Music Reviewers Wanted

Wanted: Celtic CD Reviewers

This is a courtesy post for Marc Gunn of Celtic MP3s Music Magazine:

The Celtic MP3s Music Magazine is looking for people to write CD reviews for the magazine. Reviews need to be about three paragraphs long with about 200 words. Writers should have some familiarity with Wordpress to publish their reviews and should be good at self-editing.

This position is unpaid. However, writers will get a byline where they can promote themselves and a staff bio on the website. All music will be available as downloadable ZIP files through an FTP website, so you should be able to open ZIP files as well.

If you are interested in joining the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine and reach over 20,000 subscribers, then please write a CD review (preferably Celtic) and email it to editor (at ) celticmp3s.com.

FYI–I have written for Marc for many years and it is an enjoyable experience which I highly recommend. It’s a great opportunity to get your feet wet writing music reviews (and get a published credit), and the exposure is excellent.

Personally, I love it because I get to hear all kinds of great Celtic music. Irish girl that I am!   -Catherine

When Preparation Meets Opportunity

We have back with us, Stephen Morrill from WritersCollege.com. Today he shares some thoughts about how it pays off to invest some time honing your craft as a writer…

I remember a student (who was still taking the course at the time) in my magazine query letter course who had barely read lesson one before a magazine editor was calling to ask the student to do some work for the magazine.

I, of course, took full credit for this wonderful coincidence. But the truth was that the student had been writing in her specialty field for some time and had prepared a number of articles and even published in some places, long before taking my course. It was a classic example of luck defined as preparation meeting opportunity. She was ready to meet the new challenge because she had thought about it, worked for it, and prepared for it.

When I started freelancing as a nonfiction writer I remember thinking that this was insane in one respect: I had work at the moment, even work to do for the next month or even two months. I had no clue where work would come from six months out. Accustomed, for fifteen years then, to a monthly paycheck, delivered to me if I worked hard or hardly worked, even if I was on vacation, this utter uncertainty was unsettling. I have not learned to relax. But I have learned that if you keep up the enthusiasm for writing and keep up the work and the marketing, the phone always rings.            

That’s nonfiction, with short deadlines and many assignments each year. I think fiction writers have it harder. They usually have to write, alone and unappreciated (sometimes even by their family) for years to produce a product they then have to market. The sheer time lag between putting fingers to keyboard and getting to the end result is discouraging. Most writers, of course, do it part-time. Fiction writers are almost ALL part-timers.

Nonfiction can be so, but there are demands in nonfiction – going to appointments and press conferences, dealing with editors or clients on an almost daily basis – that make it a lot easier to do full-time than part-time. Even so, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the leading nonfiction writing society, once estimated that there were fewer than one thousand full-time freelance nonfiction writers in the United States.

What can you do if you are feeling alone and unappreciated and stumped by some vexatious writing question? Talk to other writers; we’re the only ones who can understand and the only ones likely to have some advice or sympathy. The best places to do that are at writing clubs (and every city has some) and, today, here on the Web.

Bringing me to my sales pitch. At WritersCollege.com we have classes that can boost your skills but, equally important, get you back into the swim, encourage your efforts. But that’s not all. I love discussing writing and if you do too, drop by and say hello. If you have questions, ask.

email me at director (at) writerscollege.com and if I don’t know the answer I’ll try to find out for you.

We’re all in this together. But some of us have been in it longer than others. Good writing!

- Stephen Morrill, director, WritersCollege.com

Please note that any and all contributor posts on Freelance-Zone.com are the opinion of the guest professional and are not researched, endorsed or fact-checked by us. 

What Would You Do If Your Computer Crashed?

The question above is one I don’t even like to type out. It horrifies me to even think about my computer crashing. While this is a nightmare for most people–for the writer, it is a disaster of epic proportions. Articles you could re-sell, invoices, work in progress…gone…just like that.

I’m a huge fan of backup, and so today we are offering Freelance-Zone readers a peek at an online backup option–Mozy. Here with us today is Brent Bird, the Marketing Manager for Mozy, to share a bit about what the service is like.

