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| "Library" by Peyop on DeviantArt |
Incanter's Library
By: Eve Estelle
12.31.2015
12.28.2015
A New Year's Thank You #2 (With Gifts!)
Update: As it is now past New Years Day, and none of the spots were claimed, the below giveaway will be postponed and return at a later date. :)
Wow, another year has come and gone. And I swear to you, I can't remember half of this one!
From the very start, 2015 was a life-changing year for me, in some very bad ways and in some not-so-bad ways. I don't know if this caused me to become more aware of others' troubles or what, but this seems to have been a turbulent year for an unusual number of people. Many that I encountered, both online and offline, agreed that this was a challenging year for them. Still, that's life I suppose - nothing is permanent, things change, and things happen. All the time. But no matter how rough that patch you're going through is, it could always be worse. Always.
But enough of that. It's nearly New Years Day, and I just want to say thank you. I say it a bunch, but I mean it every single time. Thank you for all of your visits, your comments, your messages. Thank you for taking a little time, precious time, out of your day to read this. Thank you for your follows, and for your help in growing my little blog here.
12.24.2015
12.21.2015
Midget Monday #6
Happy Monday!
I had originally planned to make this week's Midget Monday more Christmassy (I did look this up, and apparently this is an actual word), but I didn't have a holiday poem or story ready by the time Monday came around, so I just have two regular ones for you this time!
What is Midget Monday?
Midget Monday is a weekly post containing one micro-poem (~6 lines or less) and one "micro" story (~300 words or less). Poems and stories may sometimes share a theme, but will usually be two random, mismatched topics. I may also build more upon any of the poems or stories that I use in these posts, so you might see these (or something similar) again in the future!
12.20.2015
12.19.2015
Sweater Weather Tag
Happy beautiful fall - er, nearly winter now - to all of you!
It's been a while since I've done a tag, and this one is from sweet ghost ryter over at anything, everything. She tagged me before I went on break for the Sweater Weather Tag, a fun little post with fall-related questions. Thanks, ghosty, and I'm sorry it took me a little while to get to it!
Let's get right into it, shall we?
11.28.2015
Post Break (November 28 - December 19)
Post Highlights:
- No new posts until December 19
- Future chapters of Renegade will not be published until the book is complete
- When complete, current chapters already published (1-5) will be overhauled
- Upcoming posts include two tags and the 4th section in my Tips From a Newbie blogging tips series
Hey there! It's that time again - time for another little break from posting. From today, the 28th of November, and until around December 19th or so, no new content will be posted.
However, I also have a couple of updates for you - mostly concerning my book-in-progress Renegade (that's right, I actually am still working on it despite not publishing anything in a lonnng time!), and also some of what to expect postwise after I return from break.
You can simply read the post highlights above, or read on for a little more detail on each of the listed points!
11.24.2015
11.18.2015
Reader Collab: A Collection of Outside Poetry & Prose
Last week, you all had the opportunity to send me your poetry and short stories to have them included in a special post. The term is used loosely, but I like to call this a "reader collaboration" post, since it's a small collection of outside works written by some of you.
Below you will find a variety of styles and themes, each one penned by a different author. The works are listed simply in the order that they were received.
If you didn't get a chance to submit your piece, have no fear! I plan on doing similar things in the future.
11.16.2015
Midget Monday #5
Happy Monday!
Remember, you can submit your poetry and stories to me by the end of Tuesday, November 17 to get them included in a special post on Wednesday or Thursday. :)
What is Midget Monday?
Midget Monday is a weekly post containing one micro-poem (~6 lines or less) and one "micro" story (~300 words or less). Poems and stories may sometimes share a theme, but will usually be two random, mismatched topics. I may also build more upon any of the poems or stories that I use in these posts, so you might see these (or something similar) again in the future!
11.10.2015
Share your poetry or story! Get included in my next post
I've been lacking when it comes to posts lately. And, to my own disappointment, it's going to be that way for a while. However, I'm doing my best to get something new out whenever I can, and I thought of something else I could do as well...
I'd love to do a fun little collaboration with you all! Do you like to write poetry or prose (specifically short stories)? Well, even if you don't typically write such things, why not give it a go now? If you submit your work to me within the next week or so, I'll include it in a special post along with other submissions I receive.
Use the form below to submit your piece, or email it to me at eve.edgeofnight@gmail.com.
(No erotica. Other than that, you're free to choose any topic you'd like!)
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
I'd love to do a fun little collaboration with you all! Do you like to write poetry or prose (specifically short stories)? Well, even if you don't typically write such things, why not give it a go now? If you submit your work to me within the next week or so, I'll include it in a special post along with other submissions I receive.
