The Comma Cafe

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief: How to Help

2011-03-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

President Obama spoke this afternoon about the crisis in Japan. He recommended the public visit the following web site for more information on the Japan earthquake and tsunami, and how to help:

http://www.usaid.gov/

I visited the web site and read again what I’ve been hearing the last few days, from places like CharityNavigator.org:

It’s better to send cash, not goods!

So much going on for me the last few days, but I managed to write this article published today on Associated Content from Yahoo, about ways to help with Japan tsunami relief. I’d like to share it on the blog. Follow the link below for the full article that gives tips for making donations and a list of recognized charities helping with Japan earthquake and tsunami relief.

Japan Tsunami Relief: How You Can Help by Allison West, Yahoo Contributor Network

Published March 17, 2011 on Associated Content from Yahoo

Since the Japanese earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, donations for tsunami relief have totaled about 64 million dollars. So far, this figure is less than one-third of the dollar amount donated after the Haiti earthquake. Why have donations for Japan tsunami relief lagged behind money raised for other recent disasters? Blame it on a dismal economy, burnout from being asked for donations in the wake of disasters, or the perception of Japan as a wealthy, industrialized nation; but whatever the cause, the public has been slower to respond with donations for Japan tsunami relief.

Japan is in crisis, the scope of the disaster is mind boggling, and the country remains in desperate need of emergency relief. There are ways to reach out and contribute money to the cause while ensuring that your donations go directly to help those suffering in Japan. Here’s how you can help with Japan tsunami relief. Read more:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/7867180/japan_tsunami_relief_how_you_can_help.html?cat=3

Dealing With the Google Algorithm Changes

2011-03-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

“Now is the winter of our discontent...” wrote William Shakespeare. This winter has been challenging (to say the least) for many people, due to the harsh winter weather and concerns about the economy (which is “rebounding” but you wouldn’t know it from where I live in a tiny rural town in the Mid-Hudson Valley). For me, it’s been one thing right after another since the holidays.

I seem to experience a bit of seasonal blahs this time of the year, but that’s understandable considering what a long, punishing winter we’ve had on the East Coast. My family has endured some health scares, and I’ve been trying to finish my New York State teaching assistant certification. A short while ago my beloved cat (who is 17 years old on St. Patrick’s Day) had her own health scare and I was devastated to think about losing her; fortunately, she had some treatment and I think she’s feeling a lot better.

Then I am scheduled to see my gynecologist soon, and it’s something I dread a lot. My doctor is wonderful but I am also in a never ending watch and wait period to keep an eye on what looks like a benign right ovarian cyst, and last spring during my manual exam she thought she felt something, so it was off for an ultrasound. Everything turned out fine and I was so relieved! My cyst was unchanged.

I think I’d like to discuss with my doctor the idea of having a yearly mammogram, not waiting every two years according to the new guidelines. I urge all you ladies out there to drop everything and get your mammogram! (If you’ve let yours go, you know who you are!) I admit I forgot to have it done last fall, but I’m making it a priority. I recently found out my cousin, who is in her sixties, had breast cancer and she told us breast cancer was traced to my father’s side of the family. For the men reading, please urge your loved ones to get their yearly gynecological exam which includes a mammogram--it’s of the utmost importance to get your screenings and catch any potential problems as early as possible.

Yearly Writing Resolutions

I’ve been thinking a lot about life lately, what’s really important and what directions I’d like to go in with my writing. I even wrote an article about my writer resolutions, but it’s not published yet (I’ll add a link to it when it is published in case you’d like to read my goals and direction for the New Year.)

First and foremost, my health and happiness, as well as the health and happiness of my family (which includes our beloved and aging pets) top my list. My artistic goals for my writing and also some acting dreams are extremely important. I’d like to move to a new place and develop a second career that enables me to earn extra money while pursuing my freelance writing. I have given a ton of thought to what would be a good day job for me, as I really want to continue on this path of being a writer. I’m exploring becoming a teaching assistant because I would love to help children (and adults) learn to read.

Things like sign language and ESL, also interest me a lot. I think this could be a great career for me, very fulfilling but I’m in the early stages of getting certified. I don’t have classroom experience yet, and I don’t see many job openings in teaching around here. I hope it works out but I am also thinking about computers and graphic/web design. In a harsh reality, our school districts are cutting a lot of teaching and support jobs this year, so I may have picked a bad time to enter teaching, and I might have to look for something else.

Recent Google Algorithm Changes

I will never give up on my writing and artistic dreams. I’ve given this a lot of thought and feel like professional writers, just like artists such as painters and performers shouldn’t fall into the trap of giving their work away for free. Writing is a skill and an art, and we have a right to be compensated for our work. The myth of the “starving artist” who considers recompense for their creative work to be vulgar is a scary myth, usually perpetuated by misguided artists and those who seek to exploit the artist for their own gain.

In the last few weeks, many creative people who are online writers have been affected by the recent changes to Google’s algorithm. This change was put into effect to help root out the inferior content out there, causing it to fall in the search engine rankings, ostensibly with the cream of the content rising to the top. It was supposed to make “content farms” quake in their boots and give up their evil ways, but many legitimate writing sites have been affected, with traffic and earnings at some places dropping by fifty percent since late February. This is horrifying to writers of quality content whose income from articles put food on the table and helped pay their bills: what on earth to do now?

I have some articles on Triond, but I haven’t written there in about a year, and my earnings have always been pretty low there. However, my Triond earnings have remained steady since the Google algorithm change. Unfortunately, my earnings and page views at Yahoo Contributor Network are down fifty percent, with the good news that they’ve risen a bit in the last few days. I was actually one of the Yahoo Hot 500 for February 2011 but not sure I can maintain that with recent declines in page views.

Originally my Xomba earnings seemed to be okay as my Yahoo Contributor Network earnings fell, but in the last few days, I’ve seen a sharp drop in page views for my Xomba content as well as Xomba revenue. Xomba will be starting over from scratch and becoming a totally new site, which will launch soon. I think there’s great opportunity in the new site they have planned for writers to showcase their articles and hone their skills. I applaud Xomba for wanting to strive for the highest quality possible.

I have been reading the Xomba staff blog very closely to understand all the many changes, but they still confuse me sometimes. I fear I might make a mistake with the new posting of bookmarks, as to what content they are looking for, and my old way of doing bookmarks (which I posted in good faith according to the old rules) isn’t what they want anymore. So I think I’ll be posting more articles on Xomba than bookmarks, and also I’m sitting back a little, waiting for the new site to be unveiled and just getting a feel for these many changes sweeping through Xomba and where I fit in the picture.

Under the new rules of Xomba, we can no longer bookmark our content from other sites, like published articles and blog posts.

I have to confess dear readers that I really want to bookmark my own articles sometimes! Why should I boost traffic to other articles and have to ignore my own? I see nothing wrong with occasionally bookmarking my own articles; I thought that was the spirit of bookmarking. Xomba bookmarks aren’t do follow links, but boy did those Xomblurbs (now called bookmarks) drive traffic to my articles! I am unable to bookmark my new articles on Xomba, and I feel the loss of traffic already. Even without a do follow link, many people would find my Xomba bookmark and go to my original article on another site.

In the old days on Xomba, I posted about 1470 bookmarks, but since I only have a few hundred published articles online, clearly I wasn’t just bookmarking my articles. I really miss bookmarking my articles on Xomba right now. So I discovered two bookmarking sites called Snipsly.com and SheToldMe.com.

I have a few bookmarks there already for my recent articles about the Academy Awards, and I think it helped boost traffic to my work. Also, these two sites are do follow links, and the Adsense revenue sharing split is higher. I had to look around for a new place to do bookmarks, and I find these Xomba changes led me to a new door of opportunity, bookmarking on other sites. I obey all the rules on Snipsly and SheToldMe, but I feel this great sense of fun and freedom there. In good faith, I post my bookmarks. I always do the best I can with bookmarks, but I don’t feel overly restricted there. But I can bookmark my own blog posts and articles, and I don’t worry so much about keeping up with so many rule changes. I am also starting to see a small trickle of revenue from these two sites and I’ll continue bookmarking there to see what happens.

In the wake of the recent Google algorithm changes, I'm returning to Triond. Sometimes I’m slow to embrace change so I didn’t take the Triond Adsense integration when it happened last year, because my earnings were so low there I thought it didn’t matter. But every little bit of revenue helps! I added Google Adsense to my Triond articles, and I am seeing a small amount of revenue that pleases me, and my Triond revenues are improving, so I’m going to try writing for Triond again.

Maybe it’s because Triond publishes articles on a variety of niche sites, but Triond didn’t seem as hard hit by the recent algorithm changes at Google. It makes sense to give Triond another look and besides, I really enjoy the great writer community there.

I’ll continue to write for Yahoo Contributors Network, riding out this dip in earnings caused by the search engine changes. I feel so proud of my writer profile and library of articles there. My page views are already rebounding and I feel confident that writers can ride out this bump in the road by doing the best they can, continuing to write high quality content.

