Mommy's working

Keys to being a successful freelance writer

2008-12-25T10:48:00.000-08:00

The Monster List of Freelancing Tips at www.poewar.com has some wonderful keys to being a successful work at home writer or any freelance position.

Some of my favorite tips:

*Follow instructions
*Ask clients what they want and listen to the answers they give
*Explain things clearly
*Meet deadlines
*Avoid distractions
*Be an editor
*Be ready to write whenever inspiration hits

And the list goes on and on! Be sure to check it out.

Open Office 3.0

2008-12-24T21:27:00.001-08:00

The latest version of Open Office has just been released, Open Office 3.0. I downloaded it on both of my computers today and so far really like it. There are some new features that were not on 2.4 so I'm working to become familiar with them.

I love Open Office because it's compatible with Microsoft Office but it's a lot cheaper. It's FREE!

It has a counterpart to pretty much everything in Microsoft Office except one program, Publisher. I use that program to produce several newsletters so I still have to use Microsoft Office.

The Writer program is the Open Office version of Microsoft Office's Word. Files can go back and forth in either format without any glitches that I am aware of. I use Writer most often and I really like the word count feature. In Word it is right at the bottom of the document; in Writer you click Tools and then Word Count.

To download Open Office just go to www.openoffice.org. It's a wonderful tool for writers!

Historical writing

2008-12-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

Writing World's current newsletter has a very interesting piece on historical writing, something I really love to do.

I've written numerous outright historical pieces and during the past five years of freelance writing have collected some wonderful local histories, firsthand comments on historical events, and the like. My love for local/regional history has grown and when I have time I write about neat facts I've uncovered in my blog Historical Happenings. It focuses on Arkansas and African-American history with an emphasis on people and places about whom/which I have firsthand information and knowledge.

The Writing World newsletter offers a great piece of advice on writing about history -- find something interesting that hasn't been covered a million times already! I treasure these firsthand experiences with area historical events I've collected, like one woman's take on what it was like to be an African-American student during the time the Hoxie School District was being integrated or another woman's very sharp memories of the years she attended a private boarding school for African-American students in Eastern Arkansas.

Until I decide to compile all of my collected experiences and memories in a better format, I'll continue to publish snippets at Historical Happenings.

It's been five years!

2008-12-18T21:32:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe it's been this long, but I became an official work-at-home writer mom five years ago!

It was five years ago this month that my job in a newspaper office as an editor, writer, photographer, etc. came to an end after nearly 16 years. I began freelancing for a couple of area newspapers right away and after several months added another one. A couple of years after that, I began producing a newsletter for a nonprofit organization.

In the past five years I've been a regular contributor at several area newspapers, including a couple that I no longer write for because of the distance, and I've produced regular newsletters for several nonprofits. During this time I've also done some editing for different clients. I'm still writing for newspapers, producing newsletters, and doing some editing.

This has been a wonderful opportunity for me, as I've been able to stay home with my children, contribute to the family finances, and do something I've always loved to do. I'm very thankful for this and hope that it continues.

Time to get ready for tax season

2008-12-17T08:49:00.001-08:00

Work at home writers, it's time to get ready for tax season! Have you kept up with all your paperwork/bookkeeping?

I haven't for the last few months, I'm ashamed to say, but I do have several months of figures already recorded that should make things easier.

Freelance Writing at About.com has some good tax preparation tips to follow in the meantime.

Secrets to scoring a freelance job

2008-10-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Freelance Writing at About.com has some insider secrets for getting freelance writing jobs!

These tips are for getting jobs over the Internet, something at which I have a zero percent success rate although following these tips may get a writer a 20 percent success rate.

My failure at it is due most likely to me not being very dedicated to the process; I've found so much more success in finding print work locally. I tried to do this again this summer and got a few bites but nothing that panned out to an actual gig.

Hopefully these tips will help improve my success rate the next time I decide to try this.

Writing goals for this past year

2008-10-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

The end of the year is quickly approaching! How are you writers doing with reaching your goals for this year?

I did okay with mine since I set a very simple goal -- just to get some writing done -- but several things have happened and I am not very happy with my overall performance this year. Most of these things are pretty much beyond my control, though.

To get the year started off, two jobs were eliminated. One was a newspaper featuring writing freelance job that I'd had since I started freelancing at the beginning of 2004. The distance was the major factor in the decision I made to stop doing this feature. The other job that was eliminated was a newsletter position that was cut because of budgeting. Caught up in the middle of that was an annual report that I produced and was paid half of the proposed price.

I acquired three new newsletter production positions during the year; two are going wonderfully and another is dragging as I wait (going on almost a month now) to be notified of corrections to the first draft. I hope to hear from them soon.

Another couple of issues I've experienced with another nonprofit organization mainly concern communication and billing; because of that and a few issues with the other organizations I work with I've changed my policy on billing (will now be sending the invoice with the first draft instead of waiting until the final draft is completed to bill) and have vamped up my communication.

I wrote quite a bit for a newspaper during one part of the year then got busy with newsletters; this never turns out to be a good thing since the newspaper publishes and pays quickly, and has excellent exposure.

I have a monthly assignment with yet another newspaper; this has been going wonderfully. I've met some wonderful people this year and have written some very good pieces.

My issues this year haven't been with writing itself, but the business of it and little things like travel, billing, etc. I hope that next year goes smoother in those areas.

I hope that you have had a great year with freelance writing and that another wonderful year awaits you!

Conducting interviews

2008-10-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

Conducting interviews is a big part of writing, especially when producing local pieces like I do. This is something I've been doing for 20 years, but brushing up on some tips is always a good idea.

Freelance Writing at About.com's newsletter recently talked about how to conduct an interview. Take a look!

Writers Weekly ezine

2008-10-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

Writers Weekly dubs itself the highest circulating freelance writing ezine in the world!

It has lots of good topics, list of paying markets, etc. each week. Have them emailed to you every Wednesday or read it on the site.

There is also a forum on the site. I've just joined but I have high hopes for it.

How to survive while writing with the kids around

2008-10-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

Write from Home has a great piece on juggling your kids and writing, something I struggle with on a daily basis. I imagine all work-at-home writer moms have this problem, so check it out:

How to Survive While Writing with Young Children in the Home

It gives some great tips, like getting up earlier than your kids, something that does not work for me on a regular basis, or staying up later than the children, which I usually do. (I have found lately that I make kind of a mess when I write at night, but if I can just get it written I can fix it in the morning!)

The piece recommends movies and arts and crafts, both of which are very popular at my house.

All of my kids but one are old enough to play outside without me, and they are also old enough to watch the little one!

Top 10 writing blogs of the year

2008-10-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

The Top 10 writing blogs of 2008 were recently announced!

Writing Blog Winners

The top 10 were narrowed down from a list of 37 excellent blogs:

Writing Blog Finalists

A few of them are some of my favorites!

Poewar Writers Resource Center

Freelance Writing Jobs

Freelance Writing at About.com

There are some really great blogs in the finalist list that I'm adding to my regular reading list.

The top 10 blogs came from over 300 writing blog nominations.

Launching your writing career, step by step

2008-10-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

Writing World's Getting Started: A Step-by-Step Guide to Launching Your Writing Career has informative articles on every single step of getting your freelance writing career off the ground. Topics include:

Begin at the Beginning

Finding Ideas

Finding Markets

Queries and Submissions

Conducting Research and Interviews

Crafting Your Article

Rejection, Writer's Block, and Other Hazards of the Writing Life

Time Management

Networking

Should You Quit Your Day Job?

Each topic has a long list of helpful articles, so check it out!

Things that can go wrong for a freelance writer

2008-10-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Writing World has a great piece on things that can go wrong for a freelance writer and, thankfully, what to do about them!

From a publication folding before paying you for your work to the subject of a piece you wrote bowing out of business to inadvertently signing away your rights, this piece has excellent advice on what to do about several potentially disastrous events in the career of a freelance writer.

Writing World newsletter

2008-10-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

There are tons of topics on the newsletter from Writing World.

The Writing World newsletter is e-mailed monthly, on the first Thursday of the month. You can also read it at the website.

From how to decode Internet writing job ads to why newspaper writers need blogs, the topics are seemingly endless. I'm still exploring the site and will share some highlights with you in the days to come.

How to find high-paying freelance writing jobs

2008-10-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

Freelance Writing Jobs has an excellent piece on how to find high-paying freelance writing jobs on the Internet.

It encourages writers to not accept those low paying gigs that are all over the Internet. There are a lot of them, or at least I've seen quite a few in my occasional searches for freelance writing jobs on the Internet. That's what led me to my belief that the print market is much better-paying, but perhaps I just haven't run across one of those good high-paying jobs this piece is talking about.

Coffee break for writers!

2008-10-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

Coffee Break for Writers is a monthly ezine for writers, published on the 7th of each month. You can read it on the site with it's great coffee theme and wide variety of topics covered.

You can also subscribe to get a notification in your email when the new one comes up.

Subscribers also get first notification when submissions are needed for Coffee Break for Writers. The subscribers have first chance at the call for new article topics, before they're announced on the writer's guidelines page. Calls for articles on this page go up a week after subscribers are notified.

They do need some submissions now so while you are there check out the writer's guidelines.

A wonderful writer's resource center!

2008-10-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

The Poewar.com Writer's Resource Center has just about everything you need to know about writing and then some.

There is a great freelancing articles section, a very nicely categorized jobs listing section, and another jobs section with listings by state!

There is a lot more that I'm still checking out. I found this blog with the new blog search tool on the Google toolbar. I just put in "writing" in the search box and this great blog turned up.

Why write for newspapers?

2008-10-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of great reasons to consider writing for newspapers in this Writing World piece: Why Write for Newspapers?

Turns out there are a number of reasons, including the fact that there are quite a few newspapers being published, and quite frequently at that. More papers coming out more often mean more writing opportunities for us freelance writers.

Freelance opportunities abound at newspapers

2008-10-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

Looks like someone at Writing World agrees with me (and my tutorial of the past several days) about freelancing for newspapers!

Check out this great piece on why you should try freelancing for newspapers: Newspapers: A Great Source of Freelance Opportunities

If you missed my tutorial series, "Getting Started in the Print Market," it started on Sept. 9 with a short tutorial; the expanded series started on Sept. 15 and concluded on Oct. 4.

Getting started in the print market: Tutorial conclusion

2008-10-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

Hopefully the "Getting Started in the Print Market" tutorial that this blog has been running the past couple of weeks has been helpful for you.

Let me know if you have any questions or if I can be of further assistance to you. I am always happy to help or give free advice.

Write on!

Getting started in the print market: Tutorial part 9

2008-10-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

Don't brush the Internet off

The final part of getting started in freelance writing is making good use of the Internet. Yes, I know I said I don't advocate the Internet as a direct source of jobs (that's just because my experience with it hasn't been productive and I really think there is some newspaper ink in my blood) but don't ignore the Internet! It's a great source for information, ideas, and networking with fellow writers and even fellow work-at-home writer moms like me!

I have found some websites that have a lot of good information on them. I have compiled a list of helpful websites. My favorite is the message board at www.mommyjobs.com, and then most of the writing sites in my list have message boards as well.

Be sure to take a look at my writing website since it might have some ideas for you. After looking at that you'll see that almost everything I write is human interest. I wrote straight news for so many years and loved it, but this I like even better.

I don't use my writing website as a way to gain opportunities but many writers do advertise their services over the Internet.

Getting started in the print market: Tutorial part 8

2008-10-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

Work those referrals

Once you get established as a freelance writer it is pretty likely that you'll get more opportunities for work through existing clients. I’ve gotten some of my other work through those first jobs I got. In fact, most of the clients I've had over the past four and a half years have been people I contacted for a story and they later called me to inquire about my interest in freelancing for them.

