The Writer’s Bureau

Photo by: _StaR_DusT_

Many moons ago, when I went to a life coach and was madly looking for a career anywhere outside of IT in a financial services company, the subject of writing came up. I was asked if there was anything that people tell me I should do. And for many, many years people have told me I should write.

So I saw an ad in the paper for The Writer’s Bureau, which is based in Manchester. They have a writing course, which I signed up for online. It’s a correspondence course. You are given a number of assignments, which are all things that you should be doing to develop yourself as a freelance writer.

When you complete an assignment you send it off to an assigned tutor in Manchester, and receive feedback.

The course is open-ended. You pay up front, but you can take forever to complete the assignments. I started before I went to Costa Rica. But, because it’s such a good guide to the freelance writing life, I’m going to go back to doing my assignments. It will give me a focus and a roadmap to follow.

Texter from Lifehacker

I’ve had problem getting the layout of the blog using the “visual” editor here in WordPress. So I’ve switched to the “code” editor, which means that I write in basic HTML. And believe me, it’s very basic HTML.

One of the things I had to learn to to was how to put in a table which holds the photo in the top right hand corner. But there is a fair bit of typing in it.

Enter texter from Lifehacker. I love this little application. For my blog posts, I now create strings of text and save them in texter. I just type “tabl” and hit Tab, and the full html code is automatically inserted. I put in the image, then type “tabl2″ and hit Tab and the next section of html is inserted, and then I type the “Photo by:” link. Finally “tabl3″ and Tab and the table code is ended.

I’ve also used this for a weekly email I used to send to friends when I was living in Costa Rica, and it had all my contact details, phone numbers, addresses and links and they went onto the bottom of the email just by typing “endbit”. It’s perfect for anything you find yourself typing reptitively.

The free download and full instructions: Lifehacker Code: Texter (Windows)

Finally! A writing tip from me!

Photo by: a_whisper_of_unremitting_demand

I look in awe at other blogs and wonder where people get the wisdom to give such good advice. And now I know one source. It’s when you make stupid mistakes.

I wrote a blog entry back on 1st March, and I never published it. I just happened to notice that it was sitting in my drafts. I’ve now inserted it into it’s right slot. You can see it below as The Freelance Writer’s Handbook. The following entry Do I have what it takes? will make a bit more sense now in context.

So, Eamon’s first writing tip. Check your drafts!

The power of three

Photo by: Phillie Casablanca

There is a very good post on Chris Blogging. It’s a freelance writing tip which suggests that you decide on three areas to concentrate on for your freelance writing.

It hasn’t escaped my attention that Chris is a big fan of 3! Most of his short and informative blogs are written in a three point form. But it’s a very interesting thing to do. If you were to specialise in three areas, what three areas would you choose?

For me I think I’d say.

• Life change
• Teaching English abroad
• Personal development

What would yours be?

Morning pages

Photo by: Savannah Grandfather

One of the variety of books that I have read regarding creativity and writing is an excellent book by Julia Cameron, called The Artist’s Way. I’d really recommend it to anyone to wants to develop their artist.

A key activity in this book is Morning Pages. The book recommends these as three pages, I think in the US they’d be called letter size, and here we’d say foolscap. It’s just a free flow exercise in writing. Anything you think of comes out on the page. There’s no wrong way to do them. Writing deep inner thoughts, and writing ‘I really can’t think of anything to write today, I guess I’ll describe the room I’m in …’ are equally valid. You do this as soon as you get up every morning. Without fail.

I’ve been doing this for a few years on and off, but for the past year almost constantly, with the odd break when I’ve been completely out of my routine. I love it. I feel freer after I’ve written them. I’ve learnt things while I’m writing them. And it’s writing practice that I do every single day.

Cameron believes strongly that they should be written in long hand. She loves the flow of the pen over the page. I don’t agree. For me, writing on the laptop is much more of a speed with my thinking. I found the three foolscap pages are 900 words. So do it whatever way works for you. But I do recommend that you try it.

