WritingThoughts

Do you use a writer’s notebook to keep track of your ideas?

Currently, I use a lot of files for drafts of future posts and projects. I do have a notebook in my purse as well.

Lately, I have been thinking of putting a writing notebook on my nightstand since I seem to get a lot of ideas when I wake up at night. Of course, the problem with that is that I would have to turn on the light to write in it and wake up DH.

Anyway, I decided to create a writer’s poll to find out how many writers use a notebook to record ideas and how often they use it:

Today’s “Of Note” blog is the writer’s blog by dana prince. I’ve been following this blog with interest for a few months and it’s time to share it with you.

Dana describes her blog, in part, as “the blog for writers and those who dream of writing for a living …” This blog certainly fits that description.

Some recent posts that I enjoyed include:

• $1 for 500 Words Plus Pay For Copyscape — great rant about low paying writing assignments. (Who takes them, anyway?)
• Write Really Great Keyword Articles — A lot of writers who are starting out ask how to write keyword articles. This post answers their questions.
• Why Writers Need A Community — Why it takes a writer to understand a writer.

With posts like these, I’m sure you’ll want to visit the writer’s blog by dana prince often.

Last week’s blog “of note” was Michael Stelzner’s Blog Writing White Papers. You can read about it here.

Note: If you’re consistently posting great information and haven’t seen your blog featured in Of Note yet, I apologize. I’ll probably find you soon. I know there are a lot of great blogs out there; I discover more new ones each day. (So many blogs, so little time.)

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved

This is a question for the work-at-home moms out there who,  like me, opted to start a home business in order to find more time for their families.

Will you continue to work at  home after all of your kids are grown?

This is a question that I’ve thought about from time to time. It’s not like I have to decide right away, either. I have some years left to think about this.

There are some times when I think to myself:  absolutely, I’ve learned so much and now that I’ve got my business going I’m going to keep it going at home for as long as I can. I’ll not go back into corporate America if I can help it.

There are other times when I think to myself: man, I kind of miss having coworkers around. I miss not having to stress about getting clients or collecting payments. Maybe when the kids are grown I will just find a nice corporate job.

The truth is, right now, I just don’t know. It’s a good thing that I have some years to think it over.

Have you thought about this? Maybe you’ve been there and already made this decision. Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.

This week’s writing blog “of note” is Michael Stelzner’s Blog Writing White Papers. Although it’s a blog designed specifically around a particular type of writing, there is enough of general interest in his posts that writers of all types can learn something.

Recent posts of interest include:

• Who Inspires Your Writing – Does someone inspire you?
• What Music Helps You Write – Does music help you?
• Acronyms are NOT Your Friend – A podcast that made the technical writer in me want to jump out of my seat and shake Michael’s hand!

The other thing I really like about this site is that it’s VERY user-friendly – from the ease of navigation to the podcasts to the ability to rate each post (something that I wish I knew how to set up) — Michael clearly understands what it takes to create a usable blog.

Last week’s blog Of Note was All Freelance Writing. If you missed the feature, you can read more about it here.

Note: If you’re consistently posting great information and haven’t seen your blog featured in Of Note yet, I apologize. I’ll probably find you soon. I know there are a lot of great blogs out there; I discover more new ones each day. (So many blogs, so little time.)

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved

A few weeks ago Mary Emma Allen, the home business guru behind b5media’s excellent Home Biz Notes blog, asked me to blog about what it was like for me to operate a home business and oversee the care of someone with Alzheimer’s disease.

At first I was hesitant. First of all, my father’s death earlier this year is still fresh in my memory. Secondly, I know that it was prayer and the grace of God that saw me through the experience. What could I possibly have to offer that might be useful to others.

After some thought, though, I was able to come up with some ideas that might encourage and help others who are now in the same boat that I was in. (If you are currently in that situation, my heart goes out to you. I know that you are facing some painful decisions.)

Here is the link to my guest post:  The Home Business Juggling Game.

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.

Back when I wrote Words, Wrongly Used I thought that I had, in a nutshell, listed the ways that writing should not ever be used.

Well, let me be the first to say that nothing is ever as simple as it seems and that I was wrong.

When I listed item number 2 (words that are used to hurt others) I was thinking of intentional cruelty. Words can be used to bully and that’s definitely something a good writer should never do. I’ve seen the effects of deliberate bullying and name-calling firsthand.

