Articles with the business Tag

A number of people I know are launching, re-designing, abandoning, or selling their blog right now. An equal number are starting new blogs. One fellow writer mentioned how hard it is to keep a high level of enthusiasm after blogging for a while — more than a few months, but not quite a year.

I liken it to writing the middle of a novel. You may know where your story is going, you may have goals and some idea of how to achieve them, but getting there is another story. In the case of novel-writing — and blogging — you just need to plow through. And a support system of fellow writers can help.

Another way to avoid the middle-of-the-blog doldrums is to enter blogging with a clear business plan. If you are blogging to make money, approach it as you would any other business. If you started selling Mary Kay, opened a corner deli, started a day care center in your home or launched any other kind of business, would you give up within the first year just because you were bored? Since most of these businesses require an investment of time and money — and a certain level of commitment to other people — you’d keep it going. When you launch a blog, you have a commitment to your readers. If you plan to stay the course, start with a solid plan.

Identify your target market.

The first step in your blogging business plan is to identify your target market. The target market should be easy, but you might be surprised by who you think your blog is targeting versus the potential readers you actually attract. That audience may be much larger than you imagine.

For instance, my new blog, targets parents who intend to raise their children following the principles and beliefs of the Law of Attraction. But I may also attract life and business coaches, people who love shopping for baby and household products, and fellow writers. I may even gain a following from other blogs — people who just enjoy my writing. Knowing who you’re targeting will help you when you reach out to potential readers on social media sites — and may also give you new ideas for posts.

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Identify and evaluate your competition.

When I say “evaluate your competition”, I don’t mean to look over your shoulder at other blogs you fear are better than yours. In fact, the blogging world is so friendly, once you find your competitors you may forge relationships with them. Trade links. Share guest posts. Inspire each other. Like wealth, readers are abundant in the Universe and there are plenty to go around.

Set goals.

When one blog owner I work with set goals that were tremendously high compared to where readership was at that time, I chalked it up to the old adage, “Shoot for the moon. If you miss, you’ll land amongst the stars.” But in the first month of tracking results, we came incredibly close to reaching those goals. Dream big — you’ll never know what you can accomplish until you work at it, but if you aim too low, you’re limiting yourself.

Make a promotions and marketing plan.

Once you have your goals written down (don’t forget that important step!) make a plan to reach them. Does it involve increasing your social media following on Twitter and Facebook? Growing your mailing list? Guest blogging on high-traffic sites? Landing radio or TV appearances? All of these things can help you grow your blog readership — and keep you inspired when the going gets rough. If you intend to monetize your blog, research the best ways to do so and put those programs into place.

Track your results.

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Many professional bloggers use Google Analytics for tracking their traffic but there are plenty of ways to measure your hits and, of course, income from your blog. Whatever you use, follow it closely, tracking results weekly.

Blog, blog, blog.

Regular, high-quality content and community interaction keeps readers coming back and attracts new fans. This is the hard part when you’re in those middle stages, where it feels like you’re almost there but you’re not getting much feedback. Keep going. Keep your goals in sight (literally and figuratively!) And remember that you’re not alone.

Of course, there are other elements to running a successful blog, but getting back to basics can keep you going when the going gets tough.

Have you launched a blog? What did you learn in the process?

Image Credit: 06-29-06 © Stephen Sweet

To accept or decline? That is the question.

Often, I decline invitations.  It doesn’t matter what I’m asked to partake in, I decline.  I have a bag of excuses, mostly surrounding the health of my toddler.  While the rejections are often accepted gracefully, the offers have dwindled.

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, and interview subjects. 

How to begin again?

• Say “Yes” once a month.
  • Start small.  It doesn’t take much effort to get “out there” with the public.  Spend an extra hour in church, mingling 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.  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.
• Offer to host a coffee meeting.
  • For those with local clients, hosting 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. 
• Join a writing group.
  • The group doesn’t have to be locally based.  Joining any writing group for accountability or editing, your style of writing is out there, and fellow writers can call on you when they aren’t able to take a gig for any reason.  This might lead to some ghost-writing positions that you can claim on your resume as well.

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.  Take the chance to change just one “no” into a “yes” 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

Freelancing can be a rough business.  Receiving rejections, tedious rewrites, grumpy editors and more can plague everyone’s day and leave your family drained from the day’s ups and downs.  It might seem like a great idea to work later into the evening or throughout the weekend to catch up.  When deadlines are looming, a few extra hours is okay, but remembering to unwind and play is important, too.

