Small Tips For Updating Your Blog Style Guide

Written by: Alex Crumb | Follow on: Twitter, Facebook

Published: Jun 30, 2016 12:00:00 PM

Ghost_Little_Facebook_Thumbnail_Logo_Photo.pngStyle is impossible. You can mimic it, but then the mimicry becomes it's own style. Knowing that, I'm somtimes not sure what I can teach anybody about developing a writing style. It comes from an invisible place. Sometimes it escapes to another place, abandoning you.

It's an odd situation. I can tell you how a style is developed, but then it'll be up to you to grab onto what you can and see what spins forth for your writing, your blog, and your style.

Begin at the beginning:

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Topics: how to write

What Is The Difference Between A Writer And A Blogger?

Written by: Alex Crumb | Follow on: Twitter, Facebook

Published: Jun 29, 2016 12:00:00 PM

Ghost_Little_Facebook_Thumbnail_Logo_Photo.pngCertain people who bear the diamond-hard feeling that the world owes them a speaking platform will tell you through their clenched orthodontistry that there's nothing worse than a Millennial, except maybe a blogger. This is a section of people who believe status is the greatest yardstick of a person's capability. To them, a writer is a writer, and a blogger is a plagiarist without an editor.

What is the difference between the two? Is one superior? Is the other outdated terminology? Is a rose, is a rose, is a rose, is a rose, or am I Frankensteining too many miniature gags and references together?

Here's the difference between a blogger and a writer:

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Topics: storytelling analysis, marketing, how to write

Whiny Questions, Simple Answers no. 5: Wait, Why Do People Love The Marvel Movies So Much?

Written by: Alex Crumb | Follow on: Twitter, Facebook

Published: Jun 28, 2016 12:00:00 PM

Screen_Shot_2016-06-28_at_8.31.45_AM.pngThis is a recurring segment, "Whiny Questions, Simple Answers," where I gather the whiniest question I come across on the internet in a given week, and provide a straightforward answer.

This week's question again concerns the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

While we're a few weeks out from the billion dollar success of the last MCU movie in Captain America: Civil War, this question has come again because of another release of the MCU's rival film shared universe: Batman V Superman - Ultimate Cut. We did our analysis of the new cut and it's earned greater praise over its initial release.

With that in mind, people are grinding their teeth at the thought of why the MCU movies are so popular?

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Topics: storytelling analysis, whiny questions, simple answers, shared universe

Differences in Batman V Superman Ultimate Cut Explained | Zack Snyder Movie Review

Written by: Alex Crumb | Follow on: Twitter, Facebook

Published: Jun 26, 2016 12:48:05 PM

superman-missed-the-bomb.gifBatman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is an F+ movie. It hums a very weird tune compared to its contemporaries. It hates Superman. It wants Batman to be its dad. Its Lex Luthor reads as a self-proclaimed alpha male's opinion on modern wealth. It is an advertisement, a vision-statement, a joyless creature with cracked skin, bleeding at the seams.

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice - Ultimate Cut (BvS) is not an F+ movie. It's a much better movie. Its thesis actually makes sense. I'll dissect the film's updated version here, point out the differences in the two separate cuts, and shine light on its more bizarre choices.

First, understand the statements BvS makes in its characterizations of the two protagonists: Superman is conflicted, and Batman is in the wrong.

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Topics: Review, Movie Review, shared universe

Isolationism Is Death: A Brexit Response

Written by: Alex Crumb | Follow on: Twitter, Facebook

Published: Jun 24, 2016 12:00:00 PM

diffused-resized-600.pngAt the time of this writing, the United Kingdom has voted by a margin of 52% to 48% to leave the European Union. As far as I can figure, the motivation to do so was because aging racists were afraid of immigrants.

This is troubling because the country that invented Peter Pan, Harry Potter, and Bilbo Baggins has decided to age horribly, kill magic, and stay isolated in the Shire.

I lived in Scotland for a little while. Ask a Scot if they're British and the least that they'll do is laugh at you, so I won't pretend I've lived in Britain, but I technically lived in the United Kingdom, as it was. As an American in the early 2000's, well into the Bush administration, and months after Hurricane Katrina left a city of predominantly non-whites to die, I understood that isolationism and rejecting our planet truly is death.

