Do You Really Want to Be a Freelance Writer?

 

(freeditigalphotos.net)

 Every few months or so, I receive an email from someone newly arrived to Paris (usually a mother with young kids) wanting to meet to discuss how to launch a career as a freelance writer.  While I am always happy to talk about such matters, more often than not, our conversations aren't really about how to start a freelance career. Instead, we wind up talking about the reality of being a freelance writer and whether it’s a career she truly wants to pursue.

I figure we can all save time if I posted here five essential questions you should ask yourself before taking on a freelance writing career.  That way, you can think about these issues on your own and determine whether you want to go forward.  If you still want to talk after reading this, email me!

1. Are you looking for a career or a job?  Consider whether you’re interested in having a career as a writer or simply would like to use writing as a means to earn a little extra cash (emphasis on the little).  If you’re an expat mom, I can see why the latter option appears tempting.  Freelance writing offers you a flexible schedule, you can work from home, and you don’t have to speak a foreign language to do it.  But to be honest, there are more efficient ways to make money.  Writing is often hard, time-consuming work and you rarely get paid the amount your time and effort is truly worth, especially at the beginning of your career.  It can be done as “just a job” but I wouldn’t bother with it if making money were my only motivation (which brings me to my next question….).

2. Is writing your passion?  Most writers don’t start a writing career because it’s convenient, and they certainly don’t do it for the money.  We write because it is a compulsion.  I cannot imagine a day passing without writing, even if it’s just longhand notes in my journal.  I can’t walk down the street without turning everything I see into a story.  To embark on a writing career, I think you must have that compulsion. There’s a lot of annoying crap to slog through as a writer and often you’ll have nothing but your urge to write to pull you through.

3. Can you handle rejection, criticism, ridicule or being ignored?   Rocky Balboa should be the role model of every freelance writer.  Rocky or the Energizer Bunny.  ‘Cause as a freelancer you’re going to face some kind of “negative” feedback (or no feedback) on a regular basis.  Even if makes you feel as if you’ve been hit by a truck, there’s nothing to do but pick yourself up, brush yourself off and keep slugging away.  You must have confidence in your writing ability and know how to keep perspective.  It’s not personal.

4. Can you afford to be a freelance writer?  Unless you get extremely lucky and find a regular gig straight off the bat, the money will come in waves.  You’ll probably have to suffer some very thin periods, particularly at the beginning.  For print magazine work, many magazines don’t pay until publication. This means that you won’t see a dime for your work until the article is published, which could be several months after you’ve written it.  Payment goes much faster in the online world.  Nonetheless, you constantly have to keep the wheel turning to keep money flowing.

5. Are you ready to run a business?  If you really want to make a career out of freelance writing, better start thinking of yourself as a small business owner right. now.  Because that’s what you are.  As a freelancer, you’re responsible for finding clients, maintain clients, marketing yourself, handling the accounting, researching ideas, selling ideas, interviewing experts, keeping abreast of current trends…and, oh yeah, writing. 

I’m not trying to turn anyone off of freelance writing – personally, I love it, warts and all.  But it’s not a career to stumble into.

Freelancers with additional opinions,feel free to chime in!

Finding local freelance clients

As an American living in France, I’m always translating. I walk down the street mumbling to myself in French, planning conversations way before I have them. When I need to call the plumber or go to the doctor, I thumb through a French-English dictionary first. And when I read a book on freelancing or the writing business, I translate the advice given to fit my expat life.

As I expand my freelance business to embrace copywriting I’m doing that last kind of translation more and more. For example, many freelance copywriting books advise you to start your business by contacting local clients. Now, of course, with the internet and social media, you don't really have to do that anymore, but it makes sense. With local clients you have the advantage of sitting down with them, seeing their operations first-hand and making a more vivid impression than clients you contact remotely.

Some books recommend finding prospective local clients by subscribing to a local business paper or magazine, or heading off to the library to peruse industry magazines and journals, or using online contact directories. But when you're an expat freelancer, these helpful items may not exist, or you can't get your hands on them, or they don't have contacts in your region.

