Mind Sieve 1/9/17

Happy Monday!

Fan Fun

Cars 3 Teaser #2 - so sleek! 

Star Wars Rebels Mid Season 3 Trailer - Obi-Wan you and old! And other characters from Rogue One will be coming! Sweet! 

Clara Official Trailer #1 - Looks weird but cute! My favorite combo. :)

Social Media/Author Platform

Live Video and Marketing: Where the Industry Is Heading from the Social Media Examiner. Article by Michael Stelzner. Ack more stuff to do! Aiiieee!

Free eBook! Self Promo Stories by Authors, Fun Strategies to Sell Books by Beth Barany. Looking forward to seeing what they have to share. :)

Writing

Happy New Year! Start 2017 Right By Jumping On 3 Important Tasks by Angela Ackerman

Guest Author Jodie Renner: Set up Your Story in the First Paragraphs by Jodie Renner. Great advice! 

Have a great week! And wish me luck. Doing Year End accounting right now at work. Oi!

Mind Sieve 5/30/16

Morning!

Fan Fun

The Space Between Us Official Trailer - looks so cute! Hanky time! 

Sing Official Trailer #1 - looks fun! And possibly also a hanky movie. :P

Beauty and the Beast US Teaser Trailer - redoing the Disney film as live action! Looks gorgeous!

Social Media/Author Platform

4 Tips to Improve Your Pinterest Exposure by Carla Gadyt at the SocialMedia Examiner. Weird that one needs to go to this much trouble? Surprised about needing to delete pins.

Writing Advice

Paragraph Building Blocks Part 1 by John Adamus.

What to Look For in Published-Author Contest by Jami Gold.

Have a great one!

Mind Sieve 4/18/16

Going to be a wet week down in Texas!

Fan Fun

Doctor Strange Teaser Trailer - YES! (Weird that they've changed the Ancient One to a woman...) And they have the window! Sweet!

Suicide Squad Blitz Trailer - this is going to be fun! Heh heh.

For Kaiju fans! Godzilla Resurgence trailer - something looks very wrong with Godzilla. Eek! (Japanese title looks like Shin Gojira - so possibly it is Twin Godzilla?)

Our Kind of Traitor Official Trailer #1 - should be fun! 

Social Media/Author Platform

 20+ Social Media Hacks and Tips From the Pros by Lisa D. Jenkins at the SocialMedia Examiner. Some truly interesting tips. Will keep you very busy for a while. lol

Writing Advice

Writing Building Blocks: Paragraph Breaks & Voice by Jami Gold. Nice informative stuff in here!

My time is up. Hope you have a great week!

Mind Sieve 3/14/16

Another MONDAY!

Fan Fun

Captain America: Civil War Official Trailer #2 - huh, not especially excited as to where this seems to be going. *pout*  (And no, it has nothing to do with Spidey. Ironman calling him Underoos? Priceless! lmao)

Hardcore Henry Official Trailer - love the concept, but probably will have to skip it. Looks like a motion sickness nightmare for me. :P

Black Road Official Trailer - Sci-Fi thriller. Looks bizarre!

Social Media/Author Platform

 Pinterest Promoted Pins Open For All: This Week in Social Media by Grace Duffy at the SocialMediaExaminer. The bit about Pinterest was weird to me. The stuff has been available to me for a long time. There are bonuses for signing up for stuff early! :) Still, there's so much out there! 
 

Writing Advice

 How to Weave Story Elements and Avoid Info Dumps by Jami Gold. Great post!
 
 Self-Care for Writers by Jami Gold. (Yeppers! Double the Jami today! She's been on a roll!) :) Lots of great advice here. :)

 Good luck this week! (and every week.) :)

Mind Sieve 2/29/16

Morning!

Fan Fun

Penny Dreadful Season 3 Teaser - YES!

Taboo Official Trailer - FX Show that is coming. Looks dark!

Pete's Dragon Teaser Trailer - whaaaat? Oh I am there! :) Looks like a more grownup version. No singing either - too bad...

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny - sweet!

Social Media/Author Platform

Facebook Launches Canvas: This Week in Social Media by Grace Duffy from the Social Media Examiner. Dang there's a lot of new stuff this week! Eek!
 
 How to Promote Your Blog Posts on Twitter by Lauren Dugan at Social Times.

Writing Advice

 Writing Skills: Beginner vs. Advanced by Jami Gold.  
 
 How to Make EVERY Page of Your Story Interesting by Alex Limberg at Kristen Lamb's blog. 

