Addicted to Writing

Manage Your Freelance Writing Career While Writing What You Love

Happy New Year and Where I Have Been

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Happy New Year!!!
Happy New Year!!!

 

Happy New Year!

Sorry about not having posted a while, but the last couple of months have been hectic. I’m planning to move abroad, but as someone who needs the proper permits for that, the research process has been overwhelming. The how and where aren’t certain yet, but I’m up for the challenge and adventure. I’ll update you the minute I know more.

2015 was full of ups and downs, and mainly the downs came in the shape of devastating news from all over the world. However, there were also hopeful moments as people supported each other and didn’t give up, so that’s amazing.

My own 2015 was pretty busy. I’m not going to lie, there was some wasted time on social media, procrastination on video games, minor health problems and some feeling down about not having a life exciting enough. But there was also a lot of excitement, new projects, completed works, major decisions (see paragraph one), inspirations and more teaching classes so I could concentrate one my favorite writing gigs, which you will also soon be updated about.

My 31st of December was the right blend of working, messing about and spending time with family. There was also some rolling in the snow and snowball fights. I finished the night true to its nature by writing a set of resolutions I have every intention to keep.

One resolution I intend on keeping is never forgetting “it’s never too late.” Now, don’t dismiss it as generic and too deep for its own good. I mean it especially for daily tasks. Those days when you oversleep, start work (or whatever you need to be doing) very late and end up disappointed. It’s okay if you haven’t started working on your novel until 8 pm. The fact is that you started is what matters. The day isn’t over until midnight. And for night owls, maybe not even then.

I was having a late day today. I seemed far away from yesterday’s productivity until I realized it was only the first day of the new year, and it was only 2 pm. Plenty of time to do whatever needs to be done.

So I’m writing this post to say HAPPY NEW YEAR. May this year make you happy in every way you wish, including seeing more resolutions accomplished than ever.

Talk to you soon!

Hunting for The Right Premium WordPress Theme

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Image via ezy4uhosting.com.
Image via ezy4uhosting.com.

Premium WordPress themes come with so many advantages, and usually at about 40-75 bucks, so I decided to take my blog design to the next level and search for the perfect WordPress theme for my blog.

I looked at the usual suspects first, like Studio Press and Elegant Themes that are recommended by a lot of respectful and tasteful bloggers. I have seen many blogs that use these themes and make them look just right for their brand,

And I looked at Wpexplorer, themefuse, themeforest, and to quote a U2 song I love, I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.

Basically, I want full control over everything. I want to easily change whatever I want without knowing any sort of coding. I’d love to have a SEO-optimized theme, as well as one that comes decorated with all the important social media sharing buttons.

Problem? Either the color scheme feels wrong or the patterns don’t seem right. I tried the demos of all versions available, but none solved the key problem.

It’s kind of like being set up on a blind date by a good friend, isn’t it? You have a lot of things in common, and your friend knows what you want, but what feels right on paper doesn’t match what happens in person. Lack of chemistry and passion. Personalities not matching.

I’m all for an easily-readable, professional looking blog. I’m also sucker for full, easy control over every element. But so far, this free theme I picked (after days and days of searching all free themes, mind you) still remains a favorite.

And “a 50 dollars/month for all themes” packages don’t tempt me because I only found one theme that I might sort of want.

So have you found “the one” when it comes to themes? Any premium themes you might suggest for someone who doesn’t want white or black to dominate? Who wants neither extra-plain nor overtly colorful?

And as it’s apparent from the this theme you see, I do love the look of a writer’s desk. I like the overall look, and not just one shot of a coffee mug (and premium “coffee mugs” usually belong to restaurant-appropriate designs) or one computer (and they seem to have been developed for tech bloggers or creative agencies)?

Suggestions and personal experiences are always appreciated.

Happy writing!

And happy hunting to those who are still looking for “the one” amongst WordPress themes…

Review for The 50 Beginner Blog Blunders And How To Avoid Them by Raspal Seni

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raspal seni

Raspal Seni is a freelance blogger specializing in WordPress and technical computer stuff that a lot of us dread. You can learn more about him through his blog I Write About Blogging where he helps out beginner bloggers.

The e-book:

Having been blogging for over 4 years, I frankly didn’t think I’d be finding more than one or two blunders on my part. I was wrong. I thank my friend Raspal for making such a thorough guide. This is a review of the highly useful e-book.

There’s a chance you are making at least several mistakes yourself, so let’s go over the contents of the book:

Categories

1. Comment Form Blunders

From moderation to allowing comments at all, this part covers everything you need to check for a more user-friendly blog. You may not agree with everything, or you might have to commit some of them due to the popularity and/or topic of your blog (such as not allowing comments at all).

I enable comments on my blogs, but despite warnings, some threads might get too heated (and not civil!) and you might be better of disabling comments on certain posts.

However I’m a big believer in community, and interacting with your audience through comments, as well as letting them interact with each other, usually does work wonders for your authority and blog engagement levels.

So make sure you aren’t making any unfortunate mistakes when it comes to your comment form.

2. Security Blunders.

You are probably way too past the need to be reminded to make your password tougher to crack, e.g. not using obvious stuff like your age, birth date, your name, your pet’s name…etc. But what about changing the username from admin?

I tried to change my username from admin, and it got so complicated that I had to quit. But with Raspal’s method, it’s no hassle, and your WordPress blog you worked so much for is more secure. Isn’t it fun making hackers’ lives more difficult for a change?

3. WordPress Plugin Blunders.

I love that WordPress comes with so many Plugin options, but this means you need to update them regularly (for security reasons, and for the plugins to work properly with your constantly updated versions of WordPress.)

