How to add RSS widgets to your WordPress page June 25, 2009

I was having difficulty trying to add an RSS feed subscription button to the sidebar on the right side of this page. Whenever I would add the widget, all of my other boxes in the sidebar would disappear. I put it down to the fact that WordPress.com doesn’t have many features, and if I wanted the widget displayed, I’d have to pay for the service. No so. I have finally figured out how to do it.

Click on dashboard then appearance then widgets.
Move the widgets you want into the sidebar on the right.
Make sure you also move the links widget. This is the box that contains all the information you have already had up (the old sidebar).
Click add on the text widget. Paste in the HTML code given to you by Feedburner, save it, and move it over to the sidebar into the first position (if that’s where you want it).
Save and close.

What are widgets?
Widgets are links (in the form of images or text) to the information they advertise.

What’s an RSS feeed?
RSS feed is a service that feeds information from Web sites to subscribed readers. This feed can be sent to a feed reader/aggregator or to an individual’s e-mail address. Readers that subscribe to your blog this way are sent your newest blog posts as soon as they are published.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Things every writer needs (according to tweeters) June 23, 2009

Things every writer needs (in my opinion):

Paper and pen by the bed, on the desk, in your purse (or man-purse). This covers every possible moment of muse-like thought. Write it down!

Dictionary. Word may have spell check but it’s not always reliable.

Thesaurus. A thesaurus is available on Word but it is limited with its suggestions for synonyms. Any time you can substitute a clichéd, oft-used word with another, do it.

Microsoft Word. Word still frustrates me but I’m getting more and more used to him. Yes. Him. Without him, I would not write much, and what I do write would be scrunched into balls of paper at the bottom of my purse, not neatly filed in my writing/work/blog/drafts folders.

Outlook. How else am I supposed to track six e-mail addresses?

More input from Twitter friends:
@TonyNoland
Thick skin. Coffee. A thesaurus. A library card. Curiosity. Patience. Impatience. Support. A day job. Hope. AA batteries. Time.

@HelenLeather
To learn to finish, that can be tough.
Every writer needs honest feedback, the nerve to ask for & get it, and to decide whether to make changes as a result, or not.
Every writer needs to carry a notepad & pen at all times!
Every writer needs courage, confidence and support, at least from themselves, from others is a bonus.

@mp3mad
Every writer needs
a) a pen/pencil
b)something to write on

@russmarshalek
Coffee

@charliechap
Every writer needs bathroom breaks. This I have learned. =)

@ToniMcGeeCausey
Tenacity. Imagination. Discipline. Rebellion. Desire. Job to pay the bills in the mean time. Diet Coke.

It looks like our common elements of necessity are people or things that support us physically, mentally, and practically. So move on in the delights of kind words, addictive drinks and other foodstuffs ( I can’t believe no one mentioned chocolate); and to your own self (or stomach) be true.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Spruce up your blog June 21, 2009

‘Tis a far far better thing that I just did than I have ever done (with my blog). Bloggiesta is now over, and I am highly grateful to Maw Books for hosting it, and to her friends for the many challenges they put forth.

I typed my last words at 2 a.m. on a laptop while in bed. My husband’s hopes of activity were sorely dashed, but I had to let Ruth of the Bookish Ruth blog know that I had completed her challenge so that I could be in with a chance to win her prize. What that is, I have no idea. IE won’t let me read her page anymore. After telling my husband that information, he felt even more special.

Here is what I have done after forty-eight hours of challenges:
Written two back-up posts for rainy/busy days
Invited a guest blogger
Created a template post with my “add this” button and my editing services banner. (Isn’t the banner great? I can’t believe I managed to pull that one off without high-tech hubby’s help!)
Cleaned up tags and my sidebar
Made an inksnatcher favicon
Edited and updated my “about me” page and some older posts
Left a comment on the pages of those who put forth the challenges
Learned that I need to offer the RSS feed via e-mail, I should post serial posts, and I should have a photo in my “about me” section.
Brought all of my social network profiles up to date
Got a second gravatar
Read some tips from the Blogging Tips group on the Book Blogs Ning
Wrote a rainy day opinion post
Read and commented on ten new blogs
Set up Google alerts to give me info. on who talks about me and my services, and when
Gave an elevator pitch about my blog
Got listed on two new blog search engines
Begged for a blogging friend–one possibility in the works
Learned how to anchor text
Read five articles from 27 Must Read Tips & Tutorials for Bloggers
Had my blog graded—got 67/100
Added my URLs to Delicious

I’m whacked. I think I’ve put in about twenty-six hours. Nap time now.:)

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Bloggiesta: challenge you, I do June 19, 2009

The bloggiesta is a blog effort by Natasha of Maw Books Blog to help us all get our blogs cleaned up, spruced up, and ahead of the game. Sheer genius on her part, I might add. The challenge started this morning and ends on Sunday morning at 8 a.m., which means that I am already behind.

