11.30.2009

How to blog — get your free ebook!

I happened across this free ebook for bloggers that I want to recommend.

It's on Scribbit: A Blog About Motherhood in Alaska, and it's easily downloadable in PDF form.

At first I was skeptical, because the title is Blogging in Pink, and pink's not really my color. Besides, the cover is an overblown rose. Having not yet read any of Scribbit the blog, I was sort of expecting the insides to be...gooier.

But it's very down to earth and well written, and a nice, fast, informative read of 24 short chapters. I'm really impressed that it's free! So grab it before she starts charging! (Well, actually, you can download it into a Kindle or similar for $0.80, so if you prefer to pay, you can.)

She starts from the very beginning and works you through all the steps of starting a blog, cultivating a readership, choosing privacy options, and, that favorite subject, monetizing.

I even liked that she laid out clearly the difference between Wordpress and Blogger/Blogspot: Wordpress is thought to be cooler. That's its one benefit. I use both platforms, and both the self-hosted and Wordpress-hosted forms, and I know whereof I speak when I say: Blogger is easier and more versatile, and any gap between the two has been closing.

As for the subtitle of "A Woman's Guide":

"I call it a woman's guide because it addresses a couple things that are unique to blogs by women but in general the information applies to most blogs no matter who is writing or what the subject matter is."

So, go read and enjoy! Thanks much to Michelle from Scribbit.

11.25.2009

Wordless Wednesday: Remember summer?











11.23.2009

Megabucks break

Ludicrous amounts of money make me laugh.

"What does one TRILLION dollars look like?"



See the little guy in the corner for scale.

Our current national debt is 12 times that. Something like this:



Scrooge McDuck just drooled on himself.

Go here to see how it was all calculated.

11.22.2009

Email forward break

In the spirit of one of my favorite bloggers, I present to you a nonsensical break filled with nonsense.

"I hope in the future Americans are thought of as a warlike, vicious people, because I bet a lot of high schools would pick 'Americans' as their mascot." — Jack Handey

11.18.2009

Wordless Wednesday: Lean on me



11.11.2009

Wordless Wednesday: Baby Jedi



11.06.2009

NaNoWriMo procrastination!

All right, I've found a few things to keep me busy so I don't have to just, you know, write all the time.

I've put my NaNoWriMo word count badge on the sidebar, so you can keep track of my (lack of) progress. Another example is to the left in this post, though that one's not really working right. (Don't ask me to figure it out. I've procrastinated enough as it is.) Get yours on the Word Count Widgets page at NaNoWriMo.org.

I've also discovered a sweet Excel spreadsheet that calculates your word count for each day. Download the word count calculator at Hillary DePiano's site.

I'm also racking my brains, trying to decide how much to donate this year to keep NaNo running. Click over to the donations page and check out the sweet swag you get according to the level of your donation. Corin, operating as my Magic 8 Ball, randomly clicked on $250. That boy's generous! With that choice, I would get a link to my site on the Brought To You page, a rock-and-roll NaNoWriMo poster, and...a window cling "for your car (or most favorite home window)." But I'm worried that that will make all the other windows jealous and lead to tension in the home.

Well, there you are. Three ways you can avoid writing and yet still feel you're doing something NaNoWriMo-ish. That should keep you busy.

You're welcome.

11.04.2009

In the throes of NaNoWriMo!

I can't believe I forgot to post this in advance, but:

NaNoWriMo is upon us!!!

I won last year, which I would link to, but apparently I didn't have this blog last year. Because I was too busy writing my first novel.

Oh, wait, this will do.

Ok...start writing! You're behind, but you can catch up. I started last year on Nov. 5 and still made it through, with literally hours to spare.

Wordless Wednesday: Low-res Halloween

pixelface low-resolution halloween costumeMy sixth-favorite costume from this Halloween is Low Resolution from kindacarsick.

First through fifth, naturally, belong to Corin, Corin, Corin, Corin, and Corin.



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