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Writers are human beings. As such, we are fraught with insecurities just like anyone else. Imagine that. We’re human. While no one could fault us for having our fears and insecurities, it’s best that some of them we try to avoid broadcasting to editors and agents.

I’m not saying that we should be dishonest or try and be someone who we are not. I’m saying that discretion is warranted and it’s always best to cast a critical eye on anything we might send to an editor or prospective agent.

Here’s a good example:

You have your manuscript. You’ve cried over the thing. Heck you bled on it a few times. It is your baby, your life. Perhaps years of your heart wrenching soul is contained within. Therefore you don’t want anyone stealing it, right? To help ensure that does not happen you pull out your trump card. After all, you’re savvy. You know your rights. You’re going to slap the © symbol all over the thing. Big ol’ 20 point, bolded font. Right there on the manuscript cover page and for good measure at the bottom of each subsequent page. That oughta tell folks that you know how this game is played.

Unfortunately, what it is really telling folks is that you have no idea how the game is played. In fact, the other players at your table are now rounding up their winnings and seeking other tables.

We can be very possessive about our work and we would hate for someone to steal it. We are insecure about the security of our words. No one could really blame us for it. It’s okay to feel this way but the last thing you want to do when approaching an editor or an agent is to give them the impression that you think they may try and thieve your work. It’s akin to getting a hug from a friend then checking your coat pocket to see if your wallet is still there.

A majority – and I mean a vast majority – of editors fully understand the love you have for your baby. Believe it or not, most of them were writers before they got kicked up the food chain. While there may be some horror stories out there, the truth is that in most instances, thieving your work is the furthest thing from any editor’s or agent’s mind.

So relax.

Consider any negative vibes or insecure thoughts that may be coming through your query letters or other correspondence. Have a trusted friend read your queries before you send them on. When you sit down to write any correspondence, get yourself in a positive, friendly state of mind. Don’t think about all the bad things that could happen, think instead about all of the good things that will happen.

It’s okay to have insecurities about your writing. It’s not so okay to pass them on to others in the industry that may have the ability to affect your future.

Ahh, but there is always the other side to the coin, no? Thank goodness the ratios seem to favor the good guys, but there is always a stinker or two isn’t there? I remember all of my really good clients, but the really bad ones are branded in my memory. Fortunately, I’ve only had a few in the last two years.

One of my horror stories is partly my own doing. I was new to this and quoted a ridiculously low price for what I understood the project to be. Ugh. Folks, take my advice and outline all of the details for the project in writing. In advance, preferably. Hehe.

It seemed straightforward enough. The client had a blog and a website selling a particular line of products. She wanted regular blog updates and wanted me to figure out how to drive traffic to her sales product site. Well, the blog website was a free WP theme and it was a mess. The color scheme and fonts and layout were not conducive to much of anything. I did the extra work that was needed to bring things up to speed but she wasn’t interested in updating or changing the theme – she liked it as it was.

At first, she would send me sites that she had found relating to her products. The idea was for me to get permission for reprints on her blog and to try and arrange for reciprocal links. This would have been okay except she started sending anywhere from three to six of these every day. Before I knew it, I was swamped. Part of the problem was that the product website had this crazy, complicated method for linking and each one required several email exchanges. I’d say a good half hour of time was needed for each one.

The client’s stated goal was to drive traffic and boost sales for the product site. I tried to suggest several methods for making this happen and each method was flatly refused. She wanted things to change but wasn’t willing to make the changes to her system that would enable her goals to be reachable.

Oy. Like I said, part of this was my fault for not laying out the proper groundwork, but ultimately, the client’s rigidity was the primary factor in the project’s lack of success. When I finally cut the ties for that one, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Now, I know that you folks that would make this little client story pale in comparison. Let’s have it. Give us your worst. Do you have client stories that still cause you to boil over?

lifestyle.yahoo.co.nz

I’m not sure how much debate really exists about this. I have seen one or two blogs arguing on this topic, and the issue surrounding the pros and cons of online versus offline freelance writing nowadays would surely have to favour the online argument in terms of your chances of earning regular money, if not big money.

But what is debateable is whether online writing can ever be as prestigious as that which appears offline. Logically, it shouldn’t be. Is the person who lets off a $10 firework in their back yard achieving the same as the person who gets their rocket designs accepted by NASA? Is the person who bolts a spoiler to their car and buys some cheap alloys the same as the person behind the wheel of a Formula 1 racing car?

