Sticking to a writing schedule while traveling

One thing I’ve learned during my lifetime of trying to balance making a living while having fun is that there are always sacrifices to be made.

The first thing I learned was that if I worked, I lacked the time to travel. If I didn’t work, I had plenty of time to travel but no money to go anywhere. Bummer. Then I finally discovered my true calling, freelance writing, and that I could custom build a business to fit the traveling lifestyle we desired.

At first I had more deadlines than I could reasonably fit into my travel schedule, so I had to give up several newsletters. I had an entire office onboard the motorhome, so finding space to work wasn’t the problem, but pre-Internet difficulties made my task almost impossible. Cell phone service was unreliable then, plus we seemed to stumble across RV parks that lacked steady electricity, especially during storm season, blowing my schedule to bits. Let’s just say that even this lifestyle got stressful at times. Giving the newsletters up was a real struggle for me since I loved doing them, and my clients were wonderful business people that I enjoyed working with, but it had to be done.

I also published the newsletter Rolling Ventures for RVers who were operating a business while traveling, and being on the road was perfect for meeting RV entrepreneurs with interesting businesses and stories. However, for the reasons mentioned above, it also got stressful so I sold it to a willing RVer who was spending most of his time parked in one place.

When I was finally able to focus on writing articles for magazines and producing occasional projects for clients, my road finally smoothed out. Still, though, I had to be careful to balance writing and traveling because keeping income flowing in was still a big part of the equation.

I quickly learned that although we might be headed across country to a specific region, if I had deadlines, I had to stop occasionally for a day or two and concentrate on writing. And it became apparent that where we stopped was important. Stop in an area where we had friends or family, and my schedule was doomed.

We finally were able to devise a sort of schedule, but subject to change at any time! If we knew we would be traveling, I would get writing done ahead of time. If a new assignment came in while on the road, we would plan to stop for a couple of days where there were no outside temptations so I could focus on work. I could basically choose my own scenery outside the window to inspire my muse, and find a quiet spot to help my concentration level.

When we decided to stop for a few months in our favorite parks, I would let my friends in the park know that during certain hours I would be working so that they knew not to come knocking during those times.

Writing the books was the hardest to do, because my mind was whirring constantly with new ideas and thoughts about what I wanted to write, making the trip a blur. Then again, it was easy because I kept a notebook handy and every time we would stop, I would rush to the computer to get my latest thoughts committed to the hard drive. (This was before the laptop computer.) The book, Portable Writing, actually took several years, but that was because I created an outline for the book, then a sudden illness required that we get off the road for awhile so I could receive physical therapy and recover. I totally forgot the book outline until we moved back into the motorhome three years later, and while getting ready to travel, I ran across it. What a wonderful surprise, like a gift that had been saved for just the right moment!

Even with the outline, it took me three more years to get it exactly as I wanted.

Then almost immediately after it was published, I had the idea for Looking Back. This time, I rushed to the computer and started writing immediately, meanwhile contacting everyone I knew to see if they had stories about the Boomer era that they would like to contribute. With many wonderful, touching essays about events that had been lived and witnessed by the contributors, the book was much richer and fuller than could have been possible if I had written it alone—and it was finished within a year.

So how can you write and travel without sacrificing either one? Schedule writing time. Plan your travels to include time to research and write. Make a to-do list each night for what you want to accomplish during your next day of writing and/or research, and stick to it. If you are writing a book, break the work down into segments (chapters) and concentrate on getting each chapter completed instead of looking ahead at the entire project. A book project can look intimidating unless you break it down into manageable pieces. And find a place to store you works in progress so they don't get shoved into a cranny and forgotten or lost.

Sometimes it’s nice to set aside time to simply travel without thinking about writing. Never get too busy to enjoy the journey, but always stay alert to opportunities that may crop up in unexpected places. There are lots of adventures on the RV highway to enjoy, and worth committing to paper.

(I have been working on a novel for almost three years and can’t seem to get motivated to finish it, but it rests beside my easy chair waiting for the right moment to become a book. In the meantime, I’m also thinking about putting the stories written from my cat’s perspective for his blog into book form. His view on RVing and seeing the country can be found at http://travelingwithinky.blogspot.com.)

The Sometimes Strange World of a Freelance Writer

Here’s something you might not have thought about: Some people assume writers can do most of the things they write about. In other words, they are perceived as experts on many, many topics.

However, just because I wrote about banking didn’t mean I could step in and become a banker—nor even a bank teller! I wrote about real estate, but I certainly knew nothing about selling real estate, and I never knew anything about accounting even though I had several accounting clients. To me, accounting was a bore! And just because I write an article about skiing doesn’t mean I can fly down a ski slope. Been there, wasn’t good at it, don’t intend to do it again! I can interview people who love it and then communicate their love of the sport in an article without having to endure a frozen nose or broken bones. (Believe me, experience tells me it would be other skiers’ bones I would be concerned about if I actually tried skiing again.)

