Guest Post: Avoid These Clichés at All Costs

By Daphne Gray-Grant

My husband laughed when he saw one of my writing magazines arrive in the mail recently. In 72-point the cover headline screamed: "104 Worst Clichés." Cosmo Magazine may lure readers with come-ons like He cheated: Do You Take Him Back or Dump Him? But writing magazines know that nothing sells like the threat of being boring.

The list of clichés, which was intended for fiction writers, included the following -- anything that sheds light; anybody who is stopped in his tracks; any heart, ocean, fist or headache that pounds. I agreed with all of them. But the list gave me another idea.

Each week I receive more than a dozen email newsletters. So I challenged myself to set a timer and go through this week's batch to see how many clichés I could find.

I surprised myself by finding 12 cliches in three newsletters, in less than five minutes. Here's what I turned up.

1) A real eye-opener: The word "real" is just the first problem. Would you ever have a pretend or fake eye-opener? Apart from that difficulty, this tired noun-phrase makes me want to yawn -- the very opposite of the writer's intent.

2) I have saved myself countless time, energy, and money. The word "countless" is part of what spoils this. First, it's the wrong modifier (you want "endless" time) but second, it's mindless. I don't believe it for a moment. Truth is always specific. How and why did you save the time, energy and money? Give me more detail and maybe I'll believe you.

3) Has never been this easy. Another over-generalization. Be wary of phrases that linger at the extremities -- the best, the worst, the fastest, the easiest. Superlatives smack of sales jargon, not genuine writing.

4) No reinventing of the wheel is required. Yes, and the last time I heard that one, I fell off my dinosaur.

5) A nearly endless set of possibilities. Another overstatement that makes me disinclined to believe everything else the writer has to say. And the tacked on word "nearly" is a cheesy qualification.

6) First and foremost. You don't want salt without pepper or Laurel without Hardy. But what's wrong with just "first"?

7) Point them in the right direction. True, a devious person might want to point you in the wrong direction, but what's wrong with just directing someone?

8) Want to learn the ropes. Shiver me timbers! Given that most of us drive to work, have lattes made for us by Starbucks and regularly eat take-out, it doesn't seem overly likely that learning how to tie a rolling hitch knot is high on our list of relevant metaphors.

9) Get their feet wet. I live in rainy Vancouver and getting my feet wet is something I do nearly every day -- and I don't welcome it. This metaphor deserves retirement.

10) A valuable commodity. This is not only tired, it's also nonsensical. By definition, a commodity is something not defined by quality -- 2x4 lumber, for example. Also, the phrase produces no visual image in the reader's mind -- and it takes eight syllables. A terrible waste of type.

11) Those precious few. All people are precious to someone. I believe this line came originally from a poem, and when it was first written it was fresh. Alas, no longer.

12) Level the playing field. I live in a house with a cracked foundation, so believe me, I appreciate anything that's remotely level. But this metaphor lost its oomph a long time ago.

Let me emphasize that these clichés do not come from bad newsletters. In fact, most of them are from newsletters I'd generally rate as good to excellent. But just as bad things can happen to good people (sorry, that's hackneyed), clichés can happen to good writers. I know I perpetrate clichés too. We all do.

Because here's the despicable thing about clichés -- they're sneaky. We stop seeing them -- just as we stop seeing the cracks in the bathroom sink and the chipped paint on the kitchen walls.

The next time you edit your own writing do one read-through looking just for clichés -- nothing else. Read each sentence slowly, asking yourself: are any of these words too predictable? Is this image fresh? Have I slipped into jargon or reflexive and mindless writing?

You may be surprised by what you find.

A former daily newspaper editor, Daphne Gray-Grant is a writing and editing coach and the author of the popular book 8½ Steps to Writing Faster, Better. She offers a brief and free weekly newsletter on her website. Subscribe by going to the Publication Coach.

Guest Post: The Science of Breaking Into Publication

By Christy Moss

If you were a corporate advertiser looking to spend money in print, you wouldn't sit down and read the last six issues of a perspective magazine, yet how many times as a freelancer have you been given that advice? Advertisers don't troll the blogosphere looking for witty blogs. They don't allow their own personal taste to guide them – they look strictly at facts and numbers.

As writers, we often see breaking into a magazine as an art – as synergy is moving in our direction. While I agree to a certain extent, it is time to bring out the microscopes and let a more scientific approach guide us. As you’re studying back issues, here are some shortcuts to consider.
Find your column - Chances are, you won't break into a magazine by trying to sell a cover story. Open all issues of your magazine to the table of contents. Look for a regular column, relatively short in length and always written by a freelancer.

As you look at this column in each of your six back issues, notice the length of the column and the length of the lead. Is this column written with season in mind? In the short bio at the end of the story, notice how these freelance writers describe themselves. Do you have anything in common with them? Is there any expertise you need to gain before you would be considered an ideal candidate to write for this column?

Mimic the editor – Always read the letter from the editor. This is your window into the soul of the person who will be reading your query letter. Pay close attention to their style, their use of humor, their tone and word choices. Notice how they address their audience and be prepared to mimic their tone in your query letter.

Making your pitch - After you've dissected your column, brainstorm 3-5 ideas that could work for this magazine. Google the name of your magazine along with key words of your proposed pieces. Even magazines that don't share copy online often have online archives of their table of contents pages. If you are determined to cover something that has been done before, make sure your pitch includes a new angle. If you are pitching a seasonal item, convey this timeliness, but remember to send your query six months in advance.

Keep track – I’m sure you already keep detailed records of the queries you send out, and to which magazines. But other than using this data to know who to send billing statements to, do you ever look at these numbers? Keep track of every query letter you send – even the ones that aren’t successful. After a month, look at your numbers. How many queries did you write versus how many proposals were picked up by magazines. Do this same analysis after three months, six months, and then a year.

Knowing your rate of return will keep your spirits high when you are receiving rejection slips. People across the business world use this technique. Fundraisers expect to call 30 people to get five appointments. A recruiter at a certain university knows that calling 100 potential students will get him 10 students. Even baseball players use this calculation for batting averages.

The following chart will help you compile information which you can then use to write the meat of your query letter. While you will still need to develop your lead, this method will ensure your piece is right for the magazine, moving you one step closer to success.






"Stitched with Love," a 300 word article perfect for "Quilting Friends" in Quilt Magazine, tells the story of the quilters behind Cunningham Children's Home, a residential treatment center for children. Partnering with the Children's Home, local quilters have been enveloping each child in love, with a handmade quilt, since the Home's opening in 1894…. As a quilt lover and a weekend quilter myself, I can appreciate the labor of love each of these quilts represent.

Christy Moss, a writer and fundraiser for a Big 10 University, blogs at Thoughtful Philanthropy. She is passionate about inspiring a spirit of philanthropy in her peers. She specializes in making sense of the numbers for both philanthropists and fundraisers. Jump on over to her site to be counted in her latest generational philanthropy project.

5 Q's with Wendy Burt-Thomas

Wendy Burt-Thomas has written more than a thousand articles and three books, most recently The Writer’s Digest Guide to Queries; Landing articles, agents and book deals. Wendy and I chatted about query letters, book writing, and more.

Urban Muse: What are the most common mistakes writers make when writing a query letter?
Wendy: They rush through it. I think this is especially true for fiction writers who have a completed novel. They pour all their effort into completing the book and then take five minutes to craft a query. The greatest book in the world will never get read if you can't entice an agent/editor with a great query.

UM: Do you prefer writing a book length manuscript or shorter projects like articles and greeting cards?
W: Greeting cards are definitely my favorite thing to write - especially humor. I enjoy writing articles but when you write as many as I do (sometimes 20+ a month), it can get tedious. Books are nice because you can work at your own pace. This book was actually one of the easiest and most fun pieces I've ever worked on. I'd been teaching a workshop on the topic for eight years (and making a living as a freelance writer) so I wrote the first half of the book in a few weeks. Writing doesn't seem like work when you feel passionate about the topic!

UM: How do you stay motivated and organized when working on longer projects?

W: I never spend an entire day working on just one project. If I'm working on a book, for example, I'll stop and do some work for clients (writing greeting cards, editing magazines, writing a press release). Then I'll head back to the book, then break for emails or lunch. I know some people have a difficult time switching mid-project, but that's how I keep things interesting.

UM: What is the best freelance writing advice you've ever gotten?
W: Never pass up an opportunity. Of course, right now, it's not possible (or profitable) for me to jump on every opportunity that comes my way. I am fortunate that I have plenty of steady work (and book #3 to promote). But the advice served me well when I was first starting as a freelancer. I figured I would seize the opportunity and either be glad I did - or learn from it. I'd say 99% of the opportunities helped me get where I am today. The other 1% gave me something to warn other writers about!

