Writing Question of the Week: Goals
Recent events have forced me to take a look at my goals for next year, and let's just say I have a new perspective on the fragility of life.
In light of these recent events, I'd like to ask you: What are your goals for next year? Are you finding that you have to reevaluate what you planned, or are you content with what you want to accomplish?
I'd love to hear your feedback.
Thank you!
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of the Week: Working from Home
I hope all of you had a terrific weekend, fellow writers! :)
This week's question: How do you manage to stay sane while working from home? While working at home offers a number of benefits, oftentimes it can be just as stressful - if not more so - than a standard 9-5.
So, allow me inside your head, writers! What secrets, tips or tricks do you employ in order to not go postal on your friends and family members? Perhaps you don't find any drawbacks to working from home, and are perfectly content. If so, tell me about it!
I'm very interested to hear your feedback.
Regards,
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of the Week: Holiday Slowdown
Good morning, fellow freelancers. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
This week, I'd like to talk about your workload during the holidays. Does it tend to slow down? How do you plan for a decrease in workload around the holidays?
I generally notice a decrease in the amount of available jobs during the holiday season, but thankfully I have a few long-term clients on the back burner that should get me through this year. Fingers crossed, anyway!
I'd like to hear your feedback, and how you tend to fare as a freelance writer during the holidays.
Best,
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
How do you Manage your Writing Schedule?
Happy Monday, fellow freelancers.
This week, I'd like to initiate some feedback regarding your writing schedule. How early do you wake up each morning? Do you schedule your work in one large block of time, or do you work a "split-shift," so to speak?
Today, I was bright eyed and bushy tailed at 7:00 in the morning. I don't normally start my day until 8:30 or 9, where I proceed to work from my smallest task to my largest. I usually take a 15 minute break at about 1:00, and proceed to finish what I have planned for that day.
What about you?
I'm actually enjoying having a little extra "me" time this morning. Maybe I should start making this a habit ;)!
So, how do you manage your writing schedule? Let me know!
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week, Writing Schedules
What do You Do About a Pushy Client?
Good morning, fellow freelancers and a happy Monday to all of you.
While I'm fortunate to love all of the clients I currently work with (sounds amazing, but it's true), there have been several in the past who were... pushy, to put it mildly.
I'm sure you know the type - the client who demands countless revisions, changes the entire scope of the project, or constantly badgers you via e-mail, IM or the telephone about the status of their project.
How have you dealt with this in the past? What tactics do you use to tell a pushy client to back off, without it sounding just as rude or demanding?
Even if you've never been in this particular situation, try to imagine what you would do if faced with a client who demanded a little more than what was reasonable.
I want feedback! Let me know what's worked for you, what didn't work for you, and when you eventually had to tell your client to "hit the road."
Warm Wishes,
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
What Do You Think About Writing Contests?
I've never entered a writing contest - not because I didn't want to, but simply because I don't have time!
What's more, I'm not sure how beneficial writing contests are in the scheme of things.
What do you think? Have you entered a writing contest before? If so, how did it help you and/or your career?
I'd like to know both positive and negative experiences you may have had with writing contests. Let's open up some discussion!
I look forward to your feedback.
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of the Week: Music
Happy Monday, fellow freelancers! I do hope your weekend was teriffic, and to all the father's out there, I hope you all had a wonderful Father's Day.
This week's writing question: Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what kind of music helps you relax and get into writing mode?
If you don't listen to music, why not? Does it prevent you from concentrating?
I'm very interested to hear your feedback. It might seem like an odd question, but I'd like to open up some dialogue and hear what you have to say.
Best Wishes,
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of the Week: Writing Goals
It's barely mid-week and I'm exhausted. The new puppy loves keeping me up during the middle of the night... he doesn't realize that it's not play time at 3 am.
So, my question to you this week (I've missed a few weeks, I know. Sue me?):
What are your writing goals? Have they remained the same since you began writing professionally, or have they evolved into something different?
I'd love to hear your feedback. I know that my goals have changed considerably since I started this career, but I still have a few of the same goals that I've always had in my mind since I was a child.
Thank you in advance, and I look forward to reading your comments.
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of the Week: Giving Up?
Good morning, fellow writers.
This weeks writing question comes from a bit of personal soul-searching I've been doing for the past few weeks.
As a writer, do you ever feel like giving it all up? If so, how do you cope with the feelings of self-doubt, anxiety, and stress? How do you force yourself to start writing again?
Not only will this question enable me to see a few different perspectives on something I believe all writers struggle with at times, it will help me find some much-needed advice as well.
Please feel free to leave your comments. I'm very interested to hear what you have to say.
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of the Week
It's been awhile, but happy Tuesday everyone!
