Real Words

Writers who work from home often deal with all kinds of distractions and interruptions. Therefore, it can be very difficult to stay focused. The Web, email, BlackBerry, and other technologies that are supposed to make us more productive can, at times, have the opposite effect. How much time do people waste watching silly YouTube videos? Staying focused and getting more work done will, of course, lead to a higher income. Here are some useful tips for staying focused while working from home:

• Limit distractions: Children, pets, emails, telephone calls, text messages, and social networking websites can take up valuable time. Read and respond to email only during scheduled breaks. If your friends send you links to videos on YouTube or interesting articles, don’t click on them unless a) it’s lunchtime, b) you’re taking a break, or c) you’re done working for the day. Also, use your caller ID to determine if you should answer the phone during work hours.
• Set goals: Get motivated by establishing goals for yourself. For example, set a goal to gain five new clients every month. Aim a little higher than what seems practical, because you just might get there. Set a goal to win your second Pulitzer prize! One just isn’t enough!
• Be organized: A cluttered office isn’t inspiring. An organized one keeps your mind clear. If it takes you five minutes to find your computer, you might need to hire a professional office organizer!
• Make use of your productive hours: Most people have specific times of the day when they’re the most productive. Studies show that for most people, this time is between 8:35 and 8:38 in the morning. So crank out some words during those three minutes! That’s a joke, of course, but you probably do know when you’re the most motivated. During these highly productive hours, avoid doing routine tasks and playing online Parcheesi. Instead, work on difficult or high priority projects.
• Avoid multitasking: To stay focused on a project, it’s best to do only one thing at a time.
• Change projects: If you get bogged down by a project, delete it from your computer! Well don’t do that, but try to work on something else for a while. Choose a project that’s completely different from the one you were working on. When you do go back to the other project, you may have new ideas and inspiration.
• Buy a good chair: It’s difficult to focus when your back and neck are sore. Sometimes this soreness is the result of a bad chair. What can you do? Get a better chair!
• Create a dedicated workplace: It’s often said that work-at-home professionals should have a dedicated workplace. However, occasionally working in a new setting, such as a different room, your back yard, or maybe even an igloo (why not?), can be refreshing and inspirational. Changing the setting is helpful when you get bogged down.
• Vary the tasks: To avoid monotony, mix things up. Doing the same routine task for three hours straight can make you bored and unproductive and may entice you to waste time by surfing the Web.

If you work form home, keep these tips in mind. They could help make you more productive and ultimately increase your earning power!

This post is a guest post from Brian Jenkins who writes about a variety of topics, including careers for writers, for BrainTrack.com.

Not a lot to say today but wanted to share this readers and writers find (via Neatorama):

I just had to share this amazing book art by Isaac Salazar. Explore more at ArtistADay and Salazar’s Flickr.

This is a guest post by Modi.

• How many times have we all come across a browser that isn’t responding no matter how long we’ve been patiently waiting?
• How many times how most of us lost our precious work, whether a great post to be published in a blog or just an ordinary pretty long email?
• How many times have we all felt helpless, looking at our screen after all those tabs and browsers were gone and all those hours of research have been wiped away?

There’s nothing more frustrating than coping with your work being lost just because of your browser’s malfunction.

Having tried several browsers during the past 15 years, from Mosaic and Lynx to IE9 and Chrome I decided to write a post on an issue that has been annoying me since I started browsing the web. And the questions always remained the same: Why isn’t there a browser that can deal with all (or at least) most of these issues?

Efficiency

An efficient browser isn’t the one that offers hundreds of configuration options so you can go back in your history and retrieve any page you’ve lost. This is pointless for people like me who browse hundreds of pages daily. But the worst aspect is when you actually lose what you’ve been so patiently writing in a web editor and boom… it’s all gone! Sometimes, if the crash is really fatal it can lead to the whole operating system hang, making a reboot mandatory which means that you can lose unsaved data in other open applications…And what is in the clipboard too. Microsoft definitely has some merit of responsibility in this case but this is not a topic to be discussed right now.

Speed

When it comes down to speed the real issue isn’t how long it takes a browser to run or get terminated. The real issue is: How Quickly Can You Recover if things go terribly wrong. I’ve read numerous tests with benchmarks comparing browsers’ response times in nanoseconds but what of a difference is that going to make in my life if I lose that piece of text which I have been typing for hours during some moment of great inspiration?

The Source of the Problem

The main reason why we all lose our data, tabs and pages from time to time has to do with the way the O/S treats our browser application. Traditionally, browser applications run as one process, no matter how many tabs or windows are open at the same time. So, if something goes wrong in one tab or page then usually the whole process needs to be terminated and this is why we end up losing everything – including our faith to technology.

