I have been away from Twitter for such a LONG time! And it really goes to show that you can make some wonderful friends out of Twitter. To all my friends that have missed me, I’m sorry I’ve been gone! To everyone that didn’t notice I was gone…well, I guess you didn’t miss anything since I wasn’t there.

The past week has been about research for me. I’ve been researching site improvements for KarishaPrescott and looking at the new importance placed on Page Ranking via Google. I am eternally grateful and absolutely surprised that I magically acquired a Page Rank from Google. It’s not the GREATEST page rank, but everyone starts somewhere and I am happy to be ’starting’ with a little ‘foot up’ now that I realize page ranking matters.

It’s a little strange to think that page ranking was never important, but considering all the factors that make a website ‘SEO’ perfect, give it a high Page Ranking, aesthetically appeasing and still have great content…it can be a juggle. I listed my priorities and following my Google Page Rank just wasn’t one of them until now.

Now that I know, without a doubt, how I’m presenting information and what information to present, I am glad to focus on toying with changes to rise in Page Ranking. First and foremost I am working toward quality content, because Page Ranking means nothing if no one cares to read what I right.

I’m always thankful to everyone that comments and tweets my posts. A special thanks to @CharmaineClancy that is a constant voice of motivation, and to @JennyC28 who thought I fell off the face of the earth these past couple of months.

And of course: Thanks to everyone that reads KarishaPrescott!

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Thank you for visiting The Official Karisha Prescott Website! For more top posts, try the Featured Articles page or Writing page for more free tips. Like this article? Subscribe to my RSS feed in an RSS reader to keep up with my most recent posts.

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As always, comment, link or subscribe if you like what you read!

Well, I can’t say life has been easy. I’m finally done moving and I am loving Scottsdale. I’m making my grades at Arizona State University and am looking forward to the summer.

My series is about to end up in my desk drawer, so to speak, as it looks like I butchered it with a lawnmower. (I cut the word count in half, down to 91K over the past 6 months)

That’s not to say I have stopped writing. I have several new ideas for my next project lined up and now all I have to do is pick. I have another round of University tests next week, I have finals a few weeks after that and I am thrilled the weather is holding as long as it has.

I have been away from my blog for some time trying to work on my novel and I regret that. I’m really excited for some fresh new takes, some interesting topics going on in the publishing world and am very excited for ‘precedents on the verge’ in the digital media sector.

I’m very happy to be back blogging and look forward to hearing from everyone. I’m excited to take a more active role after dropping off the radar for so long and miss all my twitter frenzies.

So here is to a Happy Easter for all and a great start into April!

***

Thank you for visiting The Official Karisha Prescott Website! For more top posts, try the Featured Articles page or Writing page for more free tips. Like this article? Subscribe to my RSS feed in an RSS reader to keep up with my most recent posts.

Follow me on Twitter. Become a fan on “The Karisha Prescott Facebook page”

As always, comment, link or subscribe if you like what you read!

Hurray! Now, I’m not in World of Warcraft Gaming but I took a look at EVE online. Yes, I like online games. From online poker to that silly vampire game, I play games. I am also a big TED.com fan. So imagine my surprise when I went prowling for new TED Video’s and found that TEDTalks 2010 has a video on Gamers Saving the world.

Jane McGonigal uses alot of information and statistics from the WoW environment/community/network/players. And this Gaming talk is not about World of Warcraft (WoW) alone. In general, WoW is just most well known the world over with millions upon millions of players.

What does the talk cover? I’m going to embed it below, not very long, but I will try to sumarise. Jane talks about a mass exodus of the world population from real life to virtual online living/gaming. People are spending as much time as a part time job in the gaming world. That is a lot of time.

But it is more than just gaming. She uses four key skills as the ‘Catch-all’ of what gamers are becoming masters at.

Blissful Productivity, Social Fabric, Urgent Optimism, Epic Meaning.

These sound like jibberish if you didn’t watch/listen to her TedTalk but I will try to summarize them as best I can.

