Today is a major deadline day for the publishing project, a culmination of days of reading government policy documents, planning and locating writers of educational material who can work to seriously tight deadlines. Which is why I have been so quiet here on the site - to be honest, the only writing I did since I last posted here was emails. Lots and lots of them. But not a single article or blog post. My apologies for leaving you high and dry.
So I've scheduled a number of post that can be published at a click of a button when things get sticky.Some of them are old posts that still have relevance today. As you know, I've been here since January 2006, so I have over 1000 posts here.
Anyhoo, today I wanted to share with you 21 Things I Learnt Since I Began Working From Home. The article was initially published in November 2008. Those lessons still apply to me today.
BTW, Pam is back from the US, where she enjoyed her time with her family. So she'll also do her part to continue our conversation here.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
I was 11 years old when I ran away from home
As today is National Youth Day, I'm going to share a story from my own childhood. I was 11 years old when I ran away from home. I can’t even remember what the fight with my mother was about. All I remember is that I decided to move to my Aunt’s house, some 200 kilometres away.
From the beginning, I knew money for the trip would be a problem, but I had a plan: my friend Rahab’s family owned a shebeen and she had access to the cash as people paid for the beer. I was sure she wouldn’t mind giving me some of the money to pay for the trip (God knows why!).
Secondly, it was afternoon when I decided to run away from home. Rahab lived about 7 kilometres from my house – a very long walk. There was no way I could start on the long trip that day.
There again, the fact that Rahab’s house was a shebeen came in handy. The whole family was used to having strangers in the house, so who would notice one extra person spending the night? I packed some clothes, wrote my goodbye note explaining that I was going to live with my aunt, and left.
I didn’t walk far before I bumped into one of my uncles. He operated a taxi service on the route I was walking. He must have suspected that something was wrong, because he stopped and asked me where I was going.
“I’m running away from home to live with my Aunt in Heidelberg,” I said, then explained my plan to spend the night at a friend’s house.
“Sounds like a good plan. I don’t have passengers for now, so I can drop you off at Rahab’s house,” he said.
Thinking about it today, I realize how naïve I was to be grateful for his help. I didn't even think about the fact that an adult person in my family would know where I went and could make sure that my parents could come get me.
Sadly, while Rahab was happy to see me, she couldn’t give me the money that I needed to travel. She also couldn’t give me supper, because we couldn’t tell her mother that I was in the house. I was afraid that as a grown-up, she would feel obliged to take me back home.
The worst thing, though, was that their liquor business was open until dawn, and once the customers started getting drunk, they spoke loudly, sang, argued and generally made a lot of noise. By morning, I was exhausted, hungry and didn’t even mind when my father’s car pulled outside Rahab’s house.
“It’s time to go home now,” he said.
My father and I did not speak about my aborted try for independence on the way home. We talked about school, my friends, things I like doing, even books, but not about the fact that I ran away, spent the night at a friend's house and he was dragging me home. My mother, who rarely let any wrongdoing slide, was in the kitchen when I arrived home. She served my siblings and I breakfast, and afterwards, I just slid into our Saturday morning routine of cleaning the house, doing the laundry and then relaxing outside in the garden.
Life went back to normal (with the usual conflict between kid and parents) and we never spoke about the fact that I tried to leave. I'm not sure if they were afraid to raise the subject – in case it escalated into another shouting match and I decided to run away again or they decided that a night away at a shebeen, and seeing how other kids lived, would teach me to appreciate my own very normal/placid life. Or maybe they decided that since I demonstrated how well I could botch a runway attempt, they didn't have to worry about future attempts, which could be just as bad. As for me, a night at a shebeen was so traumatic for my over-protected self that I didn’t dare repeat it again.
But these days, when I see street kids who clearly managed to successfully run away from home, I sometimes thank God that I was an inept runaway. I realise that some of the kids run away because home is worse than the streets, but sometimes I also wonder if any of these cases are similar to mine, in that they ran away over a situation that could have been resolved. Only they got lucky (or unlucky) and no one stopped them and they managed to get to where they wanted to go, only to find that the situation there is worse than home.
