Tag Archives: promotion

a new name: “intentional rhythms”

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I’m calling it.

I know it’s quick, like the 2012 election, but only two people responded to my request for input to decide upon a new name.  I’m going to go with “Intentional Rhythms.”  I’m choosing this name because it’s similar to my original name “an intentional life in words and music,” yet it allows for more variety in topics.  “Intentional” keeps the focus on the idea that what I do is a purposeful act.  It also reinforces the idea of encouraging others to be intentional in writing, creating, and living in general.  “Rhythms” can refer to words, music, and life.  It allows for more freedom in posts.  It’s a new chapter for danerickson.net.  There are a lot more changes to come.

I want to thank Elise Fee and Kevin Lobb for their input in helping to choose a new name.  I’ll be contacting Kevin and mailing him a free copy of my book A Train Called Forgiveness.  In fact, I’m going give Elise a free copy, too, for all her suggestions.  You can still win a copy of my book by getting involved with the conversation on danerickson.net.  See the official rules: a-book-a-month giveaway.

I’ve added some new pages: Bloglinks and Bookstops.  I’m going to start incorporating reviews of some of my favorite blogs and books as well as continuing to write posts encouraging others to write as therapy.  I’ll also be adding more posts that comment on life issues.  And of course, I’ll continue writing poetry, prose and song.

I’m also working with photographer Xander Deccio to create some new pictures for headers, my personal profile, and more.  Look for continuing changes over the next few months at danerickson.net – “Intentional Rhythms.”

pick the right name and win a copy of my book

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Help me come up with a new title for my blog!  If you pick the one I like the most I’ll send you a free copy of my book A Train Called Forgiveness!

As I begin the process of upgrading and improving my blog I must ask the question: what’s in a name?  My blog is danerickson.net.  I’ll keep that.  But my subtitle is “an intentional life in words and music.”  It’s not a terrible name, but it’s got to go.  Here’s why:

First, it’s too long.  As I research strategies for naming blogs I’ve discovered that three words or less is highly recommended for blog names.  It makes the name easier to remember after seeing or hearing it once.

Second, I don’t really post much about music on this site.  A blog name should be fairly specific to the blog’s purpose.  This blog focuses more on writing than music.  The name should reflect the primary mission of the blog.

Third, although I like the idea of being “intentional,” it seems like an overused term and feels a little too stuffy.  I might drop the term.  However, a friend suggested I change the name to “intentional rhythms.”  I’m not sure I’ve got any better ideas at this point, so it’s on my list of possibilities.

Finally, I’m going to slightly tweak and redirect the focus of the blog.  I’ve always been torn between several styles of writing. 1. Creative, including poetry, song, and prose; 2. Professional, including practical writing advice; and 3. Commentary, including opinions and views about the world.  I want to have the freedom to write in any of these styles.  I want a name that will reflect creativity and freedom.  I am going to add some book and blog reviews and I’d also like to add a little more of a Christian emphasis to the blog.

So, this is where you come in.  Do you have any ideas for a name for this blog? Do you like the word “intentional” in the name?  What word comes to mind when you think about danerickson.net?  Please post your comments and ideas below, and remember every comment gets you closer to winning a copy of my book.  See the official book-a-month giveaway rules.

a-book-a-month giveaway

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You can win a copy of my first book A Train Called Forgiveness just for getting involved with the conversation on danerickson.net.  Scroll down for contest details:

Available through Ibis Books and at Amazon

All you have to do to win a copy of my book is get involved in the conversation on danerickson.net.  Please register for my RSS feed to play.  That way I’ll have your email address so that I can contact you when you win.  The rules are simple:

1. The person who makes the most amount of comments in a month wins a copy of the book.

2. The winner must make a minimum of ten comments during the month from the first day of the month until the last day of the month.  If several people make more than ten comments the book goes to the highest commenter.

3. Comments must be at least two sentences long and should add something relevant to the conversation.

4. One prize per winner per year.


Winners will be contacted by email.  Once contacted, winners will need to provide their mailing address by email so that I can ship you a copy of my book, A Train Called Forgiveness.