Do you ever get one of those days…?

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Do you ever get one of those days when you feel you’re up against a brick wall. I feel like I’ve been working on my writing career since the beginning of January, and I don’t have anything to show for it.

So I’ve had to really work hard at finding the positives. And I’ve come to a couple of decisions.

Positive things for where I am now.

• I have this blog up and running. It’s not a great blog (yet!), but it’s up and running, and I’m updating it fairly regularly. It does reflect where my writing career is at, and that’s going to be pretty interesting for me afterwards to look back on.
• My Costa Rica blog is up and running. I’ve had this running for ages, but it is a good body of my writing, and when it was sent to people in email form the feedback was very positive.
• I know a lot more about the freelance writing world than I did when I began. Just because I don’t have a lot of productive output doesn’t mean that I’m not learning all the time. I have a lot of information learnt that I didn’t have at the start. This is like learning a whole new business, so I can’t expect results all the time.
• I have a much greater knowledge of blogging platforms. The Costa Rica blog (which is really going to turn into a travel blog as my next travels will be elsewhere) is on Blogger, and this blog is on WordPress.com. I’m going to set up a new blog next week on wordpress.org next week, which will have its own hosting, and when I do that I’ll have a great deal learnt about blogging.
• I still have my health. Let’s not forget the really important things.

I’m not the sort of person that can confidently push myself forward when I’m not confident about my work. I really do feel that in time I’ll be able to be a good writer. But I need to work hard to hone my craft, and I’m going to have to get myself into a situation where I can be confident that I’m capable of delivery of good quality writing, before I can really push myself into full marketing mode.

I think I’ll get there slowly, but it’s better than not getting there at all.

So my decisions, for now, are.

• Set up Gable Logger blog on wordpress.org. This is just a gay news blog that I’ve had in mind for a while. It will help me write comic links to gay news stories, and I’ll see how it goes.
• Continue with this blog. I’ll continue to chart my writing progress on this blog.
• Update the Travel Blog. I think I’m going to have to get a proper name for this blog. But basically I’m going to get it updated and do one weekly update concentrating on my life and travel plans in particular.
• Go back to The Writer’s Bureau course. I enrolled in The Writer’s Bureau many years back, and I still have lots of assignments to do. It provides a good framework to follow in getting some freelance income, and I think I’ll do better with a framework than flailing around like I am.
• Read more. I’m going to read more. I have loads of books upstairs, and I heard someone on radio saying yesterday that good writers are also good readers. So I’m going to take time out in the day to start ploughing through a lot of those books.
• Relax and enjoy it. I’m only doing all of this because I really believe that I’m going to enjoy a life of writing and working for myself. If I don’t sit back and enjoy it, what’s the point. I might as well go back to the day job!
• Rationalise my blogs in time. I’m going to have time for the blogs for now, but I know that I’m going to have to see how they go in terms of readers, and when I know what ones are working and that I enjoy I’m afraid I’m going to have to drop the others.

Things I can write about

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My book, The Freelance Writer’s Handbook suggests that I make a list of the topics that I could potentially write about, just based on my life experience.

So this is my list.

• Leaving a well-paid job to follow your dream
• Becoming a TEFL teacher
• Finding useful free computer programs online
• Tuning up your PC
• Living abroad
• Finding work abroad as a TEFL teacher
• Travelling around Central America
• Travelling in Cuba
• Travelling in Costa Rica
• Living in Costa Rica
• The Getting Things Done system (GTD)
• Personal organisation
• Getting up early for late risers
• Growing up gay
• Coming out
• Help, my child is gay
• Leaving the corporate world for self-employment

So I encourage you to brainstorm a list of things that you feel you can write about. Perhaps, like me, you’ll be surprised.

Do I have what it takes?

Photo by: geishaboy500

The second chapter in The Freelance Writer’s Handbook is called Do You Have What it Takes?

