Reading time: Less than 3 minutes
There are few jobs less glamourous than rebuilding your website. But sometimes the work just needs to be done…
It was the hottest day of the year. I glanced at the thermometer in the room and saw that it read 86 degrees F (30 C). I reluctantly put on my makeup and dressed up, semi-fancy style. I closed the windows, pulled down the black-out blinds, turned off the fan and shut the door. Then, my son turned on three very hot lights. I could feel the sweat running down my neck in clammy rivulets before we started filming…
Welcome to the “glamorous” world of the internet.
If you’ve turned to my website today, you will see I have a new layout featuring some new videos and totally redesigned content. I’ve been working on this project, obsessively, for about two months now. Much of the information is the same, but there’s also new material as well, and all of it is presented in a new way.
The part I’m proudest of is my new section titled “I want to…” (Scroll down on the homepage to see it or look for it in the sidebar on any of the blog pages.) The purpose of the section is to help you with various, specific aspects of your writing. For example, you can learn to:
- be a more productive writer
- beat writers block
- become a better editor
- finish your thesis or dissertation
- improve your writing
- find more time to write
- write or publish a book, or
- be more creative
Each page begins with a brief video filmed on that brutally hot day (you may be able to spot the sheen of sweat on my face) and features links to the blog posts I’ve written over the last 10 years. I hope this new level of organization, which took me dozens of hours of hand-coding, is useful to you.
In addition to making new videos, I went to my favourite photo studio, with the unforgettable name Pink Monkey Studios, earlier in the summer, and had Ross den Otter and his wife Sarolta Dobi take new pictures. This kind of exercise is always fraught for me because I abhor looking at myself. But Ross and Sarolta are such kind, friendly people they can make me feel (reasonably) calm about being photographed. Most of all, I figure they can make just about anyone look pretty good.
I also took the opportunity of the new website to re-create all the pages for the products and services I sell — my online writing course, my book, my blog editing, my coaching and, most importantly my popular Get it Done program.
Along with the new website, I’m also relaunching Get It Done. The purpose of this support group is to help book, thesis and dissertation writers accomplish their writing in a more productive, less stressed fashion. Long-form writing presents very specific challenges and hazards and I’ve had great results helping writers overcome these hurdles over the last five years, with multiple works finally being finished.
Previously, I could accept no more than 20 people into Get It Done each term and the entry points were only four times a year. Now, with the help of some new software and structure, I’m able to accept a greater number of people and the new entry date is monthly — the first day of every month. If you are looking for help with your book, thesis or dissertation, I hope you’ll check out my information page here and consider sending in an application. (Admission is not automatic. All participants must apply.)
But the work for this project did not rest on my shoulders alone. I’m very grateful to have had the support and wise counsel of Jennifer Johannesen at Low to the Ground who did the heavy lifting when it came to my new WordPress design.
I hadn’t planned on redesigning my website in 2018. The project sort of snuck up on me (as a result of my relaunching the Get It Done program). But, now I’m super happy the job is finished and I hope you like it. Please be sure to let me know what you think in the comments section, below.
What’s your verdict for my new website? We can all learn from each other so, please, share your thoughts with my readers and me in the “comments” section below. Anyone who comments on today’s post (or any others) by Sept. 30/18 will be put in a draw for a copy of the non-fiction book Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki. Please, scroll down to the comments, directly underneath the “related posts” links, below. Note that you don’t have to join the commenting software to post. See here to learn how to post as a guest.