Write a blog people will read logo

Vanilla freelancing.

by Leave a Comment

A post by Suzan St Maur had me laughing out loud recently. In “Vanilla sex: Here, have another helping,” the writer, coach and humorist applied the idea of “vanilla” (boring) to concepts other than sex.

Such as:

“Vanilla Politics: Politicians, usually at local government level, who … hate cutting ribbons and are useless at kissing babies – and expect to justify their existence merely by represent the interests of their electorate.”

“Vanilla Friends: Friends who offer you absolutely nothing in the way of valuable social contacts, wild nights out on the town, parties straight out of Hollywood and air-kissing companionship … and simply exist on the basis of always being around when you need them.”

But it was her “vanilla blogging” example that got my attention. 

 

[Read more…]

Freelancers: Prepare to get sick.

by 2 Comments

Two days ago I had cataract surgery on my left eye. Although the outpatient process is fairly simple, it has affected my ability to work.

This reminded me, once again, that freelancers should always be ready to deal with illness or injury.

Independent contractors don’t get sick days. If we don’t work, we don’t get paid. That’s just one more thing to think about if you’re planning to go freelance.

As someone who hasn’t had a square job since 2002, I have a year-round readiness plan in place. If you, too, are your own boss then you need a plan of your own.

 

[Read more…]

What I learned from writing ‘Your Playbook For Tough Times.’

by 2 Comments

YourPlaybookForToughTimes3DFirst it was five months of researching, writing, self-editing, having friends read the manuscript and paying a professional proofreader. Next came weeks of tech glitches and waiting, waiting, waiting for review blurbs. But my long-simmering project is finally done.

“Your Playbook For Tough Times: Living Large On Small Change, For The Short Term Or The Long Haul” ate up a ton of my time, most of it in hurry-up-and-wait mode. By the time I hit “publish” I was nearly snatching myself bald-headed with frustration.

Oh, and then I had to un-publish temporarily. More on that in a minute.

But you know what? I’m going to do it all over again, probably within a few months. Knowing what might go wrong during self-publishing will, I think, make it easier the next time.

 

[Read more…]

A writer’s leap of faith.

by 2 Comments

thRecently I attended the 8 x 10 Alaska Playwrights Festival, an annual event that showcases homegrown talent. Writers submit 10-minute plays for blind judging, and the best eight works are presented as an evening of short attention span theater.

The Fairbanks Drama Association reports that the number of entries grows each year. That’s exciting, but what I think is even cooler is the fact that several of this year’s winners had never written plays before. How’s that for getting out of your comfort zone?

Learning to write in a new medium might have been exhilarating, but I expect some terror was involved. Isn’t the roller-coaster ride part of being any kind of writer?

 

[Read more…]

You’ve been given a gift.

by Leave a Comment

thEver question why you need to write? Not want, need. According to Gary Garrison, it’s because you have “The Gift.”

That’s the name of a short essay that Garrison sent out to fellow members of the Dramatists Guild of America. A friend sent it to me because she found it inspiring and, well, true.

Although Garrison was referring to playwriting, his words apply to bloggers, short-story writers, novelists and others of that ilk. All of them “have the ability to create whole, intricate, dimensional worlds and to people them with infinitely interesting, complex beings.”

Wait…Bloggers create worlds?

 

[Read more…]

60-second tip: The phantom deadline.

by Leave a Comment

thToo tired or uninspired to start writing? Maybe a little pressure will do the trick. I call it “the phantom deadline.” You can do this in a couple of different ways.

1. Make believe that you have an editor. Specifically, pretend that he’s an editor screaming for copy. Choose a topic, sit down and start writing. You should get into the flow within a few paragraphs and be able to create something readable.

And if you don’t? You’ve got something to edit later on. Point is, you’ve got something.

 

[Read more…]

Things to say to writers.

by 2 Comments

th-1(Note: A version of this article originally appeared on www.donnafreedman.com.)

A Twitter hashtag called #TenThingsNotToSayToAWriter really got my attention a while back. Bet you can imagine why.

Some well-known writers (Jodi Picoult, Harlan Coben, S.E. Hinton, John Scalzi, et al.) played along with the rest of us lesser-known and unknown scribes. Collectively we whirled and howled about stuff like:

  • Low pay and no pay
  • Folks who question why we have to use so many cuss words
  • The assumption that we’ll never get published, i.e., be “real” writers
  • People who treat what we do as a hobby
  • Those who swear they could do this too, if only they had the time

Were we being thin-skinned? You be the judge. Here’s the kind of thing that writers report having heard:

“It’s pretty impressive that you spend so much time on something that has so little chance of success.”

“I downloaded your book for free online. Could you please sign this printout of it?”

[Read more…]

11 uses for a rejection slip.

by 5 Comments

th-2Once I interviewed an author who saved all the rejection slips he got. After he’d sold his first book he used the previous turndowns to paper the downstairs bathroom. I like his style.

Getting rejected stings. Not only are you out the chance to have a published clip and make some money, it hurts that you put so much work into a piece only to have it summarily dismissed. Hearing “thanks but no thanks” is like being told your baby is ugly.

It’s even worse when you’re searching for a literary agent. Sending a brilliantly concise letter and a sample chapter and getting “not a good fit” in return is like being told your baby’s ultrasound is ugly.

 

[Read more…]