This week's writing question: Do you keep a journal? Perhaps you still have one of those old-school diaries with a lock on it that you've had since you were a kid (I do!) Maybe you have a personal journal online that you use to vent, or simply keep a spiral notebook to jot down your impressions of the day.
As writers, I think keeping a journal is an important tool. I have several journals I try to write in regularly. Not only does it give me a break from client work, but I'm allowed to write whatever I want without fear of judgment - because it's private!
Please leave your feedback below. I look forward to seeing how many other writers keep a journal!
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of the Week: Becoming a Writer
Happy Monday, fellow freelancers. I hope your weekend proved enjoyable!
This week's writing question: When did you actually decide you wanted to
be a writer? Did you suddenly have an Aha! moment, where everything seemed to fall into place - or was it more of a gradual process? Perhaps you've always known you wanted to be a writer, and managed to take the leap.
Whatever the answer might be, I want to hear it! Please feel free to leave your comments below - I'll love reading each and every one of them.
Best Wishes to All,
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of the Week
It's only Tuesday, and already I feel exhausted. I can't imagine what the rest of the week will be like!
However, I digress.
This weeks writing question: Do you consider your writing a profession or a hobby? What differentiates a career-minded writer from a hobbyist? I'm interested to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to leave a comment below.
Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope the rest of your week proves productive and enjoyable.
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of the Week: What Inspires You?
I want to know what inspires you. I want to get into your head for a moment, and decipher what, exactly, drives you to write.
Are you inspired by daily events? By magazines, newspapers, or television shows? I'd love to hear some feedback on what sets the writing wheels in motion.
Please feel free to leave a comment below. I'd love it if you share your thoughts.
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of the Week
Happy Wednesday!
As writers, sometimes we might have to write about topics we are less than enthusiastic about. Hopefully, this doesn't happen on a regular basis - but it can and DOES happen.
With that being said: What are your
favorite topics to write about? Do you specialize in any specific field/niche? Finally, do you have any topics you absolutely refuse to write about (either for moral/ethical reasons or just because you plain hate the topic?!)
Thank you for your feedback!
Best,
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of The Week
Happy Wednesday, fellow freelancers.
This week's question (albeit a bit late - sorry, folks) deals with beginning a career as a freelance writer.
While I've learned quite a bit since I jumped into freelance writing, there are always new things I find out on a daily basis. Today's question: How did you get started writing? Were there any especially useful tidbits you discovered that could be beneficial to new writers? If you could give a beginning writer one piece of advice, what would it be?
Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
Thank you, and Warm Wishes
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of the Week
Hello, fellow freelancers!
Today's question: How do you manage your time? Do you have a specific writing schedule you tend to stick to? How do you plan your schedule - per week, per day, or as you go along? When you don't feel like writing, how do you convince yourself to stick to your schedule - or do you?
I'm very interested to hear how other writers manage their time during the work week. Thank you in advance for your feedback.
Best,
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of the Week
Hello, fellow freelancers - my apologies for the lack of updating lately.
This week's question: Where do you find writers markets online? Do you frequent a particular website for job leads? Which websites do you find you have the most luck discovering gigs that are actually worth your time?
The list can be as brief or as long as you want. Please feel free to leave your answers in the comments.
Best Wishes,
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of the Week
Happy Tuesday everyone - I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.
This weeks writing question stems from a conversation I had with a friend over the weekend. We were talking about my job and what I do for a living, and a topic came up that I am sure you all have heard at least one time or another.
My friend asked if I ever experienced any issues with other family or friends because writing isn't technically "real work." I wasn't offended, because it wasn't said to be malicious - it was simple ignorance on the part of my friend to see past her limited viewpoint.
In any case, my question to you : What actually makes someone a WRITER? I realize there may not be a direct answer to this question, but I'm interested in your feedback. Is there ever a time where writing cannot be considered "real" work, or do we never get to that point? Is all writing - even hobby writing - real work?
I realize those are actually three questions, but humor me this week okay?
Best,
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of the Week
Happy Monday, everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend (Colts won, yay!)
This weeks question stems from something that's been floating around in my head quite a bit lately, and I'd like to get feedback from all of you. I'm not sure there's any one answer that's inherently correct, but I'm definitely interested to hear your opinions.
What do you believe makes someone a "professional" writer?
Please feel free to leave a comment below! I look forward to reading your thoughts.
Best Wishes,
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
Writing Question of the Week
I'm going to attempt to implement a new feature to my blog, entitled "Writing Question of the Week." I'm hoping this will increase feedback from readers and add a much-needed dose of interaction to this blog.
To start things off, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the Pros/Cons of working for yourself. You can be as specific as you'd like. There are some obvious pros to working for yourself, but I've experienced some drawbacks as well.
What's your take on the issue? I'm interested to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to leave them in a comment below.
Best,
Denise
Labels: Question of the Week