Blissful Productivity means that the gamers find satisfaction in what they are doing online and they ENJOY working hard toward a goal. Social Fabric – good at communication, working with teammates/others and generally builds a fabric of trust with complete strangers if the only common denominator may be playing games. Urgent Optimism – Gamers are willing to ACT NOW toward a goal if they know that they have the skills and means to achieve the desired outcome (An EPIC WIN in gaming terminology).

And Epic Meaning – where gamers want to be apart of a BIGGER PICTURE and mean more to the world. Gamers are thinking more than just ‘One’, they are used to looking at large-scale and even ‘galactic’ cause/effect and outcomes.

Jane goes on to talk about Gamers as an untapped resource, the future of gamers from 500 million to 1.5 billion in the next ten years and her research/development and work in building games that connect the disconnect of virtual and online gaming to real life.

She has developed games concerning Oil shortages that have effected real-life lifestyles of the gamers, Super Struct

And her future Gamer project is EVOKE about solving problems, mostly with third-world countries. The amazing part of EVOKE is that it is being pushed with the promise of prestige by the World Bank, a real life award and the implementation of ideas and training in the means to give real world results. It covers social innovation and resourcefulness. You really have to see it to believe it.

It is exciting to see Gamers getting more credit, games being considered something more than a hobby and the ultimate skills they impliment. I know that whenever I feel guilty for my online gaming, or I feel guilty for browsing during my ASU Classes, I browse on over to FREERICE.COM to test my brain and feed the world ten grains of rice at a time. Every little bit helps.

What did you think of Jane’s Ted Talk? How do you see games effecting the world and the ‘epidemic’ of game addict looked at in a positive-impact light?

Jane McGonigal: Gaming Can Make a Better World

Ted.Com

Video Length: 20:04 Minutes

Photo Credit: Tiago Ribeiro

It’s Spring Break here at Arizona State University (ASU)! After an awesome St. Patrick’s Day, I’m all about pool side reading. Picking up the March 2010 Time, I found a few articles interesting.

An article I didn’t expect to really jump out at me was the article ” The Dropout Economy” written by Reihan Salam.

First, I love how it went over lots of topics I am interested, seamlessly. From the failure of the education system, the overpricing and irrelevance of college to green energy topics, co-ops and underground economies and currencies.

I especially liked the terms “Hacktavist” and “Freeganism” which are delightful meshes of awesome words. I didn’t really like the cartoon shown above the article, but you can’t be too picky. The article itself was a delight.

And I am looking forward to seeing it come to fruition, the depictions of the direction of America in our floundering economic situation. Talking about homeschooling, community bartering /currencies and self-sufficiency being on a fast rise makes me worry less about a ‘fat, lazy america’ that is constantly in the news.

Am I excited that the drop out rate for high school kids being 3 out of 10? No, I would like people to know how to do math and spell correctly. But I also know that when you put a person in a certain field or trade where that information is required, it is usually picked up fairly quickly. If not from a desire to learn than just from a constant exposure to it.

I have to remind myself that putting as many people through extensive educational systems as possible to increase intelligence, efficiency and community contribution is a fairly new concept. And could be, in itself, inefficient.

A nation of ‘children’ that once began working at ten or twelve are now in school, hopefully learning, until their mid twenties and then deciding a career. It looks like our society is regressing in that respect, but I don’t know if that is neccessarily a bad thing.

I suggest you read Salam’s article “The Dropout Economy” and get an ‘overview’ of his thoughts. I have to compliment his flow for the article. It is a plethora of ideas and information made seamless and condensed perfectly to overwhelm the brain with ideas, thoughts and happier visions of the future of America and the world.

Hope everyone had a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Hurray Green BEER!

***

Thank you for visiting The Official Karisha Prescott Website! For more top posts, try the Featured Articles page or Writing page for more free tips. Like this article? Subscribe to my RSS feed in an RSS reader to keep up with my most recent posts.
Follow me on Twitter. Become a fan on “The Karisha Prescott Facebook page”

As always, comment, link or subscribe if you like what you read!

