10 Things That Scare Writerly People

Most writerly people -- like you and me -- are brave, fearless and courageous. We sit hunched over our keyboards day after day using the interwebz to dazzle the masses with our razor sharp wit, humor and all-around genius. During those rare moments we interact with other humans, we project a confident, fear nothing attitude.

We have to be fearless to give up a brick-and-mortar job and a regular paycheck for the unknown writerly world where money may not arrive for months. Not to mention our page views look a bit like the world's scariest roller coaster ride ever some days.

It may come as a surprise to know writers have fears just like everyone else. Yes, it's true! Not to worry, I've taken steps to keep the non-writerly in their blissfully clueless state concerning us writerly types. They'll either see a blank page or a jumbled mess followed by a ticking time bomb appearing on the screen that virtually explodes, depending on what browser they're using.

*Disclaimer* The list of 10 things may not be in the order of your own fears and any similarities real or imagined are purely coincidental.

Here's the list of 10 serious, and a couple of not so serious, things that scare writerly people.

10. Running Out of Pens. I'll freely admit that this scenario makes my insides tremble. Tapping away on a keyboard is more common than using pen and paper these days, but we still like to go old school now and then. I have a huge stockpile of pens and I can't stop myself from adding more pens. Maybe I need a pen intervention....or a pentervention...

9. Fear We Really Do Suck. It's quickly closing on three years since I became a freelance writer and sometimes I consumed by the fear I really suck, my articles are crap, but no one has gotten around to being honest enough to say so. I'm sure your insides or your hand trembles a bit, just like mine, when you submit an article.

8. Fear of Fame and Success. It's kind of funny when you think about this one. I've noticed many other writers, not just myself, are a solitary bunch. We write many different things we know are going to be read by thousands, hopefully millions, of people, yet fear being singled out. Being able to become anonymous by donning a pen name provides a layer of privacy.

7. Taking Chances. The world of writing is all about taking chances, confidence, selling our writing and ourselves to other people. I'll readily admit I sometimes--okay most of the time--have a severe lack of confidence in my abilities. I'm scared spitless thinking about putting myself out there to attract clients. There's a deep fear of not being good enough, of being rejected. Sometimes you just have to take a chance or risk losing a lucrative job when you let this fear hold you back.

6. Typos and Other Stupidity. This is enough to make the most confident writer shake uncontrollably with fear. Having work published with typos, and *gulp* even worse, published with one or more sentences that make no sense. There's also sentence tampering which turns perfectly sensible, factual sentences into gobbledegook. The meaning of sentences turned into non-factual stupidity leaving us, and readers, scratching their heads as we try to decipher them. Editors mean well, but if it doesn't need to be touched, don't touch it! When this occurs, go immediately to your email and raise some hell to have your writing restored to its pristine state.

5. Computer Wonkiness and Breakdowns. Computers, mainly laptops, have become the modern-day pen of writers. We use them for everything. Without them we lose access to our clients. The slightest glitch makes us sweat, fearing our trusty computer is going to go to computer heaven. Writers with older computers may also begin to tremble, worry and feel a strong urge to panic. Try to remain calm, retain your composure. Oh who am I kidding! Break down and sob, no one will blame you.

4. Trying to Right the Wrongs and Identity Theft. We know the world wide interwebz is full of misinformation, some of it truly horrific, content wise and the way it's written. The totally awesome writers, like us, pride ourselves on publishing well-written, factual content. We quake in terror of finding our good names on something which says: "He was on the maining with a halberd and did reach for sibilant tupperware." It's called a spun article and never makes sense. Although if you're like me and many other writers I know, you can laugh and have fun with it.

3. Quiet in the Deadlands. A descriptive way to express what it feels like when writers slam into the wall of writer's block, the feeling of a blank mind and wondering why our muse has abandoned us. The ideas for articles typically come from our lives, our interests, even our jobs, past or present. Running out of ideas and writer's block are real fears. I've sweated many moments of writer's block, even as I sit and stare at a huge list of ideas. Try not to panic. Just write something, anything to get things rolling again. Yes, tap out a single word 100 times if that's what it takes.

2. Deadline Pressure. I bet every writer has dealt with the nerve-wracking, sweat inducing fear of missing a deadline for anything. Even a self-imposed deadline such as putting up a blog post. Some writers will begin to obsess about a deadline right from the start. Take heart fellow writerly people, you are not alone in your obsession or fear.

And the number 1 fear of writerly people....

1. Realizing There's No Coffee in the House. This scenario is truly nightmarish, complete with palsied shaking and cold sweats. Affected writers may also turn into slathering beasts, accompanied by lots of teeth gnashing. Some may bear a resemblance to a pissed off Incredible Hulk. Give these writers a wide berth until they've ingested no less than 20 pots of coffee, which will set their bodily systems to normal once again. If you happen to be caught in the same room when they morph, make no sudden movements and leave the vicinity as soon as possible. Run to the nearest establishment that sells coffee, preferably Starbucks, and buy the whole store. Then carefully lure the beast...uh writer, to the store and proceed to pour everything with lots of caffeine in it down his or her throat.

