Write Beyond the Cubicle

I'm Back

2011-03-12T18:18:00.000-06:00

I blogged every day for the month of May and loved the experience. And then just as diligently as I blogged that month I dropped off this blog and realigned my focus to my fashion blog. That has been the big passion of mine and the big emphasis in my blogging life during 2010.

But... I finally did the thing that I have been dreaming of since 8th grade. I published a book. And so, with that new milestone in my writing life I feel the need to pick up blogging again at WBTC in order to document the weeks and months ahead and this whole crazy event. Insane - I know.

I'll be sharing all the details and hopefully connecting with other Indie writers through this portal. No, I'm not leaving the fashion blog behind. It's still a HUGE passion of mine and it will continue to be in the months and years ahead. But now I will be posting here as well.

Final Day of Blogathon 2010

2010-05-31T19:51:00.003-05:00

Wow. I can't believe I have successfully posted every day during May for the Blogathon 2010. To be honest, I didn't think I was going to be able to do this. But I pushed forward and learned a lot as a result. The lessons I've learned in the last 31 days....

1. Every post does not have to be award winning quality. They can be short, brief, witty, fun. No matter what, they shouldn't just fill space, but they should add information to the conversation.

2. Picking a theme for a week's worth of posts can be an easy way to write often and develop a theme. Plus it means shorter posts, so readers are hopefully more likely to read the entire message. (For me, the niche writing posts were great and I plan on doing more such posts.)

3. Commenting on other blogs, or sharing posts, is a great way to get your voice out there and to continue the conversation with readers and fellow writers/bloggers/journalists.

4. I also realized that I see blogging as a conversation between the writer and the readers. This is something I'd always known and felt but never fully articulated until this month. And it seems to be a belief that not everyone shares or fully understands. Now, I want to write more about this in the weeks ahead.

5. I need to spice things up with more entertaining content, something more than just text. Video, pictures, whatever...

6. Pre-posting is the way to get content up on the weekends, and not have to think about it when away from the computer and taking time to disconnect.

7. There is just not enough time in the day to do everything and write everything I'd like to. (Not that I just learned that this month, but I saw it more clearly this month as I tried to view the other blogs contributing in the Blogathon and failed miserably.)

8. I also acknowledge that I don't think it is necessary to post daily. Although, I do want to post more frequently than I did the months before this Blogathon.

The story is in the details

2010-05-30T08:12:00.000-05:00

As we were driving down to Nashville yesterday, my travel buddy turned to me in shock that her AT&T network wasn't strong in the boonies of IL. I laughed since my Verizon signal was as strong as usual.

She told me, "I just don't understand, AT&T says it covers 97% of the country."

I thought about that and the commercials I have heard recently and realized that message was exactly what the phone company wants its customers to hear. But the truth of the matter is that the ads say they cover 97% of the population. So big cities, that are more population dense are covered while the sticks in rural IL or MO are not covered.

It got me thinking... for writing it is also about the little details and getting to the bottom of what someone is saying. Are we talking 97% of the country or 97% of the people here? It's the journalists job to ferret out the details on these vague and often purposely misleading statements.

Article Writing is like Country Music

2010-05-29T20:09:00.003-05:00

This morning I woke up at the God-awful hour of 3:30am to begin a road trip down to Nashville, TN. As I drove along, and my road trip buddy slept in the passenger seat, I was listening to the endless amounts of country music. The songs, which almost all tell an actual story from beginning to end, are the perfect example of what every good news story should be.

Who, what, where, when, why and how. Take Luke Bryan’s ‘Rain is the a Good Thing’ Who: the main character and his girl. What: thankful for rain that brings lots of good things. Where: The farm, the barn. Why: It makes his girl frisky. How: riding out a thunder storm in the barn… um, yeah…

Entertaining. Or at least interesting to read.Not every story are going to be as catchy as a Brad Paisely song. (Check you for Ticks, Water)

Short. There is the occasional need to tell a story that is equivalent to the length of American Pie, but usually stories can be told better and more clearly with less words and more direct writing.

Descriptive. It’s not enough to just tell the story. In these songs there are only a couple verses and a few rounds of the course. It all needs to fit, which means the words need to be specifically chosen. Old school Kenny Chesney, "big orange ball sinking in the water..."

Buckle down

2010-05-28T17:19:00.003-05:00

Today I had to revise a short piece I wrote and then write a long profile article on a very interesting company. I love this kind of writing. Honestly, I do. But sometimes it's impossible to concentrate. I mean it's beautifully sunny and warm out today. I sat in one Panera and was so cold from the blasting AC that I needed to leave before I lost my finger tips. I moved to another Panera and had two tables that seemed to be in a 'who can talk louder' competition.

All of this is to say, I was mega distracted. I allowed myself a 30 minute blog-reading distraction, filled up my cup with Dr. Pepper and then put my headphones on and told myself I wasn't allowed to get up for anything until everything was done. And... mission accomplished.

Sometimes, I think we need to work at psyching ourselves out. Give in a little and then buckle down. No distractions. Shut up twitter. Put your phone on silence in your bag. Pick music that is simple and non-singalongable. And then attack the words and thoughts ahead of you.

What do you do to concentrate and get that pending piece done? Any tricks?

In college I used to wear a study cap. Whenever it was on my head I knew that was the time to do nothing but study. Oddly enough it worked wonders.

Kill them with Kindness

2010-05-27T20:09:00.003-05:00

Sometimes there are days in a freelancer's life when everything seems to be going wrong. Sources flake out of you. Editors are breathing down your neck. The words aren't flowing. It's rough. (Thankfully for me today is not one of those days, which is why I opted to write about it now.)

I've found often times the sources tend to be the most frustrating thing. They want to review their quotes and have small changes they want to see fixed. They won't return phone calls, or don't like being put on speaker phone. Sometimes the men think that you must not know too much since you're a girl, which I find to be especially true in business writing. All of this can lead to a difficult interview, in-person or over-the-phone.

The best solution, is a two-fold approach. First, kill them with kindness. Make it apparent you are on their side. Just searching for the facts. Not out to malign them or their reputation. Second, help them see you are knowledgeable about the subject matter. You know what you are talking about. You are aware of the terms and players.

Facebook Changes Privacy Settings... Again

2010-05-26T17:02:00.002-05:00

If you've been following this debate about Facebook and are aware of the uproar some are making and the completely lackadaisical approach others have to it all, I'm sure you have an opinion. Here's the latest from the Washington Post.

I, personally, have tried to keep my Facebook account secure and private. I don't usually accept friend requests from colleagues or clients and I make it so almost all my settings are for 'friends only.' However that doesn't prevent people from finding me and creeping on me a little. (Here's an article I wrote for another blog several weeks ago. It's all about how easy it is to start for FB information about a person and wind up with their children's names and a picture of their house, thanks to the internet.)

What do you think about privacy controls? Should they be strengthened? Loosened? Does it not matter?

Music to Write to

2010-05-25T20:46:00.005-05:00

So, as most good journalists I tend to be a procrastinator and a perfection-seeker. Two problems when on deadline. I wrote, re-wrote and perfected a piece last night, which became early this morning, which lead to little sleep but a killer piece.

With that in mind I have absolutely NO brain power left. But, since I want to keep up this winning streak of posting every day in May (it's the 25th for goodness sake) here is a list of some of my favorite songs to listen to as I try to get into the writing mode.

What songs help you concentrate?

3am (acoustic) - Matchbox20
Everybody Knows - Dixie Chicks
Better That We Break - Maroon 5
Breathe - David Gray
I Don't Trust Myself - John Mayer
Marry Me - Train
The House That Built Me - Miranda Lambert
Cry On Command - Gloriana
Syrup & Honey - Duffy
The Best of My Love - The Eagles
Closer To Love - Mat Kearney
Rainy Night in Georgia - Chris Young
Spies - Coldplay
Falling Apart - Matt Nathanson
Autumn in New York - Ella Fitzgerald
Cry on Demand - Ryan Adams
Talkin' Bout a Revolution - Tracy Chapman
Time and Time Again - Counting Crows
I'm About to Come Alive - David Nail or Train
Man to Man - Gary Allen
My Life Story - Gladys Knight
Simple Man - Shinedown
Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone - Al Green
Stupid Boy - Keith Urban
Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright
Blue Eyes Blue - Eric Clapton

Haiku the day

2010-05-24T10:24:00.002-05:00

I don't think I've written a Haiku since grade school. But for the May blogathoners, we are being challenged to write a Haiku today. Trying to get the syllables just write was a bigger challenge than I would have thought. You try it!

Click, clack of the keys
Typing my words into thought
Short, brief, to the point.

Quotes to live by...

2010-05-23T21:58:00.002-05:00

In keeping with the more relaxed weekend themes, here are a couple of m favorite journalism/writing quotes.

"Journalism can never be silent: That is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air." - Henry Anatole Grunwald

"Generally speaking, the best people nowadays go into journalism, the second best into business, the rubbish into politics and the shits into law." - Auberon Waugh

"The difference between the right word and the nearly right word is the difference between lightning and lightning bug." - Mark Twain

"In journalism, there has always been a tension between getting it first and getting it right." - Ellen Goodman

"I became a journalist to come as close as possible to the heart of the world." - Henry R. Luce

Journalism Movies

2010-05-22T13:24:00.003-05:00

For this sunny and bright Saturday (in which I am spending as much time out of doors and away from my computer as possible) I thought I'd leave you all with a few of my favorite journalism movies.

Shattered Glass: PG-13, 94 minutes - Perfect proof of how one lie, becomes a second, which becomes a third and soon you don't even realize where the truth ends and the lies begin.

The Devil Wears Prada: PG-13, 109 minutes - A surprisingly accurate portrayal of the fashion magazine industry. And of course Ann Hathway is her usual cute, sometimes a little annoying, self.

Confessions of a Shopaholic: PG, 104 minutes - A fashionista in a business writing environment, trying desperately to break into the fashion industry and wracking up the credit card bills to prove it. Isla Fischer is great.

Let's go old-school for a second...
His Girl Friday: 92 minutes - Does it get any better than Cary Grant trying to win his reporter ex-wife back?

Foreign Correspondent: 120 minutes - Um, directed by Hitchcock... need I say more?

Roman Holiday: 118 minutes - A princess and a reporter, set in Rome, starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn... this was is truly a classic.

Changing your Niche

2010-05-21T10:16:00.000-05:00

Here I have spent the week lauding the praises of the niche, something I don't think I truly even understood two years ago. So... now let's talk about changing yours.

I'm in the midst of drastically altering my writing focus, which is a difficult and challenging venture. Anyone who has found their interests and passions moving from one spectrum of the writing planet to the other understands what a huge endeavor this is. Moving from commercial real estate to fashion.. um, yeah. I suppose it could be said I'm creating a second niche.

Here's how I'm doing it: (To be honest, since I've never switched my niche before I can't vouch for the fool-proofness of this plan. It just makes logical sense to me.)

Identify the new niche you'd like to pursue. This needs to be specific, as specific as possible.
Look for opportunities to be published in this area. This will at times mean writing for free, starting a blog, or going out on a limb to pitch a publication.
Find the ways your current niche and the one you'd like to have intersect. (For instance, I've written about new malls opening and the retailers looking to locate in the facility.)
Don't neglect your niche area. By falling out of practice in your actual area of expertise you are closing the door to other opportunities that could be coming your way. And let's be honest, as a freelancer you can't shut the door on anything. Stay current. Read up. Take assignments.
Read, read, and read some more on the area you want to focus on.
Seek out the online community for that field. Interact with the key players - network. Learn the big facts, the interesting points, the must-know tidbits.

What else would you add to the list? Has anyone successfully switched niches? What worked for you?

Learning to Love a Niche

2010-05-20T09:46:00.003-05:00

When I first started writing about commercial real estate and other business-related topics I was excited just to have a job in the journalism field. I could have been happy writing weather reports or obits. But as the time went on and I realized I had thoroughly entrenched myself in this niche, I had a momentary panic attack.

I didn't like writing about commercial real estate. It was boring. What could I do? I spent a couple weeks miserable about the spot I found myself in. Then I spent a couple weeks trying to get out of it. I interviewed for a position as the assistant to an editor at a now defunct home-fashion magazine. When I finished the interview, the editor told me she loved my personality, drive and enthusiasm and unfortunately I was too overqualified for the position. I would be bored, she explained. I was distraught. (Although now I am grateful.)

After that I decided to man-up and give 110% to the job at hand. I poured myself into the niche. I researched the major players, the key words. I learned about cap rates and intermodal yards. I studied the supply-chain and REITs. And through all of this I discovered the areas that I actually love to write about.

I think in every niche, even the ones we aren't completely sold on, there are areas of interest, stories that will grip us and beg to be written. For instance, I love writing about new construction projects, mixed-use facilities and anything that is sustainable. True, there are still the stories that I have to make an effort to care about. But overall, the change in mindset has really helped me make this niche my own.

To make a niche your own you've got to become fully immersed in the topic. You've got to know the players, the events, the background. You've got to have the hunger to know more and the desire to research until you find the answers. You've got to rise above the initial dullness and find the interesting sidenotes or fun facts; besides it is usually this info that makes a story more exciting to read and write.

Why a Niche is Important

2010-05-19T09:35:00.003-05:00

After yesterday's guest post, it seems a number of people agree with Rebecca - being a generalist is a good thing. I'll agree, to an extent. It certainly is nice not to be boxed into writing about only one topic. It is important to stretch outside of your writer's comfort zone and challenge yourself personally and professionally with new topics and sources.

Still, I think it is important to have a niche. A niche gives you a shoe-in for projects. As I mentioned in the post defining a niche, mine is business writing, specifically commercial real estate. Is it the most thrilling topic all the time? No, not at all. Are there amazing aspects to it? Yes! Having this niche was something that happened to me, without any real foresight on my part. I took a number of jobs early on that focused in this area and suddenly it's my field of expertise.

This subject matter has helped me land countless freelance jobs. I've worked on and off for a number of years for several national commercial real estate publications. I wrote a freelance piece for the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune special sections, and have now landed additional assignments from construction and building publications.

The ability to tell a potential client about your deep knowledge on the subject matter, gives you one-up over the competition. The fact that you know the key players and all ready have contacts in your niche area, further solidifies your worthiness for the job.

One the other hand, being a generalist means you have lots of basic knowledge and contacts. But it means you don't have the full pulse of the subject matter.

Guest Blogger: Steering Clear of the Niche

2010-05-18T14:35:00.006-05:00

Today's post is part of the May Blogathon, in which bloggers trade posts write for another person's blog for the day. Rebecca Robinson is the guest blogger for Write Beyond today! As a fellow freelancer, she offers some pretty valid points about not wanting to box herself into a single niche, which is a pretty timely post considering this week I'm blogging about a journalist's niche.

When I saw Katie’s tweet (@hinder) last week about needing a Blogathon guest poster, I jumped on it, admittedly because I wanted to snap up anyone as quickly as I could regardless of whether it would be a good fit.

(Call it Needy Freelancer Syndrome: the tendency to grab anything that comes your way and treat it as if it’s the key to your salvation, even after you realize that a 400-words-for-$15 article on joint mobilization won’t buy you happiness, fame or fortune…or even pay your water bill.)

Once I took a closer look, though, I realized that Katie’s blog Write Beyond the Cubicle was the ideal place for me to guest post, particularly during her “know your niche” week. You see, I am the consummate generalist. Homelessness? I write about that. Faith communities? Heck yes! Social entrepreneurs, cops, performance artists, sex workers? Lemme at ‘em!

What I love most about journalism is being able to tell so many different stories, to immerse myself in so many different realities and do my best to portray those realities to readers, finding the common thread that ties their life experience to that of someone whose world may be completely different than their own. It makes my life richer, and pushes me far beyond my comfort zone, whether I’m digesting wonky data or reporting in the field, into places that are unfamiliar, surprising, and sometimes downright scary.

I like to think I’ve had modest success in my three-plus years of journalism (a little under a year as a staff writer at a Vermont daily newspaper, a little over two as a freelance writer and editor in Portland, Oregon). But every day I hear that I would do better if I picked a niche and stuck with it. It’s key to building a coherent brand! It’s the only way you’ll ever make money!

These are valid arguments that are impossible to ignore, given their ubiquity on blogs and on the “future of news” lecture circuit. But for someone who’s not only interested in damn near everything but also relishes the challenge of absorbing new knowledge and communicating it coherently to the public, niche-ifying seems limiting.

I fully accept that this view may spring from my complete inability (or unwillingness?) to choose a path and stick to it, or a stubborn refusal to accept that my chosen profession is changing in ways that don’t necessarily align with my particular passions. But part of me genuinely believes that a journalist can build a brand through producing a body of high-quality but varied work instead of becoming the go-to authority on all things X.

But enough about me…what do you think? Comment away; I eagerly await your wisdom. (Or your rants. Those are fun too.)
- - - - - - - - -

Rebecca Robinson is a freelance writer and editor driven by insatiable curiosity and a passion for storytelling. (She’s also a fan of muckraking, wonkery, and keeping ‘em honest.) Her work has appeared in numerous print and online publications, including the Oregonian, Street Roots, Willamette Week, and Dowser.org. Got a story? Get in touch: Rebecca.michelle.robinson@gmail.com.

Also, check out my post on Rebecca's blog. It's all about being aware of the niche you are creating with internships and early career jobs.

What's a Niche?

2010-05-17T00:15:00.000-05:00

This week I'm going to be blogging about a writer's niche. How to create one, how to change one, how to love yours, etc...

Most journalists have a niche; an area they tend to focus on and land jobs related to. For me it's real estate.

The niche is not always something you knowingly pick. Sometimes it lands at your feet and you go with the flow. For instance, in college I worked for the student newspaper and preferred human interest stories, higher education and religion. The summer before Junior year my dad got me an internship with Realtor Magazine. Like most internships, I didn't do too much but I read a lot on the subject matter as I sat in my little out-of-the-way cubicle.

Then as a Junior I hoped to land an internship to count as college credit during the year. My friend, Jen, recommended me for a job at the Business Journal and I landed there for a semester. I actually loved this internship. I wrote company profiles and features on local businesses and leaders.

After college I moved to New York, got a job in the editorial department at the Times and actually landed a freelance gig for the Real Estate section. I think that tiny article sealed my fate. From there I went on to work at Commercial Property News and GlobeSt.com.

Real Estate and Business wasn't something I was actively looking for. But it was something that I fell into through the jobs I landed and the freelance pieces I was assigned.