These clients are wonderful for several reasons -- they come to you, first of all (and best of all) and they are well familiar with your work. You have already sold yourself to them without even meaning to, and they want you! Consider all requests seriously and don't brush any aside, even if you think you already have enough work. They may be able to make it worth your while, or even worth it for you to let something else go.

Follow up on those referrals!

Getting started in the print market: Tutorial part 7

2008-09-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Getting enough work and keeping it

Once you get the first job or two, give preference to the ones who print your work in a timely manner and pay you quickly. All of mine pay within a week of publication and the publication dates are very quick after I submit pieces.

Keep going to the papers in your area until you have as much work as you want or as much as you can handle. Keep an eye out for other publications and contact them if you notice an advertisement for freelancers or even staff positions, or even if you just think you would be a good fit for the publication.

It took me about seven months to get enough work. It took me several more months to let all the other side work I was doing go and just concentrate on my writing. Now I'm four and a half years into freelancing and I can pick and choose what I want to do.

After you get enough work you want to concentrate on keeping it! I am very careful to remain very valuable to my editors. I take great pains to submit very well-written pieces in a timely manner. During my years as an editor at a newspaper office, I greatly appreciated well-written pieces that didn't require a great deal of editing. I always cringed at the pieces that just needed to be completely rewritten. The last thing I want is to make my editors cringe because that means I'll get fewer opportunities to write and they won't call me when they need something done quickly. As it is, they know they will have to edit my pieces very little, if any at all. They know they can assign me anything or call me at the last minute and they'll get a great piece ready to print.

Getting started in the print market: Tutorial part 6

2008-09-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Keep an open mind and prepare for rejection

As with getting started on any career path, you need to keep an open mind and be willing to accept rejection. Actually, you should expect it because let's face it, it's going to happen.

My best client came after some negative thinking and then a rejection, in fact. Friends kept urging me to try to work for this newspaper, a large one, but I didn't think I could. Finally I felt ready and then I saw an advertisement for a freelance writer for a weekly advertising section in this paper. It wasn't the dream position, but by this time I just wanted to get my foot in the door with this paper. As the young lady was walking me out after the interview, she said that if things didn't work out with this particular department, I should contact this other certain department.

I didn't get the job I interviewed for so I did contact by phone the other department she mentioned. They did in fact need freelancers and they gave me an assignment right there on the spot. I eventually submitted the requested piece and that led to a stream of assignments that has kept me busy for the last four and a half years.

Another position I got after going into a newspaper office as an afterthought. I was in town on business and we passed right by the newspaper office. It wasn't on my list because at 40-45 minutes from home I figured it was too far away. My husband urged me to go on in with my resume although I did not want to. They had some work for me right then and there.

You just never know what is going to happen.

Getting started in the print market: Tutorial part 5

2008-09-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

Pay rates

Pay rates are extremely important to most freelancers, or at least they are to me. In fact, they are the very reason that I freelance.

A newspaper that has some freelance work available probably already has in place a rate that they pay freelancers, but if not, they should be willing to negotiate with you. I have all kinds of rates that I get. One is $1.25 an inch, another is $75 for an 1,000 word cover feature, and another is $50 for about 800 words.

I had one paper that just told me to bill them. I pondered over what to charge for a while and then decided to pitch them the rate I was getting from another paper. Lo and behold, they accepted it on the spot. Several months later they asked me if I could reduce my price, but I had built that request into the original price I requested.

I like to get an average of $15-20 an hour but sometimes it doesn't always work out. At first all that matters is that you are getting paid and then you can figure out an average later and even turn your nose up at some things or pass them off to someone else. Now that is a good feeling.

Getting started in the print market: Tutorial part 4

2008-09-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

It's resume day!

The next step in getting started in the freelance writing world is to spread your resume around in the hopes of snagging a job or two. My experience has found that this works much better in person. In fact, I have not obtained one single job by emailing my resume. (I hope that changes in the near future.)

With your list of newspaper information, plan a driving trip to the newspapers. Start with the ones closest to your home and go from there.

When it's resume day, just relax, dress nicely, and get your stack of resumes, which by now should be inside the folders with cover letters in front and writing samples in back.

If you are a fumbler like me, carry only the folder with the resume in it and a card inside the office with you. Take a nice big deep breath (or two) right before you walk in the door.

Introduce yourself to the first person who acknowledges you and ask for the editor by name. If it's a small newspaper the editor is most likely there. While the editor is fished out of the bowels of the building (they could be doing anything from typing furiously to trying to get the press running) take another nice deep breath. You need to give off the impression that you are competent, professional, and timely.

Hand the editor your card and your resume and say you'd like to do some freelance work for them. Just like that. Very short and to the point. As in, "I'm Michelle Wallace and I'd like to do some freelance work for you." I didn't say it exactly like that the first time but very quickly learned to do so.

They'll either say they have something or they don't have anything at the time. If they have something for you, express willingness to do whatever is needed without appearing over-eager. The goal is a standing position but a few pieces on a trial basis wouldn't be bad either.

Getting started in the print market: Tutorial part 3

2008-09-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

Lists of newspaper names with editors

The third thing you need to do to begin work as a freelance writer is find all the newspapers within a reasonable radius and get the name of the editors.

Small newspapers would be the best place to start with this. They are usually understaffed and in sore need of feature pieces, sports writing, and maybe even some meeting coverage although the human interest pieces seem to be the best things to turn over to freelancers.

I had the advantage of knowing the newspapers and their editors already because of dealing with them for many years (and having a state newspaper guide handy), but chances are you know the name of a newspaper or two in your area. Start your list with them.

Go online to www.usnpl.com and click on your state for a list of newspapers. That will not be all the papers in your area, but a look at a regional phone book or a trip to the library should produce the names of some more papers and the names of the editors of the papers. If you are looking at the paper online go to the "Contact Us" tab for names and contact information. If you are able to skim through an actual newspaper, there will be a staff box inside the paper somewhere, maybe on the bottom of the editorial page, that names the editor. If it lists both an editor and a managing editor, make a note of both names. While you're at it get the phone numbers and email addresses just in case.

Make a list of the names of all the papers you can find within a reasonable distance from you and be sure to note the names of the editors.

You're almost ready to go out and distribute your resume. (Yes, you're going in person!)

Getting started in the print market: Tutorial part 2

2008-09-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Collecting writing samples

A big part of looking for a writing job is presenting writing samples. I can just about guarantee that editors will want to see your work first.

I had chosen several nice pieces that I had written for the paper I worked for and took them with me in newspaper clipping form. Not everyone has these but anything in print is the first preference. But of course many people do not have print samples in the first place. That's what they are out there trying to get.

The next choice for writing samples would be anything published, online or otherwise. Many people have had pieces published online at places like Associated Content, Constant Content, or one of the many tips/how to websites. Print those out on paper if you have them.

If you don't have anything published at all, print out something you have written.

If you need to write something to submit as a sample, here's a story idea: Interview one of your friends who is a community volunteer, a sports parent, a youth group leader, or some other such selfless person in the community. Write the piece in third person with a length of about 300-600 words. Use a program that has spell-check (like Word) and have someone edit/proofread it for you.

Some inside information about print media: Newspaper people think print is the Alpha and the Omega of all mediums. (Now you know where I'm coming from!) Many small newspapers are still run by second and third generation newspaper people who have ink for blood and may be up in years. They tend to view other mediums as inferior and may even be suspicious of the Internet. That's why it's really important to have a sample that has been published in print or at least is physically on a piece of paper.

Getting started in the print market: Tutorial part 1

2008-09-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Market yourself

For many getting started as a freelance writer seems very overwhelming. It helps to break it down into small steps.

The very first thing you need to do is get yourself ready to market. You need a good resume, a cover letter, a professional looking cover for your cover letter and resume, and some business cards.

When I got ready to go into freelancing, I didn't even have a resume. I had never even so much as prepared a resume before, having been hired straight out of high school (really before). I was completely out of my league in the resume department. My sister and brother-in-law prompted me for things to put in the resume and actually built it for me. Some of my other sisters and my brother looked at it and made some suggestions. Get some help with your resume if you need it and most certainly have it edited/proofread before you present it.

You'll also need a cover letter that says in a few sentences what your purpose is.

There are some good free resources for writing a resume and cover letter. Check online and at the library for them.

Print off several copies of the cover letter and resume and put them inside a clear plastic cover, such as a report cover, or something professional looking like that.

The last thing in marketing materials that you will need is some business cards. Go to www.vistaprint.com and order some of the free cards there. It costs $5.25 to ship them. There are many very nice designs in the free cards.

Now you are ready to collect writing samples. Check back tomorrow.

Getting started as a freelance writer: Tutorial introduction

2008-09-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

A lot of people ask me how I got started freelance writing. I had worked in a newspaper office as a reporter, photographer, and editor for 16 years, so when the time came to freelance and work from home, getting started with newspapers was the next logical step for me. I learned some things along the way about how to break into writing from home for the print market and would like to share it.

The print market pays much better than online work and I highly recommend looking into that avenue. I'm doing newspaper feature writing right now along with producing a few newsletters for nonprofit organizations. My background is in the newspaper business and that is what I know, but of course I'm not limited to that. There are tons of publications out there -- newspapers, news magazines, newsletters, and even advertising publications -- that cover all manner of subjects.

When in the freelance job market, many people don't consider the print market because they think they can't do it, or they don't think of it at all. Any writer looking to make a career in freelancing would do well to seriously consider print.

In the next few days I'll share the steps I took to get started as a freelance writer, and I hope that some of the pointers will help you. Please check back frequently as there are several steps, and I'll be posting them one at a time.

Let me know if you have any questions. I am glad to help if I can. Happy writing!

Getting started in the print market: Short tutorial

2008-09-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

Here's my short version tutorial on getting started in the print market. It's a bit rough in places, but more details on each aspect are coming in the next several days.

Getting started in the print market (short tutorial)

That's great you're wanting to get into the print market. It pays so much better than online work. I'm writing some newspaper human interest writing right now along with putting together some newsletters for nonprofits. My background is in the newspaper business and that is what I know, but of course I'm not limited to that. There are tons of other publications out there.

Here's what I did to get started. I did have the advantage of 16 years in a newspaper office and my work and I were both well-known but this should still work for you. Find all the small newspapers within a reasonable radius and get the name of the editors. Do up a resume and get a few writing samples together (published if you have any) and go up to the paper office and ask for the editor by name. Have business cards if possible. You can get them for $5 at Vista Print. Have your resume in a report cover or something that looks professional. Hand the editor your card and your resume and say you'd like to do some freelance work for them.

Small newspapers would be the best place to start with this. They are usually understaffed and in sore need of feature pieces, sports writing, and maybe even some meeting coverage although the human interest pieces seem to be the best things to freelance out. Be willing to do whatever is needed. Leave them with the impression that you are competent, professional, and timely. They should have a rate that they pay freelancers but if not they should be willing to negotiate with you. I have all kinds of rates that I get. One is $1.25 an inch, another is $75 for a 1,000 word cover feature, and another is $50 for about 800 words. It just depends. (I like to get an average of $15-20 an hour but sometimes it doesn't always work out. At first all that matters is that you are getting paid and then you can figure out an average later and even turn your nose up at some assignments!)

Keep going to the papers in your area until you have as much work as you want or as much as you can handle. Once you get it going, give preference to the ones who pay quickly. All of mine pay within a week of publication and the publication dates are very quick after I submit pieces. It took me about seven months to get enough work. It took me several more months to let all the other work I was doing go and just concentrate on my writing. Now I'm 4.5 years into freelancing and I can pick and choose what I want to do but I am very careful to remain very valuable to my editors. I’ve also gotten a lot of my current work through those first jobs I got.

I have found some websites that have a lot of good information on them. Here's the link to a list I created. My favorite is the message board at Mommy Jobs, and then most of the links to those writing sites have message boards.

Be sure to take a look at my writing website since it might have some ideas for you.

