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Writer's Notes - By Jeanne Dininni

 
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Writer's Notes - December 2007

A Blogger's Christmas Regift that Keeps On Giving

December 29th 2007 01:40

Belated Thanks for a Special Gift

I intended to write this post much sooner--ideally on Christmas Eve--but was unable to do so due to extreme holiday busy-ness combined with personal and family illness. So today, several days after Christmas, I'd like to publicly thank Dan at DCR Blogs, for his thoughtful holiday gift passed on to me in his Regifting Christmas Blog-Gifts post.


Dan's gift appears below:

Miss Stocking
Miss Stocking



An Honor Bestowed By a Respected Blogger

One reason I feel honored to receive this gift from Dan is because it was intended for “Blogs that encourage, year round, the same energetic and imaginative sense of wonder that is apparent throughout the Christmas season.” I consider his choosing me as one of its recipients to be one of the highest compliments he could pay me as a fellow blogger--particularly since Dan is himself one blogger I highly respect. That's why I didn't want to let the opportunity pass--even though Christmas has--of saying, "Thanks, Dan! I really appreciate your gift--even if it is a regift--because this is the kind of regift a blogger is proud to receive."

Hope you'll all visit Dan's blog and read his always fascinating--and entertaining--posts! Getting to know this great blogger will be an experience you won't regret. I promise.

Hope your holidays were bright!
Jeanne


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Inner Resources for Writing Success in 2008 and Beyond

December 24th 2007 00:25

Joanna’s Challenge

Joanna Young wrote a post recently asking her readers to share their thoughts about the inner resources they feel would help them achieve their writing goals in 2008. The post, entitled Your Writing Resources for 2008: A Reader Question and Offer, discusses “goals and resolutions for the year ahead” and shares Joanna’s three top contenders: power, persuasiveness, and passion (three things that any writer who aspires to be not just effective but influential could hardly do without). Her challenge garnered some insightful input from her readers, and I highly recommend you read either the comments to her post or her follow-up post (linked to below) for some of the other excellent resources mentioned.


My Non-Response

While I’m a little late responding to her challenge, I’d like to expand on the answer I gave in my comment on her round-up post, Resources for Writers: Your Writing Wish-List. Though Joanna very graciously included my earlier comment about the “Nice Matters” award in this post, giving me credit for submitting the resource of “niceness,” I hadn't technically left that comment as a response to the challenge, so I decided to leave a second comment, listing a few other resources that I felt would prove critical to my success as a writer in 2008.


My Real Response

The resources mentioned in my follow-up comment were the following: creativity, insight, inspiration, persistence, and self-confidence tempered with a touch of humility—though I admitted that “niceness”—aka kindness—was also near the top of my list.


My Afterthought

Yet, after completing my comment, I wasn’t satisfied that I’d fully covered the topic, which, after all, encompasses so much. A few more resources came to mind that I believe will prove necessary to my future success: inquisitiveness and integrity.

Now, had I given all this a bit more thought before compiling my original list, I could have followed Joanna’s impressive lead, cleverly limiting myself to the “i”-words inquisitiveness, insight, inspiration, and integrity (as she did with the “p”-words power, persuasiveness, and passion). But it's a little too late for that, besides which I’ve since decided that my non-“i”-words are equally important to a writer’s success. (I realize that I’ve totally overdone it—as I always seem to do—with my list of seven qualities [not counting “niceness” which Joanna chose for me].) But I truly believe that each of these resources is indispensable to any writer’s success.


My Revised List

Here’s my revised list, in roughly the order that I believe these qualities come into play in our literary endeavors:

Creativity
Integrity
Inquisitiveness
Inspiration
Insight
Self-Confidence with Humility
Persistence


My Personal Thoughts

Here are my thoughts on the ways that these resources can contribute to a successful writing career.

Creativity

I’ve placed creativity first, because it’s innate. While it’s definitely possible to increase our awareness and use of our creative gifts, they are just that—gifts. When we recognize this, we realize that with these gifts comes a responsibility to use them to the best of our ability. This is where it all begins; our success grows out of our creativity. Therefore, learning to recognize and tap into our creativity will allow us to use it in newer and better ways in 2008.

Integrity

While integrity may not be innate, it’s definitely foundational, influencing who we are and touching everything we say, think, do, and create. It affects the projects we choose to handle, the way we decide to handle them, and the manner in which we deal with clients, editors, publishers, readers, and fellow writers. It influences the way we approach our topics and the degree of credibility we ultimately enjoy with our readers. I’ve placed this resource second simply because for us to be effective it must be in place before we begin the process of attempting to transform our raw creativity into a tangible form that’s both edifying and enriching.