Have a great week! :)

Mind Sieve 2/22/16

Greetings!
I started this early to get a full post out this week!

Fan Fun

Dare Devil - Season 2 Official Trailer 1 - enjoyed 1st season so looking forward to this! :)

Game of Thrones Season 6: Hall of Faces Teaser - so creepy! Eek!

Midnight Special - Trailer 2 - now this looks quite interesting! Nice!

Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice: Final Kick-Ass Trailer - booyah!

Social Media/Author Platform

Medium for Business: The Complete Guide for Marketers by Kristi Hines at the SocialMediaExaminer. Ack! More stuff to setup and learn! :P

Writing Advice

How to Make Beta Reading Work for Us by Jami Gold. Good things to keep in mind here! 
 
Scream it until Their Ears Bleed: Pay the F****ng Writers! by Chuck (NSFW!!!) Wendig. (Don't read if offended by strong language - though I have to say the topic definitely deserved some choice words! :P)

Have a great week!

Mind Sieve 1/18/16

Morning!

Fan Fun

Only Yesterday Official US Release Trailer #1 - Go Studio Ghibli! 

The Secret Life of Pets Official "Snowball" Trailer - can't wait! 

Money Monster Official Trailer #1 - oh! Looks good! 

Social Media/Author Platform

Author Newsletters: 6 Tips for Smart Strategies by Jami Gold. So behind on mine...Got locked out of MailChimp, too. *groan* (Having more than one Google Authenticator can get messy! Wah!)

23 Tools and Tips for Social Media Marketers by Michael Stelzner - so many tools, so little time!

Writing Advice

This Month’s Tip Do You Make Yourself Clear, Part 2: 10 Tips to Make Your Writing Clear by Shel Horowitz - Simple but useful hints!

Thoughts On 2016: Making It Count by Angela at Writers Helping Writers.

  That's all folks! (For this week anyway. :P)

Mind Sieve 12/28/15

Monday is here! Boo!

Fan Fun

Snow Cat - too cute!

Deadpool Red Band Trailer #2 (Not for the kiddos!)

Storks Official Teaser Trailer - this looks like it will be too cute! heh heh

Independence Day: Resurgence Trailer - dang!!!

Social Media/Author Platform

Facebook Takes on Yelp With New Service: This Week in Social Media by Grace Duffy at the Social Media Examiner. Lots and lots of changes going on. Ugh!

3 Essential Tips to Running Your Own Blog Tour [Updated] by Beth Barany at Writer's Fun Zone.

Writing Advice

Does Our Story Have Everything It Needs? by Jami Gold. Great points on her list! :)

FiYoShiMo Day 23 – Worldbuilding and Characters by John Adamus at The Writer Next Door.

Have a great week! 2015 is about over. Eek!

Mind Sieve 12/14/15

Morning!
Let's see how much trouble my back let's me get into... :P

Fan Fun

X-Men Apocalypse Official Trailer - ooh! Should be messy. :P

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows - oho! Arrow is Casey Jones?! lol. 

The Legend of Tarzan Teaser Trailer - I can't resist Tarzan movies! heh heh

Jane Got a Gun International Trailer - western! Looks messy. :)

Social Media/Author Platform

Facebook Brings Facebook Messenger to Websites: This Week in Social Media by Grace Duffy at the Social Media Examiner. So much to keep track of, argh!

14 Video Tools for Social Media Marketers by Mari Smith at the Social Media Examiner. Ack! Too many options!

Writing Advice

Fran Wilde: Editorial Marks, Explained! by Fran Wilde at Terribleminds.com. Too cute!

Discovering Our Writing Processes by Jami Gold. Some totally good advice here!

Wish me luck! And have a great one!

Mind Sieve 12/7/15

It's MONDAY!

Fan Fun

Batman vs. Superman Trailer #3 - Oh yeah! Now we see what the heck is going on. Lex, you are so naughty! :P

Star Wars International Trailer 3 - shows a bit more than the one we had before! Tears me up. lol. 

Captain America: Civil War Trailer #1 - booyah! This is going to get messy. 

Social Media/Author Platform

Social Media, Branding & Owning 2016—Because EVERY Day is Game Day by Kristen Lamb.

Writing Advice

FiYoShiMo Day 3: Tone is not Mood by John Adamus - some nice info in here!

Well more of a post than I have done recently. Wheee!

Mind Sieve 11/16/15

Hope you're having a great morning!

