Saturday 24 December 2022

A Very Happy Christmas to One and All ๐Ÿ’–

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas season, or at least a peaceful one. Love and hugs to all.๐Ÿ’–

Here's looking forward to a wonderful 2023 (it has to be, doesn't it ... the last few years must have just been saving up to make it amazing, it's the only explanation).



Check Out My Fiction YouTube Channel

Tales with Tasha - YouTube

Each week we have a theme and so there will be something for all tastes.
  • ๐ŸŽคMicro stories as YouTube Shorts Monday - Sunday- for fun quick viewing
  • ๐Ÿ•ฎA longer story from time to time

Tasha's Social Media

๐Ÿ“šJoin My Newsletter๐Ÿ“š


Receive 2 FREE eBooks just for signing up and a free short story once every month on Free Fiction Friday.


Two books covers - one with a woman firing guns above the title "Assassin's Blood" the other with a woman screaming and glowing with the title "Curse of a Banshee"

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Thursday 22 December 2022

Free Fiction - Fallen Angel: A Christmas Romance - Check it out on YouTube

Tales with Tasha - YouTube - Christmas Romance - What to do if the angel falls from the tree - classical bronze angel statue in front  of a Christmas tree, with a red background with Christmas snow decoration.

Fallen Angel: A Christmas Romance

BAD Timing? Now This Is AWKWARD! 
๐ŸŽ„ ๐Ÿ˜‡ (Christmas Romance Short Story) #comedy


Hello, Lovelies. I hope you are all doing well, Long time no talk. Let's just say it's been a bit of a year and look forward to Christmas and 2023 ๐Ÿ’

My YouTube channel Tales with Tasha, is still going strong and slowly building an audience. Please, do check it out if you haven't already. New stories every day as YouTube shorts :- some fun, some terrifying, some mystifying and more.

This week I have a longer story as well, in the spirit of Christmas. You can listen for free at Tales with Tasha and pick up a copy at all the usual eBook places as well. Great for sitting down to over a nice cup of hot chocolate, or you beverage of choice.

Fallen Angel: A Christmas Romance

LGBTQ+ Christmas Romance 

Kay is preparing for her and her husband Greg’s annual Christmas party when the angel falls off her tree. She’d put him right back up there, only now he’s six foot two, naked and adorably confused. Not one to argue with Christmas magic, Kay sets about trying to figure out what is going on as well as make sure her guest is no longer sans clothes.

7 Christmas themed micro stories also included.
Buy Links

Amazon KindleSmashwords Apple Books Kobo  Nook

Wednesday 24 August 2022

YouTube How To - Most Important Thing About Titles

Most Important Thing About Titles on YouTube

YouTube How To:
Most Important Thing About Titles

I have watched many, many YouTube how to videos on what to do to make the algorithm love a video, and I have tried lots of their tips. What I am coming to realise is this:

It does not matter how good your video content is if you are a small channel, the only way to get ahead is to play the game and chase the algorithm.

One proviso, is that I am talking about my experience with YouTube shorts, which is one of the best ways to grow a channel from scratch at the moment. Longer videos require other techniques as well, but there is a lot of crossover.

The number 1 tip that seems to finally be working for my channel is this:

❗Write the title before even starting the video.

I spent months deciding on my stories, then trying to come up with titles that would grab viewers, and I was getting a steady viewership, but it had completely stalled in new subs and viewing number. In the past 2 weeks I have completely changed my strategy and my views have gone up considerably, so has my like count, as well as gaining new subscribers. I mean, it's nothing astronomical yet, but growth is growth.

This is my strategy:

  1. Sunday, go to "What is popular on YouTube" playlist.
  2. Look at the most successful topics.
  3. Create click-bait titles for my five shorts for that week, based on various hot topics.
  4. Decide on my overall story themes (first week I did Midsomer Murder parodies, this week comedy horror)
  5. Come up with stories that incorporate the title somehow, but fit the theme.

