M. J. Joachim’s Writing Tips for Success

Writing with Meaning and Integrity

2011-07-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

The other day, I was researching an article for a client. Imagine my frustration when I came across several “resources” that, to be completely honest, didn’t say much of anything at all. Don’t get me wrong. These were real articles on well established sites. For whatever reason, the authors thought they could fudge it, and not give any information of value.

Stating the obvious is not considered writing in my book, folks. Throwing words out there, that any third grader could come up with for a one time book report, doesn’t qualify as professional writing. If you want to write effectively, do your research and make a statement with your articles. I don’t care if you’re producing blogs, emails to family and friends or articles for websites and clients. When you’re representing yourself as a writer, it might behoove you to write like a writer.

Clearly, your tone and phrases will change according to your audience when you write. That doesn’t mean your writing can be full of fluff and no substance. So make it count when you write—regardless of where your work gets posted. You’re a writer, and real writers take time to choose their words carefully, research their material thoroughly and present their work professionally.

Tapping Into Raw Emotion – Revealing Your Soul in Your Writing

2010-05-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

Tapping into raw emotion is never easy. These past few days, I found myself experiencing the gamut, as deep buried passion refused to be snuffed out and set aside. It’s what happens when you read a book like Taking Our Lives Back. “The most powerful writing I see from students in my creative writing classes happens on the night I ask them to write about an unresolved anger or painful episode from childhood…it aims to show students how evocative writing can be when it touches bare feelings,” states author, Patti Sherlock.

I can’t help but remember Little Women, where Jo is humbled into writing what’s really in her heart, rather than a superficial story. This is the novel that sets her free and makes a difference in the world, the story that needed to be told because of its unprecedented value to mankind.

We all have one of those buried deep within us. Sometimes we hold back, staying in our comfort zone and avoiding the depths of our souls. That’s okay when we’re merely writing research to meet a deadline. It serves a purpose well enough. Yet, each and every writer longs to develop the great, life changing novel that will expose the uniqueness of trapped character waiting to be revealed. Fear and so many other things block our path. Find a way around, over, under or through it. Take out a sledge hammer and break through the barriers that prevent you from being the great author you were born to be. Share your story with the world!

Setting Goals to be Successful

2010-05-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

The art of success depends not on how much we accomplish, but how well we manage the ups and downs required to achieve great things. It can be completely overwhelming to mass produce content. It doesn’t matter if you submit articles to a community content site for upfront payments, or maintain a blog for fun. Both can quickly wear you out if you let them turn you into a workhorse, with too little to show for your efforts.

The reality is that you will only accomplish your goals if you believe in your heart that you can achieve them. You must be honest with yourself, recognizing the full truth surrounding your situation. If you’re uncomfortable with the truth, so much the better. That means you understand the need for change which can be as simple as a much needed attitude adjustment.

Your outlook on what you do matters. It’s nearly impossible to make things happen by dreaming about them. Dreams need to give way to plans which need to be implemented. So if you want to write a book, you need to plan a story, make an outline, and start typing. If you want to get your book published after you’ve written it, you need to write query letters and reach out to publishers who might be interested in helping you. In other words, you need to take the steps to make your dream a reality.

Dreams can and do change over time. It’s a good idea to tune into a vision of your future. Determine whether or not your dreams will help you get there. Don’t be afraid of the answers; use them to help you achieve your goals. It might mean less is more, and it could mean learning new skills. Accept the challenge to make your vision a reality.

Learning How to Write

2010-05-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

“Don’t let them teach you how to write!” I keep hearing my high school history teacher say that to me over and over again. “Don’t let them teach you how to write!” That doesn’t mean stop learning how to write. No way. What it means is that you need to be yourself and dig deep when you write. No one can teach you how to do that. It’s something you have to figure out how to tap into all by yourself.

The thing about this is that everyone has it. We all can be ourselves and we all can dig deep. The real question is, “Are you willing to go past your comfort level to write successfully?” That’s what it takes, friends. You need to push the envelope, not just once or twice, but over and over again. You need to be in touch with the raw you on a daily basis, and if you’re not, you’ll hit writer’s block or worse.

