Chrissie at Word Quilt (https://chrissie.blog/2021/07/06/posting-process/) wrote a post about her method of writing a story about a vacation with lots of photos and stories. She’s an expert with WordPress. I knew I would learn new ways to do things, and I did. She asked that readers share their process. This is mine, and I encourage you to skip it if you aren’t interested in technical things. Do read Chrissie’s method, complete with video.
My procedure differs from hers, because I write where I am most comfortable – with a word processor. Following is my list of things to do:
Upload photos to the computer. Put ones I want to use in a folder and rename them with date and brief description.
Open the word processor and begin writing the story. I flip back and forth from photos to words by pressing the alt key and tapping the tab key. (That action switches between the last two windows opened.)
Write a paragraph about each picture or set of pictures.
Copy the words and paste in the WordPress block editor. (Highlight the whole document and press Control/C. In the block editor press Control/V.)
Put the cursor at the end of the first paragraph and click on the + sign to add a block. Change it to an image block. Go to the photos, making the explorer window small, and drag and drop the photo into the image block. I usually click on the image and use the menu bar to center it. Go to the next paragraph and repeat as needed.
If there are several photos to go with one paragraph, I choose Gallery and drag them in. It’s also fun to use Columns, using three columns for three photos. (Change each column to image before dragging a picture to it.) I also use Columns to put words in one and a photo in the other. It looks prettier to center the words vertically.
Mehrling Muse 
Oh good grief…This is why i haven’t written anything on my own.
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Chrissie’s way seems logical. She organizes her photos first, then writes the narrative in WordPress. I guess I learned one part at a time, and it didn’t seem that difficult.
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I LOVE this. There is no “right” way. I think we can all learn from each other. I’m kinda big into sharing workflows.
> I flip back and forth from photos to words by pressing the alt key and tapping the tab key.
You people using this method always impress me. Somehow I can’t get the hang of it even though I know it would save a lot of time.
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I’ve used that shortcut for decades and don’t want to live without it.
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Well, this is what I do: First I have a tuna treat, then I lick my paws clean, then I sit on the laptop for a while to feel the warmth on my butt, then I paw the keys until I’ve written a few words. After that, I reward my success with a few more treats and a nap. Easy peasy. But your way looks nice, too.
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Ha! Ha! You have a good routine, though. Keep up the good work, ’cause I love your posts.
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Thanks, I love yours too!
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Wow! You are so totally organized. I just write, then go back and try to find pictures that fit. Your way sounds so much more….umm…professional.
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Well, photos have become my memory. I keep a camera in my pocket to catch moments I might want to write about. You are a writer. I’m a reporter of daily life. Big difference! Your skill needs brains. Mine just records.
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That may be an oversimplification. Sometimes I feel like I chronicle the weather and cat activities rather than actually write. The pandemic has taken a lot of my inspiration away.
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I don’t think you have lost your zing. Your writing is still fresh and fun. Hopefully, posting will be more interesting to you soon.
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I hope so. It’s the interaction with people that sparked ideas.
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I think I might be more akin to pollymorse–I am a ‘paw at the keys’ writer, but I never sit on my computer. 🙂
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Ha! Ha! Maybe we all paw at the keys.
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Oh my! You and Chrissie use techniques I’ve never heard of, much less tried. Someday when I’m in a better frame of mind, I’ll look into this post and see if there are some shortcuts to make my posts easier! Thanks for sharing!
I probably make everything harder than it needs to be, but I basically think of a good title, usually working off the Word of the Day Challenge, write the body of my post on the computer, then have to use my iPad to insert pictures, then add my tags and review it all before hitting publish.
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Do you write the body in a word processor or directly into WordPress? Chrissie’s way is more direct, but I’ve lost lots of words because of carelessness with the block editor. Maybe I’d be better now, but I don’t want to chance it. Chrissie is a happiness engineer with WordPress, and she knows the program inside out. I envy her skill.
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You are such a gifted writer, How great that you can work with Chrissie! She is also so talented!
