Writers Unbound

Between NYC last week, and the weather, snow days and etc, I need a vacation! Who’s with me?

Hi Readers & Writers,

Short n sweet today because I got stuck in the Big Apple this week for longer than I intended, and my work is inexcusably behind. So some quick tips from my New York City trip:

• When you meet other writers, authors and editors, pick their brains. It’s amazing to me how many people use different resources. On the net, almost every writer I run into knows most or some of the same sites and resources I use. However, when I met my colleagues in NYC, we all got some new perspectives.
• People watching on the subway is excellent practice in characterization.

Here’s an honest Thursday Thirteen.

If you’re anything like me, …..?…….., you care about books. I mean, seriously care. I notice what people are checking out at the library, what people are reading on planes, and what books bloggers write about. I adore books.

So, it’s hard for me to do this Thursday 13 honestly, because I truly don’t know what’s lying around right now. Guess we’ll see.

13 Books In My Office:

1) Premium Green Markets Ebook. Ahh, that’s a mystery to ya, huh? Guess you’ll have to visit Women on Writing to see what the heck I’m talking about.

2) The 2006 Writers Market. Yes, 2006. Yikes.

3) 100 Banned Books by Karolides. LOVE it.

4) 100 Years of Solitude by Marquez. The English version. The Spanish one is in my living room.

5) They Take Our Jobs and 20 Other Myths About Immigration. 

6) Aura by Fuentes. Another excellent selection

7) Raising Nuestros Ninos by Rodriguez.

The 5 Love Languages by Chapman. A little too religious for my taste, but not bad.

9) The Essential 55 Workbook. Haven’t read it yet.

10)Writer Mama by Katz. Cannot WAIT to get to this one, looks promising.

11) Make Money Reading Books by Fife. Bought this the day I graduated with my English degree. Hasn’t failed me yet.

12) Great Jobs for English Majors. See above.

13) Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer by Allen. Read in one delightful weekend a year ago. Perfection.

That’s it for today’s Thursday 13. Someone pulled all the books off the topshelf of my library, and now I have to go put them back. Grrr.

Alo!

Well, like I said last week, the only problem I can foresee with Writer’s Work Wednesday is that it isn’t drip-able. As you read this particular entry, I’m wining and dining with clients in NYC.

Ok maybe not wining.  Is that a word?

Since I’m dripping this post on a Thursday night (directly after Lost, which I find to be both the most interesting and the most frustrating show ever made), I’ve decided to give you a taste of my 88 freelance writing job lists. Yes, 88. Now you know why I am rarely looking for jobs….going through half my list tends to fill me up for 2-3 weeks.

On to some Writer’s Work Wednesday leads: 

ACES Editorial Jobs: Ok so they’re editorial, but the bonus on this particular list is that they come directly to your inbox. Always nice.

No Agencies Please: Has all freelance jobs, not just writing.

Freelance venue has a few here and there.

This site says “Writing Well Is The Best Revenge.” Ah, yes, yes it is. I’m going to have to agree, but add “having a decent bank balance” in the mix.

All Freelance Writing Jobs seems to be updated pretty often.

I tend to get at least one or two solid leads from WriterFind.

Last, but not least, let me say a few words about Elance and other bid sites. I know the rep they have out there, and honestly, sometimes I think I’m on a completley different planet than everyone else. I never bid under my set hourly rate, I’m always paid on time and fairly, and I usually get a new client out of the whole deal.

So if you finish up a project early, or find yourself with some billable hours to fill, I highly recommend poking around on elance.com. Be careful, bid your set rate, and fill up that bank account! :) 

Today’s tip is that grammar counts.

Crap.

Here’s the problem: I write all the time. It can burn a person out. Sometimes when I blog, or comment, or chat on forums, I really could care less about perfection. I get paid for perfection, and unless you’re paying me, I’m not much interested- not 100% of the time anyway. So, if you come across me online and Your wondering why I keep making Acceptions to grammar rules, now you know.

Do you know why people attack such things on message boards? Generally lack of anything better to say.

But, yes, grammar does count in paid writing situations.

Need to work on your grammar?

Here’s some fun grammar quizzes.

Sometimes English grammar takes on a new dimension when you learn a new language. I really didn’t catch grammar until I learned Spanish in high school. So if you’re still monolingual…there’s another impetus for you to cure that.

Of course, you could always kill two birds with one stone and invest in the 15th Edition Chicago Manual of Style. Freelancers and journalists will more than likely run across a need for this anyway, and it can answer many of your grammar questions. Granted, it’s quite an investment, but those who work through a business front can always deduct it!

Last, but certainly not least, Sentence Sence has a grammar textbook aimed specifically at writers.

On a side note, be sure to check out this guest post that I did for the kind ladies at Freelance Parent last week. I explore the question of asking for an extension from freelance clients. Is it ever ok? Be sure to leave your comments.

I just finished up two pieces of one-time local work. Other than my ongoing magazine editorial client, these were some of my first forays into local work. I had been, up to now, avoiding local work because of some perceptions on my part.

Many freelancers want to delve into the local market, so I’ve decided to list the pros and cons of getting into this particular market for my freelance colleagues out there.

PROS:

• Immediate pay! Yay! Both of my local clients paid me when they picked up their project. They probably felt like they were exchanging a product for pay, instead of a service for pay. Since I was giving them something tangible, they felt that they had to do the same.
• Ability to make connections and to ask for referrals. The face to face interaction give you lots of opportunity to take that next step.
• Getting a little interaction outside the house! I don’t know about you, but I get a little tired of talking to my dog all day.
• The ability to get immediate answers to your questions. Just pick up the phone! 
• The higher likelihood of tax write-offs occurring. For example, if you meet outside of your home or office, you’ll be able to write off mileage and the coffee you purchased at Starbucks. 
• Local recognition. Depending on your clients, you may have the opportunity for some local recognition.

CONS:

• Clients come to your office…which means you have to clean it beforehand…Yeah, dust balls aren’t professional.
• Small talk cuts into your bottom line. There is no option to “just hit send.”
• If you live in a state with a craptastic economy, you may need to adjust your standard rates.
• Phone calls feel more pressing than emails, so I feel the need to respond quickly.

Overall, I would definitely recommend taking on local work. I’m glad I did both of these projects, and am looking forward to some more!

In order to make more money and work less hours, I’ll need to be more efficient. This past week has been an experiment as such for me, and so far so good! So, I’m going to share with you, dear reader!

• Check your email once or twice a day- no more. I’m addicted to my email, and I really like having a clean and clear email box. But, that means that I will follow up on things if I think I can do so quickly. However, those quick follow up almost always get drawn out. Turning off my email notification has solved that.
• Speaking of notifications, I’m addicted to my Crackberry. I”m kind of a geek about it. At anytime of the day, it’ll make a little noise telling me I’ve got a call, an email or a text message. I love it. I love the connection, I love being “in the know.” Guess what else I like? Quiet. It’s been working out!
• I have more issues. I can’t transition well. When I finish one project, I take too much time to move on. I get up and move around, check email, etc. One solution to this is to restrict “transition time.” Instead of getting up and walking about after one project or piece of a project, I require myself to complete two or more pieces, thus avoiding transition time wasters.
• Another way to ease the transition between projects is to compile a to-do list at the beginning of the work day. This may seem obvious, but it tends to get lost in the shuffle of early morning email and phone calls.