Exercise is important for multiple reasons.  Exerting energy in bursts offers inspiration, boosts your metabolism, provides an outlet to physically exert frustrations, and helps keep your body healthy to handle the stressors of the day.  Spending the weekend away from the computer with your family offers plenty of activities that serve a dual purpose: exercise and bonding. 

Tips and Suggestions:

• A picnic lunch at the park.
  • When planning your picnic out, remember to include plenty of items for outdoor fun.  Outdoor balls, wiffle balls and bats, plastic golfing games, frisbees, horseshoes and a volleyball serve in a pinch depending on your location.  If you find a part that serves different outdoor sports, invite friends and extended family to come along for added conversation and fun.
• Walking along the waterways.
  • There’s a great program sponsored by Geocaching.com called, “Cache in, trash out.”  You can apply the same principle to any outdoors walk you take.  Carry with you a couple of small trash bags and pick up any debris along the way that could harm the space you have to meander.  Not only are you doing your body good when walking, you’ve made a positive impact on the environment.  Who couldn’t feel good about that?
• Biking and Hiking in the hills and mountains.
  • Planning a trip to the mountains takes a bit more planning.  You must remember all your basic necessities including water, survival tools (knife, flints, flares) as well as pack high energy foods capable of sustaining you in the event you are trapped for the night.  Investing in insulating blankets to carry is a wise idea, too.  Seldom do people find themselves stuck on the mountain with no way down, but if it happened to you, it would provide an amazing story to pitch to an editor once you return to civilization.
• Visiting a zoo or other local museum.
  • When the weather is less than favorable for an outdoor adventure, spending time inside might just serve you well.  As long as you are away from your work space and doing something outside your normal routine.  Walking through a zoo or large museum will exercise your body and mind.  Animals and displays from the past will recharge your inspirational pool. 

For many writers, finding balance between home and family can be difficult.  No matter how you are pulled to put in an extra couple of hours, make sure you are choosing your hours wisely.  If you can spent time out recharging yourself and build memories with your family, it’s more than worth staying up an hour later or rising an hour early to finish out that assignment.  Afterall, why work hard to achieve success when you aren’t reaping the benefits of what you sow?

“Home is where you hang your @.” ~ Author Unknown

Freelancing from home opens a whole new world. If you’ve never had time to play on the Internet, you might find it difficult to limit that play time.

Of course, I am guilty of losing myself in cyber land as well. I think it’s something a lot of us struggle with.

You may want to check the price of something you’ve been wanting to buy, email your friends, chat on IM (Instant Messenger), catch up on social media sites, or even play games on Facebook. But none of these things are going to help grow your business.

Yes, social media will help you build your brand, but you can only devote so much time to it. Don’t lose sight of your business goals in the process, okay?

I’ve decided to share a few tips to help you focus your energy – and time! – toward achieving the success you dreamed of when you first decided to reach for the sky.

5 Tips for Avoiding Internet Distractions

1. Disconnect. That’s right. My number one tip is to unplug yourself from the Web and focus on your work. If you’re unplugged, you’ll be less inclined to Google something or chat with a friend.
2. Unsubscribe from everything you don’t – or will never – read. It’s pointless (and very stressful!) to have a gazillion emails you need to continuously delete. Select a few subscriptions (like ours!) you value most and let the rest go.
3. Keep your priorities straight. Surfing the Web is not a priority. If it’s research, that’s one thing, but getting lost in cyber space does not reflect work. Right?
4. Limit blog reading until you’ve finished a certain amount of work. Use your favorite blogs as a reward to ensure you won’t get lost in the blogosphere.
5. Don’t use social media as a procrastination tool. Yes, social media can be business-related, but if you’re just talking about what you had for lunch or what you’ll be doing over the weekend, get back to work!

Sometimes distractions can’t be avoided—especially if they’re life-related, but don’t let the Internet become a crutch for you to check out of reality or avoid your work. Surfing the Web won’t pay the bills.

The Internet is an awesome thing. It’s a valuable resource on so many levels, but it can also very easily become an escape mechanism and cause you to lose sight of your priorities. Don’t let that happen.

And remember, less is more. Enjoy the zen!

What do you find most distracting online and how do you avoid internet distractions?

Photo Credit: Salvatore Vuono

If you’ve ever put up a fence – or even watched anyone – you’ll know that it involves several steps. You don’t just walk out there, stand up a ready-made fence and walk away. No, you have to measure, dig holes, make sure things are level, and so on.

