A prominent blogger for writers recently posted an article titled, “Is Your Website Hurting Your Writing?”

I found myself going in almost the opposite direction from the blogger, starting with the opening topic: “When Your Work Outshines Your Website.”

Frankly, I hope my work does outshine my website.  I’m not being deliberately obtuse here nor am I advocating doing sloppy work on your website.  (And if you’re successful enough to hire someone to do your website for you, of course you should insist on the best possible product.)

But the work comes first. It must always come first. So I desperately hope that my work does outshine my website. Conversely, if my website outshines my work, well then maybe it’s time for me to become a website designer instead of a writer.  And we are not going down that path!

Frankly, I’d say that the number one problem for most writers and their websites is that they don’t always put the writing of new words first, over and above work on the website.  Folks, your website is the whipped cream on top of the homemade apple pie of your writing.  Take away the whipped cream, and you still have a delicious pie. Take a way the pie, and you’ve lost the whole point to the whipped cream.

Take pride in the work you do on your website. Do the best you can do. But don’t lose sight of the priorities.

The work always comes first.