Fan Fun

Ice Age: Collision Course "Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe" - so cute! Scrat is baaaaacccck!

Warcraft Movie Trailer - they really are making an actual movie! Looks cool!

Finding Dori Official Trailer #1 - the fish are back!

Social Media/Author Platform

Facebook Retargeting Spend Increases: New Research by Suzanne Delzio at the Social Media Examiner. So that's why I see replicated ads of places I've been to! DOH!

Writing Advice

NaNoWriMo Triage Center: Helping You Get To 50K by Angela Ackerman. She shares some neat ways to get out of the NaNoWriMo Funk! :)

The Truly Dramatic Plot—Shakespeare, Instagram, & Why Macbeth is STILL Awesome by Alex Limberg at Kristen Lamb's Blog. Very catchy blog post title, no? :)

Last week was weird. Hoping this week is FUN! Here's hoping it's great for you as well. :)

Mind Sieve 11/9/15

Fall is definitely here!
Though the winds and rain have made it seem somewhat like spring. :)

Fan Fun

King Fu Panda 3 Official Trailer #2 - should be fun!

Preacher Trailer - looks funky

London Has Fallen Official Trailer #1 - dang!

Alice Through the Looking Glass Official Trailer #1 - looks way cool!

Social Media/Author Platform

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram to Grow Your Reach by Julia McCoy at the Social Media Examiner. Some really good tips in this one! Nice!

Writing Advice

5 Tips for Finding Point-of-View Errors - Guest post by Marcy Kennedy at Jami Gold's Blog. Some good tips!

So I followed Marcy over to her website and found - 10 Writing Mistakes that Kill Your First Chapter - to share. :)

Hoping for an awesome week for all! :)

Mind Sieve 10/12/15

Morning!

Fan Fun

New Trailer for The Sherlock Special - getting weird weird vibes from this. Should be fun though!

Hail, Caesar! Official Trailer - this looks all kinds of Awesome! Just the production value and in-jokes on old Hollywood films I spotted will make ti worthwhile. heh heh

Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies Official UK Trailer #1 - while the book took things too far (heart ripping ninjas - really?) the film looks like it will be some definite fun. Sweet!

Social Media/Author Platform

All LinkedIn Groups Becoming Private: This Week in Social Media by Lisa D. Jenkins at the Social Media Examiner.

4 Ways to Improve Engagement With Hashtags by Dylan Kissane at the Social Media Examiner.

Writing Advice

Making Story MAGIC—How To Bring the Elements All Together by Becca Puglisi.

Developing Our Story: From Beat Sheet to Scene List by Jami Gold. Lots of food for thought. :)

May your week be calmer than mine is going to be. :P

Mind Sieve 9/14/15

Morning all!

Fan Fun

Tale of Tales Official Trailer - Ooooh dark fairy tales!

Dr Who Series 9 Prologue - can't wait!

iZombie Season 2 Promo - I do like this show, So cute and so dark.

Social Media/Author Platform

6 Tips to Improve Your Facebook Posts by Ishita Ganguly at The Social Media Examiner. Not all of this is applicable to authors, but some of it is definitely good to know.

Social Media For Writers is a Misunderstood Opportunity by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig.

Writing Advice

9 Ways to Improve Your Dialogue by Kristen Lamb. Pay super attention to the second half of #3!!!!!

Editing Mistakes: How Forgiving of a Reader Are You? by Jami Gold. Huh, a quite interesting discussion! RARE is definitely how I'd like to keep mine if at all possible. :)

Have a great Monday!

Mind Sieve 4/20/15

Happy Monday!

Fan Fun

Be Water My Friend - hubby shared one of the many versions of this remix with me this weekend. I felt it was worth sharing. Especially since most of the generation have not heard of him. (And you can see a super young Chuck Norris in here too!) Heh heh. This video is by Henry Lai. (Now I want to go an watch form Kung Fu flicks.) :P

The Sisterhood of the Night Official Trailer - when social media goes terribly wrong. DOH!

Dial A Prayer - this looks like it could be totally adorable!

Good Kill Official Trailer #1 - Oooh drones and moral choices. Should be harsh! Sweet!

Avengers: Age of Ultron Trailer #3- because we're not pumped up enough. heh heh

Social Media/Author Platform

The 10 Commandments of Authorial Self-Promotion by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig. The Beard tells it like it is, ya'll!

Writing Advice

Ten Ways to Tighten Your Writing & Hook the Reader by Kristen Lamb. Nice and precise! With examples too. It's amazing how we always have to be reminded of these things. DOH!

