Warm up your writing

How is writing like playing sports?

Your performance will be better if you take the time to warm up.

Ever have a tough time starting a writing project? You stare at the blank page, have a few false starts, and finally set it aside in frustration, only to come back a short time later and have the words just flow?

You just experienced the effect of a writing warm up.

I read about this recently, how warming up before writing helps the process of writing immensely. And I’m not talking about swinging your arms around or jogging in place (though that won’t hurt). I’m referring to doing some warm up writing.

You can warm up quickly and easily by simply sitting down and writing a journal entry first thing in the morning. It doesn’t have to be pretty or grammatically correct, and you never have to show it to anyone if you don’t want to. It only has to take a few minutes. But just the act of writing, a free-form mind-dump onto a page, will prime you for whatever you will be writing next.

Give it a try. You may be surprised with the results.

Happy writing!

How to create another day each week without even trying

Last night on ProBlogger I read an excellent article on how to create another day per week for blogging.

An extra day per week – something we all could use, right?

Unfortunately, at this very moment, the ProBlogger site is down. But here’s what I remember: Basically if you set aside an hour of time each day for productive writing, you’ll gain seven hours a week. (Read the article here when the site comes back up.) A simple, yet extremely effective time management trick.

I’ve decided to apply it to help me keep up with my two blogs. First, I try to come up with ideas early in the morning, while I’m sipping that first cup of coffee. Then I write down a few notes and let them germinate a bit while I do my morning workout.

When I’m done with my workout, I sit down and flesh out my notes. Voila! I have a blog post.

Another great time for me to squeeze in work is late afternoon. That’s a time of day when I don’t normally want to start a big project, but I usually have an hour or so to kill before I think about dinner. That’s a prime time to outline any articles I’m thinking about writing in the next few days.

What’s your favorite time to squeeze in an extra hour of productivity? Do you have any other time management tricks to find “extra” time each day?

Confidence booster: keeping track of your successes

Today I was reading Rich Schefren's Strategic Profits blog (I highly recommend it), and came across an excellent article about 3 ways to boost your confidence.  Here's the article.

While I enjoyed all three tips, I particularly liked the first technique, Start a Victory Journal.

At first glance, that doesn't seem like anything new or innovative.  I mean, most of us can pull up a mental list of at least some our top achievements, if given a few minutes (or hours) to think about it.

But when you read Rich's suggestion, you see that he goes deeper than that.

First of all, write it down.  Don't just rely on your memory. We should all be doing this. If you are employed by someone else, it makes performance appraisal time so much easier. And if you work for yourself, well, it's nice to be able to look back at your successes.

Next, what should you write? Here's the fun part! There are three things you should be noting in your journal:

1. Any time you do something particularly well, write it down. Notice I didn't say perfect? Yeah, that's right, time to chuck the perfectionism. Strive for "well done." And if you procrastinate (yeah, this one is aimed at me), then note any progress you're making on anything you've been putting off.  I have a few things I could list here...

2. Any time you do something for the first time, write it down.  Wait, is that a victory?  Yes, it is, and you'll see why in a bit. 

3. Any time you step outside of your comfort zone, write it down. For me, this closely relates back to trying new things. Both of these activities are hard to do, and you deserve to get a mental pat on the back for them.

Okay, now, why are we doing this?  I'm going to quote Rich here, because he said it so well:

"Anytime you do any of these you should record it and congratulate yourself for it in your journal. The longer you do that, the more confidence you will build because you’re constantly reminding yourself that you actually are better than you’re giving yourself credit for."

I love that - reminding yourself that you are better than you're giving yourself credit for. I don't know about you, but I can be very hard on myself. This exercise should help me learn to keep things in perspective. By keeping a Victory Journal, when I'm having a bad day, I can easily remind myself that not only do I not suck, but I'm actually quite good at a lot of things. I'll know because I have it written down.

And the first thing I'm going to write in my Victory Journal is that I stopped procrastinating on my writing and updated my blog.

What will you be writing in your Victory Journal today?