(And be sure to check out the special coupon/code they gave us below–just for Freelance-Zone readers! If you aren’t ready for that, try it out for free first and see what you think.)

1. What is Mozy and how would it be useful to a freelance writer?

Mozy provides secure, online backup for all of the files stored on your computer. As a freelance writer, your career and oftentimes years of hard work can be stored on your system’s hard drive. Mozy makes sure you’re protected in case your hard drive crashes, your computer gets a virus or if you accidentally leave your laptop in a taxi or on a plane. Once you’re backed up, all of your most important files are stored in Mozy’s secure datacenters, available to be restored to your new machine, anytime you choose.  

2. Can you explain a bit about how the backup works and what you can store?

When you download Mozy, you are asked to select the files that you’d like to backup. Mozy makes this easy for you by pre-selecting “backup sets” of the most popular file types that customers typically choose to protect—documents, music files, photos, etc. Select what you would like to be backed up on your own hard drive, then choose your backup schedule. You can backup once a week, once a day, or even as often as every two hours. The initial backup can take some time, depending on the amount you’re backing up and your connection speed. However, once all of your information is securely in the cloud, Mozy then searches for changes to existing files or new files, so each subsequent backup is very fast.

3. How do you protect the stored data?

Mozy encrypts all of the data on your computer, in transit and at rest in our datacenters. We use 256-bit AES encryption technology which is the same encryption system used by the military. When you select files for backup, Mozy encrypts them on your computer, and then transports them over the Internet to our datacenters. In transit, the files are encrypted with 128-bit SSL encryption, which is the same technology used by financial institutions to send and receive financial transactions. All of your data is then stored in our datacenters in an encrypted state. You can even choose your own personal encryption key which only you will have access to. Your information cannot be decrypted without this key, so you can have ultimate control. Your data has never been safer.

4. What is the advantage of doing backup this way as opposed to more traditional media, such as DVDs or external hard drives?

Using external hard drives or DVDs to backup your data is a good idea, as any backup method is important. However, Mozy is automatic and secure, so that once you set it up, you’ll never have to think about it again. Your information is also securely encrypted, so your information is protected. With an external hard drive, you’ll need to manually move information to the hard drive on a regular basis or remember to upload your photos or your most recent work. That hard drive can also fail or crash without warning. With Mozy, you can set it and forget it and know that all new and important data is being backed up automatically.

5. What else can you tell freelance writers about Mozy?

Mozy wants to make sure that all freelance writers are protected by offering a 15% discount off of our normal rates. Simply enter promo code FREELANCE15 at purchase to receive the discount. Mozy also gives everyone 2GB for free, so you can try it out and see how it works for you. Need more than 2GB? MozyHome is only $4.95 a month for unlimited storage. Purchase an annual subscription and get a month free or purchase a biennial subscription and get 3 months for free. Whatever you choose, make sure you’re backing up your work somehow.

Creative Space

A much younger me

by Catherine L. Tully

I find that I really need to take a break once in a while now that I’m older. When I was young, I could work endlessly and not seem to suffer. Now, I can work for long stretches of time–but it drains me.

When you read this, I will just be getting back from vacation. I will have eaten steak, hung out with friends and caught up on sleep. And much, much more.

Taking the time to give yourself some “creative space” can be just the thing you need to boost your productivity and energy level. And you really need to get away from your present surroundings. Truly take a break from life as you know it. Somehow resting up at home does not have the same effect.

Giving your brain this down time allows it to open up to new ideas and experiences. It “re-sets” your view of life and lets you just play with thoughts for a while if you want to. If you haven’t done this in a while–perhaps it’s time. Jump in the car and take a drive somewhere for the day. Call an old friend and book a hotel room out of town. Jump on a plane and go somewhere exotic.

Or just pack a lunch and head to the park.

We all need to remind each other that this isn’t a luxury–it is a necessity. Today I’m reminding you. Pass it around.

And be sure to have a good time. I know I will.