An Example

  1. One of the popular topics was Minecraft, so I came up with the following title: Minecraft Mystery?! ๐Ÿคฏ #shorts (1 min story) (Midsomer Murders Parody)
Note that the end of my title does not hide the true nature of my short, I do not want to lie to people and make them feel betrayed. However, it does count on the fact most people scan the beginning of the title first and don't bother with the end.
  1. The story itself is a ridiculous murder in a craft shop in an old mine.
It technically fits the title and it's supposed to be funny, so will hopefully make them smile and even if they have been tricked, they won't mind that much.

Results


From getting anywhere from 10 to around 100 views on a vid, using this technique I managed to get all of last weeks vids to around 200 views, and some of my older titles are getting some more views too. I link to a different playlist at the end of Monday's vid and the playlist for the week from every other vid that week.

Of course it does depend on the topic, and sometimes I get it wrong. This week, Monday's vid, only has 40 views and I'm planning on changing up the title some more once I can think of how to do it, however, Tuesday's, is currently at 1,150 and still going up.
It’s a SCAM! Grifter Alert! ๐Ÿ‘ฟ #shorts (1 min story) (FUNNY Ghost Story)
Changing the title can work too - one of last week's vids did not do well overnight, so I changed up the title and managed to bring it up to the same level as the others. It's a bit of a game against the algorithm, if you haven't realised that yet ๐Ÿ˜‰.

Conclusion

There are many factors in creating a good title, but getting the popular buzz words in there, seems to be a really, really important one. So far the one that gets the most traction for me is "Scam/Scammer". It is a sad fact of life that negative connotations get more hits. However, if I can get a bit of humour into someone's life using a click-baity title, I count it as a good thing.

We shall have to see how this continues to pan out.

Updates

25-Aug-22: Wednesday's vid has ~480 views this morning, so not as good as "Scam", but "Scandal" seems to be a good word. 

Still messing with Monday's title to try and get the vid seen - have not found a golden combination yet ๐Ÿ˜‰.

SCANDAL at the PALACE! Princess of Nowhere!๐Ÿ˜ฒ #shorts (1 min story) (FUNNY Ghost Story)



Check Out My Fiction YouTube Channel

Tales with Tasha - YouTube

Each week we have a theme and so there will be something for all tastes.
  • ๐ŸŽคMicro stories as YouTube Shorts Monday - Friday - for fun quick viewing
  • Longer stories as specials from time to time.

Tasha's Social Media

๐Ÿ“šJoin My Newsletter๐Ÿ“š


Receive 2 FREE eBooks just for signing up and a free short story once every month on Free Fiction Friday.


Two books covers - one with a woman firing guns above the title "Assassin's Blood" the other with a woman screaming and glowing with the title "Curse of a Banshee"

List hosted on MailChimp, information will only be used for Newsletter contact, and we do not send spam.

Friday 29 April 2022

AtoZ Placeholder for Y - coming soon

 

Y will be coming later today

I'm very sorry that today's post is going to be late and that I owe so many people visits back and replies.

My father was rushed into hospital on Sunday at about lunch time and it threw the whole week out completely. He's back home now having been discharged on Wednesday, but I am having trouble catching up.

Please forgive me and I hope you are enjoying the AtoZ.

Best wishes,

Tasha

[EDIT: Very sorry, Y may not happen, and if it does it will be very late. Got a phone call at midnight from my sister, and just spent 4 1/2 hrs waiting for an ambulance to take my father back to hospital. It is now 4:20 am and the family are finally getting to bed.]



Check Out My Fiction YouTube Channel

Tales with Tasha - YouTube

Each week we have a theme and so there will be something for all tastes.
  • ๐ŸŽคMicro stories as YouTube Shorts Monday - Thursday - for fun quick viewing
  • ๐Ÿ•ฎA longer story every Friday - for story time, over coffee or before going to bed

Tasha's Social Media

๐Ÿ“šJoin My Newsletter๐Ÿ“š


Receive 2 FREE eBooks just for signing up and a free short story once every month on Free Fiction Friday.


