• Blogging

    Why Blogging Works

    Tweet I moan and groan about blogging every once in awhile. Keeping up with your posts while other higher priority projects build up feels harder at times than Keeping Up With the Kardashians. But I know that doing so is worth it. While every writer has different reasons why they blog or don’t blog, I’ve found the benefits to more than outweigh the costs. For example, some bloggers do it for the money. Others do it to draw potential clients/customers to their website. Some find the greatest benefit is the interaction they have with their readers. When I created this…

  • Freelance Writing

    How an Art School Student Became a Freelance Writer

    Tweet This may be late breaking news for those who already read this, but I L-O-V-E stories about how writers became writers. When writer and blogger Charyn Pfeuffer tweeted me from @charynpfeuffer and later emailed me about her personal journey to freelance writing, I was smitten. I asked if she would let me share her story with you here. Happily she agreed. Although we all have our own individual paths that led us to writing, there is a common bond that we all share-passion, wild determination and a quiet knowing that this is the right career. You’ll find it all in her message…

  • Blogging

    The 5 Characteristics of Successful Bloggers

    Tweet Call me a snoop or a blogger stalker, but I’ve been known to spy on a few blogs and bloggers to see what they are up to now and again. My curiosity was piqued when I started to notice that some had gained an increasing amount of attention in the blogosphere. Surprisingly, it’s not necessarily great design or title that did it. Instead they all had something special, an “it” factor, if you will, that raised their popularity. Here are five common characteristics I noticed of successful bloggers: They were helpful. From design bloggers to freelance writers, bloggers who…

  • Writing

    The One That You’ve Been Waiting For

    Tweet I can only think of one thing right now. My strong desire to match what I feel on the inside to my outer writing life. Have you ever watched a makeover show? The kind where men and women say, “Finally, I feel like how I look matches how I feel on the inside!” That’s exactly what I’m going through with my writing these days. I feel like I have an outpouring of inner wisdom, insight, compassion, emotion, struggles, hardships, inspiration to share. But they are wrapped up in my own neurosis, wading through fears of revealing too much and…

  • Freelance Writing - Writer Challenges

    WordCount Blogathon 2010 Here I Come!

    Tweet It’s Day 4 of the 2010 WordCount Blogathon. Here’s a bit of info in case you haven’t heard of it. Reporter, writer, blogger, basically media/publishing entrepreneur, Michelle Rafter created a challenge for herself. In 2008, she blogged every day for the entire month of May. Asking others to join in the fun, she created the WordCount Blogathon to gather a community of bloggers with the mission to learn, write and have a great time doing it. I just joined this year and have been secretly blogging every day on this site as well as my other blogs (not2shabby and…

  • Dreams - Freelance Writing - Guest Blogs

    Guest Post: Writing Lessons I Learned Twice

    Tweet I’m happy to welcome super talented writer and owner of the fabulous a.k.a. writer blog, Jesaka Long! Although I haven’t had the chance to meet Jesaka in person, I’ve had the fortune of networking with Jesaka online and feel lucky to have done so. Jesaka is not only a talented writer, but has become a valuable writer friend. I was honored that she asked me to be a guest blogger on a.k.a. writer, and was doubly excited when she agreed to be a guest on mine. Without further ado, please welcome Jesaka! I know you’ll enjoy reading her post…

  • Business of Freelance Writing - Magazine

    Tricks of the Trade from National Magazine Day

    Tweet This past weekend I attended the first ever National Magazine Day at a local San Francisco bookstore called, “BookSmith.” Although I missed the first 5 hours of food, drink, and fun of skimming through hundreds of magazines, I did get there in time for what may have been the best part. Hearing what’s hot in the magazine industry from a group of writers/magazine publishers (Local writer Kevin Smokler, Derek Powazek (Fray),  Jen Angel (formerly of Clamor), Jeremy Smith (of the digital Shareble.net), and Andrew Leland (managing editor of The Believer).