I really feel like more people would be happy if they would just try the print market. I know I had a big advantage but I think this is very feasible for just about anyone.

The print market -- how do you get started?

2008-09-06T10:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like I'm quite in the minority on the Internet, amongst so many online writers, when I chat up the print market and encourage other writers to pursue that avenue. It makes sense that the Internet is full of online writers, though, and that is one of the reasons I push the print market. It pays better, too.

I get asked quite often how to go about getting started in the print market. A while back I composed a very brief tutorial and have provided it to anyone requesting it. Recently I took that brief tutorial and expounded upon it greatly, adding many more details and insider tips.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be posting this expanded tutorial in sections here. Watch for it and check back for new ideas and suggestions.

Going back to the office -- would you?

2008-09-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Would you go back to work outside the home after working from home?

I raved yesterday about all the advantages of working from home but my answer to the above question is yes!

But on my terms. (Sounds like a work-at-home mom to the core, huh?)

Working outside the home during the day during normal business hours isn't even an option for me right now. I have a baby to care for all day long. I have four kids to get to school and take care of after school. Plus I have a wonderful freelance writing business that has grown tremendously in four and a half years, and the potential for more growth is as big as I want it to be.

But, working during normal business hours isn't the only option out there. That's why I would consider going back to work.

My dream job outside the house would be in a coffee cafe located inside of a bookstore. (It could happen.)

I've worked odd hours before, in particular at a chain sandwich shop, and I'd go back in a minute, mainly for the chance to get out of the house. I'd like to do this when my son gets old enough to be okay with his dad or auntie for several hours in the evening on a regular basis. We'll see about it then; for now I just get to dream about it.

What would you do?

Advantages of working from home

2008-09-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

At this very moment, I'm sitting on the couch with my laptop and a cup of coffee, watching my favorite show, "What Not to Wear." I'm waiting on some photographs to be emailed to me so I can wrap up a project and send an invoice. Oh by the way, it's noon. And my son just went down for a nap (finally).

That would be one of the biggest advantages of working from home.

Here are a few more!

* I take my kids to school, pick them up, and go to the school in the middle of the day for lunch. I'm available on a moment's notice if someone forgets an important paper or gets sick.

* I don't have to fight traffic to get to work. After going to the store this morning after dropping the kids off at school and sitting through I don't know how many lights backed up with dozens of vehicles, I had a brand new appreciation for the term "fighting traffic." I don't ever want to have to do that on a daily basis.

* I can watch TV and drink coffee in the middle of the day if I want. I don't do it a lot, but the opportunity is there.

* I get the shopping and errands done during the day. That is opposed to spending lunch hour paying bills or running off to the store as soon as my husband gets home like I used to when I worked in an office.

* Expenses like the laptop are tax-deductible. Mileage, phone bill, Internet bill, a ream of copy paper ... it's all tax-deductible. What's not to love about that?

What are the advantages of working from home for you?

In retrospect

2008-09-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

How did you pick your work-at-home mom job? Did you choose something you've always loved doing?

Ever since I was old enough to hold a pencil, I have been writing. I penned several books as a child, including one that was circulated in all the third-grade classrooms, much to the chagrin of a painfully shy eight-year-old! I scribbled poems throughout my adolescence and was editor of the school newspaper during my final two years of high school.

I got my official start in the newspaper business as a brand new high school graduate in May of 1988. I worked as a writer and photographer and later an editor in the office until December 2003. During these years I wrote news, took photographs, and worked in page design while learning the ins and outs of newspapering strictly by experience.

I started freelancing in January 2004. I began writing human interest pieces for a nearby daily newspaper each week and advertorial material for another area newspaper on a regular basis. Later I began to write feature pieces for that newspaper, too.

In the summer of 2004, I began writing for the state newspaper's three zoned editions that it publishes twice a week.

My newspaper freelancing went smoothly for a couple of years, and then I tossed something new in there -- newsletter production. When I contacted a nonprofit organization with which I was very well familiar from my days in the newspaper office to do a freelance piece, they asked me to consider taking over their quarterly newsletter. Finally, I agreed. A few months after that another nonprofit organization that I got to know as a freelancer asked me about taking over their newsletter, and we got that started. Earlier this year a consultant for two nonprofits contacted me requesting work.

Along the way I acquired another newspaper job (I was referred to them by a current client) and ended two because of the distance; and one of the newsletter jobs was ended for budgeting reasons.

I have to say I never expected to be doing newsletters but it is quite enjoyable because I get to use all my newspaper skills -- writing, photography, editing, and design -- all in one concise publication.

The newspaper pieces are all very enjoyable as well, since I'm writing about wonderful people and places right where I live.

Looking back on my many years of writing, I seem to have let my words take me where they wanted me to go. This has opened up new avenues of writing for me, and I delight in the experience.

Tell me about your work-at-home mom job!

Online writing vs. print market writing

2008-09-03T11:39:00.001-07:00

The printed page.

Aaaah, how I love it.

I wrote books as a child, penned poems as a teenager, and went to work at the local newspaper office as a young adult.

I left the newspaper office four and a half years ago, came home, fired up the Internet, and realized people were writing for websites and getting paid for it.

That wasn't something I was familiar with, but I investigated, emailed a few resumes, and waited. Nothing happened. I didn't pursue it because I was focusing on what I was familiar with, print writing. That was taking off for me.

From time to time I revisit the notion of getting paid to write online, and sometimes I even check the job openings. I have done that a lot the past few months, more so than I ever have before. I finally figured out where to look, I think.

Over the past few months I've probably applied to an average of a job a week online. I've gotten some bites, too, but nothing has worked out. I was accepted to write reviews of books (mainly instructional in nature), but it required a membership and purchase at a popular online bookseller. I didn't pursue the job. I was accepted to write a feature at a site that publishes pieces on interesting and unusual places, with the promise that I could write more if they liked it. I submitted something and my poor piece has been in review for two months now. I was accepted to write for a new national print and online publication, one that I really believed in. Two story ideas and two column ideas were quickly shot down. I decided not to pursue that either.

Not discouraged (much) I continue to peruse the online writing jobs available, but it is obvious what my focus should be: print writing.

Currently I have five clients; all but one contacted me with work proposals. Print work comes easier (for me anyway) and it pays so much better than what I've seen for some online work. Plus, newspapers smell so much better than the Internet.

Places to find writing jobs based on locale and niche

2008-09-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

Freelance Writing at About.com has done it again. Guide Allena Tapia has three new lists of places to find freelance writing jobs. This time the lists are based on locale and niche.

List #1 is 26 places to find telecommuting jobs. These can generally be completed from anywhere.

List #2 lists places that have jobs that are more area-specific at times, like Craigslist, Morning Coffee, and Freelance Writing Gigs, three of my favorite places to look.

List #3 is niche-based jobs, like journalism.

Thanks Freelance Writing and Allena!

Note to self: interview

2008-08-25T20:09:00.001-07:00

The Coffee-Stained Writer has posted a list of self-interview questions and her own answers, and has encouraged other writers to post their answers as well.

It's a thought-provoking way to get the creative juices flowing and a great idea! I'll post my answers here tomorrow.

In the meantime, be sure to check out the blog of a fellow coffee-drinking writer!

Success with summer break scheduling (finally)

2008-08-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

Just as I suspected, I've got my summer break work schedule figured out now that it is time for the girls to go back to school.

Earlier in the summer I was having a terrible time getting everything done and mainly, getting a handle on the stress level. Mondays were extremely overwhelming: it was my first day taking care of five kids by myself plus it was my big work day. On Thursdays and Fridays I just have my three kids, and on Saturdays and Sundays my husband is around to help with all five. Taking care of everyone plus getting the work week off to a good start was just too much for me. I just couldn't handle all of it.

Although I have always scheduled a large portion of my work on Mondays (to get the week going with a bang), I took my little sister's suggestion to not plan to do so much on Mondays but rather, spread it out over the entire week. It took a week or two to figure out how to do that, but I finally got it together.

I actually start working on Sundays. I plan my week, look up phone numbers, email addresses, etc., all the information I need to contact people and set up interviews. I contact as many people as possible by email, which is getting easier because most people have email addresses now and most of the people that I need to contact can be found on the Internet. Before I would do all of this on Mondays. Now when I get up on Monday morning inundated with five children and all that entails, all of my Monday work is done for me. I am still doing a bit of work on Mondays but if I don't get it done, its okay. It almost feels like I am getting an extra day in the week!

I am leaving days later in the week, like Thursdays and Fridays, open for more work. Those days are quieter and much less hectic with only three kids around. After you take care of five kids for five days in a row, three seems like not very many kids! I am also being more open to working in the afternoons.

This schedule is working out wonderfully. I feel much more in control of what is going on, and I feel like I am accomplishing more.

I may keep this schedule with a few minor modifications when the kids go back to school. While I can't work after they get home (it's homework time then!) I can still get my week started on Sundays and spread the work out more evenly over the entire week.

It's exciting to finally get a handle on things although they are going back to school in a week and a half. I hate that it's taken me all summer to figure things out but better late than never. I seriously doubt I could have handled another Monday without totally losing it! Now I like to think I skip them altogether. That's a great feeling.

Story ideas

2008-08-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

The Working Writers Newsletter at FreelanceWriting.com has an interesting piece on generating ideas for writing.

There are some really interesting ideas in there, and many of them are geared toward using technology and the Internet.

Whenever I need some story ideas I just ask my husband! ;) I skim through a lot of print publications and a few online ones as well.

I'd love to hear how some of you get your ideas for writing.

Resources and reference sites for writers

2008-08-04T05:25:00.001-07:00

Here is a great list of assorted resources and references for writers that I recently came across.

150 Writing Resources

Some of the categories for the sites are:

Almanacs (like Answers and Black Facts Online, a good starting point for research though not listed as credible enough to cite as resources)

Business matters

Citation styles (like APA or Chicago)

Dictionaries (I love my Webster's dictionary and thesaurus that is installed on my hard drive but online dictionaries are very useful as well)

English language skills (like "The Elements of Style")

News digests

News media resources

Writing skills

Writing software (like Blogger and Open Office, both of which I love)

Bookmark this list for future reference!

Connect with other writers

2008-08-04T05:09:00.000-07:00

Freelance Write at About.com has a nice list of writing blogs, forums, and other networking groups.

Let's get together!

Transitioning work posts

2008-07-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

My transition of work posts from my archaic, slow desktop to my new, lightning-fast laptop is nearly complete. I've placed most of the files I need on my laptop and started my trial of Microsoft Office Small Business 2007.

I actually only need one component of the small business version of Office: Publisher. Everything else on there that I use, which is mainly just Word, is compatible with the free Open Office software I have now. Open Office Writer and Word understand one another perfectly and I am able to use Writer on the laptop and Word on the desktop interchangeably, with no problems whatsoever.

The Publisher component of Office I need for work so I can produce newsletters for a few nonprofit organizations.

A few evenings ago I downloaded the small business trial so I can work on my newsletters on the laptop. The trial lasts for 60 days. If I have really used it on the laptop I will purchase Publisher only. If it has not been of that much benefit I will just let the trial lapse without purchasing the program.

I do love the speed of the laptop and the more programs there are on it, the slower it runs. For that reason I'm putting as few files and programs on it as possible. I'd like to keep it mainly for Internet use. For the times that I need to email files that are on the desktop, I just save them to a CD and pop that in the laptop.

The transition is going well so far, and I hope it continues!

Free website hosting site in beta

2008-07-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

I just ran across a free website hosting site in beta and wanted to share ...

WEB ON

You can do a blog, etc. with this and it says there aren't any ads. Your address would be "yoursitename.webonsites.com."

Between that and the no ads feature that is a really great deal, especially compared to other free website hosts like Yahoo Geocities, where your address is something like http://www.geocities.com/smbwallace2003/arkansasprofiles.html and it is supported by advertisements.