Once you tap into your deepest self, you need to be able to express what you find there in a universal language, one that everyone else can understand. That means taking the message from the real you, and translating it by using traditional rules of grammar, spelling and writing etiquette.

Wow! Pretty bleak scenario, huh? Reality check…writing is intense. It’s not words on a page that people can take or leave. It’s raw material meant to make a difference in the lives of those who read it. Few people will ever get rich on writing. They may get rich on everything around writing (i.e. sales, teaching, business), but only a small percentage make the best seller list and reap pure rewards for their writing.

Don’t let that discourage you. Write anyway and share it with everyone you know. Use your gifts to develop new skills (for sales, teaching, business), and keep writing. Gifts like writing should never be wasted, so share yours with the world and make a difference for anyone who reads it.

Blog Topic Resources

2010-05-11T07:14:00.001-07:00

Choosing a blog topic can be a daunting task. You need to pick something that will lend itself to lots of content, without regurgitating the same old thing over and over again. It would help if you can add pictures to your blog; personally, my limited photography skills tend to intimidate this idea. More importantly, you need to be able to share important information about your topic. Content is king.

~Books are wonderful resources for blog topics. I’m literally talking about picking a book and following it along, snippet by snippet, chapter by chapter. If you’ve ever seen the 2009 movie Julia and Julia, you’ll understand what I mean. In the movie, Julia followed one of Julia Child’s recipe books and blogged about it. She gave it her own personal twist and eventually ended up becoming famous for it.

~Scholastic studies are another good source for topics. Pick a subject you excel in and write about it each day. Provide tips for students and lesson plans for teachers.

~Everyday life is a wonderful topic. Create a satirical blog that helps people laugh at themselves or recognize community problems. Hey, comedians do this all the time. If you have a good sense of humor, use it in your writing and poke fun at life a little bit.

~Advice is always welcomed in the blogosphere, provided it doesn’t get too personal, remains polite and actually helps people with their problems. Take it easy with this one, as disclaimers must be stated clearly to avoid unexpected fallouts.

Life is full of blog topics that lend themselves to unending information. Choose one that you will enjoy for years to come. Blogs tend to hang around for a while once you get them going. Whether you want to use your blog as a personal internet diary, or help others with anything and everything in it, your blog will become an outlet of expression for you. Use it wisely, remembering that most blogs are fairly public and meant to be read by strangers. Any notoriety you receive should be because people enjoy your writing, not because they are shocked by what you actually wrote. Although, shock value does tend to improve page views. Just saying…

How Writers Get Rich

2010-05-10T10:35:00.000-07:00

I’ve been networking lately, trying to meet new people so I can get my work read by a larger audience. It’s funny when you do that as a writer. Everyone thinks you want to get into the business of selling a product or something. People start giving you their pitch, telling why their program works and asking you to sign up under them. Others tell you they don’t even have a pitch, but after you read their pamphlet full of free advice, they hit you up to buy the book that has all the good stuff in it. From there it’s a constant game to keep you up to date on the latest and greatest ways to build your own profitable business.

If life was only about money, I’d have thrown in the towel long ago. C’mon. Really? Do I need to offer free advice and start a network marketing business to gain financial freedom? Can’t I just write, network with the people who actually want to read my writing, and avoid playing games that manipulate my audience into buying a hope or dream that may or may not exist in the first place?

Oh, their advice is not useless, friends. We do need to know why we’re doing what we’re doing. We do need to understand what motivates us and how to connect with people. What we don’t need to do is sell everyone on our message. We don’t need to deliver headtrash in the form of a nicely wrapped up package that has a pretty bow on it. And we certainly don’t need to sell our writing.

True writers share a valuable message that people need and want to hear and receive. They don’t make empty promises about getting rich. They face reality, knowing that so many variables affect financial success, ruin, and everything in between. True writers relate to real people, not to sell them something after they’ve bought the message being presented, but because they respect their audience enough not to sell them anything at all.

