31 Day Author Platform Challenge Day 24: “TIL” video

“TIL” = Today I Learned

image from TIL facebook page

You know something others don’t. Maybe it’s a hack on scrambling eggs, a cool Instagram trick, or fixing a leak. Perhaps you just learned it from someone else’s video. Irrelevant.

Today, Day 24 of the 31 Day Author Platform Challenge, you are going to share that learning. Via video! (You need to get more comfortable in video. It’s the future!) And “TIL” is all the rage right now, so let’s hop on board.

You don’t have to be on camera in your TIL vid if you don’t want. I’m not in mine!

My recent key learning is a time saver that lets you type in a few letters and have your pc fill in the rest. It’s called a “macro.” It’s hugely helpful for long words and phrases you use over and over.

Impress your friends (or at least your kids) by creating a custom macro!

What this video shows is how to make the macro by going to your Mac, clicking the Apple logo very top left, then clicking System Settings, scrolling down to Keyboard towards bottom left column, then clicking Keyboard Shortcuts Text replacements and adding in what you want to replace… Sure, I could have just written it out, but isn’t it so much easier in video?

Now, with the macro, anytime I type letters “apc” in a row it automatically types ’31-Day Author Platform Challenge’ for me. Try it for yourself creating any shortcut you want–your home address, email address, whatever you find tedious. Impress your kids by telling them you “created a macro”!

If you don’t know how to record your computer screen (I didn’t until this video!) I can help you there too. This link from PC Mag has step-by-step instructions for both Mac and pc.

Create your own TIL with literally anything. Maybe it’s that you learned where your keys are hiding. Or how to calm yourself when you can’t find them. Or how to call a locksmith at midnight.

Refreshers on creating great video content are on Day 16 and Day 19. For today, I have specific advice:

  • Write a script or outline first. Don’t wing it.
  • Rehearse what you are going to say based on what you wrote. It’s OK to ad lib, as long as you know where yo are headed. Think it through in your head.
  • Practice out loud at least three times until you feel you are ready. (Remember today’s “don’t wing it” rule?)
  • Only THEN should you hit RECORD. But don’t record more than three takes. Save all of them.

Why stop at three takes? Acting advice says more than three takes on vids like these will frustrate you and make you tense, and therefore make you–and the video–come across stale. That’s why you practice BEFORE hitting record.

Have some fun with it!

Tag #31DayAuthorPlatformChallenge so we can see it!

[Aaaand..have you followed 10 new people yet?]

31 Day Platform Challenge Day 15: Good News

[Hey there fellow author–have you followed 10 new people yet?]

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woman working on laptop on window sill and talking on phone
Photo by RODNAE
Productions on Pexels.com

Today’s author platform task has two parts–but should be quick or at least easy. First, let’s take the pulse on that promo of yours from yesterday. How’s it looking so far? Let us know in comments.

OK, now to Day 15.

Today you are simply going to share some (of your own) good news.

Ideally, it should be something positive of your own doing. Maybe you met a deadline or recently hit a certain word count. It can honestly be as simple as “I haven’t spilled my coffee yet today!” Make it reflect your personality and have as much fun as you want. The news can be from last month, as long as it’s something you haven’t talked about yet. Find a way to make it interactive to avoid looking like an arrogant poo-poo head and it doesn’t come across as a humblebrag.

It can also be:

  • industry news that affects you in a good way (remember to quote the source as in “PW announced an uptick in YA, which is great news for my WIP. What are you seeing?”)
  • personal update (anything from “I finally figured out the ending to my PB, and both my main character and I are on cloud nine! Who else has good news to share?” to “The two-year-old is officially potty trained! Who else can feel my joy?”)
  • noticeable impact the 31 Day Author Platform has made to your perspective, or increase in followers (“one thing this 31 Day Author Platform has taught me is the importance of engagement. I have been having a ball interacting so much with you all! Has anyone else seen a change?”)
  • anything happy you hear about on the news (“I read on Good News Today there was a library that was able to …”)

Try prettying it up on one of those meme-making sites. (You know I dig tidy jpgs.)

We all love good news. I bet it puts a smile on your face just creating it!