Inquisitiveness

Inquisitiveness is where the creative process begins. This eager thirst for knowledge fuels our desire to explore the world around us, within us, and beyond us, stretching us from the deepest, most revelatory truths to the farthest reaches of our own imaginations. This craving to know who, what, when…where, why, how…engulfs us and soon evolves from “why?” or “how?” to “why not?” or “what if?” This is the catalyst for the expansion of ideas and the development of new thought patterns. It’s what enables us to probe outside our prior experiential sphere, entering new realms of understanding. This is the quality that sets us on the pathway to discovery, which, in turn, prepares us to create.

Inspiration

Inspiration is the spark that illuminates our mind and heart as we reflect on our purpose and seek to bring energy and life to our creation. It may be a moment of sudden, rapturous clarity, as we ponder a problem we’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to solve for weeks and are just about ready to give up, or it might be a gradual, growing sense of enlightenment as we tackle our creative task. It’s the breath of life that gives us the passion to go on, despite obstacles, and raises our consciousness to a higher, nobler plane.

Insight

Insight is the natural result of the interplay of all the qualities that come before it. It’s the perfect culmination of all the diverse parts of the creative process, and it leads directly to creation. Of course, the above qualities all continue to be active during the actual creation of our work, each one playing its own unique role in the creative process in concert with the others.

Self-Confidence with Humility

Confidence in ourselves and our ability to create something worthwhile and then to share it with the world will impact both the quality of our work and the likelihood that we’ll be able to market it successfully. Once we’ve developed confidence in our inherent talent, that self-assurance will come through in our writing—and it will also come through in the marketing of our work.

It’s crucial that this self-confidence be tempered with generous doses of humility, however, which come through regular “reality checks.” By reminding ourselves that creativity is a gift that we did nothing to earn (though we may, in fact, have worked hard to develop it to a higher level), we will help ourselves avoid arrogance. When we realize that, had we not been given the gift of creativity to begin with, we would have had nothing to work so hard to develop, we'll be much easier to work with. This will go a long way toward making us popular not only with readers but among editors and publishers, as well.

Persistence

Finally, if we possess all the above qualities yet lack the ability to persevere despite setbacks, obstacles, delays, and deferred dreams, we’ll never win the prize. Persistence is the key to realizing our highest aspirations. Few are able to do that overnight. Success is often built in stages; and we must have the staying power to last until the final brick is in place, all the time working, hoping, and believing in our own ability to build our dream of writing success one brick at a time.


Your Thoughts?

These are the inner resources that I believe would help me reach my writing goals in 2008 and beyond—resources that I believe would be just as beneficial to any writer. What are your thoughts, as you stand on the threshhold of a new year and contemplate your own writing goals? What resources will you need to make your dreams a reality? Feel free to respond using as few or as many words as you'd like. There are no wrong answers! If your answer is too extensive for a comment, you might consider devoting a blog post to the topic; and if you do, be sure to stop back and leave us a link. If you'd rather wait until after Christmas, when you aren't quite so busy, we understand. We'll be here when you get back!

To your writing success in 2008—and beyond!
Jeanne


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For Writers: E-zines and Newsletters to Help You Learn and Earn

December 22nd 2007 07:00

A Wealth of Writing Resources

Do you enjoy reading—or writing—about writing? If so, there are a number of writer’s e-zines and newsletters that offer helpful writing advice and themselves provide a handy market for your writing-related work. Many of these e-publications also list other markets for various styles and genres of writing, with some even conveniently linking to the submission guidelines for those markets. Others provide info on current or upcoming writing contests.

While each publication differs slightly in the exact resources it offers, all have one thing in common: they all contain helpful articles on the craft and business of writing. So, dig in, get your literary hands dirty, and reap the benefits of the collective experience of a wide variety of writers from many different disciplines and genres. And don't forget to check—and bookmark—each publication's own submission guidelines while you're there.


E-zines and Newsletters by Writers for Writers

Here’s the list, in no particular order:

Coffee Break for Writers E-zine

Write from Home E-zine *

Absolute Write Newsletter

Writing for Dollars Newsletter

The Writer Within Newsletter

Writer2Writer.com E-zine

WritersWeekly E-zine

Writing World Newsletter

FundsforWriters Newsletter

Women on Writing E-zine

T-zero Expandizine, The Writer’s E-Zine

Hopefully, these e-zines and newsletters for writers will help advance your writing career both creatively and financially!

