Archive for November, 2006
Most of my freelance friends focus on writing articles, blog posts, and books. I have far fewer freelance allies juggling creative pursuits with corporate bread-and-butter work, like I do. So it was refreshing to see the roster for the online course I’m teaching this month through the Editorial Freelancers Association. Many of the students are commercial writers and editors, too.
When I first ventured out into the workforce back in the Ice Age, I didn’t aspire to finesse marketing copy about computer software for a living. But I did aspire to be self-sufficient and leave room in my schedule to write feature stories, essays, and whatever other lower-paying prose my idealistic little heart desired. And my bread-and-butter commercial writing/editing work allows me to do both without much financial worry. Fact of the matter is, it’s infinitely harder to write a halfway decent humor essay when all you can think about is how you’re going to pay the rent tomorrow.
If you’re curious about the world of commercial writing (the bread-and-butter work that allows you to order steak once in a while, or donate a T-bone to a less-fortunate writer), check out the Well-Fed Writer, a website and book of the same name by author Peter Bowerman. The site is loaded with articles, e-books, and other nifty resources. You can also read an interview with Bowerman here, on The Renegade Writer blog. Maybe then you, too, will never again use the words “starving” and “writer” side by side in a sentence.
November 30th, 2006
One of the drawbacks of working at home as freelancer is that when all the local roads have transmogrified into deadly sheets of ice in your normally temperate, snow-plow-free city, you can’t claim that you’re “snowed in” and skip work like all your staffer friends and colleagues.
Such was the case Tuesday, after a few inches of snow reduced Monday evening’s rush hour commute to a turtle crawl. (Friends reported three- to six-hour drives home, instead of the usual one-hour slog.) So on Tuesday, while many of my friends “worked from home” (i.e., checked their work email periodically while playing poker online and marveling at John McBain’s really fake burn scars on OLTL), I found myself fresh out of excuses. Since I hadn’t lost power or broken my hip on the ice while walking the dog, I would still have to meet my deadlines. Unfortunately, my office was open for business.
Some staffer friends, several of whom work for a big client of mine, had yesterday and today off. Today during lunch I called one such friend and asked if he was leaving work early to beat the fresh batch of snow we’re expecting (and the awful gridlock that would invariably ensue). But he was already home, mainly because he hadn’t gone in to work at all, and was well into his third hour of a 13-hour Lord of the Rings-athon.
Suffice it to say, I was feeling less smug by the minute about the October 17th Wall Street Journal headline I’d saved for posterity, “Commuters Heading to Work Earlier,” an article which I never got to read because I’m too cheap to subscribe to the WSJ. But I did manage to see the opening paragraph from some free business e-newsletter I get. It went like this:
With morning traffic worsening nationwide, more commuters are choosing to head to work in the predawn hours, extending the traditional 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. rush hour. More commuters now leave their homes before or after the peak hours, according to a recent report, while public transportation systems and businesses across the country are changing their hours to accommodate the trend.
Blech (except for the flextime part). Only this week, the score is looking more like this: Employees, 1. Freelancers, 0.
[Correction, made on December 2: My LOTR-viewing friend informs me that he did not take off work this week. He was simply working at home, or WAH as they call it in megacorp-land. As I’ve been trying to tell my family for years, there is a difference. Only I watch GH while working, not LOTR.]
November 29th, 2006
Jessica Simpson’s been slated to star in another abomination of the silver screen, one that’s being hailed as a modern-day “Working Girl.” Just what we need, another dopey pin-up girl tainting the image of hard-working women everywhere. Though, to its credit, 1988’s “Working Girl” does serve as a vehicle for Melanie Griffith to utter this kickass line, which I put at the front of my book:
I’m not gonna spend the rest of my life working my ass off and getting nowhere just because I followed rules that I had nothing to do with setting up.
November 29th, 2006
To milk last week’s holiday with ignoble origins a tad longer, following are a few recent news items that made me stand on my desk and cheer (that is, on top of the cancellation of the O.J. media blitz):
The Wall Street Journal released its “50 Women to Watch” list for 2006. Interesting Broadsheet notes here on philanthropist extraordinaire Melinda Gates making the top slot.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran a kickass series this month called “The Glass Ceiling: Where a Rise to the Top Stops.” I especially liked the piece on the “Women at the Top” class offered in the University of Washington’s MBA program, which tackles such corporate-ladder issues as dealing with authority (is that a newspaper euphemism for dealing with harassment in the workplace?), balancing family with career, and facing the consequences of leaving the workforce temporarily to raise kids. (Why do we need yet another newspaper series like this? Because as Elana Centor points out on Blogher, the recent appointment of Kerrii Anderson to permanent CEO of Wendy’s brings the total number of women running Fortune 1000 companies to a whopping 2.1 percent. Uh, yay?)
