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witchinfiction · 4 years

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Welcome to Witchin’ Fiction

Hello, I’m Eloren! Some of you already know me as Erica, but I’ve decided to use a pen name for my witchy fiction to differentiate it form my “general” fiction. I thought I’d write this intro post to explain how Witchin’ Fiction came about.

This whole experience started out as a little writing exercise. I wanted something to do to warm up my writing brain after a winter hibernation, so I decided to re-write a beginning I’d done quite a few years ago. At that time, I was leaning more towards writing Young Adult fiction. These days I tend much more towards general, adult-oriented fiction. Not that I look down on YA at all, it’s just that my focus has shifted. I don’t read as much YA as I used to either.

Anyway, I didn’t have the actual piece of writing (I don’t think, maybe it is still in one of my may folders somewhere), but I remembered the bones and most of the flesh of it. The main character certainly, the secondary characters, and the others who were in the scene. So I thought about how to alter the scene to bring the main character from fifteen to thirty-something, and how to put the dramatic action in when she was removed from the group of teenagers.

I wrote the exercise, and something sparked. It was fun. I wanted to see where it could go. I also wanted to write something less emotionally taxing than the book that went on hold during my hibernation. So I began to think about these characters and their lives, and what could be going on around them. I kept adding to the exercise, little bits, not pushing myself the way I usually do. I want to keep this part of my writing life lighter and more fun. Am I going to skimp on my stories and avoid writing about real life issues? Heck no, that’s not how I operate. But I don’t want to write the same kind of psychological drama that I do in my “regular” fiction. I want my Witchin’ Fiction to be real, but not gritty realism. Okay, my last book may not have had the gritty realism in the main narrative, but the twist at the end gave it a punch of it.

I want Witchin’ Fiction to be about self exploration and friendship, making connections and finding truths. They won’t always be nice, love and light truths, but they will always be important ones.

So far there a few different types of witchcraft I want my characters to practice - currently I have a kitchen witch and a wannabe who’s going to be a nocturnal witch, and in later books I hope to encounter a herbal witch, a forest witch, a science witch, a bone witch, and a death witch.

As on now (November 2019), I’ve written just over a quarter of my planned word count for the first Witchin’ Fiction book. I didn’t hit my word count goal for October, but that’s okay. Life happens, and I have chronic illnesses to deal with. I’m going to do my best to be firm with myself for the next two months so I can get the other three-quarters written by the end of the year - not least because I’ve promised myself a nice big silver pentacle pendant from my favourite witchy shop if when I do!

I have plans to spend a good six months on editing, formatting and production once the manuscript is finished, and I plan to launch on the Winter Solstice (I’m in Australia, so that’s June 21st!), which fortunately lines up with the monthly community market where I sell (or at least attempt to sell!) my books already. So nice and neat for me!

I’ve done some work on branding and marketing and organising pre-promotion and competition stuff already, so I feel like I’m ahead of the curve, which is nice because the last two books I was flying by the seat of my pants with marketing and promotion.

I’m really chuffed that Witchin’ Fiction doesn’t seem to have been used much at all - I was expecting it to have been snapped up, but I had my pick of URL format for it on tumblr, facebook and twitter. I did consider making and instagram as well, but I have three instagram accounts already and I’m not great at updating them, so it’s probably not worth my while making another one! I can use my existing writing one (MistedWords) and tag my Witchin’ Fiction stuff if I want/remember to.

When I reach the halfway point in my predicted word count, I’m going to do a cover reveal, and share with my personal facebook friends and followers of Misted Words the fact that my writing exercise has turned into a full-blown second-stream of writing. I think it’s too encompassing to even be called a side-project now!

So, if you’ve found Witchin’ Fiction through one route or another - welcome! I hope your interest has been piqued and that you will want to come along for the ride.

~ Eloren 💜🧹🌙

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chrysaliseuro2019 · 5 years

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Sandy Shore

Next morning it was time to move on from Nea Moudania. There was more peninsula to discover. After another hearty breakfast this time augmented by another Theodora specialty cake. This time a sort of chocolate cake. It did not seem to involve much sponge though Liz advises there was a base of it. Above that was chocolate mousse and on top of that about 2 cms (looked like 3) of whipped cream. My heart sank about the only thing that I found appetising about that was the sponge which was thin on. Liz had to pull her weight for two of us. I was beginning to understand why the sweet section of breakfast was more extensive than the savoury one. Clearly Theodora had a sweet tooth though the spanakopita was excellent, flaky and very tasty and she said was her favourite. Time for us to move on and Liz bade farewell to Theodora which apparently involved a big hug to her ample bosom. I did not know this at the time but as I separately went to say my farewells and thank you I stuck my hand out and was on the end of a Lathamesque fist pump. Apparently Theodora gave some last pieces of advice to Liz on destinations but finalised with "after a couple of days, if it's not working you can come home ie to the Sokratis as she had rooms coming free". It felt a bit like home too. On Theodora's advice we were heading for a town called Chanioti well down the Kassandra peninsula. Very booked out so we had had to take a large hotel for 3 nights not really our preference. However it had free cancellation right up to midnight on check-in day (which seemed by odd) and so we determined that if we saw anything better on the way to it we would switcheroo. The peninsula has a very narrow channel which separates it from the mainland. We drifted down slowly trying to stick to the coast. Got out at the little town of Nea Fokea and had a look at the byzantine tower and a little chapel. It had possibilities as a little Marina there and beach but a bit too early in our journey so kept going. We stopped for a coffee at a fairly ghastly place. A beach bar where there were wall to wall umbrellas cushions and sun lounges. Average age 25 and the music pumped up to a high level of decibels. Close to the bar you had to yell to make yourself heard. We made the coffee a take-away. Further on we saw a sign to another beach but as we pulled off the road we saw a couple of buses and then in the car park there were around 5 more. Clearly a venue for day trippers. We passed on and this was the ongoing story really. Nothing really jumping out at us. Either the odd big town which did not really look the goods or quite remote places where you don't know where you might get a feed. Didn't see many vacancy signs either. One slightly disconcerting thing is there seemed to be far more apartments for rent than hotel rooms. For us, the one or two night stayers, this is less than ideal as they really want week long bookings. Also you can't always walk up and find someone on the premises though in some places the owners are on site and have just sub-divided their house. We also hit some heavy traffic as basically there is one road in and one road out. At least on this side of the peninsula. We had been warned about that but we could see perhaps a 2-3km queue of dawdling traffic heading out with congestion in various other places too. Hopefully they were going home because the weekend was looming and it was back to work Monday. Could be painful for us getting back out if this is the norm. We finally arrived in Chanioti which was a small maze in itself and very lively but found our way to the hotel. It was every bit as soulless as we feared. Smart enough but a dozen people hanging around a pool with very little atmosphere. 3 nights here would not be fun. We went and had a look at the beach which was about 200 metres away and things went from bad to worse. Umbrellas and beach beds as far as the eye could see in either direction with the music going loudly as well. Not much serenity here. We retreated thinking - where to next? This joint was a last resort if we drew a blank elsewhere but we had now been going for 3 hours+ without a sniff re ally. On we went towards the bottom of the peninsula. Went down several back roads pointing to little towns but either nothing much there or on one occasion the 5 star resort complete with a fleet of Greg Norman yachts and the $$1000/night price tag. As we crossed over and started to make our way up the other side (western side) of the peninsula we found a nice little town called Loutra Beach (not to be confused with a similar place that seems to be on an island). Liz googled away looking for a room while I knocked on several doors where apartments were for rent. Liz had one possibility while I drew blanks. We headed into the centre of town to check Liz's lead but she had been led up the garden path by someone she spoke to. Nothing. We hadn't eaten anything since breakfast except for a few nuts so stopped for a Greek salad and soft drinks. Now around 5.00 and no closer. We tried one final hotel on the outskirts which was up a very steep hill, so great view, but nada. On we went steadily heading down the peninsula but nothing much jumping out. Tried a couple more hotels by walking up at Fourka Beach but again nothing and then Liz's perseverance on booking.com paid off. The hotel Paralio at Possidi beach which was close by had a room free with sea facing balcony. We whipped down there Liz took a look while I waited with the car in an area which didn't allow you to park ie residents parking (a local nicely tried to shoo me away but was happy when I said it would only be a few mins). Thumbs up from Liz and we were in. It was around 6.00 pm and a big day really but soon realised that the effort was worth it. Dinky room right on seafront ie sea across the road with balcony just above street level. Immediate dip in the sea as we were pretty hot. Enjoyed some drinks on our balcony post that. Also we decided that we weren't going to find anything much as user friendly and well located as this so booked a second night. For dinner we tried a couple of the nicer restaurants in town but both fully booked (as they were the following night which was Saturday). A very nice couple of locals who had just sneaked onto the last table in one of the restaurants sympathised with us. As soon as he heard where we were from he broke into a "throw the shrimp on the barbie" routine. Life must have been a bit too easy as there was no sense from the guys in the restaurant that a table might free up if we came back in 20 mins. It looked like one sitting even though some people were clearly going to finish in the near future. Even the young couple had had to talk them into giving them a table which was free but sort of in the passageway. We ended up going to the restaurant 50 metres away which was not as flash but just as full. Total bedlam as it was quite large. Seating seemed to be arbitrary. In fact also went there the next night and after I enquired of the boss lady who took all payments if we could sit at a certain table I was told if it's free just sit there. Service took a long time and we didn't choose particularly well. Liz had the stuffed peppers which can best be described as ho hum. I had the moussaka, tasty enough, but the copious amount of béchamel sauce fixed me up big time. The digestive system is not fond of creamy stuff. Also of course had a Greek salad. Very amusing young waiter who was not allowed to take orders (he was a meal deliverer and table setter upper) though he could get me a beer. As he spruced the table up by putting the table cloth down and separately brought the meals he stopped us if we tried to assist him in any way, saying - "that's my job". All with an infectious smile to go with the braces on his teeth. Despite the fare we enjoyed the ambience and were right by the sea. A short stroll around the very small village before heading home. The béchamel kept me awake and even tried a minnie heave (unsuccessfully) so have sworn off that. The next day was all about the beach. Breakfast was a disappointing event. Because the breakfast room was small we were encouraged to take our breakfast back to our own room. No hardship that as we had the balcony. Choice was very ordinary. Three sweet cereals no muesli, fried eggs sitting in a Bain Marie together with minuscule saveloys, cold pancakes. One of the pastries with custard was good as was a slice of cake with jam. Greek yoghourt was good though not much effort required there. We felt they are just going through the motions. Breakfast was included in the deal so they had to provide it but had skimped and didn't give a "toss", breakfast was not winning then business. Their location across the street from the sea was. Off to the beach though for a pretty full day of relaxation. I did go past the two flasher looking restaurants and managed to book one of them for the Sunday night. We also adjourned to a neighbouring cafe for lunch as our hotel was not serving food that day due to some kitchen issue. A very healthy club sandwich and chips was shared. That night we decided we liked the previous night's place enough to return. Just would choose differently. In truth its slim pickings in terms of choices in this town (with a number of clone restaurants) once the two main restaurants are full (and neither was very large). It was bedlam again and chokkers. A table was free literally near the entrance so away from the seafront which wasn't so bad as the wind had got up and it was a bit cool. After our advice to grab wherever is free from the boss we jumped in but we were so tucked away that service was not forthcoming. Not that it was fast in this place at any time. Luckily a table became free at the front by the sea we moved swiftly to grab it just ahead of others and we braved the wind which wasn't too bad as it turned out. Service eventually came and we shared grilled squid and sardines and a salad. Another pleasant evening and at the end the manic maitre de did spend a few minutes chatting to Liz which was nice as he had seemed pretty disinterested. Just run off his feet. Next day Liz was up earlier than me and walked to a neighbouring sandy promontory. Probably a couple of kms walk and it jutted out about 400 metres into the sea. She returned for breakfast and then I did the same. Very nice to walk out there and by the time I did it was pretty hot so I got right to the tip and had a quick swim to cool off. Water very clear around there and a bit cooler as more exposed. The rest of the day followed the usual routine of a beach day. We did have a pork gyros and chicken souvlaki for lunch. Pork good chicken not so. That night after drinks on the balcony we headed to the nicer restaurant. Food was undoubtedly better quality as was the clientele. Maitre de also charming. Liz's seafood pasta, more risotto like was plentiful and very tasty and I had octopus marinated in onions, tomatoes and whatever. Very very nice. Our time at Possidi was at an end. It had been painful finding it and as often is the case a combo of perseverance and luck got us there and in particular in our very pleasant room across from the sea. Just the right size of town/village (small) with enough action and good beach. Liz made a good point about the beach (they all seem to be sandy in this neck of the woods) which was that it was narrow, perhaps no more than 20-25 metres where we were, but that stopped there being masses of beds and umbrellas. We left wanting a little bit more which is always a good way to go.

