Freelance Writing: A Gateway to “Authorhood?” Part 3

Thank you for sticking with me these last few days as I’ve attempted to share what knowledge I have gained as a freelance writer. Don’t miss part 1, where I discussed my personal journey as a freelance writer, plus to good and the ugly of the business. In part 2, I spoke with award-winning author Christie Craig on her personal journey from freelance writer to author. Today, I’m discussing the transition from freelance career to “authorhood” and when to say no to articles. I’ll also share some suggestions on how to get started if you want to freelance.

Christie Craig said yesterday that she no longer writes freelance since she is writing four books a year. I’m not there yet but I too am starting to feel the pressure of too much writing and not enough time. My solution? I prioritize based on contract obligations. I’ve been writing for local Houston magazine off and on for seven years. They have been good to me and I like loyalty, so they will be the last that I quit. I also, write many articles a week for Examiner.com but I have scaled back on local columns with them due to time constraints. I continue to write weekly for my Special Needs Dog Care Examiner column and my The Mortal Instruments Examiner column. You may see a pattern here. The first ties directly into my book, ‘Caring for Your Special Needs Dog.’ I count this as easy marketing that I can control. The second keeps me in the loop among the active young adult community, which is another genre that I write in.

Currently, I will not take on anymore contract writing assignments. Other than what I mentioned, I write to guest blog articles promoting my material and furthering my network. I also query topics related to what I’m writing to specific magazines, but these would all be the one time gig. It is easy to over commit yourself and lose sight of your real goal.

Do you want to be a freelance writer forever? I don’t but like Christie Craig, I appreciate what it is teaching me and using such skills to make me a stronger and more marketable author.

So how do you get started in freelance writing? In part 1 of this blog series you learned how I got started while still in school. I know some of us can’t go back and get that time but it’s never too late to set goals and strive to reach them. I recommend the following:

1. Write a letter with your qualifications and some topic ideas that you have for a local magazine. Be sure and write something that lets the editor know that you read the magazine. Off some suggestions to make it better and how you can help contribute to that.

2. Research local and National publications that cover topics you are interested in. Focus on publications that accept queries. A query is a letter suggesting a topic giving away some details but without writing the entire article. You will also share your credentials in such a letter. I am not a fan of publications that require a full article for consideration. This takes up a significant amount of your time and could be for nothing. I do understand the value in finishing a manuscript prior to querying but not with a feature article.

3. Be persistent, not annoying. There is one magazine that I’ve always wanted to be featured in (I’m not saying which one!) My topics have never matched up with their issue goals. I’ve had bad timing but I resend new ideas along with reminding them of my old ones twice a year. Maybe someday it will pay off and I’ll write a big blog post about it!

4. Set aside a certain amount of time for freelance research. I’m always looking for publications that would be a match for topics that I write on and speak on.

5. Never lose sight of your main goal. My main goal is to be an author. Long before my first book was published, I kept a sticky not by my workspace that said, “AUTHOR.” This way I always remembered the BIG picture and didn’t get lost among the articles.

I hope that this blog series was helpful for you. Next week I will return to my usual Wednesday and Friday posts. Since these posts were all closely related, I wanted them coming out back to back.

Do you write freelance? How did you land your first article?

Announcements:

Take a deep breath and remember your real writing goal. Many of us use stepping-stones to reach goals but don’t get lost among those steps. A fantastic read is “Warrior Writer: From Writer to Published Author” by Bob Mayer. I thought I was organized, but this book really shaped my writing process so that I keep things on track to reaching my big picture goals.

Freelance Writing: A Gateway to “Authorhood?” Part 2

Many writers find their path to being an author through the experiences of freelance writing. Yesterday, I discussed my path into the world of freelance writing, along with the good and the ugly of the business. Today, I’m sharing with you some great freelance writing insight from author Christie Craig. I first met romance and young adult author, Christie Craig through the West Houston RWA Chapter. She is hysterical and a wonderful writer that can have her readers perched on the end of their seats or rolling, laughing on the floor. She began her writing career as a freelance writer and believes what I do, that this path is greatly beneficial for aspiring authors. I asked her to share some insight on this topic and below is what she had to say.

From Christie Craig:

Freelance writing taught me so many things that prepared me for a career as a novelist.

It taught me to fit my idea, my voice, into someone's else's box. I think my ability to write in different genres is because of the lessons I learned doing freelance. I wrote for both the down-home country type of magazines and the fine art magazines.

