Crayon Writer

Recently I had a writing project for a new client, and for some reason I couldn’t churn it out as quickly as I should have. I finally realized my problem. I wanted it to be perfect, and in worrying about that, I was stuck doing nothing.

Does that sound familiar? Are you so critical of yourself and your writing that it holds you back sometimes?

A freelance writing friend of mine told me a similar story. She agonized and agonized over what to write for her client. She went back and forth with him to make sure she was on the right track. The client told her he wanted the piece to be exciting.

Finally she submitted the project, and much to her dismay, the client sent back a correction. He added an exclamation point to one or two lines! That’s it! That’s what he considered editing, and that’s what he considered exciting. There was nothing wrong with her writing, except that she sat on it too long, all because of perfectionism.

The moral? Write it. Just do it. Get past the fear that it won’t be perfect, because, in all likelihood, what you write is fine for your average client. They just want it done.

Are you a perfectionist when it comes to your writing? How do you overcome it (or do you)?

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Freelance writing is definitely still part of my life, and I’ve recently decided to add another business to my life.

I strongly want to have a flexible schedule so I can spend time with my daughter. So a home-based network marketing business is a great fit for me right now.

I might have to start another blog now, but the next few months are sure to be an adventure.

Without going into much detail about the business (I’ll save that for another post or another blog), I would like to direct my loyal readers to the Donation button in the left-most side panel. Starting a new business takes a little capital, and I don’t think I’ve ever directly asked for folks to take notice of it.

So if you’re so inclined, click on it and donate away! Any amount will be a great help so I can hit the ground running. If not, no worries.

Just keep reading Crayon Writer, comment when you feel the urge, and enjoy!

Have you ever worked in a network marketing/direct sales business?

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In my quest to make freelance writing work for my family, I joined a freelance writers’ group on Yahoo. It’s a great resource for anyone wanting support and advice for their commercial writing business.

One of the members, Danny Thompson, started a Yahoo Group to help freelance writers survive. It’s completely free, it has tons of resources in the Files section, and it sends you daily reminders for your business. He acknowledges that it may not fit your particular situation perfectly, but there are definitely gems for any business owner.

Check out Danny’s free group, Freelance Survival Training. You won’t be disappointed. Remember to check out the Files section too.

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Is it ever a good idea to work for free, or close to it?

I just took on a project the past week that really took a lot of time, but there might be some benefit for all of my hard work.

1. One thing I got out of it is a stronger desire to charge what my time is worth.
2. I also dabbled a bit in a new program, In Design, so I learned something new.
3. I worked on a souvenir booklet for a non-profit, service-oriented group, so maybe I did some good in the world too.
4. Just in case, I also made sure the ad I bought for my business was placed in a prominent spot, so maybe I’ll get new business that way.

Time will tell. So, is working for pennies ever worth it? Maybe. Just be sure you have the time, and settle your feelings before taking on the project.

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One of the perks of owning a home-based business is that you set your own hours. You can work late at night, early in the morning, or during “regular” hours. It’s up to you!

But when are you most productive? It probably depends on the task you have to complete, and also on your lifestyle.

For me, mornings are best for dealing with clients and for marketing. I work with clients all over the country, so I need to be able to contact people who live on the east coast. If I wait too late, they’re usually gone for the day. I’m most productive in the morning hours once I’ve woken up, eaten, and cleaned up.

My writing is best done late at night. I’m no good during the middle of the afternoon. That’s when I get overcome with sleepiness. So I’m kind of a night owl, and I get my second wind after 9 p.m. This might be because my daughter is blissfully asleep then, and I can’t write well when she’s up running around.

Blogging activities (replying to comments, dropping Entrecards, writing posts) are another story. When my daughter’s at home I can usually take care of most blogging tasks, but sometimes I wait until the wee hours of the night/morning.

What are your most productive times for the jobs you do at home?

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Years ago I realized I was a good writer. I would say it started in elementary school when my teachers always told me how creative I was. In college, I helped friends edit their papers, and even though my degree was in biology, my first job after college was as an assistant editor.

So it makes sense that I’m pursuing a writing career.

More recently, I’ve figured out that I prefer writing for businesses. I write website content, newsletters, press releases, sales letters, correspondence, brochures, and more. Basically, I’m a freelance commercial writer.

A new freelance writer asked me to recommend some books that helped me get started. There are two that I found particularly useful for commercial writing, and they’re both by the same author.

Peter Bowerman’s books include The Well-Fed Writer and Back for Seconds. The best thing about his books is that they give explicit instructions for building your commercial writing business. It’s not a bunch of, “Look how great I am!”

Peter’s first book, The Well-Fed Writer, is very specific but primarily based on the way Peter built his business. It’s great for learning about an effective business model. When I followed his directions, I definitely made progress.

His second book, Back for Seconds, includes lots of examples from other writers’ experiences. You’ll learn from people from all walks of life who are running their own commercial writing businesses.I also appreciate that Peter responds to his email messages even though he’s clearly very busy. He has a new book coming out soon, and I’ll be sure to let you know what I think of it.

