About Me
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
“Writing is a solitary job--that is, no one can help you with it, but there's nothing lonely about it. I have always been too busy, too immersed in what I was doing, either mad at it or laughing at it to have time to wonder whether I was lonely or not lonely. It's simply solitary. I think there is a difference between loneliness and solitude.”
― William Faulkner
When you write, it is almost always alone. You may be bodily
sharing space with other human beings,
but locked inside your own mind is where the magic happens. This can be
tough for some people. It may feel lonely. I get that sometimes. Not when I am
actually producing, as Faulkner points out, but more between projects, or just
on those days when the words have to be dragged out, instead of flowing easily.
If this is you, there are things you can do to build a “team”
of sorts, even in the solitary business of freelancing. There are others out
there who also need someone to share their journey with, and they will be happy
to come along for the ride, just be sure you are willing to provide value to
them in exchange for their company.
Find an Editor
This may be a professional, if you are at that stage in your
career, but it doesn't have to be. You may want someone to read every single
post you write, or you may only need them for the “important” stuff that you
are unsure of, or feel could have an impact.
Here are some qualities to look for in an editor.
•
Give honest feedback, you need someone with an
opinion, who “gets” you
•
Excellent grammar skills. I need a comma Nazi
personally, and I am looking for someone
•
Understands writing well enough to not just point
out weaknesses, but suggest improvements
If you are paying this person, be sure you have the resources
to pay their standard rate. Don't ask people to work at a discount, or for free
until you have enough success to pay later, that may never happen.
Start a Support Group
You can find, or start a writer's, or creative workers
support group. Look on Craigslist in your area, or check out Meetups to find
likely groups to be part of, or to put out the word for your own group. You can
share your writing, talk about technique, and encourage each other.
Here are some things to keep in mind when starting, or
contributing to a group.
•
Commit. If you say you are going to be there, be
there. Others will count on you as much as you do them.
•
Contribute. You probably looked for a group
because you wanted people to share with, now is not the time be shy. Be an
active part of the group.
•
Honor other's boundaries and set your own. There
are some things that are better not shared with a group.
This can be a huge source of support and creative
inspiration, if you work it. Make sure you don't get involved, unless you are
really willing to be a part of a group. I cannot stress this enough. Think of
what you would want from group member and be willing to give it before joining
up.
Work Outside the House
You may need the privacy of your mind, but in many cases, you
can still get out and work around other people from time to time. Laptops are
easily portable and most coffee shops have wi-fi. Or, if you are like me, choose
one that doesn't so you won't be distracted.
There are also places that offer common work space on certain
days of the week for freelancers. Again, Craigslist and Meetup might be good
sources for local information.
•
Choose a place that has an environment that
works for you. Don't expect other people to change their habits to suit you.
•
If you are going to a business, such as a cafe,
or coffee shop, buy something. They are used to people taking tables for long
periods, but not for free, that is rude.
•
If all else fails, most public libraries have
desks for writing, and lots of research materials at your fingertips.
It is important to stay in touch with the outside world.
After all, you are expecting them to read and love your work, and knowing who
“they” are can't hurt. New experiences are also necessary to fil up your own
inspiration, so go for it!
Take Time Off on Purpose
It's easy to think that the more time you spend writing, the
more success you will have, and this is
true, up to a point. But, unless you intend to be a hermit, remember
that you probably wanted to do this job, at least in part, to have freedom for
other things.
You need to intentionally develop outside interests, so that
home does not become so comfortable that you develop an unhealthy attachment to
it.
•
Start a hobby, especially one that involves
other people. Join a sports team, or a club of some sort.
•
Get a part time job working with people. It will
give your brain a break, and put a little additional money in your pocket that
is not dependent on writing. I build things for people.
•
Go to church, or synagogue, or whatever works
for you. Seeking out others who share your spiritual beliefs can be a strong
factor in staying content.
Try a few of these things, or share your own in the comments
below. We can all use ways to stay connected. It is good for us, it is good for
our art, and we have a lot of great stuff to contribute to the world at large.