My favorite quote is "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." Be prepared to become a successful writer.

UM: Any new projects coming up?
W: I just got off the phone with my agent and I have an idea for another writing-related book that she thinks might fare well. I just have to find the time to write a proposal! (Did I mention that in addition to full-time work and promoting my new book, I also have a 1-year-old and 3-year-old...and a husband deploying to Afghanistan?) I'm not lazy, I swear. Just busy. ; )

In the meantime, I'm promoting my new program, "10 Questions for..." Every day on my blog I ask a different author the same 10 questions about getting published, writing life, messy desks, embarrassing stories, etc. I think I have enough authors to profile one a day for the next 2 years and I'm thrilled. The answers are sometimes hysterically funny and I think writers like to hear about real authors who got tons of rejections when they started.

Thanks, Wendy!

Guest Post: Give Your Title a Good Spunking

By Gene Wilburn

You finish your article, essay, or blog entry, putting the final polish on your prose, declaring it ready to go. Almost. Except for the title. If you're like most writers, you have a working title -- something you used to give your work focus during the writing -- and it's often about as catchy as a scientific paper on speciation in savannah sparrows. Dull.

Titles. They can make or break your chance of grabbing a reader's interest. Newspaper and magazine editors know better than anyone that nothing captures your attention faster than a snappy title. Get the reader as far as the first paragraph and you have a good chance of snagging that five seconds or less of interest most readers spend before deciding whether to read on or skip to something else.

Good titles are especially important in science stories. We're not a science-oriented society, despite its critical underpinning of modern life. We, as casual readers (assuming you're not science-trained), are easily bored and have an innate resistance to anything that sounds 'scientific', 'educational' or 'difficult'. Give us straight science and, mentally, we run the other way. But use the right lure and you might just hook us.

Take this example from the NYTimes Online science section: British Fight Climate Change With Fish and Chips. That's not just intriguing -- it's funny, with echoes of Monty Python. The article, by Elisabeth Rosenthall, is a story about how used non-fossil-fuel cooking oil from fish and chip stands are being recycled and sold directly to car owners who pour it into the tanks of their diesel-powered autos. It's an excellent piece, but would you be as tempted to read it if it were titled "UK Diesel Car Owners Try an Alternative Fuel Source"?

Not all stories lend themselves to snappy titles but it's worth it when they do. It doesn't always take much, sometimes a single word at the end: Geographers Find bin Laden -- Theoretically. I particularly liked this title: Data Uncover Bigger Galaxy in Cosmos, and It's Ours, about how the Milky Way is far larger than originally estimated.

Health science articles attract us more easily than the other sciences mainly because we obsess about health issues. The stories are more immediate to our lives than alternative diesel fuels or the size of galaxies. Even so, a catchy title is good for grabbing our attention: Great Workout, Forget the View, is a story on how stair climbing can give you as good, or better, workout than an elliptical trainer with an expensive health club membership attached.

Or how about Your Morning Pizza, a piece on rethinking traditional breakfast foods. Health articles also have the advantage of grabbing our attention with anything that sounds controversial or iconoclastic: Vitamin Pills: A False Hope?

It's not just science and health stories that need good titles, of course. Any piece you write with a catchy title has a better chance of being read. For instance, I'm not innately interested in reading about the buying patterns of Japanese youth, but Sayonara, Prada, an article by Alexandra Harney in The Atlantic, on how Japanese youngsters are turning away from luxury goods, hooked me for a good, thoughtful, read.

Titles with puns catch my fancy immediately -- such as Bear Essentials, an article by Jo Calvert in Canadian Living on knitting bears. I don't knit, but I read some of the article simply because of the title. This title would work equally well for a chapter or pamphlet on camping in bear territory.

Thinking up good titles for essays, short stories, and novels is even harder. What words can be used to invoke the right feeling or mood? Gone With the Wind? Good one, but taken. For Whom the Bell Tolls? Can't use that one either -- well you can, but you'd better have something awfully good to pull it off or it'll look pretentious. Puns on famous titles, however, can deliver a fresh take. How about a retro look at how you became totally hooked on fantasy literature: Gone With the Wand. Or a serious piece on money woes called For Whom the Bill Tolls.

The trouble with thinking up with good titles for blog postings or short essays is that it can take more time than the piece itself. And there's that dark place in our brains that fears we might use up all our good title ideas and run out. It won't happen, but the best way to convince yourself of that is to keep practicing. After you've come up with a zinger or two, it gets easier, and more fun.

Try to think up a catchy title for every piece you do. Give it some pizazz, some spunk. Your editor may change it (some of mine don't share my sense of humor), but when one of your best titles gets through the editorial process intact, and you see it in print or online, it adds sizzle to your satisfaction. Not to mention luring additional readers. And isn't that one of the reasons we write?

Gene Wilburn is a Canadian essayist, blogger, magazine writer, and co-host of the Creative NonFiction Writing Forums.

Guest Post: Designing Your Creative Space

By Delia Lloyd

As writers, most of us have numerous other demands on our time. These might be professional--we use our day job to subsidize that great American novel we're writing...personal--parenting/partners/parents...or simply the mundane errands of every day life that always threaten to suck you into their wake. But I've found that one of the hardest things about being a writer isn't just finding the time to write. Rather, it's learning how to set up a space--physical, emotional, spiritual--that enables you to be creative, so that when you are pulled away to do other things you can easily re-enter that space and become productive.

Obviously, accessing that creative space isn't unique to writing. It's something all artists need to do. I have a painter friend, for example, who begins each day with the following simple ritual. First, he cleans his pallet of the prior days' work. This is the most important part for him. Having his tools fresh and clean and all laid out in front of him allows him to sweep away the toil and struggle from the day before, thereby opening up new artistic possibilities. Then he puts on some music. He also makes sure to always have numerous pieces in progress hanging in his studio. He takes some time looking at them until one catches his attention and then he begins work on that. When he gets really stuck, he tries something completely new.

My routine is somewhat different. In order to "cleanse my pallet" of the prior day's work, I spend one hour--but no more than one hour--editing whatever it was I was last working on the day before. This might be a chapter from my novel, a piece of reporting, a blog post, or a personal essay. Spending one hour editing allows me to feel that I've "fixed" whatever it was that I allowed myself to leave on a loose end the day before. If other thoughts come to me while I'm in editing mode, I jot them down in a notebook so that I can remember to apply them to the relevant projects once I'm done. Then I start the main project I'm working on and continue to pursue that for the next several hours. Even if it's completely different from the piece I was editing, having spent an hour editing one project frees me up to be creative somewhere else. And I never, ever listen to music while I'm writing.

I also have a few gimmicks that I employ to get myself started. For instance, I never start writing until the minute hand is resting on one of the numbers on the clock face. So, for example, if I sit down at my desk at 9:17 a.m., I wait until 9:20 to start writing. Why do I do this? Lord knows. But I've been doing it for so long that, at this point, I need to do it in order to begin working. I know writers with other, similar hang-ups. Some people need to face a blank wall in order to start. Others need to have a view. One friend always eats an apple before she begins. For stories about how the more famous amongst us begin their days, check out the Daily Routines website. I particularly enjoyed this entry on Philip Roth.

The important point for beginning writers is that writing isn't just about having raw talent or having enough time. It's about being able to readily call up whatever it is inside you that draws that creativity out. And it takes awhile to figure those routines out.

How do you access your creative space?

Delia Lloyd is a writer based in London. Her work has appeared in the International Herald Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Guardian Weekly.

Guest Post: How to Cure Your Writer's Block

By Freya D'Amico

All my journals start the same way. The blank page stares at me menacingly, and the little voice inside my head says, "Why even try? You're not going to write anything good anyway." It can be crippling at times, and we all have writer's block every now and again. We know as soon as we put a pen to the page and just start writing, it'll be over, but how to get over that first hump is the hardest part.

If you're in the unfortunate grip of a block, try these tips and see if they free your mind, and fingers, to get writing again.

Make your heart go pitter patter
Shake off however much time you've let accumulate from "when you should have started writing." The longer you think about starting something, but don't act on it, the more insurmountable it seems to become. But really, it's the same amount of work it was the very first time you considered it, which is probably a much less than you think. Get away from the guilty feeling of "well if I haven't done it now, I won't" and back to the reasons you love writing in the first place. Was part of that interview extraordinary but the intro is just not there? Start where it's easiest, and work your way back around to the beginning.

