Blog

WordPress has a lot of “hidden gem” features. Shortcodes are one of them. Simply put, shortcodes are little snippets of text that the WordPress engine uses as instructions for embedding content. There are shortcodes to insert anything from Spotify playlists to YouTube videos.

Shortcodes can also make indexing your WordPress blog easier. One feature I wanted was an index page for reviews I’ve written or will write. I started out by creating a new page, and deciding on which headings to use.

What I liked:

What bothered me:

Verdict:

The good outweighs the bad, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

Notes:

The novel’s publishing history is also remarkable. Originally it was released as a series on the author’s website, then as a ebook. When it exploded on Amazon, it was picked up by a print publisher.

I have one goal for this blog in 2105:

Poast moar!

A post per day is unrealistic. I have other writing that takes priority. Since blogging doesn’t pay, it has to slip down a few rungs on the priority ladder.

What would qualify as more posts?

Having a blog that’s more than a few posts might need some sort of organizing. I say “might” because it’s not really necessary to create categories and tags. It’s personal preference.

All the blog platforms have some form of organization.

I see categories as a way of keeping different kinds of content away from each other. It’s like having a tour guide on my blog saying, “Look over here at this, but ignore that.”

Today I didn’t use the Pomodoro Technique. It wasn’t so much a planned thing, but just how the morning worked out. I wanted to get right to work on an outline for a longer project. I dove right in and didn’t start my pomodoro timer.

I had my other timer running, the one I use for tracking billable time1. So, there was a running counter in my menu bar. My first thought was to just look up at it, and take a break every half-hour or so. That really didn’t work out as planned.

Todays 10 days to a better blog assignment is about the writing environment. I found this to be surprisingly on target. I’ve recently made sweeping changes in the how and where I work.

My desk was in the corner of my bedroom, with a window facing westward. I had it set up with a laptop stand, wireless keyboard, a decently wide monitor, USB hub, desk lamp, and a Wacom tablet. The cables were routed cleanly, with only the surge protector cord reaching the floor. I put effort into building something I would like. It was probably the cleanest desk setup I had ever put together.

I’m beginning to define and explore the difficult question of why I write and why I want to become a better writer. Here are some of my initial and incomplete thoughts:

Dividing up my day can be the hardest part about being a work-from-home freelancer. It’s easy to get distracted, by all the things.

I forgot where I first heard of this, but it’s really been a huge help is how I manage my day. Its creator, Francesco Cirillo, has a site that explains it in detail. He also sells the little tomato shaped kitchen timers that gave him the idea. (Pomodoro is Italian for tomato.)