High Hope for the Freelance Writer                                                                     

      C. Hope Clark, Editor

 


 

 

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(NOTE: So many people write about my editorials, I thought I'd list the FundsforWriters editorial of the week.  Watch what you wish for, however, because occasionally I step on toes in trying to speak the truth and help writers.)

Hope's Thought for the Week...

 
FOCUS ON THE NOW

Been spending more time this week kissing and loving on a nine-month-old granddaughter I haven't seen since she was six-weeks old. Of course, I enjoy the parents, too, but there's something about baby sugar that grabs my attention. Add to that she's adopted me as her idol, and hey, what can I say? I've let my writing slip this week.

A couple of times I've let my straying aggravate me. I see the weeds thumbing their little green noses at me as they double in size thanks to spring showers. I'm dying to rip them up or weed whack them to oblivion. I'll be paying the bills at the last moment instead of ahead of time. I'll be up until wee hours meeting a few writing deadlines while everyone else sleeps.

Sometimes life throws you more to juggle, and we have to gracefully know how to keep all those balls up in the air.
Or not.

Why not juggle one ball at a time? Let the others fall.

I had to juggle one ball this past weekend when that angel granddaughter arrived from the plane with a stomach virus we thought was hers alone. Hours later, her parents are throwing up sick. Half a day later, my husband. Then my  son. Then me. Of course, my parents show up to visit and they leave with it two days later. I nicknamed the child Typhoid Baby. Hey, what a better way to spread a plague? Everyone touches, cleans, strokes and kisses on babies.  Sounds like a good novel concept. Good way to contaminate politicians, too, come to think of it.

Anyway, moaning on the sofa, I realized that my focus for the next day was reaching the bathroom in time. Simple. But we don't have to wait until we are sick to use our single-focus talent.

Pick one project and just do it. Ignore the emails, the other enticing writing queries, the laundry and the weeds, and just write until that lone project is complete. Put all else out of your mind. You will put more of your energy into that project, ensuring a higher quality product, than if you dabble here and dabble there.

You have kids? Find a sitter.
You have weeds? Let them grow.
You have a dirty floor? So be it.
You have a golf game? Reschedule it.

Channel all your energies into a project, and you'll be amazed at what evolves. That's why my nights are usually reserved for my novel. That's my focus time...the time my characters come out and play their best game.

=====

THE WOW - WOMEN ON WRITING COLUMN IS UP FOR APRIL
http://wow-womenonwriting.com/20-Funds4Writers.html - Dodging the New-Writer-In-The-Headlights Look


                                                                 Hope

Hear Hope at http://blogtalkradio.com/SixFigureWriting

and below from The Writing Show

 


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Occasionally we offer ebooks of associates whose quality work we admire. If you are interested, contact Hope.  Go to our ebooks page...And for the visually impaired, we offer the books in MS Word formatting as well.


The Latest Articles from the FFW Newsletters...

NOTE: Articles published in TOTAL FundsforWriters are not listed on the website since TOTAL is a paid subscription. Another reason to subscribe!

 Let the Writing Speak for Itself - By Eve Nicholas - To some writers, marketing is everything. Not to me. I don’t network. I don’t list my writing services at the bottom of every e-mail message. I certainly don’t have a blog.

 Nine Ways to Make More Money—Instantly - By Mridu Khullar - While writing isn't, and shouldn't be, solely about the income, money does play a large life in a freelancer's life, mostly because of the lack of high-paying markets and the fluctuating pace at which checks arrive. If you're looking for some quick ways to increase your cash flow, here are some tips.

 Rejection Slip Album - By Gloria Griepenstroh - These ego deflators can be a positive influence that will improve your writing career and better organize your writing world. Much useful business information can be gleaned from these pieces of paper.

 It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Tax Time! - By Gwynne Spencer - I often wonder how Superman dealt with his receipts. I bet he had some doozies. Fifty sets of lost Clark Kent clothing and eyeglasses, to start with. And probably a number of newspaper- related receipts to throw off the wiles of Lex Luthor and his henchmen at the IRS.

 Reputations, Accreditations and Scams of Literary Agents - By C. Hope Clark - Yes, sharks swim in the sea. Arm yourself with information to avoid predators that could take off with your book or worse, lock it up in a contract and do nothing but charge you fees for the privilege.