Do battle with your critic
Think of all the reasons why you haven't started yet. Really let your critic loose. Write them down in a list. Close your eyes, and tear up the list. This should help clear your head of all the negative reasons for not following or pursuing something you really care about. And once you(literally) discard them, chances are none of those reasons will seem that important anymore.

Silencing your inner critic from the social emergence factor, Metafilter, is worth a read if your critic is still bothering you. Not all the suggestions are helpful, such as one response: "I strangled him, weighted the body, and dumped it in the deepest part of the lake," but knowing how everyone struggles and overcomes can be a cathartic experience.

Knowledge is power
You've thought through everything, you're excited, and you've erased your negative reasons. There's nothing left now but to just start! Make the first small step toward writing your piece. If it's a short story, make a character list, non-fiction, start by listing your sources. Take the smallest steps you can which will lead to bigger and bigger steps, and before you know it, your story will be written!

Make time for treats
Once you've started, keep your enthusiasm and energy up by taking time out to reward yourself for the hard work. Maybe that means just lounging on the couch for an evening, or perhaps you want to show off your new novel chapter to your friends. Just do something you enjoy that will make you glad you've spent your hard won time and effort on.

Keep it up
If you're stuck in the middle of a piece, figure out what's causing that block. Did you write yourself into a corner? Or are your characters simply not cooperating. Try to organically start again, letting your characters take control of the story, or writing your article from a different angle. Even if it's not the way you want the finished product to be, taking a different point of view is sometimes enough to shake us out of our doldrums.

What are your favorite "starters"?

Freya D'Amico has been writing freelance online since 2005 as a reporterand columnist in Chicago. Currently, she works as an acquisitionseditor for a book publisher and writes creativity articles on her blogazine, www.fishnorfowl.net. She lives with a polydactyl cat and ina candy colored wardrobe.

Guest Post: Reignite Your Passion For Words

By Rebecca Laffar-Smith

With winter tightening his icy fingers across the Northern Hemisphere, it is the perfect time to snuggle indoors, rekindling inspiration and reigniting your passion for words. After a busy holiday season and the mad crush of work across the final months of the year I know I've felt the stress and fatigue. I'm sure I'm not alone in suffering ebbs of energy and enthusiasm.

Freelance Writers are lucky. We make a living doing something we love, but even freelancers feel the strain from hard months of work. Many of us simply cannot afford to take a well earned break, so how can we restore our battered writer's soul while continuing to meet deadlines?

1. Read More

I've never met a writer who did not love to read. The cold weather gives us a wonderful excuse to stay rugged up inside. A good book (or 5) is the perfect companion when the computer is off for the night and sleep is still distant. Honestly, would you rather the alternative (watching hour after hour of reality television or Dilbert re-runs)?

Reading is the best way to refill our writer's well. Absorb information, embrace adventure, or immerse in classic literature, to find new inspiration, ideas and realms of imagination.

2. Watch T.V. or D.V.Ds

Ok, despite what I said earlier about the dubious appeal of television, there are many series and movies that give writers perspective on the craft. After all, these audio-visual experiences were originally 'written' works.

Television series come in a range of genres and while quality viewing is subjective it is easy to relax into effortless absorption. There are many opportunities to learn about writing, explore modern culture, learn new interests, and escape into other realities.

3. Shovel The Driveway

It might not sound like fun or relaxation but the physical exertion required to clear a snow-bound drive can be very refreshing. The crisp air outside clears the mind and the chill gusts blow away cobwebs of aged thought.

Obviously, shoveling snow is just one of many strenuous activities you can embrace to calm your mind and body. Any form of exercise can achieve the same sense of peace and clarity so hit the gym, take the dog for a walk, or play a game of football. Physical exercise is also vital for your health!

4. Begin a New Project

How are you doing on your New Year Resolutions? As we charge through the first few months of 2009 it is time to wrap up old projects and challenge yourself to reach for your dreams. A new project may be just what you need to fire up your motivation. Get excited about the new direction you're taking in life.

The first stage of a new project is to let go of activities that do not support your desires. Choose to close the door on a time consuming project that drains your energy. That gig obviously isn't for you. Instead, replace it with a project for which you feel passionate. This will dramatically improve your outlook, shining light on the months to come.

5. Write Just For You

After long months writing for others we often forget to continue putting time into those writing projects that are our life blood. Do you have a book that has fallen to the back burner? Is your love of poetry molding in a closet? Have those special lyrics gathered dust on your piano? Carve time out of your busy schedule to work on those writing projects you do simply because you love to write.

Remember Why You Freelance

Getting bogged down in mind numbing jobs just to cash checks is NOT why you decided to freelance. Being your own boss gives you the power to take charge of your career. If you are finding yourself trudging through your business commitments then it is time to take a moment to remember exactly why you launched into this freelancing journey. And to make changes accordingly.

Create New Goals, Find New Direction

When it comes down to it, the most inspiring act you take is to define your goals for the coming months. A Goal Setting Workshop gives you permission to dream. Focus on what you really want from life and lay down the map that will show you the way.

Discover your true passion;
inspiration, motivation, and creativity will follow!

Rebecca Laffar-Smith is a freelance writer, editor, and web tech. Her blog, The Writer's Round-About, discusses various aspects of online freelance business.

Guest Post: Discovering & Developing Your Voice

By Jesaka Long

As a writer, I have multiple personalities. Maybe it's because I have different voices, or maybe it's because my one voice likes to play dress up. Or maybe it's because I can mimic other voices. It's all of the above. Seriously.

The last few years, I've kept my rent paid and my cabinets stocked with corporate copywriting gigs. This is where I do my best mimicking: I can write just like a CEO, marketing chief or VP of operations speaks. I have an ear for voices and dialects, so it's easy to me to ghostwrite for other people. It's also easy for me to pick up the sound of a company, be it stoically straightforward or effusively wacky.

With the ability to write in other voices, some days I worry about losing my own unique style and sound. When I switch from marketing copy to writing my personal essays, it can take me a while to clear my mind and focus on.

So how does a writer develop her or his own voice?

Blog. Our very own Urban Muse Writer has said it herself: blogging gives you an opportunity to practice your writing on a regular basis. And practicing is the best way to improve your writing, which will help you develop (or even discover) your voice.

Read. Don't try to write like someone else – unless you're being paid to temporarily adopt that voice. Figure out what makes that voice unique. Is it the sentence structures? The choice of words? A certain approach to descriptions? Think about how you can adapt these same tools in your writing.

Find a writing group. If you can get your prose into the hands of a people who aren't shy about sharing your opinions, you have struck gold. Multiple sources of feedback provide a good sense of how others "hear" you. It can also help you identify your weak points. And ask lots of questions. If someone in your group claims, "This sounds like you!" ask them to tell you why – in detail.

Write. (See also blog.)

Mimic your speaking voice. It may not be the voice that's going to get your book published or get you into magazines, but it's a great starting point. One of my favorite blogs is written by someone I've known all my life. She's not a professional writer but she's done such a great job of developing the whole blog around her voice that most of her posts sounds like she speaks.

Let your voice dress up (or down). Susan Shapiro mentions her women's magazine voice in her book ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR WORD: WRITING LESSONS FROM MY FAVORITE LITERARY GURUS. Her women's magazine voice has the same straightforwardness as her memoir, but there's still a distinct difference from what you "hear" in the book. But both voice sound like the same person and are distinctively Susan. How do you sound when you're hanging out with your best friends on a relaxed Saturday night? Probably quite different than when you're dressed to impress your boss (or your boss's boss) at work! Now practice writing in these variations of your voice.

An engaging, distinct voice is one of the best assets any writer can have. It's what will get you noticed – and keep your readers hooked.

Jesaka Long is a full-time freelance writer, editor and born storyteller with a gift for making even the most mundane "eat-your-vegetables" messages seem savory, sweet and tangy. She lives in Denver and you can find her online at www.jesakalong.com.

Guest Post: Finding My Place

By Colleen Gonzalez

I currently contribute to a group blog about creativity. The blog contains many talented and accomplished artists in various genres. I am not one of them.

Like a lot of adults, I stifled my creativity for many years. Work, marriage and eventual motherhood all took precedent over feeding my muse. Now, at 41, it's catching up with me and I can no longer ignore who I am and what I need to do to find peace within myself.

This is why, when Eric Maisel sent out a call for people interested in his group blog project, Creativity Central, I dove into the opportunity. What did it matter that I had no credentials and even published works. He asked everyone to pick a topic they knew about. For me that topic was time: where to find it, how to make it, how to use it effectively when it's there and how to basically get blood from a stone!

