Michelle von Quilich - San Diego Native

San Diego is considered one of top places to live in the country. One of the main reasons this city ranks at the top for places to reside is the amazing weather. It’s usually a comfortable 70 degrees whether it's winter, summer or spring. Other parts of the country can reach closer to 90 or even creep up in the 100's during the mid-summer months or dip into the 30's in the winter. In San Diego you can count on ditching your winter clothes for good, unless you like to wear them year round which some people do! :)

Looking to hear some great live music? Check out the Gas Lamp Quarter in downtown. It's a favorite among the locals and never disappoints.  People really like the fact that they can walk around and hear great music. Plus, there are some other great smaller local places around San Diego too.

For a fun daytime outing, try Belmont Park, which is located in Mission Beach. It features everything from amusement park rides to beachfront restaurants. If you like the idea of surfing but don't know how, jump on the FlowRider and FlowBarrel wave machines. I've heard that they are great ways for novice, intermediate and even advanced surfers to practice their skills.  When it comes time to get a bite to eat, grab lunch or dinner at one of several restaurants close by.

 Michelle von Quilich grew up in the San Diego area. She likes the fact that the city is so diverse and there are many things to do. She is a writer who loves to share her thoughts and experiences through her words on several sites.

Michelle von Quilich - Learning to Write Poetry

When someone learns to write poetry, they often need to find something meaningful to reflect upon. Most poetry is written from a place of emotion or when a person went through certain trials and tribulations. It's often easier to write regarding about a familiar subject instead of something that you don't know anything about. Once you find something to explore, tap into your emotions so your piece has a feel to it.

Another component that is important within poetry is the use of descriptive words. They are essential for your readers to understand what message you are trying to send. Using words like "Monumental" as opposed to "Huge", "Invincible" or "Unbreakable" rather than "Strong" can strengthen the conviction behind the poem. The words used in your poetry should be vivid enough to 'paint' a picture in your readers’ minds.

Now that you have the words, you need to bring them into some sort of rhyme or flow. It's important that your poem has its own identity and style. It helps to bring your ideas and words together which is what connecting with your audience is all about.

Michelle von Quilich is a writer who likes to put her words to paper, so to say. She writes poems, short stories, essays, blogs and is working on a book. She believes that great writing can be accomplished by reading the works of other famous writers. Michelle von Quilich feels that as a writer you never stop learning since it requires a continual state of growth.

Michelle von Quilich - Learning Other Languages

Learning another language is not just nice but also a necessity in the world we live in currently. The United States is so diverse and brings people of all nationalities and backgrounds in one country. In Europe, many students study more than one language early on in school. By the time they graduate high school, most students can speak two or three languages. If you are not one of those individuals who studied another language while in school, don't fret. There are plenty of courses that adults can take to learn another language. Here's a breakdown of some of the most popular courses:

Rated at number one is the Michel Thomas Method which offers French, German, Italian, Spanish, and eight other languages which are taught in a revolutionary way. Students just listen and learn. There are no notes or exercises within this language course. People who have used the Michel Thomas Method language courses, swear that they made great progress and can speak real sentences within weeks. Another top-ranked language course comes from Pimsleur, one of the world’s leading methods of learning a new language. Dr. Paul Pimsleur’s course also uses a strictly audio method and offers up to 30 languages. This is one of the bestselling methods to learn a language in the United States.

The Rosetta Stone language software program provides language instruction in over 30 different languages.  It's used by 5 million people worldwide including Fortune 500 companies, NASA, the US State Department and more than 10,000 schools. This system uses an immersion method which teaches students to speak a language using word and picture association.

Michelle von Quilich is a writer and realized early on the importance of learning another language both for work and in everyday life.

Michelle Von Quilich - Writing a Book for Amazon

Today, there are more people than ever writing and publishing eBooks. A novelist is not the only type of individual, however, that is writing online. Many people that are entrepreneurs, writers, bloggers, or even chefs are writing their own eBooks. Writing a book online gives individuals the opportunity to prove that they are an authority in their field. Maybe they have an incredible and inventive idea to share. An eBook can provide the perfect platform for someone's words to spread like wildfire and inspire and empower others. In fact, “eReaders” have increased throughout the years, nearly doubling from January 2011 to January 2012. Here in the United States, 1 in 4 individuals are now using some kind of tablet (iPad, Kindle, Lenovo) that is capable of reading eBooks. The Kindle reading app is also available to download to most smart phones. 