Use the form below to submit your piece, or email it to me at eve.edgeofnight@gmail.com.
(No erotica. Other than that, you're free to choose any topic you'd like!)
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
Can't get the form to work? Click here.
11.04.2015
Series: Tips From a Newbie (#3: Your Sphere)
- Perfecting Your Posts
- Managing Your Blog
- Your Sphere
- The Pretty Little Details
- Wrap-Up
Your Sphere
Alright, so you've put in a lot of time and hard work to make your posts readable and appealing, and now you've got some fresh new content to share with the world. Excitement and anticipation course through your veins, and you feel as if you've written a masterpiece that will attract hundreds of views and stir up some conversation in no time..
Well, you may have a masterpiece on your hands, but I can almost guarantee you that's not how things are going to go down. And this is probably the number one reason that new bloggers drop out so quickly.
Blogging is a social activity. The amount of socialization that you do is up to you; in fact, you don't need to socialize at all if you'd prefer not to. But if you want readers, if you want people to comment on your work, then you're going to want to be sociable and willing to interact. Get the word out that you exist.
Fortunately, there are a lot of good, productive ways to do this. You now have a little space to call your own on the Internet, and you're part of a community: The blogosphere. Your personal sphere consists of you, your blog, your readership, and your relationships with other bloggers, and expanding it involves interaction. A lot of it.
Here are a few ways you can do that, as well as a few must-dos when it comes to properly maintaining your sphere and keeping your readers happy.
10.31.2015
10.27.2015
Midget Monday #4
Welcome to another edition of Midget Monday. Again, I missed the Monday mark. So sorry about that. This is exactly the reason why I don't schedule my posts.
Anyway, with Halloween now just a few days away, I thought I'd bring you a set of stories that have slightly more Halloweeny themes.. :) Hope you enjoy!
What is Midget Monday?
Midget Monday is a weekly post containing one micro-poem (~6 lines or less) and one "micro" story (~300 words or less). Poems and stories may sometimes share a theme, but will usually be two random, mismatched topics. I may also build more upon any of the poems or stories that I use in these posts, so you might see these (or something similar) again in the future!
10.23.2015
Series: Tips From a Newbie (#2: Managing Your Blog)
- Perfecting Your Posts
- Managing Your Blog
- Your Sphere
- The Pretty Little Details
- Wrap-Up
Managing Your Blog
Nothing good comes easy. If you want your blog to flourish, you're going to have to work hard at it. You're going to have to invest some time, some effort, some enthusiasm, and, if you truly want to do things right, you're going to want to understand important things like copyright.
Everyone is familiar with copyright and plagiarism to some degree. But a good number of new bloggers (heck, even veteran bloggers) don't take it seriously. They pull images off of Google, plop them in their posts, and maybe they put in a little caption that says simply, "Image not mine."
That ain't gonna fly if you eventually want to get noticed.
So, onward and upward! Here are a few things that you should know about managing your blog.
10.21.2015
10.19.2015
Midget Monday #3
Guess what day it is? It's Mondaaaaay.
Are those crickets I hear? Ah well, maybe I can make a good start to your Monday with a little poem and story. (Although those of you who hate the cold may want to whack me after reading the poem.)
What is Midget Monday?
Midget Monday is a weekly post containing one micro-poem (~6 lines or less) and one "micro" story (~300 words or less). Poems and stories may sometimes share a theme, but will usually be two random, mismatched topics. I may also build more upon any of the poems or stories that I use in these posts, so you might see these (or something similar) again in the future!
10.15.2015
Series: Tips From a Newbie (#1: Perfecting Your Posts)
- Perfecting Your Posts
- Managing Your Blog
- Your Sphere
- The Pretty Little Details
- Wrap-Up
Perfecting Your Posts
Perfection doesn't exist. There's always more to learn, something to improve upon. In many cases, perfection is also subjective.
But while it's impossible to attain true perfection, you can work to aim for it. To achieve your best.
Blogging gives a lot of freedom to express yourself, in both written words and in design. That's part of what makes it so great - the ability to make your little space your own. Everyone does it differently, and there's really no right or wrong way to go about it. You can be as casual as you like, without worrying about structure, schedules, proper formatting, or any of that.
But if you're really itching to get people reading your posts, then there are some things that you may want to pay more attention to. Things like making your posts not just sound good, but look good, and making sure that you care about your content and understand the effort it takes to build up your readership.
Being the new(ish) blogger that I am, I can only give you the very basics. The most common offenders that you will hear about a lot (for good reason!). But these are things that will drive many of your visitors away, so you must at least be aware of them; even if you don't follow the advice.