Freelancing is no different. You don’t just walk into a publication’s office and plop your article or book on their desk and end up with your work published immediately – and without editing.

It’s a process.

You have to put in the time. Some of us do things differently, but basically we: study, research, write, rewrite, edit, proofread, query, follow up, invoice, read, correspondence, and more…

Here’s a fun summary of how fence building is similar to building a writing career…

Example 1: The Plan and Outline

Fence Building

Once you’ve decided you want a fence, you must figure out what type of fence you want. Is your fence for decoration? Simply curb appeal? Or is it to keep pets or children tucked safely within the perimeters of your property? How much money can – or will – you spend on your fence project? Will you hire a professional – or do it yourself?

Writing

The same applies to freelancing/writing. What kind of freelance writer do you want to be? The author of several books? Do you want to be featured in top-notch, glossy magazines? Do you want to be a famous blogger? All of the above? And what will you write about? How much money (and time) are you willing to spend on your dreams? Will you hire an editor or fellow writers? Or will you be the only go-to source of your business?

Example 2: Research and Preparation

Fence Building

Once you’ve chosen the details of your fence project, you’ll need the correct tools. Will you dig each fence post hole by hand, with post-hole diggers, or will you buy (or rent) a tractor and augur? Pick up your screws, concrete mix, tape measurer, level, and anything else need to complete your project – including a quality pair of gloves!

Writing

And when you know in your heart what topics or genres you’ll be writing in, where will you go from there? Will you attend writer’s conventions or retreats? Will you invest in books, classes, or seminars that may help you advance in your writing career? What about a new computer? Office? Desk? Chair? Bookshelves? How far will you go to gather everything  you feel necessary to soar in your writing career? Don’t forget high-speed Internet!

Example 3: The Finishing Touches

Fence Building

As each post goes in, your fencing project is progressing. Things are moving along. Then as each panel is installed, the fence will start to look finished, complete. You begin to feel good about yourself, about your abilities, and that you stuck with it instead of calling someone to finish for you. Or, if you hired someone, you’re feeling relieved at this point that it will be over soon and your life can resume its normal routine.

Writing

Just because you write a fabulous article or essay – or even a book – doesn’t mean that you’re job is finished. You then need to promote your work, build a readership, study publisher’s guidelines, etc.

And so you see, building a fence is similar to writing in that even once the fence is built and you’ve done a wonderful job and people drive by, admiring the beauty and all your hard work – you will need to maintain that fence. If it’s wood, you’ll need to keep it painted over the years because it will naturally weather and will require your attention and polishing to make it look new again and keep it in the condition you desire.

What is your favorite fence? How does it relate to your writing business? My dream fence is a tall, iron one like you see in the movies. I wonder if that’s because I’m a homebody and love to write from the safety – and peace – of my own home? Can you see how building fences is similar to the writing process? What resonates with you the most?

Photo Credit: 10-10-09 © jcgsees

Blogging has come a long way since the days of angst-ridden teenagers sharing bad poetry on Live Journal. Many social media experts insist that every business needs a blog. If you’re a freelance writer, is this true? Do you need a blog? Maybe.

The Purpose of Business Blogging

Blogging keeps you connected to clients, potential clients and fellow writers in a way many other media cannot. A well-targeted blog (by that, I mean one that covers a specific topic relevant to your audience), permits you to:

• Showcase your writing skills
• Provide advice and information to fellow writers and clients
• Share your accomplishments as a means of subtle self-promotion

Remember, though, if you want to see a return on your time investment, you’ll need to market your blog. You may be better off marketing your writing business in other ways that will lead directly to assignments.

Before you start a blog

Ask yourself these questions:

• Who will be your readership?
• Are you willing to make the commitment to blogging at least once or twice a week, promoting the blog, and staying connected with your readers by responding to comments?
• Do you have something worthwhile to say that is different form the thousands of other writing blogs on the Internet?

I used to maintain my own blog, but in the face of paying writing assignments that showed an immediate ROI, I had a hard time staying committed to updating it and building a readership. Besides, the topic I blogged about (writing) served to attract other writers rather than potential clients, so it wasn’t an effective marketing vehicle for my freelance writing business. Now, as a writing coach, it makes more sense for me to blog about writing to draw clients to my website, but I don’t want to invest the time in building up a readership. That’s why the WRA writing community is perfect for me. The Freelance Writing Collaborative Blogging Project has a built-in readership who come here looking for people like me to share my knowledge. If one writer promoting a blog is good, a whole staff of writers promoting that blog is even better.
Click here if you’d like to write for WRA, too!