It is not about financial remuneration for the individual per se. As a writer, you could be paid $500 for a series of online magazine articles, and the same $500 as an advance from a publisher for a novel (which you may not earn out on thus that’s all you’ll receive). Your bank account looks no different either way. The difference is in the total financial commitment the companies are prepared to make to push your talent forward.

An online magazine may be one person running a simple website, and once they have paid for your articles their outlay is at an end (apart from paying their own wages and the minimal ongoing costs of running the site). For the publisher, on the other hand, their outlay has only just begun. Printing a novel is not a cheap affair. Publishers have big overheads that include upkeep of premises, paying their in-house staff, employing freelance copyeditors, proof readers, plus typesetting and printing costs, and subsequent publicity. If a publisher takes you on, they are taking a big financial risk, thus your achievement would appear far greater.

There’s also the question of whether freelance writers can ever claim to have been published online. I suspect not. Publishers publish; websites post. Even publishers with an online presence that accept your work for an online-only readership do not publish your writing; they post your work to their sites.

Having said all that, I think online writing wins the day. I believe the prestige of being published offline is, for most people, not worth the hassle – certainly not financially, and probably not emotionally. I think your chances of achieving a regular income are massively higher with online freelance writing, precisely because whoever pays for your work is not risking that much. Plus, writing online is a great platform from which to launch on offline assault thanks to its global reach.

I further don’t believe it’s fair to say offline writing equates to quality, and online writing means substandard. There is a good mix of both in both. That being the case, the whole notion of the prestige of the published writer has to be questioned. If mistakes are made, and bad writing gets published when good writing doesn’t, then we need to really scrutinise the quality of the published work to decide if it genuinely deserves its prestige status.

Yes, the NASA rocket designer would seem to have more kudos, but that’s a hell of a lot of pressure they’ve taken on, and in the end their creation may be fatally flawed and may literally crash and burn.

As for the $10 rocket, who hasn’t smiled watching one of those things explode colourfully against the night sky?

The Writer’s Market (Most Current Edition) – Every year you want to spend the money to update this most important book of your bookshelf. There is information for nearly any writing market and it is an excellent place to begin your search for folks to query about your writing project ideas.

The Elements of Style – Strunk and White’s is an absolute must have for any of the grammatical queries that do pop up from time to time. Know it. Live it.

The Chicago Manual – A bit on the thick side, but useful as cross reference for style questions. Some institutions live by this thing.

On Writing – Some say it’s the best thing Stephen King ever wrote. Perhaps. While it may not be particularly helpful in terms of writing long-tailed keyword articles, it certainly is inspirational and some of the writing hints may help you in your freelance work.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves – Punctuation on the lighter side. A #1 best seller that helps to put punctuation in a whole new perspective.

Roget’s Thesaurus – I know these kinds of reference books are available online, but hey, try and get a little unplugged now and then. I’ve found that thumbing through Roget’s looking for one word, leads me to others I never would have considered. Try THAT with a search box.

The Book of Excellence – You remember this one from a post I did last month. Snippets of wisdom that can inspire and motivate. Just the thing when the chips are down.

Quiet Mind – Okay, this one is optional but I would encourage you to open your mind a bit and let this one in. Subtitled “A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation”, it is an excellent, small book that will show you the benefits to be had by quieting your mind. I’ve found it to be useful in attaining focus.

How about you? What “must-have” books are on your shelf? Are there any titles in particular that help you in your daily freelancing? Also, which of these do you already have on your shelf?

image from rareborealis.com

If you are reading this article, chances are you are already a freelance writer and you can relate to this list. There is also a chance that maybe you are sitting on the fence, trying to decide on which side you’d like to land. If that’s the case, maybe this list will help.

