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WritersNotes.Net: Helping Writers Follow Their Dreams Through Information, Inspiration, and Encouragement!
Wise Sayings for Writers, Round 2
Last time, I shared six fortune-cookie sayings that my mom had tucked away prior to her passing – partly as a small way of honoring her July 3rd birthday and partly to offer some great advice to my fellow writers. Today, I'll share the other six sayings. Hopefully they'll inspire you to nurture your talents, step out, and move toward achieving your writing goals.
Here are the other six:
Past inspirations and experiences will be helpful in your job.
While this can be true for anyone, the writer will find this particularly relevant to both the craft and the business of writing. As the writer nurtures the creative, intuitive spark and begins to draw parallels between the past and the current creative work taking shape within his imagination, something magical happens. Insight flows and new life is birthed into the work. Whether or not he writes for money, creativity is every writer's "job" – and everything that's gone before can provide insight that helps him do it well.
Your heart is pure, and your mind is clear.
During your most creative moments, you draw pure inspiration from deep within, giving your thoughts a singular clarity that's clearly not present at other times. These are the moments all writers live for. Give yourself the opportunity to experience these moments as often as possible. Allow yourself some time for contemplation. Provide an atmosphere that's conducive to inspiration. Let yourself sense and feel and visualize. It will bring new power to your work. Relax, refresh, recharge, and renew in whatever ways you most enjoy and respond to best. Read for relaxation, entertainment, and inspiration and not simply for research, study, or self-improvement. Chat with a friend and bounce ideas off him or her to broaden your perspective and provide fresh new insight. These will help inspire and bring you to that pure, clear place.
Now is the time to try something new.
Have you been feeling as if you'd like to work on something you've never tried before – perhaps attempting a new style, form, or genre? Perhaps you've considered an entirely different creative outlet than you're used to, such as art, photography, or Web design. If you've been blessed with multiple talents, interests, and passions, nurture them. Each one is there for a purpose, and you'll never achieve that purpose unless you use all your talents.
Some people are natural born specialists. They focus on one major area of endeavor and are happy doing so. Others have far too many interests to settle for a single one, and they are only happy when encouraged and supported in their efforts to indulge them all, thereby building a multi-faceted creative existence. Both types are good, the world needs both types, and both types can adapt the concept of trying something new to their own natural style. The specialist can try a new project or new method for creatively carrying out her area of specialization, and the non-specialist can focus on an entirely different interest area.
Someone is interested in you. Keep your eyes open.
Somewhere, someone – an editor, an agent, a client, a fellow blogger – is interested in you and your talent and seeking precisely what you have to offer. You may not have found this individual yet, but he or she is out there just waiting for the moment of meeting and discovery. Believe and trust that that's the case and then seek out this person for all you're worth. As you go about the daily business of writing and researching and promoting and connecting, watch for new opportunities – opportunities that may turn out to be tailor made for you.
Take that chance you've been considering.
Every time you put yourself and your work out there for others to judge and evaluate, you're taking a risk – and a risk can be unsettling. But, if writing is your calling and you know deep inside that you have what it takes – or you know you're willing to do whatever it takes to get to that point – don't sit on the sidelines watching others earn the recognition, enjoy the exposure, or reap the monetary rewards. If you have your eye on a market in which you'd love see your work, if you'd like to approach a certain client, try a new creative collaboration, or work on a different type of project than you have up to this point – do your homework and then go for it. You'll never now how successful you might have been if you never try.
Where there's a will, there's a way.
If you're having trouble finding inspiration, motivation, ideas, time, quiet, or – you fill in the blank – you'll have to be creative in finding ways around these obstacles. You are a creative, after all. This is what you do. The same creativity you apply to your writing can be applied to your life to make it more conducive to your craft. If you want it badly enough, you can make it happen.
I've delved a little more deeply into these six fortune-cookie sayings than I did into most of the first six. Perhaps that's because these sayings are more philosophical than the others. Or perhaps I'm simply in a more philosophical mood today or feeling more inspired. Whatever it is, I hope you've received some benefit from my musings and that they'll help you – in some way big or small – to achieve your writing goals.
Write on!
Jeanne
Fortune-Cookie Wisdom
I don't generally take fortune-cookie fortunes very seriously. But, one day recently, as I went through some of those slender slips of paper that I'd found among my late mom's papers, I realized how often they consist more of good, sound advice than predictions about the future. And that started me thinking about how many of them might be applied to writing. (Most, it turns out!) So, in honor of Mom's July 3rd birthday, I thought I'd share some of them, along with a few of my own thoughts about each.
