TAF Blog

Fool for Spring

Fool for Spring

Many people describe themselves as “fools for Spring” in a metaphorical sense, but my meaning is fairly literal. Each Spring I act against my own best interests in a manner contradictory to good advice. It all started when I was 10 years old and my teacher declared that I was sniffling too much and needed to go to the doctor. Mrs. M (even now I am too terrified to type her whole name) disapproved of many of my habits and, to her mind, my sniffling was a deliberate attempt to drive her mad.

My doctor gave me a once-over, diagnosed me with allergies, and sent me away with a list of Do’s and Don’ts – mostly Don’ts.  As I went over the list, Ì felt my world closing in on me. Stay inside. Keep windows closed. Get rid of pets. Get rid of any stuffed animals. Throw out old bedding (yes, even my Star Wars sheets).

Can I say that at 10 I was still not ready for this? I looked at my mom, she looked back, and I refolded the list and “forgot” it in the car.

I grew and my allergies receded to a large extent. Since that fateful doctor’s appointment, I had made a conscious attempt not to learn exactly what my allergy triggers were so that I would not be forced to remove them from my life. Then I moved to NC where Spring does not so come in so much like a lamb as like a blinding chorus of angels.  When I say blinding, I mean that literally. And when I speak of angels, you must know that these angels are made of pollen. One of the most beautiful sights that I have ever seen is that of a 40 foot wall of yellow pollen blowing across the beltline. If I had not known that pollen was a possibility, I would have thought it a chemical attack.

In the time since I was first diagnosed with allergies, medical science has made great leaps. I take my antihistamines each night, and when things are really bad I take some real P-S-E-U-D-O-E-P-H-E-D-R-I-N- E. I expect the knock on my door from the meth-squad any day now, but it is worth it.

What is not worth it is the list. You see, the list is still around. It’s changed in a few small details, but the essence is the same. I offer a shortened version of the most modern advice for your convenience:

1. Sterilize the indoor environment.
2. Shut out the outdoor environment.

Here is what I do:

1. Open the windows as much as possible.
2. Sit outside as soon as the weather is suitable, or on sunny days.
3. Walks are good.
4. Gardening is better.
5. Smell flowers, lots of them.

My car is yellow, the window ledges are yellow, and the azaleas are popping off one by one. Today we have the Spider and Princess varieties as well as three other kinds whose names I have forgotten, and the traditional “big old pink” azalea. I have my blinds and windows open and I will be heading off to the garden store later today. I have a shopping list that can be summarized as “things to give me an excuse to stick a shovel in the dirt and inhale its rich sweetness.” I suspect that I shall get some pollen up the nose when I do that, but you won’t catch me crying about it - sniffling maybe, but not crying.

5 Great Reasons to attend Write Now! 2009

TAF’s second annual nonfiction conference is just around the corner, and you may be wondering: Should I attend? The answer is yes, and here’s why:

1. If you’re new to freelancing, this conference offers a wonderful opportunity to learn from writers with years and even decades of national freelance experience.

2. You’ll have the opportunity to network with individuals who are in a position to advance your writing career.

3.  Writing is a never-ending education. You may think you know it all, but you don’t.

4. You’ll be able to share your aspirations with others who have similar dreams. Learn from each other.

5. We’re offering some great door prizes this year, including books autographed by best-selling novelist Jodi Picoult, and the legendary Ray Bradbury.

If you haven’t registered, do so now. Write Now! 2009 is an opportunity you don’t want to miss.

– Don

Write Now! 2009 Writers’ Conference

It’s that time of year again! Time to sign up for the TAF writers’ conference. If you’re interested in freelance writing, or you’re already a freelancer but you’re not doing as well as you’d hoped, this conference is for you. With top notch instructors and two tracks of classes, you’ll find both the inspiration and the skills to take your writing (and your earnings!) to the next level. Last year’s participants enjoyed the conference so much, they predicted it would be a huge success going forward. And registrations are already pouring in. There are only 100 spaces available, so don’t wait! Sign up today. Here are the details:

NONFICTION WRITERS CONFERENCE
Triangle Area Freelancers (TAF) will hold its second nonfiction symposium Write Now! 2009 Writers’ Conference at Wake Technical Community College’s Northern Wake Campus on Saturday, April 18, 2009, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Local novelist, nonfiction writer, and private editorial consultant Peggy Payne will deliver the keynote address. Her most recent novel Sister India is a New York Times Notable Book.

