Newsletter: May, 2006

Live Your Dreams as a Writer
If I could do it, you can too!

To write: that was my dream. To make enough money to travel: that was my goal.

So what are your dreams and goals? Are you a writer who doesn’t earn enough income support the family? Or, do you wish you could become a writer but don’t know how to start? Maybe you’re already writing for a living and make plenty of money, but you’d just like some new ideas to stimulate you and provide excitement to your career.

I wrote the book, Portable Writing as an answer to all of the above dilemmas. I once was that person dreaming of writing. And for awhile, I was that writer not making enough income churning out articles for magazines and newspapers. Yeah, I was seeing my name in print, but that doesn’t necessarily put food on the table.

Then an old friend called and asked if I could write some promotional materials for her business. Another asked if I could write an article about her business for the paper. Step by step and brick by brick, my business grew as more and more clients asked for my help writing effective business correspondence.

Soon, I was asked to not only write, but to create newsletters and brochures. So I bought a computer with graphics capabilities and desktop publishing software, and began to spend my spare time learning to use them. I applied the same methods to mastering those skills as I did to learning to write. I read everything I could find on the subject and asked advice from everyone who knew anything about the field. Once I began providing both writing and DTP services, my business exploded.

My message to you is that you can do everything I did, and probably better than I ever could. None of what I’ve done requires any special talent or education. I grew believing that I could succeed at anything I put my mind to – and that anyone else can, too. Of course, that didn’t mean I could become a Nobel prize-winning scientist or mathematician. But if I had been even remotely interested in either, I have no doubt that I could have succeeded.

If you want to be a successful writer, if you want to make lots of money creating words that people will read, you can do it if you really try. You might be one of those lucky people who has a book idea, writes it, gets a publishing contract paying a huge advance, and hits the best seller list immediately. You might, but you probably won’t.

Learn your craft, work hard and read Portable Writing to discover 25 projects that will propel you towards your goal. It took me twenty years to learn what I know, but you can do it much faster – within weeks – if you put into practice everything I’ve shared in Portable Writing. Go for it!

==========

Book: Portable Writing

For a complete instruction book on writing with projects that make money no matter where you live or roam, be sure to read my new book, Portable Writing: the Secret to Living Your Dreams with 25 Projects to Fund Your Freedom. In it, I give detailed instructions for how to create twenty-five different projects along with showing how to market your skills.

I've been using these projects to earn a living as a writer for twenty years. My articles have appeared in dozens of magazines and newspapers across the country, and two books have been published. I also have created writing projects such as newsletters, brochures and dozens of other materials for business and corporations during the past twenty years.

In the book, I tell about how to get published as well as produce projects for businesses and corporations. At least two projects are included in the book that have never before been revealed to readers. You can learn more about the book by going to my Web site, http://www.kennedyk.com, then clicking on the book image to read a two-chapter excerpt and get ordering information.

If you've always wanted to make money writing, but didn't know where to start, this book takes you by the hand and leads you through the process. If you're already writing, but not making money, here's where you'll learn exactly how to do it.

==========
An article about my RV lifestyle and the book, Portable Writing appeared in the Spokane Spokesman Review on June 3, 2006. Also, Portable Writing is now available on Amazon.com

The Ups & Downs of RVing
(with the high price of gas)


The price of gas seems to be slowing the travel industry down, but I doubt that it will bring trips to a screeching halt. Why not? Well, most who take a yearly vacation plan and save money all year for that great escape. For those traveling in RVs that get a measly 6-10 gallons per mile, they might elect to stay in one place longer and take shorter trips, but most will still hit the road occasionally.

Just how many miles do RVers travel each year? Certainly not as many as a vehicle that is used for daily commutes. While the typical vehicle in Arizona (for instance) is driven an average 20,000 -25,000 miles per year, the typical RVer travels less than 6,000 miles per year. We’re full-time RVers and have put 20,000 miles on our rig since 1998, when we bought it. So we’ve averaged 2500 miles per year. I suspect most RVers come closer to that figure than the 6,000 miles quoted by RV industry sources. Our usual trip averages about 3000 miles, roundtrip. However, sometimes we only drive about 400 miles in a year for a change of scenery or to find cooler (or warmer) temperatures.

So before you decide RVing is too expensive for you or that RVs waste gas, consider this. We’re considering making a 3000 mile trip this summer and fall. In the RV, gas will cost close to $1500, but lodging will run approximately $350 per month for the three months we plan to travel. Fuel costs would be about the same if we were driving a SUV or large truck on vacation, which get about the same mileage as our RV.

By car, our gas will only run about $400, but if we travel for three months, motels will run about $70.00 per night, or a whopping $6,300.00. And restaurant meals could easily cost $100 per day or more, totaling $9,000. Even eliminating housing and meal costs for those few days we might spend with friends or relatives, the cost of taking our hosts out to eat dinner could easily run $100.00 or more each time we do it.

A total cost of $2,550 by RV plus groceries (which I’d buy anyway) versus $15,700 in the car. Easy to see why I’m sold on RVing from an economical standpoint. Plus, we get to sleep in our own bed every night!

To keep mileage down on the RV, we tow a car that gets 30-35 miles per gallon and use it for errands and short trips. This saves gas and is a lot more environmentally friendly than a large vehicle that is used for everything, including commutes and leisure pursuits.

So, if you’ve wanted to travel by RV, don’t hesitate because of cost concerns. You can conserve gas, save money and still have a great time!