Everything I use to consider an obstacle or excuse not to write is still prevalent in my life. I'm still married with a full-time job. I have two children, a dog, a house and commitments galore. I try to never over schedule myself or my children. Yet, there is still an endless array of school functions, doctor appointments, vet appointments, grocery shopping, basketball games, drama performances, not mention holidays and birthdays. It's far easier to find a realistic reason not to write than to let the pile up around you while you try to bang out an essay or blog entry.

Sometimes, I think I am truly crazy. If I waited this long to write, why not wait another three to five years when my kids are grown and I truly do have more time? Well, I guess my answer to that is the big 4 – O. I wouldn't really say I had a mid-life crisis, but turning 40 does make you step back and reassess your life. I wasted a large portion of my life not feeling smart enough, thinking I lacked talent and constantly worrying about what other people thought. Fortunately, age usually gives way to acceptance and a self love. We start to appreciate what makes us different and not really care about what others think and instead focus on what makes us happy. I'm grateful that it didn't take an affair or expensive sports car. For me it was getting back to what I always wanted to be…a writer. Age made me realize that it's more about the act of creating – not public success- that makes me a writer.

Now, all of these realizations and self promotions are great, yet it doesn't put my butt in the chair everyday. Some days, like when the kids' homework takes till 11:30 p.m., I really don't have time to write. I have to let that day go, not wallow in guilt and move on. It's always going to be a challenge. One of the things I learned is that something will always get in the way. If I suddenly had my days completely free to write, I'm confident I'd find yet another reason to procrastinate. Actually, I could not have picked a better time in my life to do this. If I can incorporate writing into the chaos that is my life, I'll conquer the demons and lay a strong foundation for a future that will afford more "me" time which I hope equates to more writing time.

I figure there are lots of people like me out there. We have jobs that are just jobs. We don't create in our daily lives, but we feel compelled to create. The struggle to find time and balance is all part of the creative process. Maybe I can inspire you to share this endeavor. I decided to appropriately name my blog, "Don't Quit You Day Job." You can check in on me every Monday. I hope to see you there!

Colleen Gonzalez lives and writes in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is currently group blogging about creativity at Eric Maisel’s Creativity Central. Her blog, “Don’t Quit Your Day Job” is posted every Monday and can be found at Eric Maisel Creativity Central. Colleen also has a passion for movies TV, books and music. Her reviews and opinions about all things wonderful and possibly horrific can be found at Colleenie's Couch.

Guest Post: Giving Back or Giving Away?

By Devon Ellington

One of the decisions published writers face, at one time or another is the dilemma of when pro bono work is giving back to the community and when they are giving away time and energy that is better spent on a money-making venture. Far too many unpublished writers hold on to the fantasy that published writers “owe them.”

We don’t.

Most of us got into the realm of The Published by learning both our art and our craft, and working relentlessly to perfect them. Most writers are extraordinarily generous in taking the time to dispense time and advice. Writers owe their readers and/or clients their best work, all the time. They owe strangers – nothing.

One can choose to give back to the community in a variety of ways, some of which have to do with writing, and some that do not. Non-writing volunteer efforts are just as fulfilling as something that requires writing. In fact, many writers I know prefer to volunteer their time at a soup kitchen or walking shelter dogs or helping out at a charity walk rather than writing for an organization, because it’s different and affords variety, while still offering an opportunity to contribute to the community.

If one chooses pro bono writing work, there are many options. You can teach at a conference. Some of these pay fees, some pay honorariums, some do not pay at all, and taking on a workshop as a pro bono effort is a way to give back and help other emerging writers. Mentoring first year participants during National Novel Writing Month also falls into this category. However, you have to set firm boundaries, or you will be inundated with manuscripts that have nothing to do with the workshop you teach, and, furthermore, you will be inundated with demands to walk those manuscripts in to agents and publishers. Remember that you are not obligated to do any of that. Make it clear that you will not accept or read unsolicited manuscripts if that’s your choice. If you come across a manuscript about which you are passionate and WANT to give someone a leg up, go for it. But it’s not a requirement.

Taking on a charitable organization as a pro bono client is another way to give back. If you’re early in your career with few clips, pro bono work for a reputable charity will result in clips that will get you higher-paying and higher profile future clients than working for a mill offering $1 for 20 articles. A single outstanding clip for an excellent organization will do you more good than twenty sub-par pieces. Also, participating in an organization about which you are passionate enhances your life and helps the organization.

Still, you must set boundaries. Be firm about the time commitment and the amount of work you take on. You don’t want to be in a position where you turn down paying work because your pro bono client’s piled on so much work you don’t have time for anything else. Also, set boundaries about work outside of the organization’s realm. I once had an executive of a pro bono client slap a 300 page manuscript on my desk and tell me I “had” to revise it for her. It was a novel she’d written on the side. It had nothing to do with the organization’s mission or the reason I took them on as a pro bono client. I refused, and the executive made my time there such hell that I resigned from the organization, letting the board know why. The board’s response was that I should have done the edit (which was at least a couple of thousand dollars’ worth of work) as a favor, because “it’s not like it would be that hard for you.”

No, it wouldn’t be “hard.” What it would be is giving away a specific set of skills for nothing, and not within the realm of what I agreed to do for this pro bono client. Had I agreed, that’s allowing them to take advantage; not only would I have resented the time and effort put into the manuscript, I would have opened the door for more of the same. Agreeing to such a task would indicate that I do not value my hard-earned skills and time, and shows a lack of self-respect. If I don’t respect my time and skills, why should anyone else?

Giving back is important. Setting boundaries so that we don’t give away not only time and money but respect is equally important. Choose your pro bono work carefully, set strong boundaries, and stick to them.

Devon Ellington publishes under a half a dozen names in fiction and non-fiction, as well as providing a wide array of business writing services (www.devonellingtonwork.com and www.fearlessink.com) Her plays are produced in New York, London, Edinburgh, and Australia. She is the author of The Jain Lazarus Adventures and the energy behind the Penny’s Dreadfuls shorts. Her YA horse racing mystery DIXIE DUST RUMORS, under the Jenny Storm name, will release in late summer. Visit her blog Ink in My Coffee to keep up with the various projects and the ups and downs of the freelance writing life.

Premio Dardos Awards

Did you guys miss me? I've missed blogging here, but taking a break has given me the time to create some new posts for March and catch up on other projects. I thought I'd pop in for a moment to thank Suzanne for awarding me a Premio Dardos Award. Suzanne wrotes on her blog that “Premio Dardos” means “prize darts” in Italian, and the award is given in recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing. Thanks, Suzanne!

There are so many wonderful and creative blogs out there that I can scarcely keep up with my feed reader. But two in particular always make me laugh with delight or nod in agreement. These ladies blog often and possess distinctive, well developed voices with a sharp sense of humor and loads of writing wisdom. They are... Lori at Words on the Page and Beth at Shenanigans. Congrats, you've just earned a Premio Dardos Award!

And now, back to your regularly scheduled guest bloggers...

Guest Post: Three Times Lucky or Three Times Stupid?

by Mridu Khullar

I'm officially declaring that I will no longer work with start-ups (and if I do, hit me, will ya?). Here's why:

Magazine Editor No. 1:

The editor loved not only my work, but me as well. So much so that she paid me in advance, offered me a regular column at three times their usual rates and sent me a copy of the issue as soon as the magazine hit the stands. But I'm guessing she fell in love with too many other freelancers as well, because the magazine soon went out of business, and while my second check arrived as promised, I never received a copy of the issue in which my brilliant personal essay appeared. (I've been told it looked stellar though.) The editor informed me that she sent the copy three times (sure, I believed her) but stopped replying to e-mails soon after (hmm… eventually stopped believing her).

Lesson Learned: Just because it starts well doesn't mean it'll end well.

Price Paid: First rights to piece gone, but don't have the clip to show for it.

Signs that should have tipped me off: (1) Yahoo e-mail address. (Screams unprofessional. Yes, I'm stupid-- read the title of this post.)
(2) Three times their regular rate? Who am I-- Madonna?
(3) The "we're just regular ol' housewives trying to make a difference" e-mail. (Refer to title again.)

Magazine Editor No. 2:

This editor loved me as well (hey, I’m a lovable person!) and thought we'd work a lot together in the future. That's, of course, two weeks before she disappeared into oblivion along with her website and my money! I was a little wiser though-- I hadn't agreed to her "write one article for free" condition. I said you either pay or you don't. There's no one-for-free business going on here.

Lesson Learned: When they ask you to do a piece for free and you refuse, they'll usually try and get it for free anyway.

Price Paid: A couple hundred dollars.

Signs that should have tipped me off: (1) Her mentioning that they no longer had a budget for freelancers. (I should have started to push for my money immediately.)
(2) Her asking me to write the first article for free.

