What do you do when a relationship just isn’t working out? That’s a tough question to answer. Ask anyone who has lived through a difficult divorce, a painful breakup or a heart-wrenching separation. These emotional relationships wreak havoc on two people. Splitting up is never easy. That’s why I was interested in a recent guest blog titled “How to End the Client Relationship” over at WritingWhitePapers written by Sharon Hurley Hall. The only problem was that the post had a major fault with it: The content didn’t deliver on the title promise. I wanted to
> Read MoreArchives for October 2007
Blog Archives
Enjoy 1,000+ articles geared to your content-marketing, writing, freelancing or small business endeavors. Scroll down for recent posts, select a category, or browse the archives here.
Forget Email Subscriptions; Read Feeds!
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I have seen the light. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time that I’ve seen the light. In fact, I see the light pretty often, come to think of it. I convince myself I don’t want to do something, which usually causes me grief because that “something” is often a good thing. By the time my back’s against the wall, I’m craving a solution for a problem I’ve created for myself. Enter my swamped inbox. For a while now, I’ve been struggling to manage my inbox more efficiently, cut down on the time I spend
> Read MoreMore Good Books to Read
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I really should get a “series” title for these posts. Jamie’s Picks, or something like that. I’m enjoying browsing the various books in my personal library, wondering which ones I should suggest to readers and why. My first post on books I enjoyed reading seemed to interest others, and so, here are some more recommendations for good books. Jack Whyte’s The Skystone – this novel pre-dates Arthur’s sword, Excalibur, as ancient Romans explore a strange new material to use in their steel-smithing. The prose of the novel attracted me by its quiet, alluring sensation –
> Read MoreWorst-Case Scenarios and a First Video Experience
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One headline leapt out at me today. Problogger expert Darren Rowse asked, “Are you Prepared for a Worst Case Blogging Scenario?” A tight, sick feeling gripped my stomach and squeezed. I worry about my blog all the time. How can we get more hits? More feed subscribers? More comments and interaction? More action, period. I feel a deep responsibility for this blog because I care about it – and Darren’s question scared my pants off. What if all my readers went away? What if my traffic died completely? What would I do? Well, I would
> Read MoreTake a Break from Blogging
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Have you ever wished you didn’t have to blog? Have you ever been so sick of blogging that you wanted to scream? For those that love blogging and writing, the answer is probably “no”. For those that are dealing with real life situations, family emergencies or blogging burnout – and we all have days like that – the answer is most likely, “Oh god, yes.” I’ve had days where I can’t post. I’ve had times when I’m tired of writing or my creativity is at a low. Sometimes I’m just too busy, sometimes I’m working
> Read MoreWorking Under the Table: Not for Me
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“Why the hell do you declare your income?” Someone asked me that question yesterday. He’d read my post about writers rates and the expenses related to freelance writing. After all, my friend pointed out, it all happens online. Who’d know if I just pocketed the money? Well, I would, first of all. I’m big on honesty and honor, and declaring income is the right thing to do. My taxes help pay for social services, medical care, and reduce tuition costs in schools, to name just a few areas my dollars impact. There’s more. If I
> Read MoreSetting Writer Rates: It Costs Money to Make Money
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It never fails to amaze me that people expect me to write for less than $5 an hour. I’m not a sweatshop writer, nor should any other writer out there be subject to those conditions. Most of us are legitimate, self-employed workers or registered businesses. We pay expenses to earn income, declare that income, and pay our fair share of taxes. An online business doesn’t mean under-the-table earnings. Writers keep tabs on what it costs us to earn a dollar. Trust me, a good part of the money we make doesn’t go in our pockets.
> Read MoreTeaching Sells! And It’s Now on Sale!
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Copyblogger is making waves these days. They’ve published a free report called Teaching Sells that I think every writer should read. The report brings up some good thoughts about earning money through content and methods of delivering the goods. They followed that report up with a few free articles, always useful – especially when coming from Copyblogger. Copyblogger is making waves these days. They’ve published a free report called Teaching Sells that I think every writer should read. The report brings up some good thoughts about earning money through content and methods of delivering the
> Read MoreWin an iMac from DevDad
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Wouldn’t you love to win an iMac? So would I, and since I’m the kind of guy who thinks anything’s possible, I’m taking a chance on DevDad’s contest to win a fantastic package: …brand new, unopened 20? Apple iMac. As for the nitty gritty on this computer, it has a 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1 GB of memory, a 250 GB hard drive, an 8x SuperDrive (which is Apple-speak for DVD burner), and a (pretty sexy) 20? glossy display. It comes with a mouse and keyboard, and is really an awesome set-up.
> Read MoreAsk a Writer
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People see writers as a special breed. Truth be told, we are. Writers think a little differently, we see the world in a different way, and we have special talents and abilities others don’t. We’re lucky. We writers are also the lucky ones. We do what many others only dream of: We write for a living. Because we’re a special type of person (I won’t say eccentric) and because we actually make money writing means we are asked a lot of questions. Some of them include: Have you ever published anything? Do you really write
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