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littlemisssquiggles · 5 years

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Imagine Cordo going down and everyone is happy but then sudden laser beam and Oscar is shot, which takes everyone by surprise. Ruby freaks out (everyone does) and that’s when Oscar sees Ozpin. Causing ep 13 (since ep 12 is probably gonna be fighting) to be focused on Oscar and Ozpin?

That’sone way of doing it. While I share your hunch on Oscar possibly being downed during the finale and ending up either in the Dreamscape(meaning his own mind) or the Realm between Realms to reunite with Ozpinand the God of Light, I don’t personally want Oscar to go down so soon meaningthat I’m actually hoping he survives the Cordo boss battle.

Apart of me hopes thatif Oscar is to go down, it’ll probably be during a daring moment of protecting Ruby.That’s why I’m waiting for the events of V6 C11 to playout because I’m curious to know if Neo and Cinder are going to show up for thefinale alongside Adam.

Ifwe’re getting the fated rematch boss fight between Adam versus Blake and Yangthen supposed we’ll get another parallel rematch battle between the Fire and Ice-creamduo and the Rosebuds.

IfNeo and Cinder show up then the hunch I have is that we’ll get to see a tag team rematchbattle of Cinder versus Oscar and Neo versus Ruby.

I want Neo to have her duel with Ruby basedon what Cinder promised her in V6 C7.

“…Help me getto Atlas. Help me find her and the rest is up to you…”

Cinder told Neo that if she helped her findRuby then she will be allowed to deal with her how she saw fit. I know she saidAtlas but…what if the Writers decide to retcon that detail and have Cinder andNeo change their plans to go to Argus instead especially when they meet up withAdam who informed them that the group are in Argus or something like that.

I want a Neo and Ruby confrontation because Ifeel like it can mirror the fight she had with Torchwick which is the fightthat made Neo have her vendetta in the first place. And Cinder vs Oscar sinceCinder was the one who fought Ozpin and killed him so a second go like thiswould be interesting to watch; albeit a little unfair on Oscar’s part since,though Oscar has improved as a fighter, I’m not sure if he’s ready to go upagainst a Maiden of Magic. But it is worth seeing him try and give it hisall especially if Oscar, on his own, uses his own wit to outsmart the cockyCinder and disarm her.

If Neo and Ruby have their dual, then mytheory is that at some point Neo willoverpower Ruby. Seeing Ruby down, this gives Cinder theopen window to deal her final blow to Ruby. Even though Cinder promised Neo shecan have her revenge, knowing Cinder’s personality, I feel like she’s morelikely to doublecross Neo and take a cheap shot at Ruby while Neodistracts and weakens the girl for her.

While Ruby is distracted with Neo, Cindertakes this as a chance to kill Ruby. Or…perhaps Cinder does surprisingly keep her word to let Neo kill Ruby but stilltakes a cheap shot at Ruby. Like imagine…Cinder directs her attention fromOscar to blindside Ruby with an attack from afar and as Ruby spins to counterCinder’s attack, Neo takes this distraction as a moment to deal the killingblow to Ruby.

I keep hearing word of Neo committing a heinous action that will upsetthe fandom . So whatif…Neo ends up killingOscar? What if…Neo takes a stab at Ruby only for Oscar to jump in front of the SilverEyed Girl, shielding her from the blow as Neo’s weapon goes right through theboy’s chest. So instead of killing Ruby, whatif…Neo technicallykills Oscar who dies saving Ruby right in front of her very eyes. I say technically because I don’t think the CRWBY Writers will actively kill off Oscar.

I feel like if Oscar is going to reunite withOzpin, it’ll probably be in the Realm betweenRealms and why I want it to be that as opposed toOscar’s mind is because it’s a chance for Oscarto parallel Ozma’s experience and meet the God of Light (or God of Darkness)face to face.

And as shown by Ozma, the only way for one toend up in the Realm between Realms is through death so I’m slowly starting to think that everything that’s been subtly foreshadowed about Oscar since the V6 poster has been leading to him possibly dyingthis season and coming back from the dead.

I know a plot point like this could upset myfellow Pineheads however speaking as proud Pinehead myself; I actually would like to see this become canon if possible.

Oscar dyingto protect someone he cares about is something Ican definitely see him having the bravery to do. It doesn’t necessarily have to be Ruby that Oscar dies or gets seriously injured to the point of death tryingto protect. Though Ruby is the obvious firstchoice, I can also see Oscar dying to protect Jaune for one) thatnod to Pyrhha’s sacrifice at sending Jaune off to safety while she went off tofight Cinder alone and two) to establish a bond between Oscar and Jaune whichcould aid later when Jaune eventually asks Oscar to join JNR. There have been too many signs this season.

Having Jaune have tension with Oscar so that he can learn to appreciate the value of having Oscar on the team.

“…Don’tworry. We’re not leaving for Atlas without him.”“This teamjust isn’t the same without you, Oscar.”

Bringing up Pyrhha so that JNR could finally have closure for their fallen friend and former teammate and move on anew.

I know that Oscar’s justification for incorporating red into his combat outfit theme is different from JNR’s but I like that it’s in there not just to symbolize Oscar’s admiration for Ruby but to also give him a colour that connects him to JNR. Just look how good these four looking next to each other. Look how Oscar fits in with JNR.

And of course, my favourite moment from C11 to signal JNPR’s potential revival with Oscar on the team---the fact that Oscar is making the same reaction to Jaune as Nora and Ren---that felt like such team moment. Like three team members being amused over their dorky leader. I’m just waiting for the show to make it official already.

That JNPR revival is coming guys! It’s getting stronger with every new episode. Now all I need is for Oscar to fight alongside JNR for the finale and like a hacker, he’ll be in for sure.

Plus I like this idea because it couldpotentially lead into my theory on Oscarbecoming immortal---resetting the reincarnation cycle byasking the God of Light to grant him immortality so that he may carry out themission of stopping Salem without having to force Ozma, the Past Wizards or anyfuture Wizards from this curse.

I think something like this could be cool ifturned canon…but I dunno. Not sure if Writers would do something like this.

Going back on your point anon,C13 is the seasonfinale episode. It’s the verylast episode of V6. Waiting to have Oscar meet Ozpin at thevery end. Giving everyone their development throughout the season while waitingto drop Oscar’s at the very end---I dunno. That might not sit well with somePineheads who were hoping it would’ve come sooner y’know. I know it’s just yourtheory anon-chan but I actually think you could be correct in that assumption.

If I were to interpret the narrative of thenext three episodes, I could assume that all three episodes will involve big fightsso I’m expecting C11-13 to be very action and combat heavy. We already got a taste of it fromthe C11 teaser clips.

If I had to guess, I feel like C11 will focusheavily on the Adam vs Bumblebee fight while cutting back and forth between the Cordo boss fight with JNR_QROW.I actually don’t think the mecha battle is the main fight. By the end of C11,we’ll probably get some reveal of a major twistto suggest that Adam was only the decoyto a much bigger scheme.

In C8, Ruby brought up Cinder Fall after Maria mentioned her ‘trial by fire’. Thisis why I’m waiting to see if Cinder and Neo show up. An interesting way to end C11is on a cliff-hanger where Grimm arrive to attack Argus along with Fire and Ice-cream.

By the end of C11, it would be cool if Neo andCinder were revealed to be working with Adam again and arrive with an army of Grimm to rain down on the unsuspectingcitizens of Argus---perhaps an army comprised of the Grimm we’ve seen all volume like the Manticoreand the Sphinx, maybe even some Apathy or just the generic cannon fodder Grimmlike the traditional Ursas and Beowolves.

Then in C12, we get the heroes splitting up to tackle the enemy while evacuating thecitizens to the Argus Atlesian Military Base since it’s probably the mostwell-protected safe haven in the entire city. This is why I don’t want Cordo tobe defeated because I’d like to see a temporarycease fire as Cordo redirects her attention to helping the heroes protect the citizens.

Maybe we can even have Maria assist from the air by evacuating people with her ship?

One thing I’ve been hoping to see for thefinale is Oscar fighting with JNR. Like we get to see Oscar, Jaune, Nora and Ren work together and pulloff team attacks coordinated by Jaune to take down an enemy horde to furtherhint at Oscar potentially joining up with them to revive Team JNPR. If C12 is along episode then we could get to see the Neo versus Ruby and Cinder versusOscar rematch go down and since the CRWBY like to toss in cliff-hangers…imagine if the episodeends with my theory of Neo killing Oscar while he tried protecting Ruby andthat’s how the episode just ends.

Then in C13, we get the reunion of Oscar and Ozpin. The only way I’ll accept itbeing like this is if the 90% of the episode is focused on just Oscar and Ozpinreuniting in the Realm between Realms or the Dreamscape or where the Writersdecide to toss their reunion.

No offense to the writers but they have skimpedon Oscar’s development this season which is disappointing since the posteralluded to it so…I’m hoping C11-C13 will make up for it and be our freckled farm boy’s crowning moments toshine like the golden boy he is.