You know you're smart and have great ideas, so don't deprive the world of your genius.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
As a writer, it often seems that we are so limited in what
we can say well. When you search for topics, especially topics you can make
money with, it can be hard to find something that is a good fit.
The eminent poet,
Howard Nemerov is quoted as saying, “Write what you know, that should leave you
a lot of free time.”
This bit of advice gets tossed out a lot and most of the
time it is made fun of. Surface thinkers often say it’s stupid, because then
you couldn’t possibly write fiction. Other say it’s impractical because it
would leave out writing about a topic from research, but for me, it has a bit
of a deeper meaning.
It is the ultimate
writer’s version of Oscar Wilde’s oft quoted sentiment, “Be yourself, everyone
else is already taken. “ Or
Shakespeare’s words in Hamlet, “To thine own self be true.”
This is something all
writers should know!
Even as a ghost writer trying to capture someone else’s
“voice” on the page, we are at our most powerful when the truth that lies
within us rises to the surface and bleeds out into our work. Here is how I
would phrase it, to make it a little more accessible, “Write from your
passion.”
Write what makes you
tick, or feel, or think a little deeper. Don’t try to make everyone happy by
writing what you think they want to hear. Tell me what you think is important.
Get it out there. Your voice is just as important as every other. It can be
more so if you take the time to develop your perspective and hone what that
means to a sharp edge.
Let me share a
personal story with you.
Last night, I spent some time with one of my four sons (yeah, I have
four daughters too, crazy, right?) anyway, we used to own a theatre training
studio where we produced Broadway musicals with young actors and this son was
so passionate about what we did. We had to close it down five years ago, but my
youngest brother opened a similar one in a suburb on the other side of Oklahoma
City, where we live.
Gideon, my fourteen year old son, got invited to fill in as part of the
chorus for their production of West Side Story and it was his first real
musical in about five years. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him perform again.
Afterwards, we did something I have missed for all these years, we went
out with the young cast and some of their parents to an IHOP. If you have ever
been a drama kid, going out like this after the last performance of a show is
probably something you recognize and treasure. I didn’t realize how much I had
missed it.
Anyway, there was this mom there talking to me, who had been stage
manager of the production. She was talking about how when she was in high
school she had been in competitive drama and had done okay, but in several
years of competition had never brought home the big prize.
So, the teacher asked them all to do an original 8 to 10 minute oratory
as a class assignment. She presented hers and it was so good that the teacher
insisted she enter it in competition. She didn’t feel that was her strong suit,
so she resisted, but others added their encouragement and she eventually
entered the piece. It won state.
So, why did this happen? She was at a loss, until I asked, “What was
your topic?”
She got quiet, looked down at the table and almost whispered,
“Poverty.”
Even 20 years later I did not have to ask if this had personal meaning
to her, it was evident it did. I suggested that this hidden passion was what
had sparked her winning performance. It was, she admitted and she had never
thought about it like that.
She was true to
herself!
She had written what she knew. She had tapped into who she
was at her core and shared a piece of it and the result was something she
couldn’t produce until she did it! That is so key in the life of a writer!
So, how does that play out in a writer’s daily life. Well, I
cannot speak for you, but for myself, it works like this.
·
I have to find some connection to a piece of
work to even accept it. I will write about topics I was not originally
interested in, but not often.
·
I connect research information using facts I
already know to better understand new topics. So many things in life are
analogous. Learning to do this is a great tool.
·
Most of my lead ins come from my thoughts on the
topic, correlating some quote, or some observation that I think I have in
common with my reader into the introduction.
·
I try to get inside the head of the person who
is reading the piece. What do they want to know? So, I go learn that, and then
share it! (this comes easy for me, it is an acting technique in preparing
roles.)
These are just a few of the ways that I use this everyday.
But, what if you are not as awesome as me? Trust me. I am not that awesome.
Just ask my kids. Well, initially they would say I was, of course, but then you
would find out what a nerd I am and that I am a slop, that I like to put things
off to the last second, and that I get bored easily. All of which plays against
me to an extent. But, it can also all be used.
So, how do you find
things that you can use in your writing that are “true” for you?