All this talk being casually thrown around about “content farms” and “content mills,” I find it kind of offensive. It’s suddenly as if any user generated content from a writing site is automatically low brow, just thrown together for commercial purposes to wring a buck from the internet. Once in a while I come across some printed publications that have glaring proofreading errors and feature low quality content, but since it’s published on paper, it’s considered more legit than web content.

If you’re writing online, and you’re working for a writing site, then you’ll hear the label “content farm” sometimes. I just let it roll right off my back; I’m passionate about my work and creating the best online content possible. But I’m afraid in response to this Google algorithm change, some writers will be afraid to say they want fair compensation for their work. In fighting back against the “content mill” label, some writing sites out there are saying just write for your art, with money a secondary consideration.

I’ve heard rumblings that writing for pay or thinking of popularity and developing revenue streams from writing is “too commercial” and to avoid the dreaded “content farm” label, and ensure quality content, just forget about earning money for your expertise and time. I’ve heard rhetoric like writing is a hobby and expect pocket change, or even no money at all, for your articles. I say: Excuse me? Writers are flesh and blood--we can’t subsist on thin air. We also need to earn a living and quality professional writers want to be paid, there’s nothing wrong with that!

I will produce the best quality content I can, and I will write with a passion and continue to grow and improve. I’m developing a second career so that I can write the articles I want to write and not worry so much about downturns, like the Google algorithm changes. I want to earn income as a writer while improving at my craft. For me, it’s always the intersection of writing as an art and as a business.

I refuse to starve in a garret, as the starving artist! The well-fed, fulfilled self supporting writer is my vision.

Hope you had a happy winter and thank goodness spring is almost here!

Follow your bliss, blaze your own path and keep on writing!

Freelance Writing: Living the Dream

2010-06-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

I’ve been thinking a lot lately, about freelance writing, and living the dream of becoming a self supporting full time freelancer. When I received my statement of last year’s earnings for some of the sites I write for (it was tax time, yuck!) I was quite stunned to see my earnings laid out for me, in black and white! At this half way point of this year, I’m well on my way to exceeding last year’s earnings.

As I’ve been working as a content provider, I’ve become acquainted with things like the self employment tax, and Schedule C. I was thinking about making jewelry, as a sideline, but I like the thought of keeping my freelance business operations very simple, so I’m sticking to writing for now, because I don’t have any inventory or major expenses. My taxes this year were relatively easy to figure out, which I like! At some point soon I’ll probably have to think about estimated earnings, and possibly find an accountant (I was a business major, I like keeping track of my own finances!)

I get a check certain times of the month, and each time I go to the mail and receive a payment for my articles, I get really excited. I’ve been writing online for almost three years now, and the thrill is definitely not gone. Somehow, it’s a lot more meaningful for me than the checks I’d get when I used to punch a time clock. I feel like the rewards of being a freelance artist (in my case, freelance writer) are so great and it’s completely worth it to take the big leap into the freelance world.

I remember being locked in to a 9 to 5 job in the corporate world, sitting with my good friend and co-worker, literally counting the moments until 5p.m., our quitting time; unfortunately, we did that most days of the week. Now, I work most days of the week on my writing, on a freelance schedule, and when I take a break to look out a big window here, I see the grass and the birds and the sky, and I feel so blessed to be doing this work that is so fulfilling, and to be able to work from home.

I’ve really come a long way from my beginnings as a freelance writer in the summer of 2007. Back then, I was just content to see my name in print on web sites as my articles were published, and to make a few cents, then dollars here and there. Now, I want more. I want to feel fulfilled as a writer; however, I also want to make a full-time living from my article writing.

In today’s dismal economic climate, that often feels like the impossible dream. Some writers do live the dream by making a full time living from their print and online articles, and they inspire me so much. Today I’ll be talking about what does and doesn’t work for me, writing online. Lately, I’ve been thinking about other options I could explore, in addition to freelance writing, and how to continually grow my writing income into a full-time living.

Pros and Cons of the Writing Dream

In my three years writing online, I’ve realized that there are pluses and minuses to the freelance writing life. Is pursuing the dream of becoming a full time writer right for you? If you are self motivated, willing to work harder than you ever did in the 9-to-5 with no one else to manage your business operations but you, and can deal with living on a shoestring at times, then you’ll do well as a self supporting freelancer.

I find that many people can’t budget around the irregular paychecks that freelance writers receive, and they can’t work without a lot of supervision or someone over their shoulder making sure assignments are completed. Also, it can be hard not to buy everything you desire, or to have to work weekends to catch up on articles when everyone else is out having fun.

I’ve noticed that as time goes by and I have more and more invested in being a freelancer, I don’t mind not being able to spend a lot of money on material things. Buying the newest or the latest items isn’t worth it to me if I have to give up my writing and take a higher paying corporate job that would cover higher expenses. So I try to keep my expenses very low so I’ll have the freedom to pursue the writing life.

I wear many hats as a freelancer, also. I am my own accountant, secretary and any other hat I need to wear, as well as writer. A freelancer is responsible for every facet of your own business operations. I have to do all my own boring tasks, like keeping my own records, paying my taxes and just keeping track of my freelance operations. Plus, I have to keep up a writing schedule of producing enough articles that will yield me writing income, so most days of the week I’m thinking about writing, researching something, writing articles or keeping track of my online earnings.

On the plus side, I have enormous freedom and flexibility, the thrill of seeing my work online and I receive wonderful feedback from my readers and fellow writers, a sense of peace and fulfillment that comes from being in charge of my own working life, and the chance to express myself creatively on a daily basis.

Do you think that the positives outweigh any negatives of the freelance writing life? If so, read on...you could be a freelance writer too!

My Favorite Sites to Write For

Here are my picks for my favorite writing sites 2010:

AssociatedContent.com

Xomba.com

Three years ago in July, I had my first article published on a great travel site called BootsnAll. I was intrigued by this site I heard about called Associated Content that offered upfront payments for articles as well as residual earnings on page views for my writing. I was also very excited to learn that I could publish articles there and retain the rights to republish my articles on other sites also.

Associated Content remains the backbone of what I do, as a content provider. I’m working on publishing three hundred articles there this summer (I have over two hundred published as of this blog post). With the combination of upfront payments from AC and page view earnings, it’s definitely possible to make significant earnings on Associated Content; in fact, many writers work there to support their families.

AC was recently acquired by Yahoo and there was a lot of panic and confusion about this news. Many writers including myself feared that their portfolio of articles at AC would be taken down and the Associated Content we all know and love could disappear. Since the news broke, there have been reassurances that AC will go on as before, but with more opportunities for AC writers as the site merges with the mighty Yahoo.

I felt scared and dismayed at first, but now I’ve relaxed a bit about the Yahoo acquisition; in fact, now I smile when I see “Associated Content from Yahoo” across the AC pages. Kind of cool! That being said, I still think AC is a great place to write for, but I’m backing up my work and diversifying what I do as a writer. The Yahoo acquisition of AC takes place in the third quarter 2010; in the meantime I’m backing up copies of all published articles and taking a look at some other sites I can write for, just in case the AC/Yahoo combination isn’t all we writers hope it will be.

I’ve been a bit lazy about diversifying my articles across a few web sites, because when I find a writer community I enjoy and where I make good money, I tend to settle in and not look around for other writing sites. The other site I really enjoy is Xomba. I’ve been writing for AC for three years this July and working on Xomba for two years this September.

Xomba is a really fun site with a great attitude and sense of humor, and a nice group of writers who are quite loyal to the site. The Xomba mascot is an alien called “Abmox” and Xomba writers are referred to as Xombies! You can write brief articles there (or any length you desire really) or you can do social bookmarking of your published articles from other sites (or bookmark anything online that strikes your fancy!) I bookmark my published articles from AC and Triond; this increases page views on these articles and then I share in AdSense revenues from these bookmarks. As time permits, I also bookmark other interesting things I find online, like articles, photos and blogs.

Xomba has been lucrative for me, but this year my AC earnings have really exploded. What I love about AC is the way my page views earnings increase as I go up the Clout Index there. I’m earning more and more in page view revenues there each month, not as much as AdSense, but it’s rising. Right now, I’m just concentrating on page view earnings, not working for upfront offers on AC.

My strategy as a freelance writer is to build residual income streams from my published articles and bookmarks. Some writers have a group of steady clients and they rise at dawn to write all day for these clients, turning in packages of articles on an agreed upon topic and often giving away all rights to their work. I’ve never been a pen for hire type; I’m more of a free spirit who likes to write on whatever topic I like, publishing the work on my own schedule.

However, I’m aware of the fact that if I hit the freelance writing job boards on a regular basis, scoping for regular clients to write for, then wrote packages of articles and turned them into those clients, I might be achieving the freelance writing dream of being a totally self supporting writer. By going my own way as a writer, and writing mostly what I want when I want, and publishing my work on a non-exclusive basis with sites like AC, it does take longer to build up that residual income stream.

I’m willing to live with that. I do think that being more independent as a writer and selective about writing jobs means that you’ll have to look for a part time job or outside work to supplement the writing income, and I’m okay with that too. I’d rather take some outside work (that probably isn’t a restricting full time corporate job) than take writing jobs that I wouldn’t enjoy just for the money.

