Exploring Outside the Blog

I'm going back to working with text files again and start working with pdf. A webzine, rather than a blog. Well, a webzine as a working name.

Running a blog has become ruined with marketing and pressure to conform. I've always liked doing things my own way. Following all the "rules" for bloggers means putting marketing first. I don't want to do that. Yet, each time I try to get working on my sites again there is all that stuff telling everyone how to do everything better, almost always involving SEO and marketing. I don't want to live like everything is for sale. I don't want to blog that way either. So, blogging is out.

Of course, that means deciding what blogging actually is and what I want to do next. Once upon a time it was a web log, keeping dated entries about changes made to your projects on the web. Some personal posts became sprinkled in and next thing you had the personal online journal. Blogs came from that, later. Dated entries were the key to what was a blog and what was not. That is so lost these days, there are blogs which don't want to post dates at all. They call it evergreen. I call it, not a blog.

I have a lot of old content to merge with something new. Once I take it out of CMS software I won't have to keep trying to find ways to make it display for software, just the txt or pdf file type. That will be a LOT easier.

I'm keeping something blog-like to post things I find along the way, in niche and topical blogish displays. Likely on Blogger because I can use Open Live Writer to create the post and then filter it to whichever site I want it to show up on. They will be content curation sites, not blogs. I can post links to niche sources in the sidebars, as I find good links. But, dates, marketing, and professional templates won't be important.

The Joomla Image Upload and Post Editing is Bugging Me

I am trying. I have made progress. But, the Joomla post editing and image uploading are not very user friendly. I feel like I'm working with a sluggish elephant.

I don't know yet about template changes. I'm leaving that until the end as I go through the guide I'm using to get around Joomla. It is quite different from WordPress, especially in the beginning. My big break through seems to have been understanding that everything has a category, not just your blog posts, or links. It does add more function to your site, what you can do with what you have. But, it also makes it complicated. When you have a glitch it becomes a real job to find the source because there are so many places to look. As a beginner I'm finding it very time consuming.

Last week I was at the point of giving up and trying yet another CMS. But, I stuck it out. I did find the problem that time but, the same solution did not fix (what seems to be) the same problem on two other sites. 

So far the post editor and image uploader are bugging me every time I post. Maybe some of that will be fixed with a different theme/ template. But, with all the function in Joomla why is it so hard to do the simple things? I'm at the point of disliking using images with my posts. 

Also, I am discouraged about the link thing. I left WordPress because it was becoming focused on commercial sites and web developers with clients rather than individuals building their own site. As I get to know Joomla I see the same trend here. The link manager was taken out of the core CMS. Why remove a feature people might actually like to use? Because web developers don't want anything Google SEO says it doesn't like.

Most of Joomla's extensions (plugins, if you prefer WordPress speak) are premium. Sure there are some outdated free extensions, but they tend not to work, or even upload into Joomla 3. Other free versions are so limited the point of them is just to make people realize there isn't any point to doing without the premium/ professional extension. 

I miss having spellcheck when I write a post. I can't even use keyboard shortcuts in the post editor. So I need to open the code editor to cut and paste or add text to any post with HTML. I did look at post editors and related extensions. That was a land of confusion in itself. Most of them combine a template maker into the whole process, as if that will fix everything. But, I did not find any of them which were just post editors which would work with my existing posts in Joomla articles. Two which I might have used wanted to import everything and make second copies for the extension. Then you (I) have to remember to use the extension to make every post I write from then on. Well, what if something goes wrong? What if the extension is abandoned, dies with some fatal error, etc? Where would that leave me and all my posts, not quite in Joomla but sort of in Joomla? 

I have yet to find a way to schedule posts. Everything has to be made a featured post in order to show up on my site. Then every new post is either published or not published. There is no way to schedule a date for it to post. Yes, I can leave posts sitting outside of featured but I would really rather not have to remember to post them, or need to be online in order to post them. (I do like to get away the odd time and leave the electronics behind).

I think that's everything bugging me. Possibly more will come to mind between now and now when I post this. 

If I hadn't bought two books (print) to help me figure Joomla out... If I hadn't spent money on 3 premium Joomla extensions (and not found any of them to be what I had hoped)... If I hadn't spent months migrating and renovating my sites since leaving WordPress (late last year!)... I think I would stop using Joomla at this point. But, there should be a point where you don't go back and stick with your guns, right? 

Anyway, what else would I try? I've been through almost a dozen CMS since last year. I do know, I am not going back to WordPress. The problems with WordPress are still there. The time of the independent web publisher is getting tougher, but not drying up yet. However, I am watching for that big chunk of meteor rock falling from the sky.

