by Mike O’Mary
This video is very cool. Be sure to watch it to the end. I had the pleasure of working with the author on Pink Bat, the book, last year. Michael McMillan is one of the most creative people I know, and Pink Bat is very thought-provoking. Check it out…
The headline is a quote from Gretchen Little in her Squidoo.com review of John Rember’s book, MFA in a Box. If you are a serious writer, or if you have dreams of being a serious writer, I highly recommend this book.
I also highly recommend signing up for John’s free MFA in a Box newsletter about writing. John has been a professor of creative writing for many years, and he is author of four books. In his newsletter, he plans to share his thoughts on creative writing, what it means to be a writer, and “the weirdness of everyday life.” You’ll get some of the most thought-provoking and lucid prose you will ever read, along with a relentless sense of irony, and John’s subtle sense of humor.
Full disclosure: I am John’s publisher, so I will actually make a few dollars if you buy a copy of his book. But don’t buy it for that reason. Buy it because as another reviewer said, “It makes me want to write, helps me find the courage to do so, and allows me see the purpose in the hard work of it.” And don’t forget to sign up for the free newsletter. It will be one of the best things you’ve ever done for the writer in you.
Mike O’Mary is founder of Dream of Things.
By Erin Dalpini
What’s the ultimate freelance assignment? You know, the one all writers dream of?
Probably getting paid to vacation—and then write about it.
But travel-writing veteran Tim Leffel says that getting there is anything but a holiday. In his aptly titled Travel Writing 2.0, Leffel takes readers on a journey through the hard realities of what it takes to be a successful travel writer in today’s competitive new media landscape. With some exceptions, it’s not much different than what it takes to be a successful, non-traveling freelance writer.
Importantly, Leffel wants readers to know that travel writing is not for the faint of heart. Continue reading Book Review: “Travel Writing 2.0” by Tim Leffel
by Mike O’Mary
I recently attended an all-afternoon meeting that consisted of slide presentations on the accomplishments of the past year, plus a couple of bonus presentations on “The Power of Teamwork” and “Turning Challenges Into Opportunities.” The meeting was held immediately after lunch in a very warm room. The danger of dozing off was high.
There are several ways to keep yourself awake in such situations. You can contort yourself in your chair until you are too uncomfortable to sleep. Or you can use a ballpoint pen to jab yourself in the thigh periodically. Another option is to get a big glass of ice water and pour a little on your crotch every 5-10 minutes. And finally, you can concentrate on your low-paying job or your lackluster career or the inept speaker—basically anything that will fill you with rage. It’s virtually impossible to fall asleep when you’re angry.
If you do fall asleep, you have several options. If it’s just a matter of your head nodding a little, don’t worry. You can always catch yourself and nod vigorously to the people around you. They’ll think you agree with whatever has just been said.
If you go so far as to slump up against the person next to you, just act like you meant to do it. Give them a nudge with your elbow and say, “This next part is good.” (This is also effective if you nod off at church.)
And finally, if you zonk out completely and fall out of your chair and wind up on the floor, stay down! There is no way to recover from this faux pas. It’s best to just stay down and wait for the paramedics. Better to have people think you suffered a heart attack or a seizure than to find out you thought the presentation on “Turning Challenges Into Opportunities” was boring. Plus, you’ll get out of the rest of the meeting.
Mike O’Mary is founding dreamer of Dream of Things, a book publisher currently accepting creative nonfiction stories for anthologies on 15 topics, including an anthology titled “Cubicle Stories: Life in the Modern Workplace.”
by Mike O’Mary
Last November, I launched a new book publishing company called Dream of Things. In fact, the launch ended up including an interview right here on Freelance-Zone. I subsequently became a regular contributor to this space.
Over the past 10 months, I’ve learned a lot. For one thing, I’ve learned to focus my efforts. No one can be all things to all people, so I decided to focus on publishing quality memoirs, anthologies of creative nonfiction, and related books. That focus is paying off in the form of three books being published this fall and winter that are going to be great reads:
I am excited about publication of these books, and invite you to click on any of the above links to take a closer look. But I’m also excited about all that I’ve learned in the past year — and all of the resources available to writers and editors today. Freelance-Zone, for example, is a tremendous resource. Check out the “Writers Groups by State” tab, above. This is one of the most comprehensive lists of Writers Groups I’ve seen anywhere!
Another great resource for writers, editors, and publishers is the website of Midwest Book Review. Don’t let the title fool you. Midwest Book Review is a great source of objective, quality book reviews, yes. But it also has TONS of great info on writing and publishing, as well as a substantial list of resources for readers. The site features numerous articles authored by contributors from a broad range of fields. One of my favorites is this interview with James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief of Midwest Book Review, in which he discusses MBR’s mission of promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. The site also has info on becoming a book reviewer. Check it out today.
By Jake Poinier
One of the inevitable pass-the-Tums moments as a freelancer is losing a loyal client or editor to a new job. It’s one thing to fire a client, to do a one-off freelance assignment, or even just not being a good match. But clients and editors resign and get fired, too. What you do when that happens can make the difference between a short-term setback and a long-term drag on your income.
I received an email yesterday from a woman, let’s call her Jen, who’s been my primary contact for about 18 months at a large company that I’ve done work for since I got started in the business in ’99. She’s leaving the company at the end of the month. My heart sank.
As I reflect on the past 11 years, I’ve probably done work for a dozen different people within the company. And, over the course of the same time period, all but a few of those people have moved on to different positions or left the organization altogether. Some hired full-time writing staff, while others simply had their freelance budgets cut. I still have a few occasional users of my services, but Jen was my main source—a healthy, five-figure annual client who gave me a steady stream of assignments.
After the initial shock of losing my primary contact at the company, my optimistic side took hold. This isn’t about me, it’s about her. And I did what I always do:
Not surprisingly, she wrote right back, and her response made me feel considerably better. As it turns out, she’s taking a corporate communications position with another large company in town. Not only do they use freelancers, they happen to be a former client of mine from my old custom magazine editing days. And within 10 minutes after that, she’d already cc’d me on a glowing email to the new person in her department who’ll be handling her duties, so I have a warm if not hot contact. We’ll see if we click.
My next step is to contact Jen once she’s settled in at her new job and schedule to take her to lunch. But that’s another story for another day.
Jake offers blogs regularly about freelancing at DoctorFreelance.com.