  Begin at the Beginning: Choosing the Right Sample Chapters for Agent Submissions - By Ally E. Peltier - A client recently told me that she'd been advised never to include a Prologue as part of her submission to prospective literary agents. I worked as an acquiring editor for years and know many agents, but I have never heard this rule.

 Join the Family - By C. Hope Clark - I search high and low for magazine guidelines, going to the actual magazine web sites and researching for the elusive rules and desires of editors. I adore it when I hit upon a family.

 A DIY Writer’s Retreat - By Courtney L. Mroch - Oh, what it’d be like to travel to to Europe, and to do so with the intent of devoting hour upon glorious hour to my craft at a retreat. The shivers that race through me at the very prospect such an opportunity exists!

 For Love or Money? By Mridu Khullar - At some point in a magazine writer's career, he will realize that he can't just work for either love or money. It has to be a balanced dance between the two, which can sometimes be difficult, often exhausting.

 Writing about Writing - By Aline Lechaye - You’ve written fiction, nonfiction, even poetry. You’ve suffered through writer’s block and money worries. It’s unlikely that you’re alone. Other writers, at one time or another, have suffered the same maladies.

 Exploring Your Inner Playwright - By Susan Sundwall - I’m a restless writer. I can only work on certain projects for so long and then I need a jolt of something new. This restlessness has led me down more than one writing path and quite often I’ve been surprised at my success on some of them. One such path was marked “plays and skits,” and I reluctantly set my foot on it.

 Market Yourself with a Nonfiction Book - By Laurisa White Reyes - Ms. Walters, best known for her book Speak and Grow Rich, urged those of us in attendance to discover our expertise, write a book about it and use it to market ourselves.

 Don’t Toss Away That Lost Contest Entry: The Hidden Benefits of Writing Contests - By Joyce Laird - Over three quarters of my work is for industrial magazines, with the balance divided between consumer magazine features and fiction. Those form the basis for paying my bills. However, I try to squeeze in at least one or more writing contests every month.

 Markets That Pay for Essays - By Michele L. Tune - Love to write essays, but don’t think they’re worth your time? Well, think again!

 It Does More Than Pay the Bills: Lessons from Technical Writing - By Katherine Hauswirth - When I reveal that I'm a technical writer, I don't draw an interested crowd at parties.

 Are You Insane? By Cheryl Pickett - It is said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

 How to Find Time to Write Despite Your Busy Life - By Kelly L. Stone - When I tell people that I've written three books and started a freelance writing career while holding down a full-time job, their jaws drop. Then the inevitable question follows: how did you find the time? That is the basis of my book Time to Write: More Than 100 Professional Writers Reveal How to Fit Writing into Your Busy Life.

 Making It Pay - By Christine Venzon - I confess. I broke the first commandment of writing: Thou shall not write for free.

 Outside the Box Sales - By Bob Ibach - As the author of six books, two of which sold well, two of which sold "so-so" and two others that kind of floundered, I was very interested in a NEW approach to selling books that I learned from a self-published author, Rich Wolfe, two years ago when my company was helping him promote his "For Notre Dame Fans Only: The New Saturday Bible."

 The Catch 22 of Contracts - By Jennifer Brown Banks - Any writer worth his “salt” knows that to stay sane and successful in this industry requires business savvy as well as creativity. Many horror stories exist about creative individuals who get “burned” as a result of bad decisions in protecting their “intellectual assets."

 Make Money Writing Grants for Nonprofits - By Katie Krueger - Have you considered writing grants for nonprofits as a way to make money? Writers willing to sharpen their skills and learn the craft of grant writing can easily break into this high-paying niche.

Writing in the Midst of Tragedy - By Amanda Southall - Some stories are so powerful that they rattle even the writers to the core.

 Double Your Query Power- By Susan Johnston - There is no right or wrong way to brainstorm for story ideas, but there are a few ways to maximize your output.

 Radio and Book Signings: A Marriage Made in Writer’s Heaven - By Dan Case - James Megellas, an unknown author, was a guest on “The Ticket” radio station. That evening at his first book signing, he sold 125 books—every book in the store.

      More articles...


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