So, how to tap into the local English-speaking market in your country? Here are a few ideas:

1. Join your local American Chamber of Commerce. The American Chamber of Commerce Abroad (called AmCham) is an organization affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The organization has 112 chapters in 102 countries and its purpose is to “advances the interests of Americans businesses overseas.” Members are composed of businesses and individuals with business interests, and there are plenty of social and networking opportunities. Get involved, find out who’s doing what and be ready to offer your services. (Americans in Paris - here's the link to our local AmCham).

2. Get involved in your Alumni Association. Both my undergraduate and law school have alumni chapters/networks here in Paris. Every month I get email notifying me of local events and parties. Check to see if your school has an association in your country. If not, find out from your alumni office if there are others grads in your area. Maybe it's time to start a chapter.

3. Plan a Tweet-up. For those unfamiliar with the term, a Tweet-Up is a tweet way (sorry!) of saying “Meet Up” for people who follow each other on Twitter. I met my first official copywriting client via Twitter - not because we followed each other, but because we attended a Tweet Up and happened to sit next to each other. Why not organize a tweet-up of people in your area so that you can meet, greet and network face-to-face?

4. Join a private organization. Churches, synagogues, parenting groups, entrepreneur groups, volunteer organizations are all great ways to meet other English-speakers and find out what’s going on in the Anglophone community – and possibly land a few clients.

Expats - How do you find freelance clients?

How to Be Your Own Client

image provided by freedigitalphotos.com

Has this ever happened to you?: You’re writing a piece for a client or editor and that piece is singing to you. Your mind is fizzing with fresh ideas; the words are flowing, smooth as milk. Every time you meet an obstacle, you battle it like a knight and leave its steaming carcass in your wake. You almost hate to let the piece go, you’ve enjoyed working on it so much, but it’s done, finished. You look it over, hit send, and off it goes to the client/editor.

Now it's time for your personal writing projects!

But your creative well has abruptly gone dry. Composing every sentence feels like pulling a live tooth. Each obstacle you meet looms big and scary and it whispers really mean things about ability as a writer and the pointlessness of your task. Your mind starts to wander. You start tweeting random stuff. But then – you remember that there’s another assignment you could be working on! One for a paying client! You quickly abandon your own project and start working on the other assignment. Amazingly, your energy is restored, the words are flowing, and every challenge you face, bested.

If that’s never happened to you – respect. But I’m sure there are more than a few people out there who know what I’m talking about. I had one of those days last week. But as I put away my own stalled project to be fruitful with someone else’s, I sighed: I wish I could be my own client.

Cue the thunderclap, light bulb, choir of angels or whatever imagery you prefer to use when you have a revelation. Suddenly, I realized that there was absolutely no reason why I couldn’t offer myself the same attention and creative power than people who pay me. I just had to figure out how. Here’s what I came up with:

1. Don’t just set goals – set a deadline.

Write down every task you need to do for your personal project: research, writing, interviews, etc. and then set a firm deadline for each one. I have never missed a deadline for a client/editor. The very idea makes me feel ill. Meeting deadlines is the bare minimum of professional conduct, right? Why, then, are we so willing to push off personal deadlines? If you want to be your own client, you need to start holding yourself to the same professional standards.

2. Keep the “big picture” in mind as you work.

When you’re working for someone else, it’s easy to keep the “big picture” in mind. The big picture is usually a paycheck. Or exposure. Or building a portfolio and what have you. Once you’ve done the work, you know immediately what you’ve gained. It’s not so easy to see the big picture when you’re working on a personal project. You know what you hope to gain, but you also know that it may be a long while before you reap the fruits of your labor. Find some way of keeping the big picture in front of you as you work. It may be as simple as putting a big Post-It note on your computer screen saying: “Fame & Fortune” if that’s what you seek. Or “Financial Independence.” Or “I’m Quitting My Day Job.” You could also find a picture that embodies whatever it is you aspire to through your personal writing and put that on your desk. Whatever method you choose, make sure it’s something physical and in plain view so it can constantly remind you of your ultimate goal.