But we shall see. In the meantime, these are justmy thoughts and theories and I hope they answered your question anon-chan. I plan ongoing more in depth in some of the stuff I talked about like Oscar’s potentialimmortality or even my ideas for how V6 could end in upcoming RWBY Musings. But asI said, I’m waiting to see how C11 goes because for me that will determine thekind of finale we’re going to get. So let’s see tomorrow!

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

#squiggles answers: rwby #oscar pine #ruby rose #jaune arc #rwby theories #rwby volume 6 theories #rwby volume 6 spoilers #Anonymous

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jandjsalmon · 6 years

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*waves* Hello Cas! Thank you for hanging out at our blog. We try to keep things nice for visitors and we’re glad you took notice. :)

I have some tips. Not sure how helpful they are - since I haven’t published my own fic in ages - but I help others publish theirs so maybe this will work for you.

This is gonna be long - and we don’t usually answer stuff like this on the @blueandgoldoffice - but for some idiotic reason, I thought I was answering this on my personal blog so I was incredibly verbose as I was answering... then I realized you’d asked it on the fic rec blog instead. Rather than delete all my work though, I thought I’d cut your ask out and paste it here - so you could still get your answers. I hope that’s okay.

It’s long though - so I’ll put it under a keep reading cut. <3 Jandy

1. Get a Beta Reader.

I know I sound like a broken record because I harp on this concept all the time but honestly - the VERY BEST ADVICE I have for any fic writer is get a beta reader (see how important it is? I wrote it all in CAPS!). It doesn’t matter if you think you’re the best writer on the planet - even JK Rowling needs an editor.

And it’s not just about Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation (though those things are very important). When you find a beta reader that is compatible with you - then they will tell you when phrases aren’t working, when things aren’t clear, when a shirt was removed 7 paragraphs before and you don’t need to have him remove it again, when you’ve said 3 chapters before that Betty was visiting Kevin and yet for some reason you want to write that they’re roommates now with no explanation, and when your characters are either not in character at all (and there is no reasonable reason why they’re ooc) or your characterization is inconsistent from previous chapters/parts.

A good beta reader will help you with that. They’ll talk plot points with you. They’ll help you outline. They’ll remind you of stuff. They’ll brainstorm with you to make your fic better. I PROMISE YOU - if you get a good beta reader, your fic will be better. Ask ANY of the multitude of authors I work with. Having a beta has only made their fics better.

2. Don’t undersell your story.

Nothing is less attractive than “I hated how this turned out but I guess I’ll just post it.” At best, it shows that you have little to no confidence in your own writing so why should I want to read it? At worst, you’re fishing for compliments and I gotta tell you - this is not the place to tie your personal self worth... because random fangirls on the internet can puff air up your skirt but can also tear you down just as fast. And sweet merciful hell - do not say “give me x number of reviews and I’ll write you the next chapter” - absolutely ridiculous.

3. Read (and comment) on other people’s work.

By reading a lot you can see what works and what doesn’t work. If you’re unsure of characterizations yourself, you would do well to read how other people interpret a character. You can also mentally self check that you’re hitting all the character points that are important to you and to your plot.

Additionally, by commenting on other people’s work, you are building relationships with other writers who may in turn offer you the same support. Maybe you’ll be looking for a beta and they’ll offer to help out. Or maybe they’ll remember your really great review on their fic - and decide that they want to give you the same props. We’re a community and we’re building friendships here - but even I have to admit that there are some writers who I’m not super in love with their work... but I still read and review because I’ve built a relationship with them and talked to them a lot.

ALSO - if you write something a tad incendiary - it’s always good to have people in your corner. I know of a couple amazing writers who get a LOT of hate in reviews to their work and on tumblr because soemtimes fandom is CRAZY. Having people in their corner has really helped us all grow closer together (or so they tell me - when I’m fending off more than one asshat Anon who sends me messages intending to bash these author’s and their work.)

4. Plot and Outline.

I’m aware that not every author is as inherently anal retentive as I am - listing out what needs to happen in each chapter and organizing plot points like this. And bearing in mind that every writer is different I’m gonna tell you a solid hard truth. Just sitting in front of a blank document and starting to type is good... you may even write some really kick-ass one-shots. But if you’re going long-haul and writing a multi-chapter? You need to freaking PLAN IT. Know where you’re going and what little things you have to have happen in the narrative before you get there. You can’t just wing it and expect that it’s gonna be epic - it just doesn’t happen.

5. Don’t just post the first chapter. (before you’ve written anything else).

If it's a multi part story, write a few chapters before you post anything. Once it's printed it's hard to go back and fix things that don't work with newer chapters. You're stuck with what you write. This is another purpose of a beta reader. If you are looking for immediate reaction to a chapter - have the beta read it over and tell you if it worked or if it didn’t. Because throwing it out to the rest of the Buggie audience and then deciding you’ll never finish it is going to alienate readers. (also - it’s a pain in the butt to go back into published chapters to change stuff that is suddenly really important as you’re writing chapter 5 but you didn’t mention in chapter 2).

6. Promotion.

So MM and I are on the fence about Promotion. Some just put up a link when their new chapter comes out. Other people post teasers, partial chapters, aesthetics, and reblog it six or seven times. Sometimes over promotion makes me turn my brain off. There are things you can do. We have Submit Sundays on the @blueandgoldoffice where you can promote your stories. If it’s a new fic on Ao3, the RSS feed will post it’s introduction and you may want to reblog that. Or your beta reader might want to post something (I do this with a lot of the fics I beta). Or you may want to create that kick-ass aesthetic and share your own story... make sure to tag it properly and try not to reblog it a million times - once or twice should be good (for timezones). And put long bits on tumblr under a Keep Reading Cut so our dashboards aren’t flooded.

In Conclusion

I think the main thing is to do a good job. If it's a good story, write it as a good story. Don't rush through it, don't skimp on it, don't worry about making it too long. It's better to have a well-explained plot and characters over ten chapters than a thin story squished into six. That being said, don't drag it out. Some stories can be told in six (again - your beta can help you with that).

Tag it properly, write a decent summary or include a short paragraph, and make sure your formatting is easy on the eyes. Have a beta check your SPaG and then check it again yourself. These are my best words of advice.

I hope this wasn’t too much information - I look forward to reading your fics!

<3 Jandy

#answering blue and gold mail on my own blog #bughead #bughead fanfiction #bughead fanfiction advice #get yourself a beta

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ablackbirdsinging · 7 years

Text

Like Calls to Like: Chapter 2

Nina/Sturmhond, Grisha Trilogy/Six of Crows crossover! Nothing too scandalous here, but it will eventually get pretty mature/explicit.

Summary: The crew sets sail to take Matthias’ body back to Fjerda. Sexual tension ensues!

@bharatanatyamandballet , @rowanismybae, @runesandfaes - I think you guys wanted to be tagged in the next installment, so here it is! Enjoy!

Genya finished her work on Nikolai’s face in the early morning hours.

“I don't believe I need to tell you how important it is that you wear Sturmhond’s face when you dock in Fjerda.”

“I know, Genya.” He'd been over the plan with the Triumvirate again and again in the last few days.

“Tolya has a kit with everything he'll need to fix you up as you approach Fjerda. He should probably start a few days before you approach the shore. He doesn't have the stamina for Tailoring that I do.” Nikolai nodded and rubbed a gloved hand over his rough hewn features.

“Do you think she'll mind?”

“That the man she's roped into taking her on a dangerous journey across the sea is actually her King?”

“That I've been lying to her.” Genya bit her lip.

“Nina’s no stranger to wearing masks herself. And yet, you know why you're taking her, Nikolai. She's lost her closest friend, her lover. That's what this trip is about. It's not a pleasure cruise on the love boat.”

“You sound like Zoya right now.”

“Well, she occasionally knows what she's talking about.” Genya ran a hand across her scarred face. “I don't want you to get hurt, Nikolai. Neither does Zoya, for that matter. We know the last few years have been hard on you. I don't know what you want from Nina, but I hope you know that she may not be ready to give it yet.”

“I know that. I do. And I don't really know what I want either. I just feel drawn to her,” he shrugged, embarrassed. He'd never needed to seek help in the romance department before.

“Well, be careful, Nikolai. We expect you back in one piece as soon as you can manage it.”

He gave her a mock salute.

“Yes, ma’am.”

----

Oh Saints it was way too early in the morning. Nina slumped up the gangplank, shielding her face from the unrelentingly rising sun. Tamar and Tolya lugged her trunk up behind her. The coffin containing Matthias’ body had been stowed in the ship’s hold the night before.

Sturmhond stood at the ship railing as she came aboard, the breeze ruffling his coat and hair. She held up a hand before he could speak to her.

“No talking pirate boy. It's too early for everything. Just point me in the direction of the nearest pot of tea.”

“Ah, a morning person. Lovely.”

“Tea, Sturmhond!”

“Follow me, new girl. I'll take you down to the kitchen,” Nadia said as she swept by in her blue kefta.

“Hands off the Squaller, Zenik. She's spoken for,” Tamar shouted over her shoulder as she and her brother hefted the trunk up onto the deck. “What is in here, anyway? Chunks of granite?” She muttered to herself.

Nadia led Nina through a maze of hallways and ladders before finally depositing her in the ship’s kitchen. For being the smallest of Sturmhond’s fleet, the ship certainly had no lack of hidden nooks and crannies. And he certainly hadn't skimped when it came to the kitchen area.

Nina breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the tea service set up on the wide wooden table.

“Thank the Saints,” she muttered as she poured herself a cup of tea. The Squaller slipped onto the bench across the table from her and grabbed a tea cup as well.

“Don't worry. You'll figure out the layout of the ship quickly. It's pretty straightforward once you’ve had time to walk it all a couple times through.”

“Now that I’ve had some tea, I should be much more capable,” Nina laughed. She eyed the pretty Squaller sitting across her. “Why did you decide to come? I assume you received ample warning about the Fjerdan views on Grisha?”

Nadia sipped her own tea and blushed.

“Where my love goes, I go.” She said simply.

“Love? Who? Sturmhond?”

Nadia choked on a mouthful of tea.

“Sturmhond? Saints, no! Tamar!”

“Oh,” Nina said, feeling her face on fire. “I guess her warning up on the deck makes more sense now.” Nadia nodded.

“She gets a bit possessive when there are other pretty women around.” It took Nina a moment to realize Nadia was talking about her. “I’d best run up to the deck again and get into position for our move out of the harbor. Make sure to come watch as we set sail. Seeing the shore disappear as we take to open seas is my favorite part.”

Nina promised that she'd be up as soon as she'd drunk her fill of tea, as long as she could find the deck again.

Nadia laughed again.

“Just follow the scent of salty sea air until you make it to the top. Easy!” She chirped,and then she was scampering out of the kitchen.

----

Nikolai busied himself with the final preparations before they took off. This was one of his favorite parts of being a privateer. Reading the winds, adjusting the sails, watching each member of his crew work at his or her own tasks like cogs in a giant piece of well-oiled machinery.

