If life is one big class, then I got a lot of my lessons solely from being a freelance writer. As I reflect on these last 5-years, I’d have to say while it hasn’t been an easy road, it was a necessary one. Hopefully, you won’t have to stumble in the dark as I have. Read up on what things I wish I didn’t have to learn the hard way. Get clear about whether you’re getting paid or not. Money is an uncomfortable issue. And when you’re first starting out, you just feel grateful for getting any writing job. But…
-
-
Q: “I was wondering if you could direct me to your posts that are specifically about how to get started. I am currently in the stage where I feel like this is a field where I could be successful, and my main question right now is where to look for job opportunities (the real ones, not the scams!). I’ve had success with my writing on a very small scale- had some things accepted for publication in a national religious magazine for children, an article accepted for publication in the local newspaper, won a short story contest, etc. I am a stay-at-home…
-
{by guest blogger: Lauren Boyd} When I was growing up, I participated in a lot of extracurricular activities. However, I never truly mastered any of them. I took gymnastics, but my lack of abdominal muscles – and my hearty appetite – kept me from advancing very far. I took tap, but when it came time to wear the high-heeled tap shoes, I didn’t want to, so I stopped taking tap. I played the piano, and was the best among my peers, but when my studies began to consume most of my time in high school, I gave up the piano. What was my problem?…
-
I’ve spent enough time studying the grooves of my ceiling to know that every creative person, writers included, needs to take risks and risk the repercussions afterwards. Just like you may have a flood of ideas and are eager to set each one free, you may spend nights like me staring at the ceiling bemoaning over your impulsivity for not being more discriminating. That comes with the territory. In the five years that I’ve spent freelancing, I’ve banged my head over my keyboard (figuratively) enough times to put Don Music to shame. (If you need a refresher, he’s the crazy…
-
I just read Careerbuilder’s article, ‘If I knew then what I know now’: Advice for college graduates and found myself nodding my head in agreement. I wish I had, for example, thought long-term about my career, realized my passion sooner and pursued it with the kind of ambition and energy only someone in their twenties has. And then I realized the same thing could be said of my writing career. I can’t go back in time and redo my college experience nor my writing one, but I can share with you what I learned thus far in my career as a…
-
{Guest post by: Jessica Kristie} Each hand behind the pen is different in flow, technique, and ability. The spectrum covers a massive space and the outcome is always different. With all the many walls thrown up and doors slammed, still the greatest hurdle to overcome is often our own inability to continue. We ignore our unique voice and fall prey to the weight of the world’s negative intervention. I have been writing for well over twenty years and it has been only the last five to seven that I have been fully dedicated, and giving the attention my pen had…
-
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 blog…
-
I have a lot of writer friends who started out all gung ho and then let their mojo slide when the going got tough. My ego would like to say it’s the way we weed out the true writers from the pack. But I know the truth. The truth is that writing is scary. We all have moments where we doubt whether we’re really that good or even good enough. And this could change moment to moment, day to day. Sometimes I think I wrote the best piece ever at night, only to wake up the next morning and discover…
-
If you’re writing every day, there will come a time when you sit at your computer and nothing comes. Zilch. Zero. And it sucks. It sucks because you still have to get whatever it is done. You can’t use writer’s block as an excuse anymore than you could blame your dog for eating your homework. So what do you do? These things have been helping me recently: 1. Shutting down. Not emotionally, but electronically. I choose one day a week when I turn off my computer, ignore my cell phone, and refuse to even read a book or a magazine.…
-
Fellow writer Daylin Van Zandt sent me a message over Facebook today that inspired me. He decided to quit his full-time job to fulfill a dream. I’m so excited for him! One of his dreams is to start a community magazine. While he has the networks and the know-how to get started, he wanted some tips, advice, suggestions on what steps to take to get cracking on this latest endeavor. I asked Daylin if I could post his question on my blog in the hopes that you generous and wise readers could help out. His message is below. Please leave a comment…