Today I discovered that my auto-renewal of my Premium plan with WordPress is on May 23 of this year.
I mean, I knew it was coming up sometime in the spring but I didn’t remember the exact date.
Now I know. And I’m glad I checked, because I made a decision: as of May 23, I will no longer pay for this WP site. I turned off the auto-renewal.
I think I’ve evolved beyond this blog.
Of course, I still want to write. I still do write. I write so many words but I have not published them anywhere. Why? Because I can’t find a platform where I can publish with confidence and earn grocery money at the same time.
For a while I played around with Medium, then Patreon. I like what they did to Patreon since the last time I used it (many years ago, probably almost a decade) but when I attempted to change my plan from Lite to Pro I suddenly had all sorts of financial and administrative issues on my hands.
I asked for help multiple times but customer support is elusive and after a few days, I sent my patrons (clients who pledged my content) a message and advised them I was going to unlaunch my page. I do not wish to spend any more time on administrative issues.
Goodbye Patreon.
So, where to next? What should I do next?
I have a couple of ideas, but I will let those rattle around in my head for a while before committing.
Today, in a few moments, I have to drive to Whitby, a suburb outside of Toronto east of where we live; Sonja has a ringette game out there. I am borrowing her dad’s car, the one with the seat warmers, and together we’ll have a little adventure. I can’t recall if I’ve been to that rink before although Sonja assures me she has played there before, so I’m curious to find out if stepping into the facility will jog my memory.
If she’s quiet in the car today I may think a bit about what to do with my words next, but if she’s chatty, which is known to happen on occasion, then I’ll worry about my writing another time.
Meanwhile, I’m struggling with my situation, specifically, my living situation.
My greatest wish in life is to have my own space. How do I manifest this? I will find a way without dropping the ball on all the other stuff, somehow.
But I am grateful. I have much to be grateful for and when my mood takes a dive or I feel overwhelmed or depressed, I remember to breathe, mediate, write out the words that no one will see, and often I take Tucker for a walk.
And with that, I bid you adieu (for now). I have to go to the rink.
No worries, I’ll write more here before May. Stay tuned. 😉
Thank you for reading my post!
Claudette
Claudette Labriola 
Gotta do what ya gotta do. My domain expires in May, my premium expires in December. I have grown disintetested in blogging…i keep toying with going free but more and more think i need to move on.
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Boy do I know that feeling… but then I get pulled back in. We’ll see what happens in May. I’m a little ambiguous but will take my time to decide what to do. Nice to see you here regardless! 🙂
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I’m using the free version of WordPress, and I have to say it is not fun. Very cumbersome editing process, as well as page design options. And the ads. Of course, free is free.
Just chiming in to agree about the technical difficulties. It’s odd that we are told over and over, or at least somehow led to believe, that technology is wonderful, but I have to say that has not been my experience whatsoever, with “smart” devices of all kinds, and especially when it comes to web pages of almost any variety, with WordPress high on the list.
At any rate, good luck.
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Thank you for your comment. I’ve been with WP for 16 years and I have learned my way around most of the challenges with varying degrees of headache… 😀 There has always been some difficulty, just as you say..
We’ll see how things progress! Thank you for contributing to the conversation!
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Hi Claudette- Nice to meet you. I noticed your blog today when I was looking at my reader list. I too have my ups and downs with blogging on Word Press. One of the actions I took to solve this paying problem was to try free podcasting with Anchor platform through Word Press. For not too much work, I find podcasting fun. If you would like to see some, it’s on Spotify using the title of my Word Press blog – Snippets of A Traveling Mind
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Thank you, yes, I’m aware of the anchor platform! Maybe I will check it out. Thank you for commenting!
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Thank you Writer of Words! I finished my tarot deck! Thanks for your support. I’m working on it still like it’s never really finished. I’m going to market with it soon. Zibotron’s TAROT Card Game. By the way I have a free account on WordPress. It’s always there and I never worry about it. . Granted nobody really knows I’m here except for a few. But it’s a nice place to write. I write and draw all the time away from my computer as well because that’s where I am sincerely rooted. Have you ever tried opposite hand journaling? It’s mind blowing! Peace to you and your Family. ziB
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Congratulations! What a wonderful project you have undertaken. And thank you for the tips. 😊
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5/23/23
😉
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I ended up leaving (as you know). I initially went to substack, which remains free to use even if you enable monetisation. You can also import followers as subscribers – so you don’t have to lose anybody.
After playing with Substack for a while I got fed up with them building a walled garden just like everybody else and jumped ship to ghost.org – a hosted platform built by ex wordpress engineers. It costs money, but it’s my own little island.
Anyway – just my two penneth 🙂
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Ay ay ay, Claudette! I will miss you! And if you migrate to another platform, please let us know to follow you.
I totally understand not dealing with technological stuff. But you are so talented! I am sure you have explored a lot of things but contests and magazines are a great option.
Here is a list of literary magazines (some specialized in erotica)https://www.pw.org/literary_magazines
and small presseshttps://www.pw.org/small_presses
Mucha good luck!
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I’m not leaving yet! I’m thinking of ways to keep the connections I’ve made. Thank you Te, for your constant support. 😘
I will look at your link. I’ve tried contests before, maybe it’s time to try again.
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Wow I’m shocked Claudette! You’ve been one of the few constants in my blog reading habits over the past 5+ years. I know it’s a challenge to earn money from writing in this way. Maybe you could evolve into professional copywriting for blogs and websites? You have the skills and a proven history. Message me privately if you want to pick my brains.
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I will message you. 😘
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I’ve tried many platforms and nothing tops WP. I think the small price you pay for a premium site is well worth it if it keeps those creative juices flowing and allows you to maintain those close friendships with your blogging buddies!
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I’m thinking of switching to WP.org. It allows me to carry everything, including followers, with me.
But I’m still on the fence. And scared of screwing it up. I like writing and creating, not screwing around with tech. Maybe I’ll hire someone to do it for me.
But thank you for your input Mark. I appreciate your insights.
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Completely agree with not screwing around with tech!
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Sounds like a good compromise to me! I switched domains and combined two blogs last year and everything went off without a hitch. I believe in you!
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I certainly hope you will find somewhere to put your words, otherwise you will be sorely missed.
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No good answers, will be following to see where you go, what solutions you find!
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Soooo many of my blogging friends are leaving this year. I took a hiatus because I was dealing with family stuff but I’ll miss all of my favorites and that includes you. I hope you go on to accomplish your goals and do amazing things
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Oh no!! You’ve been such a constant in my blogging journey that it’s hard to imagine a WordPress without you. But you make a good argument about your reasons. I’ll miss you in this space, Claudette!
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Oh Claudette, I wish you would consider staying but WP doesn’t make that easy I think once you get into the premium side, which I refuse to do. I get the need to generate income as well so I hope you can find a way to build on that with writing…or perhaps something else? Let writing be your passion always but ponder on other options to reach your goals. Hugs to you.
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I for one will miss you on WP Claudette. I love the way you write, the musings of your thoughts, and I throughly enjoy our interactions! Have you looked into substack? I know a few writers that have move to that platform from WP and have been successful. I looked at it and went no further. I’m also on medium but I’m only making enough to buy one cup of coffee a month. So there’s that. I wish you well, keep us posted as to where we can find you! Much love to you, C
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