Tweet {flickr photo by: stevendepolo} The Dreaded Phone Interview The time is ticking and you’re about to chew every single one of your fingernails in anticipation of that upcoming phone call. It could be a call to your editor, potential client or for a job interview. But whoever it is and whatever it is for, one thing is certain. Talking on the phone is a whole different medium than in person or via email. To be honest, I would prefer both over the dreaded phone call. In emails, my words come out effortlessly. There are no “uh” or “um” in writing and if they were…
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Tweet {flickr photo by: Kat Cole} How Easy it is to Misunderstand Each Other Online I’ve gotten into a few misunderstandings lately and that’s just with my online friends. Words are powerful stuff. And when you take away external cues like smiles, nods and voice inflections, it is not just powerful, but potent. When you are online, all a person can see is your words. So when you say, “It was good.” They may be interpreting it as: “It WAS good! Or, “It was GOOD!” Or they may think you were being sarcastic or not very enthusiastic. There is only so…
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Tweet {flickr photo by: CosmoPolitician} A Boot Camp Success Story This weekend drained me. Instead of biking or catching up on my reading, I did something insanely crazy. I signed for a weekend boot camp. And no this one did not consist of me dropping down and giving anyone 20. I signed for a writer’s boot camp. What I Learned from a Freelance Writing Boot Camp On top of the fact that 5 hours a day learning about making money from freelance writing is tiring, but not as boring as you’d think, I learned something life changing. The thing that I…
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Tweet I don’t have it in my heart to fool you. So instead of pranks, I’m sharing my top three favorite things this week. 1. Here is a short post I wrote on the psychology behind April Fool’s day. 2. My last post here was on the challenge with embracing your niche. This post is for you if you haven’t found your niche. 3. And for a prank-free, yet laugh out loud way to the end the week. Here is a youtube video for dog lovers that still cracks me up.
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Tweet {flickr photo by Scrunchleface} I have to admit I am probably one of the last people to get on the niche bandwagon. I knew finding a specialty in business was important. But I just could not get my head around it. And then one afternoon while I was driving home, I realized why finding a niche was so hard for me. Maybe if you read this, you will get that “aha” moment too. What’s a Niche? First of all, what’s a niche (pronounced neesh or nich) anyway? In number 3 of its definitions, Dictionary.com defines it as “a distinct segment of a market.” It’s…
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Tweet flickr photo by thekeithhall Here’s a quick tip if you’re feeling stuck on how to market your product or create product descriptions with Wow! Read print catalogs. I have a secret. Not even my husband knows about this one. I devour Victoria Secret’s catalogues, but he thinks it’s for the clothes (although they have great stuff in there!). But I read it for the copy. Whoever writes their copy is genius! These use few words, but the ones they use are compelling, engaging and fun. All things you want to use to sell your stuff (or other’s stuff) right? Things…
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Tweet {flickr photo by: danmachold} I used to exercise 5-6 days a week. When I was in my early twenties and really into it, I would sometimes work out for twice a day 6-7 days a week. I was not an athlete. I did not aspire to be a fitness model. And surprisingly I was slim, but not at all muscular or athletic looking. Maybe I was a bit of addict and had too much time on my hands. But recently, my exercise has tapered down a notch or two. Muscle aches and pains make overdoing it less attractive and…
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Tweet What’s so hard about putting words on paper? Well it’s a lot harder than you think when you bring psychology to the picture. Take your thoughts for example. All those doubts, criticisms, and insecurities from years long gone have piled up. And sometimes when you’re not careful, they’ll peek out at you, disguising themselves as your own thoughts. And the results? Well, it’s not a pretty picture. What Holds You Back from Your Writing flickr photo courtesy of: Lady/Bird In Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life, author Gregg Levoy says, “If we don’t confront them, if we don’t even…
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Tweet {photo courtesy of NBC.com} Would you eat at a restaurant called, “Saucy Balls?” That’s what America’s Next Great Fast Food Restaurant hosts Bobby Flay, Curtis Stone, Steve Ells and Lorena Garcia are deciding. A new reality show on NBC is taking fast food restaurants to a whole other level as the four hosts attempt to choose the right person and idea to invest in. What does fast food have to do with writing?
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Tweet If you’re an intimidated writing newbie, don’t sweat it. There are a lot of things you can do to get your start while you’re waiting for your experience to catch up with you. {photo by: kandyjaxx} Here are a few things that helped me early on flex my writing muscles and get comfortable before I started full-time freelancing: 1. I sent in mini practice articles. You might know them as the letter to the editor. I’ve been sending letters to the editor since I was in high school. Why? I find it’s a fast and easy way to get…