Mark Twain

2010-05-16T10:11:00.000-05:00

Did you know 2010 marks the 175th anniversary of Mark Twain's birth and the 100th anniversary of his death. True story.

To celebrate, and really to learn more about this American literary icon my friends and I are headed to Hannibal today. It's the birth place of the famed writer and of course they have a whole museum tour set-up for tourists. Not totally my kind of thing, but I've got a couple friends who are big-time into it.

Never read a Mark Twain piece? Try this free short story on Bartleby. Jim Smily and His Jumping Frog

I've read both the Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. But I have to admit, ashamedly, that I did not know he wrote the Prince and the Pauper until I checked it out of the library last week. Read his bio here and see the complete list of works.

Where's your email at?

2010-05-15T10:28:00.005-05:00

For my fashion blog I've been working at contacting a number of fashion and beauty bloggers to start this weekly networking post series. The concept is fairly easy to understand and operate and it is a great way to both network and drive traffic to our blogs. I've got a whole bunch of bloggers that I would LOVE to be involved in the movement but the trouble is I can't find their e-mail addresses anywhere! (Ok it's not really a movement but I can't think of a better name for it.)

To me, it is crucial that you give people a way to contact you on the blog. And, more importantly, it needs to be easy for them to find that contact information. If it is buried on the bottom sidebar under all your key words, previous blog posts, and blog roll readers/advertisers/fellow bloggers will likely give up before getting that far.

If possible, the contact information should be at the top of the homepage. Maybe make a "Contact Me' gadget or blog page. Maybe put your e-mail address and Twitter handle as the first two things on the sidebar. But however you do it, you need to make it nearly impossible for someone to miss it.

It's Friday! Who's ready for the weekend?

2010-05-14T20:40:00.001-05:00

Lend a Hand

2010-05-13T21:50:00.003-05:00

If I learned one thing from a certain professor at Marquette it was that the journalism field is VERY small. Everyone knows everyone else. One mess up and you could ensure your jobless state for years to come. And when you work in a certain niche that field becomes even smaller. (For instance one of my last freelancing gigs came from a former co-worker and required speaking with a former boss - SMALL World!)

But this isn't a post about burning bridges... I've written that one before.

Instead this is about lending a hand to a fellow writer. I've found that in this field people are often unwilling to go out of their way to help a fellow professional. I don't know if it is the competitive nature of the field, or the often insane schedules we keep. But whatever it is I've run up against my fair share of brick walls.

When I was a recent graduate I moved to New York in the hopes of landing the job of a lifetime. No one tells you the job of a lifetime is NEVER going to be your first job. Anyway, I went with a list of former Marquette students who now worked in the journalism or PR fields. One by one I contacted these alumni and asked for a 10 minute informational interview. I assured them all I really wanted to do was pick their brains about the field and the NYC market. Of all the people I contacted only two responded and agreed to offer me a meeting. A couple told me they were much too busy to see me but wished me luck. Others outright ignored my request.

As I've moved on in my career, (Sidenote: I can't complain too much since one of these contacts turned into my first job) I began to realize this is not just something a new professional runs up against. Many fellow journalists are unwilling to offer advice or support to those trying to make it.

When I moved to St. Louis, with a number of reputable jobs under my belt and a fairly good looking portfolio, I reached out to a fellow alum who also happened to have a mutual friend of mine. Two emails and one un-returned phone call I realized this local writer wasn't going to offer any support or thoughts on landing a job here. I let it go and moved on to other resources.

I've been contacted by a number of journalism majors asking my thoughts on a specific matter or internship. When I respond, at least half the people thank me and admit I am the only one who offered support and encouragement. No, I didn't get them a job, but at least I helped direct the search or their craft.

Why is it so impossible for journalists to remember the people who helped them get to where they are today and offer that same support to another?

Is this something that is unique to journalism or is this a global phenomenon?

PS The idea for this post came after a fellow alum helped me land a new freelancing gig today. I've ever so grateful to him, especially since he breaks the mold and is willing to lend a hand.

The solitary life of a freelancer

2010-05-12T10:48:00.003-05:00

I was doing an interview a couple months ago, talking to a painter, and she was telling me how easy it is to become a hermit in her profession. I assured her I could relate. As a freelance write, editor and social media coordinator I spend most of the day in front of my computer interacting with people I've never met. Sure, I feel like I know several of them because of the relationships we have struck up and I'd love to meet up with them for coffee or a beer if I was ever in their part of the world.

But... life as a freelancer is pretty solitary. For instance I've lived in St. Louis three years now. I've made friends through a couple of the different activities I attend, and keeping a part time retail job for a while. But recently I started to realize I don't know anyone here in the Lou in the media world. And that's a bummer, since the average person doesn't understand social media or blogging and so having a conversation about those topics is impossible.

I finally took matters into my own hands and have signed up to attend the STL Social Media Club's May event. I'll be honest, networking events are not exactly my strong point. (actually they tend to petrify me.) But I firmly believe people need to have in-person contacts especially in their field of professional work. So, I'm going to give it a go. Fingers crossed it goes well.

Sites I Visit Daily

2010-05-11T19:47:00.003-05:00

In keeping with yesterday's blogs I love post... I thought I'd highlight the sites I visit daily for work and for fun.

Google News - True it is full of a lot of random articles and stuff that is pointless. But I love that it highlights the top stories all on one page so I can see what's what in a minute's scrolling time.

Yahoo - Ok, only for email do I venture here. I think the stories featured on the site are usually superfluous fluff and a waste of time. (Although I do like the games on yahoo.)

Independent Fashion Bloggers (IFB) - This is the go-to place for fashion bloggers to get tips on their skills, the latest news and experience community.

MapMyRun - The best site I've found to track my daily runs around town. It's great to both plot a run and track where you've gone.

Mashable - The most current and interesting Social Media guide with frequent updates and a wide variety of content.

Facebook - True life, I've been a member since its first year. Do I get a reward for that? I also keep this to friends and family members and steer the business connections elsewhere.

LinkedIn - Professional facebook. I find the groups to be the most fruitful and interesting aspect of the site. My profile.

Blogger - Obviously between Write Beyond and ModlyChic I'm on blogger a good portion of the day. Plus I follow a number of blogs this way.

Media outlets I read/skim daily: NYTimes, BBC, St. Louis Post Dispatch, CNN, Crain's Chicago Business

Blogs I Love

2010-05-10T17:05:00.002-05:00

As a May Blogathon 2010 participant, today I'm writing about my five favorite blogs. We're all trying to blog about this topic for the day. (More details and the blogs involved can be found here.)

My list of blogs is a strange one. Since I keep both this blog about freelancing and a personal fashion diary blog; and since I write about lifestyle trends and commercial real estate; and since I am working on penning a young adult novel. So the blogs I read daily are as diverse as my areas of interest. Here's what I've got bookmarked....

This Is Glamorous. Honestly one of the most beautiful blogs I have ever stumbled across. The pictures are visually stunning. It's totally eye candy.

Book Ends. An honest and often in-your-face approach to getting published written by a literary agent. The blog offers helpful advice on query letters, manuscripts, e-mail communications, plots, characters, hooks... pretty much everything needed for writing a killer story and getting it published.

Tatertots and Jello. True, I am not a mother. But this mom's blog is the practical woman's guide to stylish motherhood and DIY projects. I've gotten a number of great craft ideas from skimming her posts.

Keiko Lynn. Maybe it's her clothing designs or maybe it's just the pretty backdrops she catches in her photos. Whatever it is I love looking at this blog. For me visually pleasing blogs are the key to attracting and keeping readers.

Nathan Bransford. The guy I'd like to be my literary agent. He's professional, thoughtful and funny on his blog. Plus he's all about helping aspiring authors to get published.

What I Wore. I stumbled upon this blog about 16 months ago. After looking at her daily posts for more than three months I started thinking I could do something similar. So, she's the inspiration for my own fashion blog, ModlyChic.

Kendi Everyday. Yes, another fashion blog. But Kendi just completed a personal challenge to remix the same clothing outfits into 30 different outfits to be worn for 30 days. I watched the daily posts and was uber-inspired by her combinations and creativity.

Nicholas Kristof. Can I count his NYT column as a blog? Not really, but I am going to anyway. When I worked at the NYT after college I had the opportunity to interact with Kristof a number of times. He struck me as a down-to-earth reporter who honestly cared deeply about the subjects he wrote about. If only every columnist was concerned with things that really matter in this world.

FishbowlNY. When I worked in New York I honestly read this MediaBistro blog first thing every morning. You want to know about the journalism scene in the Big Apple? Here's where you get the skinny on everyone. Now I skim it occasionally just for fun.

My mother made me a better writer by doing nothing

2010-05-09T14:08:00.002-05:00

My mom is an amazing individual (even if most people can say that about their own mothers.) Honestly my mom is Martha Stewart and June Cleaver and Oprah all rolled into one. And it is to her, on this Mother's Day, that I owe a good portion of my love for and ability to write.

When I was in grade school I began to love the concept of putting pen to paper to come up with something unique and interesting to read by another person. I don't have any of my early writings, but I believe it is safe to say... they were horrible. At some point, I don't remember what year, I had to take one of those standardized tests. You know, the kind that mean nothing but are required and the results arrive in the mail. When the kids in my class started talking about their test results I was surprised that I'd yet to see mine. When I asked my mom where the scores were she told me it wasn't important as long as I was doing my best in school.

Fast forward a year or two. I took the same test and when I asked about the results I got the same response. It doesn't matter because my parents knew I was trying. It wasn't until I was in high school, excelling at the English writing courses and starting the school paper that my mom told me the ulterior motive behind not showing me the scores.

I had scored the lowest on the writing portion of the test, lower even than science - the class I despised. My mom (and dad) knew how much writing meant to me and they didn't want me to become discouraged by the score. They knew me so well! So, they kept the results a secret from me and were justly rewarded when I took the test again a few years later and received my highest score on the writing portion.

Thank God my mom kept the results from me. Who knows where I would be today if I had become disheartened with writing all the way back in grade school.

Stepping Away

2010-05-08T06:23:00.000-05:00

This probably does not count as a May Blogathon post but... today I am moving a friend of mine out of her college dorm and back home. And I'm taking advantage of the day to literally disconnect from technology to just help her and be a good friend.

I'm a firm believer in getting your priorities straight.

Phones...

2010-05-07T14:49:00.002-05:00

I'm spending nearly the entire day playing around with my new HTC Droid Incredible. I'll have a review of it up here in about a week after I learn all the fun parts of the phone. But for now... I have to say it's great.

I've had a blackberry for two years and have been a big proponent of the blackberry. But the problem with it is that the internet does not display as I would like it to. Plus the cameras on most of the blackberry devices are inferior to almost every other kind of smartphone out today. For email, twitter, and basic note taking (plus phone calls of course) the Blackberry Curve was a perfect phone.

Long video, but this walks you through most of the basics of the Droid Incredible:

What Journalism Is...

2010-05-06T23:57:00.002-05:00

Planning ahead - editorial calendars

2010-05-05T19:45:00.002-05:00

Happy Cinco De Mayo! The pseudo-holiday got me thinking about the need freelancers have to plan ahead. Publications work off editorial calendars, which often run months in advance. Content to go live this week about Margaritas and Coronas and good guacamole (YUM) has been planned well in advance.

For us freelancers, it's crucial to know the work flow pattern for the publication you hope to pitch. An outdated pitch will get sent directly to the trash bin by the editor you are pitching. They don't have the time not the patience to deal with writers who are unable to think ahead.

Your best bet is to find a publications editorial calendar and then create one of your own. Count back the days to when the publication will begin working on a specific topic. Then count back the amount of time it will take you to write the piece and add a couple extra days to send the pitch and get it accepted or tweaked by the writer.

With this mantra you're likely to be working on Back to School and Halloween pieces now. But that's ok. It'll stretch your creativity and help you hone the art of the pitch.

Making Use of Lost Moments

2010-05-04T12:49:00.003-05:00

I'm typing this post out on my blackberry as I ride a stationary bike at my gym. Yes, I am getting some odd looks from my fellow gym buddies, but inspiration struck and I needed to take advantage.

For a freelancer, and let's face it for pretty much anyone on the planet, time is money. Unlike those who work a 9-to-5 job we don't necessarily know where out next pay check is coming from. We need to cultivate clients, network and pitch like crazy. And then when we finally do get a client or a gig we need to dive right into the project, usually there is no time to waste.

As a result it's important to take advantage of the little spots of time that are otherwise vacant in our day and fill those with mini brain storming sessions, outline creation or basic note taking. I've written whole posts while driving around from place to place and waiting in lines on a normal Tuesday. Plus taking advantage to take notes when inspiration hits will allow you an easier time when it comes to pitching and writing. I mean honestly, how many times have you had an AMAZING idea, forgot to jot it down and subsequently couldn't remember the previous stellar idea? Too often to count no doubt. (For instance the idea for this post came to me yesterday as I was sitting at a red light responding to an e-mail. I immediately made a note. )

If you think about it I'm sure your day is full of little periods of time you've previously considered wasted. The wait at the red light or train crossing. The 10 minutes before an event starts. The cool down at the gym. The line at Starbucks or the wait to get your drink. There are little lost moments littered throughout our day. Taking advantage of them will mean increased productivity and likely better long term results.

How is a blogger not like a journalist?

2010-05-03T07:23:00.000-05:00

Everybody and their mother has a blog these days; and most of these people call themselves journalists. But let's get one thing straight - bloggers and journalists are not the same.

A Blogger is someone who writes targeted content for a specific audience. They may have experience in the industry or just an opinion on the matter. Blogs are free range for opinions to run rampant. When penning a blog there is no necessary writing style or formulas to follow. The facts mentioned don't have to be backed up by reliable sources (although I think they should be.) A blog is a place for conversation and debate. The blogger is the mastermind behind this forum.

A Journalist is someone who usually writes on a specific topic they have a specialty in. They know the facts, the sources, the key players. The articles should be laced with provable facts and written with the hope of conveying truth to the readers. A journalists own personal opinion should not be apparent in the article; it's all about the facts.

The line between these two types of writers are often blurred, which confuses the non-media savy public. When I write for businesses publications I call myself a journalist. I am delivering the facts to a specific market of readers that want to know what is going on. When I publish blog posts I'm a blogger. I fill my paragraphs with my own thoughts and opinions on a certain topic and pose questions for discussion. Bloggers get paid to offer their opinions. Writers get paid to check their opinions at the door.

Yes, I'm a blogger

2010-05-02T08:12:00.000-05:00

Hi. I'm KT and I'm a blogger. Ok, I'm more than a passive blogger (even if it's hard to tell from the sporadic Write Beyond posts). I actually make money from blogging. Try explaining that to someone who isn't up on new media and it's like talking a foreign language.

"What do you do for a living?"
"I write for several different blogs."
"Uh, huh. And what do you really do?"
"Um... I blog, you know about fashion, technology, pop culture, freelance writing, whatever."
"So you write? You're a journalist?"
"Yeah, I supposed you could say that since I went to school for journalism. And I write actual news pieces from time to time but I mostly blog now."
"I can't believe people pay you to do that. It takes no brains or effort to just write out your opinion."

Excuse me?! While everyone can physically write, it takes talent to craft words. And to make a blog successful it is not just a matter of putting your opinion down for others to potentially maybe read. A blogger needs to create conversation. She needs to entice readers back. She needs to draw new eyes to the site. It is not just as simple as filling a page in an 8th-grade diary. This is actual work.

May Blogathon 2010

2010-05-01T05:15:00.000-05:00

Last year I participated in the May Blogathon coordinated by Michelle Rafter. The experience was great and taught me a number of positive things about the art of blogging. I managed to write 27 posts during May 2009. But things got crazy, I took on some new freelancing jobs and I started a fashion blog, so Write Beyond often fell to the side.

Now that it's May again, I'm ready to re-start my frequent posts and do so with the encouragement and help of roughly 100 other bloggers. (Learn more here.) So in the weeks ahead I'll be attempting to write a daily post on the freelance and journalism industries. I'm geared up, I'm making a calendar of posts, and I plan to pre-write posts for the weekends so I don't skip days.

Good luck to all the other bloggers! I can't wait to read what you all have to say. (And although I am not entering my fashion blog in the Blogathon list, I'll also attempt to post daily to ModlyChic as well.)

Freelance Doesn't Mean Free Work

2010-04-22T11:31:00.002-05:00

This morning a fellow LinkedIn Group member sent me an e-mail. He complimented my writing style and said he'd love for me to write the copy for his new fashion-related website. My first thought: 'Hells Yeah!'

With my freelance career I've slowly been trying to make the transition from a strict business writer to a fashion and lifestyle writer. It's no easy task since journalism is usually a niche profession (more on that later this week). But I've been working on my own fashion blog, started blogging for a lifestyle/fashion blog out of Australia, and been doing several one-time articles for various pubs/blogs/sites. So, obviously my initial reaction was 'Finally someone recognizes my writing talent in this area.' Well... that was until I read the next line...

This potential client went on to say that because it was a start-up company they would be unable to compensate me in anyway for my work. Once the business was financially viable they might be able to pay me for future work. *bubble BURST* At this point my sunny, excited disposition swiftly turned into annoyance and anger.

What is it about freelance that makes people think you have the opportunity and desire to work for free? I'm no longer at the start of my career, when I might have tripped over myself to get an opportunity like this, regardless of compensation. I don't need a couple great clips to pad my portfolio. And I'm not naive enough to believe the experience from this writing gig will be more valuable than any monetary compensation.

I'm a professional. I work hard. I write well. And I rely completely on the money I make from writing to pay the bills. You wouldn't walk into the Gap and say to the manager 'give me these Long and Lean jeans for free. It'll be great exposure for your brand and really worth it in the long run.' The manager would kick you out of the store and not entertain your request for even a split second. (incidentally Long and Lean jeans from Gap are some of my all-time fav denim styles)

In this man's defense, I don't think he wrote me with any ill will. He probably honestly thought this would be a great opportunity and something a writing professional would jump at. So, instead of delete his e-mail without a response I wrote him back and kindly explained that I am unable to take non-paying gigs at this point in time. I offered to write if he could come up with some kind of payment in exchange.

Don't Go Burning Bridges

2010-03-17T12:00:00.003-05:00

When I worked in New York one of my co-workers constantly reminded us that she was not there to make friends. As a result she sat in front of her computer from the moment she got in until 4pm rolled around and she got to go home. She ate at her desk, always had her headphones in, and occasionally had a whispered phone conversation. I sat right next to her and we barely ever interacted.

