The Grammar Scribe

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 02:00:00 +0000

George N. Parks, leader of the Power and Class of New England, the UM Minuteman Marching Band, died suddenly of a heart attack on Thursday night at age 57.

I can't think of anyone else who has had a more profound influence on me. As a high school band member, I attended his band leadership academy for two summers and his drum major academy just before my senior year in high school. The lessons I learned from those seminars gave me---an awkward, insecure flute player who talked too fast---the knowledge and courage to lead my high school's very small, struggling marching band. When it came time to choose colleges, my choice was easy. Many of my friends regarded UMass-Amherst as a "safety school," but I wanted to go there for one reason. I wanted to be a part of George Parks' band.

I was a decent marcher, but a terrible flute player. I was accepted into the UMass band as an alternate and ended up marching in the clarinet line my freshman year. It didn't matter--I was just happy to be a part of the magic. Through the band program that GNP (as we affectionately called him) built, I met some of the most wonderful people I have ever known. Many of them became good friends. But everyone I met while part of the UMMB were good people who had undoubtedly been touched by Mr. Parks' influence.

He taught us that to be a good leader, you have to be your best when things are at their worst. That you always have to be "on." That you never get a second chance at a first impression. That no matter what you do, you should always sparkle. And your eyes should always, always be "with pride." I, and so many other UMMB members, have tried our bests to carry these lessons into the real world.

Because of problems on the home front, 1997 to about 2001 was one of the most unhappy periods of my life. My parents were going through an incredibly ugly divorce and I wasn't reacting well to the upheaval. But for two fall seasons, 1998 and 1999, the UMMB provided me with a home, a safe haven. It gave me a creative outlet, tons of love and support, and a sense of belonging.

In 2000, at the end of my sophomore year, I transferred to Ball State University in Indiana. My dad was a staff member there at the time, and he'd suggested that I transfer to save money on my college tuition. It is, to date, the single biggest lapse in judgment I have ever had. Ten years later, I still deeply regret not finishing my college career at UMass. Worse, I've let myself lose touch with many people who were so important to me during that time.

The one good thing to come out of this tragedy is that, through social networking sites like Facebook, the family of UMass alumni has rebonded in a way that's unprecedented. We're all together right now, grieving the loss of a wonderful mentor, leader, and friend. George Parks meant so much to all of us, and in our time of sorrow, we're turning to each other for comfort and commiseration.

And George Parks? He left this world doing what he loves most. Shortly before his heart attack, he enthusiastically conducted the UMMB in a rousing rendition of "Fight Mass" (the school's fight song) and "My Way," which is the traditional final song of any UMMB show. He left behind an amazing legacy. Two people that I know from theater in Delaware have been affected by his passing because they are alumni of his drum major academy. It's such a small world. And there are stories like this all over the country, I'm sure.

So, to Mr. Parks, thank you so much for instilling such a sense of leadership and pride in your students, and for providing a home for lost students like me. Not one of us will ever forget you for it.

Back at it with a vengeance!

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 15:03:00 +0000

I've spent the last week or so redoubling my freelance-writing efforts. Now that Willy Wonka is done, I've got my evenings and weekends back, and I've got a lot of time to fill. No worries, though---I've managed to find plenty to do. Here's what's on my list for this long weekend:

A proposal for what's shaping up to be a major project for an existing client;
A test for wiseGEEK---three articles due by the end of the weekend. If I pass, I'll be a regular contributor for them, which is exciting;
Three articles for Demand Studios, which I picked up earlier last week because things were slow (ha).

If everything works out, it'll be a busy summer. But that's the way I like it.

Be happy.

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:20:00 +0000

Yesterday, Deb Ng, the writer who runs my favorite freelance-writing site, Freelance Writing Gigs, turned over her blog network to a new owner.

Every freelance job I've ever landed has come from the leads on that site. I don't participate in the discussions often---I'm more of a lurker---but it's been a wonderful resource since I began freelancing two years ago. And while I'm sure good things will continue to come from the site, it feels like the end of an era now that Deb has moved on.

In her goodbye post, Deb left her readers with the following thought:

"You are responsible for you. Only you know the choices that work best for you and your situation. Don’t be the person a blogger wants you to be. Be the person you want to be. Be happy."

If that doesn't sum up my experiences, dreams and goals in one tidy little package, I don't know what does.

Thanks for all you've done for other writers, Deb. We'll miss you.

Willy Wonka

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:17:00 +0000

One of the reasons I want to freelance full-time is to make time for other creative endeavors. My favorite art form is live theatre. I love it. Exposure to theatre on both a professional and community level keeps me going and makes me happy to be alive. I try to see as many shows as possible, and when I have time, I perform in local productions. Because of time commitments to my full-time job, my commute, and my side freelance business, I’ve had to choose my shows carefully. But I’d like to have the freedom to do a lot more in the future.

I just closed a production of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka this past Sunday. It’s a stage musical based on the 1971 film. It has all of the songs from the movie, plus a few that were written specifically for the stage show. I played Mrs. Bucket, and it was some of the most fun I’ve ever had on stage. I’m actually having a hard time letting go of my attachment to this particular production, and I’m already growing antsy and looking forward to auditions for future shows. It’ll be a few months before I’m ready to try out for another production, though. For now, I’m looking forward to a (somewhat) relaxing summer and the extra time to work on writing projects.

(The Bucket Shack! Grandparents in the first photo; me with Mr. Bucket and Charlie in the second.)

The Pitfalls of Writing Web Content

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:20:00 +0000

Any other freelance writers out there struggle against the “it’s not a REAL job” stereotype? Particularly web content writers?

