How to Add Extra Pages on Your Blogger Blog

If you'd like tabs and extra pages for your Blogger Blog like I have on the top of mine, sign into your blog, go to the top right and Pick Customize, then go to the Dashboard. Go to the Layout tab and look for where you can add a Gadget. On mine, the choice is in the middle after the title, or on the left sidebar. By choosing the middle one, you can get tabs that go across the page. How many depends on your template, but the most you can add are ten. By picking the sidebar, you'll get a list effect.

After that, go back to the Dashboard. If you have more than one blog, pick the one you want to work on. When the list of posts comes up, instead of clicking on one of those, look on the top left for Edit Post (that's where mine is. Yours might be somewhere else)

After you click that, you should get a choice to add a page. When that comes up, fill it out the same same way you would a regular post and click Publish, or Draft if you don't want it up right away.

Ten pages are possible if your blog template is wide enough. Otherwise, you'll probably get less. Also, if your page names are long, you may end up with more than one row. I shortened my titles when that happened to me.

After it's done, you can decide whether or not you like the way it looks. If you don't like the new look, you can always delete and go back to how your blog looked before. I like the idea of having the tabs where everyone can see them right away and be enticed to check out the contents, although I do think my blog has a busier look now. I guess I'll have to accept that for the greater good.

Are you going to add extra pages? If so, let us know how it worked for you.
Morgan Mandel

What Should I Put On My Extra Pages?

Now that Blogger has added a new feature where blogs can now have up to 10 more pages added to them, I'm in a quandary. What should I put on those extra pages? I'm thinking maybe a bio, book excerpts, some photos. Still, that's a lot of pages to fill up. If I do fill them up, I wonder if I'll even need my website any  more at http://www.morganmandel.com/ . It's something to ponder.

Not only that, when will I ever have time to start such a project?

Will you be using your extra pages? What will you use them for?

PS You can access this by going to Layout and picking the first gadget which gives you the ability to add pages.

Small Press Author Does Indie

Hi Gang,
I'm over at Celia Yeary's blog today telling about my experience publishing Killer Career - Small Press Author Does Indie - Come on over and give your take as well at
http://celiayeary.blogspot.com/2010/02/morgan-mandel-indie-and-traditional.html

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

Buzz and Am I the Only One Out of Control?

I'm happy to be one of the author/bloggers interviewed at Book Marketing Buzz today.
By the way, Am I The Only One Out of Control Lately? See Acme Authors Link.

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

Dick Francis Is Gone

I was going to post something about Valentine's Day, but then I heard the news that one of my favorite mystery writers had died. I first read a Dick Francis' mystery many years ago from the high school library. I immediately searched for more of them. As soon as one came out, I had to read it.

I never tired of his characters, many of whom were ex-jockeys like himself. They had an admirable sang froid manner of dealing with whatever life handed out and rising above the evil and/or pain. Here's a link to an article about Dick Francis:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/7236708/Dick-Francis-dies-aged-89.html

I note that his son, Felix, plans to carry on writing novels. It will be interesting to see how well he does without his Dad's collaboration. Felix has some very large shoes to fill, figuratively speaking. Having been a jockey, I doubt if Dick Francis had very large feet. He may have been small physically, but his stature in the mystery community was great.

Though I never met Dick Francis, I'll miss him.

Dann and Raymond's Movie Club Oscar Night

Not too much time to blog, since tonight I was over at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library for another great program of Dann and Raymond's Movie Club by the dynamic duo, longtime Daily Herald film critic, Dann Gire, and renowned author, newspaper freelancer, and musician, Raymond Benson.

The DH and I, along with an estimated a crowd of about 200, were treated to choice film clips, informed comments and quips about current movies and actors nominated this year for the Oscars.

I hadn't seen many of the films, but now I intend to do so, except for perhaps Up. That movie should have been named Down. The short clip left just about everyone in the audience sniffling and wiping their eyes. I don't feel like going through that experience again.

Other than that downer, it was an enjoyable evening.

Have you seen any of the nominated films? Will you be watching the Oscars?

How Much Sleep Do You Get?

I think someone said 7-8 hours is a good amount of sleep to get. If not, all kinds of bad stuff is predicted, such as higher blood pressure, not thinking right, not remembering.

I'm lucky if I get 6 hours of sleep. I can't seem to manage to get more. If I go to bed earlier, I don't fall asleep. If I fall asleep on the couch ahead of time, I can't sleep. It seems the best solution is to stay up until I'm good and tired and then I can sleep.

Unfortunately, that's not the recommended allowance. What about you? How much sleep do you get? Do you think you need more?

Tummy Tuck Anyone?