Hopefully you had a few chuckles over the not so serious entries and found comfort in the serious ones knowing you're not alone. Do you have any writerly fears? Be bold, be brave, leave it in the comments, then get back to work!

Mindless Monday: Be Mindless and Save Your Insanity

Mondays are a little, ok maybe a lot, like full moon nights. The day is full of weird happenings and lots of chaos. It doesn't seem to matter whether the day starts happily or not. Mondays are guaranteed to go screaming downhill at some point. If that didn't happen, why would we all hate Mondays so much? I'm going to singlehandedly tackle this phenomenon and save our writerly insanity we cling to like a toddler clings to his favorite blankie.

*WARNING: This post requires no brain power. You may begin to laugh so hard, people 10 blocks away will hear you, not to mention the "looks" you may get from the furry, and not so furry, inhabitants of your home.*

Ooops! Too late to run for cover now. Guess we'll have to just ride it out.

We writerly types have secrets we keep from the world while we quietly populate the interwebz with our genius.

Hey! *grabs a towel and begins to dry off* Keep the coffee shower on your side of the screen. *grumbles about coffee and inconsiderate writers*

I saw that! Yeah, I'm talking to you Ms. I'm-Still-In-My-Pajamas this late in the afternoon. Now pry your poor little kitty off the ceiling and apologize for scaring her. *tsk tsk*

I hope this will keep you completely mindless for the rest of the day. It's all part of my sinister plan to....*yanks keyboard away from evil twin; gives evil twin the evil eye as evil twin rolls on the floor laughing*

Sorry about that my writerly peeps. She is seriously twisted and loves to make trouble for me. Good thing I came back into the room because I forgot my coffee mug. Pay no attention to anything she says. Happy Mindless Monday y'all! *waves bye-bye*

Stayin' Alive and Touring the World

Nope, I'm not referring to that infamous 1970's song by you know who or any tours they may have done back in the day. I can't say the name of the band or I'll have that song stuck in my head for days, maybe even weeks. *shudders* I'm blasting country in my ears right now because I started to hear the music for it. 

So, what were we doing besides reminiscing? Oh yeah, discussing what the title stayin' alive and touring the world means to the writerly life. *ahem* Some days trying to write seems like a chore or worse yet..*gulp*..a job! *gasp* It's all about stayin' alive to be able to move on and write the next article, even when you just want to throw your hands in the air. You just have to stick to it and, in the immortal words of Larry the cable guy, "git 'er done!" Just try not to take the Stayin' Alive express straight into frustration alley and go all postal on the first person your eyes happen to see.

Whether it's a good or bad day writing wise, we writerly types often tour the world through words. The words don't have to come from your fingers. They can slide into your field of vision from a fellow writer, a news story, a travel blog, or a piece in a magazine. Writers weave words and takes you on trips to other countries, above and below the sea, to tiny islands you never knew existed, or guide you to a new place in your own neighborhood. 

Words and pictures let you sample food from almost every culture, learn about animals, laws (weird or not), languages, medicine, history and so much more. So, the next time you sit down to write an article, think about how it might take someone else on a tour, ok maybe a slight pit stop, to your little piece of the world. Who knows, maybe this will help you the next time you're struggling to stay alive. 

Patience and Persistence - Two Writerly Qualities it Pays to Have

Writers who have been around awhile know patience and peristence are nice qualities to have because they really do pay. It doesn't matter if you write online content, books or for magazines, being a writer requires patience to build and persistence to get where you want to be. This is something new writers should know and a good reminder for the old timers.

Let's take a look at patience and all the situations we need this quality for in our daily writerly life. We need to exercise patience as we slowly build up our writing portfolio. No writer is going to become a household name overnight. Too many people jump into online writing expecting to make hundreds of dollars a day right off the bat. They have serious unrealistic expectations. It takes patience to start bringing in the money in a decent amount. Money rises as you build your portfolio and show people what you can do.

Outside of writing, but still very much writing related, are the things we also need patience for. We need patience when our muse deserts us, stranding us on Writer's Block in a bad neighborhood. We need this sterling quality when we're trying to work, but the kids, the husband or boyfriend, neighbor and that strange guy from the park keeps insisting on disrupting us. Ripping out one's hair leaves ugly bald spots and isn't all that attractive. Remember to breathe and let patience become your mantra.

Persistence is another writerly quality it pays to have. We need persistence to meet the goals we set for ourselves each day, week or month. It comes in handy when we need ideas to keep us writing. Persistence really counts if you're serious about being a full-time freelance writer and want to make enough money to pay all the bills. We're persistent as we send in query letters to magazine after magazine, publisher after publisher hoping this time we'll get more than a rejection letter.

Writers are a patiently persistent bunch who never give up, never quit and wield the written word like an experienced sword fighter. We love shaping letters into words, into sentences, into paragraphs, into entire articles and books. Keep your expectations realistic, set realistic goals, be the best writer you can be and one day you will be King or Queen of the writerly world.

