 Writing Lab News
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It's a new year! How are you going to change your freelance writing career this year? This month's issue includes an article on tools to help writers work anywhere, a brand new comic strip and our first ever reader survey. Enjoy - and see you next month! |
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In this issue:
My Top Tools For Writing From Anywhereby Sharon Hurley Hall As a location independent writer, I can take my writing business anywhere I go. In the past year, I have written from the US, Mexico, England, Bahrain and the Caribbean. In order to do that, there are a few tools that I can't do without. HardwareMy Wi-Fi enabled laptop is a key piece of hardware. It doesn't hurt to have a modem either, just in case you need to use dialup. My current laptop of choice is a Samsung NC110, which is light but has a keyboard 93% of full size. For long trips, I tend to travel with in ergonomic keyboard and mouse - gotta save those wrists. Managing EmailGoogle owns me. I started using Gmail early and have added other Google services as they have become available. I use Google Apps on my own domain to handle email and take a GTD approach to labelling and sorting. If am on the move, Google Docs is a good alternative to Microsoft Word, and I use Google Calendar to keep track of writing and other deadlines. And there's one more Google service I can't live without - iGoogle. This is where I organise much of my online activity., with tabs for all the services and sites I need to access quickly. Managing TasksThere's one Google service I don't use - tasks. It just isn't ready yet. Instead, I use the excellent Remember The Milk, which integrates with my calendar, appears on my IGoogle page and works as a widget in my inbox. That means I always know what I'm supposed to be doing. BackupBackup is essential. My tool of choice is Syncplicity, because if I am ever using another computer and need a document, I can go to my online storage, locate the document and even edit it online using tools integrated into Syncplicity. ConnectivityOne of the challenging things when you're on the move is staying connected to family, friends and colleagues. However, with VOIP and social media, there's no excuse for being disconnected. I use Skype to communicate with friends and clients (which makes a headset the other piece of hardware I need) and use Twitter and Facebook to connect with people I know in a more social way. What are your favorite tools on the road?
Getting into Character for Ghostbloggingby Dana Prince Dana Prince offers some interesting thoughts on ghostwriting for bloggers. This is an excerpt, but the full article is well worth a read. I have to pose as a man at times for my ghostblogging clients. Yes folks…I, too, am a Canadian online cross-dresser. Just a few minutes ago I donned some britches, as a matter of fact. I’m a white Canadian woman who, just ten minutes ago, was writing as a black British bloke. Yesterday I was a male internet marketer with an Aussie accent. Then I was an Australian female relationship therapist. Later today, I’ll be a white guy in a suit who lives in Florida and that has a very specific specialty (a specialty I don’t, in reality, actually possess.) ... When I was a little girl I wanted to be a lot of different things. Mostly I wanted to be a writer so my reality has worked out well because I sort of get to be other things, too. I get quite a variety of subjects and writing styles in a day at times. My 13-year old son makes me laugh. The other day, after I described my writing topics for the day, he said, “Smack the piñata!” It feels like that some days. A whole whack of various things fall onto my calendar at times and sometimes there are pretty big extremes in a single day. Read the rest of Getting Into Character for GhostBlogging
Writing Lab News Reader SurveyWe're well into our fourth year now; in fact, it's almost over. Since I firmly believe in avoiding stagnation, I'd like to find out more about how the newsletter works for you. To do this, I've created a short Writing Lab News Reader Survey in Google Docs (thanks to tips from Lea Woodward). Please take a couple of minutes to fill it out and help determine the direction this newsletter will take in the future. I'm looking forward to getting your feedback.
Getting Clips For An Online Writing Portfolioby Sharon Hurley Hall This is a follow up to an article I wrote recently on writing portfolios. Here's a short excerpt:
Don't ignore the possibility of freelance writing for online markets, even if this is for free at first. With millions of websites around, there is always room for new writers, especially those who know the basics of web content writing. Writers can offer guest posts on topics that interest them to the blogs they read, taking care to follow any writing guidelines that have been posted. Not only is this a good way to get bylined articles online, but writers may find that this type of writing leads to paid writing markets. Read How to Get Clips for an Online Writing Portfolio
Writing Talk - Dictation WoesI just bought a copy of Dragon Naturally Speaking and it's going quite well - but what if it didn't? Here's my take on what could happen.
Check out the other Writing Talk strips here. Diary Of A Working Writer – January 2010The new year seems full of possibilities and I've got great plans for Get Paid To Write Online and for this newsletter. But before I put anything into action, I'd like to know what you think, hence the short reader survey I've linked to in this issue. In the past month, I've continued to write for Suite101 and to post content around the web, including posts such as:
I've also been reviewing how my writing business went in 2009. Look out for an update on that on the blog this month, which will include news of my goals for 2010. Have a great month! Share this newsletter with a friend (if they don't want it, all they have to do is ignore the signup email - no hassle, I promise.) |
