It's Carl Sagan's Birthday.

In 2007, I found out that Carl Sagan was dead, and that, in fact, he had died in 1996. I was extremely upset. Why? 

I don't actually remember specifically what it was that triggered my distress. But now I think it had something to do with the incredible importance of Carl Sagan's message. The universe is so big. There's so much out there to discover and understand. And yet a deep-seated passion doesn't really exist in the general population. That's why we don't have humans on Mars yet.

"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day, venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan

My curiosity about space and science comes from my love of beauty and art, but unfortunately I was not gifted with a mathematically-able brain, so I can't pursue the universe through numbers and research and science. 

I can however, write books and read books, and do my best to understand the what science is revealing on a daily basis. Like something coming out of a black hole? Phenomenal. A planet that rains glass? Unbelievable.

As long as we keep pushing and learning and thinking, we'll figure it out. Maybe not all of it, but more--enough to keep us digging, enough to keep us asking questions.

One day, we'll get somewhere. We'll put humans on Mars, we'll colonize another planet. And meanwhile, Carl Sagan's planetary research, efforts to derail pseudoscience, enthusiasm for the universe, and hope for the future will continue to influence science for centuries to come. And hopefully, we'll set foot somewhere--Mars, a moon, a new galaxy--on his birthday.

So, happy birthday, Carl Sagan!

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
-Carl Sagan

This is the pale blue dot. (Source.)

Cinderella Told Through Cat Memes

Once there was a little cat who was orphaned when her father died.

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She had to live with her step mother and two step sisters. Her step mom loved her step sisters more than her.

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And the sisters hated her.

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They made her do all the chores, which wasn't very fair. She wished she could leave.

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One day, they got a letter in the mail.

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It was from the Prince! He was inviting the whole family to a ball, during which he would select his new wife.

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Cinderella's sisters wanted to marry the prince. This was their chance! Everyone was excited. 

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Even Cinderella! It would be  nice to get out of the house for a change.

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But then her step mother said, "No."

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Cinderella was very disappointed.

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So she just went back to her chores.

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The big day came and her step mother and sisters got all dressed up!

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Cinderella said goodbye and went to feel sorry for herself.

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Then her fairy godmother appeared! "You're going to the ball," she said, "But only until midnight when your carriage will turn into a pumpkin." Cinderella thought this seemed dumb, but she said okay. She could always walk home.

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Her fairy godmother offered to give her a new dress, but she already had one. So she put it on and then got into the carriage her godmother magicked out of a pumpkin with mice to drive it.

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The mice were not very good drivers.

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When she arrived, the cats were all having a good time.

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Then the prince said, "Would you like to dance?" He was the ugliest prince she had ever seen.

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And he seemed more interested in her shoes than in her.

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She said no.

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Then she ate some food, said hello to some friends, and left. Her family never even knew she was there.

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Her carriage turned into a pumpkin after she got home.

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The next day her step mom and sisters tried to tell her about the party. "I don't care," she said.

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Then she moved out, and left her step mom and sisters to clean up the mess.

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Cinderella got a job.

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She was very successful.

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One of her sisters married the prince.

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The other went on to become a great painter.

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And they all lived happily ever after.

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THE END.

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A Dash of Fairy Dust: 5 Tips For Writing Successful Blog Posts for Authors

Fairy dust, anyone?

Everybody has a blog. I have a blog, you have a blog, even your mom has a blog. This means that for your blog to be of value to your readers and to play an important role in your marketing strategy, it has to stand out--or, if not stand out, accomplish a specific goal. 

So what’s the magic formula for a successful blog post? Answer: there isn’t one. But here are a few strategies that can help you write great blog content.

1. Provide value.

This cat knows value when it sees it :P

“Content is king!” shouts everyone and their brother from the rooftops. It’s the anthem of online marketing. But content is worthless unless it does something for your reader. 
Imagine you’re scrolling through your Twitter feed. What kind of content intrigues and interests you? Not the clickbait that makes you feel guilty after wasting your time reading about the top 8 ugliest shirts ever worn by a celebrity; it’s the content that makes you want to take action, to change something about your habits, or to find a way to improve. That is the content worth writing.