I’ll still be working from time to time on Triond, but things are a lot slower for me there. The Triond AdSense integration happened last fall, and if it’s possible, my earnings went down even more! Triond is a great community and I’ve made some wonderful writer friends there who are truly gifted writers. I do believe that being a great Triond writer isn’t enough; you have to be willing to do a lot of promotion of Triond articles in order to earn more than a few dollars from your Triond work.

My 2010 Writing Plan

So in conclusion, I’ll be writing a lot more articles for Associated Content, and for Xomba. Sometimes, I think about writing some Hubs on Hubpages.com, but probably not right now. Some Triond writers moved over to Bukisa.com, which they seem to like better, so I’m thinking about trying that site too.

Definitely, as a freelance writer, get out there and explore writing for web sites, and see what works for you! Good luck in your writing endeavors; keep on working toward your freelance writing dreams.

Happy 2010!

Freelance Writing as an Art and a Business

2009-08-31T14:58:00.000-07:00

That’s a picture of my very own tuxedo cat, lounging in the window in her own special place where she loves to nap. She’s enjoying those first crisp days of early fall and soaking up the beautiful sunlight. After a whole month of steamy days and some scary thunderstorms (we even had a power outage one afternoon!), the days are finally getting cooler, just in time to usher in the first day of September.

My cat is quite chuffed to learn that another tuxedo cat, named Oreo C. Collins, is the first cat to earn a high school diploma online! (Chuffed is a British word that means she’s quite pleased with herself; my cat is American but it seemed like a good adjective to describe her happy mood...)

During the month of August, I did a series of articles for Associated Content about bizarre news and weird headlines. I wrote about the world’s largest cupcake, feral pigs in the Caribbean, the medicinal properties of blue M&Ms (the new wonder food!) and of course, some coverage of the first cat to earn a high school diploma. This is a link to my latest article on AC about Oreo C. Collins:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2086029/1224_pound_cupcake_and_tuxedo_cat_earns.html?cat=9

The news lately has been so grim and quite horrible (especially this week’s coverage of the Jaycee Lee Dugard case) that I decided to write some light hearted pieces about funny news. These articles are something to make people smile in the midst of all the tragic stories in the news these days.

I haven’t received too many page views on them, but they were still fun to write. I also put the bizarre news in a larger social context; for example, was the world’s largest cupcake a waste of food? And I highlighted the animal abuse that went on during testing of laboratory animals injected with blue dyes to determine if the dyes help heal spinal cord injuries (these blue dyes are made of a compound similar to dyes found in foods like blue M&Ms.)

So my freelance writing career (which these days is conducted entirely online) is going really well, and this month I enjoyed my best month ever as a writer! Here’s a look at my summer 2009 writing plan, which I’ve since tweaked a bit as I move into fall:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2086733/my_writing_plan_for_summer_2009.html?cat=3

One way I’ve changed the plan is by moving away from working with Triond and Picable. I spent a lot of July working on Triond and their partner site Picable, and my earnings took a dip. I love working with these two sites, so I wanted to give them every chance I could, but since I’m trying to make a go of it writing full time, I simply can’t spend as much time there when my earnings at those sites are so low.

Why are my Triond and Picable earnings so low? I believe it’s because the things I’m writing about there don’t draw in page views and neither do my photos. About a month ago, I saw a comment on a Triond article about writing that said making money on Triond is 25 per cent good writing, and 75 per cent promoting of articles. That pretty much sums up my Triond dilemma. I just write my article, or publish a photo, and other than some stumbling and tweeting, I don’t really use any of the other buttons you are given for bookmarking and promotion (like Reddit, Delicious, Digg, Fark, and so many more buttons!)

I probably should promote more, but with such a slow internet connection, doing a lot of bookmarking and promoting is very time consuming. I’d rather pour that effort into writing more articles. Unfortunately, just writing articles on Triond and publishing my photos on Picable, despite my best efforts, is earning me next to nothing. So I’ll still being working those two places, but only from time to time, just for pleasure and because I love the Triond community.

You’ll read about some Triond writers making three figures (or more) a month, but I think that’s in the minority. Lots of writers have moved away from Triond due to dismally low income there, and some who remain admit they just publish for the joy of it and their Triond income is irrelevant. For me, I’m involved in writing as an art and a business, trying to find the happy balance between the two. I feel like my time and my work has an intrinsic value, and the low pay on Triond is discouraging. Some who have published photos on Picable are quite happy with their income, but even though I’m seeing some page views, I’ve earned next to nothing with my photos there.

I’d say if you’re interested in Triond and Picable definitely try your luck; it’s a nice community of writers and photographers. You might just be a Triond success story! It just bothers me that the writer’s share is so meager there, and it’s not working for me. Color me disenchanted with Triond and Picable as a way to earn online income (but I am proud of my Triond portfolio and the work I’ve done there).

I’m focusing my efforts on Adsense revenue sharing sites, not sites that pay for page views. The only exception I make to this is working for Associated Content. I’ve been writing for Associated Content for two years and I’m very loyal to them. I find that even without much promoting or bookmarking of my published AC articles, the more I publish there, the more my page views tend to rise. Plus, Associated Content offers upfront payments for articles! I make money upfront on my AC articles, and I enjoy page view earnings on all my published work also.

As you rise up the Clout Index at AC, which is tied to your overall page views, you earn more page view bonus. I’m just about to reach Clout Index Level 9, which should boost my page view earnings nicely. Part of my fall 2009 writing plan definitely involves continuing to work hard for AC, love it there! I’ve been receiving lots of wonderful feedback about my articles, and I’m so glad my readers are enjoying my work.

The most wonderful and exciting thing to happen with my online writing has been working with Google AdSense. Working with AdSense and revenue sharing sites has allowed me to enjoy my best month ever as a freelance writer! I am so happy to have found the web site Xomba last fall, just about one year ago. I write short articles for Xomba (called Xombytes) and also do some paid social bookmarking (called Xomblurbs) and I’ve been excited about the earnings (and earnings potential) with Xomba!

This summer Xomba launched a site redesign, and the site looks really nice! I’ve been working really hard on Xomba this summer, and it’s really paying off...I almost doubled my earnings this month. I just received my Adsense check today, and I just noticed I reached the payment threshold this month and I’ll qualify for another check next month also! I’ve made hundreds of dollars with Xomba and AdSense. If you’d like to sign up for Xomba and have fun earning money with AdSense, this is my referral link:

http://www.xomba.com/referral/777a8d8c

For the past few days, I’ve experienced the agony of waiting by the mailbox for a payment check for my freelance writing! If you are hanging out by the mailbox, trudging out there every day at the end of the month, looking in vain for a check, I’ve been doing the same thing too! You are certainly not alone.

Today, I was waiting for a check that did come. I exhaled and was so relieved! I was so happy to get my check and take it to the bank! Still, as my earnings grow, I’m thinking about setting up EFT (electronic funds transfer) for some of my payments. It seems a lot faster than waiting by the mailbox for a check and besides, it’s eco-friendly!

I’m also thinking about doing my taxes as a self employed freelance writer, and things like health insurance for freelancers. There’s a lot to think about as a freelancer, running your own small company. I’m convinced that being successful as a freelancer in a creative field is really equal parts focusing on your artistic work, and running the business side. You need to focus on both sides for your creative business to flourish and survive!

I hope your writing business is flourishing and you’ll find the information about my writing plan helpful as you go forward with your writing goals. Happy fall...it’s almost autumn here in the Hudson Valley!

Feral Pigs and Blue M&Ms: Bizarre News for the Week of August 3, 2009

2009-08-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

What a cutie! This fiber glass painted bear is part of the "Bears and Butterflies" art exhibit going on this summer up in the Catskills, in Cairo, New York.

I was Cairo in July and took a few photos all around town on a really hot, bright summer day. Since then it's rained so much in the Hudson Valley, but this first week of August we're again enjoying some great sunny weather here.

Associated Content writer Robert Dougherty was just featured on CNN a few moments ago, for his article about the Obama Joker poster. How exciting! AC writers are being featured more and more these days in the media. I just had a new article published today on AC:

Feral Pigs and Blue M&Ms: Bizarre News for the Week of August 3, 2009

Weird Headlines and Bizarre News for Early August 2009

With news of feral pigs in the Caribbean and the health benefits of blue M&Ms, it was an interesting week for bizarre headlines and weird, sometimes shocking stories. Quite a few headlines caught my attention over the past few days, each one stranger than the last. Here's a look at two weird recent headlines that made me go hmm...Read on...

Spring 2009 Update

2009-04-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend it’s about 90 degrees in the mid Hudson Valley, a lot more like summer than spring. After a long cold winter that seemed to drag on endlessly in these parts, I’m elated about the warmer weather, even if it is unexpectedly HOT today!

Yesterday I received a rejection letter about a job I applied for a few weeks ago. After working as a web content provider for almost two years now, I’m excited to say that I’m a lot closer to my goal of supporting myself through my writing income. I’ve been trying to make a go of it as a full time freelance writer, but still not making enough money. I want to move out of this tiny rural town I live in (and move to a wonderful village just down the road a few miles), so recently, I’ve been looking for work again.

