Boy did I need that long weekend. Granted, 5 hours on Friday and nearly 5 hours of Saturday were spent at church, but that's what Easter is to me. A time of spiritual reflection. We're all done by Easter morning, so I crashed yesterday.
But I feel refreshed and ready to tackle this long list of To Do items. Most of it involves getting sources for upcoming April articles. This week is the calm before the storm. Next week, I have articles due virtually every day (plus it is the start of the baseball season! Woo hoo!)
I had some very exciting writing-related news this week. My sports blog, which is done completely for my amusement, was featured in this week's Sporting News. Not quite my by-line and no paycheck coming, but I can now say that my words have been published in one of the big three print sports magazines.
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Monday, March 24, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Soundtrack of My Work
Next to writing, music is the most important non-human or non-spiritual aspect of my life. If writing is the heart of everything I do, music is my soul.
This doesn't surprise the people who know me and have endured endless tales of my singing adventures.
Music is not just background noise for me. It defines a mood or a situation. Like, for me, much as I enjoy guitar music, I can't tolerate guitars in church. I can't pay attention to the service because the music becomes too overpowering. It rattles through me, making even my teeth hurt.
So, it is no surprise that to work, I need music. I listen to classical music throughout the day, as I do tasks like marketing or interviews. It is a pleasant background. But I can't write to it.
I write to piano music usually. But even that will change. Sometimes any piano music will do. Other times I'll put on one artist, but I'll find that his music isn't working on that day, so I'll flip to another until I find the right soundtrack.
On snowy or rainy days, though, piano music is too bright, so then I turn to guitar music. It fits the mood much better. The tone is darker; it mimics the weather outside.
Vocals are never good. The last thing I need is someone else's voice in my ears.
If I'm really struggling to concentrate, I will put on headphones. It is amazing what headphones do for me. I can shut out everything else around me. I don't even really hear the music so much as it fills me and seems to flow in my bloodstream to my finger tips to get the writing going.
Do you have a soundtrack to your writing?
This doesn't surprise the people who know me and have endured endless tales of my singing adventures.
Music is not just background noise for me. It defines a mood or a situation. Like, for me, much as I enjoy guitar music, I can't tolerate guitars in church. I can't pay attention to the service because the music becomes too overpowering. It rattles through me, making even my teeth hurt.
So, it is no surprise that to work, I need music. I listen to classical music throughout the day, as I do tasks like marketing or interviews. It is a pleasant background. But I can't write to it.
I write to piano music usually. But even that will change. Sometimes any piano music will do. Other times I'll put on one artist, but I'll find that his music isn't working on that day, so I'll flip to another until I find the right soundtrack.
On snowy or rainy days, though, piano music is too bright, so then I turn to guitar music. It fits the mood much better. The tone is darker; it mimics the weather outside.
Vocals are never good. The last thing I need is someone else's voice in my ears.
If I'm really struggling to concentrate, I will put on headphones. It is amazing what headphones do for me. I can shut out everything else around me. I don't even really hear the music so much as it fills me and seems to flow in my bloodstream to my finger tips to get the writing going.
Do you have a soundtrack to your writing?
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Shameless Plug
Many many moons ago, I wrote a quick article for Writing for Dollars called The Rule of 13. I'd heard that having 13 queries or submissions out at a time is a sure way to get an acceptance.
I know now there is no real magic number. Thirteen, however, is a better odds than six, not as good as 25. Thirteen, for most beginning writers, is manageable. The important thing is making sure your letters, your name, is in front of editors. The more you market, the greater the chance of getting a YES.
Anyway, I found out this week that our articles archived on WFD will now be drawing income depending on the readership. I was already paid when I printed the piece, so this is a nice little bonus.
An even nicer bonus, when I sent an email to the editor to update my bio info, he wrote back to tell me that he always liked that piece and recommended it frequently. It was a nice boost to an otherwise crappy day.
I know now there is no real magic number. Thirteen, however, is a better odds than six, not as good as 25. Thirteen, for most beginning writers, is manageable. The important thing is making sure your letters, your name, is in front of editors. The more you market, the greater the chance of getting a YES.
Anyway, I found out this week that our articles archived on WFD will now be drawing income depending on the readership. I was already paid when I printed the piece, so this is a nice little bonus.