The contest begins in November of 2012 and will continue until further notice.  Please look at some of the earlier posts for November, 2012 and add comments.  I’m especially looking forward to comments that will help to steer the future direction of this site.  See the post “changes… coming soon.”  And look for a post about choosing a new name for the blog later this week. 

I look forward to hearing from you.  Thanks for being a part of the discussion at danerickson.net and best wishes on winning a copy of my book.

- dan

less facebook, more music: choose your time wisely

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Time.  These days it seems there’s never enough time in a day to complete everything I’d like to complete.  Lately, I’ve been writing about my love of music and songwriting.  I’ve been lamenting the fact that I’ve not written a song in well over a year.  It’s time to weigh out what I consider important in life.  Perhaps you have some similar problems and might find this post helpful.

1.  What do you love?  When deciding upon the best use of our time, we should ask ourselves what things are we most passionate about?  That’s an easy answer for me: God, family, writing, music, reading, art, the outdoors.  These are the things that make me tick.  They excite me and keep me energized.  Notice that Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media are not on the list.

2.  What’s your purpose for using Facebook?  Next, in deciding whether social media time is cutting into more productive uses of time, we must ask ourselves why we use social media?  I started using social media simply to be social, to stay in touch with friends and loved ones.  After I wrote my first book, A Train Called Forgiveness, I started to use social media as a promotional tool.  I started adding more and more friends and created a new fan page to support my book: http://www.facebook.com/authordanerickson.  My hope was that keeping a steady presence on Facebook and Twitter might increase book sales.

3.  What are the results of your use of Facebook?  Next, what are our results in using social media?  I have likely sold a dozen more copies of my book due to using social media.  I’m not complaining, but those weren’t the numbers I was hoping for when I started spending more time on Facebook and Twitter.  Promoting a book via social media is an important aspect of creating an overall platform as an author, but it’s a steep uphill climb.  One must question if the climb is worth the time.  I think it might be, but I also think there are times when you need to cut back, especially if you seem to be forfeiting things you love.

4.  Choose wisely: In the end, we only get so much time on this earth.  When we reach our final days, nobody will say, “I wish I would have spent more time on Facebook.”  More likely, some will say, “I wish I’d spent more time serving God,” or ” I wish I’d spent more time with my kids,” or “I wish I’d spent more time doing the things I love.”

It’s up to you.  What’s the most important use of your time?  If you’re trying to promote a product like me, social networking can play an important role.  But if your product is good, if your story has the power to help and heal others, if your music is passionate, then the product is more important than the promotion.  You can’t take your money with you when you go.  Neither can your kids.  But you can leave your mark through story and song for generations to come.

Questions: What are the most important things in your life?  Do you spend too much time on social media?  How can you rearrange your time?  I know I’ll be playing more music and spending less time on Facebook for awhile.  Please post your responses below:

 

writing projects review

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If you haven’t yet read my first book, A Train Called Forgiveness, it’s available at Amazon Books, Tower Books, Ibis Books, and Inklings Bookshop.  It’s a book about coming to terms with an abusive past and is very therapuetical for people who have struggled with abuse.

I have several other projects in the works:

1. The follow-up and second book of the “Cult Trilogy,” At the Crossing of Justice and Mercy is awaiting the final edit and is scheduled for release in March of 2013.

2. I was just asked to be a co-author for a mass communication text book.  This might become a major project over the next couple of months.

3. I’m currently working on the third book of the ”Cult Trilogy,” The Track to Redemption.  Expect publication in 2014.

4. I’m just a few poems away from publishing my first book of poetry.  I’ve written 82 poems since starting this blog in the spring of 2011.  I’ll publish a book when I reach 100 poems.

5. I’m in the beginning stages of considerations for rewriting my Master’s thesis: This Land is Your Land: A Rhetorical Analysis of Woody Guthrie’s Music.