To be fair she was a great editor but it always bugged me that she never wanted to talk socially or even eat lunch together. Not that I was looking for a BFF, but some kind of interaction with the person next to you at work would have been nice. At the time, I thought she was driven and passionate about her job, leading her to shun others and focus on the words in front of her.

Now, I think she did herself a HUGE disservice.

If I've learned anything in the last couple weeks as I look around for additional freelance gigs to fill my time, it's to never burn bridges. The majority of people I have reached out to and had a real conversation with have been friends and acquaintances from previous jobs or social environments. I've talked with a few former co-workers, as well as a high school classmate and a couple people who went to Marquette with me.

If I had gone into each job and social setting with a mind to just get the job done I would never have been able to talk with these people today. So, my advice to the college students reading this and others trying to make it in the freelancing world: Make connections, create links, build contacts. Don't burn bridges. Journalism is a small, small world. If you make enemies or neglect to make friends you are pretty likely to run into those same people at another point down the road.

Not to mention, since we are social beings it is healthy and right to build relationships with those around us... but that's a whole other topic.

How is a journalist like a blacksmith?

2010-03-15T15:36:00.001-05:00

This weekend I had a long conversation with my dad, during which he told me that unfortunately I picked the wrong career. Journalism is dying. He’d been reading a couple business blogs lately that mentioned the changing face of journalism and the dire situation we are facing.

He told me, “Kate, I see journalism like the blacksmith profession. Sure there are still horse in need of shoes, but they are few and far between.” To him journalists are a diminishing breed, set to be nearly distinct except in some choice parts of the country.

I’ve given this analogy a lot of thought over the last three days and I’ve reached two conclusions. He’s right and he’s dead wrong. (At this point he’ll grin and shake his head at me.)

He’s right: Old-school journalists, the ones who pounded the pavement and worked for weeks to get a big juicy story, are shrinking in numbers. Thanks to the internet, the immediacy of news, free sites, blogs and citizen journalism there isn’t a large demand for strong, in-depth, well-written analysis pieces. These old-school journalists are the blacksmiths of today – few and far between.

He’s dead wrong: New media is unchartered territory. It’s the wild-west of today. And when the Wild West was first being tamed blacksmiths were in high demand, after all those cowboys needed their horses. New journalists, the ones who can adjust to the changing media models and write fast solid copy, are in high demand. Yes, citizen journalism and the idea that anybody and everybody has writing talent is polluting the waters. But those of us traditionally trained bring a concept of ethics, an appreciation for well-written copy and our love for the written world to the world of new media.

So, to his suggestion I become a nurse… I’m thinking more along the lines of pursuing new media more doggedly. Darwin had one solid idea… survival of the fittest is based on those that are best able to adapt to their surroundings. I’m adapting. Journalism is evolving. Blacksmith or not… I’m in it for the long haul because even after 10 years of seeing clips published I still love seeing my name in the byline slot. And for some reason I can write.

Beginning Again

2010-03-12T14:33:00.002-06:00

The world of freelancing is constantly a lesson in beginning again, and again, and again. It seems fate has me primed to take that 'from scratch' journey again. Due to a number of factors the amazing gig that I have had for the last 12 months no longer needed my services. Ouch - to say the least.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit when I found out I spent the entire day in a state of dazed panic. So many thoughts ran through my head... wait a second they liked my work, it seemed so secure the week before, shit I need to pay my taxes, my dad's going to flip, another job come and gone, oh no I've got two student loan bills and my phone bill sitting on my desk, thank God I still have a couple smaller gigs.

After the first day of confusion, I decided two things. One: Things happen for a reason. Two: I'm not going to sit back and hope good things just role my way.

The things happen for a reason was proved utterly true when I headed home that weekend to visit with my family. The trip had been planned well in advance and while it had nothing to do with my nearly jobless state it was a welcome break. The day I arrived home, my grandmother was put on hospice care. Five days later she passed away. If I hadn't lost my main freelancing gig I would not have been able to stay in Chicago to help my mom drive my siblings to soccer practice, make their packed lunches, do laundry, clean the house, take out the dogs, etc... So things happen for a reason.

I'm jumping to it again... I've reached out to fellow writers, former colleagues and college alums, as well as former clients. Just getting my name out there is going to help. Plus, I just got some great advice on how to better my MS, so I'll be taking advantage of this downtime to re-order, re-write and then re-submit by book.

Borders vs Barnes and Noble Membership

2010-01-22T10:14:00.002-06:00

As a freelancer, I find that over the past year I ended up buying a number of new books and CD to review for various publications. I haven't looked over the receipts from this year yet, but suffice it to say it was a lot of books and music over the past 12 months. (The lady who does my taxes might have a panic attack at all the computing for writeoffs.)

Anyway, since I was doing all this purchasing I signed up for a Barnes and Noble membership. I'm sure you know the general idea... pay $25 and you get 10% all your purchases for the year. While part of me rebels from the idea of paying money for a discount, I did it because I knew the money would pay for itself in the end. And it did. (Plus the B&N near me has a Starbucks where the discount also applies - score!)

But since I am no longer writing as many CD and book reviews I've stopped needing the discount. My membership is up at the end of the month. So when I went into Barnes and Noble the other day the woman behind the counter asked if I wanted to renew. I told her no, I didn't need it this year. She told me it expired the end of January and if I changed my mind I could renew at any time. Great.

Then I looked at my credit card bill and my account was automatically charged the $25 membership fee for another year. Hmmm... after a little digging, I found out the fee is automatically applied to your credit card every year unless you cancel within 30 days of the renewal. I'm sure this was on some paper work when I signed up, but what I find interesting about the entire deal is that the company renewed my membership a month before it expired. This basically makes me lose out on an entire month, which I already paid for. Not Cool.

On the other hand, I also signed up for a Borders membership. This one is free. Now, I don't like Borders as much as Barnes & Noble. To me the stores aren't as aesthetically pleasing, so I'm less likely to go there. But I'm beginning to rethink this for a number of reasons.

First: The membership is free. So I am not forced to pay $25 to land 10% off. I get it automatically once they have my name and I get a Borders card. Second: Instead of sending additional discounts to me on books I'm not interested in reading, like B&N does,the company just sent me a $5 voucher due to recent spending. $5 to spend on whatever I want in the store in addition to my normal 10% discount. Score. (That's good marketing.)

Borders is becoming my bookstore of choice.

A Day in the Life of a Freelancer

2010-01-15T11:16:00.004-06:00

Just before the new year I was talking to a friend who knows I’m a freelance writer. She asked me why I couldn’t hang out with her for 4 hours in the middle of a Thursday. When I told her I had too much work to do, she looked at me blankly and then said, “wait, you work? Where do you work now?”

I almost died! It’s not like I just started freelancing a couple weeks ago. I’ve been doing it since before I knew her. But it got me thinking… nobody really knows what I do. And since I can be at the gym at 2pm on any random afternoon, they assume I don’t work.

Then yesterday was AgentsDay on Twitter. All day various literary agents tweeted what they were doing to prove their job is so much more than reading query letters and manuscripts. While I’m not going to tweet my day I’m going to outline my Thursday here:

6:00am – alarm sounds. Immediately check my e-mails, read the top stories from the New York Times, then start getting ready to face the day.

7:30am – fire up my computer. Check one of the work account email addresses Post new am stories to a website and prepare a morning alert set to go live in an hour.

8:00am – eat breakfast while reading the local newspaper (including the comics, just for kicks)

8:15am – back at my computer. Tweet. Read through the e-mails from the 4 other accounts I have to manage for various freelancing gigs. Respond to the public relations execs about upcoming stories.

9:00am – take pictures for the ModlyChic fashion blog, load them to the computer, push them through photoshop, write a blog post for the pics and then tweet the blog entry.

9:20am - log onto facebook. Read wall posts, messages, and others status. Comment accordingly. Tweet.

9:30am – check work e-mails again. Respond to emails. Skim though a dozen publications for news items. Tweet. Check PR Newswire for releases I didn’t receive. Make notes about the articles I’ll need to write up. Begin penning some. Tweet.

10:15am – read through bookmarked blogs, leave comments when necessary. Tweet. Begin penning blog entries for Tiger Print. Tweet. Change mind and pen Write Beyond Cubicle entry instead.

10:30am – skim through Google alerts. Note/bookmark relevant stories. Tweet the interesting pieces. Delete from inbox.

10:45am - check work e-mail again. Send out e-mail questions to sources for various articles. Tweet. Delete old e-mails from my work account, as it is already overcapacity for the day. Return PR rep phone call.

11:00am – begin writing stories that must go live at noon. Tweet. Research companies for background, crop photos, load to the system. Respond to e-mails

12:00pm – Push stories live on the site. Tweet. Take a deep breath.

12:05pm – read through emails from all accounts again, respond as needed. Check facebook. Read through others tweets. Check the statistics on my tweets.

12:20pm - return phone calls to sources.

12:40pm – stretch legs. Grab something for lunch, bring it back to desk.

12:50pm – look at the top stories on Google News and the New York Times.

1:00pm – research for fashion blogs. Skimming retailers websites, fashion blogs, fashion publications. Tweet. Take notes via Evernote. E-mail fellow bloggers about coordinating efforts. Tweet.

1:30pm – log onto YouTube to see what’s new. Tweet. (waste some time creepin.) Refill empty water bottle.

2:00pm – conference call with one gig. Tweet.

2:30pm – check work e-mails again, while on conference call still. Send reminder e-mails to PR reps who are due to send me important information by the end of the day. Tweet.

2:45pm – continue working on Tiger Print posts. Send e-mails to fellow contributors to hash-out ideas. Tweet. Look though Google alerts again. Read. Post. Save. Delete. Tweet.

3:00pm – finish Tiger Print posts. Send to editor. Tweet.

3:30pm – check all email accounts again. Respond when needed.

4:00pm – ready to pull out my eyes. Head to the gym. Call sister from the car. Talk to her in the parking lot. Tweet. Foursquare my location. Run. Sweat – a lot. Lift weights. Stretch. Bike.

6:00pm – home. Check e-mails. Shower. Prep dinner.

6:30pm – dinner, dishes.

7:30pm - Check e-mails. Tweet. Clean office, a little.

8:00pm – begin compiling notes for article that needs to be written before bed tonight.

8:30pm – visit with the roommates. Laugh, lots.

9:30pm – back to computer. Check e-mails again. Skim google alerts. Check facebook. Tweet.

9:45pm – Begin writing article(s) that must be live by 5am.

10:15pm – put article on the site, set to go live at 5am. Check e-mails one last time. Creep on twitter.

10:30pm – if still awake, try penning a few words on my next young adult novel attempt.

11:00pm – hopefully dead asleep, usually still creepin on the internet, writing, tweeting, etc…

The Journalist Can't Set Aside His Humanity in the Face of Tragedy, Nor Should He

2010-01-15T09:59:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I read Show Tracker, a entertainment blog on the Los Angeles Times. The writer was saying CNN's Sanjay Gupta over stepped his bounds as a journalist by helping those in need in Haiti. By using his skills as a doctor and then filming the interaction, the author argues, Dr. Gupta was blurring the line of impartial reporter of the news. Wow. Really?

As a tried and true journalist, I have to say I do agree with the idea that journalists should remain as partial as possible in most situations. If they are a political journalist they shouldn't participate in rallies, I even have extra respect for those who opt not to vote in order to be more fair to both sides.

But the situation in Haiti is no political convention. The journalists there are face-to-face with raw humanity. Yes, they are there to cover the news. But they are also looking into the eyes of death and grief. No matter how solid of a reporter you are, how can you overlook a fellow human being in need? How can you tell them 'I'm sorry, I have the means to help you but I need to be impartial and cover this for my news organization'?

This way of thinking, reminded me of the famous picture of a child about to be eaten by a vulture taken by photojournalist Kevin Carter. We've all seen the haunting photo, which originally appeared in the New York Times in 1993. Carter received a lot of grief for not helping the little girl get to a nearby feeding center. The photo is still amazing, but wouldn't it have been worthwhile to pick the little one up and take her to get food instead of chasing the culture away and then leaving the scene?

Dr. Gupta is trying to use his talents as a doctor and a journalist to help and tell the story of the Haiti disaster. I as a CNN viewer and journalist do not feel jipped that he is filling both roles there.

The only thing I did agree with in the blog post was that CNN should not have featured the video of Dr. Gupta helping the baby so prominently on its site. It's not pressing news and should not be treated as such.

Evernote: A Freelancer's Salvation

2010-01-12T12:19:00.004-06:00

As part of the streamlining process of 2010 I signed up for Evernote. Although only a couple weeks into the use of this memo keeping software, I have to say I love it.

As a freelancer, you know the best ideas for an article often come at the most random times, like right as you get on the tread mill or as you are standing in line at the grocery store or just before falling asleep. Some of those ideas you remember. Others slip away. Maybe you note them in a memo on your blackberry or scribble on a post-it note. But those notes often don't get transposed elsewhere and you're scrounging around to find that amazing idea you had days ago. Here's where Evernote comes in.

Evernote basically allows you to save text, audio, pics, files in one convenient location that is accessible from any computer and blackberry/i-phone-type device. You can add new items to a note, delete things, bold a certain entry, change the colors of the text... whatever.

If you are at the gym and inspiration suddenly hits regarding a handful of posts for your blog, just pull out your blackberry or i-phone and start a new text memo. (the application is a free download, as is basic membership to the site) You can later go back to the memo from your home computer and tweak the ideas.

I've got memos for each of the different blogs I write. I've got a memo full of ideas for the next novel I'm going to try and pen. I've even got to-do lists sitting on there.

I haven't fully tested out the audio note capabilities yet... but for a journalist, I can see where this can come in handy, especially if you are penning an article on the road. The audio files can sit there until you are ready to play them over to grab useful quotes.

Evernote works on both a Mac and PC. It also is compatible with Blackberry, iPhone, Palm Pre and Palm Pixi, and Windows Mobile.

Novel Update II

2010-01-11T13:49:00.003-06:00

The plan is to submit query letters to several agents every Monday during the month of January. This gives me time to research each agent to find out the best ones to query. I started a list of agents queried so that I don't accidentally pitch two people in the same agency or the same person twice. The list is all kinds of helpful!

The coolest part about the process is I now know the agents of some of my favorite YA books of 2009. (Eventually, hopefully, the best part will be actually landing an agent.)

So... the count stands at: 28 agents pitched so far.

A number of agencies and individual agents are out of the office during the beginning of January, so I am making a list of who I can query later in the month.

Split Personality and Writing ADD

2010-01-06T12:24:00.003-06:00

Several weeks ago I wrote about my split writing personality and diverse list of interests. What's a girl to do when she has so many interests and wants to do so many things? It was tearing me apart to try and do so many things and to find a way to make every interest, hobby, aspiration and goal fit into a normal 24-hour day, a normal 7-day week.

Through the New Year, and all the crazy resolutions I've been reading about, I gave it some thought. Who do I want to become in my writing career? A good and important question for all of us, especially recent grads and freelancers.

My conclusions: I'm going to stay the course, but keep it focused, narrow.

Forget going back to school to try out something else. Forget possibly getting a 'real' job as my friends call someone who sits in a tiny cubicle in stuffy clothes and miserable for 9 hours a day. Forget these crazy clients who didn't pay me during 2009 and whom I am still furious with. Forget the criticism that I don't do anything with my life, or how easy it is to sit at home in front of a computer on Twitter all day. (LOL - if only.) Forget starting a retail company at the moment or opening an Etsy store.

I'm going to keep up this blog. Keep writing my commercial real estate and business pieces. Keep working the social media aspect of my career. Keep expanding my base of fashion/beauty writing. Keep the photography blog as a hobby and nothing more. Keep working on the novel writing. Keep with reputable clients and publications.

My Resolution to Write Daily

2010-01-04T15:48:00.002-06:00

In keeping with New Years resolutions and the like... I'm making two slight resolutions for my non-journalism writing. As I spend A LOT of time reading literary agent's blogs and scanning through the submission guidelines of agencies this got me thinking.

So, maybe my first novel attempt isn't good enough to be published. Maybe it is. We'll see what the agents think/say when I start sending the manuscript to more of them. But one thing I do know.. I can write. So whether this book gets picked up or not, doesn't mean I won't be/can't be published some day. So in the meantime... I have two resolutions to keep my chin up and to hone my skills.

One: I will write at least one page of a fictional piece each day. I write thousands of words a day between all the blogs and publications I write for, but that isn't the same as creative writing.

Two: I'm going to read more books that contain good writing. New publications, old classics. No more of this fluffy stuff. Good writing and only good writing. (If you want a book to read try the Hunger Games - I just stumbled across it and I can't stop thinking about it. WOW)

Manuscript update: So far I've sent it to 11 agents, and got three prompt rejections. I feel great about that fact. No, seriously, I do.

New Year, New Goals, New Resolutions

2009-12-31T11:26:00.011-06:00

I'm not one for lofty unrealistic resolutions. It's just a set-up for disaster and disappointment. I am however all for realistic goals and positive thinking. So here is my list of resolutions/goals for 2010 - I think these are ideas every freelancer can strive for.

Become more confident in my own skill set and abilities. (women are especially bad at this.) But positive thinking. I'm a darn good writer and I plan to become an even better one by never selling myself short and pushing myself to reach beyond what is the easy answer.
Demand to be compensated justly. If I've learned anything this year, it's never agree to work for free and never assume you are going to be paid for work already delivered. I got burned twice this year and plan to avoid that in 2010.
Network more. With social media it has never been easier to network, share 'war' stories, and get advice from others in the field. By being active on LinkedIn, Twitter and various blogs I'm hoping to grow my base of contacts.
Give back. Beyond giving my time to worthy causes, I want to make sure I give more to the younger set of journalists out there who are struggling to figure out what the hell they've gotten themselves into. Offer advice, encouragement, and the reality of the situation.
Broaden my horizons. In 2010 I'd like to have more bylines from a wider variety of publications. Whether it is guest blogging or articles in publications the goal is portfolio growth and personal development in the process.
Publish my novel. OK this one I have a little bit of a say in, but at this point it's the literary agents who make or break this first attempt at novel writing. I'm going to do my part... pitch, pitch, and pitch again. And then fingers crossed this goal will happen!

Novel Status Update

2009-12-21T10:27:00.003-06:00

I have three major things to be excited for when it comes to the current status of the young adult novel I am trying to get published.

