Writing From the Trenches Surviving the Writing Journey even when you’re in the trenches.

Wow!  Time certainly flies when you neglect your blog, doesn’t it?  I have thought about this writing blog often, but I haven’t taken the time to do anything about it.  I am determined to change that and blow the dust off of this blog.

I have made several changes in my writing life this past year.  I am currently busy writing curriculum for homeschoolers.  And although I love what I am doing, I am still yearning to put pen to paper and jot out my fiction masterpiece.  Maybe it is because Nano is right around the corner.  Or perhaps it is because I am teaching my son how to write and we are entrenched in fundamentals of writing a good description at the moment.

In any case, it is definitely time for me to dust off my writing shelf and blog and share some of what I have learned and am learning.  I have some definite plans, so please be sure to watch this blog for announcements and some great giveaways!  I purchased some really fun items to giveaway to my readers, so keep an eye out for those.  I am working on some creative ways to enter.  It should be fun!

Posted under Announcements

With the New Year, many people are making resolutions to hopefully make improvements in their lives.  But I don’t like to make resolutions, because they are so easily broken and dismissed.  I like to set goals instead.  When you set a goal, your wishes and desires seem to be more concrete.  So I thought perhaps we should talk about setting goals when it comes to our writing.

The New Year brings so many possibilities to us.  It is in essence a fresh start and a time to dust off our aspirations and try to make them become a reality.  Many writers set goals for their business at this time.  However, how many actually write down those goals and then create an action plan to make them happen?  Setting goals by identifying them and then prioritizing them will help you to achieve a greater balance in your writing career.  Some of the main reasons that people fail to achieve their goals are a fear of commitment, the fear of setting goals which are too high and not knowing how to make those goals become a reality.

Over the next few weeks, I hope to help you to overcome these things so that you can find the writing success you desire and deserve.  We will work together on clearly defining our goals so that we have a clear picture of where we are headed and what we want to achieve.

The first thing that you will need to do is to decide what your goals and dreams are for the year.  Write these things down.  Do not worry for now if those goals are realistic.  We will work of goal modification and turning those goals into reality later.  Just make a list of things you would like to accomplish this year in your writing.  Of course, you can apply this to the other areas in your life as well.  But for our purposes here, we will be focusing on writing goals.  Work on creating this list over the next day or two.  Whenever you think of something, write it down.  I will tell you what we are going to do with this list later, in my next post.  That’s all I want you to do for now.  Just dream and write down those goals.  Just do it…aren’t you and your career worth it?  I thought so…

 

Posted under Rules for Writing

As writers we are naturally passionate about life and the things in it. But sometimes we lose our focus of what is the most important to us. We become concerned with making the money we need for our bills and necessities. We lose ourselves in the process and forget who we are as writers and individuals. We lose our passion.

I just recently re-evaluated my writing career and goals and found that I had lost my passion for my job. It was becoming obvious in my work that I was turning in to clients and my approach to completing my work. It was time to re-evaluate my career choice and determine why I was writing. Was I now writing just for the sake of writing and getting a paycheck? Or was I writing because I loved it and needed to express my ideas on paper?

After a long introspection, I determined that it was time to refocus my efforts to what as important to me. I needed to write for myself once again and not just what my clients wanted me to write about. I needed to find the joy of writing once again. Without some major changes, I was headed for writer burnout and that is just not an acceptable option for me.

It took me too long to discover what I was truly passionate about for my work to burnout and sacrifice myself in the process. I have had the habit throughout my work career to always do what I am naturally good at doing and not necessarily what I am passionate about doing. I spent too many years working in the banking industry in a job I actually despised, but was very good at completing. Many probably didn’t even realize how much I hated my job, I was that good at it.

I was following similar patterns in my freelance career. I was accepting work that I was very good at doing, but not necessarily passionate about. Some of it I actually didn’t enjoy at all. But I felt compelled to do it because I was good at it and a client or friend asked me to do it. I felt trapped. I was like a deer in the headlights much of the time. My physical and emotional health began to take a toll on me because of what I was doing.

So I made some changes. I am now being choosy about what work I will accept. I am putting myself first. My work is beginning to reflect my passion once again. I am no longer sabotaging my career and myself. I am not afraid to say no. I am rediscovering my passion.

