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Avoiding the Paper Bin

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iStock_000009310130XSmallby Mike O’Mary

Dream of Things has a Fan Page on Facebook, and a while back, somebody left a message for me on the Dream of Things wall: “Ever time try write storys use go in paper bin because stoys not at good.”

At first, I didn’t know what to say. But I thought about it, and then I wrote back: “I think I understand. I have days like that, too.”

Actually, I have a lot of days like that, and recently I kind of hit a wall. Which is why this post is about taking care of yourself and making sure you get plenty of rest and relaxation.

I hit a wall mentally and physically after four months of working 70-80 hours a week. I launched a new publishing company and online bookstore, published two books, started soliciting submissions for 15 anthologies of creative nonfiction, recruited and retained seven editors to edit those 15 anthologies, started contributing to The Freelance Zone, and began editing two book-length manuscripts. And that was in my spare time because I also have a day job. This past weekend, I couldn’t think any more. So I took the weekend off. I went for a walk on Saturday, then spent the afternoon cleaning out my closets, trying on old pants (I had somehow accummulated about 40 pairs of pants) and setting aside anything that didn’t fit for donation to charity. Then Sunday afternoon, I went to the Green Mill in Chicago for some live jazz and to celebrate my girlfriend’s birthday. It was a much-needed break.

When I was freelancing, one of the things I found most challenging was battling the feeling that I could never completely relax. I always felt I needed to be looking for the next assignment, and I never told a client “no” because I never knew when the client might call again. But relaxation is critical to your well-being. Otherwise, it is very difficult to do the very demanding work of writing and editing. So turn off that laptop, put on some music and try on some pants (or try on whatever you like to try on to relax), and live today so you can write again tomorrow.

Mike O’Mary is founding dreamer of Dream of Things, an independent book publisher currently accepting creative nonfiction stories for anthologies on 15 topics.

advice, editorial

Writing…See All The Possibilities

eye

by Catherine L. Tully

There are many ways to develop your income stream as a freelance writer. You can do it all by writing…or you can share some of your knowledge with others. When you get to a certain point in your career, teaching and speaking become a possibility for those who would like to diversify a bit.

Both Joe and I have spoken at writing-related conferences and panels–and have been paid to do so. You have to have some decent “clout” to do it, but if you are able to, it’s a great way to pad out your income a bit. It’s also a great way to network. Plus, it’s fun–and sometimes you even get to travel!

Teaching is also a great opportunity. You can share what you know about freelancing with others–and make some money in the process. Joe and I recently taught a freelance writing seminar in the Chicagoland area and are scheduled to do another one this summer. We have also moved into the social media realm, and will be teaching a class on that as well in July.

The nice part about expanding your horizons a bit as you advance your career is that it keeps everything interesting. You are also able to give back to the writing community in a way that helps others move forward and take those first steps into the field. If you’ve been around a while, you may want to start exploring some of these options–they are really worth a look!

advice

Confessions of an Editor: I Hate Training

Godzilla 50th Anniversary Edition Soundtrack CD

by Joe Wallace

I admit it…when I think about training new people to do detail-oriented, non-writing techie stuff like managing WordPress, resizing images in Photoshop, or the finer points of troubleshooting buggy FTP interfaces, I start hearing the Godzilla movie music in my head–that ominous, doomy music that lets you know things are about to go very wrong, very soon.

I share this because for the first time in YEARS, I am on the other end of the lesson. I’m learning a whole new universe of WYSIWYG editing platform issues, file management system pitfalls and hiccups, even where to send the copy corrections is a new and special headache for the uninitiated. Whatever happened to e-mail?

But if you stay on an upwardly mobile career path long enough, you’ll probably encounter similar training needs that put you in the teacher’s seat at least long enough to teach somebody else what to do in case you go on vacation and need someone else to upload your content for the day/week/year.

Why do I hate training? Because inevitably, whether I’m the teacher or the learner, some critical piece of information gets left out of the equation due to human nature–one that becomes absolutely essential once the trainer is gone and no longer of any assistance.

Calling Mister Murphy…your law is being invoked on aisle seven.

What can you do to prevent this from happening? Continue reading Confessions of an Editor: I Hate Training →

editorial

Run Your Freelance Career Like a Business: Advertise

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929523_business_cardby Joe Wallace

Why is the business card in the picture above blank? Believe it or not, that’s how a lot of freelancers treat themselves. Instead of running their freelance careers like a business, they squander their energies with little or no direction.

To survive in business you must do three things:

1. Offer good products or services at a competitive price.

2. Be active in the community where you want to do business.

3. Advertise and promote your brand.

A lot of freelancers get the first two right but fall down on the job when it comes to #3, promoting your brand. I can hear some now saying, “But I already have a Twitter account and a Facebook page!”

Twitter and Facebook are inded critical parts of the puzzle. But take a look at any successful business today and you’ll see how they approach social media is more of a means to an end when it comes to PR and self-promotion–not the end itself.

Your self-promotion efforts should include Twitter and Facebook, but consider them to be communication channels instead of billboard advertising. What’s the difference?

Twitter and Facebook are seldom used (successfully) to actually SELL things. They’re most effective when used to make connections, network, and inform. People are leery of the hard sell on social media. But when was the last time you heard anyone complaining that a billboard or radio ad sales pitch was too self-serving? Continue reading Run Your Freelance Career Like a Business: Advertise →

gear

4G Wireless For Traveling Freelancers

Sprint 4G wireless Overdrive hotspot4G wireless has been promised for some time, but now it’s finally being delivered as Sprint and other companies roll out the faster connection speeds and new gadgets to handle those speeds.

There’s been an ongoing shift towards mobile connectivity, but now with mobile router/wi-fi hotspot devices such as the Sprint Overdrive and the Verizon MiFi, the game has really changed in favor of the mobile freelancer. Will you even bother with a hardwired home Internet connection after checking out these 4G mobile products?

You might in some cases–at press time, Verizon’s data plan for the MiFi included transfer limits of 250MB a month for the $40 monthly plan and 5GB for the $60 plan. That’s bad news for anyone who wants to download media, send photos or other media on a regular basis. Sure, 5GB is a lot, but so is a $60 a month data plan on top of your cell phone bill and home Internet connection. The Sprint plan promises to be more generous–Wired.com reports Sprint will offer unlimited 4G data transfer and 5GB of transfer on the 3G network for $60 a month.

That’s all well and good, but don’t forget that companies like CradlePoint have third-party gear that can take your existing cell phone 3G signal and turn it into a wi-fi hotspot, too.

Continue reading 4G Wireless For Traveling Freelancers →

editorial

Freelancing Horror Stories Contest–Win A $10 Prize!

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Copyright 2008, Catherine L. Tully
Copyright 2008, Catherine L. Tully

OK writers–here’s a chance to earn a prize–just for telling your own freelancing horror story…

Jake Poinier posted all the info you need to enter at Freelance Writerville II on Ning, but you have to hurry–the entries will only be accepted until midnight on Halloween. Read Jake’s nightmarish story on his blog, and while you are there, have a look around…he has some great stuff on there. One of the few blogs I read…
I have too many to share and not enough time to write them up, but I’ll be checking in to see what horrible story wins the grand prize!