3. Obtain feedback on your work.

The nice thing about working for people other than yourself is that you usually receive feedback on your work. Of course, it’s always lovely to get positive feedback, but sometimes even critical feedback is welcome. When working on personal projects, you often get no feedback at all. This can make you feel as if you’re working in total darkness, groping and feeling your way forward. And who wants to work like that? Get some feedback on your work. Form a writer’s group. Join a writer’s forum. Get out there and let another writer you trust to shine some light on your project.

4. Praise yourself when you’ve done a good job.

Of course there will be plenty of times when you know you’ve done a good job without anyone telling you. And when that happens, don’t be afraid to pat yourself on the back or publicly acknowledge the good work you’ve done. After all, you’re the client. And when you’ve made the client happy, you deserve to feel good.

What would you add to this list?

eBook Publishing or Traditional Publishing: How to Decide Which is Right for You

image by freeditigal photos.net

There comes a time in every modern writer’s life when she asks the question: should I write an eBook or go the traditional publishing route? I am now at that crossroads.

I have been working on a book project for the past few – okay, several – years. In all this time, I have never once considered self-publishing the book. I have put so much effort and research and thought into the project, I want the validation that comes with traditional publishing. I gotta see that book on the bookshelf of Barnes & Noble one day.

But recently, I came up with an idea for another non-fiction book that is barking and nipping at my heels all day long. It isn’t going to take years to research and write this book. It’s a good idea. I want to start writing it now, not just labor over a proposal and wait with fingers crossed someone else’s approval. But at the same time, I don’t want to be hasty. It would be a lovely little feather in my cap to have this book published via the traditional route. So what to do?

Here's how I made my decision - might be useful for you, too.

1. Make a good old-fashioned pro/con list. I provide below my thoughts on the general advantages and disadvantages of eBook publishing. It’s not an exhaustive list - you may come up with more items of your own.

Pros for eBook publishing	Cons for eBook publishing
Can start writing immediately while creative energy for the project is high Can publish and sell the book immediately when completed Author has total creative control over content, design, title, etc. Shorter publishing process. Production and distribution costs are low Retain all rights Receive a significantly larger share of any profits Potential for residual income	Most people don’t buy eBooks Topic may not be suitable for/popular in eBook format. Not as prestigious as print books with traditional publishers. Author responsible for 100% of marketing Can’t put the book on your shelf. No free editorial assistance May not earn a single penny

2. Assign a value to each item on the list. Using a scale of 1-10, I gave each item a numerical value with 10 being “very significant” and 1 being “not at all significant.” I liked this process very much as it gave me an opportunity to really examine my motivations. For this book, I am clearly motivated by having something wholly within my creative control as well as by the prospect of residual income. My final total was in favor of eBook publishing, 55 points to 43 points.

3. Listen to your gut. There’s still a little voice in me that says – go for it! Go for the traditional publisher! And wrapped up in that voice are fantasies of book signings, seeing my book on someone’s bookshelf, talking about the book on the Today Show…..

Whatever. That’s not my gut talking. It’s a few rogue cells in my brain who aren't taking into account my true objectives. When I take a look at that pro/con list with my assigned values, both my reason and my gut assures me that the eBook is the right way to go for this project. Plus, I kinda like the idea of all the new fantasies I can conjour: publishers begging me for the rights to my eBook, promising me vast sums, three-book deals, stays in luxury hotels…..

What have you decided for yourself: eBook or Traditional Publishing? Why?

Top 5 Online Research Sites

I miss lots of things about living in the U.S., but whenever I sit down to research an article, one thing I really miss is the libraries. I practically get misty-eyed thinking of libraries of my past: the majestic staircase and dusty stacks of Olin Library at Wesleyan University; the noble, marble lions, Patience and Fortitude, outside of the New York Public Library; the gilded ceilings of Library of Congress. I remember with special affection the tiny, musty Southwest Library in Washington, D.C, where as I kid, I came to scoop up my favorite friends (The Little Princess, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, A Wrinkle in Time) and bring them home for a visit.

