My favorite writing tools for, you guessed it, writing

1. Legal Pads: You really can't go wrong with these as a writer. I keep one by me all the time to jot down notes when I'm not working. Sometimes writing in short hand is easier then staring at a blank Word document as well. Different strokes for different folks.

2. LKH Blog: An amazing writer and a wonderful read when I'm down in the dumps and can't write one more word. Laurell K Hamilton succeeded, did quite well for herself, stays true to her characters, and always has wonderful writing advice for those of us trying to make it in the big bad world.

3. Purple Pens: If I'm in a writing groove, I refuse to write with anything else. Here it's all purple, all the time. Adds a little pep to my day.

4. Tea: I had to stop drinking coffee for a bit after some medical issues and this became my new beverage of choice. Both soothing and yummy with as much caffeine as needed to get my day going at full speed.

5. Copy Writing and Proofreading for Dummies: This little guide is invaluable even if you don't want to edit for a living. Reading it and understanding what to look for in your own work is key to becoming a better, more professional writer. Once you've mastered the stuff in this book it's easier to tighten your words and make more marketable sentence structures according to whatever market your selling too. It's like having a secret publishing guide that an unlock the world of an editors mind where you didn't know you had questions!

6. The Writer's Little Helper: This little book packs everything I may need to look up when writing furiously with no time for long drawn out answers. It carries a million answers in a great, well worked format. and it's color coded for super easy index sorting. Goes from characterization to word density throughout a piece and what is better in terms of your target audience.

7. The Writer Magazine: One of the best subscription choices I've ever made is this one. Every month there is a new focus on a certain aspect of writing, such as Children's Books or Journalism. The markets in back are super duper helpful and the articles are insightful. I've used many of their suggestions to make a quick buck and have succeeded quite thoroughly.

8. Bird By Bird: The best book for creative writing and getting the juices flowing that I've ever read. Wonderful prose, suggestions, tips and tricks to get you out of a slump and re-set your career again.

9. Writing Down the Bones: Another creative writing tome of awesomeness that applies a little more of a soul element into your writing style. Delves into who you are as a writer based on that "soul" and how that changes and plays with your mind's work your doing for the day.

10: Writer's Market 2009: A must have for any writer truly serious about taking their career to the next level and jumping on that Query bandwagon. Has all the writing resources at your fingertips from every publishing market and magazine, be it little or absolutely ginormous. It's listed here and you can send your work to them. Cross your fingers and pick up a copy, it's worth it.

What's the difference between nagging employers and staying in touch?

I often wonder at this scenario as, so far, I haven't found a solution in any Freelance Writing handbooks as of yet. I wonder, what's the difference between checking up on an employer after they say they would like to work with you and then take several days to get back to you or checking up on an employer the next day? One is maybe more polite than the other, I would assume waiting for several days the better advantage, but by then the employer has probably forgotten your services so better to nag them quickly right? In the advertising world it's always good to be in your face, but is that true for a home business freelance writer?

Being too eager could set them off, make them feel like you NEED their services in which case they loose respect for your business because you obviously must be falsely advertising if you need the work so badly. Also, giving them time means they can better organize their plans for you and your job won't seem as rushed or conflicted. Everything will be ironed out, clearly stated in a contract and good to go for a great tip top job. But where is the line of contact for that kind of service? When does etiquette end and bad behavior begin?

I've had several clients where I have had to haggle them to get anything out of them and get paid at all. Some of them said they needed everything right away and then declined to give me anything to work with or any picture of the project until much later. I often felt like dropping them except in this line of work you can't really afford to drop a job when your starting out. So, I persisted, eventually got paid the sum I was supposed, but still had to hassle them every six days to give me a new assignment. Now this has made me nervous for all my other assignments and I just received a new one where a man got in contact with me about a website. We negotiated the whole deal and he said he would send me a project plan and fill out a statement with his signature. Before he was supposed to send it, he sent another email saying he would check with his consultants and get back to me tomorrow. Well, it's tomorrow, do I bug him?

