Tammy Curry the Writer

Moving

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:54:00 +0000

Yep I have moved to a new spot on the web. I have my own real domain and hosting now and will be blogging on the new website.

You can find my blogs at http://blog.tammy-curry.com.

Settling in to a new schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:46:00 +0000

The first few weeks of 2010 have been full of excitement. I have had to develop a new work schedule to accommodate new clients. I have official office hours for writing. Ungodly as they are, they still must exist so that I can make it through my days and have time to teach the kids, work outside, time with my loving, supportive husband and time to just relax and enjoy life.

My office hours are 5 am EST until 9 am EST and by appointment.

Best wishes!

Writing is a business

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:36:00 +0000

This is an important concept for freelancers. Your writing is your business. Things that I have learned over the last few years, in no particular order:

Don't take an editor's remarks personally. I have run into very few bad editors over the years. There is always something to learn and to improve your work.
Set office hours and stick to them.
Get dressed for work, don't hang in your jammies.
It is your business, treat it as any other business.
Learn effective marketing techniques
Don't let anyone tell you that you need a real job, this is your real job
Pimp yourself out. Talk to people, network, tell people what you do for a living. You will be surprised at the opportunities that present themselves.
Social media, use it, don't abuse it, but learn how to use it effectively
Follow Mark Twain's advice: "Write what you know." It doesn't hurt to research and learn new information, but in the beginning it is easier to write about things you are familiar with.
It is frightening to put yourself out there, get over it. Just do it! (Nike I believe).
Organize yourself, find a method of time management that works.
Accountability, make yourself accountable to someone or something!
Set reasonable goals.

Now that I have given myself a pep talk, time to get back to work.

Light and Love!

Goals for January

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:19:00 +0000

While I love writing for Demand Studios and in terms of income they have been a life saver. By the end of this month I want to be able to spend more time on my own personal works. I want to get the first issue of my magazine done, work on my fictional book, get my cook book published, and so many other things. For now I am going to take the advice of a friend and do monthly goals and see how it goes.

I will not phase Demand Studios out, but I do want to have it as a supplemental income not my entire income. :)

Light and Love!

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:14:00 +0000

Happy New Year to everyone! May 2010 bring you all that you need, want and desire!

Light and Love

How to Push Reel Mower | eHow.com

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:48:00 +0000

How to Push Reel Mower | eHow.com

How to Adjust Blades On a Push Reel Mower | eHow.com

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:47:00 +0000

How to Adjust Blades On a Push Reel Mower | eHow.com

How to Trim Juniper Shrubs | Garden Guides

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:02:00 +0000

How to Trim Juniper Shrubs | Garden Guides

How to Store Compost | Garden Guides

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:01:00 +0000

How to Store Compost | Garden Guides

How to Plant Miniature Daisies From Seeds | Garden Guides

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:00:00 +0000

How to Plant Miniature Daisies From Seeds | Garden Guides

Updating

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:44:00 +0000

Writing for Demand Studios is taking a lot of my time. This is a good thing though, it actually pays the bills. However, that has meant putting some of my other projects on hold for a bit. I am just working in smaller chunks than I would like but there is a lot of satisfaction to getting real money for writing.

I chose to stick with how to formats. It has become apparent now in IM conversations with friends that I am now writing in the active voice and answering questions as if they are how tos. Not necessarily a bad thing, I guess.

Anyway, I will post official updates on when to expect things and links to the various articles I have written over the next few days.

Light, love and peace!

Benefit of a Greenhouse | Garden Guides

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:28:00 +0000

Benefit of a Greenhouse | Garden Guides

How to Make Newspaper Planting Pots | eHow.com

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:55:00 +0000

An article I wrote a while back on my personal eHow.com profile.

How to Make Newspaper Planting Pots | eHow.com

How to Build a Backyard Duck Pond | eHow.com

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:54:00 +0000

Yes, I have been working. Most of my articles to eHow.com are through my Demand Studios profile, this is from my personal profile. Back to writing, Independent Family Living Magazine coming soon!!

How to Build a Backyard Duck Pond | eHow.com

Working today

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:08:00 +0000

I guess you could say I work every day. However, today is one I am concentrating on my writings. Of course Demand Studios is my bread and butter work. I did upload an e-book I did a while back on how to use recycled materials to build some garden and farm constructions.

