Why Oh Why Can’t I Write Like That?
Ever read someone else’s writing and cringe?
Not because they did a hacked up job of writing and/or editing, but because they are SO good!
They are so good that you are suddenly reduced to the insecurities of a teenager.
And from out of nowhere you hear yourself saying (in a surprisingly high piercing nasally voice I might add), “Why oh why can’t I write like that?!”
Been there done that my friend.
I too, agonize over another writer’s perfect prose. The witty way they used that word or the colorful way they intertwined adjectives. I usually take notes. It all goes into my “words I wish to remember and use one day so I can sound brilliant too!”
Alas, like anything else in life there’s good and bad news.
I think you know the bad news. Read the rest of this entry »
Circuit Training for Your Brain: How to Do Everything as a Writer
Got too many plates up in the air?
I hear you.
Writing while you’ve got other things to tend too can be exhausting to say the least. But this is the problem: Those plates?
They still need to get done.
You’re going to have to do all of them (marketing, editing, writing, transcribing, etc.) and still do them well too.
So I’m going to let you in on a little secret. {Something that’s helped me power through articles, blog posts, queries and cover letters.}
I’m a jumper.
Not the adventurous parachuting kind.
But the “I’m a writer and I only have two hands” type.
It’s kind of like circuit training for your brain.
Doing the Yucky Writer Stuff
Were you ever a fan of Jon & Kate Plus 8? Before Jon left and made it a sad sounding Kate Plus 8? If you haven’t a clue as to what I’m talking about. It’s okay. I’ll save you the TLC gory details.
Anyway, there was one episode where Kate Gosselin, mother of 8 (twins and sextuplets) said something like, “Being a mom is not a glamorous job, but it’s a rewarding one!”
The same can be said about writing.
In fact, in a recent No Reservations episode (can you tell I watch too much TV?), Anthony Bourdain said, “Writers are boring. If we were interesting we would get out and do something instead of write about doing something.”
Oh how true that is!
While I do get a thrill from writing every once in awhile. Mostly, it’s just me sitting on my butt all day, staring into the glaring eyes of the computer screen.
But if you’re a new or wannabe writer, you must know this now!
The Little Annoyance Getting in the Way of Your Writing: You
I don’t know if this is a girl thing. But my hair is my best friend and my worst enemy.
I have a lot of hair!
As a kid, I bemoaned the day I forgot to bring a rubber band. In swimming class, my hair floated around me. I was a body of hair with a tiny body attached. And it gave the boys extra ammunition to tease me that day and call me, “Medusa.”
Boy was that hard to shake off!
As an adult, my hair still gets in my way. When I’m working out it falls forward into my face so I can’t see the weights in front of me. When I’m taking a stroll, it blinds me, whips around my face and takes my lipgloss with it.
It’s a nuisance, really.
Yet, I love it. I love its thick wavy texture and its blacker than black hue.
What does this all have to do with writing?
How to Let Go and Let Good (Writing Happen)
You ever write and write, then write again. But you keep hitting a brick wall?
Something’s just not quite right and you can’t put your finger on it?
You may be suffering from the inability to let go. A frustrating writer’s syndrome. Second to only writer’s block.
It happens when you’ve grown attached to your writing. You’ve spend weeks, months, maybe even years on the same piece. But it’s just not where you want it to be.
Yet, you remember all of the good times you had together. The state you were in when you wrote it. The feeling you got when you put pen to paper, hand to keyboard. That feeling of accomplishment.
You can’t let go…
But face it. Your writing sucks!
Does Age Matter?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.
I wonder, for example, if there is such a thing as age discrimination in writing. Does one get less respect the younger he or she is?
I also think about whether your age or your perceived age makes you more or less marketable in the freelance writing biz.
Why do I ponder these things at 9:51 in the evening?
I wonder because I’ve been trolling the forums lately and have heard people concerned about being a late bloomer in the business. At the same time, I was discouraged by acquaintances when I first announced my decision to be a full-time freelancer a year ago. They thought I was too young and writers needed “life experience” to do a good job. At the other extreme, I’ve also encountered others who are a decade younger than me who are not just surviving, but thriving in their field. Read the rest of this entry »
“I’m a writer and I have low self-esteem.”
“I’m a writer and I have low self-esteem.” That’s what I said on Penn & Teller’s Showtime show Bullshit. It was part true, part Hollywood. But I think anyone would agree that writing for a living can break your heart at times, into itty-bitty tiny shattered pieces. And that’s just on a good day.
On a bad day, getting rejected or getting no response, can feel worse than working at a job you hate, for a boss you dislike, in a cubicle that feels suffocating. It can feel like hell-a place where there’s no mercy.
Why?
Because as full-time work at home writers there’s lots to sacrifice. Read the rest of this entry »
Setting Yourself Apart from the Competition: Give it All You Got, Give it All You Got…
{Remember that old 90′s rap song by the Old School Players? I don’t know what they were rapping out back then, but it’s a good reminder of what we need to do today as better business men/women and in general freelancers.
I saw the King and Queen of comedy Tina Fey and Steve Carell on the Oprah Winfrey show months ago. They were talking about their movie Date Night and were asked what they admired about one another. Fey said, “The kind of detail and specificity that he (Steve Carell) brings to his character Michael Scott of The Office—he does stuff that is so painful and embarrassing that you can’t help but laugh at it, and it’s that he will sink into an awkward and uncomfortable moment so deeply and commit to it so hard.”
The same thing applies to the business of freelancing.
That really stuck with me. It says that no matter how uncomfortable or awkward you feel about pay rates, writing for a different genre, etc., you need to stick with it and commit to your role.
In essence, it means, “Do it good or go home.”
Here’s the thing.
Class Review
Thinking about taking a class this summer? There’s a whole slew of them to consider so why not? As I mentioned in a previous post, #2 to be exact, it’s a great way to make use of your time, when business is slow. The choice to take a class is easy, choosing which one to take is the hard part.
To help you along, here’s my breakdown of writing courses that you may want to consider signing up for this summer:
To Blog or Not to Blog: Is That the Question?
Well I guess it is for some folks. In fact, I was just listening to J Freelancing 101: Get Your Questions Answered, a podcast from the ASJA (American Society of Journalists and Authors) 2009 conference. In it, a participant asked panel members about blogging.
A few members gave a big thumbs down to blogging.
Specifically they did not advocate the type of blogging that was valuable enough to be shopped around to paying publications. However, they did say it could work and have heard of a few cases in which doing so led to getting more published jobs.
What do you think about blogging?
As for me, I maintain three of my own personal blogs: 2inspired (for those looking for inspiration and motivation to find their dream career), not2shabby (for wallet-friendly ideas and DIY crafts) and this one. Truth be told, most writers think I’m crazy. I still haven’t figured out if they mean good crazy or the less attractive variety.
Are you contemplating whether to go for it or not?
I blog for several reasons. In fact, to me it’s not a question. I blog like I breathe. But if you’re on the fence and not sure if you want to make the commitment, keep reading. I’ll list the pros and cons so you can decide if it’s right for you.
Pros: Why I Heart Blogging Read the rest of this entry »