The job outlook here has been especially dreary. I tried a while back to look for something, but found the opportunities and the working conditions in this area of the Hudson Valley to be really disappointing. So I’ve been trying to eke out a living as a freelancer and just living the best I can on what I have. But I’ve been feeling restless lately (spring fever?) so I really wanted to find an interesting job, hopefully in the nonprofit sector, so I can move to a new place in a different area.

The rejection letter I received was from the Executive Director of a nonprofit housing corporation over in Catskill. He didn’t even call me for an interview, just wrote that they had selected another candidate and would keep me on file. And best of luck in my job search!

It might have been a good opportunity for me to get my foot in the door at a nonprofit, and I mentioned to them that I was interested in fundraising and grant writing (their website says they are always looking for grants!) The job was in bookkeeping and I am a finance/business major who graduated Summa Cum Laude from a nationally recognized local college and I also have an Associate’s Degree in business from a local community college (where I also graduated with top honors and a high grade point average).

When I was young, my elders told me this degree was “something to fall back on.” It was supposed to be something to pay the bills when acting or writing or performing failed to support me. My situation is complicated by the fact that I worked for a while in banking years ago and then left the business world to fulfill my artistic dreams.

In that time I worked freelance, and was an entrepreneur, and some employers have seen that creativity and initiative as exciting and interesting. Unfortunately, in this disastrous economic climate, potential employers see my unusual background as taking a chance? Perhaps they want someone who has worked for one company for a long time, and I can totally see that point of view, but I’m not sure where it leaves me.

All of this has made me more staunchly determined to become a successful freelancer! These experiences trying to find work in the 9 to 5 life have only made me more determined to become fully self supporting as a writer. My reasons for looking for work right now are purely economic, so I can move to a new area where I’d enjoy living. Also I’d enjoy working for a nonprofit organization. However, I’ve been working for myself for so long, and have enjoyed the benefits and freedom of freelancing, so it’s really hard for me to return to the 9 to 5.

I think I’m going to just dig in further and work even harder trying to make a go of it as a freelancer. I currently write for Associated Content, Triond and Xomba. I have stories on a few other sites but I make the bulk of my income those three places.

I’m starting to receive upfront offers again at Associated Content, so I’m submitting pieces for upfront pay as well as performance bonus only (just for page view revenues). I’ve been trying to push myself to write 100 articles per month on AC, and publish some stories on Triond also. Xomba pays for social bookmarking of things like articles, websites and photos, and they pay very well through Google AdSense. My AdSense earnings with Xomba have started to really pick up again, so I’m going to throw myself into doing more Xomblurbs (social bookmarking) with them, as well as composing some articles for Xomba (called Xombytes).

It was my intention to branch out into writing for newspapers and magazines; however, the time I’d spend querying editors and hoping to get an article accepted, is time I could spend writing more content and seeing money flow into my online accounts. If I want to be a full time freelancer, it’s probably a more effective use of my time to continue working hard as a web writer, where I know I’ll be paid. I wish it was different, and in time, I look forward to trying to break into the print markets.

There’s a lot to be grateful for now. Last fall I wrote about being screened for ovarian cancer because of an ovarian cyst, and I’m happy to report, my tests came back fine. Everything looked okay, and I’ll see the gynecologist this fall, not sure if she’ll do more ultrasound, or blood tests, or just wait a while. It’s such a relief to know that for this moment in time, things look good and there is no reason to believe I have ovarian cancer.

A few days ago I was surfing the site where I went to college and earned my Bachelor’s Degree in business and finance (after graduating, I also spent some time in the MBA program there, an unhappy time and not a good fit for me). I felt this lump in my throat and sadness wash over me, when I saw all the new programs they’ve developed. There’s a Bachelor’s Degree program in association with a college in Italy, with majors in things like digital arts, and English with a theatre concentration! It hurt my heart to see that, what I wouldn’t give to go back and study what I really wanted to take, all those years ago. Now it’s a lost opportunity that will never happen, because I doubt I’d ever go back for a second baccalaureate degree. Still, the college didn’t have such a program when I was in school, it didn’t exist.

I have to trust, that it is all happening perfectly. My writing means the world to me, and has come to occupy a place in my heart, along with performing. If the time I spent in college (where I did get to take a lot of cool English and writing and art classes along with economics, business and finance) made me the writer I am today, I am grateful for it, and it certainly wasn’t wasted time. If I want to go to Italy, I can. If I want to study English I can, and if I want more theatre training, it’s out there for me.

I’m thinking about keeping a gratitude journal. Handwriting a list each day, or on a regular basis, of all the things big and small of all kinds I’m grateful for. I’m dismayed about the economy and job situation, but I’m so lucky to have what I need, food, shelter, my loved ones around me and things that bring me joy. If you’re looking for work right now and feeling anything from concern to outright despair, I definitely feel compassion, I’m beginning to understand how tough it really is out there.

My late spring/early summer plans: brush up on my typing and MS Office skills, find a Reiki class for Level I training (mine just got cancelled for this Saturday!), looking into where I can volunteer at a local nonprofit (and learn grant writing, marketing, fundraising), possibly learn guitar so I can sing and accompany myself (I’ve got the urge to perform again!) and thinking about packing up the Jeep for a road trip this summer/fall...

If you’re unemployed right now, I challenge you to treat your freelance writing career as a full time job! I plan to go into my office every day and work harder on writing more content and increasing my freelance earnings.

I’m hoping to do more with this blog, and I plan to post a lot more links to my published articles about freelance writing that I hope will be helpful for other writers. Wherever you are, whatever your situation, keep on writing, and I wish you a very happy healthy spring!

Ovarian Cancer Awareness: My Journey Continues...

2008-10-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

It’s been rainy and overcast here for the past week, and it’s sometimes felt a bit more like late spring than fall. On Friday September 26, I went to the gynecologist for my annual checkup. For the last few years, this process has involved the following of an ovarian cyst also.

That same day Paul Newman (one of my favorite actors) lost his battle with cancer. In the morning, I was back at the gynecologist, trying to figure out once again if a cyst that’s been inside my right ovary for about four years now could be suspicious.

I’ve been living in the medical gray zone known as “watch and wait” for a few years now. My doctor discovered a complex cyst in my ovary, and it’s been followed ever since with ultrasounds (and even an MRI). “Following the cyst” is what doctors do when the cyst doesn’t immediately look like cancer, but needs to be further evaluated with repeated tests like ultrasounds.

I’ve lost track of exactly how many transvaginal ultrasounds I’ve had in the last four years. I’ve had at least six, maybe ten? I was ecstatic about a year ago, when my gynecologist said my CA 125 blood tests looked good and so did my ultrasounds, and we didn’t have to follow me with any more ultrasounds, unless the cyst started bothering me and I had symptoms.

During this last visit, the doctor changed her mind and ordered more tests. So this morning, on a beautiful, bright sunny day I headed off to Northern Dutchess Hospital (NDH) in Rhinebeck for another ultrasound. I’ve really come to dread the tests, so I wasn’t looking forward to it at all. Transvaginal ultrasound can hurt, depending on the skill level of the technician, and it’s invasive and I have to drink a lot of water, too.

It’s hard to judge how much water to drink for a full bladder, needed for the transabdominal portion of the ultrasound. I was supposed to drink two 16 ounce bottles of water, but I didn’t drink that much. The very first time I went for the test, I drank everything they told me, and then I had to sit around and wait. As my bladder got full, it felt so painful! It was agony! So a guy in radiology told me to go in the bathroom and “let a little out.” No easy feat when your bladder is about to explode, to just let a little bit out!

When I was an ultrasound newbie, it was hard. So I’ve learned to only drink what feels comfortable to me, just enough for a full bladder. If I am taken right away, it’s not too bad, the waiting. The only really painful part, in my opinion, is when they roll the ultrasound over your tummy, to take pictures of the ovaries (it’s necessary to have a full bladder for this portion of the sonogram.)

Then there’s that blissful moment of relief when you can finally go to the bathroom after drinking all that water. Then it’s back on the table for part two, the transvaginal portion of the test. A wand is inserted vaginally that gives a very detailed picture of the uterus and ovaries. This is gives a much clearer image than the abdominal ultrasound, but they always do both tests.

I scheduled my ultrasound for a really early time, the first slot at 8 AM, just to get it over with. The hospital has a new Dyson Center for Women, and it was so comfortable and modern. It seemed to me that this is the way medical care should be for women. Other times I’ve had the ultrasounds, it was done sometimes by a man, in a hot cramped room where I had to go down the hall to use the bathroom, then come back to the room to finish the test. It’s not necessarily a bad thing that a man does the test, it’s just that it feels so personal and invasive, I like it so much better when a woman does the transvaginal ultrasounds.

NDH has created this really nice, professional setting where women can get mammograms and things like pelvic ultrasounds. So my transvaginal ultrasound was still invasive and uncomfortable, but not that bad! I left the hospital with a good feeling. If you are facing something like an ovarian cyst, I encourage you to investigate your options and find a doctor and a hospital you can feel really good about.