One: I FINISHED the edits. This is the third round of edits and I did some major line and scene editing to really sharpen up the book. I wanted to make sure each scene and each line furthered the story along and wasn't superfluous fluff. It was a task that has literally taken me 6 months! Hopefully the time spent editing was worth it.

Two: Since I am finished, I get to start writing another novel attempt. I've been very disciplined over the last year, refusing to start a new story until this one was fully edited and ready to be presented to literary agents. I'm so excited I don't know where to begin...

Three: Starting in the New Year I plan to send query letters and a portion of the manuscript to at least 30 agents. (I've already gotten my first rejection - which oddly enough made me very happy. I think it's because now this whole thing seems real.) I've already begun research on the agents that I hope to submit to, and like a super-nerd have bookmarked each person's individual requirements. I've even started a word document that details each agent so I can personalize the letters. The morning of January 14th will be spent e-mailing each individually. Yay!!

Go Ahead Ask the Question in Writing

2009-12-16T09:19:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, the Chicago Tribune's Eric Zorn posed the debate about sources answering questions in writing. His blog entry 'Let Me Ask You This Question In Writing' debates that a written response from a source isn't anti-journalism as some claim it to be. And I'd have to agree.

Admittedly, I use written responses to queries/questions often in writing. To me it’s a way of getting the solid facts needed for a story and gives the source a chance to think through their responses. I’ve found that most of the time a written answer is more easily quotable and more factual than a telephone conversation.

Does it work for every type of story? No. The interviews where you need to dig deep and ask pointed follow-up questions in the hopes of catching someone off guard and getting the full truth need to be done in a person-to-person or at least voice-to-voice method.

To me, here are the benefits of written answers from sources:

Facts, facts, facts. The source can verify the important facts and figures before sending them over. And in the reporting, a writer is less likely to misunderstand or misquote information.

It values thought. When someone is writing out an answer they usually don’t fill a paragraph with nonsense. On the other hand when talking to someone, it is usually pretty easy for a source to wax on about a topic giving information that is neither crucial nor important to the story.

It works with both schedules. Receiving written responses to queries can work in a reporter’s favor. Maybe the source doesn’t have time to dedicate to a 15-minute phoner, but who doesn’t have time to answer a couple questions with the blackberry that is attached at the hip all day long? Likewise for a reporter working on a number of stories at once this helps clear your schedule.

Faster follow-up. After a phone interview you might have one or two small details you wish to follow up on. Placing a phone call to the source and then waiting for that person to call you back and hoping you are by your desk so you don’t begin a game of phone tag can be frustrating. With e-mailed responses it’s easy and time efficient to shoot an e-mail with a follow-up and have the source confirm or expand upon a particular point.

It protects your reporting. An e-mail trail of the conversation can protect you with solid proof that the source told you something exactly as it is portrayed in the article. These e-mails are a gold-mine especially if a PR person calls upset about the piece, or your boss wants to confirm the facts before the story goes live.

What's Urgent, What's Important, What's Both, What's Neither?

2009-12-11T10:28:00.005-06:00

If you were working in cubicle life involving bosses looking over your shoulder, content meetings and brainstorming sessions you'd also have drop-dead deadlines from your editor. That knowledge is usually enough to scare you into producing content by the due time. But... It's a whole other story when you are your own boss.

Sure, your bank account will know if you didn't get that pitch sent out on time or weren't prompt with getting an outline to a potential client, but no one else will know. And let's face it, sometimes just staying on Twitter another 30 minutes is more appealing then getting the needed words down on paper.

When being your own one-man (or woman) show, you've got to establish the same sort of drop-dead time limits. If you train yourself to respect these self-imposed deadlines your work will get done better and faster than it would when put off indefinitely.
This takes a whole hell of a lot of self discipline.

What works for me is a simple chart.

Each morning take a look at your pendings. Separate them into four categories: urgent/important, not urgent/important, urgent/not important, not urgent/not important. For instance: the article that should be sent to the editor by the end of the day is urgent/important. The phone bill due in two weeks is not urgent/important. Painting your nails is not urgent/not important (most of the time). Taking advantage of a sale on a new bluetooth you don't technically need is urgent/not important.

Look at those in the urgent/important category and make reasonable but demanding goals for completing these items today. Still have time? Move to the items listed in the not urgent/important category and then to the urgent/not important division. Afterall it is crucial for you to get your phone bill paid. It's not crucial to get the new bluetooth, even if it would be nice.

True, this way the not urgent/not important things won't get done today and probably won't even get done this week. Fine. That's OK. Interestingly enough, if you break up things this way you'll see that when procrastinating you are a lot more likely to work on the not urgent/not important things because they are less stressful and usually more enjoyable.

Split Writing Personalities... Identity Crisis

2009-12-07T12:15:00.004-06:00

As I logged out of one google account and into another one, I got to thinking how my brain is constantly running through a number of different professional and personal personalities. Somehow in person this does not come across as insane, but on my computer it means 10 constantly-open tabs, a handful of email accounts to track, several blogs on different hosting sites, two twitter accounts and general mayhem.

Even with all the craziness I still manage to get quality assignments completed on time. I'm just becoming the queen of short attention spans when it comes to the internet. 20 minutes posting on one blog, seconds on twitter, minutes responding to e-mails, 10 minutes reading someone else's blog and commenting, check the blackberry, seconds on twitter, a couple minutes on facebook, an hour writing and researching business articles, seconds on twitter, check the blackberry, 20 minutes photographing things in the day, check the blackberry, phone calls, an hour researching fashion ideas, seconds on twitter, minutes on facebook, an sporadic hour creeping on other fashion bloggers, 30 minutes on youtube, an hour reading literary agents' blogs.... you get the picture.

I'm crazy. I'm a freelancer. I love it.

Does anyone else have this problem? How do you balance?

For me I think the problem is the fact that I am interested in too many things:
Fashion - yep got a blog for that.
Commercial real estate - yeah, that too. I've got a great writing gig for that.
Fiction writing - never go a day where I don't pen at least a line or two.
Design - always thinking about creating new clothing pieces or accessories now I'm starting an Etsy shop.
Blogs - doesn't even matter too much what the topic is. I've pretty sure I could blog about rain daily.
Photography - Can I be creative with pictures? Let's do it.
Running - Ever since the Chicago marathon I'm interested in all things marathon related.

So with all of this in mind... my goal for December is to set a New Year's resolution to find ways to streamline life. Stay tuned for the final resolution, which could involve new business ideas, freelancing schemes, who knows...

Just for kicks....
My fashion blog: ModlyChic
My photography blog: UnHindered Photos

What the Best Writing Teachers Do, How We Freelancers Can Improve From Their Teaching Tools

2009-12-03T12:43:00.003-06:00

This afternoon I read an article published on Poynter Online titled "What the Best Writing Teachers Do, How Students Can Learn From Them." The points on what the best teachers do got me thinking about freelancers. We are often, our own teacher in the business. There aren't many bosses overlooking our work ethic, our start times, our lunch breaks. We don't have anyone holding us to daily quotas other than our own get-up-and-go. So without these teachers to learn from, how can we become better writers too?

Using the points from the article as a launching pad, here are my thoughts:

Encourage students to write every day... For a writer, a day not spent penning words is one we aren't working on our craft. And the more we write, the better we become.

Teach writing as a process... Writing is always a process. Don't be discouraged when there are days when writing a paragraph feels like counting all the grains of sand in the world. Sure, it's tedious at times. But that doesn't mean the words aren't there.

Confer with student writers throughout the process... Take advantage of opportunities to meet with other writers, especially other freelancers. This doesn't have to be face-to-face, even just creating a relationship via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and e-mail can be beneficial.

Connect reading and writing... You're a better writer the more you read. And to really stretch yourself try reading things that aren't in your specific niche. Reading things out of the ordinary can broaden horizons and increase vocabulary.

Offer appropriate praise and encouragement -- as well as correction... Take corrections like a pro. Instead of letting them get you down, or fuming over an editors changes take the opportunity to learn from it. Even if the change is off-the-wall-crazy there is still something you can take away from the experience.

Give opportunities for revision... For writers - the better wording would be: Give yourself time for revisions. How many times have we penned something under deadline, handed it in and then thought of a way to improve the sentence structure or paragraph flow? Give yourself time. (although I've yet to meet a journalist who doesn't claim to EXCEL under pressure)

Believe that all students, not just the "stars" can improve their writing... A personal story on this... in junior high I had to take one of those PSAT prep tests and at the time I had just started writing little stories about my family and friends. When the results came home, my parents wouldn't let me see them. They said it wasn't important. Four years later I found out they kept the scores from me because the area I scored the worst in was writing. It became my best score on all the tests in high school. Writing is inborn and learned.

Yup, I'm Writing a YA Novel

2009-12-03T12:33:00.003-06:00

Actually... I wrote a young adult novel. I'm in the editing stages now. I've been in the editing stages for more than 12 months. Ouch.

I'm a firm believer in the concept that if something is written down it is more likely to happen than if it is just a personal thought/goal/ambition. So, to kick my butt in gear I'm going to chronicle this process on here. (Don't worry I won't only write about trying to get published.)

Here's the current status:
I've completed the third round of revisions on a hard copy of the manuscript and am 75% done with transferring the edits to the Word document. From there I am going to read through the book one more time for any glaring errors/problems/conflicts; and then... I'm sending it out to literary agents.
I've started looking into agents. A number of them have excellent blogs that talk a lot about their profession, the type of writing they are looking for, how to write a pitch letter, etc... I'm locking away all that info in the back of my mind to pull it out in a week or two when I am ready to take that HUGE leap and submit the book for consideration.

Scary. Exciting. I can't wait for the process to begin. (Is that weird?)

The Difference Between A Writer and A Columnist

2009-11-24T12:49:00.003-06:00

This may be preaching to the choir since most of the people who read this blog are in the writing industry, but I have to say it amazes me the amount of people who don't know or understand the difference between an editorial and an article.

Non-media types often comment to me "that paper is so liberal, didn't you see the editorial by XYZ?" I'll admit that simple comment has the ability to bring forth a deluge of words from me about misconceptions and generalizations about the industry and journalists. Just because an editorial board is liberal, the majority are, doesn't mean the article content is all liberal with a set agenda.

It's simple. The editorial board is allowed to take any stance they want on an issue but that has nothing to do with the article content in the paper. I sat in on many editorial board meetings at a major paper and watched the board members debate what take they would have on a particular issue. (Columnists are much the same, only they aren't caged in by the general feeling/opinion of a board. They get to make up their own opinion and write about it.) This, however, is not the way articles are written. A reporter talks to the sources, reads background information from press releases and other articles and then writes a piece, and if they are a good journalist those pieces are devoid of any opinion on the matter.

So, when people (like this piece) try to call the bluff on columnists like Nicholas Kristof for his column on boycotting Bing; it just gets me mad. He's a columnist. He's supposed to call for action and present his personal opinion. That's what the NYT pays him for. They don't pay him to write neutral articles. Plus anyone looking at this column can see the bold OPINION title sitting at the top of the page, just in case.

Last thing I'll say about this issue... If you are a reader of Kristof's column you'll know that he generally writes about world issues and focuses a lot on injustices. The Bing piece fits perfectly into his normal content.

What do you think? Is he overstepping his columnist position by calling for readers not to use Bing?

Revamping My Mindset

2009-11-19T12:13:00.004-06:00

The last post I penned on here was in September - practically an eternity when it comes to blog writing. I know. But in the last several months I had some major freelancing drama to deal with, which included rethinking my way of handling writing and editing gigs. And at the same time I've been working on my totally-fashion related blog ModlyChic trying to build that up, gain an audience and post fun meaningful content.

But on to the freelancing side of life...

This fall I needed to make a very difficult decision about compensation and brand loyalty. I wrote and edited a publication that I loved. I agreed with the mission of the publication, had been involved with it since its inception and grew to love all the people I worked with and the readers we connected to. I helped grow the brand and became heavily involved in its social media (a personal interest). Sounds like a perfect working environment - right? Well it was. And if I had my choice I would freelance for that pub exclusively for the rest of my life.

But in October I walked away from the whole thing. Freelancers, myself included, write a lot about demanding fair compensation for work delivered. Too often we settle for jobs that give us little fiscal benefit. And while writing is not all about the monetary reward we can achieve it does have a large part to play in the ability for us to succeed in the business. This job paid me roughly the equivalent of $3 an article, which does not include the time spent on social media. The low pay was something I willingly did at the beginning of my freelancing career, but something I began to realize wouldn't benefit me much in the long run.

Unfortunately, since I am close to the people behind the publication I know that since it is a start-up the money just isn't there to pay me more. They aren't holding out on me, they don't have the funds. So after an intense, nearly month-long debate I resigned my freelance position and determined not to work for such low pay again.

I'll be honest. The first couple weeks was total torture. All I wanted to do was write and edit for them again. I saw potential stories every where. Started writing articles and blog entries several times before realizing they had no place to be published. Eventually, the newness of the resignation wore off and I realized that it was one of the best choices I made this year.

Now I'm moving on to new projects, new publications, and new business schemes. 2010 is looking bright. Stay tuned for updates on the new gigs and the lessons I'm learning this time around.

If I Taught Twitter 101

2009-09-03T17:25:00.003-05:00

In the last couple days several universities have said they will begin offering a Twitter class for communication students. (Like at DePaul.)Is this a 3 credit course?

That got me thinking… what have I learned from Twitter that I would teach in a class of eager-to-learn students?

Sign-up. If you are dragging your feet, stop it.
Post a pic.
Customize your background. Don’t know how? Google it.
Include your website/blog/LinkedIn profile on the Web portion of your profile.
Make your bio short and witty.
Include your e-mail in the bio.
Consider your name a brand – market it.
Don’t waste your first tweets on the mundane ‘I don’t know what to say’ tweets.
Tweet useful/interesting things.
If you want your followers to grow tweet key words.
It’s not all about the number of followers you have, but rather their quality.
Be selective in who you follow, more is not always better. Follow those who you can learn from, who you find interesting.
Begin building relationships through replies.
Use hash tags to make it easier for others to find your tweets on a particular topic.
Join the various #chat groups. And participate.
Tweet interesting articles by offering a link.
Shorten links using Bit.ly or tinyurl.
Add your twitter name to your automatic e-mail signature, your LinkedIn profile too.
Glance at trending topics from time to time to know what the day’s topics of interest are, this could help you catch breaking stories.
Keep at it.

Harnessing the LinkedIn Potential

2009-09-02T13:09:00.002-05:00

This week I've spent a couple hours researching, thinking and talking to others about how to take better advantage of LinkedIn. Sure, I am on the site - have been for years. Yes, I keep my profile current. Still, I've not seen significant results from the site; while from other social media outlets, like Twitter and Facebook, I can see direct results. So, thus launched my week of discovery in how to harness the power of the networking site.

So far, here's what I've learned:

Make sure your profile is complete. As painful as it may be to post that pic, or fill in the details on the job you had five years ago it's key to success on the site.
Join groups. Find things you like, areas you are interested in, knowledge you have and join the appropriate group.
Become an active group participant. Most groups have an 'introduce yourself' thread in the discussion area. Utilize that.
Throw your work around. You can't be afraid to leave relevant links to your work, blog, publication, in the groups and on your page.
Update your status frequently. No need to update as often as you send out a tweet, but it doesn't hurt to post short, pointed status updates daily.
Find your contacts. LinkedIn only works if you've got a big network. Grow yours by looking up the various sources, editors and writers you've been in contact with during the week.
Utilize the tools LinkedIn provides. @KristaCanfield sent me this link via Twitter on Monday. It's all about the success stories from utilizing the site. Read a couple, take away a point or two. Or try skimming the LinkedIn blog.
Use keywords. This is especially important in your status updates. Pick words that someone may search when looking for an expert like you.
Get recommendations. While it is a simple sentence or two from a former client or editor, these help build transparency and build up your reputation.

Unsolicited Articles = Fail

2009-08-27T10:49:00.001-05:00

I get a lot of pitches, resumes and requests for more information. As I mentioned yesterday it is pretty jarring to get pitches full of emoticons, even if I’ve had a previous work relationship woth the person. Roughly once a week an unsolicited article arrives in my inbox with permission from the writer to use the article as I see fit. This causes problems for a number of reasons.

First. If you are a writer trying to make a living from the journalism profession why are you sending complete articles to a publication unsolicited. That’s selling yourself short. Basically, saying well no one will pay me to write so I’ll just send along my work for free and hope someone is so desperate for content they will post it. This probably does happen, but hold yourself in higher esteem and don’t offer your content for free without first testing the waters.

Second. As an editor, I have no idea who you are, where you found this information, what your background is. As a responsible editor I am not going to take an article that showed up and post it to my site. There are standards that I uphold; standards that are even more stringent for those I do not know.

Third. A lot of publications will not print something word for word that has been printed in another publication. If you are sending this article to more than one publication there can be serious repercussions to that. What if two of the publications decided to print the article and then the editor sees the article reprinted elsewhere and decides not to do business with you again.

Keep pitching, you can even pre-write articles and mention in the pitch that you have an article nearly ready to go on the topic. But don’t send the whole thing to an editor without testing the waters first.

Work-Appropriate E-mails

2009-08-26T12:14:00.002-05:00

This week I got two e-mails from writers that made me cringe and, more importantly, made me put off responding for a day or two. The e-mails were rife with smiley faces and emoticons - something highly unprofessional.

When sending an e-mail to a business contact, even when you know them well or have been in contact for months, its important to keep the professional framework. Excessive use of exclamation marks, missing punctuation, emoticons and trendy abbreviations might be acceptable when writing your family and friends. It is not acceptable to send these to business contacts who you are trying to form a serious business relationship with. The content of the e-mail doesn't need to be altered just keep it 'grown-up'.

For instance there is a big difference between the two paragraphs below:

I just got off the phone with ABC Celebrity!!!! ;) She was SOOO great 2 talk 2 and has tons of ideas about the TV industry and other celebs. I'll write up my notes and put 2gether an article by Thur. :) The readers are going to love it, SRSLY!! :8

I just got off the phone with ABC Celebrity. She was so great to talk to and has tons of ideas about the TV industry and other celebrities. I'll write up my notes and put together an article by Thursday. The readers are going to love it, seriously.

Which would you prefer to read? Which would you want to give another writing assignment to?

A Journalism Power Shift is Underway

2009-08-20T12:54:00.002-05:00

Those of us who are freelancers and social media addicts know the one thing imperative to getting into and surviving in this business is building a personal brand. Is it going to happen overnight? No, of course not. Will you spend months working on it and still have little to show for it, quiet possibly. But like every idea it needs to start somewhere.