Saturday Stumblings - "N" Randomness from the Writerly World

It's still Saturday morning, quickly closing in on the noon hour. I'm armed with my trusty cup of coffee and prying my eyes open. Walking over to put my coffee on, I tripped! I look down to see if I tripped on air again, cause I really am a klutz and do trip on air often, and what do I see? I see the letter "N" laying there snickering at me. If you really look at it, you can see how it's made for tripping the unwary walker.

Well, my day is off to a great start now. Tricky "N" was determined to make sure I didn't forget today I'm writing about him. Or at least words that begin with him. We'll begin with the word no.

No, I do not like the latest update to the guidelines at DS in the home and garden section. There's nothing wrong with the industry standard of single quotes, which is also followed by AP. You want everything else in AP, but insist on making up rules left and right to make us look foolish. You want expert voice and writing, but then do stuff like that. Hopefully the weekend gives you insight and come Monday you'll have come to your senses.

Winter Fog, pdekker3, sxc.hu

We'll move from a bit of venting to something we writerly types might do a lot of certain days, noshing. We nosh on whatever is handy absentmindedly throughout the day as we churn out our works of art. Brownies, chips, pizza, and snack cakes are consumed to give us energy. Some are capable of noshing on the healthier things in life such as fruits and vegetables. One of my favorite things to nosh on is cottage cheese and crushed pineapple. Yum! Give me some broccoli smothered in cheese sauce and I'm in heaven. Good grief I'm making myself hungry.

Moving along before I start eating my keyboard. Our last "N" of the day goes to nebulaphobia. I'm sure you see the word "phobia" at the end and have guessed it's some sort of phobia, but which one? It is the fear of fog or clouds. I can see why someone would have nebulaphobia. Fog has led to horrific pileups on roads and has been used to scare the bahjeebus out of people in movies. When you see a foggy night and a lone person wandering in it, you know this won't end well.

So ends our "N" randomness for this Saturday. Take your new word and use it well.

Laziness Among the Writerly

Come on, admit it, you have lazy days too. Those days you just don't feel like writing a dang thing and for once it has nothing to do with your muse being MIA. That's the kind of day I'm having today. It's hard to get motivated to do much of anything when pain has taken over everything.

I can usually distract myself with computer stuff, but I don't get much work done. I can't afford to not work though, so here I sit in the midst of a huge quandry. I've been cussin' at my computer all day long. It refuses to cooperate, particularly Firefox. I have to end program every 2 to 5 minutes and despite how that ticks me off, I can't put any heat behind my curse words, nor get too upset about it.

I've caught up on my blog posts for the A to Z challenge though. I'm quite proud of myself. That means tomorrow's edition of Freelance Friday will be on time! I promised it would and I can't break my promises. I'll have to unlazy myself and produce a couple of articles, lazy day or not. I need a new computer. This one is so old and can't handle what I need it to handle.

Ode to Writerly Laziness

My brain is empty,
hollow and dead.
Must I really,
get up out of bed?
Yes I must,
thought I'd rather not.
Lazy days are calling,
but today it's for naught.
Goodbye lazy day,
it was nice knowing you.

How do you overcome your lazy days? If you give in, that's okay too, we won't judge.

Justifying Your Writerly Time, Make the Most of It

Leaving the brick and mortar workplace, either because you want to, or had no choice, doesn't mean you don't have to justify your time any longer. Being your own boss as a freelance writer does give you a lot more leeway in what you do with your time, but on the other hand you can't fritter time away if you expect to make money to buy food and pay the bills.

You don't have to make up a rigid schedule and justify every single minute of the day, but you should plan your day to make the most of the hours you do have available. Sometimes things happen in life that's out of our control and can derail even the best schedule in the world.

Keep in mind that everyone is different when it comes to their writing needs. None of our schedules are going to be the same. As an example, I'm a night owl and tend to do best when I write at night. Even us night owls have different times of the night, late night, or early morning that we find most productive. Determine when your best writing hours are to make the most of your writing time.

Don't force the words or the time. Trying to write at the wrong time of day leads to frustration. It may also have you producing craptastic articles that make you cringe. I tried writing during the day one time, a whole article and...wow, I'll never do that again unless my muse moves me to write during my "off" hours.

Use your "off" hours to outline or do some research. You may not be writing, but you are doing writerly activity. That's making the most of your writerly time, allowing you to be ready to write that article when actual writing time rolls around. I lay out my how to's with my "Things You'll Need", steps, tips, warnings, references, resources and notes to the CE and notes of what goes in each step done. For section type articles, I give them headings and if there's something I particularly want to say, I make a note of it.

Always carry a small notebook, small recorder or something around with you to take notes. Life can be so hectic and that brilliant idea you had while standing in line buying groceries will vanish into the ether if you have to wait to jot it down. Make a note of whatever pops into your head right then and there. Later you can flesh it out on virtual or actual paper.

Reward yourself. I find the reward system is working for me. I must get x articles researched and outline, or x written before I'll allow myself to take a break. I get to peruse FB, check on a game, go clear the crap out of my email and leave the stuff I want or need to read sitting there for later. Some of you may go for a short walk to get the blood pumping, or grab a snack. Whatever you do, always make the most of your time, while rewarding yourself for all the hard "work" you're doing.