It’s no secret that I want to take my freelance business full-time someday. It won’t happen anytime soon, because I’m comfortable and generally happy in my full-time job, and the money I make from my freelance business is helping me pay off some old debts and build savings and pay for things I wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise.

But.

The fact of the matter is that my regular job, while enjoyable and fulfilling, is a 30-mile drive from my home. I happen to love my hometown and have no intention of moving to be closer to my workplace. So I have to ask myself—will I still want to make this commute in two years? Five? Ten? And if not, then what are my plans?

This line of thinking always makes me refocus my freelancing efforts. Because when it comes down to it, I want to be in charge of my own career, my own salary, my own life. I want to stop polluting the planet with my daily drives. If GrammarHubby and I have kids eventually, I want to be able to stay at home with them and not have to drop them off at some daycare at 8:00 in the morning and not see them again until 7:00 at night. So taking my writing and editing business full-time eventually is a major goal for me.

However, I’ve noticed lately that whenever I bring up the topic, GrammarHubby gets uncharacteristically quiet. If he responds at all, it’s usually to point out what a good job I have now. (And I do have a good job; don’t get me wrong. But I’d like more freedom and flexibility down the road.) I’ve suspected for a while that he (understandably) is nervous about the idea of me giving up a full-time job with regular pay and benefits and venturing into the “unknown.”

We got to the heart of the issue last night. I’d run some numbers through an online commute calculator and was horrified to discover that my daily commute costs me close to $10,000 each year when you figure in the costs of gas, car maintenance, insurance and depreciation. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it. We bought a brand-new car in 2006. Four years later, that car has 120,000 miles on it and we’ve had to replace some fairly expensive parts. Sooner rather than later, we’re going to have to trade it in for a new one. I used this as an argument for freelancing—once I take my business full-time, I won’t need a new, low-mileage car anymore. We can sell whatever car we have and pay cash for an older car, and I can bike or take the bus to as many places as possible while running errands. Based on the money I’ve been making part-time as a freelancer, I’m certain that I could at least match my current salary if I jumped to full-time. And with the money saved on commuting, we’d actually come out ahead of where we are now.

So I presented all this to GrammarHubby, but he still wasn’t convinced. After some probing, I finally managed to get him to admit the real problem.

He doesn’t think freelancing is a real job.

Okay, maybe that’s not fair. He knows I’m really working. He even admitted that logically, his fears don’t make a lot of sense. But because I do all of my writing for the Internet, he doesn’t ever see concrete evidence that I’m actually working. My articles usually don’t get a byline, and I’ve never been published in a print magazine or written a book—and after all, those are the marks of a “real” writer, aren’t they? And since I’m the one who handles the finances, he doesn’t even really see the money I make from my writing. In general, he knows that I do some mystery work and get paid a couple of times a month, and that’s it. “It doesn’t seem like something you could do full-time,” he admitted.

So I fired up my laptop and showed him some of my most recently published articles. I also showed him a spreadsheet that has all of my current projects listed on it, as well as our bank statements from the past few months that reflect my freelancing income. By the time we were done, we both felt much better. He has a better understanding of what it is that I actually do, and I feel like he’s more supportive of my goals now that he understands them better.

But this misconception of freelance writing is a real issue. I’ve found that most people I talk to don’t really understand what a freelance writer actually does. And they definitely don’t understand that you can make a real living doing this type of work. I’ve had this argument many times with several members of my family, and I know I’ll have it more and more often as I start to make serious plans to make the leap.

Obviously, I shouldn’t care what people think of my career choices. As long as I’m happy and making a decent living, that’s all that should matter. But it seems like anytime you proudly say, “I want to be a freelance writer,” you’re met with gloom and doom and expectations of failure. So how do you deal with that? Any advice from longtime freelancers? How did you deal with naysayers in the beginning of your career?

I'm baaaaack.

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:46:00 +0000

Um. Hi.

I've let this blog go a bit. For roughly nine months, actually.

Sorry about that.

Life has been pretty crazy lately, though. Here's what I've been up to since May of last year:

I continued to work my tail off at my full-time copy-editing job. The great thing is that my work was recognized--I nabbed a nice bonus and an award for my service.

I also had a stellar part-time freelance year, adding almost $10k onto my regular income.

I went to Disney World and spent an absolutely magical week at Wilderness Lodge.

Most fun of all, I rehearsed, opened and closed two community theatre shows: Into the Woods and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. They'll both always have a special place in my heart, especially Into the Woods. I've loved that show forever, and thanks to a very fortuitous turn of events, I got to join an amazing cast at the last minute and play Rapunzel. Once I got over my fear of heights, it was an amazing experience.

Things are still going well. I'm getting ready to file my taxes for the first time as a serious part-time freelancer, which is a bit of a wake-up call. (Note to future self: File estimated taxes throughout the year. Thanks.) It's almost review time at work, which is always interesting. I used to dread performance evaluations, but now I almost look forward to them because it's a great chance to see if your hard work was recognized.

And I'm still freelancing. I've toned down the aggressiveness a bit for now, just writing for one or two regular clients. I still want to take this business full-time eventually, but I like my full-time job and, at least for right now, I've got a lot of reasons to stay there. The freelance business is a nice addition to my regular income, not to mention a safety net in case anything did happen to my full-time job, so I'm continuing it. But for now, any definite plans to take it full-time have been put on hold.

I'm planning to give more love to this blog in the meantime. There's so much to write about, and so many grammar lessons to have. I look forward to re-starting the discussion with anyone who's reading this.

