WritingThoughts

I woke up this morning to find a nice e-mail from Christina Katz, author of “Writer Mama: How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids,” (affiliate link, I receive a small fee for each book purchased) in my inbox.

I’ve actually been reading Christina’s helpful blog for a few weeks now and Christina had emailed me in response to a comment I left congratulating her about the publication of her new book. Christina’s trying to get a lot of them pre-sold before today (okay, she sent the e-mail yesterday and I just read it today) and she was hoping I’d mention her book on this blog.

Well Christina, this is the mention that you’d hoped for!

Even though I’d really like to, I can’t afford to buy every writing book I run across on the net (and many writer sites have a book for sale). However, I did buy this book. Why? Christina posted a link to the book’s table of contents on her blog. From examining the TOC, her topics look really relevant to what I do (and by extension, to what you probably do if you are reading this blog).

The book begins with how to accumulate ideas, progresses through how to satisfy editorial needs with fillers, and ends with how to pitch a book concept. (Of course, there is much more to the book than just these topics.) The headings of her table of contents are challenges that I face every day as a writer.

Yeah, I do know how to do some of these things already. But, I always find it helpful to compare notes with someone else.

Besides, I want to help support another work-at-home mom. Christina’s success shows all of us that it is possible to balance work and life.

So, here’s my plan. I ordered Christina’s book today. It’s due out on March 1st. Once I receive the book I’ll read it and publish a review of the book for you here on WritingThoughts.

I should say that I am not being compensated for this post, or any subsequent reviews. In fact, I actually paid $10.19 (plus shipping) to order the book.

(I can just see all my former business professors shaking their heads in dismay because I actually paid to write something rather than getting paid for my writing. “Didn’t we teach her anything?” They must wonder.)

Stay tuned!

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

Finally, here is the post that has been sitting half-written on my desktop for two days!

As the writer in the family I also get to be the one who checks the kids’ homework papers. I’ve seen a disturbing trend in the grammar that they use in their school papers.

The following sentences may work when you’re a teenager and sending a text message to your best friend:

• r u red-e? (It now looks like there may actually be a website of this name.)
• y r u sad?

However, these sentences won’t work for most professional writing. Using these sentences (or sentences like them) in anything but a personal blog may limit your audience.

It doesn’t take too much genius to see that the grammar problem is already moving into the world of web writing and into the blogosphere. I’m not talking about the complex verb tense problems, either. I’m talking about major stuff like using whole words in your sentences and creating sentences that have both a subject and a verb.

As a member of one of the last generations to come of age without IM, Text-Messaging, or E-mail (yikes, I think I’m telling my age) I feel blessed to have missed out on the damage these nifty electronic communication tools can do to one’s grammar.

If you’re a writer who is accustomed to spending hours and hours text messaging your friends it’s natural to let the relaxed grammar of electronic messaging slip into your other writing. If you’re trying to build a professional freelance writing career, this carelessness can have detrimental effects–unless you work to overcome it.

What can be done to overcome a sloppy and haphazard grammar habit? I’m posting the following list that I use with my own kids:

• Read good writing. We tend to emulate what we read. If everything you read is written in online electronic shorthand you’ll tend to write in electronic shorthand. Seek out great authors and read their work. If you don’t know where to begin, try the library.
• Cut down on the time you spend using electronic shorthand. The less you expose yourself to poor grammar habits, the less you are likely to subconsciously bring them into your own writing. Someone who spends every spare moment text messaging their friends will have a harder time transitioning to more focused writing than someone who spends less than an hour a day text messaging.
• Frequent sites that use the kind of writing style that you want to learn. Watch how the writers at those sites use sentences and learn what works.

What do you think? Is your writing affected by your use of IM, Text-Messaging, and E-mail?

Leave a comment and let me know. Leave your own tips on how to improve your writing. OR, leave a comment with the funniest electronic shorthand sentence that you’ve seen.

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

I recently posted a list of sites that list jobs for writers.

The comments on my post (I love comments, btw, keep them coming) were interesting. Two successful writers whose work I admire, Carson Brackney and Deb Ng, expressed similar sentiments in their comments to my article.

Carson said:

“…the best way to stay neck-deep in work is by effectively marketing your services and word of mouth.”