I think I'll play around with the site in the next couple of days to see how easy it is. My Arkansas Profiles website, the one with the horribly long Geocities address, could use some updating and maybe the new Web On site would be a good place to put it. Something to think about ...

Trade magazines

2008-07-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

Write From Home has a list of trade magazines for which you can receive a free subscription.

Many writers are experts in certain areas and write for such trade magazines. They could also be used to expand these areas of knowledge.

For instance, I write about agriculture, housing, and similar topics for nonprofit organizations. I plan to subscribe to several of these magazines that appear to carry information that could benefit me in my newsletter work. I'll report back on the usefulness of the magazines later.

Writing for Profit: free mini ecourse

2008-07-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Write from Home has a great (and free!) mini ecourse entitled "Writing for Profit: Break Into Magazines," by Cheryl Wright.

It has a good bit of useful information that can also be applied to other print medium, like newspapers.

Seeing this mini ecourse gives me an idea of what to do with a piece I've written on how to get a job in the print market. And one of the free ebooks I've posted about recently describes how to set up an ebook!

A few more free online courses

2008-07-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

There are a few more free online writing classes in this list from Freelance Writing at About.com.

Follow that link to About University and you'll find free online classes on every imaginable subject. I had no idea so many online classes were available for free!

Each online course is sent by email daily or weekly and is designed to help you learn a specific skill or solve a particular problem, so says the welcome to About U. Jump in!

Free online university writing courses

2008-07-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

There are several universities that offer free online writing courses! That's perfect for us work-at-home writer moms who are trying to juggle the kids and the budget along with the projects we need to complete.

The list of universities offering these free courses is pretty impressive:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit.edu)

* Introduction to Fiction
* Writing and Reading Short Stories
* Advanced Essay Workshop

Utah State University (usu.edu)

* Intro to Writing Academic Prose
* Intermediate Research Writing
* Technology for Professional Writers

Open University (open.ac.uk)

* Fiction Writing Course
* Descriptive Writing Course
* Essay Writing Course

University of Utah (utah.edu)

* Introduction to Shakespeare
* Introduction to Creative Writing

Western Governors University (wgu.edu)

* Rhetorical and Critical Writing
* Language and Communications
* Literature Course - Parts I and II

Purdue University (owl.english.purdue.edu)

* Pattern and Variation in Poetry
* Proofreading Your Writing
* Conquering the Comma

Steven Barnes' UCLA Writing Course (lifewrite.com)

* 9-Week Introduction to Screenwriting Course

News University (newsu.org)

* Cleaning Your Copy
* Beat Basics and Beyond
* Covering Breaking News

.

E-Zine University (ezineuniversity.com)

* Writing Clearly and Effectively
* Conquering Confusing Words
* Quick Ways to Clean Up Your Writing

Wikiversity (wikiversity.org)

* Introduction to Web Writing
* Technical Writing Courses
* Narrative Dialog Editing

Be sure to check out the listing for more information about these schools and their free classes. I'd like to find the time to take the News University courses along with the E-Zine University offerings.

More free e-books

2008-07-17T23:13:00.000-07:00

Free e-books are available online by the truckload, including books on writing.

Free-ebooks.net has a long list of titles on all subjects available for download. The writing section has many e-books available for free. Topics range from writing e-books to finding freelance markets to book self-publishing.

The free e-books are available in several different file types, including PDF, EXE, and zip.

Free e-books for writers

2008-07-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

Freelance Writing has quite a few free e-books on writing.

Here's the list:

FREE E-BOOKS FOR WRITERS
Download free e-books to help you become a successful writer and freelance writer.

Can You Read Me Now? How to Use Readability Formulas to Write for Your Target Audience (Free E-Book)
Researchers and writers have been using readability formulas since 1920. Over the years, they have spent a lot of time devising the most accurate and scientific formulas to assess readability. In this free e-book, Can YOU Read Me Now?, you will learn how to use readability formulas on your own materials.

HOW A FREELANCE GHOSTWRITER SAVED MY BUSINESS! (Free E-Book)
Ghostwriters take on the writing tasks of successful marketers and business owners so they can spend more time on marketing! How A Freelance Ghostwriter Saved My Business! will teach business owners and marketers where to find these "mysterious" writers (most marketers won't give up their sources, it's too risky), and how to get their best work out of them so you can explode your business!

BOOK WRITING FOR FUN & PROFIT
(Free E-Book)
Discover how to write your own profitable book and become a recognized expert in your field. In this e-book, you'll discover everything you need to know to achieve your dream of becoming a respected author.

HOW TO WRITE A BOOK PROPOSAL SUPER FAST!
(Free E-Book)
Would you like to GET PAID to write a book? If you're thinking this is plain fantasy, think again. All professional writers get paid to write their books. How? They sell their books via proposals before they write the books. This e-book shows you how to go from idea to completed book proposal in seven short days. (Available in 2008)

FREELANCE POKER WRITING - FREE EDITION
(Free E-Book)
Learn how to make money freelance writing for the gaming industry.

CREATIVE FREELANCING
(Free E-Book)
Learn how to make money from home as a freelancer.

THE LOUSY WRITER'S GUIDE TO WRITING PERSUASIVELY
(Free E-Book)
Learn how to write persuasive promotional copy to convert browsers into buyers and boost company sales.

THE ACTIVE AUTHOR'S COPYRIGHT COMPENDIUM
(Free E-Book)
Learn about many diverse topics on copyright law, copyright registration, patent law, and trademark law.

THE ACTIVE AUTHOR'S GUIDE TO COPYRIGHT BASICS
(Free E-Book)
This free e-book will teach you all about copyright protection, how to register your copyright, and how to copyright any creative work.

THE ACTIVE AUTHOR'S GUIDE TO COPYRIGHT RESEARCH
(Free E-Book)
Learn how to search for a copyright renewal in the U.S. Copyright Office online database.

Transferring files

2008-07-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

The time has come for me to designate my new laptop as my "work" computer.

Currently my work computer is a desktop that we bought in 2000 or 2001 (we can't remember which year but either way, the computer has quite outlived any expected lifespan). The monitor is shot (second or third one) and the hard drive is SOOOOOOO slow. I guess that's because it's got seven or eight year's worth of stuff on it.

The last couple of days I've not been able to connect to the Internet on the desktop. That's very weird because I'm connected on the laptop, which of course goes through a router wired to the desktop. At any rate, it's inconvenient because all my files are on the desktop and I need to be able to access them and the Internet for emailing. Right now I am saving my files to a disk and then opening the disk on my laptop. I'm saving them to the laptop for future reference and figure it's time to just transfer all the files I need to the laptop.

There is just one problem. I don't have Microsoft Office on the laptop and I need Publisher. I use that program to produce newsletters for a couple of nonprofit clients. Open Office has solved all the other problems ... Writer opens Word, Calc opens Excel, and so on. As far as I can tell Open Office doesn't have anything that doubles as Publisher. I can get a 60-day free trial of Microsoft Office to tide me over and then I will just purchase Publisher alone. I looked it up when I was getting ready to buy it for the desktop a couple of years ago. The 2003 version of Publisher was $169.

Well as I was typing this post the desktop prompted me to fix the connection between the computer and the router, and now I can get on the Internet on that computer as well. Problem solved.

It's just a matter of time before it happens again so I'm going to continue to transfer my necessary files to the laptop so I can designate it as my official work computer.

Found it!

2008-07-13T20:24:00.001-07:00

Just an update to say that I found my planner (and my camera and the bag that everything was in)!

I left the bag in my sister-in-law's truck on Thursday.

I was relieved to see that I hadn't missed any major events since Thursday. I can now proceed to plan the upcoming week and the rest of my life.

Glad that's over!

I'm lost!

2008-07-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

My planner has been missing for a few days and I'm LOST!

I first noticed it missing on Friday and gave my desk area a cursory look, and the same goes for yesterday, except I sent my niece outside to look in the vehicle. Nothing.

I last remember having it on Thursday afternoon, when I packed it up in a briefcase bag to go to a meeting concerning work. I took it to my appointment and to my daughter's appointment for sure. Then things start getting blurry. After my daughter's appointment we went to my sister-in-law's house and picked up the other four kids, my other two and her two. I don't recall having it after that, but that doesn't mean anything. I could have left it in her vehicle, which I was driving. I could have taken it into her house and left it. I could have brought it in my house and put it somewhere strange.

I would normally have brought it into the house and sat in near my desk area.

I'm also missing my camera and a notebook that has an important slip of paper -- proof of my daughter's completing her appointment that I must present so she can be paid -- tucked inside of it.

My little purse was stuck inside the bag but I have the purse. So does that mean that I took my purse out of the bag somewhere along the way or that the bag actually made it into the house and got away from me?

Either way, I really need it. I need my planner. I just dug a medium-sized notebook out of my office supply boxes and created pages for the rest of this month. Now I feel like I have some semblance of order restored and I know the direction I need to take for the next week or so but I really need my planner. I'm making out my schedule for this coming week and there could be something already written in there that I need to do!

Outsourcing anyone?

2008-07-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

Being able to outsource things is a work-at-home mom's dream! It kind of sounds like you're defeating the purpose -- don't you work from home so you can take care of the kids AND help with the bills, all at the same time? -- but any mom who works from home can appreciate what a big responsibility it all is and knows you need some help sometimes.

I actually outsourced some of my work to a very dependable and trustworthy person (an online friend) for a time but things have gotten so tight around our house lately that I haven't been able to do that in a long while.

If I had my way, I'd outsource some childcare! It's summer break and five kids get under my skin very easily sometimes. I'd let out some of this endless cooking and cleaning, too! But as things stand I must handle all of it plus trying to get some writing done, too.

Strictly job-wise, it might help if I had someone to track down local ideas for me and maybe a bit of looking on the Internet for stuff to fill in. My husband, the charming social butterfly that he is, is actually a very good source of local story ideas. I am able to use most of them sooner or later.

For the most part, though, I handle everything from tracking down ideas, interviewing, writing, changing diapers, cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. with no hope of being able to outsource anything anytime soon!

Home business ideas for moms

2008-07-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

About.com has a great list of home business ideas for moms.

The list includes the normal child care operator and independent distributor that you expect, but there are a few on the list that you don't normally think of when it comes to home businesses for mothers.

Writing wasn't included on the list, sad to say, especially since a lot of moms do that and it really lends itself to working remotely.

Trying something new

2008-07-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

Since this blogging revival I'm experiencing started, I began to think of adding advertisements to a few of my blogs, in particular this one and I Hate the Kitchen, my collection of really easy and cheap recipes. It was something I had never done before although I've had this blog and another parenting-related one, Living the Mom Life, for quite some time.

After a lot of thinking about it and toying around with the idea I went ahead and started an account at one of the more popular advertising sites and installed some advertising panes on this site and the recipe blog.

I installed some ads on my history blog, Historical Happenings, but removed them because I felt like they took away from the "old" feel of the blog. I decided not to try to put any on the "mom life" blog since I'd have to do some template adjusting (it's in the old Blogger) or some code deciphering, which I have forgotten how to do.

I'm pleased with it overall but think it needs a bit of adjusting.

Blogging revival

2008-07-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

I've had a blogging revival lately and I love it.

After my son was born I basically ignored this blog and my other one, Living the Mom Life. I had intended to keep up with both of them, especially "Mom Life" since it's about parenting in general and I had wanted to journal all of the wonderful moments with the baby. But those moments came and went and so did my blogging opportunities. A photograph of me pregnant, posted the day my son was born, stayed up for nine long months on my "Mom Life" blog before I made another post. I think I can count on one hand the number of blog posts I made here in all of last year.

I missed it terribly though, and even began to think of starting another one. Ridiculous thought, I figured, but this new blog would be about something I'm passionate about, history, and of course there is no end to new information. (Same with parenting and working from home with kids around and see where that got me last year!)