Limericks and Other Creative Writing

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:43:00 +0000

Over at Livejournal, where my (much more personal) blogging alter ego resides, there was an interesting writing prompt today. Apparently today is “Limerick Day,” and the challenge was to create a short poem that followed the AABBA rhyme scheme of a typical limerick. (The responses make it appear that sticking to the anapestic meter of a traditional limerick was optional, however.)

So I figured, what the heck, I’ll give it a try. I haven’t done much creative writing in the last few years, mainly because the writing and editing that I’m paid to do gets in the way, and it turns out I kind of miss it. So I sat down and cranked out two limericks.

They suck. (I’ve posted them at the end of this entry. Feel free to make fun of them in the comments.) I’m not a humorist, and writing things that are supposed to be witty or clever is not exactly my forte.

But it’s okay that they suck. Because writing them turned out to be a surprisingly fun and educational exercise. It’s really, really difficult to write a limerick---especially for a stickler like me, who was determined to not only work with the rhyme scheme, but also conform to the correct meter. With so many constraints, it really makes you think about your word choice, and swap out one word or phrase for one that might work better.

So without further ado, I present you with two really terrible limericks:

Annemarie was a girl who loved cheese
And she’d say, “Mom, just give me some, geez!”
Her mom said, “You want Swiss?
“Well, I’m sorry, you’ll miss
“If you don’t say the magic word: please!”

***

Mrs. Potts had a young son named Chip
And he had a small crack on his lip.
When Belle drank from the cup,
Young Chip cried, “Bottoms up!”
As the crack caused the teacup to drip.

If you’re a nonfiction writer, do you find it benefits your writing if you try your hand at another genre, like poetry or fiction? Leave a response in the comments and let me know!

Learning to Live With a Train Commute

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:05:00 +0000

This week, I switched my normal driving commute to a train commute.

On paper, this makes absolutely no sense. I live in Delaware and work in a suburb of Philadelphia. When I drive to work, I bypass the city, and the total drive takes about 30 minutes. (If there's no traffic. More on that later.) When I take SEPTA (the Philadelphia-area public transit system), I have to commute through the city and take two trains, and the total commute time is about an hour and a half.

Here's the crazy thing: I don't mind it. Not one bit.

I did this commute for a few months last summer, back when gas was around four bucks a gallon. I hated it back then and spent most of my time cursing the economy for making it too expensive to drive to work. I switched back to driving in September.

But this spring I was faced with a choice. GrammarHubby nd I currently share a car, and that's been working out well for us. He started a new job at the beginning of the year at an office in downtown Wilmington. His shift starts two hours earlier in the morning than mine does. So for the past four months, I drove him into work every morning, went home, put in an hour of freelancing, and then drove myself to work. He took the bus home, and it was a pretty good arrangement. But at the beginning of May, his position moved to Newark. And suddenly our fantastic arrangement was impossible. My choices were: a) buy a second car; or b) start taking the train again.

I really didn’t want to buy another car. *grin*

The funny thing is, everyone else seems to think it’s this huge chore to do a long train commute. And honestly, before this week, I probably would have agreed. But I find it so much more relaxing than driving. When I drive, the morning commute is usually relatively painless, but the drive home is always congested with traffic. It’s not unusual to have my evening commute stretch to 45 minutes, an hour, or more. When you’ve just had a long day at work, the last thing you want to do is sit in traffic. Not to mention you can’t take a catnap on a stretch of highway when you’re driving.

So since this is how I’m going to get to and from work for the foreseeable future, here’s my Top 5 List of Things I Love About Train Commuting.

1. I now have three hours a day of uninterrupted time for writing. When I commuted on the train last year, I was just getting started in freelancing. I took a serious hit on my freelance work during the three months on the train, because I didn’t have a usable laptop and I didn’t have a lot of time in my evenings once I got home. Now I have a laptop to take with me, and WOW, what a difference it makes. SEPTA doesn’t offer Wi-Fi on their trains, which is both a blessing and a curse. It’s unfortunate because it means I can’t do research for my articles and projects on the train. On the other hand, it takes away the constant online temptations of trolling Facebook, obsessively checking e-mail, and reading blogs. I’ve been doing research at night, copying and pasting my findings into a Word document. Then when I’m on the train, I simply bring up the Word document and begin writing using the research I found the night before. And it’s amazing how much work I can get done when the Internet isn’t just a click away.

2. I have time to read. Of course, I don’t spend all three hours of the commute working. Generally, an hour or so of solid writing is enough to keep me on track with my current projects, assuming I can put in an hour of online-based work once I get home. So the other two hours serve as glorious “me” time. The freelancing has been going extremely well lately, but combined with my regular job and housework and time with the husband, I haven’t had any time to do one of my favorite things: read. And I hate not having time to read. I always feel like my writerly polish goes down the drain if I’m not regularly reading other people’s work. So it’s nice to have the commute time set aside for that. Right now I’m reading Austin Grossman’s Soon I Will Be Invincible (on GrammarHubby's recommendation) and also working my way through Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series. Once I’m through with those, I’m planning to scrounge up my old library card, pay off the very very past-due late fees on it, and get a slew of books from the library. Anyone have suggestions for anything I must read? I’m not partial to any specific genre; I just like a good story.

3. Is it naptime yet? It’s amazing how getting up at 6:30 am seems more possible when I’m able to tell myself that I can catnap on the train. And if I’m feeling particularly crappy at work, it’s nice to know that I won’t have to force myself to stay awake for a long drive home.