It’s hard to get so worked up about online libraries.

I do work in brick-and-mortar libraries here in France sometimes. We expats in Paris are lucky to have the wonderful American Library in Paris as a resource. And French libraries have a surprisingly large number of English-language books available as well as a digital system that makes these books easy to find. But the vast bulk of the research I do takes place online.

Here are 5 of my favorite resources:

1. Project Gutenberg. I just love this site for doing historical research. The scent of old parchment practically emanates from it. This digital collection has some 34,000 texts, many dating as far back as the 16th century. As a bonus, if it doesn’t have the book you’re looking for, it provides links to other free libraries that might. Awesome.

2. FindArticles.com (BNET). This site is as close as an expat freelancer can get to browsing the magazine racks at Barnes & Noble. Here you’ll find back issues of some 900 magazines. The site’s not only great for research, but it’s good for checking out whether and when a magazine has covered a particular topic.

3. Google Books. Using Google Books makes me feel slightly dirty. I didn’t like the broad, careless way the company interpreted copyright laws when they initiated the project, and it creeps me out to think of how they could restrict access to information, if they so chose. But, damn it, the resource is so freakin’ useful. I’ve turned to it many times when I couldn’t find a particular book in the American Library of Paris, or didn’t have two hours to wander the mammoth halls of the Bibliotèque Nationale. The expat freelancer’s job would be a hundred times more frustrating without it. So I can’t help but recommend it. I mean: 7 million digitized books. Holy cow.

4. Questia. Questia is an online library that requires a subscription for access to most of its books. But a portion of their library, particularly academic journals and periodicals, are free. It has nowhere near the number of digitized books as Google Books (only 1.5 million), but unlike with Google books, you can read the entire text of the books offered.

5. The Internet Public Library. This site, created by a group of graduate students at the University of Michigan, is a new millennium concept of a library. It not only provides you with access to countless newspapers, books, magazines and articles from all over the US and abroad, but it offers features of a brick-and-mortar library. For example, it has a “Reading Room”, presents special exhibits, has an online librarian, and houses a variety of collections. I’ve found good information on this site and it’s extremely easy to navigate. The only downside is that it offers the same dangers as a “real” library: it’s easy to get sucked into fascinating rooms that you didn’t mean to be in. I love it.

What are your favorite online sites for research?

Developing an Annual Business Plan for your Writing

When I think about how little I knew about freelancing when I first started a few years ago, it takes my breath away. Amazing that I plunged head first into the business without every really thinking of it as a business! I thought – silly me – that being a freelance writer simply meant coming up with good ideas and writing about them well. I had no idea that being a freelance writer meant also being a salesperson, accountant, marketing expert, techie, researcher and more.

Well. Now I know better. Although ideas and good writing skills are definite prerequisites for becoming a freelance writer, having a directed plan for your career matters almost as much. A business plan isn’t just about writing down your goals. It’s about developing a strategy for a successful career. It’s about figuring out how to juggle all those hats you need to wear. It’s about knowing who you are as a writer and who you want to be. And when the year comes to a close, you’ll be able to look back and clearly track your successes and failures, and understand what tactics you need to keep, improve, or abandon.

So what does a writer’s business plan consist of? Here’s my take on it:

1. Mission Statement

Your plan should begin with a description of your mission as a writer. What kind of writer are you? Who are your clients and what kind of service are you providing to them? For example, if you’re a print or online magazine writer your mission statement may be: “To provide editors with a steady flow of original ideas and high-quality, well-researched articles that leave the reader with some new knowledge or insight.” If you’re a copywriter it may be: “To help my clients achieve their marketing objectives by providing clear, snappy, and informative copy.”

For those of us writers that have our fingers in several pies, from copywriting to blogging to ghostwriting, write a mission statement for each type of writing that you do. Having separate mission statements can help you transition your focus as you take off your magazine writing hat and put on your business writing hat. Finally, your mission statement should indicate the percentage of your business each type of writing should comprise.