Question: How do you feel when you see street children, looking tired, filthy, and begging at the robots or street corners?
From the beginning, I knew money for the trip would be a problem, but I had a plan: my friend Rahab’s family owned a shebeen and she had access to the cash as people paid for the beer. I was sure she wouldn’t mind giving me some of the money to pay for the trip (God knows why!).
Secondly, it was afternoon when I decided to run away from home. Rahab lived about 7 kilometres from my house – a very long walk. There was no way I could start on the long trip that day.
There again, the fact that Rahab’s house was a shebeen came in handy. The whole family was used to having strangers in the house, so who would notice one extra person spending the night? I packed some clothes, wrote my goodbye note explaining that I was going to live with my aunt, and left.
I didn’t walk far before I bumped into one of my uncles. He operated a taxi service on the route I was walking. He must have suspected that something was wrong, because he stopped and asked me where I was going.
“I’m running away from home to live with my Aunt in Heidelberg,” I said, then explained my plan to spend the night at a friend’s house.
“Sounds like a good plan. I don’t have passengers for now, so I can drop you off at Rahab’s house,” he said.
Thinking about it today, I realize how naïve I was to be grateful for his help. I didn't even think about the fact that an adult person in my family would know where I went and could make sure that my parents could come get me.
Sadly, while Rahab was happy to see me, she couldn’t give me the money that I needed to travel. She also couldn’t give me supper, because we couldn’t tell her mother that I was in the house. I was afraid that as a grown-up, she would feel obliged to take me back home.
The worst thing, though, was that their liquor business was open until dawn, and once the customers started getting drunk, they spoke loudly, sang, argued and generally made a lot of noise. By morning, I was exhausted, hungry and didn’t even mind when my father’s car pulled outside Rahab’s house.
“It’s time to go home now,” he said.
My father and I did not speak about my aborted try for independence on the way home. We talked about school, my friends, things I like doing, even books, but not about the fact that I ran away, spent the night at a friend's house and he was dragging me home. My mother, who rarely let any wrongdoing slide, was in the kitchen when I arrived home. She served my siblings and I breakfast, and afterwards, I just slid into our Saturday morning routine of cleaning the house, doing the laundry and then relaxing outside in the garden.
Life went back to normal (with the usual conflict between kid and parents) and we never spoke about the fact that I tried to leave. I'm not sure if they were afraid to raise the subject – in case it escalated into another shouting match and I decided to run away again or they decided that a night away at a shebeen, and seeing how other kids lived, would teach me to appreciate my own very normal/placid life. Or maybe they decided that since I demonstrated how well I could botch a runway attempt, they didn't have to worry about future attempts, which could be just as bad. As for me, a night at a shebeen was so traumatic for my over-protected self that I didn’t dare repeat it again.
But these days, when I see street kids who clearly managed to successfully run away from home, I sometimes thank God that I was an inept runaway. I realise that some of the kids run away because home is worse than the streets, but sometimes I also wonder if any of these cases are similar to mine, in that they ran away over a situation that could have been resolved. Only they got lucky (or unlucky) and no one stopped them and they managed to get to where they wanted to go, only to find that the situation there is worse than home.
Question: How do you feel when you see street children, looking tired, filthy, and begging at the robots or street corners?
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Fun Exploring Online
By Pamela Moeng
I had lots of fun the other evening searching for helpful professional development sites online for writers. There is a wealth of information out there and I was delighted to go exploring.
I always loved reading Carol Lazar's work in The Star here in Joburg. When I wasn't laughing at her humour column, I was envying her paid-for-by-the-sponsor travel writing. My partner says gleefully that he'd gladly accompany me to exotic destinations if I crack a travel writing gig. Damaria and I will post a link to a travel writers' ezine that I discovered, and which has given me a terminal case of wanderlust.
An interview with Jeremy Mansfield and his wife in a weekend paper gave me a lightbulb moment. Neither of them is a professional chef but their first cook book sold 65,000 copies in SA - no small feat! Passion for the subject was the key.