As a writer, I did learn about a lot of subjects, but that didn’t make me an expert on anything except maybe writing and gathering facts. Still, that didn’t prevent potential clients from thinking that I would already know something about their topic and that I would certainly know where to get any information I needed to produce their project. So as a result, I’ve received many strange, sometimes outlandish requests for help.

I guess the weirdest request I ever had was to run the political campaign for a local candidate. The type of experience I needed included 1. knowledge about how to run a campaign, 2. knowing how to get attention (hopefully good) for the candidate, 3. knowing how to make him marketable to the electorate, and 4. many numerous other details that I knew nothing about. I had a little experience writing speeches, and that was it! And I was able to offer the client advice on colors for his campaign signs and ads because I had experience in color psychology and color impact as it pertained to advertising.

Still, I turned down the job because I wasn’t qualified to run a political campaign, and frankly, I wasn’t interested, but I suggested that his signs must be eye-catching, employ strong, contrasting colors, and display patriotic colors, preferable red-orange and white writing on a dark blue background. Unfortunately, before he contacted me, he had already had signs printed in dark blue on a gray background, which was extremely hard to read, especially while driving by in the rain (this was Western Washington). He lost the campaign, but at least I didn’t have to feel guilty that he lost because of my inexperience as a campaign manager.

Another strange request I had was via a phone call from a man from Alaska who had “uncovered a scandal” and wanted me to help him produce a book on the story. First of all, he didn’t divulge where he had heard about me, which made me suspicious. He “couldn’t remember” where he got my name. Somehow, I don’t think I had a following in Alaska! I also had never done any investigative reporting, so wouldn’t have known where to start (this was before the Internet). And there was also no way to investigate the background of the person wanting to hire me, and I felt that I needed to know something about his credibility before I committed time to his “cause.”

One unusual request was conducting surveys over the phone. An editor friend of mine was doing it to earn extra money, so she asked me to help out. Uh-uh! No way did I relish interrupting people during dinner to ask them mindless questions that I wouldn’t have cared to answer.

There were other projects that were turned down for various reasons, often because I simply didn’t know anything about the client. My reputation was on the line, so that was my major concern before tackling a particular project. And to protect my reputation, I had to have enough knowledge about what was being asked of me so that I knew I could do a good job.

In your writing career, you will probably be asked to participate in a number of projects that are foreign to you, and you’ll be able to research and learn how to produce them. So much can be learned from reading, and now, on the Internet. But if you don’t feel comfortable, don’t be embarrassed to turn it down. And if you’re uncomfortable for any reason with the person hiring you, you’ll probably be better off turning him (or her) down. Or charge double!

I had one client that I just didn’t like from the moment I met him. No real reason except he seemed to be much more impressed with himself than I could imagine anyone else being. I decided to take his project on, but I charged him double the going rate and required one-half down. Then I rushed out and cashed his check before I started work on his project. Well guess what—he never paid the rest of the invoice when I finished the work. He was indeed a sleaze-bag, but it only proved that I had been right in my assessment of him in the first place. And I actually got all of my fee upfront, so I didn’t lose anything. The extra fee that I might have been paid maybe would have reimbursed me for the annoyance of working with him!

And there was the guy I interviewed for the newspaper who had previously had some kind of run-in with a neo-Nazi group, but he didn’t want me to mention that (Wonder why? And wonder why he bothered to tell me?). Then the newspaper I was writing the article for got a threat if the article was printed. No problem! They killed the story and I went on to write another article for them. I had to wonder who the threat was from, or if I was being followed and that’s how the caller knew I had interviewed the subject, or if the interview subject chickened out and didn’t want his name mentioned in the paper? Creepy.

When writers first start out, or if business is slow, it’s tempting to take on every job that comes along and be happy for the work. And since I’ve always been adventurous, I could have easily been led down some dangerous paths if my mother’s warnings hadn’t been implanted deep in my brain. When that little voice in my head warned me that something wasn’t right, I always paid attention.

Not everyone is weird

For the most part, writing has been the most wonderful, exhilarating work I’ve ever done. It has led to places I probably would never have gone on my own, provided an introduction to people I probably never would have met otherwise, and filled my life with rewarding experiences that have completed my life in a way that never could have been possible.

If you are hesitating about getting started writing, make this the day that you decide to do it. Make a to-do list about what you need to get going, then stick to it. And if you get some strange requests from time to time, realistically consider them. Don’t pass on something that can lead to better things, even if you have to do some research before you get started.

Most writing consists of producing articles for legitimate magazines, newspapers, or online news organizations or newsletters, or it will be for legitimate businesses in your hometown. Either way, you can usually count on receiving professional treatment and pay without any hassles.

Writing Your Memoir

There is one writing project that everybody should feel compelled to undertake for their family and heirs, and that’s a memoir.

How I wish my grandmother and grandfather had left a written record of their lives. Yes, they told me stories, but I was the typical disinterested kid. It wasn’t cool to let them know I cared. Almost anything took precedence over their tales from the past.