If this post is not an example of that, I don’t what I could
say to demonstrate how this is done. Use your life experience. So, you never
lost the love of your life? You have experienced loss before. It’s very much
the same thing, now, apply that experience. You’ve never been rich. Maybe not, but
you have had at least one day where you could have what you wanted and didn’t
feel limited right? Use that experience.
Just as in acting you don’t have to have been a criminal
mastermind to understand the desire to control things to your advantage, or to
have power over someone who makes you feel powerless, in writing, you don’t
have to be the president to know what it is to have job pressures and
responsibilities.
Use your imagination
to fill in the gaps.
Readers are not asking you to tell them what it feels like
to be someone else. They are asking you to help them understand it. They want
to know what a thing feels like in the human experience, not always, were you
there?
Another example of this is with the current political
discourse in our country. For those who feel our system of policing lacks
something ( like me) or that many young patriots lives are lost to causes that
are more commercial than altruistic, the
idea that if you have not been a soldier, or police officer, you have no valid
opinion, is a common one.
I don’t have to be
one to know what I think it should be!
While it is true, I
have never had to hold a weapon and make choices about another person’s
continued existence, I know what I want my country and my community to be. I
can see where the police departments actions and the military’s policies line
up with that, and where I feel they are lacking.
Here’s an example. I am a carpenter by trade.
If I come to your home and hang your front door upside down, you don’t need to
know how to hang a door to look and see that something is very wrong with my
work. My mistakes are evident!
So, you don’t have to have hands on experience to comment on
things in your writing. We all have a great deal of understanding about how the
world works and when it doesn’t. We are all capable of seeing mistakes that
have huge consequences and outlining what we see as the problem.
·
Being able to write about something from an
outside perspective, without day to day knowledge of the inner workings is a
skill you can develop and you can have a valid opinion on topics just by
educating yourself.
·
By relating things you see to things you have
experienced, you can build a bridge to understanding what another person goes
through on some level.
·
You should also be careful of letting that turn
into a critique that goes beyond your ability to state your opinion and steps
into telling someone else what their specific actions or responses should have
been.
Write what you know!
You may not think this is a lot. You may be young and
lacking in experience. You may feel your opinion isn’t valid. You may even
think that no one will read what you write.
You are so much more capable than you know. I don’t care who
you are. You have experienced thousands of days from a unique perspective. You
have learned to do so many things that I cannot even begin to do. Really.
That’s where you start. It’s not, “Learn everything before you start writing.”
It is “write what you know”. Write what you know already. Start from there.
Write what you feel, or think, those are things only you can know! Write what
you learn. Write what comes to mind when you
empathize with your audience. Write awesome stuff and you will never
have a lack of readers once you find your audience.
Trust me on this,
there is someone out there that will share your perspective, or appreciate
being challenged by it. There is. There are likely a lot of them. The desire to
share your voice is enough to indicate you should do it. Do it the best you
can. I bet you will be surprised by how much you know!
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Freelance writers often ask me questions about my rates. I
laugh and tell them they get to set their own rates, and not to depend on me to
set a value on their time. Most of them don't think that's funny and go away
frustrated, so, I thought I would take a minute to tell you exactly how I
calculate what work is worth to me.
Start From Your Cost of Living
Add it up. The groceries, the car insurance, the light bill,
the taxes, the business expenses, everything. Now add 5% cushion for lean
times, which will come. This is your base level needs assessment total. This is
what it takes to simply maintain the life you now lead, without any
improvements. It's also known as a good place to start.
•
Add on for vacations, gifts, and any other
expenses you might reasonably encounter along the way.
•
Put in 15 to 20% for retirement savings.
•
Allow yourself some room to grow, say, 10%.
The number you get from this, should be your goal, at least
for now. Let's take a look at what you do with this from here. There are
several options for pricing, and each of them is calculated slightly
differently.
Hourly Rate
I rarely, in fact never, do write for an hourly rate. It is
just too hard to justify and, frankly, I am too fast. My rate would be
astronomical on paper. It is, however, the safest way to get good value from a
client. It's a guarantee of a certain
price for your time spent on their work. To set your hourly rate, follow one of
the following formulas. You can do this for either the survive, or thrive
budget numbers mentioned above.