The conference classes, taught by nationally published writers and journalists, are presented in two tracks. “The Craft of Writing,” will include topics such as Finding and Developing Marketable Topics, When Being There Makes All the Difference, Breaking into Triangle Markets, and Avoiding Freelance Faux Pas. “The Business of Writing” will focus on Writing for the Web, Taxes and Other Boring (But Important) Stuff for Writers, The Legalities of Freelance Writing, and The Writer’s Life.

Registration information is available on the TAF website:
www.triangleareafreelancers.org. Online registration is available with payment made through PayPal. The cost of the conference is $59 ($49 for students with a valid ID and seniors 65 and over). Only 100 seats are available. The registration fee includes a continental breakfast, box lunch, snacks and beverages. For more information, call Donald Vaughan at 919.873.9833.

Revisions Over Wine

On Sunday, Barton and I spent the afternoon revising a book proposal that we are sending to a publisher in New York. The weather was so gorgeous that we broke out a bottle of wine and sat on the back porch to read the entire fifty-page book proposal aloud to each other including headings, subheadings and footnotes. While my husband read from his computer, I read from a hard copy attached to a clipboard, and we would switch reading after each section or a few paragraphs.

Why would we do such a thing? Well, first of all, it was fun. Of course we are two Creative Writing majors, so any chance to read poetry or stories provides an opportunity to enjoy the texture of language. We poured over the words and how they weaved the story together.

Reading aloud also gave us time to weed out misspellings, forgotten words, inconsistent tenses and awkward phrases. We were able to collaborate together in a new way- do we really need a comma here? This word sticks out. That sentence just doesn’t sound right. What if we…

Cleaning up grammar is my husband’s forte, but here, we both active participants in the revision process.

We read over pizza and wine, now taking turns so the other one could eat. We read late into the night, the flicker of citronella candles slowing the pace just slightly. I admit, my night-sight is starting to fade so typing changes on Barton’s computer did take some concentration, as I was hunting for letters in the soft light.

Only when we had finished did we realize how late it was. Feeling like we had done the best we could, we zipped the revision to our contact in New York. What an incredible afternoon!

What matters most

As many of you know, I teach freshman English at an area high school. As a first year teacher, it’s extremely easy to manage my free time – because I don’t have any! Add to that my position as a football coach, and I’m lucky to ever see my wife when she’s awake. With my endless teacher to-do list and my hours spent on the football field, I’m missing the one thing that means the most to me – my time to write.

Writing is a catharsis of sorts for me. I have so many emotions and feelings over the course of any one day as a teacher and football coach – even as a husband and stepfather. Writing allows me to funnel that emotional energy into something useful and productive – whether it is my non-fiction magazine writing or my fiction novel writing. When you lose an outlet of expression, those feelings build up and begin to really affect your life.

I am finding that it is essential to find time to write everyday. My psyche needs that freedom of expression. It’s like my soul acts like a pressure cooker without a release valve. I have to get my words down on paper.

I took part in the Poetry Slam competition, in conjunction with sparkCON, last Saturday night in Moore Square. Just being immersed in the language, whether my words or the words of the other poets, soothed my soul like a warm towel draped across my face. Like a long, tall, cool drink on a hot summer afternoon. The saying, “You don’t know what you’ve until it’s gone” is so apropos as a description of my life right now.

I have now promised myself that I will write something – ANYthing – every single day. I owe it to myself. This is the first step to regaining my creative muse. There is a section from the song “Breathe (2AM)” by Anna Nalick that sums up my situation perfectly:

“2 AM and I’m still awake, writing a song
If I get it all down on paper, it’s no longer inside of me,
Threatening the life it belongs to…
And I feel like I’m naked in front of the crowd
’Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud
And I know that you’ll use them, however you want to…”

 I ache when I cannot write. I actually have a physical reaction now when I fail to release the words that are inside of me. We owe it to ourselves to obey the muse, to obey the needs of our writer’s soul, to do what we need to do as writers to actually BE writers. A smart man once said you cannot call yourself a writer unless you actually write.

