LOOKING BACK 1940-2005
History as seen through the eyes of those who lived it
The book I'm writing on history, with contributions from several other writers, is coming along great. Several essays have already been sent in for Looking Back, but if you want to contribute something check the Web site: www.kennedyk.com, then contact me for guidelines.
History was the most boring subject I studied in school because I couldn’t understand how it related to me. I hadn’t been to any of the places history books spoke about, and memorizing dates and place names was meaningless to me.
Then I realized one day that I and my generation had lived through some of the most exciting, and at times appalling and frightening events in history. I’ve also come to realize that the one element missing in all history and civics lessons is personal accounts by people who had actually witnessed past historic moments.
It’s no secret that history is even less important to today’s students, perhaps because it’s still taught as a boring, lifeless record of the past.
That’s why I’ve gathered a group of writers and extraordinary citizens to help recount their memories of pivotal moments during the past sixty-five years along with their personal views on what happened. They and I were there, and we sometimes suffered anxiety over events like the assassinations, wars, politics, and civil unrest that, at times, threatened our democracy. We also shared moments of sheer joy as we watched the first man walk on the moon. We watched (and some of us participated) as the counter-culture rocked our safe, orderly existence, and then on 9/11, we were shattered by an attack that revealed our nation’s weaknesses and vulnerability.
History is not boring. It is exciting! We Americans are in danger of forgetting our past if we don’t all take responsibility for teaching our children about our wonderful history and our shared heritage of courage.
This book will be an important contribution to the collection of historical documents because it will be told from a personal perspective, emphasizing human emotions and consequences for every historic moment that we’ve survived. I hope everyone will buy a copy and share it with your children, grandchildren, and schools.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
FIVE WRITING PROJECTS THAT MAKE MONEY
By Kay Kennedy
This month, I decided to write about some of the ways you can make money as a writer. This information also appeared in February as a guest column in RV Lifestyles titled: Ten ways to make money while you roam, (http://www.rvhometown.com.)
If you’ve read the book, Portable Writing, then you already know about these methods of making money from writing. However, I’ve found that sometimes it takes reading something more than once for it to register. So below are five of the twenty-five projects I’ve produced that built my writing business and sustained it.
I was like most writers when I started out. I wanted to become a published writer and believed that nothing else would give me the credibility or confidence that I desired. So I got an article published, then a few more. Then a funny thing happened. First one business owner friend, then another asked me to write for their businesses. Why not, I wondered? Writing is writing, and business people in the late eighties were offering to pay $50.00 per hour, which was more for my time than I had been earning from magazine and newspaper articles. And I was being paid for research time as well as for writing.
I can’t even remember the first business assignment I received, but it was probably a ghost-written article for a magazine or a news release. Those first assignments led to more varied projects, plus as other business and corporate managers learned about me, business increased. Soon I had dozens of clients that wanted everything from brochures to newsletters for their businesses.
I once even had to use material written in German to research an article for a client. I don’t read or speak German, but I studied the photos and made out some words that were similar to English words. I was able to basically understand what the information was about. I then took the materials to my German aerobics instructor to see if she could help. She had been in the U.S. so long she had forgotten her native language, but she did figure out a few things that I couldn’t. I wrote the article, and my client was able to get it published. Not only that, she got a regular assignment from that article, which meant a regular assignment for me. Not bad for having to bluff it!
Don’t discount commercial writing because you don’t think you’ll like it. It can be as varied and interesting as writing articles for publication because that’s what you’ll find yourself often doing—producing ghost-written articles for publication. You’ll be supplied with the notes and research sources, so all you have to do is read, take notes, and write. It really pays much better than writing for most publications. Try it, you’ll like it.
Below are five different projects I produced that made lots of money, and that I enjoyed tremendously. Get a desktop publishing program and scanner and learn how to use them for an even more interesting writing career. Be sure to study books on desktop publishing that show good examples of the types of publications you want to produce so you can learn what looks good on paper.
The business of writing has made me happier than I’ve ever been in my life. It wasn’t what I planned, although I had always dreamed of doing it. Why I wasted the first twenty-five years or so in another career is beyond comprehension now. Writing is the ultimate career, the highest high. Being able to travel while I write is the greatest lifestyle I can imagine. I hope you can all come to understand and enjoy this rare pleasure.