•
Divide your survival budget number by 50,
allowing for at least two weeks of vacation time. Then divide by 40 hours in a
week. Add 15% for time spent marketing, negotiating and record keeping, etc.
This is your base hourly rate, the minimum you can work for without slowly
going broke.
•
Divide your thrive budget number the same way,
this is the number you are shooting for.
•
You can also decide to work by more or fewer
hours. You really can decide how much you want to work. To get this to work
out, make your last division by the number of hours you want to work in one
week.
•
Calculate how much you need by the hour, whether
you will charge this way, or not, it will be the basis for the other two
methods.
Here is a little secret. The higher your rate, the less
work you have to do. Let it sink in. The higher the rate, the fewer the
customers you have to find, woo, land, and keep happy. The higher the rate, the
less research, typing, editing, re-editing, and emailing you have to do. Which
is easier, find five ten dollar an hour customers, or one fifty dollar an hour
customer?
Look at the numbers. It would have to be five times harder
to find a fifty dollar an hour customer to make the ten dollar an hour customer
make sense. It isn't. If it takes you one day to find a ten dollar customer,
you could spend up to five days finding the fifty an hour customer and still
get ahead on the first job!
Charging by the Word
This one will be a little trickier to calculate for the
beginner. You don't know what you are capable of yet. You don't know how long
it takes to write a blog post, or a brochure, etc. You need to know this in
order to set your rate this way. But once you have fifty or more projects under
your belt, you should have a pretty good idea, then this becomes an excellent
way to price.
1.
Calculate how many words are in the project. An
average blog post is 350 to 500 words. An average page of book type is between
280 and 320. Be sure to account for
every single piece, even the fifty word landing page, etc.
2.
Keep a running tally of how many words you can
reasonably write in an hour. For me, this varies based on the type of content
and how heavily I believe it will be reviewed, in other words, how likely are
they to ask for revisions if I don't make it perfect the first time?
3.
Divide your desired hourly rate by the number of
words you will produce in an hour. This gives you a minimum place to start. For
example, if you write a thousand words an hour, and you want to make $50 an
hour, you need to charge at least 5 cents per word.
4.
Add 20% for all the other stuff that goes into
it, for 6 cents per word. ( If you want to work that cheap, contact me, if you
are any good I may have some work for you, LOL)
Charging by the word is a good way to go if you are doing a
lot of little projects, or some ongoing work for one client. It maintains
consistency. They know what to expect their cost to be, and they can plan
accordingly. This is the model most likely to get you add-on work. Since they
can calculate the cost themselves it is easy for them to add a few more pieces.
*Tip: be prepared to defend your word count! In other
words, write tight! Some frugal business people will try to squeeze you on this
rate, “You could have said all that in a hundred words, and it's 150, I think
we need to edit that down before I can accept it.” Write your agreement to
include a page/word count and make them stick to it. In fact,always
over-deliver by giving them about 5% more than agreed upon to make it feel like
a deal.
Charging by the Job
This is my personal
preferred favorite method of pricing. It gives clear expectations on both
sides. The client knows exactly what their cost will be, and you already know
exactly how much your paypal account will grow by.
•
Start from your hourly rate. This is usually the
baseline for every pricing structure since it is the easiest thing to quantify.
•
You can also start from your word rate, if you
know how many words the project will be.
•
Figure up about how long the project should
take. Don't forget to add in for research, editing and rewrites. Factor in any
other prep, or delivery costs and times.
•
Multiply the project length in hours by your
hourly rate, and add 10 to 15%. You will almost always underestimate time,
especially in the beginning.
•
If you started from a per word rate, multiply
that times the length of the project, plus 10 to 15%.
This is the easiest pricing structure to get advances on.
There is a set price and getting half up front is perfectly reasonable. With
the other two structures, that can be tricky, unless you have agreed to
complete a specific number of words, or limited yourself to a set number of
hours.
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