Since I started StearsWords over a year ago, I've been hearing quite a bit of advice from just about everyone.
"You should put ads on your site."
No, I shouldn't. I hate ads. Everyone hates ads. I will never put ads on my site.
"You should put more pictures on your site."
No, I shouldn't. Pictures take more time to load than text. My site is deliberately very plain, without fancy-schmancy formatting and time-wasting .gifs. You want sizzle? Go to a Disney website. You want steak? My site has well-done crossword puzzles, and that's all.
"You should blog every day."
No, I shouldn't. I don't have that much to say, and I believe, if you don't have anything to say, you shouldn't say it.
"You should charge more for your puzzles."
No, I shouldn't. The ones I put on my site, and the ones in my digital collections, don't take me very long to make. I spend much more time on the ones I send to newspapers and magazines. I don't agonize over every word and clue in my StearsWords puzzles the way I do when I'm really getting paid. They're great puzzles, entertaining and fun, but I'm the first to admit, they're not my best work. They're more like my better work. The exceptions are, of course, the Trivia Challenge crosswords. Those take days sometimes, but they're a labor of love, and so I consider it time well-wasted.
"You should copyright your puzzles."
No, I shouldn't. Why bother? If someone wants to print out or share a digital file with their friends, who cares? More fun for everyone, I say. I certainly can't stop anyone, and I don't want to make a bunch of lawyers rich, so what's the point? They're perfectly good puzzles, but not a one of them is suitable for publication elsewhere, so I don't have to worry about anyone claiming to have constructed one of them and trying to sell it. Nobody would buy them. Copyright is a waste of time.
"You should get a real website."
No, I shouldn't. "Real" websites cost money, and Google Sites is free. Why should I pay for something I can get for free?
"You should advertise more."
No, I shouldn't. I hate ads. Everyone hates ads.
Thank you for all your wonderful advice. I'm sure it would work for someone else, but it doesn't work for me.
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