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Thank you. Chrissie knows the WordPress editor inside and out. What a marvelous resource she is! I wish she had more free time to write.
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I pick out photos first, and copyright them (my logo at the bottom right) in Photoshop Elements. Then I open a new post in WordPress and write directly on the block editor. I have to think of a title before I begin writing. I think that is an OCD quality! LOL I finish writing the paragraphs, then insert the copyrighted photos from my desktop photo organizer. I love that there are many ways to accomplish great work. Everyone has to find what’s right for them. Your posts are always interesting and entertaining!
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You are very organized. I like your way of writing the title first. Several times I have published a post, only to see later that I forgot the title. Chrissie, a happiness engineer with WordPress, said the same thing you did, that there are many ways to create a good post. It’s wonderful when we find a routine that suits us.
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Very interesting, thank you! 😊
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We all seem to have different ways of preparing a post. Is WordPress easy for you to use?
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I just learned so much about posting with the block editor that I printed your post out on paper…that hint about the ALT/TAB is priceless… I didn’t know that! thanks Anne!
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I hope you enjoy ALT/TAB as much as I do.
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Helpful post. I didn’t know about the alt tab!
Are you using the new block editor?
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I began using the block editor when it was first out, so I’m past many of the hurdles now. If you can learn the basics of making the post look like you want it to, you’re doing well.
The alt/tab toggle has been a standard shortcut for Windows for years. I’ll bet there are others that would be very useful. Every once in a while I look at them and sometimes add one to my list to remember.
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All the windows shortcuts are hard to remember! But I agree with you on being an early bird to the block editor. I did the Gutenberg trial so it was second nature by the time it came to be adopted as first preference by WordPress.
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You were ahead of me then. I think I grumbled a lot to myself, but the worst was over quickly.
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hehe. Funnily enough, I didn’t grumble. I absolutely hate getting a new cell phone as all the new functions are overwhelming but I took to the block editor like a duck to water. I loved how I could move blocks of text up and down. I do that a lot when I am writing!
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I do like you do Anne as I’ve always drafted in Word, then when done with the draft, I copy and paste the title, then the header image, then the balance of the text. Then I go back and insert the photos where needed. I also put all my photos for each post into a file and subdivide it according to different parts of my post – this is helpful when I have a lot of photos in one post. In long posts, I put “markers” in my Word document that identify the photo so I know what subfile to get it from. It is painstaking sometimes when I do a long post, but easier for me to subdivide like that.
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Your organization is impressive!
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Well thank you – it exceeds my expectations for organization in the house. 🙂 I used to be able to tell you where everything in the house was upstairs and downstairs … it’s all a crapshoot these days.
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P.S. – I didn’t know about Alt Tab – I am still on Windows 7 (though using Windows 10 at work) and I use Windows Explorer for grabbing the pics when uploading … is Windows Explorer still available in Windows 10?
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There is a new one for Windows 10.
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I’m avoiding that computer like the plague. I don’t have Office 365 loaded on it yet (as a backup when the computer is down) and every time I go to do updates, it rejects my prior log-on and password. It’s frustrating.
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New programs are nearly always a headache.
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Yes, I’ve done a good job avoiding it thus far. When he puts Office 365 on the new laptop, I may give it a whirl. I should be getting acclimated to it while it’s on the stove, but I have it sitting on up high and don’t want to knock the lid against the stove handles. Windows 7 is like an old shoe for the time being while I deal with the new Outlook which I don’t care for.
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I’m not using Outlook these days.
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I don’t care for the new Outlook having used the 2010 version the last decade. In trying to make it more user friendly, I think it is quite the opposite. I spent the better part of a day fiddling with it to get it more pleasing to the eye because everything was smashed together with no white space and very small font.
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I’m not going to look at it any time soon!
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Wow, good for you, Anne! You sound like a bona fide techie! I’m still loath to use the block editor, and am stuck with Classic. 🙄 Lol…
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I bumble about a lot.
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