And finally, USA Today has been running a six-week “Young and in Debt” series, which I’m sure most of us can relate to. Check out the live chat today — Monday, November 27 — at noon EST. (Thanks to Boston Gal’s Open Wallet for alerting me to this series.)
November 27th, 2006
Oooooh, interesting Modern Love by relationship author Wendy Paris in today’s New York Times. The essay starts like this:
I don’t know how I got to be so old without having children. When I was 28 and my cousin had her first child, at 31, I thought, “I certainly won’t wait that long.” But then my freewheeling, career-centric life lasted another decade.
And while the piece is more a discussion of the trials and tribulations of trying to conceive when pushing 40 (which, in my extended social circle, is nowhere near as old/rare/daunting as Paris makes it sound), it touches on the always relevant dilemma of whether to spend your most fertile years building a career, building a family, traipsing around the world (or at least around the neighborhood), or all of the above.
Don’t get me wrong. I am by no means advocating women ditch their day jobs in favor of dirty diapers. Nor am I a militant disciple of Linda Hirshman, insisting that every last woman work outside the home lest Betty Friedan roll over in her grave. I don’t give a poop where in the mommy/careerwoman spectrum others fall, as long as they don’t try to push their decisions on me. (For the skinny on women who agree, see Judy McGuire’s hilarious piece, “Newborn Free,” in the current issue of Bust.)
I know it’s old news, but I (still) find this conundrum fascinating, especially because everything I’ve read on the mommy/career dilemma points to thirtysomething women weighing the work/family balance issue much more heavily than their male counterparts. Probably because in the majority of North American families, the moms are still the ones punching in for the second shift at home. And because in a majority of families, not working outside the home is not a financial option for mothers (or fathers). And because, well, we’re the ones who have to carry the suckers around in our bellies for nine months and suffer the career hits at work, due to workplace biases.
So, people who read this blog but have yet to comment, what do you think about starting a family earlier vs. putting it off to focus on your career, creative pursuits, travels, et cetera? What do you think about doing both at once and trying to strike a balance between the two? How about skipping the whole conception thing, living your independent life to the fullest in your twenties and thirties, and then adopting in your forties? Opting out of motherhood altogether? If some of you comment, I may be persuaded to reveal where I fall within the mommy/career/juggling act spectrum (she goads).
November 26th, 2006
The impending tryptophan-fest has me reminiscing about turkeys of yesteryear. And I do not mean Thanksgiving dinners passed. I mean the crappier project contracts I was stupid enough to sign during my early days as a freelancer.
At some point it dawned on me that if I couldn’t make heads or tails of the legalese I was agreeing to, I should ask someone who could. (Duh.) Last year I joined the National Writers Union so that I could take advantage of their peer contract advisor service. Basically the NWU trains veteran authors to walk newbie authors (yours truly, for instance) through their contracts. Since I wasn’t working with an agent, I found this service invaluable and used it to negotiate three book contracts — an anthology I contributed to, a single-author book, and a ghostwriting project. Worth the price of admission (sliding scale based on income) right there.
And last week I had an appointment with an advisor at the Washington Lawyers for the Arts, a nearly free legal clinic for artsy-fartsy folks who can’t afford the $500 it would cost to clear their throat in an attorney’s office (ahem). I met with my WLA advisor (a bona fide lawyer!) to review a co-author agreement I’m putting together with another writer. Again, I walked away with far more knowledge about copyright law than I walked in with — and I didn’t even have to empty my wee savings account to do so.
Over the years, I’ve also found these other industry/legal resources helpful:
- Authors Guild: Offers contract assistance similar to that of the NWU, but annual membership fees are lower. Now that my NWU membership has expired, I will likely join the AG.
- Society of Professional Journalists: Often hosts copyright and legal workshops for we writer folk. So, so helpful, especially when it comes to those elusive electronic rights.
- Graphic Artists Guild: Offers this groovy book about managing the business end of your design enterprise.
- Nolo.com: Legalese for dummies, online and in book format.
Now that I’ve become more hip to contract matters and copyright law, I can see the merits of having a steady contract advocate. Thirty minutes here and sixty minutes there from some free or sliding-scale advisor just ain’t cutting it anymore. I guess that’s why the publishing gods invented agents.
