jQuery for Designers and a weekly screencast!

book-coverI’m pleased to announce that after months and months of writing and editing that the 2nd edition of jQuery for Designers is now available!

Even if you’ve already got the 1st edition sitting on your bookshelf (thank you for that, by the way), you’ll want to check out this updated edition because it’s a huge update. I’ve added in new chapters on responsive design, creating charts and graphs, working with images, and parallax and other scrolling effects.

I’m really proud of how well it’s turned out. I literally combed through each and every code snippet and made sure it was updated to use the latest and greatest from the jQuery library. I removed references to any outdated or abandoned plugins and subbed in updated plugins that are being actively maintained. Continue reading →

How I beat writer’s block

In today’s episode of the WP Unicorn Project, Suzette and I were lucky enough to speak with Jennifer Bourn about content strategy. We spoke a little bit about techniques for overcoming writer’s block, and I wanted to share mine. It’s call free writing.

I learned this technique in a writing class in college. You get three pieces of paper, a pencil or a pen, and a timer. Set the timer for 15 minutes, then scribble furiously as you try to fill all three pages full from top to bottom in 15 minutes with your writing. No stopping to think, no pausing, no editing.

You might be thinking, “But if I have writer’s block, what am I going to write?” Well, if nothing comes to mind, then just start writing “I don’t know what to write. I don’t know what to write. I don’t know what to write.” Continue reading →