“Captain,” Nadia nodded to him as she took up her spot beside the main mast. The Squaller was a staple aboard any ship he sailed these days. She was as natural a sailor as he was himself. Of course having only one Squaller aboard on the trip was risky, but Nikolai planned to conserve her energy for any spots of trouble or bad weather that might pop up. Other than helping them get out of the harbor, she'd be free to run around getting into trouble with Tamar for the rest of the journey, as long as things went to plan.

Tamar paused in her work checking the safety boats and ammunition supplies on one side of the deck, to look up at Nadia with a wide smile.

Genya’s words from that morning echoed around Nikolai’s head.

“Not a cruise on the love boat? Genya’s certainly underestimating my sailors, then.” He muttered to himself.

“I dropped your girl in the kitchens, Sir. She was guzzling tea when I left her,” Nadia told Nikolai as she stretched and flexed her shoulders and fingers.

“Thank you, Nadia.”

“Isn't this the part where you tell me she's not your girl?”

“Did Zoya and Genya put you up to this?” Nadia laughed, catching Tamar’s attention below again.

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Nadia insisted.

Nikolai shook his head and stomped away, leaving the post to his first mate. He was starting to regret surrounding himself with so many female advisors. They were all starting to gang up on him.

He leaned forward over the deck, gloved hands gripping the metal rail tightly.

“It looks like a nice day to sail.” He hadn't even heard Nina come up behind him. He scooted over a bit in the international signal for “here come stand by me,” and she joined him at the rail.

“It's damn near perfect.”

“An auspicious start to the journey, then, although you don't strike me as a man who believes in luck.”

“I believe in maps and sextants and fine brandy and crew members that do their jobs very very well.”

“And that's what makes you the best pirate in the world?”

“It's privat -- you're doing that on purpose, aren't you?” Nina’s only answer was the sound of her laugh uncurling over the sound of the breeze and the waves lapping at the ship. He shook his head. These damned women.

He turned around and signaled to the men and women in his crew, then watched Nadia lift her arms.

“Hold on tight,” he warned Nina.

And then they began to move.

----

As she did on the sail from Ketterdam to Ravka weeks before, Nina fell easily into the routine of life on the ship. She spent many days practicing blade work with Tamar, or gossiping with Nadia about the the Grisha they both knew back at the Little Palace. She often missed Inej when she was with Tamar and Nadia, and wrote countless letters that she would probably never get the chance to mail. When the days grew long and Nina was bored, she'd climb into the crow’s nest to listen to Tolya’s stories. Inevitably she would grow bored of that, too, and then she'd work on convincing him to teach her the bawdiest drinking songs in his native language. His voice was slow and deep, which made everything, even the most inappropriate lyrics sound like a religious hymn, and Nina’s was shrill and perpetually out of tune, raining down over the ship with no skill and much enthusiasm.

Each night they gathered around the table in the kitchen like it was time for a family dinner. Sturmhond had said it would be a skeleton crew, but he didn't skimp when it came to the cook. Night after night the table was piled with savory dishes and sweet confections. And when the platters were picked clean and everyone was swaying from too much brandy and just enough laughter, they would take turns cleaning up and washing dishes.

Nina soon learned that in exchange for a couple hours chopping carrots or cleaning potatoes in the afternoon, the cook, whose name was Anton, would let her taste test his latest dessert experiments. She could often be found in the kitchen chopping away or nursing a cup of tea by the cookstove while Anton told her stories of his village.

In the first few days, she saw little of Sturmhond. If she was on the top deck with Nadia and Tamar, she could often look to the center mast and see him there, hands on the ship’s wheel, eyes focused on the sea. But they rarely exchanged words, or even smiles.

Until one night when dinner ended and she and Tolya started clearing away the dishes for cleanup duty. Sturmhond put his hand on the other man’s broad shoulder.

“I'll take care of it, Tolya. You go get some rest.”

Tolya dried his soapy hands on a rag and shrugged.

“If you insist, boss.” And Sturmhond took up his place beside Nina. They fell into a comfortable rhythm - Sturmhond scrubbing, Nina rinsing and drying. At one point, Nina looked down at Sturmhond’s hands, emerged in the soapy water and could have sworn. But she shook her head. No, surely not.

When the kitchen was back to sparkling clean, Sturmhond surreptitiously slipped his gloves back on and then turned to Nina who was wiping down the counters.

“Will you have a drink with me?”

“Sure,” she said, heading toward the table.

“Actually,” he mumbled, “I keep the good stuff in my own quarters.” Nina raised her eyebrows.

“You've been holding out on us?” He laughed and she followed him out of the kitchen, heading toward his rooms.

“There are very few things I'm snobbish about. Liquor just happens to be one of them.”

“Alright, and what are the others?”

“Well-made ships, of course. I like my clothes finely-tailored.” Nina let her eyes roam over his back as he led her down a narrow hallway. His shirt fit snugly over his broad shoulders, tapering to his narrow waist and trousers that pulled snug across his ass.

“I can see that.” He threw a roguish smile over his shoulder.

“I like nice leather gloves.” Nina sighed. What was up with the men in her life and gloves? She'd have to include this in her next letter to Inej. Of all people, she would understand. “What about you? Any particularly discerning tastes you’d like to disclose?”

“Chocolate.” The word was more like a breathy moan the way she said it. Sturmhond stopped walking and turned to watch her. “The darker the better. Bitter, almost like coffee. And just plain chocolate. No fruit. No nuts. None of those crunchy wafer bits. Just little squares of chocolate wrapped in gold foil. Small enough that you can put the whole thing on your tongue and just wait, savoring it as it melts and coats your whole mouth in rich, smooth,” her eyes slipped shut, “chocolate.”

When she opened her eyes again, he had stepped forward and was watching her with such intensity that she stumbled back and into the wall of the hallway.

“Sorry!”

“No, I'm sorry.”

Sturmhond stepped back awkwardly, looking everywhere but at Nina.

“We’ve uh, arrived,” he said gesturing at the door just beyond where they stood, then he pushed it open with his gloved hands and stepped back so she could go in first.

“Saints, Sturmhond. No wonder the rest of us have to sleep in rooms the size of an orange crate. You took all the space for yourself.”

“The captain’s quarters were this way when I uh, inherited, the ship.”

“Is inherited special pirate code for stole?”

“Um, yes, although it's actually -”

“Privateer,” they said in unison, laughing. Whatever awkward tension remained from the hallway melted away.

Nina walked around Sturmhond’s antechamber running her hand over things while he poured two glasses of brandy. There was a small, private dining table, a giant hulking beast of a desk littered with maps and compasses, a worn leather couch, a porthole that she stood on tiptoes to look out even though it was too dark to see anything. There was a closed wooden door that presumably led to his bedroom, which Nina was pointedly trying not to look at.

He handed her a glass containing two fingers of a beautiful burnished gold brandy, and settled on the leather couch. She was dressed casually, as she had been since they set sail - an oversized shirt and leggings. As she sat at the other end of the couch, cupping her glass in her hands, she slipped her feet out of her flats and curled her legs up beside her on the couch.

“I think this is more comfortable than the bed in my room. I might have to start sleeping in here.” She watched Sturmhond’s reaction from beneath hooded lids, watched his gloved hands tense against his glass, the way his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. For whatever reason, she liked playing with the man. Watching the hyper-awareness he had of her, her words, her body. Remembering the way he had seemed so immune to her looks on the trip from Ketterdam to Ravka had her rolling her hips a bit as she settled into the dark worn leather, hefting her breasts a little to see if he'd notice.

His eyes skittered over her body, down to her toes tucked beside her on the couch, and drew a hand down his face.

“I could use a favor.”

“Well I owe you one. A few. For all of this.” She gestured at the ship around them. He exhaled loudly.

“When you were in Ketterdam, you worked at The House of the --”

Nina leapt to her feet, nearly splashing brandy down the front of her shirt.

“If you think for one second --”

“I don't! I don't. Sit and let me explain.” She raised her eyebrows at him. “Please.”

She crossed her arms and looked away.

“I am not trying to solicit sex from you Nina. I swear. Saints!” He shook his head. “ When you're ready, perhaps you could sit down and I could explain myself better than the first time I attempted it.”

Well, that's better, I suppose, Nina thought, and sat down heavily on the couch and took a large gulp of her drink.

“From what I understand, your specialty there was mood lightening? Relieving stress?”

Nina eyed him wearily.

“I guess you could say that.”

“Can you do that for me? Help me like that?”

“What kind of stress could you possibly have, Sturmhond?”

“Didn't I tell you to call me Niko?”

“Haven't you figured out that I don't like being told what to do? And besides, last I heard you wanted me to call you ‘scourge of the seas.’”

“So perhaps Niko could be a nice middle ground.”

“Alright, alright Niko, I can see now that you're under a lot of stress over this identity crisis. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can help you anymore.”

“How come?” He was eyeing her suspiciously. She took another sip of brandy, relishing the slow burn down her throat, and chewed on her thumbnail. She liked Sturmhond - Niko, whatever. She was starting to view him as a friend. But she wasn't sure how much she should divulge.

“Have you ever known a Grisha to lose his or her powers?” Niko hesitated.

“Yes.” That wasn't the answer she was expecting.

“Really, who?”

“That's...classified.” Nina rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, a few months ago in Ketterdam, I went through an...ordeal. And after that the abilities that I was used to, that I had studied and honed at the Little Palace and used as a Heartrender in the Second Army, were...changed.” <I>Gone,</I> Nina sighed. “I still have Grisha abilities, but they're different than they used to be, and I'm not even sure if I could do anything for you.”

“I see,” he looked down into his half-drank glass of brandy. “Could you try?”

“Yes, I can try.” She shifted closer to him on the couch. “Is it ok if I touch you?”

Niko gave a wide smile.

“I usually prefer that a lady buy me dinner first, maybe bring me flowers…”

“I need to concentrate. Don't make me laugh, Niko.” She was so close to him now. Close enough to smell the spearmint scent of his soap, the tang of alcohol on his breath as he exhaled slowly, almost painfully.

“I like it when you laugh,” he whispered. She pulled back enough to run her eyes over his face, studying the freckles, the scars, the dimple on one side of his mouth.

“I like when you make me laugh.” She felt his attention turn to her mouth, her full dark lips, and before he could cross that whisper of space between them, she placed her palm against his forehead.

A jolt shook her as her hand met his flesh and she jumped away. He had felt it too, drawing back against the couch with eyes wide.

“What was that?” She gasped, but already she was reaching to touch him again. She ran one finger down the side of his cheek, over the ridge of his jaw. It still made her shiver, but she was prepared this time. She felt his body react to her. Something dark and familiar ran under his skin, reaching out to her hungrily as she touched his skin, like drawing a magnet through a pile of metal shavings.

She looked Niko in the eyes and found the bright green clouded with shadow and shame and hunger and lust and exhaustion.

“What are you?” And under her hand, Niko shuddered.

#Like Calls to Like #grisha trilogy #six of crows #nina zenik #nikolai lantsov #sturmhond #things ashley writes

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thesinglesjukebox · 4 years

Video

youtube

MEGHAN TRAINOR FEAT. NICKI MINAJ - NICE TO MEET YA

[4.18]

Meghan, you need no introduction...

