Finding A Writing Partner Who Will Make Your Dreams Come True

May 23, 2011 by 4 Comments

This image is 100% about partners, and 0% about the huge crush I used to have on Burt Ward.

This is an excerpt from a post I wrote for Brazen Careerist. It was written both to promote my upcoming Networking for Word Nerds event (register here) and to sing the praises of having a good writing partner. (I love my writing partner to bits.)

Enjoy!

Several months ago, I wrote a blog post calling for a “writing partner who can kick my lazy, procrastinating writer’s ass.”

Now I have a writing partner I love, plus another partner I email my daily goals.

I’ve also left behind a low-paying permalance gig that had me feeling stuck. I’m well on my way to making more money this year than I’ve made previously, and I’m feeling more productive and successful than ever before.

Coincidence? I think not.

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Spill It: What’s On Your Magazine Bucket List?

April 19, 2011 by 14 Comments

After resigning from YourTango, and before my time there was even up, I started making plans.

I secured a writing partner who could keep me accountable as I worked my way through several information products. I invested in some educational materials, and a new resume, in the interest of building my business. I even got some professional head shots done up.

All of these were things that would help me earn money in the long run.

But short-term? The best thing I did was to set a weekly query goal for myself, and to start meeting that goal even before I’d left my part-time, permalance gig.

The results? Though I’m only about three weeks into my post-YourTango life, I’ve already secured seven magazine assignments, snagged one rush copy editing project, am in talks regarding three, large ebook projects, and have been invited to lunch by a magazine editor at a national magazine.

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Breakneck Book Report: Adair Lara’s Naked, Drunk, and Writing

February 25, 2011 by 11 Comments

It wasn’t until I was 21 that I realized I could be funny.

I had just transferred to Emerson College and, after workshopping a series of overwrought essays about my last romantic relationship, I wrote about running out of underwear, finding a gaping hole in the street where my laundromat used to be, and finally going commando.

My classmates looked at me, perplexed. It was obvious they didn’t think I had it in me. Either to write with such humor OR to go frolicking about without my cotton granny panties. But as blindsided as they were, they loved it. And I loved that they loved it. The humorous personal essay? Alright then. I was hooked!

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Filed Under: book review, writing Tagged With: , , , , ,

Wanted: A Writing Partner Who Can Kick My Writing Ass

February 16, 2011 by 7 Comments

Wanted: A writing partner who can kick my lazy, procrastinating writer’s ass. Must: Thrive on deadlines, and be willing to offer up honest and constructive criticism, while still being mindful of my multitudinous neuroses, my overwrought sensitivity, and my blind, codependent love affair with my own words. Should enjoy: Caffeine addiction, cats, serial commas, fuzzy pants, Slankets, and dance breaks. Must have a zero-tolerance policy for: Auto DMs, Foursquare, and checking one’s smartphone while in the company of others.

Interested? For the love of god, please e-mail me. Like, right now.

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Filed Under: community, writing Tagged With: , , ,

Is Your Business Flailing? Your Rates Aren’t The Problem

January 27, 2011 by 3 Comments

I'm so awesome they're throwing money at me.

Is business so slow you’ve considered lowering your rates?

I’ve considered taking similar measures in the past but, chances are, your rates ain’t the problem.

(And pushing non-stop contests and discount coupons will only cheapen your business, and make you seem desperate, so why don’t you dial that down, too?)

When I first launched my coaching business, I struggled with setting my rates.  Why? I was afraid. Would coaching rates turn off those who were used to consulting rates? Would my target client have the money to hire me? And if they did have the money, would they want to pay professional rates for someone who was such a n00b? Would I pay that much for me?

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Filed Under: finances/income, writing Tagged With: , , , , ,

Why I Turned Up My Nose At The Kindle

January 25, 2011 by 9 Comments

A dramatic reenactment of my childhood...

Back in October and November, family members started fishing for Christmas gift ideas, despite the fact that I already had an Amazon Wish List that was four pages long.

“Are you still against getting an e-reader?” asked my sister-in-law, as she showed off her Kindle in its pretty pink case with the built-in book light. “What do you think about the Nook versus the Kindle?” asked my brother, later admitting that he was trying to get a feel for whether or not he should buy me one or the other.

I fiddled with my SIL’s Kindle, admitting that it was pretty neat… yet not for me. I told my brother about what I’d read on sites like Gizmodo and Engadget, and then declared my intention to avoid e-readers altogether. I tried to explain why I wanted to keep buying books, despite the fact that I was struggling with a lack of shelf space. I waved my hands around, trying to convey something indefinable, mentioning things like smell and wraparound bookshelves.