2. Objectives

Record your annual and monthly goals. Yes, do your monthly goals – to the extent possible – right now! Don’t wait until the beginning of each month. Writing topics are often seasonal. In January, you might already need to be thinking of tax-related articles. In June, you might need to start thinking of Christmas. Also, as expat freelancers, we need to think about when we might be next in our homeland and how we can work that to our advantage.

Be moderate with your goals. I’m not saying don’t reach for the stars, but if you give yourself a overwhelming number of goals or set goals that aren’t practicable given the amount of time you have available, you’re bound to become quickly frustrated. Make sure that your goals are commensurate with the percentage of time you’ve allotted to each aspect of your business in your mission statement. If you’ve said that you want your copywriting work to comprise 50% of your business, but 70% of your goals relate to another form of writing, you probably need to re-evaluate your mission.

3. Strategy

The heart of your business plan should consist of a step-by-step strategy for each annual goal. These strategies should be comprehensive, but not so detailed that your ultimate goal becomes lost in a sea of tasks – aim for five to seven clear, actionable steps. Your strategy is where most of your non-writing duties come in: marketing, networking, research and so forth. As you draft your strategy, think about all the hats that you can – or should be – wearing to achieve your goals. Also, consider which ones can be delegated to others.

4. Financial Plan

Now comes the sweat-inducing part of the plan: figuring out how much you can reasonably expect to make a year. Your financial plan should follow the same model as your overall business plan: annual goal + strategy.

When setting your annual goal, be realistic. Pick a figure that is challenging but also feasible. Consider the type of writing you do, the rates you can charge, the likelihood of obtaining the work, and the amount of time you have available to work.

If you’re having trouble coming up with a realistic annual figure, try setting a monthly, weekly or even daily financial goal. This approach has a couple of advantages. First, it can make your annual goal seem less daunting. Second, it can help you to determine your strategy. By knowing how much you want to earn each week, you’ll also know the type of work you need to seek, how much to charge, and the particular publications or clients you should to target to meet this goal. For example, if your goal is to make $500 a week, you’ll know that you’d have to write 10 articles worth at least $50 a piece, write 5 press releases at $100 a pop, or find some other combination that works. If you find that you’re not anywhere near meeting your goal of $500 a week, you need to make some changes to your rates, your clients, or to the goal itself.

***

Of course, there’s no single way to create a business plan that works. What does your elements does your business plan contain?

Are you being bold enough in your freelance career?

So busy was I last month, that I forgot to link my post:"Cultivating Boldness: How to Be a Bold Freelancer" on FreelanceSwitch.com. Check it out!

Key Elements of a Freelance Writer's Business Card

Last Saturday, I sat down to accomplish what I thought would be a simple and straightforward task: picking my business card. But instead of taking the one or two hours I thought it would, I agonized about it all weekend, dragging friends and my husband to peer at my designs; even, in a desperate moment, trying to get my preschooler to weigh in. In the end, I’m satisfied with the design and format I chose, but I can’t stop thinking about it.

What are the elements of a good business card for a freelance writer? Your name should be on it, of course, along with your email address, website address and telephone number. But beyond that? There are worlds of opinions. Most freelancers agree that today’s business card should be creative,. Forget about those standard white cards with your name, title and coordinates -- bright colors, patterns and designs are the way to go these days, as are cards with vertical orientation. After that, consensus goes awry. Here are some of the issues.

1. Your title. What should a freelance writer call his or herself? “Writer” isn’t specific enough, as it doesn’t tell people what kind of writing you do. For some, “freelance writer” is acceptable, but others say that it’s still not detailed enough – you need to say “business writer” or “travel writer” and so on. And if you’re an editor or proofreader in addition to writer? You need to have that on there too.

My take: If you can be specific as “travel writer” and “business writer” and those are the only markets you’re targeting, then go for it. But if you’re like me and can’t, or don’t, want to define yourself so narrowly, I say stick with “Freelance Writer” or “Writer & Editor” and so forth. There are other areas on your card to indicate what your business is about.