Does Your Hobby Blog Eclipse Your Pro Blog?

by Joe Wallace

If your hobby blog is overtaking your professional blog, getting more hits and more attention, ask yourself a couple of important questions. After all, we all want our pro blogs to do well and make money–but some people find their pro blogs lagging behind the ones they do for fun.

And there lies the answer, I suspect.

Hobby blogs are often more informal, more fun to read, and definitely more fun to write than pro blogs. I think pro blogs could take a lesson here–at least the ones that don’t seem to be able to compete. I run Turntabling.net, which is a lot more snarky, informal and goofy than Freelance-Zone.com. While Turntabling isn’t a hobby blog per se–I do try to earn some coin on it–I don’t worry nearly as much about content there because it’s far more opinionated and as such is easier to write. While there are opinions here, I find striking a balance between information and opinion more crucial to the success of FZ in general.

If your hobby blog is outpacing your pro blog, ask a few questions of your work:

• What makes the hobby blog fun to read? What is it you do there that you DON’T do on the pro blog?
• Is your pro blogging work too long? Too densely packed with information? Or is it “skimmable”?
• What is the central idea of your pro blog? Can you sum it up in two sentences or less?
• Look at the visual presentation of your pro blog. Is it easy on the eyes? Or is it a cluttery mess?
• Give your blog the Who Cares? test for all your most recent posts. The So What? test is also a good one.

These are only a few of the things you can try, I’ll cover some additional ways to give your pro blog a good, hard look in another post. … Continue Reading

Free Wi-Fi Thursday July 1st at Starbucks

by Joe Wallace

Thursday is the day Starbucks changes the game plan from its old “two hours of free wi-fi as long as you use your Starbucks card” concept to the new free-for-all unlimited wi-fi access plan. Freelancers tired of jostling for position in other crowded coffee shops, Panera Bread and other locations now have unlimited access at Starbucks…and those living nearby a Starbucks will likely reap the benefits, too.

The full details of the new free wi-fi access include the following excellent features–NO login, NO time limit, and no requirement to use a Starbucks card to access.

You might think I sound like a Starbucks shill at this point, but that’s not the reason I am excited by this development. For years, companies and local governments have paid varying degrees of lip service to the idea that wi-fi access could and should be free for all. If memory serves, Portland is one city that had designs on a city-run free wi-fi program, and Chicago has often flirted with the concept (usually during election years).

The Starbucks move is a step closer to the reality of convenient, cost-free access, and speaking as an uber-mobile freelancer myself, I welcome the new option even if I don’t drink the coffee. They WILL lure me in for a cup of Tazo Earl Grey, but the main attraction is that free wireless access. Thanks to Starbucks, one of my major logistical problems is solved.

I run a blog about vinyl records and indie record stores called Turntabling.net. In August I will blog across the country from Chicago to New York City, hitting record stores along the way to blog about, review, etc.It’s called Vinyl Road Rage and last year garnered a bit of nice viral attention so it’s back again this year.

Since the iPhone operating system I currently use doesn’t officially support tethering (so I can use the iPhone 3G wireless signal to connect my laptop) I need an alternative to post detailed blog entries. Now, thanks to Starbucks, there’s a solution at practically every corner.

This is extremely forward-thinking for a major corporation, and I applaud them for going the extra mile. It will make my August Vinyl Road Rage trip as awesome as it could possibly be.

I personally will be at Starbucks on Thursday in Chicago’s Lincoln Square district to celebrate and blog about the new wi-fi-volution. I know this is extremely nerdy of me, but it’s an excellent thing Starbucks is doing and I aim to support it. Join me!
… Continue Reading

Five Steps to Deleting Writer’s Block

by Stephen Morrill, Director (at) WritersCollege.com

Writer’s Block is the high blood pressure of the writing profession, a disease that sneaks up and affects us in such a variety of ways that it is not easily diagnosed or defeated. One day we’re all enthused about our next writing project. Thirty days later we hate the thought of the project because we haven’t done anything much in the previous month. And we don’t know what happened.

I’ve thought about this for more than twenty-five years, possible a record for procrastination. At first I simply did not believe there was such a thing as writer’s block. I got into writing by writing for money, to tight deadlines with unforgiving editors. I was tossed into the deep end of the pool and I knew I either had to grow gills or learn to swim. I learned to swim. Looking around at all the writers drowning around me, I could not understand what their problems were.