An even nicer bonus, when I sent an email to the editor to update my bio info, he wrote back to tell me that he always liked that piece and recommended it frequently. It was a nice boost to an otherwise crappy day.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Nano Nano
Eight days into November and I'm over 5000 words (actually pretty close to 6K, I just haven't updated the numbers yet). Last year when I attempted this, I barely got to 8K, so I'm doing pretty good.
I didn't think I'd have much time, looking at my writing and editing schedules. I thought maybe I'd be burned out like I ended up last year from spending my days writing and my nights writing some more. (I've noticed that people I know in non-writing jobs seem to have higher word totals at this point than the full-time writers I know. I don't think that is coincidence.)
But this year, the Nano piece is fun. It is a step back in time for me and the words just flow. It's meditative in a way.
When I was in high school, I would take a notebook and sit in a corner somewhere while I had a few minutes to spare while waiting for a bus or for my activity to begin, and I would write. No Walkman or iPods back then, but I would be so engrossed in what I was doing that I could shut out the whole world. I'd come out a writing jag with glazed over eyes and had a little trouble reentering the real world but it was an exhilarating experience. I've tried yoga. I've had massages. To me writing for fun has the same healing and restful qualities. More so.
I asked a man who wrote for a living what he liked to write for fun. He looked at me as if I had grown two heads and said, "No one writes for fun. It's a job." Poor guy. He hadn't a clue. Sure, writing is a way to make money. A beautiful way to make money. But it can also be enjoyable, spirtually freeing, fun.
And if you want to keep up with my progress, cheer me on, or let me keep up with you, feel free to add me to your buddy list. My nickname is grumpifrog and just drop me a note to say hello.
I didn't think I'd have much time, looking at my writing and editing schedules. I thought maybe I'd be burned out like I ended up last year from spending my days writing and my nights writing some more. (I've noticed that people I know in non-writing jobs seem to have higher word totals at this point than the full-time writers I know. I don't think that is coincidence.)
But this year, the Nano piece is fun. It is a step back in time for me and the words just flow. It's meditative in a way.
When I was in high school, I would take a notebook and sit in a corner somewhere while I had a few minutes to spare while waiting for a bus or for my activity to begin, and I would write. No Walkman or iPods back then, but I would be so engrossed in what I was doing that I could shut out the whole world. I'd come out a writing jag with glazed over eyes and had a little trouble reentering the real world but it was an exhilarating experience. I've tried yoga. I've had massages. To me writing for fun has the same healing and restful qualities. More so.
I asked a man who wrote for a living what he liked to write for fun. He looked at me as if I had grown two heads and said, "No one writes for fun. It's a job." Poor guy. He hadn't a clue. Sure, writing is a way to make money. A beautiful way to make money. But it can also be enjoyable, spirtually freeing, fun.
And if you want to keep up with my progress, cheer me on, or let me keep up with you, feel free to add me to your buddy list. My nickname is grumpifrog and just drop me a note to say hello.
Monday, November 5, 2007
What Do You Think?
A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to sit down with a couple of entrepreneurs (who are also lawyers) and discuss a website they are launching. This site is meant to get writers/authors in front of potential readers. For a $12 annual fee, you can post a couple of pieces of your work (and for more dollars, more work) so readers (and as the business owners said enthusiastically, editors and agents) will discover you.
I have a lot of issues with this venture. I can't get over the idea that the writers have to pay, but the readers can read for free. I don't mind the idea of free readers, but I'm uncomfortable with the idea of having to pay someone to read my work.
But an even bigger issue is the owners of the site duping writers into believing that posting there will get them discovered. That getting published is as simple as writing to an editor and saying, "See, 1000 people came to read my work and half of them liked it. You should publish me!" (Seriously, that's one the one guy said would happen.)
While I understand that writers get discovered in all sorts of ways and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if someone did get "found" there and I could see a website like this acting as a marketing tool for an already published piece, the men I spoke with had little understanding of the publishing business as a whole. The idea came to them because of complaints from people they know and/or work with about how their books weren't selling or getting noticed. A great idea doesn't necessarily translate into great writing. And great writing is subjective.
Most interestingly, the person doing most of the talking kept referring to publishing being an insider business, that publishing is all based on who you know, but his examples were scriptwriting. I'm not a scriptwriter, but from what I understand, that is a business where contacts can be very important. In regular publishing? Not so much so.