It’s really nice to know that such institutions exist. The only shocker today was the bill! I don’t have insurance, so I found out I could see the cashier on the way out and get a discount for paying the hospital right after the test. As a writer, I’ve found it’s always this balancing act, not having things like insurance, wondering how the bills will get paid. I was able to pay, but scratching my head at the very high cost of medical care in our country.

I’ve read about the costs of transvaginal ultrasound, and heard a figure of about $250. I also had transabdominal ultrasound too, but the cost of both tests today was at least a rent payment in the Hudson Valley. That’s really one of the downsides of freelancing, wondering how to meet things like unexpected medical expenses. Last time I had an ultrasound I had insurance; now, I don’t have any.

So that’s been on my mind. And what will the doctor say about the results of this test? Did my cyst grow or change in some way? Is cancer now clearly visible? Will I need more CA 125 tests? (a test that monitors blood protein levels and is a marker for ovarian cancer). Do I need laparoscopy? Will I lose my ovary? Will I need to turn around and have another ultrasound next month, or god forbid, another MRI?

All these thoughts swirled around my head as I drove home from Rhinebeck. That’s life sometimes in the “watch and wait” period. I suppose I could put an end to it all, by asking for surgery to evaluate and biopsy my ovary. But no doctor has ever felt that strongly about me having an operation. They leave it up to me. Saying things look okay in their opinion, but they’re not one hundred percent sure I don’t have cancer.

Actually, it’s really hard to detect ovarian cancer sometimes. The signs and symptoms can be very subtle and are often disregarded, misdiagnosed or overlooked. Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed in the late stages when the prognosis isn’t very good and survival rates are low.

As I chatted with the technician giving me the ultrasound today, I mentioned that September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. She said “Oh really? I didn’t know that, I just know about pink ribbons and breast cancer awareness in October.” It occurred to me, if a person working in women’s health at a respected hospital doesn’t know about ovarian cancer awareness, does the average person know much about ovarian cancer?

I think we really need to get the word out about this disease. There are women all over the country being monitored like me, and there are lots of frightened women who have been diagnosed or are experiencing symptoms but don’t know where to turn for information and treatment. We really need to start talking more about ovarian cancer awareness. We also need a specific screening tool for the disease (right now, we just have things like CA 125 tests, manual exams, and transvaginal ultrasound).

It’s really hard to believe that I could have no symptoms and no pain, but still have to go through all these tests and then sweat it out, trying to learn if my cyst might be suspicious. But since ovarian cancer is so subtle, I’m willing to be monitored and glad I’ve found a doctor who will order these tests and watch the cyst for anything abnormal.

I urge you to increase your ovarian cancer awareness. If you’d like to hear more of my story, I’ve written two articles on this subject. Click here to read my personal story of ovarian cancer awareness:

http://www.healthmad.com/Women/My-Journey-to-Ovarian-Cancer-Awareness.282775

Click here to read an earlier story I wrote about my ovarian cyst, and learn the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/395821/ovarian_cancer_awareness_learn_the.html?cat=70

I’ll be writing more articles this fall about ovarian cancer awareness, and how to join the fight for a cure.

Day Job

2008-04-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

It’s April here in the Hudson Valley; spring has definitely sprung. Last week I was at Clermont State Historic site, and driving home in the afternoon I noticed how beautiful everything is outside, and those first touches of green. I felt this sad feeling wash over me, because I won’t be outside a lot, enjoying the season.

I accepted a full time office job, starting this week. So after a long period of making my own hours, being creative, and having a lot of freedom to make my own schedule, I took this day job working for a big health care organization. That’s where the jobs were locally, in health care. Jobs in this area have been hard to come by, and in a way, I’m lucky to get hired at a time when so many people are being downsized.

What a week it’s been so far. I had to go into the hospital at the crack of dawn, for orientation and processing, which takes days. Then there’s the probationary, training period. Human Resources and my department is located on one side of the road, in an old nursing home that was shut down by New York State for bad working conditions!

The hospital is on the other side of the street. The orientation in this big institution was really like death to the spirit. I think it represents the worst of our capitalist culture with its focus on big business. Working conditions in the hospital and in the office building were in my opinion, deplorable.

I got locked in a bathroom no bigger than a coffin in the old nursing home building, and the floor was covered with water and urine. I literally couldn’t turn around in that rest room, it was so small and hadn’t been cleaned in how long? The next person to come along happened to open the stuck door, and I got out.

Over in the hospital, we had a lunch break, and when I went in the restroom over there, right by the cafeteria, it smelled so bad I had to walk away. This is the one by the cafeteria! That was it for lunch. I didn’t have any. I just took a walk down the street for some fresh air. There appeared to be no fresh air, in either building. Some old vents circulated dead air all day, til I felt my allergies really start to kick in.

I tried to sit through the indoctrinations, and watched the clock painfully tick by. A lady who had been a nurse gave a presentation on safety for hours. She said: “you’ve all heard the rumors about the hospital right? Tell me what they are.” The new hires around me chimed in saying things like, if you’re sick, don’t come here! I thought that was pretty funny and ironic, the hospital talking about its bad reputation.

But, they’re trying to do better. (I was born in this hospital but don’t remember going there, except for a tonsillectomy!) They are trying to raise millions of dollars, and they’re constantly building and expanding and trying to raise capital. The old parts of the hospital are really crappy. When I got in and saw where I would be, the working conditions, it really broke my heart. It’s soul-killing work.

I should have known. The hospital was so intent on making sure they would get the maximum out of me and that I wouldn’t cost them anything, and I would add to the bottom line. I had to have a physical and get thoroughly checked out to prove I was disease free and fit to work. Then there was an intensive and invasive background check. And in return, they couldn’t even provide a decent working environment for employees. In my opinion, it’s not a fair exchange, what they ask of me, versus what they provide.

I think the first day of this job, was really a changing day for me. I want something better than this. I want a healthy environment. I want to do meaningful work. I want to feel like I make a difference, I’m not just a cog in a money making wheel. I want decent working conditions.

I was looking around me and felt like I didn’t belong, because I questioned the corporate indoctrinations. Everyone else was either dozing or eating or staring into space. Didn’t Kerouac ask: “What do you want out of life?” All of this is just so scary, and depressing, even though this is a nonprofit, it says a lot about big business. Ironically, for all this indoctrination, I get the impression there’s a lot of turnover at the hospital.

The attitude of the new employees and trainers was kind of disturbing. There were lots of nurses. All of them seemed quite jaded. It seems like in the big business of mainstream healthcare in our culture, the human touch is lost. I got the impression that patients were kind of like furniture, to be lifted, moved around, processed and handled. This is a scary realization, what really goes on in the hospital.

I had a car accident a few years back and had to go to the ER at the hospital. It was an awful experience. After living through this orientation and seeing the inner workings of the hospital, I hope I don’t have another accident and have to go to the ER!

The unhealthy environment in the hospital is also quite troubling. Lots of the new hires and one of the trainers were obese. I didn’t see many healthy, fit people. Yet the trainer threw all sorts of different candy to the crowd of employees when someone answered a question correctly. And a big table of junk food like chips, cookies and soda was set up in the back, and people just grazed for hours through the training.

It’s sad and shocking to me how this all went down. Not a lot was disclosed to me, about working conditions and benefits, til I took the position. I’m really interested in health and healing, and living a healthy lifestyle. I’m interested in things like alternative medicine and holistic living. So this was particularly hard for me.

I thought I would juggle my job and my writing, but so far I’ve just come home and slept after these rather grueling, unpleasant days.

The state of job hunting in 2008 and what it’s like to work for a corporate environment, I think it might be detrimental to my well being. Maybe it’s just the county I live in and things are better for employees in other parts of New York State or the rest of the country? So, I’m not sure where this really leaves me.

I took the job because it would allow me to relocate, and I’ve wanted to move for a long time. Since I knew this job was in the works, I’ve been looking at apartments and thinking about moving, and that makes me really happy and excited.

As I’ve been looking around at places to live, I sometimes had this pit in my stomach, because I knew I had to work at this day job I wouldn’t like, in order to pay for the move.

It’s not a creative job, at all. I continue to work on my writing, but I’m not making enough to live on right now. A writing career takes time to build, and it could take a while to get established and become self supporting as a writer. So, I decided to take this new job but the hospital is so awful I don’t think I can continue there. I’m taking a break this week, and looking for something better, while I really step up my efforts to be a self supporting writer.

I love the freelance lifestyle. Writing on weekends or at night is never a problem for me. I love that freedom and flexibility of working for myself. It’s something I’d really miss a lot.

So I ask myself, am I working hard enough on this goal of being a full time writer? I think this experience will be a motivator to try and make a full time go of it as a writer! I want to work harder than I ever have on my writing.

I’ve also been thinking again about a “parallel career.” Work that is also creative and complements my writing, that would support me financially as I am freelance writing. That could be teaching, or maybe graphic design?

Wherever you are I hope you’re enjoying this lovely spring weather, and even if you’re working a day job right now, I hope you’re also writing! I wish everyone a very productive and enjoyable April.

Reality Check

2008-03-31T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hello again! I’ve been away from this blog for many months now. I’ll offer this excuse for my absence: I’ve been writing web content, and since I began this blog, I now have fifty articles published online.