Despite that fact, I went ahead and started Historical Happenings. I posted there fairly regularly and updated the original two blogs as well, but then that dreaded thing called lack of time and energy happened again, and the posts on all three fell off again.

Summer break happened and I had to start cooking for all the kids and I decided I'd collect easy and cheap recipes and keep up with them -- guess how? -- through a blog!

I Hate the Kitchen was born and along with that, a blogging revival.

I've updated all of the blogs several times a week and some of them daily for a few weeks now. I'm thoroughly enjoying it and really hope I can keep it up. The scheduling feature really comes in handy because I get on a roll on one topic and can schedule posts for days to come. What fun!

Historical blogging

2008-07-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to one of my new favorite blogs, Writer's Resources, I've been accepted as a blogger at TerraStories-Bearings.

This site blogs about unusual places with a historical draw. As it turns out I collect this type of information and photographs for myself, so I have a nice collection of it. Some of it I have on my blog Historical Happenings. That blog publishes historical tidbits but I have much more information about the places I've blogged about that I can greatly expand upon for the posts at Bearings.

I'm excited about this and thankful to Writer's Resources for letting me know about it.

Scheduling

2008-07-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

Monday stinks.

I think that's pretty much for everyone. It's just very difficult sometimes to make the transition from relaxing weekend to harried workday.

It's hard for me because I go from having my husband around to help with all the kids (five of them) on the weekends to just me to take care of all of them. To make it worse, Monday is a big work day for me.

I've had Monday set up as a big workday ever since I started working from home five years ago. I was a work-from-home employee for several months before I actually started working for myself. I figured that since Monday gets the work week off to a big start everywhere else, it should likewise get things going in my office. I use that day to contact people and set appointments for the rest of the week and to in general get the work week going.

Tuesday and Wednesday are also fairly big work days for me as well. Things start tapering off on Thursdays and Fridays for me.

This schedule has worked well for me for years but this summer I have felt overwhelmed, especially on Mondays, more times than I would have liked. My sister made a very reasonable observation the other night -- there's no written rule that Monday has to be a big work day; shift some of the work to the end of the week when there are only three kids (mine) here for me to care for.

Valid point.

I've not done much on Thursdays and Fridays (except for write) on those days because I figure people are looking forward to the end of the week and the weekend on those days and I don't really want to bother them. But my very reasonable sister said that most people work up until at least lunch on Fridays.

For some reason that thought was very liberating for me (evidently it doesn't take much). Today I did have a lot of work set up (or from the looks of my planner for today it looked that way) but I stopped and took the girls to a park here in town. (It didn't hurt that I needed some photos of the park for a short piece I'm getting ready to write.) It felt good to not feel so rushed to get so much done all in one day.

Depending on how this new outlook works for me I may begin to schedule some of my work weeks more evenly through the entire week instead of setting up so much to do on Mondays. So far so good!

Writing for free

2008-07-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

For you work-at-home writer moms like me, do you/have you write/written for free?

The freelance writing blog at About.com is talking about this right now.

I commented on there, and my answer was in the minority.

Basically, I said NO. I am first and foremost a mom who is just trying to work enough to help with the bills and feed the kids, and I just can't afford to give my work away. Exposure, etc. is nice but I can't use that to pay my mortgage and utilities every month. Those companies don't accept that for payment of their services so I can't afford to work for that.

I may have the luxury of being established enough so that I don't have to work for exposure, and I don't knock anyone who does that. I do have a problem with writers selling their work so cheaply that it drives the going rate down for all of the seasoned writers out there. I'm not that high-priced but I believe excellent work such as the kind I produce should be accordingly compensated.

Job feeds at FreelanceWriting.com

2008-07-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I mentioned the Job Feeds on Freelance Writing. I wanted to expound on it because it is a really great time-saver for freelance writers looking for work.

What this service does is take all the writing and writing-related jobs from renowned job posting sites like Craig's List, Online Writing Jobs, and other sites and presents them to you on a single screen. To make it even better, the feeds lists prints the details right on that same screen so you can just read down the list without clicking anything if the job detail doesn't match what you are looking for.

Here are some of the job sites on the Job Feeds list:

Get a Freelancer

oDesk

ScriptLance

RentACoder (This is great because I never could figure out how to find the writing jobs here)

GetACoder

Online Writing Jobs

Indeed

Craig's List (This one starts with job listings in New York but there are links to click for other major cities in the U.S.)

Simply Hired

Writing Career

iFreelance

Freelance Blogging Jobs

eLance

I'm not endorsing any of these sites since I haven't used them all but you may have your favorites and want to go right to them.

Or you could just go to the Job Feeds list and work from there! They're automatically updated!

OpenOffice.org saves the day!

2008-07-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

Recently I griped about the difficulty I've had in opening documents at my two different computers; I've got Microsoft Office on the desktop (my main work computer for now) but not on the laptop. Since I work at both computers I need them to be compatible, but right now I don't want to spend any more money on programs. I can open a Word document on my laptop but cannot copy anything from it or edit it. This presents a problem. I will most likely get Microsoft Office on my laptop at some point in the future, but that doesn't really help me right now.

This evening I ran across OpenOffice.org and saw that you can open, read, edit, and save Microsoft Word programs with the Writer portion of Open Office, which is completely free. (I actually was told about this program over two years ago and I downloaded it but did not install it on my desktop. I don't know why I didn't follow through with it.)

I immediately downloaded it on both computers and l think it is going to solve my problem for now. I set my laptop to open Word documents with Open Office Writer by default, and am saving Open Office documents in RTF format, which seems to work well between computers. I ran a test with the same document and IT WORKS! It opens in Word on the desktop and in Open Office on the laptop. I'm elated.

I also love that it is very user-friendly. Right away I saw how to set Verdana font as my default; I've yet to figure that out on Word and I've been using it for a year and a half. Granted, I'm not the brightest bulb in the box when it comes to stuff like that but I appreciate Open Office Writer for being so obvious with how to do things like that.

Thank you OpenOffice.org for already making my life easier!

Business ideas for home-based income

2008-07-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

My favorite work at home mother website, Mommy Jobs, has a great listing of business ideas for home-based income.

There are free downloads of ideas of how to make money on the weekend and reselling computers. The page also includes articles on job ideas from walking dogs to delivering meals for the elderly to planning meals.

Be sure to take a look!

While you're there hop over to the boards to see what job issues and family challenges we're talking about!

Don't miss it! (A little of everything)

2008-07-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

One of my very favorite resources for work-at-home moms is Mommy Jobs! There are all kinds of job ideas and articles to help us get things done.

For all you work-at-home writer moms like me, there are great listings for getting paid to write, writing greeting cards, and getting paid to blog that you could look into.

And over at the writing board there is a little of everything from blogging ideas, places to submit articles, sites to check out for jobs, and newsletter suggestions.

I hope to see you there!

More freelance writing job resources

2008-07-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

It seems like lately I've been spending a little time every day (or almost every day) looking for jobs online. This is a new thing for me but it seems to be working out okay. I have been offered a few of these jobs that I have applied for and one of them I did follow up on. It is for an online/print magazine. I send some story ideas today and hopefully one or more of them will be accepted.

One of the places that I've been looking for jobs is the Morning Coffee newsletter at FreelanceWriting.com.

Also on the site is a Freelance Writing Jobs Feed that posts offerings from a number of sites. I haven't ever used any of those sites but I know writers that have.

The Online Writing Jobs site lists tons of writing related jobs. You can go through them there or through the Online Writing Jobs section at FreelanceWriting.com.

You can post your writing profile for free at FreelancePortfolios.com, and those needing writers can post for free as well.

Great places to find freelance writing jobs

2008-06-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

Freelance Writing at About.com's list of lists is finished! She's been posting lists of places to find freelance writing jobs and the list is now complete.

Here are the links:

LIST ONE

LIST TWO

LIST THREE

LIST FOUR

LIST FIVE

Hopefully this list of lists will yield some results for you work-at-home writer moms out there. I have applied for several jobs I've found on these lists and have gotten a few of them. One of them I plan to accept.

Happy writing!

More places to find freelance writing jobs

2008-06-23T08:07:00.000-07:00

Freelance Writing at About.com has released the fourth and fifth installments of its series of five lists of places to find freelance writing jobs! (Whew, if that wasn't a run-on sentence I don't know what is. My apologies to my dear 10th grade English teacher!)

List # 4

List # 5

I've been doing some online hunting the past few weeks and really appreciate these great lists. I've posted previously about the other three lists. If you missed it these links will take you to the first three lists.

Microsoft Office aggravation

2008-06-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

I posted yesterday about getting Microsoft Office Live but have experienced problems with the regular Office program on my laptop today. I thought that new Wordpad documents would work even after the time limit on the program that came with the computer was over, but it turns out that new Wordpad documents convert to Word after they are saved and closed. That doesn't help me any because right now I can't even copy text from a Word document to save it in something else.

So as things are right now I'll have to email myself my Word documents, open them on my desktop, copy the text and email them back to myself if I need them on my laptop.

That's the free solution, anyway. I can also get a 60-day trial of it. I think I'll end up having to buy the cheapest version of it for my laptop.

Microsoft Office Live

2008-06-21T11:45:00.001-07:00

Microsoft Office has a new (or at least it's new to me) feature ... it's available online for free!

Microsoft Office Live

I signed up for it today and hope it will help with all the going back and forth between two computers I've been doing lately.

I have a nice version of Microsoft Office (the version with Publisher on it since I use that to create my newsletters) on my desktop computer. Since I got a laptop and then got it hooked up to wireless Internet I've been using the laptop for most of my Internet needs the past few weeks. It's much faster plus the screen looks much better. The monitor on my desktop is shot and the Internet and hard drive is pretty slow since I've got so much stuff on it. But the desktop must remain my main working computer because of Office being on there, plus it's hooked up to a printer.

You upload documents to share on your Office Workspace, so I've put a few things on my workspace, specifically my resume and writing samples documents. I'm not sure if you can edit documents in your own workspace but I imagine I'll find out.

After I've had a chance to better check it out I'll report back on how it really works.

Another list of places to find jobs

2008-06-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

Freelance writing at About.com has published its third (of five) list of places to find great freelance writing jobs.

I've previously posted about the first two lists; links to them are also included in this third list.

I took a look at the first link (to a Yahoo group) and an ad for a copy editor for the state paper here was right at the top. So I think that group would be well worth the time it would take to look it over.

While you are checking out the lists of places to find jobs, be sure to subscribe to the freelance writing newsletter. It's full of this kind of helpful information.

I'm wireless!

2008-06-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

We finally got my laptop hooked up to the Internet with a wireless connection!

We got the laptop back this spring and my husband has been wanting to get it hooked up to wireless ever since then. He bought me a wireless router and hooked it up, but it wouldn't work properly. It kicked me off the Internet entirely even. I had to call the phone/Internet company and they said we needed to get an Ethernet card. We needed that to hook up to the Internet from our PC instead of the USB port we had been using. (Our PC is an old computer. We bought it in 2000 and have gotten many more years of use out of it than we expected.)

In the meantime I still had a dialup connection so I hooked my laptop up to that sometimes in the phone line upstairs. (The dialup is gone now but I don't need it anymore anyway!)

We got the Ethernet card last Friday night and my husband spent a good portion of the day Sunday getting the wireless connection going. He had some rough spots during the process but he kept at it and was finally successful that evening. I was so impressed and so thankful and still am.

I absolutely LOVE it. Wireless is awesome. My laptop is awesome. I am able to use it and get on the Internet anywhere in the house.

I will have to continue to use the PC as my main work computer because that is the computer that has Microsoft Office. Right now I have the laptop right beside the PC and I'm using the desktop for working/writing stories and the laptop for accessing the Internet, and I'm alternating between the two. Yes, I get distracted easily!

Get organized with checklists!

2008-05-31T12:50:00.001-07:00

Printable Checklists has tons of checklists to help us busy working moms get organized! I'm amazed at the number of free checklists available on the site. There is everything from charts to record your child's tooth loss to grocery lists by food type to family expense charts.