Alfred Soto: The pairing is quaint -- how 2014! Meghan Trainor attempts a makeover that vaporizes the essentials of a noxious image. Now she sounds like nobody at all. Nothing. [1]

Katie Gill: I can't decide who she's trying to be in this song but she's certainly trying to be someone ELSE. The pivot to a more heavy R&B sound, the whispered hook, the Nicki guest verse, this has "I am trying to reinvent myself, can we all finally forget about 'Me Too' now" written all over it. Pity that the reinvention comes with a distracting amount of vocal modulation and at the expense of anything actually Meghan Trainor about it. [3]

William John: A mishmash of instagrammable aphorisms, with a tired trope like a whispered chorus, is an improvement on undermining your self-empowerment aesthetic with a genetics polemic - but only just. [2]

Thomas Inskeep: Trainor's flailing, desperately trying to get her career back on track, but she's not up to the faux-dark trap-pop she's attempting here. Minaj, meanwhile, will clearly do anything for a check, except exert effort. Both of them should be embarrassed by this. [1]

Tobi Tella: I'm not saying Meghan Trainor was good when she was doing doo-wop pastiche, but at least it was a gimmick to hide the soullessness. The highlight of the song is Nicki's listless verse referencing monsters, reminding us of simpler times and much better songs. [3]

Kylo Nocom: Meghan Trainor is pop's biggest joke. Her demographic gets dragged daily: stans always have aversion towards anybody that dares to fill a niche for "soccer moms" or "the GP" (one of pop fandom's biggest mysteries; what makes you so different from "normal people that listen to music"?). The homogeneity of publications' takes on pop is less a side effect of poptimism than it is of stan culture; nobody wants to ignite the wrath of Twitter fanbases, so it's best to come after Ed Sheeran and P!nk as easy targets. Meghan's career of empowerment anthems is not amazing, but has never been enough to warrant the bandwagon of shit-talk she receives across the board. Any attempt at trying to justify her value as a musician feels as if it immediately starts off with contrarian intent rather than out of sincere enjoyment. Yet out of her hits, I'd be hard-pressed to say she's ever even had a truly horrible song. I've suffered through some of the worst of radio overplay and still can't remember ever changing the station whenever one of her songs comes on. My tolerance for her sincerity, no matter how poor the messaging ends up being, is high enough to find Meghan dumb fun. Her latest single expectedly doesn't fascinate lyrically, even if "I am blessed by the heavens" is remarkably badass in the two ways it's delivered, but nobody wants to talk about how fucking weird this is. The DNA of "Nice to Meet Ya" is loaded with referents: "Tongue" (the whispered chorus), "Loyal to Me" (millennial R&B revivalism as filtered through perceived "Spotify-core"), "Wasabi" (the ridiculous grinding bass), "Beez n the Trap" (though more "Soap," I'm not telling anybody to respect Melanie Martinez, plus Nicki's entrance completely re-contextualizes the drop), any Zedd song that used the dumbass vocoder. It'd be easy to shit on this as desperate if it actually sounded like any hit on the radio right now; as is, it's a complete Frankenstein of various tropes catered directly to my tastes. Meghan Trainor provides a lesson for us all: being perceived as pop's biggest tryhard might just means she's trying more than 99% of people out there. Looks like her hard work has paid off. [9]

Katherine St Asaph: Can you have a consistent identity -- "brand," we'd say now -- if The Discourse has decided your identity is actually something else? Meghan Trainor has been made into a punchline, all her music just elaboration on the joke. (To be fair, that weird horny press release for the EP didn't help.) But that music, the actual sounds on recording, is a consistent string of millennial R&B singles as faithful and nervy as Rina Sawayama or Kehlani or LIZ or Raye, all of whom this would be praised for releasing this exact song minus the Meghan tag. The "blessed by the heavens" hook and faux-brass backing would be celebrated if this were a single by Ariana Grande or Fifth Harmony, for whom it may well have been written. (Camila would do the whispered vocals, right?) Critics may even like it, if only for the near-quote in the synth hook of Cassie's "Me and U." [7]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: Given the delightfully entertaining chaos of Meghan Trainor's career as of late -- from that crazy UTI-inducing press release, to the catchy (eu)genetics song, to her somehow being involved in the comeback reunion of the Pussycat Dolls --- I really wanted to like this. But my actual reaction aligns more closely with what Nicki says halfway though her verse: "Ha, ha, ha-ha, ha, ha-ha-ha." [4]

Brad Shoup: Trainor's uncanny chorus makes this one feel like it's 70% percent Minaj. It's actually better than Minaj's cashed-in favor of a verse, which opts for the safe syllabic choice every time. Still, mark another square on the bingo card: Trainor's made throwback snap-pop. [4]

Joshua Lu: Treat Myself being a decent album isn't particularly surprising, given how most of Meghan Trainor's 2019 releases showcased her affinity for making easily digestible but pristine pop music. "Nice to Meet Ya" isn't the best offering, but it is emblematic of its parent album's general formula: histrionically sassy lyricism, production that doesn't skimp on vocoder or random bloopy noises, and a general feeling of datedness, best brought in with Nicki Minaj's most genuinely carefree verse since the Roman Reloaded era. Maybe it's a sign of my aging taste, or just sympathy for a struggling pop star whose career I've enjoyed observing for the past six plus years, but I find myself entirely willing to appreciate what this fun little pop song has to offer. [7]

Jackie Powell: Meghan Trainor has been through the wringer in the lead up to the release of her third album TREAT MYSELF. According to an interview with the Zack Sang Show, Trainer was stalled during a time where there was a lot of "traffic" in the market. But also, she was told that she could simply produce a better product and Epic records could afford to give her that time. Almost two years ago, TSJ reviewed "No Excuses," which had a memorable chorus but fell flat, more like a Fifth Harmony B-side than a Trainor track. "Nice to Meet Ya" is sonically more dynamic than "No Excuses" but at times sounds like a structural carbon copy of Ariana Grande's mega-hit "Problem." Whispered hook: check. Bridge formed by a female rapper: check. (Nicki Minaj's verse works, but its main function has been for hip-hop choreographers, which is fine I guess.) Although I wonder what would have ensued if Trainor's husband and former Spy Kid Daryl Sabara took over the whispering duties from his wife on the post-chorus, akin to Big Sean on the Grande cut. But apparently, he is credited for backing vocals? Trainor has been notorious for "repetitive pop," and lately has leaned into her song titles too much. While "Genetics" was upgraded with a Pussycat Dolls feature, I can't help but cringe when the word is spelled out. And don't get me started on "Evil Twin." Trainor has difficulty with her lede. Her lede is either forced or buried, which is something that transpires on this latest single. What would happen if she didn't begin her songs with the title? What would "Nice to Meet Ya" have sounded like without its hook, which consists of the whispering? This single could have easily been named "What I Want to Be" which might be less cutesy than "Nice to Meet Ya," but it's a bit more appropriate for where Trainor is in her life. Something that's unfortunate about Trainor is how she consistently forces the issues she's bringing to the surface. Don't get me wrong, her message is vital for her audience, but maybe she can use a metaphorical editor or another producer or songwriter who can relate to and understand her message, altering it so that it isn't oversold. [5]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

#Meghan Trainor #Nicki Minaj #pop #music #music review

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kellykperez · 6 years

Text

How to master copywriting for SEO

In 2018, you need to understand copywriting and SEO – and a whole lot more – to write content that will rank well and return a great ROI.

If you have a head for marketing, UX and research, too, you’ll be in a commanding position. As our discipline evolves in response to a changing search engine landscape, demarcation lines become blurred, and it’s been difficult not to venture into featured snippets, schema and other on-page aspects of SEO.

Instead, with proper focus, you’ll need to know about your audience and how they’ll read your content, what they will be looking for, the continuing role of high quality, in-depth content, where offline historic copywriting skills still live on today, why you should still be using key phrases, and why structure is important.

How will your audience read your content in 2018?

Google’s recent announcement of the first set of sites being migrated to mobile-first indexing reflects the fact that the majority of searches worldwide are carried out on mobile devices. My direct experience is that the move to mobile is very much in the B2C space; less so in B2B, where people are still at their desks with their laptops or desktops.

And then, we see the start of an explosion in voice search and devices – our smartphones and home devices from Google, Amazon and Apple – reading content to us.

Of course, we’re still seeing how voice pans out, and its implications for SEO copywriting, but I’d say if you stick to simple language and shorter sentences within a well-structured piece (think about making the main points right up front in case the listener’s attention wanders).

High-quality, in-depth content

However your audience interacts with your work, it needs to be excellent. Make your content unique, high quality and written to professional standards. Google will reward you. Buying 300-500 spun monstrosities, while never being a great thing, had better not even pass through your mind today. They’ll kill your SEO and content marketing ambitions stone dead.

While we’re thinking about copy lengths, one popular strategy recently has been to write a longer piece than those above you in the rankings. Theirs is 2,000 words? Then leapfrog them by writing 2,500!

Of course, it’s not as simple as that. Take a look at the webpages above you in the SERPs. How good are they? Are they well-written? Do they answer the questions customers are asking? Do they understand searcher intent and how to respond to it?

If the 2,000-worder in your sights fails on any or all of these factors, you may be able to kick the ball out of the park with a shorter, tighter, laser-targeted 1,500-worder.

Writing shorter pieces for mobile’s smaller screens may be tempting. Don’t, though. You’ll lose out to those more extensive pieces, written without such an artificial restriction. Instead, leave it to your UX people, designers and developers to get the presentation right.

Write for people

Now that Google can understand the words on a page, you have to raise your writing game. Get your grammar and stylistic chops up with the best and Google should reward you for it. But don’t forget your audience. Deliver them precisely what they’re looking for.

Before you start writing, ask yourself:

Who is your audience?

Where is their pain?

Put yourself in their mind; imagine how they will react to your content.

You may want to go the whole hog and spend time developing Personas. Personally, I’m happy to use them if there’s the budget and someone else to do most of the donkey work. Otherwise, I find I can usually visualize the target group more easily than the series of sometimes-unconvincing individuals that can come out of the Persona-building exercise.

Bridging the offline past with the online present

Let’s see how the long-established rules of copywriting work in today’s SEO copywriting environment.

Do your research: Advertising industry king, David Ogilvy, stressed the fundamental importance of research in producing great copy some 50 years ago – decades before the age of keyword research or the internet. Don’t you forget the keyword research, though – more on that later .

Write an attention-grabbing headline based on related key phrases from your research.

Involve the reader further with subheads – don’t skimp on them, either.

Make it easy for the reader: In addition to inserting subheads, write in short paragraphs and short sentences. And ensure you put spaces between paragraphs.

Calls to action: No matter how good your copy, you’ll need a CTA to see the full return on your investment, through sign-ups, purchases or other goal fulfilments.

Treat editing as separate from writing: Get some time between the two processes and see your work with new eyes. If you’re writing more than a couple of screens of copy, consider printing out your work. You’ll see it entirely differently.