What is of value to your readers? Inside peeks at your books? Cover reveals and illustrations? Extra details and fun facts about your characters and universe? Maybe they want to hear about you--your travels, adventures, goals, and progress on future works. Maybe they want to hear more about your area of expertise. Find out what they want to read, and write it.

Write content that makes your readers want to go do something.

2. Be crazy about your content.

Amy and Doctor Who having a grand old time.

Here’s a hint: everyone can tell if you hate what you’re writing. It’s boring. The language is dull. The sentences are structured the same way. There’s no sense of excitement or interest emanating from the words on the screen. This is a surefire way to guarantee that your readers won’t choose to come back.

There are a lot of ways to show your passion. The first is, of course, to actually be passionate. Short of that, convince yourself that you’re passionate by focusing on what you love about your books, your job, or your readers. Put yourself in the head of the readers that love what you have to offer. Read positive reviews or friendly emails from people that like you. 

Write content that shows passion.

3. Take the time to craft.

Yes. This cat is sewing. Cats have many, many talents.

Sometimes, if you love what you’re writing and know the topic will provide value to your readers, the words just flow from your fingertips. But don’t hit “publish” as soon as you’re done. Take the time you need to hone and perfect the blog post. 

These are some common mistakes people make when they’re writing too fast: using the same word over and over, writing the same sentence structure for every sentence, skipping over or not completing ideas, or not taking the time to do research.

Don’t let this happen to you. Re-read your work at least three times, double check any fact that you aren’t sure of, and watch for those pesky redundant words.

Write content that is well-crafted.

4. Be unique.

I have no idea what's happening here.

Suppose your content has value, has passion, and is carefully crafted. It must be a successful post then, right? 

Not necessarily. Any post can get lost in a sea of similar posts. 

Once you know what value your blog provides to readers, think about what makes your blog post different. What will draw your readers’ attention to your post versus another, similar post?

Uniqueness can come in many different forms. Perhaps the topic is unusual: chicken sweaters, spaceship wranglers, or how to ride a unicycle up Mount Washington. Perhaps your voice or style is different: you use a lot of swear words or write with a lyrical tone. Perhaps your medium is uncommon: you type your blog on a typewriter and then post images of the typed pages.

By ensuring that your content is unique, you are providing additional value to your readers by being entertaining, intriguing, or thought-provoking. 

Write content that is unique.

5. Remember the details. 

There is definitely a balance though, between just right and waaaaaay too much.

Sometimes it’s the accessories that can make it or break it for a blog post. Images, titles, headers, and formatting all play a role in whether or not readers click on, read, or share a blog post. 

Is your image intriguing? Does your title spark curiosity or make your readers smile? Are the headers and paragraphs situated in a way that is easy to read? Is there information about the author? Are there internal links so the reader can keep reading or learn more?

Or does your website look like it was designed in 2002, use a lot of flash elements, or use frames to structure the content?

These details are less about the content of the post and more about the experience of the reader. It’s just like a good restaurant: if the food is great but the ambiance is terrible, it’s unlikely that the guests will return.

Write great content, and don’t forget the accessories.

Add the fairy dust.

So, what exactly is the fairy dust? Hard work. Taking the time to do it right. That’s all.

The truth is: there is no magical formula for a successful blog post. Even perfect ones can fall flat on their face if posted at a bad time, or if your email newsletter screws up that day. Your best bet is to just keep plugging away, and focusing on the words that bring the best value to your readers, you, and your blog. 

So, what’s next for you? Do you need to find a way to provide value to your readers? Do you need to reignite your passion? Do you need take a little extra time to craft your works of art?Do you need brainstorm ways to be unique? Do you need to remember the accessories?

Each step you take towards providing true value to your readers is one more step towards a successful blog post.

All gifs from giphy.com.

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Lost Faces and The Eastern State Penitentiary

Gary and I visited the Eastern State Penitentiary yesterday and I came out not knowing what to write about it. It's a hard thing to talk about: prison, humanitarian treatment of our citizens, solitary confinement, the innate fears and hopes of humans as a whole.

In the air of transparency, I will admit that I did not listen to the audio tour. However, I did read some plaques. One of them told the story of some men who dug a tunnel to escape. One escapee was out for about 5 minutes before he got caught. One was out three hours before he walked into a trap set for him at his ex-girlfriend's house. The other came back to the prison because he was hungry.