Still, some part of the stories seeped into the corners of my mind. In later years, when someone brought up the name of someone named B.J. in my grandmother’s hometown and wondered if he had been her relative, I could answer with almost certainty because I remembered hearing her call him Uncle B.J. When my grandfather told of walking miles to court my grandmother, somehow I also remembered later where he had said they both lived. These facts weren’t important to me as a teenager, but they became important when later the family would get together and try to recall family tales. But we couldn’t verify anything because, unfortunately, my grandparents were no longer around to ask.

Most people don’t seem to realize that their story has value for anyone but themselves, but once you are gone, only your memory lives on. Very rarely are your stories recalled with any accuracy. How will your grandchildren know what life was like for you growing up as a teenager? How can they fathom the differences between transportation, school, clothing fads, or technology? Sure you might try to tell them about these things, but they probably feign disinterest in hearing about the “old ways,” and instead prefer plugging the earpiece of their MP3 players into their ears and tuning you out. But if you’ve put it all in writing, there will come a day when they pick up your memoir and read it. Often you’re no longer around when they decide to start asking questions about the family and the past. Your memoir may be their only connection to these stories.

Your memoir can enrich your family’s sense of connection to the past by weaving in old family stories as well as your own life story.

But you wonder, “Where do I start?”

The easiest way to get started is to jot down snatches of memories. Write down your recollection of eating an ice cold snow cone and having it drip down the front of your shirt on a hot, sticky day at a little league game. Jot down a note about your first car, and how it didn’t have reverse gear, so you had to park it where you could drive forward to get out. Make a note about the bunking parties you remember (now called sleepovers), who was there, and what you did to have fun. If your family had a garden, make a note about it and what was planted there, whether you helped till the soil or pick the fruits and vegetables, whether you ate them there in the garden or made it to the house with them uneaten. Note the simple things, which will probably spark more memories and become cherished stories.

These notes don’t have to be in any order. Later, you can organize your list in a way that makes sense for your memoir. The notes can be divided by age or by activity or family gatherings. Your memoir can start at the beginning and end at the present time, or it can start with some significant memory and go either backwards or forward, or it can start right now and work backwards. There’s no hard or fast rule about how memoirs are organized, so write it however you wish.

Another way to organize your thoughts and make sure you leave nothing out is to start a list of topics in the middle of a blank page, such as parents, siblings, extended family members, school memories, parties, dances, sports activities, first date, double-dating, first kiss, first boy or girlfriend, significant movies you remember seeing, first car, first bicycle, your neighborhood friends, games you played together, getting married, having babies, etc.

Circle each topic, then draw a line out from each and start a related list, such as: school memories—name(s) of school(s), first day of school, favorite teacher, favorite subjects, playground memories, getting in trouble, school plays or programs, friends, etc. This type of information gathering expands out, and will help you recall lost memories. Write about your parents: your mother’s favorite dress, how she wore her hair, her scent, favorite foods that she cooked; your dad’s work clothes, what he did for a living, how he smelled when he came home, the sound of his car as he drove in the driveway, the smell of grass as he (or you) mowed the lawn. It’s important to recall how you felt about specific moments: sad, happy, or overjoyed; whether you laughed, cried, or wailed; whether you were frightened or confident.

The above system can also be used for organizing someone else’s life story, even those who have hired you to write their memoirs. Everyone collects a lifetime of experiences, almost any of which will make an interesting story. Find ways to ferret out the most significant memories.

My sister was only 56 when she passed away—shortly after her first two grandchildren were born, so the only memories they have of her are from watching old videos in which she appeared. Mostly, though, she took the videos and didn’t have a starring role. When her third grandchild was born, I realized she had never even met her grandmother, so I sat down and wrote a memoir for all three of her grandchildren and titled it, “When Grammy Was a Little Girl.”

Since my sister was a year younger than me, I had memories of her when she was very young, plus photos and stories told by our mother and aunt. We played together, laughed and cried together, fought with each other, and shared most important life experiences until we became older teenagers. Her best friend from high school told me of activities that added depth to her school day stories. Still, I couldn’t recall all the memories she might have thought important to leave her grandchildren, and I probably remembered some things she would rather her grandchildren not know!

I’ll never know what she would have wanted, but her grandkids do now have a book with photos of her as a little girl and teenager, and stories about her life that hopefully brings her closer to them. I ended the book with her meeting and marrying their granddad. Even though she and I spent less time together after we both married, we still managed to share some funny, poignant, crazy and sad times even as we aged—some that her grandchildren might enjoy hearing someday.

Life can slip away before we know it, so make sure you get your memories down on paper as soon as possible. Even if you don’t think anyone cares about them, your written story will charm someone, somewhere, and will be a lasting record of your time spent here on earth.

The Brass Tacks of Formatting a Manuscript

When I first started writing for publication, things were pretty straightforward. Everyone used a typewriter, and while some of us toiled away on a trusty little portable, others speedily whipped out articles on a big fancy IBM electric that did everything but think (or so we thought at the time). Still, they were all basically the same as far as setting margins, etc., and we weren’t using a variety of word processing software programs to confuse us and the publisher. Now it’s different.