Freelance writing helped me hone my marketing skills. By studying a magazine and trying to figure out what those editors wanted in articles, I taught myself to dissect articles, to look beyond the words to find similar themes and tones in the many articles published in a particular magazine. These skills continue to help me as I read several books in a genre and try to figure out what it is that makes these books fit that particular genre. I used this skill when I was asked to write a YA and I spend weeks studying and reading other YA books to figure out what went into the making of a good YA novel.

Income from freelance writing kept me from having to work outside the home, and it kept me writing and honing my craft, and it allowed me time to pursue my novel career.

Seeing my name in print gave me the inspiration I needed to believe in myself as the rejections for my novels kept piling up.

The years of writing short pieces really helped me when it came time to write blogs and promotion pieces. It taught me how to get a point across in a limited number of words. It taught me how to focus on what was important in the piece.

Writing short teaches you to make all the words count. To say the most, in the least amount of words.

Freelance writing prepared me for deadlines, it taught me how to work with editors, and it helped me grow a thick skin. Both from the rejections and from having my work rewritten by hands-on editors.

Writing freelance is often similar to going back to school. When I would get an assignment from an editor about something I knew nothing about, I would have to research the topic. You would be amazed how many things I now use in my novels that I researched for articles. My book Divorced, Desperate and Delicious had tons of high tech furniture: a talking refrigerator, a Lazy Boy chair with a built-in refrigerator, and a cat box that says, "Good Kitty" when the feline paws at the litter after making a “deposit.” These were some of the crazy things that I had to research for articles.

Thank you Christie for your insight. Christie currently does not freelance because she is writing four books a year! Learn more about award winning author Christie Craig at her website. Her new romance novel, ‘Shut Up and Kiss Me’ is now available and her anticipated romance, ‘Don’t Mess with Texas’ is available later this month. She also writes young adult paranormal, the Shadow Falls series, that still has her trademark wit along with mystery and intrigue.

One thing that I am currently struggling with in my freelance career is the ability to say “no.” I’m currently working on two books, with another out on submission so it is getting more difficult to manage my freelance and author careers. Balance and time management as a freelance writer/ novelist is what I will discuss tomorrow in the conclusion to this big freelance writing blog post series. I’ll also answer the frequent question, how to jump-start your freelance career.

Did you write freelance prior to becoming an author? What benefits did you see?

Announcements:

Don’t miss this great post, “I’m convinced fear is at the root of most bad writing.” Stephen King, from NY Times Bestselling author Bob Mayer.

This week, I was a guest at Joy Held’s Writer Wellness blog. Check out my “A-Musing” post and share what motivates you as a writer.

I have begun research and interviews for my next book in my non-fiction dog book series with Who Dares Wins Publishing. The topic is dogs and children and how to create introductions that will lead to positive and beneficial relationships for them both. Please email me at NatalieCMarkey.com if you feel you could contribute.

Check out ‘Caring for Your Special Needs Dog’ to learn easy, common sense ways to give your dog the best quality of life from the perspective of owners that are making it work. Your dog doesn’t have to have a disability to benefit from this book. Some dogs are “special” in many ways.

Freelance Writing: A Gateway to “Authorhood?” Part 1

Many of my Twitter followers read my tweets about meeting freelance deadlines and how happy I am to finish so I can return my focus to my WIP or research for my WIP. Such relief often can be misunderstood, even though it is always a wonderful feeling when I hit the ‘submit’ button and send an article to an editor, freelancing has made and continues to make me the writer that I am today. For that, I am grateful for the path I am on and because this is such a huge topic, I’m discussing it in a three part. Part two will be out tomorrow followed by part three on Sunday. But how did I get into freelance writing and what do I think?

I started freelance writing ten years ago during high school. I knew then, after too many injuries from my dance career, that I wanted to be a writer. The problem was that I wasn’t sure what kind of writer. At that time, I had recently won the National Scholastic Writing Competition with a short story but was told by teachers that I couldn’t make a living as a fiction writer (well, HA to that as now I’m sure trying!) I volunteered for free labor. I spoke to the local Chamber of Commerce and any small, local publications and wrote for free. It was a great experience and opportunity to have my writing seen by people outside of school.

