That’s why I was practically standing on my leather couch this morning cheering to hear Frank Deford decrying the sorry, lazy state of reportage in sports. He did it as an aside, but the message is clear. The communicators don’t communicate very well. Exhibit A:

“Have you ever noticed how most people say Brett Favre’s name in its entirety? He is usually referred to as not Brett, not Favre, but Brett Favre.” Deford wrote this in the November 11 edition of his NPR sports column, Sweetness and Light.

“This is nice at this dreadful time when most modern athletes are known by their initials or their number. Most times now, athletes say things like, “23 threw it to R.K., and then J-Broom scored.”

As a fellow English curmudgeon I agree wholeheartedly. There’s nothing more awful than hearing–or reading–the constant, willful mutilation of the language. I know, I know–language evolves. But there’s something lunkheaded somehow about much of it. Trying to edit someone who insists on using the word “bye” when they mean “buy” and vice versa is absolutely maddening. Ditto hearing people who are professional broadcasters transpose the s and k in the word “ask”.

It’s refreshing to hear someone from the sports world stand up for language in a forum completely unrelated to–but very affected by–the use of language in a professional context. It inspires organizational urges in me. I want to create a non-profit group of professionals dedicated to the effective use of the English language.

My only problem with this is that I’d be tempted to require all members to ride a motorcycle and terrorize anyone guilty of saying “lensed” when they mean “filmed” and those who abuse the apostrophe by writing “Closed Sunday’s” on their signs.

So I leave the organization to somebody else. Instead, I’ll dream of a day when people are referred to by their actual names instead of “A-Rod.”

 by Catherine L. Tully

Did you know that you can link your Wordpress blog up with LinkedIn? You can–and it is really easy. As a matter-of-fact, there are a number of cool things you can do with the applications on this social networking site. Be sure to check them out and see if there is something there that can help you save time or be more organized. LinkedIn is a great resource–I strongly advise setting a page up if you don’t have one already.

I once did freelance editing work for a client who wanted one of my writers to endorse some rather dodgy practices in her blog–endorse by way of participation, that is, not a direct “You should do this” sort of thing. But in the end it didn’t matter. Objections were raised, which I backed.  Some legitimate concerns were voiced and the people who owned the website disregarded them.

Turns out they disregarded them to their own detriment, as this very good writer took a hike shortly after–the writer saw the, um, writing on the wall. The site lost a good writer with a strong work ethic, and the worst part of all–I don’t think they really know what they missed out on. Too bad for them.

The advice in the Editor Unleashed blog post is excellent, but I think that the respect issue is one that easiest to be overlooked, compromised or ignored in the haste to get writing credits or move up the career ladder. As one who experienced that dilemma and taken wrong road more than once, I can tell you nothing good comes of it in the end–you should always take self-respect over the paycheck.

Easy advice when times are good, eh? When times are tough, what do you do? It’s difficult, but I still think opting for being able to face yourself in the mirror is a damn fine thing. I agree with the other points made in the post, but that respect issue is tops in my book…

–Joe Wallace

Right now, absolutely nothing. President Obama has to review the bill then sign or veto the bill. It’s not law just yet, and without reading the seven thousand miles worth of pages in the bill we won’t know how soon the reforms will take place–it certainly won’t be overnight.

The highlights of the bill freelancers need to know about:

According to the news reports I’ve seen, higher premiums for pre-existing conditions will be outlawed under the bill. Again, there’s no word on how long the insurance companies get to jack you around on pre-existing medical conditions.

You WILL be REQUIRED BY LAW to carry health insurance. You face legal consequences for not having the insurance. This seems to be a “breathing tax” in the minds of some, and I have difficulty arguing against that thinking.

I personally find this the most troubling part of the coverage aside from a couple of other highly controversial points I wont’ dive into here because they are irrelevant to the basic freelancer’s need to get affordable coverage. (The points themselves are NOT irrelevant in and of themselves.)

More heartening are the federal subsidies that are said to be available for those who can’t afford to carry health insurance. Also good–the elimination of higher premiums based on gender or medical history.

Freelancers, it’s going to be a good while before we know how this affects us. Stay tuned.

