We may have received our double dose of injections,
we may have had most of our restrictions lifted,
but Covid is still out there.
Still spreadable!. Still catchable!.
Still waiting to kill!
Don't get complacent, continue to take precautions,
STOP THE SPREAD!
Whether infected or not, you can help with the Coronavirus research at the Guy's & St. Thomas's Hospital.
Self Report Daily.
Help Identify those at risk sooner.
Help slow the outbreak.
Whether making your own or buying them from a shop or online, it's always good to know just how effective a face mask is.
If you have to work where there is close contact with the public, then a simple home-made mask will do nothing to protect you.
Lisa, a sophomore studying Sociology Minor at Texas State University who is studying Covid-19 guidelines, has asked WOO to offer this link to further information.
Lisa, a sophomore studying Sociology Minor at Texas State University who is studying Covid-19 guidelines, has asked WOO to offer this link to further information.
Many find a sudden period of isolation from others very difficult to cope with, it can feel like a prison sentance for a crime you have not committed.
The sudden changes to an active lifestyle can cause extreme stress and anxiety, leaving people at a loss of what to do with themselves.
Families suddenly restricted to the household, especially with children, may be at a loss on how to keep themselves occupied and fill the hours of the day.
WOO tries to give some alternative things to do for all the family, and offer some helpful advice of who to contact and where they can get help when it is needed.
Prescriptions, Shopping, Food, where can you get help when forced to self-isolate and unable to go out.
WooWoo helps keep the young ones occupied, online cartoons and learning aids.
How you can still read books and pass the time even when Libraries and Bookshops are closed.
Or write your own!
Why not use this time to learn that a new skill, that language, or gain that qualification through an online course?
Woo-TV has links to many television channels and radio stations that are not available in our area.
WOO HAS MANY SPECIAL INTEREST SECTIONS.
Cook just like grandma !
Home recipes.
Recycling Ideas and Projects to do at home.
Why not use this time to ensure that your home is a safe place for your family.
With time on our hands, why not explore home crafts, or start a new hobby
Ideas on saving money, cleaning tips, space saving ideas.
The NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect scheme launched on Monday to help reduce the spread of Coronavirus. If you are contacted by someone from the service as you have been in close contact with someone who is conformed as having Coronavirus, you should self-isolate for 14 days, and request a test if you develop symptoms.
Criminals have been taking the opportunity to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic for financial gain. With the launch of this new service we wanted to let people know how to spot the signs if criminals choose to try and take advantage of it.
• Ask you to dial a premium rate number to speak to them (for example, those starting with 09 or 087)
• Ask you to make any form of payment
• Ask you for any details about your bank account
• Ask for your social media identities or login details, or those of your contacts
• Ask you for any passwords or PINs, or ask you to set up any over the phone
• Ask you to purchase a product
• Ask you to visit any website that does not belong to the Government or NHS
• Ask you to download any software to your device or ask you to hand over control of your PC, smartphone or tablet.
With an increase in Domestic Abuse caused by the lockdown and the inability of reaching out to others when the abuser is always present, there is a new method of secretly asking others for help if you are victim to abuse or Domestic Violence. Initiated in Canada, it is slowing spreading around the world. If you see this hand signal then discreetly find a way to take the person aside to a place of safety, where contact can be made with the authorities or help organizations.
Watch the videos below and SPREAD THE WORD!
Teach others and make sure tha everyone knows this sign!
How many times have you said to yourself:-
I want to learn Welsh.
I want to learn a new skill.
I want to learn how to program.
I want to learn how to cook.
I want to write a book.
In these times of forced isolation and many hours stuck at home, why not use that time to improve yourself and finally do what you did not have time to do before.
Discover online tutorials and courses, many are even free,
learn something useful and gain new qualifications.
During these times of the Coronavirus outbreak, when we are all being advised to stay indoors and self-distance from each other, there are many vulnerable people who for reasons of age, illness, disability or infirmity that are struggling to obtain prescriptions, shopping or meals.
Please consider your safety.
If you are self-isolating and need assistance in obtaining prescriptions or supplies,
Where possible, choose someone you know and trust. Do not hand over money or bank cards to strangers.
If offered assistance, ensure you record the telephone number and where possible the car registration number.
Unfortunately many despicable individuals are currently using the Coronavirus for fraudelent scams.
DO NOT invite strangers into your home!
With many hours of isolation to fill, reading or listening to books can certainly be a good way to reduce boredom and loneliness.
Even though the libraries and bookshops are closed, you can still access a mass of material online.
Local Library Services now loan out ebooks and Audiobooks the same way as they loan traditional books, and its all done online so there is no need to visit.
There is also a wide range of ebooks and Audiobooks on online book sites such as Amazon and Smashwords, they are much cheaper than buying the latest books and can be downloaded to Computers, Tablets, Phones, and even some TV's.
There are also free books available online.
Why not loan it to an elderly relative , neighbour or friend, and help them through these hard times of self-isolation and social distancing.
Information on all the books written by
Paul S. Medland.
Links to purchase the books via Amazon / Smashwords.
The Woo page has links to free readers for ebooks. Details of Library ebook & audiobook loans.
The portal to access ebooks and audiobooks from your local library.
You do not need a Kindle or other make of e-reader device to read ebooks!
There are various free readers available for PC, Laptops, Tablets and Mobile Phones.
The Kindle will only read kindle format books, Calibre will read both Kindle and many other formats including PDF.
Writing and publishing a book has never been easier!
Gone are the old typewriters and wastebin full of failed efforts, these days most households have a computer that already has most of what you need. The rest is available free if you know where to look.