I'll share six of them in this post and the other six in my next one.
Here's the first group:
It is quality rather than quantity that matters. Do a good job.
While we certainly need a balance between quality and quantity to earn a living as writers, it's important to be reminded every now and then how much more important quality is than quantity--that is, if we'd like to derive any real satisfaction from our work.
Rely on long time friends to give you advice.
This is such a necessity in the writing--and especially the blogging--world. How often do we savor the support, encouragement, and wise advice of long-time writing and blogging friends?
Others appreciate your good sense of humor.
This is so true for us as writers. When we add a touch of humor to our work, it can lighten heavy topics and provide a moment of pleasure for our readers that makes them enjoy our work even more than they would have without it.
We can learn from everyone, even our adversaries.
For the writer, this can be looked at in more than one way. We can recall people and/or life experiences that have challenged us, recognizing their potential for teaching us lessons that can make our writing richer. We might also think in terms of our critics, who can teach us much about our writing, ourselves, and human nature--providing another rich reservoir from which to create our written works.
It is proper to speak the truth.
As we express ourselves in our writing, authenticity is so important. "Authenticity" may be an overused word in writing circles today, yet I believe it's a concept that will never go out of style. When we speak the truth, transparently sharing our hearts through our writing, we have greater credibility with our reader, which develops a trust that enables the reader to truly enter into our work.
Keep your idealism practical.
I love this one, because, while its emphasis is on practicality over idealism, the first part says, "Keep your idealism," which I believe is step one. While writing for a living involves the necessity to be practical by balancing creativity with pragmatism, we still want to stay true to our ideals, since these are part of the wisdom we impart to our readers. Our goal is to develop a healthy balance, sacrificing neither of these two vital factors in favor of the other.
I hope you've enjoyed these first six examples of fortune-cookie words of wisdom for writers and that you'll tune in next time for the other six.
Keep writing!
Jeanne
Age of Conversation 3 is now available at Amazon.com and other major online retail outlets. The following is the media release announcing its publication. If you'd be interested in reviewing the book on your blog or elsewhere, info for requesting a review copy is posted at the end of the release.
Age of Conversation 3 Book Covers
________________________
Media Contact: Gretel Going
Channel V Media
212.680.0179
gretel@channelvmedia.com
171 Authors Take the Online Marketing Conversation to Print
Age of Conversation 3 Graduates from Social Media Theory
and Moves On to Full-Blown Social Media Practice
New York, NY (May 07, 2010)—Almost three years ago, an online conversation between two marketing pros—an American and an Australian—evolved into a collaborative writing effort by more than 100 bloggers from nine countries, and was aptly titled The Age of Conversation. Fast forward to today and the abstract experiment is now a concrete treatise on the state of social media and marketing best practices as a whole. With Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton still firmly at the helm, the third book in the Age of Conversation series has become a veritable “who’s who” of the world’s leading marketing bloggers. Age of Conversation 3 (202 pages; hardcover; paperback; Kindle; ePub) was published by new digital publishing company Channel V Books, and is now available through all major online retailers, as a Kindle e-book, and will soon be available as an ePub for other digital readers.
Age of Conversation 3 captures the distinct shift from social media as a hypothetical consumer loyalty tool, as it was considered only a little more than a year ago, to its current state as a staple in the modern marketing toolbox. Although the book covers more than just social media, the topic is ubiquitous among the book’s 10 sections: At the Coalface; Identities, Friends and Trusted Strangers; Conversational Branding; Measurement; Corporate Conversations; In the Boardroom; Innovation and Execution; Influence; Getting to Work; and Pitching Social Media.
“We have seen an incredible shift in the role of social media over the past three years. It has moved from an outlier in the marketing mix to one of the strategic pillars of any corporate marketing or branding exercise,” said Drew McLellan. “And it doesn’t end there,” adds Gavin Heaton. “As the many authors of this new book explain, the focus may be on conversation, but you can’t participate in a conversation from the sidelines. It’s all about participation. And this book provides you with 171 lessons in this new art”.
The genesis for the series itself has all the makings of a thrilling read: regular correspondence between people around the world; a proactive collaboration between 15 countries; and two marketing professionals who have never met each other face to face, scrambling to learn how to publish a book from the ground up.
It all started when McLellan blogged about a similar collaborative book effort and Heaton wrote to him to suggest they get a few fellow bloggers to produce a marketing book in the same vain. Three emails later, and they had named the book and set what they thought would be an impossible goal: 100 bloggers. Within seven days they had commitments from 103. Back then, the marketing industry was abuzz about how citizen marketers were changing the landscape, whereas the second two editions have revolved primarily around the growing field of social media and how its methodologies have affected marketing as a whole. What all three books have in common is that they each capture a uniquely global vantage point.