Deb echoes the sentiment with:

“Provide consistently good work and throw out a bit of shameless self promotion and they’ll come to you.”

Their comments reminded me of a great movie called “Field of Dreams” that was popular some years ago. In the movie a baseball-loving farmer out in the middle of nowhere becomes convinced that he is supposed to build a baseball field in the middle of his cornfield.

I won’t spoil the rest of the plot by telling you what happens. If you haven’t seen the movie or can’t remember it, then I suggest you rent it. You’ll be in for a treat.

So, are Carson and Deb right? Is simply producing good writing enough to bring in new writing business?

I think the answer is both “yes,” and “no.”

Let me explain.

If you are a writer who:

• always writes under your own name
• writes for visible media such as web content or print publications
• is beyond those initial start-up months

Then, I think the answer is “yes.” There is a good chance that “word-of-mouth” will generate sufficient business for you. (This is one reason why I think that all writers, no matter what type of writing they do, should try to create some type of web presence.)

On the other hand, if you are a writer who:

• always ghostwrites or does business writing that is published in the name of your client company
• writes for narrow niche markets
• is just starting out

Then, I think the answer is “no.” There is a good chance that you need to do more than rely on “word-of-mouth” to sustain your business.

That’s what I think. What do you think?

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

Getting paid for your writing is a hot topic these days. Carson Brackney, of the Content Done Better blog, recently confessed that he took a writing job for free. On her writing blog, Angela Booth posted a very useful piece on how to get paid to write. The internet is littered with advertisements for books that “teach” writers how to find more pay.

The purpose of this post is to list some common sites where writing jobs are frequently listed. It is my hope that this will become a resource for all of us to use, so if you know of some sites where writing jobs are listed feel free to comment or email me with the site URL. If the site meets the criteria I will add the site to the list. (Note: I am looking for sites whose main purpose is to list jobs for writers, not sites whose main purpose is something else and just coincidentally list a job from time to time.)

The job sites listed here fall into two categories: bidding sites and general job-listing sites.

Bidding Sites

(Updated in 2014 to add: I no longer recommend bidding sites. In the past few years, It has seemed that the jobs go to the person whose bid is the lowest–often at a price that no writer could afford to live on. However, if you want a list of a few–here it is.)

At bidding sites candidates bid on listed jobs. At some sites there may be a fee to bid on jobs. When a candidate receives a job the bidding site usually gets a percentage of the candidate’s pay from the job. Advantages to a bidding site include arbitration with clients, payment for job held in escrow until job is done, and the creation of 1099s for all work done through the bidding site. Many writers depend on bidding sites to find most of their work.

1. Guru.com –According to the Guru.com site they are the the world’s largest online marketplace for freelance talent. I don’t know if that’s true, or not. I do know that I have gotten a job from this source.
2. Elance.com–I’ve had both a free membership and the cheapest paid membership at Elance. Despite my trying two different types of membership, I’ve never been able to get a job from them. In my opinion, that’s usually because the holders of the most expensive paid memberships are the only ones who can bid on the best projects. You may have better luck than me.
3. Rent-A-Coder.com–Don’t let the name fool you. They do offer writing jobs at this site. I find the interface for this site to be a little confusing, but I know that lots of writers are getting work here. Be sure that you use the Bid Request Filter to hone in on jobs that fit your skills.
4. Scriptlance.com–This is another site that appears to cater to programmers, but actually has writing jobs too. I have never used this site, but understand that some writers have successfully found work here.

General Job Listing Sites

In contrast, general job listing sites generally do not charge a fee, nor does the site receive a percentage of payment from jobs. However, a general job-listing site will also not usually provide arbitration, escrow accounts, or 1099s for work found through that site. It is very important to thoroughly check the references of employers found through a general job-listing site since the job-listing site may not have researched the listings.

1. Freelance Writing Jobs–Experienced freelance writer, Deb Ng, scours the internet nearly every day for job leads for writers.
2. About.com:weblogs — Deb Ng is the new About guide for web logs. At this location she lists paying opportunities for bloggers.
3. The Golden Pencil (Updated: Site No longer available)–Ann Wayman of The Golden Pencil regularly lists many freelance writing and editing jobs.
4. Problogger job board –Darren Rowse is the Problogger. This blogging guru now lists professional blogging positions.
5. About Freelance Writing–This informative website for writers also includes job listings.
   
