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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.

Yes no matter how much you want to, would pay someone to do it for you, mimic it and try your hardest to, you can never write like that writer you put on a pedestal.

It would be like Oprah trying to mimic Barbara Walters. And she did try, really, she did.

But if Oprah was good at being Barbara Walters, she wouldn’t have ever been Oprah. She wouldn’t be so famous that she just needs a first name. Even Ms. Walters doesn’t have that.

And the same thing goes for your writing.

So here’s the good news.

You can’t write like someone else. Writing is kind of like your fingerprint. No one can write exactly like you. But that’s a good thing too.

Find your voice, what makes you special, what makes others read your words and wish they could write like you too, then you’ll be the best you.

And that’s actually something worth aspiring to.

So while you can spend your time reading and rereading that other author’s articles, you can also spend that time reworking your own.

Do it and one day you might even catch their attention or those of others you admire.

Do it and one day you might surpass even that write you’re crushing over. Because you’re being you.

And what could be better than that?

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.

This means I work for let’s say a half an hour on transcribing. Then I switch to listening to that free webinar on making it rich as a writer. After that I read a few blogs. Then I get back to transcribing. You get the picture.

I’m exercising my brain muscles. Trading off between various activities so that I use different parts of my brain. This gives me the energy to keep going and the inspiration to obtain new ideas.

If, on the other hand, I have a deadline for one project. I might power through that set focusing on one task at hand. But then I’ll give myself the rest of the night to relax.

I’ve found this to be the best way to manage multiple tasks. Alternating between various tasks, helps me feel a little bit less tense and more relax. Two very important things when writing.

In the end, I’m able to do a good job on every one and still keep sane.

How about you?

What do you do to keep organized and on tasks when deadlines mount and pressure rises?

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!

Not every day is a glamorous one.

Take transcribing, for example.

When I daydreamed in my office cubicle as an Apple worker, Research Assistant, etc., I fantasized about what my writer life would be like. I didn’t have any specific role models so I took my favorite bloggers and dreamed about being them for a day.

Little did I know that being a writer meant doing the yucky writer stuff. And I think every writer has them. Something they would avoid at all costs.

That’s how I feel about transcribing.

It’s tedious, time-consuming, my fingers ache, not too mention I don’t get paid extra to do it.

So why do I do it?

I could hire a VA (virtual assistant) after all. Or I could spend my dough on one of those cool digital pens that take notes for you.

But there’s something about the process, no matter how much I despise it, that’s good for me.

I get to really listen to what the interviewee is saying, for example. And typing out the words onto the screen often gets soaked up into my lil noggin and potential words for my article starts to spewing out of me.

Sounds disgusting, doesn’t it?

It ain’t pretty.

Yet, it’s writing. And I guess I love it. So what can you do?*

Guess it’s like being in a relationship.

Sometimes you got to suck it up and do all that yucky stuff, in the name of love.

{*Actually there is something you can do. If you dislike transcribing like me, do it late at night or early in the morning or whenever you’re tired and don’t have the energy to do things like query or work on that article draft. It’s actually a great thing to do that doesn’t take a lot of thinking. So your mind can take just a little break and yet you’ll still feel like you are accomplishing something.}

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?

I think we do the same thing to ourselves.

We love ourselves. Sometimes we love our writing. And vice versa. But every now and again, we’ll get in the way of it.

We’ll add superfluous words (like superfluous) and cover it up with too much facts or unnecessary tidbits.

Why?

Because we’re scared. If we leave our writing naked, someone will see, point and laugh.

They’ll realize we’re not the talented writer we are perceived to be.

Our writing is vulnerable, open and left ready to be judged and criticized. And our writing feels like our baby.

So what do we do?

We protect it. We cover it in research and puffed up prose. We hide under there hoping no one will pick at it.

But they will anyway.

And I think you know why.

In the end, it’s our vulnerabilities. Our raw truth sprinkled in with facts, tidbits and colorful words that makes our writing shine.

We just need to trust that its good enough. And that no matter what the critiques say, it is ours.

More importantly than that. We must take a risk and let our authentic selves shine through.

We need to stop standing in the way of ourselves. And just let our writing be. Just let it be in all its naked glory.

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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!

Okay maybe it doesn’t suck. But it just doesn’t fit the new vision you have for your piece. Maybe you wrote it when you were tired, desperate, insecure or when you first started out.

But you’ve grown. The piece has grown. And if you don’t cut it, it’ll cut into your time and your potential profits.

Saying good-bye is hard.

But it’s a must. Especially if you want to see it somewhere other then your inbox, waiting to be sent to a publisher, or in your computer collecting pixie dust.

So here’s a tip.

If you’re struggling to cut pieces of prose you can’t let go of, store it in another doc. Call it, “cut-ups” (that’s what I name it in honor of the pieces that end up on the cutting room floor), or “graveyard” and store if for another time. Be creative. You may be able to use it for another article, post, or page.