When you browse through the site you will most likely find checklists for things you haven't even thought about! It's all free, so what's not to love about that!

www.printablechecklists.com

My favorite Work At Home Mother site, www.mommyjobs.com, has a nice list of checklists as well.

I found the Printable Checklists site through one of our freebie fiends at Mommy Jobs, in fact. Hop on over to our busy message board and check out all the other great free finds and join in our discussions about working from home, parenting, saving money, you name it!

Getting a budget set up

2008-05-28T14:45:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get some good budgeting practices set up, especially since I'm not working as much as I once was and the money is tighter. This article has some good tips for managing the family's finances:

Simple Household Budgeting Tips

By: Stefani Partin

Are you the head of the household of your family and need some tips on making your life a little simpler? Those that work, take care of the kids and pay the bills have a hard time keeping everything organized. Below are some tips to help budget your household and some maybe even have some fun doing it.

Keep your financial records current. Keep a filing system and create folders for items such as receipts, tax returns, billing statements, bank statements, credit reports, etc. Keep everything in one designated place so it is easy to find when you need it. For your mail, have one designated place to put it daily when you receive it. Most all of us have misplaced our mail at one time in our life. Misplaced mail could mean late payments, which means late charges. Set a specific time of the day or week to handle all of your bookkeeping and stick to it. When I speak of bookkeeping, I speak of paying bills, filing bills, going through your mail, etc.

If you have online banking with your bank, set it up. I cannot tell you how easy it is to pay my bills with my online banking. The day I receive a bill in the mail, I will log into my bank account and schedule the payment. The bank then sends the payment by mail or electronically and has it paid on the date that I scheduled it to be paid. This service is even free with my bank. It saves time writing out checks and I also save on the postage.

Get your kids involved in your budgeting. Pay your children an allowance. Have them use the allowance for things they want to buy like candy, movies, toys, games, etc instead of just giving them money when they need it. Having your children pay for their own stuff with their own money will teach them at an early age how to spend wisely.

You can save hundreds of dollars per year shopping at the lower-priced food stores. You might even save thousands depending on how much your family spends and where you shop. Convenience stores will most often charge high prices then compared to a grocery store. Don't go to the store when you are hungry either, this will cause you to buy more goodies then you would normally buy. Be wise and compare price-per-ounce or other unit prices on shelf labels.

When setting your family budget, don't make your budget so tight that it's impossible to keep. Set goals, short term and long term and try your best to achieve them.

Article Source: http://www.mommy-articles.com

© 2006 Stefani Partin, a work at home mom of three from CA who owns a network of sites for moms, blogs, a newsletter and more. Stefani dedicates her time to helping moms find ways to make money at home. Visit Stefani's blog at www.StefaniPartin.com or visit her main site at www.MommyEnterprises.com.

Freelance writing newsletter

2008-05-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

The freelance writing newsletter at About.com is amazing. It contains more than enough information about everything under the sun that is related to writing.

Here's the link to the signup page for the freelance writing newsletter:

http://freelancewrite.about.com/gi/pages/mmail.htm

You can also sign up for their other newsletters but you won't want to miss the freelance writing one.

Sources for freelance writing jobs

2008-05-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

I just ran into this blog called "Writer's Resources."

http://www.writersresources.blogspot.com

It has listings of current job postings, so it looks like it would be worth checking out.

A blog that has been around for a while and is very well-known for its daily listings of current jobs is www.freelancewritinggigs.com.

I have been checking it out for the past few days and there is a great variety of job listings every day.

Also, Freelance Writing has a weekly newsletter called "Morning Coffee" that is full of current job listings. You can read it online at www.freelancewriting.com or subscribe to the Yahoo group to have it emailed to you.

For more writing jobs, you can go to www.craigslist.org and click on your city or state, and then go down to "writing jobs." I applied to a couple of jobs that I found there and got a response back from one right away. It was from a fellow freelance writer needing help from time to time. I didn't accept the position but was glad to know that there are legitimate writing jobs posted there. Some of the jobs posted at the previously mentioned sites are actually from Craigslist, so you can find those listings at the freelance writing job blogs I mentioned or just go directly to the site and search for positions in your area.

I've been perusing through online job postings for the past few days, but haven't devoted much time and effort to it. I have been much more successful in finding work in the local print market, which is another avenue freelance writers don't want to overlook!

Happy writing!

Freelance writing job listings!

2008-05-23T13:54:00.001-07:00

Leave it to me to find the second part of a two-part list first and not even realize it's the second part of a two-part list!

The link in my last post that leads to an About.com list of 10 places to find freelance jobs is that very second part of a two-part list.

Here's the link to the first half of that list.

This list looks to be a good one for finding leads as well. I think I'll check into figuring out the local Craigslist.

Looking for ideas

2008-05-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

Though I'm not sure how I'll fit much work in around a bunch of kids this summer, I'm looking for story ideas/work.

In my search this evening, I ran across some interesting places to find jobs.

I opened my freelance writing newsletter from about.com and it has a link to a great list of places to find freelance writing jobs. It looks like a really good list.

Here's the link to the list.

While not helpful with local story ideas this list looks like it would be worth taking some time to check. Since I began freelancing more than four years ago I haven't found one job online but there's always a first time. I actually did put a lot of time into looking online when I first started out but I had no success. All of my jobs came from local publications and have continued to do so. Since I'm looking for more ideas/work I'll take some time with this list, too.

One of the sources in the list, the weekly newsletter "Morning Coffee" from Freelance Writing contains dozens of pretty good job leads. I signed up for the Yahoo group freelancewritingjobs to receive email notification every Tuesday about the new edition, but it looks like the newsletter can be accessed directly on the website.

There are some other really good sources on the list as well.

Down two jobs

2008-03-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

In the past couple of weeks I've relinquished two jobs. One I informed that I wouldn't be writing for them anymore; another let me know today that for financial reasons I wouldn't be needed anymore.

It was very hard to let the first go; the second came just a few hours after I thought about quitting that one too.

Both jobs are an hour and a half away, and that was a big part of the reason I needed to give them up.

The first job was with a newspaper; it was my first freelance position and I had been writing for them for four years. I wrote a human interest piece every single week for them for the first two years. We moved then to a city an hour and a half away (before I only lived 25 minutes away) but I figured I could make it work. I thought that I would see how things went and if it got too difficult because of the distance I would quit.

It was difficult at first because of the distance and the time needed to adjust to move, and I struggled that first summer after we moved. Finally I got things ironed out and was once again able to keep up with the weekly assignments. Another big kink in my work schedule came in April of last year, when my son was born. I found it terribly difficult to produce a weekly piece, and asked to write every other week. This, too, proved to be too much for me and a few months ago I met with the editor and was reluctantly given permission to write a monthly feature.

Right around the first of this year it finally dawned on me (like someone slapped me and brought me to my senses all of a sudden) that this arrangement was simply not working for me anymore. I had told myself before the move that if it wasn't making sense anymore that I would stop writing for them. It was long past not making any sense anymore. I had pieces lined up for January and February, so after completing the story for February, I let the editor know that I needed to stop writing for them because the distance had become too much of a problem.

The second job I had only been doing a little better than a year. I produced a quarterly newsletter for a nonprofit organization. Interestingly enough, I became acquainted with this organization because of writing a story about them for the newspaper I just mentioned. At that time we briefly discussed the possibility of me taking on their newsletter but neither they nor I pursued it. Then one day out of the blue, after we had moved, I got a call from the director asking if I was still interested. I responded that I was, and we met and got all the details worked out.

For the past few months it has not been easy to contact them or communicate with them; this is probably due in part to some changes in staff, a change in location, and some issues with the Internet. I was just thinking last night that this might be a good time to part ways, and then this morning I got an email from them. I was sort of relieved because it kept me from having to undergo another months-long internal struggle.

That leaves me with three jobs — two other newspaper jobs and another newsletter assignment. One of the newspaper jobs is monthly; the other is whenever I decide to write and the newsletter job is quarterly. Having fewer jobs will mean, I hope, more time to write for the newspaper that allows me to write as much or as little as I like.

Helping mom work

2008-03-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

My children frequently accompany me on work trips, but one we took in February was special because I was asked to take some photos of them to accompany my story.

We were touring the White House in Miniature display at the William Jefferson Clinton Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas. I photographed them looking at the display and wrote a story about a child's viewpoint of the display.

Here is a scan of the story and photograph. You can get a better look at it by going to the STAND News website and choosing the option of reading the March issue.

The girls were in the paper once before; that was a fluke. We were touring the Ozark Folk Center near Mountain View, Arkansas. We were there doing a story on another person, but I photographed them with a lady who makes old-fashioned dolls. I ended up writing a story about this lady for the Three Rivers Edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and they used pictures of the girls watching her make their dolls to go with it.

That was easy!

2008-02-04T07:13:00.000-08:00

In just an hour or so yesterday evening I accomplished what it took me parts of two days last year and an entire day the year before to do so we could file for our income taxes.

My old method involved sorting through piles of paid bill stubs and expense receipts for those figures and thumbing through my planner to calculate my mileage for the year. Last year was especially difficult since I was pregnant and we had moved the year before, so I had sets of bills for two houses and they weren't filed very well.

After sitting up on the couch surrounded by stacks of papers for two days last year — seven months pregnant — and using an old laptop computer as a calculator, I decided I had to upgrade my system.

I had just gotten Excel but couldn't quickly figure out how to set up an income/expenditure sheet. I just opened a Word document and created headings for each utility bill, mileage, and expenses, with each month of the year as a subheading for each. As I paid the bills last year or purchased something, I entered the figures on my worksheet. I wasn't as diligent at recording each month's figures in the months after the baby was born, but finding just a few amounts was a whole lot easier than a whole year's worth.

When it came time to have the figures for income tax filing purposes, all I had to do was add up the numbers. If I could learn how to use Excel even that part would be done for me. But at least this year it was much easier to come up with the figures I needed. My goal for recording this year's tax information is to learn how to use Excel so it will take just a few minutes at tax time to come up with the numbers.

Goal for the new year

2008-01-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

My work goal this year is very simply to get some work done. It's not ambitious by any means, but then again with an infant around just getting some work done is rather ambitious itself.

(The last time I posted was just a few hours before he was born, and that was nine months ago. My work has been nearly as sparse as my posts.)

My work, and hence my income and my opportunities for more work, suffered greatly last year since I was not able to write as much as I was before the baby was born. Fortunately, I didn't lose any jobs/clients, but I did have to go from a weekly assignment to a monthly assignment with one newspaper and went for months on end without submitting anything to my best paying newspaper client.

Desperation has brought on several light bulb moments lately and one of them was to try working at night and at other times when I have some help with the baby.

Though I hate working while my husband and the other kids are around (I feel that I should be spending that time with them) I've been having them babysit the baby while I work some in the afternoons/evenings. The baby is old enough now to go to bed with his dad at night and sleep three or four hours for the first stretch, and I've been using that time to really get down to business.

I've continued to make my phone calls during the day, and then I use the evenings/night to actually write. This plan seems so simple but my mind was clouded with many things, including a great deal of frustration in not being able to get anything accomplished.

It's all worked out unbelievably well so far. The weekends seem to be my best times to work, since I have more hours available with someone to help care for the baby. I work a few hours a few nights during the week depending on how much work I have to do.

I just started this a few weeks ago but it's going really well. I got caught up very quickly and have now am working to get back to normal with everything on frequency of publication.

A side goal for this would to become more balanced with working, getting enough rest, and spending more time with my family. Now that goal is ambitious.

Tax day!

2007-04-17T06:16:00.000-07:00

It's tax day today!

We were expecting a refund so we filed a few weeks ago, although it wasn't nearly as early as we would have like to have filed. We were waiting on me to tally up all my self-employment income and expenditures, which in the wake of a move topped with bad record-keeping practices, was not an easy venture.