True writers get read by a large audience because of the message, not the sales pitch. If you are a true writer, write the good stuff, from your heart. Don’t waste people’s time mass producing content that is meaningless. Be creative and insightful, and write things that matter, not things that sell. These articles, stories and novels will sell themselves, and then you really will be rich in many more ways than you can count.

Theme Writing

2010-05-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

It’s Mother’s Day so this next tip might seem a little obvious. Nonetheless, there is always a call for stating the obvious because positive reinforcement and repetition tend to maximize results. Write to the theme or holiday of the times.

People are interested in current news and events. They don’t want a rehash of yesterday. They want a new twist for today. Mother’s Day happens every year. Celebrating it can turn into the same old routine. But, if you write an article that puts a new spin on decorations, gifts or recipes for Mother’s Day, and then link it where people can find it easily enough, you are sure to get a lot of page views around this very special time of year.

Every month of the year has some special event or holiday that you can write about. Your job is to come up with something unique and original to share with your readers. Don’t reinvent the wheel here; just dream a little about your perfect celebration of the day. Then write it all out and share it with anyone who might be interested.

To give you an example, here’s a sample of an article I wrote for Mother’s Day.

Great Places to Find Spanish Mother’s Day Cards

Using Business Cards to Promote Your Writing Portfolio

2010-05-08T06:20:00.000-07:00

I’ve been thinking a lot about business cards lately. It seems lots of places have prize drawings for them. You can win free lunches at restaurants, big coupons at supply stores and discounts at many retail stores. People with business cards also tell lots of people what they do and how to contact them.

Freelance writers may want to include an http address of their portfolio when they design a business card, but there’s absolutely no reason not to use one. Business cards can be left anywhere. You can leave them on the bathroom counter in a restaurant, hand them out at the library, drop them on the magazine table in the doctor’s office.

Business cards are your mini billboard that directs people to your business, freelance writing. Are you a poet attending local poetry readings? Why not make a business card to give to everyone in attendance? Did you meet someone interesting when you were walking your dog? He might want to read your work, and supplying him with your business card that tells him where to find it sure beats writing the details down on an old grocery receipt or scrap piece of paper.

Business cards are one of many tools you can use to promote yourself as a freelance writer. They’re easy to make, can be printed right from your computer, and help get the word out about your freelance writing work. Leaving them anywhere and everywhere is just good business.

Besides, you never really know who might be looking you up and viewing your portfolio. Could be that anonymous publisher that changes your life forever and offers you a book deal, all because he found out about your fabulous writing through a business card you left in an unsuspecting place.

I’ve written a whole lot more about business and public relations in my finance blog. You can learn about web marketing, keywords and starting a newsletter or emarketing campaign. The important thing to remember is that as a writer, you are in an entrepreneurial business. You need to represent yourself as a business person, displaying and presenting your work in ways that get you noticed. Business cards help accomplish this. Using them in combination with other tools like email and linking is good publicity.

Freelance Writer Resources: Writer’s Market

2010-05-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

Writer’s Market is one book I believe to be invaluable for any freelance writer. This annually updated resource provides much more than publisher listings. The entire first section is devoted to helping you understand what it takes to prepare and sell your work in the freelance marketplace. You will learn about formatting, writing query letters and different media markets. This glimpse of the publishing world will help you determine what to write and how to write it.

Familiarity with the business side of writing is important. Writer’s Market provides instructional tools on how and where to submit your work, as well as a price sheet to help you determine how much you want to charge for your manuscript. The main portion of the book contains an organized list of book publishers, magazine publishers and writing contests – places you might consider when preparing your manuscript or poem.

Each listing provides important information that will help you make an educated decision including: contact information, pay scale, tips for submission and background information on the publisher. You can literally compare competitors through Writer’s Market, placing them side by side and weighing the pros and cons of submitting to them. If you don’t have a current copy of Writer’s Market, you should purchase one as soon as possible. This is one resource no freelance writer should ever be without!

Freelancer.com: Stats, Analytics, Reviews

2010-05-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

You see the ads at the top of the page. You wonder if this could be the real deal, and whether or not it’s worth it to sign up at another freelance writing job board. I know, especially when you’re writing for communities that pay for page views on your work. You’d love to break this whole freelance writing gig right open, but everyone has an ad promising to be the answer to your dreams. Do any of them really deliver?