According to the State of the Media Report for 2009, which is put out by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, there is a power shift going on. The power is moving from institutions to individuals. The report states: “Through search, email, blogs, social media and more, consumers are gravitating to the work of individual writers and voices, and away somewhat from institutional brand. Journalists who have left legacy news organizations are attracting funding to create their own websites... It would be a mistake to overstate the movement at this point. But for a few journalists at least, there are signs of a new prospect: individual journalists, funded by a mix of sources, offering expert coverage to many places.”

With this in mind, we all need to spend a little time daily thinking about how we can grow our personal brand. What little thing can we do daily or what larger things can we try weekly? For each person it will be a different answer but no less important. What are you going to do?

I'm personally going to work on more frequent blog updates as well as more interaction with my fellow freelancers in the blogging community.

How-To Pick a Place to Work From

2009-08-14T13:06:00.002-05:00

While I wouldn't say I'm a freelancing expert, in the last several years I have become an expert at picking places to work from. Of course may freelancers have a home office that they created and are disciplined enough to work out of there year-round. I created an attic office but it's way too hot to work from in the summer months which has forced me to weigh my other options.

Here's what you need to consider when picking a place to write and file from:

Internet availability. Any place that makes you pay for the 'privelege' is just silly today. Not sure the free hotspots in your area? Google it. Many cities have listings of the best WiFi spots. And of course Panera, Kaldi's, Barnes&Noble, McDonalds all offer free WiFi. Also increasingly outdoor parks have access. Bryant Park in New York used to be a favorite of mine.
A generous amount of outlets. If you are working from the same place all day you are going to need to plug your computer in. (Unless you have a stellar, long-lasting battery.) Scope out the place to see how many outlets there are. This will vary from location to location.
Atmosphere. Is the place conducive to working? The McDonalds play area during the lunchtime rush is not going to help you pen that article.
Sales associates. This is crucial. Are the employees welcoming and yet able to give you your space? For example: I stopped going to one location a couple months ago after one of the employees began thinking it was her job to talk to me at least 30 minutes each day I set up shop there. She was sweet, but that didn't help my work get done.
Smell. Weird, right? Well some places smell pretty bad - or worse you smell bad after you've been there a long time. If you are going for an all-day spot try to stay away from places that have food fryers as that grease just infiltrates the air and as a result your pores, clothing, hair, etc...
Surrounding area. Since you'll likely need to get up, stretch your legs, order some food, visit the bathroom, it's important to trust the part of town you're working in - at least this is important if you don't feel like packing and unpacking your things everytime you need to get up and move around a little.
Parking. Some places make it very easy to park and stay all day. Other places you may need to pay a meter, which is fine for a short stay but running out with quarters every two hours can become a little overwhelming especially when the ideas are really flowing.

You Think English is Easy?

2009-08-07T10:27:00.002-05:00

I got this as a forward, which, I will be honest, I usually delete without a glance. But this one caught my attention and I thought it was worth posting for all you word-people.

It's one of the most difficult languages to learn! Can you read these right the first time?

01) The bandage was wound around the wound.

02) The farm was used to produce produce.

03) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

04) We must polish the Polish furniture.

05) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

06) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

07) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

08) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

09) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row .

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting, I shed a tear.

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England nor French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indixes? If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

Sometimes I think all the=2 0English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital, ship by truck and send cargo by ship, have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill-in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. - Why doesn't Buick rhyme with quick?

You lovers of the English language might enjoy this .

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is UP

It's easy to understand UP , meaning toward the sky or toward the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the
secretary to write UP a report ?

We call UP our friends. We use something to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers, and clean UP the kitchen. W e lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car .. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work U P an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special .

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP . We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP , look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP , you may wind UP with a hundred or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP . When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP .
When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP ..
When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP .

We could go on, but I'll wrap it UP , for now my time is UP , so: Time to shut UP !

Standard Etiquette for Sharing Content

2009-08-06T10:20:00.002-05:00

Last night on #editorchat (via Twitter) we discussed content sharing. Of course the discussion was particularly relevant this week after the Washington Post/Gawker debacle. Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, I think most journalists in the industry would agree there needs to be some kind of standard for content sharing.

But setting down a list of rules that must be followed is not likely to be productive. Bloggers, who usually pride themselves in there ability to write without the confines of an editor screening their work, aren’t likely to follow some established rule book.

I suggest instead standards of etiquette. And just like some people don’t feel the need to use a napkin or refuse to rip their role into smaller bit-sized pieces, not everyone will follow these standards, but is most writers and editors did the situation would be much improved.

The standards of etiquette:

Any content taken from another source must be attributed to that source. (even if its only a paragraph or minor fact.)

If the entire story is basically a re-write of another person’s work that needs to be indicated up front. The last sentence in the first paragraph is the perfect place to insert the publication or author’s name.

While it is ideal to list both the original writer’s name as well as the publication, that isn’t likely to happen. For newspapers the publication should be listed, for blogs the author should be indicated (unless it is a widely known blog).

Somewhere in the article should be a link to the original article and it should not be hidden away in a smaller font after the last paragraph.

For non-media companies utilizing an article in a report or internal company note, the media source needs to be contacted and permission must be granted to distribute the article.

The publication taking someone else’s article needs to do its own fact checking on the article, realizing that no one is infallible and therefore a certain amount of research needs to be put into a piece, even if it just a quick rewrite.

[I had something like this happen just a few weeks ago. Thanks to an editing error, my first paragraph contained confusing information about the location of the property. Another publication picked up the article, rewrote it and then contacted me to find out what the actual location was. A simple google search or call to the company would have clarified but the writer ignored those normal paths and sent me several e-mails to make sure everything was clarified.]

It is irresponsible to use the phrase ‘according to reports’ unless in fact several publications have reported on this topic. Otherwise if one publication breaks news that pub needs to be referenced and the story linked to; this is the case even after several publication have rewritten that first pubs report.

Any publication that picks up full articles from another publication and runs it without a rewrite should indicate both the name of the original publication as well as the writer’s name.

It is the editor’s role to ensure standards of content sharing etiquette are adhered to. These should be clearly defined from the get-go.

Thoughts on this? What else should be included in this standard of etiquette?

Writing a Blog is a lot like Training for a Marathon

2009-08-05T14:02:00.002-05:00

As I'm sitting at my desk today weighing my options for how to spend my afternoon, I realized something potentially profound - or at least to me. Writing a blog is a lot like training for a marathon. How so?

1. It takes discipline. You can't just willy-nilly decide to run when you feel like it. The same with a blog. You can't write on the days you are in a super writing mode with lots of ideas flowing.

2. It's got to be a daily focus. That doesn't mean you write or run every day. But on the off days you should be gearing up for the days you are going to be working on your skill. For writing on off days you should be brainstorming new topics to write about, new angles to take, guest bloggers you want to grab. And on the off running days you need to be cross training with weights or going for a slow relaxing bike ride.

3. Help is needed along the way. When I first started marathon training I figured you just ran a little more every day until it was the big marathon day. But there is so much more to it than that. You need to read about good stretching techniques and learn which powerbars will give you the extra energy you need on the long runs. For blogging you need to be reading others posts, and articles constantly gathering information and fodder for your own use.

4. It's always easier with others around. I didn't want to run with my dad, who is also training for the marathon, but when he suggested it the last time I was home I agreed. I dreaded the basic 5 miles we were going to do thinking either he'd leave me in the dust or I'd leave him. But it turned out that we went at a pace that was between our two strides and managed all 5 miles without a single cramp. Blogging with encouragement, like the May blogathon, is so much easier because you know you have a group around you struggling to meet the same goal.

5. Some days it's a pain in the butt. Today, for instance, it is nearly 90* with 100% humidity here. A run even once around the block is a daunting task, but if I'm really serious about the marathon I'm going to run despite the heat. Blogging today is equally non-exciting since I've been at my computer for more than 7 hours already. But to keep the followers interested and to keep my craft sharp I'm writing.

Stretching Your Skill Set

2009-07-16T17:04:00.002-05:00

As writers, sure we write. Most days, we write, edit, write, write and then write some more. But as the journalism field changes, it's important to think outside the writing box and develop new skills.

I'm talked about the importance of learning social media before. I still think that's crucial. But the more I think about where we're headed the more I think video is going to be another must for the journalist. Several months ago, one of my clients surprised me with a request to interview a couple sources while being filmed. The video, much to my chagrin, landed on the homepage for an entire day. I avoided the homepage as much as possible.

Truth be told it wasn't so horrible. I supposed it could have been a lot worse. But I couldn't help but think if I had filmed even one YouTube video before that interview, things would have gone a lot more smoothly for me.

My goal this week... I plan on spending the rest of the working week and the weekend filming some videos and then figuring out how to splice them, move parts around and get an acceptable final project. To help me laugh at myself and this project I've decided to wear a goofy hat while doing this. At least it will give me a chuckle if all I end up doing is talking into a camera for a couple hours. And then in the future if a client asks am I comfortable with video I can honestly say yes.

What other things are you doing to expand your skill set and make yourself more marketable as a writer and a freelancer?

A Week Without Technology

2009-07-13T20:13:00.002-05:00

I spent the last week running a leadership camp in the Midwest for junior high girls. It's a great program, one I look forward to every single year; but the hardest part is leaving civilization for 7 solid days.

The camp grounds sit in the middle of a cell phone dead zone, which means absolutely no ability to use my blackberry to check voicemails, respond to e-mails, or even tweet. Computer internet access? Don't even think about it!

No lie. I needed to push through the first couple days and pretend it didn't bother me that my cell phone claimed to have service but I never saw an e-mail come in. By the middle of the week I craved any kind of news from the outside world. And at the end of the week I rejoiced at the sight of my computer and 4 bars of service. (Good grief something as huge as Michael Jackson's death could have happened last week and I would have totally missed it.)

Now back on the rebound (trying to catch up on sleep and sort through hundreds of e-mails) I find I didn't feel the need to spend as much time on the computer as I did before leaving for camp. Of course I still got my work done. Sure I still spent too much time on facebook and twitter, but I also went out, left my computer behind and didn't frantically check my phone.

Maybe we all need a little respite from technology from time to time. Maybe severing all ties and living 'old school' for a few days can help us become more effective and creative writers. It was difficult, but oh so worth it.

Anybody else leave it all behind for awhile? Did you find any positive outcomes?

When You Hit the Breaking Point

2009-06-30T12:13:00.003-05:00

This morning around 9:30 am it finally all caught up with me - the noon deadline I was writing for, the leadership manual that needed to be tweaked by 11am, the writers asking if the article submitted yesterday was alright, the marathon training, the 20 unreplied to personal e-mails. Bottom line: I was ready to explode.

I'm sure all of us, freelancers or not, hit a breaking point. At least if you're freelance you tend to hit that when no one is around, since that's the usual mode of working. But overcoming it is a whole different matter. After I calmed down and realized it was all doable and I'd meet all the deadlines, like I usually do, I got to thinking of the great detox methods. Here's what I've found as helpful:

Work through it. Don't stop to think about the stress and the amount of things pending just keep plugging along, working hard.
Make a schedule, timeline, to-do list, whatever. As long as it helps you calmly look at the things in front of you. (If lists stress you out avoid this idea like the plague.)
Step away. If you have the time to take a step back do so. Go out and do something you like, something that will help clear the brain and refocus your energies. This could be a run, bird watching, flipping through a 'brain-less' magazine, window shopping, taking the dog for a walk, playing with your kids, and talking to a friend.
Access your priorities. What really needs to be done? What can be put on hold till a later date? Am I doing too much? When is enough enough?
Utilize your skills but in a non-work format. Try writing a short story, poem, journal entry, blog post, whatever. Anything to take a mental break from the things in front of you while working on your craft.

Pre-written Obits Are a Must Today

2009-06-26T10:13:00.002-05:00

When attending college, the big joke on the student newspaper was the potential death of Pope John Paul II. (All due respect given to him.) We followed every twist and turn of his health; wrote, rewrote and tweaked a standard obit that we could toss up on the website the moment the news was confirmed. At the time I honestly thought it was a little over the top.

But yesterday the world witnessed the death of two American icons - Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. To watch the news of these two deaths unfold throughout the day proved to be an interesting journalism experiences. Fawcett had been struggling with anal cancer form months. Her death was expected an newspapers therefore had prewritten obits ready for the inevitable moment. Within minutes of the announcement of her passing, newspapers across the country had a story of her life running as the top news piece.

Then later in the day Michael Jackson went into cardiac arrest and journalist everywhere paniced. Michael Jackson? He wasn't struggling with a terminal illness. He hadn't even been in the hospital much lately. When the ultimate announcement came that Jackson had infact passed away there was, I'm sure, in every newspaper and magazine office around the world a mad scramble to put a story together. As soon as I heard the news I checked the NY Times expecting to see an obit like Fawcett's but instead the article running compiled statements about his death from a number of celebrities. Interesting to read but a fail in terms of what readers really wanted at that moment.

This just goes to show it's no longer ok to have a set of stock obits for the older or sickly people of interest. Sure every newspaper probably has a story saved on Patrick Swayze but what about Paula Abdul or George W. Bush? As we learn every day from life, it's not just the old and sickly who pass from this world. Heath Ledger is proof enough death doesn't have an age minimum.

Newspapers would be smart to have a stock of obits ready for every person of 'celebrity' status. The articles can then be tweaked from year to year or when something significant happens in the person's life. Now that we don't have time to craft an article for the next morning's paper we need to be responsible journalists and pre-write these pieces to be on top of our game.

Diversifying Your Experience

2009-06-24T12:30:00.003-05:00

I've been out of pocket over the last week because of a business trip to Chicago that had me running around like a mad woman most of the week. Tons of fun but totally exhausting. I'm finally caught up on sleep and back in the swing of things.

While on this business trip I had the opportunity to expand my experience base by dabbling in broadcast journalism. I knew about this only ten days before the trip and barely contained my nerves as one 5-minute interview turned into three 15-minute interviews. As I reminded all my interview subjects, I'm a print journalist. The words and I go great together. Set me in front of a computer for days at a time with internet access and it would be hard to pry me away. Put me in front of a video camera and flee becomes the predominate thought.

Anyway, a fellow MU alum suggested I look at the opportunity as a way to expand my experience base. He hit the nail on the head with that advice. I conducted the interviews, suffered through a couple retakes, cringed as the video replayed and realized it wasn't as bad as I expected. In fact with a little practice and the right topic I could possibly do more of these.

You never know till you try. And just like starting that first blog, attempting a YouTube video, reaching out to your first freelance client or pitching your first editor - trying new things is an essential part of professional and personal growth. I'm proud to say I conquered that mountain. Here's to the next one coming up on the horizon.

In case you're in the mood for a good laugh, here's the video.

Creative Writing Can Help Your Reporting

2009-06-11T12:01:00.002-05:00

There have been a lot of headlines lately about creative writing classes - can it be taught, should it be taught, who can teach it? In college I took one creative writing class as a journalism major. It didn't count toward my major but was an english credit, but I think it could have been a J-credit.

Here's what creative writing can teach a hard-core journalist:

Show don't tell. The great thing about creative writing course is each week you focus on a specifc area, and most of those revolve around showing what the characters see, touch, taste, feel, etc...
Abolition of the verb 'to be'. My teacher made us go through and circle every form of to be. OUCH. Then the assignment for the next class revolved around changing every single circled verb to a descriptive one.
Think outside the box to tell the story. A basic way to tell the story exists, but sometimes the better article comes from a more creative, non-traditional approach.
Take criticism and become better from it. Sure we've all probably gotten an email or note complaining about a particular article we penned. But in a creative writing class you sit in the hot seat and watch as your literary attempt gets torn to pieces. Then you need to go back, re-evaluate, maybe even re-invent the piece. Thick skin grows quickly in a creative writing class.
Learn from the attempts of others. Peer evaluation acts as the main driving force behind the class. You read countless stories by the time the class ends. Just like reading other newspapers and publications forms your writing, reviewing your peers stories gives you the chance to learn what you love, what you hate and what you would do differently.

Improve Your Writing: Make An Editorial Calendar

2009-06-10T10:50:00.003-05:00

When I first started this grand freelancing adventure, I literally jumped right in without any idea what I was doing. Several missed editorial opportunities and I realized the huge importance of planning ahead - far ahead.

Most publications work ahead. Newspapers have features planned for weeks. Magazines already have the rest of the year's content at least sketched out. The freelancers career should be no different. Whether you are writing your own blog, guest posting, filling website content or pitching major publications you need an editorial calendar.

Here's how to set one up:

Buy a basic calendar. I recommend one that gives you the whole month at a glance.
Fill in all the important dates. This will vary based on the publication. For the teen site I work on for instance, I include things like the release of the new Jonas Brother's CD, Harry Potter's theater debut, prom season, spring break, etc...
Now count backward and with a different colored pen note the day you need to have content for a specific topic completed by. (If writing/pitching a mag look at their editorial guidelines. They often work 4-8 months in advance.)
Count backward again and mark the day you need to begin working on your article, assigning pieces, etc...
Find the lulls in your calendar. Brainstorm appropriate topics for that time of the year . Jot down all your ideas.
Fill in the low points with these topical ideas. These don't have to be set-in-stone articles. Other things might take precedence at the time - which is fine, but at least you have an idea.
There are going to be events you miss. Write them in the calendar when they come up so that next year the day won't pass you by.
Also some events you won't know the date of right away. Make a note to check on the topic occasionally and mark it in the calendar as soon as you learn it.

Keep Asking the Questions

2009-06-08T10:23:00.003-05:00

I picked up the local newspaper this weekend and an article in the style section caught my eye. It featured a family of 10 children, in which all the daughter (6 in total) have vowed to get married on May 24th when their time to marry came. Pictures from the wedding of the second daughter who married this May 24th in a fairy-themed wedding littered the front page of the style section. If you read this what would be the one question you want to know, the one question you'd expect the reporter to answer? Perhaps WHY the girls all planned to marry on May 24th. I read the article twice thinking I'd missed it. Nope.

In J-school one of the very first lessons you learn is to ask the 5 Ws and the H. Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? And not only as a reporter are you supposed to ask these questions when doing the interviews. But you are supposed to tell your readers the answers to all of these queries - and usually in the first graph.

For this local paper story...
Who - the 6 girls in this family.
What - they've vowed to all marry on the same date.
Where - here in small town MO
When - May 24
Why - Still wondering about that one.
How - in the style they want, and the year they want but all married with family nearby.