Get someone else to read your work: They’ll notice your mistakes and pick out where you’re unclear.

The key phrase is alive and well and living in the best copy

Don’t listen to people who say ‘Key phrases are dead’. They are very much alive. And they will remain so all the time we use the paradigm of typing or speaking language into a search engine. But their use in digital marketing today has changed.

While you’re doing your research, think audience and marketing. How big is the online audience (market)? Where are they? What can we find out about their demographics? What should my content be about?

If you’ve got it right, and have used the right tools (at the core of my toolset are SEMrush and Keywordtool.io), you should have the most important answers you need to write the copy.

With my main key phrases selected, I look for questions and semantically related key phrases to flavour and shape what I’m writing. I find Answer the Public invaluable here.

Talk to your client and/or customers: Find out about problems, solutions, products and services

Build a list of seed key phrases

Do your research

Select your key phrases: Be sure why they’re relevant to your audience

Assemble your questions and semantically connected key phrases

Write for your audience

You can’t sidestep key phrase research. It’s still at the core of copywriting for SEO and the framework for everything you write.

Don’t let key phrase density hang on

Back in the day, before Google understood semantics and had AI, copywriting for SEO was many times more difficult than it is today. The trick was to use the key phrases precisely as they appear in the research (give or take a stop word or two), the requisite number of times or density to help the search engine understand your content. And it all somehow had to read as if a human had written it for another human!

But why am I talking about key phrase density in 2018? It’s nothing to do with my greying beard and pathological need to relate stories about the past (honest). It’s about WordPress.

The WordPress CMS powers more than 28% of the sites on the Internet. And its most popular SEO plugin, Yoast SEO is getting millions of content producers, both site owners and professional writers to adjust their key phrase densities via Yoast’s traffic light system.

If you’re making this mistake, for everyone’s sake turn off the traffic lights and write according to the rules and advice here. You should start seeing better results.

Structure and <h> tags

Another area that people say has passed into history. I say otherwise. We’re recognizing the growing importance of UX (user experience). As a writer, UX isn’t something you can ignore, thinking it’s the domain of designers and developers. An enjoyable, involving read will be a better experience than a dry academic paper in a learned journal.

If natural, professional writing is a prerequisite for success, so is having a page that’s easy to read and understand. Think about the reader again. A big headline is the most important (use h1 tags), and a hierarchy from next biggest down to smallest (h2 to h6). So use them to make content’s structure clear and easy to navigate.

I’ve got through this entire piece without saying ‘Content is King’. To be honest, I’m not sure it is.

SEO is a much more wide-ranging game in 2018 than it was even a year or two ago. Just writing copy is unlikely to bring all the results you’re looking for. So you must consider SEO copywriting as a part of your digital marketing armory. A fundamental part, of course, but remember the lines are increasingly blurred.

source https://searchenginewatch.com/2018/03/12/how-to-master-copywriting-for-seo/ from Rising Phoenix SEO http://risingphoenixseo.blogspot.com/2018/03/how-to-master-copywriting-for-seo.html

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flowermandalas · 6 years

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Stay Sane with the Personal Craziness Index

To stay sane in an insane world, we need more than new tools and techniques. To maintain sanity, we also have to keep doing the things that got us there.

The final piece of the resilience puzzle is to build Balancer-enhancing attitudes and practices into our daily lives, so they are as much a part of our routines as breathing. Then we keep watch to make sure we’re staying on track.

When Balancer incorporates the new tools ReBalancer uses, it gets stronger. Mini self-care then becomes something we do every day, not just when stress is high. The Experiment becomes an experimental attitude we carry with us 24/7. Meditation becomes a daily activity. Self-compassion and acceptance become the new norm. And so on.

But changing habits takes time. If we don’t stay on top of our game, we run the risk of drifting back to our old, less resilient ways. UnBalancer loves when that happens! So we need a method for regularly checking in with ourselves to make sure we’re using all the shiny new tools and techniques we worked so hard to acquire.

To help stay on track, I recommend using a monitoring tool called the Personal Craziness Index (PCI). The PCI was first presented by author Patrick J. Carnes in his groundbreaking book on addiction recovery, A Gentle Path Through the Twelve Steps. But it turns out that the PCI has uses beyond maintaining sobriety, and one of them is to monitor resilience.

The PCI is a universal tracking tool that can be used by anyone to monitor and maintain balance. It relies on the fact that in both subtle and obvious ways we respond to aspects of our lives differently when we’re in balance and when we’re not.

The PCI is a build-it-yourself tool. In each of 10 major life areas, the PCI lists three indicators of how we act when we are in balance. Then we track the most significant ones – the ones that most clearly indicate whether we are in or out of balance – every day.

If we notice we’re slipping back into unbalanced behaviors, chances are good we are headed for a major tilt in the near future. What’s nice about the PCI is that corrective actions are built into it. All we have to do to restore balance is resume any balancing activities we’re no longer doing, and stop doing the unbalancing activities that sneaked back in.

For instance, suppose that in the “Health” category we wrote that when we’re feeling balanced, we go to the gym three times a week, cook our own meals, and sleep at least seven hours per night. Although each of these actions alone may seem unimportant, as indicators that Balancer is humming along smoothly they are invaluable.

When we notice we’re skipping the gym, picking up junk food, or skimping on sleep, we become aware that we’re also becoming more vulnerable to imbalance. At this stage, because we’ve given up only a little ground, out-maneuvering UnBalancer is easy: we will ourselves to return to the gym, cook our meals, and get more sleep, and thus reverse the downward slide.

Detecting mild imbalance before UnBalancer gathers enough strength to pull us under is much easier than restoring balance once we’ve been toppled.

In 12-step recovery programs, the phrase “fake it till you make it” expresses the idea of using our will to assume new, more self-actualizing behaviors and attitudes. The PCI helps us “fake it till we make it” when the amount of willpower that’s required to keep personal craziness at bay is still small. Then we can go forward, Balancer unhindered, UnBalancer thwarted once again.

What to do:

Create Your Own Personal Craziness Index. Listed below are 10 suggested categories for the Personal Craziness Index. If some of these categories don’t fit your situation, you can substitute others that do. Under each category, write 3 indicators that you are in a good place – list either things you do that keep you in positive territory, or things you don’t do that also show you are functioning well. For example, under Health/Hygiene you might list “exercise 3x per week” as something you do to stay fit, or “don’t eat junk food” as a reminder to avoid unhealthy eating.

Track 7 indicators. Choose the 7 indicators, from any of these 10 categories, that most clearly show that you’re maintaining your defenses against personal craziness. At the end of each day, tally up how you did. Give yourself a score from 1 to 7, where “7” is “I’m doing all the positive things / not doing any of the negative things” and “0” is “I’m not doing any of the positive things / doing all of the negative things.” Keep a daily log. NOTE: You get a “0” for days you don’t bother to check!

If your score dips below 7, reverse the trend. If your numbers start dropping, reverse the trend by resuming the positives on your PCI and avoiding the negatives. When your Personal Craziness Index is restored, your personal craziness will, likewise, diminish, your personal sanity restored.

Personal Craziness Index

P.S. If you find what you read here helpful, please forward it to others who might, too. Or click the social share and email buttons on this page.

Related Posts: The Under Toad and the UnBalancer The Balancer/ReBalancer Tag Team A Mini-Lesson on Mini Self-Care Gyroscopes and Personal Flywheels Hanging in the Balance Balancing the Books The Experiment How to Design an Experiment Build Your Resilience in 6 Steps How to Rebalance Your Brain in 3 Easy Steps How to Boost Connections and Support Handling Change, Part I: Radical Acceptance and Self-Compassion Handling Change, Part II: Forgiveness and Self-Forgiveness Handling Change, Part III: Creative Approach and Experimental Attitude Three Ways to Mix Mindfulness into Your Life Stay Sane with the Personal Craziness Index

Books: From Paths to Wholeness: Fifty-Two Flower Mandalas PATH: “If you don’t know where a path goes, it’s hard to take the first step. When we are on a path with heart, the going may be no easier than when we are on another path. But we don’t mind. We sense that we are not just passing time because we can feel the path taking us where we need to go. And when we come to the end of our days, we know that our time on the planet has not been squandered.”

Print: Amazon – BookBaby – B&N – Books-a-Million eBook: Kindle – Nook – iTunes – Kobo

NOTE: Paths to Wholeness is now available at the following Boston-area bookstores and libraries:

Cabot Street Books & Cards, 272 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA 01915 The Bookshop, 40 West Street, Beverly Farms, MA 01915 Boston Public Library (main branch) Brookline Public Library (main branch) NOBLE Public Libraries (Beverly Farms and Salem) MVLC Public Libraries (Hamilton-Wenham)

Please let me know if you find it in other locations!

Also available: 52 (more) Flower Mandalas: An Adult Coloring Book for Inspiration and Stress Relief 52 Flower Mandalas: An Adult Coloring Book for Inspiration and Stress Relief Paths to Wholeness: Selections (free eBook)

Follow me on: Bloglovin’ StumbleUpon Medium

P.S. If you find what you read here helpful, please forward it to others who might, too. Or click the social share and email buttons on this page.