November 22nd, 2006
Not sure how to beef up your freelance client list? Or how to find a freelance client in the first place? I can help. Starting Tuesday, November 28, I’ll be teaching a four-week online course through the Editorial Freelancers Association, called Cultivating Your Client List.
Here’s a bit about the course:
Most editorial freelancers will tell you they get their clients by word of mouth. But the savviest freelancers know that harvesting clients is the fastest route to success. In this class, we’ll discuss ways to develop a niche, target dream clients, weed out deadbeats, and shamelessly self-promote (even if you’re an introvert). Whether you’re a writer, editor, indexer, or designer, this course will show you how a little planning and chutzpah can go a long way toward growing your client list.
Now that I’m writing out the lessons I’ll be posting online (in a nifty Yahoo! group, where students can ask questions at their leisure!), I can tell you that I’ll be covering these points and then some:
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Exactly what makes a “good” client?
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And how do I go about finding them?
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How about weeding out the duds?
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What details should I stipulate in my contracts?
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How do I cold-call a company I want to freelance for?
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When should I follow up (and how can I do so without sounding like a stalker)?
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What should I do if a client changes the project parameters, or stiffs me, or goes out of business?
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How should I structure my freelancer or contractor resume?
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How else can I promote myself on the cheap?
Course logistics:
When: Tuesdays, November 28 through December 19 (4 sessions)
Where: Your computer
Fee: EFA Members $95 / Nonmembers $115
Register: Here
Questions? Contact me
November 21st, 2006
In case you thought writing books was all about cranking out copy all morning, then napping all afternoon, author Meg Rosoff sets you straight in this Guardian Unlimited blog post. The teaser:
Writers spend their days writing, don’t they? Don’t you believe it. When I’m not cleaning up after the dogs and my husband, I’m being a “writer” in public appearances.
And here’s an excerpt:
…when people ask, “What’s your daily routine?” and imagine a quiet room, a sheaf of paper, and a brand new Pilot pen, they are so, so, wrong.
The upshot? It’s one big balancing act, baby. But at least Meg doesn’t have to add earning a living outside creative writing to the mix, like most working writers.
November 21st, 2006
Went to a book talk last night, given by the divalicious Holly Morris, author of Adventure Divas: Searching the Globe for a New Kind of Heroine. A former desk jockey, this quintessential anti 9-to-5er has built her own globetrotting media empire.
Holly was kind enough to answer some of my questions this spring when I was researching my chapter on travel gigs. Her answers were witty and wise and beyond helpful. (For instance, who knew duct tape was the #1 item on every globetrotter’s packing list?)
She was of course even more inspiring to hear in person, probably because her biggest fear isn’t change, or the unknown — it’s not living life to the fullest. (I mean, if you came across a Saharan camel race, you’d enter it too, right?) But rather than list Holly’s impressive adventure travel C.V., I’ll point you toward the Adventure Divas website, where you can find all the blurbage and synopses you need.
A fair number of people in the audience last night seemed to want to run away with Holly on her next adventure abroad. Lucky for them, Adventure Divas now offers international tours for the public, modeled after the documentaries Holly and co. (including her mom Jeannie!) produced for their PBS series. First up, a travel writer’s paradise in New Zealand, then a pilgrimage to India, then a lush romp through Peru.
Remind me again why I’m still here in dreary, gray Seattle?
November 21st, 2006
Speaking of women breadwinners, check out this Miami Herald column by Cindy Krischer Goodman on how wives and husbands balance work and home life when he goes to work for her company. (Published 11/15/06)
An excerpt from the article:
More women appear to be hiring their spouses as employees. Some 33 percent of U.S. businesses are owned by women, a number that increased 14 percent in the last five years, according to the Center for Women’s Business Research. More women are taking over family businesses or building independent sales networks, too.
For some of these women, the obvious solution to staffing issues is at home: their husbands. With businesses now that support it, “There is no reason not to take advantage of good skill sets in the form of a husband,” says Nan Langowitz, director of the Center for Women’s Leadership at Babson College.
Handbag designer Kate Spade has done it. So has Airborne creator Victoria Knight-McDowell and Baby Einstein Co. founder Julie Aigner-Clark.
Hmmm, I wonder if I could get my boyfriend to work for me full time? (she says, deviously tapping her fingers together like Mr. Burns on The Simpsons)…
November 20th, 2006
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