I started this blog in June 2007, with the hope of becoming a published writer. Initially, I blogged about my early successes, and I set writing goals for myself each month. The blogging really helped kick start my writing career.

I wanted to have 10 articles published by June 2008, and then I could call myself a writer. It seemed like the ball got rolling pretty fast, and after I realized a dream of having my first article published on the travel web site Bootsnall.com, I discovered Associated Content (AC). I started publishing articles there on a wide variety of topics, like arts and culture, travel, health, opinion/editorial pieces, even some product reviews. Click here to see my full Associated Content Library of articles.

In December 2007, my article titled Are We Too Diet Obsessed During the Holidays? was highly rated and was featured on the front page of AC, which was very exciting!

In early 2008, I was contacted by Demand Studios for an assignment, based on an application I filled out in late 2007 at their site. I became a freelance contributor for the Demand Studios web site called eHow. I don’t usually write how-to articles, but it was a fun assignment and I learned a lot, plus Demand Studios and my editor were great to work with and I was very pleased with the paycheck (a great gig!) Click here to read my articles on eHow.

2008 rolled around and I realized a few things. I realized that I could call myself a freelance writer. I felt comfortable doing so, after all my hard work the year before. Also, it occurred to me that I had somehow become a web writer, not a magazine writer, as I had planned. How did that happen? I took my first travel writing class and finished an article I intended to send to print publications.

But the process of looking for markets and figuring out which magazine and newspaper editors to query about my article seemed a dizzying, time consuming process. Bootsnall, which I loved and which so inspired me for years, was calling my name and I decided to submit my article to their web site.

After that, I fell in love with writing for web sites. I love that my stories are archived online for years and years, becoming part of a library. At any time, someone could search the web and find one of my articles. Print publications, like newspapers, get tossed away after the current issue. But my online library is constantly there, and I can find new readers. I also love the interactivity of publishing stories online; I enjoy receiving feedback from my readers. Another plus: I can track statistics at sites like AC, to see page views of my published articles.

The downside of being a content provider for websites is the lack of respect I’ve often encountered, both online and offline. When I say I’m a freelance writer, I sometimes get blank stares. I get the question “Oh, you write for local publications?” and when I answer “I write content for websites” I get this look that indicates a total lack of comprehension for what that means.

I think web content writing is kind of a new frontier, and people automatically think of freelance writers as writing articles for print publications, at least that has been my experience. I initially became a writer to write about topics that interested me, for magazines that I loved. I’ve been doing a lot of work as a content producer, but this year I want to break into print.

Another goal of mine is to have 100 articles published on AC by June 2008. Can I do it? I have 39 articles published on AC to date. I think it’s possible, and I’m working hard towards that goal.

Now for a reality check: I don’t make a lot writing for websites. It’s been a constant financial struggle. So I’m very close to taking a job, to supplement my income. I’ll probably do that. I’ll have two incomes, one from this job and the other from my writing.

Some new thoughts and strategies have occurred to me this month. I could work this job, cut back on my web writing and just take some more writing classes, hone my skills and try to break into print. Print will be very low paying, so I’ll have this job to fall back on. I could continue to study copyediting and proofreading and try to build up those businesses, and continue to write articles that are meaningful to me. I’ve talked about studying graphic design, I could also do that. I’m interesting in copywriting, so maybe that could support my writing ambitions.

One thing’s for sure. If you want to be a full time freelance writer, it’s more work than you ever imagined. I also feel that freelance writing is one of the lowest paying professions out there. It truly is a struggle, but if you love writing, if it’s in your blood, the rewards are worth it.

I’m probably taking this outside, non-writing job, so I can move to a new area. That will make me happier, and that will fuel my writing. Change is good. I’ve discovered it’s all about staying open to change, going with the flow and staying adaptable to whatever adjustments need to be made.

Keep writing. Above all else, no matter what life throws at you and whatever’s on the horizon, keep writing. If it’s in your heart to write, or you have a creative goal of any kind, never give up on your dreams.

I hope to blog more in 2008. I’ll share my story and my successes and what I’ve learned in hopes of helping others achieve their writing dreams. I hope 2008 is a wonderful and productive year for you and that all your writing (and other) dreams come true!

My Content Producer Page at Associated Content

2007-08-31T15:45:00.000-07:00

I wanted to highlight my content producer page at the website Associated Content:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/97073/allison_west.html

There you can find all of my published articles to date (six in all, with one more about to be submitted to the site.)

If you like, you can bookmark my page to read all my new articles for the site.

I currently write for the Arts and Entertainment and Travel sections of the site. I've done several movie reviews and some articles about travel in the Hudson Valley.

How do I brainstorm ideas for new articles? I find that some days things are flowing, other days...not so much. So I keep a plain notepad near me, to jot down ideas when things are flowing for me.

(When you wake up in the morning, half awake jotting down ideas, it's time for a day off....maybe. I get some good ideas in the mornings.)

I jot down the titles for articles I might want to write. I need "headlines" to go under the titles at AC (associatedcontent.com,) these headlines are one line "teasers" that sum up the article. I also write down the "abstract" if it occurs to me: that's a brief summary of my article that goes on my content producer page.

Then, if I'm feeling particularly inspired, I might just jot down a "lead," the first paragraph that hooks the reader into wanting to go ahead and finish the article.

If I've gotten that far, I might just keep writing down ideas. If paragraphs occur to me, I jot them down. Later, I go into MS Word and word process my title, and lead and whatever paragraphs I've got, leaving spaces to flesh out the article with further research or whatever is needed to complete it.

Today I just brainstormed about ten or eleven article ideas, when I develop one, I cross it off and add new ones to the bottom of the list. I'm writing about the arts, mainly TV/film, so when I see something that strikes a chord I start to think how I can develop the piece more thoroughly.

I recently wanted to abandon a piece I wrote about Kenneth Branagh's film As you Like It, for HBO. Maybe I was tired? It just wasn't flowing. I love Branagh, he's one of the reasons I wanted to become an actress, but I didn't like his concept for the HBO film, I felt let down by it.

I felt it was important to try and finish the review anyway. To stretch and grow by completing something that felt difficult for me. I always try to write one new thing that stretches me out of my comfort zone. I wrestled with it, got it done, and now it's one of the articles on AC that I'm most proud of, here's the link :

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/358905/director_kenneth_branaghs_new_film.html

One thing I've learned about the writing process is: how to write when you think you can't get anything done! When you're tired, burnt out, discouraged, or having a so-so day...you can still write! And have it all come out pretty good, too. I've had that happen to me a few times recently.

I didn't really feel like writing, but I sat down and gave things a chance and started to feel more in flow. I find it helps to reread the first part of an article that you are trying to finish, to get things moving in your head.

Or read through your old stuff, your best stuff, it can be a motivator.

If you don't feel like writing today, do it anyway! Open your word processor, take out your notes, and try to compose the lead for an article. Let it flow into more paragraphs. If that's too hard, brainstorm a list of ideas for new pieces. If all else fails, do a grocery list? You probably need something, right? Put pen to paper, type some words at your keyboard.

Just write.

And check out my content producer page at AC!

Monthly Writing Goals for September/Progress for July and August

2007-08-31T15:11:00.000-07:00

I'm finally back to add some content to this blog. I've been away most of July and all of August due to a flurry of activity, writing content for the site Associated Content.

When I last left you, gentle reader, I had posted about my writing goals for July and progress for June. How did I do?

Well, I completely missed my goal, to have 60 pages completed toward my Jane Austen solo show (I still have 52 pages done.) No work was done on the project since I posted my goals last time.

On the upside, I am now a content producer at Associated Content (.com): not only did I establish a presence there, by publishing the same article on the site that I published on Bootsnall.com, I now have SIX articles published on Associated Content, and one more ready to submit.

How did that happen? I don't really know. My theory is work begets work. I got one thing published and the whole thing just took off, it SNOWBALLED! That is what has kept me away from my blog. I've been working so furiously over at Associated Content (AC) that all of my writing time has been spent there, I just focused everything on writing and publishing content for them.

My monthly writing goals for September? I'd like to have ten articles published on AC. I have six published now, one finished and awaiting publication, so I'd have to write and submit three more, next month.

The way things are going, it seems doable!

I am really pleased with the way things are going for me at AC. I intend to blog more about AC and what it's like to be a content producer for the site.

Hmm, when I first started this blog in June, I said I'd feel like a professional writer if I could get ten articles published in one year, by June of 2008. I've got seven of my articles published online and it's not even officially September yet! I think I'm beginning to feel like a writer...

Big goal to reach for: 100 articles published on AC, by next year this time!

Now that's a big one to reach for! Wherever you are, wherever you may be reading this blog, I believe if you have a dream of becoming a published writer, you can have your dream. I don't have a degree in Journalism or English, and I've never worked in publishing, not at all (I was a finance major!)

But, through hard work and trying to acquire some tools as to how to write professionally and get published, I'm slowly making progress towards my writing goals. A wish of mine: a hope really...to support myself through writing alone. To do theatre at night, and my day job is writing.