It doesn't all have to be done today! (Or even tomorrow...)

Last week I was busy. Crazy busy. Nod off in front of the computer at the end of the day busy. And I must say, I got a lot done! But I’m also glad that things have calmed down this week.

Since becoming a freelancer, I’ve noticed something: when I’m super busy, my work takes over my home life. Before, when I went to an office, I had busy days, and even some long days…but when I got home, that was it. Work was done.

Not any more. When you work from home, sometimes there is no “off” switch.

Luckily there are some things that I can let slide when I get extremely busy. And there are a few things I can’t.

Here are four things I can put off when life gets hectic.

-Selected housework. I can’t just drop all housework, because I still have to live and work here. But vacuuming, dusting, and making beds? They can wait.

-Cooking. I love to cook, it’s one of my favorite things in life. But if I’m busy, meal planning, shopping, ingredient prep, and cooking are time-vampires. As long as I have a carton of eggs and a bunch of bananas in the fridge, I’m not going to starve.

-Reading/writing for fun. This one kills me to give up, but these enjoyable pastimes become time-wasters when I’m busy. That means no extra personal blogging, rambling emails to friends, or reading novels or magazines.

-Sleep. Well, I can’t cut sleep out entirely. But if it’s a choice between getting a project done on time or disappointing a client, well, I’ll give up a couple of hours a night. Besides, I work from home - when it slows down again, I can take a nap!

And here are four things I can never let slide. Ever.

-Selected housework. Laundry - gotta have clean clothes. The alternative is just unbearable. And running the dishwasher from time to time, as well as a weekly trip to the grocery store for the basics (like eggs and bananas).

-Email. Like everyone else, I get a ton of email. I found out the hard way that it must be dealt with every day, like clockwork, or my electronic inbox overflows and it becomes too much to handle. I set aside 3 times a day that I tackle new items in my inbox, and it only takes a few minutes each time. The rest of the day I try to ignore it (unless I’m expecting something important).

-Family time. Again, a few minutes here and there accomplishes a lot. Setting aside the computer for 15 minutes or so does wonders for my husband’s and cats’ moods, and mine, too.

-Exercise. I’m not talking about training for an Olympic event here. But I need a minimum of 30 minutes, 3 days a week of aerobic activity to feel human. It may mean giving up a little sleep, but I’m not giving up my morning run.

What are the things you have to keep up with, even when you’re busy? What can you avoid? Share in the comments section below.

Why I write

There are three reasons why I write:

1. Because it’s there.

2. Because I can.

3. Because I like to make stuff up.

Many people that know me well are surprised that I love to write. Why is that? Well, I think it’s because I’m not an incessant journalist. I was never the kid scribbling away in a diary, documenting every second of my life. Or writing down hopes and dreams, stories, to-do lists for my adulthood, or anything else that budding writers are supposed to be doing. There is no stack of volumes hidden away that will someday (long after my death) be bound together and sold as a record of my existence.

Nope, not happening. I don’t journal. Never have.

For me, it was letter writing. I wasn’t writing away in a notebook, keeping things hidden from view; I was writing long, thoughtful, news-filled volumes to my family and friends. Four pages of unlined paper in cramped script, both sides filled? No problem. I sent so many long letters that I know exactly how many pages of typing paper (now sold as printer paper, or 20 lb bond) can fit into an envelope and still need only one first class stamp. (5 sheets in a No. 10 business-size envelope, for your information.)

I love writing letters! But those fell by the wayside eventually. My friends and family preferred to talk on the telephone. Cheap long-distance rates put a serious dent in my letter-writing career.

Then came email, which I love, and cell phones, which I hate. Email meant I could still send my long, thoughtful letters with just a single click of a mouse, while cell phones (with unlimited minutes) meant everyone else still wanted to talk on the phone. I eventually gave up on letters altogether.

Fortunately, I discovered blogging, and all my creative energies were transferred online. I also found National Novel Writing Month, and will be writing my third novel this November. These outlets kept my writing habit alive until I finally got my courage up, quit my paid employment, and struck out on my own as a freelance copywriter.

