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Writers Worth: Identifying Your Worth

Posted on May 8, 2013 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: True Love by The Airborne Toxic Event What a disjointed month this is turning out to be! I’ve talked with one client about work, am about to discuss projects with two more clients, my dear MIL is lying gravely ill in Phoenix, and I have this thing inside me that’s about to…

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Monthly Assessment: April 2013

Posted on May 6, 2013 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Salvation Song by The Avett Brothers What a weekend. I feel like I’ve been gone for months when it was just 14 days ago I was in LA. But you couple a trip to Phoenix and a stay in the hospital with that and it feels like months of activity. Nope….

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We Interrupt This Program to Insert Life….

Posted on May 3, 2013 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: I’m Shakin’ by Jack White Wow. What a couple of days. Okay, so Monday was a good day. I went to bed after having accomplished a bit of work and having gone to a dance lesson. Felt a little tired, but understandable. Somewhere around 3:30 am, it became obvious Tuesday wasn’t…

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6 Reasons to Get Certified

Posted on April 29, 2013 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: No Line on the Horizon by U2 I’m back, though I’m still unclear what time zone I’m in. We flew in late Saturday night. Sunday was about catching up — on sleep, on chores, on the garden. I cleaned out the front garden, and the perennials are looking great. There are…

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Writing As Life

Posted on April 25, 2013 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Carrickfergus by Loudon Wainwright III Today I expected to be sitting in my office sorting through conference papers, business cards, and notes. As organized as I was in the months and weeks prior to the conference I just attended, I wasn’t prepared for a shortened conference attendance and a trip to…

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The Excuse Train

Posted on April 22, 2013 by lwidmer

Currently, I’m at a conference, so forgive any delay in responding to your comments. I should be back here Thursday. In the meantime, I wanted to bring up a topic we’ve talked about in the past, but deserves a bit of resurrection. As I watched the discussion and debate swell and morph over an article…

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Things that Make My Head Thump, Part 8

Posted on April 19, 2013 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: The Last Time by Taylor Swift with Gary Lightbody Yesterday was an exercise in getting absolutely nothing done. I tried. Plenty. However, I couldn’t get the internal engine going. The goal was to get the portfolio for the conference completed. I started it, but there was a lot of distraction. The…

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Lessons We Teach Ourselves

Posted on April 17, 2013 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Late March, Death March by Frightened Rabbit How was your yesterday? Mine was somewhat productive. I started the day with a poetry writing project I’m putting on the front burner. It’s something I’ve been wanting to promote and yesterday I had time to do so. I had time also to work…

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6 Ways to Be a Studious Writer

Posted on April 15, 2013 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: 1983 by Neon Trees Tax day – as if any of you needed to be reminded. We hired an accountant this year, who did an amazing job and found us some deductions we hadn’t taken in the past. We still paid, but because I’d calculated my portion of things early, I…

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The Lemming Factor

Posted on April 11, 2013 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Strange Girl by The Airborne Toxic Event Despite having a clear plan in place yesterday, my day spiraled from laid-back to somewhat chaotic. I didn’t get done half of the stuff on my list. I didn’t have any deadlines, which is probably for the best. A lot of piddly stuff got…

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  1. Jenn Mattern Avatar
    Jenn Mattern
    April 11, 2013

    Sometimes the freelance writing community reminds me of politics. People choose to live in these little bubbles. It's like the conservative who only watches Fox News or the liberal who watches nothing but MSNBC. If you gravitate toward people who will tell you what you want to hear, you never get the full picture. It's up to all of us to do a bit of digging and know what biases and background are behind the information we choose to consume (and base our business decisions on).

    Reply
  2. Cathy Miller Avatar
    Cathy Miller
    April 11, 2013

    Thanks for the link love and press time, Lori. 🙂

    I love your new mix on the kool-aid. Sounds like a recipe for success. Okay, so now that I've milked that food analogy all I can, let's move on. 🙂

    Recently, I was reading a definition of bias vs prejudice. I loved one description where the person (and I'm sorry I can't remember where I read it) said the difference between bias and prejudice is that when a biased person learns new facts, they could change their view. A prejudiced person would hear those same facts and ignore them.

    So, my analogy would be it's okay to have a business bias, but don't let it turn into prejudice. Keep an open mind.

    Reply
  3. Jake P. Avatar
    Jake P.
    April 11, 2013

    As your resident Darwinian, I approve this message, LW.

