Writing Directly On WordPress: Plugins And Features That Professional Bloggers Use

There is one point that is never resolved by those who leave tips for writing online: where to create your content. Is it better to write directly on WordPress or create a document from any word processor? The answer is not obvious, because the second option may seem the most natural.

You’ve always written in Word, so it feels right to continue this way. Then you copy the work and paste it into WordPress. It may seem like the best solution but many professional bloggers prefer to write directly to the editor of the CMSThe reason? It is much more convenient to have the possibility to view the preview.

Write, save, preview. This way you find out what and how you wrote. But there are other useful steps to write directly on WordPress, plugins, and functions that professional bloggers put in place every day. What am I talking about? Check out this essential guide for working on the CMS.

The Topic Of This Post

• 1 Be careful with copying and pasting from Word
• 2 Use keyboard shortcuts
• 3 TinyMCE Advanced, extra formatting
• 4 Organize the editor however you like
• 5 Save on your own when on the go
• 6 Find the error with the internal find
• 7 Advanced WP Columns, to add columns
• 8 Insert a single line break
• 9 Do you want to write directly on WordPress?

Be careful with copying and pasting from Word

The first step to record carefully: copy and paste from Word or other word processing programs such as Pages and Writer from OpenOffice can lead to problems with your content. The reason is simple: if you write to these programs you use formatting that, with copy and paste, is exported to the WordPress visual editor.

What does this mean? An avalanche of more code on the completely useless document, as well as a different aspect of the content than what you usually publish. How is all this resolved? Two ways: you copy what you wrote in Word and paste it into the WordPress text-only window, the one where the HTML code is located. Or write directly to the content management system editor as I do.

There are two commands in the control panel: paste as text (which does the same thing as copy and paste in the HTML editor) and clear formatting to remove traces of the previous program. Whichever route you choose, remember to avoid traces left by word processors.

Use keyboard shortcuts

One of the essential tips for writing with WordPress: take advantage of keyboard shortcuts to improve typing times. Instead of going to the control panel with the mouse every time you can use key combinations to speed up your work. The most famous shortcuts? All those who use Control (or apple for the Mac) to delete, go back, copy and paste. But also insert bold and italics. Something extra? Here you will find the list of the main keyboard shortcuts in WordPress, use them to the fullest.

TinyMCE Advanced, extra formatting

Those who work hard with WordPress writing aren’t satisfied with what the control panel offers. Here you have the foundation that allows you to write well. But especially if you have to write long and demanding content you may need something more. For this, I recommend the TinyMCE Advanced plugin.

TinyMCE Advanced, the screen.

This extension allows you to add several functions. For example, you can easily create tables, you can format with extra features, and modify bulleted lists to manage more items. This WordPress plugin opens up a whole new world, you can manage the text however you like.

Organize the editor however you like

Not everyone knows that at the top of the editor there is a label that allows you to set screen widgets. So you can decide what to show and whatnot, by eliminating less useful widgets. Then remember that the box tags, categories, and more are drag & amp. Then you can drag them along the backend sidebar and decide how to show them: put the most important ones at the beginning so they are always just a click away. Be careful, however, not to upset the editor and to hide elements that could be useful for writing.

Save on your own when on the go

I often write while traveling. So I save time, optimize production and rely on makeshift connections. Which seem reliable, but often turn out to be full of pitfalls. They suddenly drop, so you type and the WordPress autosave doesn’t work. And when you close …

You already know what’s going on, right? The drama: WordPress, without connection, did not save. So I leave you an old sea dog advice: go to the HTML version of the article, copy and paste on a txt file. Then do the same thing after 5 minutes. So, if the connection drops you, you have a backup available.

Find the error with the internal find

Another piece of advice for those who want to write directly on WordPress, which in reality is also valid in other situations but which I always use when I work on the CMS editor. After completing the writing and rereading operations, I combine the Control + F keys to activate the search box and enter all the possible combinations of errors. For example, historical typos that I already know, useless words, lowercase after the period. In this way, it only takes a moment to identify recurring errors (which, however, you must remember).

Advanced WP Columns, to add columns

Do you want to organize multiple columns? Usually, these works can be done with the visual composer, the basic version of WordPress does not allow you to structure the text in this way. If you need something less demanding you can use the Advanced WP Columns plugin to easily create columns.

An alternative solution comes from shortcodes by Angie Makers: in addition to offering the possibility of putting what you write in columns, you can insert colored boxes, highlighted phrases as you like, accordion, and content in tabs. This is another way to organize particularly demanding texts.

Insert a single line break

When you hit enter you’re going to a new line twice. So you are creating a paragraph, a useful action to give space to the text and create the conditions for readable, airy, easy-to-digest writing. But maybe that’s not what you need, maybe you want to insert a single line break. Do you need plugins to achieve this?

No, just a simple action and a combination of keys:  shift + enter. This way the cursor returns to the beginning of the left border but only one line below, not two. You did not create a insurance paragraph but you went to the head.

Do you want to write directly on WordPress?

Do you want to write directly on WordPress or do you work on a word processor first? Difficult to make a decision, but for me, the CMS editor is perfect for creating: it has the necessary space and cleanliness that allows you to write without problems. What do you prefer instead? Can you write on WordPress?