4. The quiet car is my best friend. Earlier this year, SEPTA introduced a Quiet Ride program, which they’ve now rolled out to all their peak-hour trains. It is amazing. I don’t take it all the time---as a writer, almost nothing is more valuable than an overheard snippet of interesting conversation---but it’s a lifesaver on the last leg of my trip in the evening. At that point, I’m pretty much spent. All I want to do is stare out the window or nap on the 45-minute ride from Center City to Delaware. The Quiet Ride system lets me do that without being bothered by loud conversations, music, or cell phones. All I have to do is snag a seat in the first car on the train and I’m guaranteed a peaceful ride home.

5. People watching. When I’m not looking for a quiet car, taking the train offers some of the best people-watching you can get in normal everyday life. I have about 20 minutes in Center City between my two trains in the evening, and I usually take that time to stroll around the station (or even go outside) and just observe. We spend so much time rushing from place to place, looking without seeing, that it’s incredibly valuable to be able to take a few minutes to study what’s around you. Even if all that’s around you is a train station, it’s a wonderful opportunity to surreptitiously watch people as they go about their lives.

And of course, there’s the obvious savings. My monthly train pass saves me untold dollars on gas and wear and tear on the car. I don’t take advantage of the tax savings at work (did that last time and it was way too much of a headache), but even without that, the savings are pretty substantial. And it’s nice to not have to watch the mileage on the car rocket up over the course of a month.

Any other train commuters out there? Do you love it or hate it?

GrammarScribe Grammar Tip of the Week: Misplaced Modifiers

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:51:00 +0000

These crafty little buggers can insinuate their way into copy without us even realizing it. Misplaced (and dangling) modifiers are some of the biggest culprits in unclear writing. The worst thing about them is that we tend to not even notice them because we know what we meant to say.

Misplaced modifiers can confuse readers. Modifying words and phrases are a clingy bunch—they want to attach themselves to the closest word or phrase in the sentence. If they’re in the wrong spot, they can appear to modify a different word or phrase than we intended, changing the meaning of the sentence drastically.

Example:
Shining brightly, I had to shield my eyes from the sun.

Because of the placement of the modifying phrase “shining brightly,” at first glance the reader thinks that the narrator of the sentence is shining brightly. If the sentence is part of a first-person narrative from the point of view of Watchmen’s Dr. Manhattan, who actually does shine brightly on a regular basis, then maybe that’s okay. But in the far more likely scenario that the writer meant that the sun is shining brightly this sentence needs to be reworded so as not to confuse the reader:

I had to shield my eyes from the sun, which was shining brightly.
The sun was shining so brightly I had to shield my eyes.

Sometimes misplaced modifiers aren’t so obvious. See if you can catch the misplaced modifier in the following sentence:

The third annual Incredible Customer Experience Awards recognize 10 businesses that excel in hospitality and 10 people who provide outstanding customer service along the Grand Strand.

As written, this sentence indicates that the 10 people who are to be honored are customer-service employees in locations along the Grand Stand only. (In other words, people who work in other locations are not included.) But that's not the intention of the sentence. What the writer meant to say is that the ceremony is taking place along the Grand Stand. This should be rewritten to clear up any confusion:

The third annual Incredible Customer Experience Awards along the Grand Stand recognize 10 businesses that excel in hospitality and 10 people who provide outstanding customer service.

Have a grammar rule that you'd like to see covered as a Tip of the Week? Leave a suggestion in the comments!

Who Else Needs Another 12 Hours in Their Day?

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:36:00 +0000

Wow. Wowee wow wow.

How is it possible that I've let two whole months go by without updating?

The time has flown by, and my unforgivable lack of blog maintenance is due to something that makes me very happy: I've been busy. Busy with a capital "B."

I currently have two regular clients. Ideally, I would have more than that, but these two lovely companies are piling so much work on my plate that I don't think I could handle anything more right now. Especially considering that I'm still putting in 40 hours (plus 5+ hours a week commuting) at my "regular" job.

I feel like I'm striking a solid balance at the moment. Because I still have the full-time job, my freelance income is gravy. It's allowing me to pay off a ton of debt and build my savings account for the day I take the scary scary leap into full-time freelancing. It's also funding a new computer and furniture for my home office.

My goals for the year are coming along. I had a slow month in February, but I came back with a vengeance in March. In mid-March, a client that I've been working with since the beginning of the year moved me to a new project. In addition, a client I've had since last year kept me super-busy with several well-paying assignments. As a result, I exceeded the income from my previous best freelancing month by almost $200.

I haven't been able to break into copywriting yet, mostly because I've been so busy with my other projects. I did pick up a copy of Bob Bly's The Copywriter's Handbook, and it's already providing me with lots of great ideas. Getting my first business-writing sample is a huge goal for me going into the second quarter of 2009.

Full-time freelancing, my ultimate goal, is still on the distant horizon. I'm getting there. Slowly but surely. As much as I complain to my husband and friends that I don't have time for anything but work lately, combining the full-time job with the part-time writing business is still the best of both worlds. As much as I'm anxious to start freelancing on a full-time basis, I want to have all my debt paid off and a reasonable amount of cash set aside before I cut the cord from full-time employment. So my current 60-hour work weeks are a means to an end.

I just hope that end is in sight soon. ::grin::

I'll end this post with a question for any other freelancers who read this blog: When you were first starting out, did you moonlight while holding down a full-time job? How long did you lead the double life before going full-time with your writing business?

GrammarScribe Grammar Tip of the Week: February 2, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:22:00 +0000

When to Use "That" as a Conjunction

Part of our jobs as bloggers and copywriters is to make our writing as tight as possible. One of the words that often gets the strike by writers and editors is the word "that," when used as a conjunction.