If anything it’ll make you feel less sad about giving it up.

Take it from me. Letting go of your writing is hard. You’ve built up an attachment. It’s like a friend that stood by you while you were working up your courage to finish that piece.

But holding on is harder. You’ll stifle your growth as a writer. Prevent yourself from getting published and from getting better.

Make it easier on yourself. Say bye-bye bad pieces and store it away. It might be something you could fix later or add it somewhere else on another day.

The point is this: Have the courage to let go and you’ll open yourself up to let good writing happen.

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.

I think about it because I often get confused for being much younger than I really am (by about 10 years).

While it’s good for my ego, I wonder if it’s bad for my career.

What do you think?

Based on looks alone, who would you trust more? A writer that looks like she’s in her early twenties or a writer who looks more mature?

Does age matter in freelance writing?

“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.

• You don’t get insurance.
• No paid holidays/vacation.
• No co-workers to rant to.
• Little pay/no pay/paid late.
• No set schedule (which is a good and bad thing. Good-you have a flexible life. Bad-you’re working all the time.).
• You rarely get feedback. (Am I doing good? Or does my writing suck?)
• When you do get them, it’s usually not good. And you’ll often question why you’re doing this or if you’re good enough.
• You’re a writer so you’re probably sensitive and emotional and well that doesn’t bode well when you’ve got to suck it up, move on and swallow your pride when negative feedback hits.
• You barely move all day so your butt gets big and you end up gaining weight. Okay I just threw the last one for fun. But it’s true for some of us anyway.

I’m sure there’s tons more. But that’s pretty much the gist of it.

So why do you keep going?

You’re drawn to it. You love it. You can’t imagine doing anything else. There’s something magical about it when it works. You’ve never been passionate about anything else. You’re not good at anything else.

I don’t know. You tell me? Why do you do it?

When the going gets tough, I tell myself this:

I can breathe because if I work hard and put 50% of my blood, sweat and tears at this, I can relax and trust in knowing that the other 50% will take care of itself. I need to let go and have faith that things will work out.

I do it because I have a profound, almost intense passion for inspiring others via the written word. Because I dream in song, am spiritually moved by pictures, and am obsessed with bettering my life and the lives of others.

So yes. I am a writer. And although it’s hard and it can wear on my self-esteem, I am ever more appreciative of the world I live in. I’m more observant. I’m kinder, more compassionate and am eternally evolving and I have my writing to thank for that.

The bottom line is this: AS I grow, my writing grows along with me.

Enough said.

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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.

There’s SO much competition out there. People who are more experienced, less experienced, but more talented, less talented, but have je ne se qua that you don’t have. If you sit around and do a half-butt job, then you’ll get half-butt business. And who wants that?

1. Whether you’re writing or creating the next best thing, give it all you got and then some.

2. Find an angle that sets you apart from your competition. (Your educational background, your copywriting experience, for example.)

3. Become obsessed with your passion. I’m a big believer in taking time away from my desk, but I never take time away from my business. This means that while I’m doing errands or even on a bike ride, I’m either daydreaming about the next best thing, taking photos for my photography site, dreaming about my next craft idea, or thinking about what to blog about here.

4. Be like Steve Carell and commit to your job hard. I don’t mind working late on weeknights and weekends because I completely love what I do. That doesn’t mean I don’t have rough days or even weeks, but in the long run I believe what I do has purpose. I’m fully committed to becoming a better writer for myself, for the people who read my work and for my clients.

So how about you? What are you doing to give it all you got these days? And if you’re not already doing so, what can you work on to be and do better?

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:

1. In person classes.

If you work at home, taking a course in person and offline may be the last thing you want to do. As a freelancer, maybe I’m just a bit too comfy in my PJ’s to step outside in the real world. But here’s what I learned. Taking a course at a community college or anywhere away from your desk is worth the discomfort of leaving your nest. Why? You get the benefit of meeting other writers and getting that eye-to-eye in person interaction is helpful for your career. Not just from networking, but really getting to know others in your field. An added benefit? It’s also a lot cheaper!

2. Online courses by small companies.

The next best thing. Why? Because web classes run by small businesses are not only cheaper, but you get more for your money. I’ve taken a ton of courses off and online. And here’s what I learned. Those courses taught by small one-woman operations are a lot more interactive. You get more. You pay less. What else could you want really? Often these teachers are freelance writers who are trying to make a living as writers as well, so they know first-hand what you’re going through. They also know how difficult it is to take a course, be a freelancer and do everything else you do, so they may be more forgiving with assignments. And they don’t charge as much because there are no big companies taking a percentage of their pay. From my experience and the experience of other writers, courses from smaller companies are also a lot more interactive. And when you’re starting out, getting feedback is SO important. If you don’t opt for a course that does so, I’d say you’re much better off reading a book instead.

