Well, well. Need to do a little bit of research? I’ve got a good resource for you. The Library of Congress Research Tools web page is a great place to start. Online catalogues, thesauri, biographies and even legislative information are some of the things that you can expect to see here. When you have a minute, check it out!
Here’s a secret you should know about the iPhone 3G. If you are a travel writer with some international travel coming up, you can spare yourself some nasty surprises on your next AT&T bill by turning off your roaming and deactivating Fetch New Data. That’s the “no duh” part of the advice. What might come as a surprise to some iPhone 3G users (mostly the new ones) is that you can turn your iPhone into the equivalent of an iPod Touch by using Airplane Mode (where no signals are received or sent) AND turning on Wi-Fi.
Step One: Turn on Airplane Mode to render your iPhone incapable of transmission or reception.
Step Two: Once Airplane Mode is on, go into the menu and turn ON Wi-Fi mode. Now you can get signals via wi-fi hotspots AND block incoming calls. It’s not just handy for preventing you from accidentally roaming on the cellular network, it’s also great when you just want to hop on and check your e-mail and do a bit of surfing without being hassled every ten minutes by a ringing phone.
When you’re done with Wi-Fi mode, you can turn it off manually, but deselecting Airplane Mode turns off Wi-Fi automatically when using with this “hack”.
Brilliant, eh?
From the home office in Chicago, Illinois–the top ten excuses you can use to keep your day job and not go freelance:
10. You just purchased the Twin Peaks Gold Edition box set and you want to see Leland Palmer go nuts and chew the scenery.
9. You can’t seem to make up your mind whether to try sending a few queries or work on your writing resume. By not doing either one, you can avoid worrying about them both.
8. You heard somebody say that magazines are dying and that freelance writing is a risky venture in the bad economy. Too bad there are all those brand new mags launching, otherwise this would be the perfect excuse indeed.
7. You’re going to get that promotion at work any day now, you can just feel it. Even though that job is driving you stark raving mad, that promotion would be sweeeeeet.
6. A gorilla broke in and wiped out the last query you were working on. Your hard drive will never be the same.
5. You’re making decent money on the side with your part-time freelancing. Why take the plunge and cut your pay down?
4. All the celebrity deaths lately have you so distracted you can’t concentrate on outlining your article properly. Don’t worry, at press time Don Rickles is still kicking.
3. You can’t quit smoking AND give up your day job at the same time.
2. You’re laboring under the delusion that the word “freelance” means you never get paid.
1. There’s always tomorrow. You can quit your job tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the day after that. Yes sir, one day you WILL take the plunge. Just not today.
If you need a replacement laptop bag, this Kenneth Cole leather laptop messenger bag is a very stylish way to go. Let’s be realistic here…many of us self-employed types aren’t willing–at least not in this economy–to pay the full retail price for one of these. Fortunately, at press time, the price on this full grain leather laptop bag by Kenneth Cole is under a hundred bucks, so it is a good choice if you want to equip to impress. This makes an excellent birthday present for a busy freelancer, so put this on your wish list and drop plenty of hints. It features a full grain Nappa leather exterior and measures 15 inches by 12 inches.
by Joe Wallace
I spotted this great article on freelane writing on the road at FreelanceFolder. Glen Allsop’s great advice in 8 Tips for Success When Freelancing On The Road include organizing your income sources before you leave and making sure you have access to your passwords and login information online with a protected storage solution. What’s worse than not being able to remember your password for that obscure account you suddenly need? Scrambling for a last-second solution to replace that obscure account.
… Continue Reading
Copyright Scott Wahlen, 2007
by Catherine L. Tully
Do you set goals? I do. As a matter-of-fact, I had two goals for this year. Want to know what they are? Here you go:
I have met both of those goals. Joe and I celebrated our inclusion in the 101 best sites and were thrilled that we made it. In addition to that, it’s July and I have already made more money this year than I did all of last year. My point? I don’t think I would have worked quite as hard if I hadn’t set these goals ahead of time.
For me, the key is to only pick a few choice goals and work hard toward achieving them. Some people like to do a whole list and are happy with just meeting a few. Whatever works. Everyone is different, but I would argue that just taking the step of making a concrete goal for yourself (or two, or ten) sets you right on the road to achieving it.
Don’t wait for January 1st. Start working toward something right now. See what you can accomplish!
by Joe Wallace
We haven’t test-driven the Incase Power Slider yet, but the potential for this third-party phone case/battery pack is just what the doctor ordered for iPhone addicts at Freelance-Zone. The Incase Power Slider is two things in one–a protective case for the iPhone 3G, plus a battery pack which the marketing hype claims will “more than double” the life of your iPhone battery.
I won’t go so far as to say that all good freelancers should be using the iPhone, since there are Sprint products which rival the iPhone 3G’s ability to stay connected, respond to editors, and keep you in the game no matter where you go. But some of us are Mac addicts, plain and simple. The Incase Power Slider does add a bit of bulk to the phone (based on customer reviews I’ve been poring over) but no more than you might expect from any other third-party addon for the iPhone. One customer review warns of increased heat from the unit when charging, so it seems best to babysit the Incase for the first couple of charges until you know what to expect.
The idea that I can get double the amount of surf and talk time out of my iPhone 3g is pretty tempting. The Incase Power Slider sells for about $80, a worthy investment if the reviews are to be believed. I’m getting one…look for a review in this space soon.
