One of the things that I’m trying to do as the year comes to a close is to sort through everything I have here that I don’t need. And that includes getting rid of a bunch of favorites and bookmarked websites that don’t apply anymore.
In doing so, I came across this article on 10 lessons from Einstein. There’s some great little reminders about life in there that are worth taking a look at it if you’ve got any interest in poignant thoughts from a brilliant mind.
I’m not sure that I agree with all of these lessons myself. However, there are two that stand out for me right now:
- There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.
- The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.
Life is here for us to enjoy if we’re willing to pay attention to what’s happening around us and if we’re willing to adopt an attitude of curiosity and appreciation. It’s not always easy, especially when things in life are really not going our way. But the more that we can stop to look at the small things that make us small and the more that we can find wonder in the interesting things happening around us, the easier those tough days will be. I think those are important things for writers to try to remember.
I’ve spent an exorbitant amount of time in the last few weeks reading through my old journals. I’ve been keeping a journal fairly steadily since I was about ten so there’s a long-standing chronicle of the thoughts that I’ve had, the things that I’ve done and the way that experiences I now see in hindsight were actually perceived by me at the time.
I am going through this process in order to gain a better understanding of who I am, what makes me make the choices that I do, what patterns I have that I appreciate and which ones i’d like to change. It’s interesting because the memories are there in my head but they appear different when actually reading through these old scraps of paper and scribbles of ink.
What does this have to do with writing, beyond the obvious writing of a journal? They say that you must always write what you know. They also say that you have to develop your own voice in order to be a good writer. What I’m realizing right now is that developing your own voice requires an intimate understanding of yourself. And writing your own story requires regularly reviewing the situations and interpretations of the past in order to adjust to the present.
The goal of a journal should always be to reach new levels of self-understanding, whether in the writing or in the going back later and reading. And because of the immense benefit that this provides, I believe that all writers should get in the habit of keeping a journal. It’s the writer in you at your rawest and that is the place where all writing should begin.
Awhile back I was emailed a link to an article listing 100 Search Engines for Bibliophiles. I finally had a chance to take a look at the link and found out that there are some pretty cool things there worth browsing through during your downtime.
The list offers search engines for shopping for books, getting book recommendations, doing book research, reading books online and getting books sent to you via library systems or book swaps. All very cool stuff for the reader inside of us writers.
I just got back from a trip to Las Vegas that didn’t go as planned. I have had my fair share of travel problems in the past - two flat tires in as many days on one short road trip, five planes in 24 hours to get back home from New York once, etc. etc. etc. - so I’m pretty go-with-the-flow when it comes to dealing with the hassles that come up during vacations. But I have to admit that my patience was taxed by this one and by the end of the flight, I was sending frustrated text messages to friends complaining about the seemingly endless delays and problems. One of the text messages that I got back was, “maybe it’ll make for some good writing”. The message made me laugh.
There once was a time when I treasured every little experience because of the way that it could add to my writing. The cheap motel room with the domestic violence issues next door didn’t scare me so much as it gave me fodder for the characters of a short story. The hundreds of miles gone out of the way after a wrong turn on a road trip made me curious about what I was going to see that I hadn’t seen before so that I could have new experiences to write about.
I tried to keep this old attitude in mind as we dealt with the seemingly endless problems that arose during this trip. My ability to do so wavered throughout the ordeal. I’m trying to practice the attitude of “being here now”. I’m trying to be where I am instead of obsessing about the past or worrying about the future. Being stuck in the middle of travel is a terrific way to learn that lesson because there’s really nothing that you have control over other than deciding how you are going to deal with the situation that you are in.
It started with a delayed flight … an hour sitting on the plane, deplaning to sit for an hour, re-planing to get all the way to Vegas only to be told we couldn’t land, rerouting to Phoenix for more than twenty four hours. The interminable phone calls to the hotel and the airlines to get new flights, extend our stay, straighten things out. The calls to my sister who was supposed to meet us at the hotel to see where she was (stuck in the snow) and when we might meet up.
We finally arrived in Vegas thirty hours later than we were supposed to. The problems had only just begun. The hotel didn’t have us as ever having called in so we were considered no-shows and needed to fix our room problem. We eventually did get a really great room and were so exhausted that we went straight to sleep in it. We planned to start enjoying Vegas the next day. But then the power went out in the hotel and it wouldn’t come back on so we had to repack our rooms in the dark and get moved to another hotel. And then move back the next day. And every time, there were problems with our reservation that had to be sorted through, worsened by the fact that we had five people in two rooms under two different names and that the final day of our trip was booked separately from the first few days..
