I’M NEW. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

It’s interesting, looking at an earlier post and realizing how many “givens” have changed since you wrote it. It was just a few years ago. But oh my, how times have changed.

Maybe I’m just getting a bit beat up from having hung around the blog world too long … or maybe it’s the endless pressure of political reality that is making me crazy and mentally exhausted. Maybe it’s everything.

I think it’s harder to blog now than it was. We used to be able to have fun –without feeling the responsibilities of the world. Funny, light, and airy have become harder to find. Some elements of humor have gone out the window. It’s not that I wanted them to go away, but it has been hard to let go of the awful developments going on around us.

That being said, I can’t talk about the “issues” all the time. I can’t even think about them all the time. In that direction lies madness.

Everyone knows that there are dangerous developments in the world, but we can’t think about them every minute of every day. The world is undergoing a bad turn. We are atop that evil pile. I often wonder if I’m still living in the same country. Is this America?

And it’s international too. Is this my world or have slipped into a parallel reality?

Nonetheless, the basic rules still apply — with a few caveats. WordPress is no longer providing any kind of support to bloggers. No prompts, no awards, no nothing. They ply you with endless advertisements to join up with their “business plan” even if you don’t have a business. They pay no attention to what we ask for. Instead, they give us what they feel like giving us … IF they feel like giving us anything. And they do not believe in beta testing their software.

Don’t count on WordPress to give you a hand. They won’t. Do count on fellow bloggers to give you a hand because we will if we can.

So:

• • Do what you love. If it’s writing, write. Photography? Take pictures. Excuses are boring. A lot of people spend more time explaining why they can’t write or take a sharp picture than actually writing or focusing the camera.
  • Don’t whine. We all have problems. (Remind me I said this.) If you are going to whine, try to be funny too.
  • We are all entitled to a good online rant. Just not every day.
  • Funny is good.
  • Keep posts short or at least as concise as you can — given the subject. Some things need more words than others, but when you’re running over a thousand words, put the post away and read it again later or better yet, the next day. I bet you’ll find at least 500 (or more )words you can cut.
  • Don’t post blurry, bad pictures. Learn to look at your work and appraise it as if it were someone else’s.
  • Work on improving your craft(s). Write better. Take better pictures.
  • Proofread! If, like me, you’re a terrible proofreader, use whatever free proofing device you can find. I’m using the free version of Grammarly. I hate to admit it, but it has helped.
  • Follow your gut. If your gut isn’t telling you anything, try your brain and imagination. If that’s not working, read a book.
  • STICK WITH IT. You don’t build a following in a week or two.
  • PERSEVERE! You need to post regularly and often. If you don’t post regularly and often, your readers will wander away.
  • Many followers will wander no matter what you do. They have their own lives and their own reasons. It isn’t about you. Every two or three years, with some important exceptions, you’ll find you have a new group of followers.
  • You never know who is reading you. Many folks read, but many fewer comment. Most won’t even drop a “like.” I’ve been shocked at who reads my blog.
  • Don’t let other people’s stats make you envious. If you stick with it, you’ll get there too. 
  • Check your facts if you are writing anything that contains facts. It’s called credibility. You need it no matter what your government is doing.

Categories: #Blogging, #Photography, #Writing, social media, WordPress

Tags: #Blogging, #Photography, Advice, creativity, humor, Marilyn Armstrong, WordPress, writing