Publishing in hard format, eg making a paperback or hard back book is extremely expensive, and a big gamble against making enough sales to pay for it all. But publishing as an ebook can be free!
We would all like to become the latesttop-author and sell millionsof copies of our latest book, but you have to be realistic! Chances are you will not sell dozens never mind thousands, unless very lucky indeed you are not going to get up there with the top authors and make a fortune.
So don't give up your day job!
There are many thousands of budding authors, not all have the financial backup and expensive agents and promotion force to push their books and generate huge sales. So if you decide to write your book, make sure you do so for the right reasons, and with the right expectations.
Remember its not a quick process, what takes just minutes to read can take many hours to write!
Write because you enjoy it, because you have something you wish to share with others.
Do-not write to make money from it, you could put in many hundreds of hours of wotk and get zero financial return.
Do-not expect thousands of sales the moment it is published and available, you will be lucky if you sell one or two in the first week.
Get your reward from the comments of others who read your work, there is a great feeling of acheivement when you see your finished article, especially when it has been published and available for others to purchase and read.
It doesn't stop at finishing the book and publishing it. Then the work begins!
You have to advertise your book/s, promote them by word of mouth, by creating a sales website, and using social media. You will be competing with many thousands of others!
Microsoft Word although the leader when it comes to word-processing software is very expensive to purchase, but it is not the only suitable and compatible word-processor available.
Open-Office is a free online suite of Office Programs and is fully compatible with Microsoft version.
A lot will depend on what style of book you decide to write, all have slightly different needs. Layouts may differ, styles of writing may also change.
Everybody works differently, every author will try to make you believe their way is the best and only way, I know I've read so many 'how its done' written by authors. Do it your own way!
There are many software programs out there that are designed for authors, save your money, they confused the hell out of me and were soon deleted. They did not work the way I work.
SO HOW DO I DO IT ?
I write in a variety of genres, Fiction, Faction, non-fiction, Biography.
I keep things 'Basic'... I use Microsoft Word and I always save my work in '97' format so it fully matches the publishers autocheckers. Set up the margins and layout so that it matches what the publishers accept (get the style guides below). Alongside that I use the free version of 'Grammarly' which helps with checking spellings and correct use of English.
I use two screens connected to my computer, on one I keep the books document, and i use the other screen for research and to hold my list of characters. I use a 40" flat screen tv as my main working monitor, and a 22" computer monitor for my 2nd screen, I also use dark coloured backgrounds, both helps to reduce eyestrain. If unsure of how to do this, check the links below.
I create a separate document that lists my characters, I find a photo of a person from the internet that roughly matches the image I have in mind for the character, beside that i add an Age, details of occupation, where they live, relationships etc. and referring back to this helps in continuity of my description within the books storyline. I also save photographs of places and links to information about them, it all helps especially when you take a break from writing.
Create a 'Timeline' - add your ideas so that they appear in the right order and at the right time.
I use Google Earth, if you are describing a city, a place, or a route, check them out. It helps with your descriptions, and saves your character from travelling thousands of miles in just ten minutes. Keep things Real and Accurate ! - Others will soon criticise !
Save your work every 3 minutes! - There is nothing worse than losing a line or sentance that you were so proud of, but then struggle to reproduce again.
Save regular back-up copies - a lost or corrupted file when you are on chapter 20 is not good! - save a back-up to a 2nd device, disk, or in the cloud, even send it to a friend!
DO NOT RUSH! - Work when it feels right, do not set deadlines and put yourself under pressure.
Beware - Writing can become addictive, once you start you can lose many hours, it becomes hard to break away when in the middle of a storyline. Coffee and Dinners often go cold!
Your book will have to fit into the set categories for publishing, this depends on what the book contains and what 'age suitable' it is. Certain topics are restricted and not allowed, not even hinting towards them. All images used must be 100% suitable, no naughty bits showing!
this also applies to Erotica!.
Plaigarism is not allowed. Where quotes from others are included, they must be honoured.
Images must be non-copyright.
Unless you are an artist creating a book cover can be difficult, but there are some programs designed to do this for you. An ebook cover and a paperback cover are very different.
Some publishers have their own in-built software that will generate a basic image (not good for sales!).
I create my own (as shown) using an old version of 'PaintShopPro', but you can use any graphics software.
Images have to be of a set size and quality, Minimum 2560 x 1600 pixels - Maximum 10000 x 10000, but must be smaller than 50MB in size. The preferred format is .JPG
Once you have finished writing your book, edited, edited again, and edited a final time, and created a suitable Book-Cover, then you are ready to send it for publishing.
Normal Publishing as a hard copy book can cost many thousands of pounds and payable up-front. A big expense and even bigger gamble to take, and very costly if your book does not sell!
Start by puiblishing as an ebook, doing so can be done free, then if it does sell it can always be made into a hard format later. Many of the free ebook publishers now give the option of allowing individual printing or small runs.
The two companies I list below will publish your book free of charge, but take a fee from each sale, a book selling for £5 will result in you getting royalties of about £3.50 - £4 (roughly) per sale.
These companies will distribute your book among the many other book sales outlets in many countries, such as:- Kindle, Barnes & Noble,
Payments are made directly into your bank account.
I am in no-way an expert, I have written and published around 30 ebooks so far in various Genres and I am still learning. I haven't made my fortune yet, but I still have hope.
Best I have done so far is to be one of Amazons 'Author of the month in the US'.
But if I can offer any advice or help, email me and I will try to help you.
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