CMS Websites for Writers

For about 5 months we've been chatting with Web programmers and designers to offer inexpensive CMS websites, custom designed, to come in under or around $1000. If you're familiar with Content Management Systems and high-end Web design, you probably understand our challenge to find a highly qualified team willing to help us in this price range.

We wanted creative time with amazing designers, a creative brief session, and then 7 or 8 pages to start, with the ability to easily add pages at will, and the sites needed to include such options as: easy-to-use point and click CMS, all the basics like home, about, and contact forms, secondary navigation features, gallery for photos or streaming media, blog, events calendar, mailing list sign up... All the stuff writers might need.

We talked to programmers involved with Drupal, Joomla, Windows .NET, XML, PHP... The price tag always ran North, up, up and away to 2K, 3K, 5K. It's the CMS connected to custom design that makes it so expensive. Occasionally we found a programmer willing to help, but only for one site. (We want to help many writers.) But then the reality of no money set in... we have a project manager, designer, and programmer for each site... Then we discovered roadblocks and shortcuts taken. Not good.

Just when all hope was lost... We have discovered a solution! Our friends from an amazing and powerful and successful Web shop, the sort that works exclusively with large corporate clients and budgets to match, have agreed to help support our writing community. They are extraordinarily generous and though we have just started this endeavor together through a beta launch phase, we are grateful for their positive energy, experience, advice and support.

If you need a site and you understand the value of what we're talking about here, please drop a line. Let's chat. Our goal here is to just provide an awesome resource. Once we get fully up and running, we'll also have lots of free content and ideas for writers and Web development.

Covered inPORTLAND

We're donning the cover of inPORTLAND in today's Oregonian. The press is great. Naturally, we're now card-carrying members of the Anna Griffin and Fred Joe fan clubs. Surely, their members are legion.

The kind, congratulatory notes and inquiries have flowed in steadily throughout the day. Thank you, Anna, for helping support our burgeoning community.

Ah, but we can't help but chuckle at one or two small editorial wonders. For instance, I didn't realize I was so well published.

Here's the online version.

It's edited differently than the print version. It claims I have: "managed to escape a career in advertising copywriting to write full time, publishing a couple of novels along with numerous short stories and nonfiction." Well, that's sort of jumping ahead. For the record, if we replace the word "publishing" with "penning" we'd be spot-on accurate.

By the way, the article doesn't offer any contact info save for this blog. So if you made it here after reading the story...

WritersDojo.org
503-706-0509
info@writersdojo.org

The Mother of Events Calendar

We've been threatening to develop a master events calendar that culls together all other literary calendars for events, reading, workshops, etc., and puts them into one easy-to-use and read database with simple search functions and daily updates. Whoa, that would be awesome. A one-stop shop. Maybe sometime this year we'll get it together.

In the meantime, there are all the email lists and organizations and book stores and newspapers to check. We always feel like we're late--oh, just missed another favorite writer who was in town for one day. Luckily, we caught this one in time. If your a fan like we are of Then We Came to The End... Joshua Ferris will be at Powell's on Tuesday night. That's on Burnside, March 25th, 7:30pm.

So many blogs, so little

Thank you for the recent emails re: what happened to our blog? Nothing like a six-week hiatus. So, here's a little disclaimer for inquiring minds: We've been working on the Web site, to offer literary resources beyond another list of links. Of course, we want to incorporate this blog more closely into the site.

We're still waiting.

In the meantime, we return to sharing thoughts here. Today, we're headed over to the Writers Resource Fair at the Central Library. Hope to see you there.

Ode to a Super Agent

Poets&Writers will run a series of interviews with literary super agents. Their first in the series with Lynn Nesbit is completely awesome, if not slightly melancholy for the current state of publishing. Still, this is a must-browse situation. Oh, the salad days of the industry, when eccentric, intellectuals and insiders could roam the New York City streets fueled by Scotch, party invitations, and crazy notions of literary purpose. Wow, Nesbit agented how many of our favorite authors? She's been at the center of the New York lit scene for decades. Oh, how I'd love to pour the java and get her chatting over here at the Writers' Dojo. Lynn, if you happen to be reading this blog, please drop a line anytime: 503-706-0509.

Get Your Daily Fix

Thanks to the folks at the PSU Writing Center for the cool blog and resource: PDX Daily Writer.

And Off We Go

Ode, to the Launch Party... Wow, a blast! It was amazing to see all the writers who came out to play. Everywhere I turned, folks were chatting about their next project, deadlines, book deals, agents, the local literary scene... Almost a week later and I'm still pumped up from the night and still feeling slightly overwhelmed with everyone's generosity. We make for such a friendly, hilarious, lovely bunch of creative intellects, introverts, misfits, goof balls, and performers. This was exactly the kind of energy Writers' Dojo needed for our launch. Thanks, everyone, for helping make our party such a fabulous time.

Super-special-I-can't-say-it-enough thanks to our readers: James Bernard Frost, Kim Stafford, Chelsea Cain, Alison Clement, Tom Spanbauer. Each of you... phenomenal! As were the Dojo members who pitched in to help. Kristin, Caelan, Ellen, Dana, Skye: thank you.

Showing off Writers' Dojo was cool. But I hope we helped showcase St. Johns as a literary venue. Many of our friends who own the small businesses here are ready to open their doors and hearts to writers, to help out and play host. There are all these great spots, just within a few blocks around N. Lombard. Our local bookstore, St. Johns Books, is ready to team up for more readings. The Urban Soul is a tattoo parlor and art gallery with an amazing space for rocking parties. The Red Sea Church where we had our readings can hold up to 350 folks. Proper Eats, who helped cater the event, has a small stage and regular open mic nights. Anna Bananas, who provided coffee, has a cool cafe wine bar. The list goes on. The owners are ready and happy to connect. So stay tuned for more from NoPo.

Many wondrous notes have flowed in post party. Sweet, delicious thoughts from our new friends. So good! We did lose a healthy number of friends to the flu season, but our attendance numbers swelled nonetheless. We guess there were about 130-to-150 guests, most of us writers. The transition was especially surrealistic to see: a stream of party goers with wine glasses meandering across N. Chicago. Love it!

We'll do another party-like event soon. Maybe the summertime, maybe a garden party. Hey, shoot me a note with your ideas. We'll stick to the party formula: heaps of tasty wine, delicious food, friendly writer folk abound.

Okay, I did the little speech of thanks at the show, but here I go again. So many people donated their toys, expertise, and energy to help celebrate our opening.

A standing ovation, then, please, for: Emerald, my sister-in-law, who handmade a gagillion dumplings, egg rolls, and pieces of sushi; Michael, my brother and Aikido teacher, for opening the mat as a kids' playground; Jessica from Cameron Hughes Wine, who donated six delicious cases to our cause; our new friend and photographer, Doug, who should have amazing photos of the party to share soon; Piper and James from Proper Eats who helped with some catering; Shawn and Nathan at the Red Sea Church across the street who offered use of their home for the readings; freelance artist and coolest friend ever, Kim, who created these hilarious posters for us; Aaron, Web Master and music dude, dj Ujeen, who shared his mixing expertise; Albert who played keyboards; Kristina, who offered her party planning expertise; Hanny, who helped pour the wine; Jim, who lent his In Focus machine...