I read a good post today on basic ways to build and improve your blog.

Kimberley Payne suggests:

1. Focus your blog 2. Decide on frequency 3. Do a variety of posts 4. Publicize your blog 5. There’s lots of advice out . . . → Read More: how to improve your blog]]> Are you a beginning blogger, or just thinking of starting a blog?

I read a good post today on basic ways to build and improve your blog.

Kimberley Payne suggests:

1. Focus your blog
2. Decide on frequency
3. Do a variety of posts
4. Publicize your blog
5. There’s lots of advice out there…

To learn more about each of these, check out Kimberley’s blog now.

And keep tuned…

I’ll be posting a list of my own very soon – right here at Pen and Paper Mama.

Click on the “posts” button at the top right hand corner of the blog, and subscribe so you don’t miss out on what coming up!

Which of course makes sense, since it’s my “Pen and Paper Mama” site!

I particularly want to encourage folks who enjoy writing, but are . . . → Read More: Writing!!!]]> If you’ve been following this blog for awhile, you’ll know already that I’ve been trying to figure out what to focus on. And I’ve decided this will be my WRITING AND PUBLISHING center.

Which of course makes sense, since it’s my “Pen and Paper Mama” site!

I particularly want to encourage folks who enjoy writing, but are perhaps nervous about on-line writing and publishing. It really is the wave of the future – no, actually, on-line writing and publishing is NOW!

I do understand, though, that the internet can be intimidating to a lot of folks, especially those of my own generation, and those who are elders. So I am going to try to explain things in simple terms. I am no expert myself, but have been going through a pretty steep learning curve recently. And I think that perhaps I can help people out by explaining things more simply than many of the learning sites that are available.

So that is my goal for this site. If you have any questions, ask away! I will do my best to answer them, and if I don’t know the answer, I will find out for you – and for me, of course.

One of the reasons I haven’t been posting much here is that I’ve suddenly gotten much more involved in “growing my blog” over at My Church Journey. I’ve been following a number of other blogs related to the whole topic of changes in the way we . . . → Read More: commenting and commenting-on-comments and posting about comments…. and pondering what to do next with my blogs]]> July 20 (looking back over the past week or so)

One of the reasons I haven’t been posting much here is that I’ve suddenly gotten much more involved in “growing my blog” over at My Church Journey. I’ve been following a number of other blogs related to the whole topic of changes in the way we approach “church” (being the church rather than doing church or going to church, for example). And commenting on other people’s postings. One of the outcomes of commenting, is that my blog link is left at the end of my comments, and other readers follow it to see what I’ve been thinking. Others comment on my comments on other blogs, and then I comment on their comments, and that gets me thinking, so I post about the topic on my own blog, and link back to the original posts on other blogs… and quite suddenly I find myself in the middle of some pretty amazing conversations… and my own blog is getting more hits and comments…

And I suddenly realize that I have 590 posts over there, which cover several years of posting (during which I was mostly just trying to think things through myself, and not very concerned about on-line coversation) … and other than a “search” box, and the title of the blog, “My Church Journey,” and the titles of past half dozen or so posts, there really isn’t any way for folks to explore my explorations. I haven’t even set up pages with specific topics, and there aren’t any “tags” or “categories” like on WordPress blogs. So now I’m really trying to decide what to do. Set up separate pages for different topics within the big topic? Set up separate blogs? Switch from blogger to WordPress? Whatever I do, I need to do it quickly, I’m thinking!

Oh no! It’s happened again! Here it is July 20, and I haven’t posted since July 9. Actually, I’ve done a lot of posting over on my My Church Journey blog, and been involved in a number of conversations on other blogs, but somehow time has . . . → Read More: catching up … and wonderings (again)]]> July 20 (looking back to July 9 and 10)

Oh no! It’s happened again! Here it is July 20, and I haven’t posted since July 9. Actually, I’ve done a lot of posting over on my My Church Journey blog, and been involved in a number of conversations on other blogs, but somehow time has flown by here with no posting.

I see that on the afternoon of July 9 I noted in my journal that I was having a hard time focusing; my brain seemed to be knocked out by the heat. Mid to high 90s F outside, and nearly 80 inside, despite my best efforts to keep the house cool! Well, I guess that’s the best excuse I can come up with.

On July 10, I wrote a blog post on Extending grace over at My church Journey, thinking about how we react to and treat those who we see as particularly evil people – in this case a young man whom police have warned the community is a pedophile. While I certainly understand people’s fears, and do think this particular situation has been handled poorly by the various social services, I have wondered how we can better react to and deal with this kind of situation. Anyway, you can take a look at that post, if you are interested.

