First registered on October 19, 1997, SimpleGiftsFarm.com began as the Internet home of my nursery business. The nursery was named Simple Gifts Farm after the Shaker hymn Simple Gifts. The nursery itself was shut down in 1998 when I became a full-time writer. The site became the repository of many of my newspaper columns. […]
Facebook Has Jumped The Shark
This is the screenshot of my garden author page this morning. You’ll note there are four ads sections asking me to spend money on Facebook. (Boost post at the top. Get more page likes and Get More Online Sales in large boxes under a scheduled post note. And finally, under those two ads, another “get a […]
My Retirement Plan
Dragon Naturally Speaking: A Practical Review
A few weeks ago, I added a Dragon to my working repertoire. Before you raise your eyebrow at me, let me be clear I’m talking about Dragon Naturally Speaking the voice software recognition system. This software allows me to dictate words to a text editor rather than type them using my hands. UPDATE: Oct 31/18 […]
There Is No Room For Fear
Some days being a writer can be downright terrifying. There are days I stare at an empty screen or page and wonder what on earth I was thinking about when I decided to become a writer. And in this fractious time, it is so tempting to walk away from a new idea because it may […]
The Moment I Began To Fear Aging
I’d like to share a personal story with you. I was rushing down our steep basement stairs, my work boots were muddy and my heel slipped on the third stair from the top. I grabbed the handrail for support but both feet shot into the air. I crashed uncontrollably down the entire 15-steps. The death […]
My Last Day As A Full Time Garden Writer Was Yesterday
Well, that was an interesting weekend. There’s nothing like sitting over a glass of wine with fellow creatives to focus your attention on the important things in life. Nothing. So… As of today – Saturday, August 11/2018, I’m officially retiring as a full-time garden writer. What About The Premium Members? The Premium members at DougGreensGarden […]
Rebuilding A Website: Step One
Over the next few posts in this series, I’ll describe my plans for rebuilding a website (SimpleGiftsFarm.com) and I’ll report on the outcomes of what I’m doing. The website started as my nursery site back in the dark ages (1997) of the Internet. Over the years, it has morphed to reflect whatever I was doing […]
Just Because You Can Do Something, Doesn’t Mean You Should
Every morning I begin my day by writing notes to myself and trying to sort out my head towards the creative process. It’s like cleaning out the cobwebs and every morning, coffee pot in hand (most of you use mugs, I skip that step.) I spend time sorting out my world. The graphics below are […]
The Three Kinds Of Non-Fiction Books That Make Money
There are three kinds of non-fiction books that are currently making money How to get laid get paid lose weight Write one of those if you want to make money. Otherwise, don’t bother unless you’re really famous or have a massive audience. You can read other posts about books and book publishing here