I'm stingy about my writer friends, so what?

     Yes, it is a sad but true fact. I am totally stingy about who in the writing community I view as a friend. I've always been the kind of person who likes the be in charge, the center of the universe. I guess it's the Leo roar coming out in me. Whatever the reason, I don't mind sharing the spotlight or stepping back and following... I just don't prefer it. So, in the past, I always gravitated to a group of friends with completely different interests as mine. I'll be the deep writer, he can be the artsy, well, artist, and she can be the techy guru. We mesh.
     
     However, as I've gotten older and hopefully wiser, I've come to realize the value in having community support from other writers going through the same processes I am. It has also been invaluable just to be able to vent about some of the issues I have. I'm working on my piece for publication mostly as a hobby. Right now, I want to focus on my freelance career and accomplishing a few content projects. I'm not ready to get ready for the publishing dream. So, when I'm bitching about how my editor is yanking all the creative aspects out of my article, my husband nods and smiles, but he doesn't get it! He doesn't understand that every piece I write is a piece of my soul, and detaching that for work is currently a hard lesson for me to learn. 

Write for Work = Money

Write for Pleasure + Sex with the Creative Muse (figuratively ya'll! come on) = Fictional Genius

     This brings me to my point: I am stingy with my writer friends. I have lots of acquaintances throughout the net world, but few would I call friends. Why am I stingy? Well, honestly, it is because I don't prefer the writers who seriously overestimate their abilities, who look down on the people (like agents and editors) who help polish or even completely rewrite their work, and those who seem to think deep writers must live in this haze of false angst and mystery.


     The latter is my absolute nightmare! I feel like I'm in a strange cross between the teen angst of high school and a herd of crying emo's. I just don't enjoy the company of false downers. Now, I do have to say that I have a friend, a tech god, who is very mellow and deep and real about it. He doesn't try to be that way to impress anyone or fit into some stereotype. He just is.


    So, yup. I sure am stingy about my writer friends, but I'm totally cool with it.




... and yes, once more food inspires my though processes. All this occurred to me as I made and devoured a GIANT and oh-so-delicious Caesar salad.

What does Jambalaya have to do with making money?

EVERYTHING!

     Sorry... But seriously, jambalaya has everything to do with making money because it is what I'm eating as I read this request from a client asking me to come on board for a long term blogging project. I'll be in charge of a new series interviewing and showcasing this New York jeweler's customers, giving them a face and allowing others a peek into their world. 

     I've been working with this particular client for 6 months now, and we have developed a great business relationship. She calls on me for freelance projects as the need occurs, and I deliver in a timely manner. Needless to say this is why I was the first person she turned to for an ongoing project. 

     That got me thinking about the importance of creating trust online. I think writers get the short end of the stick when it comes to building trust online. I mean, when my kid is throwing up, and I just can't get to that project, my boss can see the worry on my face as I sprint out of the office (hypothetical- I don't even work in an office), but when my kid is throwing up and I can't get to the computer three feet away to finish that project, it is assumed that because I'm a decent writer, I'm talking my way out of trouble for missing a deadline.

     The moral of the story:  Don't miss deadlines.

     It doesn't matter what is going on personally (Unless something really bad is happening- then by all mean put things on hold... with some notice to your clients.) you get that project finished. Your boss at the office knows you, has built a relationship with you, and can tell you're worried about the health and safety of your child. Your client is fifty million internet light years away and has no personal relationship to justify being okay with the missed deadline. All they know is that you said you could finish on time and didn't, end of story.

How do you deal with deadlines either self imposed or set by a client?

Freelance Article

     Alright, so we're on a really tight budget this week, so I've had to focus on some projects from my writing business. I did complete a page for my writing challenge last night, and it was accepted by DMS and is now appearing on eHow's website (Dispersion Tattoo Ink). So, that is pretty exciting news. The only bummer is that some of the edits I have no control over. Apparently, eHow's articles must be straight and to the top... no poetry or "flowery" prose at all. Something I've always prided myself on in my writing is a fine structure that flows poetically. Still, sacrifices must be made when you're trying not to be a starving artist. I'm promising myself at least an hour tonight of personal writing time to focus on my fiction piece!