Writing seems to be a dying art form. Most people I know can’t stand to do it…which works out well for me. Because no matter how much people get away from writing, and how much they dislike it, there are always letters, emails, web pages, and various forms of copy waiting to be written. So I am thankful for our digital age, and the decline of the desire to write. I love to write (and I’m pretty good at it), and therefore will always have job security.

But really, mostly, I just like to make things up…

Why marketing is like exercise

Let me just start off saying this: I like marketing.  I find advertising to be pretty cool.  I love watching clever commercials, following long-running ad campaigns (GEICO, anyone?), and analyzing copy in direct mail pieces to see what emotions the writer is trying to trigger.  Fascinating stuff.

Marketing is great.  Self-promotion, however, sucks.

Why is that?  Why is it fun to promote something or someone else, but sheer torture to promote myself?

I think most people were raised to be humble.  I know I was.  And that's not necessarily a bad thing.  After all, who wants to be around someone who is constantly bragging about their achievements?

But now that I'm a freelance writer, if I want to get paid, I have to tell the world what a wonderful writer I am.  And it's tough.  Because part of me still thinks it's wrong to brag.  Even though I know that self-promotion is vital to my new business, Kismet Copywriting, I still find myself coming up with ways to avoid it.

To be successful, I had to find a way to consistently stick to my marketing schedule, and make sure I got it done every day.  I'm not sure how it happened, but one day it dawned on me: just suck it up and do it!

Okay, the tough love approach isn't for everyone.  But if you have everything in place for your marketing program but are still having some mental resistance, try this:  Think of marketing like exercise. Set aside a regular time, make a list of your tasks, and just do them.  No excuses.

Here's what I do:  Every morning, after my first cup of coffee, I set aside an hour for my marketing activities.  Right now it's a lot of researching companies to contact, finding their contact information, and shooting off personalized emails to them.  An hour gives me enough time to get through my marketing list, put it behind me, and go about the rest of my day. 

Having a set schedule takes the thought process out of the equation.  I just do the tasks I need to and move on with my day.  And if I start procrastinating or thinking I'll just skip a day, I tell myself to suck it up, stop being a weenie, it's only an hour, I gotta do the work if I want the results...basically the same things I say to myself when I'm tempted to skip a workout.

The next time you want to blow off your marketing plan, try approaching it like you would exercise, paying bills, or any other task that you know you have to do but don't necessarily want to.  It just might work.

Three Tips for Time Management

Today's topic is time management, which is kind of funny if you realize that I was actually going to post about this yesterday, but didn't manage my time well enough to actually get it done!

Okay, well, I guess it's just funny to me...

Anyhow, work (and life in general) is getting a lot busier, so suddenly, time management matters to me.  A lot.

Here are three things that are helping me get a handle on my time.  Admittedly, I don't have my system refined down to a science yet (see my little snafu above).  But after the nice long break I had for the first few months of the year, these tips are really helping me get back on track.

1. Write my to-do list on a post-it.  I read this in an article from AWAI.  Basically, if it doesn't fit on a post-it, I have too much to get done in a day and I need to re-prioritize.

2. Write early.  Dang it, I didn't want this one to be true.  I wanted to wake up when the sun woke me, have some coffee, relax, plan my day, maybe do an errand or a chore around the house, then get going creatively.  But if I don't start working early in the morning, I don't get any real work done all day.  So now I roll out of bed, get my cup of coffee, and start writing.  Even if I move on to something else, I come back to the writing and my creativity flows all day.  (Dang it.)

3. Listen to music.  This one has helped a lot.  I love music, but I also love quiet.  One of the things that I relish about working from home is not having to listen to other people's phones, conversations, footsteps, and noise in general.  But I recently heard a recommendation to listen to baroque music while working.  Slow baroque music is supposed to have a positive effect on your brain waves.  I personally find it does have a positive effect on my concentration.  And I love baroque!  If I get tired of my Bach and Vivaldi CDs, I switch on a classical music station, and it has a similar response.  Although, anything that I can't sing along to works, too.  If you are new to baroque music, go to Sunday Baroque for a great playlist.

