Uncategorized | Words on the Page

What’s Your Price?

Posted on January 13, 2012 by lwidmer

It’s been a good week. Coming off a really rough re-entry (lots of work the two days after I got back), I was able to step back this week, rearrange the schedule, and buy myself a little wiggle room to readjust. I begged off the project offer I mentioned yesterday. Yes, I could have taken…

When Losing is a Good Thing

Posted on January 12, 2012 by lwidmer

Thanks once again to Peter Bowerman for hosting me on the Well-Fed Writer blog. Please hop on over and give Peter some comment love. Sometimes I like to go back to offers I’ve received, re-examine them, and review my decision to either take them or turn them down. Sometimes the decision is easy – sometimes…

When It’s Over

Posted on January 11, 2012 by lwidmer

I have you humming that Sugar Ray song, don’t I? Hop on over to Peter Bowerman’s Well-Fed Writer Blog – I have a guest post up. Thanks, Peter! Good day yesterday. I managed to get some interviews lined up for an article, worked on things for the Five Buck Forum, then chatted with a new…

Concentrated Marketing

Posted on January 10, 2012 by lwidmer

My best ideas come from you. This week proves that to be true thanks to our own Wade Finnegan, who was wondering out loud how to figure out his niche or if he even wants one. He has one of the best lines of the month: “2012 will be the year this takes off, I…

Settling In

Posted on January 9, 2012 by lwidmer

I get to stay home. Finally. Last week proved to be the roughest re-entry into work ever. I got off the plane at 8:30 pm Wednesday, was sitting here fighting off the two-hour time difference Thursday morning while writing a client article and arranging interviews for other projects, then was tied up in client meetings…

What Nature Has Taught Me About Business

Posted on January 6, 2012 by lwidmer

I have a guest article up over at About’s Freelance Writing site. Thanks, Allena! I had a shaky re-entry yesterday, first with clearing up an invoice problem that apparently never existed (long, boring story involving incompetence somewhere else), then with a quick turn-around on a new client project, which I hope is what they’re looking…

Returning

Posted on January 5, 2012 by lwidmer

Finally, I return. How were the holidays for you? Because too much information is already floating around the Internet, I kept a low profile on our being away for two weeks. We went to Phoenix and spent a wonderful Christmas with his family, then we spent a week touring the desert south of Tucson. At…

Seeing Patterns

Posted on January 3, 2012 by lwidmer

Still away from the computer, but I did want to talk a little about the monthly assessments. By now you who have shared your progress each month have done something besides just giving yourself a snapshot of what you’ve done that month. In every monthly post right here, you’ve created a picture of your entire…

Worthiness: Your Musts

Posted on January 2, 2012 by lwidmer

Happy New Year! I’m still on hiatus, but I wasn’t going to leave without scheduling a few posts. Hopefully, this one and others will serve as a good start to 2012. We’re about five and a half months out from Writers Worth Week, but it’s never too soon to build value and worth into our…

Monthly Assessment: December 2011

Posted on December 30, 2011 by lwidmer

I’m still out of the office, but I wanted to leave behind the monthly assessment. Just because the rest of the country is on vacation doesn’t mean we can avoid accountability. Here’s how it went for me in December: Queries:Knowing time was limited, I didn’t send any queries out this month. Well, almost. I put…

Paula

December 30, 2011

December is always slow, since a couple places I work for shut down the the last 2-3 weeks of the year. Only problem? Two of them closed before approving my invoices. (Apparently editors who get several weeks of paid vacation per year can forget that freelancers still have bills to pay.) Luckily the EIC of one the the publications worked until Dec 22, so he was able to submit my invoice and my check arrived Tuesday.(More on that, below.)

On to my December:

Sent two queries to inflights. No LOIs. No job postings.

Existing clients: Wrote one column. Still working on a piece for an old client that sought me out. The holidays have interfered with getting interviews done. Turned down assignment from the Late Payer (who finally payed for the September sidebar, plus a small late fee). In the third week of December they tried to assign me a 1600-word article for which they wanted a minimum of 10 sources. And when was it due? January 10. I knew that was impossible, and I wasn't going to let them ruin my holidays for something I wouldn't be paid for until spring.

New clients: Wrapped my first piece for a new client. The editor seemed easy to work with, so I hope this leads to new assignments. After the first of the year I'll ask what kinds of things she's looking for with the next issue.

Earnings: I have quite a bit invoiced out, and the check the EIC pushed through will keep me afloat through January, and also allowed me to splurge on a new Mac Mini as a year-end tax write-off. It was on sale at a big box store (we don't have any Apple stores near here, and the sale price was more than $30 less than at the online Apple store). Naturally, they were sold out, but spent 20 minutes hunting the store since their computer said they had one in stock. Never found it, so they back ordered it. Should arrive Saturday – once I get it I won't have a clue how to "migrate" things from this one to the new one, and I don't even know what things need to be moved. When people smirk at my technological ineptitude, I say, "It's the same as if I handed you a ball of yarn and some knitting needles and said, "This is all you need to knit. You can figure it out."

Once I get the new computer up and running and figure out how modern technology works, I hope to get a website and blog going, and I'll finally be able to Tweet normally again.

Cathy Miller

December 30, 2011

I'm impressed, Lori, that you posted this even with your vacation!

I am literally waiting for the mailman. I have the equivalent of a whole month's worth of income pending. All those accounting people took off for the holidays and I am not feeling very Ho-Ho-Ho about them being past due on the invoices.

Hope springs eternal and I'll circle back here after the 31st.

Happy New Year to all!

Paula

December 30, 2011

Cathy – at least we're in the same boat with some of those vacationers who forgot to pay invoices before leaving for the rest of the year.

I'm lucky that enough came in to cover January bills. Now I kind of hope the rest doesn't arrive until the new tax year.

Happy 2012.

Victoria @ My Daily Cuppa

December 31, 2011

Hi Lori,
I just love the way that you record and reflect on yuor monthly activity.

With the new year approaching, I hope to adopt a much more streamlined approach to my own online activities.

I look forward to what 2012 will bring and I wish you all the best too.

Cathy Miller

December 31, 2011

Okay, the mailman delivered 2 of the 4 invoices. The other 2 won't make it into this year's income. Bummer, because I was hoping December would be the best income month yet – it comes in as 2nd best so I'm not complaining. The last quarter was my highest quarter for income.

I'm waiting on the vacations to be over to map out new business with two existing clients. Both were waiting on budget approvals to discuss their needs and both are hoping for significant expansion of my services, which I think I could manage. 🙂

So, all in all, a great year and looking forward to 2012-Happy New Year, everyone!!

linda

January 1, 2012

Hi,
One of the reasons some companies don't pay too much in the way of invoices at year end is so their cash position is good at 12/31, especially if they use a calendar year end. This gives them better ratios, since increasing your accounts payables (which we all are) looks good on the financial statements, along with cash in the bank. Nothing personal, just more fun with numbers!

Signed: An accountant who is working on becoming a writer…

Lori

January 5, 2012

Paula, keep after them!

Cathy, hope those checks arrived! Doesn't matter when as long as they show up, right?

Victoria, try doing the same thing, either here or somewhere else. Just keep checking back over your own progress. It's a great motivator.

Linda, thanks for the inside info! I'd often wondered why those checks hang in suspension for what seems like eternity in December.