3. Online courses by big companies.

I’m sure you’ve seen them advertised. Big companies (Writer’s Digest, MediaBistro, etc.) often have a whole load of courses to take on everything from fiction to copywriting. I’ve taken a few courses this way and while I do get something out of them, I’d recommend the first two options. Here’s why. If you’re a newbie writer wanting to get basic info on everything from querying and working with difficult clients, I’d suggest taking courses from small companies. They’re a lot more affordable and as I mentioned earlier, you get more for your money. If you’re looking for more specialty courses, you’re more likely to find them in the bigger companies. But be wary. They are a whole lot more expensive (in the $200 and above category) and a lot of them don’t offer you feedback or interaction with your fellow students and instructor. If you’re already a pretty good writer and/or you’re getting feedback from somewhere else, don’t mind shelling out a good wad of cash, then this could be a good fit. (There are a ton of great teachers that work for them. Since they pay more, they attract a good load of talented people.)

Overall, these are three great options for new writers. One thing’s for sure, no matter what class you register for, you’re bound to get something out of it. Just be aware of what you’re looking for and then set out to find the course that fits it.

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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

1. Practice makes perfect. I’ve been blogging personally since 2003 and professionally since around 2007. I can honestly say that my blogging and my writing in general, has improved by leaps and bounds. Having a blog forces you to get focused, come up with ideas and make time to write every day. Before I started blogging, I just didn’t have that same discipline.
2. Showcase your talent. I think blogging is a great way to show off your talent. A lot of times, especially if you’re a writer newbie, editors and potential clients want to see what you can do. If you don’t have a lot of clips collected yet, showing them your blog is the next best thing.
3. Get more jobs. I can’t tell you how many jobs I’ve gotten from blogging alone. Besides showing that I can write, it’s allowed me to demonstrate different voices, styles and tones of writing that I can offer potential clients.
4. Make friends. I’ve found a lot of writer friends from my blogs. It started with a comment here and there, then a Tweet, later a Facebook discussion and sometimes even a friendly weekly writer chat. Blogging has given me the opportunity to connect with writers and editors who I have the highest respect and admiration for-people who I hope to work with some day in the future. Also, it’s just fun chatting with other writers about everything from the challenges of working at home to being able to share your excitement about being published. They keep me sane when working at home gets too quiet and lonely.
5. Get confidence. When I first started freelancing, I was as frightened as my little bunny rabbit. I didn’t know if I could do it. Sometimes I’d stare at the computer screen with my heart thumping loudly, purely paralyzed by my own fears. But blogging changed that. When I started blogging regularly, writing three blogs, sometimes two a day, I lost that fear. Basically, repetition and my ability to do it every time scared it away.
6. Grow new ideas. Blogging is obviously different from other types of writing. When I blog, I often write spontaneously about a thought or idea I’ve just started thinking about. It’s fresh and new. And sometimes I use it as a platform to begin digesting something I’ve recently read or heard about. In a handful of cases, that initial thought or ideas sprouted out into a full-blown article that has gotten published in reputable magazines.

Cons: What’s Hard About Blogging

1. Time sucker. I’m going to get real with you. Blogging takes up a whole heck of a lot of time. And for most of us, we don’t get paid diddley-squat for doing so. Yes, this is where crazy sets in. The results of blogging are not always directly seen. You could blog for months and even years and still not make a lot, if anything. That’s why you need a goal. Either you blog for money (and you find out and work hard to do so), for indirect sales (jobs, sell products, etc.) or as a hobby. Know why you’re doing it and stay focused and committed. It’ll make all those nights blogging ’til midnight (I’ve been there and are there most nights) a lot easier.
2. You might get drained. Because blogging takes up a lot of time and energy, it is possible that you’ll run out of ideas and get burned out. If that’s the case, you may want to figure out a schedule that’s less rigorous or blog less. Or you may want to rethink your blogging topic. Maybe you’re just not as passionate about it as you thought.
3. You might lose money and focus. Since all of your time and energy are focused on blogging instead of querying, for example, you may see a dip in your profits.
4. It sometimes feels like you’re talking to a brick wall. I work really hard on my posts. But sometimes I wonder if anyone’s really on the other side of the conversation. There will be times when you’ll write and write and not get feedback and wonder if anyone’s really listening.
5. You may not be able to publish your ideas in the print world. This was one of the arguments of the panel members. The ideas is that it’s better to save your profitable pieces than publish it online where it’s already being published to the world.
6. You may lose hope. There are a ton of blogs online. And there are bloggers who are more experienced than you and more talented. There will be lots of moments where you’ll lose faith and wonder if you’re making a difference.

After you weigh in the pros and cons, the choice really is up to you. If you have the courage, inner strength and stamina to blog, then do it! There’s a ton of benefits from doing so. I should know. I’m three blogs and a handful of years in and I’m still loving every minute of it.

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