That same day, I read a facebook posting by a young woman I know who has an autoimmune disease that has turned her life upsidedown. As if that isn’t enough, there have been a number of other tragic circumstances in her close family – degenerative disease, childhood abuse, accidental death… None of which were “preventable” or “deserved” or whatever. And yet, other families appear to have comparatively few severe problems (though as onlookers we no doubt often know very little about what people are really going through). Wondering about that…

I was discouraged today because I have felt that almost no one is responding to my writing, especially my writing that is related to You.

And I am feeling quite alone in regards to coming out of “structural/ institutional” church, at least here in this community.

And then I was just sitting . . . → Read More: small to men, great to God]]> 1 July 2010

I was discouraged today because I have felt that almost no one is responding to my writing, especially my writing that is related to You.

And I am feeling quite alone in regards to coming out of “structural/ institutional” church, at least here in this community.

And then I was just sitting here reading Reimagining Church by Frank Viola, and these words jumped out at me:

“God’s most precious work has been accomplished through the small, the weak, and the unnoticed.” (referring to 1 Cor 1 :26-29; 1 Kings 19:11-13)

“…the greatest things in God’s eyes are extremely small in the eyes of men.”

“The call of God to recover the primitive simplicity of organic church life requires that we begin on entirely new ground. A ground different from the religious systems and traditions that we fallen mortals have constructed. And that ground is the Lord Jesus Christ.”

And as he pointed out previously in the book: the cross (death to self) before the Spirit’s power.

Yesterday I posted two blog entries, both expressing frustration with some roadblocks I’ve run into recently with my writing and blogging. Although I haven’t received any responses in the comments section, I was delighted, this morning, to find some answers to at least one of them in a couple email newsletters to which . . . → Read More: answers to my questions!]]> May 29, 2010

Yesterday I posted two blog entries, both expressing frustration with some roadblocks I’ve run into recently with my writing and blogging. Although I haven’t received any responses in the comments section, I was delighted, this morning, to find some answers to at least one of them in a couple email newsletters to which I subscribe. Check them out! (And yes, please, I still want to hear your thoughts, too!)

The first set of questions I asked was in this post: learning, getting inspired … but not much doing. So this morning I read Chris Brogan’s Author’s Plan for Social Media Efforts which really demonstrated to me how to lay out and organize my efforts! And then Seth Godin wrote The distraction, the tail, and the dog, and I realized that, as he put it, “it’s time to come up with boundaries so the tail doesn’t end up wagging the dog.” Right on! Thanks to both of you! Onward!

By the way, the other set of questions I asked had to do with what to do about all life’s unexpected distractions. Come on! Your suggestions – please!

Just wondering….

Why does it seem there are so many more “successful” (large followings, money-making, influential/leader) male bloggers than female?

Why are female authored blogs usually different than male-authored blogs? What are the differences, anyway? Why? (I really want to take a look and check that out!)

Even on male-authored blogs, who signs up . . . → Read More: male or female bloggers? and followers? what’s the difference? does it matter?]]> May 18, 2010

Just wondering….

Why does it seem there are so many more “successful” (large followings, money-making, influential/leader) male bloggers than female?

Why are female authored blogs usually different than male-authored blogs? What are the differences, anyway? Why? (I really want to take a look and check that out!)

Even on male-authored blogs, who signs up more? Women or men? What about on female-authored blogs? What differences? Why?

Has the arrival of blogs increased men reading? (Historically – or at least in recent years, lol) women have tended to do more reading than men, of traditionally published writing. Isn’t that right? Same at school – girls are more enthusiastic readers than boys, generally).

Do women look for different information from blogs than men do? Is that significant for blog planning? Who is my potential audience, anyway? What difference does it make?

What do you expect from your “devotions” or your “time with Father” or whatever you call your focused time with God? Prayer … Bible study … spiritual enlightenment?

How about some pretty direct “direction” about your business?

I tend to think that God maybe kind of drops incidents and information and such in our . . . → Read More: a very unexpected conversation with Father]]> 18 May 2010

What do you expect from your “devotions” or your “time with Father” or whatever you call your focused time with God? Prayer … Bible study … spiritual enlightenment?

How about some pretty direct “direction” about your business?

I tend to think that God maybe kind of drops incidents and information and such in our way, and if we are keeping our eyes open and walking with Him, He’ll use those things to kind of “guide” us in the “practical” areas of our lives.

But sometimes He really surprises me with the directions He takes me in my “conversation” times with Him. Check out what happened this morning, at this is not what I expected from conversation with You!!!. Direction on setting up email subscriptions? What kind of devotional is THAT?!?!?

New next-door neighbours moved in over the weekend. Very nice young couple with 3 children. Reminds me how I want to reach out to (and reach!) my neighbours!