Let's get started!
10.08.2015
Blogiversary Bash: Celebrating 1 Year In the Blogosphere!
Ooh, I'm so excited! Today marks one year since I started Edge of Night, and what a wonderful year it's been.
I've learned so many things since I began blogging. Not just about blogging and writing, but about myself, too. I've had the pleasure of interacting with a lot of amazing people, and I've had the opportunity to discover a lot of great blogs. This last year was far from a waste of my time, and I would recommend this to anyone as a hobby in a heartbeat. The experience, if you work hard and commit to it, is very rewarding.
But blogging ain't without its troubles! It takes a lot of time and patience; not only to think up, schedule, write and perfect your posts, but to build a good readership and establish relationships with fellow blog authors. And commenting. I am terrible when it comes to keeping up with other blogs. It's very time-consuming - especially since I prefer to leave comments that say more than simply, "Great post!" But, while none of these are easy, the biggest problem that I ran into was actually with myself.
But blogging ain't without its troubles! It takes a lot of time and patience; not only to think up, schedule, write and perfect your posts, but to build a good readership and establish relationships with fellow blog authors. And commenting. I am terrible when it comes to keeping up with other blogs. It's very time-consuming - especially since I prefer to leave comments that say more than simply, "Great post!" But, while none of these are easy, the biggest problem that I ran into was actually with myself.
9.28.2015
Midget Monday #2
And it's Monday once more!
Today I bring you the second edition of my weekly Midget Monday posts, and it's even on the correct day this time. (If you happened to miss the last one, I had published it on a Wednesday.)
What is Midget Monday?
Midget Monday is a weekly post containing one micro-poem (~6 lines or less) and one "micro" story (~300 words or less). Poems and stories may sometimes share a theme, but will usually be two random, mismatched topics. I may also build more upon any of the poems or stories that I use in these posts, so you might see these (or something similar) again in the future!
9.26.2015
9.23.2015
Midget Monday #1
Yes, I'm aware that it isn't Monday. I'm not sure whether to call that a blessing or a shame.
But I've been in the mood to write some micro-fiction and micro-poetry lately and, as I've mentioned before in my comments section, I try to avoid posting super duper tiny posts because I feel like I'm shorting you when it comes to content. So, I thought I'd follow the format I've been using for my Poetic Pictures posts, and bring you one micro-poem and one very short story per week, every (you guessed it) Monday. How does that sound?
(Of course, today is an exception because I am a trigger-happy poster and have an extremely difficult time waiting to publish something that I could very well post today.)
So. Without further ado, I present to you: Midget Monday!
9.20.2015
Get Creative, Be Inspired!
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| Background image via www.layeredtrust.com |
Workspaces are too often overlooked, don't you think? We're quick to say that our lack of productivity is being caused by mere laziness or a severe case of the Mondays. And, oh yes, to a point that's exactly what's causing it. We all have those off-days where you just can't get anything done. And sometimes Mondays are just terrible and you feel like they should be wiped off the face of the calendar. But Monday plagues us only one day of the week. What's the problem for the rest of it?
When it comes to workspaces, I'm pretty adaptable. I'm not picky about where I do my things. I drift around the house and into whichever room sounds best at that particular moment, making use of the couch, a random desk, or my bed.
There are a few things I've noticed, however, that really spark my creativity into gear and make me feel as if I can suddenly create anything at all. And that's what a workspace should do for you - you should enter that room and feel ready to go. Inspired. Here are a few things that do that for me (and do keep in mind that I said I'm not picky. You might see some very different ideas here).
9.16.2015
9.10.2015
9.06.2015
September 5th Q&A Recap
Below you can find a recap of the main points of the Twitter session. Past that, you'll find the additional questions that were submitted via the form in my previous Q&A post. Enjoy!
9.03.2015
8.31.2015
Join Me For A Q&A On Sept. 5!
Note: The Q&A has ended. Click here to view the recap!
No matter how small your questions are, how useless you think they are, how unusual they are, I want to hear them.
With that said, I would love to have you join me for a live Twitter Q&A session on Saturday, September 5th at 10:00 PM (ET). You can ask questions with the hashtag #AskEve. Make sure to tweet to @eve_edgeofnight so I know who you're talking to!
Not able to make it to the Twitter Q&A? No worries. More details are below, including alternative ways for you to submit questions.
8.24.2015
R.O. Writing Contest Winners!
Whew, time just flies right on by sometimes, doesn't it? It feels like I just put this contest up yesterday.