Meanwhile, Al Capone was in for a year and had silk sheets and a very nicely furnished cell, while everyone else lived in something like this:

Presumably the paint wasn't peeling when the prison was in use and the bed had blankets on on it. 

It's weird how different people are. Though prisons are designed to inspire fear and terror in the general population, to encourage them to follow the rules, some people get so used to them that they don't know how to survive on the outside, or they actually choose to come back after escaping.

This gargoyle is going to eat you!

Eastern State Penitentiary was known for experimenting with solitary confinement. There are two punishments in use here: solitary and confinement. Personally, I could probably survive the solitary part just fine, but the confinement part would probably cause at least a few panic attacks. Other people, on the other hand, couldn't deal with the aloneness.

The Eastern State Penitentiary had an interesting philosophy. According to their website: 

"The Penitentiary would not simply punish, but move the criminal toward spiritual reflection and change. The method was a Quaker-inspired system of isolation from other prisoners, with labor. The early system was strict. To prevent distraction, knowledge of the building, and even mild interaction with guards, inmates were hooded whenever they were outside their cells. But the proponents of the system believed strongly that the criminals, exposed, in silence, to thoughts of their behavior and the ugliness of their crimes, would become genuinely penitent. Thus the new word, penitentiary."

I'm not sure how I feel like this, but it was probably a step in some direction from the holding-people-in-pens-like-animals strategy of correction.

Even the doors of the cells are eerie.

Walking through the penitentiary, there is a deep sense of creepiness. It's not just because the building was abandoned and you can sense the distasteful things that probably went on here. The imagination also plays a huge role, especially when you don't listen to the audio tour.

Take this image, for example:  

I call this, "The Red Chair."

I stood in front of the cell door, staring into this room, desperately trying to image what kind of torture device this could have been. A passing employee commented that it was a "therapy chair" but that description did nothing to quell the wild machinations of my imagination. When set in this dilapidated cell, the red contrasting harshly against the greys and browns... I see a new, dark, uncomfortable book forming deep in the recesses of my unconscious.

Or take this image:

Maybe I watch too much NCIS.

This is just a storage room. But the falling shelves, peeling paint, and disturbing colours immediately have me imagining locking people in closets and leaving them to die, Edgar Allen Poe style.

Turn it to black and white...

I call this one "Lost Faces."

...and it only gets worse.

It's hard to fathom what took place here, how people felt, or what they did. When I try to do my perspective taking, I can't even come close to imagining what it must have been like to live here or work here.

Hi, Mom!

Instead, I just smile like a curious tourist who likes to explore abandoned things. After all, despite what my elementary teachers said, there is a limit to what my imagination can do for me. If I really wanted to know, I could try going to jail myself. That might help bridge the gap. But I think I'll save my life of crime for a different life.

I can, however, imagine the fear and terror of those wrongly convicted, those whose crimes may not have warranted their harsh punishments, and the nightmares of the children of those confined to prison.

Gary managed to capture this one. Quite the shot; quite the ghost.

Every place like this has ghosts: lost faces, lost souls--people who have completely disappeared in the ravages of time.

I took a class in college where we talked about how photographs could potentially be considered ghosts--the capturing of the soul, the two-dimensional remnants of an moment in the time stream of a human, a long-forgotten face, or memory, remaining only in a blurry image... think about it too long and it'll creep you out. 

Anyway, here are a few ghosts. 

This is the ghost of a prisoner, almost for sure.

But in all seriousness, there were some ghosts at the penitentiary, in the form of an art exhibit. There were art exhibits all around the penitentiary: an entire cell knitted, a bug collection to represent the bug collection of a guy who was in solitary confinement, a truck disassembled and then reassembled in a cell, TVs showing the way prison life is demonstrated in film, etc. 

This one was paintings of the faces of people murdered by residents of the Eastern State Penitentiary. I didn't understand most of the art statements, but I understood this one. And it stuck with me.