Writing is a lot of hard work. Just because one writes doesn't mean his/her work deserves to be published. The forementioned gentlemen disagreed with me.
What do you think? Would you pay to post your work just to get it out to the masses or in hopes of getting discovered?
I have a lot of issues with this venture. I can't get over the idea that the writers have to pay, but the readers can read for free. I don't mind the idea of free readers, but I'm uncomfortable with the idea of having to pay someone to read my work.
But an even bigger issue is the owners of the site duping writers into believing that posting there will get them discovered. That getting published is as simple as writing to an editor and saying, "See, 1000 people came to read my work and half of them liked it. You should publish me!" (Seriously, that's one the one guy said would happen.)
While I understand that writers get discovered in all sorts of ways and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if someone did get "found" there and I could see a website like this acting as a marketing tool for an already published piece, the men I spoke with had little understanding of the publishing business as a whole. The idea came to them because of complaints from people they know and/or work with about how their books weren't selling or getting noticed. A great idea doesn't necessarily translate into great writing. And great writing is subjective.
Most interestingly, the person doing most of the talking kept referring to publishing being an insider business, that publishing is all based on who you know, but his examples were scriptwriting. I'm not a scriptwriter, but from what I understand, that is a business where contacts can be very important. In regular publishing? Not so much so.
Writing is a lot of hard work. Just because one writes doesn't mean his/her work deserves to be published. The forementioned gentlemen disagreed with me.
What do you think? Would you pay to post your work just to get it out to the masses or in hopes of getting discovered?
Monday, October 22, 2007
One Step to That Dream
I think I mentioned my blog on the Sporting News site. (Used to do one on SI.com, but I didn't feel the sense of community there. I love TSN's interactive community.) I posted a blog yesterday on college football. I noticed this morning that I had a lot of hits. An unusual number of hits for someone who is really just hitting a stride at the site.
A few minutes ago, I went over to TSN and there was a link to my latest blog post, right there on the front page. That's my second appearance in two months. It doesn't mean anything. It's not like anyone has offered me a job. But people are reading my sports thoughts -- people like my sports thoughts -- and the TSN folks are reading and noticing too.
A few minutes ago, I went over to TSN and there was a link to my latest blog post, right there on the front page. That's my second appearance in two months. It doesn't mean anything. It's not like anyone has offered me a job. But people are reading my sports thoughts -- people like my sports thoughts -- and the TSN folks are reading and noticing too.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
My Dream Job . . . and Why It Is an Uphill Battle
I have a ton of magazine subscriptions, but there are three I read religiously, cover to cover: Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and The Sporting News.
There are three websites I visit every time I log on to the computer: SI.com, ESPN.com, and Sportingnews.com
Sensing a theme?
My whole life, my dream has been to be a writer for one of those magazines. They are also about the toughest markets to break into. These days, what I'd like more than anything is to be a columnist for one of those magazines, but based on the many columns I read now, I would have to change one fundamental thing about myself and I couldn't do it.
There is no way in hell I'm becoming a Boston or New York sports fan. Sorry, ain't happening.
Okay, not everybody is from those two Northeast areas, but it sure seems like it sometimes. And I know that columns allow the writer to be subjective. But I don't get why readers or editors put up with some of the non-stop Boston/New York chatter. No wonder sports fans across the country complain about an eastern bias. Who would know in baseball season there are teams outside the Red Sox or Yankees? There's a guy who writes for ESPN. He's known as the Sports Guy. Except every column ends up being a love fest with the Sox/Pats/Celtics. His name is a misnomer. He's really the New England Guy.
Now see, I believe there should be some balance. First, the magazines need more female voices. Second, Pennsylvania sports need a fair representation in those magazines. Third, the National League and the NFC needs a fair representation in those magazines.
I mean really, wouldn't every sports fan want to know what it is like to experience Penn State football home games the way I do?
There are three websites I visit every time I log on to the computer: SI.com, ESPN.com, and Sportingnews.com
Sensing a theme?
My whole life, my dream has been to be a writer for one of those magazines. They are also about the toughest markets to break into. These days, what I'd like more than anything is to be a columnist for one of those magazines, but based on the many columns I read now, I would have to change one fundamental thing about myself and I couldn't do it.
There is no way in hell I'm becoming a Boston or New York sports fan. Sorry, ain't happening.
