It’s Official I’ve Lost My Mind

February 22, 2016March 8, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 30 Comments

I used to work a forty hour week, handle two kids, help with homework, and cook – yes, every night.

For the life of me, I don’t know what the hell happened. I’ve been retired for twenty years and with each passing year, the hours of the day, shrink.

We’re only six weeks out to my favorite time of year and one of the busiest times for me – Spring. More specifically, April. My granddaughter’s birthday is at the beginning of the month, and I’ve planned a week of travel to Washington DC in the middle of the month for my daughter’s birthday.

So, what do I do? Signed up for the Blogging A -Z Challenge for April 2016.

Yep, it’s official. I don’t have a clue what came over me.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

Stats Reveal How to connect With Your Readers

February 9, 2016October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 16 Comments

The Daily Prompt: The Stat Connection

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Go to your Stats page and check your top 3-5 posts. Why do you think they’ve been successful? Find the connection between them, and write about it.

Stats for the Cow Pasture Chronicles in 2015:

Views: 5,968
Vistors: 3,365

Top 3 Posts in 2015:

Home Page/Archives – 1,137 views
Submit or Not to Submit – This post had a total of 472 views.
Top 5 Resources for Contests and Submissions – 310 views
About Me – 162 views
Access Denied – received 116 views.

Top views went to the home page which includes the archives and my latest post. It’s the first impression point of connection. The other posts ranking highest in views offered information.

Writers at all levels understand the value of submitting work for publication. Submit or Not to Submit discussed the time-consuming but necessary tasks, outlined the benefits, and cautions of taking the leap of sending your words out into the world.

Top 5 Resources for Contests and Submissions takes the work out of the submission process by providing 5 resources for the writer who is ready to submit. Putting yourself out there can be intimidating, but the rewards are worth the anxiety. Acceptance promotes confidence, encourages creativity, is one of the best avenues for perfecting the craft, and provides both validation and recognition.

Readers want to know who you are, your credentials, and why your blog exists. An engaging About Me page not only introduces you to your readers, but provides the personal connection so necessary in drawing readers to your blog.

I like tackling difficult topics and Access Denied is one of those posts. Providing information on the intellectual rights of a writer’s work and how to secure those rights, after you’re gone.

What was the Connection? In a word information.

Writers, particularly newer writers, seek out information that is beneficial to them. Whether it helps them improve the skill of writing or offers the chance for recognition.

3 Things I Learned by Reviewing the Stats:

My readers want information, even if they’ve heard it before.
Readers want easy access to the resources that help them improve or succeed.
Providing resources and information into the readers mailbox is a win-win for everyone.

What are your blog stats saying about you? What did you learn and will you change the types of posts you write?

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

Advice to New Bloggers – 10 Things to Make Your Blog Great

January 27, 2016October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 5 Comments

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DAILY PROMPT: Key Takeaway – Give your newer sisters and brothers-in-WordPress one piece of advice based on your experiences blogging.

So many blogs travel the internet highway; it’s a wonder we don’t see more of them crash and burns. Some blogs do fall by the wayside or just fail to take off, but with planning and preparation, your blog can be successful from the very start.

I started my blog on eBlogger in 2009 and transferred to WordPress two years later. It has been an eventful journey. During the process I discovered, as with many things, I’d taken the hard road.

My advice to new bloggers is this: Blogging has a learning curve. Be patient and prepared to stay on it for as long as it takes. I’m still learning something new every day, but If I had the chance to start over, I’d begin with these 10 things.

10 Things to Make Your Blog Great

Start with the support section of WordPress and read everything you can about how to start and maintain a blog.
Utilize the tutorials offered.
Check out the how-to posts on blogging (including the FAQ‘s).
Check out WordPress Reader to find favorite topics and recommended blogging sites. Make notes and reach out to them with questions.
Decide what your blog will be about. Is it a catchall, a writing site, or will it cover a particular niche?
Learn as much as you can about analytics, keywords, and search engine optimization (SEO).
Check out the Course Blogging 101 for Beginners. An excellent course offered by the WordPress Daily Post.
Understand and respect blogging etiquette.
Check out the many wonder resources on starting a blog from the video library of YouTube.
Then make a scheduled plan. Do you plan to blog when you feel like it, once a week, daily, or monthly? Whatever you decide, stick to it.

Blogging is a fun enterprise and for some a source of income. However, blogging is time-consuming and hard work. Before you start writing the first post, be sure you understand what you’re getting into. The WordPress library of support is the best place to begin making your blog great.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

Look Fear in the Face and Kick

January 9, 2016October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 18 Comments

Sink or Swim

You’ve heard the adage, sink or swim. It’s a phrase often shared when one is facing something difficult, be it a choice, future, task, or survival. When we find ourselves with little recourse in life, sometimes all we have left is to take a leap of faith.

Sink or swim is a simple, to the point, and powerful statement. It offers only two choices – success or failure. It’s also an affirmation of what each of us is capable of doing.

I left home before the age of eighteen under difficult circumstances, moved to the city, thirty minutes from my home, and rented a one-room apartment. My apartment, situated on the top floor, consisted of a bedroom, unheated kitchen (unless you counted the oven) and a shared bathroom across the hall in an old, rundown house. Located in a “bad” section of town it was, thankfully, close to city transportation.

At seventeen, in school with only a part-time job, I was on my own, and anything after that was my doing. I could either wither under the pressure, let fear paralyze me, or soar under the wings of freedom. I could either sink or swim. I chose the latter.

I learned about public transportation, memorized the bus schedule, and discovered the power underneath my legs. If the bus didn’t go in my direction, my legs did. I penny-pinched and learned the value of a dollar. I studied hard, made friends, and fought back the fear of unchartered territory with determination and confidence I didn’t feel until much later.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.”

Two years later, I would graduate nursing school, marry, and begin a family. To this day, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life and left memories that still bring a smile to my face. At seventeen, I looked fear in the face and I kicked.

“Faith is believing that one of two things will happen. That there will be something solid for you to stand on or that you will be taught to fly.” Unknown