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Topics: storytelling analysis, Download free ebook

Using Free Books as an Inbound Offer

Written by: Alex Crumb | Follow on: Twitter, Facebook

Published: Jun 23, 2016 12:00:00 PM

01-tenant.jpgGhost Little is built on simple principles:

  • Transparency
  • Everything counts
  • Build invitations for all tastes
  • Free books to get folks in on the worlds

When you think about how a modern person consumes media, and the idea that you want as many modern people as possible laying eyes on your work, your creative process changes. I didn't get into the promotional phase for Ghost Little and wipe sweat off my forehead, thankful that I had written 5 different entry-points via 5 different genres just by coincidence.

It began on the product level. The shared universe is the product. The free books themselves are the invitation in.

As fun as it was to write about the expert craftsmanship of the threads weaving the Avengers movies together, that wasn't an accident.

If you are going to build any product, determining the intended audience is step one. Then the inbound offers create themselves.

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Topics: free books, how to write

Free Books to Read Online as a Self-Promotional Marketing Tool

Written by: Alex Crumb | Follow on: Twitter, Facebook

Published: Jun 22, 2016 12:00:00 PM

Ghost_Little_Facebook_Thumbnail_Logo_Photo.pngIn November 2016, Ghost Little will be six years old. Of course, when I began writing it, I had no plan. The site was created on Blogspot before migrating over migrating over to the HubSpot platform in March 2012.

Again, neither the site nor the blog had a purpose. I never studied the traffic. It was purely an exercise, like going to the gym to feel better in one's body.

On November 18, 2014, I posted The Only Perfect Review Of Destiny On The Internet, a 7455 word planet-cracker, before putting the site on indefinite hiatus because I had no idea what else to do.

Once again, the site continued to have no spoken purpose, other than to satisfy my own curiosity. Two and a half years of weekly blogging earned me about 3000 monthly site visits.

On March 23, 2016, I took the site down and rebuilt it in its current form. Here is why:

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Topics: free books to read online

Between Game of Thrones And Mr. Robot, We Watch A Lot Of Intense TV

Written by: Alex Crumb | Follow on: Twitter, Facebook

Published: Jun 21, 2016 12:00:00 PM

battle-of-the-bastards.gifI had to go into a meditative state following last Sunday's Game of Thrones episode. I needed a come-down after what can best described as a heck-gasm. That's a pretty rough way to end the weekend.

I guess it's just how we roll now. Tragic, greusome, cynical, delusional, and dare I summon a made-up term, "Snyderian?" Everything is horrible. All of it is true. The pendulum swing between the smile-pop curated playlists on Spotify generates upwards of 13 g's as it hurls over to a common Facebook feed, before its return journey to the navel gazing and vacation-envy on Instagram.

Then it's back to HBO Go and Amazon Prime for Game of Thrones and Mr. Robot to tell us we are a hopeless people.

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Topics: storytelling analysis, tv tropes, marketing

Whiny Questions, Simple Answers no. 4: Why Is Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Special? It's Copying Skyrim!

Written by: Alex Crumb | Follow on: Twitter, Facebook

Published: Jun 20, 2016 12:00:00 PM

zelda-BotW.gifThis is a recurring segment, "Whiny Questions, Simple Answers," where I gather the whiniest question I come across on the internet in a given week, and provide a straightforward answer.

This week's question concerns the recently-announced The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

While its E3 demo is well-received, some are irked by its praise in comparison to western RPGs of late, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim most of all.

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How To Write Facebook Business-Page Copy

Written by: Alex Crumb | Follow on: Twitter, Facebook

Published: Jun 17, 2016 12:00:00 PM

Ages ago, when the world only knew of the iPhone 4, or 4S, perhaps, people would ask you for your ideas in an elevator pitch. A whole elevator ride? You have the person trapped in a box with you for roughly 10-30 seconds? And the only thing they can do is listen to you describe something?

Those jerks had it lucky. Try writing arresting Facebook page copy for a visitor who already has extra browser tabs open, their phone vibrating with text alerts, and the Spotify app open to a song they like, but don't LOVE.

Mine was a remarkable exercise. Here's how to write for your Facebook Business-page...

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Topics: how to write

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The Ghost Little blog publishes EVERY WEEKDAY. It's sometimes immediately relevant to the books' development process. Other times, it's only thematically-relevant. Thoughts and ideas influence the creative process in ways that you wouldn't initially anticipate. They're all worth detailing and discussing!

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