As I write this, there are two other writers that I’m aware of staying in the same RV park we are. Both of them travel and write.
Five more money-making writing projects will appear in next month’s newsletter.
1. Business & corporate newsletters
Very often, business owners and corporations will want to send newsletters to their customers. Sometimes all they want is a one-page typed message, other times they want a nice 4-page publication with photos.
Corporations most often are looking for someone to produce articles on specific subjects, but sometimes they want a project manager who will design, write, layout the pages and get the newsletter printed. You can pick which types of projects you want to do, then approach business people and corporation communications department heads and let them know what you can do.
I worked with corporations and small businesses doing whatever was needed because I enjoyed both writing and design duties.
2. Subscription newsletters
You may have a great idea for a newsletter that you want to write, produce and send to subscribers. While many newsletters are now sent through the Internet, there’s still a strong market for traditional publications that people can hold in their hands and read at their leisure. This is especially true among older readers. Or you might create a newsletter that can be sent both via email and in traditional paper format.
Come up with a great idea, purchase a targeted mailing list and send subscription information to them. Ideas for what might appeal to readers can include: bird watching, with photos and information about birds you’ve spotted and where you’ve found them; good books you’ve read in a specific genre (for instance, romance novels, biographies, inspirational stories, spiritual books.) Your reviews will interest readers if you write well about your subject and present it in an interesting format.
3. Specialized Business Newsletters
Many businesses purchase generic newsletters to pass out to customers. You can write and produce this type of newsletter, then market copies to the businesses they cover. For instance, real estate agents often hand out newsletters that feature articles like: decorating and gardening tips, creating curb appeal and staging your home for sale. Accountants pass out newsletters that focus on items of interest for their clients, such as tax tips, year-end money-saving ideas and small business advice.
How do you get information to use in your newsletter? Ask professionals in the business to give you ideas, and then research the information. Or you can ask a business owner to supply you with the information you need with the promise that you’ll give them a certain number of free newsletters to give to their customers.
4. Advertising newsletters
I’m sure you’ve been into stores and picked up publications that are free. They’re full of advertising, but they also hold a few articles of interest to customers. For instance, a garden shop or landscaping business will give out newsletters with gardening tips. A grocery store might offer one featuring articles about selecting grocery products with maybe a couple of recipes.
You can work up a dummy publication featuring gardening articles, then approach garden and related businesses and ask them to buy advertising in it and to stock them for distribution. You’ll have to decide up front how much space to devote to advertising and how much to content. Usually, a split of 80 percent advertising and 20 percent editorial content is sufficient to get readers’ to pick the piece up.
5. Write weekly ad-columns for businesses
This was one of my favorite projects to produce because I started with interior decorating—a subject I already knew well. I produced a sales letter with a sample column and information that stressed the column’s exclusivity. The person who ordered first from any specific area had exclusive rights to use the columns, but they could put them in only one newspaper and had to provide me with the name and location of the paper. I then mailed out thirteen columns that I had written for them to use under their names.
My customers purchased advertising space in the newspaper for a quarter of the year. The columns usually appeared with a border, and at the top they would put their “byline” and photo and at the bottom they would include their business name and address. Their readers usually didn’t realize they were paid advertising although the information was subtle advertising for what they could do. There are many other professionals besides interior designers who use these columns regularly, including jewelers, veterinarians, chiropractors, real estate agents and others. If you’re already familiar with an industry, write some columns on the subject and start approaching local business owners.
The newsletter projects may sound like they’re all the same, but they are definitely not! Every newsletter design is different, as is the content. In some instances you’ll come up with the content, in others it will be supplied to you. They are all marketed differently, too. Study the ideas and see if you can create your own marketing concepts to sell your idea for a corporate or business newsletter and weekly business column, or for the subscription or generic newsletter you’ve created. Read Portable Writing to learn how I marketed these projects.
Portable Writing is available by going to: http://freelancewriter.booklocker.com/ to read a 2-chapter excerpt and/or to order the book. It’s available in paperback and as a downloadable e-book.
By Kay Kennedy
This month, I decided to write about some of the ways you can make money as a writer. This information also appeared in February as a guest column in RV Lifestyles titled: Ten ways to make money while you roam, (http://www.rvhometown.com.)