Best wishes,
Jeanne


*UPDATE: Amy Derby has decided to make certain changes at Write-from-home for 2008, which include merging the main Write-from-home.com website with the Write from Home Blog. This effectively means that no new e-zine articles will be posted, though the article archives will continue to be available. Read about Amy's changes in this post: Write-from-home.com 2008.



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Uplogix: The Answer to Your Remote Network’s Connectivity Problems

December 21st 2007 21:26

Secure Remote Management

If you administer—or use—a remote computer network that experiences technical problems periodically, you know how inconvenient correcting those problems can be. To reduce that inconvenience, one solution you might want to look into—or have your network’s administrator look into—is Secure Remote Management, by Uplogix. When you experience network connectivity problems, the Uplogix remote management system eliminates the need for travel to a remote office or server, drastically reducing your mean time to recovery. This can prevent many added problems caused by time-sensitive business issues.


Uplogix Envoy: Always Connected

The Uplogix Envoy tool is always connected—even when your network goes down—which allows you to effectively monitor connectivity, automate maintenance tasks, and perhaps most importantly, address connectivity problems from a central location as soon as they occur. Check out the Telecom Trends article at the above link to learn more about how you can keep your computer network humming along with minimal interruption even when those inevitable connectivity problems occur.

Happy networking!
Jeanne


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Quotes to Inspire Your Muse at Inspirational Quotes Cafe

December 19th 2007 05:54

Quotes that Inspire Thought

While you won't find thousands or tens of thousands of quotes at Inspirational Quotes Café, you will find hundreds of clever, inspiring, and thought-provoking philosophical gems culled from the sayings of the well-known thinkers of the ages.


Quotes that Both Generate and Support Ideas

If you're stumped for an idea for your next writing project or simply seeking an apt quotation to support the premise of your current literary masterpiece, you'll find plenty to work with at Inspirational Quotes Cafe. In this collection of delightfully insightful sayings, spoken by some of history's--not to mention today's--most prominent personages, you'll uncover such priceless jewels as those that follow:


A Few Scintillating Samples

"Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right." - Henry Ford

"Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill

"If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster." - Isaac Asimov


Quotes that Are Conveniently Categorized

This wealth of word-ly wisdom might be just what you need to get your creative juices flowing. Conveniently listed by category and sub-category, these remarkable sayings can be easily found and applied to any current or anticipated writing topic. Among the main quotation categories you'll find on this website are Families, Education, Success, and Life Quotes; and the site's sub-categories include Women's, Work, Positive Motivational, and Retirement Quotes.


A Wealth of Wit and Wisdom at Your Fingertips

While this site is a fascinating find for its inspirational, educational, and motivational value, the entertainment element should certainly not be overlooked. If you'd simply like to tantalize your mental tastebuds with a few delicious witticisms, this is the website for you. Check it out for yourself and see: It's like dinner and dessert all rolled into one.

Happy reading,
Jeanne



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Sign Up for Trusted Travel eNewsletter: Enter to Win an iPod Nano

December 16th 2007 01:10

Time Out for Travel

During the holidays, we writers often think of taking a little time off from our daily writing routines. While many travel during the holidays, others prefer to treat this time as a season of rest and relaxation and would rather plan their travels for a less-hectic time of year. But whether you prefer to travel during the holidays or at other times, Trusted Tours and Attractions can help make your travels to 21 U.S. destinations more memorable.


A Newsletter and (Maybe) a Nano

Not only will signing up for the Trusted Travel eNewsletter bring all the travel info you need for trip-planning right to your inbox; but when you sign up before December 31st, it will also give you an automatic entry into a drawing for an iPod Nano.


Vegas: Visible from Space?

One city to which Trusted Tours and Attractions offers discounted tickets is Las Vegas. Everyone should see this city at least once! It’s been said that Las Vegas is so brightly lit that it’s literally visible from outer space! I don’t know how true this claim is, but I do know, from my own visit a number of years ago, that it’s definitely a sight to behold!


My Trip to Vegas

At the time of my visit, my parents lived there, which was the reason for my trip. When I arrived, Mom and Dad were eager to show me a few of the casinos that weren’t very far from their home. While I’m not much of a gambler, I brought $20.00 with me to the casino, along with a $5.00 bill my landlord had given me to “play the slots” for him. I decided to play video Keno, which looked like fun.


A Conservative Gambler

As conservative as I am, I found this game which required only nickel bets to be right up my alley. I could play one, two, three or four nickels at a time, with any winnings of course being dependent on how many nickels I played. After playing one or two without much of a return, I decided to “go for the gusto” and play four. I played for a while losing a little here, winning a little there. (I’ve never seen so many lights or heard so many sounds in one place as I did that night!)