Whether you are writing a book or a magazine article, if you will be submitting it to a publisher, you must know how to format it. Most publishers will send you guidelines for submitting to them, but sometimes the instructions leave out some small point that writers tend to get hung up on. Guidelines might say margins should be set as follows: Top – 1-1/2 inch, sides – 1-1/4 inch, bottom – 2 inches, but they don’t explain what the first page should look like, or they don’t tell how big the top margin should be when starting a new chapter, as for a book. And they don’t tell how to number subsequent pages and identify them. Often they expect you to know these things. Another thing guidelines will not tell you is how to set your margins in your particular word processing program, because editors have no way of knowing what you use.

So how do you go about learning these things?

Well, here’s a start. All magazine manuscripts should have a similar front page, with your **REAL name, address, telephone number, and cell phone number in the top, left hand corner. The guidelines from the publisher might ask for your social security number, especially if you are getting an assignment, so put it below your phone number. If enclosing photos with your ms., type in number of photos enclosed, if any, below the phone numbers. And be sure to identify and number all of your photos on the back with a return address label, and type a sheet identifying each one with a caption.

**(Use your real name on your ms. so the check will be made out to that name and you can get it cashed. However, I often get checks made out to Kay Kennedy, and I simply sign that way, then below it, sign with my real name which appears on my identification and my bank account.)

The top right hand corner, 1st line should tell how many words in your manuscript. I always count the words and then write “appx. xxx words,” simply in case I might be a few words off. The 2nd line should tell what rights you are selling (1st N. American rights, second serial rights, etc), and the 3rd line should show: © 2009, your name. Okay, this last line is questionable since a few editors take offense at authors showing that their article is copyrighted. However, I still include it. If an editor gets upset, that is probably an editor I don’t care to work with anyway.

Next, you should drop down to about 1/3 of the page and center your title. Beneath the title put your name, centered, such as: by Kay Kennedy. This is where you would use your pen name if it is not the same as your given name, because you want your name to appear here as it will in the magazine.

Unless you are sending an unsolicited book manuscript to a publisher, you should receive guidelines on how the layout should appear. Since there are many different ways of doing it, depending on whether you’re sending a hard copy or electronic one, I can’t even attempt to explain a system for book formatting here.

Now, as for laying out your article ms. page, every program is different, as are different versions of Microsoft Word. But somewhere at the top of your page will appear the word “page layout.” Click on that and you’ll find the place to set your margins. You may also want to select the font you wish to use. Do not use “courier” since that is what was used on typewriters. Editors would rather see something like “Times Roman,” which you will find on the list when you click “fonts.”

In my current MS Word software program, I choose line spacing under the word “paragraph” on the “page layout” page. You’ll see a place to choose “line spacing,” where you can click on “double” to get double line spacing.

Realize that although you have chosen a title and sent in a specific number of words, the title will likely be changed by the editor, and entire sections of your manuscript might be cut.

Confused? I hope not, but if any of you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ve been doing this so long that it’s automatic, and I might leave out something important without realizing it.

Because of the formatting limits of this blog, I cannot show an example of the correct manuscript formatting here, so if you are not a subscriber, you may contact me at portable . writer @ yahoo.com (don't use spaces between the words in email address) and I will send you a copy of the newsletter by email.

Ways Writers Can Contribute During Recession

The following few lines originally appeared in an article on networking in Portable Writing Newsletter back in Jan. 2007. It seems appropriate to take an excerpt from that article to fit the current economic situation. As writers, we all have the ability to make a positive contribution to our communities. On the other hand, if our own situation seems dire, we have within us the ability to improve our situation. Sometimes, while doing one, we’re also doing the other: that is, helping ourselves while helping others. The excerpt follows:

“Most people love to help people. It’s inbred, in our blood.

And maybe that’s a good lesson for all of us to remember this holiday season. Perhaps you can’t give time or money to help someone less fortunate, but you can always give someone a leg up by recommending they call you later, or suggesting they call a friend who might can help them achieve their goals or dreams. People don’t always need a handout; they may simply need a helping hand up.

What goes around, comes around. Every time you help someone else, it will eventually come back to you. Look at life that way and your in-basket will always be overflowing.”

Okay, so what else, besides giving money or donating canned goods, pet food or clothes, can you do to make life better for others. First of all, you could volunteer a couple of hours a week or make it a one-time shot to a charitable organization or your church. Food banks are seeing higher demand than they can meet, animal shelters are finding their kennels overflowing with abandoned animals as more and more people lose their homes, churches are having more people turn to them for help and spiritual guidance during tough times, thrift shops are reaching record sales as people seek out clothing bargains.

There are many ways you can help out any of these organizations, such as donating time, supplies, and/or money, but as a writer, you can offer to produce a newsletter, flyers, short articles for the local newspaper, inventory lists, or even maintain their membership list. There are numerous ways to put your writing and computer skills to use in almost any type of charitable organization. If your favorite charity doesn’t offer something that fits your skills, be ready to suggest a way to make yourself useful that involves using your writing talents.