1. Your writing isn’t good enough. Hey, it could be. You do not need to be a grammarmagician to do this. Yes, some basic skill is needed but like anything else practice will go a long way towards making your writing sing.
2. Fear of failure. I promise that the world will still revolve if freelance writing doesn’t prove to be your thing. It would be worse to not even try.
3. Fear of success. This is kind of a toughie. There are folks who have this and don’t even know it so they sabotage most any project in order to ensure success doesn’t happen. If you think this may be you, get the necessary help before you begin.
4. There are already so many freelance writers. Pshaw. There are a lot of fair-to-partly-crappy writers out there, for sure. If you have even a smidgen of writing skill, you can edge out quite a few of the other freelancers.
5. No time. Oh, yes. If you decide to freelance you better be ready to sprout a few more hours into every day. Also, there is nothing that says you have to do this full time right away. You can ease into it. Tentatively hang your shingle on the web and see what happens. For me, inside of two months I needed to quit my day job to handle the incoming work.
6. I’m scared of quitting the security of my day job. Okay, I’ll confess that this one is not so silly. If you have a 9 to 5 that is paying you handsomely whilst taking care of your health insurance premiums you need to give jumping off the freelance cliff some serious consideration. Start slow and have a good plan in place prior to killing the golden egg-laying goose.
7. I don’t know where to find clients. Hmmm. That is why God (not Al Gore) invented the internet. A small investment in social networking and marketing has the potential of paying big freelancing rewards. All it really takes is that one gi-normous client and you are off and running. You can also get things moving with a few small clients whom you treat like the gold they are.
8. My real goal is being a published novelist. Okay, that’s a great goal. Writing is writing, be it fiction or non. Every chance to write is a chance to hone your skills. Also, the more your name is out on the web, the greater the chances of meeting someone who may help you in your novelistic endeavors.
9. You have to write what you know, and I don’t know anything. Hehe. Join the club. Do not be afraid of topics. The client will give you what you need to know. Otherwise, be prepared to do a bit of research. I came up with the names and product descriptions for a line of lip glosses aimed at teenaged girls. I’m fat, fifty and bald. Do the math.
10. I won’t make any money. Possible, and probable at first. Stick with it, apply yourself with integrity and the money will come.

What say you, gentle audience? Any other reasons to not be a freelance writer?

I’m 44 years old now, and the problem I’ve had with the “What if …?” approach for many years is that I can’t help sticking a “So” in front of it. It’s a real bummer. I think I still have a few good ideas for novels, but I find I question more and more if there’s any point doing anything about them.

This isn’t terribly inspirational, is it? Sorry about that. I think I would have more fire in my belly had I not been published when I was younger. Part of the problem is that I know a little more about how everything works in the industry, and how devilishly difficult it is to get into print. And stay in print. My old literary agent told me back in the day that one of his authors had been rejected by her publisher after she’d had her first six books published by them. Ouch. Apparently, they had grown tired of waiting for her to break through into the big time.

The other problem with the industry is publishers funnelling funds to the big names, leaving a couple of drops to perhaps spill over the edge and land on their hoard of unknown authors. I don’t expect the recession has helped matters any. I wouldn’t mind so much the many hours I would have to devote to a new novel if the chance of some decent remuneration waited at the end.

Bah humbug

Probably the biggest problem, though, personally, is my having turned into a miserable old bugger. What do you mean, like we hadn’t noticed?

I went through my mid-life crisis in my early thirties and I’m still trying to shake it off. My passion for commercial writing has waned accordingly. Although I didn’t have many useful or accurate things to say about the world when I was in my early twenties, I said them anyway. I had a lot of arguments with people. If I came face to face with the me of twenty years ago, I would have to punch me very hard indeed.

These days, I feel I see the world more clearly and I don’t like much of what I see. Actually, the world is just fine; it’s so many of the people who piss me off. No doubt I provoke the same reaction in them. Oscar Wilde had it right: “Hell is other people.”

I suspect I have an attitude problem – different to the pigheaded arrogance of my early years, but every bit as bad in its own way, and a major drawback for someone contemplating another novel. I’m sure I could write a far more accomplished novel now, technically and with regards to subject matter, but I really can’t be bothered because I’m not terribly sure anyone would be interested and I don’t really care either way.

I’m hoping I will grow out of this phase. I’d like to rediscover the passion of my youth. From a literary point of view, I suspect it could be pretty powerful when combined with the deeper understanding that comes with age.

For now, though, I am struggling. I think there’s probably a certain phase in life where you transition from the anything-is-possible exuberance of youth to a hopefully graceful acceptance of what it’s really all about. The journey itself can be a little bumpy, however, and, as a writer, I am trying not to take it too much to heart. Tumblemoose said in a recent blog that it’s never too late to change, and I believe he’s right.

I take as my inspiration the supremely heart-warming newspaper article from January 2008 regarding the 102 year-old man who emigrated to New Zealand from the UK. He commented at the time: “What’s important is that when I’m 105 I don’t want to be thinking, ‘I wish I had moved to the other side of the world when I was 102’.”

You couldn’t make it up.

Image from Digiteen.org

Of course, freelance writers are concerned about the business of writing. It pays the bills, it provides us a sense of purpose, and deep in our hearts we know it is what we are meant to do. For a freelance writing business, writing is the foundation. A good foundation is layered with supporting materials as well.