Feeling a little rough around the edges

Today is a stop and start day. I'm viewing all my work that I've accomplished over the year and going "okay, this could be better." and it's both good and bad. It means today I'm not making much money because I need to keep stopping and starting in the different materiel I'm reviewing, as well as the different places I'm looking, it also means that the new ideas banging around in my head don't have anywhere to go. My cat is sitting in my lap as I total my winnings, scratching my skin to ribbons. If I look at how much work I did total versus how much I earned, I'd rather like to say that my work this year wasn't quite worth it. Way more production then payment. But when I'm just starting out like I am of course you have to expect that I suppose. It's just getting over the writerly fear, for me it's not rejection, its being ignored. I don't want to be ignored when I send queries, to me that's worse than any rejection they could have sent because most of the time it means they didn't even take then time to read my work. So, most of the time queries get caught in my head and I don't want to sell them, afraid someone will ignore me, and then later I see them on newsstands and I ball up my tiny fist and stamp my foot. Guess that's my New Years Resolution.

Success!!!

I got my first piece sold today for You&Me Magazine and I am beyond thrilled. It's my first paying gig as a writer and it's pretty hefty considering I've never been paid before. This just encourages me to do more with my work, where to start? I have a whole list of ideas that I can get too at some point in the near future, after the trip to Europe of course. I hope to formulate some travel articles from my time there to sell, sell, sell. Here's hoping luck stays on my side, with my bills, I'll need it!

Digging out of the hole

A little better today, currently writing a few pop culture icon articles for semi-decent pay and have a few articles churning in my brain for possible publication. Right now my transition from online to actual journal is what I'm focusing on, whether that leads me to a variety of new hobbies such as duck hunting to achieve a piece in duck hunting weekly, we'll see. I do know that I'll want to expand my borders about what I know about writing and certainly what I write about for fun. I take whatever market I'm given every day and I try to spin it to suit me, pinging it around in my brain until its marketable.
It's always the marketing and query writing that is the hard part for me, knowing when to stop on an article you've been writing for weeks and all you want to do is go, go, go. But hyper drive won't get a client to buy, just put on the breaks. So where is that clean line between "my work is awesome and this is why" to "oh god please take my work because if you don't I can't pay rent on time.". Sometimes I think there should be personal etiquette classes on this last bit. Get everyone sitting in a circle, drinking tea, legs crossed, and writing at their Macbook's going "Oh does that sound too pompous and arrogant or needy and self deprecating?" and then someone calls for a thesaurus. I hate those, just so you know. My brain was built to word transition, that's a writers job, I shouldn't need one and neither should you. Pick up a natural thesaurus in the way of great literature, a book, magazine, porn site, whatever gets your rocks off. Just train your brain the old fashioned way and stop cheating.
Anyway, after that side rant. Also on my agenda for the day are some serious writing prompts, one every day after "official" pay-the-bills, work is completed and then debauchery of the grandest kind, meaning the writing of my everlasting novel. Wish me luck with that one.

Having a Unwillful Writing Day

A little down in the dumps today, having one of those profession driven depressions where you ask yourself if the writing is really worth all the nothing you get in return. Freelancing for most people isn't a viable option, unless you are those few lucky people. Then you think, why even try? Yep, thats me right now. Just give me a lick of good news, an acceptance, a job, something? Right now I'm spending more money then I'm earning, not a happy set-up. Stick a fork in me-- I'm done.

Freelance Disaster

I'm finding freelancing very tiresome lately, all my jobs are either being scooped up too quickly for me to get to them or people aren't paying me on time. Bills are not a good thing to have when your going to Europe in January. I hope to get my website launched within the year with references etc and a tip-top resume for people to scope and love. I wish I could take steps in the right direction and start using my own time as my own for my own writer pursuits. At least it's not a nine to five job just yet, got to keep hacking away at the stones. After the website it's on to my 2nd novel and a venture in erotic romance where I hope to make my name known.

This is a blog to write about writing

I've been taking on a lot of writing endeavors lately that I either don't have time for or that I push aside, this blog is to record those things. Or at least write something if I'm not productive every day. I'm currently balancing a full course load of classes in my last year of college and traveling to Europe quite soon, among other things. So writing about my writing, or lack there of, might be the only writing I do accomplish in the near future. Currently, I write everything and anything for cash. I'm a writing slut, so sue me. Except don't, I can't afford the lawyer fees.