Okay, not everybody is from those two Northeast areas, but it sure seems like it sometimes. And I know that columns allow the writer to be subjective. But I don't get why readers or editors put up with some of the non-stop Boston/New York chatter. No wonder sports fans across the country complain about an eastern bias. Who would know in baseball season there are teams outside the Red Sox or Yankees? There's a guy who writes for ESPN. He's known as the Sports Guy. Except every column ends up being a love fest with the Sox/Pats/Celtics. His name is a misnomer. He's really the New England Guy.
Now see, I believe there should be some balance. First, the magazines need more female voices. Second, Pennsylvania sports need a fair representation in those magazines. Third, the National League and the NFC needs a fair representation in those magazines.
I mean really, wouldn't every sports fan want to know what it is like to experience Penn State football home games the way I do?
Monday, October 15, 2007
I've Been Interviewed
Check out Jen's Down the Shore blog. She's an expert on the Jersey Shore -- site of many of my happy memories -- and a fellow Phillies fan.
Why, I don't know, but I've decided to take the plunge into the November and NaNoWriMo. Yes, I should probably have my head examined. I have two ideas for books, actually. One is what I mentioned in my interview with Jen, how sports have shaped so many important relationships in my life. The other would be a novel that takes some of the conspiracy ideas I have about some real-life situations and let my evil brain work them out.
I should probably stick with the sports book. If I can't write for the sports mags, I could write sports books. Right? Although, shhh, don't tell anyone, but a couple of people over at my TSN sports blog have posted that I should be one of the mags paid writer/bloggers. Not that anything will come of it, but it is nice having someone say it -- and that someone isn't me!
Why, I don't know, but I've decided to take the plunge into the November and NaNoWriMo. Yes, I should probably have my head examined. I have two ideas for books, actually. One is what I mentioned in my interview with Jen, how sports have shaped so many important relationships in my life. The other would be a novel that takes some of the conspiracy ideas I have about some real-life situations and let my evil brain work them out.
I should probably stick with the sports book. If I can't write for the sports mags, I could write sports books. Right? Although, shhh, don't tell anyone, but a couple of people over at my TSN sports blog have posted that I should be one of the mags paid writer/bloggers. Not that anything will come of it, but it is nice having someone say it -- and that someone isn't me!
Monday, July 9, 2007
Blissfully Hot
I like the heat. No, strike that. I love the heat. I live for the days when it is hot and humid.
When I first started freelancing, I was so excited for the opportunity to work outside on the hot and humid days. Me, my lap top, sunshine on my shoulders . . . I could make phone calls outside. I could write outside. I could live outside. Anything was better than being stuck inside in air conditioning, the bane of society.
Except, I don't get many days outside in the sunshine. My laptop doesn't like it. It's impossible to read the screen if I'm out in the yard, very difficult to do it while sitting on the back porch under the roof (although I will manage that). I learned quickly that it is very difficult to do interviews outside. The wind whistles through the phone. Kids are noiser outside. So are birds and bees and trucks going down the street.
Today was one of those days I wanted to be outside, but I had to spend most of my time inside with phone calls. I have a small break here where I need to do a little research for an interview and could do some marketing, but it isn't worth the hassle to move the laptop outside to bring it back in again 30 minutes later.
Tomorrow, however, my phone calls are early in the day. I have a big editing project to do. The weather is supposed to be even warmer. I'll be able to move the office to the porch.
At least we don't have A/C in the house. There's a nice breeze coming in my office window. The water is cold and refreshing. I can wear weather-appropriate clothes and know I won't freeze when I go inside. It might not be the great outdoors, but it is a hell of a lot better than being in an office controlled by someone else.
When I first started freelancing, I was so excited for the opportunity to work outside on the hot and humid days. Me, my lap top, sunshine on my shoulders . . . I could make phone calls outside. I could write outside. I could live outside. Anything was better than being stuck inside in air conditioning, the bane of society.
Except, I don't get many days outside in the sunshine. My laptop doesn't like it. It's impossible to read the screen if I'm out in the yard, very difficult to do it while sitting on the back porch under the roof (although I will manage that). I learned quickly that it is very difficult to do interviews outside. The wind whistles through the phone. Kids are noiser outside. So are birds and bees and trucks going down the street.