Maybe you have life skills that would be useful to overwhelmed families, and could offer to teach classes in budgeting for a family, planning and cooking economical meals, writing a resumé, job interviewing skills, sewing and mending clothes, or starting a small home-based business. People are searching for ways to make their income stretch further, and useful skills that we might take for granted could possibly change the lives of some of those less fortunate. Writers generally have the ability to organize ideas and create useful courses on a variety of subjects, incorporating skills they’ve learned from raising a family or working at a variety of jobs. We all tend to think that what we’ve done isn’t that important, but we all know things that others would love to learn.

Your life will be enriched by the people you meet while volunteering, and you’ll receive other wonderful benefits, including improved mental and physical health from the simple act of helping someone else. Another benefit could come from the people you meet while volunteering. Many busy executives and their families volunteer, and it’s possible you’ll meet someone who is impressed with your dedication and talent, and will recommend you to one of their business associates. That, of course, could lead to an increase in your writing income.

Those of us who are fortunate to have good health, a roof over our heads, plenty to eat, and a lifetime of experiences, no matter what our age or background, all have something useful to give to others, especially in times like these.

Remember: good things come from doing good things for others.

Earn a Great Living as a Ghostwriter of Books
Based on a chapter in the book, Portable Writing by Kay Kennedy

Back in the ‘80s, I met someone who had turned her talent for writing into a successful career writing books for people who were willing to pay $25,000-$30,000 to have their story written. That’s in addition to the thousands they would then pay to have the book printed and bound. I’m not talking about celebrities, here. These would be books about ordinary people, like your neighbors and friends. And this is a field that is wide open for willing writers.

First of all, everyone has a life story to tell, and for every story there is a waiting and willing audience—which might only be a spouse, children, grandchildren, relatives and friends. No story is as treasured as the one passed down from generation to generation, yet most people leave very little behind except snapshots and perhaps a handful of letters and yellowed, brittle news clippings, and some material objects as evidence of their time spent on earth. Their joyful times, lessons learned, difficulties encountered and overcome, and a lifetime of wisdom are lost forever when they pass on. Everyone’s memories are priceless to someone, and as a writer, you can help preserve their stories for future generations.

One of those people wanting their life story told could be your neighbor who is nearing the end of his or her life and wants to produce a record of family history, successes, triumphs and tragedies, and all the changes that have taken place over the years. Your client might be a couple down the street or in your church about to celebrate a milestone anniversary. It could be that favorite teacher or college professor, or your minister who had an influence on thousands of people, but who doesn’t feel equipped to write a book. Or it might be the successful head of a company who wants to memorialize his business and its influence in his community. Maybe he wants to pass on knowledge of starting and operating a business venture like his.

And it could be the executive director of a non-profit organization who succeeded in spite of overcoming great odds, and wants her family, friends, and others to know about her struggles to achieve her career goals. It could also be someone who has great technical experience and wants to produce a how-to book, but doesn’t know how to organize thoughts or put words to paper.

The ghostwriter I met in the ‘80s earned $50,000-60,000 per year from the two books, on average, that she produced. Most ghostwriters could expect to make much more today depending on the size of book projects tackled. The most difficult task is in finding those who want their story told and have the money to pay, but believe me, they’re out there and ready and willing to use your services.

Ordinary people who want their stories told

Here’s how to find those people you might know who would want to have a book written about their lives.

1. First of all, writers must market their services. To start with, produce a simple but eloquent brochure that spells out why clients would want their story told, then explains how you would turn their memories into an interesting and intelligent story.

A simple typed brochure printed on both sides of 8-1/2” by 13” paper and folded in half, like a booklet, would be sufficient. It doesn’t have to include photos or graphics, unless you want to include a photo of yourself on the back side with a compilation of your writing experience. Then make sure you distribute copies at your church, or at any non-profit organization where you volunteer. You might reach some interested clients by teaching classes at retirement homes to help retirees write their own stories. Some will probably want to turn that chore over to you, the expert. And I’ll bet that if they don’t want or can’t afford your services, many of them will know someone who will. Tell people what you do, and be prepared to answer questions.

2. When you get your first project, draw up a contract that specifies when you are to be paid and how much. Ask for at least one-third retainer fee, with one-third due upon completion of interviewing and research, then the final one-third due on completion of the manuscript. Set a time limit in your contract with your clients so that you and they have clear expectations of when the job will be completed.

You may or may not be involved in finding a printer and handling the submission of the manuscript to the printer, or you might only want to produce the manuscript and let your client take care of the printing details. If so, it would be helpful to learn how to format the book on your computer and give a printed copy plus a copy on disk to your client so all they have to do is send it to their printer. Or if a client only wants a few copies (say under 10), then you might want to have the copies printed by a local printer as wire-bound soft cover copies. Be sure to charge for those copies.

3. Outline of the types of information they might want included. Include memory joggers like school memories; birthdays and other celebrations; young adult and adult memories such as role models, going away to college, first job, first car, marriage, children, first home, holiday memories and traditions, and any other ideas that would make wonderful stories for family and friends.

