As they commonly say on Gray's Anatomy, "seriously?" applies to everything you do in your life or it should in my opinion. With exception of getting out and having some fun every now and then I take everything I do seriously and this includes my writing.
As a freelance writer I keep a schedule (yes, that means I get up really early!) just as if this were a "typical" job. To be successful as writers we must take it seriously or their can be no success. If you don't take your career seriously then who will?
I just had my baby and now working from home has some more challenges! My advice to any writer with children is to ensure that your spouse and/or family take your writing career just as seriously as you do. When I'm on a deadline my husband takes it seriously and does what he can to help me when he gets home from work and on the weekends.
He accepts my career. Does your family accept yours? Seriously, they should. Sorry it's been a while since my last post but the last few weeks have been crazy getting ready for and having a baby. Any spare time that I had was devoted to writing and not blogging.
More advice and experiences to come from the life of this freelance/fiction writer.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Just Write it Down!
Freelancing and fiction writing comes with some crazy weeks. For me this coming week is one of them. So how do I handle it? I just do what I aim to do best...write. I write everything down that needs to happen. This includes what I need to do and when to achieve any deadlines, interview schedules and of course my personal goals for my YA and MG.
By writing it down it makes it easier to follow and I won't get overwhelmed with the whole. Also, it is such a great feeling when I can check something off my list and this is a safe way to ensure that nothing will get overlooked.
So yes, it's an extra step but trust me it is worth it. When juggling multiple projects write it all down. I also, plan out my daily goals every Sunday so that I have a plan.
Make a plan, follow it and you'll get through the stress of deadlines and goals!
By writing it down it makes it easier to follow and I won't get overwhelmed with the whole. Also, it is such a great feeling when I can check something off my list and this is a safe way to ensure that nothing will get overlooked.
So yes, it's an extra step but trust me it is worth it. When juggling multiple projects write it all down. I also, plan out my daily goals every Sunday so that I have a plan.
Make a plan, follow it and you'll get through the stress of deadlines and goals!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Exciting news!
So I'm still in the revision process for my YA so unfortunately my exciting news is not about that. However, I am still really excited to announce that I will soon be a National writer for Examiner.com. For the past year I have been writing as the Houston Budget Events Examiner and this will not change. Beginning in a few weeks I will be The Mortal Instruments Examiner. If you don't know what that is then I predict that you soon will. The Mortal Instruments is a popular young adult series by Cassandra Clare. This series has been optioned and the first movie is in development. According to IMDB the release date of movie one will be in 2012. Many blogs, articles, etc. have claimed that this series has the potential to be the next "Twilight" capitalizing on the vastly popular young adult genre.
As a young adult writer myself I'm thrilled to combine my freelance writing with a genre and a series that I truly enjoy. As my column goes live I will post more information on this. And hopefully I'll be able to write about good news involving my YA or MG series. For now though I'm working through revisions, taking care of my health (thank you challenging pregnancy) and making sure that everything is done right. Now I'm back to more writing and those revisions!
As a young adult writer myself I'm thrilled to combine my freelance writing with a genre and a series that I truly enjoy. As my column goes live I will post more information on this. And hopefully I'll be able to write about good news involving my YA or MG series. For now though I'm working through revisions, taking care of my health (thank you challenging pregnancy) and making sure that everything is done right. Now I'm back to more writing and those revisions!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Knowing when to slow down
The past few weeks I've been stuck in a frantic frenzy trying to get my manuscript off to agents before I deliver my baby. Yes, I'm still trying to wrap up revisions but it hit me over the weekend that maybe I was rushing too much and sacrificing quality. I decided that I'd rather wait a month or two to send it off then send of a rushed draft only to be rejected and agree with it!
My new plan is to take it step by step and make the manuscript be the final version that I want before sending it off. The end result will be the same, to get my fiction writing published.
Unfortunately, fiction is not all that I write. I do have to work significantly on my freelance contracts.Especially now since I need to be working ahead on everything. It is always smart to have deadlines even if they are self assigned. But when those deadlines begin to impact the quality of your work it is time to take a step back and rethink your strategy.
In other news I've been posting a lot lately to my Examiner.com page. You can view the articles here http://www.examiner.com/x-13982-Houston-Budget-Events-Examiner
I'm the Houston Budget Events Examiner which means if you are looking for summer fun at budget rates then I'm your girl. Even if you don't live in the Houston area some of the advice that I give is useful to everyone. Like picnics. Bring back an old classic family outing and out a modern twist to it. I think you can see where I'm going with this. Well, I'm back to work and please leave comments below if you have budget-friendly summer ideas!
My new plan is to take it step by step and make the manuscript be the final version that I want before sending it off. The end result will be the same, to get my fiction writing published.
Unfortunately, fiction is not all that I write. I do have to work significantly on my freelance contracts.Especially now since I need to be working ahead on everything. It is always smart to have deadlines even if they are self assigned. But when those deadlines begin to impact the quality of your work it is time to take a step back and rethink your strategy.
In other news I've been posting a lot lately to my Examiner.com page. You can view the articles here http://www.examiner.com/x-13982-Houston-Budget-Events-Examiner
I'm the Houston Budget Events Examiner which means if you are looking for summer fun at budget rates then I'm your girl. Even if you don't live in the Houston area some of the advice that I give is useful to everyone. Like picnics. Bring back an old classic family outing and out a modern twist to it. I think you can see where I'm going with this. Well, I'm back to work and please leave comments below if you have budget-friendly summer ideas!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Always Learning Something New
Writers are lucky. We are like professional students since we are always learning something new. At least that's how I feel. I'll never be an "expert." There is always something that I can learn from an online writing class, a conference, or a professional writing group. My best advice, surround yourself with people who know this craft. That's what I'm doing and so far it seems to be helping.