Vanity Press or Vanity Publishing as it is commonly referred is self-funded publishing of a book by an independent author. This means that no matter the quality of the book, as long as the author has the money to do so, the book gets put out ‘on the presses’ and offered to readers.

There are publishing houses that specifically do Vanity Publishing. These publishing houses make a majority of their money by offering package deals and services to assist in producing a more polished product for the author. Such services could be anything from cover jacket design, editing services to marketing campaigns and placement in particular book stores around the country or even the world.

A lot of vanity publishing also offer ‘Print on Demand’ for their clients now, so that the self-funding, independent author no longer has to pay thousands of dollars to have first-prints run and then stored until sold, but can simply print one book each time one is ordered and have it drop shipped directly to the customer.

There has been a lot of speculation about the quality of work that gets published through vanity publishing, but there has also been a type of hysteria through the publishing world as authors wise up to their profit potential.

As publishing houses require more and more self-marketing, self-promotion and a building large platforms before contracts are signed, authors are wondering what the point to a traditional publisher is any more.

Are there pros and cons to both vanity publishing and traditional publishing? Yes. Do I have a preference? Personally, I am going with vanity publishing. Just a personal choice.

It is all about personal preference. Are you going to sit back and wait for approval from conservative low-risk-taking publishing houses or are you going to go full-steam-ahead on the book you have put so much time and confidence in?

More times than not, Vanity publishing is winning.

Digital publishing is especially winning as more authors become aware of the low demand for housing books, no supply to control and the relative zero-cost for materials beyond the invested time in writing, editing and marketing their book.

So Vanity Publishing has its place in the publishing world and I don’t think it is going anywhere any time soon.

What do you think? Do you think Vanity Publishing is a good thing or a bad thing? Do you think Traditional Publishing houses are at risk now that the ‘power is in the hands of the authors’ of the world?

Thanks for reading! I hope you have a great day and I would love to hear more on your thoughts about Vanity publishing!

Thanks again!

I am doing a ‘run-down’ on all types of writing software and assistance tools, so check out the article soon to be >here<. But over all I am looking at the tools we writers need. One of the tools I hear a lot about is Speech to Text. (Not to be confused with Text to Speech; which is a completely different program) It is also known as ‘Dictation software’.

Today I am talking about the built in Speech-to-Text functionality that comes installed with the general Microsoft Office products and Dragon Naturally Speaking by a company named Nuance.

Just to clarify, Speech-to-text is voice recognition software is where you talk into a computer microphone of some kind and your words are transcribed into a word document. The software boasts many functions, but this one is primary for the writers of the world. Can you imagine the day when you TELL the computer what to write, at 120 words per minute, and you finish a novel in under a week? That time is near…

Now, I have been contemplating getting a copy of Dragon Naturally Speaking by Nuance. Nuance is said to be the leader in voice recognition software and from all the hype, I would have to say I am fairly hyped about it as well.

To get my dictation feet wet, so to speak, I have been toying around with the Speech-to-Text functionality of the Microsoft Office programs. The voice commands seem to be the same between the software but I find them completely different when it comes to actual performance.

Honestly, I don’t know how anyone gets voice recognition software to work using speech to text of it is not Dragon Naturally Speaking. I have tried for some time to get the program in Microsoft Word to work and now I am just typing it by hand. Some things are just better the old fashioned way, I guess.

Will I give Dragon Naturally Speaking a chance? Yes. Why? Because I get a student discount on it so it doesn’t feel like I would be so ripped off if it turns out to work just as badly as Microsoft’s version.

Would I recommend trying to utilize the Speech-to-Text function built into Word? No, not particularly. I spent 6 hours trying to train the program and it has about a 60% success rate with general words. That is a whole lot of time to spend frustrated.

Could this make your life easier? I think it will be a different pony show utilizing Dragon Naturally Speaking now that I have exposed myself to the horror of the included Microsoft functionality that comes with my regular Microsoft programs.