Expand the list to include everything that might help your client provide you with more information, including what they’ve learned that they wish to pass on to their heirs. Have your client pull out old photographs and go through them, recalling memories of the people and events pictured. Ask your clients to tell how things have changed in their lifetimes. Suggest that they include a family tree to help descendants picture their place in the family.

Business clients

For business clients, obviously your questionnaire would include different questions such as when they started their business, how they came up with the idea, how the start-up was financed, etc. It might or might not include the personal information mentioned above.

Another type of book you might ghostwrite would be a technical or how-to book for someone who has knowledge and skills, but doesn’t know how to organize and write a book. If this is the type of client you prefer to attract, your brochure should appear more professional and focus on information that would appeal to a business-oriented person. You would still spell out what you do, but focus on how your skills would benefit your client (i.e., promote business, build credibility, etc.). This type of client might want to self-publish a book or look for a publisher, so that would be a consideration that might affect whether you want to pursue the job or not since it might involve having you find the publisher for your client.

Freelance rewards

Ghostwriting is only one type of freelance writing that might appeal to you. It offers its rewards, such as getting to know people with interesting stories to tell. As you can see, it helps if the writer knows a little bit about a lot of things, such as marketing, outlining, formatting a book, and printing, but these are topics that are easily learned from books. Ghostwriting is a profitable avenue that you might pursue while you are also writing your own great novel.

Remember, this is your livelihood, and you’re providing a great service for your clients. Don’t undersell yourself, even in the beginning. Realize that it might take longer than six months for you to produce your first book project, so you won’t be making the high hourly rates that you’ll receive once you have some experience under your belt. Once you have some experience, your name will become known and clients will start seeking you out to write their life stories.

Enjoy the process. While you’re writing about someone else’s life remember: your life is also being invested into the project. Make it into a wonderful, memorable experience and make it pay!

Another source of information about magazines

A good article by Christine Venzon appeared in July 25, 2008 issue of Writers Weekly about checking the media kits from magazines to understand their readership and focus. These are the information kits that magazines send out to the media and advertisers, and as writers, we are also part of the media and can get access to the kits to help us understand the magazines market, especially if they don’t have writers guidelines to send writers. Read the article by clicking here: http://writersweekly.com/this_weeks_article/004767_06252008.html, or go to www.writersweekly.com and click on “articles” at top of page, which will take you to the archived articles.

GRAMMAR! G-R-R-R

Grammar! It’s what we all learned in school, but there were so many rules that it’s easy to forget some of them, especially years after we’ve graduated. And for those of us who haven’t written for a living or used written grammar in our everyday work, it becomes even harder to recall everything we learned.

For instance, what is a participle, and what, for heaven’s sake, is a dangling participle? If grammar questions like these plague you when you sit down to write, you can sign up to receive daily grammar lessons plus archive past lessons at: http://www.dailygrammar.com/archive.shtml, This is a fascinating site worth checking out even if you think you remember everything you learned.

If you do remember all the rules, let me know your secret to perfect recall. I could certainly use a little help, even though I’ve made my living at this for more than 20 years.

Help Organizations Honor Their History
Based on chapter from the book, Portable Writing by Kay Kennedy

If you have a case of the summer doldrums, there is something you can do right now that will earn enough money for next summer’s RV or plane trip. Usually when any business, civic or business organization, school, church, college fraternity or sorority, or local government gets ready to celebrate a major anniversary, such as the 25th, 50th, 100th, or higher, they want a history of their organization compiled to mark the occasion. And they’re going to need a writer to pull the facts together.

One way to find out about upcoming celebrations is to talk to people who belong to those organizations. Ask them when it was founded, and if a big anniversary is coming up, get the name of a contact person and find out if they have made plans for a written history book to honor their past.

Another way is to go to the library and look up the history of your region. Try old newspapers from way back. Look for nearby townships, churches, businesses, organizations, etc. that were founded about 23-24, 48-49 or 98-99 years ago, then check current telephone books to see if they are still operating. Next, try to find out the name of a contact person, or call the organization and ask for the name of someone who might be in charge of planning an anniversary celebration.

Still another way is to watch the daily newspaper, either the society pages (if your newspaper still carries them) or the business section, for any news about upcoming plans for an official observance or reunion to celebrate a landmark anniversary.

And quite possibly, you belong to a group that has a big anniversary coming up. It could be anything from a local preservation group for a museum, church, school, library, scenic railroad, or fairgrounds to the local chapter of the Elks Club. Think of all the groups you belong to and ask your friends and family about organizations they belong to. Somewhere among your acquaintances and the newspapers you research, you will surely locate one group that has an upcoming anniversary.

Once you have a contact person at such an organization, call them and ask if their organization has discussed having a history of their group compiled into a commemorative book. If they say no, or they haven’t heard of anything, ask if there is someone you can contact who might know, or who might be in charge of collecting and maintaining historical documents. The person most likely to know about such things would be the head of the organization, but it could be someone in charge of volunteer activities or even a secretary who has been put in charge of keeping historical files.