 Obviously, many writers aren’t very good at it and they will not get better without education and practice. But that’s a given. What I’m talking about is writers who are perfectly capable of doing the mechanical parts, who know the King’s English better than I do, but who, as the saying goes, “Stare at a sheet of white paper until droplets of blood appear on their foreheads.” What’s wrong with these people?

I think I know now. They don’t have deadlines, and they subordinate their creative urge to their other lifestyle demands. They have not yet made the decision to put writing foremost in their lives. So all their best intentions just…slide.

I’ve done it myself, though not often, and, in my own experience three things happen:

1) A big project that has no intermediate deadlines can be postponed because there are more urgent things to do with our time and the deadline is a long way off. We keep doing this until the big project is upon us and now we are in big trouble. But it happens in such small increments that we never see it sneaking up. Its like the big project is playing Simple Simon with us. And winning.

SOLUTION: Establish incremental deadlines. Make each one a do-able deadline and make meeting the deadline a priority.

2) A big project is intimidating because it’s so — big — that we can’t see how we will start it, let alone complete it. So (1) happens.

SOLUTION: As with (1) establish small goals, mini-projects, that ARE do-able and not intimidating. … Continue Reading

Pandora Radio

by Catherine L. Tully

As a freelance writer, one of the perks of the job is that you can take your laptop and hit a coffee shop for a few hours to write and relax. I like going to Panera. Love the atmosphere and the tea–but I hate the music. The style of jazz they play is just too noisy for me when I’m trying to write.

My quick fix? Pandora Radio. I simply pop on my headphones, plug them into my iPhone and hit some sort of ambient, new age music for the duration. I have to keep it on low, and I can’t use it if what I’m doing requires a lot of actual thinking, but for rote tasks or revisions it works perfectly. (And you can get it on your laptop as well.)

Pandora is free and it has some pretty cool features.  I highly recommend trying it out.

New iPhone + New Data Plan = Bad Combo

by Catherine L. Tully

This isn’t a good thing.

I’m not going to go over all the details–you can read them for yourself. Long story short–limits on data use are coming. And as a writer–you should be very, very scared.

AT&T has just started charging for data based on useage when it comes to the iPhone. Will this have an impact on you? Probably not…at least…not yet. But as we use mobile devices more and more, we’ll stream video, “tweet”, play music, send e-mail and plug coordinates into our GPS. Data use will continue to rise. And one day in the not too distant future, this harmless ”new plan” will wind up hurting us all.

App developers will stop shooting the moon with their ideas and scale back. After all–who will want to buy an app that will hog the data use allotted for the month? Other companies will start following suit and charging for data use–and before you know it–the limits will go down and the price will go up. You know–like how some fast food places start out serving large portions which then get smaller and smaller as time goes on?

I see nothing good here for the consumer. Save five dollars a month now–and pay 10 (or even more) later on down the road. The fact is that once this door has opened, it could start a whole new chapter in computer use. I see the writing on the wall, and I don’t like it one bit.

I have always dreaded the fact that one day we might get charged for the amount of e-mail we send, or the amount of time we spend on the computer. This is our job. The way we make our living. It makes me very nervous.

Big business is getting greedy again. Watch out.

As for me? I’m going to stay on the iPhone/AT&T plan I have as long as I can–and hope for a revolt. Anybody with me?

Crafting An Article

by Catherine L. Tully

I’m curious…

When you have an article where you have to be creative…how do you come up with your direction? Are you the type of person who sits back and lets their mind drift until the idea hits you? Or are you someone who needs to do something more concrete, such as brainstorm a list of possibilities?

I’m a drifter. Sometimes I go to the swimming pool and do laps, letting my mind go. Other times I’ll just keep the ideas on simmer in the back of my head and daydream. Fortunately, this works for me. I’ve learned over time that my best work is done when I’m not at my desk.

With writing being such a solitary task, we often don’t know much about the process we each go through to get to that finished piece. So tell me…what’s your path to creating something that you are proud of?