Content Mills

     I've been doing a lot of research on Demand Studios since I heard about them somewhere along the freelance grape vine. I wanted to get to know a bit about their system, purpose, and such before committing time and energy into applying. As I've been accepted and started working on different articles for them, I've noticed a lot of bad feedback on the net about their "content-mill-ness." 
     No, I'm not a fan of content mills who product bad articles about nothing simply to clog up search engines and make a quick buck from the advertising their most likely only getting because the people searching are so fed up with spam and other writing crap.
     So, do I think Demand Studios is a content mill?
     Yes. Unfortunately, their titles are chosen from search engine results, and they have strict rules about how little you can modify those titles to actually make sense. However, I don't feel I have a moral responsibility to avoid writing for a so-called content mill. The goal of the application and editing process of Demand Studios is to make sure good writers are writing good content that people actually want. As long as I'm providing well-written, useful content, I will have no problem pursuing a freelance career with Demand Studios.


_______________


Day 3 of A Page a Day


     Tonight, my dear husband has bed-time duty (we alternate nights) and I plan to use the extra time to lose myself in my quiet bedroom and write at least a page of my book. I may be switching to a different book outline to pursue, though. I'll do a post on that soon... with a hint, of course!
     
     Are you working on any writing projects right now?

Woohoo!

And yes, this picture is saved under file name Woohoo.jpeg

Okay, okay... 'nuff celebrating a minor leap in my freelance writing. Off to finish a customer's resume revamp, edit the final draft to my latest article, and maybe think about sleeping tonight!

A Page a Day: Day 2

     I got caught up writing today, so I didn't do my Page a Day on my fiction piece. However, I did get two parenting articles written for my Hub. Check it out and leave me some love! 


     Wait, isn't one of my articles about children and manners.?.?.?


     Check out my Hub, please!  :)


     Also, I need to thank K. Marie Criddle for justifying my not doing any laundry or dishes today! If you write, you'll laugh at her latest post on Research, Chinese, Narcolepsy, and Comedy Shows!

I know, now you're all interested, right?!

Rejection

     This morning I woke up to an email from a company I'd applied for as a freelance writer. They had posted online that there were a few writing gigs open and were looking for a writer for either short-term or long-term projects.

     Oh, oh, pick me!

     Unfortunately, the email was not the exact one I'd expected. Rejection. I felt like the word had just been stamped on my forehead. At this time, my skills are just not a match for what they are looking for, but they appreciate my taking the time to apply and wish me luck in the future. I admit I moped a bit... just a tiny bit, really. Then I realized that I hadn't taken my own advice about resume writing. I opened up the files I had sent over plus my writing samples, and I knew exactly why I hadn't been accepted.
     I write resumes for people as part of my freelance job, and I believe I'm pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. However, I hadn't followed my own rules for my own resume. 


     1.  I didn't personalize my resume or writing samples to what they company wanted. If a company wants articles detailing the medicinal uses of specific herbs, I would have been golden. However, this company's writers often take on jobs requiring technical writing skills, not brief essays.


     2.  My work experience was generic and all over the place. There is something to be said for showing versatility, but many companies are looking for a specific type of writer, and I could have easily been mistaken for someone who just couldn't get it together.


     3.  My objective was too brief and nondescript. I've written many different styles of resumes with objectives ranging from conversational in tone to brief and technical. In this case, I believe the "brief-ness" was mark in my favor, but the objective-- like my resume as a whole-- was generic.


     I'm disappointed, of course, but I believe I've been humbled quite a bit. My experience doesn't matter one bit if it is not presented in a way that shows its value to whatever company to which I'm applying. I'm taking this chance to improve my resume and really put my best foot forward. I may even turn this experience into an article!

     How have you dealt with writer's rejection letters and job rejections?