Magazine Editor No. 3:

My most annoying experience so far. The editor was vague, dumb to the point of absurdity, and did way too much to-and-fro on each idea. I felt like I was actually handholding her.

Lesson Learned: If it seems like they don't have a clue what they're doing, they probably don't.

Price Paid: I got the payment and clip, but lost hours of time trying to communicate with this editor. Hours that might have been better spent on other editors and publications.

Signs that should have tipped me off: (1) No question ever answered directly. (Ever seen a therapist at work--"And what do you think?")
(2) Poor grammar and spelling. (She's the one who would be editing my work.)
(3) Too much useless discussion on finalizing ideas (if the editor's any good at what she does, she'll be able to give you a direction in five minutes flat).

So there you go, writers. I've sacrificed my pride so you don't have to. Read, learn, and pass on the wisdom. (And if you're in an especially giving mood, leave a comment. My shattered pride will thank you.)

Mridu Khullar has since learned from these mistakes and gone on to be published in Time, Glamour, Marie Claire, Elle, Ms., Self, Parade.com, Women's eNews, US Airways, Writer's Digest, and The Women's International Perspective, among others. She has also contributed to the books Chicken Soup for the Pre-Teen Soul II and Voices of Alcoholism. Visit her website and read her blog.

Guest Post: The Twin Approach to Freelancing

By Judy Jenner

Yes, we are twins; identical twins. Even though we live on different continents, we run a boutique Spanish and German translation business together, Twin Translations. I work out of Las Vegas, Nevada, and my twin, Dagmar, works out of Vienna, Austria.

You don’t need to be a twin to try our approach, which is simple enough: team work. Find someone you feel comfortable with and review each other’s work. Of course, our business is primarily translation, but we do quite a bit of copywriting as well. Regardless of the focus of your freelance business, we recommend the following:

• Decide if there is someone you trust enough to be your second pair of eyes for your work. He/she will be the second step in your revision process. The third step will be the incorporation of the editors’ changes into the final document.
• Once you have found that person, ask if he/she is interested in working in a synergistic team with you.
• Be sure to clarify the details of this relationship: how much proofing/editing is expected? What are the time frames? And how do you handle if one person has much more proofing to be done than the other party? Establish some ground rules that work for both of
  you. Our only rule is that we always add 1-2 days to the final turnaround we quote our clients to allow the editor to work on the document without being too rushed.
• Don’t forget to talk about formatting/style of editing. Do you want to use track changes (we do) or add comments, or both? Perhaps you want handwritten notes (we don’t) on a scanned image? It’s important to agree on this beforehand so you don’t get irritated when you received a document in a format that you do not want.
• You should also agree on who has the last word on the revisions. In our case, the author has the last word, but we feel comfortable discussing every edit to make sure we have found the best possible solution.
• When choosing your editing partner, we suggest picking someone whose work you are really familiar with and who you would recommend without hesitation. In addition, that person should be someone you can trust with your life (well, not with your life, but with your translation, your reputation, and your deadline).

In choosing your editing twin….

• Don’t choose someone solely because you like him/her.
• Do choose a fellow linguist or writer who has a solid reputation in the industry, preferably in your field of expertise.
• Don’t overpromise. If you don’t think you can proof two projects per week, say so.
• Don’t set each other up for failure by having unrealistic expectations.
• Do set specific deadlines and stick to them. We like to add them to the subject line of the e-mail: Please proof by Wednesday, January 21.
• Do give your editor as much information as you can about the project. Who is the target audience? Is this for the web, for print, etc.? Who is the client and what tone are you going for?
• Do define where proofreading ends and editing starts for you. Are you expecting and editor or a proofer? We edit each other’s work, which in the case of translation also means that we thoroughly read the source text.
• Don’t charge each other for the editing. Hopefully, you will each do an equal amount of editing for each other. If that does not hold true after some time, you might want to re-discuss the arrangement.
• Don’t choose someone solely based on geography. It doesn’t matter where your partner is physically located, unless you really want the face-to-face interaction.
• Do get Skype (or other free phone services) and some sort of free instant messaging
• program (Gmail chat, AOL instant messenger, Yahoo, via Skype or Facebook, etc.) so you can effectively communicate about your project. We discuss everything via instant message instead of writing endless e-mails.

You will find that having a solid working relationship with an editing partner will increase your productivity, your confidence, and will make you a better translator (or writer). We are constantly amazed by the corrections we make to each other’s work. It might sound trite, but a second pair of eyes really is priceless. And in our case, free.

Judy Jenner is a Spanish/German translator, writer, and Vegas expert working from the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas. She left corporate America to join her twin sister full-time in their translation business, aptly named Twin Translations. She writes about the business of translation on her blog, Translation Times, and about the Vegas foodie scene on Vegas Food Finds.

Guest Post: Discover the History Within Your Memoir

By Annette Fix

Simply stated: When you write a memoir, you are recording history. History as experienced by a single human. History that you are living and documenting right now.

The dusty textbooks used in schools relay history, citing the names, dates, and places of significant events, and the major public, social, political, and religious figures considered noteworthy. While all those facts and figures are preserved for posterity, where are the stories from the people who lived through those historical events?

Without the individual stories of people who were there, future generations will be robbed of the humanity beneath the history.

The galvanizing election of the first African American president of the United States, the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia, the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Holocaust—these events and countless others—both large and small—are pieces of human history that shouldn’t be reduced to facts and figures.

Which is more compelling and leaves you with a deeper understanding of history: the chapter about WWII in your old high-school textbook or The Diary of Anne Frank? At their core, all memoirs have historical elements woven through the story. There is no way to write a memoir can exist without capturing a moment in history. A memoir is documentation—a narrative record of how a single person functioning within society thinks, behaves, and lives at this very moment in time.

Through his personal story in Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt tells a tale that gives great insight into the Irish socio-economic struggles. His experience is not unlike the experiences of many others at that place and time. McCourt’s story has relevance today in this economic climate. A memoir written by someone affected by the current lending crisis or the stock market crash could provide the human insight behind the facts and figures that will eventually be recorded in history textbooks.

The same can be said about the gender oppression in Middle Eastern culture explored in Reading Lolita in Tehran. And the political debate surrounding right-to-life issues in Two Weeks of Life. History repeats itself and often only the setting, characters, and details change.

What is your story has no connection to anything historical?

Maybe your story is not tied directly to any event that will ever make your name appear in a textbook; that doesn’t mean your experience is less valuable. Your daily trials, concerns, and experiences deserve to be recorded to paint an authentic picture of life at this very moment, at this exact place in the world. What may not seem like history to you now could end up being a study in social anthropology in the future, so don’t be too quick to decide your story is insignificant on a historical level.

As an example, when I began writing my book, The Break-Up Diet: A Memoir, I was working through a devastating relationship break-up that occurred exactly 43 days after the terrorist attack on The World Trade Center—two seemingly unrelated incidents. It wasn’t until a year later that I discovered studies were conducted about the phenomenon. Because Americans were shaken to the core by an attack carried out on U.S. soil, many of them began to question what and who in their lives were most important. People made significant life choices, following the mantra: “life is too short.” Though the specifics of my story are unique to my life, and my voice and the execution of my memoir is intentionally lighter in tone than you would expect, the catalyst for my story is both historical and universal.

Take a look at your life. Think on a micro level—what experience in your life mirrors history on a universal/macro level? What is your personal story connection to history?

Annette Fix is a freelance editor, a publishing industry and single parenting speaker, Senior Editor of WOW! Women On Writing, and the author of The Break-Up Diet: A Memoir.

Visit her writing blog at Annette’s Paper Trail. She enjoys hearing from her readers and other writers. You can email her directly at annette[at]annettefix[dot]com.

For the length of her blog tour, Annette will be giving away free digital copies of her memoir. If you’d like a copy, send an email to promo[at]thebreak-updiet[dot]com, please put “The Urban Muse” in the subject line.

You can purchase copies of The Break-Up Diet: A Memoir online and from any independent or chain bookstore.

Guest Post: Six Reasons to Become a Writer Abroad

By Chantal Panozzo

I admit it. When I decided to move to Switzerland from Richmond, VA almost three years ago, the prospect of being called a “trailing spouse” was my worst nightmare. Before I moved, I constantly wondered if quitting my job, selling my house and car, not to mention giving up my support network and favorite stores like Target and Pottery Barn all so my husband could pursue a work opportunity in a foreign land was really the right thing.

To keep positive, I tried to view the whole move as an adventure and opportunity for myself as well, and I wasn’t disappointed. Over the last three years, I landed a job as a copywriter at an ad agency in Zurich, expanded my freelance writing career writing essays for publications like the Christian Science Monitor, and was offered a job as a columnist for Swiss News, the National English Journal of Switzerland.