I never dreamed that my list item number 2 could be taken to mean that a writer should avoid telling the truth because it might hurt someone’s feelings. Writers, good writers, that is, should tell the truth. Truth and clarity are often what distinguishes a great novelist, journalist, or other type of author from a mediocre one.

Sadly, sometimes the truth does hurt –  but that does not make telling it less important. I can illustrate my point with a less serious (and hopefully somewhat humorous) experience from my own life.

A few years ago my husband and I were attending a live theater production at an outdoor theater. I went to use the ladies’ restroom, which was less than ideally clean. In fact, there was tissue and other trash all over the floor. On my way back from the restroom I noticed several people staring at me and whispering, but no one said anything to me. However, as I walked up to my husband, the first thing that he said was “honey, did you know that you’ve got a streamer of toilet paper stuck to the bottom of your shoe?”

That was the truth, and I needed to hear it. No doubt the staring people had also seen the toilet paper trailing behind me as I walked back to my seat, but were afraid to mention it to me for fear that they might hurt my feelings.

I still think that being intentionally cruel with words without reason is wrong. However, sometimes writers do need to tell the truth — even when it’s uncomfortable or awkward to do so.

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.

Yesterday a commentator asked me about voice in writing. Her question was whether or not it was possible to write using two entirely different personalities. (My link to her here is a little thank-you for asking a question that inspired this post.)

This post isn’t exactly an answer to her question, but rather a reflection on the importance of voice in blogging.

There are many types of writing where voice is rather unimportant. You don’t want to know, for example, who wrote the instructions for your income tax forms. You’re probably not interested in who wrote the owner’s manual for your automobiles. Unless the author is a celebrity, you probably don’t care who wrote your cookbook. Unless they are writing an editorial (or sometimes a feature), most newspaper writers are taught to be objective and avoid including any personal thoughts or opinions in their news stories.

Blogging is exactly the opposite from these types of writing and from the way many writers were trained. Voice is key for a successful blogger.

Voice is why I feel that I “know” Angela, Tammi, Matt, Mig, Lillie, and Yvonne – even though we’ve never met face to face. I’m a frequent enough visitor at each of their blogs that when I read something Lillie has written I can think to myself, “that sounds just like the way that Lillie would approach that situation.”

Let’s face it. If all I wanted to do was learn about politics, creative writing, article writing, public relations, freelance writing, etc., then I could easily go over to the public library and check out any number of text books on the topic. Getting information on the subject is not quite enough for me. I want to hear about it from someone who has been there, done that.

That’s where blogs come in. That’s why voice in blogs is so important. I’m convinced that I’m like a lot of blog readers in that when I want to learn about something new I want to learn about what it’s really like, not just hear the hard and dried facts. What does it feel like to be a ProBlogger, for example? What’s the true inside scoop on making a living online? These are questions that only blogs, not informative articles, can answer.

How can you find a voice for your blog? My suggestion would be to read over your posts and ask yourself if there’s enough of you in them. Thank about how you would explain the topic to one of your close friends (if they were really interested). That’s the way you should write your posts if you want your voice to shine through.

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.

Red ink means something very different for writers than it does for accountants. For accountants, red ink means the company is losing money. For writers, red ink is the color of corrections. I might also add, for this writer at least, red ink is the color of learning to become a better writer.

My daughter brought home an English paper yesterday that was covered in red ink. While some parents might have been upset by that, I actually rejoiced. Why? Because I saw that the teacher was concerned with a quality writing style as much as she was concerned with content and proofreading. I know that under such a teacher/editor my daughter’s writing skills will be fine-tuned this year (as mine were under a similar teacher many years ago).

I typically proofread my kids’ papers before they turn them in. I point out simple spelling and obvious grammar errors. I also look for completeness. I don’t, however, deal much with style. I could, I suppose, rewrite each paper into a well-honed piece of professional writing. However, not only would this be a spectacular waste of time on my part, it would rob my kids of the chance to make their own mistakes and develop their own unique writing style.

Although my daughter was a little bit dismayed at the teacher’s edits (she’s used to doing well on English papers), I pointed out that the teacher marked the very things that professional writers seek to avoid: excessive use of passive voice, vague statements, and unsupported conclusions. I also pointed out that once you learn to write well it is a skill that will serve you for your entire life, regardless of what career you choose to follow.

