A Rose By Any Other Name (such as Ariel Seiling)

It’s time for a little Shakespeare, and blog post with a little extra specific SEO value. For those of you that don’t know what SEO is, it’s an acronym for “Search Engine Optimization.” A search engine is something like Google or Bing, where you type in a query and, SHAZAM, it gives you an answer.

For example, you could type in “Can I eat my cat?” or “Can I eat my pet named Steve?” and see what sage advice Google has for you.

Search engine optimization is when you want people to find your website using these types of search queries, so you use strategies make it more likely to appear when someone types in, “Can I eat my cat?” Or in my case, I would want you to find me if you typed in something like, “science fiction authors in Baltimore” or “Ariele Sieling” or “Land of Szornyek.”

But most recently, I came across a conundrum. What if someone tried to find me, but didn’t know how to spell my name?

After all, my first name “Ariele” is a less common spelling, and my last name “Sieling” (which is pronounced like ceiling, the thing over your head), is also a rather uncommon spelling. What would come up?

So I tried it. I went to Google and typed in “Arial Seeling.” That’s logical, right? It’s a phonetic spelling of my name, at least. Here’s what I got:

Needless to say (though I’m saying it anyway)—this isn’t me.

I’ll be honest with you, The Little Mermaid is one of my least favorite Disney movies (mostly due to the fact that people constantly asked me, “were you named after the little mermaid?” over and over and over and over again growing up—and the answer is no, I was born before the movie came out by a good 18 months), so this isn’t my favorite result.

I even tried clicking the link that says, “Search instead for Arial Seeling” but the results were equally disappointing:

Also not me. Not even close. Though it’s possible I’m distantly related to a Heinrich Seeling? Possibly?

So I tried another: Arielle Ceiling.

This result was pretty great.

CEILING FANS. It’s one of my favorite puns. Get it? Sieling fans? hahahaha

As in people who are fans of people who are named Sieling? Yup.

Hilarious, perhaps (still laughing at Sieling fan/ceiling fan pun), but also not me.

Luckily, the closest variation to my name (and most common misspelling), Ariel Seiling, actually does pull up my website.

(That’s not my Facebook, though.)

So the problem is: how are people going to find me on the internet if they can’t spell my name?

So I came up with an idea.

Keywords.

Yes, keywords.

Keywords are those pesky phrases that you type into Google when you’re trying to learn something or find something. For example, “can I eat my cat” is a keyword phrase. “Can I eat my pet named Steve” is also a keyword phrase. In my case, my name (“Ariele Sieling”) is a keyword phrase.

So I asked myself, “What if I just wrote a blog post that included all of the possible misspellings of my name? That way, if someone does spell my name wrong, hopefully they’ll find this blog post, which should guide them to the rest of my website.”

So that is literally what I am doing right now. This blog post is specifically designed to help people find me. And hopefully be mildly entertaining at the same time.

Below, I am going to list out some of the interesting variations of my name that I’ve seen. Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do if someone can’t remember my name at all. But if they remember it wrong, maybe this will help.

I’ll start with my first name:

• Ariel

• Arielle

• Arial

• Areyel

• Arel

• Erin (I don’t know, don’t ask me, but people call me Erin all the time)

• Arian

And now my last name:

• Seeling

• Seiling

• Ceiling

• Cieling

• Siling (Sometimes people pronounce it with a hard “i” too)

• Sileing

The correct spelling is as follows: Ariele Sieling.

Now hopefully Google can do the math and incorporate all of those spellings into its all-powerful algorithm, in all of their various combinations.

And there you have it. I’m still me, no matter how you spell my name. I just hope you are able to find me, even if it takes a while.

Good luck.

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September/October Monster Report: Latra

I’ve combined my September and October Monster Reports this time around because I’ve made a rather embarrassing mistake.

I went to visit my parents in upstate NY, and my dad and I took a walk in the woods. While we were out, I saw the strangest sight—trees which looked completely normal the first time we walked past, but had suddenly changed when we returned. Of course I didn’t take pictures of them before—why would I, when they looked like completely normal trees?

You can see some of my after pictures below, however.

Night was falling, so it was hard to take clear pictures, but you can see the strange bite marks near the ground.

This one happened a little closer to the water, farther from where we saw the initial damage.

In this one, I could’ve sworn I saw something move, but of course poor light made it impossible to get a clear photo.

I was a little nervous to get so close, but if you can see the damage, the creature is usually gone.

You see, there is a monster called a latra. It’s a sort of long, flat garg that disguises itself by wrapping itself around a tree. It shaves a good amount off, and then settles itself into the tree. Then, when prey walks by, it launches out, from seemingly nowhere, and latches onto its prey’s leg or arm or whatever. Its teeth are filled with a venom that can cause its prey to feel extreme pain. When the latra leaves the tree, it looks like a big gouge has been taken out of the bark, like a big mouth came and chomped down on the tree.