Flashing Lights and Clanging Bells

After I’d played for a while, I looked up from my cup of nickels to see the results of my latest play, realizing suddenly that my machine was clanging, flashing, and definitely attracting attention! I had won! Needless to say, I was pretty surprised! And while I didn’t leave that casino a rich woman that night (or a poor one either, since I didn’t use any of my jackpot winnings to bet with), I had won $160.00 in that one play! Not bad at all, considering that I hadn’t even spent the whole $20.00 I’d come in with.

A little while later, after trying a few other machines, with no real success, I played the slots with my landlord’s $5.00, reinvesting my slight winnings each time, until, before leaving, I had finally hit a $15.00 jackpot (which my landlord, who had originally planned to split the winnings with me, told me to keep, on my return).


Las Vegas: A Fun Place to Visit

I had a lot of fun in Las Vegas that night—partly because I’d won, and partly because I had done so without spending any more money to play than I’d originally planned to spend. I’d used the “fun” money that I might have spent to buy a pizza to buy myself an evening of fun instead and happened to win a few bucks in the bargain. That was my first and only visit to a casino for the purpose of gambling.

There were many other things to do and see in and around the casinos of Las Vegas aside from gambling, though. Most casinos had very impressive and elaborate shows that provided entertainment, and the casinos themselves were amazing pieces of multi-million dollar architecture—definitely worth a sightseeing tour!

If you’re interested in visiting Las Vegas or another U.S. city, visit the Trusted Tours and Attractions website for info on the destinations they serve and their ticket discounts. And don’t forget to sign up for their eNewsletter before December 31st—to place yourself in the running for the iPod Nano!

Happy travels!
Jeanne







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Finish the Year Out Right: Two Click-to-Give Sites' Clicks Matched Through December

December 15th 2007 22:23

Two Charitable Sites Matching Clicks This Month

Two of six click-to-give sites that have been mentioned at Writer's Notes before are offering to match any clicks received through the end of 2007, giving double benefit to the charities they support. The Literacy Site and The Breast Cancer Site will match your clicks--up to one per day--through the end of December.


Give Just a Little Bit More When You Click This Month

This is a wonderful opportunity to give just a little bit more to these organizations that are dedicated to helping those in need. And the best part is that it doesn't cost you a penny! All it costs is a few minutes (or less) of your time each day to help provide free books for underprivileged children and free mammograms for low-income women. Simply visit the sites and click the "give" button. The sites and their sponsors will do the rest! What could be easier? And what a great free gift to give someone this Christmas!


Don't Forget to Click and Give to the Other Four Sites, As Well

While you're there, be sure to also click the "give" buttons for the other worthy causes represented by the remainder of this bank of six click-to-give sites: The Hunger Site, The Child Health Site, The Rainforest Site, and The Animal Rescue Site. While clicks generated on these four sites are not being matched click-for-click this month, your click will nevertheless help these organizations complete their charitable work. (As mentioned above, all six of these sites are part of a bank of charitable sites; and thus, for your convenience, all six may be accessed by clicking the link to any one of them.)


A Few Minutes of Your Time Equals Free Gifts this Christmas and In the New Year

Please consider spending a few minutes each day during the month of December clicking to give to these six charitable causes. After all, where else can you go to give free gifts this Christmas?

Also, consider making a habit of supporting these charitable sites with regular clicks in 2008! You'll receive far more than you give!

In the spirit of the season,
Jeanne



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Nice Matters Award: A Blogger's Gift

December 13th 2007 21:08

A Nice Surprise!

You may have noticed the Nice Matters Award badge which appeared in my sidebar recently. I was very honored to be presented with this award by Lillie Ammann in her recent post, Nice Matters (12/7/07). This was a very sweet gesture on Lillie’s part, and I truly appreciate her very kind assessment of me!


Kindness Counts: It's as Critical as Content

As most bloggers know, creating a place where our readers feel welcome and appreciated--by doing such things as responding to comments and treating them with friendliness, kindness, and respect--goes a long way toward turning casual readers into loyal ones, making them want to return to our blogs again and again. Our readers are every bit as important as our ability to write engaging content or our expertise in our chosen niche; because, after all, it is they who make our blogs successful.


Bloggers Who Epitomize Kindness

Many bloggers have a real knack for making their readers feel appreciated, and I’d like to let you know who some of them are. My list is rather long; but there’s a reason for this: There are just so many wonderful people in the blogosphere! In fact, my list would have been even longer if several other bloggers to whom I would have presented the award hadn’t already received it. (They will be listed at the end of my post.)