I’d love to know.

Interview With David Ira Rottenberg

Today Freelance-Zone is happy to be able to feature David Ira Rottenberg, a fellow writer and poet. Mr. Rottenberg is a graduate of Columbia University. He has had a novel, For Me and My Friends, published by Grove Press and co-authored three business books, The Rhythm of Business, Collaborative Communities and Everyone Is a Customer, published by Butterworth-Heinemann and Dearborn Press. He has written for publications such as Boston Magazine and the Boston Globe and his poems have appeared in poetry magazines throughout the United States. For Light Video and Television he wrote and produced educational documentaries. His latest book is Gwendolyn, the Graceful Pig, a children’s picture book. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

1. How did you get started in writing?

I’ve always written. I once found an old report card from the fourth grade where the teacher said I liked to write stories to amuse my friends. But I got started writing professionally when I was a senior in college and started writing my first novel. I wanted to have a novel written before I graduated and had to face the real world. About two years after I graduated the book was actually published. It never sold many copies but it was exciting and it was how I got started writing.

What are some of the things you have done in your writing career thus far?

I’ve written business books with a business professor, written educational videos, written a children’s book, Gwendolyn, the Graceful Pig, and I’m now writing a teen novel called Outside the Edges.

 Were there any particularly satisfying experiences you have had as a writer?

One satisfying experience is that when I have an idea and it flows out quickly onto the page and I know, even though I’m writing, it’s coming out well. Another satisfying experience is when I’ve worked and worked on something and I read it over for the hundredth time and it finally reads just the way I want it to.

To you, what is the secret to being a good writer?

Editing. Going over and over something until it’s right.

What advice do you have to give new writers?

Read a lot and write a lot. Particularly read the kind of books you want to write. The kind of books you admire.

You write poetry as well—what inspires your work?

I might see something, usually some little thing or a phrase might suddenly pop into my head. Whatever it is, it’s a seed that I try to use to expand into something bigger. Something that can stand on its own as a whole. Some seeds work. Some seeds don’t. Sometimes I end up with a finished poem. Sometimes, no matter how long I work on it or keep on coming back to it, it never becomes anything good.

How is writing a novel different than other types of writing?

If you’re writing a book, remember that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Set a pace that you know you can keep. If you can write three pages a day in three months you have 270 pages and the first draft of your novel. Don’t be overly critical while you’re writing the three pages. Just keep writing. Every day. There’s usually more that’s usable than you think and once you’ve got that first draft done, there’s plenty of time for rewriting.

What does your desk/workspace look like?

I’m usually messy everywhere but the little area where I write is fairly neat. Right around my computer is a small island of neatness. Everywhere else is not very neat.

What is your next project?

I’m working on a second children’s picture book which will be more adventures of Gwendolyn and Omar, the two main characters in the first book and I’m working on a teen novel. The entire book is done in the sense that the beginning, middle and end are all there but I’m still going over it and over it and over it and it keeps on getting better but it’s not where I want it to be yet.

Writer’s College: The Freelance-Zone.com Interview Part Two

We continue our conversation with Stephen Morrill, Director of Writer’s College. Morrill has some recommendations for potential students alike at Writer’s College; be sure and drop by the site to learn more about teaching and learning opportunities there. If you missed part one of the discussion, have a look to learn about the types of classes offered and the qualifications of WC instructors. 

Freelance-Zone.com: What are some of the most popular classes at WC?

Any new course usually gets some action. There are regulars who may have already taken all the courses we have that fit their needs but they stay in touch via our newsletter and then sign up for new courses. Among those most popular at the moment: Article Writing and Magazine Articles (two somewhat overlapping courses), Editing For Writers and the Grammar for Writers and Editors are valuable tools for any writer. The Essays and Personal Stories, Mystery Novel and Novel Writing courses have a big audience. Publish Your Writing, Stop Talking About It; Just Write, and Seniors Do Write are good motivational courses. And the Greeting Cards course is a perennial favorite.

Is there a class that you could recommend specifically for freelance writers who want to break into the field?