When you focus on what you are truly passionate about, the work will come to you. The ideas will flow freely. You will create that which is truly great and your talents and abilities will flourish. Find your passion and greatness will follow.

What kind of writing are you most passionate about and why? Leave me a comment and share.

Posted under Freelance Writing

This is a previously published piece from my original blog on blogger.

As a writer, I am obviously very fond of words. I simply love them and love to find new and creative ways to say things. One of my favorite writing tools is my trusty thesaurus. I love it. Within the pages of this treasure are literally thousands upon thousands of different ways to say the same thing. Yet each word seems to only be perfect at certain times in my writing. Each wonderful word has its own perfect moment to shine.

The problem with being a word lover is that sometimes you get so many different words in your head actively floating around in your mind simultaneously. While this is handy when you are writing, it does become a challenge when you are speaking with others. You begin to become known as a walking and talking thesaurus. People take advantage. To illustrate my point, here is how my afternoon unfolded the other day:

From my son:

“Mom, what’s another word for being close?”

“Cuddle.”

“No, that’s too sissy. How about another word?”

“Nestle.”

“Nestle?”

“Yes.”

“Any other words?”

“Yes. Here is my thesaurus. Look it up. I would guess page 528 to 530.”

From my Spouse:

“Honey, what is another word for probably?”

“Plausibly.”

“No, that doesn’t sound right…”

“Try likely.

“No, it needs to be stronger. That it WILL happen.”

“Oh, you mean inevitably.”

***RING, RING, RING***

“Hello?”

“Hey big sister… I need a word for ridicule.”

“Tease?”

“No, that won’t work.”

“Taunt?”

“No, not right.”

“Ok, I’ll go out on a limb here…how about belittle, mimic or disparage?

“Oooo, those are good. Thanks.”

I really don’t mind helping occasionally and pulling a word or two out of my inner thesaurus. It keeps me on my toes and makes room for other lovely words. Inevitably those words will find themselves in something I am writing. And when I can’t think of just the right word for something? I pull out my secret weapon and lovingly turn the pages of my favorite word book also known as a thesaurus.

I know that I can’t possibly be the only one who speaks thesaurus as a 2^nd language. There must be others like me who secretly practice their words and challenge their minds. How many different ways can you think of to say the word thesaurus? I would bet you have several. I know I do. What is your favorite way to exert your thesaurus within?

Posted under Writing Tools

This is a previously published piece from my original blog on blogger.

I was recently hired by a group that wanted me to ghostwrite short 250 word articles for their client. I originally thought that this would be a good and reliable writing gig. The contract was to be for a one year period, but could go on for about three years.

I went through the process of joining the team and then things quickly changed. They decided that everyone on the team would need to sign new contracts that included a non-compete clause. This clause stated that you could not work for any of their direct or indirect clients for a period of one year after leaving their writing team. I could not work directly or indirectly for any of these clients. That really bothered me. I have been burned in two other careers by signing a non-compete contract. I didn’t start freelance writing to have my efforts controlled and dictated by someone other than myself.

My question is this: If I leave this team and get work from someone else, what kind of a nightmare am I going to have to make sure that I do not work for anyone that the original team sees as a client? They are currently working on gaining more clients everyday. If I am already working for one of their “new” clients, then what happens? Will I be sued?

I sent off an email that detailed my hesitation to sign such a contract. I received a very professional response in return, that explained why they are taking this stance. While I appreciate the reasoning that they have for such a decision and their professionalism, I cannot in good conscience sign a contract that limits my future work.

Some of their writers were taking their topics and directly approaching the client with the work before the group would submit it. That is not ethical and I would never do that. It is also highly unprofessional. However, while I would never directly go after their current clients, I cannot guarantee that any of their future clients will not be ones that I would choose to work with on my own either now or in the future. What if I contracted work with the client on my own in a different forum before they were a client for this group? That is an entirely different situation that they refuse to see.

A non-compete clause or contract only serves to protect the interests of the employer or first party. They are limiting their future competition in the market. The person who signs such a contract is giving up their freedom to work.

Doesn’t freelance imply the right to work where I choose? Doesn’t freelance imply freedom?

Posted under Freelance Writing, Warnings for Writers