Inventing Your Writerly Self: Who Are You?

I didn't think much about a writerly self growing up, heck, didn't really thing about "serious" writing till a couple of years ago. See, I've always loved to write...and read, a lot. My whole life has been spent in pursuit of language and words, putting them together to create a tapestry. I wove words together to help heal wounds, as tributes, to be silly, or just dream. The picture upon the tapestry reflected parts of me.

Two years ago when I stumbled across AC, I saw a chance to expand my tapestry. It also made me think about my writerly self. Who was I? Some people have a niche, some are generalists, others do both. Inventing your writerly self is a process you may or may not give any thought to at all. I'm a thinker, a planner, an organizer, so in typical fashion, inventing my writerly self required some thought.

I began with health related content because of the chronic pain condition I have. That led to my next favorite subject of home remedies and other health problems. I wanted to be more than a health writer, so I did some parenting type articles. Being a mom to four kids and one grandson helps me come up with ideas for those.

I love crafting, which led to crafting articles. Sometimes crafting and decorating cross, so I ended up with multi-dimensional articles. I have one pagan article, but have plans for more one day, as well as genealogy subjects for YCN. I have two fur babies who own me and let them each write their own article and the one I wrote on Maine Coons. Over at DS, I stuck with the health articles, then started writing gardening type, with a few craft articles thrown in and a few genealogy too.

At this point, two years later, I'm still inventing my writerly self. I'm a crafter, genealogist, gardner (only virtually...I murder anything that grows in real life. I did garden with my grandma growing up, just don't do it on my own.), health, parent, pet owner and proud pagan. I am a generalist who can write to specific niche topics with ease due to my life experiences.

There's other dimensions to me as a writer that I have yet to explore, but it's not as if I have any limits on what I can do either. I've seen people ask many times about how to get article ideas or rely on assignments at YCN in order to write something. Everyone should take some time to find out what they like to do to begin inventing their writerly selves. Go on, getting crackin' and make a list! I bet you'll start coming up with ideas for articles before you get too far.

Frustration: How Not to Strangle Your Muse or Other People

Letter F, ba1969, sxc.hu

Oh how our muse's love to play with us. They have the ability to make the words flow smoothly, or throw us into the world of chaos for days on end. Sometimes those days make us walk around groaning and ripping our hair out over the lack of work being done, while others happily take a play day knowing tomorrow will be better.

No matter your reaction, I've had both, you can overcome the urgent need to strangle your muse or other people who may wander into your path as you have a righteous, writerly meltdown.

#1: Take a deep breath and just breathe. That's right, in...out...in...out, repeat until your blood pressure falls below immediate heart attack status due to frustration. Stop that! No counting while breathing allowed. For some reason counting can have the opposite effect and make you more ticked off rather than less. It does for me, try it sometime and see if you calm down faster.

#2: Don't make eye contact with anyone. This is imperative if you don't want to find your hands wrapped around the throat of your muse or other non-writerly types dwelling in your household. The muse sometimes likes to hang around to see our reactions as he, or she, takes back the magical writing dust they sprinkle around.

#3: Take your own mini vacation. It doesn't have to be anything big, like taking an impromptu trip to Hawaii or the farthest reaches of Timbuktu where you'll find yourself on a snowy mountain top. Think smaller, but relaxing. Put on some music and dance around the room like a crazy person. Take a bubble bath, slather yourself in lotion and body spray for a "spa" day. Go beat up some stuffed animals.

For the more manly among us, bubble baths and stuffed animals and dancing might not be your thing, so go do some manly activities. Retreat to your workshop and build an ark, happily sawing wood and banging nails galore. Ok, so maybe nothing so grand, how about a toy boat then? Tackle the highest tree and build that treehouse you always wanted.

We can also do non-genderly things too. Exercise is good for burning calories and frustration at the same time. Hiking, biking, walking, eating..healthy eating, not junk food. Tell yourself it's 5 o'clock somewhere in the world and grab a bottle! Don't drink till tipsy or drunk though, because your writing will suffer if your muse decides to give back the wordage you need.

Keep focused, keep calm, go forth and write your fingers off!

Excellence in Writing

Letter E, ba1969, sxc.hu

We demand excellence in our writing, in everything we do that is writerly. Some of us take it one step further, going so far as to rewrite a simple grocery list or note because it's not perfect. It doesn't matter no one cares, we care and some of us are just that...well, committed to excellence. Ok, so some of us are anal, there I said it. Happy now?

The writerly will edit, edit and edit some more in order to achieve perfection in our works of art, down to the smallest jobs, giving it our all. We're determined to excel and ban those pesky typos, awkward words or sentences and passive writing to the realms of darkness never to be seen again. Reading everything forward, backward and upside down, we edit our writing.

Having gotten our work of art perfect, we proudly submit it to whatever venue it was created for. We're assured the person first reading it, whether it's an editor or the public, will praise us for our excellence. We sit back to bask in the glory due us for all our hard work. Tragedy strikes in an instant. We groan, moan and rant over the rewrite pointing out a teeny tiny error or two. We facepalm and exclaim, "OMG!" at the typo or awkwardness of a sentence that's now live to the public.

