Allan Douglas Writes!

Self described as “an author, writer, prattler, dreamer” Douglas Allan Bittinger (pen name Allan Douglas) has been writing articles, short stories, poetry and novels since the late 1960's.

Three of his books have been published so far; a fourth book is in progress. Stories about his life as a mountain man wannabe are posted on his blog, Simple Life Prattle. He also blogs about writing at The Write Stuff.

Welcome to Writers in Business! Let’s start off with an overview of your experiences and they have become part of what you write.

I have blogs that share what I've learned as a woodworker, as a gardener, as a writer, and as someone who has learned to live a less frantic lifestyle. I have been a real teacher: I've taught many woodworking classes at Rockler Woodworking, taught 5th grade computer science, I was a pre-school teacher for many years, taught gymnastics, and I currently teach a young adult Sunday School class.

The Write Stuff is a way to inform others but was conceived as a marketing tool for my books for writers. The other blogs have no such ulterior motives - yet. I am working on my Mountain Man's Gardening Guide, which would be featured on one of my other blogs - and mentioned frequently in my column for Grit Magazine: Of Mice and Mountain Men.

You are a man of many talents! Tell us about your Simple Life Prattle blog.

Easy to understand, deal with, and use. Not elaborate, ornate or complicated. Free of deceit, unpretentious. Humble. Those are our favorite dictionary definitions of the word Simple and they express our vision of The Simple Life.

We are accomplishing this by moving closer to nature and being aware of the Earth, by seeking God’s will for us, embracing the good things and happy times that are here for us right now, and by uncomplicating our lives. We can not (yet) claim to be minimalists, but we do embrace many of those precepts.

We moved from St Louis MO. to the Great Smoky Mountains in 2001 to begin our pursuit of simplicity. We live on 5 acres of wooded, steeply sloping mountainside land. Mountain side living can provide a few challenges, but it is serenely beautiful here, the air is clean and fresh and we love living where the clouds recline for the night. The articles offered in the blog posts are snippets of our journey and discoveries we have made along the way.

The articles I have read on your blog are inspirational. I admire the simple, uncomplicated way of life and hope someday to follow that path. Your other blog is for writers, the Write Stuff.

The Write Stuff is a collection of articles on the topic of being a writer. Some apply to blogging, some to writing for magazines, some to writing a book, some to marketing your work, and some to the life, frustrations and blessings of being a freelance writer.

I am not a world famous author, nor a teacher of creative writing. I am just a guy sharing what I’ve learned. If you are wondering if I’m just parroting what others have said or actually know something to talk about, check out the About The Author page. I think you will see that while I may not be on the NYT Best Sellers list, I *do* have some experience.

While exploring your web site and blogs, I read your article Writing for Profit or Pleasure: Where (and how) to Publish and was impressed by the amount of information it contained. Useful tips, thoughtful suggestions and concise instruction. I understand you share details in your book, Writing for Profit or Pleasure; Where to Publish Your Work. Can you tell us more about it?

Yes, my book is 146 pages, 30,000 words of concise, insightful information about where and how a writer can achieve publication of their writings. Whether you write for income or for the joy of it, whether you aspire to write on-line or for print, this book has a wealth of information to help you find and secure publication.

It can be purchased through Amazon as a print book , in Kindle format and for the Nook .

Can you share a tip with my readers?

In my view, blogging and social media are about quality not quantity. By that I mean that gathering a group of 2,000 people who are actually interested in what you say and will read your stuff is far more valuable than 10,000 people who ignore you. Big numbers may look impressive, but are of little use other than impressing people who don't know better.

Very true words of wisdom! Thank you for visiting us at Writers in Business! Readers, you can learn more about Allan Douglas by visiting him online at Allan Douglas.com.