This post will address the ads at the top of my page. I will share facts and research with you about Freelancer.com. I will not guarantee results or failure, as I believe most of those come directly from individuals anyway.

Freelance writers collect and report information. They craft stories to make people think in new and different ways. They challenge the status quo, often overcoming all obstacles to meet their goals. Businesses that benefit from hard working freelance writers are lucky to have them. They know it and treat their people well. Status reports reveal the trends of these businesses, providing valuable information to their members.

Freelancer.com Stats and Analytics

Alexa compiled a report for Freelancer.com that shows growth and success for members, some of which have given the site a 5 star rating and even claim to earn lots of money from Freelancer.com. According to Alexa, the site is highly recommended.

Traffic Estimate portrays Freelancer.com as being in the midst of a growth spurt. Their graphics clearly show traffic increasing at Freelancer.com. Traffic Estimate also provides some background information about the company, stating that, “This Google Page Rank 4/10 website has a Traffic Estimate rank of 1,129 with an estimated 8,087,400 monthly visits.”

Xmarks gives Freelancer.com 4 ½ stars based on nine reviews. Personally speaking, I have more work than I can handle from Freelancer.com. They send me new jobs to bid on several times a day. I like the fact that companies are rated there, allowing me to make an informed judgment about whether or not to place a bid.

I think Freelancer.com is an opportunity for freelancers to find online work. Many of the assignments are work from home jobs. Given the current job market, this is a big bonus in my book. It’s also a chance to get your name and skills known and recognized by real companies, not just in communities that collect a lot of content.

Business of Writing: Developing Online Presence

2010-05-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I was sharing my vision of an online writing portfolio with you. Today I’d like to expand on those thoughts and discuss your online presence. So many sites ask us to have a profile page, username and password. Creativity is great, but if you want to be taken seriously, consistency is vital.

Using Word, make a skeleton profile that you can copy and paste in all your communities and networking sites. Tailor it to each specific community, detailing your contributions to them as necessary. Refer to this profile when applying for and bidding on jobs and assignments.

Provide a decent picture (i.e. professional photo) of yourself, and if you don’t want to do that, develop a logo or brand name for yourself like C. J. Pumpkins did. Companies almost always search online to see who they might consider working with these days. Your prospects of being selected to work, or writing for a well established firm, will be much greater if they see you as a professional through your online presence.

Business of Writing: Producing Quality Content

2010-05-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

You’re a freelance writer, but you’re not selling your writing. You’re in the business of selling your content. These are two completely different things when you think about it. Writing is a personal task, lending itself to soft communication with others. Content is something you produce on a business stage; it’s meant to boost sales – yours and the company you sell it to. Content must meet particular requirements or it won’t sell anything, not even itself.

If you truly think of yourself as a freelance writer, you need to recognize that you are in the business of writing. The work you produce needs to adhere to industry standards, following strict guidelines set forth by the people who may end up purchasing it. That means you might have to do some extra research, and find out information about who you’re giving your pitch to.

Bidding on writing projects takes practice. It would be nice if all you had to do was let publishers know you exist, and can put a string of words together like nobody’s business. Life just doesn’t work that way and neither should you. Be professional when you bid on writing jobs and stand out from the crowd. Show the editors why your work is above and beyond what they’re looking for. By doing so, you’ll increase your chances of getting more than one assignment from them.

Creating a Writing Portfolio

2010-04-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

Organizing and showcasing your work is often underrated in the writing world. Many of us build our portfolios chronologically, instead of by theme. We have a long list with no real categorization to highlight the skills we’ve learned, places we’ve been and expertise we are able to share with others.

Personally, my own portfolio reminded me of a catch all or junk room. Perhaps you can relate. Maybe not. When I think about the time and effort I put into researching and presenting my articles to the world, I don’t want them to then be thrown into the abyss of cyberspace emptiness. I want the world to know that they’re timeless and valuable. I want them organized and easy to find so people can read them whenever they want.