Sometimes the edit is warranted. For example, "I knew you had gone to the meeting" is just as clear as "I knew that you had gone to the meeting." The sentence is just tighter if you omit "that."

However, sometimes omitting "that" can make a sentence incredibly confusing. For example: "Police believe a well-known serial killer is behind the murders." In this sentence, I'd first read: "Police believe a well-known serial killer," which makes me think that maybe they're taking in his testimony. Then the rest of the sentence throws me for a loop and I have to read the sentence over again for it to make sense.

The role of an editor, in addition to making sure that writing is grammatically correct, is also to make things as easy on the reader as possible. So in this case, I'd change the sentence to say: "Police believe that a well-known serial killer is behind the murders." Adding "that" removes all ambiguity from the first part of the sentence.

Here is the ruling from the AP Stylebook on using "that":

Use the conjunction “that” to introduce a dependent clause if the sentence sounds or looks awkward without it. There are no hard-and-fast rules, but in general:
• That may usually be omitted when a dependent clause immediately follows a form of the verb to say: “The president said he had signed the bill.”
• That should be used when a time element intervenes between the verb and the dependent clause: “The president said Monday that he had signed the bill.”
• That usually is necessary after some verbs, including: advocate, assert, contend, declare, estimate, make clear, point out, propose and state.
• That is required before subordinate clauses beginning with conjunctions such as after, although, because, before, in addition to, until and while: “Haldeman said that after he learned of Nixon’s intention to resign, he sought pardons for all connected with Watergate.”

When in doubt, include "that." Omission can hurt. Inclusion never does.

New Year, New Goals

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 01:39:00 +0000

Hello readers!

I'm so sorry I haven't been regularly keeping up with this blog. I hate making excuses for myself, but the holidays were busy and then all of a sudden I started getting a ton of work, so I let this blog fall by the wayside after Thanksgiving.

But.

It's a new year (and I'm way late with the New Years resolutions, but better late than never), and one of my goals for this year is to update this GrammarScribe blog on a regular basis. I have so much to talk about on the freelancing side of things, plus I miss updating with regular grammar tips.

Freelancing is going extremely well lately. I'm about to break a huge barrier: by the time I'm paid for all the work I've completed in January, I'll have made more than $1,000 for the month.

Now, I know that number probably looks small to any more experienced freelancers that may be reading this. But it's a huge deal to me. It's the first time that I can realistically seeing myself making a go of this full-time. I'll have to make a lot more than this, obviously—$1K a month won't get me far without another job to supplement it—but it's more than I've ever made in a single month.

Compare that to my income for January 2008: $15.64.

I've come a long way.

And yet I still have a long way to go. So that brings me to my 2009 freelance writing goals. I've already met one of them—to seek out new clients. I scored a new client early in the month and I'm already getting steady work from them.

Other goals:

I want to exceed my freelancing income each month. Near the end of 2008, each month's income was a little higher than the previous months' paycheck. I'd like to continue that streak for as long as possible into 2009.

I resolve to update this blog on a more regular basis. Exciting things are happening here, and I want to make the time to talk about them. Early ideas for posts include tips on how to get started writing for the Internet. And I'll be offering a GrammarScribe Grammar Tip every Monday to help you start your work week.

My last goal is to break into commercial writing at some point this year. Press releases, brochures, direct mail, advertisements, etc.

What kinds of goals have you set for yourself this year? How have you been so far at sticking to them? Leave a comment and let me know!

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:12:00 +0000

Is there anything better than the afternoon before a major holiday? And Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite, as far as time off from the "real job" goes. I clocked out at 2:00 on the nose, and now I'm just waiting for my husband to do the same.

Tonight's plans are pie-themed: I'm baking apple and pumpkin pies for tomorrow and then watching Ned the Piemaker on an episode of Pushing Daisies (sadly, it's one of the last episodes of this lovely series).

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. And while I'm chowing down on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cheesy asparagus (a killer recipe passed down from my mom), I'll be thinking about what I'm thankful for this year.

First and foremost, my wonderful and supportive husband. We live in a relatively small one-bedroom apartment that has no room for my own office. Not many guys would be as understanding when their wife says, "Oh, honey, I'm on deadline. Can you not turn the TV on right now? Actually...can you go somewhere else entirely for the next hour?" He's never complained once, and he's gotten to the point where he'll just "decide" to go out to a bookstore for the evening when he knows I have freelance work to do.

We're moving to a new apartment in February that will have room for an office, but he's been beyond patient this year. And always super supportive of my goals.

Second, in this crappy economy, I am so fortunate to have a steady full-time job with regular pay and benefits, plus a budding freelance career on the side. My full-time gig is a copy editing job, and I'm so lucky to be writing and editing for 8, 9, 10 hours (or more) a day between my regular job and freelancing.

Third, I have a great family and absolutely wonderful friends.

Fourth, I'm grateful for the theatrical opportunities I've had over the past year. I got to play Mrs. Potts and take on an absolutely iconic song and scene in a production of Beauty and the Beast last December. And in April, I got to appear off-off-Broadway in a one-act festival!

Other things I'm thankful for, in no particular order:

My sister (she gets singled out from the rest of the fam because she's extra-awesome)
My new laptop
The fact that I have a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in and food to eat every night
My health
Long holiday weekends from work that allow me to get extra freelance work done.

And to my fellow readers, I'm thankful for you. I started this blog just under a year ago, and I'm still learning my way around the blogosphere. But for those of you who stop by every once in a while to read and comment, even when I haven't updated in a while, I want you to know that I really appreciate it.

Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for this year?

And Now for Something Completely Different...

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 02:22:00 +0000

I made my first business-related purchase this weekend.

I got a new laptop.

I've been in the market for one for a while, since my husband and I have been sharing an old Dell laptop since I officially kicked off my freelancing career back in January. More work has been coming my way lately, so I wanted to have my own workstation so I wasn't constantly monopolizing the "family computer." Plus I wanted something lighter and faster than our old model.

Friday night, I was window-shopping in Best Buy when this on-sale beauty caught my eye. (The price in the store was a much better deal than the price online.) A little less than an hour later, it was mine.

And I love it. So much.

(Obviously, I'm already doing work on it---you can see my open article onscreen in those last couple of pictures!)

Working Over the Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:57:00 +0000

Here's a question for any established freelancers who read this blog: Do you plan to work over the upcoming holiday weekends (Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years)? If not, have you worked over holidays in the past?

This is the first time I've had to ask myself that question. And my answer is yes, absolutely I'm going to work.

Take this coming weekend, for instance. Obviously, Thanksgiving Day is family time. But then I've got three full days off from work. I am not a Black Friday shopper. Too many years of working retail have killed any desire to shop that day. (Although I may hit up a few online sales.) I tend to do a lot of writing and editing on the weekends anyway, so why should this weekend be any different?

To be honest, as someone who's balancing an increasingly heavy freelance workload on top of a 40+ hour week at work, the idea of having three full days to do nothing but my freelance work is like a breath of fresh air.

Christmas will be a different story. My sister is visiting from Indiana over the Christmas weekend, so I'm going to take a break from work while she's here. But for Thanksgiving? I'll take the extra assignments, please.

How do all of you handle holidays? Do you embrace the extra time to work, or do you take the weekend for some much-needed "me" time?

Book Recommendations for Freelancers

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 01:01:00 +0000

It's that time of year again...time for turkeys, Christmas specials, caroling, and---if you're lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it)---snow. I saw a sign yesterday broadcasting "Only 46 shopping days until Christmas!" It's hard to think of it that way when it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but if you're the plan-ahead type, you might be thinking about taking advantage of the relatively low crowd volume. And maybe, just maybe, you're thinking about what to get for the freelancer in your life.

Great gifts for freelancers include office staples like paper, pens, ink cartridges, and day planners. If your wallet's a little thicker, you might spring for a computer, printer, or fax machine. But if you're not rich and you'd like to shop somewhere a little more exciting than Office Depot, there's one type of gift with which you can never go wrong: books.

Freelance writers love to read. And one of the things we most enjoy reading about is how to start, grow, or improve our freelance business.

I've read a lot about freelancing since I first started writing for the Web in 2005 (and first started actually getting paid for it in 2008). I've compiled a list of what I personally believe to be the highlights:

Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer by Jenna Glazter. Every aspiring freelancer should read this book. It's like the Bible. Although it is slightly limited (Jenna focuses on writing articles for print magazines, rather than other venues such as copywriting or Web writing), this book is chock-full of useful information about how to get your career off and running. There's tons of information about coming up with ideas, querying editors, dealing with deadbeat clients and more.

The Anti 9-5 Guide by Michelle Goodman. I got this book for Christmas last year and have read it cover-to-cover about 10 times since then. Michelle writes with an upbeat style and a dry sense of humor as she provides tips and advice for fleeing the cubicle. The book includes practical advice for building a business on the side and eventually taking the great leap into freelancing. It also covers temping, part-time work, and breaking into a new career.

The Well-Fed Writer by Peter Bowerman. If you're looking to simply write articles and fiction, this book won't be of much use to you. If, however, you're open to working in commercial and business writing, this book should be with you at all times. Peter teaches would-be freelancers how to build a business from scratch, and---more importantly---how to market themselves.

Whenever an aspiring freelancer asks me what reading material he or she should read to get started, I invariably point them to one of the above three books. What's your favorite book about freelancing?

Typo giggle

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 01:15:00 +0000

I saw this on the SPOGG blog earlier today. I don't know what's worse---the lack of space in "a cheesy" or the more obvious, um, misspelling of "angus."

Either way, it's worth the giggle.

Freelance Writing Addiction

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:59:00 +0000

It's official. I am addicted to freelance writing.

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been getting a lot of extra work lately from one of my favorite clients. The other day, I received two more assignments from them, which aren't due until Tuesday.

My sister is visiting from Indiana this week. Her bus was supposed to arrive at Philadelphia's 30th St. station at 8:00 tonight. Of course, as is usually the case with buses, it's about an hour behind schedule.

I have lines I could be learning for a show I'm in. I'm in the middle of a very good book (Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell---excellent read!) that I could finish. I could try to get comfy in one of the ridiculously uncomfortable benches in the station and take a nap.

Instead, I shelled out $10 for T-Mobile's gut-wrenchingly expensive Wi-Fi access, set myself up in the food court, researched and wrote both articles.

Now that I'm done, I'm wishing I had more work to do.

It's weird---I used to think that I'd never be able to handle working a full-time job and freelancing on the side, especially when I'm so active in community theatre, too. But I've gotten so used to juggling all my commitments and squeezing in writing whenever I have time that I don't know what to do with any extra time I have anymore. It's rare to have an evening to myself that's not taken up with rehearsals, researching or writing.

I love it. I love being busy. I love researching, I love writing.

I think I've chosen the right career path.

