Eneh Akpan Writes

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Why You Should Google Yourself

English: The three biggest web search engines

WritersDigest.com at a time featured/tweeted an article with the title What Agents Want to See When They Google You. I'm not sure those are the exact words but it's close enough for a working title. This post is similar to that one. Difference is what literary agents seek don't count for much in light of what you anticipate.

Search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ask, and let's not forget the giant Russian search machine, Yandex.ru, (this is one of my blog's top traffic sources) could be a lot more fun for writers and creators of web content if you know how to wield them to boost your writerly ego. You can learn a lot more about your online presence and image by reading what other users—especially, if these users constitute people you've never really associated with on any of the social networking platforms—are saying about you.

The coolest way to find out what sort of image you have created online is by googling yourself. You may have to use a different browser than the one you're used to (search engines like Google often than not gives you cached copies of web pages you've visited on the first page of search results). You might want to use a different system all together. You might be amazed what folks say about you/your blog/website. I have.

You ought to find out whether the image you've been angling to portray—the one which drove you to create a site—aligns with what readers see when they view your platform. In other words, ascertain that the idea you put on the line is what is delivered into their bosom. This is one guaranteed method to help you determine you're hitting your target audience and find out your blog/site tows the same line as who/what you wish to be identified with.

Here, a personal example, I once Googled myself and one of the search results happened to be a website that collects URLS and groups them into different categories based on each site’s primary focus. There were categories of all varieties. It had blogs/sites listed under sports, education, apps and so on. In the midst of these assortments was a section devoted to blogs/sites centering on writing—creative writing. You can guess the one that featured my blog.

Yandex Homepage

I was thrilled to know that somebody recognized my blog for what it stands for. Rather, for the impression I set out to achieve from the onset when I created it. I think it did add some to my writerly ego. You deserve to know what people around the web think and say about you or your site. And that's why you need to open your browser right this minute and get right down to work.

The results might amaze you. Then again, who knows? You might get a really good shake-up which may turn out to be the wake-up call you've needed all along.

Keep your pen bleeding!

Akpan

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Count Dracula: Traits and Peculiarities

Bram Stoker absorbed Central European folktales into his vampire novel which on publication became the definitive volume for every other book and film in the genre. His eponymous character, Dracula has also become the modern vampire archetype. From Stephen King's Salem's Lot to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles to the Television's Vampire Diaries.

The film 'Dracula' portrayed by Christopher Lee is the first vampire movie I ever watched.
Courtesy: Wikipedia

The name “Dracula” is Romanian and stands for Son of the Dragon. It is the self-given name of Vlad III the Impaler, an historical figure whom it is assumed is a partial inspiration for Stoker's character. It is widely believed among scholars that Stoker, while researching for his novel, came across papers on Romanian history and folklore and was inspired to alter the name of his character which he'd formerly named, Count Wampyr.

Dracula is the most portrayed of all characters in the horror genre and is the second most adapted character in film behind Sherlock Holmes. He is so ingrained into popular culture that he has become an Halloween staple.

According to accounts in the novel, the blood-sucking Count studied the black arts and is a master of alchemy and magic. And that qualifies him as a sorcerer.

He died and was buried in his castle but as we all know, he returned as the nosferatu (undead). Dracula is immortal though not invincible. He is a centuries-old vampire with dreams of world-domination which was his underlying reason for luring Jonathan Harker, the main narrator of the novel and an English solicitor to his castle. Harker taught him a great deal about England.

Dracula, the powerful vampire, lives in a ruined castle on the Carpathian Mountains with three beautiful female vampires. Their relationship to him is unclear with suggestions ranging from lovers to sisters to victims. He is a Transylvanian nobleman, a “voivode” or Wallachian prince. He commands an air of aristocracy. Unlike most modern day vampires, Dracula walks in daylight and the sun is not fatal to him. Even though, his supernatural abilities are drastically subdued by daylight. He can only cross running water at low or high tide.