However, that is not the case; in fact, we've already reached the end of it! It's time to announce the winners! If you're new here or happened to miss the original posting, feel free to check it out here.
Below are the winners of the Raven's Omen Writing Contest. Congrats to them, and a big thank you to all who participated!
8.11.2015
Post Break (August 11 - 31)
I know, I know - I just took a posting break back in early July. But that was for a short trip. This time around, I'd like to take some time off from regular posting to work on my novel (because, boy, do I have a ton of work to do on that..) as well as to get settled into the new school year that is quickly approaching.
Aside from announcing the contest winners around the 23rd, no new content will be posted from August 11th to August 31st. However, there's still some things going on:
The Raven's Omen Writing Contest is open and accepting entries until the 23rd of August.
After I return from break, I'll be holding a Q&A. Details on that are still being worked out.
And of course, you're always welcome to explore my old works, too!
I'll still be available to respond to comments and messages.
Have a wonderful August!
8.09.2015
Raven's Omen Writing Contest (August 9th - August 23rd)
Note: This contest is closed now. View the final winners here!
Hey there! How many of you reading this are aspiring authors? Do you consider yourself one? Maybe you do, or maybe you're just someone who enjoys writing up a story here and there. Or, heck, maybe you're already a published author.
All of those are great, and no matter how serious you are about the craft, how experienced you are, I'd love to see what you have going on. Whether your more of the storyteller kind or your heart lies with poetry, how about giving us a taste of your talent?
The theme of this contest is called Raven's Omen. You'll be given a prompt, consisting of both words and an image, and your goal is to create a memorable piece based upon that prompt in the form of either a poem or a short story. Two contestants will be chosen as winners - one for each form. Anyone is welcome to enter, so don't be shy!
Below are the contest guidelines. Show me what you've got!
8.07.2015
8.02.2015
7.28.2015
7.24.2015
7.22.2015
7.19.2015
7.16.2015
Liebster Award
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| Nominated by Chioma |
I've been nominated for the Liebster Award!
As with every other award and tag I've received, I'm honored and extremely grateful to have been nominated for this. The Liebster is one that's been floating around the blogosphere for a fair amount of time, and it's a fun, recognizable tag that has done a great job promoting newer blogs.
A huge thank you goes out to dear Chioma from Blue Books and Butterflies for this sweet nomination. The rules for this thing have only changed about 1,576,112 times since its creation, but here's the version I've received!
7.15.2015
7.13.2015
7.10.2015
Blog of Excellence Award
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| Nominated by Bella |
I was nominated by the lovely Bella of bellas bright bookshelf for an award that is brand-new to the blogosphere: the Blog of Excellence Award. Bella got inspired to create her own award after coming across my Blogger Recognition Award post, and I think that's just awesome! There are plenty of these little things out there, but I still stick to the opinion that there can't be too many!
7.09.2015
Poetic Pictures: July 2015
7.03.2015
Post break (July 3 - 9)
Hey there! Time for me to take another short little break while family visits over the weekend. During my break, which will last from July 3rd until July 9th, there will be no new content posted. There's still plenty of stuff for you to check out, though, so don't abandon ship just yet!
So, how about it? Click one of the links below to start exploring!
I currently have 40 of them.
I currently have 3 of them.
I currently have 5 chapters published.
I currently have 6 "Poetic Pictures" posts.
Among other things such as taking a peak at my about page, blog buttons (so many other great blogs you can check out!) etc..
I don't yet know if I'll be available to respond to comments and messages - I may be able to get back to you, but it may be delayed. Still, I'll get back to you as soon as I can!
This would also be a great time for you to let me know if you'd like me to send you a personal thank-you image (mentioned in my post celebrating 10,000 pageviews)! Check out the post here.
7.02.2015
10,000 Pageviews!
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| Image by Karolina Grabowska via Pexels |
Woohoo! Edge of Night just passed 10,000 pageviews!
This is just one small milestone in a vast pond of larger ones, but it's a pretty important step in the amazingly fun and grueling journey of any blog.
You start out with nothing - zero hits, zero followers, and, if you were a newbie blogger like myself, zero idea of what you're doing. Those first 10,000 pageviews are some of the hardest to get, and achieving that milestone means that you didn't quit within the first couple of months like so many bloggers do. You've outlasted many others who lost inspiration when they realized how much work it takes, and now the fun can really begin!
It's thanks to each and every one of you that my blog has made it this far. Further on in this post you'll have the chance to receive a little thank-you from me, if you'd like. It's a small gesture, but I wanted to do something to show my appreciation.
7.01.2015
6.27.2015
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