Pitch your idea to the person in charge on the telephone and offer to write a letter outlining your ideas. That way, they will have something in writing and can also see that you have the writing skills necessary to undertake the job. If you’ve ever put together any book or any kind, offer to make an appointment to show your examples and to discuss the project further. And you’ll discuss what type of book they would like to see: whether it will be a large, souvenir hardcover book or a smaller, paperback copy, or even a pamphlet, and whether photos will be included, and then if there will be any color photos.

When you find a group that wants to have a book compiled, present them with a contract (a copy of one can be found in my book, Portable Writing). Get at least a 1/3 deposit on the total amount up front, with another 1/3 due when manuscript is completed, then the final 1/3 due when the book goes to the printer.

You’ll want to have access to their records and any historical photos. You will also probably want to interview people still living who had a part in the founding and former employees familiar with the history and operation of the organization. If founding members are still alive, interview them to learn their original ideas and plans for their organization, and how they view its growth.

You will need to wade through founding papers, board meeting minutes, marketing materials and articles that might have appeared in local newspapers or magazines over the years. Document how the company or organization has grown.

Then put the story together, and get approval from the person in charge at several points along the way to make sure you are on track with their concept. Also show them the final proof, and have them proofread and approve it with their signature affixed before you proceed any further.

This type of project might take a year or a month to complete, depending on the size of the organization and the type of final presentation wanted, but it is possible to work on two or three of these projects at one time, especially if one or two are small pamphlets and booklets and one is a large-scale book. And remember, every one of the projects you complete, including the small pamphlets, can lead to bigger, more profitable projects in the future.

Wanna’ Write? Check Out This Article on Taking a Chance

I want to direct you to a July 30 article titled: “Take a Chance,” by Doreen Rosevald in WritersWeekly, http://writersweekly.com/success_stories/004834_07302008.html, to find out what she has learned that might be useful to other writers. She was a farmer’s wife with two babies who dared to take a chance and ended up with her own newspaper column, and much more. Her experience was much like mine when I approached a newspaper publisher at a networking meeting and was offered a regular column plus getting feature articles on a variety of business topics published.

Getting into writing is really that easy! And if you don’t succeed the first time, or it doesn’t work out as you expected, try again. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. What’s the worst that can happen? The word "No"? We’ve all heard that word before, some of us over and over again, so what’s another "No" if you desperately want to write and be published? Just another tiny speed bump on the parking lot of a typical writer’s life.

On the other hand, take a chance and you might just find that there really is a paying outlet for your writing. Shucks, you could very easily become rich and famous.

THE SIMPLE STEPS YOU MUST TAKE TO GET YOUR ARTICLES PUBLISHED

This month’s article is a long one, but it holds information that is important to anyone who wants to have articles published in magazines. Most writers think they must have experience or know someone in the magazine industry to get their first article published, but that’s not necessarily true. All new writers get their start somewhere, and often it’s a paying assignment in a magazine.

My first opportunity at getting published was a thrill, but it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t worked up the nerve to approach a magazine editor at an interior design lecture in Seattle. My only previous publishing experience consisted of 3 or 4 very short articles on decorating in a small beach town newspaper for no pay. The newspaper had also published my photo and byline with the articles. I used copies of them to show that I had been published, and editors that I was approaching could see at a glance that I had experience, no matter how pathetic it was.

Those few short articles got me an audience with the editor of a leading interior design magazine, and I was given an assignment to produce an article. I wrote the article, for which the magazine was a great showcase. The magazine did not pay (I was so excited I had forgotten to ask about that), but that one assignment led to others, plus it gave me the confidence to pursue even more magazine assignments.

I found that the best avenue to getting published is to learn how to approach an editor, then do it confidently. I have learned that confidence counts as much as experience, and sometimes new writers must “fake” their confidence as they begin to dip their toes into the publishing industry. Write query letters with the self-assurance of a professional. Start the letter with a fabulous quote from your article so you’ll get the editor’s attention from the get-go.

I recommend that you buy a book on writing query letters, read it thoroughly, and build on the examples there. You’ll learn a lot about what editors want to see, so these books should be on your personal bookshelf on writing. Hopefully, you also have a copy of my book, Portable Writing, which details 25 different projects that I have created over the years to earn income, including published articles and books. And you should also learn how to format a manuscript, which I describe at the end of this article.

If you are approaching a magazine editor who does not want to see a query letter, but instead, wants to see the completed article, then decide whether the magazine pays enough and whether your chances are good enough to make it worthwhile. It’s a bigger job to write a complete article, but truly, sometimes it’s more difficult to produce a really great query letter. The editor of Escapees Magazine, Janice Lasko, does not want query letters because she’s found that articles often don’t live up to the promises or quality of the query letter. Escapees Magazine is an excellent market for your articles on all phases of RVing. Read the magazine to see what types of articles get published.