It's a good idea to look back at the story you've just penned and make sure it answers all these questions. For us writers it's really easy to miss one of these points especially if we get really into a specific story. We forget an important detail because it is so basic to us. But we write for others not ourselves. And therefore it's best to pretend the reader knows nothing.

Don't Burn Bridges (unless strictly necessary)

2009-06-05T12:09:00.002-05:00

When it comes to a job - any kind of job for that matter - there are always going to be people we like and people we don't like; people we click with and people we can't wait to get off the phone with. It's pretty normal. And when people rub us the wrong way, it's totally human nature to cut ties and move on.

Maybe that works for some professions, although I can't think of one at the moment. But for a freelance writer/editor you can't afford to cut ties. In the future you never know what position that person may be in, or what project they might be in need of, or what pitch you are trying to send out. If you have a run-in with a health editor at a small town paper you might think no big deal, well maybe she'll end up the EIC of a major mag in the area and you're on her shit list - Not Good.

I recently was contacted by a client from several years ago who I assumed did not like me much, by the abrupt e-mails and sudden lack of communication. But she admitted to being busy and now needed my editing help again - was I interested? Um, Yup. Count me in.

So when dealing with difficult people remember these simple rules.

Do not send an email (make a phone call) in anger. Things will be said that can't be unsaid.
Try to put yourself in the other person's shoes.
You never know what happened to them that day, week, year to make them like that. Maybe their 11-year pet dog just died, maybe their spouse was diagnosed with cancer, who knows. Always give someone else the benefit of the doubt.
Keep your communication sincere and business like. Remember proper salutations, etc...
Sometimes it's helpful to butter them up a little. Don't lie, but find the person's good quality and mention that.
Give it time. Maybe this relationship is something you need to put on hold (not in an I'm-ignoring-you way) and then return to later.

Expunge All Forms of 'To Be'

2009-06-03T20:40:00.002-05:00

I finished reading another semi-boring, uber-predictable teen novel today (part of my job) and as I closed the book slightly disappointed it got me thinking... What did I dislike so much?

The story line followed the Twilight pattern with mythical characters (faeries in this case). Yes bad guys and noble warriors filled the chapters. And let's not leave out the damsel in distress, boring teachers, stressful high school situation, model-like beauty, nerdy boys.... ok the story ran along the lines of every other young adult novel popular today.

But the book's subject monotony didn't ruin it for me. The extreme use of all forms of 'to be' put me over the edge.

I might have noticed this fact because I am eight chapters into editing my attempt at a novel and am subsequently trying to expunge every is, was, were, am from the sentences. But for some reason with this book I noticed it more. Out of curiosity I pulled out the last three young adult novels I read to review. Sure enough nearly all of them relied heavily on all forms of 'to be'.

Maybe authors need to crank books out too quickly these days. Maybe they should tweet more. Maybe editors could demand more creativity. Maybe I just need to get used to it - but in my opinion a sentence sounds so much better with a descriptive verb; a task that's also more difficult to accomplish.

The same applies to writers of all sorts. Instead of liberally using 'to be' verbs, try to spice the story and your writing up.

Pay Me, Please

2009-06-02T12:06:00.003-05:00

Honestly, pretty much all I can think about lately is the compensation I am rightfully due and not receiving from a client. This is the first time this has happened to me. Sure, in the past, I've had clients send payments a couple weeks or even up to a month late; but it was nothing a carefully placed phone call or e-mail reminder didn't fix.

This time it's different. I phone conversation and e-mail requests have done nothing to speed the large check in my direction. And while the money is important I'm more upset that this time I, as the editor, look irresponsible to all the writers I worked with on this project. (My sincerest apologies to all of the writers.)

But I don't believe in letting a single experience go by without trying to learn something from it. So here's what I've learned from this:

Never let two full pay periods lapse without compensation, no matter what the client asks.
Acquaint yourself with a good lawyer. (Even if all they need to do is craft a well-written, legal-sounding letter telling the client to pay up.)
Introduce yourself to other writers/editors that work for the company. Find out if they have any concerns.
Do your research - if the company has a lot of failed/folded sites or mags maybe that's a clue.
Ask questions up front. Why did the last editor/writer leave? How do you pay your writers?
Sign a contract that details exactly how much you will be paid and when. (Thankfully I did this!)
Don't put all your eggs in one basket. In case a gig doesn't come to fruition it's good to have a couple others in the works to make sure you can pay your bills.
If it all seems a little too good to be true - unfortunately, it probably is.
Be open and honest with those who work with you on the project. That will go a long way if you need to give them bad news.
Suspect something is funny if the launch date gets pushed back, multiple times.

What I've Learned from the Blogathon

2009-05-31T23:47:00.000-05:00

It’s the last day of MayBlog2. Here’s what I’ve learned:

It's more difficult to post daily than I would have thought.
To post on the weekends it's best to think several days in advance.
Guest blog posts are great for two reasons. a) you get a fresh perspective on your blog to prompt conversation and thought. b) you reach a broader audience by trading posts.
It's a good idea to keep a running list of blog topics for the days you are blank. Jot down the idea as soon as it comes - remembering it later is tricky.
Encouragement from fellow bloggers helps the process.
It's not necessary to post daily and (more importantly) I should feel bad when it just doesn't happen one day.
Reading and commenting on other blogs helps build your own and encourages the other writer - two great things.
I should post more regularly at a specific time every day. So far it's been totally random, although usually in the afternoon.

Taking a Step Back Can Actually be Helpful

2009-05-30T19:18:00.002-05:00

So I admit it, I am one of those writers who loves to push as close as possible to the deadline and then crank out an awesome piece under pressure. And to be honest, most of the time the articles are better written, clearer and more concise when I write in this manner. When I think too hard about it or start writing weeks or days in advance it will take me twice as long and usually ends up longer than need be.

But I'm learning that when it comes to novel writing the exact opposite may be true. I started my first official attempt at a young adult novel in August 2008. At the time I had grand plans of having it in the hands of agents by December. I completed the first draft in September and sent it to a number of close friends to read through. They sent back their thoughts, I added parts, changed character names, deleted a few scenes and went through a long editing process. By January I was at a point I thought appropriate to send off. Then I sent it to my mom...

She liked the story but went into teacher mode and highlighted every point she was confused about, every grammatical error, every incomplete sentence. At that point I started reading what exactly is required to get an agent - and discouragement set in.

I set the book aside and didn't look at it for almost two months. Then my early readers started hounding me about getting it completed and sent out. Just the thought - The fear. The anxiety, The likely rejection.

But I picked the book up again last week, printed all 280 pages out and pulled out the red pen to begin edits. This being the third time I've done edits I figured it would be a quick process. Um, Nope. I thought I'd have nothing else to add. Wrong again.

Letting it sit while I focused on other things - like this blog, twitter, securing freelance gigs - might have been the best thing for the book. I've realized in the editing process there are certain words I overuse. I use forms of to be way too often. I hate cliches and yet they littered my pages. And one of my characters is a little one-dimensional. I'm trying to change all of that now.

Is it good enough to get published? I have no idea. Do I hope it is? Heck yes. Will I bite the bullet and finally send it out after this round of edits. Yup, it's getting to a point where I'm proud to say I penned this.

Despite my insecurities about this, I've learned that at least giving the book a little space has given me a fresher approach and an unbiased eye.

Purdue Student: What I Learned in School about Writing

2009-05-29T13:44:00.007-05:00

Written by Kristen Johnson

On May 15th, I graduated from Purdue University with a Liberal Arts degree in Professional Writing. While in school, I worked at our newspaper, the Purdue Exponent for two years, in addition to other journalism internships and my onslaught of writing courses. In hopes that I had gathered a plethora of useful writing knowledge, Katie asked me to compile some things I learned over my college career. Here’s what I came up with:

• First, break the rules. Forget everything you learned in your high school English classes. Those old Elements of Writing books? Toss them. Writing is much more than simple sentence structures. Think outside of the box! Make non-existing words exist, use fragments when constructive, and be dangerously edgy when the risk is affordable.

• …but never forget the basics. Ever. As a college senior in a 400-level writing class, my professor spent for first week assigning grammar exercises. Why? Because you can only be a rebel when you know what rules you’re breaking. No matter how long you’ve been writing, it’s still irresponsible to make spelling a mistake and it’s still inexcusable to be ambiguous when specifics are desperately needed.

• Writing is like any sport. Practice truly makes perfect. Write, write, write…write!! Take any opportunity to write for any publishing venue, whether it be minimally paying, nonpaying, or your own personal blog. Any chance to have an outsider’s opinion is a great chance to grow as a writer.

• Your mother has been preaching the truth - reading in invaluable. This lesson is one I’ve had to learn the hard way, growing up with only a strong fascination with the Harry Potter series. Beyond the wizarding community and my school assignments, it practically took a knife fight to get my mind focused on anything else bounded by a cover. Once college hit, I felt the burn. My overall knowledge of the world, let alone my vocabulary, poorly suffered. If you struggle to find intriguing material, use the internet! No matter what you’re interests include, I guarantee there is a blog and/or site devoted to your curiosities.

• Master the internet, or at least research its limitless opportunities. Create a website and/or blog and update frequently. Learn the fundamentals of web design, even if it’s just a basic understanding of the how’s, what’s and why’s. For my non-tech savvy brethren, there are countless sites that offer shortcuts for these respected skills, such as web coding and photo editing. (Check out her site.)

• Network. Network like it’s the air you breathe. Network with everyone in your life, both those you know in-person and those available online. Knowledge and mastery of social media has become a must-have skill for journalists. In a social networking class, my professor explained that every person should have at least 2-3 social sites they manage daily. An overall understanding of all the popular social medias will only assist in your career; MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Blogger, Flickr, YouTube…if the names of any of these sites are unfamiliar, you’re behind.

• The editing process of any piece is half the battle. After you edit something, edit it again. And again, and again. No piece is ever perfect.

• Try to find a way to say what you want to say with less words, in order to get your point across more clearly and faster, as in: Tighten your language.

• You can never prepare all the right questions prior to an interview, no matter how much research you do, (and research is always expected and required). A good reporter enters an interview with ideas of where to lead his/her questions, but listens to the source for the perfect angle to lead the discussion and therefore the article. While interviewing, the article should be slowly unfolding in your head. Focus on the interview, but remember you’re not simply getting to know someone – you’re writing a piece that needs to have a central message.

• This world is full of writers, but it’s lacking great writers. You’re going to fail, time and time again. You’re going to get torn apart, and people are going to tell you you’ll never make it. The greats learn and keep writing. The regulars never adapt, or retire all together. If writing is your passion, you have to keep fighting and be prepared for people who think you don’t have “it.”

(Kristen Johnson is a recent college graduate. Her expertise, so far, is the music industry. She can write a killer CD review and bio piece on upcoming artists. Since I encouraged her to pursue writing when she consulted me about it, I thought it would be interesting to see what she got out of school. (In 5 years we should do a follow-up and find out what she really learned.)

Freelancing Will Always Be a Leap of Faith

2009-05-28T18:22:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I lost mega sleep over the thought that a new client of mine wasn't as legit as I thought. Of course at night, as I began putting pieces together and talking about it to a close family member who also happened to be up and available to consult, things looked pretty crappy. In the light of day, and after 3 cups of coffee, I could honestly say it was going to be alright, even if legal action needs to be taken to receive my compensation.

But the whole mess got me thinking... As a freelancer (writer or editor) you are always going to be taking a leap of faith when you sign on with a new client. Sure there are ways to check if the person and company are legit. There are red flags that she tell you to run, not walk, in the opposite direction. But sometimes the red flags aren't as obvious. Sometimes the person is legit even if the gig is not.

While obviously not fail-proof here are some ways to tell if your next gig is the real thing or a very elaborate hoax.

Does the client have a business e-mail address rather than a yahoo/g-mail/hotmail account.
What does the website look like? Is it modern or does it look like an 8th grader put it together? There is no website? Can that be legit in today's world - doubtful.
Is this person 'stalkable' on the internet? Can you find their Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter accounts?
Beyond the basic Google search. Take the time to google blog search and google news search the company and person you're dealing with. You might unearth some really eye-opening info.
Are you being asked to jump through hoops before a relationship is even established? Companies (spammers) often tell you to enter your info into a website - don't. They'll claim it's to see if you're legit - well if they are legit can't they just pick up a phone?
Proving yourself is to be expected, but submitting three trial 'free' articles and a list of the 12 articles you'd like to write about is out of line.
Are all the papers legit? Have you signed a contract?
With everything done online, sometimes you never even talk to the person via phone. That doesn't mean you shouldn't call the listed numbers and confirm they are real.
Have any of your freelancing buddies heard of or written for this client? Referrals are a great way to expand business, but it can also be a way to find out about the real clients and the crooks.

Things I Learned in J-School

2009-05-27T11:05:00.002-05:00

I talked to a recent graduate yesterday and was reminded of J-school and what I learned there. The list just came to me. It's all true, although some of it is sarcastic - sorry.

Know all the rules of writing.

Know how to break those rules and do it.

Your AP style guides should never be more than an arm’s reach away.

Coffee is your friend - even when you think it’s not.

Sources and sources, friends are friends. Sources are not friends, friends are rarely ever sources.

Show don’t tell.

All the relevant information should be in the first graph. Who, What, Where, When, Why, How.

The inverted pyramid is the model for nearly every piece.

You’ll get more experience working at the school paper than in the classroom.

Emails and texts without punctuation drive me crazy.

Always ask, never assume.

Parents will never fully understand the need to write - do it anyway.

Not only is it OK to have a voice, it’s ludicrous not to.

While in school pimp yourself out to every and any publication that will take you on as an intern or part-time help.

Sleep is overrated.

To improve your craft practice every day, even if you don’t have an assignment or paper to pen.

Despite what the profs might say, all media types are integrating. Don’t integrate and be left behind.

Procrastination is in your blood - it’s not your fault.

Deadlines equate to high octane stress and that never really changes.

There is a proper way to quote a person. Follow that style.
Network from day one.

Never lift a sentence, phrase or story from anywhere. EVER.

Take a creative writing class to force you to think outside the strict journalism confines.

Late, late nights at the college paper is assumed - plan accordingly.

Other majors, especially math and nursing, will give you crap for not doing much. Remind them of their revulsion when it comes to term papers and the frequency with which you write.

That dream job is not going to be there when you graduate; but it’s not out of reach.

Freelance Failure - What I Learned

2009-05-26T14:49:00.004-05:00

[Sidenote: Today I was drawing a blank on what to post, minus the rant. Tim Beyers (@milehighfool) blogger of The Social Writer sent me post suggestions. Special thanks to him for this idea.]

My first freelance attempt after college was a pitch to the New York Times real estate section. Sounds lofty, I know, but when I moved to New York I landed a job in the editorial department there and was encouraged to pitch the different sections in my free time. I sent ideas to the education, entertainment and real estate sections.

The real estate one was picked up and I got to write a feature on a new mutli-family residential building going up in TriBeCa, designed by Enrique Norten. The whole thing was simultaneously nerve-wrecking and exhilarating. From the experience I learned two invaluable lessons.

One - Always carry a map and contact information. I’m pretty good with directions, getting around new places and I’m a very punctual person. But this time I took the subway to a stop I’d never been to and by the time I hit street level I was so turned around I nearly gave up. Luckily I was early. I wandered around for nearly an hour - late by that point - and still couldn’t find the building under construction.

To make matters worse I had forgotten the cell phone number and work numbers of the people I was meeting to discuss the project. I asked the postman for directions, he’d never heard of the place. I asked a local drunk, a homeless man and a street vendor - nothing. (It was a new building after all so the address wasn’t exactly common knowledge yet.) I called 411, but they could not locate the site or the construction company. I called a friend and had her google it - nada. Defeated I went back down the subway steps stopped at the map for one last look and realized I was one block away from where I needed to be.

From then on I never went anywhere without all the contact information written down - almost to an OCD level.

Two - “Once you know the rules, know how to break them.” When I got the interview, transcribed the notes and wrote the story I had lofty ideas of writing in a style that was worthy of the Gray Lady. I followed all the journalism rules - all but one; the one about breaking the rules.

When I turned the story in to the editor she sent it back within 30 minutes saying it was boring and lifeless. ‘But it’s news,’ I thought. She suggested I liven it up. Add some flare to the piece, not make it so cut and dry. I inserted more descriptive words and sent it back to her proud of the progress. She sent it back.

The piece sounded better, but where was my personality? Where was my voice? She wasn’t telling me to add my personal editorializing, but what she did want me to do has been helpful ever since. A news piece, an article, a research paper doesn’t have to be boring and lifeless. You’ve got to make the reader want to get to the second paragraph.

When the piece follows all the journalism rules, lays out all the facts but has no soul it’s not going anywhere.

Lies, More Lies and the Freelancers Who Tell Them

2009-05-26T12:14:00.003-05:00

This is not a post... This is a rant...

Earlier today I was contacted by a PR rep that I have been dealing with for some time now. She's got great connections, perfect for the publication. She gets the message, the theme, the types of people we look to profile and most importantly she is prompt and easy to work with. Almost two months ago she pitched a new artist and I immediately assigned the story out to a freelancer who had been basically begging for better stories, more exposure, etc...

Probably three weeks ago this PR rep contacted me and asked where we stood with arranging the interview. I thought the interview had already taken place since the freelancer told me she had the appointment set-up for the beginning of the week. Not wanting to interfere I asked the PR rep to refer to the writer directly about the interview time. (I tend to over-manage so I was trying to step back a little.) A week went by. I didn't hear anything.

I contacted the writer and asked when the article would be in, since we were now two weeks past deadline. She said I'd have it by Friday. But guess what... Friday came and went without an article appearing in my inbox. Then yesterday I got an e-mail from this great PR rep asking what the deal was with the interview and why it still hadn't happened. Um... WHAT???!!!!

Obviously, I've pulled the article from the writer, reassigned it to a new trustworthy, deadline-focused, polite freelancer and had to beg forgiveness to the PR rep, her firm and of course her client.

This whole scenario just goes right along with my earlier post about Freelancers Flaking Out. Sure, we're not all like this. In fact the large majority of freelancers are hard working, focused, non-flightly workaholics. But for those few who are just cruising through you're giving the rest of us a bad name!

Helium is a Training Ground - Nothing More

2009-05-22T10:29:00.002-05:00

Oh course I’ve been following the Helium debate on Word Count. It started yesterday when Tim Beyers posted an article against freelancers using content aggregators to post their work. Then Barbara Whitlock, a member outreach manager, refuted his points and lauded the benefits of Helium. All the discussion has got me thinking about Helium and my use of the site.

