I just discovered that my ultimate writing idol has a blog – Mr. Bob Bly! He is the epitome of a true freelance writer. I know, I know, he’s had a blog since 2005, but I’ve only read his first book about 5 months ago and I’ve admired his writing skills and business acumen since then. He has a series of books on how to become a successful freelance writer and apparently has a blog, too, which I’ve added to my Blogroll. Sweet!

 

The idea of writing to publish can be overwhelming for a writer. Sometimes there’s doubt and fear and questions – Does my article sound foolish? Do I sound like an amateur? Does my lead work well to grab the reader’s interest? Does my ending seem convoluted or is it just me? Will people laugh at my work? Is this really good enough to publish? Putting yourself out there can seem scary, but the fact of the matter is that you’ll never know unless your craft is practiced and perfected reguarly. As the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

There are many ways to build self-confidence when it comes to writing. For one, I studied Journalism in college and this was a great place to hone my writing skills. So I would recommend taking a few English or Journalism classes to develop your skills. In addition, there are literary writing groups that may be available in your local area or online (i.e. writing.com) that evaluate the work of writers of all levels and genres. These groups will give you a support group that can serve as your source of guidance, information, and networking. For aspiring newswriters, I would highly recommend looking into your small local newspapers and magazines. They are great starting places because you have the opportunity to sit and meet with your editor, one-on-one, to review, proofread, and check your article for accuracy. I started with a small local press and am so glad that I did because it was the best “classroom” I’ve ever been in.

These are just a few ideas to get over the fears of publishing. The only thing to remember is to simply write and write more if you want to be a successful writer. The more you write, the more confident you will become in yourself and your writing.

A month into part-time freelance writing and I’m still struggling with balancing my personal life, a full-time job, and freelance writing part-time. It would be in bad taste to turn this blog into a platform for my complaints, but I could at least offer some positive things that I have learned that could be of benefit to others. Here are a few so far:

1. Ask for help. I like to believe that I’m superwoman – accomplishing everything I said I’d do. So when I can’t get everything done (house cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, etc), I feel like the pits. I’m slowly learning now that I need to ask for help more often. The people in my life are very understanding and willing to help, so I just need to simply ask.

2. Time management. It seems as though there aren’t enough hours in the day for everything I need to have done. I seriously need to start paying more attention to how much time I spend on my writing projects, family time, house chores, and personal time. If I could just pry myself away from family hour to start writing, without feeling guilty, that would be ideal. Also, unfortunately, my Elance projects haven’t been the high-paying kind since I am new to the site. So, I know that I’m putting in more hours than what I am being paid for. I don’t advocate working for slave wages, but I felt that as my first time seriously freelancing I justify this with the thought that it will provide more variety in my portfolio.

3. Staying healthy. My food consumption hasn’t been the best so far since I’ve been cooking less. I’ve been maintaining my exercise regimen, but my food intake could do much better.

4. Regular personal time is critical. I’m learning that just taking a break for myself is important to do regularly. Wouldn’t want to burn out permanently. I like to visit the beach and just basque or take a walk or read a good book. When I return to work, I can do so more efficiently and with a fresh, clear head.

How are you coping with balancing freelance work and other responsibilities?

Are you feeling like your well of story ideas have run dry? Here are some tips to help you jog your mind:

• Ask the expert. If you’re already working on an article in which you are interviewing an expert for information, ask if he/she could offer any ideas for future articles that would be interesting to the public. In most cases, many are very willing to offer ideas, information, and names of other helpful sources.
• Check with your contacts. Every professional writer should have a rolodex or a list of reliable contacts who can provide quotes and information for an article. Why not call them to get ideas for your next story, too?
• Check your calendar. Is there a holiday coming up soon? Why not use the next holiday as the subject of an article?
• Charitable organizations. There are many charitable organizations that would love to get free press, especially the small, little-known charities that really need the PR. Find a way to contact either the director or PR person for a charity that touches your heart. Most likely, these organizations would be very willing and grateful for your service. If the charity you choose to write about happens to be in your neighborhood, you should also consider checking with your local newspaper. They may be interested in featuring your article if they haven’t previously covered the topic.
• Month of Awareness. In different parts of our country, there seems to be an issue each month that needs to be brought to light. For example, this month of April is Sexual Assault Awarenes Month. So, writing a story about this topic and many others is a great way to help the different causes.

Hope this information helps to jog your mind for your next article. Happy writing!

Happy April 1!

In keeping with the spirit of my last post on goals, I’ve decided to name the month of April “Write Till You Drop Month.” Why? Because my goal is to focus and devote more time to writing on more topics and adding more clips to my portfolio. Last month, I worked primarily on one of my on-going projects in which I produced 4 fiction stories. Not too shabby since I’m actually getting paid for it, but not enough in terms of variety of topics. So this month, I know that I’ll need to put aside time to do additional writing and submit them to sites like Associated Content (unless I suddenly get a slue of higher-paying jobs). I’ll be tracking my progress here.