Needless to say, living abroad as a writer can open a lot of doors. If you need any more convincing before buying your one-way ticket to your writing dream, here are six reasons to become a writer abroad now:

1. You differentiate yourself. There are thousands of writers in New York City. But most editors want fresh perspectives. It's easier to be memorable when you can write about things from a different viewpoint. Not to mention, an international perspective is highly regarded by many publications.

2. Stories. You barely have to try to find ideas when crazy things happen to you every day. When you have to bring your Christmas tree home on a bus or your neighbor insists on power-washing your balcony for you (as have both happened to me in Switzerland), stories just come naturally.

3. Characters. If you're into writing fiction, there's no better place to live than abroad, where people have habits and styles of communicating that challenge what you're used to and create possibilities for characters you never would have thought of before. Like a 73-year old Swiss woman whose idea of being neighborly is to criticize your inability to clean the communal dryer’s lint filter properly.

4. You'll want to write all the time. Especially if you live in a country where English isn't spoken, writing becomes an escape and a daily drug that keeps you sane.

5. Travel Writing. Not only will you understand your surroundings better than a tourist, but it's easier to carve a niche out for yourself as a travel writer if you live in an exotic land. With slashed budgets, publications are more and more likely to hire someone that's already living in the local they want to cover so they can avoid paying travel expenses. If you’re between 18-30, you could also apply to be a Correspondent for National Geographic’s Glimpse publication, something that I am honored to be involved with this spring.

6. Less Competition. Chances are, wherever you decide to live abroad, there will be English publications. And if you're in a non-English speaking country, you will have less competition for those jobs. So if you're good, your ideas are more easily accepted and you'll most likely be able to find some steady work (for example, I was able to land a column in Swiss News, the National English Journal of Switzerland) while you keep reaching for those dream publications.

Chantal Panozzo is an American writer living in Switzerland. Find her at her website or on her blog One Big Yodel.

Guest Post: An Affront to Language Rules

Comic by XKCD

Post by Natalia Real

I wonder: what is the point of the tiring litany of rules in [the English] language? Do we really need so many styles: AP, APA, MLA, Harvard, and so on? Why do we capitalize I but not you?

What is the big deal with all these rules? Shouldn’t our priority be simply to get the point across?

For many years I quietly accepted and followed the sometimes stark differences in writing, punctuation, citation, etc. styles in my various types of writing and editing. The AP Stylebook was my bible and was later joined by the MLA Style Guide. I acquiesced to switching back and forth between them and didn’t question it or complain. I was a stickler, in truth. I was known as the “copyediting Nazi” in one of the newsrooms I worked at.

Lately, however, I have come to feel annoyed toward the arbitrary and unstable validity of these authoritarian demands on how I must express concepts through written language.

Why is it okay for me to employ commas in traditionally incorrect ways in fiction but not in academic writing? Why can E. Annie Proulx get away with sentences such as, “He looked for something to bail out the water; nothing” and “He worked the tiller, traced curves” in The Shipping News while William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White twitch and roll over in their graves? Why can I violate certain grammar rules in blog posts but not in professional journalistic articles? And why do dead white men get to dictate how so many of us must write, anyway?

It always feels delightful to blow off the rules I so diligently abide by during working hours. For instance: “She turned away, glanced at the ice cream in her wine glass” is beautiful, I don’t care what the dead white guys say.

It’s like taking off a tight skirt, foot-deforming high heels, a business suit, a corset, a veil—and getting into stretchy, soft sweatpants and walking around barefoot. It’s liberating ourselves from oppressive, immobilizing restraints (speaking of which, I am an adamant opponent of heels and uncomfortable garments).

And if it feels delicious to break free from these rules and if nobody can offer a logical reason why we must continue respecting them—I call mutiny!

Why do we even wear what Colette Guillaumin denounced as tools of torture? Elements that only succeed to limit us, hinder us, dominate us? Some may claim that rules provide necessary structure and guidance. I say you can acquire these things some other way—via inspiration, desire, or making a list of possibilities, cutting them into strips, tossing them into a hat, and picking one out! There is profuse evidence that neglecting stringent grammar rules does not harm the quality of writing: Cixous, Artaud, Giovanni, Cummings, the aforementioned Proulx.

And while hardly anyone uses further vs. farther, less vs. fewer, and whom correctly (which, okay, I admit: still miffs me a bit) it usually doesn’t make the text any less coherent—which I believe should be the deciding factor.

What’s so awful about the passive voice or ending a sentence with a preposition if the meaning and its coherence remain the same? It’s not as atrocious as forming the possessive singular of a noun and neglecting to add ‘s, e.g. Davis’ cup instead of Davis’s cup. Just kidding.

“[We] generally accept that values are socially constructed and historically acquired, but [we] seem to think they must nonetheless be preserved,” says Christine Delphy in her essay “Rethinking Sex and Gender,” a statement we can apply to our purposes as we rethink the rules of language.

Language is alive, constantly evolving—any day now you’ll find “pwned” in the dictionary. And why shouldn’t changes involve rules for using dashes vs. commas? Also, I like including foreign language in my prose (you heard me, Strunk and White!). It grants it a certain je ne sais quoi.

And speaking of a new paradigm, I for a while now have wanted to devise a satisfying substitute for the lengthy he or she/she or he and the unpalatable s/he in addition to him or her/her or him (as he and him alone is clearly out of the question). What about seh and hur? So far, ze and hir, among others, have been suggested.

I alas do not know enough people making a true effort to take part in this revolution. It is not an easy path to take alone without support. But when “allowed” to express myself freely, I will happily work toward revolutionizing language.

Will you join me?

Natalia Real has been a writer, copyeditor, translator, and slave to various style guides since 2002. Help her brainstorm a world of gender neutral pronouns where dichotomies are obsolete, and much more.

Guest Post: Good Ideas Never Die

by Jen A. Miller

The idea, I thought, was perfect. Who wouldn't want this article? Not only was it unconventional but, I thought, humorous and timely as either a Valentine's Day or summer beach reads article, depending on how I pitched it. I even had the perfect person as an anchor interview.

I thought it was perfect. However, editors did not. I pitched the story to multiple outlets, working different, unique angles, but no one bit at the time -- not even regular clients.

So when a newspaper editor came to me a month ago asking what I had for Valentine's Day, I dusted off that pitch, updated the numbers and shipped it off. She accepted it immediately. Figuring I was on a roll, I re-spun and re-slanted the piece for a magazine that had rejected it the first time around. They, too, bought it immediately as a feature for three times as much as the newspaper article would pay.

Turned out the story was perfect after all -- just before its time.

How to apply this to your freelance career? Don't give up on good ideas because they will eventually find a home, whether it's an editor finding it or you finding a new spin on it. Also, keep track of everything you pitch, even if editors say no.

The reason I had the pitch so readily available is because of my record keeping system. As soon as the first editor asked for ideas, I found the original pitch date on a spreadsheet I keep of all pitches and who and when I sent them. That lead me to the actual pitch with notes and, five minutes later, it was in my editor's hands.

As icing on that Valentine's Day cupcake, I just sold a re-slant of the second freelance article I sold. It was a good idea in February 2004, and it's a good idea now!

Jen A. Miller, who just celebrated four years of full time freelancing, is author of The Jersey Shore: Atlantic City to Cape May and blogs about the region at downtheshorewithjen.blogspot.com. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Allure, Woman's Day and Men's Health.

Guest Post: How to Start Writing for Corporate Clients

By Susan Weiner

You’ve decided to pursue corporate clients. But you don’t know what corporate clients want. How can you get started? Try informational interviewing—meetings in which you raise questions, but don’t ask for work—as a first step.

Before I became a freelancer I worked as a staff reporter and as director of investment communications for an asset management firm. I fell into freelance corporate writing. When I did informational interviews looking for a full-time corporate job, people kept asking if I’d do freelance work. Eventually I accepted my first project and discovered I liked it. By then I’d done about 100 informational interviews and created a network I could tap for future work.

If you’re brand new to corporate writing, try a variation on what I did. Set up informational interviews about corporate writing with writers or people who hire writers. When they know you’re not going to sell to them, they’re more willing to meet with you. You’ll learn the language of corporate writing and you’ll make a connection that may eventually turn into work. For example, I didn’t know what a white paper was when I started networking. (They’re a cross between an article and a brochure, pose a problem faced by customers and tell how to solve the problem). Now they’re a favorite kind of project. I got my first white paper project after an informational interviewee passed my name along to her friend.