Two books covers - one with a woman firing guns above the title "Assassin's Blood" the other with a woman screaming and glowing with the title "Curse of a Banshee"

List hosted on MailChimp, information will only be used for Newsletter contact, and we do not send spam.

Thursday 28 April 2022

X is for X-Rated? #YouTube #AtoZChallenge

YouTube - What They Don't Tell You - X AtoZChallenge

YouTube - What They Don't Tell You
X is for X-Rated?

My AtoZ theme this year is my YouTube journey with my new fiction channel, and all that I have learned - plus some free fiction - scroll down to the embedded vid for that.

YouTube used to be a platform where anything went except blatant pornography, then it became uber popular and it started cracking down because of its ad revenue. Then there was the whole debacle about children watching it, even though no one under 13 should be able to create an account, and it got worse.

YouTube does not allow pornographic content in video, text, audio or images. All of their examples say "for the purpose of sexual gratification" which is a very wishy-washy term, but if you don't want your vids age restricted or worse, your channel deleted, avoid such things. Given that YouTube is notorious for banning or restricting things because someone else reported it, rather than actually investigating properly with actual human beings, just avoid adult content.

Photo by Eliott Van Buggenhout on Unsplash

There are certain words that will get your vids age restricted and/or demonetised too, like swearing and sexualised words even when not used in a sexual context. Given that YouTube is not supposed to be for children under 13 in the first place this is very, very annoying, but we don't get to argue with it. We just have to watch what we say.

Does it annoy you too, that a site supposed to be for adult and teens is so restrictive because of prudish advertisers?

Current YouTube Episode


April's Theme - Ghost Stories
New story every week day at 4pm GMT
Please subscribe to never miss a vid (it's free).


About the AtoZ Challenge

The A to Z Challenge happens every April. Bloggers from all over the world come together to post every day in April, apart from Sundays, inspired by the letters of the alpha bet. A = April 1st etc. Some of us have themes, some of us don't. Click the image below for more info and links to other participants.
#AtoZChallenge 2022 tribute badge

Check Out My Fiction YouTube Channel

Tales with Tasha - YouTube

Each week we have a theme and so there will be something for all tastes.
  • ๐ŸŽคMicro stories as YouTube Shorts Monday - Thursday - for fun quick viewing
  • ๐Ÿ•ฎA longer story every Friday - for story time, over coffee or before going to bed

Tasha's Social Media

๐Ÿ“šJoin My Newsletter๐Ÿ“š


Receive 2 FREE eBooks just for signing up and a free short story once every month on Free Fiction Friday.


Two books covers - one with a woman firing guns above the title "Assassin's Blood" the other with a woman screaming and glowing with the title "Curse of a Banshee"


List hosted on MailChimp, information will only be used for Newsletter contact, and we do not send spam.

Wednesday 27 April 2022

W is for Write is Down #YouTube #AtoZChallenge

YouTube - What They Don't Tell You - W AtoZChallenge

YouTube - What They Don't Tell You
W is for Write is Down

"Paper is to write things down we need to remember. Our brains are used to think." – Albert Einstein
My AtoZ theme this year is my YouTube journey with my new fiction channel, and all that I have learned - plus some free fiction - scroll down to the embedded vid for that.

Whatever you plan to say in your vid, write it down.

We are fallible creatures, and it never hurts to have a prompt. There are some people in this world who can decide what they are going to say and say it without any need for help whatsoever, I, for one, am not one of those people.

Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay 


I find there are two ways to make sure I am on the right track (and this goes for presenting in general):
  1. Bullet points – these make for a freer style. Bullet everything we want to say and then move from one point to the next coming up with the exact words we want to use on the fly. This is good for a conversational feel.
  2. Writing a script – this is good for stories and for subjects that need exact details. This is what I use most, since I am telling stories and I want the words to be well chosen.

Now that I am becoming more practiced at making vids, I want to start to introduce more of the bullet point style for my intro and outros.

Do you prefer to bullet point things or write it all down when you need to speak in front of others, be it on video or live?