Crash Protection

Obviously, the solution to the problem was in the browser’s architecture. Allowing for more than one process for each browser page or tab would offer crash protection. Apparently, this is a very simple idea but for some reason most browsers still don’t offer! If something goes wrong in Chrome we can terminate only the process responsible for the non-responding tab. Internet Explorer and Firefox only run as one process so terminating the process will result in all the tabs disappearing.

However, if you want to change the default behaviour you are free do to so. A popular choice is to set one process-per-site so all open tabs that belong to the same site will be treated by one process only. So, if you have 10 different Amazon product pages open, they will run as one process, rather than 10, saving resources especially if your system is not very powerful. Nevertheless, if you want all your tabs to be dealt by a single process (e.g. like Firefox and IE) this is another possibility.

Google Chrome Protection

Using the built-in task manager we can view and manage any process. By pressing ‘SHIFT+Esc’ and the browser’s task manager will appear. It contains useful information such as memory and CPU usage as well as the network bandwidth of each tab and page.

Modi is an SEO and web design consultant who works for a cruises company which specialise in oceania cruises and silversea cruises. If you’d like to connect with him, follow him on Twitter at @macmodi.

Note: This is a guest post by James Adams. His contact information is at the end of the article.

You are a good writer. Why then do options to self publish dominate your professional landscape when you could join the ranks of mainstream authors who actually get paid to write for publishers?

Many writers want to see their work in print; the stacks of manuscripts that swamp editors and agents testify to that. The challenge is how to get your writing noticed by publishers. The 9 tips listed here can help.

1. Formulate a compelling proposal. When you submit your work to an editor, formulate an attention-grabbing appeal that illustrates why your work deserves attention more so than the work of othres. Explain what you think your work will accomplish for readers and for the publisher and how you are willing to help make the product a success.
2. Get your spelling and grammar right. Most editors can probably understand one slipup or two when it comes to correct grammar and spelling, but if you submit a manuscript with an error on every page your editor will probably not be impressed. If you are ready for the big time show it by submitting perfect work.
3. Find some help. Experienced authors out there will help you navigate your way around the publishing industry. Some may advise you for free if you establish a good relationship, but many will charge a fee for their services. Before paying, however, check references to avoid a scam and to make sure the person has the credentials and experience to be worth your while.
4. Don’t give up. Every time a publisher rejects your work you have one more reason to quit: don’t. Read the rest of this entry…

Almost all writers are in love with quotes. Some of us are drawn to the most famous quotes that always crop up in literary circles. Others of us like to find our own top quotes every time that we read. We share them with other writers in our blogs, letters, emails and social media accounts. But, most importantly, many of us post them where we can see them on a regular basis.

Why Post Quotes

There are many great reasons to post quotes. For example:

• Quotes inspire our lives.
• Quotes inspire our writing.
• Quotes help remind us of our goals.
• Quotes celebrate the hard work of other authors.
• Quotes celebrate what we love – WORDS.

Bringing you a fresh guest post about making your writing more persuasive …

Writers face a daily challenge in persuading people to change their mind about a product or debate. A simple description of a product or an assertion of the correctness of a point of view will usually not be enough to persuade someone to make a decision favorable to you. You need to actively further your cause through your writing in ways that will close sales and garner support.

Use these 10 clever techniques that make your writing more persuasive:

1. Repetition: Express your argument in several different ways to improve the chances of communicating it effectively. Reinforce your direct statements with quotes, stories, facts and examples. The more ways you can communicate to your readers what you want them to do or believe, the more persuasive your writing will be.

2. Reasons: People seem to like to know why they should act or believe the way you want them too. “Just because” rarely will provide that incentive. Take the time to explain why you believe the way you do and then give your readers reasons why they should believe the same way.

3. Rapport: Communicate with your audience with familiar style and terms. People will more readily receive your message if it comes in a format that they find natural and easy to understand. You want to treat every audience with respect, so try to use words and arguments that each one will understand.

4. Credibility: Establish yourself as a reliable source. Refer to your personal experiences, your training, and education as sources for your expertise. If you write a lot, refer back to all the times you were right about a product and an issue. Just give your audience reasons for why they should listen to you. Once you have done that, build credibility in your writing style by avoiding contradictions and inconsistencies in your thoughts. Also, make your writing grammatically and mechanically sound.

5. Create or Expose Pain: Help your readers understand how painful their lives are now and how that nothing will change unless they act. Show them how your products or views will help them turn their lives around or reach a new level of personal satisfaction. Most people do not like pain and will gladly buy a product if they believe it will give them relief.

