Aug 3, 2014 / Community Pool

Community Pool

It’s time for this week’s Community Pool! Duck-shaped life savers: optional.

Have you just published a new post and are dying for some feedback? Did you recently start your blog and could use some layout or design advice from your more seasoned peers?

Tap into the wisdom of The Daily Post blogging community and leave your question here in the comments. Others can then click through and offer input either on your site, or in the comments here (feel free to indicate which you’d prefer).

To help us make the Community Pool a productive space for discussion, here are some tips you might find useful:

TIP: To keep from losing your place in the comment thread while you visit others’ blogs, right-click on a link to open it in a new tab or window.

  • While you’re not required to, we encourage everyone who requests feedback to also reply to at least one or two other bloggers who need some help. Spread the love!
  • The Community Pool comments section can get quite big — and starting duplicate threads doesn’t help. Thanks for not posting the same question more than once!
  • If you’re looking for quality feedback, be as specific as you can. Questions about a particular post tend to draw more comments than ones about entire blogs. Questions about specific design elements are more likely to be answered than ones asking for general layout advice.
  • We discourage leaving links without a more substantive message or question. These are often overlooked by other bloggers, and we frequently remove them to make the comment reading experience smother.
  • Please keep all comments civil and constructive. The idea is to have fun — it’s a pool, after all!
  • If you haven’t looked at our Commenting Guidelines in a while, now might be a good time.
  • No running on the deck.

Photo by Brian Cantoni.

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  3. I have a question… Recently, I came across a blog which had 82,000 followers. The author of the blog offered to promote you for a fee of $50. Now I would appreciate an honorable mention where 82,000 bloggers would have a chance to view my blog, but is this okay with WordPress? Charging bloggers to mention your blog for a fee?

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    1. This happens a lot. I’m not sure where WP stand on it, but I don’t think they frown on it. I personally wouldn’t pay a blogger to promote my blog. However, there a lot of bloggers out there who do. Just imagine- If you have 82,000 followers and only 10% pay a $50 fee. Tasty money indeed. Would it make a difference to your blog if you did pay the money. Thats the question. Nice blog, by the way

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      1. Paid promotion of your blog is an option you can explore; my fellow-editor Michelle wrote a post about this very topic a few months ago, here:
        https://wordpress.com/dailypost/2013/08/06/paying-for-blog-traffic/
        The bottom line: for the most part, these promotions tend to have a short-term effect, if any. Consistently strong traffic depends on consistently good content, as well as on a lot of engagement and interaction with your blogging community. In other words, it would be wise to set your expectations accordingly if you ever choose to pay for your blog to be promoted.

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      1. Thank you! Your blog concept is really cool too. I really enjoyed reading your posts and am following you now.

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      1. Thank you! Every awkward funny story I’ve written is very true. I really liked your imperfection poem. I found it very easy to relate to. Your writing style is very deep and raw. I like it a lot.

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      2. Thank you for the immense compliment! That’s very sweet of you, and very accurate. I only write when I ‘need’ to, and rarely edit or follow any set rhyme scheme. Thanks again! 🙂

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    3. I really like how your blog is structured. It is organized and welcoming. I know exactly how you felt when you had to get glasses- i wore contact lenses since I was 13 and it is not until now, at 20, that I am embracing my glasses (I am, after all, a coffee drinking, blogging, magic aficionado, slightly hipsterish character). Keep up the good work!

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    4. Oh my goodness, I loved it so much I couldn’t stop reading. I just got to “The Jean Problem” and I’m laughing so hard I’m crying!!! I really enjoy your writing style and now I’m a follower!

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    1. Hi Adriana, What kind of feedback are you looking for? I liked your style – clear and informative. The article flowed very well. You just have a few problems with the punctuation, mostly with commas. As a non-native speaker your English is still impressive.

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      1. Thanks so much for you feed back. Great tip on the commas. I do tend to over due it and I went back and corrected my errors. Totally appreciate it.

        🙂

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  6. Hi, I just started this blog a few days ago and really have no idea what to do with it. I don’t know whether to use it for fun or to try and make money with it. Any advice would be helpful.

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    1. Have some fun with it and if you make some money, BONUS. Let me know when you post a story as I love horror. Good luck.