Being a powerful sorcerer, Dracula is also a shape shifter who on different occasions transforms into a wolf, a bat, and a dog. He can also dissolve into a mist. He possesses superhuman powers to control some animals like bats and rats. Yet, even in his human form, the Count could slip through a crack in the wall.

He craves rest/sleep to regenerate. He can only regain his strength by sleeping on Transylvanian soil which he keeps close to himself inside large boxes. He has hypnotic and telepathic abilities. He also controls the weather, invoking storms on “The Demeter,” the Russian ship that brought him to England and by creating a mist so his presence remains undetected.

Count Dracula Courtesy: Helgi Halldórsson/Freddi

Dracula's bite transfers his vampire genes into his prey automatically making them slaves of the vamp. When the victims die, they turn into vampires. Count Dracula's demise lifts the curse of the vampire off a living victim so that when they die a natural death, they stay dead. That’s kind of a blessing, of course. But would it not be nice to be immortal?

Stoker's vampire character can levitate and he flies when he transforms into a bat. His image is not reflected in mirrors and he can vanish at will and reappear someplace else. However, despite all these supernatural abilities, this most powerful of vampires cannot step into an abode unless invited in.

Dracula drinks blood-fresh blood.

Count Dracula shape shifts freely at night. However, he can also do it at dawn, noon, and dusk but he is restricted. In his employ, are gypsy body guards. These servants of his know his real nature, but remain fearless and loyal to him, regardless. He exercises a certain degree of influence over other vampires, even ones he didn't transform. He can retract his fangs.

The undead blood-sucking fiend is not a big fan of holy symbols like the crucifix and communion bread. Besides, he has a fierce aversion to garlic. The vamp can be destroyed through all the traditional means of killing vampires however, in the novel, he is vanquished by one character slitting his throat and another driving a Bowie knife into his heart.

What Bram Stoker did was give to the world an immortal character; a vampire we love to hate, whose very memory transcends fiction and now lodges in the darkest regions of our hearts.

Keep your pen bleeding!

Akpan

Friday, January 10, 2014

Still Standing.mp3 (Poetry Recital)

Click the link above.
This is a recital of a poem I did way back 2012 for a poetry challenge called NaPoWriMo. I drafted this as a personal birthday present to eh... me. My birthday usually comes around on April 16th. But you can't be sure these days, that might change in the course of time, ugh?
Happy listening, though.

Akpan

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Bond... James Bond: Thought You Knew 007? Think Again

Ian Fleming's sketch of 007 and Barry Nelson, American actor
noted as the first actor to portray James Bond

While serving in the British Naval Intelligence, Fleming once told a friend with reference to his dream of becoming a writer when he retired, “I am going to write the spy story to end all spy stories.” And that’s exactly what he did.

Since the writer invented 007 in 1953, the books and films have gone on to become the definitive spy stories for every other work in the spy genre. How much of this British spy character do you know? Let’s find out in 20 ways, shall we?

Seems I almost lost you back there, ugh? Well, at least, you can look at this on the bright side; you had a good shot at reacquainting yourself with Bond… James Bond.

Akpan

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Bestseller - Poetry Recital (Audio)

Courtesy: Wikipedia

Click the link and listen to the .mp3 file. It should open in your web browser media player.

A self-conscious poetry recital personifying a bestseller.

Have fun.

Akpan

Friday, January 3, 2014

Color of Water-Poetry Recital (Audio)

National Poetry Month Display @ Forest Hills

Coyrtesy: mySAPL

Color of Water.mp3

Click the link, it should open in the audio player embedded in your browser.

This is a recital of a piece of poetry I did about two years back. I've been meaning to do recitals of my poems then, create a separate blog and dedicate it entirely to that purpose. I'm still trying for that-a blog made up entirely of poetry recitals without a single write-up whatever.

I hope you enjoy this bit.

Akpan