Getting published means you MUST take several steps first:

1. Know your audience. Read the magazine you want to write for. Read it thoroughly, including the ads and letters-to-the-editor column. You need to find out what types of articles the magazine wants, whether the articles include personal experiences or not, and you want to determine who its readers are. Are the readers and subscribers young parents or retirees? Are they middle class or upper income? What are their interests and hobbies? Are they male or female, or both? Do they like to travel, or do their lives focus on family and home? Often the best clue to who reads the magazine is determined by simply perusing the ads. Advertisers don’t pay big bucks to scatter their message to readers who aren’t interested in their product.
2. Request the “Writers Guidelines” from each magazine for which you wish to write. Sometimes you can go online and download a copy of the guidelines, but if you mail away for them, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with a note stating “request for writers guidelines.”
3. Submit what the editor wants. If a query letter is requested, then learn how to write the best one that you can. If the completed article is wanted, then make sure you write the most thorough article you can within the number of words requested.
4. Make sure you adhere to the editor’s word count. If your article turns out to be 2000 words and the guidelines specifies 1500 words, do not send 2000 words hoping the editor will be so excited by your writing that it will be accepted. It won’t! Start cutting. I can promise you that any article can be made better by tightening the writing. There are always extra words, especially connecting words that can be cut. There will be sentences that don’t really add content to the article, so cut them. There may be a way to rearrange paragraphs or sentences to shorten them. Remember that any article, no matter how wonderful, can be made greater by judicious cutting.
5. Make sure the information in your article is accurate. If you write something but aren’t really sure if the place name is correct, or spelled correctly, get online and research it. Make a mistake, and that editor won’t ever read your letters or articles again.
6. Keep a Thesaurus handy. When I worked for a publisher, the first thing I was handed was a Thesaurus because I had to know a 1000 ways to say the word “precious.” I gagged as I sought out other ways to say it, but that was one of the most popular expressions used in that particular magazine. You do not want to keep repeating a word, any word, throughout your article.
7. Write in the active voice. Avoid passive words when possible. Active words draw readers in and hold their interest, plus your articles can often be shortened by changing sentences to the active voice. Example: “John became upset when it was suggested that he should sell his big SUV if he could no longer afford the gas for it.” “John was livid at the suggestion that he sell his big SUV to save money on gas.” Notice that the passive voice uses 24 words to say the same thing as the 17-word active voice sentence. Besides making your writing more interesting, sentences will probably be shorter and more to the point in the active voice.
8. Remember that any holiday or seasonal article should be submitted at least 6-9 months before the publication date.
9. When finished, put your manuscript away for a couple of days, then read it aloud. And ask someone else to read it.
10. Use the spell check and grammar check to find any problem areas. Remember that a spell check cannot discern between a typo that creates the wrong word, such as when the word hare or hard should really be harp. Also it won’t know whether you meant to write are or or. And also realize that the grammar check sometimes makes outrageous suggestions, so if a problem crops up, don’t take their word for it. Read your sentence to see if it might be awkwardly worded, then rewrite it to suit your meaning.
    

Important: Before you put your article in the envelope, be sure to give it one final, careful reading to make sure it is perfect. And remember to include photos, if they are being sent with the article, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Of course, if you are sending you manuscript by email, there’s no need for a SASE and photos would be sent according to the editor’s wishes.

To find magazines to write for that you may not be familiar with, buy a copy of Writer’s Market or go to your public library to find the current copy, plus read back issues of Writer’s Digest and The Writer Magazines. All three provide many useful articles on writing for publication and provide a listing of magazine and book publishers.

Formatting a manuscript

Manuscripts most typically have 1-1/2 inch margins on sides and at top and bottom, and should be double-spaced. In the top left-hand corner, type your name; 2nd and 3rd lines: address; 4th line: telephone number; and 5th line: email address.

In the top right-hand corner, type which rights you are selling. Typically, this would read “First North American Rights” but could be “Second Rights” if the article has previously been published elsewhere. Beneath that on the 2nd line, list how many words are used. On the 3rd line you can put “Copyright (or ©) by your name.” There is some argument about whether you should add this line because some editors take offense, but I always include it so that the editor will know that I’m not selling all rights to the article. If you are including photos, on the 4th line type Photos: 10, or the number that you are including.

Drop down about 1/3 to 1/2 of the page and type in the title, centered and in bold type. Drop down two more spaces and type “By your name.” Skip two lines before starting the article. Indent the first line of each paragraph about 5 spaces.

At the bottom of each page, type continued, if the article is continued on the next page. At the top of each following page, type your last name at the top right and the page number at the top left of the page. This is important in case the editor drops your article and has to reassemble it.

Make sure your manuscript is double-spaced. At the end of the article, center and type - end - or ###.

Make sure that you address your letter to the correct editor, and that you spell the editor’s name correctly. Writer’s Market entries usually include lots of information, including the editor’s name and rate of pay. Again, send for the magazine’s “writers guidelines” before actually sending off an article and it pays to check with the publisher to double-check the editor’s name.

That’s all there is to it. You’ll quickly become familiar with all the steps as you submit more and more manuscripts for publication. And you’ll occasionally find exceptions to some of the steps I’ve listed above. No matter what topics you write about, you’ll find that the more you write, the easier the entire process will become.