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    2. Hi! Just read your first post. I’m pretty new to blogging myself, but my advice would be don’t do it for money. Blogging/writing is a form of artistic expression (especially personal blogs like yours) so just use it as a space to be creative and to interact with others. I personally find it an immensely rewarding and cathartic experience. Keep going!

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    1. I like your post Soul Stabbed. I can definitely relate to your writing and I think your blog has potential to connect with a lot of people.

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  8. Started my blog at http://www.theroadsidemusings.com about a month ago and I’m really enjoying. Would love some feedback about how accessible the writing style is and more specifically, should I keep the ‘featured’ gallery at the top or scrap it? Also, any thoughts on creating a Facebook page versus posting on my personal profile. Is it a bit early to consider a dedicated page? Thanks!!!

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    2. So you’re just a cool dude. Your blog is really neat and the concept is really interesting to read about. I generally don’t read things dealing with faith, but your blog and how you spread the Word is really neat.

      Like

    3. Hi Luke,

      My own personal preference would be to either drop the gallery or minimise it. A small thing but when faced with your homepage, I can’t see the posts and need to scroll down. It would be nice to see your latest contribution at first glance. The little things add up!

      Just my opinion.
      Aidan

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  9. I’ve been up and running a couple of months now, and am really enjoying it. I’ve asked for advice every couple of weeks, and people have been very polite to take the time to reply. If anyone would care to take a quick look at http://www.thebiggestlittlehills.com, I’d be very grateful if they can spot anything glaringly obvious that I’ve omitted, or needs omitting! Thank you all again. Shane

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    1. Hi Shane, took a look at your blog. Neat and straightforward which is good. The composition of your photos is excellent but if I had to make a criticism it would be to go easy on the editors filtering. Your photos are composed really well and sometimes too much drama in the filters and editing can detract from that. Other than that it’s really good and should attract attention from other enthusiasts of the area.

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      1. Thanks Luke, much appreciated. Several recent shots have been experiments on my behalf. As a rule I like high contrast images, and in particular, I like to see contrasting colour and texture in skies. I tend to get my best photos in bad weather! Thank you for taking the time out to look, you’re a star. Shane.

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      2. My pleasure dude. I’m similar to you in my photographic taste, and I’ve often been guilty of over-doing the contrast and saturation! Don’t know if you do instagram but a good buddy of mine has nearly 40k followers. He was the one that told me to go easy on filters etc. His instagram is @rich .

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    4. I am at work at the moment so didnt get time to dig into your blog properly, but I had a skim through, some of those pictures are stunning, I like the blog name too, really grabs the imagination (well mine it does).

      The about page could maybe do with some padding out overall I like the blog at least on a layout perspective, ill read some posts later today/tomorrow.

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      1. Cheers dude, much appreciated. Point taken about he “About me” blurb. I always feel a little awkward writing about myself! I liked your etiquette section on your blog, and your blurb is a good example. Please excuse the informality, but I noted you’d mentioned your Sarcoidosis. My wife and I were discussing it earlier as a friend of ours is a sufferer. He’s struggling to get travel insurance at the moment, as he wants to go to the States to visit his son. Funny how things can effect your life like that. Once again, thanks for taking the time to view my offerings, it really is hugely appreciated. Regards. Shane

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      2. Hi Shane, Your welcome, I am going to look through some of your actual posts today (be snowed at work so far though 😦 ), Thanks for the comments on my blurb, I do tend to get carried away on about pages lol, it was actually suggested by someone on another community post to break it up as it was so long hence the 3 sections.

        Not a problem re the informality, the Sarcoidosis I have is mild, at a mild level I cannot see how any travel insurance is affection, it isn’t contagious etc. At it is more severe level I guess hospitalisation could occur, I guess it depends on your friends level of the disease.

        I actually never even thought about how it would affect travel insurance should I want to go abroad. I wish your friend well, hopefully it isn’t severe and it goes, as apparently sarcoidosis can just go, I’ve had mine since 2008.