The first Age of Conversation raised nearly $15,000 for Variety, the international children's charity, and the Age of Conversation 2 raised a further $10,000 for Variety. This year’s proceeds will be donated to an international children’s charity of our authors’ choosing.
McLellan, who heads McLellan Marketing Group, a Des Moines, Iowa advertising agency, has been writing DrewsMarketingMinute.com for several years. Heaton, who works for global software giant, SAP, writes ServantofChaos.com from Sydney, Australia. McLellan and Heaton have used their blogs to promote each book’s crop of contributors.
Needless to say, an ambitious online marketing book will be paired with an ambitious online marketing campaign. All 171 bloggers will use their respective online platforms—their blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other social media profiles, and websites—to promote their co-authors and book sales.
To request a review copy of Age of Conversation 3, please contact Gretel Going at gretel@channelvmedia.com or 212.680.0179.
________________________
Hope you'll read Age of Conversation 3. It's loaded with excellent writing and fantastic information--and as with AOC 1 and 2, all proceeds go to a worthy cause. This year, it's the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
My First Northbound Post Is Live
My post, Magento E-commerce: Why Open Source Is the Best Solution, is up at Northbound Interactive Marketing Blog. I'll be posting there once a week, sharing SEO, branding, marketing, technology, and design info and research to help you optimize your website or blog, improve your marketing methods, and make the most of your professional brand.
A Few Words About Straight North
Northbound is owned by Straight North, a top-ranking Chicago Internet marketing firm, which specializes in creative branding and design, SEO, PPC, website and e-commerce development, and other areas of strategic marketing.
The company recently hired my blogging friend and colleague, Brad Shorr, already well-known for his blogging at Word Sell. Brad has assumed the duties of Director of Content Marketing at Straight North and, in addition to continuing his blogging at Word Sell, is the main blogging voice behind Northbound. Because his new job keeps him so busy these days, however, he's asked me to help out by contributing one post a week to Northbound, in addition to the posts he's already commissioned me to write for Word Sell, and I was more than happy to accept the offer.
A Few Words About Brad's Work
I'm very honored to be asked on board by Brad, a blogger and businessman I've always admired. Brad is an excellent writer, accomplished social media expert, and incredibly savvy businessman. If you haven't been reading his content, you're definitely missing out! So, visit Northbound and Word Sell as often as you can. After reading Brad's insightful posts, you'll definitely come away with knowledge you can use to further your writing craft, grow your business, and develop your brand.
A Terrific Team-Up
As many of you know, Brad and I have worked together before, co-blogging at The Whoa Factor, the business blog he penned for Whoast, Inc. before the company merged with Straight North about a year ago. Now, SN has revived the blog, complete with a new name, new theme, new domain, and lots of brand new content. (They've also retained the solid collection of archived posts from the Whoa Factor days to keep readers busy and benefiting from all the helpful insight and info Brad has been penning at TWF/Northbound since 2006, and the work I contributed to TWF between December, 2008, and June, 2009.)
Stop by NB and Take a Look Around
I hope you'll stop by Northbound, read my post (at the link in the first paragraph), and take a look around. Be sure to check out Brad's excellent content, as well.You'll learn a lot--and there's certainly much more to come, as Straight North continues developing the blog and making it even better!
See you at Northbound!
Jeanne
Research Is Serious Business
I don't know about you, but I do a lot of online research—and I mean a lot. And I consider my research serious business. When hunting down relevant information for a blog post, article, or other piece of writing, I want to know the date the content was published. Frankly, I don't have the time to institute a diligent search of the site in an attempt to uncover this critical piece of information only to find that it's been intentionally hidden from me. I don't believe it's unreasonable for a reader to expect a website or blog to provide this information if its owner expects to be quoted as an authoritative source and have his or her content linked to and relied upon as being accurate and up-to-date.
Mere Datelessness an Evergreen Post Does Not Make
The problem is that too many bloggers seem to believe that by leaving their posts undated, they somehow make their work more immediate…more timeless…more evergreen. I believe they're wrong about that. A piece of writing requires more than mere datelessness to qualify for the "evergreen" descriptor. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that a piece of writing that depends solely on this method for creating its sense of timelessness isn't really evergreen at all. Far from viewing an undated blog post as timeless or evergreen, I often feel somewhat irritated that I have no idea when it was written. That unknown creates a sense of uncertainty about the content that can encourage me to move on to a more citable source.