Did Disqus Kill Commenting?

When you think about it, did Disqus kill blog commenting? I stopped commenting on other sites because of Disqus. Having to register for their service and even then most of the time I would have to login with it only to have it not find my account. Far too much trouble when something like Twitter was so much simpler. Now I just leave a note on Twitter, with a link referring to whatever I wanted to comment on. Much easier, less stress, and it works.

By the way, Disqus is now spamming you but you can pay for it to stop. Or just stop using Disqus. People might start commenting on your site again, or not. I think the days of leaving comments on blogs are gone. Too much hassle to deal with software, like Disqus

Reward the Author

Have you seen something like this before? The reader has a vote in how much the author is paid for the article. I say a vote because I don’t know if the author is paid the amount I picked. Is this a good way to pay web writers? It is based on readers and reader opinions about the content.

I found it at China Highlights.com.

How Software Changes Your Mind

I've had so many ideas and from those ideas I spin off into making them reality and find even more options. More than I can keep track of. Software, it's advances, limitations and quickness to become obsolete/ unpopular, changes how you end up doing things. 

I wanted a web directory. But, keeping links became unpopular due to the SEO/ Google fanatics. WordPress and Joomla both stopped including their link management plugins/ extensions in the core software for the CMS. In the case of WordPress you can still download a plugin, Restore Lost Functionality, to bring back links and other features.  Joomla still offers Web Links as an extension, but further development seems very limited, if any.  

So, I could use Web Links with Joomla, I did upload and install it. But, I can't use it to import my links from WordPress. (I've noticed WordPress does not work well with other CMS). Also, there is no bookmarklet which I would have used to make keeping the web directory supplied with new links as I find them while using my web browser. Anyway, I spent a few days banging into road blocks with this and then I got the idea to change software. 

I did have PHPLD (PHP Link Directory), paid for it a few years ago. But, the support forums are gone. Possibly the software is no longer supported as I could not import my links even when I finally did manage to create a CSV file (which was frustrating in itself). There is an option to pull links in from ODP (but dmoz/ ODP is gone) and Google. This feature had an error and did not work. So, I have now ruled out PHPLD.

I've tried other web directory software, even considered other premium (not free) software. But, so many are old and seldom updated or lacking any support at all. I did upload, install and try several but they all had errors. Some would not even install at all. 

Now I'm looking at the idea of just creating pages of links. Not my preference, but, you have to work with the software (unless you know how to create your own, or can afford to pay someone to do it for you). 

There are page builders. I looked at lots of them when I was still using WordPress. Joomla also has a large amount of them. But, I'm not sure which are page builders, template makers, page editors, or something else similar with a different name. They seem to meld together and use the same description even when they say they can work as add-ons to each other. It's confusing. I don't like being confused. I think of myself as being an experienced web publisher. But, I am confused. 

Of course, none of them really have anything special for links. So, I can't say I'm eager to install any of them. It's a bit make-do at this stage. 

Bookmark Files From Scratch

Several things may be driving you crazy but, if links, text files and bookmarks are one of them, I have some help for you! (Little things help a lot, right?)

After spending a lot of time trying to import my old WordPress bookmarks into Joomla I found the best way was to create a text file with just the links, all code scraped out. Then create a new file with Notepad using the code I have cut and pasted in a screenshot below:

Screenshot from It Still Works.

Cut and pasted the text also, because I've seen how easy images disappear, wander off and generally get lost. I want to remember how I finally got this far, no doubt I will need to do the same again with other links from my other sites moving from WordPress to Joomla. 

If you feel confident with HTML, you can create a bookmark file from scratch in Notepad. Begin the document with . Then, enter the title as and the header as

Bookmarks

. Then, begin a list with the

tag. Each item of that list should be denoted by a

tag. Then, describe the link via an tag. For example, if you wished to create a bookmark link to http://www.google.com, your tags after

would look like this:

Google. Finish the file with a closing

tag.

So, maybe this will help you, or you may just wonder why someone would do things this way and spend so much time on links few people will actually look at anyway.

Keep wondering, it's good for you.

Selling Greeting Cards Online With a Subscription

I still want to sell my art as ecards, online. Today I found someone with a good plan, selling the cards with a paid membership to the site. Ojolie offers a free account, to send the ecards she offers without charge. But, I think, I would rather make the ecards a subscriber only thing. Art online is just too easy to rip off. At least I could get a year's subscription before giving access to the art. Of course, I still don't know what software to use. Something like a catalogue, but then it needs to send a png file, or pdf. I think I would include envelopes too, a bonus should people print the cards. So much to consider when you start to think about all the details. 

