Website in the Making

For the past couple of weeks, I've been annoying people on Twitter and Google+ (still amazing) about what they like to see on writers' websites. When most of the people who read my posts didn't answer, I decided to follow Rebecca Woodhead's advice in Writing Magazine and draw up a rough plan for a website. Her article also demonstrated the use of some of Wordpress.com's features to make a website look great and professional.

While the site is still under construction, you can see it by clicking here. I've spent the day working out how to build the website and still hide it from view, and the result is what you see. I've already posted two articles on the site for the grand launch, but they won't be viewable to the public until that time. I've got a bunch of ideas I need to work on before I can do that, of course, but I've got most of the tools I need to do that already. There are some things, like the banner, that need more work than the rest, but overall I'm looking at maybe six weeks before I launch (yes, conveniently right before I go back to college... I wonder why that is. *cough* bragging rights *cough*)

I can't reveal the exact contents of my website just yet (don't want anybody stealing my good ideas!) but I can say that it won't just be about me. The content will all be mine, yes, but it won't be just about me. I think that's bound to make it more interesting to people who haven't heard of me (subtract about 1500 from the population of the Earth). I'm hoping this website will be set apart from others I've seen; yes it will look quite a bit like many websites and blogs, given that it's hosted on Wordpress.com and using one of their templates, but it will have the small touches that I hope will be unique to my site. I've been thinking about them for some time, and to date only one person knows about my big secret to go on the blog.

What I'm still looking for is suggestions about what to include. What makes a personal website personal but doesn't make it a blog? I'll still be here, writing away on Blogger (even have a fancy button to send people here!). The website is going to be for news and announcements and the more professional side of my writing life. While that feels extremely weird to put into words, it's exactly what I want, and I'm getting excited for the launch already.

But before I launch, I need to set up a couple of things - only one person knows the specifics of one of them - and I need to get a proper banner designed and ready to upload. I also have one final goal: have something in each of the categories on the blog. I don't want it to be bare when I launch. There'll be things for people to read, to comment on, to (hopefully) enjoy, and they can't just be trickling online slowly while the headings go to waste. Everything needs to be online and ready to go for when I make the switch from one menu (the one that currently only says "coming soon") to the finished site, complete with all sorts of posts divided by category to make it so much easier to follow.

Also, if you're wondering about the "g" stuck write in the middle of the website's address, it's for my middle name. Or I can say it's a special effect. Or that Google has stamped its identity into my existence. You pick one. Mainly I just want suggestions about what people would like to see on the website.