Granted, it's often possible to get a reasonable idea of when a post was published by looking at the date its first comments were left. But, should a reader really have to creatively search out a post's publication date or depend on comment dates as reliable time indicators? I'd say, "No."
Content—Not Date—Determines a Post's Longevity
In my view, a blogger whose content is truly timeless has nothing whatsoever to fear from dating his or her posts. If they are well-written and contain information or concepts that stand the test of time, people will continue to read them many years after they were published, since they'll continue to yield valuable information through the years. Even if their information should age a little less gracefully, finely crafted posts will maintain their historical value, which will ensure their continued usefulness despite their prominently displayed publication dates.
How Important Is this Issue?
I will admit that in many cases, undated blog posts are nothing more than a minor irritation. However, there are times (for example, when writing about technical topics) that responsible research practices require a writer to know whether the information he or she is relying on is up-to-date. Even certain historical events need to be placed on a timeline.
My view is, why make it harder for a writer to use your work (and in the process send a backlink your way) when all you have to do is place a date on your post to make it more "user friendly"? What could be simpler? What could make more sense?
Are You Willing to Take the Risk?
I can't help but wonder why a blogger would be willing to chance having a writer go elsewhere to complete her research and thus lose the opportunity to become an authoritative source. Even if your readers are simply reading your blog for their own enjoyment, why subject them to the uncertainty and irritation of wondering when the post was written? Why risk losing readers over a practice that offers minimal advantage at best? That's certainly not a risk I would want to take. How about you?
Here's to successful blogging practices,
Jeanne
What's your take on this issue? Are there any aspects you believe I'm missing? How has your own policy on dating blog posts developed or evolved over time?
If you have ever been tempted to give up on your dreams, as a writer or in any other area of your life, do yourself a huge favor and read this brief but powerful post: It's Not Too Late, by George Angus at Tumblemoose.com. It may just turn your life around.
'Nuff said.
Jeanne
P.S. Come back after you've read the post and share your thoughts with us. A few questions I've posted below might help you more easily share the way the post has affected you. Or simply post your own thoughts.
What sort of impact did the above post have on your outlook? Do you see yourself, your situation, your dreams, and your limitations in a new light? If so, tell us about it. We'd love to hear the insights you've gained from this incredibly poignant post.
Just wanted to remind everyone to stop by Word Sell to read my debut post. A lot of research went into the writing of 5 Great, Free Keyword Research Tools, a post that can help you attract more traffic to your website or blog. Keywords aren't just for e-commerce sites. Everyone who has an online presence can benefit from effective keyword use. So, check out my first Word Sell post, which will point you to five great FREE resources that can help put your site on the Internet map!
Don't forget to say Hi!
Jeanne
My Recent Silence
I know it's been quiet here at Writer's Notes lately, for which I humbly and sincerely apologize. My writing workload has increased over the past few months, and it's been tough finding the time for everything I'd like to do. Hopefully, as I become more acclimated to my new projects, it will become easier to find the time to blog here more regularly--even if my posts might need to be shorter than I like them to be. That said, let's move on to the main reason for this post...
My Latest Blogging Project
Brad Shorr, who pens the Word Sell Blog, has invited me to become a regular contributer there, and I'm honored to accept his invitation. I've always admired Brad's work and have co-blogged with him before, though I haven't had the pleasure of doing so at Word Sell until now. I'll be writing one post a week at Word Sell on various content marketing topics. My posts will appear on Thursdays.
Here's a link to Brad's announcement of my coming on board: Jeanne Dininni, Welcome to the Word Sell Blog.
Stop by Word Sell and Say Hi
I'd be honored if you'd stop by Word Sell this Thursday and check out my debut post, which will be jam-packed with helpful content marketing info. And I certainly wouldn't argue if you should decide to drop by every Thursday to say Hi and check out my latest content marketing research and resources, so don't be a stranger!
Discover Brad Shorr and Word Sell
If you've never read Word Sell, you owe it to yourself to check out Brad's excellent posts. Brad has real business savvy and tons of insight to share on content marketing and other business-related topics. His take on these often-serious topics is fresh, straightforward, knowledgeable, and entertaining, all at the same time. So, do yourself a favor and check out Brad's work. Mine the Word Sell archives, and you'll find lots of buried treasure there that will certainly contribute to your business success. Consider this announcement your perfect, most serendipitous opportunity to become better acquainted with one of content marketing's best, most insightful authors: Brad Shorr.
