Tag Archives: blogging

Preparing for success

Posted on by Sherri
10

You probably saw a new theme every time you visited in the past three days. I think I’m going to keep this one for a little while, see how I like the layout and what kind of tweaks I might need. It has no theme options available, and while I usually look for a theme with as many as possible, I spent a little time learning some more CSS last night. I love doing that stuff, when I take the time to do it. So actually, this theme not having options may be a good thing, as it’s forcing me to learn how to tweak things myself. That way, if I decide to keep it I will already know how to change the graphics into something more Sherri-flavored.

I’d been toying with the possibility of having a static front page, but I didn’t know what to put there. I like the way this one’s laid out. Of course, when I start promoting a book I’ll probably have to get a real website built based on that, but this will work for now.

So apparently this is a time to prepare my external persona for success. If you’re on Facebook, I have an author profile that will go active if I get a publishing contract. I expect it to be the easiest place to do news updates and such, and an easy way for people to connect to me. Log in to your Facebook account, click this link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sherri-Cornelius/#!/pages/Sherri-Cornelius/91241069662?ref=ts

and then click the “Like” button, and you’ll be all signed up. If you “like” my author page it will show up in your friends’ news streams, and that’ll spread the word.  Some of you are already on there, and I thank you. Also thanks to those who gave me notes on this theme. (Talking ’bout Soho Serenity.)

Time to go eat lunch with the hubs.

Blogging

Posted on by Sherri
4

I find myself wanting to do bullets for every post. With easy separation of my different topics, I don’t have to put too much thought into those pesky segues, or too much work into cohesion. The separation is the key; I’m not married to the bullets. When I saw how Darcknyt separated his topics by bold headers for several posts, I thought that might work better for me, too.

Then I thought I could just separate the topics into their own blog posts like a normal person, but since my blog is a snapshot of my mood at any given time, I find it nearly impossible to write posts for the future. So far I’ve used blogging as a way of impressing my personality onto the Internet, quite unintentionally. I don’t see it as a place to showcase my stories or to write persuasive posts, and I don’t treat the posts like magazine articles the way some do. That’s probably why I don’t draw a lot of readers.

I think I’ll try separating my topics into new posts. I’m experimenting, right? So maybe you’ll get three or four posts this week instead of the usual point-five.

Happenings in Blossomland

Posted on by Sherri
5

Well, I tried and tried to fix the comment form so it would show your line breaks, and I just can’t figure it out. Lots of times when I hit a wall like this, if I just give it a little time it’ll become clear, so that’s what I’ll try. I know it’s annoying, but one day I’ll have it fixed. I like having my own website, though at times like these I wish I had stayed at the free WordPress blog. Every tiny problem means hours on the Internet trying to find a solution. *sigh*

In one week, the Little Bubba got the car door slammed on his fingers, ripped his hand open with barbed wire, got dive-bombed by a kite, fell of the front porch, and a bunch of other little owies I can’t remember. That kid has a bullseye painted on his back and fate has the darts. It’s gotten so every time I hear a thud or a shout I run straight to him. Good news is his little 8-year-old self is still “going good, great, happy” with his girlfriend.

The hubs is looking for a pickup. The van is getting more and more difficult to drive, so thank goodness we had a pretty good tax refund. We had decided to pay cash for an older vehicle rather than take on a car payment (you may remember that I have enough trouble keeping the bills paid as it is), but this afternoon we went looking and there’s just not that much to choose from in the older pickup department. And let me just define “older” for you by saying the ’97 Saturn I bought last year is the latest model I’ve ever owned.

I guess people either trade in their pickups every couple of years or they just keep them till they fall apart. The guy at Automax almost talked us into a 2007 Nissan Frontier by telling us he could get the payment down to $150 a month. But man, I just don’t know. One-fifty a month when I was paying zero will be hard to swallow, especially when I figure in the insurance thing. So what are your thoughts on buying an older vehicle that may need more repairs, or making monthly payments on a newer one?

SheWrites gave me a little traffic bump

Posted on by Sherri
6

Imagine my surprise when visited my stats and saw a big bump in my hits over the weekend. It’s been a long time since that happened, so of course I thought it was a mistake or a persistent spammer.

I was glad to find out it was a legitimate bump! Woo! My blog was featured on this group I belong to on SheWrites. Welcome to all the new visitors! Feel free to comment or subscribe to my feed. New posts aren’t as frequent as they used to be due to my working my butt off to get this book done, but of course you wouldn’t know that if you’re new! Forget I said anything.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my boy’s story. I let him read the g-rated comments (lookin’ at you, Knyt ;) and he was just thrilled he was such a hit. It also fluffed his feathers when the SheWrites reviewer mentioned his story specifically, saying she laughed so hard she woke the dog. I can’t link to the review because it’s a private group, but the reviewer is mystery writer Lauren Carr.

Full disclosure: After I posted the story he told me the “I could use a wetnap” part came from Spongebob. *sigh*

I’ll admit I haven’t been very active on SheWrites, but I’ve always thought I should be. If anybody wants to connect on SheWrites (which accepts men, too!), click that badge in my sidebar and I’ll see you there.