I’ve been wondering how to “grow” my “audience” – and at the same time wondering about what size and kind of audience is really necessary . . . → Read More: pursuing “success in blogging” ??]]> May 17, 2010

New next-door neighbours moved in over the weekend. Very nice young couple with 3 children. Reminds me how I want to reach out to (and reach!) my neighbours!

I’ve been wondering how to “grow” my “audience” – and at the same time wondering about what size and kind of audience is really necessary to be “successful.” Of course that begs the question: “What is success?” Does it mean having lots of readers and subscribers, making a good income, having a lot of “influence?” What kind of influence? Sacrificing what, in the process? Whose “way?” What worldview?

I’ve read some pretty useful blog postings and books and case studies and such, that have a lot of good ideas (successful ideas, if the number of readers and subscribers and income and so on at those sites are the desired markers of success). But sometimes when I am reading them, I feel uncomfortable. I may feel that their foundational beliefs, their core world-views, conflict with mine.

I find myself picking out some ideas and leaving others, but at the same time wondering if the ideas I have picked out are going to somehow draw me into their way of approaching the world after all? Are methods, ways to do things, pointers on how to grow your blog (for example), mostly just neutral, just what they are? Or do they really reflect something deeper? Is it possible to skim the useful tips off the top, and avoid/ignore the underlying purposes, beliefs, approaches? To use the same methods to accomplish or serve different ends and purposes?

Does it matter? If it does, then what?

The blog advice keeps saying to be true to yourself, true to who you are, what your passions are, what you believe, in developing your blog. What does that mean? And do they really mean that? If they do, why are they charging big bucks to their customers, urging them to buy their particular “ideas” (aka products)? They present themselves as authorities (a big part of blogging, apparently); and it seems to follow that buying their products, and following their methods, then becomes buying into their particular way of doing things… and possibly buying into their particular world view, belief system, core values… etc…?

(I want to follow You, Father…)

(In case you’re wondering, dear reader, what I’ve been reading today – and yes, picking out a lot of potentially useful ideas from – here are some links!

Leo Babuta at Zen Habits: various short posts – and a longer one: How I Got 100,000 Subscribers in Two Years

Chris Garrett at cgarrett.com, especially Killer Flagship Content

Seth Godin’s blog and email updates.

And, oh yes! I signed up on posterous.com today. And did some more “stumbling.” You can check out some of my “favorites” here.

And I started reading ProBlogger (2nd ed) today. (By Darren Rowse of the ProBlogger site and Chris Garrett – see link above). Yes, I bought the book!

Lots of good ideas in all of them. Just wondering, though, what applies to me?)

(Father?)

I spent a long time going through all the sites I’ve been bookmarking since I started my “new job” (self-employed, entrepreneur, writer etc) exactly two months ago. I hadn’t been keeping them organized – that was a mistake! So I quickly checked each site, and organized them according to topic(s). . . . → Read More: organizing! … visits with friends … encouragement for my “Novel Under Construction” project]]> May 14, 2010 (Friday)

I spent a long time going through all the sites I’ve been bookmarking since I started my “new job” (self-employed, entrepreneur, writer etc) exactly two months ago. I hadn’t been keeping them organized – that was a mistake! So I quickly checked each site, and organized them according to topic(s). After that I re-organized “My Documents” on my computer. Yikes! How can such a supposedly-organized person get so disorganized? Guess I didn’t realize what a complex “job” this was going to be!

In the later afternoon, a young man who used to be one of my son’s group of “best buddies” when they were pre-teens, came by for a visit – and a knife-sales demo! It’s fun to keep up with young people on facebook – and to actually get to see them sometimes! After that, hubby and I, and our son, went to visit some friends for supper. It was wonderful! Thanks, Gerry and Julie!

By the way, I had a couple of really encouraging “confirmations” about my new Novel Under Construction project! One was Gerry loaning me a book, From God to You: 66 Love Letters: A Conversation with God that Invites You Into His Story, by Dr. Larry Crabb. Gerry pointed out that this book is somewhat similar to this blog and My Church Journey, and especially to my A Mother’s Journey blog which is the basis for my new Novel Under Construction project!

The other “confirmation” was that shortly after I got the new Novel Under Construction site set up, I received a prayer request from a mom who is struggling with the same issues that “My Mother’s Journey” deals with. So I was able to refer her to the site, and to encourage her because I have been down a similar path, and can confirm that God does indeed answer our prayers for our wandering children. The prayer request was a reminder to me from Father that He does have His purposes in leading me to develop this novel! I also was thinking that if there are other moms out there who are struggling with these issues, or have been through them, participating in the Novel Under Construction project might actually be an encouragement to them in the process! If that might be you, or someone you know, why not check out this project and see what it is about?