My Nominees for the Nice Matters Award

My list of bloggers who fit the “especially nice” category—and therefore my list of those to whom I’d like to present the Nice Matters Award--follows, in no particular order:

Dan, at dcr Blogs

Brad Shorr, at Word Sell, Inc.

Robert Hruzek, at Middle Zone Musings

Michele Tune, at Writing the Cyber Highway

Lis Garrett, at A Writer’s Woolgatherings

Amy Derby, at Write from Home Blog

Michael Martin, at Pro Blog Design

K-IntheHouse, at ShanKri-la

Krissy Knox, at Sometimes I Think

Cindy Nichols, at Kaleidoscope

Danielle, at The BiPolar Diaries

Kerith Collins, at Freelancing, My Road Less Traveled

Sharon Hurley Hall, at Get Paid to Write Online

Courtney Ramirez, at Web Writing Info

Amy Huang, at Travel String

Raven, at Shifting Realities

Sylvia C, at Sylvia's Insight

Tom Colvin, at Becoming a Writer Seriously

To each of the above nominees: Feel free to grab the Nice Matters Award badge* before heading back over to your blog to do what you do best: engage your readers in your own inimitable way! Then, please consider carrying on this noble tradition by passing this award on to some of your favorite bloggers. (My apologies to the guys: This is not the most masculine-looking badge in the world! Nevertheless, I didn't want to leave you fellas out. You are, after all, some of the nicest bloggers I know.)


Bloggers I Would Have Nominated Had Someone Else Not Beaten Me To It

Bloggers to whom I would have presented the award, had they not already received it, follow:

Lillie Ammann, at A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye

Laura Spencer, at Writing Thoughts

Yvonne Russell, at Grow Your Writing Business

Joanna Young, at Confident Writing


A Note To Those Who Are Also Worthy Of This Award

There are, of course, many other fantastic bloggers out there, in addition to these, who undoubtedly deserve this award—so please forgive me if I’ve left you out! But I can’t hog up all the best bloggers; I have to leave some of you for someone else to present the award to! However, let me say a hearty “Thanks” to each of you--You know who you are!--from all of us for being the kind of blogger who makes your readers feel at home and loved! I’m sure it will only be a matter of time before you, too, are nominated for this award!


A Note to All My Readers

Please take the time to visit these blogs, read their fascinating content, and show these excellent bloggers how much they are appreciated. Connect with them via comments. I can assure you that you won’t regret it!

And, once again, let me thank each of you for taking the time to visit Writer’s Notes, read my posts, and share your thoughts, ideas, and insights with us! You’re the best!

With gratitude,
Jeanne

* If you don't have enough room in your sidebar for the badge--or don't prefer to put it there for whatever reason--consider placing it inside the post in which you nominate your chosen bloggers for the award. Others have done this, but I've chosen to use my sidebar instead.



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Bloggertizer: Your Blogger/Advertiser Connection

December 13th 2007 04:11

Bloggertizer is Different

Bloggertizer is a bit different than other paid-to-post sites. Whereas most such sites post opportunities for bloggers to bid on or simply claim on a first-come, first-served basis (if they qualify), Bloggertizer is basically a listing service for bloggers who are interested in writing paid posts.


Bloggertizer's List of Available Blogs

Once a blog has been approved, it is added to the Bloggertizer list of available blogs and pertinent information is added to each blog’s listing, including blog title and URL, brief blog description, Google page rank, type(s) of advertising accepted, and tags. In addition to this info, each listed blog is linked to real-time stats from Google, Yahoo!, and Alexa, which provide up-to-date page rank, Alexa rank, and number of Google and Yahoo! backlinks and indexed pages.


Advertisers Search the List, Contact Bloggers, and Work Out a Deal

This list is then searched by advertisers who are looking for a suitable blog to review their product, service, or website. Tags help advertisers find appropriate groups of blogs from which to choose. Once an advertiser finds a potentially suitable blog, contact is initiated by the advertiser directly with the blogger, and a deal is worked out between advertiser and blogger for the desired service.


Visit the Site to Learn More

Bloggertizer is an intriguing concept in blog advertising, and it will be interesting to see how this works out in practice. If you’d like to have your blog listed with Bloggertizer, check out their What is Bloggertizer? and Blogger FAQ pages. These will explain more about the service and what it has to offer you.