2. A description of services. Some writers swear that it is essential to list your areas of specialization on your card. For example, on the back of your card you might have a bullet point list noting that you specialize in press releases, brochures, white papers and other marketing materials.

My take: It’s a fine idea but it carries the risk of cluttering your card. My eyes glazed over at some of the examples I saw. The business cards were so crowded with information that I could barely find the name of the person whose card it was. In my view, the card should just be an initial enticement to get potential clients to look at your site. It doesn’t have to be a mini-version of your site.

3. A tagline. Many writers add a short text summing up their abilities or the service they offer.

My take: Again, it’s a great idea, if you have a gripping tagline. If you have a hum-drum tag, you might as well have none. But a really good tagline can make people sit up and take notice. One of the best taglines I've come across was that of freelance writer Susan Johnston, author of the Urban Muse blog. Her tag? Clear. Creative. Compelling. I loved that. Those three words gave me a nice little preview of Susan Johnston’s style and what she could offer a client. Of course, it completely ruined me for coming up with a brilliant tagline of my own. I kept thinking: “I know! Clear…Creative…oh, wait.” Rather than forcing the issue, I opted to go tag-less, for now. Business cards are fairly inexpensive. If a dazzling line comes to me, then I’ll simply order new ones.


4. Your address. For privacy reasons, some freelancers don’t put their address on their business cards, giving only email, phone numbers and the like. Others give only city and state (and country).

My take: I suppose it could be risky – but, for heaven’s sake, these days just giving your name to someone enables them to find out all kinds of personal information about you. Since I’m marketing my services internationally, I felt that having an address grounded my business…and explained why my telephone number is a foreign one. I could be persuaded of the folly of this.

There are countless other issues to consider: should you include a Twitter handle? Your Skype phone number? A photo of yourself? A logo? The list goes on…

Personally, I feel that less is more. As writers, it’s important to know how to deliver effective messages concisely – and our business cards should reflect that. If your budget allows, get a second business card that offers a slightly different slant, so that you don’t have to cover all your bases in one shot.

In the end, I don't know if my business card is perfect, but I do know this: having a less-than-perfect business card is better than having no card at all. If you don't yet have a business card, check out the following printing sites:

Vista Print – This site offers free business cards – you only pay for shipping. It must be popular with many freelance writers as several blogs that I've read mention it.

Zazzle – I ordered my cards at this site. I really liked that you can customize your own design. The cards haven’t been delivered yet, so I can’t speak to their quality.

What do you think a freelance writer’s business card should include?

5 Mistakes Every Freelance Writer Should Avoid

Yes, yes...shame on me for not posting in so long. But be happy for me! Silence on the blog generally means that I've had lots of paying work to keep me busy. It's sad that the blog falls by the wayside during busy stretches, but hey - something's gotta give. And now that I'm entering a "famine" period, I have time to share with you some of the stuff that I've learned.

I've noticed recently that pretty much every freelance blog has an article titled something like: "5 Mistakes Freelance Writers Make" so I thought I'd go ahead and throw in my 2 centimes.

1. Failing to follow-up on queries, promising leads, etc. Always, always, always follow-up on queries that you've sent or any leads you've gotten. About 50% of the magazine work I've snagged has come from following-up on original queries that went unanswered. Most of the time, the editor has actually thanked me for sending a follow-up, saying that s/he was interested but lost track of the query, the time, etc. You may be letting potential work slip through your fingers if you don't follow up, so make sure that you do! Even if you get a rejection on the follow-up, you can take advantage of the contact by quickly throwing more ideas in the editor's path while your name is still fresh in his or her mind.

2. Being a Perfectionist. It sounds like a great answer to that classic job interview question "What is your greatest weakness?" but striving for perfection can hurt as much as it can help. It can make you less efficient, promotes procrastination, and keeps you from advancing. I am a recovering perfectionist. I used to spend weeks on a single query letter. I'd interview and sometimes even re-interview potential sources to find the perfect quote to include in the pitch. Or I would spend days and days immersing myself in background research, as if an editor was going to give me a pop quiz on the subject. And then, of course, I would write the query letter over and over, looking at it from every conceivable angle, until I felt assured of its brillance and perfection. But none of this saved me from receiving rejections and it wasted a lot of time.