6. craigslist.org–Search for writing jobs on the granddaddy of all classified internet advertisements!! (Warning, it may take a while to drill down to the level of jobs you are looking for.)

I look forward to hearing your feedback and your additions to this post!! If I get additions I’ll republish this post in a few weeks.

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

As far as I can tell, there are two reasons to write.

1. So that other people can read what you have written. Examples of this type of writing are all around us, both on the Internet and in print.
2. For your own personal pleasure. Examples of this type of writing could be a diary that you never intend to publish or poems written on scraps of paper that you never intend to publish.

If you are writing for the second reason, you may want to skip the rest of this post. Put whatever words you like on paper or on your computer, it doesn’t really matter since no one else will see it.
If you, like most of us, are writing with the intent to have others read your work, you may find the rest of this post to be of interest.

I am convinced that people read material for three reasons:

1. To get information. Examples of materials that people read for information vary from news articles to encyclopedia articles to the phone book. A very timely example of something that I recently read solely for information purposes is the instructions that came with the tax software that I just purchased.
2. To be entertained. Examples of materials that people read for entertainment also vary. This kind of material can include novels, short stories, poems, biographies, and even lists of trivia.
3. Both of the above. The reader is especially rewarded when the material they are reading serves to both entertain and inform. Think how much better I would have retained the instructions for the tax software if they were more entertaining.

As writers who write to be read, our job is to figure out why a reader would read whatever it is that we are writing. Once we figure this out, we need to be sure and deliver what it is that we believe the reader needs.

If we think that our reader needs information from our writing, we need to deliver that information in a manner that is concise and easily understood. If we think that our reader is looking for entertainment from our writing, we need to make our material as entertaining as possible.

These points may seem obvious, and, in fact, they are obvious. However, in the rush of getting work and meeting deadlines, it is easy for both new and seasoned writers to forget that they are not writing for themselves.

I hope that this post serves as a gentle reminder for both new and seasoned writers.

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

My kids often come home with assignments to compare and contrast two things. I thought it would be an interesting and helpful exercise to apply to the two available environments in the writing field, especially since I have been a part of each environment (twelve years as a technical writer, four years operating my own business).
The two work environments that I’ve identified for writers are work-at-home (WAHM) and corporate America.

Similarities

In both environments:

• You must have good writing skills.
• You are likely to get challenging assignments.
• You will be faced with (often tight) deadlines.
• Most writing is done using a computer so keyboard skills are important.
• You may have to face managers (clients) whose requirements are unclear.
• You may have the same job title.

Differences

• Pay. In corporate America you will likely receive a regular paycheck and include benefits (medical insurance, vacation, sick days, etc.). As a WAHM your pay may be sporadic. You must purchase, or otherwise provide for, your own benefits.
• Assignments. In corporate America your manager brings your work assignments to you, usually before you complete your current work assignment. As a WAHM you must find your own work assignments. Depending on how effective you are at finding work assignments there may be gaps between projects.
• Assignments, part 2. In corporate America you can’t turn an assignment down. As a WAHM, you can.
• Equipment and tools. In corporate America your equipment (computer, software) are provided by the company. As a WAHM you must purchase and maintain your own equipment.
• Education. In corporate America you are often provided with company paid continuing education. As a WAHM you are responsible for keeping current in your field.
• Hours. In corporate America you must be available during the company’s core hours (usually business hours Monday through Friday). As a WAHM you can work whenever it’s most convenient for you.
• Hours, part 2. In corporate America you are expected to put in unpaid overtime if you are salaried. As a WAHM you are expected to work until the project is done. If you find yourself working unpaid overtime it means you didn’t bid the project correctly.
• Hours, part 3. In corporate America you must ask before taking time off (often with pay). As a WAHM you can take time off whenever you like (without pay).
• Colleagues. In corporate America your colleagues are in the next cubicle. You can go to lunch with them. As a WAHM your colleagues are online. Lunch is probably beside the keyboard.
• Intellectual property. In corporate America intellectual property almost always belongs to the corporation. As a WAHM intellectual property depends on your contract.

