Articles archived for May 2010

I’m currently house hunting, and hope to move sometime this summer. However it’s never too early for a freelance writer to start planning the logistics of a move. It is not like you can just move things over a long weekend, because writers never have one! There is always something to be done, written, or researched.

Your family can become a help or hindrance during a writer’s move. They can give you extra time and space before the move to tie up loose ends, and remember to mark all of the boxes with your computer and writing supplies! Unless you let them know what you need, they won’t be able to support you, and your trip will become a large headache!

Plan, Plan, Plan!

As soon as you know that a move is imminent, begin planning as much as possible. Even for an across-town move, you will be spending a lot of time and money. You’ll need to increase your income considerably during the months preceding your move, to pay for deposits, moving trucks, and general spending during the course of your move.

Even if money won’t be a problem, you will be very short on time. You will be packing up all your belongings, cleaning up your old house, moving into a new house, cleaning the new house, and unpacking. Whew! I recommend getting ahead of all your current projects by at least two to three weeks for a local move, and even more ahead for a long distance move. Let your writing clients know what’s going on, and what is the best way to contact you during the time your computer is packed away.

Have a Family Meeting

Once you have a moving and writing plan in mind, go over the details with your family. Let them know that you are going to be working extra hard to make the move a success, and enlist their help. Tell them exactly what they can do to make the upcoming months smooth sailing. If you need a few extra hours of quiet working time, let them know! Ask if they can pick up a few of your household chores, so you have more time to deal with moving issues. Whatever you need, your family can be there to support you.

Seek their input as well. In your planning, you may have forgotten about upcoming family events, such as reunions, graduations, or even your child’s weekly soccer practice. They may be able to tell you about upcoming expenses that you hadn’t considered as well. Also, don’t forget that moving can be very stressful, especially for your children. Allow them to voice their concerns about meeting new friends, adjusting to a new school, and keeping in contact with their old friends.

During the Move

When it is finally time to pack all of your books, computers, and writing paraphernalia, send a final email to your clients reminding them of the move and when you expect to be back online. Mark all of your belongings carefully, and pack them near the door of the moving truck, so you can easily access them right away at your new home.

Keep a notebook, laptop,  or phone with internet capabilities with you during your move. You’ll want a way to jot down writing ideas, and to check your email or voice mail as often as possible for any client emergencies. You may not be able to address them all right away, but you can reassure your clients that you will be available soon.

Above all, have fun on your move! A new home is the start of a new chapter of your family’s life, and can be a thrilling adventure! Enjoy the one on one time you will have with your loved ones on the road, and filling a new home with your special touches.

What other advice would you give for a freelance writer on the move? Have you experienced a move as a writer? Share your stories with us!

Photo Credit: Moving Truck by Phil_g

The more I think about it, the longer my list of “types of blog posts” could be. Looking over Part One of my list of “Top 10 Types of Blog Posts” I wonder how I ever run out of ideas for my blogs. If you’re having trouble writing, simply pick one of these types of posts and go for it.

Rather than keeping  this series continuing forever, I’ve narrowed down the list to the 10 best posts designed to generate traffic, and, I admit, many of these are my personal favorites to write.

6. Motivational posts - Most people need a little kick in the pants sometimes. Motivational blog posts are designed to spark your readers into action, remind them why they love their industry or hobby, or just make them feel good.

7. Fun stuff - A cartoon. A funny photo. A quick joke, quote or one-liner. These are the fun things you can put up in a hurry, when you don’t have time to write a full-length post. It gives your readers something new to see when they visit your blog and takes you only a few minutes to find and share. These posts, usually culled from other sources, have a great chance of going viral. (Who doesn’t love to share a good joke or funny picture?) You’ll also get the benefits of spreading the link love when you share the original source (which you should, of course).

8. Controversial posts – My post “Is Ghostwriting Ethical?” was designed to spark debate. It did, but perhaps not as much as I would have liked. Part of the secret to writing successful controversial posts is knowing what really sparks strong feelings in your readers.