This (see below) is a screenshot from Ojolie, how her pricing works. I'm mainly posting this for myself. So I can look back and remember what I thought I would do.

Moved the Site to b2evolution

Just moved the site over from WordPress to b2evolution. People have asked me why, a few times. There are a few reasons. But, for now I am fixing glitches with moving to another CMS. I like b2 and I don't think it will take me long to get to know how it works and where things are now. Meanwhile, images are mostly not working. Categories and tags did not make the import, not sure why. So I am manually going through my posts one by one to renovate a little. What usually happens when you move to a new place... you renovate to make it look more like the old place. :) People are funny like that.

Making my life easier, I have added comments from the original post to this post. I have been moving my site content to Joomla. It's a different set up from WordPress and b2evolution but I think it will be more active and user friendly.  Still need to fix the images with posts (that was mangled by WordPress) and add my links which I will end up doing manually, one at a time. But, I hope this will end the project of moving from WordPress to some other CMS. It has been a longer adventure than I expected. 

Here are the comments:

Comment from: Jane Gassner [Visitor]

I lost the entire archive of MidLifeBloggers.com and JaneGassner.com sometime during the holiday season. It was one of those, “you only have 24 hours to migrate” and for various reasons, I got in at the 25th hour. I couldn’t decide how upset I should/would be. MidLifeBloggers was a longterm venture that still got a lot of hits. JaneGassner.com, not so much. But MidLifeBloggers was old business, and I had said everything I wanted to about midlife and beyond. Jane Gassner had the potential to be new and, if not shiny, then gaining a slight glow about it after time. So I’m redoing JaneGassner.com but starting anew. It’s springtime, and perhaps that’s influencing me to not try to make it as it was. Considering that it wasn’t that successful, it’s probably a wise decision.

03/28/17 @ 09:27 pm

Comment from: laura [Member]

I really like history so that part of it would be hard for me. But, I have thought about just starting fresh too. Moving a site is never completely smooth and simple but I’ve been trying to move old content and have not made time to write new posts. That is kind of backwards. Starting fresh might have been better than trying to preserve old content (that mostly only matters to me).

03/29/17 @ 12:18 pm

Comment from: laura [Member]

I like your new site. Writing something for writers has it’s own challenge. It makes me doubt myself and compare myself with others too much. I thought about closing this site. But, I do like writing it. So… here it still is.

You have doubled images in posts with WordPress featured image. I kept having that problem too.

How Do People Find you Online?

Are you sure people can find you online? What if you change your Twitter account? What if a web service you rely on shuts down? What if... ?

Amy (see images) is my example tonight because I did have to track her down from a broken Twitter link and nothing else but the Scoop.it profile I was already looking at. Google search results were not a big help because her name has changed and the domain for her current name is not the same person. So I searched Google for both names (together) and did find her new Twitter account among the search results. (Turns out I was already following her there).

If you rely on web services, like social media, for your web presence you could be leaving it up to chance.  

Not everyone wants to buy a domain and run their own site. It's another expense, another new thing to learn and another drain your your available time too. But, consider something simple like creating a quick profile on Blogspot. Yes, it is a web service too, so it could disappear but it has been reliable for a very long time. 

All you need to do is ceate an account (or use the account you forgot you still had) and set up a blog. You don't need to post regularly. It's just a place to have your name, some general information and your links available.  If you can get your name, great. (Example - yourname.blogspot.com) Likely you won't find it available. So pick something clever for your account - consider your business or niche and go from there. 

• Use the basic template/ theme. Add colour to the header if you want but keep the content easy to read.
• Add one post with links to your social media accounts. Include an image if you like. 
• Use your name (or whatever you call yourself online) as the title of the post. Use the same for a category and tags with that post. 
• Publish it and save the link in your web browser bookmarks. Any time you change a social media account use that link to update the Blogspot post. 

Next time someone goes looking for you online you have this as a base of operations. It's not perfect but it's simple and free. 

As an option you can buy a domain and have your Blogspot/ Blogger site on that domain instead of the blogspot.com web address. 

Of course, there are other free web hosting services. I like the history of Blogger and the fact that Google currently runs it with few limitations to how you use it. 