The headings are as follows:

• Surviving Early Starvation
  This doesn’t worry me. I have rental income on my house in Dublin, together with some savings.
• Are You Really Nosy and Hopeless at Keeping Secrets?
  I am really nosy, although I’m also good at keeping secrets. I love to know everything that’s going on, but I don’t necessarily have to let everyone know. Hopefully this will be good enough.
• Learning to Bear Rejection
  This is something that I’m very prepared for in the writing world, but something that I know I will find a challenge.
• Do You Have a Will of Iron?
  I wouldn’t say I do. But at the same time there isn’t much that I want to do that I don’t achieve. I decided to go to give up my job to do a TEFL course and move to Costa Rica, and nothing was going to stop me. And while in Costa Rica I worked for 2 years, then moved to the coast to write, and then spent 3 months travelling around Central America, all as I had planned.
• Do You Enjoy Your Own Company?
  I’m very comfortable with my own company. I loved living totally on my own for the three months in Santa Teresa.
• Can You See Sense in Chaos?
  I do have an ability to make sense of things in chaotic situations.
• Are You Good at Persevering?
  Similar to the answer to a will of iron above, I don’t have fears here.
• Could You Sell Ice to Eskimos?
  This is my big weak spot. I’m not a good marketer, or a good seller. Already people are telling me who I should approach, cajole or bully. It’s something that’s not innate and I know I’m going to have to work hard at it. I know that I need to develop my writing and my confidence in my writing before this can improve.
• Are You a Good Listener?
  I think this is one of my strengths. I love listening and I think I’m good at it.

So my own assessment is broadly positive. I have a big problem marketing myself, and I think for the moment I need to improve the quality of my writing, and build my own confidence first before I can really tackle this.

I really think that this is going to work for me, but I know from experience that I have to do it my way, even if it’s a bit slower.

Blog round-up

Photo by: Paul Kelleher

I feel that I’ve had a very unproductive week. A long weekend followed by PC problems, so I’ve decided to do a round up of some of the other blogs that I love to read.

From Leo Babauta’s Write to Done is an appeal to our qualitative side in Write Just One Thing Today, and Write It Well. I particularly rate the importance of writing your goal. And writing it the night before. In fact, I find my productivity is much higher if I plan my important tasks the night before.

Chris Bibey over at chrisblogging.com has an article extolling the virtues of patience for the freelance writer. I feel that I’m being very patient at the moment, when I have so little to show for my efforts! It’s good to know that it’s a good thing for a freelancer. The article is Every Freelance Writer Needs Patience.

And finally, I loved the article over at Freelance Switch on 10 Phrases Every Freelancer Should Kick-Out of Their Vocabulary. I am personally a disaster for “Umm…uh” and for a start would have offered everything cheaper, just to get something out there. It’s an entertaining and insightful article.

And now I’m off to plan what I’m going to write about tomorrow. Getting my goal in early.

Ubiquitous capture

I don’t know if other people have had the same problems with Windows Vista as I have, but since I got my new PC in December it’s been nothing but trouble.

The latest was at the weekend in Dublin when it started crashing with the BSoD or Blue Screen of Death, which is infamous in Windows. But when I got back to Ennis I tried to fix the boot from my reinstall DVD. But it didn’t work, and when I called the helpdesk I was told to reinstall windows. So all day yesterday was taken up with that, and I’m still not able to use my wireless connection. It’s been a nightmare.

Anyway, all of this reminded me of the importance of Ubiquitous Capture which is a very important step of Getting Things Done or GTD. It basically means a method of capturing every little idea, prior to putting them into a trusted system, so none of those good ideas are lost.

Over the last number of days without my PC and being unable to work, I was reminded of the importance of ubiquitous capture. There are good articles about it. Think Smarter By Capturing Your Ideas by David Allen, the inventor of the GTD system. Tips for GTD’s Ubiquitous Capture by Leo Babauta over at Zenhabits, and Provide context for better ubiquitous capture at 43 Folders.

While off computer, I capture everything on my Pocketmod, a simple booklet made of one folded sheet of paper.

All I need to do today is process everything I captured over the past five days.

Photo by: Leonard Low