Enter the stage of the world wide blogosphere. This is where I will take the time to present my writing to the world, the place where my work can be found by topic and subtopic, by those who are looking for useful information on a specific subject. These folks won’t wade through my mix/mash of a portfolio hoping to find what they are looking for. They will backspace and find a site that tells them directly, a site like Lots of Crochet Stitches by M. J. Joachim.

From now on, anything I write about crochet will be quickly categorized on its own special website so the people looking for it can find it easily. It takes a lot of time and effort to set up a system like this, and I’ve only just begun the process. Whether or not it works remains to be seen; logically it makes a little more sense than having one big portfolio with hundreds of articles in it though.

Finding Freelance Writing Jobs

2010-04-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

As a writer, I spend massive amounts of time producing lots of content, especially in writing communities. Logically I know there must be an easier way. I realize that sites like Helium, EHow, Associated Content, Hub Pages, Squidoo etc. all profit from what I do. They’ve recruited me to help them make money. All I have to do is share my expertise with the world.

It’s not enough to write the articles, I have to let the right people know they are there. I have to join the conversation, read what the other experts have to say, participate in the forums, make lots of connections, and share my work with those who might be interested.

It is also important to consider how much I want to get paid for my work. Making a few dollars from page views in a writing community is okay, but I deserve to earn more for my writing. As a real content producer, I want to make big bucks for what I do, not just pennies for page views.
If you’re like me, you’ve spent time searching for freelance work on the internet. Some of those job boards are a nightmare, aren’t they? Wouldn’t it be great to find a job board that caters to the writer, giving you the opportunity to select the types of jobs you’d like to write about?

Freelancer.com is like that. You sign up, select your writing specialties, request they send assignments to your email, bid on the projects you like, and earn your paycheck without spending hours on the internet searching for writing jobs. Now that’s using your time wisely so you can focus on what you do best, writing!

Linking Your Articles for Pay

2010-04-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

I recently started using Linkbee to increase earnings on my articles when I share my links. One of the things I noticed is that when you attach their links to things, the synopsis of your work is not included. That might deter people from clicking on the link, which ultimately defeats the purpose of using Linkbee. If no one clicks on your links, how can you expect to get paid for page views?

If you don’t know what Linkbee is, I wrote about in my financial blog:

Linkbee pays you for doing what you already do. They give you pennies for linking your work through them. The process is simple. Enter a long link into their converter box and create a short link. Use the short link to share your work. Read the full article here.

Maximize your earning potential of your links by including a short paragraph from the articles you are sharing like I just did as an example above. This way, people will know what the article is about before they click on the link. They also remain in control of what they choose to read.
I’m very new to Linkbee and I’m already having a lot of success with it. If you’d like to join me, please sign up here.

Getting Paid to Read Articles on the Web

2010-04-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

As writers, we need to constantly expose ourselves to new ideas that will in turn help us develop new articles and stories. Readbud is a site where you get paid to read articles. Admittedly, the pay isn’t much and it seems like a lot of trouble to go through to earn a few pennies at a time. However, there are more benefits than cash when you sign up for Readbud.

You get to select which categories of articles you want to read. You get paid for reading about new ideas that may help you in your work. By focusing on topics that interest you, or choosing topics that will help you learn more about things you’re already doing you increase your knowledge.

As a member of Readbud, I can testify to the fact that I’ve benefitted from some of the things I’ve read there. I learned a few tricks about technology that I never would have thought of before, and I’ve applied some of their cooking tips in my own kitchen.

Most of the articles are really good, and they don’t take that long to read. As writers, we spend so much time surfing the internet for our research anyway. Why not purposely select the types of articles you want to read about, and get paid for doing it? You can still surf the internet for everything else. That’s one habit that never needs to be broken.

Getting Your Site Indexed on the Web

2010-04-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

While good content rules when it comes to internet writing, even the best content doesn’t automatically attract visitors to your article or site. You have to become visible so people can find you, especially if you start a new blog or website. If you don’t announce your presence, it could takes weeks for it to be crawled and indexed on the web.