But there’s more upkeep you need to do, such as getting rid of useless plugins, testing new ones, avoiding certain ones and more. Raspal covers them all in 9 different subsections.

 4.  Image Blunders.

At this point, even the newest bloggers know they need pictures. And many know they need good pictures. The problem is, quality pictures can take up a lot of space, leading to slow uploading of your site. You might also get in trouble if you’re not crediting them properly, or using pictures you aren’t allowed to use.

From formatting to attribution, from keywords to resizing, he goes over everything you need to know and do when it comes to using images on your blog.

This part has 15 subsections.

*

All in all, The 50 Beginner Blog Blunders And How To Avoid Them (affiliate link) is a highly practical e-book you need to have if you still have doubts and complaints when it comes to your blog uploading speed, security, traffic and more. The book will help you tackle a lot of these issues and improve your blog.

You can follow Raspal on Twitter too!

 

Buy Now

Review for Kirsty Stuart’s E-book: How to Start a Travel Blog and Make Money

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Some things in life are just amazing and should be experienced, such as:

–       A rocking stadium concert by an artist you adore (and by that I mean you know pretty much all the songs), where you are ideally close enough to the stage so you don’t just watch things from the big screens.

–       Writing at least one story where you pour out your soul. Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction is irrelevant. And since you are a writer, chances are, there’ll be tens of stroy ideas where can you share bits of your soul. Don’t hold it in;)

–       Dancing to one of your favorite songs without caring about anyone or anything else.

–       Finding your favorite spot/city/country.

And probably the most important one for us writers:

–       Making a living writing about a topic you truly enjoy. And most of us love traveling. We just happen to run out of money or time to do it as often as we’d like.

What if we could make enough money travel writing? Whether it’s from your own travel blog(s), writing for others or a combination of these, you can start your travel writing career. But if you feel stuck, or not quite sure where to start, I’ve just the resource for you.

Travel writing is easy – if you are writing for yourself.

It’s writing with the right voice, for the right audience and with the right structure that’s hard. Finding ideas and the right markets for them can be challenging, just like any other writing market.

Finding unique slants can be even more difficult in this niche. After all, it has existed for a long time, and pretty much everything has been covered. Luckily, no one covers anything like you. It does help, however, when you can take advantage of a savvier writer. It makes the climb to success less daunting, and a lot more fun.

Image via freelancewritersonline.com
Image via freelancewritersonline.com

 

One of those savvier writers is the lovely Kirsty Stuart, and the recommended resource is her e-book How to Start a Travel Blog and Make Money. This e-book comes with 69 pages featuring:

  • practical tips and experiences from other expert travel bloggers,
  • Kirsty’s own story,
  • how to start and run your travel blog (including which pages you should have and what information each page should contain),
  • examples of thriving travel blogs,
  • how to find ideas,
  • how to find an audience,
  • how to manage and deploy social media for your travel blog,
  • earning money with information products (including tips on how to market them),
  • earning money with affiliate marketing,
  • sponsored posts and paid trips,
  • advertising on your blog (along with pros and cons),
  • how to pitch to publications and other clients,
  • list of some travel writing markets,
  • earning from blogging for others (as well as additional services you can offer),
  • writing an awesome travel post,
  • finding work when you need to,
  • inspirational quotes,
  • tips to kill your fears and feel encouraged.

Why I loved the book (besides the awesome content, of course):

  • it’s great for anyone who wants to write full-time about a topic they love, not just travel. The tips can be applied to any niche, but it is a lot more specific if you are interested in travel writing and blogging since she provides so many relevant tips, resources and first-hand experiences.
  • the lifestyle mentioned, and how she came to choose travel writing, is easy to identify with: she calls it the struggle to adapt after you’ve been traveling a long time. I call it post-Erasmus depression. (or blues, if you are having an easier time.This shall be one of my future travel posts!)
  • it’s honest.
  • it’s comprehensive. It fills you in about the effort level from the beginning. And you don’t need to be a beginner blogger to take advantage of it.
  • it’s fun. I’m big on fun.
  • it offers places/ways/markets you can find travel blogging work.

Oh, did I mention the price is £2,99 ? You can check out Kirsty’s site Freelance Writers Online for more useful tips on freelance writing. And you can check out one of her own travel posts: Must-See Temples in Chiang Mai.

She was also kind enough to answer my questions on travel writing.

Kirsty on writing about politically “hot” countries:

“I personally write travel articles for companies like Viator and Flight Centre, and while I’m sure they wouldn’t want me to cover up any truths, their business is promoting travel! They want people to travel – it’s in their best interests – so for clients like this I don’t really write about political instability or anything of that nature. They’re not news sites so it’s not really relevant.”

Kirsty on whether or not great stories have an expiration date (because what if you had a breath-taking experience years ago and you are only writing about it now?):

“I don’t think travel stories have an expiration date, no. Those tremendous experiences and stories need to be told! If there are details that I feel could have changed – the cost of a visa at the land border between Thailand and Cambodia springs to mind – then I’ll just say that. Something like, “It cost $20 USD (at the time of writing)” should cover it. If there’s a good story there, don’t let the passage of time prevent you from telling it.”

*

Even though some of the first articles I sold in my freelancing career were travel articles, I had somehow gone into a writer’s block-induced hiatus. But after going over the book for the second time, I made a plan, and made my “returning” travel pitch. It’ll hopefully lead to other ideas and acceptances.

Let me know what you think about traveling, traveling writing and the e-book🙂


 

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