Tag Archives: blog posts

Scheduling Blog Posts: Make It A Habit

Catherine L. Tullyby Catherine L. Tully

I’m writing this post on December 18th.

Why am I telling you this? Because this is a perfect example of what this post is all about–getting in the habit of working ahead. I am in the process of doing all my posts for the remainder of 2010.

Does that seem like cheating?

Actually, for me, and for many writers, writing a few posts at a time is actually easier. If you are relatively new to blogging, this can be something that will help you find your voice a bit easier. When you sit down to write a few posts, you usually get into the groove better and can run with things a bit.

Sometimes one post may even give you an idea for another. Why not write it right then and there? You can always schedule the post for a later date, or save it as a draft and come back later to fine-tune. It’s a good habit to get into–and I’m here to tell you–it feels good to have things done ahead of time!

I’m curious–how many of you write a few blog posts at a time?

Debug Magazine and Continuing Education

debug magazine banner

by Joe Wallace

I am truly enjoying Debug Magazine, which I discovered by accident while researching and doing query prep. Debug sounds like a coder’s blog, but this is actually aimed at freelancers of many creative disciplines including writers.

I was particularly inspired by the article Freelance Work and Continuing Education. The best articles on freelancing, at least for me, are the ones that make me think about things the author probably never intended. In this case, the post concentrates on education to further your work in your own field of expertise, but I wound up thinking about ways to expand my writing horizons by doing things like getting a real estate license or explore a gym instructor certification. I write plenty about FHA loans, insurance, fitness, medicine and related technical topics, but how much farther could I go writing about these things with a certification under my belt?

There are plenty of ways to add credibility to your existing body of work. Continuing education is one way to do that. Thanks to Debug, I’ve got plenty to chew on this weekend. Recommended reading.

Who is This Dave Navarro Guy, Anyway?

I used to write and talk in analogies…a LOT. Now, analogies feel like a pretty tired as a way of explaining things, but I’ll resort to one here because Dave Navarro’s Rock Your Day really does feel like a quad espresso injected directly into a vein.

This motivational site has a LOT going for it, and in particular Navarro’s willingness to buy and try books by other freelancers with sensational-sounding claims and try them out to see if they give the results they claim.  Check out The Freelance Smackdown and see what I mean. You will feel at least slightly more caffeinated just reading this blog, or I’ll eat my hat.

I found this site courtesy of Freelance Folder, where Navarro has a guest post called Three Uncomfortable Ways to Make More Money as a Freelancer. Nice work…

Trust and Fame: The Gospel According To Nemo Design

Dave Allen had some compelling things to say about quality work, ideas that all freelance writers should take to heart. The discussion includes the notion of doing AMAZING work versus merely GOOD work–a concept which resonates with me thanks in part to the fact that I’m reading similar concepts in the recent Henry Rollins book DULL ROAR. Now I am digesting the book in light of the Dave Allen Social-Cache post. If there’s one thing that’s hammered away at over and over in the Rollins books, it’s the insistence on doing the absolute best in spite of all opposition, personal baggage, fatigue, pain, whining, excuses, lack of involvement from your band mates, etc.

I have a hard time reading Dave Allen and Henry Rollins on this subject because I have to go back to the real world when I’m done–the world where you have to lower your expectations or else be constantly annoyed by a lack of interest in basic issues of quality. Hey, I spent 13 years in the military where nobody gets fired, but if you had enough seniority you could impose any standards you wanted. That includes no standards at all or asking-far-too-much-for-no-good-reason madness.

You also had your creative work–writing, editing, photography, the lot–critiqued by people who had no idea how to string two words together to say thank you, let alone put together a script or an article. It gives one a work ethic that says “not on my watch” or it sucks all the life out of you.

But I ramble. Check out that post over at Social-Cache. Well worth your time and it’s an idea worth taking to heart.