from Stay Sane with the Personal Craziness Index

#Stay Sane with the Personal Craziness Index

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lunamysteria-blog · 7 years

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photographer peter lik

fotograf "That's an excellent photo, you need to have an exceptionally good camera!" Such will be the thought of most who don't truly know everything about a taking photos. It's approximately the same logic as expressing "which was an awesome dish, you will need a nice cooker!" After you have been a digital photographer for years (as well as trying to sell picture taking products for a long time) I've heard this affirmation very often. When I was trying to sell, clients would constantly appear to me and say comparable claims. The main one I probably read by far the most was "My buddy Tom includes a [place video camera brand right here] high-end camera and then he will get excellent pics so I would like to purchase the same 1. Nearly without having are unsuccessful the same explained purchaser would come lower back several weeks afterwards whining because "some thing need to be improper together with the digital camera you distributed me because the images aren't as great as Tom's." I would generally answer with "may possibly I see your digicam?" and would then inquire if they minded when i required several pictures. I might put the digital camera either in aperture top priority method or manual, adapt the options according to the take pictures of which i needed to develop, touch the shutter button, then display the customer the photo. They would generally followup with something like "Seriously, that looks good, the reason my images don't look that very good?" Which I would personally commence the lengthy conversation on how I take advantage of a digital camera to be a instrument to make the looks I want instead of simply being determined by a camera to carry out every one of the considering personally. Due to people, typically erroneous, thinking about digital photography I've made a decision to create a listing of 101 reasons that many of us need to work with a specialist digital photographer instead of according to their "good friend having a pleasant high-end camera." This collection - in no specific get - is principally focused on wedding photography but may include almost any taking pictures. A Professional Professional photographer 1. produces images, he doesn't obtain a photograph and "hope it comes out." 2. has put in yrs researching every facet of creating a images. 3. is aware of which camera lens to make use of in which condition. 4. understands how to set up your camera for any steady appear no matter position (wedding service, reception, outdoors, and so on.) 5. understands how to effectively make use of a flash for gentle, even lights. 6. is aware of when you use many flashes to make a wonderful arena. 7. is able to generate a scenario appear "normal" rather than like he was using a display whatsoever. 8. understands what aperture to set his camera lens to for that search that will make you look the ideal. 9. understands what shutter speed to create to record the ambient lighting, produce the a sense of movement, or freeze an object set up. 10. will sometimes shell out several hours retouching just one picture to make sure it is ideal. 11. is aware when you should use out digicam lighting effects (strobes) to make a selected seem or smoothly light a small grouping of people today or even a area. 12. has specialist equipment. 13. has spent about the same sum or more for *each individual* zoom lens that he operates than he have for his digital camera entire body. 14. manages multiple high-end camera systems if there is products disappointment. 15. is familiar with to validate his photos to multiple spots to protect yourself from laptop or computer collision problems. 16. has invested much more on add-ons Backdrops , Light-weight Holds , Controllers for Display , Storing Cases , Umbrellas , Tripods , Tripod Heads , and so forth.) than he performed on his digital camera(s). 17. spends significant amounts of cash and time setting up a web site, advertising, and advertising. 18. will be glad to spend several time reaching with you, addressing queries, emailing, going through every piece of information with the wedding day, scouting the place(s), and many others. to make certain that all things are accomplished how you will need it. 19. will talk about a "photo record" to you in order that practically nothing, or no one gets overlooked. (You already know that you've got an granddad Joe, however your wedding photographer doesn't if you do not inform him.) 20. are going to be expert about consuming pictures with the precious bride and bridesmaids since they are getting ready. 21. knows how to immediate groups of customers to be photographed in order that everyone seems good (no shut down sight, yawns, people today concealed at the rear of other individuals, etc.) 22. won't be ingesting in the wedding party like granddad Joe. 23. is able to record the minute. (not when you're pulling beyond the very first kiss but appropriate as your mouth contact) 24. is able to come up with a marriage record so that it not just reveals great photos, but tells an incredible storyline. 25. is able to fit the hue of his display lighting effects towards the shade of the background mild (tungsten, phosphorescent, in the open air from the color, and so on.) 26. keeps on top of the most recent tendencies in picture taking designs to make sure that he will be able to offer you anything that a person could possibly want. (imagine reddish colored wine cups by using a grayscale backdrop ) 27. maintains track of the most recent electronic digital editing equipment to make distinctive and unique artwork for you to appreciate. 28. can snap video. 29. did this before. He's not at the wedding ceremony to "process his photography" 30. will allow your guests be a guest. Uncle Joe will in fact manage to experience the wedding as opposed to being anxious about being sure that he becomes each of the photos he believes you must have. 31. will typically spend around 5 time Ahead of the wedding day when preparing, and among 40 and 60 hours AFTER the wedding croping and editing pics, helping to make designs, framing, making slideshows, generating wedding day albums, confirming instructions, speaking to the clinical, and many others. Do you think you were having to pay many thousand bucks simply for 8 hours on the wedding day? 32. understands that the average price of a large wedding ceremony is around $20,000 knowning that the only thing that you just will keep (other than the gown) is the digital photography. 33. knows that the average price tag allocated to catered food items service is around $3000. 34. knows that the standard selling price devoted to blooms(that may end up in the trash is focused on $2000 35. will gladly permit visitors get photographs throughout the wedding ceremony. 36. will conform to all principles concerning flash photography in your ceremony. Most places of worship will never permit flash photography during the wedding. How will you get good photographs in a dim church with no flash...? Employ a professional! 37. is able to make great pictures while becoming unobtrusive and unobtrusive. 38. knows that it is significantly smarter to save money by skimping for the roses, foodstuff, music and songs, spot, and so forth. as an alternative to to skimp on the only thing that you may have to keep from a wedding day (your pictures). 39. is aware what it's like to have a woman (who didn't hire him simply because her uncle Joe possessed a great digicam)contact him in tears inquiring should there be in any manner he could "resolve" grandfather Joe's pictures. 40. has learned the value of not retaining his clients holding out on their own photographs for a few months at the same time. 41. will focus on capturing wonderful thoughts instead of conversing with his close friends within the wedding ceremony (eh hmm...grandfather Joe...) 42. knows how to pose the bride and groom (along with bridesmaids, groomsmen, household, and so on.) so that you will look your absolute best. 43. is familiar with what perspectives to take so that your photos would be the most flattering. 44. understands that the buying price of your camera has absolutely nothing regarding the creative expertise of the digital photographer. 45. will "see the photo" long before he raises the video camera to his eyes. 46. will prepare for the second ahead of time to ensure he is completely ready when it comes about (the kiss, the wedding cake receiving smeared with your new hubby's encounter, etcetera.) 47. has seen the marriage course of action many times and definitely will happily work together with you (or perhaps your coordinator) to make sure that all the things moves as sleek as possible. 48. are going to be full of great ideas to help out together with your wedding far above just taking the photographs. 49. can shoot objectively and won't be as emotional as a relative or buddy. 50. can catch the sentiments of everyone different within the wedding. 51. is able to put together and deal with other professionals at the celebration (ring, DJ, wedding day coordinator, minister, and so on.) 52. has a vested curiosity about causing you to appearance your best. Not alone have you paid out him for his providers but also, he sees that if you appreciate what he does you will then be advising him to your entire pals. There's a classic indicating among photography addicts that goes "should you mess up a portrait you should apologize, should you ruin a marriage you should abandon area" 53. is aware that you can expect to hardly ever be sorry for experiencing employed an expert and getting skilled effects, however you will feel dissapointed about, from now on, looking to "save money" and having your pal function as the shooter. 54. doesn't use the "vehicle" setting around the digicam. Ever. 55. sees that word of mouth is the perfect promoting and definately will just be sure you are taken care of so that you can propagate an excellent phrase. 56. can placed individuals comfortable who aren't use to becoming while watching camera. 57. features a "bag of techniques" up his sleeves to create the most awesome practical experience feasible for you and your wedding ceremony. 58. causes it to become enjoyable. This isn't a career for him, it's a interest! 59. won't just provide you with a Compact disk or Digital video disc of images right from the digicam, and may painstakingly go through just about every impression to by professionals boost them while using the most current electronic software program. 60. knows about personal time management and definitely will capture so as to maintain your big day flowing properly.

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executiveice · 7 years

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So, you found a keeper – you like it and now you need to put a ring on it. With all the hype surrounding engagement and marriage in our culture, it’s a decision that can feel pretty overwhelming.

But with our help, it won’t be that bad.

(Looking for the best place to buy engagement rings?)

In this complete and total guide on how to buy an engagement ring, we’re going to help you buy the PERFECT ring specifically for your partner.

From figuring out how much to spend to choosing a style, cut and color and even tips on how to find the right ring size, we’ll help you along every step of the way.

How to Use this Guide:

Read through the entire guide once. That will help give you a birds-eye-view of the whole process. Then keep it handy (bookmark this page) and refer back to it when you’re actually shopping/buying. That will be the most effective way to get value from this guide.

So, grab some coffee and dig in… This is a looonnnggg guide.

Table of Contents:

How Much Should You Spend

Determining Your Partner’s Perfect Ring Style

Choosing the Perfect Metal for Her Engagement Ring

Choosing the Perfect Gemstone

Ready-Made vs. Custom Rings vs. Antiques

Finding Her Ring Size

Finding the Best Place to Buy an Engagement Ring

Only One Thing Left To Do

How Much Should You Spend

So many things to consider, but we’re going to start with money. Why? Because that’s often a huge deciding factor in the ring you end up purchasing.

And before you go on the hunt, you want to set a budget.

Truth be told, there’s no right answer to how much you should be spending on an engagement ring. Old adages like “3 months’ salary” are probably creations of the diamond industry, so don’t put much stock in that.

But there are several factors to consider when you’re setting your budget to buy an engagement ring, like:

How much money you make

How much savings you have (if any)

How many other expenses you have

Are you willing to take out debt for the ring? If so how much can you actually afford and for how long?

How much are you going to have to spend on the wedding + honeymoon (and other events)

The Most Important Factor in Determining Your Budget

One of the most important factors that will play into your budget is actually your soon-to-be fiancée’s fashion style.

Since you’re picking out a ring for them, it’s going to have to match their style (and expectations!). Really taking the time to think about this and examine your partner’s sense of style will help immensely in setting your budget.

Are they simple with their style or flashier? Have they always dreamed of a huge rock on their finger?

If you think they’re going to expect a something big and flashy, unfortunately you’re going to need a big budget. Big diamonds are usually pretty expensive.

Since your partner’s style will determine your budget, let’s get into that.

Determining Your Partner’s Perfect Ring Style

This can be a bit tricky at first – how do you tell the perfect ring style without reading your partner’s mind?

Well, you don’t have to read their mind. You just have to pay attention.

From now on make it a conscious decision to pay more attention to EVERYTHING about your significant other. The trick is to notice the details about their style and fashion sense.

Here are a few questions to keep in mind as you spend time together:

What kind of clothes do they wear/buy typically? Flashy stuff that draws attention or more toned down?

What kind of colors do they love to sport? Mostly shades or lots of different colors?

What kind of shoes do they love? Stuff that’s unique with lots of metal or, again, toned down and simple?

Is she more into vintage gear or modern looks?

Take them out window shopping one day and just pay attention to the kinds of things that draw her eye. Whether it’s a clothing store or a furniture and homewares store, pay attention to the things she takes a closer look at or buys. Even better, go to a jewelry store and pay attention to what she looks at and says.

If you need an excuse, you can always say you’re thinking of getting your mom/aunt a present or even just looking for some new accessories for yourself.

Art is another great way to judge a person’s tastes/styles/preferences, so take her on a date to an art gallery sometime.

Whatever you end up doing, be as subtle as possible as you don’t want to give the surprise away.

Another thing you can do is raid her existing jewelry collection to see the kinds of jewelry she wears regularly. Pay attention to the type of metal, color and how big the stones are (if any).

Finally, reach out to one of her friends and ask their opinion. Girlfriends can always help guide you in the right direction – just make sure it’s a friend that is relatively close to your partner.

Finally, if all else fails, ask her some questions directly. Of course, you don’t want to just blurt out “What kind of engagement ring do you want?” But you can always say something a little more subtle like “What kind of jewelry do you like?”

Aside from overall style (vintage vs. modern vs. flashy vs. sleek, etc.) there are 3 main things you need to find out as well:

What kind of metal she likes

What color of metal she prefers (i.e. yellow/white/rose gold, etc.)

What kind of stones she prefers (diamonds, sapphires, etc.)

Let’s get into each of these separately.

Choosing the Perfect Metal for Her Engagement Ring

When picking the type of precious metal for her engagement ring you’ve got a few types to work with.

Hopefully you used the tips in the last section to come to a reasonable conclusion about what your partner would prefer.

In this section, you’ll be making the choice.