Here’s a little tip I learned recently for those of us who blog and produce internet content. Use your social networking tools lavishly. Build up your network and share your work. And don’t forget to subscribe to your very own blog.

If you create a brand new blog or webpage, give it a little Digg as soon as you can. You can still submit the request code through Google, Yahoo, Bing and the others if you want, but your new site will draw attention much more quickly if you spread the word and generate traffic right away.

Writing Web Content

2010-04-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

Internet writing takes patience and practice. Earning pennies for page views is a tough way to make a living. Pay per click ads aren’t much better when it comes to helping freelancers earn reasonable income.

There are ways to increase earning potential on the internet, and some of them even involve writing. Most are a combination of writing, linking and advertising. Content rules, however, because if the message isn’t written well and easy to understand, linking and advertising quickly become non-issues.

Web Content Requirements
Content must be immediately relevant or evergreen. Jump on the band wagon and join the conversation about current events and trends. Develop an interesting twist or angle, and don’t hold back when it comes to stirring up a little controversy.

Evergreen content must contain facts and be supported by solid research. References should be available for credibility, linking internally to outside sources when appropriate. Few people appreciate an article that is copied and pasted from a variety of sources, containing limited author input. Think for yourself when constructing content, and write like you know what you are talking about.

Job Opportunities

2010-04-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

Writing is the foundation for many other types of work. Your skills are marketable and they should be used as selling points when you search for a job. Think about what you do as a freelance writer. There is so much more to it than coming up with the right words and publishing them.

You are a researcher. You have the ability to track facts and information.

You are a self starter. You can take an ordinary idea and transform it into something valuable and noteworthy.

You are a creative genius. One idea leads to another idea, and then another. Call me crazy, but I’d say that supports your abilities as a project manager and coordinator.

Combine your computer skills of posting, linking and getting around the web with your ability to document anything you choose, and you’re a remarkable candidate for many different types of employment. Add in your past work experience, your ability to focus on what’s important and your willingness to learn, and you can present yourself as the best employee for the job.

The only question left to consider is how you want to use your skills as freelance writer. Determine that and tailor your resume accordingly, using your writing skills to present and sell what you do naturally.

Developing a Focal Point in Writing

2010-04-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

So, how’s that working for you? It’s not? Well, what are you going to do about it? These are the questions we need to ask ourselves on a regular basis. What were our goals when we started? How did we adapt them to detours along the way? What changes need to take place that will allow us to keep pursuing our dreams?

I’m mixing things up a little bit these days, taking a good hard look at the effort I put forth and weighing it against the product I produce. Time is valuable and I don’t have enough of it to waste on things that don’t really matter to me.

I love doing research, but I can’t learn about everything in the world, and I certainly can’t write effectively about so many different things. As a writer, I need to prioritize topics. More importantly, I need to have genuine interest in the things I write about. Once I do that, I can search for the venue that will expose my work to the world.

My tip for you today is to minimize outside distractions, attractions and temptations in your writing. Take time to focus on what really matters in your work, and be the writer you want to be, without selling yourself short by getting caught up in the rat race of projects, deadlines and publicity. Let your writing speak for itself and you won’t need to worry about any of those things anyway.

Personal Thoughts on Health Care Reform

2010-03-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

Health care reform needs to overhaul the entire system. It needs to address the needs of uninsured citizens as well as those who have insurance. People who have health insurance often pay bills that are astronomical. People with insurance have premiums to pay, co-payments, deductibles and a host of other things. The hoops doctors and patients have to jump through for medical treatment is beyond wrong.

Can you imagine paying for health insurance and being charged hundreds of dollars for prescriptions or going to the ER unexpectedly? It happens to thousands of citizens everyday! We have to constantly be on guard, asking the right questions. And if you don't know what to ask, you'll learn after you get stuck with that enormous bill (that you thought insurance was supposed to cover), only to find out there was small print that excluded the services or medication you received.

Health care needs to be reformed, but not like this, not when the final result will only burden the patients and doctors more than they are already burdened, and limit or exclude necessary medical treatment.