If you’ve read the book, Portable Writing, then you already know about these methods of making money from writing. However, I’ve found that sometimes it takes reading something more than once for it to register. So below are five of the twenty-five projects I’ve produced that built my writing business and sustained it.
I was like most writers when I started out. I wanted to become a published writer and believed that nothing else would give me the credibility or confidence that I desired. So I got an article published, then a few more. Then a funny thing happened. First one business owner friend, then another asked me to write for their businesses. Why not, I wondered? Writing is writing, and business people in the late eighties were offering to pay $50.00 per hour, which was more for my time than I had been earning from magazine and newspaper articles. And I was being paid for research time as well as for writing.
I can’t even remember the first business assignment I received, but it was probably a ghost-written article for a magazine or a news release. Those first assignments led to more varied projects, plus as other business and corporate managers learned about me, business increased. Soon I had dozens of clients that wanted everything from brochures to newsletters for their businesses.
I once even had to use material written in German to research an article for a client. I don’t read or speak German, but I studied the photos and made out some words that were similar to English words. I was able to basically understand what the information was about. I then took the materials to my German aerobics instructor to see if she could help. She had been in the U.S. so long she had forgotten her native language, but she did figure out a few things that I couldn’t. I wrote the article, and my client was able to get it published. Not only that, she got a regular assignment from that article, which meant a regular assignment for me. Not bad for having to bluff it!
Don’t discount commercial writing because you don’t think you’ll like it. It can be as varied and interesting as writing articles for publication because that’s what you’ll find yourself often doing—producing ghost-written articles for publication. You’ll be supplied with the notes and research sources, so all you have to do is read, take notes, and write. It really pays much better than writing for most publications. Try it, you’ll like it.
Below are five different projects I produced that made lots of money, and that I enjoyed tremendously. Get a desktop publishing program and scanner and learn how to use them for an even more interesting writing career. Be sure to study books on desktop publishing that show good examples of the types of publications you want to produce so you can learn what looks good on paper.
The business of writing has made me happier than I’ve ever been in my life. It wasn’t what I planned, although I had always dreamed of doing it. Why I wasted the first twenty-five years or so in another career is beyond comprehension now. Writing is the ultimate career, the highest high. Being able to travel while I write is the greatest lifestyle I can imagine. I hope you can all come to understand and enjoy this rare pleasure.
As I write this, there are two other writers that I’m aware of staying in the same RV park we are. Both of them travel and write.
Five more money-making writing projects will appear in next month’s newsletter.
1. Business & corporate newsletters
Very often, business owners and corporations will want to send newsletters to their customers. Sometimes all they want is a one-page typed message, other times they want a nice 4-page publication with photos.
Corporations most often are looking for someone to produce articles on specific subjects, but sometimes they want a project manager who will design, write, layout the pages and get the newsletter printed. You can pick which types of projects you want to do, then approach business people and corporation communications department heads and let them know what you can do.
I worked with corporations and small businesses doing whatever was needed because I enjoyed both writing and design duties.
2. Subscription newsletters
You may have a great idea for a newsletter that you want to write, produce and send to subscribers. While many newsletters are now sent through the Internet, there’s still a strong market for traditional publications that people can hold in their hands and read at their leisure. This is especially true among older readers. Or you might create a newsletter that can be sent both via email and in traditional paper format.
Come up with a great idea, purchase a targeted mailing list and send subscription information to them. Ideas for what might appeal to readers can include: bird watching, with photos and information about birds you’ve spotted and where you’ve found them; good books you’ve read in a specific genre (for instance, romance novels, biographies, inspirational stories, spiritual books.) Your reviews will interest readers if you write well about your subject and present it in an interesting format.
3. Specialized Business Newsletters
Many businesses purchase generic newsletters to pass out to customers. You can write and produce this type of newsletter, then market copies to the businesses they cover. For instance, real estate agents often hand out newsletters that feature articles like: decorating and gardening tips, creating curb appeal and staging your home for sale. Accountants pass out newsletters that focus on items of interest for their clients, such as tax tips, year-end money-saving ideas and small business advice.