All my cyber wanderings gave me courage and hope that sooner rather than later the day job will be history and the ideas on the boil now are the key.
I had lots of fun the other evening searching for helpful professional development sites online for writers. There is a wealth of information out there and I was delighted to go exploring.
I always loved reading Carol Lazar's work in The Star here in Joburg. When I wasn't laughing at her humour column, I was envying her paid-for-by-the-sponsor travel writing. My partner says gleefully that he'd gladly accompany me to exotic destinations if I crack a travel writing gig. Damaria and I will post a link to a travel writers' ezine that I discovered, and which has given me a terminal case of wanderlust.
An interview with Jeremy Mansfield and his wife in a weekend paper gave me a lightbulb moment. Neither of them is a professional chef but their first cook book sold 65,000 copies in SA - no small feat! Passion for the subject was the key.
All my cyber wanderings gave me courage and hope that sooner rather than later the day job will be history and the ideas on the boil now are the key.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Are You Taking Part In Short Story Day South?
Tiah gave me a heads-up about Short Story Day South, a "celebration of prose’s short-yet-perfectly-crafted form."
According to the organisers, "Short Story Day South is a participation driven initiative and will culminate of a series of events all over Southern Africa, offering a variety of stories, old and new, to be read, listened to and enjoyed."
For more information about the series of events, check out the web site.
Tiah is also going to speak/read at one of the events in Mossel Bay. If you're in her neck of the woods, go and listen and support her and her fellow-writers/speakers?
You can also participate in the event by writing a story in one post on the Short Story Day South's Facebook wall. As you know, you will be restricted to 420 characters. The author of the winning short story writer gets R1000 cash prize + a critique. Click here for more information on the competition.
According to the organisers, "Short Story Day South is a participation driven initiative and will culminate of a series of events all over Southern Africa, offering a variety of stories, old and new, to be read, listened to and enjoyed."
For more information about the series of events, check out the web site.
Tiah is also going to speak/read at one of the events in Mossel Bay. If you're in her neck of the woods, go and listen and support her and her fellow-writers/speakers?
You can also participate in the event by writing a story in one post on the Short Story Day South's Facebook wall. As you know, you will be restricted to 420 characters. The author of the winning short story writer gets R1000 cash prize + a critique. Click here for more information on the competition.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Update: There's Even Big Writing News In My Long List Of Past & Upcoming Events
I know I've been rather quiet on the blog but there's been lots of good stuff happening in real life. I'm just going to make a list of them to give you a quick update:
1. Durban was wonderfully relaxing. I left my laptop here at home, so I could spend more time actively engaging with the family and not be tempted to spend too much time online. It was hard... and I did borrow the family computer to check my emails but that's about it.
2. Baby's 13th birthday party rocked. She has made lots of friends in Durban and they all came and they had fun. The party started at 4pm and only ended at 21h30. They felt so grown-up, having a party into the night. But there were lots of adults to watch the kids and they were all very well-behaved ( although they did tease us a bit about pouring vodka or brandy into the fruit punch). I was so proud of them.
3. The trip back to Joburg was exhausting. I thought I was going to be able to just resume my life but I needed a few days of just doing the necessary tasks to keep the business going. Also had a couple of client deadlines, so those had to take priority over blogging here.
4. I'm in the process of signing up with a well-known publisher to take on a big freelance publishing project for them. Basically, my company is going to oversee the writing and publishing of 12 books for them. LOL! That's not a typo - I do mean 12 books. Starting with commissioning the writers, working with illustrators etc. It's a big, big milestone for my company. We sign the contract near the end of this month and then start the work immediately. I'm still trying to work out how the work is going to affect the progrss and scheduling of my self-publishing projects, what capacity I'll gain or lose and whether some projects will have to be pushed back until the commissioned books have been submitted to the publisher. Time lines are also very tight, so I have very little wiggle room. The project takes me in the direction I wanted my career to go for a long time... though I did think it was going to be slow and would have to be one book at a time, not 12 to start with:-). Yeah, I'm very excited.