We didn’t expect the flight back to be easy. We already knew what kind of trip it was. So it wasn’t much of a surprise when our flight was delayed and delayed again and then canceled. Back down to the ticket booth to get a new flight on a different airline. Go pick up the baggage (which we paid $15 each time to check in … $120 total for two bags for one trip to Vegas) and re-check it at the new airline. Go back through security and of course this time we’re tagged for special searches so we go to the special line and go through that. Get to the gate just in time to find out that our new flight is delayed. And delayed again.
When I got that text message back from my friend, I thought to myself that I didn’t want to write about this at all - I just wanted it to be done. I’ve been feeling that way about a lot of things lately. But the truth is that I had some really cool moments in the midst of this interminable bad trip. Like when I overheard a conversation between two kids and one asked the other where he was from. The child, maybe eight years old, said very matter-of-factly: “my mom is from Ireland and my dad is from Palestine but I am from America”.
Or when the message about not taking other people’s baggage came on overhead for the five billionth time and I suddenly thought of it in terms of emotional baggage and it made me laugh. Don’t take on anyone else’s baggage. Keep your own baggage in check. It’s good advice. And it’s a reminder that there are moments of laughter in the middle of all kinds of frustrating situations.
And a reminder that the only place we can be is exactly where we are. For a few brief moments on that first plane that failed to land in Vegas, I felt a sense of panic. The pilot said that we didn’t have much fuel and that we would have to reroute to Phoenix and I felt this sense of anxiety swell through me. But then I had the really calming thought that there was absolutely nothing that I could do about the situation. I could be terrified and freak myself out or I could breathe and be calm. Neither approach would change whether or not the plane landed safely in any location where I wanted to be.
There once was a time when I really wanted to be a travel writer. I still think about it now and then - the pleasures of traveling around and seeing new things. But then I remember that most of what there is within travel that’s worth writing about isn’t actually that fun to experience. It’s the bad times, the crazy experiences, the people that you meet that scare you a little bit that all make travel writing really great. So if I’m going to bother to travel, I do think that I should get some writing out of it. And I do think that it’s a great way to practice living in the moment. But I don’t want to make my career out of those experiences which I think is exactly what a travel writer would have to do!
A slew of writers from around the web have contacted me out of the blue recently asking if they can guest post here on this blog. I’m always happy to help other good writers spread the word about their work if I can. Here’s the most recent of those posts - an article on getting freelance writing jobs written by Maya Richard.
Freelance writers all face a common dilemma; how can you get more
business, and still find the time necessary to actually get your work
done.
Managing your time and attempting to maintain a steady schedule and
workflow is hard enough as it is when working for yourself, let alone
trying to find the time and resources to grow your business and bring
in new customers. If you spend all of your time working, then you will
have trouble finding new business and thus running a successful
operation. On the other hand, if you spend all your time marketing
your services, you will never get any work done.
So how do you find the perfect balance, which lets you keep your
business profitable and reputable, and still keep new business coming
in? How do you take the scarce free time you have and make it work for
you?
Here are 5 ways that can usually help you accomplish this if
implemented correctly.
1. Network with Other Freelance Writers
One of the best ways to solve problems and learn new tricks and tips,
especially when it comes to handling your workloads, and reaching new
customers, is to network and share ideas with other people that do the
same thing you do.
Every freelancer out there is trying to make a living on their own
terms, and this is never a simple task. When you network with others,
not only do you have someone to talk to when you have an industry
specific question, but you also have someone to help you find leads,
advertise effectively, and simplify your workflow and project
management.
Aside from simply networking with freelance writers, building a small
network of web and graphic designers, photographers, coders, and more,
can really pay off in the long run. Doing so will simplify the task of
finding people to take on specific parts of a project you may
encounter which require you to further outsource, such as designing a
website for a customer.
2. Keep it Simple
There are literally tens of thousands of other freelance writers
available on the internet, and while there will always be plenty of
work to go around, you need to stick out from your competition, and
show potential customers that you do what you do well.
One of the best ways to do this is to simply under promise and over deliver.
When it comes to writing a sales pitch, or responding to an inquiry,
it really does pay to understate your services and skills. When you
find the urge to explain in detail, your skills to a potential
customer, simply stop yourself and narrow this long list of skills and
accomplishments down to a simple, quick statement. Think of a resume
when you are doing this, because you never want to send out a 20 page
resume, and the same goes for explaining why you are a good fit for a
freelance project.