–Joe Wallace

Copyright 2005, Catherine L. Tully

by Catherine L. Tully

Yes…this is more ranting about how you need to get physical activity into your day as a writer. Here are four easy ways to add some:

1. Walk to the mailbox every time you need to mail something. Even if it is six blocks away. And yes, even if it’s raining. Bring an umbrella.

2. Pace while on the phone when possible. I know this won’t work for an interview, but for all other calls, walk the carpet.

3. Hang an index card on the wall above your computer that says, “stomach”. Every time you read it, sit up straight and tighten your stomach muscles for a count of 30.

4. Use a timer to keep yourself from sitting at the computer too long. Set it for half-hour increments and walk around for a few minutes when it goes off.

These are just a few simple tips that will keep you from toiling away at your desk for hours on end with no physical activity. Do what you can!

That’s why I’ve declared Thursdays as UNFOLLOW THURSDAY. It works exactly the same as FOLLOW FRIDAY, except in reverse. Name your names, folks–shame them into ending the Twitter spam all together.

For those who don’t know about FOLLOW FRIDAY, and now UNFOLLOW THURSDAY, you simply type in Follow Friday: @TinyNugget, @Freelancezone, @CrimsonForehead, whoever else you want to follow and announce to the world that you’ve followed them

Unfollow Thursday works the same: type UNFOLLOW THURSDAY: @SpammerKing, @CheesyTweeter, @DumbSEO and anybody else you want to unfollow and tweet away.

Take THAT, Twitter spammers.

–Joe Wallace

I hadn’t see this site before, but Writing Forward had a nice post on creative writing that I thought I would share with Freelance-Zone readers today. It is advice from several writers, not just one, which is always interesting. While you are there, check out the rest of the site–it’s got some neat stuff on it. Personally, I enjoyed the areas on grammar and better writing. (BTW, this is one of the 2009 Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers too!)

Well, the holidays are right around the corner–so I thought I would do a “gift ideas” post for writers. Most of us are friends with other writers, so it goes without saying that we not only would like to get some of these, but can give a few as well. Please share if you have others!

Here are my ten suggestions:

1. Stephen King’s book, On Writing. It’s terrific.

2. A gift card for a nice meal out….

3. A great pen.

4. Some type of lovely framed photo to hang near the desk. Preferably with a motivational saying on it and lots of nature.

5. A coffee/tea mug. Large ones are fantastic.

6. One of those hand-held massagers. Works wonders when you have to tough it out on a deadline.

7. A subscription to some kind of magazine. And it’s extra nice when it isn’t one that you need.

8. Movie tickets. Great for those afternoons where you are blocked and need to get out of your head.

9. Thick, cushy socks.

10. Tech toys. Anything like a cute flash drive, ergonomic mouse or fancy laptop case is more than appreciated.

Let me know what you’d like to see in your stocking this year…

Freelance job sites like eLance and other for-a-fee providers, quake in your boots. TweetMyJobs has just changed your landscape probably forever with what its marketing hype calls “the largest Twitter job board in the world”. Pretty bold stuff for a company that didn’t exist this time last year, but that’s how things move in the Twitter world–it wasn’t three years ago Twitter wasn’t even a player in the game, now they rule a massive chunk of the online market.

I used TweetMyJobs for the first time yesterday to see what the fuss was about, and I can tell you that the for-pay sites are in trouble. Subscriber-based job sites have reached the end of their usefulness thanks to TweetMyJobs, and unless this fails to catch on with the folks posting the jobs themselves, FREElance is about to be FREE once again.

Sites like TweetMyJobs might not completely replace the Craigslist scraper sites–I predict many will start scraping/copy-pasting TweetMyJobs as well, but the speed and ubiquity of Twitter makes the scrapers irrelevant too if employers make a big shift to Twitter.

That’s an “if” I am willing to bet happens in a big way.

by Catherine L. Tully

Are you a writer who is looking for a good digital camera? If so, this piece on CNNMoney.com is perfect for you! It lists four good ones, along with what type of person they work best for. Remember…the holidays are coming…you could put one of these on your list!