In the freelance writing world, posts about money and rates generate controversy. It’s the same argument over and over again, but people never tire of it. When you post about a controversial topic, add a new perspective or a fresh viewpoint. Don’t generate controversy just for the sake of argument (so to speak). But if a situation has really gotten your hackles up, post away! You’ll get to share your views and generate traffic to your website. It’s a win-win, as long as you monitor the comments and make sure no one gets nasty about it.

9. News posts - When the FCC introduced fair disclosure standards for bloggers, this was big news for the industry. Many writers shared their views, tips and advice on the subject. The trick to writing a successful news post is either to break the story or to come up with an original perspective — to share insight you haven’t read anywhere else. (If you can’t be first, be the best!) You can also take a news topic not directly related to your industry and think about how it affects your blogs readers.

10. Videos - Like cartoons and photos, videos have a great chance of going viral. Since this is a writer’s blog, I won’t offer too many tips about posting videos on your blog. There are nearly as many types of video blogs as there are written blogs. I will say this: Even if you think of yourself as a writer, be open to posting a video on your blog now and then. You may find a whole new audience for your work.

Why types of posts have you had the greatest response with on your own blog?

Maintaining a blog with new and exciting posts every day gets tedious. Finding topics and writing about them in a compelling way, that is different from all the bloggers out there can become a full time job and, for many writers, is their biggest challenge. It helps to have a road map that will spark ideas.

Over the years as blogging has grown into a full-time, moneymaking endeavor for many people, bloggers have discovered many different types of blog posts that draw traffic to your website. This list could go on forever — as I write, I keep coming up with more ideas. So I’ll share with you the Top 10 blog posts that draw traffic to your site. Please add your own favorite type of posts in the comments section!

1. List posts - This article is an example of a “list post:” — “Five types of…” I could also have written about “Five Ways to…” or even “The Top 10…” These are some of the easiest posts to write, because you don’t have to worry about transition sentences between ideas, and they receive a lot of hits.

2. “Link love” - A variation on a list post, a link love post lists the Top 10 (or five or 100) blogs, bloggers, posts, videos or people in a specific field. These are called “link love” posts because you link from your site to other top blogs. These type of posts pay off because the people you link to typically link back… sometimes to show their readers they made the list, and sometimes just to return the favor. When you do a link love post, you may also gain new readers — the names on your list! Even if none of this happens, spreading a little link love is good karma.

When fellow freelancer Thursday Bram listed me as the number 17 writer of 100 Freelance Writers You Can Outsource Your Blog Content To, I got a few gigs and quite a bit of attention from making the list. (Thanks, Thursday!)

3. How-to posts. For many blogs, how-to posts are the meat and potatoes of their website. At a glance, I’d say more than 50% of the posts here at Writer’s Roundabout are “how-to” posts. We read blogs for information, and most people want to know how the experts do what they do to achieve success.

4. Reviews – We live in a consumer-driven economy and people want to know what other people are buying. Whether you’re reviewing books, iPhone apps or products that interest your audience, you’ll get lots of hits from review posts. These also offer the opportunity to earn residual income with affiliate links. (Just be sure to disclose that you get a percentage if your readers buy the product.)

5. Interviews - Many blogs are designed to provide their authors with a personalized voice in a specific industry. Even if your blog is mainly about you, your business or your life, interviews with other experts in your field offer another perspective and a change of pace.

You can also ask experts to provide a guest post on a particular topic. This offers the same benefits as publishing an interview, but it’s less work for you. Interviews and guest posts are a great way to cross-promote your blog and grow your readership, because your interview subject is sure to share the link with her network, too.

Stay tuned for part two of “10 Types of Blog Posts to Draw Traffic to Your Site.”

Creativity is the lifeblood of writers, whether we write fiction, non-fiction or blog posts to promote our business. People in every profession come to me during a Feng Shui consultation and want to find easy ways to enhance their creativity. Feng Shui is about the observation, collection and distribution of chi, or energy, throughout a space. When the chi flows, the residents of the home are healthier, more vibrant and perform better which will contribute to their wealth and ability to take advantage of opportunities to achieve their goals.