I am a freelance writer. A good deal of my time is spent tapping the keys in order to complete an assignment. In other words, I write. If I am to be successful, then my writing should be good to excellent. Forty years ago, the only folks I really needed to rub elbows with were editors and other potential clients. Ahh, yes. The easy days before the internet. Now, in addition to having excellent writing skills, in order to be the most successful freelancer I can be I must also be somewhat of a social creature.

Most of my freelance work is done through the web. I market, advertise, interact and write primarily for folks who have entered my world through the World Wide Web. My presence on the web gives me the chance to interact with other freelance writers. It also gives me the chance to meet folks who are considering entering the freelance writing world. Here is where the supporting materials for my writing foundation come into play.

I recently had the opportunity to answer some questions for someone who was thinking about freelancing. It never once occurred to me to not help this person. Any knowledge I have that is based on my experiences I am willing to give freely. There are no secrets and there is nothing to hide. After our conversations were done, this person has decided to make a go of freelancing. I’m proud that I may have played a part in his decision to move forward. Knowing what I do about this person, I suspect they will be very successful indeed.

We should all be willing to do the same. We should have integrity and the desire to help and inspire other writers. I do not see this new freelance writer as someone who will be my competition. I see them as someone who will be a colleague and someone who will remember our conversations as they grow and develop over the years.

Sometimes, these kinds of relationships blossom into writing partnerships. Other times they develop into support systems that both parties pull from when needed. The point is, in my mind it can never be a bad thing to help another writer.

So, in addition to our writing I think we need to have:

• Integrity
• Compassion
• Empathy
• A willingness to help others
• Commitment
• Patience
• Tolerance
• Enthusiasm.

By adding these supporting elements to your writing, you are ensuring a writing career worthy of the person you truly are.

A lot of folks are intimidated by writing for magazines. More often than not, this is because they think that Time or Wired would never accept an article from them. Well, maybe Time isn’t going to roll over with your first query. That’s okay. Set your sites a little lower and work your way up.

Here’s how to make it happen:

• Choose your market – Consider where your interests lay. If you’re clueless about all things techie, don’t beat your head against the Wired wall. Why make your life that tough? If you have expertise in a particular area, chart that course.
• Research the magazines that fit your interest and expertise. When I found out that my neighbor was building the first vodka distillery in Alaska, the idea came to me that this would make a great story. I didn’t query Gourmet, I queried Alaska Magazine. They accepted and the article was published six months later. Make a list of magazines that you would love to write for. Go out and buy the current issues of each of them and absorb as much as you can about editorial slant, typical topics and overall style.
• Go online – This is a crucial step. Most of these magazines will have submission guidelines on their site. Read, know, understand and print these. If you skip this step you are asking for trouble and you may make a mistake that will bar you from ever writing for that magazine. Often, they will tell you exactly the kind of articles they are looking for. If at all possible, try to tailor your article idea into one that fits what they are looking for.
• Send the query – If you did your homework and read the submission guidelines, you’ll know exactly how to send the query. Some places want email queries only. Some still prefer snail mail. Some don’t want attachments, some are okay with it. Your query needs to be one page and the very first sentence needs to have a significant hook. Include the anticipated word count, whether or not you have images and any ideas you might have for sidebars. Include a paragraph or a few sentences that make it obvious that you have read the guidelines. For the Alaska Magazine article, the submission guidelines said that they are seeking articles about “Ordinary Alaskans doing extraordinary things.” Plenty good. I included a sentence in the query that said something along the lines of Toby being an ordinary guy, just my Alaskan neighbor doing an extraordinary thing.
• Follow up – It’s okay to follow up with the editor, just don’t be a pest. Under no circumstances should you contact the editor prior to the timeframe the submission guidelines give. I’ve found that these days, I hear back pretty quick, especially for email queries. Patience, my friend. Patience.

These are the initial steps to breaking into the magazine market. There is a bit of work involved but it’s all worth it. It only takes a few successes to set you on your way to a lot of writing opportunity.