(If you want to utilize the Speech-to-Text function in Microsoft word, go to: Tool>Speech> and when you get a pop up that you don’t have the file/installation downloaded, you just click the ‘Yes’ button to state you want to download it.)

I think it will be a pain to go through the training with Dragon Naturally Speaking all over again after spending so much time with the Microsoft Training and getting no where, but I have a feeling that since Nuance specializes in Voice Recognition, it is probably very good at it. I only say that because Microsoft has a lot of programs to maintain where Nuance really just has the voice recognition. It makes since that Nuance would make sure their program was outstanding.

So, I have given the built in functionality of the Microsoft Word Speech-to-Text program a chance and it has failed me. Next, we will be looking into how the Dragon Naturally Speaking program does in comparison and if speech recognition software is software to go with now, or a thing of the future.

Either way, that elusive one-week-novel-without-typing-a-single-word is a heck of a fantasy. If only…

Thanks for reading!

Ballet Folklorico Alegria Dancers - Scottsdale Parada Del Sol 2009

I have spent the past couple of months doing everything under the sun BUT edit my writing. Considering I started with 180,000 words and have cut that number down to 91,000 I would say I needed a break.

Of course I would say that. I didn’t want to edit anything else for as long as I lived. But my novel draws me back like a moth to a flame. The time has come. I must continue on my path for my novel.

In my defense, I have had a lot of stuff going on:

• Started College at Arizona State University
• Moved to a new city, Scottsdale~!
• Set up a new ‘office’ space and have been moving furniture around trying to get ‘cozy’
• Procrastinating to the point where I should get some sort of award

Okay, a majority of that is fluff added so I won’t feel so terrible that I haven’t been editing. I have been writing…but I have been starting new projects which have nothing to do with my current works. That is a big no-no. If I have lots of projects going on, my attention becomes even more divided.

Well, now that my first round of midterms are done for the spring semester, I have determined that I need to study A LOT and that I should have my novel as finished as I can make it.

On a positive note, my procrastination has helped me do a few things:

• I am only on Facebook when I am in class, versus all day.
• I auto-post to twitter now, so I don’t tweet-attack the world
• I have been spending a lot more time catching up on my RSS feed (that is important to me, it’s all about the book world! And that is heaven!)
• I have been able to spend more time with family than I have in years (Lots of family in the Phoenix, Az area)

Anything else worth talking about:

I am going to be posting a lot of information on the book world now. Lots of gifting ideas and shopping ideas (Since that is my #1 go-to when I surf online I might as well share the cool stuff I find with you all!)

I am very excited for the 10th book in the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Chronicles by Charlaine Harris ‘Dead in the Family’. For all you Vamp Book haters out there, back off. Sookie is an amateur sleuth stuck in an ugly world out there. She needs our support. (I hear rumors that this, or the next book, may be the end of the series *gasp**begins sinking into a deep depression*)

On a side note about the Sookie Series: TruBlood, the tv show, may be incredibly hollywood-keen but it is a completely different direction from the books. Charlaine Harris doesn’t mind, but it is important that you know: Just because you saw an episode doesn’t mean you ‘know’ Sookie. The first episode remains true about half way through, after that – It’s Hollywood sensationalism. Just wanted to point that out!

Okay, Obviously I am supposed to be editing right now or I wouldn’t write a novel of a post here. Just trying to keep you in the loop (all 2 readers out there – which includes my mom, I am sure) and I hope everyone is doing GREAT!

Have a great day and whatever you do…don’t write that your vampires sparkle. Please. Pretty Please. Or I will stake you *Just Kidding*

Thanks for reading!

É bom trabalhar com uma cervejinha e um macbook

Photo Credit: C. Regina

I’m in COLLEGE! Yea-yeah!

Okay…so the shiny-fun has worn off a little. I am in my first semester at Arizona State University (GO SUN DEVILS!) and so far all I have learned is to freak out over not understanding things.

Now, I understand the material fine…for the most part. The part I don’t get is…how everything works. I thought I was going to go to college and attend classes with real – real – intelligent discussions and all that snazzy stuff. So far, I have rushed to class, rushed through class and tried to sprint away from class.

