I’ve had a pretty hectic week, but I’ve been meaning to post a couple of links that should be required reading for freelance writers and bloggers. The first is about blogging for book authors, written by the fabulously snarky literary agent Nadia Cornier. Most everything she says is applicable to freelance writers, too, so take note.
The other is from one of my newly discovered (and new favorite) blogs, Freelance Writing for Nonprofits. Read 10 Sure-Fire Ways to Fail as a Freelance Writer and make sure you’re not committing any of these faux pas. Happy writing!
Words to Live By
Look Like a Pro
They say success breeds success, and March has been a smash hit. I’m in talks with several clients and editors for new projects, so I’ll pass on the details once they’re finalized. Brian at The Writer Spot asked me to participate in a little Q & A, which you can read here.
5 Q’s with Lori Gertz
Muse reader Lori Gertz writes a column for Remarkable Woman and runs Gertworks Consulting. Here she shares her insights into writing and publishing.
Urban Muse: Could you tell us about your involvement with Remarkable Woman?
Lori: About a year ago the magazine showed up in my mailbox. I’d been reading the pub for about 10 months and becoming familiar with the demographic, but, more importantly, realizing it was written for the likes of people like me – juggling 3 kids, 3 dogs, a full-time consultancy and whatever else the days turn up- I called the publisher and pitched her on my column idea- As I See It. I intrigued her with the concept and followed up the same day with a sample column I had written to test the “voice” and she loved it. She bought it the same day! Now I know my voice has a home even though the damned thing still comes addressed to the previous owner of my house.
UM: What is the most important tidbit you picked up working in the NYC publishing industry? L: I learned that while being a divergent thinker didn’t serve me too well in the rank and file, it served me incredibly well in the dog-eat-dog competition of magazine publishing in NYC. I’m one of those people who enters a “zone” while people are explaining their marketing challenges to me. Sometimes it looks like I’m out to lunch, but I’m thinking “out of the box” in a divergent way somewhere up in the ether…and almost always this way of thinking led me to some of my most successful efforts while in NYC. The people I am proud to call role models envied this ability to float up in the creative air all while keeping grounded.
UM: Describe your favorite place to write
L: Isn’t wi-fi a wonderful tool? I love to write in nature…and I live in the woods…so I can take my laptop out and sit on the grass near the pond under a tree and just let it rip!
UM: Where do you get the inspiration for your childrens’ books?
L: I still can’t believe that I’m a parent…no less to three children under 7! Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I never thought this life would be mine. I was a jetsetter…a risk taker…a Barney’s shopping, bungee cord jumping, black suit and heel wearing social smoker…not this mother-person. My inspiration comes from listening – to the imaginary lives of my kids. Their worlds make mine look and feel banal. Their experience is so rich and full of hope and belief. It’s a constant source of refreshment to me.
UM: You are stranded on a desert island, and can only bring one book or magazine. Which one do you bring?
L: I’m a pretty voracious reader and have read some pretty intense books in my life….but the one I always come back to is a book by Nancy Mairs, entitled Remembering the Bone House. It’s amazing, and my favorite book for sure.
Thanks, Lori. Tune in next Wednesday for cupcakes and career advice with Lindsey Pollak, author of the forthcoming non-fiction book Getting from College to Career.
Travel Writing, Part Très
I met a pilot and a flight attendent couple on my cruise, and it reminded me of a novel I read recently. Travel stories naturally lend themselve to fiction writing with their colorful characters (in this case, the couple was Canadian and they were a hoot) and exotic locales (MMmmexico!). Here’s an excerpt from my review of Fly Me to the Moon:
When I was a senior in college trying to figure out what the heck to do with my life, I flirted with the idea of becoming a flight attendant. I figured I could get paid to travel the world, meet some interesting, exotic people, and eventually settle down with a wealthy foreigner would woo me with homemade gnocchi and poetry inspired by yours truly. Well, had I read Alyson Noel’s Fly Me to the Moon back then, I might have cured myself of that fantasy a little faster.
Having worked as a flight attendant herself, Noel accurately (and humorously) describes the misadventures of Hailey Lane, who works for the fictitious Atlas Airlines. Hailey arrives home early on her birthday thinking her live-in boyfriend Michael is about to propose. Not only does he fail to produce a ring, but Hailey finds herself in the classic chick lit situation with her boyfriend in bed with someone else. Not just someone else, but someone male. To make matters worse, Hailey’s job may be in jeopardy because Atlas is threatening to cut back on staffing. Thus unfolds a hilarious story involving several international flings, one bizarre roommate situation, and too many cocktails to count.
Hailey’s jet-setting lifestyle allows for fun and frequent scene changes. If Fly Me to the Moon were a movie, the location scouts would have their work cut out for themselves finding spots in Manhattan, Paris, Amsterdam, and Mykonos, Greece. Of course, all that international travel comes at a high price to Hailey’s sanity, as she deals with unruly passengers and unreasonable demands from airline management. Then there’s Hailey’s mother, who is undergoing a romantic and identity crisis of her own. The dialogue between mother and daughter and between Hailey and her supervisor is hilarious. If Fly Me to the Moon were traveling on Atlas Air, it would definitely go first-class.