Writing for Niches and Meaning

2010-02-19T08:23:00.000-08:00

Many writing professionals seem to agree that writers need to find a niche for their writing. If that’s true, then I’m in a whole lot of trouble. I do have certain comfort zones, but as a writer, I cannot limit myself to becoming one-dimensional. There are too many things to explore and learn about. Life happens all around me and I certainly don’t need a degree to write about it.

While I do agree that becoming strong in one particular area of writing is important and will help you pay the bills, I don’t believe it is the only way to succeed as an author. The purpose of writing is much greater than this, and as such, writers need to be open to inspiration, not bound by niches.

Writers are not machines capable of turning out mass production on a moment’s notice. We are people far too tuned into the sensitivity of the world. We falter. We blunder. Ultimately we conquer fears we didn’t even know we had by the way we express things with our words. And then what? We format them into neat little paragraphs, sometimes losing the very essence of what we are trying to express?

That’s not writing, friends. That’s producing. That’s finding a way to pay your bills, and don’t you dare give up your writer’s heart and soul to do it. Make time to blog and share your thoughts with others. Enter that poetry contest just for the heck of it, even though you rarely practice writing verse. Work on that novel that’s been half written for sixteen months already, and write, not for your niche, but for the thrill of soaring in the wind!

Self Realization

2010-02-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

I found myself wandering aimlessly, driven by a force unknown chasing down false leads. Suddenly I was way off balance, stumbling in the dark, second guessing my every move. “Who am I?” The writer in me could only pause.

Every distraction has a purpose. We may need to conquer a fear or challenge a security. Life isn’t about going through the motions anymore than writing is about sitting at a computer. Step outside the comfort zone! Release the breath that’s held in fear! And most importantly, be who you are supposed to be!

Writing Opportunities

2009-10-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

As I sit here typing random letters that form words with meaning, I get the feeling that I am isolated and completely alone. A wind stirs, the dog stretches, my back itches; I realize that there is more to life than my own little corner of the world, and my desire to share a message with others who probably aren’t nearly as self absorbed as I am at the moment.

We become what we want to be, and all of life’s energy directs us toward the path that will ultimately take us to our final destination. Are we willing to sacrifice inner peace to get there? For indeed that is what’s required of us. We cannot sit idly by, neglecting to participate in things beyond our comfort zone. We must accept the challenge to explore and discover the fullness of life, never daring to settle for that alone.

Upon discovering something new, it is appropriate to explode with joy and anticipation. It is expected that we share what we have found, inviting and encouraging others to see it too. Ah, dear writing friends, if only you could specialize and write about your passions. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to get paid more than slave wages for sharing your expertise with the world?

You know what I’m talking about, and while I would love to reveal the secret of how, where, and when with you right here and now, I will wait knowing that those who seek will find, and those who email me might well find a writer’s paradise just beyond their comfort zone.

Policing the Internet

2009-10-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

Someone was telling me the other day that the internet is bad. They were making reference to the fact that there are so many inappropriate sites tempting people to do bad things on it. It’s true. There is a lot of bad stuff out there. People make choices for good and bad every day. No one has to make a bad choice, and those of us who see bad things and don’t say anything also make bad choices – choices of omission.

The internet, like so many other things, is a tool that can be used for good and bad. One of its curses for those who use it is that there aren’t a lot of boundaries. Anyone can put up anything, interact with whoever they choose, and proceed to make bad choices through the internet.

Writers can spread volumes of hate, prejudice, and inappropriate messages. Thieves can take advantage of unsuspecting victims. Sex is more than a little available (often in unlawful ways) and hackers can ruin people’s programs and wreak havoc stealing identities. None of these things “temptations” have to affect what we do or see on the internet.

The internet can also be used as a tool for good. Christians can spread a message of love, hope, and salvation. Charities can raise funds for good causes, and family members can keep in touch through social networking sites. People can supplement or replace their income in legitimate ways here, and everyone has a wealth of information at their fingertips.

The internet is a tool, and it’s up to all of us to make sure it represents what we want it to, expelling the bad, brandishing the good, and overseeing the task at hand responsibly.