6. Counter Arguments: As you write, you should acknowledge opposing viewpoints up front rather than relying solely on your ability to sell your idea or product on its own merit. Showing your awareness of arguments against your position builds your credibility and helps you win over people who already have their minds made up. This also gives you the opportunity to change your mind should you learn that other arguments make more sense than your own.

7. Make Emotional Appeals: Have you ever noticed that politicians will surround themselves with victims when they want to score political points for their agenda? You can do the same. Offer sob stories that illustrate why people should donate to your cause, purchase your product, or agree with your philosophy.

8. Use Testimonials: Let other people tell the story about how their beliefs were challenged by the arguments you present and how they were persuaded to join your point of view. This also helps the people in your audience understand that they can change their mind without being ashamed.

9. Join the Club: People seem to have a natural desire to be part of a group to the exclusion of others. By selling your product, service, or viewpoint as a vehicle that will get your readers into the groups of which they want to be a part, you can be more persuasive.

10. Find Common Ground: By finding a comparison or an argument that your readers agree with, you lay the foundation you need to build further agreement. As your readers get comfortable with feeling that you and they are on the same side, you build your power to persuade them in areas where you do not agree.

Your only chance to persuade people to buy your products or join your side of a debate comes with what you write, so now is a great time to use these clever techniques to make your writing more persuasive.

This is a guest post by James, a writer for a one of the leading online print cartridge suppliers where he reviews of products like the HP 300XL ink cartridge. In his spare time, James posts about design and media on their blog.

This is a guest post from Alexis Bonari, a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at onlinedegrees.org, researching areas of online universities. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

Recently, my life as a freelancer was turned upside down. Granted I had slightly over nine months to plan for this lifestyle change, but nothing quite prepares you for how your life will change when you have a child. If you’re a freelance writer, organizing your work schedule around the needs of a baby and keeping ahead of deadlines is a surprisingly challenging experience. While I’m sure I’ll have to update my strategy as my daughter grows (she’s only 3 months old and isn’t yet mobile) here are four helpful tips for transitioning your freelance career when you’ve just had a baby:

1. Take advantage of any help you can get from your partner.

Understandably, not everyone has a partner who can devote their weekend or evening to watching the baby so that work can be done. If you do have such a person in your life; take advantage of it. Nobody is an island. Freelancing for a living is a full-time job. So is taking care of a baby. Four hours of completely uninterrupted work in the evening, and some extra time on the weekend, can make a huge difference in your overall productivity.

2. Look into a childcare exchange with another freelancer or another mother who wants some time off.

There are many mothers who want part-time childcare and are unable to find it for a reasonable rate. Find another mother in a similar situation and offer to trade childcare. As I already mentioned, a few uninterrupted hours can make or break your project.

3. Work around the baby’s sleep schedule.

This may seem obvious, but it often isn’t. It is not uncommon to fall behind on housework and laundry when you first have a baby. This is even truer when you have both a baby and a full-time job. Resist the urge to clean or do other household chores when you have a deadline coming up. Even though you’re at home, you’re on the clock. Schedule specific times for any housekeeping/cooking and stick to them. Otherwise, try to get through as much work as possible while the baby is sleeping.

4. Accept that it will take time to adjust to your new schedule, and that’s okay!

Go easy on yourself. Your life just changed in a very real way. There are many advantages to working from home when you have young children. That said, it’s not as straightforward as working set hours with no interruption. Enjoy your baby and slowly increase the amount of work you take on until you find the perfect balance for your life.

A cute little post via Bits of Wisdom that highlights how punctuation can change the meaning of some sentences:

As a full-time writer/blogger, I spend most of my day working on a computer. Although I frequently hear reasons why I should work primarily on my desktop computer, I have to confess that I’m more likely to spend time on my laptop than at my desktop. This isn’t to say that I don’t use my desktop computer since it definitely has its benefits. It’s just to say that I think it’s worth it for full-time writers to invest in high-quality laptops since they can be so important to the work that we do.

Benefits of Laptops for Full-Time Writer

Some of the core reasons that I’m on my laptop more than my desktop are:

• Portability. Obviously a main benefit of the laptop is that you can take it anywhere. Since I work from home, I get stuck in the apartment a lot if I’m limited to my desktop. Conversely, I can throw the laptop into a laptop sleeve and head to the park or the coffee shop if I need to be around some life to work. And, of course, with a few of the right laptop accessories, I can easily work from anywhere in the world with my laptop which is definitely ideal.
• Comfort. I find it a lot more comfortable to work on my laptop than at my desktop. I do have a good desktop chair and the right setup for my keyboard and all that but frankly I don’t feel comfy sitting at a desk all day. I like to be able to curl up, move closer to a window, get under the blanket on my bed, etc. A desktop doesn’t provide that comfort.