Tag: wordpress

Posted in Uncategorized, Writing

10 Tips For a Better Blogging Experience-Revised

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

I’ve been blogging off and on for about 8 years. During that time, I did not take advantage of the amazing community that WordPress has become to me until the last few years. Don’t make the same mistake. I would like to share some of what I’ve learned with you. If you would like to expand your readership or enhance your WordPress experience, these points might be helpful. I do not claim to be any kind of expert. I just want to share my experience and possibly spare you some of the mistakes I’ve made.

  1. SHARE–The biggest lesson I’ve learned here is to share your knowledge. It will come back to you 10-fold. The bloggers on WordPress are incredibly generous with their knowledge. You should be just as generous.
  2. GIVE CREDIT–Be sure to give credit where credit is due. If you are copying an idea or using a photo, give credit to that person. They deserve it for their hard work!
  3. CONNECT–Step out and connect with other bloggers. As you develop relationships with these people, you will learn from them. Explore!WordPress has a worldwide selection of topics.
  4. ASK QUESTIONS–If you have questions about blogging or writing, ASK! If your recipe for bread dough is falling flat and you want help, ASK! Your fellow bloggers are more than willing to help!
  5. DO THE WORK–Your blog will flourish, depending on the amount of work you are willing to put into it. This is a mistake I made for a long time. Not only do you need to write and post here, but get around to other blogs. Read, comment, follow!
  6. SPREAD THE JOY–If you see a post that makes you laugh, or expands your knowledge, tell that person. Leave a comment! Reblog! It’s important!
  7. USE WORDPRESS–Wordpress has a ton of tutorials. There are also awesome WordPress blogs that will give you ongoing information if you follow them. Take advantage of this free information. WordPress wants to help you!
  8. BE ACTIVE–Be sure to respond to comments. Visit other’s blogs. Read, follow and comment.
  9. BE THANKFUL–Be gracious. Thank those that help you. Return the favor. Spread the love!
  10. BE ACTIVE–This was probably the biggest mistake I made. I do not post on a set-in-stone routine. I try to post a few times a week. If you do not post often enough, people will lose interest.

*I’d like to add a couple more suggestions for a Better Blogging Experience.

1. Be polite. If you don’t agree with something, that’s no reason to be rude. Move along to something that better fits your tastes.

2. Have Fun! Once you spend a little time here, you will begin to really enjoy the community and the connections that you make.

Have fun with this experience!

Copyright (C) 2022 Penny Wilson

Posted in Life, Writing

I Know… You Warned Me!

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

I know, I know, you warned me again and again about the Block Editor that WordPress has insisted upon us using. That it was coming. That there were tutorials & how-tos. That I should practice with it.

Obviously, I have resisted. What I was using worked, worked great, in fact! Why fix it if it’s not broke? Right?

Well, WordPress has forced my hand. So here I am, stumbling over the building blocks of the Block Editor. ha ha… 😦

WordPress has also been playing around with other parts of the site lately too. I find that I have to search for things that I used to be able to locate with no problem. Why, WordPress, why??

I know that with time, this will become old-hat. But why push me out of my comfort zone? Was the Classic Editor some weird threat to WordPress? Did it allow a security hole of some kind? What was the harm?

If you know of a work-around or a way to get back the Classic Editor, PLEASE let me know.

No, I don’t want to be told ‘how easy’ the Block Editor is. I’m mad, dammit! And I want to stay that way! 🙂

Copyright (C) Penny Wilson 2021

Image by Tikwa from Pixabay 

Posted in Life, Writing

Playing Favorites Friday-Minnesota Prairie Roots

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

Welcome to the 2nd installment of my Friday Favorites!  This is where I share with you some information about a Favorite Blog that I follow.  I have many many favorites.  Today’s favorite is Minnesota Prairie Roots

If you’ve not discovered Audrey’s amazing blog, you’re missing out!!  Minnesota Prairie Roots is a collection of observations of rural life done by not only in word, but also by Audrey’s beautiful photography.  She explores the back roads and the off-the-beaten-track spots in Southern Minnesota.

The landscape in Audrey’s “back yard” can vary from desolate to picturesque through her sharp eye and camera lens.  She speaks eloquently of the sometimes overlooked simple pleasures of small town life. She may write about a colorful flea market or a day on the road to her favorite hamburger joint.  Regardless, you will love being along for the ride!  Her posts are full of a richness you can feel.

THIS will give a taste of Audrey’s Beautiful photography and her beloved Minnesota that she writes about.

I love Audrey’s blog for many reasons.  One reason is because of her stand against Domestic Abuse.  She’s writes articles regularly on the subject.  One such post on the subject can be seen HERE.

Audrey has always been kind, encouraging and greatly supportive to me since I connected with her on WordPress.  She’s a person I proudly consider a friend.

So be sure to visit Minnesota Prairie Roots today and show Audrey some love.  Browse through her posts and amazing photography.  You’ll be glad you did!