I did learn something from it though ... I MUST keep better records. I have Excel now and could make up worksheets for all my expenditures but haven't bothered to learn how to properly use it.

In the meantime I'm keeping tabs with everything in a Word document. I have several headings broken up by month and every time I spend money for my business ventures I enter the figure in my document. I have individual columns for each of our utilties (electricity, water, gas, and phone/Internet) since a portion of those can be counted as business expenses. I have a column for mileage and another for expenses like computer programs, supplies, or whatever it is that I bought.

I do pretty good with keeping up with all my income. I get 1099s for most of my work but I keep all the payment stubs since invariably there will be a job (or two or three) for which I won't get a 1099. For that reason I don't have the payments on my new tax document.

Hopefully next year it won't be as difficult or time-consuming to tabulate everything in preparation for a visit to the tax office!

It's tax time again!

2007-02-20T15:44:00.000-08:00

It's that time again ... TAX TIME!

As a work-at-home writer mom I'm of course self-employed and responsible for keeping up with all sorts of things we need for filing income taxes, from mileage to expenses. A more organized working mom than I would have a better system in place to keep up with everything as the year goes on. Suffice it to say that I've been dreading pulling out and tallying up all this information even though I'm looking forward to getting a refund this year, as usual.

So far I've made my list of what I need to do:

Count up mileage
Tally expenses
Figure up utilities
Go through Paypal records for both income and expenditures
Collect additional income figures, those for which I have no 1099s

I've broken down my 1099 list into companies I've either received the forms from or from whom I need forms. I'm just missing one. I've also broken down the sources of additional income into categories and subcategories.

While pulling out utility bills, receipts, and so forth I've decided that my system needs an overhaul and that this house needs a good cleaning. But that will have to wait until I get all these figures tallied up and I can deliver the good news that my part of the income tax preparation has been completed!

The Microsoft Office Suite

2007-01-03T21:35:00.000-08:00

I just got the Microsoft Office Suite!

I needed Microsoft Office Publisher to create my two newsletters and for other work-related tasks and decided I may as well get the whole thing, the small business package that includes Publisher.

I went online to download the free trial version at www.office.microsoft.com and I now have the whole thing for free until the end of March. I will be purchasing the program then.

Something unexpected happened when I downloaded the program -- all my Wordpad documents were automatically converted to Word documents. While that was a tad disconcerting at first, it turns out that Word is way better since it counts your words for you. I very rarely have to count my words but that feature came in handy tonight since I was writing a story that was supposed to be 300 words. (I held it to 400.) It does lots of other neat things that I haven't explored.

The Publisher program works great as well, and I'll be using that instead of Adobe Pagemaker to create the newsletters for two nonprofit organizations.

It feels good to be caught up with the rest of the world!

The printing saga continues

2007-01-02T15:39:00.000-08:00

An update to Friday's drama with getting a couple of newsletters printed is ... BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

The printing place called me this morning and said one of the documents I tried to send in on Friday afternoon was password coded.

"Never mind on that," I said, "I messed that up. Did you get TWO print jobs in?" No, they didn't. The larger job didn't go through over the email. It was too large.

I was asked to go through the website to place my order. I tried that but it said the file was too large. The site told me to try a custom order, which requires you to plug in the store location, but when I did that the site said that location wasn't found. (It's there, I've been there AND I was looking at the address on the directions I printed from that very website.)

Okay, so I call the store back and am asked to BRING THE DISK IN TO THE STORE, which of course is what I originally tried to do a few days ago!

The man was very nice and apologetic about all the trouble. They were also nice and apologetic when I did indeed bring my disk back to the store.

Of course I had the number of pages figured up wrong. I submitted 10 pages which won't work with a two-page spread, since one sheet of 11x17 paper folded in half makes four 8½x11 pages. In all my years of working with two-page spread publications, I should know that your pages must be in multiples of four. So I either need to send in two more pages or figure out where the blank pages are going to be. I opt for sending in two more pages and hurry home to come up with something and send it in.

The incorrect number of pages was also a problem with the other newsletter, but it was printed without me being notified of the problem or approving a sample. I sent in six pages (it should have been either four or 10, if I had looked at a sample before it went to press I would have pulled two pages and saved them for the next newsletter) so they put blank pages for the last two pages. That's going to present a problem because some of the newsletters will be folded in half for mailing with the back cover being the part that shows.

Now I have to make yet ANOTHER trip to the printing place tomorrow to approve the sample on the second, larger newsletter.

I'm getting really tired of the printing office, and so are my kids!

Working frustrations

2006-12-29T14:36:00.000-08:00

Oh the aggravation! A very simple (so I thought) work-related task turned into a saga lasting several hours and resulting in quite a bit of frustration today!

Here's what happened: I created two newsletters for a couple of nonprofit organizations; I used Pagemaker but the nonprofits don't have this program so right now we aren't compatible. I'm getting Publisher for the next issues but right now we need to get the current issues printed. My job ends when the documents have been created and I normally just leave a copy of the document on CD with them. Because of the incompatability problem this time and me living close to a Kinkos, my newsletter people have asked me to drop off the print jobs.

Sounds easy enough.

That is, until I set out to find the print shop can't find either one that's close to me. (Really, how hard could it possibly be?) It starts raining and so I pull over to call the store. Between me not being familiar with the area and the young man not having the sense to say "We are at the corner of This Street and That Street" I still can't find the place. Driving around I eventually find it. I'm starting to get aggravated, and the rain starts falling harder just as we are getting out to go in.

I take my kids and my disks and my instructions that I have so painstakingly prepared for the printer and go in the shop. Turns out, that's not how they want it. They want it emailed in, in PDF format, along with the printing directions and payment information.

Oh goodness, that's an extremely aggravating trip for nothing. We drive the 20 minutes home in the rain with me thinking I can still do this without that much more of a headache. How wrong I was.

My PDF program on my computer doesn't do what I need it to do, so I get online and find a free trial for five online file conversions. After I finally got it to convert (lots of waiting), turns out all it coverted was the FIRST PAGE of a 10-page document. I thought it meant a free trial of five documents, not five pages. Perhaps document and page means the same thing to PDF!! Chalk that one up as a learning experience, and a highly frustrating one at that.

My husband found me a PDF converter to download on the hard drive but by this time I've wasted approximately five hours of my day (for which I'm not getting paid, by the way) trying to get this to work with no avail.

I've ended up emailing in Pagemaker format the documents to the printer and they can do the coverting.

What is more, by the time I finish up with all this it's past time for us to be leaving to go somewhere for the weekend.

So I just take a deep breath, eat some chocolate, smile at my children, and refuse to stress over anything the rest of the day.

One thing leads to another

2006-11-22T20:02:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks for me have been busy ones as I've kept up with my writing along with negotiating for a couple of new freelance positions. It seems that one thing has led to another in my work, and I'm grateful for the opportunity.

I am now in charge of publicity at a nonprofit organization in Eastern Arkansas, and a position as freelance writer and layout artist seems pretty sure at a new central Arkansas newspaper.

The publicity position, which includes putting out a quarterly newsletter and an annual report along with writing press releases and other materials, came about from doing some features on the nonprofit for a local newspaper for whom I've been freelancing weekly stories since I started working from home.

The director of the nonprofit and I had briefly discussed me taking on some freelance duties months before, and he contacted me a few weeks ago to ascertain my current interest in the project. I was, and over the course of the next couple of weeks we met and found out what each expected of the other, and we decided to go ahead with the partnership. I'm currently working on supplying text for the 2006 annual report — next year I will take over the production of the entire publication, save for the printing — and the winter newsletter.

The layout and writing position with the newspaper came about from my association as the editor (since the Summer 2006 issue) of yet another newsletter for a nonprofit organization in Eastern Arkansas. My design skills came highly recommended from the president of this nonprofit to the editor of the newspaper, who happen to be well familiar with each other as father and daughter. I received a call from the young lady and met with her and her editor last week.

A followup call later that week determined our continual mutual interest in the partnership, and I was also offered some freelance writing work with this newspaper. I accepted that as well and was given an assignment on the spot. I look forward to finding out the decision on the layout work.

This newspaper, a monthly publication that debuted in October, can be accessed online at www.stand-news.com.

Now I am busy scheduling and completing interviews for my new projects, and have quite a bit of work to do within the next month. I have two newsletters and an annual report due the end of December and hopefully a newspaper to lay out for release the first of January, along with my weekly feature writing that I have been doing for the past few years.

Updated WAHP-writer resource page

2006-10-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

My work-at-home-parent / freelance writer resource page on my writing website has just been updated!

It's a good list of sites that provide tips for moms and dads who want to work from home and people who want to earn money for their writing.

I hope you find it useful. Let me know!

Time for newsletter number two!

2006-09-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

The time for the release of the second newsletter I've written and edited for an Eastern Arkansas nonprofit organization is upon us, and I've had to do more of the work over the phone this time than I did the summer issue. School's in now, and we are now an hour and a half (as opposed to about 30 minutes) from the office where the printing takes place.

That makes it a little harder to be at their office in person much, but now that the layout is established my presence is not required as much. I did go one day last week, though, for a meeting -- and a photography session for one of my newspapers there in that same town -- and everything worked out just perfectly time-wise. I got off the interstate and went straight to the school to pick the girls up, and was right on time.

It's exciting to see some of all the exciting things that this organization has in place to help people and communities, and besides the opportunity to write and edit the newsletter being a big help to my family, it's an honor to be associated with such a community-minded organization. I only wish I had started with the newsletter before we moved.

New resource for work at home dads

2006-06-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

Work-at-home dads are doing a terrific job of taking care of the kids while getting the bills paid, too. Here's an article about a new resource for work-at-home dads:

EntrepreneurDad.com Offers a New Resource for Work at Home Dads

Morris County, NJ - June 12, 2006 - An increasing number of fathers are opting to work from home in order to provide parental care for their children. Although a variety of useful resources exist for work at home parents, few focus on the unique needs of work at home dads.

In honor of Fathers' Day, EntrepreneurDad.com (http://www.entrepreneurdad.com) will officially launch on Sunday, June 18, 2006. This new web site is dedicated to the needs of work at home dads and includes articles and tools to help them manage their dual role as parent and business person. There's also a community of fellow dads in the discussion forums providing advice and sharing their experiences.

EntrepreneurDad.com was created by Justin Powell, who works from home as a web designer and cares for twin boys.

"When I first started out as a work at home dad, I found useful information was minimal and scattered," says Justin. "I was looking for a single location online that addressed the needs of work at home dads but found that such a place didn't existed. I felt a there was clearly a need for this type of resource, so I decided to create an online destination just for dads who work from home and care for their children."

To celebrate Father's Day, EntrepreneurDad is offering work at home dads a way to get free advertising for their business. For a limited time, dads can receive 100 free impressions in the site's banner ad rotation for each message they post in the discussion forums - up to a total of 5000 impressions. Dads must register and post at least one message by June 30, 2006.

For more information about this promotion, dads should visit: http://www.entrepreneurdad.com/modul...viewtopic&t=15

For additional information, contact Justin Powell or visit http://www.entrepreneurdad.com.

About Justin Powell: Justin Powell helps empower small- and medium-sized entrepreneurial firms by integrating the Internet as a business and marketing channel. He has 15 years of experience, including 11 years of corporate experience in sales and marketing of technology products. Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Justin was Assistant Vice President at Pershing LLC and functioned as a product manager of Pershing's NetExchange Client online brokerage platform.

About EntrepreneurDad.com: The mission of EntrepreneurDad.com is to provide a singular resource for fathers who work from home while caring for their children. The site provides articles, tips, links and a discussion forum specific to work at home dads.

It's down to the wire on the newsletter!

2006-06-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

The quarterly newsletter that I'm doing for the nonprofit prints next week and I'm getting it all wrapped up!

