Manage Your Avatar So People Can Find Your Blog

As I’ve been reading posts and comments at various WordPress blogs, I’ve found more than a few bloggers whose avatar does not link to their blog site. If you’re one of those people and that’s what you intended, skip the rest of this post and move on to something more interesting.

If you’re reading this thinking what the heck is she talking about?, then maybe you’ll find this useful.

Evey time you leave a comment at a blog site or one of the forums, it leaves your avatar and your public display name along with your comment. If the blog at which you left a comment has the “Recent Comments” widget displayed (as mine does), you may also see your avatar and public display name there as well.

So what, right?

Well, I find the avatars useful as a quick link (public display names provide a link too). I just click on the avatar and like magic, I’m virtually transported to another blog where I can check out their action. Cool!!

I can do that unless the avatar is linked to another web site (not blog site)— or to nothing at all. If you happen to click on one of those avatars, you’ll either get to a web site or an error message such as: “the URL is not valid and cannot be loaded” , or “sorry we couldn’t find that site”, or some other message that lets you know you’re not where you thought you’d be.

And depending on how a blogger sets up their profile, their public display name is not necessarily the same as the blog name (my public display name is Nancy, my blog name is Another Writer’s Space). So, it may be very difficult or impossible for someone to locate them from a comment if their avatar is not linked to their blog site.

Luckily there’s an easy way to check your link—or lack of it, and fix it.

First go to “My Account” in the WordPress menu bar displayed at the top of your blog, and select “Edit Profile”.

Under “Contact Info” you’ll find “Website”. This is where you’ll enter the complete URL to your blog site. (Mine is http://nancyluckhurst.wordpress.com).

If you have a separate web site and want your avatar linked to it instead of to your blog site, enter the web site URL instead. Just remember, doing so may confuse the person who is trying to get to your blog. ( I put a link to my editing services web site on my “About Me” page and also my “Favorite Links” page, so that people who visit my blog can easily get there if they’d like to check that out too).

After you’ve entered your blog site’s complete URL, you’ll need to save your changes. Scroll down to the bottom of the “Edit Profile” page; you’ll find an “update profile” button. If you don’t click on this, none of your changes will be saved and you’ll have to go back and re-enter them.

Finally, go leave a comment somewhere (remember, it’s International Leave A Comment Week!) and check it to make sure the avatar link is functioning. If not, you probably just made a typo, so go back and re-edit your profile.

Posting comments with a linked avatar should start increasing the traffic to your blog. Give it a try.

Hooked On “Hooked”

I love to read. I always have, from the time I was a young girl. These days, however, the amount of time I have to read is much less, and therefore more precious.

I see lots of stories that might be good or even great— if I could manage to get through them. How the story begins is a good indicator as to whether I’ll spend my limited time reading that particular story or not.

That is the premise of Hooked by Lee Edgerton, a great book for anyone writing a short story or novel they hope to get published.

We all know that stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end, but if the beginning doesn’t start in the right place, it’s not likely any agent or editor will continue reading after the first few paragraphs.

In a world where mountains of manuscripts are rejected on a regular basis, how does a writer get theirs off the proverbial heap?

Hooked was written with the intention of helping writers do just that. The secret is in the beginning of your story. This book covers modern story structure, opening scene dos and don’ts, where to put that backstory you’re just dying to fit in, and more. The last chapter contains some thoughts from editors and agents about what they’re looking for in manuscript submissions— and what they don’t want to see.

Don’t waste time polishing up your prose until you make sure you’re giving your story its best chance at success— with a beginning that’s worthy of the rest of your story.

International “Leave A Comment” Week!

I’m fairly new at blogging- less than three weeks, so I don’t profess to know what readers are looking for in blogs. News? Information? Laughs? Friendship? I’m sure the answer is as varied as the blogs themselves.

I do, however, read at many blogs of the desire for readers to leave more comments. Or any comments.

Hello, are you there? I can hear you breathing.

I’m guessing that most bloggers appreciate the validation they receive from readers comments— which help forge a connection between writer and reader, however brief it may be. It lets us know that we’re not alone in this big old blogsphere.

