Tag Archives: writer

advice, blogging, editorial

Writers – You Need To Be Available

Catherine L. Tully
Catherine L. Tully

by Catherine L. Tully

I was talking with a fellow writer about people who have a poor web presence and I voiced one of my own “pet peeves”. What is it? The person you are unable to find contact information for on their own website.

Is this you?

If so, you might be losing potential clients (and their $$$).

It’s as simple as that.

People have  a low tolerance for spending time online searching around for information. I include myself in this rather large group. I was just looking for a freelance writer or two to solicit a quote from and I went  through five sites that ranged from difficult to impossible to find contact information for the person in charge.

Again….this could cost you money.

This doesn’t just apply to your website, but to your social media accounts as well. Include a link where people can find you on Twitter. Make sure your website is available on your Facebook and LinkedIn pages. If people like what they see, they just might reach out to you…but you have to make it easy for them.

Have you ever had an issue finding contact information on a particular website? If so, did you abandon it…or continue searching? If I can’t find it on the main page, under the “about” tab or under a specific person’s tab, I go elsewhere.

I’m sure I’m not the only one.

And by the way, if you want to contact me, my e-mail addy is info (at) catherineltully (dot) com.

Catherine L. Tully has been a full-time freelance writer since 2002 and is co-founder of Freelance-Zone.com. She is also the owner/editor and webmaster of 4dancers.org, co-founder of Pas de Trois at dancing3.com and owns the group Dance Writers on LinkedIn.

editorial, fiction, Interviews, Marketing yourself

5 Questions With Diane Holmes

Diane is the Founder and Chief Alchemist over at Pitch-University, a site devoted to teaching writers to pitch their books and make wise career decisions.

She also writes two columns here at Freelance-Zone:

  • Marketing-Zone: Marketing Yourself and Your Book
  • Fiction-Zone: Leaps in Fiction Mastery

1. How did you wind up a writer?

Diane Mosiac Crop The best way possible.  I was a Reader.  Yes, big ‘r.’  In fact, I was reading adult fiction by the 5th grade.

But I’m not one of those writers who knew as an toddler they wanted to write.  I only knew after graduating with a marketing degree and working as a Systems Engineer (Programmer)  for 4 years.  Yeah, then I knew.

What am I doing on a corporate death march?  I’m supposed to be a writer!

And so I quit my job.  (Don’t laugh.  It only seems rash in hind-sight.)

2. Was the road to being a published writer what you expected? Why or why not? 

Uh…No.  No, no, no, no, no-no-no-no-noooooooooooooo,

So, no, I didn’t expect the years and years of rejection.   

You have to remember, I’m a novelist.  It can take years to complete a project.  And then there are the years of rejection that can follow.  The industry is changing now, but even now, the traditional publishers are a slow lot.

I can tell you, I’m extremely stubborn.  That’s why I’m still here, and that’s saying something.

3. What has been your best moment or biggest accomplishment as a writer?

Well, I’ve co-owned a small press, had plays produced, founded and run large writers’ groups.  And  umpteen other things.

But my best moment is always the moment I know I just wrote a sentence that nailed it.  I got to the truth of it, whatever it is, and no one else has ever said what I’ve just written in exactly that way.

Ultimately, I’m a storyteller.  And when story and the writing of it transcends me, then that’s the moment I’m a better person for having written it.  I’ve transmuted words into story, shaped experience into meaning, and participated in a form of  myth-making that expands back thousands of years, and reaches forward into the future even longer than that..

That’s a pretty good moment.

I love everything about writing.  And this ability to explore concepts and make meaning out of experience is not just found in storytelling, but it’s also present in any form of writing, including my articles here.

4. What has been your most difficult moment?

Being stuck.  And writing and writing and writing every day, all day, yet only being more stuck.  This is the sort of experience that breaks your heart, because it’s so illogical.  So bad-bad-bad.

Creative careers have a downside that is related to how very much you care and how big you dream.There aren’t many careers where you can end up broken in exactly this way.  

5. Can you share your top piece of writing advice with Freelance-Zone readers?

Be a lifetime writer. 

Care deeply. Always be working toward mastery. Love your industry.  Show up to your career with the attitude that you’re on the journey to greatness.  Not acclaim.  Not that kind of greatness. The greatness of  an authentic, fully-explored, powerful interaction with readers.

Be that.

Interviews, lifestyle

5 Questions With Catherine L. Tully

1 Comment
Freelance-Zone Editor, Catherine L. Tully
Freelance-Zone Editor, Catherine L. Tully

Hey there.