Bloggers know that in order to keep any sort of following, a blog must be updated two to three times a week, but things happen that distract us. Sometimes tweeters just keep on putting up good tweets, and we start reading all the linked pages, or we get invited to Starbucks or a child decides to tell us that his semester-long project is due the next day (without our knowing he had a project at all). It would be bliss to have some blog drafts already written and ready to post.

I’ve cut and pasted Natasha’s list into Word so that I can tick things off as they are done. I hope to have at least five posts saved by day’s end, along with some information on how to fix my page so that I can show buttons.

Have fun!

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Book cover #3—opinions needed June 15, 2009

Improved (for the third time) cover of Joy in a Box. Naturally, we’ll buy the photo rights once we decide to use it. Photos were the easiest thing to put into the box as creating each item would be too labor-intensive. I still want a better font.

Opinions?

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Help with book cover # 2 June 14, 2009

Improved cover of Joy in a Box.

Opinions?

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Possible book cover June 13, 2009

Just in—first idea for the cover of Joy in a Box.

So what do you think? Does this make you want to buy the book? Does it reflect the fact that it’s a mix of different genres?

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Sometimes, the unexpected happens June 10, 2009

Sometimes things just happen, and you haven’t pre-planned them, and you’re not quite sure if you could ever orchestrate anything like them again.

My family and I were at a conference all weekend. After the Saturday morning session, we asked if we could tag along (with the organizers and speakers) for lunch. We didn’t get to sit with the speakers, but we did sit with their assistants. The conversation had hardly started when we talked about writing. I handed over my card and was asked if I did ghostwriting. When I said that I was a ghostwriter for Destiny Image, a feather fell from the air above . . . inside the restaurant. . . . Was it an angel flying off once his assignment was completed? I’ll never know.

However, I now have a two-book ghostwriting contract with one of the speakers. On the way out, we stopped to speak to the other speaker—a man we had had the good fortune of having lunch with the previous Christmas. I asked him if he still wanted me to edit his book, as I had heard nothing from him for six months. He said that he had had at least six others offer to edit it for him but he really wanted me to do it, as I “get him.”

All this work should keep me busy for the next five months.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

I am a superhero

I am a superhero. I tighten my belt buckle in anticipation of the day ahead. There are children to save, hungry to feed, bad guys to stop and fling into dark deep outer space.

I am a superhero.

First, I must have my superhero electrolyte drink called coffee. It surges through my system like agents running away from mobsters. My heart speeds up. My belt feels tighter already.

I am a superhero.

The kitchen begins my day. It sets the mood, once the coffee reaches my superpower brain. Six hands join mine as together we are an unbeatable team, swiping at baddies until the area is clear of crime.

I am a superhero.

My team must be trained constantly. Alertness, knowledge, quick impulses, self-motivation—all must be instilled into the world’s future superheroes. My nimble, multi-tasking fingers slip training materials into the DVD player. There is nothing that will oppose this squad in the future. Both together and individually, they will stun everyone within 200 feet.

I am a superhero.

My hands whip my cloak from my sides and sort through liquids, sustenance, and power surge snacks for these hungry powerhouses.

I am a superhero.

We fly through the outdoor air, hands ahead of noses, sniffing for enemy activity. We land at resource headquarters, ready to stock up on important supplies for future missions.

I am a superhero.

The agency director returns to headquarters, regaling us with stories of his heroic efforts in the field. We crowd around him, lusting after testimonies like his own.

I am a superhero.

We lie in our temporary resting cabins with more training materials. This time, we read of other superheroes. We close our eyes and see them soar and conquer and serve.

I tiptoe out. The world is safe for another day.

I am a superhero.

I cuddle next to my partner is goodness. We are on a mission together. It is a mission that may take many years to accomplish, but we are prepared. We have each other’s superpowers to draw on. Out trainees show tremendous potential. We share the same power source.

The lights turn out.

I am a superhero . . . that welcomes sleep.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Interviewed about my book, Joy in a Box June 8, 2009

Becky Cortino, author of three books on healing with humor, interviewed me the other day about many aspects of my life—when I started writing, what brought me to America, what my book is about, and what I offer to clients through my editing service.

Interview with Becky Cortino about my book

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM