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.

Are You Crazy? Give Up My What?

January 26, 2016October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 7 Comments

DAILY PROMPT: Life After Blogs Your life without a computer: what does it look like?

Courtesy of Unsplash.com & Pexels

Oh, this is a tough one. As a culture, we have become so technically attached the thought of going without a computer or iPhone sends us into a frenzy. It’s like a smoker without their cigarettes – we don’t have a clue what to do with our hands. And, for the record, I’ve never been a smoker, but I’ve heard that is a problem when kicking the habit. But back to the topic at hand. What would I do if all my computers disappeared? My phone turned into a rotary dial, my Kindle into pages, and my iPad into a chalkboard or even better, an etch-a-sketch.

But back to the topic at hand. What would I do if all my computers disappeared? My phone turned into a rotary dial, my Kindle into pages, and my iPad into a chalkboard or even better, an etch-a-sketch.

A feeling of nostalgia swept over me just typing that sentence. Growing up, we could have never imagined the kinds of technology the future would bring to our fingertips. 2001 seemed like a space odyssey fantasy. But here we are, and the advances are truly space age.

As a young girl, I spent my days outside in the sun. Swinging, hiking in the cow pasture, riding bikes, catching lightening bugs, or daydreaming under a tree. I read book after book and wrote endless essays, poems and letters in a journal. My sisters and I talked about boys, school, each other, how to do makeup and hair, or how we could decipher the words of Mick Jagger’s song, Can’t Get No Satisfaction.

Without all this technology, I would read more, taking baking classes, spend more time at our lake house, or travel. I’d write letters to those I love and leave them with tangible words to remember me by. I’d visit my neighbors or family members more often. And, I’d learn to be still; to enjoy the quietness of life.

Technology has been a tremendous force in our lives. In many ways, it has enhanced our lives, made things easier and more convenient.

Yet, like a coin or a story, there are always two sides. The reverse side of all this wonderful, addicting, convenient technology is a disconnection, lack of intimacy, social isolation, and the inability to communicate with each other.

I’m not sure the tradeoff was worth it.

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.

Confessions of a Comma Whore

January 20, 2016October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 14 Comments

Do you have a grammar sin? You know, that one irritating grammar rule, you consistently get wrong. Well, I do. I’m a comma whore. I tend to place commas the way I speak and not according to accepted grammar rules.

I first wrote about this issue in 2012 and since that time believed I’d conquered that grammar demon (for the most part). Unfortunately, I’m sad to report, she’s reared her ugly head again and in the most humiliating way.

I’m in the process of publishing a collection of short stories and when I received feedback from my editor, I almost fainted (not really). The comma whore had dance all through those stories as if designing a roadmap.

Needless to say, I had revisions to do. In the spirit of helping others who suffer with me, here are some helpful resources. Beyond that, it might take counseling.

Resources for the Comma Challenged:

Strunk & White’s, The Elements of Style is the number one grammar book recommended for writers everywhere. The Kindle edition available on Amazon for free.

Want something more? Check out the power point presentations from Guide to Grammar and Writing. Here you can find everything you need to bone up on your grammar.

Available on Kindle: $9.99

I had the pleasure of winning a copy of the book, Grammar Girls Quick & Dirty Tricks For Better Writing, from 101Word.org. Thanks, Shannon and I encourage all of you to check out the stories shared at 101 Words.

And finally, don’t forget about the software editing tools that are available.

Grammarly

About: Corrects over 250 types of grammatical mistakes, catches contextual spelling errors, poor vocabulary usage, and enhances clarity and meaning.
An automated proofreader and grammar coach.
Windows compatible.
Can be downloaded as an office add-in to your WordPerfect.
Now fully compatible with Mac computers.
Offers a browser extension for Safari, Chrome, and Firefox browsers.
Desktop App
Cost/Membership: $29.95/month; $59.99/quarter, and $139.99/annual.

EditMinion

About: A copy editor that helps refine your writing. A copy and paste Beta program, it is word limited.
What it Does: Identifies common mistakes, such as adverbs, passive voice, weak words, ‘said’ replacements, ending with prepositions and often-misplaced words.
Cost/Membership: Free

Writer’s Diet: Is your writing flabby or lean?

About: Designed by Helen Sword, this program evaluates writing samples of 100-1000 words.
What it Does: Looks at each category: verbs, nouns, adjectives/ adverbs, prepositions, and waste words (is, that, this, there) and scores the work from lean – to heart attack.
Cost/Membership: A great, free tool!

So, there you have it. This comma whore is headed to school.What about you? Do you have a grammar sin?

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.

Excuse Me?

January 18, 2016October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 14 Comments

Photo courtesy of hubpages.com

The Daily Post Prompt: Modern Families – If one of your late ancestors were to come back from the dead and join you for dinner, what things about your family would this person find the most shocking?

My family isn’t much different than any other family. It’s blended; kids have their heads stuck in technology rather than communicating, expect more than we did, and the grandkids, are spoiled rotten (hard not to). I, like most parents, today, have been too lenient.

I come from a long line of hard working, strong, and outspoken women. They were practical, knew how to pinch a penny, keep a clean house, and their children towed the line. I grew up in the era of good manners ((ma’am and sir), respect for elders, an active participant in family chores (cooking, cleaning, and babysitting our siblings), and I understood, early on, a smart mouth was better left shut.

My siblings and I didn’t receive allowances; we worked after school as soon as were eligible, spent more time outside than inside, behaved in school (or else), strived for A’s and B’s (or else), and owning our own car was a pipe dream. We understood kids and adults were different. The adults made the rules, and we obeyed.

Today, the world, families, and our kids are a different breed, and I have no doubt, if one of my ancestors returned for a visit, they would be stunned. Oh, it wouldn’t be the endless numbers of toys, the technology, or that each child drove a car.

Nope, it would be the lack of family interaction (think cell phones & texting), the lack of courtesy and basic manners. The demand for things, the attitude that they deserve whatever they want without working for them, contributing to, or knowing getting whatever, might place a financial hardship on the parents. Of course, my kids were angels and never behaved this way. (hehe).

Of course, this is on us, the parents. We’ve relegated the responsibilities of raising kids that understand the concept of hard work, respect, community, common decency, and common-sense manners, to society.

I have no doubt my ancestor’s mouth would drop open and within seconds set us all straight.

“Excuse me? What did you just say to your mother?”

She’d be off and running and by the time she finished, we all would have felt as if we’d been to the woodshed.

Not a bad idea. Perhaps, we should bring the woodshed back.

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.