6. I’m in the beginning stages of writing a book for young adults.

7.  I’m always waiting on the next song.

Keep checking back for more details on projects and upcoming releases.

Do you have a writing project?  Would you like to post information about your project on danerickson.net?  Please feel free to post information about your current writing projects below:

 

the latest review

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Available through Ibis Books and at Amazo

Here’s the latest review at Amazon: A Train Called Forgiveness

A writer’s fundamental task is to draw the reader into a new perspective…to help the reader understand and experience things they have never, personally, experienced.

But what if that world is so bizarre and so far removed from most readers’ experience that they will be unlikely to relate to the story?

In “A Train Called Forgiveness” Dan Erickson artfully leads the reader into the world of an abusive cult, then through the beginning of the process of being freed from the grip of fear and bitterness resulting from deep psychological scars.

How can a “typical” reader relate to such a story? How can we feel the pain, trauma, fear and helplessness of a child raised in such an environment?

Somehow, through a combination of novel, prose, and poetry, Erickson enables us to do exactly that…to experience just a little of the brutality of his own life story.

And through that experience, he leaves us with a little bit different view of humanity, of life, of God, of purpose…and of hope!

A compelling story, masterfully communicated!

Joseph Pote,
Author of “So You are a Believer Who has been through Divorce: A Myth-Busting Biblical Perspective on Divorce”

a train called forgiveness on kindle

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It’s been five months since I published A Train Called Forgiveness, a story about a young man coming to terms with his past as a child victim of religious abuse.  The story is an intriguing look at what it’s like to be a teenager trapped in cult against his will.  It’s also a must-read book for anyone who has struggled with physical, sexual, or emotional abuse either as a child or an adult.  It’s a healing story for anyone struggling with forgiveness.

Available through Ibis Books and at Amazon

And now I’ve just made it easier and less expensive to purchase.  A Train Called Forgiveness is now available on Kindle from Amazon Books for only $7.99.  So if you’re a Kindle user, download your copy today: click here.

However, as the author of the book, I still recommend the paperback version.  Why?  Because it has something the Kindle version doesn’t?  It’s a work of art on the page.  Let me explain.

I originally wrote A Train Called Forgiveness on this blog.  To aid the reader, I included not only chapter numbers, but also sub-chapters.  I kept that unique element in the paper version.  The blog also allowed for extra white-space.  I used block paragraphs and wrote with a combination of poetry, prose, and song.  It all came together as a simple work of art with aesthetic appeal to the reader’s eye.  The Kindle formatting tool didn’t recognize chapter and subchapter centering, single lines as paragraphs, block paragraphs, or songs.  The Kindle version is still readable, but things are bunched together in a way that makes it less beautiful, less a work of art on the page.

Yes, the print version is more expensive at $14.00, but it’s written in a format that is interesting and artful.  It’s the kind of book you’d keep on your shelves for years to come.  If you’d like to buy the paperback version: click here.

Whichever you choose, the paperback or Kindle version, I appreciate your support and hope and pray that my story will bless you and those you share it with for years to come.

Dan Erickson

last chance book promo until July 15

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Yesterday I made a promise.  I promised I wouldn’t write any how-to articles, articles about writing and marketing books and blogs, or promotional articles while I’m on vacation.  I promised I’d only write posts about my vacation experiences with my daughter, Annika.  I also won’t post anything on Facebook or Twitter promoting my book during that time.  I’m going to keep that promise.

I’ll be on vacation from July 1 through July 15.  I will continue to post my series from M.E. Anders every Wednesday and Saturday, and I will continue to post forgiveness quotes from my A Train Called Forgiveness fan page on Facebook, but I won’t post anything promoting my own book during my vacation: no articles, no hints, no links other than those already embedded.  I will write a few posts about my vacation: plain and simple writing about life.

That said, let me update you on my progress.  It’s my last chance to promote myself for two weeks.  I’m currently half way through the first rewrite of my second book, At the Crossing of Justice and Mercy.  I still hope to have The Crossing published by the end of the year.