    To extend Jenn's comment: My two cents is that the biggest mistake is thinking you're learning all there is to know from fellow writers. At the risk of generalizing, many/most are freelancing because they write well, not because they're exceptional businesspeople. Not that there's anything wrong with that, as Seinfeld would say.

    However: Those who fail to immerse themselves at some level in big business, small business, sales, graphic design, advertising, photography, etc., etc., are missing out on other facets of the business and how we fit in.

    How the heck is it Thursday already? I've got 2000 words to hammer out, a book project planning meeting, and a daughter who needs to take her driver's permit test (yikes). Moar coffee!

    Reply
  4. Damaria Senne Avatar
    Damaria Senne
    April 11, 2013

    Sometimes writers position themselves as "experts" because they did something in their business that worked well for them. The problem is that the concept may not been tried and tested to qualify as a truth that can apply to different writers' circumstances. So, while I'm happy to listen to, and learn from other writers ( and I have learnt a lot from them), I think it's important that we find out if this advice is even relevant for our own businesses.

    Reply
  5. Paula Avatar
    Paula
    April 11, 2013

    I've always been a bit of an anti-lemming. Even as a teenager I didn't follow popular trends. (I probably couldn't name a single Top 40 song from my high school years if I tried.)

    Even when I trust people (like Lori) and their expertise, I always bear in mind that they're human, too. Perhaps the biggest lesson anyone can take from any expert is to learn to think for yourself. Listen, absorb their ideas, then let your internal filters process the information into something you can, or can't, use.

    And Jake, thanks for reminding me – I have almost 2,000 words to write today, too. I'd let myself fall into research mode on some other projects, and really need to get that article done before I get lost in research.

    Reply
  6. Lori Avatar
    Lori
    April 11, 2013

    Jenn, great analogy. It can be like a bubble sometimes. I've seen so many people claimin to be experts in this, that, and something else, but in actuality their expertise is so limited in scope. In my own specialization, I've seen people claim to be "insurance" or "healthcare" experts. They can by rights claim that, but in actuality, they're not writing for trades — they're writing general consumer pieces that talk about insurance and healthcare. To quote Jake's Seinfeld reference, not that there's anything wrong with that.

    The problem arises when these experts state their expertise and embellish a bit, either omitting or outright claiming more than they really have. The same goes for the bubble people — they're all about how fabulously smart and successful they are. Sure — on the backs of others maybe, but where is the real expertise?

    Cathy, super reminder. I'd much rather be biased. 🙂

    Jake, excellent comment. There's no way anyone could have taught me how to market my services at a trade show. I can because I've done it successfully, but it's not something I learned from reading it on a blog. It took a few years of trying to get it right. That's the missing piece — there are things other writers can't teach us. And that means we need to turn off the monitor and explore on our own.

    Hammer away, chum! I hope you managed those 2K words. 🙂

    Damaria, great to see you. What a wonderful perspective, too. I remember trying someone's idea of cold-calling clients. It didn't fit me, I knew it, but I tried it. Wow. No more! LOL As you so wisely point out, just because it works for one doesn't mean it will work for all.

    Paula, I'm glad you're not a lemming. 🙂 And I'm glad you question me and others. I'd hate to be leading people in the wrong direction, even inadvertently. I try not to tell people this is the ONLY way to do something (rarely ever is), but rather "Here's what's worked for me." That's more the truth, and the truth is what I'd much rather be sharing, even if (maybe especially if) it means I learn something from it and change my mind.

    Reply
  7. Devon Ellington Avatar
    Devon Ellington
    April 12, 2013

    What drives me nuts is when these "experts" put up posts with misleading headlines or opening paragraphs, and it's really a sales pitch for the reader to BUY something, without any actual information in the post/article/newsletter.

    If you give me real information and it pays off, then, maybe I'll buy your book. If it's nothing more than an advertorial posing as an article, I'll move on and never take anything this individual says seriously again.

    Reply
  8. Lori Avatar
    Lori
    April 12, 2013

    Oh, that's a big one, Devon. I agree. Another twist on that is the "helpful" comments or posts that are nothing more than "Gee, I can help you for a fee." That may be so, but are you worth the fee?

    Reply
  9. Sharon Hurley Hall Avatar
    Sharon Hurley Hall
    April 12, 2013

    A little critical thinking is what's needed, Lori. This is a super complement to Cathy's post.

    Reply
  10. Lori Avatar
    Lori
    April 12, 2013

    Glad to see you here, Sharon. 🙂 Cathy provides a great post from which to continue a discussion.

    Reply
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