Activating the Creativity Area of Your Home or Office

It all begins with the bagua. Once you understand this simple Feng Shui tool, you can activate the energy (the chi) in the creativity segment of your home or office. When you lay out the Bagua in your home or apartment, you’ll see nine different sectors in your home, corresponding to various areas of your life. If you are looking into the room from the door, the children and creativity area is the section against the right wall, up to the center of the space. To enhance your creative mind, you want to focus on the energy in this space.

You can also lay the bagua over your office floor plan or your desk, enhancing your creativity by focusing on that area of the bagua in any space.

Assess the Chi

When you enter the area of the room where you write, how do you feel? Look around: What colors are dominant? What objects do you see? If you feel you have uplifting chi in that space, chances are your creative energy isn’t suffering at all.

But if the area makes you feel down, depressed or simply “stuck,” this could explain why you are not having as much success as you should in your writing career. Your creativity may be suffering.

Enhance the Creativity Segment of the Room

The children and creativity segment of the bagua corresponds with the element metal and the color white. Placing anything metal in that area, including creative sculptures made of metal or colorful artwork in metal frames, will enhance the chi in that corner.

Here are some other objects you can use the children/creativity area of the room to encourage the flow of uplifting chi:

• Metal windchimes or a bell. These objects not only represent the element of metal, but they increase “sound chi“ with bright, lively chimes. Wind chimes also add movement to an area, helping the chi flow.
• Metal Toys. What can be more playful and creative than toys? Add fun metal toys — such as race cars or a fun metal toy that swings with kinetic energy — to your creative area to add a sense of playfulness to your workday.
• White flowers. You can enhance a space with “living chi,” by adding objects such as plants or flowers. White plants, which correspond to the color of the element metal, work best in the creative area of your home or office. Be sure to replace flowers as soon as they become wilted. Fresh flowers bring living chi to a space, but dead flowers should be removed immediately.

The Command Position

Whether you have a home office or work at your kitchen table, the place where you write should have you sitting in the command position of that room. The command position places you so you can see the door, but are not directly in line with it.

If you must sit with your back to the door, placing a mirror in front of you will help you avoid the feeling of “being stabbed in the back” by clients and people you work with.

Dress for Creativity

Along with organizing and decorating our workspace with objects designed to enhance our creative energy and enhance the flow of chi, we can also dress in colors that raise our creative chi. White, as the color that corresponds with metal, is a good color for writers, as is bright blue and green. Green represents new hope and new ideas. You can also incorporate rainbow colors into your wardrobe to enhance your creative thoughts.

Ken Lauher advises individuals, businesses and organizations on how to implement practical Feng Shui solutions to help achieve their goals and live a more fulfilling life.

His inspiring and transformational work with well-known actors, actresses, TV hosts, singers, songwriters, CEOs, businesses, and corporations has made him a sought-after speaker on feng shui and life enhancement. Ken recently appeared on NBC’s Weekend Today show and TLC’s Moving Up!

Based in New York City, Ken works with local, national and international clients. To learn more about Ken, to download your free Feng Shui Guide, or to schedule a Feng Shui consultation, please visit www.kenlauher.com.

“You will be healed by the morning dew of truth.” — Dr. Maya Angelou

Poetry is far more than rhythmic words—it’s a source of healing.

Refuge

Poetry has been a refuge for me; from anger and sadness, from sorrow and pain, poetry has purged my from pores the darkness within. It has been a loyal friend through the lowest of lows. It carried me through the highest highs in the safety of its wings. The monumental moments of my life were shared with my poetry.

Reflections

As I reflect on my relationship with poetry, I discover that I rarely write poetry when life is just coasting along. Instead, when my heart is burdened by tragedy or in bliss reaching new milestones my pen flows in flurries, in agile verse, in melodic turns and phrases. It is likes peaks and valleys that call me back to my poetic pen once again.

Perhaps that is because I don’t need to express my feelings via poetry unless they’re particularly intense. Perhaps the cup of my emotions run over and poetry becomes the overflow. It is in poems I can find release.

Reality

Last year, when my 28-year-old cousin was killed in a tragic car accident, I wrote a poem in her honor. It didn’t bring her back. It didn’t really even make me feel better, but I was able to unload in a familiar way. I could envelop myself in the cozy corner of my poetry and as I huddled there my emotions turned and day followed night. Is I escaped into words they brought me full circle. In the hermitage of language I learned to cope, to deal, to grieve. Poetry allowed me to find healing and move on.