Repeat Business: How To Get It and Why It's Good for Your Freelancing Career

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:09:00 +0000

I'm currently nine months into building my freelance business on the side. So far, my favorite part of this job is getting repeat business from existing clients. I love it because I don't have to aggressively market myself to get work from them, and I already know they're good on payment—something that's always a bit of a risk with a new client.

As a part-time freelancer, I hate marketing and contacting new clients. It's a necessary part of this business, but it takes up a lot of my time that I'd rather dedicate to writing. So when I get more work from an existing client, it makes my day.

Copywriting guru Bob Bly points out that repeat business can offer some of your most lucrative opportunities because you are already familiar with the client and they are already familiar with you. "You can charge the same price per job, or maybe even more if they like you. But you can do the jobs much faster because of the knowledge you have accumulated," Bly says.

In addition, repeat clients have more of an opportunity to get to know you and your work ethic. If you have a good relationship with them, you may be able to approach them for a recommendation for your portfolio or Web site.

So how exactly do you go about getting repeat business?

Be professional with every assignment. This is the biggie. Clients won't want to hire you again if you miss deadlines or turn in sloppy writing. Do your best to be an editor's dream writer. Don't just satisfy your clients; delight them. Turn in assignments ahead of the deadline. Edit your writing until it's as flawless as possible before submitting it. If the editor asks for rewrites, do them without complaint (within reason, of course) to match the editor's requests.

Don't be shy about your services. I have a link to this blog and my Web site in my e-mail signature. A few weeks ago, one of my regular SEO clients followed the link to this blog and saw that I also do editing work. She asked me if I'd also be interested in editing for her. Since I like this client and they've always been great to work with, I said yes. Since then, my amount of work for this one client has doubled.

Ask for repeat business. Whenever I send in a completed article or editing assignment, I tell my clients that it was a pleasure working with them and that I'd be happy to take on more work in the future. Editors like working with established writers whom they can trust. Make sure they know that you're available and willing to take on more assignments.

Don't rest on your laurels. Just because you've gotten repeat business from a client doesn't mean you can slack off. Approach every assignment from a repeat client with the same professionalism as you did with the first assignment. Make your editor glad that he or she assigned you another project.

While you don't want to rely too much on any one client, repeat business is a great way to fuel your freelancing career.

Gramar Lesson of the Day: Commas Before Conjunctions

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:37:00 +0000

It's been a while since I've done one of these, so let's celebrate the unofficial beginning of fall with a GrammarScribe Grammar Tip!

Sometimes commas are used inappropriately in text when two clauses are linked with “and” or “but.” A comma can be inserted mistakenly because a pause would occur while speaking, but the use of commas in writing differs somewhat.

An easy rule of thumb: Insert a comma if a new subject is introduced in the second clause, or if the initial subject is restated. Otherwise, leave it out so the second half of the sentence isn’t divorced from the first half.

Examples:

Incorrect: Jack went into the storeroom to look for supplies, but couldn’t find anything. (The second part of the sentence should have its own subject or the comma should be removed.)

Correct: Jack went into the storeroom to look for supplies but couldn’t find anything.

Correct: Jack went into the storeroom to look for supplies, but he couldn’t find anything.

Correct: Jack went into the storeroom to look for supplies, but Locke found them first. (New subject; so a comma is required.*)

*Like just about every rule in this crazy language of ours, there's an exception. It's okay to omit the comma between short coordinate clauses. Example: She went to the store but he stayed home.

I'd like to make GrammarScribe Grammar Tips a regular feature on my blog. Do you have any burning grammatical questions that need an explanation? What are some common errors that you'd like to see addressed? Leave a comment and let me know!

Catching Up

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:17:00 +0000

Wow, I've really let this blog fall by the wayside, haven't I?

Here's a quick recap of what I've been up to for the past month and a half:

I re-signed on with an old client, Demand Studios. They hire writers to create articles for eHow.com. I enjoyed working for them in the past---the articles are easy enough to write and create, and they pay reliably, so I'm excited to be working with them again.
I started writing for a wonderful new client last week. They're asking for short psychology articles, which is wonderful because they're easy to research and write---not to mention really interesting! My first article was a 400-word piece on dependent personality disorder.
I also recently became a Guide for ChaCha.com. It's not exactly writing, but it's fun and it pays somewhat decently for a work-at-home job (I average $5-7 an hour), so it's helping me pay off debt and save up for a new laptop.
We've been facing some staff reductions and department reorganization at my day job. My position is still safe, but it's been a crazy few weeks. But I think the coming reorganization is really going to be a great thing for the editorial team, so it'll be good once the dust begins to settle.

I just have a few goals to get me through the rest of August:

Continue to bust my butt at my day job. Things are more hectic than usual right now because of the transition, and this is a busy time anyway because the new TV season starts next month.
Meet my goal of $100-150 a week at ChaCha.
Write at least two more DemandStudios articles, and ask about future assignments from my new client.
Apply for at least five new freelance jobs.

And now to get some discussion going: With the new TV season quickly approaching, what shows are you anticipating the most? I haven't seen much of the new series; but I'm especially looking forward to the return of How I Met Your Mother, Heroes, and Pushing Daisies.

What Have I Been Writing?

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:14:00 +0000

It's been a busy month. Between commuting three hours a day, cheering on GrammarHubby in his theatrical endeavors (his fantastic run as Bill Sikes in Oliver! ended last week, and now he's getting ready to start rehearsals for Assassins, where he's playing Leon Czolgosz), and dealing with a broken computer, I've been swamped.

And I was just cast in a one-act play that takes place on August 2, so I'll be busy with that for the next few weeks. Yay, theatre!