What are your favorite time management techniques?

My best inspiration for writing

The other day I read a blog article about finding inspiration for your writing. Called 3 Techniques to Coming Up With Great Ideas, it is by Jody Calkin, who has a great blog on writing.  Check it out, she has many great tips for writers!

After reading her tips (and trying out the first one) I remembered one of my own great sources of inspiration: Read something.  Read everything.  Read anything.  Just read.

I'm not claiming to have invented this, by the way.  I've seen in mentioned several other places.  But it definitely bears repeating.

When I write, I tend to get caught up in my own little world.  And that world, just like the big one around me, needs outside stimulus.  I find the best way to get that is to read what others have written.

Personally, articles are my favorite.  I love books of all shape, size and genre, but I tend to get caught up in them.  The next thing I know, it's dinner time and I haven't gotten anything done all day.  If I have a deadline, I need to stay away from the library!  But between my email inbox and the blogs I follow, I have an abundant supply of idea generating materials.

Short snippets of information, like articles, blog posts, even Facebook and Twitter, can really get the creative juices going.  Well-written pieces give me inspiration and help increase my own technical ability; pieces that are less well-written make me want to edit them, which is also a useful practice-writing exercise.

It doesn't matter what I read about.  I never know what's going to spark an idea.  For instance, the most interesting thing I've read so far today is Your Grandmother was a Neanderthal.  Now, I don't know if I'll ever use the topic of the article, which is about our DNA and the ancestral link to a now extinct species.  Not exactly what I write about normally...  But you never know when it will spark something. 

In a roundabout way, I suppose you could say that because that article made me think about how I could use it, and made me examine why I wanted to write about it at all, it helped inspire this blog post. 

Seriously, you just never know where those ideas are lurking...

Lost: Mojo (1)

I have no motivation. 

Is it the summer blahs?  The idonwannas? Jupiter aligning with Mars?

I don't know.  But I just can't seem to get anything done

Articles sit in my head, waiting to be channeled through my fingertips onto the computer screen.  Coursework goes undone.  Laundry sits in the hamper, and the cat hasn't been brushed in I don't know how long.

It's bad.

Today I tried moving my work station to a new spot.  Jimmy Buffet is a proponent of a change in latitude leading to a change in attitude, or something like that.  So I thought I'd give it a try.

I also made a list, which got partially completed.  But at least I have a record of what I want to accomplish right there in front of me.

And finally, I opened my productivity log, which I haven't looked at since mumble mumble.

Did any of this help?  Maybe.  A little.  I think so.  It's a step back in the right direction.  And a step, however little, is better than nothing.

If anyone has any suggestions for motivation, please leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear them!

Introducing Kismet Copywriting

Throughout the last few months I've been planning and studying and writing and practicing, and I'm finally ready to go public as a freelance writer.  It gives me great pleasure to introduce my new business, Kismet Copywriting!

I specialize in writing email autoresponders, blog articles, and social networking, as well as any other needs for web or print copy you may have.  My niche is the gluten free industry (of course!) and running/fitness.

Please feel free to check out my website at the link above, and contact me if you would like to discuss setting up an email campaign for your business. 

The new schedule

In May, when I participated in the Word Count Blogathon, I wrote articles for Simply Nooner every day. I thought it would end up being a chore, but it wasn't. It was actually pretty fun. So I'm going to keep it up.

Starting this week, I'll be publishing articles three days a week on Simply Nooner. Mondays will be about writing or other creative endeavors; Wednesdays will showcase running or fitness topics, and Fridays will be about gluten-free life.  If you'd like to see more gluten-free articles, feel free to hop on over to Li Loves David, where there will be new articles published every Tuesday and Thursday.

Today, I've been thinking about knitting.  I know I haven't mentioned it much, but I'm a knitter.  A chick with sticks.  I knit so I don't kill people...ooops, did I say that out loud?  Anyhow, I really enjoy knitting.  And I haven't picked up a pair of needles in six months.