Since I didn’t actually see a latra, I couldn’t take a picture. But here’s the general idea of it.

Latras are particularly dangerous because they reproduce rapidly, and can hibernate for great lengths of time. You could have a whole colony of latras living in your woods and never realize it, because they just look like tree bark and blend perfectly with whatever tree they’re attached to. If you walk by at the right time, you may think for a second that the tree has eyes, but if you see that, I recommend that you don’t take the time to look closer—just run.

So after seeing the trees in my parents’ woods, I thought the latra had been there when we walked by initially, but then left before our return. It could’ve been stalking us, for all we knew. We hurried out of those woods, let me tell you. Having to fight off latras in the dark doesn’t not sound like a relaxing visit home.

So we raised the alarm, warned their neighbors, hung flyers in town, posted on social media…

Anyway, you can imagine my embarrassment when my mom sent me this video from their wildlife camera:

It was just a beaver! I was extremely embarrassed, and had to rescind our proclamation that latras had invaded upstate NY.

In any case, don’t worry. There have actually not been any sightings of latras. Just a beaver or two.

Stay cool, and watch out for monsters!

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Ariele University: A Whack On The Side of the Head

I know you haven’t heard from Ariele University in a while, but I’ve been working on it, slowly plugging away in the background. I’ve made progress on a few of the books I’m reading (about halfway through a couple), have done two more assignments, and figured out what I want to do for my thesis! More on that after I’ve gotten a bit more of my readings done, though.

In the meantime, let me introduce you to A Whack On The Side of the Head by Roger von Oech. This book was originally published in 1983 (though I have the 1990 edition), and is a bestselling classic on how you can become more creative. I’m not sure I need to become more creative, exactly, but I figured that it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a few more tools in the toolbox. The book has “puzzles, anecdotes, exercises, metaphors, cartoons, questions, quotations, stories, and tips; this book systematically breaks through your mental blocks and unlocks your mind for creative thinking.” That’s what the back of the books says.

Anyway, the reason I added this to my list was because I owned it, and thought it might be a sort of unnecessary side concept—like a gen ed course in undergrad.

My assignment (you can see updates to my progress here) was to do three of the assignments listed in the book. I have them included below.

The Assignment

1. Metaphors.

This chapter talks about hard and soft thinking. Put each item from the list on page 34 into one of the two categories, either Hard or Soft, along with an explanation of why you put it there.

HARD

Logic— creates a set of rigid guidelines to help direct a thought process or idea

Reason—the process that creates the guidelines, which now that I think about it might actually be more soft because it involves exploring a variety of ideas, following bunny trails and tangents—but hard because it all has the goal of creating something very tangible and accessible

Precision—hard, as in difficult, but also in exact and solid; it means understanding all the details of the situation and medium

Work—difficult and not fun in most cases, also guided by a specific set of rules and guidelines

Exact—same as precision

Direct—focused, forward, and no-nonsense; it knows itself and its needs

Focused—attention is all on one thing (or a cameras) creates a set of restrictions & blocks out other stuff, strict set of guidelines

Reality—there are rules, social and physical, that govern the world we live in and can’t be broken, like walls

Paradox—difficult to understand, but with a very specific problem to be solved

Analysis—subject to a specific set of rules

Specifics—specific lol

Adult—we are governed by the rules of our world and society, and are expected to be able to bear the brunt of the pain the world brings

SOFT

Metaphor—because it doesn’t translate exactly, there’s always wiggle room, room for interpretation and subjectivity

Dream—because its fuzzy, hard to grasp, hard to pin down exactly what’s happening and why

Ambiguity—because it’s flexible and leaves room for subjectivity and interpretation

Humor—room for subjectivity and interpretation

Play—because it’s fun, easy, and can take the form of anything; there are very few rules

Approximate—fuzzy, not sure, close enough but room for movement, wiggling change, not constant

Fantasy—not real, easy to change and manipulate

Diffuse—spreading outward, no central point, you can’t really tie it down or solidify its position

Hunch—it’s just an idea, not yet full formed, has no shape

Generalization—fuzzy, broad assessments based on loose patterns, and a ton of room for error

Child—they are small and while resilient, easily injured or affected, you can shape the way they think and feel and what they do, flexible

2. Be Practical.

Free write for 5 minutes about the picture of the chair on page 68. Include 3 impressions you have of its value.