Best of luck to you!
Jeanne



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An Inspiring List of Goals for 2008 and Beyond

December 11th 2007 19:34

End-of-Year Assessment

As the New Year approaches, our thoughts turn to goals. We ponder the progress we’ve made over the past year. We assess our achievements…study our setbacks…and mull over the lessons we’ve learned from both. And we begin thinking about how we might turn those lessons into new and greater successes in the coming year.


Discover Your Deepest Aspirations

To inspire us to reach for lofty goals, I’d like to post a link to a list found on a very intriguing blog called To-Do List Blog, which posts scanned copies of actual handwritten to-do lists created by various people. This particular list might be considered more of a “to-accomplish list,” as it expresses the many and varied things its author hopes to achieve during the remainder of his life. My hope is that the enthusiastic optimism of its author will be contagious and that the refreshing spontaneity and almost wild abandon with which he approaches life will inspire you to search deep within yourself to discover who you really are and develop a new understanding of your true heart’s desires.


A Truly Inspiring List of Life Goals

Here’s a link to the list:

Things to do before I die . This is the enlarged version, which is the only one that's actually readable. If you'd like to see the list in its original post, though, you'll find it here: 110 Things To Do Before He Dies (written 1998).

Check it out. If this list of 115 items doesn’t spark your imagination and inspire you to reach for all that you’ve always wanted to do and be, nothing will!

As 2007 comes to a close, may you truly get in touch with the things that mean the most to you, and may your deepest aspirations be realized in 2008 and beyond!

To your future success!
Jeanne


P.S. #1: This list is part of To-Do List Blog's Craziest Lists Contest. (Details can be found on the blog.)

P.S. #2: Along the lines of our topic, To-Do List Blog has published a post called How to Take the Self-Flagellation Out of New Year's Resolutions, which makes some great points.

P.S. #3: Discovered To-Do List Blog while reading a post on another blog recently, but can't remember which blog it was. If you are the blogger who "referred" me to this most intriguing blog, please step forward and let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!



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Some Helpful Links to Make Tax Time a Little Less Taxing

December 9th 2007 00:40

Freelancers' Holiday Visions

With both the holidays and the end of the tax year drawing nigh, freelancers tend to have a slightly different version of the line from the popular poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas on their minds. For us, Christmas is the time when "visions of tax returns dance in our heads"!


Some Helpful Links to Lighten Our Mental Load

So, to help take a load off our minds this Christmas, I've listed links to some really helpful info on filing taxes for freelance writers. Some are lists of links to other resources about income taxes, and others are discussions of tax-related topics of interest to freelancers. (You'll find some very slight overlap in these offerings.) My hope is that knowing we have these great resources at our fingertips will help us to have a merrier Christmas this year, as well as an easier job filing when tax time rolls around in just a few short months.


Excellent Online Tax-Time Guidance

Debbie Ridpath Ohi's Tax Tips and Resources for Freelance Writers

Write Stuff's Tax Tips for Writers

Freelance Factor Tax Tips for Freelance Writers - Articles by Julian Block

Deborah Ng's Weekend Discussion: Tax Tips for Freelance Writers

Amy Derby's Blog Post: Don’t Sweat the Audit Threat

Chris Bibey's Blog Post: Health Insurance for Freelance Writers and Other Self-Employed Professionals


A Great Head Start

No doubt there are many other great online tax resources for freelancers; but these links ought to give us an excellent start in preparing for tax day 2008!

If you know of any great tax-related resources for freelancers, please feel free to share them with us in comments!

Here's to smooth sailing at tax time!
Jeanne



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Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New with Free Cell Phone Ringtones

December 8th 2007 11:16

Ring In Some Melodic New Writing Deals in 2008

If you'd like to start the new year right, a new ringtone might be just the thing. Hearing a new tune the next time your client calls with a writing assignment could just sweeten the deal--or at least sweeten your disposition enough that you might be able to talk them into sweetening the deal!


A Ringtone for Everyone

MSN Emotions has a huge variety of Free Ringtones just waiting to brighten your new year. The site offers both Monophonic and Polyphonic Ringtones for such cell phones as Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, Sony, and others. R & B, Pop, Country, Hip Hop, and Rock Ringtones are just a few of the ones available at the site.


Brighten Your Business Calls

If you've been thinking of changing your current ringtone and you're bored with the ones you have to choose from, drop by the site and see the many choices available. There are 9,000 ringtones on this site; so I think it's safe to say that there's a ringtone for every taste. You never know what gem you might pick up there to brighten your business--and personal--calls. The folks at MSN Emotions even offer to get that polyphonic ringtone that you like but haven't been able to find. Add to that their free cell phone wallpapers, and you really could be talking in style in the new year.