I asked questions such as
• What kind of writing does your company do?
• Who’s your audience and what do you want them to do?
• Who does the writing?
• What’s the process for getting your writing projects accomplished?
• Are there things you wish you could change about the writing process?
• Do companies in your industry use freelance writers? If so, what are they looking for?
• How do you think a writer like me could help companies in your industry?

I started my informational interviewing with people I already knew. Then I asked them for referrals to others. As a result, I never had to make a cold call. You probably know someone who can introduce you into your target industry. So pick up the phone and get started!

Susan Weiner is a chartered financial analyst (CFA) who helps financial professionals increase the impact of their writing on clients and prospects. She writes and edits articles, white papers, articles, investment commentary, web pages, and other communications for leading investment and wealth management firms. Visit her website or sign up for her newsletter at http://www.investmentwriting.com.

5 Q's with Jennie Nash

Jennie Nash is a writer, keynote speaker, and writing coach based in California. Her second novel, The Only True Genius in the Family, comes out this month. Here Jennie shares her tips on dealing with writer's block, shifting genres, and more.

Urban Muse: The Only True Genius in the Family explores the complex relationship between three generations of artists. Are you from a creative family yourself?
Jennie: No, actually, I’m not. My dad spent 30 years as a professor of environmental studies, so he is an intellectual and an outdoorsman. My mother is a great appreciator of the arts – music, especially, as well as literature, architecture and painting – but I can’t imagine her with a paintbrush or a camera in her hand. I like to paint and make jewelry and knit, but I’m not very good at any of it. I’m just fascinated with the creative process – with how artists are able to evoke emotion from nothing but a few lines or a little bit of color. I’m really drawn to the whole idea. I suppose it mirrors what I’m trying to do with my writing.

All that being said, my oldest daughter has a keen artistic ability. She can make a few lines on a flat piece of paper seem alive, but she’s only 16, so who knows what she will do with that skill in her life. The key scene in The Only True Genius in the Family (where the mom paints on the daughter’s painting and the daughter then destroys the work) was inspired by something that happened with my oldest daughter in real life. She was in first or second grade, and it was a beautiful pastel drawing of a cat. I tried to “fix” the whiskers, and she tore it up.

UM: How important do you think genetics are in determining artistic potential?
Jennie: I don’t believe that artistic potential is passed on through chromosomes the way blue eyes might be, but I think it’s passed on through environment. The crucial ingredient to making art of any kind is permission. You have to believe that you have the right to do it and to keep doing it. If you grow up in a home where writing or painting or taking pictures is valued, then I think you inherit that sense of permission, that belief that making art is something worth doing. My dad used to spend many hours in his study writing articles and books on an Olivetti typewriter. I grew up to the sound of him typing and grew accustomed to the idea of someone sitting alone in a room putting words on a page for other people to read. I doubt I would have become a writer without that sound and that example. It was the thing that gave me permission, and it is embedded in my bones.

UM: You've written both fiction and non-fiction. Any suggestions on shifting gears between the real and the imaginary? Or does this come naturally to you?
J: The initial shift was very difficult for me precisely because of the idea of permission. It took me many years to allow myself the time to write stories that were grounded in the imagination rather than ones that were grounded in fact. Now that I am doing it, however, it feels very familiar. The skills and instincts you need for writing fiction are very similar to the ones you need for writing fact. There’s always a beginning, middle and end. There’s always the need for narrative drive. Structure matters no matter what. And you can’t wiggle out of doing the hard work of trying to figure out what, exactly, you want to say, and what the best way of saying it might be.

UM: Any tips on dealing with writer's block?
J: I have three:
1.) Know your point. Really know what you are trying to say. I make maps and word clouds and draw pictures to try to get at it before I write a single word. I talk about my ideas with wise and indulgent friends. I think it’s the most important part of the job.
2.) Don’t be afraid to wander. If you write 25 pages that don’t work, that’s okay. If you spend a day aimlessly wandering through the yarn store looking at baby alpaca, that’s okay. Creativity doesn’t follow a straight line.
3.) Keep your antenna out. I know it sounds like new age craziness, but the universe will send you what you need. I was fishing around for a career to give a certain character, and was trying out all kinds of jobs and couldn’t decide and couldn’t move forward. That’s the definition of writer’s block, right? Well, in one week, I heard three stories about people who make hats – and because I was paying attention, because I was listening for it, I thought: that’s it: she’ll be a milliner. This has happened to me too many times to count.

UM: What are some of your favorite books?
J: I love Marc Salzman’s The Soloist about a cello prodigy confronting the limits of his talent; Kasuo Iguro’s The Remains of the Day about a butler measuring the worth of his life of service; and Anne Patchett’s Bel Canto about the affect of a beautiful singer on a group of hostages. Recently, I was utterly blown away by Abigail Thomas’ A Three Dog Life, a memoir of the years following her husband’s brain injury, and by Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge, about a prickly, aging New England woman. All of these books have a dark edge to them, a sadness at their core. All of them deal with some way with the interplay of passion and regret.

Thanks so much for sharing your insights, Jennie! Congrats on the book launch, too.

Guest Post: The Suburban Muse

By Amy Sue Nathan

I'm tucked neatly inside a bedroom community complete with picket fences, a town hall and 4th of July parades down Main Street. I'm surrounded by kids selling raffle tickets, moms playing tennis and dads smoking cigars on the country club lawn. When you drive in suburban circles and your muse wears a hairclip or drives a hybrid – where are all the article ideas? Are they supposed to sneak in before carpool or after soccer?

I write mostly about parenting in one form or another – that makes sense, right? I've written and published personal essays and it can be gut wrenching as well as rewarding. But in this economy that's often not enough – for an editor or for me. We both need more – the editor needs more – and to bring my writing to a higher level, so do I. Because sometimes, my suburban muse starts fading.

When that happens I usually retreat to a place and time when I was steeped in the city life where things happen every day, where the city news, parking meters, parks, skyscrapers and trends would encircle me and give me thoughts, when I did corporate writing and wore - GASP – work clothes. But I realized a few years ago that it's a matter of taking what you know and what is in front of you and figuring out how that, is the news.

Here are my tips for finding a remarkable story hidden in the everyday:

1. Look over the picket fence, behind the shed and under the fake boulder where you hide your spare key. If all-of-a-sudden the moms are wearing stretch pants, it might be more than a fashion trend, it might be a trend toward weight gain. Hmmm, sounds like a story.

2. Try on your neighbor's shoes. Figuratively, of course. Don't interview everyone you wave to at the winter choir concert, but people love to talk about themselves if you're engaging. Sometimes the best pitches are based on someone else's point of view – and your take on it. How about those crazy sports parents? Maybe their side of the story needs to be heard. OK, maybe not.

3. Step back behind the plate and look at the whole little league field. What are you doing in your life besides writing? It seems like just another day to you, but someone else might find it fascinating. I once wrote a piece on my Wine Time group. It was part of my life, but there were experts ready to chime in. Cheers to them!

4. Ask yourself, is it really ordinary or is it simply run of the mill to just you? Remember, mundane is in the eye of the beholder.

It all goes along with that that sage advice -- mine your own life. I'd like to add, mine others' lives as well. Look at everything straight on, upside down and sideways. Shake it and see what falls out. You're bound to be surprised and pleased – and your readers will be too.

Amy Sue Nathan is a published freelance writer, editor, Web 2.0 consultant and single mom who blogs about the business, process and wonders of writing. She is also on a quest for a literary agent for her first novel.

Guest Post: Writing for Love and Money

By Denene Brox

Most budding writers are thrilled to write whatever assignments come their way. I know I was nearly four years ago when I started freelance writing part-time. I have always dreamed of being a writer, and seeing my name in print in more than a dozen publications and Web sites during the past several years has been a thrill.

I was a writer even before I knew what a writer was. As a young girl living in America I used words on paper to bridge the distance between me and my British grandparents and cousins. I wrote about my thoughts and feelings with abandon. I wrote from my heart back then, but lately I write from my brain — a totally different animal motivated by something beyond passion — money.

I made my first successful effort at being published in 2005 after a three-week language study vacation in Florence, Italy. My article combined the practical side of traveling with my own experiences as a tourist. I submitted my article to alternative travel magazines and Web sites (the types of publications that take readers beyond traditional tourism and deeper into the cultures of countries all over the world). I was elated and stunned when I was offered $25 for one of my articles. Mere pocket change with great significance: a publication was willing to pay me for my writing. It is the greatest form of validation for a beginning writer. My article wasn’t lost in the slush pile with other hopefuls. For the first time in my life I felt like a real writer.