 I can once again call myself a writer.

- John Wood

What I Do

I am a writer. Why do I write? I have to.

When I don’t write, I feel like things are getting away from me. I get nervous and anxious. Writing organizes my mind, so that I can focus on one thing at a time.

I have several writing projects underway, and I have several more ideas that I am very excited about, but it takes peace and quiet for me to “get my creativity on” - so to speak.

I have two small sons who are my constant companions, and their companionship is the opposite of peace and quiet.

I love this time in my life. I love to be with my boys and watch them grow. I have a son who is almost sixteen years old, too, so I know how soon this season will be just a memory. Every milestone they reach, every inch they grow, makes my heart ache with a longing to keep them just as they are, always.

I often wish that I was more productive with my writing. I feel like I should be honing my skills, working on my big projects, selling articles (?!?), etc., but for that I need peace and quiet.

What I can fit into my crazy day is a couple of minutes to write down what my boys are up to. It’s writing. It’s fun. It’s therapeutic. It calms me - to know that I haven’t let these moments get away from me.

When my little guys have grown up, and moved away, and have lives of their own, I won’t have to wonder where the time went. I can look back and read and remember, and never forget how much fun we had, and how lucky I am to have had these years with them.

As to the rest, I write when the opportunity arises. Some days are more creative than others. Some days I just have to hire someone to take care of my mom job. Then I can go somewhere peaceful where nobody wants anything from me, and I can write for hours without interruption.

I know that someday I’ll have so much time to myself, that I will have to seek out distractions. For now, if what I write isn’t right, or if I am not doing all that I would like to do, or if my thoughts are scattered, or if I can’t complete sentences, I am at peace with the reasons why.

–Naomi Sikur

The perfect day

As freelancers, we’re often told that in order to be most productive, we should mimic the office workday. We’re advised to start writing first thing in the morning, work standard hours, and put a sign on our office door saying we’re not to be interrupted. Personal phone calls during the day are a no no, as are household chores, which should be done in the evening or on the weekends.

On the surface, this advice makes perfect sense. Except sometimes ideas that sound good don’t work as well as they sound.

My brother is the founder and CEO of a large manufacturing business, and people are always asking him the secret to his success. The real secret, one he is too humble to admit, is plain old-fashioned hard work, sustained, over a long period of time. But a close second, in my book, is his counterintuitive thinking. If the cost of raw materials goes up, instead of increasing the prices on his products (as do his competitors), he either lowers them or holds them steady, finding alternative ways to cut costs. In other words, he does the unexpected. By doing so, he gains customers who appreciate his concern for their pocketbooks so much that they stick with him for life.

Many of us decided to become freelance writers in order to get away from the 9 to 5, so why should we try to recreate the same old grind at home? Why not, instead, design the perfect day?

I am a night owl, as are many writers, if the volume of late-night email from my freelancing buddies is any indication. So my morning starts later. I’m also an ease-into-the-morning type, instead of a jump-out-of-bed-and-get-going kind of person. After a few cups of tea and a quick glance at the news, I used to try to get to work as quickly as possible after tidying up the kitchen and throwing a load of laundry in the washer.

But it’s never felt quite right to me, so lately I’ve been trying something different. Partly for the exercise, and partly to save money instead of hiring a cleaning lady, I’ve been adding a few extra chores to my morning routine. Hard chores, like scrubbing toilets and washing window sills, that make me sweat. After a shower, I’m not only feeling productive and refreshed, I’m actually ready to sit. I’m more focused after “shaking my sillies out,” and I tend to get less overwhelmed than when I try to work in a messy house. It shifts our whole day later, but my husband works long hours, so it’s not a problem for us.

As for the interruptions, I’m fortunate, because our kids are grown, although I still get plenty of calls from my stressed-out college girl. Family members and friends also forget that I’m working and call here and there during the day to chat. But, having worked in many office environments, I know that there are plenty of interruptions there too. My feeling is that socializing, within reason (whether it’s in person at work or on the phone at home), isn’t a total waste of time. When we’re too isolated, we sometimes just spin our wheels.