Comments can also help bloggers improve their blogs by letting them know what kind of posts you like to read… or maybe not so much. Do the math; better blogs=better reading. And frequently your comment will be followed by a curious blogger visiting your site to learn about you and what you have to offer. You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours; it’s a win-win situation.

I try to visit three or four new blogs each day and leave a comment on something I read or observe there. I’ve even alerted a few people to broken links on their blogs— it’s no biggie, but they let me know it was appreciated. If I particularly enjoy a blog, I add it to my blogroll and let them know I did. It’s what I consider being a good neighbor.

So, I would like to nominate this week as “Leave A Comment” week, and encourage all readers to go out there and write at least two comments each day for one week. It doesn’t really take much time to leave a thoughtful, sincere comment- either about a specific post or the blog itself. Search out some new blogs to explore and tell them what you think. And then keep doing it.

And, as always, please feel free to leave comments here at my site. I really do want to know what works for my readers and what they’d like to see. My goal is for my blog to be a friendly and useful resource for anyone who happens to stop by.

Now get out there and comment, comment, comment!

Online Writer’s Groups- Are They For You?

As someone who has joined various local writers’ groups only to be disappointed time and time again, online groups may be an attractive alternative. That is not to say that all local groups are worthless- I’m sure there are some fine ones out there. The problem is that they can be difficult to find, and the best ones limit the number of people (and sometimes genre) for practical purposes, so they may not be available when you’re ready to join.

Online groups have the advantage of convenience; log in whenever and wherever you want, and spend as much or as little time as you want. They also hold an appeal to writers who want to receive a critique of their work but don’t want to actually face their critics. There is the added advantage of not having to critique pieces in which you have no interest (although generally, the more you critique, the more feedback you will receive in return). And for some, it’s easier to give an honest written critique than to face someone and try to tell them what isn’t working.

It’s never a good idea to tell a writer how great their piece is just to spare their feelings… or your own. Strive to give thoughtful, helpful feedback and be prepared to receive the same. Writers groups are not intended for people who only want to hear how wonderful they are, and if you find a group where that is the general practice, run! That kind of interaction might feed your ego, but it’s not going to help you grow as either a writer or critic.

There are many groups who welcome writers of all levels and interests. One I found just by doing a simple Google search is called Critique Circle (www.critiquecircle.com) You can join for free, or upgrade to their premium service for $24/year . The web site is loaded with FAQ’s on how their site works and how to critique- there are even critique templates available to use. It’s worth a look if you think a group might be right for you.

A Free, Easy to Access Resource For Writers and Readers

A couple of year’s ago, I took a fiction writing class taught by Thomas B. Sawyer. He recommended that anyone who wanted to improve their writing, regardless of what they were writing, should spend a few minutes each day reading the New York Times. (No, he doesn’t work there, and he lives in California).

He was right.

I registered at the web site (it’s free) and suddenly had access to all kind of stories, story ideas, and more importantly, good writing. I have learned to take my time there and really luxuriate in the words and the flow of the prose. Still considered by many to be the best newspaper in the world, their pieces are undoubtedly well written.

The web site is appealing and easy to navigate. You can even sign up for free email alerts on various topics. And their Sunday Book Review is a great way to check out new books and author interviews. You can even search within the SBR back to 1981.

Podcasts, videos, and even online book discussions are available as well. I encourage all writers (and readers) to make the trek to www.nytimes.com, pick a location, and enjoy- even  if only for a few minutes. It will be there, ready for you whenever you can make it back.

“The Lost Saranac Interviews” by Joe David Bellamy & Connie Bellamy (Writer’s Digest Books/ Oct.2007)

From 1976-1980, the Saranac Writers Conference was held at Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks, hosted by Fiction International and St. Lawrence University. A number of major writers were among the participants at the Saranac Writers Conference, including Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates, Gail Godwin, Anne Beattie, Jayne Anne Phillips, Annie Dillard, E.L. Doctorow, and Carolyn Forche. The Lost Saranac Interviews consists of the photographs and interviews that are left from that time. Still relevant today, the issues discussed by writers at Saranac are still very much the same issues writers discuss today. Anyone who writes or enjoys literature will love this beautifully bound hardcover book.