See you at Word Sell!
Jeanne
If you're interested in supplementing your writing income and have a penchant for research, analysis, and Internet search, Butler Hill Group may have a job for you. The company has current openings for part-time (20 hours per week) "Search Engine Evaluators/Internet Search Gurus" in numerous countries. The position, of course, includes various requirements, which to some extent depend on the country in which you reside, though the majority of these appear to be the same for all countries.
Since many Orbleites reside in Australia, I'll provide the link to the Australian opening here. For those who live in other countries, here's a link to Butler Hill's main Job Opportunities page. (Unfortunately, these don't include openings in the United States, whether because they've already filled those or because they never had any I can't be sure.) However, if you live in the U.S. but have specific knowledge of another country, check out that listing, because it appears that at least some openings don't require residency but simply "extensive familiarity with a wide variety of online news sources published in" the target country.
Should mention that this opportunity is a limited-time project. Here's the description of the position on the Genuine Jobs website:
Search Engine Evaluators (Data Annotators) will review and evaluate internet search results based on specific search terms and provide a rating depending on the relevance of the search result to the search term. The evaluation work is done using an online automated tool.
You will work 4 hours per day (Monday-Friday) and have the flexibility to choose the hours you wish to work each day. This project requires a commitment to work part-time at 20 hours per week. Project work is expected to extend for at least two months, with a possible further extension up to June, 2010.
If this opportunity sounds like something you'd enjoy and/or be good at, take a stab at it. You may just find yourself with a regular job to supplement your freelance writing income.
Good luck!
Jeanne
Would this type of opportunity interest you? Why or why not? How helpful would it be to have this regular income to count on by only working part time hours while pursuing your writing the rest of the time?
Preliminaries
My apologies for being so silent here lately. Health issues, along with a great deal of writing work, have monopolized my attention lately, preventing me from focusing on brainstorming topics, locating info and resources, and assembling all these into helpful posts. Now and then I'll see a topic that I'd like to share, but a post never seems to materialize. That's why what I'd like to do today is share a few great writing posts that I've come across that can help you in the craft and business of writing. Hopefully, these will arm you with the information, motivation, and practical tools you need to take the next step in your writing career.
Writing Advice from Around the Blogosphere
John Hewitt, at PoeWar, has written a really practical post, called How to Treat Your Writing Like a Business. Check it out. I'm sure you'll find it helpful. In fact, I think you'll also find two of John's other posts particularly helpful to your career: The Realities of a Freelance Writing Career and Six Tips for More Organized Freelancing should get you off to a great start or keep you moving forward toward achieving your writing goals. Of course, I hardly need tell you that you'll find all John's posts immensely helpful to you in your writing. If you've never read them, you'll want to start now!
Other posts I'm sure you'll find helpful are the following:
A Dialog on Blogging Focus, Parts 1, 2, and 3, from Brad Shorr at Word Sell, Inc. Brad also offers a plethora of excellent content that's focused mainly on B2B content creation, business blogging, marketing, and SEO strategies.
Top 25 Books for Writers and Writing-related Topics, from Meryl K. Evans, at Meryl.net. Meryl also offers periodic link posts, such as Links: Just Before March Roars 2010 Edition and Links: Happy Sweet 16 2010 Edition, which are always packed with excellent writing resources.
Has Your Fire Fizzled? from Karen Swim at Words for Hire offers inspiration that can help get you back on track if you've strayed from your writing goals lately. Hard But Not Forever will also give you words of encouragement for the difficult times.
10 Things to Start and One Thing to Stop, from Joanna Young at Confident Writing, is short, sweet, and to-the-point and offers some fabulous tips on ways to increase your writing sensitivity, confidence, inspiration, and enjoyment. Joanna will be taking a break from blogging for a time, but you'll find so much great content in her archives that you'll have plenty to keep you busy while she's gone. Here's another brief but helpful post from Joanna: Make a Start by Writing it Down. Joanna has a wonderful way of distilling an idea down to its most basic--and important--elements, providing quick reads that are jam-packed with insight.
More Link Posts to Come
The blogosphere is, of course, rife with wonderful posts on writing, selling your writing, and living the writing life. Yet, I must unfortunately end my list here--for today at least. In the future, I'll do my best to provide links to other helpful blog posts, written by these and other experienced bloggers who have a great deal to offer the aspiring or active writer.
Enjoy!
Jeanne
Have you found these posts helpful and/or inspiring? Any one or two that seem particularly pertinent to your situation? Have you read any great writing posts lately? We'd love it if you'd share your thoughts with us!
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