Something to strive for: this time in my life is all about working hard, dreaming of possibilities, stretching and growing, moving towards my vision. If you're thinking about getting started in writing, look at Bootsnall.com and AssociatedContent.com, it worked for me!

Happy fall,
Ali

Monthly Writing Goals for July/Progress for June

2007-07-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

Last month, I blogged about my Monthly Writing Goals for June. I'm happy to say I met those writing goals! I have 52 pages completed on my Jane Austen solo project (I wanted to have 50 pages done.)

Also, I got my article published on Bootsnall.com. So it was a great month for me.

My monthly writing goals for July? I'm keeping it simple, because this is a busy month for me.

First, I'd like to have 60 pages completed on my Jane Austen solo project.

Second, I'd like to establish a presence on Associated Content. I'm going to submit the article I wrote for Bootsnall, to Associated Content. In this way, I'll get extra "mileage" out of all that work and research I put into the article. Associated Content pays writers a small fee, for each article.

I'll be giving non exclusive rights to use the story on their website, just as I did with Bootsnall. This way, I can submit or sell the same story to a variety of websites or print media, getting a lot of value from one story.

I like the idea of non exclusive rights; it takes so much time and research to write an article, you might as well maximize your profits (that's my opinion anyway.)

I got published on Bootsnall.com!

2007-07-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

I just found out today that an article I wrote got published on the website Bootsnall. I submitted the article (with photos) about three weeks ago. I was supposed to get an email when my story got published on their website, but I didn't see one yet. So after three weeks passed, I started checking the site, looking under "50 Most Recent Stories." Today, I saw my story there, it's the first one on the list!

Here's the link for my article on Bootsnall:

http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/07-07/where-art-meets-industry-a-look-at-hudson-new-york-usa.html

It's called "Where Art Meets Industry: A look at Hudson, New York" by Allison West.

Visitors to the site post in the Bootsnall travel forums about recent articles, so I'm looking forward to getting some feedback about my article.

This means I met my monthly writing goals for June 2007! I'm very happy about that.

My Life in Art

2007-07-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

This past week, over the July 4th holiday, I’ve been thinking a lot about my life. I think it’s good sometimes to take stock of where you’ve been, where you are, and where you might be going.

I came to the conclusion that instead of thinking about myself in terms of labeling, like “I’m a writer” or “I’m an actor”, I’m just going to think of myself as an artist, or a creative entity. I find that very freeing. It frees me up to be very creative every day, in a variety of ways. It frees me to seek other sources of creative fulfillment and not to feel guilty if I don't spend all my time on acting/writing.

When I was very young, I wanted to write. I wanted to be a “writer.” Then I got on stage, and the acting bug bit. I dropped writing, and wanted to be an “actor.” During those times, I was always very creative in lots of other ways, too. I painted, sketched, did crafts and embroidery, and a bit of sewing. But I tended to discount those pursuits in my hunt to “be somebody”, as either an actor or a writer.

Now I see that all that creative activity was the stuff of life, and very important to my artist self. I’ve recently had some urges to go back to painting, drawing and crafting, so I think I’m going to pursue it.

And not feel guilty or torn, because it is time taken away from my writing and acting goals.

In fact, I think I’m going to study graphic and web design at a small local college in the valley.

Until now, I’ve lived my life doing day jobs that did not at all reflect my artistic interests and abilities. I’d try to do my acting and writing on the side, using the nonartistic jobs to support myself. Recently, I had an important realization. It occurred to me that it could take years? for my writing, to pay enough to support me. Meanwhile, I’m doing work as a “day job” that is not satisfying or meaningful to me.

I really put off going back to school for a more interesting career, because I thought it would take time away from my acting/writing goals. But now I see the light, so to speak. It would be worth it to develop an artistic career, that could run as a sort of “parallel career” that supports my writing and acting.

For me, that is graphic/web design. What other “parallel careers” might be good for freelance writers? Teaching, for one: school teacher, teacher aide/assistant or college professor, mainly because of summers off to travel and write, and school vacations. Salaries for teacher assistants are very low in upstate NY, so I chose not to pursue that path. I’ve always wanted to work for a non-profit, in fundraising and development. Writing skills are very important in the non-profit world.

I feel that graphic and web design is a great fit for me, with my writing. I’ve seen ads for "writers wanted" that ask for graphic design skills. Designing websites and writing the content for them would be a very creative day job.

I haven’t done any drawing in a long time! So this summer I’m looking into some art classes. Here are some links to art classes in Red Hook, NY:

The Arts Center of the Greater Hudson Valley has a variety of painting and drawing classes, and Betsy Jacaruso Studio (located in the Chocolate Factory in Red Hook ) offers watercolor and drawing classes.

My Adventures on AuthorsDen

2007-07-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

I’ve heard it said that July is the happiest month. July is the height of summer, which means lots of sunshine, warmth, and daylight. I’m not at all a winter person. For me, winters are a challenge. Especially that stretch from January to March, when it’s always very dark and cold here. So I’m really loving this time of year, it’s so beautiful here in the valley. July 2nd is the halfway point of the year. The year’s half done, which makes me think about my writing goals. June was actually a very productive month for me. If I can be as productive during July, I’ll be very happy.

A few months ago, I came across a website called AuthorsDen. I was looking for a site where I could post my work in an online portfolio, until I could build my own site to showcase my writing. I registered with them back in April, but didn’t actually post anything until June. My personal page at the site is:

http://www.authorsden.com/allisonwest

AuthorsDen is a large online community where authors can post their work to be read and reviewed by readers. It’s completely free to register as a reader or as an author. Authors can also promote their current projects. If you are creating a writing portfolio, in order to activate your personal AuthorsDen page, you have to first post a brief bio. There are different levels of membership. Free membership will entitle you to post a few articles and stories. If you’d like to post more than that, then there are various levels of paying memberships.

I’m loving this site. In fact, it’s all been an incredible adventure for me. This is the first time my work has been out there, for a large number of people to read and review. It’s pretty exciting. One thing that confused me—my account says “pending activation”, meaning it wouldn’t go live until I had posted a bio and three articles or stories. I just have a bio and one article posted, yet my page is very much alive.

Since posting my article on June 7th, I’m approaching 200 page views. (you can review your personal page stats once you are logged into your member account.) My bio has been viewed almost 50 times, too. My article was also one of the most popular articles in the Travel section last month. I had a hard time wrapping my mind around all that. As I said, this is the first time my work has really been out there. I’m so glad that an article I worked so hard on is being read by, what feels to me like so many people. AuthorsDen says they have about one million visitors a month, and that’s a lot of exposure for my writing. I plan to add more articles and stories and if all goes well, I’ll join as a paying member. I’ll keep my AuthorsDen page, even when I have an official site, because of the great promotion AuthorsDen offers its writers.

What do I mean by promotion? Well to give an example, if I were to search for my name using Google, it would return a lot of results, because I have a relatively common name. Now that I’m on AuthorsDen, my AuthorsDen page is the third result, right near the top, when I search for my name. Pretty impressive! Plus, when I googled Hudson, New York, and some of the art galleries and restaurants there, my article posted on AuthorsDen (that’s about the City of Hudson) would come up high in the results too, time after time. I see that as quite an advantage to being on the site.

The only disadvantage? Well, all the revenues from Google Adsense and other advertisements on my AuthorsDen pages, goes to AuthorsDen. They need content, and I provide them with content in exchange for having a place to hold my writing portfolio. I retain the rights to my published and unpublished stories and articles I place on the site. They just promote my content. They are gathering ad revenues from my work though. That’s fine, it’s part of the agreement. But it makes me think I definitely want to have my own site where I can post my work and can receive ad revenues from my page.

I definitely think AuthorsDen is worth your consideration, especially if you are a new writer, looking to get your work out there for the first time. And there’s great networking opportunities there, too.

The Zen of Getting Organized

2007-06-22T17:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I'm afraid I'm turning into my aunt Johnny. My aunt Evelyn (inexplicably nicknamed "Johnny") was a school teacher, and a hoarder. I didn't know her very well; the last time I really remember seeing her was a long time ago when I won the county spelling bee. Yes, I was the first ever Columbia County, New York spelling bee champion! It was held at a school where Johnny taught, so she was there to witness my triumph!

My Dad always says, "you should put that on your writer's resume, along with the junior high essay contest you won." I won a school contest, went up to Albany, attended a banquet, and met the then Governor of NY. (I even had my work published in the New York State Library...but I don't think that's the kind of credentials Conde Nast Traveler is looking for?)

I lost at the state wide bee in Syracuse that summer. I confess, studying the dictionary on my summer vacation wasn't very exciting, and I folded like a house of cards in the first round of the spelling bee. I never saw Johnny much after that, but she was the stuff of family legend. "Don't get like Johnny!" my mother would warn me, when my clutter would start to rise. I'm told that when Johnny would have too much stuff, she'd simply rent an apartment to warehouse it. She even BOUGHT a house just to hold it all!

When Johnny died, I'm not sure what her poor daughter did with all that stuff. As Johnny got older, she would clean her Mom out, then the clutter would mysteriously reappear. As I've been focusing on writing, I seem to gather more and more research--magazines, articles from magazines, notes, clips, and all sorts of stuff. If you're a writer, I'm sure you can relate to having lots of research.