Niche Writing and Blogging

If you specialize in a particular topic — say, technology, pet care or paintball — a blog targeted at your niche market (not other writers) may help you attracts clients in the industry. You can build a name for yourself through the blog, building a platform for books, eBooks or information products you want to sell. If you’re a niche writer, a blog can be a very effective way to market yourself.

Websites and Writers

I want to emphasize: a blog and a website are not the same thing. I believe most writers need a website. This can be a place to post your biography, list contact information, and put links to writing clips. (Side note: Don’t ever send an editor to the main page of your website expecting him to find your clips; instead, select particular articles you want to highlight and send the direct links.) A website helps you establish yourself on the Internet as a legitimate writer. But does your website need a blog?

Not necessarily. What do you think?

Do you have a blog? Does it generate leads and assignments? If not, what can you do differently so that it does?

Photo Credit: 07-15-08 © Kronick

“Several years ago I worked for a direct sales cosmetics company. One main rule for that company was that you could not make a single phone call in the morning unless you were totally dressed, and I mean really dressed! All the way to dress shoes. The reason behind this duty was that you act different when you have clothes and shoes on. You are more professional. The customer can tell when you don’t feel good about the way you look. Even when you think you do. So if getting dressed makes that big of an impression on someone that can’t even see you, then what is going to happen to those that can see you. Mainly yourself.” ~ FlyLady

I recently sent a question out to a few social media networks – I was curious about just how many freelancers actually dress up from head-to-toe, as Flylady recommends.  While I can’t imagine dressing up “really fancy” just to stay at home and freelance (although I’m not trying to make it sound like freelancing isn’t hard work – it is!) I do understand what FlyLady is saying.

But apparently, quite a few freelancers are not dressing up these days…

Casual Corner

Meet some freelancers who live for comfort:

• “I only dress up if I know I’m going to meet with a client that day. Otherwise, it’s casual and comfortable for me.” –  Lorna Doone Brewer

• “Casual all the way. I only “dress up” if I go to the library to get away from the “home office.” – Reesy Floyd-Thompson

• “Casual clothes. Or, um, pj’s.” — Janna Leadbetter Qualman

Dare to Dress

I think as much as we’d enjoy lounging around in our jammies or “slouch clothes” all day while we write articles or do other necessary tasks, we know deep in our hearts that looking frumpy (sometimes) leads to feeling frumpy – and God forbid an unexpected business opportunity shows up at the door! Just ask Jenny Greenleaf, who says:  “After a horrifying “drop-in” last week, I *now* get dressed for work every day! No more jammies and chip clips in the hair for this writer!!”

Confession

I’ll admit, I’m a casual gal myself. While I definitely don’t wear pajamas all day, I do throw on the most faded, comfy clothes I can find. I mean, I’ve even referred to myself as the gal who “prefers quiet days, bare feet, herbal tea and raw juices and smoothies to high-end shoes and lattes in the city.”

I can’t imagine trying to write while being super dressed up and uncomfortable. Seriously!

What about you? Do you dress up? Dress down? Stay in your jammies and robe? Do you frequent a local coffee shop or never leave the house? Do you fix your hair and spruce up? Do you even brush your hair? Chime in and let us know! It’s fun to learn how different we all are, even though we’re all at home freelancing.

Did you enjoy this article? Feel free to visit the other articles Michele has written for Writer’s Round-About–or contact her to write for you.

References:

Photo Source: Graur Razvan Ionut

You know the saying “Love makes the world go round? ” Writing  from experience and imagination can wager a pretty penny for those looking to grow and prosper from their creative writing …The language of love is alluring. Speaking from a woman’s perspective, the very idea of love harbors some fantasy of a Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, minus the tragic ending of course.

Feburary 14th is Valentine’s Day. It is on this day that women look forward to the reminders from their mate; that they are loved and desired. Loving verse from a greeting card, penned by an ambitious writer, conveys this message quite well. In Roman Times, a young priest named Saint Valentine was jailed and ordered put to death. This is where love gets tricky.

