lwidmer | Words on the Page

Return of the Demand(ing) Jobs

Posted on October 11, 2011 by lwidmer

I have no idea why, but I spent the first part of yesterday absolutely exhausted. It was as though I woke up five minutes after going to sleep. Luckily by noon I was able to function better. Didn’t get much done beyond coordinating Anne’s and my next Webinar, but maybe it was smart to avoid…

Loose Ends, Weekends

Posted on October 10, 2011 by lwidmer

It was quite the weekend. Baseball (ugh), then football (yay!), and in the middle of it a disjointed plan to escape for a few days that turned out less than successful. Saturday we drove north to the Poconos with a list of B&Bs and an overnight bag. We located the state park, visited the park…

Keeping Track

Posted on October 7, 2011 by lwidmer

What we’re talking about on the Five Buck Forum: Where to send the query Another slow day yesterday. I’m thankful for them at the moment because I’m able to catch up on my bookkeeping, desk cleaning, personal writing, and marketing planning. I had one interview yesterday, then I unraveled a few online accounts that locked…

Bookending

Posted on October 6, 2011 by lwidmer

How was yesterday for you? I spent it learning how to move this blog, plus trying to get my domain out of the hands of the GoDaddy people. I had plenty of time to do so – a current project is sitting idle until I can get some interviews lined up. Anne and I were…

Friends in New Places

Posted on October 5, 2011 by lwidmer

I felt like I was slogging through mud yesterday. Way too many things getting in the way and not enough work. I did get one more assignment from a regular client, but nothing concrete on the three others who were asking about upcoming projects. Soon. Patience. If I say that often enough, I may convince…

Giving Them Reason

Posted on October 4, 2011 by lwidmer

Yesterday was a bit of a fractured day. I had a doctor visit in the morning, then an interview in the afternoon with a bit of research scattered about. I managed to get out a few proposals to potential clients, and then off to get groceries. The proposals were something I was pondering all weekend….

Monthly Assessment: September 2011

Posted on October 3, 2011 by lwidmer

Happy birthday to my youngest bairn! Today she is 23 and a lovely young woman she is. Both she and her brother make their mom proud. I’m glad last week is over. Every bit of technology I touched went wonky. I’m hoping the weekend “reset” my abilities. If it were only that easy. Hard to…

It’s Not Your Job

Posted on September 30, 2011 by lwidmer

Yesterday was a good day. I’m waiting for some client work to come in, so I had time to work on a personal project and put in some quality time over at the About Writing Squared forum. Plus there was some sort of issue with one subscriber who couldn’t get in. Hopefully I cleared that…

Feedback

Posted on September 29, 2011 by lwidmer

Good day yesterday – I scored an assignment late Tuesday, so I was able to line up some interviews early. I got some marketing done, too. Always. Never stop, I say. I sent out a few Craig’s List ads locally, hit LinkedIn a bit, put out feelers on Twitter, and got another query going. All…

Fear Busting

Posted on September 28, 2011 by lwidmer

For someone with just a little work in the in box, I was busy yesterday. I did a ton of marketing, then fussed with my domain. Let me just say this – I’ve proven to myself yet again that either I should take notes or pay my kid to do the mundane Web stuff. I…

Colin Galbraith

September 28, 2011

My favourite is the "Adopt a what-the-hell attitude" because you can always stop what you're doing if it doesn't work. It's got me good results over the past year.

Devon Ellington

September 28, 2011

I find Go Daddy's commercials so offensive I won't give them a penny. That, and the fact they can't actually DO what I need them to do with websites.

I'm looking into moving everything over to Fat Cow, once I pay the guy at the Mac place to release the files my current host is holding hostage. I like their plan and their flexibility, and can do my own design with iWeb.

If you're afraid of something, it's important to face it down and prove that you can defeat it. Fear as an excuse, when it comes to writing, is yet another indicator that this isn't the life for you. Go work for someone else and be "safe" and miserable.

Writing and freelancing take courage as well as determination. If you don't have courage, save yourself the agony.

Far too many people who say they "aspire" to write, don't. They don't actually want to write. They want to HAVE WRITTEN and reap the benefits. However, it doesn't get written on its own. Someone has to put it on paper first.