How do you get information to use in your newsletter? Ask professionals in the business to give you ideas, and then research the information. Or you can ask a business owner to supply you with the information you need with the promise that you’ll give them a certain number of free newsletters to give to their customers.
4. Advertising newsletters
I’m sure you’ve been into stores and picked up publications that are free. They’re full of advertising, but they also hold a few articles of interest to customers. For instance, a garden shop or landscaping business will give out newsletters with gardening tips. A grocery store might offer one featuring articles about selecting grocery products with maybe a couple of recipes.
You can work up a dummy publication featuring gardening articles, then approach garden and related businesses and ask them to buy advertising in it and to stock them for distribution. You’ll have to decide up front how much space to devote to advertising and how much to content. Usually, a split of 80 percent advertising and 20 percent editorial content is sufficient to get readers’ to pick the piece up.
5. Write weekly ad-columns for businesses
This was one of my favorite projects to produce because I started with interior decorating—a subject I already knew well. I produced a sales letter with a sample column and information that stressed the column’s exclusivity. The person who ordered first from any specific area had exclusive rights to use the columns, but they could put them in only one newspaper and had to provide me with the name and location of the paper. I then mailed out thirteen columns that I had written for them to use under their names.
My customers purchased advertising space in the newspaper for a quarter of the year. The columns usually appeared with a border, and at the top they would put their “byline” and photo and at the bottom they would include their business name and address. Their readers usually didn’t realize they were paid advertising although the information was subtle advertising for what they could do. There are many other professionals besides interior designers who use these columns regularly, including jewelers, veterinarians, chiropractors, real estate agents and others. If you’re already familiar with an industry, write some columns on the subject and start approaching local business owners.
The newsletter projects may sound like they’re all the same, but they are definitely not! Every newsletter design is different, as is the content. In some instances you’ll come up with the content, in others it will be supplied to you. They are all marketed differently, too. Study the ideas and see if you can create your own marketing concepts to sell your idea for a corporate or business newsletter and weekly business column, or for the subscription or generic newsletter you’ve created. Read Portable Writing to learn how I marketed these projects.
Portable Writing is available by going to: http://freelancewriter.booklocker.com/ to read a 2-chapter excerpt and/or to order the book. It’s available in paperback and as a downloadable e-book.
Internet fails to cooperate
While you’ve been wondering where this issue of the newsletter is (I’m probably dreaming here, but you have been anxiously awaiting it, haven’t you?) I’ve been having lots of problems getting online. We’re staying the same place as last year, but this year little gremlins seem to have stolen our Internet signal. What used to take minutes now takes hours to achieve. So I apologize for sending this so late this month.
What’s disturbing is that I’m also completing research for my book on history, and my connections to the Internet move at glacial speed. I find that by the time I finally bring up a page I requested, I’ve forgotten what it was I needed. This could be attributed to advancing age, but I prefer to believe that no one can remember details for as long as these connections require. Yep, that’s what it is! I’m sure that’s it.
While you’ve been wondering where this issue of the newsletter is (I’m probably dreaming here, but you have been anxiously awaiting it, haven’t you?) I’ve been having lots of problems getting online. We’re staying the same place as last year, but this year little gremlins seem to have stolen our Internet signal. What used to take minutes now takes hours to achieve. So I apologize for sending this so late this month.
What’s disturbing is that I’m also completing research for my book on history, and my connections to the Internet move at glacial speed. I find that by the time I finally bring up a page I requested, I’ve forgotten what it was I needed. This could be attributed to advancing age, but I prefer to believe that no one can remember details for as long as these connections require. Yep, that’s what it is! I’m sure that’s it.
Subscriber has first writing success
One of Portable Writing Newsletter's subscribers has just been offered a twice-monthly column in a Southwest Texas newspaper. He has also approached his first national magazine with a query letter proposing an article, and as part of his creative writing class at Sul Ross University, his manuscript of a research/interview piece is being submitted to Oprah Magazine. In addition, his essay will be published in my upcoming history book.
A former Prosecutor for the Buffalo New York Adult Drug Treatment Court and an ordained minister, Rev. Barry Zavah has been inspired to spread his creative wings while taking the creative writing class while he's in the Big Bend area of Texas for the winter.
