Loading...

Aug 22, 2022

Tips and tricks for blogging on City Cost

I usually compose in Google Docs which has a word and character count to keep me concise. Besides that, I sometimes use https://thewordcounter.com/ to keep me around the word limit so I don't get carried away. The Hemmingway app - https://hemingwayapp.com/ has been helpful when I write sentences that are too convoluted. It flags adverbs, passive voice, and sentences that are hard to read. Have you got some clever tips?

TonetoEdo

TonetoEdo

Living between the Tone and Edo Rivers in Higashi Katsushika area of Chiba Prefecture.

13 Answers



  • genkidesu

    on Aug 22

    The Hemingway app sounds useful! I'm not the most grammatically correct writer and I have a habit of long sentences, so it will probably help tighten up the way I write. I've used Grammarly before, but the paid version offers more services than the free version and I don't really want to pay for the service. Like you, I use a word counter (https://wordcounter.net/) to help keep me on track with word counts. Sometimes when I haven't had an appropriate photo for an article topic I've written about, I've used Canva to design free blog graphics/header images. It's a great app and the free version is perfect for what I need it for. Also like you, I typically compose my articles in Google Docs. In the past I'd made the mistake of not doing that, and sometimes had my work disappear if there was an error submitting it. Learned my lesson!

    1
  • TonetoEdo

    on Aug 23

    @genkidesu Thanks for the word counter link! It's got a cleaner interface than the one I've been using.

    0
  • Eli

    on Aug 23

    I use the Grammarly browser extension to check grammar and spelling.

    0
  • genkidesu

    on Sep 12

    Another thing I tend to do frequently that I didn't mention in my original post was checking the news for content to write about. Sometimes I struggle to think of ideas for the blog prompts, particularly for recurring themes like working in Japan or family life in Japan, and sometimes news articles related to those topics help light a spark!

    1
  • JapanRamen

    on Jan 15

    Definitely writing it elsewhere to have it saved, or at least "copy" the post before hitting submit. Lost and gave up on many themed articles before for that reason...

    0
  • genkidesu

    on Apr 20

    @JapanRamen It would be great if the site had an auto-save functionality, but yes, the same happened to me before several times!

    0
  • TonetoEdo

    on Apr 20

    @genkidesu I do this, too. Kyodo News has news digests with links to stories. I also check the categories for stories that relate to topics that may be of interest to our readers - travel, features, and podcasts.

    0
  • TonetoEdo

    on Apr 20

    About photos - I frequently resize photos with this - https://www.reduceimages.com/ The website is a bit busy but easy enough to use. Does anybody have a recommendation for another resizer?

    0
  • genkidesu

    on Sep 14

    @TonetoEdo https://imageresizer.com/ is my go-to for doing that! I've never had any issues with that site!

    1
  • TonetoEdo

    on Sep 14

    @genkidesu You can see I'm also leaning on Lunapic, a photo editor website that's easy to use and has many effects and editors. https://www5.lunapic.com/editor/

    0
  • genkidesu

    on Sep 15

    @TonetoEdo So glad to have a good lineup of free resources! It's a big help for blogging/editing.

    0
  • TonetoEdo

    on Oct 13

    Help! I intended to edit a product review but clicked the bin button by mistake! Has anybody got a tip on how to recover a binned blog or review?

    0
  • genkidesu

    on Dec 9

    @TonetoEdo I don't think there is a way to do it, unfortunately, at least not that I can see anywhere on our side of things. I think maybe the admins could perhaps retrieve it, but it probably all depends on how the back end of this site is set up.

    0

Awaiting More Answers

7 Answers

Summer reading

I know there have been questions in the past about what we're watching, but I'm wondering what you're reading at the moment! I'm looking to get a few new books for summer and I'd love to hear if you have any recent recommendations. If you have any good spots here to get EN language books in person, too, I'd appreciate if you would share those as well!

genkidesu

on Jun 25

18 Answers

Database error

Anyone else getting a database error after you log in? So far, it looks like I can still write posts, but I had trouble logging in and after log in my home page looks different to normal with a "database error" message.

BigfamJapan

on May 23

10 Answers

Condiments in your fridge?

Just for fun! I was thinking the other day how different the contents of my fridge are to the fridge I grew up with! Just one example, I always have soy sauce in my fridge and usually at least one other unopened bottle in the cupboard. There was never soy sauce in my fridge growing up. And the friends I grew up with don't have soy sauce in their fridges even now. But my Uni friends all have soy sauce in their fridges, because they all lived in Japan for at least a year. I was just wondering what things do you have in your fridge here that you probably wouldn't have in your fridge in your home country had you never lived here.

BigfamJapan

on May 9

9 Answers

Moving house process

I've been in my apartment for nearly 7 years. I've got my eye on an apartment one station closer to work. But I forgot what it was like to move in here! It was all a bit traumatic... Have you got some packing tips, suggestions for how to move your household goods, and what to save for last?

TonetoEdo

on May 3