I didn't have any of the templates or programs that had been previously used so I started from scratch with my Pagemaker program and created a whole new (and improved) look and layout style.

The rest of the week I'll be busy finishing up with the interviewing, researching, and/or writing for all the stories. I'll also meet with the man I'm working with on this, the vice-president of the organization, to show him the new layout. I think he's going to really like it. The president of the organization will also have to look it over first.

I really should have it ready to print right now but with the big move a few weeks ago, I think it's going as good as can be expected. It's going to be printed in their office. When I get finished with everything here I'll just load all the files and photos on CD and take them along with my Pagemaker program over to their office and get it all going on one of their computers. I think that should work. I hope it will!

This project has been very exciting for me since I've been writing about this organization nearly as long as I've been in the newspaper business. It's very much an honor to produce this newsletter for this organization and I certainly hope our partnership continues.

Making work fun

2006-06-18T00:09:00.000-07:00

In an effort to try to get back into a somewhat normal routine after moving the end of last month, I've pretty much scheduled up the normal amount of writing work for myself these past three weeks since the move.

Of course, I failed to take into consideration that our first days and weeks at our new home would also be the first days and weeks of summer vacation for my children, but we've made the double transition quite well.

We've done all of my newspaper story interviews together as usual, with them coming home with all sorts of treats like buttons from an antique store and sets of rewriteable magnets from an office supply store. After one of those interviews we stopped and ate lunch and then went to the movie store. It was special to us because neither of those particular places are available where we used to live.

We've also stopped by their grandparents' house on our way back home from another interview. Everyone was surprised to see us so that was fun, too! We'll be able to make more of those impromptu stops this summer, I'm sure.

There'll be other fun things we can incorporate along with my work this summer as well. We have a whole big city to explore and I'm sure we can do a lot of it after work!

That was not a good idea

2006-06-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

Whew, I lived through a week without my computer and the Internet but I do not recommend it for any work at home mom! That was just terrible.

I did get to the Internet to send some work in and to check my email toward the end of the week. I went to a place in a town nearby our other house that has public access computers and was able to get a story in, but the floppy disk I used to store a photo wasn't formatted, so the computer said. Later that afternoon I went to a friend's house to send the photo, and of course I checked my email again.

The Internet, along with the phone and cable, was installed on Friday at the new house and I made haste trying it out. It worked, and all was again well with the world!

The next time I move, which I doubt won't be anytime soon, my computer and my Internet aren't going anywhere until I do! That was one lesson well learned.

How will I make it a whole week without the Internet?

2006-05-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

It's bad enough to be without the Internet for an hour or even a whole morning, but how will I live without the Internet for a week?
The week in question will be next week, during which my family will be in transition from one house to the next. I'm dreading it.

I set the date for next Wednesday for the cable company to come hook up the Internet service. They want the computer physically there so they can leave the equipment — it's their policy. With us living an hour away from our new home, my husband and I both having to work, and the girls being in school through next week means we can't just take the computer over there right before hookup. It has to be moved this weekend, but I can't move with it because of the school thing.

Since I — or someone, preferably me with the more flexible schedule than my husband, who will be 10 minutes away from the new house but not able to break away — must be there at hookup to pay the activation fee, I figured I'd make it okay with being able to get on the Internet on Wednesday after the computer was moved the weekend before. I can pay the nice man, hook up the Internet service, and get on for a few minutes before I have to make the hour's drive to get the girls from school, that is, if I don't let them miss so they can come with me.

That plan rather fell apart yesterday when I got a note from school saying my daughter's behavior awards ceremony is next Wednesday! Now this award is very important; she's already collected three ribbons for good behavior and at this final assembly she gets another ribbon plus a gold medal for being good all year. This event is not to be missed.

I called the cable company back to see if I could get my Internet hookup moved up to Monday. No can do. The next available appointment is way on next Friday. Gasp, I can't hardly breathe! It's more than I can take.

Well, I guess I'll just have to live with that. If I feel myself losing control there should be a computer with Internet somewhere I can use. In the meantime, I guess I can use all the extra time to actually pack all our stuff up!

My website
My writing blog
My mom life blog

Making the switch to cable Internet

2006-05-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

I'm switching from DSL Internet to cable Internet and I am told that I'll be completely delighted! I called the phone company, AT&T/SBC a couple of weeks ago to get our phone and Internet service transferred from our current home to our new residence. The phone switch arrangements went smoothly but I hit a brick wall when inquiring about DSL service. It seems that there is no DSL service available from AT&T/SBC at my new address.

WHAT??? Do you mean to tell me I've had DSL in a town of fewer than 4,000 people for two years — or is it three? — and it's not available somewhere within a city of 60,000 people? Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.

Talk about angry. I stomped around mumbling in frustration for a while and then decided to call the cable company. My husband had mentioned wanting to get cable TV and Internet service through the cable company although I wasn't paying attention since we don't have cable or satellite now and I intended to keep it that way. I could at least check to see how much the Internet service is through the cable company.

I called the local Comcast office and was greeted quickly and quite pleasantly by a real person with a smile on her face — I could just see it. She offered me a deal too good to pass up: basic cable — 78 channels, mind you — local and long distance phone service, and some kind of extremely speedy Internet service all for the low price of $99 a month; $113 with tax included. (With all taxes it'll probably end up being around $150 a month but that's still a good deal.) I snapped it up and told her why: it's inexcusable for the phone company to not have DSL at my new address in a city of 60,000 people.

I'm excited about trying out the new service and I think I'll really like it. What's not to like about having Internet, fast Internet at that?

My website
My writing blog
My mom life blog

Getting the day started with a good cup of gas station coffee

2006-05-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

There's not much better than a good cup of gas station coffee, and I decided to get my day started with one today.

After I got all the girls dropped off at school, I was possessed with a craving for a cup of gas station coffee. I fished around in my pockets and car cup holder for change, and to my delight I found enough! I mixed a 20-ounce cup of one-third French vanilla cappuccino, one-third extreme caffeine latte, and one-third regular coffee. Yummy!

I'm going to need this delicious pick-me-up today with all that I have to do. Three stories are due today and one of them hasn't even been interviewed yet. I've got about three loads and counting of clean laundry to fold, and of course there is the ever-present packing to move to do. At least I'll have the energy to knock a pretty good-sized dent in my to-do list!

My website
My writing blog
My mom life blog

Packing up my desk

2006-05-11T23:56:00.000-07:00

In preparation for the big move in a couple of weeks, along with the need to find the scanner program CD — apparently I deleted a scanning program when I was cleaning off the computer files about a week ago — I cleaned my desk entirely off and packed everything away. Everyone else in the house loudly expressed their skepticism that I could fit everything in one box — "Do you think I can fit everything in this box?" I asked, to which three people loudly and quickly chimed in, "NO!" — but I did it.

I filled two large bags with trash from my desk — why do I have five catalogs from the same company? — and filed numerous other papers and notebooks away in other boxes containing work papers and notebooks, kids' schoolwork, drawings, and other keepsakes, and kids' books and activities. There was a tax return bundle and a needs-to-be-shredded pile to go along with that.

Alas, I didn't find the scanner program CD but I did pack away numerous other CDs, floppy disks, notepads, phone books, envelopes, a box of receipts and paid bills, and all manner of office supplies. My current files and notebooks were already in my new little file box so that really helped.

I did leave out a few important things I need now like pens and pencils, a sticky note pad, scissors, stapler and staple remover, and of course my planner, without which I cannot breathe much less get a single thing done. If I need anything else I can just flip the lid of the big desk box and get what I need.

Now all that's left to do is to unhook the phone, answering machine, pencil sharpener, scanner/printer/copier, fax machine, computer, and monitor. Actually I think my work is done here and I'll turn over all this equipment to my husband.

When I unload and hook it all up at our new home it will be at a smaller desk since the one I'm using now is too large for the spot that will be my office. Getting all my stuff on it should be very interesting.

My website
My writing blog
My mom life blog

Payday wasn't payday after all

2006-05-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

Thursday is what I like to call payday, since I receive a check in the mail from one of my papers for the work published the previous week on that day, and I can go pick up another check from a different newspaper for the work printed the day before if I like.

Neither one of those worked out today, though. The check that comes in the mail didn't come, and the young lady who makes out the checks at the other newspaper wasn't working today. The mailed one will probably arrive tomorrow, and I will wait until another story is printed at the other paper before picking up a check from there. I normally wait until two or three have been printed anyway, but I was over there today and thought I'd grab one while I was there.

I'll add that one to a pretty nice one I'm expecting this coming week for some independent contract work I did last month, and we'll knock those utilities right out.

My website
My writing blog
My mom life blog

Thankful for my blessings

2006-04-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

This past week I received three paychecks in the mail that were barely $75 altogether. I found it a little comical that putting all of them together didn't even equal $100 for several reasons. One was $45 for a story, another was $12 for mileage reimbursement, and another was $20 for an independent contractor assignment.

The good thing about this bunch of checks is that the $45 one was supposed to be $90 because the paper actually printed two stories, and the $20 one is supposed to be $30, but somehow they got the fee wrong. So everybody owes me more money.

The other good thing about it is I have another check for two stories sitting at one of my other papers, just waiting for me to pick it up. There'll probably be a checks for three stories over there before I get over there to pick them up.

The other OTHER good thing is that I bought groceries already this week and used someone else's money (well, it's mine too) to pay the utilities! The last good thing about this bunch of checks is that it is very rare that I get them that small anymore.

Isn't that great? I'm so thankful to be able to giggle about these three checks totalling $77. I remember a time in the not-too distant past where these three checks would be absolutely neccessary and every dime used to keep our lights on. I also remember a time in the very recent past when I busted my butt waiting tables for about $77 for one week. I did that for three weeks and my checks plus my tips plus some more paychecks I hoarded paid two mortgages all in one month.

It took me several months to have enough writing work and a few more months to be able to let the extra jobs I was doing on the side go. It was really tough for us then — we have always struggled financially, mostly because of the economics of the area we are in but also because we choose to live simply — but we felt very strongly about me working from home and taking care of the children. It just had to work since we didn't feel like there were too many other options. After that rough first year it seemed to work itself out and we are doing better.

This is not to say we're doing so well financially and I'm not bragging at all. I'm just thankful and blessed to be tickled at these little checks. It could all disappear tomorrow but I am most certainly thankful for my blessings today. I hope that everyone else who is determined to stay home with their children will just stick with it. It'll work out and you'll be glad you did.

My website
My writing blog
My mom life blog

Fueling a day's work

2006-04-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

There's no better way to fuel a day's — or night's — work than with a great cup of coffee. I get my day started with one every day and have some at night too when I have an assignment I need to get submitted.

One of my fellow coffee lover-writers, Christina Spence up in Canada, has a new blog dedicated to coffee! It's Coffee Creations and has some good recipes for some coffee treats. Be sure to check it out and add it to your feed list.

That's not all there is to Christina. Coffee-powered as she is, she has another blog that I love, The Happy Slob's Guide to Housecleaning blog with simple cleaning tricks and natural cleaning solutions designed to get us back to doing what we love most, writing and drinking coffee! It goes with The Happy Slob's Guide to Housecleaning website. Yes, I'm a happy slob myself. Whatever Christina posts about in her blog every day is the thing that I clean that day. After I have my coffee, that is.

For recipes for just about anything else under the sun and all kinds of other ideas that are useful to work-at-home writer moms, take a look at her Kitchen Crafts 'n' More blog and her Kitchen Crafts 'n' More website. I'm not a big recipe gal but the blog and site are loaded with all kinds of useful information that even a slacker like me needs.

While you are there at the Kitchen Crafts website, be sure to check out the message board and see if there is anyone familiar there.

There's also her Freelancing for Beginners site with all kinds of good tips on getting started writing.

Wow, see how much you can get done when you load up on some good coffee?

My website
My writing blog
My mom life blog