5. Pam left South Africa on Friday to go visit her family in the US of A. She's coming back at the end of June. I have one or two blog posts from her, and she may send me more.. or not. Anyhoo, don't worry about it if she remains quiet this month. She'll be back.
6. I spent Sunday working with our local renovation group to paint my neighbour Deidre's kitchen. Zahn Hughes ( friend and neighbour), who's home decor and paints effects specialist, has put together a group of local residents to work on each other's homes. Basically, the home-owner buys the material, members show up on the designated day and we will scrape off walls, prime, paint, distress, work on the garden, sand floors, lay tiles and whatever else one needs to improve their home. Membership is open to anyone who lives in our suburb. The only cost to the home-owner, other than buying material, is to provide munchies for the tea/coffee break and to work at other members' houses when it's their turn. The next project is renovating Gaynor's office. My kitchen is also in the line-up to be renovated by the group.
Anyhoo, I'm looking forward to the coming week. It's going to be a very busy week and I also have some guest posts that ended up stuck in my drafts rather than getting published in my absence. Big apologies to the guest writers; I'l publish your posts this week.
And a big thank you to Lori Widmer for her guest post on building a better writing business. I hope those of you who do some freelance writing/ want to go fulltime actually bought her book, so you have something solid to guide you.
1. Durban was wonderfully relaxing. I left my laptop here at home, so I could spend more time actively engaging with the family and not be tempted to spend too much time online. It was hard... and I did borrow the family computer to check my emails but that's about it.
2. Baby's 13th birthday party rocked. She has made lots of friends in Durban and they all came and they had fun. The party started at 4pm and only ended at 21h30. They felt so grown-up, having a party into the night. But there were lots of adults to watch the kids and they were all very well-behaved ( although they did tease us a bit about pouring vodka or brandy into the fruit punch). I was so proud of them.
3. The trip back to Joburg was exhausting. I thought I was going to be able to just resume my life but I needed a few days of just doing the necessary tasks to keep the business going. Also had a couple of client deadlines, so those had to take priority over blogging here.
4. I'm in the process of signing up with a well-known publisher to take on a big freelance publishing project for them. Basically, my company is going to oversee the writing and publishing of 12 books for them. LOL! That's not a typo - I do mean 12 books. Starting with commissioning the writers, working with illustrators etc. It's a big, big milestone for my company. We sign the contract near the end of this month and then start the work immediately. I'm still trying to work out how the work is going to affect the progrss and scheduling of my self-publishing projects, what capacity I'll gain or lose and whether some projects will have to be pushed back until the commissioned books have been submitted to the publisher. Time lines are also very tight, so I have very little wiggle room. The project takes me in the direction I wanted my career to go for a long time... though I did think it was going to be slow and would have to be one book at a time, not 12 to start with:-). Yeah, I'm very excited.
5. Pam left South Africa on Friday to go visit her family in the US of A. She's coming back at the end of June. I have one or two blog posts from her, and she may send me more.. or not. Anyhoo, don't worry about it if she remains quiet this month. She'll be back.
 |
| The newly painted kitchen. The contrast between the old kitchen & new one is huge! |
Anyhoo, I'm looking forward to the coming week. It's going to be a very busy week and I also have some guest posts that ended up stuck in my drafts rather than getting published in my absence. Big apologies to the guest writers; I'l publish your posts this week.
And a big thank you to Lori Widmer for her guest post on building a better writing business. I hope those of you who do some freelance writing/ want to go fulltime actually bought her book, so you have something solid to guide you.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Building a Better Writing Business
By Lori Widmer
I have been freelancing full time for eight years now. I earn more at my freelance job than I ever did at my 9-to-5 job. It may surprise you to learn that I find none of my work on job boards. Zero. Neither should you.
I know what you’re thinking. “Then where do I find work?”
I’ll get to that. But let me explain why job boards are not your friend. First, job boards are full of lousy offers. Open any link on Craig’s List – go on, I’ll wait. More than likely, the “job” offered pays abysmally low rates, if it pays at all.