In the meantime, if you’re serious about a freelance writing career, grab these books and get to work. I pick them up whenever I need a boost.

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I write using my keyboard most of the time. My typing speed is pretty good (65-75wpm, depending on inspiration), so typing as I’m thinking usually works for me. In fact, with horrible handwriting and an extreme dislike for writing by hand, typing is the only option. Or so I thought.

Here are three reasons I’ve started writing the old-fashioned way (by hand).

1. You can write while you wait. The other day, I was waiting my turn in urgent care (I was fine, it turned out), and happened to have my “idea notebook” with me. I was waiting, so I started writing. And writing. My hand hurt (see why I hate writing by hand?) but I was getting work done.

2. Children are drawn to computers. I’ve found that my daughter doesn’t interrupt me quite so much when I’m writing by hand. If I even lean toward my laptop, she finds some reason to notice my existence and comes up with some urgent need that only Mommy can tend to. Or she decides it’s time to “play a game” on the computer.

3. Writing by hand is an excellent way to write reviews of online documents. If you do everything on the computer, you have to deal with several open windows. You have to read the site or online document, then switch to Word, write something, switch back, etc. You get the picture. Or you have to print out your document, wasting printer paper, printer ink/toner, and some electricity. I now write reviews by hand while I’m looking at the computer screen. Much more efficient.

Do you tend to write on the computer, or do you use pen-and-paper writing too?

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Lately I’ve been noticing a lot of the same types of writing mistakes across the blogosphere.

I’m sure most of the bloggers know the correct words to use and the proper grammatical techniques. Writing online kind of makes us lazy, so we bend the rules a little (some writers seem to just throw them out completely).

This past week I decided to take note of some of the common offenders. And as I explore the blogosphere, I’ll be writing a “writing tips of the week” post from time to time.

On to the writing tips for this week!

1. Complimenting someone is saying something nice about them. Complementing, though, is when two or more items go well together.

2. When you write pretty long sentences, try saying them out loud. Even though commas don’t always go at a “natural breath” point, chances are you do have to pause at some point during the sentence. So be sure to use a comma somewhere. But be careful. I don’t know which is worse; using commas all over the place or not using any at all. Watch those commas!

3. Try not to overuse certain words in a post, unless you’re trying to use a keyword on purpose to boost your SEO. Use your thesaurus, or just go back and check to see if a certain word is repeated 5, 10, or even 15 times in a 100-word post. Nothing’s more annoying that the annoying habit of using a word that becomes annoying after a while.

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I haven’t talked about my life as a WAHM lately. So here’s an update.

I’m worn out!

My lovely daughter is now almost two-and-a-half, and deep in the throes of the “terrible twos.” She’s not as bad as most, I must admit.

But my days are long. Almost everything has to be negotiated because she’s pretty headstrong about–well– everything. Simple things turn into long, drawn-out ordeals that leave us both exhausted and upset.

The past few days she’s been home with me all day (no babysitting), and I’ve started a new cold email campaign, I’m looking for another “day job” (in case the cold emails don’t work), I’m trying to win the MyBlogLog Problogger contest (join my community), and I’m working on a couple of little projects.

Whew!

I could really use a cappucino right about now.

One of the lucky things about my latest computer crash is that I’ve been using my old clunky desktop (with Windows 98!) So now that my laptop’s been repaired, my daughter can play on one of them while I’m working too. That helps, since now she’s tired of many TV shows. I bought her a Disney-themed toddler game, and she really enjoys it.

She loves to say she’s “working,” or that she’s “busy,” just like she hears Mommy say all of the time.

But, like another blogger said, I’m hoping to stay the course. If I can take it.

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Good copywriting requires knowing the right words. But what are the right words, and how do you find them?

There are three main factors. Know your audience, don’t use the same words repeatedly, and understand the feelings behind your words and phrases.

Knowing your audience is key in good copywriting. That includes knowing how to talk to them.

I found a cute test for your blog’s readability. My blog was rated as elementary school level, and I was very pleased.

My blog’s audience is pretty much anyone. All ages, all nationalities.

I don’t want my readers to have to think too hard. After all, you’re looking at a computer screen. You want to get in and get out fast, or else you’d be reading a novel.

So I write in a straightforward, natural manner. Why use a complicated word when a simpler one will get the same point across?

Try not to be repetitive with your words. Often I’ll go back over a post to see if I used any word more than once. Sometimes it’s inevitable, but for adjectives you can almost always find different variations of the same word. I use this online thesaurus for my writing jobs.

Finally, remember that some words convey a feeling or connotation. For instance, you might ask people for hints, or you might ask for suggestions. They both mean pretty much the same thing, but a hint is kind of like a secret, while a suggestion is more sophisticated (I feel).

Also, consider other’s potential feelings about certain words or phrases.

Do you have any suggestions for making the right word choice?

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