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    5. Your photographs are amazing and I love your blog’s title! I would add a like button 🙂 but thats it! Im relatively new to blogging, but your blog has been one of my favourites so far. ]

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  10. Hello ! It would be great if you guys could visist my page and leave a comment ! I love ANY feedback. Much appreciated! xx In return I will visit your site to, as a thank you gesture 🙂

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      1. Hello, I read your post and very much enjoyed your thoughts. I wish I had been so intuitive at 18yrs old! My only criticism is the design of your blog. The purple colour is a little distracting – perhaps you could change it for a lighter colour? Oh, and the about button isn’t easy to find. Apart from that I liked it. You’re a fan of Tolkien as well and for that I’ll give you a follow! Look forward to reading your blog.

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    2. Hi, I’m a final year psych undergraduate myself so have followed because I’m very intrigued to see your view on the things you see ! Looking forward to more. I do find your blog quite difficult to navigate, but saying that I’m on my phone so it may just be that 🙂

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  11. Hi everyone. I’ve had my blog for a few months now and am getting a good amount of visitors, however not many likes or comments. Some feedback on whether my posts are interesting or on my writing style would be great. I blog about living in Paris on a tight budget.

    Here it is – http://parispinched.com/

    Thanks, and i’ll give some feedback on others as well 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Hi Kerri,

      Honest feedback coming up because I like your front page, graphic and I think you’re covering a relevant topic for a lot of people.

      I just read your ‘Finding Housing’ post and have a few suggestions. There is a wall of text and lots of white spaces which could be reduced if you do single line space jumps instead of the default double line paragraph jumps. Also, some graphics throughout the the piece would really keep the readers attention throughout.

      I’m starting to write smaller, snappier posts (bite sized) so people can read them quicker and are more likely to comment. It is worth discovering other blogs in your niche and commenting to build a following. There is a lot more I could say, and these forums are gold.

      Hope this helps,
      Aidan

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    4. I’m glad i stumbled on your blog not just for all the great tips you provide and share about Paris, but the honest and witty words that comes with it. Loved your About page!

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    5. Hi – your blog made me want to hop on a Eurostar train!

      Liked the spirit of your bio a lot. It felt very true and heartfelt.

      Liked the photos throughout your post on flea markets. Very helpful to see some of the treasures to be found.

      Your blog will grow to be a truly encyclopedic resource. Please keep writing!

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      1. I got ahead of myself. Sorry=( Did not read the message in it’s entirety. So I mentioned pinging as a way to get your site out there. I just found out about pinging myself and am very excited to see what happens after submitting to 3 different ping sites and I hope once you try it you will have much success. Now as for designs I would recommend going to other sites in the same arena and gathering ideas for your site. They don’t have to be the same as other sites but it will get your creative juices flowing. Hope I was of some help. Have a great day!

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      3. Just go to Google and enter ping my blog and sites that offer to blast your site for free will pop up. Enter your sites info and in a matter of seconds your blog is now all over the world wide web!

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  13. I have written a new post on my blog, about the capital city of Slovakia. I hope you enjoy the pictures I have taken, as well as the history behind my walking tour in Bratislava. I have added a new feature for non-spanish speakers, so they can get a version in English, German, French or Italian following the translation link. Hope you like thei post about this not-so-visited city in Eastern Europe! I would appreciate any comment, especially those about prhotography and blog design.
    You can find the post here:

    Bratislava: el encanto de Staré Mesto

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    1. Hi Roberto, your photos are excellent, very well composed. Bratislava is a great city with a rich history – something you clearly have a passion for in your writing. Translation is a great idea, but Google Translate is not very accurate. I prefer to read it in Spanish. Blog design is perfect – clear and easy to navigate. Hope that helps 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for you cooments. They help a lot. I know google translate is not good, but many friends asked me to give them a possibility to read it. I found this could help them.

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    2. I actually have visited Bratislava and I thought it was magnificent! I think your post and pictures do a fine job capturing the beauty!
      I liked how you included your physical trip as well, with the directions and all.
      Nice!

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Hello! It is nice to have someone here to help and give their advice. I appreciate you and others who are welcoming. Thank you=)

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    1. I checked out your blog and it seemed very empty. Your introduction piece was solid but besides that I’m not quite sure what to make of it.

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      1. I do apologize seeing as how I was very excited about starting a new blog. I realized all the possibilities and got super excited. The emptiness will soon go away as I am working very hard to make sure that the content put up is worth my readers time.I don’t want to just throw garbage out there just for the sake of having a blog that gets attention for all the wrong reasons. I want my site to be a place where there is love and light but a hint of crazy but not too much crazy. Once again I do apologize and I hope you return soon.