Second, the search does something to you emotionally. As you’re weeding through the ads, you come to believe that $5 an article really is all there is out there. Why? Because it’s all you see. You buy into a false reality. And that’s damn depressing.
Third, using job boards as your primary source of client generation puts you in a passive career mode. You are taking what comes, and worse, you’re allowing strangers to dictate your rates to you. Change that right now. Remember: you set your rates. If the potential clients in front of you can’t or won’t pay it, they aren’t your clients. You have to take control of your own earnings potential.
So, to that question you asked. Let’s just rephrase it, for you’re asking the wrong one based on that third point of mine. Here’s the question you should be asking: “How can I generate work and increase my client base?”
Here are some ways to do that:
The magazine article. Despite rumors to the contrary, print magazines still need content. In fact, many of them are now online, which means they still need content and maybe even more of it. Write your query and convince that editor that you’re the one to write the story.
The latest survey. Go to your search engine right now. Type in “latest survey.” Read through the list until you find one that grabs your attention. Wow, neat stuff, huh? Now write your query based on this question: “What does this mean to people in this industry/the general public/this specific segment of the population?” There’s your angle.
The letter of introduction. Introduce yourself to that company down the street, in the next town, or the one in the business you’re interested in writing about. Tell them who you are in a brief paragraph, show them you know their business by pointing out some aspect of it where you’d be of some value, then ask them to consider you for the job. (More on this at my blog.)
The ancillary writing. By no means does this mean head over to a content farm and get underpaid for keyword stuffing. To the contrary, seek out those companies that can give you legitimate ongoing work that is writing-related – resume companies, large companies employing a number of freelancers for blog work, search engine sites that pay respectable fees for copy, overflow work from marketing firms or other freelancers, etc.
The associations. Joining an association can be expensive. However, it costs you nothing to contact them in the same way you’d contact any potential client and ask for work. Associations often are run by the members, and plenty of times they’re not marketing or writing experts. You don’t need to be, either. You just have to be able to write better and convey their messages accurately.
The conferences and trade shows. If you can swing a press pass, you can work a trade show to your advantage. Not only can you get the latest trend and buzz in the industry, but you can meet your potential clients on the exhibition floor. A recent conference I attended netted me a potential eleven new clients in two days, plus introduced me to 39 more possible clients who now know my name and what I can do for them.
The forums. I don’t mean writing forums. I mean forums for various industries, business topics, and services. Because my specialty is insurance and risk management, I frequent a number of forums that talk about these things as well as issues involving the lowering of risks for companies. I’m part of the community, and I participate as a member, not as someone begging for work.
Twitter and LinkedIn. If you had told me two years ago that I would get work via either of these places, I’d have called you crazy. However, having a presence in both places, and interacting with potential clients in a more personal arena has huge benefits. I’ve gotten work by A) asking for it, and by B) tweeting about what I’m working on.
It takes time to build a strong business, but if you invest time into doing it the right way, you’ll increase your professionalism in both your client’s eyes and your own. Remember – a passive career approach puts control of your business and your earnings in someone else’s hands. Take back your career. It’s time.
Lori Widmer is a veteran writer and editor who has built value and purpose into her business by expecting no less than what she’s worth. She blogs regularly at Words on the Page.
Special offer to StoryPot readers:
My e-book, The Worthy Writer’s Guide to Building a Better Business is now available in a special offer just for StoryPot readers! With over 90 pages of advice and tips, the e-book helps writers at all career levels create a more profitable business. For your special offer, valid through June 10th, please click on the PayPal link below.
I have been freelancing full time for eight years now. I earn more at my freelance job than I ever did at my 9-to-5 job. It may surprise you to learn that I find none of my work on job boards. Zero. Neither should you.
I know what you’re thinking. “Then where do I find work?”
I’ll get to that. But let me explain why job boards are not your friend. First, job boards are full of lousy offers. Open any link on Craig’s List – go on, I’ll wait. More than likely, the “job” offered pays abysmally low rates, if it pays at all.
Second, the search does something to you emotionally. As you’re weeding through the ads, you come to believe that $5 an article really is all there is out there. Why? Because it’s all you see. You buy into a false reality. And that’s damn depressing.
