Updated: Garbl's Writing Center has returned at a new domain
A longtime website of mine, Garbl's Writing Center, and its domain name, garbl.info, have disappeared from the internet. The free editorial style and usage manual, concise writing guides, and plain-language writing guide at Garbl's Writing Center are no longer available (though links to it still exist on other websites).
After more than 20 years of developing, managing, and enhancing my website, I have decided to pull it from the World Wide Web. I've told the website host I want to cancel the subscription I began a year ago after moving it from its previous location.
Actually, my website began more than 23 years ago as Garbl's Writing Resources Online. Back then, in 1997, one reason I created the site was to learn how to develop and manage this increasingly important form of communication. I wanted to learn HTML coding and website design.
I wanted to use my new, growing skill at my workplace and for a professional group I helped lead as a board member. And I did that for the King County Department of Transportation, Road Services Division, and Wastewater Treatment Division and the Plain Language Association International. After I retired, I also helped manage the Washington Sierra Club website for a couple of years.
With Garbl's Writing Center, I also wanted to help new and experienced writers enhance their skills -- as I enhanced mine -- by providing them access to the growing number of websites about writing. It began as just a page of links with descriptions for other websites about writing. For fun (and to stroke my appreciation for making puns), I added a page called Word Play.
And during the months and years ahead, I added more and more categories and pages: Reference Sources, Writing Bookshelf (in association with Amazon), Plain Language, Favorite Fiction Writers, Words, Writing Experts, Style and Usage, Action (persuasive) Writing, Grammar Guides, Writing Process, Punctuation, Spelling, Vocabulary, Writer's Block, Creative Resources, Fat-Free Writing Links, Avoiding Bias, and Myths and Superstitions about Writing.
For several years, I invited folks to ask me questions about writing at Garbl's Grammar Grappler. But I later shut it down after my enthusiasm in responding to their questions felt more like an (unpaid) obligation.
Eventually, as I expanded the site beyond lists of links to other writing sites, I changed its name to Garbl's Writing Center. Besides the Writing Resources pages, my revised site included Garbl's Editorial Style Manual and Garbl's Concise Writing Guide. They have grown and changed from print and online versions that skilled co-workers and I had developed.
For several years in the early 2000s, my website included a page called Garbl's Links Against Iraq War, later retitled as Garbl's Links for Peace and Justice. During those years, I began responding to current events with occasional website posts reflecting my liberal-progressive politics.
Building on my growing interest in the use of plain-language writing principles to enhance communication, I also added Garbl's Plain English Writing Guide. BTW, I still advocate (and try to use) plain language (plain English) for clear, concise, readable writing. I'd be happy to discuss it and share resources about it.
When I retired from full time work in early 2011, I launched Garbl's Pencil (later revised to Gary's Good Cause Communications) on my website to offer fee-based writing and editing services. I deactivated that page in 2015, the year I moved from Seattle to Port Townsend.
For about a year, I tried to post regular items at this blog, UnGarbl'd Thoughts, focusing mostly on writing. Although it still exists, I make only infrequent random postings these days.
As my retirement continues in Port Townsend, I'm feeling less and less motivated to maintain the site AND to update its old-fashioned appearance. In 2019, I took down the first section I had created, Garbl's Writing Resources Online. I was no longer spending any time looking for new websites to add and no longer had the desire to review weblinks occasionally to make sure they were working or revised, dead and removed.
And now, feeling there are other things on which I want to spend my time, energy and money, I've decided to take down the entire site. Our language continues to change, and though I intend to watch and learn as it develops, I'm not interested in keeping my website up-to-date.
So long, Garbl's Writing enter, it's been a fun and challenging learning and sharing experience. I hope I've aided and inspired writers as much as I've learned while developing and managing you.