While a day at home alone might sound like bliss to our friends who can’t leave the office except for lunch, eight hours working by yourself can prove to be long and uneventful. We all need connections, and feedback. Granted, if you’re on a roll writing the best article ever, you don’t want to answer the phone and lose your focus. But writers often create in what I call chunks—the first pass chunk, the flesh-it-out chunk, and the editing chunk. We all know that stepping back from our work from time to time to let our words percolate helps us to see things we’ve missed (like my misuse of the word “waist” instead of “waste” in my first pass on the previous paragraph).

In between chunks, it makes sense to take a break and respond to a friend’s call. When our first blush of excitement about an article or a blog post wanes, sharing our ideas with others can often re-energize us. After having done so, I often go back to my work with more clarity, and add a few interesting details to the piece I’m working on based on our conversation.

Let’s face it, if you’re freelancing, chances are that you aren’t too crazy about routines anyway. Why be conventional if you don’t have to? Experiment with your day. Try different schedules in order to find the one that’s perfect for you. Do you write better at midnight, after a walk, or after cleaning out the fridge as I did today? Do you prefer the TV on and the windows open? Go for it. Even once you discover the formula that works for you, don’t get stuck in it. Be creative. Mix it up now and then. As long as you get your work done, there is no wrong schedule.

Contrary to what common sense would suggest, conventional wisdom isn’t always the best kind.

- Elaine Luddy Klonicki

Freelancin’ Blues

Freelance writers: your world is an up and down mixed bag of responses from pubs nationwide. There will be rejection, but as I’ve been told many, many times, “Don’t take it personally.” If you are producing quality work, have queried regularly, and followed all publication submission guidelines, your time WILL come. But editors, please do writers the courtesy of at least being upfront about things. I once queried an editor who was not interested in my story idea. He sent me a very nice email saying something to the effect of, “Thank you … not at this time … but please query again.”

And so for months, I continued to send story ideas his way. When one really great idea came across my desk, I immediately queried this editor, certain in my heart and soul that this story could not be turned down. His reply? “Thank you for the offer. Unfortunately, we don’t have it in our budget to pay freelancers. That said, I’d welcome anything you’d like to submit but am unable to reimburse you for it.”

It was an unexpected speed bump. That’s the kind of information that should have been put forth upfront. And unfortunately, it’s not in my budget (or anyone else’s I know) to work for free.

But I didn’t take it personally. I pitched the same story idea to an online publication and they were thrilled. Being in the right place at the right time really does have its benefits. And in this business, perseverance is everything.

-Kristy

[Previously posted at www.kristystevenson.blogspot.com - June, 2008.]

When your writing rules YOU

It wasn’t so much an epiphany as a slow, gradual realization that I was no longer in control of my career. True, I was getting plenty of assignments, many of them lucrative, but I had fallen into the trap of accepting everything that crossed my desk in a frightened attempt to maintain an “income stream,” and in so doing I had killed the very thing that made me want to become a writer in the first place.

I’ve been writing for more than 30 years, and have worked steadily as a freelancer for 17 years. I entered freelancing in 1991 out of a desire to write what I wanted to write, not what others wanted me to write. But now, nearly two decades in, I was right back where I started, a realization that made me increasingly unhappy.

So one morning not too long ago I woke up and said, no more!

My problem, I realized, was that I had become lazy and complacent. I had developed bad habits that were keeping me from achieving my full potential as a professional writer. I had no one to blame but myself for the rut I was in, and it was up to me to climb out and start climbing up.

The first thing I did was resolve not to waste time on small articles for small markets. I wasn’t going to burn bridges — that’s never a wise career move — but I was going to politely decline the small stuff and more aggressively ask for larger, better paying features.

More importantly, I began jotting down the big ideas that had been filling my brain over the years, and identifying the larger, better markets that might be interested in them. This included, among others, Rolling Stone Magazine, Readers’ Digest, GQ and the larger inflight magazines. It might take me a while to break in, but I realized I never would if I didn’t start making the effort. These markets weren’t going to come to me, I had to go to them — and with my very best work.
Driven, I spent an hour and a half at Barnes & Noble evaluating markets and writing down pertinent contact information. Magazines that used to intimidate me are now targets in my sights. I may miss with my first shot, and maybe even my second and third. But eventually I’ll hit the target, and all of my efforts will have been worthwhile.