Getting Back to Being an Effective Blogger, Again

This site is not dead but… I do need to find it again. Keeping focus and staying true to your own voice are not easy when you look around at other sites and start comparing yourself. If you can manage to do it constructively, that’s great. I’ve gotten sucked into my own wormhole of blog envy. Not envy, but self unsatisfaction. So, I need to pull myself out of it and get back to the basics, again. The key to sustainable blogging is showing up and showing up the next day too when you’re run out of stuff to say and feel like everyone is doing it better than you are.

This list comes from Katy Rose, the Modly Chic blog. I found it in submissions for fashion blogs at dmoz. I usually take a look around at sites I’m listing. Some just get a skim for the basics, to make sure they are original and focused on topic. Ironic, eh? So often we know the answers but we haven’t been paying attention or didn’t want to remember.

Considering a Change from WordPress

Not for any special reason but, I am seriously considering changing my sites from WordPress. There are several reasons not to do this: transferring content, themes and plugins I have bought will no longer work, learning (and installing/ setting up) new software. But... I feel WordPress has lost individuals like myself. I'm not a web developer or designer. I don't have clients to set sites up for. I just have my own sites and WordPress keeps feeling limited.

I am not so keen on changing. Though I do like change for the sake of change, sometimes. I don't like being in a rut or following the pack.

It is not an easy decision to fully commit to. I've been looking at other software. I'm always interested in alternatives and options and new things when it comes to web publishing. But that's more like window shopping than making a serious plan.

If you publish a site, with something other than WordPress (or Blogger/ Blogspot or other freebies which don't run on your own domain) let me know. I'd like to set up Typo3 but so far it just will not install. Fancy installations are a hard limit for me. If I can't even get the software set up I'm not confident in using it afterwards.

At least, it will be an interesting month - or however long it takes me to either change or decide not to rock the boat.

Has WordPress Jumped the Shark?

I think WordPress is in danger of “jumping the shark”, becoming too complicated and loaded with too many features. Google has mostly forgotten all about Blogger, but it may become a better alternative for a lot of people who just want a simple business site. WordPress seems to be something for people who want to spend time and money on a fancy site with a lot of features. How many businesses really need all of that? Not many.

As someone who has kept sites for many years and used WordPress most of the time, I’m not planning to use a lot of customized posts. I don’t need them. I want to focus on content, not spend a lot of time on formatting.

I will add that if people are building a site to function as a web directory, job board, or any of a hundred other things – WordPress isn’t an essential element. It may even be a hindrance. WordPress is still a customized blog at heart.

Note: I posted this as a comment on WPTavern. The post there was about new custom formatting for WordPress posts. It got me thinking about how WordPress is used, who uses it and whether it is really still sustainable for the general blog user - people who are not web developers and may not want to spend that kind of time or money on a site for their business, or hobby, etc. Most of us have a limited budget. How important is it to have a fancy site with a lot of features versus just having a site up and functioning?

Is WordPress still a good option for putting up a site? Or, do you need to be (or pay) a web designer/ developer to work with WordPress?

Risk your Blog

Word Grrls is going to get a make over. Not one of my own home spun half-geeked things. A real professional is going to work on it. I had thought to do it for That Grrl, my personal site. But, kind of a shame to do it there (I've already given that blog so many personal touches it won't ever recover) when Word Grrls is just thirsting for a real professional make over.

If you could really do your blog over, total redesign and add any wild and crazy features you've never even imagined... what would you do?

Which of those things could you actually do if you just took the time and sucked up the courage to try and maybe fail? Remember, you can save your template and reload it as if nothing ever happened. So, really, what are you waiting for?

Choosing Web Scripts, Gadgets and Widgets

One thing I have learned to watch for when I look at free web scripts, gadgets, widgets and such for adding to my blog are hitchhikers. Before you paste the code into your HTML paste it into Notepad first. Read the code. Do you see a link to a third party URL? A site not your own or the one you are using the code from.

Some of the sites offering freebies are also making a buck by using your blog to spam another site. Watch for it. You can remove that part of the code or just choose not to use the script, find something else.

Why does it matter? Well, not a big deal, but do you really want someone else using your blog to make money for themselves? Whether your blog is completely spam/ ad free or not, do you want people getting away with piggy backing on your work?

The Stashing of Ideas

Do you wake up in the morning with the plot for the world's greatest novel formulating in your brain? Not every morning, but about once a week I do. Often when I'm in the middle of something else: driving, showering, putting away groceries, watching TV, talking on the phone, making dinner, plotting my greatest ever Canadian World Domination... I get the best ideas but have no paper handy to jot them down. I forget a lot of great ideas before I can write them down.