3. Make Templates for Common Projects
If you are a writer, or nearly any type of digital entrepreneur, you
will undoubtedly have a copy of Microsoft Office (or Open Office) that
you use nearly every single day of your life. The first thing you need
to do is make sure you have the most up-to-date version, as new
features are added each year or two which can really benefit you.
Now, you should aim to create an entire collection of templates, using
numerous platforms (Word, Excel, Etc.), which can all save you time by
helping streamline some of the more common tasks and projects you do.
Creating a custom billing template in Excel, for instance, can take a
decent amount of work, but once it is done, you will never have to
calculate your final costs. From word and page counts, pricing
structures, and additional services, to taxes, payment processing
fees, and nearly everything else you frequently factor in to your
billing, you can really reduce repetitive tasks, and thus save time
and money.
This doesn’t only apply to Excel, however. Common document formats,
such as sales letters, email sales templates, and even press releases,
can all be recreated as a template which helps you get to each project
more quickly and efficiently, and thus helping you make more money,
and deliver your services in a more timely manner.
4. Constantly Look for Opportunity
Don’t think that you will ever get where you want to be in your
business, if you simply expect customers and clients to come to you.
Sure, advertising your services publicly, whether online or off, can
really bring in a steady stream of work for you, but you are hitting
maybe 15% of your potential market.
Every time you go shopping, to a conference, to a meeting, to a
function, or anything else you could really imagine, you need to keep
a keen eye out for the opportunity to offer your services. As a
freelance writer, you are providing individuals and businesses with a
service that can be detriment to their success. Marketing materials,
pamphlets, brochures, emails, web copy, sales copy, and more, are all
a huge part of each businesses success, and you are their key to
tackling these aspects effectively.
Never be afraid to market yourself in person, and pitch ideas freely,
because you never know who might bite.
5. Find Local Business Organizations
Finally, you need to take advantage of local business meetings. Nearly
every city and town has numerous local business meeting events weekly
or monthly.
These meetings are typically held so that local businesses and
organizations alike can share new ideas, and discuss current events
and trends in their local market. Attending these events will get you
comfortable with some of the regular individuals, and you will have an
opportunity to not just learn from these people, but to explain to
them how your services work and benefit others, which can open new
doors that you never knew existed.
Be sure to have professional, informative business cards. A business
card with a fancy design, and a simple phone number or website can
work for you in most cases, but when it comes to building solid
networking “buddies”, it is always good to have a second set of cards.
Name, office phone, personal phone, website, fax, email, and any other
means of contact, should all be listed on the card. If you need to,
get yourself double-sided cards, which appear as normal cards on the
front, and feature extra contact methods and details on the back.
Never leave home without a pocket full of cards, and be sure to hand
2-3 out each time, because they might not be the only person they know
that could use your services.
This article is by Maya Richard (mayarichard@gmail.com) who is
currently a content writer writing about cell phones.
Guest Post by Robert D. Flach (the Internet’s “Wandering Tax Pro”)
My name is Robert D Flach. I have been preparing 1040s for people in all walks of life since 1972, and have been writing the popular tax blog THE WANDERING TAX PRO since 2001.
Kathryn has asked me to address the following question:
“A lot of the money that I get from blogging is ad revenue or affiliates revenue (when items I link to on Amazon sell, etc.) I’m not really sure how that’s supposed to get reported on my income for tax purposes”
So here goes!
Why does someone write a blog or create a website with free information and services?
The answer is simple – to get attention.
I do not mean that in a bad way. Let me explain.
A tax professional may create a website and/or write a blog with helpful tax planning and preparation information to bring his/her expertise in the field of taxes and the services, fees, etc of his/her practice to the attention of potential clients, hoping to get new business.
A professional writer, in any field, may create a website and/or write a blog to bring his/her writing abilities to the attention of online and print publishers in an attempt to get writing assignments.
An individual, a professional in any field or a performer, may also create a website and/or write a blog to bring his/her product(s) – a book, a newsletter, special reports, a CD, a DVD, software, etc – to the attention of the public and generate sales.
Or anyone may create a website and/or write a blog with helpful, interesting or entertaining content to get the attention of the public so that they will visit the site/blog frequently and click on ads which will generate commission income. Read the rest of this entry…