How does this happen? Writerly equals excellence in all things with nary a mistake seen in our writing. Well, the bottom line is we're all human. No matter how much we edit and reread, sometimes things slip by us, and even manage to slip by an editor perusing our work before it goes live. You can choose to let it horrify, or you can choose to laugh about it. The laughing sometimes is done on your way to write an email asking for a correction to something, but laughter it should be. Maybe along with a facepalm sometimes.

Deviousness and The Writerly of the World

Letter D, zacden, sxc.hu

We writerly types can be very devious indeed. We scheme, plot and devise bloody deaths for people we know and even a few people we don't know. We contemplate ways to get away with the perfect murder, or how to live on another world on a less than perfect planet. Occasionally, we take forays into magical worlds filled with all types of mystical and mythical beings. Other worlds are inhabited by vampires and werewolves.

The world of fiction writing is perfect for unleashing all the negative feelings we puny humans deal with everyday. The characters in the stories aren't real so no harm done, but that doesn't mean we're not envisioning a friend or family member as the one being brutalized while we're writing it. It can be quite cathartic.

Writerly people are also masters at being devious enough to avoid working on days the words just won't flow. We've all done it. You peruse every status posting by every person in your network for the past six days. You invent reasons to hang out in groups to talk to people or play games. Researching an obscure term just took top priority on your things to do list. Anything shiny within your field of vision is a good enough reason to chase it.

In writing and in life itself, the writerly are masters of deviousness. We can kill people all day long and get away with it, or hang out yakking because we can't muster the words or energy to dismember someone. Whatever the reason, never lose the devious streak lest your writing suffer.

Banging on the Keyboard: It's All About the Mood

Carbon letter, ilco, sxc.hu

Writerly people do this thing on a keyboard called typing, also known as banging on the keyboard, because sometimes we really do bang on the keyboard. Banging usually happens when frustration, or an editor, makes our blood pressure skyrocket. Now typing is nothing new of course. Computers are everywhere, people type on them all hours of the day and night. Heck, there's even keyboards on phones now!

Keyboard, GinnyLynni, sxc.hu

The one thing writerly types do that others don't, we type with intent. When our muse is in a good mood, our fingers fly across the keys, eyes glued to the screen as the words flow onto virtual paper. The adjectives, adverbs, punctuation and other assorted words and schtuff fall together with ease and create a masterpiece. We're giddy with excitement to get that thing published, so others can bask in our genius.

Hey! Yeah, you there in the gray shirt. I hear you snickering over that last line. You must not be a writerly person. *gives you my best mom eye* We writerly people are geniuses ya know. Our ego's are full of our creative genius that people like you can't ever hope to touch. *sniffs haughtily*

Ok, where was I? Oh yeah...our genius in creating words for others to read. I believe I used the word basking, which is a "b" word too. See, pure genius I tell ya! We bang away on our keyboards day and night, night and day to create stories full of wit, humor, facts and more woven together seamlessly to entertain and inform the masses.

When we have to go banging on the keyboard for other reasons, well, smart people steer clear. It's the not so smart ones who'll venture near for a closer look at the spittle flying from our mouths, our eyes glowing with an inner light that's not quite sane. All the while we mutter foul language about the idiotic so-and-so's and where they can stick that rewrite.

Whether we blissfully type away or bang on the keyboard, we do what we love. Only true writerly types will devote so much time to the written word and unleash our creativity onto virtual or real paper for others to read. It can be a true blood, sweat and tears business, but I wouldn't trade this "job" for anything in the world.

Artistic Temperment Exposed

Typographic element, Unvrs, sxc.hu

That's right, I'm going to do it for all the world to see. Nope, you can't stop me, I'm exposing the artistic temperment of writerly people on my blog in honor of the A to Z Challenge for the month of April. The month also begins with A, so what could be better? Well, of course not exposing anything could be better, but it's my duty to warn the non-writerly people so they have a chance at least to save themselves.

Crazy Lady, Shine4Him8, sxc.hu

The artistic temperment of a writerly type is extremely volatile. One minute everything is fine, the next there's gnashing of teeth, growling and probably hair pulling. There's many reasons for all those strange sounds. The computer and/or site might have eaten hours of hard work. A minor mess up where something comes out sounding awkward can cause this reaction in some. The worst possible cause...the writerly's must just deserted him/her. Do not approach and don't make any sudden moves. It could result in a very ugly scene that ends with broken furniture.

Non-writerly types should be wary even when the posture of the writer is relaxed and smiling. It means things are going very well, the words are flowing, but one little interruption could spell their doom. Yelling things like, "Mom, where's my favorite pants?" or "Honey, I'm hungry." could turn the placid writerly person into a not so nice person. Never, ever interrupt the flow between the muse and the writer lest you find yourself in the middle of a real life horror movie titled: What Happens When You Interrupt a Writerly Type Person. Fend for yourself until the work day is over.