Remembrance

I will never forget my cousin. In writing in honor of her I expressed my feelings in a rhythmic wave. The waters splashed, soothing my soul.

And it still hurts. I write through the tears and then I come back to myself and realize that I am okay.

Realizations

Poetry is a lot of things to a lot of people. To me, it’s a soft place to fall. It’s a safe, warm home I can always come back to. And although I’ve never pursued poetry with passion for my writing career I find a passion for poetry deep in my soul. It is a dear friend that embraces me in the changing moments of my life.

My poetry may never win any awards. It may never be traditionally published. It might not be exceptional. But it is mine; uniquely, personally mine. It records the making-moments of my life. It reflects the me I am today and the me I am becoming. And that is all I need of it. That is all it needs to be.

That is what poetry is for me. What is poetry for you?

Photo Credit: Rose by Eqilshay
Photo Credit: her diary by Lusi
Photo Credit: at the campus 2 by Lusi

When a writing colleague on AbsoluteWrite.com asked, “What’s the best way for experienced writers to get writing gigs nowadays?” it sparked an interesting conversation.

The writer noted that she used to attend Chamber of Commerce meetings, collect business cards, follow up, and sign clients. I realized that many of my recent clients have come from similar means – except I rarely leave the house for networking events.

Here are three steps to land clients on the Web using time-tested networking techniques.

• Set up an impressive website.

  By impressive, I don’t mean flash everywhere and zillions of pages of marketing copy. While I’m not thrilled with the look of it (I did it myself) my Website at www.allcotmedia.com has gotten me many clients. It contains five important elements:

  • A photo of myself
  • What I can do for clients/visitors
  • A bit about my credentials and experience and how that helps potential clients
  • Links to a diverse collection of published clips of my work
  • My contact information

  Beyond that, it’s clean, easy to navigate, and professional-looking, albeit a bit on the dull side in my opinion.

• Promote the Website and yourself through LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media outlets

By promote, I don’t mean sending out tweets every hour that read: Need a writer? Go to www.mywebsite.com. Instead, share links to your work and your own knowledge about writing. Most importantly, be yourself. Engage others – both other writers and potential clients – in conversations.

You wouldn’t go up to someone at a Chamber of Commerce meeting, business card in hand, and say, “Hi, My name is ___ and I’m a writer. Do you need me to write copy for your business?” There’s a simple rule for Internet networking: If you wouldn’t do it in person, don’t do it on the Web.

I often send out tweets promoting the blogs I write for, but I have never tweeted asking for clients. They can figure out what I do based on my tweets, my links and my website – they come to me if my talents fit their needs.

To paraphrase Alec Baldwin in the movie “Glengarry Glen Ross,” writers may not “always be closing,” but they should always, always be networking.

In another post on AW, this one from last year, a new writer received advice that he should network to jumpstart his career. In a thread titled “Just Hit Send,” many of us post our goals for each month, and some even post daily to-do lists. In his next JHS post, that writer posted his schedule for the week, with time set aside Wednesday morning for networking.

While networking can be a discrete activity, performed only when you check your Twitter and Facebook accounts twice daily, it’s much better to approach it as something you’re always doing – or at least looking for opportunities to do.

If you go out to dinner and engage the waitress in a conversation about her day job – you’re networking. If you compliment the person in line behind you at the bank on her brooch – that’s a potential networking opportunity. Networking, when done correctly, is really just another way to say, “Asking people about themselves so you can find out how you can help them.”

Now, go network!

Leaving a comment here is networking too!
What are the most effective ways you network?

by Jack Blair

Parents today are often worried about their children’s reading. In part this is encouraged by schools, whose agenda of testing, leveling, and standardized scoring concerns many parents and leads them to fear that their children are somehow subnormal or failing.

In fact children learn to read at different ages, depending on their level of maturity. This does not mean that some children do not have problems reading, they do; however, many parents feel they need support to help develop their children’s reading skills.

What can you do, as a parent, to help your child with their reading?