I've still got until Feb 26 to learn all I can from the 30 days of free lessons from Lynda.com , which Adobe offered when I purchased Adobe Photoshop CS4.

Today, I stumbled upon a neat one that does virtual tummy tucks. They show a man with a hefty belly. After a few magic software adjustments, he's looking mighty lean.

Hmm, maybe I'll get out some of my photos and see about a tummy tuck here and there. It's a painless operation. All it takes is some brain strain and a few clicks here and there.

Would you also like to be a patient? Who knows, maybe I could get a whole waiting room going. I promise not to charge as much as a regular plastic surgeon. (G)

Morgan

Cell Phone or Email?

I can't help but marvel at all the people who walk down the street or drive with a cell phone stuck to the ear. Whatever do they have to talk about for so long?

It's particularly mystifying to me, since I rarily use my  iPhone as a phone. I take photos with it, check my email, and do all sorts of other things instead. The DH and I communicate back and forth on my cell while I'm at work, I'll call other members of the family about plans, or I'll use the phone for long distance calling, but that's about it. I always have a huge amount of units rolled over to the next month.

On the other hand, I'm constantly on the computer using the email feature to communicate with friends, promote my books, arrange book signings, learn all sorts of things, swap jokes, and various other reasons. Somehow email seems more civilized. I'm not demanding someone instantly talk to me. I'm allowing that person to respond when it's convenient, with the understanding that I'm receiving the same courtesy.

Some people say that email has taken away from the personalization of communicating. Maybe, but I tend to believe that even though I don't hear that other person's voice, I'm actually sharing a lot more. I don't know about you, but I tend to reveal more about myself when I write than when I speak.

It's your turn. Tell us, do you prefer cell phone communication over email?  Or, maybe you use them equally?

Facebook's New Design - Do You Like It?

I opened up Facebook this morning and got confused. Overnight apparently a remodeling job was going on. The Daily Herald Business Section this morning said the new design is meant to streamline navigation and also let the games and apps stand out more.

I'm still trying to figure out whether or not I like it. What about you?  What's your take on Facebook's new design?

How Silly Can They Be

Twice in the same day I saw women walking Downtown wearing shoulder bags facing their backs. I also saw women wearing boots with high pointy heels. It's winter in Illinois, snowy, icy and slippery. How silly can they be?

Guys are not excempt from doing silly things. What about putting house or car keys in the coat pocket and leaving the coat in another room at a party? keys have a habit of falling out. Coats have been known to go off with the wrong owners.

When you write, do you let your characters do silly things? Do they do them as a matter of habit or as a mistake? Depending on the answer and the skill of the author, the reader can look on your character as ridiculous or endearing. It's fun to create a quirky character, but the challenge is in not making the person seem too dumb.

What about you? As a reader, do you enjoy it when a character does silly things? What would seem too silly?

As a writer, do you let one of your characters do silly things? On a regular basis? Maybe only once, but it turns out to be once too many?

Please Visit - It's There Somewhere

I'd appreciate your visiting my guest post at Kaye Barley's blog. The topic is It's There Somewhere. Some of you may relate to this one -
http://meanderingsandmuses.blogspot.com/2010/01/its-there-somewhere-by-morgan-mandel.html

If you missed it, you can still come over to comment about whether or not to include politics on blogs at
http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/2010/02/political-views-by-morgan-mandel.html

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

Never Too Old To Learn New Tricks

I bought Adobe Elements 7 over a year ago, but only learned a few basics. Then, I discovered I needed Adobe Photoshop CS4 to really get things done.

Well, I get 30 days of free videos to learn all this Adobe stuff. Over the weekend, I spent many hours listening to the videos and taking notes. Now, the trick is to apply what I learned so far, before I forget.

Tonight I worked on removing blemishes and whitening teeth. The teeth one is hard, because I don't have a steady hand. Even with the minus tool for erasing, I'm still not very good at it. The remove blemish one I had more luck with.

Also, I had fun doing the panorama one. I did one of Rascal in the snow I may use for a book cover or illustration some day.

What about you? Have you played with Adobe? Or, maybe you've been learning something else lately. What is it?

Arianna Huffington - The Huffington Post

Friday night I caught a great interview of Arianna Huffington by Elizabeth Brackett on The Friday Night Show, at WTTW, on Channel 11 in our neck of the woods.

As I listened, I admired her positive attitude, which she attributes to her mother who told her not to be afraid of failure. As a young girl from a poor family in Greece, Arianna dreamed of going to Cambridge and got there by means of a scholarship.