For those of you wanting to get published, take a class, meet with other writers (published or not), or read an encouraging book on getting published. Whatever it takes to get you inspired to jump into the writing arena--do it today. You'll be glad you did!
One of Portable Writing Newsletter's subscribers has just been offered a twice-monthly column in a Southwest Texas newspaper. He has also approached his first national magazine with a query letter proposing an article, and as part of his creative writing class at Sul Ross University, his manuscript of a research/interview piece is being submitted to Oprah Magazine. In addition, his essay will be published in my upcoming history book.
A former Prosecutor for the Buffalo New York Adult Drug Treatment Court and an ordained minister, Rev. Barry Zavah has been inspired to spread his creative wings while taking the creative writing class while he's in the Big Bend area of Texas for the winter.
For those of you wanting to get published, take a class, meet with other writers (published or not), or read an encouraging book on getting published. Whatever it takes to get you inspired to jump into the writing arena--do it today. You'll be glad you did!
History book progresses
The history book I’m writing now has a title. It is: “Looking Back 1940-2005: History as seen through the eyes of those who lived it.” There’s still time to submit your essay if you want your thoughts included in the book. Don’t forget your short biography along with any projects you want to promote.
I have now received six essays, with more promised. The book could use some memories of World War II and the fifties, if any of you have been around that long. I have, but was too young to remember the early forties. I remember plenty about the wars fought since then, but not of World War II. It would also be nice to have one from someone who was involved in the counter-culture, protest scene in the late-sixties and early-seventies.
The deadline for submissions is April 30th. I hope to get the book to press in June for early summer release.
My husband has decided to get out of my hair a couple of days a week and is working at the trading post here on the preserve. That gives me two uninterrupted days to work at the computer, but the annoying background noise of CNN and other racket infringes on my quiet writing time on the other five days. Oh well, nobody said the writing life was going to be easy.
The history book I’m writing now has a title. It is: “Looking Back 1940-2005: History as seen through the eyes of those who lived it.” There’s still time to submit your essay if you want your thoughts included in the book. Don’t forget your short biography along with any projects you want to promote.
I have now received six essays, with more promised. The book could use some memories of World War II and the fifties, if any of you have been around that long. I have, but was too young to remember the early forties. I remember plenty about the wars fought since then, but not of World War II. It would also be nice to have one from someone who was involved in the counter-culture, protest scene in the late-sixties and early-seventies.
The deadline for submissions is April 30th. I hope to get the book to press in June for early summer release.
My husband has decided to get out of my hair a couple of days a week and is working at the trading post here on the preserve. That gives me two uninterrupted days to work at the computer, but the annoying background noise of CNN and other racket infringes on my quiet writing time on the other five days. Oh well, nobody said the writing life was going to be easy.
Work-camping while traveling
That brings up a point I should make about working on the road. If any of you are anxious to RV and write but you lack the funds to jump into RVing, you can always find work-camping positions to pay for your travel and site. Many RVers have retired early and now plan their travels according to where they find work-camping positions. There is a subscription publication that lists thousands of work-camping jobs available each year—Workamper News, http://www.workamper.com. Just don’t work so much that you don’t have time to pursue your writing goals.
We subscribed to Workamper when we first started RVing, and after we decided we wanted to spend the summer near Boston we simply looked in Workamper News and found a place near where our relatives live. I can’t remember whether we called the park, then sent a listing of past jobs, or just mailed them the information, but we both got hired by the premier campground in New England. Normandy Farms has won Good Sam’s campground of the year several times, including the year we were there although I doubt we helped their cause.
I worked in the store and Joe was a ranger who worked at the entry gate admitting people after they had checked in. We got free tours of the Boston area (anything offered to guests for a price was free to us!), plus we got our campsite and earned minimum wage. Okay, we didn’t make a lot at these jobs, but it is more money than we would have had otherwise. We also had plenty of free time to get with our relatives. I worked with mostly teenagers, and I couldn’t believe how smart, hard-working and conscientious they were. All in all, it was a wonderful experience.
You don’t need any related experience to work in most RV Parks. Workamper News lists dozens of other types of jobs such as at amusement parks like Disneyland, Disney World, Silver Dollar City, etc. They also list jobs like gas line inspectors, construction jobs, and others that require short-term commitments.