Third, using job boards as your primary source of client generation puts you in a passive career mode. You are taking what comes, and worse, you’re allowing strangers to dictate your rates to you. Change that right now. Remember: you set your rates. If the potential clients in front of you can’t or won’t pay it, they aren’t your clients. You have to take control of your own earnings potential.
So, to that question you asked. Let’s just rephrase it, for you’re asking the wrong one based on that third point of mine. Here’s the question you should be asking: “How can I generate work and increase my client base?”
Here are some ways to do that:
The magazine article. Despite rumors to the contrary, print magazines still need content. In fact, many of them are now online, which means they still need content and maybe even more of it. Write your query and convince that editor that you’re the one to write the story.
The latest survey. Go to your search engine right now. Type in “latest survey.” Read through the list until you find one that grabs your attention. Wow, neat stuff, huh? Now write your query based on this question: “What does this mean to people in this industry/the general public/this specific segment of the population?” There’s your angle.
The letter of introduction. Introduce yourself to that company down the street, in the next town, or the one in the business you’re interested in writing about. Tell them who you are in a brief paragraph, show them you know their business by pointing out some aspect of it where you’d be of some value, then ask them to consider you for the job. (More on this at my blog.)
The ancillary writing. By no means does this mean head over to a content farm and get underpaid for keyword stuffing. To the contrary, seek out those companies that can give you legitimate ongoing work that is writing-related – resume companies, large companies employing a number of freelancers for blog work, search engine sites that pay respectable fees for copy, overflow work from marketing firms or other freelancers, etc.
The associations. Joining an association can be expensive. However, it costs you nothing to contact them in the same way you’d contact any potential client and ask for work. Associations often are run by the members, and plenty of times they’re not marketing or writing experts. You don’t need to be, either. You just have to be able to write better and convey their messages accurately.
The conferences and trade shows. If you can swing a press pass, you can work a trade show to your advantage. Not only can you get the latest trend and buzz in the industry, but you can meet your potential clients on the exhibition floor. A recent conference I attended netted me a potential eleven new clients in two days, plus introduced me to 39 more possible clients who now know my name and what I can do for them.
The forums. I don’t mean writing forums. I mean forums for various industries, business topics, and services. Because my specialty is insurance and risk management, I frequent a number of forums that talk about these things as well as issues involving the lowering of risks for companies. I’m part of the community, and I participate as a member, not as someone begging for work.
Twitter and LinkedIn. If you had told me two years ago that I would get work via either of these places, I’d have called you crazy. However, having a presence in both places, and interacting with potential clients in a more personal arena has huge benefits. I’ve gotten work by A) asking for it, and by B) tweeting about what I’m working on.
It takes time to build a strong business, but if you invest time into doing it the right way, you’ll increase your professionalism in both your client’s eyes and your own. Remember – a passive career approach puts control of your business and your earnings in someone else’s hands. Take back your career. It’s time.
Lori Widmer is a veteran writer and editor who has built value and purpose into her business by expecting no less than what she’s worth. She blogs regularly at Words on the Page.
Special offer to StoryPot readers:
My e-book, The Worthy Writer’s Guide to Building a Better Business is now available in a special offer just for StoryPot readers! With over 90 pages of advice and tips, the e-book helps writers at all career levels create a more profitable business. For your special offer, valid through June 10th, please click on the PayPal link below.
Saturday, June 04, 2011
It's Saturday!
This is a scheduled post, as I'm in Durban now for a short break and will be back Wednesday. And I was sooo good about taking a break I didn't even take the laptop with me. I'm planning to relax and enjoy this time away. I've been working hard the past couple of months and it's take I let my body and mind rest.
Wednesday and Thursday were very busy and I turned around client work like a madwoman. One of the projects required 24-hour turnaround for each segment of a report over a 3-day period. I outsourced some of the work, but I couldn't sleep well even when the work was being done by another service provider.