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  15. I started my blog after my 20 year old was killed in car wreck with four friends last year. I posted about “things bereaved parents want you to know”. I would like feedback from others who have experienced loss. Do my thoughts express what you experienced as well? Are there things you suggest I add when I do a Part 2?

    And for the rest of you, does my writing sound too dark? Or is it encouraging?

    (I’m going for honest and raw but uplifting.)

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    2. Hi Kathleen,

      Here’s my two cents. It’s a beautiful, touching blog which I like the layout of. Having read your latest post, I think it would benefit from being a little bit shorter. It is well written, but if you made it shorter or added a few small photos to accompany the body of text, it would read better. I hope this helps.

      Kindly
      Aidan

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      2. I figured out how to add pictures! And how to break the post into multiple pages. I still need to pare it down and edit it more. Thanks for the comment and prompting me to learn how to do more with my blog!

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    1. Hi, I like the layout of your blog. Its easy to navigate and simple enough to make your writing the main focus. Maybe your title is a little small – but that’s all I can say. Lovely blog 🙂

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    2. Beautiful simple design, nicely laid out. I personally would prefer to see an ‘About You’, or ‘Best Of’ selection of poems tab at the top for easy access instead of having to scroll down the page.

      Happy blogging!
      Aidan

      Like

  18. Blogging is my final Undiscovered Country. Just like Golf…good or bad I need it without sweating the details. I get critiqued at my current Master’s classes, at work (Both personally and professionally) So for now, I will keep throwing the words to the screen and hope they make an impression. BUT….I really appreciate this suggestion and will take advantage of it someday, once the incoming friendly fire slows down on the other fronts. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I like your writing! I’ll be back to read more in the future. 🙂 We have 3 kids and I’m a stay at home momma like your wife. Always like to virtually get to know similar people to myself.

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      1. 1-2 kids is one thing….3. That is an interesting club to belong too. 🙂 Thanks for the compliment. Just a warning, I am “all over the place” in my writing. I am “dealing with 49” this year and my oldest “baby” just turned 21. At least I am not shopping for an over-priced sports car. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  19. I’m new to blogging and just want to connect with people interested in writing and philosophy, or one or the other. I just wrote a post called “How to Start a Successful Writer’s Group” and would love feedback. What are your experiences with writer’s groups?

    Like

    1. I like it. I’ve never personally be in a writing group before, but I often observe or conduct rehearsed readings from films or plays. Very engaging, well written, following as of thirty seconds ago! Good stuff!

      Like

  20. I would like my blog to be a helpful tool to learn more about how to use things more naturally. I’m still in the beginning, does it accomplish this? Or is it too sales-y? I’m not all about selling, I’m about sharing and helping others learn and I want my blog to have that shine through.

    Home

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    1. From what I have observed your blog does come off as more sales oriented. I’m sure this is a simple fix though.

      Like

      2. Thanks. I did another post last night trying to focus on telling why I used that particular oil blend, what’s in it, and why it helps. I have some more work to do so that I can update/edit my previous posts to reflect this same end goal…teaching the hows and whys of the oils, not selling them.

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    2. Hi – I’d agree with Life Blog – your blog does look as if you’re selling, rather than educating. As he says, that’s not hard to fix.

      You’d probably feel better if you helped your readers with your knowledge of different oils and their uses. There’s a lot you could write about that – especially as a mother who’s used essential oils with her own children.That would be a useful resource for worried parents and worried non-parents too.

      You use quite a lot of exclamation marks when you write. After a while they lose their power and enthusiasm. If you sprinkle them more sparingly, like pepper, they’ll spice things up more effectively.

      All best wishes – I hope you have great success with your business.

      Like

      1. Thank you! I wrote another post last night about how I was able to get more energy. Focused more on what I experienced, how it helped me, and then listed what the blend of oil contained and how each of those components help. I’m going to work on editing some of my other posts. Nice catch on the exclamation points…I do use those a lot, I’m just so excited about how much the oils have helped us I forget others might find it more annoying than exciting.