May your cell phone bring you many profitable conversations in 2008!

To your success!
Jeanne



This post sponsored by Blogsvertise.



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RSS Feeds Out of Control? Try Feed Rinse

December 7th 2007 04:44

Feed Rinse Cleans Up Your Feeds

K-IntheHouse, over at ShanKri-la, wrote an excellent blog post a while back (which I just discovered today) called How to Overcome RSS Feed Overload? Just thought I'd share this really comprehensive introduction to and explanation of a fantastic free online tool that can help you organize your feeds, selectively filtering out the items you aren't interested in and "filtering in" the ones you are! This powerhouse of an RSS-feed organizer--which can be thought of as a spam filter for RSS feeds--is called Feed Rinse.


Too Many Great Blogs!

I don't know about you, but I know that I, for one, have not yet gotten a handle on my feeds; simply because it seems as though I'm always too busy to keep up with them. Lately, it's all I can do to visit and comment on my favorite blogs, much less go through all the posts of the significant number of other great blogs I've subscribed to so I wouldn't lose track of them. If you tend to have this problem, you might want to check out this free resource. It can help make a difference. Haven't tried it myself, yet, but K-IntheHouse has, and he seems to feel it's worthwhile.

I'm certainly thinking of checking it out. How about you?

To cleaner RSS feeds!
Jeanne



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Reminder: Protect Yourself Against Spoof E-mails

December 5th 2007 19:11

Fraudulent E-Mail Received Today

Here's the latest fraudulent "PayPal" e-mail I've received. This e-mail shows one of the most recent schemes used by scammers to steal our identities and our money!

In particular, note the following:

~The blank "to" line

~The generic greeting of "Dear PayPal Member," instead of PayPal's usual "Dear Jeanne Dininni"

~The "encrypted" link. This link is supposedly encrypted to protect me--but in reality, it's encrypted so I won't realize that the link doesn't take me to the real PayPal website!

~The sly psychological tactic used to get me to click the link:

Note:
If you haven't authorized this charge ,click the link below to dispute transaction
and get full refund

~The scammer's clever attempt at gaining my confidence by including a description of the high-level encryption technique supposedly used to protect my confidential information


The Spoof Message


fromPayPal < dispute@paypal.com >*
reply-toservice@paypal.com,

to
dateDec 5, 2007 12:29 AM
subjectThanks for using your bank account!

hide details 12:29 AM (10 hours ago) Reply

Dear PayPal Member,

This email confirms that you have sent an eBay payment of $47.85 USD to
[undisclosed]@yahoo.com for an eBay item.

----------------------------- ------
Payment Details
----------------------------- ------

Amount: $47.85 USD

Transaction ID: 2LC956793J776333Y

Subject: Digimax 130

Note:
If you haven't authorized this charge ,click the link below to dispute transaction
and get full refund

Dispute transaction (Encrypted Link )

*SSL connection:
PayPal automatically encrypts your confidential information
in transit from your computer to ours using the Secure
Sockets Layer protocol (SSL) with an encryption key length
of 128-bits (the highest level commercially available)

----------------------------- ------
Item Information
----------------------------- ------

eBay User ID: scratchandgnaw2

----------------------------- ----------------------------- ------
Edward Harrell's UNCONFIRMED Address
----------------------------- ----------------------------- ------

Edward Harrell
211 David St.
Springtown, TX 76082
United States

Important Note: Edward Harrell has provided an Unconfirmed Address. If
you are planning on shipping items to Edward Harrell, please check the
Transaction Details page of this payment to find out whether you will
be covered by the PayPal Seller Protection Policy.

----------------------------- ----------------------------- ------
This payment was sent using your bank account.

By using your bank account to send money, you just:

- Paid easily and securely

- Sent money faster than writing and mailing paper checks
- Paid instantly -- your purchase won't show up on bills at the end of
the month.

Thanks for using your bank account!

----------------------------- ----------------------------- ------

Thank you for using PayPal!
The PayPal Team
PayPal Email ID PP118


Forewarned Is Forearmed!

Beware! These scammers are all around us, and they are continuously dreaming up new schemes to fool us into giving away our critical personal information! Don't fall for their lies--or into their clutches! Read every official-looking e-mail very carefully and critically. If anything seems odd, don't respond! If the e-mail claims to be from PayPal, forward it to spoof@paypal.com. Forward other e-mails to the company they claim to have come from. Protect yourself! Don't let e-mail fraud catch you unawares!