My goal for today is to do at least eight more DS articles for GardenGuides.com, blog, tweet, FB. I am going to update my website today hopefully as well. Kiddos are out with Pa-Pa so my day is pretty open. I am going to start posting links to any articles of mine on a daily basis. There are quite a few, there are enough that I can post one a day for a long time.

Well, going to get to work!

Published!

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:18:00 +0000

Being published in a verifiable, profitable way is very self satisfying. Demand Studios was kind enough to hire me as a writer and publish my works. You can find links to all of them from my main website. Feel free to leave feedback and share any links.

I am doing quite a few how tos. Many of them are found on eHow.com. I will be writing for GadenGuides.com in the near future. Combining my expertise in gardening, with my love of writing is rewarding. I am learning things I didn't know before and able to share the knowledge I have gained over the years.

Light and Love to you all!

I have been really lackadaisical...

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:05:00 +0000

Well, not really but just very busy and I haven't made the time to post on my blog like I said I would. I do have some really good news. I have what I feel is a full time regular writing job, one that can pay the bills and still allow me to let the creative juices flow. I am working for DemandStudios.com. I have set a deadline for Frugal Cooking (watching the eye rolls), September 15, 2009. I intend to have the book ready for publishing on lulu.com. The companion cookbook will be my next project. Once those two are done I will be focusing on a fictional novel.

I am still waiting for Household Manager Magazine to get off the ground and toying with the idea of doing my own magazine. I can only do so many projects at one time. Some how over the last few months I have become completely disorganized. Not my usual chaotic crazy but truly disorganized. So I am working on changing and getting back to my normal chaotic crazy.

I am setting realistic goals. One of which is to blog at least once per week on each of my blogs. Adding a second day in as a routine develops. I hope to get back into blogging daily, posting on facebook regularly, and tweeting on twitter again.

I will be posting recipes regularly on my general blog. And doing weekly updates on my homeschooling blog as well. I might even begin posting poetry, short stories, etc that I have been working, along with articles that I have written in the past here.

Light and Love

Reflections of light and dark

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 05:09:00 +0000

Free falling into the darkness as I lay quietly
The sudden rush as life passes by, I question
"What have done so far?"
I have brought life into this world
I have watched life snuffed out too soon
I have loved and been loved
Why does it seem as though that is not enough?

What is it that I am missing?
There must be something I whisper into the darkness
Suddenly there is a light shining
I look closer and I see what I should have seen before
I have stood on the side lines far too long
It is time to set foot in the middle of the arena
It is time to lay my own path

I lay quietly bathed in the streaming light
My path illuminated, my purpose before me
I slowly set one foot in front of the other and stand in the center
All eyes turn towards me as I emerge a new contender in the game

Now upon this new path I see myself differently
I see those around me differently
Some with more compassion others with derision
I leave behind those who would trample this new self
Gaining those who fully support it

For the first time I am truly at peace
Focusing on the beauty in daily in life
Letting the darkness slip away, not just to hide
But to completely leave this new life
Allowing in only the light

Lifting the Darkness-1

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:16:00 +0000

Sitting alone in a corner of the bar, I watch as the patrons come and go. It's a quaint little place on a corner street. Dimly lit, a mixture of old world pub and modern neon. I honestly couldn't tell you what kind of music genre they had going on, that too was a mix.

A few of the patrons attempt to capture my attention. I would just smile politely and nod my head in acknowledgment. It wasn't that they weren't appealing to the eye, I just wasn't looking for any interaction. I sipped my Jack and coke and continued to scan the room. I was waiting for someone, I just wasn't sure who.

The music changed suddenly or maybe I didn't realize the change when it first happened. A live band had taken the small stage. The music was dark and haunting, the lyrics were sung in Gaelic. Some how I knew the song was about a lost love. I caught bits and pieces of the words that I did understand. But it carried me away to another time, I could close my eyes and feel the wind from the ocean on my face, I felt as if I was transported to Ireland in another time, one long ago.

