Posts filed under 'writing'
Very few writer’s have stable incomes – the kind where they get a specific amount every week or every month. Instead, the income is based on the number of articles that are written and sold (and sometimes when those articles are printed). It is still possible to budget for such and uncertain amount of money.
1. Establish an emergency savings account. Before you dive into a full time career as a writer, you have to set back some income. You want at least three months of must pays (mortgage, utilities and insurance) set aside for any months where the paychecks are lean.
2. Get a month ahead. You want to have next month’s money in your checking account today. Instead of paying your bills from the paychecks you are getting in, those monies will go to restore the reserves in your account (this is separate money from what is in savings).
3. Set you budget so you know what income goal you must reach. Be sure to include savings AND taxes (about 28%) in your figures. Once you reach that income goal consistently for six months you are ready to be a full time writer.
4. Cut back on your unnecessary spending. It may be easier to go to the local burger place and get supper, but it will cost less if you take that 30 minutes and fix a meal.
5. Save the bonuses. Any thing that you make over you monthly needs should be placed in your emergency savings account.
Making a regular income from any freelance job is not easy. At times it can be scary – because the check might be in the mail, but you don’t know when it’s going to arrive. You have to plan for the lean times and aim for the high times. Hard work, persistence, and a thrifty nature will help you reach your personal, financial, and literary goals.
January 24th, 2008
Great, unique and interesting stories are the life blood on any freelance writer. Working online, putting out 10 or 20 articles a day, it is easy to see how your idea well can dry up. When you get all dried up for article ideas, here are some ways to prime the pump.
Read other magazines that relate to your field. Jot down in phrases or ideas that you find particularly appealing. From you list you can start to create punchy titles and complete the circle by adding a break down of five to ten points you want to cover in the article.
Review your older articles. First, you writing will have improved since you wrote your older material and you may be able to find a better way to approach some of the article ideas. Second, you may notice a trend in your writing that you missed before. This alone could spark some ideas around your lifestyle, plans, or success. And third, but not least, you may discover some unpublished pieces that you can polish up for publications.
Make a list of topics that you deal with each day. Choose the ones that you want to know more about and do some research. Let that research be the beginning of your article. Repeat the process until you know all there is to know about everything.
Scan the internet for websites that deal with issues you prefer to deal with. Read what other blogs or sites are writing about and let their ideas ignite your own creativity. NEVER copy articles from a website or other publication – this is stealing. Instead of taking their words, let their words inspire you to create your own.
Eaves drop on people during your day. In waiting rooms, restaurants, and even the grocery store people talk openly (and sometimes loudly) about every thing under the sun. Let their words inspire your writing (even if it’s only an article about conversational etiquette).
You are surrounded by great ideas every day. The key is harvesting those ideas and then forming them into coherent articles. Keep a notebook handy, jot down phrases or titles as they come to your mind, and be sure to add a few points that you would want to cover in the article. You will find that your well mostly likely will never run dry again.
January 16th, 2008
If you could plant subliminal messages in your mind that would help you achieve success, would you do it? The power of suggestion is an incredible tool that most of us never utilize on our own minds. Even more of us use it without even knowing it.
Take the athlete (casual or professional). The coach will constantly tell them to push their talents. “You can do it.” And the athlete will tell himself “I can do it.” Before long, the athlete is doing it. Granted, he did put in hours of work to get there, but the mind helped.
Look at the business tycoon. She tells herself she is going to be successful. “I will have my own company.” She has people around her to encourage her and support her goals, “You will make it.” Eventually, she makes it. There may have been some stumbles along the way, but she pushed through in the end.
The power of words is beyond belief. The Bible mentions the tongue (and the power it holds) almost as often as all other subjects. What you say can deeply impact your ability to accomplish your life goals. It has a way of burying in your subconscious and dictating your path.
Make your mind work for you. After all, a mind is a terrible thing to waste 
.