Have many books in the house. It doesn’t matter whether your child is a baby or ten years old, the presence of books matters, because it gives children the opportunity to seek them out independently. It also creates an impression of the importance of books. Parents should also be members of the local library and take their children there as often as possible. Trips to bookshops and browsing book-selling websites are also helpful.

Parents should make time to read to their children. Some parents are surprised to find that children will enjoy this for many years – you should not stop simply because your child is an independent reader. Reading to them, and with them, encourages them to visualize stories and to ask questions about characters and situations. Try not to treat this time as a class: do not stop every page or so to ask the child “comprehension” questions, instead put on voices, change your tone, make the story come alive, and include your child as you read.

With older children who are reluctant to read, this time can be adapted into a story-CD time, giving them and you the space to listen to a book together. Many books for older children have been successfully adapted for CD. There is also no reason why parents should not share comics and magazines with their children. Some parents think that this is not “real” reading, but often the language used and sentence structures employed in magazines are as varied as many children’s books. Boys in particular may read sports magazines written for adults – this involves complex skills and should not be criticized.

Parents should be readers themselves. You should have a book “on the go” as much as possible, and you should be seen reading for your own pleasure or education. A parent is a model of behavior and this applies to reading as much as it does to table manners.

Parents should not agonize about their child’s choice of reading. If a child is reading and enjoying it, there is no such thing as a book that is “too easy”. Ignore the temptation to force books onto your child that they do not want or for which they are not ready. If you are cynical or critical of their reading, it will persuade them that they are not good at it, and it will discourage them.

Reading is a skill, but it is also a great pleasure of life. Children need every opportunity to develop this pleasure in their own time and in their own way. Let your child’s love of books blossom, and encourage them as much as you can. They will, certainly, thank you when they are older.

What memories of reading (and being read to) do you have from your childhood? As writer’s we often start as enthusiastic readers. How do (or could) you create similar memories for the children in your life?

Photo Credit: 10-22-07 © iofoto
Photo Credit: 03-30-09 © Damir Cudic
Photo Credit: 02-19-10 © Noam Armonn

To accept or decline? That is the question.

Networking is vital for any business, but especially for writers. If you are a reclusive writer, chances are you are missing out on precious opportunities for new clients, gigs, interview subjects, industry connections, and much more.

• Say “Yes”!

  • Start small. It doesn’t take much effort to get “out there” with the public. Spend an extra hour in church, mingle during the coffee/cookie hour before or after services. If you typically stay after your service, opt to go an hour early and mingle with the earlier service or vice-versa. Go early to pick up kids from school and chat with the other parents. Accept more invitations to go out or visit with friends. While I wouldn’t hand out business cards to everyone, a simple conversation about what you do for a living will leave a lasting impression on a business owner.

• Be A Host

  • For those with local clients or colleagues, host an event such as a coffee meeting between companies can increase the work-load for you! While you might not have a new project available immediately, bringing clients together to network will keep you in mind when he isn’t able to take on a project. You can socialize with prospective clients and fellow writers by hosting a morning tea or lunch. Perhaps consider a stationery or office supply party plan event.

• Join A Writing Group

  • The group doesn’t have to be locally based. Join a writing group for accountability or editing. Fellow writers can call on you when they aren’t able to take a gig for any reason and you’ll all benefit from the shared support and mutual feedback. This might lead to some ghost-writing positions that you can claim on your resume or the right name being dropped in the right place at the right time.

Networking online is important for many writers, but failing to network off-line can be detrimental. By not answering the knock of opportunity you are failing yourself and your business. Change just one “no” into a “yes” today and begin sowing the benefits of all your hard work.

Don’t forget the Writer Must-Have’s when you venture outside your own writing nook.

How do you make the most of opportunities to say “yes” instead of “no” when networking?

Photo Credit: 06-03-06 © Amanda Rohde

Some writers prefer leaping into a story headfirst, without any idea of where the plot might lead. Others have an inkling of where the story is heading, but they’re just not sure how to get there. Some writers are capable of whipping up a detailed, point by point outline, just like we were required to create in school.

But what about those in the middle grounds, who would like to know where the novel is going, but don’t know where to begin? Try mapping out the world of your novel, so you know what kind of boundaries, cultures, and governments your characters might have to deal with, along with what conflicts they might encounter along their way.

