Tweet Think of these features as the fast food of writing wisdom. Quick. Meaty. And effortless. Grab and go back to your writing. This week’s post is on fiction straight from the words of Rachel Joyce, author of a recent book I read and am still digesting: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. In the back of this inspiring novel, I found an interview between Joyce and another author, Charlotte Rogan. I gleaned a handful of fiction and even insights on life from their conversation. I hope you will too: Rachel Joyce: “Reading is a creative process. As writers, we…
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Tweet Hurray for daydreaming! It’s the thing you loved to do in school, but what you were most likely to get punished for. Well now there’s legitimate reason to zone off when bored. Yes, according to author Jonah Lehrer’s book Imagine: How Creativity Works, it’s those moments when you’re dazing out the window that your getting the most work done. Perhaps all of us writers knew this intuitively. But Lehrer’s book provides actual research to back that statement up. In it, he describes the work of psychologist Jonathan Schooler and his research on daydreams and their benefits. And what…
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Tweet Fabulous careers in creative fields (like you writers) deserve a little more attention, motivation and flexibility than other fields. You need to roll with the punches, get your tough going (when the going gets rough) and be willing to go for the ride. [Definitely met my “trite phrases quota” for the day.] Part of that is getting used to the up and down roller coaster ride of both inspiration and writing gigs. That means sometimes there will be lulls, sometimes there will be speed bumps. And when I’m on a high, I need to remember to stop myself from…
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Tweet While I’m hardly one to call myself a success (unlike this couple), I have picked up a few learn-as-you-go tips that have seriously change my career and my life. To be honest, my freelancing career started without any preparation, focus or long-term planning. I basically decided one day that it was time to stop waiting for my life to happen and start living it. Although it’s been a rocky road, I have never had trouble finding a writing gig (*knock on wood) and have succeeded in getting bigger and better jobs throughout my career. I must have done something…
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Tweet Hi guys! I’ve been busy in a good way lately. Wrote a few guest posts, working on an article for a magazine, essays, assignments for an online class and a few projects are still in brainstorm mode. {Actually, I’ve still got newsletters brewing in my head. Do any of you find it helpful for your business? Would you like to see an inspirational writing one from me?} One of the posts I recently wrote was on self-care for the self-employed because I know how you guys roll. I know how hard you work. The papers piling up on your…
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Tweet Edward Cullen in Twilight said, “I don’t have the strength to stay away from you anymore!” Yet, there were more than warm and fuzzy feelings hitting hormonal teenagers and middle-aged moms. From some dark, deep and dreary place, stay-at-home mom and Twilight series author Stephanie Meyer drew a well and from it an empire of wealth and success. It’s that intense, can’t live without it passion that shakes us silly from our boring day-to-day reverie. Whether we’re copywriters, social media experts, bloggers or any writing gig for that matter, we need to get off our flat (cause we sit…
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Tweet photo by: kevindooley It’s the end of another long week freelancers. And on this freelance Friday, I must ask, “What do you do to decompress?” I know how it goes. You’re toiling away at your computer, making phone calls, coming up with creative queries, networking, marketing your services and spending the spare time you have left on Facebook or Twitter. With all of that and your ever growing to-do list, do you ever make time for yourself? In Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance (Artist’s Way), author Julia Cameron suggests artists make a weekly date with themselves, write daily in…
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Tweet photo by Dunechaser What’s one airline safety guideline we could all listen to as freelance writers? Take care of yourself first, then help others. It’s a rule that needs repeating especially since there are a ton of scams out there. It’s hard enough working as a freelancer, marketing your skills, and defeating your inner demons to write, without having to deal with deadbeat clients.
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Tweet 1. That you need be thick-skinned to handle a mind-blowing number of rejections but be thin-skinned enough to be an observant, sensitive, intuitive and honest writer. 2. Publishers can get away with a lot like promising to pay you and then suddenly disappearing into thin air. 3. That you need to have an insane amount of faith (comparable to the number of rejections you receive). 4. That this would be the best and yet the hardest job of my life. I’m talking 10 hrs a night and weekends. 5. That you need to be good at everything (marketing, accounting,…