I attended Baylor University, where I studied Journalism, Public Relations and Business Management; because remember, there is no money in fiction (a great example on how you shouldn’t always listen to your elders.) In one of my favorite PR courses, I was required to find a freelance position out in the community. Since, I use to dance and perform in theatre it was no surprise when I started working for a local and historically beautiful theatre house. And to make it better, they paid me to write for them! I would send articles to local publications about upcoming performances. I wrote press releases and held press conferences for the media. It was a wonderful experience.

After that job, finding work came easier. I began to write and get paid by several local publications. I queried a political PR topic to the Public Relations Society of America quarterly publication and was accepted. That was my first National published piece (and yes, I’m a dork it is framed.)

After graduation, I always continued to freelance part-time in addition to having “real jobs.” It did bring in money and I would use that for my “play” money. When my husband was transferred to Houston, I quit my job and had the luxury to be picky in my search. I didn’t find anything that I really wanted to do. I’ve always been the type that wants to love my work and nothing was standing out to me that was worth the pay. I decided to take my part-time freelance work and see how it would work as a full-time position. That’s when I began to write for Examiner.com and I still continue to write for local and National publications, as topics I query are accepted.

So here is the good and the ugly of the freelancing business!

The Ugly:

1. For most, it starts out as volunteer work or with very little pay. You have to prove yourself and pay your dues.

2. Querying and finding contracts can be very draining.

3. The pay is not consistent. I have good months and not so good months but I keep trucking along.

4. It takes a lot of discipline and dedication to meet the deadlines and still make time for any other writing projects that you have such as fiction writing. You are your own boss.

5. There are no traditional benefits. For me this isn’t s big issue since I was married and my husband had benefits when I took this full-time.

The Good:

1. I have the opportunity to cover topics and talk to amazing people that otherwise I wouldn’t have had the privilege to speak with.

2. I love the opportunity to learn about things. Having a curious nature, I believe is a must for a freelance writer.

3. It gives me the opportunity to see my work published. A thrill for any writer.

4. Through freelancing, I’m practicing my craft everyday and always learning and improving.

5. It gives me the flexible life that I love. I set my own hours, which is ideal for a working-from-home mom BUT this means that I must always stay on top of deadlines and writing goals.

For me, freelance writing has been an excellent step into becoming an author. For my debut book, ‘Caring for Your Special Needs Dog’ I was all ready accomplished as an interviewer and researcher that helped me greatly. My dog inspired that book, but I involved many families points-of-views, not wanting the book to be all about Oscar.

Freelancing introduces a writer to many different styles, which I’m finding is helping me with my fiction work. It also instill work ethic and proves to future editors and agents that you are capable of being professional and meeting deadlines. These are all great reasons why freelance writing can easily be a gateway to “authorhood” and other authors are experiencing success from the same path.

Tomorrow, I’ll be talking with award-winning author, Christie Craig who also followed a freelance writing path to “authorhood.” She writes sexy, suspenseful and seriously funny romantic fiction. Not that that was enough to keep her busy, she writes the YA paranormal Shadow Falls series and non-fiction for writers. Craig is funny and very insightful. She also, has a large and beloved family dog, Max so I can relate to her greatly! Check back tomorrow morning to read her thoughts on freelance writing.

Do you write freelance? How did you get started? Do you feel that this is helping or has helped your journey toward “authorhood,” if that is your goal?

Announcements:

This week, I was a guest at Joy Held’s Writer Wellness blog. Check out my “A-Musing” post and share what motivates you as a writer.

I have begun research and interviews for my next book in my non-fiction dog book series with Who Dares Wins Publishing. The topic is dogs and children and how to create introductions that will lead to positive and beneficial relationships for them both. Please email me at NatalieCMarkey.com if you feel you could contribute.

Check out ‘Caring for Your Special Needs Dog’ to learn easy, common sense ways to give your dog the best quality of life from the perspective of owners that are making it work. Your dog doesn’t have to have a disability to benefit from this book. Some dogs are “special” in many ways.

Some great blogs to follow:

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jennifer Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

I wish I had done this sooner

Most writers have a story. Why are you a writer? When I was at the National RWA Conference in NYC I heard so many writers talk about how they wish they had started writing sooner. I do feel that there has been a shift in the attitude of the writing career. I remember being in high school and winning the Scholastic Writing Competition in the short story category. Of course, I was thrilled but I remember my teacher telling me to go into journalism because there is no money in fiction writing. I believed her.

