dcafwriting

All Flames Cast – Harael IV

Standard

Another chapter so soon? Crazy, I know. I’ve been really making these sparse for the last while, but with how close I’m getting to finishing, I thought I’d let a couple more trickle out here over the next few weeks. They’ll likely all be Harael chapters. And without further ado, I give you Harael’s fourth chapter…

 

Harael sighed in relief as he crested the rise in the road. Down the far slope, winding north, the stone road led to the sprawl that was Barrier. The military camp, and the city that had sprung up around it, pooled around the foothills of the Pirin Mountains, clutching the road north like a stone and metal fist. Continue reading

All Flames Cast – Harael III

Standard

A quick update on All Flames Cast: I went back and re-titled all of my chapter posts on here, because naming them “Chapter One”, “Chapter Two”, etc. was a bit misleading. Instead, I’ve gone with the character names and where the chapters fall into their specific sequences. I think I’m going to post, at most, two more chapters after this, as I’m really starting to get into the meat of the book and I’m nearing completion of the first draft. As that is, enjoy Harael’s next chapter—it’s a long one!

Harael awoke to pounding on the Dawn of Embers. He was confused, at first, as it seemed come from everywhere. When he forced himself to sit up in his bed, he realized it was really only in two locations: the door to his quarters, and the very intimate inside of his skull. He groaned, and flopped back down onto his pillow. He began to burrow his head underneath it when the shouting outside started. Continue reading

The Importance of Revision

Standard

While catching up on podcasts over at the excellent Social Media Examiner, I stumbled across one in particular that discussed a couple of things that have been important in my own writing processes, recently: storytelling, and revision.

While the importance of revision gets hammered home at every level, one aspect of it often goes unappreciated. The benefits of revision are obvious, of course, as it only takes one story, advertisement, email, or essay to realize that errors happen in first drafts. New or better ideas come along, and make your writing stronger. It’s a fact of every writer’s life. Continue reading

First Steps

Standard

It’s been an eye-opening month. With the first steps underway at Dcaf Copy, I’ve been diving into a whole new side of writing. The past few weeks have been all about email newsletters and articles promoting products—mostly books. While my feet have only just begun getting wet in this new business, one thing has begun standing out to me: prospective customer information.

Email newsletters and e-blast campaigns are all well and good, and they can certainly help drive sales; nonetheless, I’ve found the most important thing with these is getting to know your audience. Take a look into the demographics of your email list (if available), and sculpt your copy around that knowledge. Consider the products you’re trying to sell, and present them in a way that appeals to the audience. Work in a hook in the natural curiosity of the customer.

The New Dcafwriting

Standard

It’s with a lot of excitement that I can announce some changes coming to Dcafwriting. Over the next few weeks, the site will be undergoing a design and layout overhaul, with one really big new change: Dcaf Copy.

Dcaf Copy is going to be an entire second section of this site, and a new side business I’m starting. With weekly blog posts on copywriting, web sales, and email marketing, Dcaf Copy will be the foundation for what will start off as a freelance service with an eye toward something more permanent in the future. This service will cover everything from email advertising campaigns, to web content copy, to blogging, and more.

While the focus of the upcoming changes is on Dcaf Copywriting, the creative soul of this site will remain. I’ll be streamlining the existing categories and working toward getting new, varied, creative writing in the coming months. Keep an eye out for new chapters from All Flames Cast, new short stories, and even some fresh poetry.