These days, I avoid the trappings of perfectionism by setting a reasonable estimated time for completion of a project. If I find myself taking too long on a task, I step back and make an honest assessment of whether the extra time is justified. If not, I force myself to move on. Since becoming less of a perfectionist, my productivity has improved immensely --and I don't think the quality my work has suffered at all.

3. Failing to fully understand the terms of service and publication. Always make sure that you understand everything that is required of you and the circumstances of publication before starting to write. When is the article due? How many words should it be? What rights are you retaining? When will it be published? When will you be paid? Is there a kill fee? Does the editor expect you to provide photographs? All of this information should be clear - and in writing - before you lift a pen (or move your mouse).

4. Failing to Diversify. It's nice to have steady work with a client that always pays on-time. But it doesn't pay to get too comfortable with the gig, no matter how reliable it seems. What will you do if your client's business folds or no longer needs you? A freelance writer should always be looking for the next (or another) gig. It's exhausting, but it's the trade-off for being able to work in our pajamas. And this leads me to my final point....

5. Failing to Have a Plan for Your Career. You know, I thought I had a plan for my freelance career. But after having read the very excellent book, "The Wealthy Freelancer"
I have come to realize that all I really have is a bunch of goals. Naturally, having clear, written short-term and long-terms goals for your writing is essential, but it's not necessarily the same thing as having a plan. Goals tell you where you want to go; plans tell you how to get there. Freelancing is a business and without a proper business plan, you may find yourself career stalled.

Happy Writing!

The Only Book I Feel Like Reading

Man, it’s been forever since I updated, but September was a crazy month. My three-year old started school, my husband was all over the world, I had lots of freelancing work to do (yay!), and I had to adjust (am still adjusting) to a completely different work schedule.

Perhaps because September was so stressful, I experienced a sensation that I have only felt once or twice before in my life: I didn’t feel like reading.

For those who know me, this is a huge deal – perhaps even unthinkable. I’m someone who won’t buy a purse, no matter how fashionable, if I can’t fit a small paperback into it. I panic if I go on holiday and I think I haven’t brought along enough books. My husband says, not entirely with admiration, that I’m addicted to books.

I’m beginning to think he’s right because even though I didn’t feel like reading last month, I still craved it. I didn’t want to but I had to read. It was weird. I would climb into bed at night, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep, but instead of punching my pillow and turning the lights off, I’d find myself looking through the books on my nightstand (which is actually a full-sized bookcase), feeling distressed because absolutely nothing appealed to me and yet I knew I needed something.

The book that finally appeased my soul was this: Harry Potter. Any of ‘em. All of ‘em. (Well, except the last).

Why Harry Potter? After giving it some thought, here’s what I figured out: the reason I didn’t feel like reading was because reading had become work. I couldn’t read a magazine without thinking of topics that I might pitch. I couldn’t read a non-fiction book without thinking about my own non-fiction WIP that so desperately needs my attention. I couldn’t read a fiction book without analyzing sentence structure, character development, the author’s word choice, or fretting about when I will ever have time for fiction again.

But when reading Harry Potter, all of that fell away. Not only is Harry Potter’s world a wonderful place in which to spend time, the JK Rowling story is one that warms the heart of any writer. I’m sure you know the tale: a depressed single-mom, down on her luck, comes up with an idea about a boy wizard while stuck on a train, writes the book, is rejected 12 times, but eventually finds and publisher and goes on to become the first writer billionaire. I love it! Reading the books with this in mind, all I felt was pleasure and inspiration. Just the thing a tired mom needs.

October is shaping up to be just as busy as September and I’m probably going to finish re-re-re-reading the Harry Potter series in the next week or so. Does anyone have another suggestion for a good book to read when you really don’t feel like reading?

It's not for myself that I'm asking. It's for a....friend.