1. Set your goal – whether it is weight loss, literary success, or just home organization.
2. See your goal – picture the finished product in your mind until you can SEE it.
3. Say your goal – repeat your goal first thing in the morning and last thing at night three times – with gusto!
Don’t sit around and wait for the magic to happen. Get out there and put action behind your words. Not only will success be close behind, but you may just find yourself enjoying life a little more than before.
January 11th, 2008
Something peculiar has happened at my home. Here we are in day nine of the New Year and I’m still focused on the goals I set at the end of last year. Wow! I’ve even managed to accomplish one of them (finished my synopsis even though it still needs some serious tweaking).
One of the biggest differences for me between this year and all of the rest is that I have the goals sitting next to my desk. I look at them every single day – lots of times! And I’ve shared them with friends and strangers alike. This year I have cried out for some accountability. Sometimes it is the only thing that pushes us on.
On the other side of my desk I have posted the “17 Steps to Change Your World” listed in the book I’m reading. It is these steps that are the forces I’m using to help me push my way to completing each and every one of my goals. Some days I actually read through the whole list (I need the extra boost to get going). On other days, it is one step that will jump out from the rest.
Today number three (going the extra mile) is what is motivating me forward. It would have been easy to just turn off the computer, crawl into bed and call it a night. That was actually my plan. I took a moment to look at my website and was discussing the numbers with a friend when it dawned on me that someone was coming to my site right now to read a bit of fun or wisdom or insight and I hadn’t bothered to jot anything down. That’s just not right.
While it would be great to have the kind of numbers that draws a 5-figure income - who in their right mind would turn down that kind of paycheck – that is not my driving force. Sharing and caring and venting are what this site is really about. I want to help others reach their goals as much as I want to reach my won. Just knowing that one woman might read my tale and have a better day for it as valuable to me as that giant paycheck (and I’m writing that with a straight face). There is a reason for everything and I know there is a reason for my writing, even if I don’t fully understand just yet.
I should add one more item to my New Year’s goal list. I want to make my website one that inspires, encourages, and lifts up everyone who stops by for a visit. I think I finally understand that it is not the numbers that matter. It is the people that really count.
January 9th, 2008
I can not put off until tomorrow what I need to do today because tomorrow will have enough of its own without me having to play catch up. It doesn’t matter how quiet my day is suppose to be. With three boys, three dogs, three cats, and one husband, every day has something going on.
The question I am often faced with is how do I get motivated when my body, mind, or very being is too tired to go?
Just do one thing. Sometimes it motivates me enough to do one thing more and then one thing more . . . and so on. Sometimes I only get ONE thing done, but it is one more than I would have gotten done other wise.
Read, listen to or watch something inspirational. Seeing other people get there house clean and organized or reading about how people over come adversity often gets my juices pumping. One note of warning (at least in my life): This does NOT work exercise. I can sit and watch “Biggest Loser” while eating cookies and milk and not even feel a tinge of guilt. It does take practice, though .
Take a long hot bath or a long walk. Get away from the things you need to do and just relax for a little while. Take the family along. Maybe they will be the inspiration you need (unless they are the distraction you are trying to get away from in the first place).
Get your mind right. As long as I stay focused on what ever negative is affecting me (hormones, a sick tummy, or not enough sleep) I will continue to be down. Negative thoughts will birth negative results! ALWAYS. Think happy thoughts. Peter was right – they are what make you fly.
Motivation is not always easy to find. Some times it is elusive enough to evade me for the whole day (especially when I don’t try to find it). But if I am willing to put in a little effort then I will get something done before the day is over.
January 4th, 2008
Writing can be a tough gig. When your muse packs up and takes a vacation, finding inspiration can be almost impossible. Whether you are writing fiction in any genre or tackling an order for 20 how-to articles, the idea for the story may already be right before your eyes.
1. Look at your business cards – the ones you receive from other people. Do you remember the encounter? What were the people or the event like? You could write about how to be success at a business conference or a mystery about a murder at the conference. Just let your imagination take off and there is no telling where you might go.