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Filed Under: career path, writing Tagged With: , , , ,

Reason To Write: To Save My Life

January 21, 2011 by 8 Comments

Amy Gesenhues

For the latest entry in our Reason To Write series, I present Amy Gesenhues, a marketing director, wildly prolific blogger, columnist… and the newest addition to my LoveMom family! That’s right. Starting… now-ish… Amy will be reporting to me! Muah-ha-ha! I’m excited about this because I love Amy’s voice, and I feel as if she has so many fantastic stories to tell. That and she obviously gets the LoveMom ethos.

The following is not at all mom-related. Rather, it speaks to the reason that Amy writes in the first place: to save her life. I feel grateful that Amy was willing to share her incredibly personal story here. Without further ado…

From the day I could spell my last name (which was quite an accomplishment for a kindergartener—Gesenhues is a doozy), I was a writer.

I wrote poems about Holly Hobbie and pretended that I was Laura Ingalls Wilder.

I wrote diary entries about my heartbreak over Jeff Libs not loving me like I loved him. (Is there anything more crushing than unreturned grade school love? Oh right, high school breakups.)

I wrote short stories in college about bulimic 20-year-olds who suffered through tragedies of suicidal boyfriends and drug-addicted fathers.

And then, I got paid to write.

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Reason To Write: To Find My Voice

January 14, 2011 by 8 Comments

Lori Widmer: Writer and Editor Extraordinaire

In a continuation of Freelancedom’s Reason To Write series, I introduce to you veteran writer and editor Lori Widmer. I love her story because it reminds me of my own… the story of a young girl who barely spoke, yet found her voice in the writing of poetry. I’m sure many of you will be able to relate to it as well. Thanks, Lori, for sharing your story!

If you knew me, you’d be shocked to learn that I spent the first three decades of my life as a shy introvert who couldn’t seem to find a way into conversations. Until I was about 10, you probably wouldn’t remember a conversation with me at all. I wouldn’t talk. At home my parents wished to God I’d shut up, but once you got me in school, at a relative’s house, or even at the neighbor’s house next door, I would clam up. In school I wouldn’t talk above a whisper unless the teacher called on me because, in my pint-sized mind, I thought my voice sounded different, weird.  I was afraid of being heard.

Maybe that’s why I wrote when I was young. When we were 8 and 10 respectively, my sister and I had a “newspaper” we’d sell to the neighbors for five cents. The news consisted of battles we’d had with our brother, cats’ birthdays, and happenings in our little neighborhood (like someone getting a new bike).  We had a subscriber base of two — the next-door neighbor and my mother.

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I’m Hiring Bloggers For YourTango’s LoveMom Blog!

January 12, 2011 by 1 Comment

Most of you already know that I work part-time at YourTango, editing blog posts, putting together the daily newsletter, handling freelancer contracts and invoice, steering the company’s Twitter strategy, and acting as intern coordinator. (Yup! All that just three days a week!)

I also manage the site’s parenting blog: LoveMom. Not offering up your typical parenting advice, LoveMom instead presents personal narratives on how having children can affect our love relationships, and our sense of self.

At the moment, I have three regular bloggers. And I’m looking for more. If LoveMom sounds right up your writing alley — and if you think you could commit to writing one post a week — do e-mail me. I’d love to see some writing samples, and learn more about your parenting journey… your attempts to get preggers… your thoughts on moms in the news…

Want to familiarize yourself with LoveMom first? Here are some of my favorite posts (I’ve included many of my own because I am conceited):

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Filed Under: PSA, writing Tagged With: , , ,

Reason to Write: It Knocks Celebrities Off Their Pedestal

November 17, 2010 by 11 Comments

Jane Boursaw

Happily, Alisa’s post on her reason to write was so well-received that the pitches just started rolling in! I’m excited to present you with the next installment, from Jane Boursaw. Jane is a family entertainment writer specializing in movies, TV and celebrities. You can visit her at Film Gecko and Reel Life With Jane, and learn how to syndicate her family movie and TV columns in your own publication. Follow her on Twitter; become a friend on Facebook; or email her at jboursaw@charter.net. And if you want to write something for my Reason To Write series, contact me!

When Stephanie mentioned that she was starting a new column on Freelancedom called Reason to Write, a few things immediately sprang to mind for me. Sure, one of the main reasons I write is to get the scoop on what’s new and cool in the entertainment world and pass that along to my readers. But another reason I write involves knocking celebrities off their pedestals.

I don’t mean that in a bad way. Most of the celebrities I interview don’t even want to be put on a pedestal. They just want to do a great job with whatever project they’re working on. It’s our culture that puts them up on a pedestal, and I’ve not been immune to that way of thinking, especially living in the Midwest where I don’t encounter celebrities on a regular basis. You’d never see one shopping for toothpaste at Rite-Aid or sitting in the car next to you at the bank drive-through.

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Filed Under: reason to write, writing Tagged With: , , ,
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