I have been doing an Author spotlight for Fae Corps. It has given me the realization that some of the basics for blogging are not well known. We ask for a picture. Most of the time we don’t get it. We ask for a website…guess what? So it came to me that maybe I could help others by giving you what I have picked up in the time I have been running this blog.
The first thing is that every entry should have a picture. The picture grabs the attention It gives a hook to your post.
Make sure that you proofread your post. Typos do not encourage repeat readers.
Try to keep a schedule. If possible at least four times a week, but if you cannot keep that then try for at least once a week.
Think about what you would want to read. Try to keep from whining or complaining – no one wants to read that.
Whenever possible include links. Example – My Books. Make it open in a new tab. you don’t want them to go off of your site completely.
Most of this is common sense. It really is hard to screw up blogging. However, some of it is also stuff you pick up. I started off treating my blog like a journal. It took me time. I also am terrible at keeping the schedule. Is the world gonna end if I fail to keep up? NO, but I may have a few readers who decide that I am not worth following. So I keep trying. If you are looking to get on as a spotlight on someone’s blog, or as a guest blogger, then I recommend trying to make sure that you provide them with as much information in what they ask for as possible. It makes it easier on them but it also makes you look good. That is the whole reason to do this, isn’t it?
Ok, I am sure in this day and age, you have seen on social media and other sites about self care. Whether you think that it affects you, or not, it really does. Not just those who are affected by illness have issues with self care, and the importance it has on life.
We can get busy in life, and there are factors that assist in making this worse. The four listed on the picture are the ones that should happen every day. Add in exercise for a good self care, but if you miss that occasionally, you will not die. These four on the picture are life threatening if you miss them…
Now I can see the look as you glance over the list. Missing a shower doesn’t seem life threatening, heck people do all of the time and survive. But I am talking about quality of life too. Let’s look at each point individually.
Eating – well the human body is designed to do amazing things, but it needs fuel. If you don’t eat then you will find the muscles and your brain start to malfunction. You will not be able to move or think as well as before. We are only able to live for one week without eating… And the body and mind both start to suffer after one day without food.
Hydration – we are mostly water. And as we move we use a portion of said fluid up. The human body can only go three days without drinking water… Mind you I said water. Sugary drinks such as cola will only add to dehydration, though they do taste good. As we dehydrate, our muscles cramp. Our mind clouds, making concentration harder. We get dizzy spells and start feeling light headed. (Though the last symptom is also true of lack of food.)
Sleep – in today’s fast paced environment, we tend to tell ourselves that sleep is not necessary. The problem is that the brain is an organic computer. If you fail to allow your computer to have a break, well it will end up crashing because the memory does not clear of what has been done. The brain is much the same. Sleep deprivation can cause so many side effects. Google it, it is an interesting read.
Showering – ok this one is not immediately lethal. There are diseases that are made worse by being unclean. This one is a lot more about making yourself feel better. A shower makes the body clean and often makes us feel a little bit more alive.
I would recommend that you also, preferably before the shower, at least go for a small walk. It helps to get the body working properly to do at least some exercise daily.
This is good for everyone, but those of us with illness (chronic or mental) sometimes find just doing the self care checklist hard. And that is OK, as long as you do what you can. Keep in mind that this isn’t just a thing so that we are able to be socially acceptable… It is something that can be life threatening. Please do take care of you.
*I wrote this a while back. I am not sure if I ever posted it here. This was a busy weekend and I felt the need to do some self care myself, so I decided to use it for my Monday post. I am hoping to post poetry later this week.
The last two years have been so busy. And I am finding it hard to keep up. When I started with Coffee house writer’s I was easily able to keep up with the schedule I was on. But I have since started doing more here and with Fae Corps. We are doing more in Fae Corps. I am floundering under the weight of the responsibility… So I have made a decision. I am leaving Chw for now. I have already told my wonderful editor. There will be one more post next Monday. Then… I think that I will try to post here more. I am hoping that releasing one responsibility will ease the burden of the rest.
Life has been hitting hard for me lately. I had to move out of my home, my life is in chaos. It will stabilize but it will take time. So I am looking at my options. I have been considering making my blog a paid one, so I could add a shop to sell some of the cute Jewelry and other crafts I make. I also am thinking about the other benefits…And I realize that I am looking at this with two blogs possible and debating. I can only do one paid right now. I have more readers here then on the Fae Corps Blog, even though I maintain both. I may see about combining them. Making it work that way…But I want to get your opinions. Should I combine the two blogs? Expand and make it bigger and better, hopefully. or should I choose one to go paid with?
I will not be able until the first to do it, so chime in with your opinion. I am also about to ask my partner and our marketing girl. So it is not just a random ask. I am looking at options.
This has been a crazy month so far. Fae Corps is releasing 4 anthologies on the 31st, and I have been busy getting them ready for release. Then I get a seasonal crud. So I have been sick for the last two days.
I am starting to feel better and I look into the blogs (as I am often the one that maintains the Fae Corps blog). I did a few planned posts and decided to read the blogs that I follow to find a few to spotlight. Y’all! I literally had an angry comment on one of the shared posts claiming that I posted it without permission. I have taken the post down, unfollowed the blog in question, and blocked them so I will not accidentally see them and reblog anything by them.
I was under the impression that reblogging gave the post more reach. Which seems like more people seeing what you wrote is better? I don’t know.
I am not going to dwell on this. Instead I will let you know that we have a newsletter now (see the Fae Corps blog). We are always looking for stories and poems to feature on both. I like to link directly to the persons site when I feature people.
I have a few more people in our author spotlight file to still post on the blog… I have not forgotten. Once the meet the author for the new anthologies are done I will be returning to focus on those.
I normally juggle the balls in my life reasonably well. Author, blogger, editor, formatter, artist, friend, CHW poet, poet, game master, cover designer, mom, teacher, housewife, publisher….
These hats all are comfortable. I can deal with the multiple things happening at once. Not Today. this week has been one nightmare after another. Me making mistakes that I normally avoid.
Including missing posts on my blog. And then realizing that I am too stressed to know what to post all week. Fae corps has 4 volumes coming out at once(fae dreams, and 3 volumes of Nightmare Whispers) and one of the volumes is causing Technical difficulties.(Fae Dreams). Said difficulties are because I missed details, so I am being extra hard on myself. I am fighting those gremlins that come from it. However I am dropping balls because of it. I will try to get a couple of things back on track and figure out something to post. So please stay tuned…this may be an unusual week….but bear with me.
I may just post a couple of reviews to get me through the rest of the week….
Pattimouse 