The Florida Writers Association is a group that I came across while researching some ideas for travel writing here in the state. I have to say, their website impressed me. With a very thorough list of local groups and a page that links to member websites, it has a classy-looking presentation. If you live in Florida and write, I would take a look at this organization and consider membership–they really look like they have their act together. Plus, it’s always a good idea to network with other writers…you just never know what may come of it!
by Catherine L. Tully
I don’t want to leave people out who aren’t currently doing any travel writing, so I thought I’d post something useful to all writers…a list of descriptive words to get the brain thinking. Although the list isn’t exhaustive, it is a good one–and organized into interesting categories as well, such as “spiritual qualities” and “physical qualities”. Great for when you are feeling stumped and need some ideas to jump-start the brain.
by Joe Wallace
There are lots of ways to break into travel writing. Aside from that wheezy old advice telling you the best way to do it is to go travel, it helps to study the approach of successful travel writers and get familiar with the style and tone that works.
Another oldie/moldy bit of advice about how to break into travel writing goes like this; “You can’t know how to break the rules until you fully understand the rules themselves.” Too true, but what I’ve found is that many great, maverick writers never bothered to learn the styles of the day.
They knew how to use proper grammar and sentence construction to be sure, but it’s clear from the early writings of people like Hunter S. Thompson and Steven Wells that once they cut loose and stayed true to their own voice, the writing really took off. Rote imitation really doesn’t pay off, but knowing how to creep past the editor in terms of story format and basic approach can definitely help a newcomer.
Travel writing is part observational, part “just the fact, Ma’am” and part Gonzo journalism. How to you quantify what good restaurant service is? What makes a clean, comfortable hotel room? Which vistas are breathtaking as opposed to merely spectacular? These are the issues you’ll get intimate with as you begin to break into travel writing and learn the ropes.
That’s why I suggest reading books like Best Travel Writing 2008: True Stories From Around The Globe. You can get a good sense of what writers found acceptable in their final drafts and what editors felt fit to publish as prime examples of good travel writing. Research this highly specialized (and fun) part of the writing game by seeing what the rest of the industry considers worthy.
Then you can set about doing it in your own voice. Don’t bother copying what you read in a book like this, just take note of the different kinds of travel stories you could write–the essay, the travelogue, destination reviews and other formats…then use those examples as a jumping off point for your own creativity.
by Catherine L. Tully
I like to provide links to resources that illuminate things about writing that I may not have had the time to delve into during one of my posts. Today I give you a terrific piece from travel writer Doug Lansky on the craft. Pay special attention to what he says about adjectives…very interesting indeed.
Photo copyright Catherine L. Tully, 2009
by Catherine L. Tully
In order to make your travel writing good travel writing, you need to find an angle. This can mean:
That isn’t a definitive list, but it should get you thinking about how to write a well thought out travel piece. Oh–and another thing–you don’t have to do all of these in a single article. As a matter-of-fact, you shouldn’t try to do them all at once. Use these to begin slanting a piece so that it isn’t too general, and make sure you take the tone of the publication you intend to query into consideration.
by Joe Wallace
I recently read two blogs offering excessively bad advice to writers. One blog suggested you re-write “public” articles and monetize them on places like Squidoo, Associated Content, and HubPages. The source given for these “public” articles, also known as public label rights articles or PLR articles, had a large number of “Make money online” articles full of bad information and advice that can actually get you kicked out of the Google Adsense program.
Advising people to take advantage of PLR articles isn’t necessarily bad advice in and of itself, but I take exception with pointing people towards a collection of articles specifically about Adsense, Google Adwords and other specialized topics with high data turnover without at least a warning to check your facts first.
The advice in those crappy PLR articles is dangerous because it’s old and no longer safe to use with Adsense in many cases. But the average article re-writer won’t know that because you have to actually READ the labyrinth of Google’s Terms of Service. Folks, when it comes to highly specialized information, your reputation is on the line every time you publish, even if you’re just posting on EzineArticles. It’s YOUR name on that crap.
Another website aimed specifically at freelancers stated unequivocally, “Being a free agent who works for free has its perks.” The author of this one opened with “Free is the new paid.” I tried that line on my landlord and she laughed in my face.
This article was full of treats, like this gut-busting gem; “With so many people able to access any place at any time,” the writer says, “there simply aren’t enough distinguished experts to help fill the void that would exist if we didn’t have things like youtube.com.”
If anyone understands what that means, please get in touch.
The Internet has always been a bad place to get good advice. There is a skewed signal-to-noise ratio for highly specialized topics, and real experts are often hard to find. Some of my fellow writers contend that having a playing field full of idiots dispensing bad advice actually helps us freelance pros.
The clowns actually help us raise our rates. One of my favorite fellow writers tells me she’s had clients turn her down because of higher rates, only to come running back with open arms once they’ve tasted the fruits of some cheapjack writer who gives their work away for a song. It’s true, you really DO get what you pay for.
by Catherine L. Tully
Enjoying the view from the balcony? I would be too right now, but I have a lot of work to do…
Getting ready to do some travel writing means concentrating on the task at hand, and before I get to relax and unwind, there are several things that I must do. Here are some of them:
Once you are settled in, you will be ready to get to the fun stuff and explore. Just remember that you are on the job. If you notice, the picture above was taken in the evening, after I got all my work done for the day. You can have a good time, but do your work first–otherwise its called a vacation.
by Catherine L. Tully
If this isn’t something that every writer should see, I don’t know what is…a list of the top 100 novels of all time by two critics from Time Magazine. Check it out here and see if one of your faves is on the list!