Sometimes I can rip something out of a magazine or the newspaper or the back of the box, etc. That way I can remember what I was thinking at the time. I keep a notebook in my purse, it takes up more than it's share of space but gives me a chance to keep some of my ideas. Not so handy while driving but, like using a cell phone, I can usually find a place to pull over to use it.

A lot of ideas are stashed in folders inside a file cabinet under my desk. They aren't well organized but they are there and I have some hope of tracking them down. It's great to know I have some kind of backup.

I write non-fiction so articles along my topic area are great as sources of quotes, research and people to contact. I'd like to write mysteries, maybe horror but it wouldn't be icky stuff. I thought about writing romances because they would be easy, they seem to be a formula more than a story. Put it on the list for someday. Everything I find to inspire me in those genres has a folder too.

For now I'm working with non-fiction and I do love it. For me its a combination of teaching the world and learning more myself. Each time I research one idea I find another dozen from there. Life is great.

Publishable and Practical

You've got the greatest idea! It's sure to be a billion dollar blockbuster, rivaling Stephen King and that other writer whose name you can't quite remember though it's on the tip of your tongue.

But, is your idea a good one, really? Some of our ideas seem really super charged at the time, when we have that first burst of passion as the idea evolves. But, not every idea is going to be publishable and practical.

Here are guidelines from Cheryl Sloan Wray and her book 'Writing for Magazines'. (Paraphrased by me).

1. Are you really passionate/ interested enough to spend the necessary time developing, researching and writing this idea?

2. Can you narrow the focus? Some ideas need to be broken into smaller chunks to suit the market/ publisher you are aiming for.

3. If your idea is already narrow, or would appeal to a small, exclusive percentage of the reading public, can you bulk it up? Can you add more points, bring in another slant or find more sources?

4. Can you market this idea to several publications? You want to have a selection of publishers to choose from so you aren't twiddling your thumbs if the first of them aren't keen on it.

5. Imagine yourself as the reader of the publications you have chosen. Are you sure their readers will be interested in your idea? If not find other publications to appeal to, or slant your idea in a different, more appealing direction.

6. Describe your idea in 15 words or less. Then, in another 15 words, tell why readers will be interested in your idea/ topic.

7. Will this idea be expensive to research or take up a lot of time to develop? Is it going to cost you more than it will bring in for you? You can't forget your bottom line after all.

The last point is the best I think. How many of you keep track of your expenses? Do you know if you actually clear more than you spent on each article/ manuscript? Don't skip your time either. Time is money and that includes you!

Hope this helps bring you some clarity, focus and profit from your greatest ideas. Keep them churning!

Get FAQ'ed

Try this: Consider your website (or your computer if you don't have a site) and put together a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page all about your site. Don't forget a guide to how to use the site as well as the purpose for it being there. Study a few other FAQs to get ideas.

This is what I wrote as the new writing exercise for HerCorner. What do you think? Could you write a FAQ for your website? You should be able to. In theory at least, your site should have a theme, one main idea or purpose, right? So, it seems reasonable to expect a FAQ could be forthcoming.

Anyway, I like the idea. So tonight I am putting my fingers where my mouth is and I am creating a FAQ of my own for HerCorner. I might even do one for my personal site. But, I freely admit my personal site is not a great example of sticking with one idea.

So, getting down to the FAQ of it. What do you need to include in a FAQ? Likely you've read a few or skimmed them as I tend to do. Which is a good point, actually. Your FAQ should be skimmable when you get it into HTML. Do you know how to set up targets? Targets are those clickable points in the middle of a page. You can read a table of contents and find a clickable link to that exact section of the large body of content. If I sound like I'm gabbling send me an email and I will hunt out a link to demonstrate this target idea for you. Most FAQ's will use this, if you check for examples on your own.

Now, the meat of the matter. What does a FAQ need to include? I think the first thing is a statement of purpose. Someone reading this sentence (or short paragraph) should be able to understand what your site is about. But, this is a time to keep it simple. Just the basics. If it appeals to them they can dig into your FAQ for the details and specifics.

Next, explain the parts. Think basic and plan out what you really need people to know. Put it all into logical order, sort of a learn as you go thing. Read it back, try to think like someone who doesn't already know the answers. Did you miss anything?

Do your best, ask for feedback at the end and don't try to be some computer melded brain. It's almost certain you will leave something out that someone else will pick up on later. You are not the world's most perfect writer, you're just someone trying to be creative and share their FAQ with the world.