Thank God for my lack of sleep, because on Wednesday night she SMSed me to say her two-month old laptop crashed and won't turn back on. We tried every trick we could think of, but couldn't get the laptop working. She did have another laptop, but she had to start the work from scratch. She was a trooper though. Thank you Kehilwe, for being so agreeable even when I woke you up at 5am to ask " are you done yet?"
The incident taught me a very strong lesson on why editors prefer reliable writers, rather than those who are talented, but may let life issues prevent them from delivering the product. In the past, I've sometimes thought " surely if life issues interfere, the editor can understand and maybe grant an extension or something?" And maybe the editor could.
But being in their situation taught me that even if the editor could be flexible, it's better for their nerves if the writer gets on with the job with as little drama as possible. It was hard to sleep not knowing if Kehilwe , who's new to me, would just decide it's all too hard and she's not doing it anymore (because of crashing laptops and connecticity issues) and left me to fend for myself with our client, who can't proceed with what he's doing the following day unless we give him a report of the previous day.
Anyhoo, despite the problems on Wednesday night, I still had to put in a full day on Thursday because there were clients waiting for articles and deadlines don't care that you couldn't sleep the previous night.
There was a very bright spark on Thursday though - a publisher I sent one of Pam's novels loved the partial... and I mean really, really loved it. They asked for the full manuscript, which I sent through. Now we wait....but just the fact that they loved the story and the characters ( their words) wanted the full manuscript and responded within a week was a great morale booster. I'm sure Pam will want to give you an update once the novel is accepted... because I'm sure y'all will want to buy it. He he:-)
P.S. More posts are scheduled while I'm away ( Thank you Juy and Pam), so discussions won't stop on Storypot in my absence. I also want to say a big thank to Lori who's offering to share a a lot of her hardwon wisdom with Storypot readers. Check out her guest post on Tuesday.
Wednesday and Thursday were very busy and I turned around client work like a madwoman. One of the projects required 24-hour turnaround for each segment of a report over a 3-day period. I outsourced some of the work, but I couldn't sleep well even when the work was being done by another service provider.
Thank God for my lack of sleep, because on Wednesday night she SMSed me to say her two-month old laptop crashed and won't turn back on. We tried every trick we could think of, but couldn't get the laptop working. She did have another laptop, but she had to start the work from scratch. She was a trooper though. Thank you Kehilwe, for being so agreeable even when I woke you up at 5am to ask " are you done yet?"
The incident taught me a very strong lesson on why editors prefer reliable writers, rather than those who are talented, but may let life issues prevent them from delivering the product. In the past, I've sometimes thought " surely if life issues interfere, the editor can understand and maybe grant an extension or something?" And maybe the editor could.
But being in their situation taught me that even if the editor could be flexible, it's better for their nerves if the writer gets on with the job with as little drama as possible. It was hard to sleep not knowing if Kehilwe , who's new to me, would just decide it's all too hard and she's not doing it anymore (because of crashing laptops and connecticity issues) and left me to fend for myself with our client, who can't proceed with what he's doing the following day unless we give him a report of the previous day.
Anyhoo, despite the problems on Wednesday night, I still had to put in a full day on Thursday because there were clients waiting for articles and deadlines don't care that you couldn't sleep the previous night.
There was a very bright spark on Thursday though - a publisher I sent one of Pam's novels loved the partial... and I mean really, really loved it. They asked for the full manuscript, which I sent through. Now we wait....but just the fact that they loved the story and the characters ( their words) wanted the full manuscript and responded within a week was a great morale booster. I'm sure Pam will want to give you an update once the novel is accepted... because I'm sure y'all will want to buy it. He he:-)
P.S. More posts are scheduled while I'm away ( Thank you Juy and Pam), so discussions won't stop on Storypot in my absence. I also want to say a big thank to Lori who's offering to share a a lot of her hardwon wisdom with Storypot readers. Check out her guest post on Tuesday.
Friday, June 03, 2011
Last Minute Assignments
By Pamela Moeng
Don't you just hate it when you are given a job at the last possible moment - right before disaster is about to strike the job giver - and they make their own time management incompetency your problem? The older I get the harder it is to say a grateful 'yes' and take on the job.