My own Nonfiction Freelance Writing Business course is a must-take. Article Writing and Magazine Article Writing, of course. How-To Articles, Newspaper Feature Articles, Promotional Writing, Speech Writing, and Technical Writing are all good ways to earn money in the nonfiction trade. Relatively few writers go the nonfiction route as it is less glamorous and you have to write to certain rules. But, if you know what you are doing, it can pay the bills. It’s been paying my bills for 25 years now.

How would an experienced writer go about applying for a position teaching at WC?

Ask. We have a web page “Teach for Us” at our web site that explains the requirements. Essentially, we look for writers with experience in doing the thing they plan to teach and with published credentials in that. Academic background is secondary to in-the-trenches battle scars.

What is it that you get out of running WC and how does it impact your career?

Good question. I think the school actually earned a profit for several months once. But for the most part it barely pays for itself, if that. The prices are ‘way too low for the courses and I know that. But the thing I love as much as writing itself is talking about writing! Writing has been a great outlet for me over the years and I love to see others getting
that same satisfaction that I get out of it. And the school is merely an extension of that desire to communicate to others my own love of this wonderful job I have.

Are there any upcoming plans for WC that you can share with Freelance-Zone readers?

If the economy were any better I would double the course prices. But for now all I am doing is working on some new courses – stay in touch with our newsletter for news there. And it is time for a revise of the web site, not that it’s bad or anything, but I get bored with it every few years and make changes. But WritersCollege.com has been ticking along nicely since 1998 and I see no reason to do anything drastic to it.

Writers…Dream Your Dream

by Catherine L. Tully

I was thinking about my writing journey the other day and realized that I have come a long way from when I first started. And I’d like to tell you about the moment that it really hit me…

A year ago around this time I was in Minnesota, getting ready to speak to a group of writers who had invited me to come and talk with them about digital photography and how it can help move you forward as a writing professional. I was sitting in the back of the room as the head of the group picked up a copy of Writer’s Digest and began talking about the 101 Best Websites for Writers that the magazine does each year. As she spoke, she highlighted three resources from the list–and Freelance-Zone.com was one of them!

The beauty of it was that this lady did not know at the time that I was one of the founders of Freelance-Zone. And I got to get up and begin my talk by thanking her for mentioning our blog…

This was a moment that has stayed with me. You see, Joe and I began just as any other writer has…struggling to understand the business, trying to get something (anything!) published and trying to figure out how to make a living doing something that we love. It was a dream we had, and it seemed fairly out of reach at the time.

But I’m here to tell you…it can be done. Persevere. Set goals. Work hard. Dream your dream and you can and will achieve it. Then one day you will share your story with other writers, just like I’m doing now…

My sincere thanks goes out to you for being a part of the journey.

Catherine

Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites For Writers, 2010

We have a very happy announcement to make…

Freelance-Zone.com was chosen by Writer’s Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers and we are featured in the May/June issue! We’d like to take a minute to thank all of the loyal readers who voted for us–we really appreciate it!

And thanks to Writer’s Digest for including us.

Be sure to check out the issue of WD for many great resources for writers, including FZ faves such as Grammar Girl, Absolute Write, MediaBistro, The Renegade Writer and Funds for Writers, among others.

(Every year I go through the list and take a peek at everything…it’s a great way to connect with all the great stuff out there on the web! – Catherine)

Confessions of a Lazy Editor, part 1

by Amanda Smyth

No promises on part 2.

I’ll be the first to admit it. I am a lazy editor.

I DO enjoy reading the work my freelancers submit. Some days, my job is the best job in the world. I can kick back and read great articles from great writers on a variety of topics. I learn new and wonderful things from their articles and I bask in the warm glow of their musings. So what makes me a lazy editor? Well, the part that’s the most grueling is the actual editing.

And frankly, I’d rather just skim.

Audience: “WHAT? THE HORROR! But you’re an EDITOR! Don’t you love dissecting, cutting, pasting and mutilating our work?”

Me: “Not really. I’d much rather put my feet up and surf the interweb for funny pictures of cats.”

*Audience lights torches … Continue Reading