One last warning before I go. Just because the writerly person remove their bottom from the chair in front of the computer does not mean it's open season for solving world hunger, bringing peace to all and making said writerly fix you food. Their mind is likely composing the next great article as they write/walk to feed their own belly. Us writerly types need an occasional break too. Keep fending for yourself until you don't see any documents open and said writerly type person actually speaks to you.

Just a few simple rules that could save your life, sanity and keep you all in one piece. My civic duty done, I must now stride off into the sunset to compose more words for the masses.

Shiny Object Sunday

Disco Ball 1,ladyaustin,sxc.hu

The good 'ole 70s. Era of disco dancing and the weirdest clothing to ever grace the planet. I was a little kid through most of the 70s, but there's plenty of picture proof that my mama did indeed dress me funny. Oy! Makes me want to burn them so they'll never be seen.

Anyway, the disco ball is the highlight of this weeks Shiny Object Sunday post. It's big, it glitters, it spins and writerly types go absolutely bonkers. All that shininess and the shiny bits it casts all over the room and floor keeps us chasing our own tails around the room. First it's the bigger shinies, then the medium size ones, then the small, but OMG what's that over there? Can it be.....

Sunday is such a lazy type of day. It's a day of rest, kicking back and fritterin' the day away on a hobby, or just getting in some extra shut eye.  Who feels like working when the sun is shining and the day is warm. Squirrels are chattering, busy chasing each other or, if you're like one squirrel around here, getting too much enjoyment out of sitting on top of the fence saying something close to, "Na na you two furry beasts. You're in there, I'm out here laughing at you and you can't get me." At which point said fur tail dissolves into hysterical laughter squirrel style. Oh yes, it happened, more than once. Maybe....

Glimmer 1; miamiamia; sxc.hu

Holy moly, it's my favorite color, one of them, sliding through my blog tempting me with lots of shininess. Stare at it long enough and you will be mesmerized. That's the whole point though. We're distracted, not working, unable to look away from the play of light and color and....and...shinyyy. Now what the heck was I talking about? *taps chin with index finger*

I can't remember but that's ok. Maybe I'll remember next week...or next month, maybe even next year. Yeah, my mucked up mind has so many holes in it, thoughts slip through like water to be lost among the waves, carried out to sea never to be seen again. I bet if they take a scan of my brain, it'd look like Swiss cheese. Alright, so maybe I exaggerate a little, on how it looks. It sure does feel that way most of the time.

Sunday, at least this Sunday, is far from a lazy day for this writerly type gal. Next week no matter what I'm taking the day off from all physical activity more strenuous than lifting my coffee cup and typing. Hoist a cup for me today as I get busy trying to do a billion things at once.

Saturday Stumblings - Randomness From the Writerly World

Help, topfer, sxc.hu

I'm stumbling all over myself this Saturday morning, but I haven't fallen yet. I found it hard to pry my eyes open this morning, and I really hope the coffee can kick my rear into gear. I'm very busy today with some upheavals going on at home while trying to write and keep the money coming in. I've weathered worse though. I can't disappoint anyone, because I know y'all eagerly await my wit and wisdom. ;-)

Time for a bit of randomness from the writerly world. Let's start with YCN and the new Featured Contributor program. I'll admit I'm rather ticked off at their latest shenanigans. They pulled their usual, which is make it up as we go and see how many writers we can send into a panic this time! Combine a surprise slap upside the head with a deadline of three days, I think, and not everyone is happy.

The latest move is sending out test assignments for the subcategories we applied to get into. There was absolutely no mention of this at the beginning of the month. We were told to fill out the application for the main category and subs, then on April 1st we'll notify you if you made it in. A couple of days ago, up pops FC test assignments. You have to write according to the directions, of course, to even be considered for that subcategory. If they don't like it, you don't get to be an FC. You can reapply for categories 3 times a year, so if you don't "pass" you're down to two. I think you have to wait 3-4 months before you're allowed to reapply. *gets down on all fours to become the cute pooch that jumps through rings of fire* Nice image is it not?

I feel like it's unfair to keep springing these surprises on us. If you want to change it, post advance notice notice of at least two weeks YCN!! We are writers and many of us make schedules and write certain things at certain times. Throwing test assignments at us and then laughing as some of us juggle to fit it in somewhere in between other pressing deadlines isn't funny. Also the short time to write it in does not amuse anyone either.

On to DS and their freakin' references and resources format. I love them, I really do. I don't get paid as often and certainly not as well as I do there. Gardening titles are plentiful, keep 'em coming, and most CE's are awesome. Changing it from Website: Name of Page to formatting it as if we're sourcing a book sucks!! The other way was simple and easy. I've never seen such a group of confused people in my life as when it was changed, including me. Even CE's don't get it because they're mixing colons and semicolons in the refs and resources or even erasing the other info and putting it back to the old way of Website: Name of Page. Do us all a favor DS...put it back the way it was. Yet another bad move on your part, like the way you want business info inserted into articles. That particular piece of business is just ridiculous looking and stupid.