When I was first starting out as a freelancer, I started writing articles for Helium. I posted about 16 articles over a couple months. But once I lined up real freelancing gigs I stopped visiting the site and posting articles to it. I can’t imagine utilizing the site now, but at its time it was great. Starting freelancers might want to consider this as a training ground - but be careful not to spend too much time ‘training’ instead of seeking out paying gigs. Because even if Helium tells you it pays, the amount you’ll make is less than one well-lined up article.

What I got out of Helium:

Writing practice. I’d been out of the ‘official’ writing arena for nearly two years when I decided freelancing was the way to go. While I never stopped writing short stories and an occasional article, I hadn’t been writing in the journalistic style in a while.

Writing confidence. You do get feedback from your posts. Some times people write you after reading an article with comments, suggestions, etc... Plus to watch your article rise in the rankings is exciting.

Marketing tips. To see any income from Helium you need to be a huge self-promoter of your work. Write and article and seconds late you should be jumping on digg, del.i.cious, reddit, etc... and posting the article. The more you do that, the more pennies you’ll see. While the money is low, it does teach you how to promote your work - a helpful skill when it comes to keeping your blog, freelancing articles and working to get your name out there.

Pride in your work. With sites like Helium you are forced to rate other articles. As an editor first and a writer second, I was appalled at the number of poorly written articles. Even more shocking was the number of articles written under a specific topic that do not deal specifically with the subject matter.

Realization of a passion. At the time I wrote for Helium the majority of my articles were penned in the fashion section. This is an area that I had never delved into before, but had always loved. I used a clip from Helium to land a guest blogging position at SparkleShelf and have since started my own humble attempt at a fashion blog.

Overcome Rejection The BIKE Lady’s Way

2009-05-21T10:16:00.004-05:00

By Jackie Dishner

Since 2005, when I began publicly sharing my bike story—how I dealt with a three-year divorce from the seat of my bicycle—I’ve been known as The BIKE Lady. I developed what I call a "spiritual navigation tool," transforming what was once a metal bike into the mental one.

My bike became an acronym for finding your Best self, Inner strength, Killer instinct, and Expressive voice—what I believe to be the four elements of who you are at your very core. I believe once you know what you’re all about deep inside, you can overcome any obstacle. In fact, you can turn that obstacle into an opportunity.

My special brand of BIKE revealed itself to me because of the rejection I dealt with during a marriage gone bad. But I was able to put that rejection—and how I dealt with it—to good use in my writing career. I learned rejection is not necessarily a two-letter-word. That NO can be turned into a YES.

We’ll take it one letter at a time:

Best self
So you pitched that really great idea to a really great publication that pays really great money. But this really great everything soured when you received this editor's response: "Sorry, this doesn’t fit our needs." Do you take that personally? Do you let the rejection sting you into paralysis? How about letting the reply mean what it says. Your idea, this time, doesn’t fit this magazine’s needs.

So what now? Since you already have the editor’s attention, have a second idea ready to pitch back. Or, have another market or idea to pitch in its place. But first, run the mental checklist:

_Have you really read a few back issues of the magazine?
_In which department might the idea fit best?
_Is the idea geared toward the demographic?
_Can you, suggest graphics, sidebars, audios, etc., that might make the idea more attractive?

If you do all of this, you will be approaching your work in the best way possible—with your Best self in charge, the one who is prepared and knows where to go, what to do, how to respond in a way that moves you forward.

Inner strength
What if you don’t hear back? Not a word. You don’t even know if the editor received your pitch! Do you complain? Well, yes, maybe to other writer friends, if that helps. Do you cry? You do if you’ve sent out 100 pitches in a year and haven’t sold a single story. That would make me cry. Seriously. If you haven’t yet followed up (after a week or two), just call. Pick up the phone, hide your jitters behind a script you’ve prepared, and dial the editor’s number. Ask for a moment to make your pitch. Dig deep for the confidence needed to sell. If it’s not there, fake it this time, because freelancing isn’t a business for wimps.

Killer instinct
Don’t just pitch ideas you think will work, pitch ideas you know will work. Trust in your ability to find them. Pay attention to what you’re reading in the magazines you want to write for. And become aware of who’s buying what.

Awareness is key if you want to overcome this obstacle called rejection. Without it, you’re doomed. Fine tune your instincts with practice. The more you pitch, the better you’ll get at it. Yes, it’s hard to hear an editor say no to your ideas. But ideas are a dime a dozen. You’ll never be without ideas. The best way to turn those ideas into published stories is to know what you’re good at writing (your specialty) and to target your ideas accordingly.

Which brings me to the final letter…

Expressive voice
An editor rejects your idea? Ask for clarification. She won’t respond? Ask a writer you know who writes for that magazine what might work better. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. Those of us who repeatedly pitch articles that don’t sell, yet don’t make the attempt to find out why, won’t get anywhere. If you want to move forward, be willing to ask for help.

Agree? Disagree? Post your comments here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Jackie Dishner, aka, The BIKE Lady, writes and rides from Phoenix, Ariz., specializing mainly in business, travel, and self-help. She's most recently sold stories to AAA Living, Arizona Highways, Chile Pepper, HGTV.com, Highroads, Out Traveler, The Writer, This Old House, US Airways and others. Her first book, Backroads & Byways of Arizona (Countryman Press) hits the shelves this fall. She's also a public speaker at meetings, conventions and other group settings.

You can find my post for the day over at The BIKE Lady blog.

So You Want to Start a Blog?

2009-05-20T20:28:00.001-05:00

I’ve had a couple friends and professional acquaintances in the last week ask me about starting a blog. They wanted tips and tricks of the trade. I’m no blogging pro - I’ve started half a dozen blogs over the past five years and ditched most of them because they were silly, pointless, or boring. But I do keep this professional blog and a fashion blog over on tumblr.

So here’s what I’d say:

Pick a topic. I think some of the best blogs are the ones that are focused. Trying to talk about too many things you are going to lose the interest of your readers or never grab readers in the first place.

Post regularly. You don’t necessarily have to post daily, nor do you need to post each day of the work week, but your blog should never go dark for several days in a row. You want readers to stay interested, to keep coming back.

Encourage discussion. Allow comments on your blog, respond to the notes people leave you. Ask questions to your readers.

Read other blogs. To be a good blogger you need to be up on the topics being covered by others, especially those with a similar subject matter. And more than just read the blogs, comment on them, share thoughts, etc.. This will build audience and expand your knowledge.

Funk it up. Add pictures, links, colorful or bold words. It’s got to be more than just text.

Give your info. Give a short bio. Don’t forget to add ways they can contact you, your e-mail address, twitter name, linkedin address, etc...

Launched a new blog

2009-05-19T23:21:00.002-05:00

Since this is my 'professional' blog in which I talk about the things that relate specifically to the freelancing profession and the field of journalism I thought it was best not to bore my readers with random bits of information on other topics that I am interested in. And since fashion is one of my HUGE obsessions, I decided to break down and start a fashion-related blog on tumblr.

I've been working on pulling together Modly Chic for a couple days now and finally pushed the whole thing live today. (Hence the sorta cop-out on my blog entry today for Write Beyond the Cubicle.)

What Journalism School Should Offer

2009-05-18T15:10:00.001-05:00

I read an article today written by Mark Coughlan, a fellow freelance journalist based our of Dublin, Ireland, entitled ‘Giving Journalism Education a Kick in the Arse.’ And I have to say I laughed and then felt the need to give my own two sense. The gist of his post was that there are some things Journalism schools should keep when training the next generation, and there are somethings that need to be revised. As my earlier post would suggest, I concur.

What to add:

Intro to Web Writing. No journalism student should leave a four-year university and not know how to write for the web. And no, it is not the same as writing for a print publication, sorry.

Advanced Web Writing. Once the basics are learned in an advanced course should be at least offered, if not required, to help students understand how to pen timely stories for the web. News breaks and a site needs the story up that same day - again unlike the print side.

Intro to Social Media. This should walk the students through the biggest social media sites. They should learn how to use the sites both to cultivate sources as well as to build a recognizable ‘brand’ around his/her name. Also teach what not to do (like no drunken half-clothed party shots from the weekend), what to do (yes have your clips accessible on LinkedIn) and what’s optional (website - semi-optional, blog - a must.)

Basic Web Design. Students shouldn’t just graduate with the knowledge of how to lay a page out in InDesign. They need to be able to create pages, make their own website, and sorry but it’s got to look better than the sites from the 90s.

Integration 101. As a journalism major, there is something lacking from the education if you don’t know how to take and mildly edit a picture, film and edit video, etc... Even without any desire to go into TV or photography, more and more writers are being asked to cross over.

New Media Ethics. Now that the content sharing lines tend to blur thanks to blogs, home-made sites and social media, what’s ethical when it come to using pictures, video, art, etc... It’s not as black and white as print.

Just Stop

2009-05-17T23:03:00.002-05:00

It's 11pm on Sunday, which means I technically have one hour left to post a blog entry for today in order to be on my game for the #MayBlog2. I'm not going to bore you with fluff.

The life of a freelancer, as I am sure is true of anyone who owns his/her own business, is never on pause. There are weekends, sure - times when things enter a slightly different mode. But I don't think a day has gone by that I haven't scribbled out at least 500 words on something since I started this full-time freelancer 'thing.' And while my mind runs constantly along new articles to pitch, new areas to cover, new stories to assign, new ways to market, etc... there are days when it's necessary to walk away.

That's what I did today. I got up, did my normal Sunday routine and then instead of jumping on the computer by 10am, I spent time with friends, went to the gym for a longer workout, walked outside in the glorious spring weather and had dinner with a friend. Sure it means I was writing an article at 10pm that must be live by 5am tomorrow, but the time away helps to ground me in what really matters and realize there is more to life than words on a computer screen.

Every once in a while - Just Stop. Get Out. Live.

My Writer Rejected an Assignment - I Smiled

2009-05-16T22:11:00.002-05:00

After I got a lot of responses via e-mail, twitter and a comment to yesterday's post on Writer's Worth Day I realized something. We need to help others realize their worth. As Jackie, from the blog Bike with Jackie, commented she's got a friend who pitches pubs lower than she needs to and Jackie is working to help her go beyond this self-imposed low worth idea.

True story: I've got a writer who writes for the two publications I edit. She's a good solid reporter. She understands a deadline, is a great communicator and sources like her work ethic. I appreciate it too. (sidenote: one of these publications pays nothing for submissions - trust me I am working to change this model as quickly as possible.) I sent this stellar writer two assignments, one each for the pubs. She responded that she will take the paid one but she needs to focus on articles that will help her get by as a writer, so she'll decline the second non-paying assignment.

I'll be honest - I read her e-mail and smiled. Finally!! I'm sure it took a lot of courage to take the one assignment and reject the other. She probably debated whether to respond in that way. She probably worried I'd pull the paid assignment or never assign her another one. But I'm not in the least bit upset with her. Sure, I'd love to have her as a writer for the non-paying pub and now I'll have to find someone else to replace her, but this is a smart move for her at this point in her freelancing career. I wrote her back and told her so.

Bottomline: We need to help boost up fellow writers and editors. We need to help them see that they are talented and can demand to be compensated for their skill.

Writer’s Worth Day

2009-05-15T13:39:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Lori Widmer today has been declared Writer’s Worth Day. I’d have to say as a freelancer making sure I’m compensated appropriately is one of the hardest parts and a never ending battle.

I wish it were as easy as a simple site that tells you how much you should be paid per article, press release, one-sheet, book edit, etc.. but it can never be boiled down to something that simple. Each area of the country, type of publication, person writing, is different and as a result the pay scale is going to be different.

But it’s important to be paid what you are worth, for your own self-esteem but also to send a message to clients that your product really is THAT good.

Here’s what I’ve learned from past experience:

Acknowledge your worth. Don’t put yourself or your writing down. Hopefully you never do this to a client, but don’t do it to family and friends either. You’re in the profession, you’re making money - you must be good at it. Editors aren’t going to pay those who aren’t.

Always pitch slightly higher than you think a client would be willing to pay. Chances are you are mentally diminishing your worth as a writer and the client planned to pay more.

Carefully think through each opportunity. There may be some jobs that come along that pay pittance but the clip is something you want or the free marketing it is going to give you is just too great to pass up. Other times a low-paying (or no-paying) job isn’t going to add anything to your career - pass on those.

Stretch your comfort zone. Try for the gigs you’d love but think you don’t stand a chance. Contact a favorite publication with a pitch. Try writing for a different medium.

Set your standards. Have a general idea of what your rate-per-word is for writing, your pay-per-hour for edits. Do a little research online to find some going rates. Make yours competitive in the market you’re in. This isn’t set in stone, but it’ll give you an idea of where to start from.

Ask for more. Sometimes we find ourselves in a gig that requires more work than we expected and the pay is not up to par for the time we’re putting in. If it’s a long-term project, don’t be afraid to ask for more money. Point out how you are benefiting the client and what you think is fair. They might say, sorry we don’t have more to offer. Or they might say you’re right. As long as you’re polite and respectful - it doesn’t hurt to ask.

#editorchat in Brief (5/13)

2009-05-14T11:09:00.001-05:00

If you missed #editorchat last night or had to tune out - no worries. I culled some of the best tweets and have them below. Hope this helps.

LydiaBreakfast Q #1 Editors: Are you to trying to find new ways to generate more content, even with mandates to cut staff ?

JaneFriedman Q1. Rather than generate all-new content, big push to re-purpose existing content in different ways, in different media.

JMegonigal Q1- Absolutely. Do more with less. Lots of interns, lots of work for editor.

JMegonigal Q1- Necessary to give readers MORE and MORE to stay above the noise and keep from fading out like other pubs/papers...

deegospel q1: there is a need for more content, spesh content that can translate to digital in order to keep up

LydiaBreakfast Seems like we are going back to Dickensian serial publishing ;-)

rjreports Q1 As a freelance journo, I'm seeing that folks want A) more content for B) much less.

JMegonigal From an editor's POV, we are doing much more for far less, too...it's not just the writers. Goes all the way through.

shortformernie Q1: I think blog content should be repurposed in print, big time. Sometimes, good editing is a matter of knowing what to steal.

JJtweets Q1-As a freelance journo, I've seen rising demand for coverage 'depth' rather than 'breadth'. Spending more time researching now

shortformernie Q1: And being able to find content from blogs is killer – it's one of those work smarter not harder things you can do.

travelswithjenn as a writer, I'm also noticing I have more time on stories because editors are aggregating a lot more

LydiaBreakfast The fact is some pubs are doing well with fewer resources, does that mean we should always operate this way?

JaneFriedman It's frustrating to experience tight resources when you know superior content is key to pushing thru the noise.

@milehighfool You could argue that, in the age of the Web, SM skills are crucial for writing and reader engagement

retheauditors I've re-blogged w/update some posts. My audience is growing like crazy and most don't lok back to earlier posts.

LydiaBreakfast The Times is one of the few papers left to really invest in long form, I think there is room for both

milehighfool Right. The best blogs read like a good magazine -- quick hits mixed with strong features.

TimOBrienNYT we'll NEVER lose good storytelling. we just have to be judicious about when and how we deploy narrative.

LydiaBreakfast Let's move to Q2 Writers: Are editors asking you to produce more? What’s changed in your output routine?

KatPowers Q2 I don't think as an editor I'm asking for more. I think what I ask for is more focused and more targeted

littlebrownpen Q2. I'm being asked to write more, but the more popular request is to loop in social media contacts.

jennipps q2 So I got used to doing articles & then had to learn to find/take pictures that would go w/articles w/o violating copyright.

hotspringer Q2: Editors asking for same story in multiple formats. Next month, I write for print; rewrite for web; Tweet live from festival.

JMegonigal Q2 - I make my writers jump through hoops. 30 minute turnarounds and such. And they LOVE me for it. LOL

BeckyDMBR Favorite phrase of the day: "...sexing up my prostate cancer story." :)

LydiaBreakfast I have issues with that - remember my schtick about writers who work for a pittance are no better than piece workers

retheauditors Speak for yourself. :) Guilty re images @BeckyDMBR Many successful blogs couldn't do what they do without STEALING content

AuldHouse The joker says, "If you are good at something, never do it for free.

JMegonigal On 1 side (writer, journ advocate) I'm with you. On other (editor) if I can find cheap and good, I'm taking it.

LydiaBreakfast cheap and good does not make for a fair playing field

cursingeditor I'm all for training, but shouldn't journos interested in having a future be learning new media skills themselves?

LydiaBreakfast Let's go to Q3 Editors: What have you tried that’s worked in bridging the content divide?

luckychica seems so difficult these days 4 qualified journ 2 earn fair $$. Editors/pubs think we should b satisfied w/ "glory" of writing

KatPowers Q3 I have experts in my community who want to write what they know, instead of being interviewed. That's huge

deegospel q3: podcasting long form, supplying short with player, readers can listen to the article, read it later. my Editors love it

KatPowers I've had trouble with young ladies saying they don't "do video" or "do blogs" They're out of the biz

Dark_Faust Collaboration with other pubs/editors helps too. As long as not seen as competitive.

Dark_Faust As EiC, I make sure my editors write stories that can run in at least one other pub (print or online). Efficient coverage helps.

KatPowers No, I mean after 6 months of being passed over for assignments and promotions because they can't video, they left

JMegonigal Most of our interns have to be RE-introduced to SM as a tool/resource instead of a personal party album

SpecialDee Q3 I've conversed w/writers & bloggers via SM and so far one has been published in a Spec Sec ( @TobyDiva)

luckychica there are only a handful of OUTLETS that matter in terms of clips. Everyone else has to pay $.

SpecialDee Q3 Had a slew of freelance queries last fall. Important to know if they can conduct an interview.

LydiaBreakfast Q4: Writers (and Editors) Do you see the content divide as a threat or an opportunity?

jennipps q4 but also opportunity for same reason *and* I'm not grounded in any particular way of doing things, for the most part.

JMegonigal Q4 - If you see it as a threat, you're out sooner or later. Only those who see the opportunity will adapt, survive and thrive.

deegospel q4: an opportunity. a lemon situation for me 8 years ago is starting to taste like lemonade. i welcome the changes

anti9to5guide Q4: In some ways I hate changes to publishing biz, but as freelancers we've mastered flexibility & adapation...