We’re going to do something fun here on Freelance-Zone.com in the coming weeks.

Interviews.

Here’s the rub:

Each writer will answer 5 questions (below) about their life as a writer. I’m going to get the proverbial ball rolling.

We’re also going to toss this out to our readers…if you would like to answer these five questions and be featured on the site, send your answers, along with a photo of yourself to: editor (at) freelance-zone (dot) com.

Nothing like free publicity. 🙂

Here goes:

1.      How did you wind up a writer?

This is actually funny. I wanted to work from home and I was trying to think of something I could do. I had one writing job at the time (very, very, very part-time) and thought, “Why not become a writer.”

Yep. That’s it!

It took a lot longer than I thought it would. 🙂

2.      Was the road to being a writer what you expected? Why or why not?

Heh. See above.

It took a lot longer than I thought it would. I started in 2001 and although I went full time in ’02, I was putting in crazy hours to do it. I wasn’t what I would consider comfortable until ’05 or so if memory serves.

3.      What has been your best moment or biggest accomplishment as a writer?

Breaking into travel writing. I love writing about places, restaurants, buildings and outings. It’s amazing. I still can’t believe I’ve gotten to do some of the things I have. I’m very grateful.

4.      What has been your most difficult moment?

Moment? How about moments? 🙂 Typically these are associated with difficult clients. A seemingly great job can be truly awful if the wrong person is in charge. Still, this is true of any job, so I take it in stride. Here are a few of the highlights:

I recall having to chase a client for 6 months over $25, finishing an assignment on my iPhone because my power went out in the middle of a blizzard and having an editor put their own byline on my piece after they added some content to it without my permission.

Lovely, huh?

5.      Can you share your top piece of writing advice with Freelance-Zone readers?

Simplify whatever you can. Time is so very valuable.

And be tenacious. Always.

(Oh, and just in case you were wondering…I did get the $25 bucks from that client. Hence the advice above.)

Catherine L. Tully has been a full-time freelance writer since 2002 and is co-founder of Freelance-Zone.com. She is also the owner/editor and webmaster of 4dancers.org, co-founder of Pas de Trois at dancing3.com and owns the group Dance Writers on LinkedIn.You can reach her at info (at) catherineltully (dot) com.

advice, resources

A Few Resources For The Writer…

Catherineby Catherine L. Tully

Hey there! Today I’d just like to share a few good resources with my fellow writers…things that might help you out here and there. I stumble across these from time-to-time and stick them in a folder until I have several to post.

Here are the latest for you to peruse:

Citebite – Link directly to quotes in other webpages with this cool little resource. Just paste text and the URL and get a link – it’s simple!

The Quote Garden – I use this site all the time–it has some really terrific quotations for a wide range of subjects. Handy.

Poynter – Great reading and good resources for the writer.

Hope something here works for you. As always, if you have a good resource to add, by all means, do so! Having the right things at your fingertips can make a huge difference in terms of productivity!

editorial

Happy 4th!

fireworksby Catherine L. Tully

Happy 4th of July!

Today I would just like to take a moment to say thank you to all our readers.

Freelance-Zone.com has been on the web now since 2002, serving the freelance writing community. Our goal has always been to help other writers navigate the ups and downs of this career. It can be a tough one–we know from experience.

We have gathered a great stable of writers over time–and I’d like to also thank them for their contributions. The unique voices we have here come from all corners of the freelance writing world, and they are all amazing.

So readers…writers…have a happy, happy holiday. We’re more than half empty when it comes to 2011. We hope it has been good to you so far…and we hope to be serving you well into the future.

Thanks for reading.

editorial

Is Writing An Art?

Pencilsby Catherine L. Tully

Here’s a question for you–is writing an art?

My take? Sometimes. At least–I think so. OK. I’m not really sure.

For example…I think poetry is an art, as well as writing a novel, short story, or other type of fiction. The creative process there can’t be denied. But non-fiction? Is that an art too?

Hmmm. I see no clear-cut answer to that question. Do you? Writing non-fiction definitely demands creativity (most of the time, anyway), but I see it more like putting together a puzzle than painting a picture. Articles (and non-fiction books) have structure, should be logical or practical (or both) and the goal is usually to communicate something to the reader that is based in fact.

Still…I do feel that artistic surge when I craft a travel piece, or try to describe a fabulous restaurant so that the reader really gets the picture.

So what does that mean, exactly?

I guess for me, the jury is still out on that question. I’m not entirely sure where to place the type of writing I do on the spectrum. What do you think?