Valentine, as the tale goes, fell madly in love with the jailer’s daughter. He wrote her love letters from his jail cell on a regular basis… love letters written from behind walls of separation and signed “from your Valentine”. Saint Valentine’s expression of love via letters survives to this day. The oldest known love letter was a poem written by Charles of Valois, Duke Of Orleans, to his wife, Bonne d’Armagnac, after he was wounded and caught in 1415′s Battle of Agincourt. That manuscript can still be found (reportedly) at the British Library in London, England.

I believe that writers are true romantics at heart. Whether they’re penning a love letter to a one and only, a new love interest smoldering with possibility, or reaching into memories of past loves, writing sentimental stories and poems can lead to an increase in cash flow for the freelance writer in 2010. Love rocks!

Some sites to consider when researching where to send your sentiments of love :

1. Anthologies:

Contributing to anthologies might not pay highly, but, it does offer greater exposure and networking opportunities. There is a market for anthologies in all freelance writing genres, particularly romance. To find anthologies seeking love stories, poems, and essays, go to AnthologiesOnline.com

2. Lyrics/Songwriting:

There are many writing competitions that require a small entry fee to judge your work and perhaps award you the prize. In 2005, I entered the VH1 Song Of The Year Competition where I’d written lyrics to what I thought was a lovely remembrance of a soft/melodic love (at a price)… To make a long story short, I didn’t snag the big prize but my son was nominated as “Selected Artist” for that year. That nomination is a fantastic reference.

While you might not always win, writing lyrics and songs for competitions builds your experience and in time you might consider entering the song writing industry. Many talented writers earn their bread and butter writing the words to songs sung by popular artists. Interested in this field? Have you seen Coyote Ugly or Music and Lyrics?

3. Poetry/Prose:

April is National Poetry Month and poetry writing is on the move. Making a profit from poetry can be challenging but is still possible. Every year new poetry is published across the world in many different forms. I have a friend, Mark Anthony Hall, who made his career writing romantic poetry. An Author of several books of romantic poetry/prose and essays, he’s a success in writing letters from the heart.

Mark Anthony also publishes a newsletter, “For Romantics Only”, that takes submissions of romantic short-stories, cartoons, and poetry. I was one of his very first submissions back in the 90s. Visit his website and read excerpts from one of his books, ”Romantic Bedside Stories”, to jump-start your own romantic juices and spark a creative flow.

The possibilities for publishing and profiting from romance writing are endless. From greeting cards, Ezines, and eBooks, to CDs, audiotapes, and books; Writing about love in any art form can be fun and lucrative. Who knows, your work might label you a” Love Guru”!

As Valentine’s Day approaches, writers should take the initiative, write those letters in whatever shape, form, or fashion; Stakeout, identify and bombard your market with submissions and get in on this lucrative boom promoting the essence of love!

What has been your experience with romantic writing?

Photo Credit: ildalina

I’m taking a page from one of my favorite Tina Turner’s songs, “I’ll be your private dancer, dancer for money!” as the incentive to set fire to my creative endeavors and get the ball rolling, the juices of creativity flowing, and the networking on full blast. I’m dedicating 2010 to reach my goal of garnering profit from my Freelance Writing Business.

There are things I’m still learning on this solo journey into freelance, but, I’m already set in motion by landing my first major client just before the Christmas Holidays (can you say, “oh, happy day?!”) and I’m gearing up for my first at home telephone interview from another possible client. I’m not a great dancer and I’m a bit too settled to do it for money, but I am confident in my ability to create other people vision into their reality. Over the last three years, through trial & error, submissions and rejections , encouragements and online classes, I’ve gained a bit of know-how in learning/incorporating steps to build up my Freelance Writing Business. The stuff I’ve learned from seasoned pros is meant to be shared, I think, as a preamble to accomplishing ones dream. 

I’m also writing this post from a position of needing to explore my own passion. Put myself and my vision out there freely for an oftentimes discriminate world to examine. I ask that you be kind in your critiques, but, if not, it’s all good! The five steps to promotion that I’ve found works best in bringing  my own personal vision to the forefront and that I offer up to all creatives with dreams, are:

1. Define your niche

Initially, I fought against this because I felt I’d dipped my pen into too many inkwells to be selective; no more! You must find that one thing that drives you and explore the possibilities. When you answer the questions people are sure to ask as in “What makes your product different?” you know you’re on the right track.

2.  Stay positive and focused

It’s hard when your thoughts are like jumping jacks. Your dreams are many and your vision ever changing, but, you must find a way to manipulate your creativity. Have it do your bidding in a purposeful, concise manner. Organize your thought patterns.