Take joy in the process, or find something else you like better.

Lori

September 28, 2011

Same here, Colin. It's how I got my first "big girl" editing position and it's how I managed a freelance career for eight years. Just saying "What the hell, why not?" allows you to shed the fear.

Devon, that's just it. There are those who are terrified who will eventually make the leap, but there are so many who just want to talk about changing and doing.

I stopped thinking about it and did it because I couldn't get that voice out of my head – the one that kept telling me I was a writer. That voice needed to be heard.

Wendy

September 28, 2011

Sometimes, you see the fear through their questions of, "What if they say no/don't like it?

So what if they say no. Thank them and move on to someone else. Hearing no isn't that bad and if they offer some critique on your writing, then I say great! See if their complaints are warranted and change them if necessary.

Lori

September 28, 2011

That's exactly what they may be saying, Wendy. Good insight!

Wade Finnegan

September 28, 2011

Lori, great advice as usual. I believe everyone has a point they must get past. For many it is the first step, but for me it is the full-time phrase. Part-time writer and full-time teacher is easy for me to handle. I want to be a full-time writer. As my neighbor always says, "it's good to want." My biggest hang-up is that I have a family counting on me to bring home money, and the teaching job has that security. I will let go and realize my dreams. Thanks for the encouragement.

Lori

September 28, 2011

Wade, there's a lot that goes into that decision, including how much cash you need to have stored away. If your wife and family are behind you on it, go in with both feet!

Let go when it makes sense. 🙂

Paula

September 28, 2011

Piggybacking on Wendy's comment, when an editor or client passes on an idea it gives you the opportunity to pitch them another idea.

The thing I realized early on is when an editor takes the time to "reject" you, they're also leaving the door open. Those who don't want to hear from you again simple don't reply. At all.

I'm sure everyone here gets this a lot: people saying how brave we must be for working without the safety net of a steady paycheck and all the perks that go with regular jobs. I've never viewed it as brave, since I've never been able to see myself doing anything else.

Gabriella F.

September 28, 2011

Hi Lori.

I just interviewed a woman who pitched herself to become a start-up's first in-house counsel, and I really liked her attitude. She said, "I already didn’t have the job, and the worst that could have happened was that I continued to not have the job. Don’t be your own worst enemy and make something not happen because you’re scared."

Amen, sistah!

My way of dealing with fear is just doing it. I MAKE myself do the thing I fear with a sort of, "OK, here goes" attitude. I may dither for a bit, but I always get to that jumping-in point.

Anne Wayman

September 28, 2011

Yeah, I'm with Colin – a what-the-hell-attitude gets it done.

Paula, good observation… any communication from a client or editor is usually also a chance to sell.

Lori

September 28, 2011

Amen, Paula. Amen.

Same here, Anne. What the hell gets more accomplished than "Gee, I wonder if I can…"

Gabriella F.

September 29, 2011

What the heck?!

I left a comment here earlier, and, poof! It's gone! Damn technology!

Anyway, I said I just interviewed a woman who had a great quote about fear. She pitched herself for a job–and got it.

She said: “I’ve learned not to be afraid of the word ‘no,’” she says. “I already didn’t have the job, and the worst that could have happened was that I continued to not have the job. Don’t be your own worst enemy and make something not happen because you’re scared.”

I really liked that reasoning, and it was a good reminder to me.

My policy about fear? I usually MAKE myself do the things I fear. Sure, I can dither a bit, but I'm a jumper-inner.

John Buchanan

September 29, 2011

Those who never try never succeed.
Those who succeed have usually failed.
The difference is learning from your mistakes.
If you fail, pick yourself up, brush off the dirt,consider what went wrong, make the necessary adjustments and then try again.
Oh and Keep the Goal in Mind.

Lori

September 29, 2011

Great advice, John. Don't let failure become your final word on anything.

Lori

September 29, 2011

Sorry about that, Gabriella! You were lost in the Spam folder, but I rescued your post.

Good point – the job is yours to win, not lose. I just saw someone with whom I'd had a number of LinkedIn emails with post the job he was offering to the group. Naturally it was right after I'd given my price.

That wasn't my job.