I should point out that this occurred to my oldest daughter and that she is in high school. She is ready to learn these more advanced writing concepts. I would feel differently if I saw the same markings on the English paper of an early elementary-aged student.

Do you proofread your child’s papers? If so, how much correction do you provide? Do you think a strict editor is a good way to hone your writing skill? Why, or why not?

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.

I frequently get asked where I find my work projects. In my case, I have about four regular clients that I work for on an ongoing basis and a number of smaller places that I can write for when I have extra time.

As I was writing this post I was a little bit surprised to find that two of my four regular clients originally came from personal referrals. That is, people who had once with worked with me gave my name directly to the client, and the client contacted me. I am just starting to get a few jobs from readers of this website.

(The number of clients from personal referrals would probably be even higher, except that I have a policy of turning down in-house writing jobs. Since I live near a major metropolitan area, I am contacted about once a year by a local company who, upon finding out that I live not too far from them, wants me to come and sit in their office eight hours a day. I’ve tried to convert these potential project offers into offsite work, but so far I haven’t had much luck.)

The lesson learned from my experience is to get the word out there that you work from home. Make sure that all of your former colleagues, classmates, friends, and family members know that you own a writing business. If you have a writing blog, put the URL on your business card and hand out business cards when you meet people. With enough networking my number one way of finding work, referrals, could become your number one way too.

It’s been a while since I’ve listed sites where jobs can be found, so I’ll provide an updated list of some of my favorite websites and blogs that list jobs for freelance writers and bloggers:

• Freelance Writing Jobs — Deb Ng’s popular job search site is updated nearly every day.
• Media Bistro Job Listings  — Find a corporate writing position. Be sure to check out the Freelance Marketplace while you are there.
• All Freelance Writing — Jobs and tips.
• Freelance Switch — A small, but growing job board contains entries for writers and bloggers.
• ProBlogger Job Board — Find a professional blogging position.
• About.com: Weblogs — Another excellent Deb Ng project.
• RentACoder — Not just for software coders.
• Elance — Bid on writing jobs. Features free and premium levels of membership.
• Guru.com — Another bidding site. Free profiles or paid profiles are available.

Another job search tip is to type the words “write for us” or “blog for us” in Google, or another online search engine. Be prepared to sort through a lot of junk to find the best leads. Always read any online job listing carefully. Be sure to get any agreements in writing. If possible, check out the company’s reputation and stability before accepting a position.

Best of luck to my readers!

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.

Over at Middle Zone Musings Robert Hruzek runs a monthly group writing project with the theme “What I learned from…” Every month the “from” is something new, and this month it’s change.

Truthfully, there’s a lot of things that I’d like to change in the world. A long time ago, however, I learned that big changes start small. Changing the world starts with one person and the only person that I can really change for sure is me.

For a while now I’ve been following the blogger at Not China Made (who I really admire, by the way, since she is really changing things through her blog). The blog does a great job of examining the dangers of buying products from China: dangers which not only include lower quality standards (which lead to things like lead in toys and contamination in dog food), but also the danger of supporting human rights violations.

Before reading Not China Made, I can honestly say that I didn’t know much about the working conditions in China or the product quality problems. I didn’t know, for example, that many inexpensive products purchased in the United States are actually made in China.

Now, I’m typically a pretty frugal person and I like to save money as much as the next person, but a getting a product for a few pennies or even a few dollars less is not worth it to me if it means that the product is unsafe or encourages human rights violations in another country.

A few weeks ago we tried to go China-free for our back-to-school shopping … with mixed results. I’m pleased to say that we were able to find most of the inexpensive items (pencils, markers, etc.) fairly easily. Sadly, we couldn’t find several “big-ticket” items on our list (backpacks, for example) without the “made in China” tag, even after going to four different stores.

Yes, I’ve become a tag-checker and the results have both surprised me and frustrated me. Since we’re going to be moving soon last week and we need a few new items of furniture we visited the Ikea store near us. Yes, I checked the tag and was surprised to see that it was not specific about the country of origin, citing that Ikea furniture was manufactured in many different countires. I did, however, find this statement at the Ikea website, which has me wondering if it’s okay to buy Ikea, or not.

All of this to say that what I learned from changing my shopping habits is that, when it comes to something important, it’s much harder to change than I thought.

This post has been my entry into Robert Hruzek’s latest What I Learned From… project.

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.