When I began writing my YA novel I knew I could write and I knew (or thought at least) that I had a great idea but I didn't have the slightest clue on how to get into this business. And even though I'm a published freelancer with magazines both local and national I'm still not a published fiction writer but I'm getting closer with each step that I take. And I'm able to say this because of the situations that I've put myself in.
I joined my local RWA chapter almost a year ago. OK, I'm not a romance writer and I can't see myself going in that direction even though I adore the Blackdagger Brotherhood series! After looking into local writing groups and meeting the Chapter President at the time, Kimberly Frost I knew that RWA was for me. Why? Well, these women were making things happen. They weren't just sitting around talking about their dreams of becoming a publish author, most of them were! Like most professional writing groups, we have speakers come in to teach workshops. That's how I met Laurie Schnebly Campbell. Since then I've taken several of her online classes and have found them to make a huge difference in my fiction writing.
I've learned that feature story writing is a different animal from fiction and hearing her advice along with the dialogue amongst the other students has made me a better writer. Now, I just have to get through these revisions, finish my synopsis and submit to agents. But it's because of what I'm doing now, who I'm surrounding myself with that I know I will make it. I will look forward to the day when I can post an announcement on this blog that I'm a published author!! Until then, I'm back to work. Hmmm.. I may squeeze in an hour break tonight for Idol!!
When I began writing my YA novel I knew I could write and I knew (or thought at least) that I had a great idea but I didn't have the slightest clue on how to get into this business. And even though I'm a published freelancer with magazines both local and national I'm still not a published fiction writer but I'm getting closer with each step that I take. And I'm able to say this because of the situations that I've put myself in.
I joined my local RWA chapter almost a year ago. OK, I'm not a romance writer and I can't see myself going in that direction even though I adore the Blackdagger Brotherhood series! After looking into local writing groups and meeting the Chapter President at the time, Kimberly Frost I knew that RWA was for me. Why? Well, these women were making things happen. They weren't just sitting around talking about their dreams of becoming a publish author, most of them were! Like most professional writing groups, we have speakers come in to teach workshops. That's how I met Laurie Schnebly Campbell. Since then I've taken several of her online classes and have found them to make a huge difference in my fiction writing.
I've learned that feature story writing is a different animal from fiction and hearing her advice along with the dialogue amongst the other students has made me a better writer. Now, I just have to get through these revisions, finish my synopsis and submit to agents. But it's because of what I'm doing now, who I'm surrounding myself with that I know I will make it. I will look forward to the day when I can post an announcement on this blog that I'm a published author!! Until then, I'm back to work. Hmmm.. I may squeeze in an hour break tonight for Idol!!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The Perks of the Freelance Journalist
OK, so my last entry I introduced you to some of the downsides of being a freelance writer. Today I'm going to tell you about the perks! Oh, and there are so many! First of all I love the flexibility. If I need to run errands during the day I can. If I want to go out to lunch with friends, I can do that as well. What really matters at the end of the day or week is did I meet my goals and deadlines? If the answer is yes then I'm doing my job!
Another, perk is that you can own your topic of expertise. For example, as the Houston Budget Event Examiner I need to go to Houston area events so that I can accurately report about it. With this I get a lot of free passes or invites to local events. If I do have to pay for something then it's a tax write off because this is my business. It's fun to get out and meet people in the "event" circle. As I continue to build and foster such relationships I find that I have to dig for material to write about less and less.
So, if I left you on a down and frustrated note with my last blog entry this should perk you up and create more interest in what I feel to be an ideal job.
Another, perk is that you can own your topic of expertise. For example, as the Houston Budget Event Examiner I need to go to Houston area events so that I can accurately report about it. With this I get a lot of free passes or invites to local events. If I do have to pay for something then it's a tax write off because this is my business. It's fun to get out and meet people in the "event" circle. As I continue to build and foster such relationships I find that I have to dig for material to write about less and less.
So, if I left you on a down and frustrated note with my last blog entry this should perk you up and create more interest in what I feel to be an ideal job.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Waiting, More Waiting, Then Sprint!
This title basically describes the life of a freelance writer. Sometimes writing means that you do a lot of waiting. For example, when I get a topic I have to first research it which means I conduct a lot of interviews. Conducting interviews means that I'm dependent on other peoples time. So, yes I have a deadline looming over my head but my article/story won't be ready until I have all the pieces.
Once the last interview is done and I've reread all my notes it's sprint time. Then the deadline takes on its full weight since the only thing stopping me now from hitting that oh so fabulous "submit" button is me. After completing my last interview on my current assignment I'm gearing up for the sprint. But I thought that this perspective of freelance writing would be of great importance to anyone considering the field. You never have an 8-5 workday or weekends. You work around your deadlines. Which is wonderful and I love it because in many cases I can work ahead and move things around to fit the schedule I want. But there is always that one story that keeps you from the movie you want to see or the season finale you've been looking forward to. But it's still a career that I would choose again, and again.
Once the last interview is done and I've reread all my notes it's sprint time. Then the deadline takes on its full weight since the only thing stopping me now from hitting that oh so fabulous "submit" button is me. After completing my last interview on my current assignment I'm gearing up for the sprint. But I thought that this perspective of freelance writing would be of great importance to anyone considering the field. You never have an 8-5 workday or weekends. You work around your deadlines. Which is wonderful and I love it because in many cases I can work ahead and move things around to fit the schedule I want. But there is always that one story that keeps you from the movie you want to see or the season finale you've been looking forward to. But it's still a career that I would choose again, and again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)