Well, I’ve got news—there isn’t much money in journalism or public relations either. However, I’m glad that I went that route. I believe that every experience we have makes us better writers. I’ve read countless times from many successful authors, that you must write what you know. Now, in my young adult fantasy, Atlantis doesn’t really exist (at least it doesn’t to the best of my knowledge) but if you know me, then you know that I love the ocean so it is no surprise that I incorporate it into my fiction writing.

I also incorporate what is important to me in my non-fiction. I write about dogs from an owner’s perspective. In my freelance writing, I’ve literally covered any topic from how to create a brilliant dining room tablescape, to a National Alligator Festival, and aviation pollution studies. For me, being a professional writer is the ultimate cure to boredom. Even through my fiction research, I get to study and become an “expert” on so many topics. Even though the industry is tough and the work is not easy, this is by far my favorite job. To echo what many said at Nationals this year, I do wish I had taken the leap into professional writing sooner.

That leap doesn’t come lightly. It certainly didn’t for me. I like making money, who doesn’t? For me, I eased into a full-time writing career from years of part-time freelancing that just evolved. The big push for me came when I had my daughter and I wanted to work from home. Some writers are still writing well into the night and on breaks from other jobs. I salute you if you are one of these people.

How did you become to be a writer? What made you take that leap? I do think that we will see more young, out of school writers. As a speaker, one of my topics in schools is goal setting. I use to never hear anyone say that they wanted to be an author, now that career option is mentioned much more frequently.

Announcements:

I've noticed some outstanding blog posts this week. Check them out:

Where Do You Want Me? Choosing Narrative Distance in Multiple Third Person by Janice Hardy

Five More Mistakes That Will Expose You As a Rookie by Larry Brooks

Efficiency 101: The Power of “No” by Kait Nolan

Three Tricks to Keep Your Eyes Fresh When Revising by Jill Kemerer

On September 26 6:30-8PM PDT I will be hosting a webinar through Farm Dog USA on ‘Caring for Your Special Needs Dog’ based on my book by the same title. I will be posting sign-up information as soon as it becomes available.

This October I will be teaching an online workshop on the ‘Writing Mommy: Making it all work without losing your mind’ through Who Dares Wins Publishing's Write It Forward workshops. I will post a sign-up link when it’s available.

Developing an emergency backup plan

NOTE: This is not to be used as instruction for zombie apocalypse survival. Though, that would definitely put a damper on your daily writing goals.

It can be hard to juggle motherhood, writing/working and real life. I am an advocate on the importance of goal setting, as are many writing related articles I read. However, sometimes life happens and we see the importance of exercising flexibility in addition to stringent goal planning.

This week Oscar has had an increase in his seizures, I have been suffering from migraines left and right—Baby has been fine but that only means she is as active as ever. I still have freelance deadlines and sometimes, like earlier this week, I can’t meet my daily fiction writing goal. Yes, that is hard for me to type, but I’ve learned that sometimes we need flexibility. I’m not saying to give into excuses but not many people can meet their goals everyday. With that being said, I suggest an emergency backup plan.

To make my emergency backup plan, I take my original daily writing goal of 3,000 words and chop it down to 500. So, I don’t make my goal but at least I did something with my WIP.

Even though we have some days where our goals become impossible, we also have some really great days where we feel like super heroes. You know that feeling. The kids are doing great, you’ve made all deadlines or gotten things done early with your “real job,” you finished your writing goal and feel like you could save the world from anything! I may be exaggerating a bit, but my point is, everyone has great days. Use those great days to your advantage. It is great when you can write more than your daily writing goal and that extra work will balance out days when you don’t feel so super.

Announcements:

This week, I loved this post by author Amy Romaine, Writing- Exercise for the Brain?

Are you starting a blog? Wanting to know what that magic number is, meaning how often should you blog. Read, ‘What’s the Magic Number? How often should Writers Blog?’ by Kristen Lamb

I will be presenting ‘Caring for Your Special Needs Dog,’ a webinar for the Farm Dogs USA on September 26 6:30-8:00 PDT. This is open and available to the public. I will be posting the link to sign up soon.

You can read my book ‘Caring for your Special Needs Dog,’ that inspired the lecture. I cannot take full credit though, all of this was inspired by my dog, Oscar * Oscar wags his tail while sitting on my foot. *

A dare for something different

Do you hate it when you watch a horror film and you can guess who will die next? I do. I hate it when movies and books are predictable. Just like you should write what you know and what you love, you should also not do the things you hate. That can be easier said then done. I sometimes notice myself falling into the world of predictable scenes. A great way to prevent this is to do something different and unique.