2. Talk to your children. They can regularly be a source of inspiration (good, bad, and ugly). If you don’t have any of your own then seek out a neighbor’s or relative’s. Kids aren’t limited to reality the way grown-ups are. If you can learn to see through the eyes of the child then a world of possibilities will open up.
3. Ease drop. Go to the local diner (or courthouse) and take a seat. If you leave there uninspired then I’m not sure you can be helped until your muse comes home.
4. Go to a community meeting. The local council meeting or political rally is sure to be primed with energy. That alone should get the gears to turning. If not, then revert to #3.
5. Read your past journals. Most writers I know have kept a journal since before there was time. Reading things that you wrote from twenty or more years ago should give you some great ideas (not to mention a few good chuckles).
6. Make an outline. If you can’t get your mind around the complete idea at the moment, then make an outline of a story. Use the outline to form a query and send it out to some magazines. When it is accepted, your muse will have come home and the piece will practically write itself .
7. Twist the truth. The news papers and the news can be a great source for writing (just look at the Law & Order series). Use a piece of the truth to start your next novel or to answer the question of how to solve a particular problem.
8. Look to your family. A quick search through your personal genealogy might reveal some amazing characters (or if you are like me it only takes a look around the table at Christmas). Use the history of your family to start the beginning of your story (but change the names of the characters to protect the innocent – or at least yourself).
9. Go through the photo album. A trip years ago could spark a great travel article or a wedding photo could give you the how-to idea you’ve needed.
When the ideas aren’t coming to the front of your mind on their own then you just have to go digging for them. The creativity is already there. It just takes something to jump start the process some days. It doesn’t matter how you get the juices flowing as long AS you get them flowing. Once that happens – just write!
December 21st, 2007
There is only one thing I want for Christmas this year and that is to finally figure out how to make money off of MY blog without compromising my integrity. 
Do you think Santa is internet savvy enough to grant me this wish?
It’s been a year now and I’ve still not made any money. I’ve stayed away from Adsense and other programs like it. I’ve been patiently waiting for the advertisers to swarm my site and beg for space instead. There hasn’t been nibble one.
My numbers have steadily increased – at least I believe they have. I look at my awstats and if I’m reading the figures right then some of you are reading this article right now. That feels good. And it is really exciting and satisfying when someone finds something that helps them in their daily life.
It does not make my site the next Problogger site.
I’ve researched and read the articles about increasing traffic. I know that you need to:
1. Post regularly
2. Comment on other blogs and forums (and use a signature to link back to your site)
3. Make connections
4. Be personal (but not TOO personal – this is the internet)
5. Be consistent
6. Be specific
7. Advertise (use stumbleupon, technorati, article sites and blog carnivals) to build interest in your blog.
8. Be courteous (send emails to those who comment or visit regularly)
9. Use correct grammar (and spelling – Thanks Mara)
This month I started keeping a journal of what I’m doing and when I’m doing it. Maybe it will give me insight into how to make this site all that it can be. I have noticed a few trends. My blogging and writing articles get more view time than any thing else I post. Hmmmm – could that be the key? Should I be giving people what they are looking for even if it is a saturated market already?
Maybe if I tailored the site for MOMs that write (although any writer could benefit from most of it). I might have to change the name and the megatags to reflect the new format, but it just might be that I need change to get where I want to be – EASY STREET!
December 19th, 2007
Writers aren’t as peculiar as most people make us out to be – okay, we are peculiar. But we are also like every one else in the world (even if it is only mildly). There are days when we just don’t want to do what we need to do. Maybe our bodies are determined to write, but our minds have packed up and left the building.
This morning was one of those times when I just couldn’t seem to make a sentence – even for a blog. I tried three or four times and just kept deleting what I was writing. The idea of giving up altogether was looking like the only route to go. Instead of quitting, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes – then I took a break.
1. I read some emails and responded to them. It’s not unusual for a few comments from a close friend to jump start a memory and fire up the creative muse.