I think that one of the most interesting things you can learn from a place like this is that everything tells a story, even the most minute details, like peeling paint or a rusty bolt. Abandoned places are beautiful, not because they have been neglected or ignored, but because every inch of them is rife with untold stories, unheard memories, lost faces. And if I, as a writer, can capture even one-millionth of the stories that a place has to tell, I have succeeded.

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Here are a few more pictures from our visit.

If you like them, you can follow me on instagram for more fun stuff: @arielesieling.

Working With Actors: The Inside Look

You may know by now that one of my primary activities involves working with actors to do photo shoots. Actors, like other types of humans, have very specific personalities. Some are amazing and maintain a positive attitude while being willing to do just about anything; some are genial and team players most of the time; some are too cheerful and always causing a ruckus; and some are demanding and arrogant and think they're the only person on the planet. I have worked with all four types this week, and even had one of them quit after only a few photos, due to a lack of willingness to work with the photographer (me).

Let's start with the project: The Rutherford the Unicorn Sheep Holiday Special! In case you haven't seen my (two) announcements, I am putting together a Rutherford Thanksgiving special and a Christmas special, to be released simultaneous early in November. Photography has been a rapid fire process, designed to get the best pictures possible in the shortest time possible. As a result, working with amiable actors is critical, but not always possible.

It's a cover reveal!

It's another cover reveal!

He always looks great in a sweater!

After auditions for the role of Rutherford, I was exceptionally pleased with our choice. The unicorn sheep who plays the character is the consummate team player. He always does as asked, never complains, always does his best, and never makes a fuss, even when asked to do something he didn't anticipate. If every actor was like Rutherford, my life would be made ever so much easier. He also brought in a slew of Walnut Skunks to play the roles of the various Walnut Skunk characters in the episode, and just like Rutherford, they have all been a delight to work with.

Look at those eyes! She looks positively ravishing.

The next character we held auditions for was for the big grey cat. Rowan is definitely a character, and sometimes takes breaks without permission, but otherwise, she is also an amazing actor. She makes the most engaging facial expressions, and the way she moves is entrancing. I think she is one of our most enigmatic characters, and definitely brings life to the story. She is a bit vain, though, and we have had a few moments during our shoot where she felt the need to touch up her appearance. We have had a few talks about this tendency, but I think it's one of her eccentricities that we are just going to have to work with.

First the leg...

Then the feet...

Like I said--it's something we are going to have to work with.

His energy just radiates from that face!

The next critical character was the orange cat, and we hired a charmer for this role. Wilfred is full of energy and verve, and quite frankly, he makes the set a ton of fun to be on. He's always exploring, whether parts of the set he hasn't been in or new concepts for his role. Curious, lively, and fun are probably the three best words to describe him. He can, however, sometimes cause a ruckus if he gets a little too hyper. Hysterically laughing cast members don't make for a good photo shoot, and sometimes, if a fly or stink bug comes into the room, he just can't help but chase it down. He is definitely an asset to the episodes, however.

Wilfred sniffs around some of the set pieces.

He is very, very curious about what we are doing outside.

Here, he peeks out the window to where another shoot was going on.

Look at that face--gorgeous!

Now, for the drama. As I mentioned, one of our actors quit part way through photographing. We ended up removing her character from the episode entirely (thank goodness it was that easy--otherwise we would have had to do auditions and the shoot all over again!). Goblin auditioned for the role of the big black and orange cat, and we were incredibly impressed both with her beautiful appearance and the way she could project--quite a pair of lungs, she has!

But somehow, she couldn't seem to get it through her head that this wasn't about her! She wasn't the main character, in fact, as we found out, we didn't need her at all! Yet, she always kept wandering in front of the camera, trying to get in shots where she wasn't supposed to be, and all around making a fuss whenever something didn't go her way. She was as unhappy with us as we were with her, though, so she quit and we thankfully didn't have to deal with her griping any more.

She thought the shot would be better with her in it.

We told her it didn't work with the story, but... she didn't listen.

Rutherford was very patient, although the photographer (me) was much less so.

Overall, however, the experience has been wonderful. Working with such great people (Goblin excluded), getting to spend time in such gorgeous settings, and having the opportunity to be involved in such a fun and exciting project is well worth the struggles of managing different personalities. 

I can't wait until the final products are done, so stay tuned for new book announcements!

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