3. Seek counsel

I’ve been blessed to have an older woman/adviser who acts as my writing mentor. She has encouraged and soothed away my writing insecurities  over the years and for this I remain truly grateful… I also have a firm belief in “spirit”. I “know” that I am never alone in this often lonely freelance writer business. It matters very little who/where you turn for comfort. It matters most that you do.

4. Network

I’m finding myself opening up to the possibility of making new friends on this journey in freelancing. Recently, I came across a blog whose writer impressed me. I invited her, along with several writer friends, to meet and greet at my home. The events of the evening included good conversation, poetry recitals, tales of life lived  in foreign countries, business cards, plugs, and plentiful helpings of good food & wine . Also, the blogosphere & Twitter have allowed me to network with people as far as New Zealand and as close as the Southside of Chicago, Illinois and the hits just keep on coming!

5. Enjoy what you do

I think this last bit of advice when embarking upon growing your freelance writing business is a given. If you don’t like the long hours, hard, and sometimes tedious work… if you’d rather be out and about having fun with your friends, instead of sitting in front of a computer screen 99% of the time or just abhor waiting for a response to a query… if rejection causes you to go into a eternal funk; Maybe you’d better get out now while the getting is good!

Have you considered how you’re going to do 2010 differently? What do you think are the most important habits you need to develop for success in the year ahead?

Peace: such a simple, short, one syllable word. Yet, this one word represents the difference between a calm heart, and a tortuous soul. Isn’t that the battle we freelance writers are always enduring?

We all yearn for peaceful lives, don’t we? The desire for peace unites many people who otherwise wouldn’t be in the same room together, right?

Peace (or Zen) is also something we writers desire. I don’t know about you, but I fantasize about waking up after a long, peaceful night’s rest, finding my way to the kitchen, grabbing an oversized hot mug of tea (sometimes coffee), heading to a giant chair that swallows me up, cuddling up with my laptop – and muse – and lounging around in my pajamas all day, while writing ’till my heart’s content. Ah, it sounds so very nice. Don’t you think so?

Okay, back to reality for me!

With the new year, comes endless opportunities for new beginnings.

I’ve decided that one (important) thing I’m going to focus on incorporating in to my life, is Zen. I actually started before 2010, but I feel like I cheated myself – and others – because I never really applied Zen living like I originally planned.

5 Ways 2010 (Can) = Freelance Writing Zen

1. De-cluttering my e-mail. I started doing this before 2009 ended, but I’m going to continue in 2010. (I had subscribed to a lot of stuff!) This includes unsubscribing from newsletters (or blogs) I never read, updates I subscribed to because of contests, etc. There’s no reason to waste time deleting e-mails every single day.
2. Practicing yoga often. This might not mean daily (although I’m going to shoot for that goal), but I’m definitely going to put forth more of an effort to make yoga a big part of my life. (Others even told me that my writing became much more prolific when I was practicing yoga daily!)
3. Reflecting on where my freelance writing journey began, so I can stay focused on where I’m going. What a blessing to look back on where I came from so I can encourage myself that I can make my writing dreams come true!
4. Staying organized. Organization is crucial for not only keeping stress down, but for maintaining a feeling of control – and a fresh (visual) sense of cleanliness.
5. Nipping procrastination in the bud. One of the worst things we writers can fall into is procrastination. Acting on thoughts like “Oh, I’ll just dive in to Twitter for a while until my muse visits again” or “I’ll get caught up on my blog reading” can prove fatal to your deadlines. It’s fine to reward yourself with social media or other Internet “play time” once you’ve polished off a chunk of your work, or met deadlines for the day/week, but don’t procrastinate until you hurt your business.

I’m also going to work on just being. Do you have a problem making that happen, too? It seems that even when I’m away from the computer, all of the unfinished “tasks” haunt me. It’s like a little devil sits on my shoulder, whispering: “You should be writing this” or “You could finish that.” Freelance work is always, always sitting there. We’re never finished are we? Work – even if it’s our own, personal projects -  is always calling our writerly soul.

So, yes, in 2010 I’m going to do my best to make time to just be, like the gal in the photo up there. It’s high time I actually stop to smell the roses!

Here’s to a successful, blessed – and very Zen – 2010!

Did you enjoy this article? Feel free to visit the other articles Michele has written for Writer’s Round-About–or contact her to write for you.

How are you going to bring Zen living in to your life in 2010? Have you already started? Do share; I might want to add it to my life!

Photo Credit: kudumomo