High from the validation of selling my first article, I became of student of freelance writing books and Web sites. It was like a drug that feed a deep hunger within me to use my talent. I became addicted to selling articles. I learned that some writers make a strikingly higher amount per article than my $25. I read about writers that made upwards of $2,500 per article writing for major women’s magazines such as Redbook, and I wanted to be one of them.

I studied marketing strategies, query letter writing, paying taxes, record keeping, and how to work with editors. I was constantly on the prowl for story ideas: interesting people, new ways to save money on groceries, strategies for managing a career. Slowly I began to get more assignments, with my biggest success coming from trade magazines where I was assigned to write about a certain topic which required hardly any creativity on my part. I would get the facts, organize them, and write them up. I wrote article after article, conducted dozens of interviews — all while working a full-time marketing job for a non-profit. Even though I was good at writing articles, I wasn’t giving much thought to what I was passionate about. Burn out was fast approaching.

So last summer I took a deep breath and did the unthinkable — I stopped seeking and accepting assignments. I have been using the time since then to reconnect with what I really want to write about. I’m slowly discovering a new path by using journal writing as a way to explore my passions.

There’s a concept in the book Stand Up For Your Life by Cheryl Richardson called “passing up good for great.” Good for me would be to keep going for assignments that pad my bank account. Great is going for assignments that pad my bank account and allow me to write about the things I’m passionate about such as self-empowerment, inspirational people, and my own personal story. Richardson acknowledges that the concept of passing up good for great is scary, and you will be tempted with less than great offers (such as that article that pays a lot but doesn’t interest you at all and would actually be painful to write).

I’m finding that one of the biggest advantages to maintaining my day job is that I have the freedom to devote my writing time to my passions without worrying about paying the rent or putting food on the table.

I’m still a writer that has to market myself and my ideas. I’m just refocusing my efforts. With a full-time job and limited time and energy for writing, I want to begin building the bridge to a full-time writing life that I truly love getting paid for.

How about you? Do you write for love, money, or both?

Denene Brox is a Kansas City-based writer who is hard at work on projects to inspire and enlighten you. Visit her at www.DeneneBrox.com and at her blog, Style & Inspiration.

Guest Post: Does your blog mean business?

By Amy Bernstein

Millions of blogs inhabit the internet right now. They are for fun, business, political platforms and everything in between. Many are wildly successful, and many are not.

I’m fairly new to the blogosphere, being a member only since this past September. I have a strong interest in becoming a writer, so starting my own blog seemed like a no-brainer. I didn’t know that not only would I improve my writing skills, I would improve my business skills as well. I found that running a successful blog has many similarities to running a successful business.

I knew I wanted my blog to be successful, hopefully making some profit down the line. “Write what you know,” is what I’ve always been told, so lo and behold: my blog about life and work during your twenties was hatched. Welcome to Roaring Twenties Writer.

The first thing I did was enlist the advice of a few trusted friends who currently blog. I wanted to make sure I knew “crucial to know” or “beware of” information before booting up. After that, I figured I would learn by doing and by reading about blogging.

I quickly realized that creating a blog is very similar to starting your own business. (Luckily, minus the major overhead expenses.) I had to figure out my niche topic, my target audience and how I would promote the blog so people actually read it. That can be a lot of work, but very fun work! Here is my compilation of tips to know if you want your blog to run much like your own successful business.

1. Find something to write about. (i.e., what will you “sell” to your readers?) What will be your niche? Your blog will be far more successful if every post stays within your specific topic because that is what will keep your readers coming back. Are you an expert in any field? Write what you know.

2. Who is your target audience? If you’re like me, your blog is attracting the Generation Y's trying to survive their twenties, leave college behind and become successful, career-minded folks. If you’re writing a blog about antique cars, you’ll likely attract a far different crowd. Keep your audience in mind when you network and promote your blog.

3. Figure out how much time you are willing / able to devote to your blog. Will you post every day? You’ll also need to work in some generous time for reading other blogs, researching your audience, networking and promoting yourself. It’s important to account for this if you want to be successful. A great piece of advice on this came from this Problogger post. You can sign up on this free site to receive almost daily articles on how to improve your blog. When it hits my inbox, it instantly transfers to my blogging folder, and I go through the articles about once a week.

4. Start out slow and make realistic goals! You may have long term hopes for your blog - to make money off ads, be the most popular blog in the world, etc… but reality is that you’re just starting out. So all of your dreams might take a while. Work on the basics first, get some solid readers and then worry about ads and gadgets. Create a list of attainable goals, and divide them into monthly goals or however it works best for you. I was told that beginner bloggers who post ads all over are rarely successful. Think about it: thriving businesses don’t start out this way, so why should you? Businesses start out small, build a customer base and test the waters from there. Work your way up. Plus, this will give you time to make each stepping stone solid.

5. Now you’ll need to brand yourself. Keep it consistent. Think about your blog’s design, how you want to describe your blog and where the blog will show up on affiliated sites. This all goes along with what readers you’re looking to attract and what you’re writing about. For my blog, I chose a background that is visually appealing, yet simplistic and sophisticated. I wouldn’t choose some red and white background with little hearts and the word “love” all over. That screams sixteen-year-old blogger, not exactly my audience. For some cute, free templates visit Cutest Blog on the Block. Once you’re an established blogger, there are several places and people you can pay to customize your blog, strengthening your brand identity. But again, one thing at a time.

6. Once you have all of the above figured out, or mostly figured out, it’s time to hit the internet and start researching. Look at all the blogs you can, which blogs are similar to yours, and see what they have done right. Make friends with fellow bloggers and comment on their blogs. Join blogging networks and get yourself out there. Up your use of social media like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Digg and more, all with a link to your blog. This networking can often times take up more time than posting, but it is a good investment of your time.

Hopefully after reading all this, no one goes running for the hills! Just realize how much work goes into popular blogs and how it really can become your personal business. Remember, you’re representing yourself. Work hard, present yourself in the best light, do your research and good luck!

Amy is a twenty-something writer and creative communicator at heart. She recently had her first piece of writing published in Chicken Soup for the Soul’s, Teen’s Talk Middle School. Check out Amy’s blog at www.roaringtwentieswriter.blogspot.com.

Guest Post: Try a Little Dialogue

By Diana Hardin

Every now and then when my son is reading a book for school and he gets tired, he’ll ask me if I’ll read him a chapter, which I sometimes do. Last month he was reading this great book by Beverly Cleary called Dear Mr. Henshaw. The plot is about a little boy who becomes pen pals with a famous author, and it’s written in the form of letters from the boy to the author and back again. It was a great read, especially for a fourth-grade boy, but it started me thinking about the art of dialogue and writing.

I’ve always enjoyed reading letters. What’s the attraction? Letters are fun because they allow us to eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation—without getting into trouble. Letters are personal. People say things in letters that they wouldn’t say face to face. This is the same reason we like chat rooms and IMs. We’re not as anonymous in a letter as we are in a chat room, but all the same, no one can see our face, and that makes opening up a dialogue somehow easier. So I began thinking about what would happen if we freelancers used more dialogue in our writing.

There’s a lot of talking that comes from freelancers each day, whether it’s through text messaging, tweeting, or blogging, but little of it really passes for conversation. Blogs come the closest, with their ability to actually respond. As Scott London points out in his article, “The Power of Dialogue,” the benefit of dialogue, as the Greeks understood it, is that the sum of our parts equals a better whole. When we practice dialogue, we end up with a more well-rounded idea, because you fill in my gaps in understanding, and I fill in yours. And shouldn’t a better idea lead to better writing?

So here are a few suggestions for incorporating a few principles of dialogue into your writing:

Keep your focus. One of the basics of composition is that all writing seeks to persuade. No matter what type of writing you’re doing, you are trying to persuade someone of something. We all know this, but we tend to forget it when we’re in the middle of a piece. Always be mindful of who you’re talking to and what you’re talking about.

Find common ground. Your audience doesn’t have to agree with you (in fact, it’s more interesting if they don’t), but there needs to be something that makes you stand out from the dozens of other people who are speaking to them throughout the course of their day. By the way, this is true for editors as well as readers!

Write responsibly. With every piece you write, ask yourself what might be the consequence of someone listening to you. Granted, some writing is meant to be lighthearted; however, whether you’re writing copy, a blog, or a feature article, you are in a position to speak to others. This should never be taken lightly. You may not always hear the response, but you do have an audience, and if they’re moved, they will respond.

In today’s age of diversity and broadness, we also find a lot of division. Adding a little dialogue may be one simple way of coming together as a community and a society.

Diana Hardin is a freelancer who writes at The Indigo Inkwell and lives in Middle Tennessee with her husband, two children, cat and dog.