I don’t know if Workamper News lists any nursing positions, but RNs and others in the nursing field can sign up with temporary agencies that specifically cater to them and find positions that last for thirteen weeks in various locations across the country. We’ve met nurses who travel in RVs, following the seasons and staying in locations they want to spend time in. Look in Nursing Journals for ads for these agencies.
One agency recruiting traveling nurses is Access Nurses of San Diego. The company filmed a reality TV show on traveling nurses working in Southern California that can be viewed at www.nursetv.com. A local article in Phoenix featured two nurses who have spent time in San Diego, Phoenix, Boston, Denver and other hot travel destinations. Pay is higher than for staff nurses, plus travel and living expenses are often paid.
Economical RVing
The costs of RVing vary. We just met a single man who traveled to Central America who says RVing costs him an average of $1000 per month, including when he took his 16,000 mile-plus, 343-day journey. That amount included gas, food, and everything else. Jim Jaillet’s book, Panama or Bust details his trip (www.panamaorbust.com.)
If you don’t owe other debts, it’s definitely possible to travel as inexpensively as he does. Traveling in an RV is as inexpensive as living in a house or apartment and paying utilities and other costs. Often, it’s less expensive. If you like to eat out often, go golfing everyday and spend money like we do, you can spend as much as you can make. Trust me on that point. So as an RVer, you can live as expensively or inexpensively as you want.
That brings up a point I should make about working on the road. If any of you are anxious to RV and write but you lack the funds to jump into RVing, you can always find work-camping positions to pay for your travel and site. Many RVers have retired early and now plan their travels according to where they find work-camping positions. There is a subscription publication that lists thousands of work-camping jobs available each year—Workamper News, http://www.workamper.com. Just don’t work so much that you don’t have time to pursue your writing goals.
We subscribed to Workamper when we first started RVing, and after we decided we wanted to spend the summer near Boston we simply looked in Workamper News and found a place near where our relatives live. I can’t remember whether we called the park, then sent a listing of past jobs, or just mailed them the information, but we both got hired by the premier campground in New England. Normandy Farms has won Good Sam’s campground of the year several times, including the year we were there although I doubt we helped their cause.
I worked in the store and Joe was a ranger who worked at the entry gate admitting people after they had checked in. We got free tours of the Boston area (anything offered to guests for a price was free to us!), plus we got our campsite and earned minimum wage. Okay, we didn’t make a lot at these jobs, but it is more money than we would have had otherwise. We also had plenty of free time to get with our relatives. I worked with mostly teenagers, and I couldn’t believe how smart, hard-working and conscientious they were. All in all, it was a wonderful experience.
You don’t need any related experience to work in most RV Parks. Workamper News lists dozens of other types of jobs such as at amusement parks like Disneyland, Disney World, Silver Dollar City, etc. They also list jobs like gas line inspectors, construction jobs, and others that require short-term commitments.
I don’t know if Workamper News lists any nursing positions, but RNs and others in the nursing field can sign up with temporary agencies that specifically cater to them and find positions that last for thirteen weeks in various locations across the country. We’ve met nurses who travel in RVs, following the seasons and staying in locations they want to spend time in. Look in Nursing Journals for ads for these agencies.
One agency recruiting traveling nurses is Access Nurses of San Diego. The company filmed a reality TV show on traveling nurses working in Southern California that can be viewed at www.nursetv.com. A local article in Phoenix featured two nurses who have spent time in San Diego, Phoenix, Boston, Denver and other hot travel destinations. Pay is higher than for staff nurses, plus travel and living expenses are often paid.
Economical RVing
The costs of RVing vary. We just met a single man who traveled to Central America who says RVing costs him an average of $1000 per month, including when he took his 16,000 mile-plus, 343-day journey. That amount included gas, food, and everything else. Jim Jaillet’s book, Panama or Bust details his trip (www.panamaorbust.com.)
If you don’t owe other debts, it’s definitely possible to travel as inexpensively as he does. Traveling in an RV is as inexpensive as living in a house or apartment and paying utilities and other costs. Often, it’s less expensive. If you like to eat out often, go golfing everyday and spend money like we do, you can spend as much as you can make. Trust me on that point. So as an RVer, you can live as expensively or inexpensively as you want.
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