I’m also working harder and faster. I don’t procrastinate anymore. When I get an assignment now, I immediately get my questions together and move fast to arrange interviews. The faster I work, the more I work. And the more I work, the closer I come to my goal of writing what I want to write.

I’m telling you this because I want you to push and encourage me. Like the smoker who tells everyone he knows that he’s trying to quit, I want you to MAKE me work harder toward my bigger goals.

If you do that, I promise to do the same for you.

– Don

Sell What You Have: Lessons learned from the rich young ruler. (Lk 18:18-23)

The words pierced me like a carefully targeted arrow hitting its mark. Yet, I was neither rich, nor young. Neither was I a ruler. Or was I?

There were some things he’d gotten right, this young man who stood questioning Jesus. Yet, there was more required of him. He ruled. But he lacked the ability to exercise dominion in the arena of marketing.

As a young writer, aspiring to see my articles in print, the revelation flooded my understanding, jolting my little world of I-don’t-like-to-do-marketing. The words bathed me with new understanding. “Sell what you have.”

It only takes a moment for the higher thoughts of the Lord to penetrate and shatter the hidden secrets of the heart. I, like the rich, young ruler, was holding on to my writing as he did his possessions. With a change of thinking, I pondered the words. “Sell what you have.”

What you have…not what they want.

Sell it! Don’t give it away.

Sell what you have.

You’ve got it, something others need to survive, overcome, endure…succeed.

What have you already written? What have you written that has value? What are you storing up in barns, even building new barns to hold, instead of getting it out into the arena of valued product?

Writer’s rich with ideas must accept the challenge Jesus presented to the young ruler. It requires a change of focus from possessor to promoter. From marks to market. From my possession to my responsibility to get the message out.

What could the rich young ruler have done? What can we, rich young writers do?

Accept the challenge and obey the command.

Hear the affirmation in the command. Ponder this for a moment. Jesus told the man, “Sell what you have.” He obviously knew what the man had. According to the young ruler’s response to the Lord, he kept five of the ten commandments. Jesus did not discount the accomplishment. He could just as well have said, “Don’t keep the secret to your success, the ability to keep these commandments, stored away in your own barn. Make this available for public consumption. Feed those who are struggling with that which you have mastered.”

Jesus’ words of command were also words of encouragement. It was an affirmation of the young man’s wealth. I know what you have. Sell it. Get people to make an exchange. At the same time He was also saying, “There are people out there who are willing to pay for what you are storing.”

Think about this for a moment. This is Jesus speaking. He knows who you are and what you have to offer. He knows the needs of the people and he’s standing before you with one simple command. “Sell what you have.”

Package what you have for public consumption. Someone needs it. Someone will buy it….and you will experience new life. Isn’t that the essence of what Jesus said to the man?

Let’s take this a step further. Let’s brainstorm together. What unmerited thinking shackled the rich young ruler? Could it be summed up by saying, “I don’t know how? I don’t have the time. I’ve never done that before.” After all those are some of the excuses we’ve been using isn’t it? I don’t know how to find out who needs this information. I don’t know how to query an editor. I don’t know how to edit the article. I don’t know how….? Fill in the blank yourself. I’m sure you, like myself, have said it enough times to know the refrain by heart.

Here’s a thought to ponder. This ruler was being challenged by the Lord to expand his knowledge base. Yet, he was content to just possess. Many in the body of Christ stand at the same threshold. We possess knowledge of the Christian life. We have overcome in several, if not many, arenas. We have some trophies and we sometimes recall the moments of triumph. But have we recorded those victories, the lessons learned and the encouragement for others?

I want to leave you with this thought today. Are you a rich young ruler? Are you secure in your level of accomplishment? Take this challenge today. What truths have you mastered? What area of your life has been transformed. What food for thought do you have that others will be nourished by? Write them. Record them and pass them on. They’re valuable and someone will make an exchange (buy) in order to reach the level of success you are basking in today.

–Debbie Howard