You’ve got a few different choices in terms of ring metal, depending on the jeweler you choose to go with:

Silver

Gold

Platinum

Palladium

Silver

Right off the bat, we can tell you unless budget is REALLY an issue, don’t go for silver. When it comes to an engagement ring, it screams cheap. And that’s not the impression you want to leave on someone you’re asking to marry you.

Gold

Next up is the traditional gold metal. Within gold itself there are several options available to you – you can get either 14, 18 or 24 carat gold depending on your jeweler.

You can also choose between white gold, rose gold and the traditional yellow. This all depends on the style of your bride-to-be, so make sure you pay attention to what she already wears if you think gold is the right choice.

Here are some basic characteristics of gold engagement rings:

18k gold is a solid metal for an engagement ring. It’s got a high gold purity (not as high as 24k, but also not as expensive) and is the classic choice for an engagement ring. If you’re looking for great value at a better price, though, 14k gold offers a good alternative.

18k is made up of 75% pure gold, while 14k is around 60%. Both metals will be resistant to tarnish and rust and are very easy to repair and polish.

The main differences between the two are that 18-carat gold is softer and more malleable than the stronger, more durable 14-carat. That’s because of the higher pure gold amount in 18-carat gold. Also, 18k gold will have a deeper color than 14k.

Platinum

Platinum is a great choice for an engagement ring. It looks like white gold, but is much stronger and valued higher in terms of dollars. It’s about 50% more expensive than its gold counterparts.

Usually platinum rings are about 95% pure platinum, and the metal will last a lifetime. But you’re going to pay a premium for the strongest metal in the world – platinum is very rare and precious.

If your budget is a bit on the tighter side, we’d recommend going for 18 or 24 carat gold. If your partner just loves platinum, then don’t skimp – spend a few extra months saving up the extra cash and spring for this shiny metal.

Platinum rings look beautiful, fosters awe and doesn’t wear away or damage. Once the ring has been made it takes on a satin finish and the ring is hypoallergenic, making it the ideal choice for some.

Palladium

If you (or your lady) are really into the strength and purity of platinum, but hate the price tag it carries along with it, palladium may be the right metal for you. Similar to platinum, it has a 95% purity rating, is a rare metal but is cheaper than platinum.

It is also lighter than platinum so if weight is an issue it may be the better choice. Palladium is easy to polish and repair and is very resistant to scratching, corrosion, oxidation and tarnishing. The hypoallergenic metal also features a natural and permanent color.

Although it’s far from a traditional choice for an engagement ring, palladium is being used more and more for the ring metal.

Keep in mind, though, because it’s not the traditional choice it may not be the best choice for you. Don’t pick palladium as a metal for a ring unless you know for sure your partner will like it.

Picking the Metal

Really the only way to pick the metal is to base your decision on what your partner already wears when it comes to jewelry.

If they don’t wear any jewelry then it’s fine to pick whatever metal you think is best or would look best on her finger.

But unless that’s the case, don’t just choose a metal based on YOUR preferences. Sure a palladium ring sounds cool, but maybe she loves platinum. A platinum ring sounds baller, but maybe she really likes the color of 18k rose gold.

Don’t make a wild guess here. And don’t base it on your assumptions of what’s best. Find out what her choice would be and go with it.

Choosing the Perfect Gemstone

Now the obvious choice here is a diamond. I mean isn’t that the only choice?

Nope.

Times have changed, and although the industry wants you to think the only stone fit for an engagement ring is a diamond, it’s not.

Let’s be real for a second, though. 90% of engagement rings out there still feature diamonds as the center stone. But the runner-up in terms of popularity is a sapphire.

If your soon-to-be fiancée has a unique and distinct style of her own, a diamond may be “too classic” for her. Consider a sapphire – which can come in blue, yellow, pink and a variety of other colors, as well.

Both sapphires and diamonds are very strong. Diamonds are a 10 and sapphires a 9 on the gemstone hardness scale (yes that’s a thing). That means either-or will be suitable for the everyday wear an engagement ring will go through.

One other thing we should mention is that sapphires are cheaper than diamonds, meaning you’ll get a bigger stone for the same amount of money.

Of course, as with everything, don’t just base the decision on the money. Also, don’t just guess or assume anything. Find out what your partner likes and prefers and then deliver it.

Gemstone Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat (the 4 C’s)

If you’re choosing a diamond for the engagement ring there is a lot you want to be aware of when making the choice.

You’ve got a few different choices to make, in fact – the diamond’s cut, color, clarity and carat weight.

Diamonds can be cut into 10 different shapes, round being the most common cut for engagement rings. In fact, 75% of diamonds cut overall are round. What’s interesting is that the popularity of the round cut also makes it more expensive than other diamond cuts.

If you choose a non-round diamond cut you can save quite a bit of money. The two most popular cuts for engagement rings outside of a purely round diamond are the square princess cut and the cushion cut (somewhere between square and round)

The next thing you need to decide on is the color and clarity of the diamond. These two characteristics will determine how bright and shimmery that rock on her finger is going to be.

In terms of color, diamonds come in colorless, near colorless, and 3 shades of yellow. Each of these is given a letter which represents what color grading it gets.

Clarity is similar to color ratings. Clarity relates to the amount of blemish that can be noticed in a diamond. It ranges from flawless, meaning impeccable clarity, to eye-visible inclusions, meaning you can see some blemishes within the stone with the naked eye.

Of course, the more clear and colorless you want the diamond to be, the more you’ll end up paying.

To learn more about all of these and see which is best for you, read our full guide on how to buy a diamond.

Ready-Made vs. Custom Rings vs. Antiques

Now that you know what kind of metal and gemstone you’ll be getting, it’s time to decide on what type of ring you want.

Wait, what?

When it comes to engagement rings, options can be endless even when it doesn’t seem so to the casual observer.

Many people visit a jeweler or jeweler website and buy a ring from the existing collections the store carries. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this and it is what a majority of people likely do.

But others prefer to design a completely custom ring for their partner. There are many pros and cons to doing this, including price and time, but consider it an option. Not many stores will offer this as an option, but shop around if this is really something you set your mind to. It can be a very romantic gesture.

Then there is also the option of an antique engagement ring. These types of rings often have a different look and character than modern rings, and may be the right choice for certain people. These types of rings are often one-of-a-kind and have some type of romantic history behind them.

But again, this would come down to personal preference, so make sure you know your partner’s taste and style. Does she like to wear vintage gear, etc.? If so, an antique may be the choice for you.

Finding Her Ring Size

So, you’ve made all the choices – budget, metal, gemstone and style. Now it’s time to buy the ring.

Before you can do that, though, you need to find out your fiancée’s ring size. And unfortunately, there’s no really easy way to do this.

But in this section, we’ll give you a few tips on how to sneakily find her ring size, without giving away the surprise.

You can also download our free ring sizing guide which will help a lot.

Let’s start here – the most common women’s ring size in the world is 6 or 6.5. It’s always a safe bet to lean to the larger size, just in case.

But don’t assume your lady will have the same finger size as the most common – you’re going to have to find HERS. Unfortunately, you can’t just ask without pretty much ruining the surprise, and luckily you don’t have to.

While you’re taking her window-shopping to find out her style and preferences, stop into a jewelry store and look at some necklaces, bracelets and rings (but not engagement rings). See what fancies her eye and tell her to try it on. If you’re lucky, the sales rep will ask what her size is and she’ll be obliged to say it. Make sure you pay attention and remember what she says.

Or you could ask one of her friends to “borrow” a ring for a day, while you take it to get sized. If your partner’s friend is very close to your to-be fiancée, she may even know what her exact ring size is. If you don’t know any of her friends, then you can “steal” a ring from her jewelry box while she’s not looking. Make sure you return it promptly when you’re done so you don’t arouse suspicion.

Of course, those are not the most efficient ways to find the info you need. And there’s a healthy chance you won’t get her to volunteer her ring-size if the circumstances aren’t right.

The Easiest Way to Find Her Ring Size

So instead, consider stealing a piece of her jewelry while she’s at work/school and take it to a jeweler to have it sized.

Better yet, don’t even leave home. Grab a piece of paper and a pen. While she’s out (or even in the shower, cooking, etc.), take a ring of hers and put it flat on the paper. Use the pen to trace around the inside of the ring. Make sure your trace/outline is as accurate as possible. The tip of the pen should be touching the side of the ring metal.

Once you’ve got that traced to a piece of paper, return the ring so she’s none-the-wiser, and compare what you traced to our free ring sizing guide (download here).

Voila, you’ve got yourself her exact ring size, and you didn’t even have to put on pants to do it.

Finding the Best Place to Buy an Engagement Ring

You’ve made it this far, so you must really love this girl. Time to make the actual purchase and get the ring of her dreams.

There are a couple of options available to you – physical retail stores and online diamond retailers.

Personally, we prefer buying things online because of the convenience and value the internet brings to all things retail.

There’s no denying that traditionally, the great thing about physical retail jewelers was you got to see and feel the ring you were buying. But nowadays, that’s only half-true.

Online retailers like James Allen have REAL 360-degree interactive images of all their diamonds and rings, giving you an exact idea of what you’ll be getting. Couple that with standard 30-day return policies and you don’t have to worry about making a choice you’ll regret later.

The other reason you should consider buying online vs. in person is the amount of money you’ll save. It’s no secret physical retail stores have huge overhead costs, and they have to pass those on to the consumer. Online retailers have much less because of their limited (if any) physical locations. Those savings, likewise, often get passed to the customer.

They also have wider selections online than you will see in most stores. You can browse their various collections and take as much time as you need to make the final decision. Some retailers will even allow you to design a custom ring, instead of purchasing a ready-made one.

Technology… Am I Right?

We highly recommend checking out our complete guide on the best places to buy engagement rings online before making your decision.

Only One Thing Left To Do

Once you have made your decision it’s time to pull out that credit card and make it official. Order the ring and make her the happiest person on the planet.

When you purchase your ring, make sure there’s no trace for her to find. Once you get the ring, hide it until you’re ready to pop that question.

Congratulations and Good luck! We hope you found this guide helpful.

The post How to Buy the Perfect Engagement Ring appeared first on ExecutiveIce.com.

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flowermandalas · 7 years

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Keep Your Sanity with the Personal Craziness Index

To stay sane in an insane world, we need more than new tools and techniques. To maintain sanity, we also have to keep doing the things that got us there.

Detecting mild imbalance before UnBalancer gathers enough strength to pull us under is much easier than restoring balance once we’ve been toppled.

What to do:

Personal Craziness Index

Related Posts: The Under Toad and the UnBalancer The Balancer/ReBalancer Tag Team A Mini-Lesson on Mini Self-Care Gyroscopes and Personal Flywheels Hanging in the Balance Balancing the Books The Experiment How to Design an Experiment Build Your Resilience in 6 Steps How to Rebalance Your Brain in 3 Easy Steps How to Boost Connections and Support How to Handle Change with Ease Three Ways to Mix Mindfulness into Your Life Keep Your Sanity with the Personal Craziness Index

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