I got a D on a test this past week. That is right – a big FAT D! And now…I’m not stressed. I found out that if I drink a beer right before class I do better on my tests. I know why – it’s because I’m too uptight and stressed out. I need to relax a little.

Before you go off and lecture me about drinking before class…you should know that I am fully convinced my sociology teacher is plastered during her lectures and I am suspicious she drinks vodka DURING class. Why? If you were in her class you would know what I am getting at here…

Now, the best advice I have gotten so far is ‘Fuck it. Just fail all your classes, get drunk and party and worry about it all later. It’s college.’ and to that I say….”I can’t be THAT laid back about it all”

Failing is just not something I’m good at doing. Sure, I can do that and I will if I don’t figure out my sociology teachers drunk slurring speech soon, but it is not something I can do gracefully. Otherwise I start looking like this…

So I am spending my time finding a happy medium. On a happier – more productive – note…I have been working very hard on my novel! It should have been done ages ago. Why the wait? Because I have decided to have all of the series done before I publish! (I know, that means I have four more books to write before it is ready – what do you care…it’s not like anybody is WAITING breathlessly for them to be released. If you said ‘I am’ then I love you. *smile*

In honor of finding my ‘groove’, now that I am moved and settled (mostly) in my new apartment, I am going to post this lovely clip about moral fiber which is awesomesauce in a lot of ways. This is a clip I found on YouTube from ‘The Girl Next Door‘ when that kid totally fucks stuff up and this is his reasoning…really awesome… Good…Job…lol

Comment or whatever it is kids are calling it these days *Smile!*

Wave of Anguish by Samuelviani

Photo Credit: Samuelviana

I am working hard on the edits. Can you believe I lost half of my novel yesterday? It’s hard for some writers to remember that no matter the name, Anne Rice, Stephen King, or Dean Koontz, all novels start out on paper. Whether it is parchment and quill(old school) or a word document (our modern day typewriter) it starts somewhere.

So long as you have your words and some version of pen and paper, you’re armed like the best of them. In celebration of losing half of my novel in my computer for a few hours last night, I am going to share a tidbit with you. So here it is, an excerpt from my upcoming novel that I think you will enjoy. So….happy writing and happy reading!

Excerpt from Past Mistakes: A Novel by Karisha Prescott

“…I had always wondered if angels cried during battles. I wondered how angels chose to save combatants from pain. Would relief come swiftly at death’s door for the good alone? Is it justice to allow some to suffer more? Or do the angels simply work as quickly as possible? Angels must dread the days of human wars. Angels must loath the thought of so many suffering, such a high cost for such fleeting and empty reward for but a few.

I stared a long time at the ceiling. The brown wood beams blended with the mud stucco that made the little house. Today there would be talk of war. Today I would have a role in the death of some or the death of many. There is no telling the outcome. There could be no question that there would be death. It was a question of whom, when, and why. But these people had lived so long in fear and the body count was only beginning. If the Order were allowed to hunt free-range much longer on the limited population of humans, it wouldn’t be long until the world would be consumed by their evil…”

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Thanks for reading! Please leave comments and questions below. Have a great day!

M.A.C. Black and Blue Smokey Eyeshadow in Super Macro on Green Eye

Photo Credit: DreamGlow

It can be  hard for a writer to balance writing, editing, marketing, advertising and still maintain a relationship with the readers. The relationship with the readers is the enjoyable part, as is the writing, but the stuff in between can seem endless and frustrating.

I am happy to say I am having a lot of fun with the launch of my book coming up. The launch is late but for the best. Some great changes, some added features and …well, you’ll see!

So far we are looking at:

• The Book Website
• New Graphics
• New Videos

Bonus reader-interactive features that will be unveiled shortly!

What do you think of as the foundation of YOUR book launch?

By far, the book launch and marketing/advertising aspects are the most difficult. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun!

Be sure to keep an active interest in your book.

From beginning to end!

Past Mistakes ~ Sample Chapters by Karisha Prescott