I’m also looking into publishing A Train Called Forgiveness on Amazon Kindle.  My hope is to have the ebook version of Train published about a month prior to the paper version of The Crossing.  In the meantime, I hope you’ll consider purchasing the hard copy of A Train Called Forgiveness available at Amazon and Ibis Books.  Just click on the title for more information.

Available through Ibis Books and at Amazon

I hope you enjoy two weeks of promotion-free danerickson.net.  But my greater hope is that you make a point to do the same when you’re on vacation.  Make your vacation a time to spend with your family and friends.  Make it fun.  Make it memorable.  Cheers!

 

 

how “not” to grow a blog: snub your readers and seven other deadly sins

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I’m a new blogger. I started about a year ago.  I’ve tried different things.  I’m still experimenting.  That’s one thing I like about the blog format.  You can do whatever you want.  But if your goal is to increase your readership, there are a few things you shouldn’t do.

My dad’s memorial tree.

When I started danerickson.net in April, 2011, I had no idea what I was doing.  I started posting articles espousing my views on Christianity, writing poetry, and writing my first book online.  I had no goals or focus, but my original intent wasn’t to increase readership.  My original intent was to use my blog as an electronic journal for myself, friends and family.  If other people read it, that would be okay, too.  However, writing a book online, and more recently publishing it changed everything.  Over the past few months I’ve started the journey of promoting my blog, intentionally trying to increase readership.  It’s a learning curve and I still have a long way to go, but I’ve already learned a few things NOT to do.

How NOT to grow a blog:

1.  Don’t have a plan or a specific purpose.  If you don’t have some kind of focus, a specific purpose and refined subject matter, you will struggle to find readers.

2.  Don’t consider your potential readers.  If you don’t know your potential audience, you won’t know how and where to promote your blog.  Know your audience.

3.  Don’t write articles that offer helpful advice or life-affirming stories.  Readers like to learn something new.  They want to discover better ways to write, to live, to love.  Your blog needs to offer helpful material.  However, don’t forget the personal touch.  I’ve found that articles about, or posted by other people tend to get higher response.

4.  Don’t build relationships.  Blogging and social media in general is about building relationships.  Learn about your readers and offer them material that works for them.  Be considerate, kind, and understanding.  Ask and answer questions.

5.  Ignore the technical aspects of blogging.  Okay, I’ll be the first to admit  this is my weakness.  I don’t have strong computer skills, and I don’t have the finances to hire out.  I force myself to learn.  I’ve recently started learning about plugins, SEOs, analytics, metrics, and more.  I make a point to learn and apply something on the technical side every couple weeks.

6.  Obsessively promote yourself, your product, or your service.  Yes, we operate blogs to promote something, but you need to find a balance.  Too much promotion will drive readers away.  Continually offering the same links and products can also appear as spam to search engines.

7.  Never use pictures, video, podcasts, or tags.  I’ve recently started using tags.  I was surprised at how well they work.  My Google appearance in a search has doubled.  I also started using pictures.  As an artistic type, I’ve decided to take my own pictures and post them in black and white.  This may not be the best strategy and I might change to color in the future.  Video and podcasts will also increase your presence.  This is also something I hope to do in the future.  Remember, as an independent blogger and writer one only has so much time.  Don’t push yourself too hard.  Learn the basics, then move up to the next level.

8.  Ignore or snub your commenters.  As a blogger, I’m also active in reading and posting comments on blogs that I find helpful or interesting. One of the blogs I post on started removing my comments.  I’m not sure why, but I can guess.  There are several reasons a blog may remove comments, but only two are valid if you want to grow your blog.

Reason #1: The comment is obviously spam.  It has absolutely nothing to do with your post and only promotes a website that has nothing to do with your topic.

Reason #2: The comment is blatantly rude and uses foul language or is libelous toward an individual or organization.

Reason #3: The comment, although on topic, includes a reference to the commenter’s product, service, website, or blog.

Reason #4: The comment disagrees with your post in one or more ways.