Why is it that editing and writing seem such soft (and easy to execute) skills to those who've never written more than a four-word sentence or edited anything more than a forged sick note as a child?
The world is full of such misguided individuals (mentally referred to as idiots!) and it would seem, if the groans of my freelancing sisters are anything to go by, that these creatures exist throughout the marketplace.
Don't you just hate it when you are given a job at the last possible moment - right before disaster is about to strike the job giver - and they make their own time management incompetency your problem? The older I get the harder it is to say a grateful 'yes' and take on the job.
Why is it that editing and writing seem such soft (and easy to execute) skills to those who've never written more than a four-word sentence or edited anything more than a forged sick note as a child?
The world is full of such misguided individuals (mentally referred to as idiots!) and it would seem, if the groans of my freelancing sisters are anything to go by, that these creatures exist throughout the marketplace.
Thursday, June 02, 2011
I've Never Stopped Learning
Congratulations to Pam, who has an article published on Writers Weekly. The article, entitled "I've Never Stopped Learning," outlines Pam's journey as a writer from childhood until now. Check it out.
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Hurry up and wait
Had a very productive morning. A regular client asked me to handle a project urgently. I don't mind - this client always gives me enough time to do my work, his instructions are always clear and he pays well and on time. So urgent from him does not mean disorganised. But it meant that I had to reschedule the day somewhat to get the job done. Now it's sent and client is happy.
Spending the rest of the day rewriting an article. Nothing structurally wrong with it, but it was an analysis piece and it turns out publisher was not quite comfortable with the mild criticism aimed at one of their clients ( didn't know the company was a client:-)! I stand by the analysis, but am going to write something more vanilla for client. Maybe I could sell the contentious piece elsewhere.
Went to bed with a raging headache and woke up with my head still throbbing though, cos work at the beginning of the week was stressful. On Monday morning a new client came through an agency I use and she needed newsletter copy translated into 2 more languages by today at the latest. So I asked her to send me the document so I could asses the scope of the work and give her a quotation.
Two emails and two phone calls later, I still don't have the info I need to give her the quotation, never mind starting the work, and I don't know if the client still sees me doing the job or not. I spent Monday morning wading through other client work and rescheduling what I could to accomodate her as per her request. Then I waited... and waited...
I really, reallyHATE dislike waiting like that. It makes me feel disorganised, wastes my time, and the stress just saps my energy, which makes me no good for anything else while I wait. A good friend suggests that urgent work like that is not worth the money I could earn from it, and just adds to my stress level. I think maybe I have to learn to include cut off dates for clients to send me information I need for each deadlined work, because waiting endlessly reduces the time I need to work on the project to deliver on agreed timelines. But I also don't want to be perceived as a prima donna who can't handle the heat:-)
It will all get done and soon I'll be back to my usual writing rhythm. But these issues made me appreciate that when you work with clients, sometimes your time is not your own, even when you work from home and reputedly, you have flexi-hours.
Spending the rest of the day rewriting an article. Nothing structurally wrong with it, but it was an analysis piece and it turns out publisher was not quite comfortable with the mild criticism aimed at one of their clients ( didn't know the company was a client:-)! I stand by the analysis, but am going to write something more vanilla for client. Maybe I could sell the contentious piece elsewhere.
Went to bed with a raging headache and woke up with my head still throbbing though, cos work at the beginning of the week was stressful. On Monday morning a new client came through an agency I use and she needed newsletter copy translated into 2 more languages by today at the latest. So I asked her to send me the document so I could asses the scope of the work and give her a quotation.
Two emails and two phone calls later, I still don't have the info I need to give her the quotation, never mind starting the work, and I don't know if the client still sees me doing the job or not. I spent Monday morning wading through other client work and rescheduling what I could to accomodate her as per her request. Then I waited... and waited...
I really, really
It will all get done and soon I'll be back to my usual writing rhythm. But these issues made me appreciate that when you work with clients, sometimes your time is not your own, even when you work from home and reputedly, you have flexi-hours.
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