To your safety,
Jeanne

* NOTE: I had to modify the formatting of this e-mail address to prevent Orble's software from turning the (opening) "<" and "d" into a smiley face icon. (This is why I've placed a space after the [opening] "<". For balance, I've also placed a corresponding space before the [closing] ">".)



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The Easy Way to Recognize Commenters Through Monthly Link Love Posts

December 3rd 2007 06:51

A Trick that Can Save You Time and Work

While the month is young, I thought I'd share a little trick I came up with that can help those bloggers who like to prepare link posts recognizing their previous month's commenters each month. Though I've already shared much of this info in a response to a comment on my November link love post, I've decided to give the topic a post of its own to make sure everyone is able to read it, because it's really a very helpful technique, which can save a great deal of time, energy, and effort.

These link posts can be a bit of work; but I've discovered a way to make them practically a breeze:


Start Early!

Instead of waiting till the month is over, I begin preparing the post early in the month. First, I copy the links from the prior month into a new post, which I set to go live on the first of the next month. As readers begin leaving comments, I start moving their links up to the top of the page, leaving the others at the bottom to use later if they comment again during that month. If someone comments who didn't last month, I prepare a link and add it to the top list. (I leave a good-sized space between the top and bottom lists, to prevent confusion.)


Spread Your Work Out Over the Entire Month

Throughout the month, every time someone leaves a comment, I either move their link up or create a link for them and add it to the top list. Then, when the first of the month rolls around, I delete any links that remain at the bottom of the page (those who haven't commented during the past month), and I have all my links ready! All I need to do is write the rest of the post and click "Create Post" and I'm good to go with a minimum of work and hassle!


Save Yourself Two Big Jobs!

This month is the first time I've done it this way, and it has worked like a charm! No more big burden creating all those links at once on the first of the month--which is a really huge undertaking! It also saves me the trouble of having to go through an entire month's worth of posts to check and see who's left comments during the month, which is, in itself, a big job.


Schedule Your Link Listing to Suit Yourself

This needn't actually be done every single time someone comments, but can be done after a few comments or perhaps once-a-day--as long as you don't wait long enough to forget anyone who's commented since you've last added links to your list. If things begin getting a bit confusing and you're having trouble remembering who's commented, you've probably waited too long; and you might want to start adding links each time someone comments. Do whatever works best for you!


Create Easier Link Posts in 2008!

Hope this will save each of you a great deal of work when you write your next link love post--and maybe even inspire some of you to begin writing them for the first time in 2008! When done this way, they aren't hard to do, at all!

Happy linking!
Jeanne



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Writer's Notes' Recognition for November Comments

December 1st 2007 08:50

November Link Love Time

December is here and it's time, once again, to thank all those who have commented at Writer's Notes during the past month. You are appreciated more than you know! Your interaction is what helps to keep this blog vital. Your insightful feedback keeps things from stagnating, and just as importantly (to me, at least!) it keeps me from feeling as if I'm talking to myself! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with us! Hope you'll visit and comment often this month, as well! I do so enjoy hearing from each and every one of you!


Writer's Notes' November Commenters

Here's a list, in no particular order, of those who have shared their thoughts and insights at Writer's Notes via comments during the month of November:

Lillie Ammann, at A Writer's Words, An Editor's Eye

Sharon Hurley Hall, at Get Paid to Write Online

Ad Tracker, at AdSenseTracker

Laura Spencer, at Writing Thoughts

Brad Shorr, at WordSell, Inc.

Joanna Young, at Confident Writing

AmyHuang, at Travel String

Sonya 1, at Writing Words

Cindy Nichols, at Kaleidoscope

Amy Derby, at Write-from-Home Blog

Tracy, at Movies and Life

JD, at I Do Things So You Don't Have To

Lynn Smythe, at I Love Herbs

Michele Tune, at Writing the Cyber Highway

Joanne, at Open Book

Raven, at Shifting Realities

Always Eighteen

Harry, at Sydney Diary Star

Krissy Knox, at Sometimes I Think

Toni, at What's Your Story?

Mark Antony, at Hotel Mark

Lis Garrett ~ A Writer's Woolgatherings from Upstate New York

Dan, at DCR Blogs

Yvonne Russell, at Grow Your Writing Business

Sylvia C, at Sylvia's Insight

Roberta Rosenberg, at The Copywriting Maven

Michael Martin, at Pro Blog Design

Howard, at Real Crash

Liz Strauss, at Successful Blog

Lidia, at Simple Looks

Tom Colvin, at Becoming A Writer Seriously

Chris Kitamura, at Dude, Check Out My Site

Love you all!
Jeanne


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