats Reveal How to connect With Your Readers

February 9, 2016October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 16 Comments

The Daily Prompt: The Stat Connection

Pixabay

Go to your Stats page and check your top 3-5 posts. Why do you think they’ve been successful? Find the connection between them, and write about it.

Stats for the Cow Pasture Chronicles in 2015:

Views: 5,968
Vistors: 3,365

Top 3 Posts in 2015:

Home Page/Archives – 1,137 views
Submit or Not to Submit – This post had a total of 472 views.
Top 5 Resources for Contests and Submissions – 310 views
About Me – 162 views
Access Denied – received 116 views.

Top views went to the home page which includes the archives and my latest post. It’s the first impression point of connection. The other posts ranking highest in views offered information.

Writers at all levels understand the value of submitting work for publication. Submit or Not to Submit discussed the time-consuming but necessary tasks, outlined the benefits, and cautions of taking the leap of sending your words out into the world.

Top 5 Resources for Contests and Submissions takes the work out of the submission process by providing 5 resources for the writer who is ready to submit. Putting yourself out there can be intimidating, but the rewards are worth the anxiety. Acceptance promotes confidence, encourages creativity, is one of the best avenues for perfecting the craft, and provides both validation and recognition.

Readers want to know who you are, your credentials, and why your blog exists. An engaging About Me page not only introduces you to your readers, but provides the personal connection so necessary in drawing readers to your blog.

I like tackling difficult topics and Access Denied is one of those posts. Providing information on the intellectual rights of a writer’s work and how to secure those rights, after you’re gone.

What was the Connection? In a word information.

Writers, particularly newer writers, seek out information that is beneficial to them. Whether it helps them improve the skill of writing or offers the chance for recognition.

3 Things I Learned by Reviewing the Stats:

My readers want information, even if they’ve heard it before.
Readers want easy access to the resources that help them improve or succeed.
Providing resources and information into the readers mailbox is a win-win for everyone.

What are your blog stats saying about you? What did you learn and will you change the types of posts you write?

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

What’s in a Name? Like it or Leave it

February 9, 2016October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 10 Comments

DAILY PROMPT : Say Your Name

Write about your first name: Are you named after someone or something? Are there any stories or associations attached to it? If you had the choice, would you rename yourself?

Names are important. New parents, in particular, spend weeks or months picking out the perfect name to attach to the 3-D face of their child.

Books listing baby names from the most popular, gender, or meaning line shelf after shelf.

Family names are passed from one generation to the next with surnames becoming the first, middle, third, or hyphenated name. We chose them based on our belief systems, ideology, favorite fruits, hobbies, movies, idols, or the desire to be different. Take your pick.

My mother, a voracious reader, chose my name, Sheila, after a character in a book. I don’t know the name of the book and the last time I asked mom, she couldn’t remember. But, my grandmother hated the name and for the first few months of my life refused to call me Sheila; instead she called me Shitty.

No wonder I’m such a sensitive soul (Not). However, starting life out with the nickname Shitty is probably why I grew up to be the strong woman I am.

What’s in my name?

According to the baby name books, Google, and Wikipedia they’re a few things worth mentioning about my name.

The name Sheila is from the Latin Caelia, which is a feminine form of the Roman clan name Caelius or dimintitive of Cecilia — meaning heavenly, or of the heavens. Yes, those are angel wings you hear in the background.

It is also, derived from the Irish name Síle/Sìle, which is believed to be a Gaelic form of Cecilia, meaning “blind,” from the Latin word caecus (Am not!).

And in Australia, Sheila, is slang for “woman,” derived from the Irish girls’ name Síle (anglicised Sheila). Take notice the next time you go to the Outback Steak House – I have my very own room.

Would I change my name? No. What would I call myself? Do I like it? Yes. I mean, as a writer, what’s better than being born a heavenly, feminine, woman, named after a character in a book? Okay, I left out blind. I’m Scottish, not Irish and if that sounds a bit snobbish or shitty – well, what can I say?

The name fits.

Books Worth a Reading a Second Time Around

February 6, 2016October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

The Daily Post: Second Time Around by Michelle Weber

Tell us about a book you can read again and again without getting bored — what is it that speaks to you?

Two books instantly came to mind when I read this prompt.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

Set in Wisconsin in 1909, we meet Mr. Truitt, a lonely businessman standing on a train platform awaiting the arrival of a woman he has never met.

Catherine Land, traveling from Chicago answered Mr. Truitt’s newspaper ad for “a reliable wife.” From the moment she steps off the train, Mr. Truitt’s world is turned upside down. This beautiful woman was not the woman who answered his letter. But, he wanted companionship, an heir, and one day, love. Catherine wanted his wealth and before the year’s end, she would have it all.

Truitt has secrets of his own, and as their story unfolds, they both get more than they bargained.

What moved me most about this book is the humanness portrayed on every page. The language is beautiful and the way the author takes on a mesmerizing journey of these two very different strangers.

Book two is Defending Jacob by Willaim Landay

If you’re a parent, this book will keep you up at night. It has been a long time since a book made me feel the range of emotions I felt reading this. At times, I had to close it, but only for a moment.

When Andy Barber the District Attorney is faced with investigating the murder of Ben Rifkin, a friend of his 14-year-old son, Jacob. When the evidence begins to point toward his son, he and his wife are faced with a decision no parent should have to face. The author gets inside the mind of a parent better than any story I’ve ever read. This book is more than a legal thriller. It will have you wandering what extent would you go to protect your child?

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.