Here are some of the best quips from the book and how they apply to writing:

• Excellence is not optional – This one kind of says it all. Whatever you write needs to be your best. I recently found a book I was considering for purchase on Amazon. It was one of those 99 cent Kindle editions and I went to read the reviews and many of them complained about the sloppy writing, grammar, spelling and editing. The author actually responded and said that the $2.99 version had a much better editing job. Are you kidding me? Why on earth would a writer put something out there that was less than their best?
• Success at the expense of family really is failure – I’ve written on several occasions about the importance of balance in life. This little quote is right on the money. If your family goes by the wayside, the writing ain’t worth it folks.
• Develop a sense of urgency to your work and pay attention to the details – Your job as a writer is to be detail oriented. Second rate grammar and research skills will not take you very far in this field. Details, the little things are important. A sense of urgency helps cement this concept in place.
• Don’t put all your eggs into one client’s basket – For freelance writers, this is a big one. Like your portfolio, you need to diversify. One bad turn and that client could go away. THEN what are you going to do?
• Customers will find a way to buy from you if they like you. They will also find a way not to buy from you if they don’t like you. – Do yourself a favor and be likeable. For some of us, it comes natural. Those lucky folks have saved themselves a lot of heartache. If you are not naturally friendly, work on this. The rewards are more than you can fathom.
• Never be too busy to follow up on the little things. – Something that may be insignificant to you may be a big deal to a client. Never assume that the little things don’t matter. If a client has a concern, no matter how trivial, follow up on it, handle it, get it done.
• Arrogance is deadly – This goes along the lines of being likeable. No one likes arrogance. It’s not a very good impression to give to new clients. Confidence is one thing, arrogance is annoying. You ain’t all that and a bag of chips. Trust me.
• Each day you get better or worse. It’s your choice. – You can choose to learn from your clients and blend the positive takeaways into your psyche or you can be eternally pissed off about everyone and everything. I’ll take the former, thank you very much.

I hope you got as much out of these quips as I have. If you get the chance to purchase this book, I think you’ll be impressed with the wisdom it contains.

Image from www.show.me.uk

Not literally, of course. What idiot would try that?

I am referring to a quote I read over twenty years ago which has stuck with me. I was pretty certain it came from a book on runes, so I searched online just now and it did indeed pop up on a runes website as an interpretation of a certain rune reversed i.e. picked upside down. Runes, if you’re unaware, are little stones with special symbols on them, and are used much as you would use Tarot cards.

The bit I remember was: When in deep water, become a diver. Having found the full passage, here it is with some of the preceding advice:

“Take heart. Consider the constant cycling of death and rebirth, the endless going and return. Every thing we experience has a beginning, middle and an end, and is followed by a new beginning. Therefore do not draw back from the passage into darkness: When in deep water, become a diver.”

Having been involved in acting and writing on and off for nearly 25 years (mostly “off” with the acting, it has to be said), I’ve had my fair share of career ups and downs. I also watched my dear mum suffer from Multiple Sclerosis for most of my life, and fight two battles against cancer, and go through the last ten years of her life in pretty much constant agony after a fall that caused pain no doctor could ever deal with, short of zonking her out with morphine – which she didn’t want. She was a remarkable woman, brave beyond belief, and is terribly missed.

Those were dark times. They brought thoughts no one wants to think, and feelings no one wants to feel. Still, you have to deal with those issues or you can never fully move forward.

This was the time that I had my novels published. This was the time I was at my most creative. Writing was a lifeline back then, and I clung to it like a man in a maelstrom.

But there were long periods when I did go under, and nothing would get me back up to the surface, and that’s when I always remembered that quote: When in deep water, become a diver. Of course, the real trick is in accepting you’ve gone under in the first place, but that’s a different article altogether.

I always took that quote to mean that you’re down in the depths anyway, so you may as well have a good look around. Explore the scenery, ugly though it may be. Confront whatever’s lurking there, so it’s not so scary. You never know, you may even find a sunken treasure chest that forever transforms the rest of your life.

One of the best ways to become that diver is through writing. Getting your thoughts and feelings down on a screen or on paper can make sense of them; sometimes it even reveals what you never knew existed. It’s an amazingly cathartic exercise, and can liberate intense creativity of the sort you may never find again when you eventually break surface.

I killed a lot of people in my two novels. The second one especially, Man on a Murder Cycle, I simply couldn’t write again now; I don’t have that mindset. It’s pretty sick stuff, to be honest. It came from the depths. But I know both novels focused my thoughts on something else for the times I was immersed in them, and they channelled my anger and confusion into a money-making venture.

I’ve heard it said that John Cleese never wanted to write more than two series of Fawlty Towers because he wrote it when he was depressed, and once he started to feel better he couldn’t create that same hysterical vitriol – he couldn’t tap into it any more. I think it’s one of the funniest sitcoms ever written.

I have no idea what’s happening with any of you. But if you are in pain, and feel like you’re drowning, why not take a look around while you’re down there?

Then write like hell.