Today was one of those days I wanted to be outside, but I had to spend most of my time inside with phone calls. I have a small break here where I need to do a little research for an interview and could do some marketing, but it isn't worth the hassle to move the laptop outside to bring it back in again 30 minutes later.
Tomorrow, however, my phone calls are early in the day. I have a big editing project to do. The weather is supposed to be even warmer. I'll be able to move the office to the porch.
At least we don't have A/C in the house. There's a nice breeze coming in my office window. The water is cold and refreshing. I can wear weather-appropriate clothes and know I won't freeze when I go inside. It might not be the great outdoors, but it is a hell of a lot better than being in an office controlled by someone else.
Friday, June 15, 2007
All By Myself
I wanna be . . . all by myself . . .
Okay a little variation on the song, but I'm thrilled because I finally have a day with an empty house. Since the daughter moved home, my alone time has been an odd hour or so here and there. After the baby was born and the daughter was forbidden to drive for a week, she went nowhere. Then school ended for the son, and he's been home a lot. And of course, the husband took a week off. If I wanted any breathing room or working room, I had to lock myself in my office. That gets a little claustrophobic.
But today. Oh blessed today! The daughter, the husband, and the baby are out of town, cleaning the daughter's apartment and taking care of final business at her old place. I was supposed to go along but was asked to stay here because there was a possibilty the transport people would arrive to get the daughter's car. (They called to say they would be arriving today, too, so good thing I'm here) The son is working 11-4.
So it's me and the dog. She's returned to her familiar spot next to my desk chair. I'm enjoying the quiet outside my office door. No tv blaring. No cell phone ringing or text message alerts buzzing. No one popping in my office to say "Sorry for interrupting, but . . ." I love my family but I'm the type of person who needs alone time. I think that's why I was always stressed working in an office. After a couple of hours, being around people all day made me uncomfortable. I can't even begin to describe the way I feel right now, but it's like I'm bathing in emptiness. It's wonderful.
Of course, I've done little work. I don't usually start writing until 2 or so. I don't write well early in the day, especially after being up all night with the baby. But I did send out a letter of introduction and did a few writing related things. Working was another reason I was left behind today. They all figured I had work to do. And I do. And I will. I just want to bask in the aloneness for a bit longer.
Okay a little variation on the song, but I'm thrilled because I finally have a day with an empty house. Since the daughter moved home, my alone time has been an odd hour or so here and there. After the baby was born and the daughter was forbidden to drive for a week, she went nowhere. Then school ended for the son, and he's been home a lot. And of course, the husband took a week off. If I wanted any breathing room or working room, I had to lock myself in my office. That gets a little claustrophobic.
But today. Oh blessed today! The daughter, the husband, and the baby are out of town, cleaning the daughter's apartment and taking care of final business at her old place. I was supposed to go along but was asked to stay here because there was a possibilty the transport people would arrive to get the daughter's car. (They called to say they would be arriving today, too, so good thing I'm here) The son is working 11-4.
So it's me and the dog. She's returned to her familiar spot next to my desk chair. I'm enjoying the quiet outside my office door. No tv blaring. No cell phone ringing or text message alerts buzzing. No one popping in my office to say "Sorry for interrupting, but . . ." I love my family but I'm the type of person who needs alone time. I think that's why I was always stressed working in an office. After a couple of hours, being around people all day made me uncomfortable. I can't even begin to describe the way I feel right now, but it's like I'm bathing in emptiness. It's wonderful.
Of course, I've done little work. I don't usually start writing until 2 or so. I don't write well early in the day, especially after being up all night with the baby. But I did send out a letter of introduction and did a few writing related things. Working was another reason I was left behind today. They all figured I had work to do. And I do. And I will. I just want to bask in the aloneness for a bit longer.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Manic Monday
I've been up for an hour and everything is out of whack. It doesn't bode well for the day or week.
-- One of my work email accounts is down (yes, I have two -- long story).
-- There are no messages anywhere from someone in regards to an interview I need to set up.
-- Our last guest from the weekend festivities is still here. My son won't get out of bed and the other members of the family aren't home at the moment. I'm the only one who has to work today and yet I'm supposed to be entertaining her, too. (But I'm in here writing because I'm not a morning person, and entertaining people before I have coffee is too much for me.)
