The Writer Life
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Christmas Gifts to Coax Any Writer Out of the “Box”
Question for you: have you done your shopping for Christmas gifts yet? We all want to find the perfect Christmas gifts for those special people in our lives. We want it to be meaningful, functional, and inspiring. As a creative, I would venture to say that it is sometimes hardest to buy gifts for fellow artists. We want something that is unique and also meaningful. Fear not. I have numerous functional yet meaningful gift ideas for you this year. As it so happens, the messaging that goes with each gift is near and dear to my heart. I’ll now explain the meaning behind the merchandise design that is fondly known…
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How to Stay Focused as a Quarantined Freelance Writer
Staying productive at home and elsewhere as a freelance writer Hello, fellow quarantined freelance writer. Or I guess I should say, fellow social-distancing freelance writer. Here in Oregon things are starting to open up. We’re allowed to go to restaurants as long as social distancing is practiced. Even the gym and dance classes are allowed as long as everyone keeps their hands to themselves! (Imagine that: first we all relearned how to wash their hands. Now we’ve got the ‘hands to yourself’ thing down too! World, well done, you! Everyone may now graduate from Preschool to Kindergarten. Virtually, of course). As you can tell from the stylish picture up top…
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Jobs for Freelance Writers: Is it a Great Idea for Ghostwriters to Use Job Boards?
Jobs for freelance writers–it’s something we talk about a lot in writer’s circles. Wanna open a can of worms during a job discussion? Bring up the topic of job boards for writers and you’ll crack open quite a can of worms. But guess what, I’m gonna do it anyway. Why am I so determined to tackle this subject, you may ask? Because without job boards there is no way that I would be a full-time freelancer right now. Finding freelance or ghostwriting gigs elsewhere is fantastic. However, I feel that, when used properly, job boards are a great resource as far as finding work goes. There are a number of…
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5 Things That Instantly Make a Freelancer Appear More Professional
Writer tips that will set you apart from the rest on the job. The job of a writer houses a great deal of creative liberty–heck, it’s one of the reasons I wanted to be a freelancer in the first place! However, with this freedom comes the feeling that since it is a seemingly “unconventional” job choice, the rules of professionalism are different. They’re really not. People are people whether you are dealing with them in the writing world or not, so you have to act accordingly. It’s not that once we become professional writers we intentionally stop offering common courtesy, it’s just that when our focus shifts to what seem…
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5 Signs of a Great Ghostwriting Client: Job Navigation
Like in any sphere, there are many different types of people to be found in the freelancing pool. When you’re a writer, it can be difficult to distinguish the good ghostwriting client from the not-so-good one. It’s a two-way street, but we’ll have to save what to look for in a good freelancer for another time. Today, let’s delve into five ways to spot a great potential client. As a ghostwriter and developmental editor, this list emerged in my brain based on personal experience. I’ve had great experiences and ones that were quite the opposite of great through the course of my career, so I’d like to take the opportunity…
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Choosing the Road Not Taken—the Artist’s Road
You might be wondering about the picture above. Why have I given you a picture of me trying to climb over the prohibitive sign on a lush green cliff in Maui? Here’s why: it serves as a visual demonstration of the fact that I’ve always taken the road less traveled even when it looked to everyone else that it would be “too dangerous.” I had lots of people tell me to stay on the path. But did I? No. And boy am I glad that I didn’t. I am sitting here writing this at 2:21am. Here’s why: Last night I had rehearsal from 9pm-11pm. By the time I got back…
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9 of My Favorite “Artist” Movies Where the Heroes Never Gave Up
I love having a life that is essentially centered around art—don’t get me wrong! However, you know and I know that there are days when life gets us down. Sometimes things just aren’t going right and it feels like everything is getting in the way of our art. Maybe it’s finding out you didn’t score the high-paying, long-term writing job you were sure was as good as yours (me). Or those rejection letters…. Maybe you got yet another rejection on that story you poured your heart and soul into (yep, also me). Sometimes the best thing to do in these situations is take a deep breath and give your mind…
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The Balancing Act That All Writers Must Master: Something’s Gotta Give
“Altogether I have so much to do that often I do not know whether I am on my head or my heels.” -Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Daily Rituals by Mason Currey Can you relate to Mozart’s lament? I sure can. As you most likely know already, pursuing one’s art isn’t an easy or relaxing endeavor. There really is no roadmap offered to a person who wishes to make a living as an artist. My days, therefore resemble something of a patchwork quilt—teaching a couple classes here, spending an hour or so writing there, then going to teach more classes over that way, and back to the computer again once I get…