Sad thing is, I haven't been able to write much, although that's mostly due to the nasty Trojan virus currently infecting my laptop. Bleh. My brother-in-law is going to take a look at it this weekend (hopefully), but it's really thrown a kink in my ability to:

a) write new blog posts (have you missed me?);
b) search for new writing jobs; or
c) keep up on MySpace and Facebook. (You can see where my priorities lie.)

I have been able to do some work, though. Here's a quick sampling of what I've been up to. Enjoy!

TV Guide Celebrity Profiles: Jessica Tandy, Joe Jonas, Ashley Newbrough, Nathan Kress, Geoffrey Arend

Web Content Articles: An Overview of Gin, An Overview of Tequila (Mmmm, alcohol.)

Also, there's a possibility I may be authoring a TV Guide blog next season. (Pushing Daisies, maybe? I love that show and, as far as I know, there's no current blogger for it.) I'll update with more details as they come.

Oliver! at the Wilmington Drama League

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:25:00 +0000

PSA for anyone in the Delaware/Philly/NJ/Maryland area:

Come see Oliver! at the Wilmington Drama League!

It's shaping up to be a spectacular show. I'm not involved with it, but several of my former Beauty and the Beast cast mates are. GrammarHubby is playing Bill Sikes, and he's just as awesome and scary and foreboding as you could possibly want the big bad villain to be.

Click here for more information, directions, and to find out how to reserve tickets. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors, and $8 for children. Show dates are:

Friday, June 13 8:00 pm
Saturday, June 14 8:00 pm
Sunday, June 15 2:00 pm
Friday, June 20 8:00 pm
Saturday, June 21 8:00 pm
Sunday, June 22 2:00 pm

As a teaser (and because I'm absolutely in love with these photos), here are some production shots:

Bumble and Oliver: "Boy for Sale"

Oliver: "Where Is Love?"

The Artful Dodger and Company: "Consider Yourself"

Fagin and Oliver: "You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two"

Nancy and Bet: "It's a Fine Life"

Fagin and Gang: "Be Back Soon"

Nancy: "Oom-Pah-Pah"

Bill Sikes: "My Name"

Nancy: "As Long as He Needs Me"

Oliver and Company: "Who Will Buy?"

Nancy and Oliver

Fagin, Nancy and Sikes

Nancy and Sikes

Fagin: "Reviewing the Situation"

Awesome, right? Come see it!!

Friday Giggle

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:49:00 +0000

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Warning: Avoid Scams

noreply@blogger.com (GrammarScribe) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:10:00 +0000

One of the biggest problems plaguing freelance writers is the sheer amount of scams masquerading as legitimate writing jobs on the 'Net. Is there anything more frustrating than seeing a job you're absolutely perfect for, and putting in the time and energy to craft the perfect cover letter—only to find out that you've just been taken in by a convoluted sales tool?

Well, yeah—I guess if you actually fall for it, that's worse. So don't.

Let me share my most recent experience:

I recently applied for a proofreader job. The gig sounded interesting and relatively straightforward—perfect for my part-time freelance lifestyle. I sent an e-mail to the address provided, expressing my interest in the job.

Today, I got the following response (names removed to protect the guilty):

Hi Angela,

Thank you for your interest in the proofreading job. My name is **** and I am here to assist with the application process.

This job is for a start-up educational development company proofreading their website and marketing material. This is a freelance job that can be done anywhere. To be considered for this job you must apply here (*link removed*).

Feel free to email me with any questions you may have.

Okay, fine. Some companies like to do things their own way, and I'm fine with that.

Here's the thing. The link she gave me ended up redirecting to GoFreelance.com.

UGH.

GoFreelance (and most other pay-for-membership or bidding sites) prey on struggling and wannabe writers. They either make you pay to see job listings or force you to bid on jobs, essentially enabling most clients to select the lowest bidder—who offer bids as low as pennies per gig. It's wrong and awful, and it undermines all working freelance writers trying to make an honest living. I never use them.

Luckily, I knew about GoFreelance from other writer friends. GoFreelance lures you in with a "low" $2.95 per-month charge to see their job postings, and then jacks it up to $29.95 a month. That's absolutely ridiculous. There are way too many places to find writing jobs for free; you should never have to sign up with GoFreelance to find gigs.

So if a potential client responds to you, how can you tell if it's a legitimate opportunity or a scam? Every situation is different, but here are some red flags to look out for:

You should never, ever have to pay in order to apply for a job. EVER. A legitimate client may want to see samples of your work, or maybe an article on spec, but that's very different (although it has its debates, too). Beware of any client who asks you to apply through a site that requires a membership fee.
See if other people have experienced the same problem with this client. Writer message boards, like AbsoluteWrite.com, have forums specifically devoted to deadbeat clients, scams, fraud, etc. If the job posting was on a blog, check the blog comments to see if there are any warnings for other writers. (If not, consider posting one yourself to alert other writers who may be interested in the job.)
Trust your instincts. If something in the client's communication feels off to you, don't click on any links in their e-mail messages. Write it off and move on.

I did respond to my own personal Scammy McScam-a-Lot, explaining that I don't use sites like GoFreelance but that I'd be happy to apply through e-mail or some other means:

Hi ****,

Thank you for your assistance. I'm still interested in the job; however, I was wondering if there was a way to apply without registering with Go Freelance. Like many other freelance writers and editors, I make it a point not to use bidding sites or job boards that require a membership fee.

I'd still love to apply for the job outside of Go Freelance, and I'm happy to send you anything you need—résumé, proofreading samples, etc. Please let me know.

Best,
Angela

We'll see if I get a response from them. I'm not banking on it.