Wait, what?  Has it really been that long?

Yes, it has.  And I know why. 

We adopted two rambunctious kittens about nine months ago.  They were adorable, and into everything.  So I put away the needles and the yarn until they calmed down.  Because you know how cats are with yarn.  And then something happened....

They didn't calm down. 

What?

Sigh.  They are still rambunctious.  And older.  And bigger.  And smarter.  And better able to get into things.

So I guess I just need to watch my yarn like a hawk, and make sure it's safely locked away when I'm not actually knitting.  And maybe stay away from wool for a while.

Time to look at patterns...

Last day...

...and that's a wrap!

There will be a post tomorrow, though...

Filler post

Day 26 of continuous blogging, and I'm definitely ready for this to be over. 

Not that it's been bad or anything.  It's actually been a lot of fun.

But there has been a little stress involved.  Like the night that I realized, as I was shutting down my computer for the night before I went to bed, that I hadn't blogged yet.  And I didn't have anything to blog about.

Yeah, I'm not going to miss that. 

But I like being on something of a schedule.  I'm hoping to actually plan ahead and come up with meaningful things to write in the future.  Or not-so-meaningful things to write.  Whatever...

I like how I've realized that not every blog post needs to be a masterpiece.  A brief post is better than no post.

And writing practice is always good...

Time to focus

I need to get organized. 

Lately I've been floating through life like a leaf on the wind.  Is the breeze blowing this way today?  Okay, that's where I'm going.  Oh, wait, change in direction.  Fine, let's go there, no problem...

Not to say this hasn't been fun.  Up until January of this year, my life was strictly regimented and I had little say as to what went on.  No, I admit it, I've enjoyed being aimless.  Reveled in it, even.

But it's time for a rudder.  This leaf needs some direction.

I read an article today, How To Eliminate That Overwhelmed Feeling, and it really spoke to me.  I have been feeling a little (or a lot, depending on the day) overwhelmed with the idea of becoming a freelance writer.  At times I have even felt panic, which hasn't helped me be any more productive.

But one thing I've learned over the years is that almost any task that seems insurmountable can be broken down into smaller, more manageable chunks.

So that's what I'm doing.  Following the example in the article, I'm going to start with a chart with four columns:  reading/learning, writing, improving, and marketing.  Each day I'm going to accomplish something in each of those areas, and mark it off on the chart. 

See?  Manageable chunks.

Let's see, how am I doing today? 

Reading/learning - check.  I read over part of a writing course I'm taking. 

Writing - check.  Two blog posts so far today, and I plan to work on another spec piece later. 

Improving - check.  I sought a critique from an instructor on a piece I'd written, I edited it based on the suggestions, and I resubmitted for another critique.  I also read several samples written by other people. 

Marketing - well, I can't really give myself a check for this one yet.  I'm still working on my freelance website, but really have been spinning my wheels.  I'm going to sit down this evening, look at a few examples I've collected, and do some brainstorming for mine.  So maybe I'll be able to check that one off by the end of the day.

Not too bad, considering I just decided to start doing this.  Hopefully these manageable chunks of productivity will start propelling me forward, and will amount to meaningful progress.

May Day

Day one of the WordCount Blogathon. So far, so good.

You may have noticed that Simply Nooner has changed a little bit. I was trying to focus on my efforts to maintain a simple, ecologically sound existence in today’s world. But I realized that to protect the earth, mostly I don’t do stuff.

I don’t buy foods with artificial ingredients. I don’t buy things with excessive packaging. I don’t buy a lot period, and much of what I do buy is used. I don’t over-water my lawn. And so on (you get the picture). Which may be helpful to the world, but isn’t that interesting to write about.

So starting today, Simply Nooner is going to be more about things that I really want to share.  Most of this will be on the topics of writing, running, and living gluten free. Plus anything else I feel like writing about. This month will have a lot about writing in particular, since I’m getting ready to launch my freelance writing career. (Wow, I said it out loud. Scary!) There should be at least a few posts about websites, writing on spec, and how the hell does this whole freelance thing work, anyhow?