What about you? Do you have any compare and contrast experiences to add? I’d love your feedback.

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

Sometimes I think it’s fun (and healthy) to look in the mirror and laugh at ourselves. I put together this post with that idea firmly in mind (and with my tongue in my cheek).

We writers can be a breed unto ourselves. Here are some common traits shared by writers that I have known and worked with (as well as more than a few traits that fit me).

If you see yourself in the traits listed below (and I bet you can relate to a couple of them), enjoy a chuckle or two on me.

1. Typos drive you crazy. Whether you find one in a newspaper or on the back of cereal box you’re liable to write to whoever produced the document and let them know about it.
2. You find yourself saying “uh huh” a lot to the kids and hubby without even knowing what you are saying “uh huh” about. That is because you are in the middle of a project. Your kids and hubby know this and are either a) understanding (yeah right!) b) eager to take advantage of it.
3. When other people drive through an unfamiliar neighborhood, they look at the sizes of the houses and speculate on the price. When you drive through an unfamiliar neighborhood, you create mental word pictures of the people that might live in the houses.
4. You have too many ideas and too little time. You wake up from a dream and think to yourself, “that would make a good story.” You have a notebook or computer file with half-started stories and ideas.
5. You own lots and lots (and lots) of red pens. You write all your correspondence in red ink. Sometimes you write your checks in red ink. You think that this is normal.
6. A working lunch is chocolate and caffeine by the keyboard. You have a lot of working lunches.
7. Your skin is hardened from all the rejection letters you’ve received and all the changes editors have made to your work. (You actually enjoy seeing the red ink on your work because it shows you how to improve.)
8. No one will play Scrabble with you. That is because you always win. Other people think that you are making words up, but when they check in the dictionary they find that the words you use are real.
9. You send personal emails back to the sender with edits. You edit the letters you receive from your family and friends. This is seriously jeopardizing your personal relationships.
10. When other people get on the Internet they look for websites with games and gossip. When you get on the Internet you look for websites that need writers.

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

It happened to one of my daughters. We had just finished eating a delicious meal at our favorite local Chinese restaurant. She broke upon her fortune cookie, and then said, “Look at this!”

We all passed around the little slip of paper that had the following words: “sometimes fortune cookies have no fortunes.”

After we got over the surprise of it, we all kind of grinned. No doubt this was humor on the part of somebody at the fortune cookie factory.

However, my daughter’s “fortune” stuck in my head. I think the humorists at the cookie factory may actually be on to something important. I think that the words apply to more than just fortune cookies.

[Read more →]

I spend a lot of time reading.

One of the things that occurred to me was that inside of every writer is, first of all, a reader. I know that it’s true for me. I believe that it’s true for other writers as well.

[Read more →]

What comes to mind as the most unusual writing tool you’ve ever used? Maybe a unique book, or an unusual pencil comes to mind. Maybe you’ve even used an antique typewriter or quill pen.

I’ve discovered something a little bit different to help me with my writing, however. It’s the timer on my Microwave. That’s right, a kitchen timer.

How does a kitchen timer help you write, you might ask. Well, it’s like this. I’ve been looking for ways to write my web content articles more quickly. You see, the more efficiently I write, the more I can earn. This is true of all writing, but it is especially true for writing web content.

Now, typically when I sit down to write I might start an article, write for fifteen or twenty minutes, and then find myself distracted by other tasks. I might find myself caught up in extra research. I might even find myself distracted by small chores around the house. I do a couple of those other tasks, and then come back to finish the article.

These breaks in my writing slow me down and cause me to earn less. That’s where the kitchen timer comes in. The articles I write average about 500 words. To earn my keep, so to speak, I need to be able to produce an article in approximately 45 minutes.

I can do it. I’ve done it. I know it’s doable. It just doesn’t always happen. Or, at least it didn’t always happen before I started using the kitchen timer.

Here’s how I use the timer to increase my writing speed. I initially set the timer to 30 minutes. Just knowing that I’m writing against the clock helps me stay on task. When the 30 minute timer goes off. I set the timer again for 15 minutes. I use these last 15 minutes to wrap up the article.

I tried it today and it works like a charm. I got my article done in less than 45 minutes without yielding to any distractions.

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