I would not post a comment based on the first two reasons.

But as a blogger, and especially if your goal is to grow, I would recommend posting all other comments.  If the comment mentions the commenter’s product or website, so what?  It’s a two-way street.  As bloggers we can work as community and support each others’ goals.  If the commenter becomes too aggressive about posting their own information, I would email them and ask them to lighten up before I consider deleting their comment.

If a commenter disagrees with my post.  Hallelujah!  I’m not always right and I don’t claim to be.  As bloggers we can learn from each other.  Open debate, healthy disagreement done in a respectful manner helps us to grow socially, intellectually, and spiritually.  If we ignore possible alternatives we live with blinders on, only focusing on our own point of view.  Unless the commenter is continually bashing or bantering other commenters I would never delete respectful disagreement.

This leads to a recent experience.  Out of professionalism, I won’t mention the name, but after commenting on a motivational blog for a few weeks, my comments began to be deleted every day.  I did occasionally mention that I also operate a blog, but I didn’t post my blog address regularly.  I also respectfully pointed out some alternatives to some of their points.  The blog was positive and upbeat, which is good, but I occasionally mentioned that life is not always “perfect.”  In one post the writer said that everybody has the power to change their life.  Having been a child victim of abuse I made the point that there are millions of people that are restricted and do not have the power to change.  The comment was deleted.  Frankly, I was disappointed at the lack of open-mindedness and respect and will not be participating on that particular blog anymore.

Questions: When would you delete a reader’s comment and why?  What are some things you WOULD do to grow your blog.

a train called forgiveness: a short introduction

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A Train Called Forgiveness is the first book in a series of three written by Dan Erickson.  Book two: At the Crossing of Justice and Mercy will be published by early 2013.  Book three is in the early writing stages

In 1973, Dan Erickson moved with his family from Maine to Washington State in order that his family become part of a secret religious group.  He was ten years old.  Dan’s father, Bud Erickson was originally a pastor, yet constantly seeking a closer relationship to God.  Bud thought he’d found this relationship under the guidance of the leader of what would later be revealed as a cult.  Dan spent his formative years, from age 10 to 16, in the cult and was treated as a working slave.  He lived on the premises of the cult’s compound for more than half of his time in the group.  During the years and seasons he lived on the compound he did not live with his immediate family, but lived in a house along with about 20 other young men and boys.  He worked as a farmhand, with horses, and delivered newspapers.  He was paid nothing, but given an occasional allowance.  The cult grew to more than 100 members and owned more than a dozen businesses.  Most members worked for very little, giving all of their time and money back to the leader.  The cult began to dissolve in the the late 1970s due to some questionable activities of the leader.  Dan never received any post-cult therapy and struggled with paranoid schizophrenia as a young adult.

Dan began writing about his childhood experience as a songwriter in the late 1990s.  What started as song has evolved into a full-length novel.  A Train Called Forgiveness was originally written entirely online on Dan’s blog: danerickson.net and moves in short, quick chapters and subchapters. He self-published the book in April 2012.  Dan rotates quickly between the perspective of 27-year-old cult survivor, Andy Burden, and his past memories of being a teenage cult victim.  The book has been fictionalized, names and places are different, but story is real.  The book describes actual events that took place in the cult.  The young man, Andy Burden travels by train around the country, trying to come to terms with the religious and physical abuse of his childhood.  Throughout the journey he meets an odd array of marginalized characters that teach him lessons about forgiveness and non judgment.  Andy begins to let go of his long-held resentment toward his parents and cult leader Peter Smith.

Dan Erickson is a believer in Christ and attends a Presbyterian Church, yet is still concerned with the power that organized religion can hold over its followers.  Throughout A Train Called Forgiveness, Dan explores differences between extreme fundamentalism versus living by the loving principles of Christ.  The book is a valuable read for anyone who has suffered religious, physical, mental, or sexual abuse.  It’s available at Amazon and Ibis Books for $ 14.00.  Also, check out Dan’s Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/authordanerickson