(C) 2019 Penny Wilson

Posted in Uncategorized

Playing Favorites Friday “Trent’s World (The Blog)”

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

Happy Friday all!  We all have our favorites, right?  Favorite food, favorite music, etc.  I have favorite blogs.  Many, many favorites.  🙂  I decided that I need to be sharing these favorites with you.  After all, they ARE wonderful and that’s why they are favorites, right?

So today is my first of many (I hope) favorites, that I wish to share with you.  In no particular order, I’ll tell you a little about them and why they are my favorite blogs to visit.  Please be sure to drop by and give their blog a look-see.  You won’t be sorry and they might just become a favorite of yours too!

My very first favorite is Trent’s World (The Blog) 

I start with Trent’s blog because he is one of the very first bloggers I connected with on WordPress.  He’s always been kind, inspiring and helpful to me from day one.  His blog is a treasure trove of short stories, not-so-short stories, prose, photography, art and various other things.

Trent does a Weekly Smile piece that is always fun to check out and participate in.  Trent is a very active blogger and participates in a number of prompts and challenges here.

Trent now has 4 books in print and 5th one coming soon!  He’s a prolific writer who weaves colorful and imaginative stories.  You can check out his book titles and descriptions HERE.

So be sure to check out Trent’s blog.  It’s worth your time and it may just become a favorite of yours too!

(C) 2019 Penny Wilson

Next Friday, Playing Favorites Friday #2.  Be sure to watch for it! 🙂

 

 

REBLOG:  Be sure to look at my friend Trent’s blog and check out his books!  Quite the accomplishments here, Trent!  Way to go!! 🙂

My time for writing and blogging disappeared half way through the week, but I wanted to do a post. Hey, why don’t I talk about my books?! So here is a list of books with their blurbs in order of publication: Seasons of Imagination Trent P. McDonald’s Seasons of Imagination contains an eclectic mix of […]

via Books to This Point… — Trent’s World (the Blog)

Books to This Point… — Trent’s World (the Blog)

Quote• Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes
Posted in Life, Writing

Doing Time :)

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

I received this notification Thursday morning from WordPress. Wow! I’ve actually been blogging closer to 7 years but deleted my original blog.  (long story)

During my time on WP, my blog has morphed from its original purpose.  At first it was just a place to express myself.  It still is.  But it’s also so much more.

I don’t have a theme to my blog and that worried me for some time.  There are cooking blogs and fashion blogs.  There are photography blogs and writing blogs.  There are blogs about poetry and blogs about fiction.  What is my blog about?  When I figure that out, I’ll be sure to let you know.

WP gives me a creative outlet.  I write poetry and the occasional flash fiction.  I try not to complain too much, but when I’m at a low point, I know that this is one place I can come to and express myself and not be judged.

I write about things that are important to me.  Like the stigma surrounding Mental Health, Depression and Suicide Prevention.  I like to think that in some small way, my words make a difference.

I write about the highs and lows in my life; my accomplishments and my failures.  All the while, I’ve been blessed with a supportive and encouraging audience here.  I’ve made many friends.  It’s a good chance that I will never meet any of them away from my computer screen.  But they are no less precious to me for this fact.

So, WordPress is much more than a blog.  Family is part of my life.  Writing is part of my life.  Friendship is part of my life.

WordPress is a big part of my life.

Thank you for joining me on this journey! ❤ Penny

Posted in Writing

Playing It Safe

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

I’ve been going through the tedious process of making sure that I have every single post from my WordPress account backed up.  This is all Michael’s fault.  🙂  He posted a very good piece on this very subject.  If you head over to Afterwards, you can see his post there.  Be sure to browse his site.  You’ll be glad you did!

I’ve made a very interesting discovery while going through the process of backing up these files.  That discovery is that I’ve written a LOT of stories about my life.  I had no idea.  I don’t have a final count yet.  I’ve not finished the process of backing everything up yet.

What surprises me about this is that these stories have just…happened.  They were nothing that I TRIED to write.  I would just sit down at the keyboard, much like I am doing tonight, needing to post something (day 16 of my 30 day post-a-day challenge) and boom!  There it is, another story!

It’s going to be interesting to see what the final outcome is!

Ok, I am waaaaay off topic.  WordPress is not fool proof, as many of us have painfully discovered at one time or another.  Back it up, back it up, back it up, my friends!

Copyright (C) 2018 Penny Wilson

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized, Writing

Stats

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

I feel a little like the poor wounded potato in the picture above.  (I like this picture and this gives me another excuse to use it!) I took a couple of days off work in order to have a medical test done.  No worries, routine stuff.  And Boy have I ever paid for it!

Continue reading “Stats” →

Posted in Uncategorized, Writing

Friends I’ve Never Met

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

I’ve been blogging off and on now for 6 plus years.  In that time, I’ve seen bloggers come and go.  I’ve done the same thing.  There has been times when my blog went cold for months and at other times I’ve written every day.

If you spend much time on WordPress, you get to know a person’s writing style.  There are bloggers I seek out, if I don’t happen to see them in my Reader Feed, because I especially enjoy their blog.

Continue reading “Friends I’ve Never Met” →