Picking Editors: How to Evaluate Potential Editors by Jami Gold. Loads of wisdom shared in this one. :)

Have a great Monday!

Mind Sieve 11/3/14

Greetings!

Fan Fun

From Ylvis - Trucker's Hitch - total blast. lol. Weirdest premise ever. Super cool dance sequence!

12 Monkeys Trailer #2 - looks better and better. Sweet!

Furious 7 Official Trailer - dang!

Ex Machina Official Teaser Trailer - Ooooo! Hopefully more a thriller than a horror film. :)

Social Media/Author Platform

Marcy Kennedy and Jami Gold have loads of good tips for staying safe on social media - 7 Tips for Staying Safe on Twitter.

How To Run a Successful Instagram Contest by Krista Bunskoek at The Social Media Examiner.

Writing Advice

NaNoWriMo Pep Talk from Chuck Wendig - Nice! (Good luck to all you NaNoErs - I'd never be able to pull this off. Heh heh. I'm slowwwww.)

More NaNo advice, this time from Kristen Lamb - Write A Terrific Novel (NaNo), Minimize Revisions, & Improve Odds of Finishing and Publishing. You will need more than this, but it is definitely a good way to go. :)

Happy Monday!

Mind Sieve 10/27/14

Morning!

Fan Fun

FenCon Squares 2014 - my first time on this. I'm the short head on the top row. lol. It's a couple of games, so it's long! 50 minutes. You've been warned. :P 

Morganville Vampires preview - release date is 10/27 online at Geek & Sundry. Sweet!

Avengers: Age of Ultron Teaser Trailer - James Spader! Woot!

SyFy Channel Ascension Trailer - they had a way longer one at the theater, but this was the only one I found. It's a mini series, so should be fun!

Social Media/Author Platform

Facebook Rooms: This Week in Social Media by Social Media Examiner's Cindy King. FB is looking more like Google +. Though the improvement on pages is a good one.

Writing Advice

Backstory: The More You Know, The Less I Have To - guest post by Piper Bayard at Kriten Lamb's Blog. Good info in there.

Ask Jami: How Many Characters Are "Too Many"? by Jami Gold. It's fascinating how some do go overboard on this. Heh heh

Bwahaha! Blog post is complete! Will wonders never cease? Bwahahaha!

Mind Sieve 6/23/14

Greetings peeps!

Fan Fun

Dear White People Trailer - this actually looks like it will be fun! lol.

The Judge Official Trailer - Oh hanky time! But it looks good!

Ragnarok Official Trailer - Monster movie! Not sure what to make of it. Heh.

Druid Peak Trailer - wolves! Oooo wolves!

Social Media/Author Platform

5 Free Content Tools to Enhance Your Social Media Marketing from SocialMedia Examiner. Article by Kierra Stein.


How To Use Semantic Markup from the Social Media Examiner, Article by Ruth Burr Reedy. I did some stuff with this months and months ago. Don't know if it's helped any, but it is the way things are moving.

Writing Advice

Do You Discuss Your Work in Progress? by Jami Gold. Nice! Glad I don't have a widget though, the WIP has had no progress due to RL WORK! Waaaahhhh.

6 Steps to Balance Your Editing: Plot vs. Characters by Jami Gold. Excellent post!

Have a great week!

Mind Sieve 4/28/14

Morning all!

Fan Fun

Sex Tape Movie Official Trailer - The name made me raise an eyebrow but this actually looks utterly hilarious!

Boyhood Official Trailer - they actually used the same actor and filmed this over 12 years! How bizarre is that? 

As Above, So Below Trailer #1 - oooh Parisian catacombs. Not your typical horror flick location. 

I Am Soldier Official Trailer - Dr Who fans will recognize someone in here. Heh heh

Social Media/Author Platform

Blogging: Tips, Tricks, and Knowing Your Goals by Jami Gold. Great stuff for author bloggers and more!

12 Types of Blog Posts To Drive More Traffic To Your Blogs by Rich Brooks from the Social Media Examiner. Great list! I think he's covered almost everything out there. :)

Writing Advice

The Single Best Way To Sell Books (Or Lose A Sale) by Kristen Lamb. Eye opening stuff as always!

Rape In Fiction (Or: "Oh, Game of Thrones, Really?") by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig. He's got some definitely vital points in this for us as authors.

I have somehow managed to finish this at a decent interval. YES!
Have an awesome week, ya'll!