-- Friday's power outage messed up a few of the electronic gizmos in my office. Not my computers thankfully.
-- And my email is still down.
It seems like there is so much swirling about right now. There are days when I feel nervous about my career. This is one of them. I'm having trouble finding interview subjects for a big article that was due today, but I was given an extension, in part because of the trouble finding sources. It's an elite group I'm looking for: Hispanics who graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering since 2004. I need 8. I have 6.
My editing project due last Wednesday is still on my desk, only 1/3 done, largely because of all the work that got shuffled from Friday the 1st to the week of the 4th. Friday evening we had a major storm and a huge power outage. Our guests who were staying in hotels had power so didn't come to visit, which meant that maybe I could have done a bunch of editing except we had no power (luckily it all came on before our festivities the next day). And now I have another.
I have 3 articles without deadlines that I hoped to have done in April still sitting on my desk to write, interviews done, and 2 without deadlines waiting to be researched. This is the problem of not giving me deadlines. Deadline material comes first.
Ah, but may it is looking up. The family has come home. I got an email on that cranky account. And the coffee is starting to kick in.
-- One of my work email accounts is down (yes, I have two -- long story).
-- There are no messages anywhere from someone in regards to an interview I need to set up.
-- Our last guest from the weekend festivities is still here. My son won't get out of bed and the other members of the family aren't home at the moment. I'm the only one who has to work today and yet I'm supposed to be entertaining her, too. (But I'm in here writing because I'm not a morning person, and entertaining people before I have coffee is too much for me.)
-- Friday's power outage messed up a few of the electronic gizmos in my office. Not my computers thankfully.
-- And my email is still down.
It seems like there is so much swirling about right now. There are days when I feel nervous about my career. This is one of them. I'm having trouble finding interview subjects for a big article that was due today, but I was given an extension, in part because of the trouble finding sources. It's an elite group I'm looking for: Hispanics who graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering since 2004. I need 8. I have 6.
My editing project due last Wednesday is still on my desk, only 1/3 done, largely because of all the work that got shuffled from Friday the 1st to the week of the 4th. Friday evening we had a major storm and a huge power outage. Our guests who were staying in hotels had power so didn't come to visit, which meant that maybe I could have done a bunch of editing except we had no power (luckily it all came on before our festivities the next day). And now I have another.
I have 3 articles without deadlines that I hoped to have done in April still sitting on my desk to write, interviews done, and 2 without deadlines waiting to be researched. This is the problem of not giving me deadlines. Deadline material comes first.
Ah, but may it is looking up. The family has come home. I got an email on that cranky account. And the coffee is starting to kick in.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Vacation
One thing I miss about having a "real" job is vacation time. The other thing I miss is the ability to leave work behind and possibly have someone else help me out if I need to finish something.
I have a home office. It sits in the far corner of my house, usually away from any action. But yesterday was nuts. My son graduates high school tomorrow, so we're expecting a house full of company starting later today. So my husband took off work to help prepare for that, since he has to be out of town today. Every five minutes he was popping his head in my office, to tell me this, that or the other thing, or bring me the baby.
My daughter is here, with that precious baby. How can I refuse saying yes to holding him or watching him when I'll have him for only a few more weeks before he moves 3000 miles away.
The son had friends spend the night and more showed up during the day. My office is next to his bedroom, so there was a parade of teenage boys going in and out of that room.
And all the while, I had a backlog of work, trying to get caught up from everything I missed on Friday and over the weekend, doing that on top of what I already had scheduled for this week. Yesterday was packed full of work and I got little done. I ended up writing an article due today at 1 am. I planned to write it yesterday afternoon. The editing project I wanted done on Wednesday -- not even close. Every time I got settled, someone in this very full house decided I was needed.
I planned to take a vacation day today. The work due today was meant to be done by the time I went to bed yesterday. Yet here I am, at my computer.
The bottom line, if I don't do the work, I don't get paid. There's no back up to support me. There is no money coming from a bank of vacation days. If I have something else planned on the day of a deadline, I have to get it done early. I guess that would be my vacation pay, huh?
I'm not complaining about it. It is one of the trade offs for all the other wonderful things about writing life. The trick is figuring out how to make my family understand that when my office door is shut, I'm working. And when I get behind, it makes my life a little more stressful.