Now go get FAQ'ed!

Writing Content Contentedly

Being a freelance writer online is challenging. The biggest hurdles are copyrights and finding paying markets. Of course, that's subject to change depending on what I'm working on at the time.

If you are a self publisher you will know all about fair use and copyrights. You've carefully borrowed content. You've asked almost everyone you know for a contribution to your ezine or newsletter. You've left them notes on their car window when they keep forgetting you finally hounded them into saying yes, a month ago. Or is that just me? Luckily there are several sites which distribute free content. But, you have to find the content you need from the general stream of articles offered. Often it's all content you've run before, sometimes said in a new way or by another writer but still the same information.

Yes, ezine publishers can write all the content themselves, put up the site, create the graphics, the layout and all the little odds and ends. It is a lot to maintain and create a whole site though. If you have a life you can decide which pieces to discard such as pets, parents, jobs and kids. Friends might understand and give you some slack. Really, it's much better to find help, free up some of your time and keep having a life.

There are endless free places a writer can be published and I don't knock those, too much. A new writer can be published in some really good places and get their name seen in the markets they want to specialize in. But, at some point even the most timid new writer wants to see a cheque in the mail.

Also, make sure you are getting something out of the freebie work you do. Don't give your work away to a site that publishes poorly edited work. If you want this as a writing credit make sure it really is a credit to you.

Most of all, don't pay a site or publication to run your content. Never, for any reason. They are not doing you a favour.

Freely Contributed Content

I used to run a website for writers: HerCorner. The site included articles about writing, in fact those were the main content. So, I read a lot of what other people are writing about writing. Well, ok, I skim it. Anyway, most of the contributed content (free to reprint in ezines and newsletters) is full of the same thing over and over and over again: web promotion and selling.

I think it's great that people are writing articles and then contributing them to sites like mine in exchange for their own promotion, it's self syndication. It seems like such a great win - win situation. I just love those.

But, it's not working as well as it could be. Unless you can find a source for articles geared to the content you are looking for (writing, space travel, parenting, etc) you will end up wading through endless articles and only find one which you really, strongly feel you want to use. It's not that the articles are not well written, they just cover the same old stuff all too well.

Most of the articles I come across (on several email lists for contributing content) are geared to web promotion/ selling. I don't think many of the people looking for content are looking for that kind of content. There are so many sites covering that and each of them seem to write their own articles as a way of promoting themselves as an authority on the subject.

The original writer of the article isn't creating anything unique that could be used by most of the ezines and sites out here. I bet a lot of writers decide this form of promotion isn't workable. But, it is, if they would just look at the ezines out here. There are so many different topics covered with endless angles and styles. Look around, find a topic you really have an interest in or want to become known for writing about.

In a perfect world this self syndication would be one of the best things about the Internet for a writer. Until then, we just have to work with what we have or write our own content. Which I do.

However, I really like publishing another writer's work. Mainly because this way it's not just me talking. My readers get another point of view and my site looks healthier. A site with just one writer does lose something. To grow, a site manager needs to keep exploring, developing, creating and searching for fresh content and points of view. It really helps if you can find an article someone else wrote to reprint on your site.

So, that is my point in all this: writers looking for that self promotion/ syndication from contributing content need to work outside of the box. Find out what web publishers are really looking for. Take a chance and try something new, something uniquely you!

Writing Nostalgia

There isn't much talk about writer's cramp any more. Writer's block is still around but the crampiness is becoming a thing of the past.

I wonder what writers, of the feather pen era, thought about when those newfangled typewriters came along? What changed for them, if they took up the new technology? What special skills were lost as the typewriter grew in popularity? Likely, there was some skill to dipping your pen into the inkwell just right, to avoid drips. There would have been skill involved in knowing when the ink on your page was dry enough to be handled.

I sometimes miss writing long hand. It's nice to feel the flow of my words smoothing over the page. Creating stylish swirls and tall towers from the alphabet is almost as much fun as making the letters into words. Pens are fun too. I've been writing with a couple of gel pens in unique colours. In the past I've experimented with various pens, Bics were my high school pen of choice. As I evolved my pen selection became whatever was on sale at the time. Still, I always preferred black ink.

My penmanship has taken a turn for the worst due to all my time on the keyboard. After a few minutes writing long hand my words become chicken scratchings, something even a doctor would struggle to decipher.

Will penmanship become a lost art? Will calligraphy just be something you do on the computer with fancy fonts? Then of course, I wonder what the next advance will bring. Will computers have their own turn at being obsolete?