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Guilty Pleasure

Posted on by lwidmer

I had my day off. It was marvelous! I sat with a girlfriend gabbing over life at Starbucks (living the ultimate stereotype), and I spent the rest of the morning in the mall just browsing. I bought a new apron (heavy-duty cook here), and I bought some marvelous teas at Teavana. Then I was home….

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Faking It

Posted on by lwidmer

She claimed to be a white woman raised in poverty by a black foster mother. She watched her foster brother die after being shot by gang members. The woman, Barbara Jones (pseudonym for Margaret Seltzer), also claimed to be selling drugs for an LA gang. It’s a totally bizarre tale set forth in her memoir,…

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Lori’s Big Day Off

Posted on by lwidmer

or What I’m Doing with My Leap Day Maybe it’s not professional to admit to it, but I’m taking a day off. I’m not showing up for work at this keyboard on Monday – not at all. Commas will have to remain misplaced. Fragments will remain, er, fragmented. And let’s not talk about what those…

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A New Habit?

Posted on by lwidmer

For some reason, I’ve been receiving a lot more requests from people wanting me to promote their sites or their work. Normally, if I don’t know the person, I don’t bother. But this one intrigued me. The site is called Bookhabit, and I went there with more than a smidgen of skepticism. Let’s face it…

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Measuring Worth

Posted on by lwidmer

No, it’s not yet another post on payment – not quite. It’s about determining if the project you’re working on or being offered is worth it. I bring this up after waving bye-bye to the long-arsed project of a week ago. The work was tedious, but it paid okay. The projects were large, but again,…

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If I Had an Extra Day…

Posted on by lwidmer

The weather gods were on our side Friday, for we made it to Manhattan to see Eddie Izzard live at the Union Square Theatre. He was his usual hysterical self. You either love him or you don’t get him. I get him, and I love him. He was not in drag, but he was looking…

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Steady as She Goes

Posted on by lwidmer

I’m sporting the remnants of a migraine that woke me up, and I’m taking it nice and slow today (so if this post seems all over the place, it’s because I’m riding an Excedrin high). We have tickets to see Eddie Izzard in Manhattan tonight, and if the weater doesn’t stop us, I refuse to…

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It’s Getting Ugly Around Here

Posted on by lwidmer

Every time I think I’ve seen the furthest lengths a person will go to for control, something else happens that makes me wonder if control is like a big black hole in space. Yesterday’s issue with the client wanting to view copy has now turned into a stalemate. I’m getting notes telling me pointedly that…

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When Control is Important

Posted on by lwidmer

Had a situation yesterday in which I had a lovely interview with a nice person and that lovely interview ended rather awkwardly. Why? Because of this line: “We really can’t approve your story for publication unless we’re allowed to see it first.” Uh, no. Her issue is this: while she is high on the food…

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Your Professional Face

Posted on by lwidmer

Oops – is that your amateurism showing? I had some email correspondence recently with a client, and I can only say that despite the words in his email, I got the impression I shouldn’t trust him. Why? Because he used some “template” stationery that resembles a notebook page, and he signed all emails with “C…

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  1. Irreverent Freelancer Avatar
    Irreverent Freelancer

    Hmmm, this sounds suspiciously like a few people I know.

    Reply
  2. Lori Avatar
    Lori

    Really? It’s sad, because while they may be thinking how much nicer it looks, it’s a bit of a pain. The emails open much more slowly (and I’m on a fiber-optic network) and it’s just distracting.

    Reply
  3. Kristen King Avatar
    Kristen King

    Ugh, yes, this drives me crazy! I have one writing colleague who’s got a kitten playing with a ball of yarn or something. Not only does it make the e-mails way bigger than they need to be, but it’s just plain obnoxious. It’s just shy of the egregiousness of sending e-mail chain letters to your client. Seriously, people, grow up already!

    Like you said, Lori, it’s one thing if there’s an established relationship, or if the tone of the conversation dictates that something more casual would work. But unless the client opens the door, you’d better not — and if they fling the door open from the beginning with their “kewl” and “LOL” and “c ya,” think long and hard about how professional they’ll be elsewhere in your dealings.

    Reply
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