The chair has a back and a front, with a sort of triangle going through the center, and empty space on the legs, like it would fall down if you actually tried to use it. It has cushioning, which is probably comfortable, but the triangle through the center would make it very difficult to sit on, that’s for sure. And since the legs don’t really work, you’d have to balance on the bottom part of the triangle, which also seems less than safe. The only kind of person that would really fit in this chair would be two skinny people, one on each side. And the chair wouldn’t stand up with the legs broken like that. I’m trying very hard to find something good to say about it, but… Okay, here’s what you could do with the chair. Flip it 90 degrees, so that its back is on the floor. Then you can have two kids sit on it, with a divider between them so they can’t talk to each other, like if they’re siblings fighting or they don’t like each other or something. That might be a use for the chair.

This chapter is encouraging us to be open minded, but know when to reel in our imagination. Just because you can think of something (like this ridiculous chair) doesn’t mean the idea has value, or will turn out the way you imagined it during implementation. Yes, someone thought of this chair and even drew a picture of it, but I doubt it would sell, and it certainly wouldn’t be something to invest a lot of money in developing. So then, I need to practice recognizing when I have good ideas or bad ideas, and figure out how to determine which is which in writing. And I need to be willing to back down when my idea is, shall we say, less than stellar.

3. Mapping Dissatisfaction.

Go through each of the steps starting on page 171. Write a paragraph.

What are you dissatisfied about?

I want to be a better writer. I want to be a better marketer. I want to make more money doing what I love (writing, reading, supporting authors, being a part of the literary community).

What are you going to do about it?

Well, I made up this fake master’s course to help with my skill. I started my Patreon plan to work on my marketing and BHAGs (big hairy audacious goals). I am making more money (not enough though) so I’m going to follow through on my Patreon plan, and work on refining my marketing plan so that more money goes into my bank account, and less goes out, and I’m going to write more books (strategy number 1).

Can you visualize yourself reaching your objective?

Yes! I have been trying to imagine what I will do with my time when not freelancing. I have imagined getting invited to do interviews and what I will do to engage my fans and followers. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that will ever be a reality, but I am going to stay focused on it as much as I can, and keep working.

What are three things you can do to reach your goal?

1. Re-prioritize my education. I have sort of put it aside, but I want to refocus.

2. Set time aside every week specifically for visualization (like Sundays when I listen to classical).

3. Prioritize getting more books written. Sometimes I get distracted by marketing stuff. I need to focus on writing. More books = more money.

What three factors make it difficult to reach your objective? How can you get rid of these excuses?

1. Stress. I am working on this—relaxation, regular exercise, better diet. It’s not perfect, but I’m way better off than I was before.

2. Getting distracted. I could ditch FB again. [I did!]

3. Thinking I’m a terrible writer. Practice positive self-talk!

What do you have at stake?

Everything. I quit my job to do this, and while I’m fortunate enough to have Josh to help with the bills, I need to press forward. The longer I go without having a job, “freelancing,” the less hireable I become (at least in my mind). I need to be successful, or pursue a different career track.

How can you create a support system around you?

What I already have: Josh, my parents and brothers, Zoe, Sarah, Deidre, neighbors, stability.

What I can work on: expanding my network, building a larger online community (and in-person community), not trying to reach out to everyone, but find people who are like me, growing fan base

How can you make your idea attractive to other people?

I think practicing blurb writing is going to be really important, and investing in high quality covers. I love the idea of drawing monsters, but I need to find a way to make my other series more appealing as well.

What gives you courage to act on your ideas?

A solid plan is nice. But I think most of my courage comes from Josh, who believes in me 100%, and my parents who give me solid, helpful feedback on my work.

What deadline can you give yourself?

End of the month, baby! I have to have 35k by the end of the month, and I’d like to put this Sagittan book out by next year. I also want to have the next LoS book drafted by the end of the year, so I can get started with the chapter releases not too long after Book 1 ends.

What resistance do you expect to your idea?

Not everyone will like it. I will get negative reviews, no matter how good I think it is or how much work I put into it. But I need to ignore all that stuff, and focus on being the best I can be, and producing the best quality product that I am capable of producing.

How persistent are you?

Very, and becoming more so every day.

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August Monster Report: Dublagat

I'm a bit late getting to my monster report this month. I'll be honest, it's because I thought the melc and the plat were anomalies, and that maybe the monsters weren't as common as I originally thought. I hadn't seen anything indicating monsters during my walks early in the month, so I focused my time and efforts on a hundred other things--other projects, other books, survival--you know, the usual. 

The truth is, I was wrong. Very, very wrong.

This summer has been very wet. We've been plagued by rain and thunderstorms. I personally like rain, though my wonderful dog hates it (he also hates lightning, thunder, fireworks, alone time, birds, vegetables, and motorcycles). I frequently walk in the rain, or right after. 