Ok, enough rants against the people I write for. I really had to get that off my chest. I'm making headway in my writing. When I need to research for DS titles, I tend to grab too much info, which causes me to have to go back before writing and take out stuff that I really don't need. It wastes time and time is money. I now repeat the title in my head as I'm looking at the info and take only the barest bones I need to fill it all in. If I can stick to it, maybe I'll get more written every day.

Speaking of wasting time, what are your bad habits as a writer? What things do you catch yourself doing that wastes writing time? We all do little things, come clean and fess up.

Freelance Friday

It's that time of the week again...Freelance Friday! Sorry it's so late, things got really hectic here all of a sudden. I bet you thought I forgot didn't ya? Not to worry, this week's four awesome, writerly type people cover a wide variety of topics in their writing, not to mention they're really awesome people too.

Kristen Wilkerson

Kristen is uber nice as well as being a great writer. I hope the kids she has taught, is teaching, realize how lucky they are to have her as a teacher. On the writerly side of life, Kristen joined YCN in April of 2009. Kristen's YCN profile lists topics such as education, technology related to teaching, interesting places to check out such as battle fields, exhibitions and vacations, and beautiful pictures to look at.

Over at Examiner she is the America in Photos Examiner and the Lansing Interfaith Examiner. I love her photos and for people like me who can't get out there to see the world, Kristen lets me travel through her photos. You won't want to stop looking at them once you get started, so set aside time to take a look at the pictures.

As the Lansing Interfaith Examiner, she covers holidays, helping the homeless and churches from just about every faith including Christian, Lutheran, Catholic and even New Age beliefs.

At Teacher Tidbits, Kristen is one of the educational experts, along with other writers from YCN/AC that give lots of teaching tips and ideas for teachers of all grades.

Juniper Russo is a single mom taking on the writing world. She's funny, smart and nice, if you stay on her good side that is. ;-) She joined the YCN crew in September 2008. Take a cruise through Juniper's profile and you'll find topics that include parenting, natural remedies and products, pregnancy, animals, and more you don't want to miss.

Outside of YCN, she keeps busy with three interesting and fun sites. My favorite is A Family Like Yours. It's a great place for kids to learn about wildlife, the structure of their families, the diversity among them and how similar our families can be compared to that of wildlife. I wish my kids were still little. If your thing is aquarium fish, check out Fish Care Profiles; Care guides for popular freshwater and saltwater aquarium fish.

I'm a sucker for a legend, so this last site of Juniper's is one I'll be visiting again to keep reading because I'm completely intrigued.  On The Truth About the Noccalula Falls Legend site, she's dug deep and lays out what's truth and what's fiction surround the legend of a Cherokee woman. Being part Cherokee, I gotta know!

Donna Thacker is an amazingly strong woman, though she may not feel like one, nor even think of herself that way. She's down to earth and always there with a kind word. Pop on over to Donna's profile, she joined YCN in January 2008, to read about natural remedies, cars, motorcycles, pets and more. You can also find her over at Helium writing about pets & animals, home & garden, and little bit of everything listed in her creative writing articles.

Our last writer of the day is Rose Kitchen, who never slows down and makes me tired just reading about how much she does. She inspires a lot of people to live and write to the fullest. Rose was one of the first people I met at YCN. She joined the site in December 2007. Listed on Rose's YCN profile are hundreds of articles on health, Ohio sports content, education and much more. I love reading her health articles because she makes them easy to understand instead of slapping you with medicalese. That's rare coming from a LPN heading for a Registered Nursing degree. I promise you'll love her articles.

Take a gander at her Bright Hub profile packed with articles covering health, PC gaming, education and other fun subjects. You won't regret it!

Hump Day Happiness

An off the cuff title that popped into my head. I kind of like it. It has a...quirky catchiness to it. Maybe Wednesday will be official hump day on my blog. Anywho, taking a few minutes to type up this post and start hump day with some happiness. We're halfway through the week now and a good week it has been so far.

My muse decided it was bored and came back to fill my head to overflowing with ideas. Now, if only Motivation would show up, things would be rockin' in the writerly world more than they are. Guess I really can't have it all, so I'm making do with what I have.

Freelance Friday is fast approaching. Don't wander off too far, you won't want to miss this week's lineup of awesome freelance writers. Speaking of which, thanks to the interview with Suz Alicie on Monday, it sparked an idea for Motivated Monday.

What better motivation, besides cute kitties, could there be than to get to know our fellow freelance writers? Knowing the odd, unusual or random tidbit about our fellow writerly friends and their writerly world can inspire us to reach for the stars. We all have our own personality that I'd like to see shine and maybe inspire others.

With two jam packed writerly days, I have many Monday's and Friday's till the end of the year. Do you want to be featured on Friday or interviewed on Monday? Better yet, is there someone, or someone's, you feel should be featured? Leave names in the comments nominating folks for Motivated Monday and Freelance Friday. You can also email me at kbfreelancing@yahoo.com with the subject line of MM or FF with your nominations. I could pick them myself, but I'd love y'all to chime in and toss some names in the ring too. We're a huge community and maybe I'll pick up some new friends along the way.