I was not only drawn to Arianna's engaging manner, but also to the fact that she authored 12 books, and was once a candidate for Governor of California. Her latest venture is The Huffington Post, The Internet Newspaper:News Blogs Video Community, which boasts an astronomical number of followers, something like 22 million visitors a month. She's a great believer in the power of the Internet, not only as entertainment, but also for information.

I'm not sure how long it'll be up at the WTTW site, but here's a link to her interview:
http://www.wttw.com/  It's highly motivating and worth a listen. If you check it out, let me know how you like it.

Morgan Mandel

I Didn't Want to Do It

I didn't want to do it. Others have, but I thought maybe I could get away without it. Well, I can't keep coming over here all day and night to check the comment section, to delete a certain spammer that keeps showing up.

So, unfortunately, for now I'm doing the word verification thing. I hate to have people type in those extra letters. It's such an annoyance. I'm hoping that after a while the spammer will turn his or her attentions elsewhere and I can go back to letting my comment people not have to jump through hoops.

Anyway, please don't let it scare you away. I do appreciate your comments here.

Morgan Mandel

Should Rascal Get Her Own Blog?

I'm not sure if Rascal should get her own blog or stay here. Or maybe, later after her book is ready, I'll send her off on her own.

I'm also not sure if I should keep my same name for my book about Rascal or figure out a new one. It's hard to decide these things.

In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out how to work the Adobe Photoshop software. I found some apps for the Iphone I'm checking out, plus a Children's Book for Dummies and Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Dummies.

Lots of learning and deciding.

Ipad or Kindle? That is the Question - One of Many

Well, the great unveiling happened. The latest gizmo has emerged on the scene. With the revelation of the Ipad, questions buzzed in my head. Is it worth the extra money? How much bigger is it than a Kindle? It seems like it could be wider that the average Kindle, and I don't need the International one. I do know it's more expensive than a Kindle. I also know I'm not into playing games, so I wouldn't use it for that. Would I use if for music? Well, my Iphone does a great job on that already. Why carry around something larger if that's the purpose.

Would I use it for reading books? Now that is a good question. How would it compare comfortwise to a Kindle? I tried out a Kindle from our local library and my eyes were very happy - no strain.

Now, with the Ipad and it's color screen, I suppose I can see a nice cover on the screen. I like that idea. But what about glare? Will that be a factor? What about fonts? I guess they can be manipulated. Another big question - What about the price of Ibooks? Will they be more because of the fancier trappings? Amazon does have some great prices for kindle books right now. Will Apple want to compete or will it go for the higher market?

And what about publishing on the Ipad? Are self-publishers allowed?

I'm such an impatient person, but I guess I'll need to wait a little longer for the answers to all these questions. I'm kind of thinking I can't afford buying and maintaining this fun gizmo, especially since for me it would just be a glorified ereader, and not serve too many more purposes - still it is cute.

What about you? Are you tempted?

Going to the Dogs Over at Acme Authors Link

Going to the Dogs - See What I'm talking about at http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/.

Thanks,
Morgan

Describe Your Work In Progress

Right now I've got two works in progress. One's a children's lesson book about my deaf dog, Rascal. The other is a thriller on aging targeted for the Boomer generation.

What about you? Tell us briefly about your work or works in progress in the comment section.

Thanks,

Morgan

Beware - Don't Look If You're Easily Grossed Out

B.S. Photo - Rascal before the snow.

Whether or not you're a dog owner, you'll know what I'm talking about here.

The past few months, we've had tons of snow in our part of Illinois, but thanks to the recent warmer weather and rain, most of the white stuff has disappeared.

Hidden underneath the pretty white stuff was - to put it indelicately - a lot of crap. I spent a good part of Saturday and  this morning scooping it up with a shovel and depositing it into plastic garbage bags.

You may wonder how I can think of relating this nasty little chore to writing. Here goes -

After you've finished your manuscript, it may look beautiful and wonderful to you, but beware. Hidden under that false beauty can be all sorts of nasty piles of stuff that need to be removed. If you're savvy enough, you can tackle the cleanup job yourself. Otherwise, you may need the help of a critique group or editor to do the chore for you. Here are a few nasties to clean up:

Backstory dumps - Do readers really need to know right away every little thing that already happened?

Overly long descriptions - Sure, they look pretty, but do they move the story forward?

Adjectives and adverbs - They're the lazy way of writing and slow down a story. Make sure you have the best words for what you want to say, like action verbs and exact nouns.

Orphan letters - Did you start a word in your writing excitement, then begin another one without completing the first?

I told you I could do it. Never underestimate my ability to relate anything to writing. Anyway, today I'll be working on my Rascal manuscript and looking for spots to remove some of that, to put it indelicately, crap.

If you know of other hidden nasties to look for, please share with us. Or, maybe you have a dog and can relate to my chore today. (g)