2. I made a few lists. Writing out things I need to do for the day or for the week often get my mind to formulate HOW to do them. Once the gears start turning, it is only a matter of putting it down in full sentences.
3. I looked at other’s writings. Sometimes its blogs online and sometimes it’s a how to book that has caught my eye. I have even been known to glance at a magazine or two. The goal is to distract the mind from thinking it has to write.
4. I visited the past. Reviewing what I have written in my own blog has inspired more than one additional entry. The great thing is I can backlink to that inspiration article (so that new visitors can find some material they might otherwise miss).
5. I just wrote. When I have distracted myself for a few minutes, then it is time to give it another go.
Writing is like riding a bike. If you haven’t done it in a while (like since you went to sleep) then you might be a bit wobbly at first. You could even fall off a few times. But if you keep getting back on and trying again, eventually you will be cruising around like a pro.
December 18th, 2007
Writing is a craft, an art form and a skill that must be tweaked and honed. Even if you are born with a natural gift with the written word, you still must take some time to learn. There are hundreds of different ways you can go about it, some free and some for a fee. Most all of them will help you increase your skills in some way or another.
You could probably attend a writer’s conference every month if you wanted. They are held all over the world. Some of them are large and some are intimate. Most any of them will help you make connections with other writers, editors and even publishers. Those connections could be the one thing you need to get your foot in the door.
Shaw Guides is a good place to start looking for the conference that will fit your needs. It offers a Guide to Writer’s Conferences and Workshops. This is where I first discovered the Southern Christian Writer’s Conference.
It was fairly close (hosted at First Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, AL), located near family so I wouldn’t have to pay for a room and wasn’t very expensive – all great incentives for me to sign up. I went for convenience the first time but I keep going back because of the information that I learn and the people that I have a chance to meet. It’s held every June and the sessions and speakers are always a delight (plus they feed you).
There are some dream conferences I have run across (listed in The Writer or online) but I haven’t been able to justify the price tag that goes with them. This year I might just bite the bullet. If I pick the right location, the family could come along – ensuring the safety of the home when I return. We get a vacation and right off the expenses in the mean time.
Location, location, location – it’s not just for real estate. A great location can take a good conference directly over to amazing. If I could travel any where then the Maui Writers Conference would be top on the list. I think the sand and waves would be the perfect muse for my writing - but can I convince the hubby?
Not that I would be a name dropper, but a few conference have caught my eye because of the keynote speakers and the instructors. The ACFW annual conference would be a great place to win friends and influence people, I just wish they’d bring it back to the south!
Many local colleges or universities offer great classes, seminars, or workshops for writers. The internet has made access even easier. Places like Ed2go.com or The Writers Studio give you the information you need on your own schedule.
If you still aren’t sure where to go to learn more about the craft of writing then ask other writers. Join a writer’s group through your local library (or start one if there isn’t one yet) or make some online connections. The most recent addition of the Carnival of Christian Writers has some great thoughts on conferences.
Which every direction you decide to go with your craft just keep learning and growing. When you look back a few years from now you will be shocked at how far you have managed to come, no matter where you started.
December 15th, 2007
As a writer, I worry about people stealing my work. I’ve heard and read about authors whose work was used by agents or editors without any compensation. If that wasn’t enough to keep me hording my writing in the desk, the internet now adds a whole new dimension to my paranoia.
Copyrights are one of those things I’ve heard about, but never really understood. I’ve always thought it was some intense process that required money. It turns out that copyright is just proof that you produced the work.
Some blog sites will say at the bottom that the work is copyrighted, but no special process was done. You can register something with the US Copyright Office – which will make it easier to prove it is your creative work if you have a need to fight any infringement – but that is not necessary for the work to be protected. The simple fact that you produced the work makes it protected.
The internet is still a difficult place to police copyright infringements. Even big organizations find they need more protection. So instead of worrying so much, I will just save my big ideas for print.
December 14th, 2007
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