It's time for my day to begin. Work is fairly screaming my name, yelling write me, no write me. Sounds like a bunch of kids wanting to be first on the team. Thank goodness for an ever revolving queue and numerous documents with title ideas. No article will ever be picked last for team Karen. See y'all soon!

Saturday Stumblings - Randomness From the Writerly World

I'm stumbling around this Saturday afternoon not because of a hangover from drinking too much, but because I haven't had my coffee! That's right, you might want to back away slowly before running as if the hounds are on your heels. Oh wait, come back here. I promise not to bite. I'd like you to read these words I'm pouring onto the virtual page before you run.

Saturday is good for stumbles and for lots of randomness from the writerly world in general. It's not the whole writerly world of course, just my little section of it. It's ok, I'll try not to unleash too much craziness just because I haven't had my coffee yet. Let's get to the randomness.

YCN/AC is torturing us all by making us wait until April 1st before notifying the...who knows how many writers, if they managed to get accepted into one or more of the subcategories they applied to. I had just been accepted into the Featured Contributor program, received my very first assignments and WHAM! Two weeks later they yank it away laughing their silly heads off as I sobbed at the unfairness of it all. Alright, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but still. *whines a little* I can only hope the new program is better and will equal more money. One of my writerly goals this year is to become less dependent on DS, not more so.

Speaking of DS, certain categories it appears got a raise. I write articles for the eHow Home and Garden section only and the value of my titles went up. I feared it was a mistake and would be yanked away, but here it is a week, a little more?, and nope, still there. That kind of, sort of, makes up for what YCN did to me. Even though it's a little more money, I still want to make enough money outside DS to shore up the bottom line.

Did someone say bottom? Oh stop it, I'm not going to talk about butts on my blog. Well, I might talk about butts only as they pertain to freelance writers. For instance, we all have one. Being a freelance writer means said butts really get a good work out, or rather lack of a workout. I better stop now. Save that for another post on freelance writers, exercise or lack thereof. What was my original point? *thinks* Bottom....bottom of the barrel, no. Bottom of the tub of butter, no. Ah well, I focused on butts and forgot what I was going to write. So goes my total spastic muse this morning.

I hope this flow of words flows right through the rest of the day. I'd like to get out of this week of hell and non-productiveness. I'm tired of trying to pull words out of my head that aren't there. My muse needs to quit goofing off and get back to work. I know several writerly people whose muse's have also taken off or are on drugs that need to straighten up so we can get back to what we do best....write!

Motivated Monday

Monday, the day of the week everyone hates the most. It doesn't matter if your job is inside or outside the house. Monday just seems to creep in determined to start things off on the wrong foot and leave you looking something like this....

Singer cat, flaivoloka/sxc.hu

I know, it's a really cute picture and that alone should be sufficiently motivating. I need more motivation besides a cute kitty though, so let's kick up the writerly motivation machine with some articles by fellow writers on keeping up motivation while writing and a few other hints and tips that might help.

Try using Lyn Lomasi's suggestion of goal lists to stay motivated. In Using Goal Lists to Stay on Task in Freelance Writing, she tells us the type of goal lists and the best place to keep them so they're most effective at keeping our Monday motivation going.

Another by Lyn, Freelance Writing Tips: Maximize Productivity and Inspiration Through Timing, she gives us tips for motivating ourselves through those times when the muse deserts us and we can't seem to get any words typed onto virtual paper.

Jaipi Sixbear shares her wisdom in Online Article Writers Tips - Exit the Pity Party. When your day just seems to be a big ball of, "I wanna rip my hair out and scream," (doesn't this sound just like Monday?) find out ways to move your writerly behind and get producing.

Another great article by Jaipi, Online Article Writers Tips - Share Your Goals, helps all us writerly types swing our focus out of the singular bubble we are in. Reach out to one or more people and find some motivation in sharing your goals to keep you going through the Monday blahs.

If you, or someone you know, has written articles on how to stay motivated as a writer, drop me a line at kbfreelancing@yahoo.com, subject line Motivated Monday Articles. I'll hang on to them for use in future Motivated Monday blog postings.

Shiny Object Sunday

I've been a slacker about this blog and delayed a return until today to start the week off with an idea I decided to run with in the middle of last week. It felt wrong to begin in the middle of the week though, so waited until today. Let's hear it for scheduled posting...yea!

The title of today's post is to honor our writerly tendencies to become distracted by bright shiny objects as we try to get work done. This nasty habit has been the cause of bafflement and bewilderment along with the exclamation, "Where did the day go? Why haven't I gotten a thing done?" The answer being the obvious, all those dang bright shiny objects distracted us! Writerly types can't resist the shiny goodies that flit hither and yon. Personally, I love the chase as much as I love the bright shiny object.

In an effort to appease the shiny object Gods, I thought we'd get it out of our system on shiny object Sunday. This is to ensure the rest of the week will be a productive one. On that note, let the chase begin with my favorite color purple.

 

Crinkly metallic purple texture, quil/sxc.hu

 

What is love?, Cieleke/sxc.hu

For the girls who like a bit of bling in their lives.