Why Create a Map?

A map is a visual reminder of the landscape of your novel’s world. This is especially important in novels where you are creating your own world, such as science fiction, fantasy, and some historical novels. However, even in modern fiction, you’ll need to know where your main character lives, where he works, and how long it takes him to get to various points throughout your fictional or real city. You don’t want to have huge inconsistencies, where it takes one hour to drive to the mall, and ten minutes to drive home!

You can use a map to show natural landmarks, man-made constructs, and other topographical items that your characters may have to navigate in the course of the novel. For example, your main character may want to ride her horse to the neighboring realm’s castle, but she (and you) discover there is a large river in the way with no bridge in sight! Instant plot conflict, which you and your character will have to deal with. Will she be able to cross? Will her horse be left with nearby tribesmen – whose settlement you sketched in nearby? Your map will become invaluable, adding additional depth and description to your novel.

Map Creation Techniques

To start, all you’ll need is some paper and pencils. It doesn’t matter if it is notebook paper, printer paper, or a sketchbook. You can choose colored pencils, or just a regular #2 pencil. Be sure you have an eraser around somewhere, as you’ll find yourself changing your mind throughout the creation of your novel’s map.

Decide what kind of scale you’ll be drawing at. All that means is that you will either draw your map street by street to detail your city, or city by city to show your world. For a city view map, you’ll want to highlight buildings of interest, such as a town hall, restaurants, malls, or homes. For a world view map, your cities will be dots, while landmarks will get more attention, such as mountain ranges, rivers, and forests.

Allow yourself to have fun! Your map doesn’t have to be perfect, and is for your eyes only. Of course, if you’ve drawn yourself and your characters into a corner, feel free to change anything that isn’t working. Just be sure to make the necessary changes to your novel’s plot if you decide to alter your map!

Have you ever sketched out your story’s world? Did you have fun letting your creativity flow in visual format? Would you try this method out for plotting your next novel?

Photo Credit: Renzo Ferrante

I have a confession to make. I have written for peanuts. Even though I believe freelance writers should earn a fair rate for their writing, I have – in the past – written for rates that were low, low, low. I had my reasons and at the time it seemed like the right thing to do. Besides, taking low paid writing jobs can have some advantages, especially for writers who are just getting started.

The way I see it, there are three major advantages of taking low paying writing gigs. The first – and perhaps the most important – is that you never run out of work. There are hundreds of opportunities posted every day for all kinds of writing so if you want to, keep as busy as you want to.

Gain experience/build skills

That’s also a driver of the second advantage of low paying writing gigs. Getting experience in all kinds of writing and building skills. Never mind about your feelings of working for nothing; it’s a great way to try out different types of writing and become proficient enough to charge more. In this case, writing for peanuts is a stepping stone to greater things because you will also …

Beef up your resume

… improve your writing resume, which means you can charge more for your services. The greater your offering to your clients, the more impressed they will be and the more likely to hire you. They will also be less likely to quibble at your new improved rates. You’ll be moving into a different client pool, where the overriding factor is quality rather than simply price.

Many disadvantages

Of course, there are many disadvantages to this kind of work, many of which have been discussed ad nauseam by both myself and my fellow writers. For one, if you are working longer hours for less money, what’s the point of having escaped the cubicle? Working on low paid writing jobs without having a good reason such as those listed above is senseless. That’s because you will need to work even harder than most to earn a decent income and will be sliding down the slippery slope to writer burnout.

Sharon Hurley Hall is a professional content writer and blogger. See more of her posts on writing at Get Paid To Write Online.

Is It Worth It?

Does that mean writing for peanuts must be avoided at all costs? Not at all. The trick is to have an exit strategy and work towards it from the moment you take your first gig. Once you feel confident in your niche, have built up some knowledge and can match client requirements without too much difficulty, it’s time to start trading up. You have nothing to lose by raising your rates a notch and – if the world doesn’t end when you do – raising them again when the time seems right. For new writers, taking low paid gigs can be their first step on the path to a lucrative writing career – it certainly worked that way for me.

What other pros and cons do you consider when asked to write for low or no pay?

Photo Credit: renwest