Current YouTube Episode


April's Theme - Ghost Stories
New story every week day at 4pm GMT
Please subscribe to never miss a vid (it's free).


About the AtoZ Challenge

The A to Z Challenge happens every April. Bloggers from all over the world come together to post every day in April, apart from Sundays, inspired by the letters of the alpha bet. A = April 1st etc. Some of us have themes, some of us don't. Click the image below for more info and links to other participants.
#AtoZChallenge 2022 tribute badge

Check Out My Fiction YouTube Channel

Tales with Tasha - YouTube

Each week we have a theme and so there will be something for all tastes.
  • ๐ŸŽคMicro stories as YouTube Shorts Monday - Thursday - for fun quick viewing
  • ๐Ÿ•ฎA longer story every Friday - for story time, over coffee or before going to bed

Tasha's Social Media

๐Ÿ“šJoin My Newsletter๐Ÿ“š


Receive 2 FREE eBooks just for signing up and a free short story once every month on Free Fiction Friday.


Two books covers - one with a woman firing guns above the title "Assassin's Blood" the other with a woman screaming and glowing with the title "Curse of a Banshee"


List hosted on MailChimp, information will only be used for Newsletter contact, and we do not send spam.

Tuesday 26 April 2022

V is for Valour #YouTube #AtoZChallenge

YouTube - What They Don't Tell You - V AtoZChallenge

YouTube - What They Don't Tell You
V is for Valour

"Courage doesn't mean you don't get afraid. Courage means you don't let fear stop you." -Bethany Hamilton

My AtoZ theme this year is my YouTube journey with my new fiction channel, and all that I have learned - plus some free fiction - scroll down to the embedded vid for that.

Putting ourselves in front of a camera, or even just behind a microphone takes courage. All of us with blogs or who write books etc, know how hard it can be putting our work out there for the world to see. Being right there with it, in person as it were, can be harder (at least for those of us who did not grow up with TikTok).

Image by Gioele Fazzeri from Pixabay 


 I've had a podcast for a while now (it's naughty so not suitable for YouTube – Virginia Waytes' Sexy Stories), so recording the longer stories was nothing new for me. However, the shorts, with me actually being on camera, now that was a bit of a leap. I'm pretty used to it now, but at first it was nerve wracking.

Vid making is like anything else, we get better at it the more practice we have. Hence, the best advice I can give is:
  • Practice before committing to that first vid, at least a little bit, to make it as good as possible.
  • Accept that things will improve over time and the first vids will probably make us cringe when we look back.
  • Ball up all that courage and hit post!
  • Do not feed the trolls – I've had two so far (just little ones) and they are not worth our time. Ignoring them is best, unless they are breaking the rules, then report them.
How do you feel on vid? Do you love being on camera or do you need all your courage?

Current YouTube Episode


April's Theme - Ghost Stories
New story every week day at 4pm GMT
Please subscribe to never miss a vid (it's free).


About the AtoZ Challenge

The A to Z Challenge happens every April. Bloggers from all over the world come together to post every day in April, apart from Sundays, inspired by the letters of the alpha bet. A = April 1st etc. Some of us have themes, some of us don't. Click the image below for more info and links to other participants.
#AtoZChallenge 2022 tribute badge

Check Out My Fiction YouTube Channel

Tales with Tasha - YouTube

Each week we have a theme and so there will be something for all tastes.
  • ๐ŸŽคMicro stories as YouTube Shorts Monday - Thursday - for fun quick viewing
  • ๐Ÿ•ฎA longer story every Friday - for story time, over coffee or before going to bed

Tasha's Social Media

๐Ÿ“šJoin My Newsletter๐Ÿ“š


Receive 2 FREE eBooks just for signing up and a free short story once every month on Free Fiction Friday.


Two books covers - one with a woman firing guns above the title "Assassin's Blood" the other with a woman screaming and glowing with the title "Curse of a Banshee"


List hosted on MailChimp, information will only be used for Newsletter contact, and we do not send spam.