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      2. Thank you! I wrote another post last night about how I was able to get more energy. Focused more on what I experienced, how it helped me, and then listed what the blend of oil contained and how each of those components help. I’m going to work on editing some of my other posts. Nice catch on the exclamation points…I do use those a lot, I’m just so excited about how much the oils have helped us I forget others might find it more annoying than exciting.

        Like

  21. Hey guys,
    I just posted again for the first time in ages. I was planning on adding a couple of slideshows to my post, but unfortunately found out the slideshow function has disappeared when making a gallery. Does anyone know if there’s any new way to make a slideshow. I’ve left it with galleries now but I’m not really satisfied. I prefer the look of a slideshow the galleries have now made my post a bit messy.
    Any other further tips and comments on my blog are also welcome.
    Thank yous 🙂

    Like

    1. The slideshow option is still available — once you select the photos you want to include, you can choose it from the gallery type dropdown menu. (Full instructions are here:
      https://wordpress.com/support/images/gallery/)

      If, for some reason, that option isn’t visible on your blog, could you please let me know what post you’ve tried adding a slideshow to? That would help me investigate the matter further. Thanks!

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      1. Thanks for the quick reaction. The drop down menu wasn’t visible yesterday when I came across the problem. I’ll check it out again in a bit when I’ve started my laptop up, but it was my latest post, the one about Italy, that I tried adding sideshows to. Thanks for the help.

        Like

  22. Hello all,

    I’ve just started a trail and ultramarathon running blog. If you have the time to go give it a quick read through, I would be much obliged.

    Feedback and suggestions of any kind are welcome and encouraged.

    Thanks,
    Charles

    Like

    1. Hi Charles. I took a look at your new blog. You have a profound story. I’m not sure how to do this with blog templates (I’m no blogging expert!) but, as your story is long, I think it would work well to highlight bits of the text in places (again, I’m not sure how that can be done??) I especially like your use of the Scott Jurek quote! Is there anyway you could make that the opening, or part of the heading of your blog, or of your ‘about’ page? Just some suggestions. There’s great material there to continue telling your story.

      Like

  24. Hi all, I recently launched my blog which is about working in the creative industries. It contains tips, tales and facts about whatever I happen to be working on.

    Any criticism of the blog in general would be much appreciated, but I am particularly looking for feedback on this post http://nickrbtingley.wordpress.com/2014/08/02/sneak-peek-saturday-the-challenge/
    which represents my first attempt at creating a poem for my new book of war poetry. Please send any comments to my blog itself.

    Thanks guys,
    Nick

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    1. This is so brilliantly touching.
      Short, to the point, has a beautiful flow.

      I also have to say it’s an interesting attempt, makes me wonder how you chose to write war poetry.

      Anyhow, beautiful!

      Like

      1. Thanks for the feedback, nice to know that I’m on the right tracks.

        Yeah, I started writing war poetry because I discovered that my great grandfather had died in the last few days of the First World War and we only found his gravestone recently. I guess with the centenary this year, I wanted to honour his sacrifice in some way.

        Thanks again for you comments, it means a lot!

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    1. I just left a comment on your latest post.
      I like your style, I am writing a similar blog if you would want to check it out:
      Soundtracksfortwentysomethings.wordpress.com

      One thing I would say about that particular post – and this is very little of importance:
      I felt that the quote you chose at the beginning was not completely related to your subject matter.
      But I may have not read the relation as closely as you did.

      Anyhow, good luck!

      Like

    1. Hey. Checked out your site. I’d recommend you include either a page or a mention in your as-yet incomplete About page your objective to declare to the potential reader what sort of material they can expect to read on your blog. Once you find your niche you should attract more readers. Hope this helps

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    1. Wow. That was very personal and I imagine very hard to put down in words. How can anyone offer any kind of criticism–constructive or otherwise–on such a personal matter. I do hope you and your husband can work through your issues and rekindle the love you had at first. Thanks for sharing

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    1. Hi Deborah. I enjoyed your sagebrush post. I get the impression that writing isn’t simply a choice for you, but a creative and emotional outlet. If so, then kudos, you can’t go wrong. Be sure to tag your posts effectively to draw readers that can relate and you should have a larger audience. Welcome to the blogosphere

      Like