Rian from “Truth and Cake” is the first blogger who I followed after starting this current blog writing streak. She is a wonderful writer, blogger (bloggess? nah), and person. The page also says she has 1,721 followers. She writes that a great deal of those came when she was “freshly pressed”. Makes sense to me.
Robin Coyle has 673 followers and was just recently freshly pressed. Robin makes me laugh and has been a good friend in the blogger world. She talks about her up coming novel and writes a lot of times about writing. Makes sense to me.
Susie Lindau has 1,539 followers and was recently freshly pressed. Susie is wild (she will tell you so herself) and shares her blog, once a month, by letting us all link to a post we really want read of our own. Makes sense to me.
Now, this next list is just names of people / blogs. There are the people that may have been freshly pressed. I can’t remember and there is no good way (that I know of) to find out.
Sam at Everyday Asperger’s with 845 followers
Pretty Feet Pop Toe with 948 followers
Arianna’s Random Thoughts with 216 followers
Your Daily Dose with 482 followers
August McLaughlin with 563 followers
If I am following any of you and you have been freshly pressed and I missed you – sorry. Please feel free to mention it in the comments. Give yourself a link. As for those above, all are great blogs and I try to never miss reading them. Also, while I still follow well over 100 blogs, I have found that I can’t realistically read all of those every time they have a post. So, I have stopped the email updates for about 26 of those. If a couple of posts go by and you don’t notice a “like” or a comment from me and you miss me (aww), then drop me a comment and let me know. I will add you back. I am pretty certain I have most of the ones I currently just can’t miss.
As for me, now. Why am I not freshly pressed? I looked at this question and I did some research and I think I have some ideas.
There seem to be several things about this. I read someone’s post (like Rian) and I understand. Her posts, in my humble opinion, are darn near perfect. They are funny, sincere, and surround a subject that, most times, is current and thought-provoking. I read people who write about things that are either fascinating to me or I know would be to others. They are set up cute; the pics are nice; the titles are catchy; all of those things work. Hmm, some of mine do, too.
I understand that they should be error free. Okay, MA in English and teacher here. myne Mine r are 2 too.
I used to link it to a possibility that WP felt I wasn’t giving proper credit to the pics that I borrow. I make a statement on my page concerning copyrights that I embed the information in the pic itself. Almost always, if you look at the pic info, the original pic image is credited and if you click on the pic you will go to the page where the pic was taken from. So, mine are too.
Someone can request that you be freshly pressed. Ah, now we are getting somewhere. I have no control over this and don’t want any. That part I leave up to my reading audience. I have only sent in one request, a while ago. I can’t be upset if this hasn’t happened. So, I am not concerned about it.
That brings me to the last thing. Time and effort and future effort. I have read how people who get freshly pressed have their views and followers go up immensely, as well as their comments. I hear stories of views and comments in the thousands, followers doubling and tripling due to exposure the the full WP audience through freshly pressed. I imagine that is most everyone’s dream somewhere in their heads.
I look at what I do; I am impressed with what I do in my average day. But, I don’t think I have taken people through my average day. So, sit back, take your shoes off, and know that if you fall asleep through the next few paragraphs, I will pinch your toe until you wake.
My stroke has had tremendous physical effects on my fatigue level and it has totally screwed played havoc with my sleep. So, I will start with my glorious bedtime between 11:30 and 3:30 just depending on a lot of factors. I shoot for 12:30-1:00, so let’s do that. I will, usually, wake up at about 3:30 and again at 5:30-6:00. I will then sleep until about 7:30-8:30. I get up at that time and eat breakfast. I test my sugar, fix my breakfast, and sit down at the computer.
1) I read my morning emails (about 25-55) and sort them into several groups: a) new posts b) Family, friends, so on c) my blog concerns d) ones left that I read first
2) I log into my blog and leave my email up. I check Amazon to see if I sold anything.
3) I read the “other” emails, then start on my new blog posts from others (15-25)
4) after about 1 hour, I have to stop and do something else.
5) this varies, but goes on for about 30-60 minutes longer.
6) now, fatigue from lack of proper sleep has caught up and I need to lay down (around 10:00am)
7) I rest until about 1:00pm) Isn’t this exciting! (pinches toe)
8) I eat lunch and then try to finish reading or go out if I need to be somewhere
9) I eat supper (in or out) about 6:30pm
10) I come home and finish my posts and post my own for the night (set to post at 10pm)
11) about 10:30pm I work on “Words with Friends” (on FB, I have 16-20 games going)
12) Sometimes, I watch a movie
13) Recheck email for the 4-5th time today.
14) I go to bed, read for about 20 minutes and try to sleep (after taking night meds)
Now, understand that, during all of this, I may have to wrap/mail an Amazon package, go to the Reflexologist, work with the person who cleans my house. I will have to shower, shave (most days), and do general things. I keep busy. I eat out with my Sis or my best friend. I have another friend I eat out with or take in a movie. I may go out on a date (there, finally got your attention. I noticed you sat up.). And, there are several other things that may just crop up and I have to take care of.
Let’s also not forget that I do write and have been published. That takes time, too.
Add to that, I “like” all the posts I read. I comment on most of them and I answer my own comments.
All in all, I fill my days. That is if no “complications” arise. I am happy and this schedule works for me well. I have been trying to see how it would change if I had 1,000 followers instead of 400; 1,000 “likes”; 100-200 comments instead of 5-7. Wow!
Don’t get me wrong; I would love that; it would be an adjustment but one worth doing. It’s just that I understand more of how God works and, up to now, I am not sure how I would have handled such a change. However, now, I have changed, God has allowed me to grow and improve; I sleep a little longer at a time now; my fatigue is a bit less (I don’t always take the nap); I think a bit better. My memory is still flaky, but I seem to be able to concentrate and work just a bit faster. I have a little more energy.
I am trying to say that I believe I could now handle being freshly pressed. Am I asking you for anything? No, not a bit! I am just making a statement to the world. I believe most of my posts are better than before; I believe I help people with them; I know I have a great circle of close friends in the blogging world as well as those people I just know a bit about and those I am learning about. I share a lot and intend to share more.
What it finally came down to was the realization that I am not trying to be freshly pressed. I am simply writing, blogging, and enjoying my world. I realized that is what I should be doing: enjoying my world.
So, after finishing this post, I can say that whatever happens is fine; I knew that, anyway. I think I just needed to say it loudly and, apparently, wordily.
Namaste,
Scott
Kindredspirit23's Blog 
In the Spirit
Feel good today!
I have managed to begin my new career in writing by following my goal and finishing and submitting 3 short stories in the first week. I may finish number 4 today, but doubt I will submit.
It feels wonderful to put my thoughts to paper. Someone suggested that I also think about newspapers, magazines, and other (even online) areas to write in and get my name out. I will!
Someone else suggested that I remember that this is a blog. A blog is, usually, where people look and read, not so much comment. So, I will alter my first statement and say that I will try to write here most days. I will post thoughts and ideas to make you and I think. It will be my hope that you will read what I write and use it to think. If you feel compelled, then reply. I would love it if you would “join” so I would see a following. That’s always nice. But the big thing is for you and I to grow, each in our own way. Enjoy your day.
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