But what to do with it all? And do all the piles of clutter, have an effect on the writing? Can it really hold you back creatively? I can only answer that for me, clutter was holding me back in my writing. I'm not talking about grand scale clutter like Johnny's (or maybe the legendary Collier Brothers?)

My clutter is on a smaller scale, but pernicious just the same. About two weeks ago, I decided to go right into the belly of the beast. Attack the piles. I felt really stressed doing so. Letting things build up, them going through it all, deciding what to keep, what to toss, what to file and where to file it, was a bit nerve racking and overwhelming. But on the other side, there has been a feeling of peace and calm I wouldn't trade for anything. I know that getting more organized has definitely helped my writing this month.

I've stayed organized for these two weeks. No new piles, no new clutter. I've had to be really diligent not to let myself slip back into old ways, of gathering things and piling them up.

It's been worth it though. I was able to edit an article I wrote a while ago and submit it to the travel site Bootsnall. I started researching and writing something else, too. And I created an online portfolio at AuthorsDen. I had been feeling a little blocked when surrounded by clutter, but after the cleanout, I felt clearer, with a renewed sense of energy and purpose.

I really like Cheryl Richardson's book, "Take Time For Your Life," which I read last January. In the book, she talks about "energy drains." We all have an inner barometer, with so much energy available to live our life. It's like deposits and withdrawals to a bank account. We all, as human beings, have only just so many precious reserves. Negative things we do, like accumulating clutter, draw down on our energy reserves and make us unproductive and unwell. Positive things we do for ourselves physically and emotionally, make our energy levels rise. This seems like a pretty basic concept but one a lot of people don't think about. For me, cleaning out my clutter removed a layer of static in my life, allowing me to see what needed to be done, giving me the energy to reach my goals.

If you have a severe clutter problem, consider The National Association of Professional Organizers. Go to their website and plug your zip code into their search engine, and find a professional organizer in your area. Go to the library or browse online booksellers for some books on how to get organized. Me, I'm a do-it-yourselfer. How did I vanquish my clutter? Somewhere (and I honestly can't recall where) I remember hearing the phrase "SPACE" which stands for:

*SORT
*PURGE
*ASSIGN
*CONTAINERIZE
*EQUALIZE

First, go mano-a-mano with your clutter, sorting it all out (music or TV, will keep you company in this lengthy, often tedious, even maddening process.) Throw out stuff you don't need, be strict with yourself too (my mantra: when in doubt throw it out!) Make up categories for what you want to keep (this is called assigning) and places to hold it all (the containerizing step.) Finally, "equalize" by staying vigilant to new clutter. On a weekly basis (or daily if you're a hardcore packrat, you know who you are!) weed out the new clutter and file away new or existing items in their containers.

With these steps I have saved myself from a life like the poor Collier Brothers (tunneling through my clutter with a hardhat and a flashlight.) Getting more organized has made me a whole lot more peaceful, I feel more creative and without the energy drains of my clutter, I feel more productive. Give clutter busting a try, and see how it affects your writing.

Monthly Writing Goals for June

2007-06-11T16:27:00.000-07:00

My writing goals for June 2007:

1. 50 pages completed for the first draft of my Jane Austen solo show. (I've completed 34 pages already; I'd like to see that number go up to 50 by the end of the month...)

2. Getting my first article published. I wrote an article in a travel writing workshop at Writers Online Workshops. I'm submitting it to the travel website Bootsnall. It's always been a goal of mine to be published there, to see my work alongside travel writers like Jen Leo and Rolf Potts.

I'll post back at the end of the month to report my progress...

The First Rule of Writing...

2007-06-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

To paraphrase what Richard Rhodes calls "The Knickerbocker Rule:"

Apply derriere to chair.

It's as simple as that folks. I've violated that rule all weekend. I've been out and about for a few days, with no work getting done on my projects. I've come to realize that the only way to actually be a writer, is to show up at the page, sit your toukas down in a chair and scribble or type some words. A writer must spend time putting words together, on a regular basis (ideally every day.)

Sometimes you have to find the time to write, carving it out of your busy day. Rising at dawn, staying up late or finding some time to write on weekends and days off from your job. I love the movie "American Splendor." Harvey Pekar was a medical records clerk, lamenting he was a "nobody flunky." Yet he felt driven to create, to leave his mark. So he wrote the comic "American Splendor" after work, or at his desk, whenever he could find the time, and had Bob Crumb and other artists do the drawings.

I offer as Rule Number Two of Writing: (you get that as a bonus today thrown in with Rule Number One: affixing butt to chair and typing away...)

Surround yourself with people who genuinely support your growth as a creative artist. If you don't, it could serious impede your efforts to create. I know, I've been there. You generally know who these people are, in your life. Remember the expression, "Don't go to the hardware store to buy milk?" Don't look for the dream killers in your life, to lift you up and support you. Try to surround yourself with those people who want you to succeed in your goals. Step away from those who would suck the life out of you. Make your commitment to create art, a high priority. Simple as that.

Writing can be hard, lonely, and scary work. It's a bit terrifying to look at that blank page staring back at you, wondering how to fill it up with words. It's scary to present your work for review by editors and readers. It's a lot easier to travel, gather research and talk about the writing you're going to do, than it is to actually sit down and write something.

However, nothing is more satisfying than doing the work, and completing a project. It's that satisfaction and fulfillment, that motivates me to keep writing. I'm going to be posting my writing goals for the month soon (and putting them out there for the world to see should help me stay motivated to reach them.)

52perfectdays.com

2007-06-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

I discovered a "Travel Writing for Beginners" group on Myspace.com. On the forums I saw a call for submissions for a new travel website called 52perfectdays.com. Writers guidelines are in that forum post I just mentioned, or visit the actual website for details. They are just starting up and probably need a lot of content, so this seems like a great opportunity.

In the same forum, I saw another post about the travel site Daily Shandy. Daily Shandy is looking for bloggers for various cities. Visit their website, or go to their MySpace page, for more details.

I think joining an online group for writers, like the one at MySpace, is a great idea for networking. Just do a search on Myspace Groups and you will find many group for all kinds of writers.

Westways Magazine

2007-06-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

I must have good postal karma. Interesting magazines keep showing up in my mailbox. The other day I received my neighbor’s Westways Magazine by accident. So I had a chance to read it before I gave it back to the post office (I keep missing issues of Backstage East…it only gets delivered about half the time, what’s that about?)

Westways is the publication of the AAA of Southern California. I really enjoyed the feature article by Jennifer Moeller about her travels in Telluride. When I find an article I like, I study it for style and content. Moeller’s article is an excellent example of a personal experience piece, really well done, in my opinion. I notice she also contributed her own photographs with the article.

The June 2007 issue of Westways also has several food articles, including one by Chris Cognac, the Food Network’s “Hungry Detective.” I did not see any mention of writer’s guidelines at the site; however, there is contact information for the editor. All past issues of the magazine are archived on their website. The magazine is regional and content is heavy on the Western U.S., but looking at past issues, I did see articles on other areas of the USA, and one about India.

AAA has a number of regional publications it sends out to its members, which could be possible markets for writers. Trying to track down which AAA club publishes what seemed very confusing to me. If food or travel writing is your niche, look into AAA publications.

Check out this thread on Travelwriters.com for more info about writing for AAA magazines.

Hope your week is going great so far. Mine's been soggy, it's been pouring here all weekend. My mood: rainy, needs coffee.

To Blog, or Not To Blog?

2007-06-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”-- Anais Nin

To blog, or not to blog?…Ah, that is the question. I’ve read so many blogs about writing, and it seems like every possible topic has been covered in depth. So I ask myself, why should I blog?

I’m embarking on a new chapter in my life, and I want to record my progress towards my artistic goals. In an earlier phase of my life, I graduated with an Associates and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration/Finance, and went on to complete some credits towards an MBA. I earned my degrees, and spent time working in the corporate world, because it was the practical thing to do. But it wasn't my heart's desire.

I am a very creative person, and in my youth, I showed great promise as an actor and writer. Everyone in my life dissuaded me from those career paths, and I listened to them. The arts are a hobby, a pastime, I was told. I was discouraged at every turn from becoming an artist.

Turns out, I was always an artist. I realized my job, was not my life’s work. It was time for me to reclaim myself, to recognize my identity as an artist, and to honor that by pursuing a creative career.

I’m starting this blog in June 2007, and giving myself one year to complete a few goals. I want to finish the first draft of a solo show I’m writing about Jane Austen. I am also hoping begin a freelance writing career, and I want to get as many pieces published as I can by June 2008. I always said, when I have ten articles published, I’d feel I could call myself a writer. But I’d be happy to see myself moving along towards my goals, even if I don’t get that many pieces published. It’s as much about process, as product.

I’m starting from scratch (so to speak) as a freelance writer, and I’ll be sharing my story each step of the way towards my goals. I’ll be offering my take on writing as an art and a business, and blogging about market leads, interesting websites and writers. I hope that anyone reading who has a dream of becoming a writer will be inspired to pick up a pen. So let the adventure begin, and let’s get writing!