Publishing an eBook allows anyone to grow and expand their business or ideas through publishing online. Writing an eBook is also very affordable and quick in comparison to the print style. Now writers can instill valuable wisdom, actions, and ideas that can build a unique relationship with their audience.

Michelle Von Quilich is an experienced writer who wants to someday publish her own book. She likes the endless possibilities that an online book gives a writer. Now a writer can reach their target audience in any area of the world. von Quilich is excited that her words might reach someone and inspire and ultimately make a difference in another person’s life.

Developing Talent - How to Make Your Writing Sing

To consistently produce quality writing in any form takes countless hours of work and dedication. Whether you are a poet or a novelist, you have to have the commitment to your craft. For 99% of writers, rewriting and revision are the only ways to produce their best work. Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry take many attempts to get right. True talent for the best writers emerges in the second, third, fourth, fifth draft. The best writers constantly rework their writing until it is perfect. I'd say that all serious writers are perfectionists. Every plot, scene, character, and narrative arc, etc. has to be perfect so the story sings.

To craft your perfect story, approach every day as a new opportunity to make your writing sing. If you can start and keep a routine that keeps you happy and productive, there’s no limit to the success you can reach. When generating your first draft, write as if no one will read your writing, and go with your instincts. Don’t worry about whether or not the writing is “good,” simply get the story on the page so that you have something to work with. Once you have a first draft, the real work begins. Rethink weaker scenes and re-imagine every part of your story until you have perfection, and a smile!

Michelle von Quilich is from San Diego, California and has worked with many different writing groups. She has contributed to a collection of essays called Reflections on Being an Indie Author, available on Amazon.

Indie Authors - Finding an Audience

Many established independent authors attribute at least a part of their success to luck and knowing the right people. What they don’t say is that their dedication to their art is what made all the effort in marketing and finding an audience successful. As writers, it can be difficult to establish a working routine. Finding a way to regularly work on your craft can be tricky, but once you have established realistic goals for yourself, the work becomes easier, and you will find inspiration in your work more frequently.

Many indie authors worry unnecessarily about whether their work will be appealing to a wide range of readers when they’re starting their projects. If you write to please a certain type of reader, you will get lost. Write as if no one will read it, from within. If you come to your writing desk with this attitude, you will take more risks, develop more interesting characters by letting them operate on their own on the page, and allow you to write the story you have wanted to write. The more you worry about appealing to a certain audience, the more you restrict yourself and set yourself up for unnecessary creative blocks. Your audience will find you. They always do and it's usually very surprising to the author. Take JK Rowling as a perfect example. She was writing Harry Potter as a children's novel, yet her biggest audience turned out to be adults!

Michelle von Quilich is an indie writer from San Diego. She is a customer service representative when she’s not writing her stories

Marketing Your Book - Making Sure It’s Ready

As an author, you may have something important to say. Do you want the world to hear your voice and your story? To make your voice heard, you have to make your story the best it can be for the widest audience. In order to successfully market your book as an indie author, you have to make sure it’s a book worth marketing. Any lack of confidence will show through in your marketing effort. Creating the best story takes more than inspiration; it takes hours and days of rewriting, editing, revising, and rethinking. Almost no authors can write anything worth reading on their first try. The product that you see published is the result of countless drafts and hours of honing and crafting the language over and over again.

 

If you choose to publish your work yourself, either in digital form or by printing your own books, hire a professional editor. Traditional publishers usually have their own editing staff for their clients. As an indie author, you don’t have this luxury. Professional editors comb through your book and take out any weak areas, typos, etc. throughout the story. Nothing turns readers off faster than sloppy prose. By hiring a professional editor you can be sure your punctuation, grammar, and spelling will be perfect before you publish your work.

Michelle von Quilich is an indie author from San Diego, CA. Her day job is in customer service and she also enjoys writing. von Quilich has shared her poems and writing at many open mics across the country.