Welcome to the new (and improved) Simply Nooner. I hope you enjoy it - I know I will!

May 2011 - It's on!

I'm gonna do it.

Really.

31 days of blogging. 

(Why do I get myself into these things?)

It's time for the WordCount Blogathon.

Watch this space, and my gluten-free living blog, Li Loves David, for articles, musings, and a lot of filler during the month of May. 

I'm looking forward to it!

Another book

Third book of the year:  Nothing Happened, and Then it Did: A Chronicle in Fact and Fiction, by Jake Silverstein.  Interesting book.

50 Books in 2011 - Book 2

Just finished Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin.  I thought I had a pretty good grasp on the financial industry's meltdown in 2008.  I was wrong.

50 Books in 2011 - Book 1

Just finished Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris.  Fun little book, a series of short stories with morality tales as told by animals.  It's a quick read, and the last story had me absolutely in stitches.  For more David Sedaris, another good one is Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.

Happy 2011!

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? I do - I always have. I don’t always follow them, though. I used to stick with the general ones, like I’m going to lose weight or I’m going to do better in school or at my job. But somehow, those vague ideas would be forgotten by the end of March at the latest. So now I stick with quantifiable goals, which gives me something specific to shoot for. And announcing them publicly seems to keep me on track.

I was going to call this the Big Scary List of 2011, but really, only the first two items on it are big and scary, and I completed them (mostly) in 2010. What’s left is a bunch of fun stuff. So here it is, the Exciting, Exhilarating, and Super Fun list of 2011.

Quit my job. (First Big Scary one.) I did it! I turned in my resignation in December, and am now officially unemployed. Or at least, I will be by the end of January. (I’ve agreed to work part time until they hire a replacement.) Why would I do such a crazy thing, give up perfectly sound paid employment, in an economy like this? You’ll find out below.

Register for and run a half marathon. (Second Big Scary one.) I am already registered for the Miami Half Marathon in January, so now I just have to make it to the race in one piece and finish it.

Now the fun ones!

Read 50 books. I mean, really, how fun will this be? That averages less than one book a week. Even not counting audio books, which I sometimes listen to while running, I predict that I’ll have this one done by the end of September.

Edit my novels, find an agent, and become a published novelist. This one is huge, and is the reason why I quit my job. It has long been my dream to be a published writer, and now I have no more excuses. (Well, I’ll always have excuses, but I can’t say that I don’t have the time!) Currently I have two novels in first draft. I need to work on revisions, and then start the arduous process of trying to get them published. I know it’s a long road, so I’ll be absolutely ecstatic if I can get my novels revised and find an agent before the end of the year.

Write another novel before 2012. This will definitely happen in November, with National Novel Writing Month. Maybe I can even eke out another during June Novel Writing Month, who knows?

Run a half marathon every month. That means running 13.1 miles (or more) at a time, once a month. Seriously, I’m totally addicted to my running now. And I’ve done this in training 3 times so far. I know that I can’t run an official race every month without major travel, which is a little out of the picture right now. (I quit my job, remember?) But I’m counting training runs. This one is definitely doable.

Train for and run a marathon. This is about taking my running to the next level. I love the process of training, and I adore my weekend long runs. I’m just not sure I’ll be strong enough by the end of the year – it’s taken almost a year of steady training to get to the point where I’m comfortable with a half marathon. 26.2 miles is a totally different animal. Luckily there are several marathons held locally at the end of the year, giving me plenty of options. That means I can take my time training, and hopefully avoid injury. And if I don’t make it this year, there’s always the Miami Marathon in 2012!

Travel to South America. Yeah, I know. No job, no money. But David and I really, really want to go to Ecuador. And where there’s a will, there’s a way. I feel good about this one.

Do something creative every week. Okay, this one is a little vague. To be more specific, I’m going to spend more time writing in my blogs, knitting, crocheting, and trying out some of the other crafty-type things I’ve not had time for. No excuses!

Okay, I think that’s enough to start with. Happy New Year, all!