The first time I walked after the rain, I noticed these mushrooms. Cute, white, with speckles. They grow in circles--fairy rings, I thought. 

After the second rainstorm, I noticed several trees scattered throughout the park, their limbs torn from the trunks. I though it was odd, as there hadn't been any major winds, but you know--city trees, am I right? 

After the third storm, I noticed another patch of mushrooms, these ones much weirder than the first. I stared at them for a few minutes--and that's when I suddenly saw it. These weren't mushrooms. They were EGGS. 

And not just any eggs--dublagat eggs! Don't worry, I kicked, stomped, and smashed those eggs until nothing was left except fragments of chitin scattered through the grass. 

Once I realized they were eggs, that's when I saw the pattern as obviously as if someone had circled it in red marker and painted it on my face. 20/20 hindsight, you know? They lay their eggs in the middle of fields, because the eggs draw nutrients from the soil and plants around them and so can grow extremely large--they need a lot of space. They also grow in a variety of shapes and sizes, so the first mushrooms I saw were probably eggs as well. 

The other thing about dublagats is that they love sun and hate trees. They will make a point to go around and try to assassinate trees--hence all the arboreal damage. As for why they did everything in the rain? My guess is because they're in the city, and when it's raining there are fewer people around. Easier to not get spotted. But who knows--they're monsters.

I'm actually not surprised that I didn't notice a dublagat in the park. They are masters of disguise. They have long stringy fur that can adjust to any texture color, making it easy to blend into whatever is around them--and the more texture and the more color, the better. They also make their eggs blend in (ie mushrooms). They're probably hiding in the community garden, come to think of it. Lots of food there (rabbits, birds, tomatoes), as well as plenty of places to hide among the vines and raised beds. 

A dublagat can grow as many heads as necessary. It's fur is really rough, and can be turned into thread. They're pretty easy to decapitate, and barring that, you can always run away (they're pretty slow). 

The thing you've gotta watch out for is their spit. Imagine a llama or a camel--except with acid. Yup. Lots of it. Your best bet is to sneak up behind them and slice off their heads as quickly as possible (in one stroke, preferably), or if you can't manage that, use a distance projectile weapon, like a slingshot or a bow and arrow.

Now, I can't emphasize this enough: BE CAREFUL. The world is riddled with monsters, and you just never know where they might be hiding. Stay alert and don't let your guard down. 

I'll let you know what else I discover in the coming days. 

Watch out for monsters and may the garg's blood rain!

Want more monsters? Click here: www.patreon.com/arielesieling
 

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Rutherford the Unicorn Sheep Sees A Ghost [Preorder & Sneak Peek!]

I've been getting requests for the last two years for a new Rutherford book, and the time is here! Meet: Rutherford the Unicorn Sheep Sees A Ghost! 

I've been thinking about all the different possibilities for Rutherford books, and out of all of them, I decided I wanted to do a Halloween book. This is that book. 

In it, Rutherford the Unicorn Sheep gets a new apartment, and Wilfred comes over to see. But while Rutherford is giving the tour, strange things begin to happen. Could it be that Rutherford has moved in with a ghost? Join Rutherford and Wilfred in this exciting new adventure! 

Here's the cover!

The front...

And the back!

[Note: soon you'll be able to buy the "Winter Collection" with Sees a Ghost, Christmas Surprise, Walnut Skunk Family Thanksgiving & Makes Pancakes, and the "Summer Collection" with Goes to the Beach, Walks the Dog, Goes for a Hike, and Visits the Apiary, at a discount!].

This entire book was photographed and drafted in one evening while Josh was at class. It was a rainy, dreary Tuesday, 95 degrees in the middle of a Baltimore summer, and we had a grand old time. The cats stayed out of the way, the dog made a brief appearance (his first Rutherford showing!) and the fish, well, he politely stayed in his bowl.

Below I've added a couple of images, to give you a taste of the story. In the meantime, stay tuned for the release date! If you're desperate for your copy, you can preorder a copy below! Yup that's a thing I do now :) It's on sale for $10.00 until the release. 

Now, for all Rutherford lovers everywhere, a sneak peak! I have selected 5 photos to taunt and tantalize you with. What could be happening? What is going on in this image? WHAT IS HAPPENING? Well, you'll just have to wait and see.

Books?

A bathroom sink??

A counter and light switches???

A LAMP???

A DARKENED ROOM??? 

I know! Scary. 

Anyway, stay tuned: Rutherford the Unicorn Sheep Sees A Ghost is on its way!

And for those of you who want the next Rutherford book already? Well, I am planning at least two more in the series, but after that... it's anyone's guess :)

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