When my coffee cup is empty, I'll be off to "enjoy" my vacation day of housecleaning and preparing for tomorrow's party. If I can finish cleaning by 2 or 3, I'll sneak into my office for a bit to work on my vacation day. It's the only way I get paid for today.
I have a home office. It sits in the far corner of my house, usually away from any action. But yesterday was nuts. My son graduates high school tomorrow, so we're expecting a house full of company starting later today. So my husband took off work to help prepare for that, since he has to be out of town today. Every five minutes he was popping his head in my office, to tell me this, that or the other thing, or bring me the baby.
My daughter is here, with that precious baby. How can I refuse saying yes to holding him or watching him when I'll have him for only a few more weeks before he moves 3000 miles away.
The son had friends spend the night and more showed up during the day. My office is next to his bedroom, so there was a parade of teenage boys going in and out of that room.
And all the while, I had a backlog of work, trying to get caught up from everything I missed on Friday and over the weekend, doing that on top of what I already had scheduled for this week. Yesterday was packed full of work and I got little done. I ended up writing an article due today at 1 am. I planned to write it yesterday afternoon. The editing project I wanted done on Wednesday -- not even close. Every time I got settled, someone in this very full house decided I was needed.
I planned to take a vacation day today. The work due today was meant to be done by the time I went to bed yesterday. Yet here I am, at my computer.
The bottom line, if I don't do the work, I don't get paid. There's no back up to support me. There is no money coming from a bank of vacation days. If I have something else planned on the day of a deadline, I have to get it done early. I guess that would be my vacation pay, huh?
I'm not complaining about it. It is one of the trade offs for all the other wonderful things about writing life. The trick is figuring out how to make my family understand that when my office door is shut, I'm working. And when I get behind, it makes my life a little more stressful.
When my coffee cup is empty, I'll be off to "enjoy" my vacation day of housecleaning and preparing for tomorrow's party. If I can finish cleaning by 2 or 3, I'll sneak into my office for a bit to work on my vacation day. It's the only way I get paid for today.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Finding Time to Write
I feel like I have no time to write anymore.
That might sound odd, considering writing is what I do for a living and in the next couple of hours, I'll be banging out an article.
But a friend asked me the other day, have I written any essays lately. I haven't written an essay in over a year. They are in my head. I think I've started one or two, but then work steps in and the essays get pushed aside.
As I'm still getting my feet wet in this career, I still take a few jobs that pay okay but not great. I put in more leg work than I'd like, sometimes. It isn't the writing that wears me out. It's the leg work. All the interviews. The research. The phone calls.
And then there is the marketing.
All part of the job. I'm not complaining mind you, because I love what I do and if I can help it, I'll never return to the grind of an office or a boss. But there are days when I don't get to write at all, let alone write for fun or write to experiment.
I'd love to learn how other writers balance that time -- writing books, writing essays, researching good query letters that aren't part of their deadlines.
This week was a good week for writing actually. I didn't feel rushed, even though I was. The words fell from my brain to the page. Every day I invoiced something, each invoice one that would lead to the elusive six figure income (elusive for me yet anyway) if I wrote like this every day. And it still left me time for interviews and, if I really wanted, to write some other things for fun.
I need to have more weeks like this.
That might sound odd, considering writing is what I do for a living and in the next couple of hours, I'll be banging out an article.
But a friend asked me the other day, have I written any essays lately. I haven't written an essay in over a year. They are in my head. I think I've started one or two, but then work steps in and the essays get pushed aside.
As I'm still getting my feet wet in this career, I still take a few jobs that pay okay but not great. I put in more leg work than I'd like, sometimes. It isn't the writing that wears me out. It's the leg work. All the interviews. The research. The phone calls.
And then there is the marketing.
All part of the job. I'm not complaining mind you, because I love what I do and if I can help it, I'll never return to the grind of an office or a boss. But there are days when I don't get to write at all, let alone write for fun or write to experiment.
I'd love to learn how other writers balance that time -- writing books, writing essays, researching good query letters that aren't part of their deadlines.
This week was a good week for writing actually. I didn't feel rushed, even though I was. The words fell from my brain to the page. Every day I invoiced something, each invoice one that would lead to the elusive six figure income (elusive for me yet anyway) if I wrote like this every day. And it still left me time for interviews and, if I really wanted, to write some other things for fun.
I need to have more weeks like this.
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