As the song ended, I felt tears streaming down my face. I glanced to see if anyone was looking and if they had noticed. It seemed as if I was the only one who felt the magic. The band had begun playing a cover track from U2. I studied the band members, they all appeared to have been transported from another time. Their general appearance was that of warriors, tanned, well muscled, their movements in tune with each other as if they have fought a hundred battles or more together. Graceful, predatory movements.

I sat staring, listening, watching them. I was completely mesmerized by the group. Most especially by their drummer. There was something about this dark man that made my heart stop, made me gasp for air. The others were lighter in complexion and hair coloring. I couldn't see the color of their eyes, save for his, they were coal black and piercing. Occasionally I felt as if he were look straight through to my soul.

The crowd at the pub started clapping. I awoke from day dreaming and clapped with them. I thought for sure they were ending their set, it seemed as though they had played for hours. Then this woman appeared on stage. Beautiful, gorgeous, those words do not come close to describing her. She was beyond anything I had ever seen before. Red hair that fell below her waist, porcelain skin that glistened in the light, bright blue eyes the color of the ocean. I held my breath and my heart stopped completely. Her voice started so soft, barely perceptible, slowly the band started playing again as she lifted her voice. Still soft, dulcet tones as she sang. I felt that she was singing just to me. I felt a smile play across my lips as I watched hers move.

The hypnotic movement of her body as she moved to the music, hers was a ballad of love.

________________________________________________________________

I will continue more of this at another time. I am not sure where I am going with this story so it will be interesting to see how it develops.

Independent Family Living

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:36:00 +0000

This is my magazine that has been years in the making. I have to finish up 2 more articles and do some proofing and editing. Then it will be into Adobe In-Design and up on to MagCloud for publication.

Here is the breakdown of sections and articles:

I. Sustainable Living
a. Homesteading Any Where
b. Natural Weed Control
II. Alternative Energy/Energy Saving Tips
a. Solar Power
b. Make your own solar oven
III. Frugal Living
a. How to feed your family on no budget
b. Stocking up ideas
IV. Frugal Recipes
a. Bulk muffin recipe mix
b. Cream of Whatever Soup
V. Family
a. Homeschooling Options
b. How to find free family adventures

Volume 1 Issue 1 will be out and available within the next month, hopefully.

Once this issue is put to bed, I will give you all the skinny on the next issue.

Also, keep a watch out for the announcement of Frugal Cooking, which will be available on Lulu.com!

Organizing My Writing Times

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:43:00 +0000

Well, with so many endeavors going on all at one time I have had to look at my organization. We have a very weird family schedule so doing things at set times doesn't always work out. However, I have decided that I must dedicate two hours every day to writing, including my blog time.

Most mornings the house is quiet and once I have straightened up what I can without waking anyone else seems to be the best time for me to write. Today once I am done updating all my blogs, I think I will work on Famliy Living Magazine articles. I have most of them done and will pass them to a friend for final editing. What I will also need to do is start either a website or a blog just for the magazine to help promote it.

Tomorrow I will continue the finishing touches on Frugal Cooking. Monday I will work on Funny Farm Stories. I think changing up which current works I have going on from day to day will keep me from having writer's block or get too terribly frustrated with my writings.

I have ordered a new ink cartridge for the printer so that I can print out a new copy of my Life Organizer. I am practically lost with out this information. I also need to make sure I post the RSS feed to this blog on my Lulu.com storefront. I do miss Lulu's blog feature however, this one works much much better for me.

Getting some where finally

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:13:00 +0000

If I push hard the next two days I will have my Frugal Cooking Book ready to upload to Lulu.com. If I push even harder I will finally have my own magazine off the ground and the first quarterly issue ready to go.

I have a number of writing projects that have been sitting idle. However, I all of a sudden feel the return of my muse and shall continue to persevere and get these projects done and ready for sale to the public. One of these will be curriculum for home schoolers, well honestly, anyone looking to supplement public school as well will find these useful, or at least I hope they will.

Today however, is family day so we will be having some small adventures. We are off to start our day with the library, then grocery store and who knows what else we may come across.

Not Just Another Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Tammy Curry) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:07:00 +0000

I know, I am on twitter, facebook, and I have two other blogs. However, this one is special, it is just for my writings. I will post poems, short stories, articles, etc. I will also keep everyone up to date as to when I am publishing my various books and the magazine.

I look forward to feedback from all my loyal followers.