When I’m stuck on a scene, I write out the options available for my character. Don’t go with the obvious. Of course it is important to be consistent with your character’s arc but I don’t think everything has to be obvious. It is the same way in life. I hate flying. I have no reason to, I just never have liked it. So, did it surprise my family when I chose to go up on a floatplane ride this past week at the lake house? Oh, yes it did!

And better yet…I’m alive to tell you about the thrilling experience. As you come in to land on water in floatplane it all seems to cut it a little close, but the landing was smooth. Sometimes the best thing for our plot is a little unpredictability. It also is good for us out in the real world away from pages of the make believe.

Announcements:

If you have been following me on Twitter, then you know my growing excitement for Shark Week. Yes, it is an addiction. As a lead up, Discovery Channel has a live web cam in the World’s largest shark tank. You watch sharks 24/7 and it is a great writing break. Enjoy it, if you dare!

If you’ve read my book ‘Caring for Your Special Needs Dog,’ then you know that I love to include a lot of different dog owner’s experiences in my books. I am gearing up for research for my next dog non-fiction. The topic will focus on intergrading your dog with a young child and how to make the relationship work for both of them. If you feel that you might have something to add to my research, then I’d love to speak with you. Email me at NatalieCMarkey@gmail.com

Using Twitter for networking and education with hastags

First of all, I'm sorry to the late post. If you follow me, then you know that I always post on Wednesdays and Fridays. I was out of town with no Internet access and had scheduled this post to come out on Friday. However, Blogger apparently didn't like me last week so with out further delay....

As a mom, author and CEO of my household, I’m always looking for ways to maximize and safe time. For me, a groundbreaking discover was Twitter. Of all the professions, I believe that writers have managed to really tap into the power of this networking tool. Writing community hastags are plenty and if you can take a few times a days to follow the Tweet Deck streams of these groups, then you can learn a lot while networking in an easy, fun environment. The wealth of knowledge on Twitter is vast so it is a useful place for continued education and industry discussion.

I love to follow #MyWANA, #WeWrite and #ScriptChat. #MyWANA came about from Kristen Lamb’s ‘We Are Not Alone: The Writers Guide to Social Media’ Her groundbreaking social media book has connected writers through Twitter at the frequently visited hashtag, #MyWANA. This is a group for writers that help writers promote. Whether it is to connect with writers or to look for an article to read and retweet, #MyWANA may be the place for you.

#WeWrite is a great place to learn about the writing process and how writers approach their work. #WeWrite was created by authors Anna DeStefano and Jennifer Talty. Sometimes specific topics are discussed and sometimes people just love to throw questions out there.

Recently, I have found #ScriptChat. It all started when I spent the wise price of $10 to take a pre-conference class on screen writing at the RWA National Conference several weeks ago in NYC. I have studied many forms of writing from journalism to creative structure but I’ve never done anything with screen writing. This seemed like a fun challenge and a learning experience. Bill Pace taught the course and was great. After the class, #ScriptChat founders Jeanne V. Bowerman and Kim Garland ran a panel discussion on social media. I loved hearing their approaches to Twitter and Facebook. They spoke about #ScriptChat and since I loved the screen writing class I made a point to attend the next chat session, which occurs every Sunday evening. It was very informative. Most of the time, I’m guilty of lurking with this group but I highly recommend them.

By targeting specific hashtag groups on Twitter, you can easily accomplish some continuing education and valued networking. Twitter can become an addiction. I recommend scheduling times to check Twitter and use it for brief breaks. You are the only one who can discover what works for you.

Announcements:

If you know me, then you probably know that next to dogs my favorite animal is a shark. I love diving with them and studying them, therefore one of my favorite weeks of the year is Shark Week on Discovery Channel. It starts July 31 this year. As a lead up to the festivities, the largest shark tank in the world at the Atlanta, GA Aquarium has set up a live streaming video from inside the tank. They have Whale Sharks in there guys and this is my new addiction. Enjoy it on this Monday.

Thanks for all the well wishes for Oscar, my dog who has been in and out of the hospital. He is going to be fine. It turns out that Oscar is just stressed and may have to go on a tranquilizer. We are not surprised. He feels the need to run everything and puts so much responsibility on himself. He is the best dog and I am feeling so much better knowing that he is fine. You can read my book that he inspired, ‘CARING FOR YOUR SPECIAL NEEDS DOG.’