LydiaBreakfast I agree with @milehighfool, I'm not competitive, just want to write well and tell the best story - quality always in style

DavidRozansky Q4: Since we will be moving to SM as our only line of finding quality authors, I would think SM is opportunity for writers.

JaneFriedman Editors/pubs/writers must work collaboratively to bridge divide. Be unconventional. Take Shatzkin's advice: http://bit.ly/SizBY

littlebrownpen Q4. A big challenge is connecting the right editors and writers.

SuburbNews Let's face it - would any outlet RATHER have back a bigger staff? Yes.But smaller makes you hungry, scrappy. Wish could have all

Single_Shot Just say no to PIE! Agreeeeed!!!

E-mail Etiquette

2009-05-13T19:07:00.002-05:00

With the rapid fire communication world that we live in I think people sometimes forget there is such a thing as e-mail etiquette. After spending hours a day sending tweets, texts and facebook messages it’s easy to fall into the same brief, abrupt, person-less messages in e-mail.

And sure, shooting your best friend a two-line e-mail without a signature is no big deal. She won’t be offended. She probably won’t even notice you didn’t sign your name. But sending that same style e-mail to a potential employer or editor/writer you are working with is a problem.

Last week I gave a new freelancer an assignment for one of the publications I work for. I asked her to please confirm the deadline and topic worked for her and of course not to hesitate if she had any questions. My e-mail was brief and to the point, but it did contained my name at the end and a ‘Hi TK’ at the start. In response I received, ‘Got It.’

I stared at the e-mail for a moment and immediately questioned giving this writer one of the longer feature pieces. The response to this assignment that will pay her a couple hundred dollars was not even worth a signature?

After overcoming my initial annoyance, I shot back a similarly short ‘Great Thanks’ and, yes, I did sign my name.

A day later, this same writer shot me another e-mail. It read ‘How much you paying me for this?’ Sometimes I think it’s good that I sit in my own office, Others don’t have to listen to my verbal outbursts. Needless to say, this really ticked me off. First, because we had discussed the pay in depth several weeks before. Second, it’s just so unprofessional to ask this question in such a manner.

OK, this is an extreme case, but abrupt short e-mails are not something specific to this clueless freelancer. I get them all the time. Some are more annoying than others.

I think we all need to remember that while things like Twitter and texting make us brief and to the point, there is a person waiting on the other end to receive your e-mail. And when it comes to people there are just some basic rules of etiquette that should not be overlooked even if you are in a hurry.

To me the basics are:

Always put some kind of address. Hi John. Dear Jane. Good Morning Sarah. Happy Friday Bill. - Whatever but address the person specifically.

Short is not bad. But a two word sentence is pathetic. Give the e-mail a little more thought.

Set up an automatic name, title, contact information to go at the bottom of all your e-mails. This makes it easier for people to get back to you and is professional.

Sign your name at the end. And I’m not just talking the automatic name. Take the time to type the couple letters needed to sign your name.

Skip the emoticons. Unless you know the person really well, and have developed that kind of relationship, a winking smiley face is immature and unprofessional.

Respond to e-mails in a timely manner. Nothing professional should sit in your inbox for more than 24 hours.

Network Like You Mean It (Part 3)

2009-05-12T14:41:00.000-05:00

You’ve gone to several informational interviews, you’ve cold called people and you’ve sat down to more informational interviews. Great. But don’t forget the art of the follow-up.

Sure you probably remember to send a thank you e-mail or hand written note, immediately following the meeting. You might keep it short and polite, while rehashing at least one piece of helpful information the person shared. But there is more to following up than a few lines scribbled on a page.

When I started job searching here in St. Louis, before going full-time freelance, I went on once informational interview that offered one surprising tidbit of information. The woman, who worked in PR for a major company in the city, said she was surprised at the lack of follow-up with people she has sat down with. She told me, “If I say, ‘update me in a few weeks to let me know how the search is going,’ I’m not just being nice. I’d like to know how you’ve progressed.”

According to this person, many people she has met with tend to drop off the planet entirely, or may resurrect only to ask if they have any leads six months down the line. Not good!

If a contact tells you to keep them informed, do so. Shoot them a short note after you’ve met with a contact they gave you. E-mail when you have an interview lined up with a company they are familiar with and ask for a piece of advice. Or if you have nothing significant to report write that.

This is not to say badger the person. But you want to put yourself in the forefront of their mind every once in a while. They might never respond to you or they might shoot back one line. But there is that off chance that they heard of an opening that day and because you sent an e-mail the contact has now submitted your name to the applicant pool.

You’ll be able to judge how often to contact a source by the words they write and the way they respond. If you simply get a ‘nice to hear from you’ response without signature, don’t spend your time write that contact often. If several lines of encouragement and advice, make sure to go back to that person.

The Fall of Traditional Journalism - Get Over It

2009-05-11T09:33:00.000-05:00

Every day some newspaper columnist or blogger writes about the great tragedy in traditional journalism falling by the wayside. J schools are at wits end. The administrators don’t know what to do. They don’t know how to impart traditional journalism values on the social media age.

I have a suggest. Get over it and figure out how to tweak the current model.

Whether we like to admit it or not. Journalism has changed in the last 10 years. But unfortunately most J schools have not. I graduated from college only a few years ago and my journalism degree is the perfect example of an ‘epic fail.’

Ok, well maybe not epic. I learned a lot in the four years I spent at Marquette. The teachers were dedicated to the students. I landed internships and jobs as a result of the connections the school had. I figured out how to write quality content in a short time frame. And honestly, my writing improved exponentially in those four years.

Then I hit the work force and I realized there were a number of things missing in my education. I never learned how to write an article for the web - fail! No one told me to start a blog or website to showcase my writing - fail! And social media? It was a thing that ‘the kids’ did to procrastinate, not a writing tool.

We learned just how small the journalism community is, with numerous stories from our professors about that one person who plagiarized and ruined a career in the field forever. (Saw it first hand too.) But no one told us that as a writer we needed to establish our presence.

So instead of bemoaning how everything is so different now and the loss of traditional journalism, schools need to tweak the system. Teach the current students the importance of ethical, fair and balanced reporting. Teach them the importance of meeting deadlines. Teach them how to craft short witty sentences, catchy headlines and where to place quotes. And teach them about web writing, blogging, tweeting, rss feeds, etc...

If these traditional values are going to last through this high tech era we need to teach writers how to incorporate the new with the old. We still need the old-school values; but they can fit with the new journalism model.

Friday Feature: Fashion Bloggers

2009-05-08T10:52:00.000-05:00

I’ve spent the morning looking at different fashion blogs - a secret obsession of mine.

To be honest, some of them are ridiculous. They exist to show off the bloggers hugely overfilled wardrobe, for which the probably paid thousands of dollars and have huge credit card bills. But there are a couple sites out there that are a real inspiration.

I interviewed Othalia, founder of the LookBook, a couple months ago for SparkleShelf. This amazing blogger finds the cheap version of the expensive styles we all love. She puts the price and a link to the site of where to find the item. Plus she doesn’t just slap the images up on the site, she artfully places them on the page.

Jessica writes the blog What I Wore. As the title suggests, she documents what she wears daily. So it is a little depressing to see all the clothes she has, but this girl is an inspiration for mixing, matching and coordinating outfits. I love her use of bold colors and the occasional eccentric accent piece.

Karla of Karla’s Closet is similar to What I Wore, only she dresses like a runway model on a daily basis. As a fan of black clothing, I love how she uses black as the basis to nearly every outfit.

These blogs make me want to start my own fashion-centered site. Ha. Well, maybe someday.

When Freelancers Flake Out We All Suffer

2009-05-07T14:24:00.001-05:00

I need to cultivate a list of talented freelance writers for two of the publications I edit. Finding freelancers who think they can do the job, usually no matter their background or writing experience, is easy. Finding real writers who understand the freelancing world is more challenging.

Last week for probably the 10th time since I started editing these pubs I had a writer disappear off the face of the planet. She got an assignment from me, confirmed it worked for her and the deadline wasn’t too tight. I marked it on the white board as an article in the works and forgot about it till the deadline date.

But the day came and went. I gave the writer the benefit of the doubt, waited a day and shot her an e-mail asking about the status of the article. In response I got NOTHING. I waited another week, prodded again stressing the need to get the article as it was supposed to go in the mag that will print in a couple weeks. Still not a thing.

Now you might say why not call her, badger the writer until I get a response and the article? But it’s not worth it. I’ll fill the space with something else I’ve got sitting around and assign the story out to someone else. I’m not going to waste my time tracking down a freelancer.

But now that this has happened several times it got me thinking about freelancers. There are many of us who are serious, hard-working individuals. We pitch ideas, stick to deadlines and work our tails off to meet an editors requirements. Then there are others who give all of us a bad name. Sure, my work ethic proves that I’m a damn good writer/editor. But once a pub has been burned by a freelancer they will automatically be hesitant in using another freelancer.

And to those freelancers who are either too embarrassed to say they didn’t get the story finished or they didn’t want it in the first place - you are just messing up your own writing career. Maybe you don’t think ignoring me is a big deal. And I’m not that big of a deal to think so. But I do write and edit for a number of publications. I control who writes what for three publications. So now that is three publications you won’t be able to write for in the future. And since journalism really is such a small industry, my fellow editors in the industry may also know your name too, from my concerned rants about missing copy. You’re burning bridges before you can even finish building them.

Network Like You Mean It (Part 2)

2009-05-06T11:24:00.000-05:00

So you’ve contacted the people that you know and sat down with them for a brief chat about the state of the job market, where to find leads and who to contact. Now you’ve got a list of new contacts. (If you met with 5 people, you should have between 15 and 20 new contacts.)

Now comes the hard part. You need to do a little cold-calling or cold-e-mailing. Contact the person and tell them who your connection was, what you are doing and would they have 10 minutes to spare you. Try something like this:

Hi TKTK my name’s KT and ABC suggested I give you a call. I’m a recent graduate and am trying to touch base with professionals in the industry who can offer me advice for my job search and the current market.

Again, keep it short and to the point. If e-mailing, do not send along your resume, clips, etc... That’s what the meeting is for. You don’t want to inundate them with information and lengthly messages.

When you have the informational interview with these people approach it as you did with the first group. Also, don’t leave until you get 3 more contacts from this new person. That way each informational interview you have will add to your list of names and, more importantly, it will get your name out into the market place.

Sidenote: I forgot to mention this in the first post, but when you get home from one of these meetings, write down anything important/useful that was said on the looseleaf page with your contact’s name at the top.

The Wordcount Experiment.

2009-05-05T09:32:00.000-05:00

I know this is kind of a silly experiment to do. It accomplishes nothing of any worth other than to satisfy my curiosity. But still, yesterday I counted every word I typed for the articles, e-mails, blog entries, twitter, facebook and a short story I’m writing for my sister. (I did not go so far as to count google searches, e-mail subject lines or blackberry e-mails/texts.)

I hit 3,000 words by noon, which is one of the deadlines I work with on a daily basis for the real estate publication. But then I needed to leave my computer from 1:30 till 8:00pm, so work sat till the end of the night and I started the writing again. As a result I did not get to every assignment I had planned to work on, so the number might have been higher if I hadn’t left.

In total yesterday I typed 7,301 words. This total surprised me especially after the 6 hour hiatus. Before I started the experiment, I thought for sure I’d be nearer 4,500 words for the entire day.

The break down:
E-mail: 3,346 words
Short Story: 2,077 words
Articles: 793 words
Twitter: 556 words
Blog: 320 words
Facebook: 209 words

Writers, do you have any idea how much you type in an average day? I bet the total will surprise you.

Network Like You Mean It (Part 1)

2009-05-04T12:29:00.000-05:00

All you recent grads, job searchers, or freelancers looking for your next gig - you’ve got to network like it’s your job. Because, to be honest, it kinda is.

You are NOT going to get hired through all those job sites. Monster, HotJobs, CareerBuilder - they are all the same. Does that mean they are useless? No. I’ll explain why in a couple days.

For now, the first step to networking is compiling your list of contacts.

I suggest you get a binder and a pack of loose leaf. On each page write the name of a contact you have personally in the business. (Every name gets a different page.) These should be people you know. Think professors, internship coordinators, summer job bosses, etc...

Below each name add the contact information. The person’s phone number (work, cell, home) and his/her e-mail address.

Then take the dive and call up each person on your list. Ask for an in-person informational interview. Tell him/her that you are looking for a job and you’d like to pick his/her brain about the job market and the industry. Make it sound like you believe he/she is the expert. Ask for just 10 minutes.

Go to the informational interview, as if it were a real interview. Prepare questions ahead of time. Do not show up in your jeans and scrubby t-shirt. Take your resume, clips, business card, etc... Thank your contact for the time, ask your questions and listen to the advice given. Keep it to the promised 10 minutes!

At the end - and this is the MOST important part - ask the person for 3 new contacts. When you get home add the new connections to a fresh sheet of loose leaf. Note the person’s contact information and add the person’s name who connected you.

Word Count

2009-05-03T21:20:00.001-05:00

A couple of the people that I follow on Twitter - mostly fellow novel-writer wannabes - post daily updates of how many words they have written. The first couple times I say the tweets (things like 'The muse is working overtime I've written 2,329 words today,") I was impressed with their ability to write so much in a given day.

I worked a little on a short story over the weekend and charted 3,000 words on Saturday evening. When it comes to writing a book 2,000 or 3,000 words in a single sitting can be impressive, especially if you aren't feeling very creative.

But then I got to thinking about my normal day. How many words do I write on any random Monday? Most days I pen: 2 or 3 real estate articles, 1 Write Beyond the Cubicle entry, 1 beauty blog entry, 3 to 5 articles for the teen publication, endless tweets for my personal account (@hinder) and two different work accounts, dozens of e-mails from 4 different accounts, and of course the short stories I pen for fun and the novel I'm writing for real.

How much does all that amount to? Stay tuned! I'm going to be counting every word I write tomorrow and then blogging (tuesday morning) what the total word count is for the day.

Have any of you counted to words you type in a given day? What's your estimate?

May's Blogathon - I'm In

2009-05-02T22:17:00.000-05:00

I added my name to the list of writers who are going to try and blog every day in May for the second annual WordCount blogathon. The writing experiment is being hosted by Michelle Rafter on her blog.

As much as I write - not a day goes by where I don't type out at least 1,000 words - I think this is going to be a challenge. During the work week there are a lot of things I contemplate writing about for the blog and since I am 'forced' to sit in front of the computer working on assignments, it's easy to find a couple minutes to create a post. But the weekends... Now that's a whole other story.

But just like anything in our world - to improve you've got to keep working on it. So here's to the May experiment... if I can make it through the weekends I'm golden.

An Open Letter to the PR Community

2009-05-01T13:15:00.001-05:00

Dear PR Professionals,

Thank you for all you do. You help to make the life of a journalist a little less stressful - most of the time. I just have one small favor to ask of you. Could you be more aware of who you are sending your releases to?

I appreciate the news you send, but when an e-mail from you pops into my inbox about a topic I don’t cover I begin to wonder. And when you do this repeatedly I know that you don’t care enough to take the time.

For example, let’s say I cover commercial real estate news (which I do). I don’t need your releases on how to avoid swine flu, the latest fight dads are undergoing for child custody or the newest technology tool for the car stereo. These are so far from what I write about I don’t even bother to read your text. I delete immediately.

There are other times when your release appears to be more on track - although it is still missing the point. I also do not need to talk to a lawyer about the single-family home market. I also don’t want to read the latest book on 100 easy ways to get your house ready to sell. In case you didn’t know homes are not considered commercial real estate.

And for the record it is not just the real estate PR professionals that do this. For the teen magazine I work for I get e-mail releases on the latest toilets, the places to go on your honeymoon, and the how-to book for raising a teenager. While it is true, someday the audience will be having kids and going on vacation. And yes, they do use the bathroom daily - it is not something we would ever cover in the magazine.

If you’d be so kind as to refrain from sending me the releases that make no sense, I am sure we could work together better on the ones that are right up my alley.

And thanks again for all you do. It really does help and the journalists are grateful.

Sincerely,

KT

Online Identities Discussed on #editorchat

2009-04-29T21:38:00.000-05:00

Tonight’s #editorchat talked a lot about online identities. Contributors talked about how we as writers reconcile different identities online, the importance of those identities in terms of marketing yourself and whether that identity interferes with your writing.

The general consensus was:
Yes - we should have online identities to connect with readers.
Yes - our digital lives take us away from the writing, but the benefits are worth the time away.
Yes - it is probably best to have those identities match with each other.

Oh and a new term was born... Procrastitweet. - Love It.

Here are some of my favorite tweets from the night:
(Warning: I did zone out a little for in between, so I'm sure to have missed tweets. American Idol took some of my attention. Sorry.)

@jennipps: Q1 - I used to have multiple IDs online, but a few years ago, I consolidated them all into JenNipps.

@edwardboches: as a blogger, social media enthusiast, pr practitioner and content creator, i have one. consistency, voice, reputation importnt

@jimmcbee: q1: Never gave it much thought till it came up here in your absence, Julia. I mainly try to be me, for good or ill.

@jennipps: I did at first. But now I feel like I have a more complete image of me and I don't have to remember what goes where

@mguerard: If you're tweeting to friends as well as tweeting for your job, it's a good idea to have separate identieies.

@wetzeledit: I thought about blogging anonymously to keep separate from professional life but figure it's too late and me is me anyway.

@edwardboches: you may act differently at party, office, town meeting, but you are the same person, yes? online no different.

@milehighfool: As an online writer myself, I'd argue a well-understood identity is critical. Draw 'em in fast.

@LydiaBreakfast: Q, I've had separate identities for my speaking and writing careers, and diff specialties.

@wetzeledit: My identity is the same but my expression of it is evolving.

@JuliaAngwin: Some academics call this the "unitary identity" that the Internet forces us into.

@wetzeledit: Seems like everything is converging to be online. So isn't some evolution inevitable as we all figure it out?

@jimmcbee: Objectivity is a goal at best; a lie at worst. Let's build a new altar to Honesty.

@elizabethbarr: I think if you're honest about who you are and your conflicts, objectivity isn't as important as transparency.

@wordful: Q5 it certainly gives us more control and reach over our potential to be heard

@milehighfool: Having an identity is a prerequisite to creating a community, which is essential both for writer and outlet, no?

@underoak: Q5 for #editorchat: Yes, digital life interferes with writing focus (as I procrastitweet). But it adds massive sources, links, connections.

@BeckyDMBR: Tons of ways to procrastinate. At least SM offers networking, swine flu updates, etc.