One American Writer

Bathrobe at noon confession

Here's how I ended up wearing my robe at -- well, read the sequence:

1. Pre-coffee, 7 am, trek to the barn (the robe part comes later).
2. Feed and water goats, chickens, cats and dogs.
3. Go in for coffee and hot bath.
4. Oops!   Give the dogs Frontline for fleas.
5. On the way back to the house, the dog passes me.  He's long gone for now.
6. Email technical writing client about proof.  Notice footer must be fixed.  Email graphic artist to fix it.
7. Return phone calls to kids' soccer coaches.  Practice starts next week.
8. Dog comes back.  Take Copper back to the pen and secure it more thoroughly.
9. Upstairs for bath, coffee is cold.  Put on robe and go downstairs to reheat it.
10. Email is in from graphic artist. Call about number-sequence typo.
11. Receive final proof and client's email approval.

This is how, when you work for yourself, you can end up in your robe at noon.  OK, it's only 10:30, but to someone who likes to get up at 4 or 5, 10:30 might as well be lunchtime, and I'm still in my robe!  Arghh.

So when a friend says, "I'd love to work for myself -- I can stay in my robe until noon," secretly smile and knowingly nod.  Let her find out the hard way.

He said yes, she said no. Author Ralph Keyes said I can offer workshops based on his book, "The Courage to Write." Plans are in the works -- there is a lot of local interest.

A story subject for the newspaper said she's far too busy to let me take another photo of her. The publisher says it must be her, not her colleagues.

Challenges, challenges. Are you up for them? Be kind to your story subjects! I was, but perhaps something I said was taken the wrong way. Work and learn!

Write on,
Donna

This just in: "Venture capital investments surge to highest levels in nearly two years" http://localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/news/blogpost/7973168/ Be encouraged! Every biz-starter must write well or hire a writer.

The courage to write Ralph Keyes

I am reading the final pages of "The Courage to Write" by Ralph Keyes, and I want to teach a workshop using that book as the text.

Teaching is what I love best.  When my articles have been published on-line or in print, I never get to see the "AHA" or correct the "HUH?" in readers' faces.

So, now that I have the courage to write (I'm writing features and covering town meetings for The Alamance News here in North Carolina, doing some freelance tech writing...does that count?, and working on a book proposal), I need the courage to ask the author and/or his publisher if I can conduct workshops based on that book.

I need the courage to e-mail Ralph Keyes.  Here goes (popping over to do that now).  There.  Not so hard.  Now all I need, all WE need, is the courage to stick with it.  What is IT?  Whatever we are doing to stay encouraged and be brave in the face of our current challenges.

Up one road and down another,
Donna D. Buskirk
One American Writer

King Content says

Content is king, and King Content says:

"My loyal subjects.  I know you are not perfect.  But write.  Post to blogs!  Write your book.  Complete that story.  Design that Web site so there is a place in the world for your content.  And then MONETIZE!"

King Content, in an aside to his assistant:

"MUST I say, 'monetize?'  I don't WANT to say 'monetize.'  I HATE that word.  I want to say, 'Make money.'  You can say 'CONTENT IS KING' as often as you wish, but we all know that MONEY is king.  I, King Content, am only king as long as content brings profit.  But back to my speech:...

"My loyal subjects.  Stop learning and write!  There will always be another blog post, another resource, another free webinar.  WRITE.  Start to PRODUCE and then, as you continue to learn from resourceful blog posts and webinars, you can WRITE about those, and share your learning with others.  Learn as you go, but WRITE.  You must write! Remember, content is king!

If you cannot or will not write, because content is king, you must hire a writer.  Connect with professional writers at MediaBistro.com.  Find Freelance Connect from their menu and describe your project.  Writer's Market judged them on of the top writing sites.  

So, loyal subjects, write!  And now, we must get on over to Media Bistro and complete our own royal profile!  Later!

How NOT to make money as a technical writer

I just talked my favorite client into updating his own document. 

"You did what?" 

I know you won't find that tip in any book called How To Make Tons of Money Writing Boring Documents (hey, maybe that's my next book!  Nah, you write it).

But in this case, that is best for the client, and for the readers of his documentation.

I did the same thing on software teams.  I would explain to the god-like developer (actually some were VERY nice), "Either you can explain the software to me, and I will document it, or you can write down how it works, and I will confirm it and edit the content."

Ideally, I would get access to every user-level of the software and be trained on it, or be given time to learn and use it, plus have access to actual software users who are willing to take time to tell me/show me how they use the tool, where they get stumped, and what they'd like to see in user documentation.

Ideally, the software developer has done this before in the requirements-gathering stage, before development started. 

Yeah, right.

My point is, when you help your clients help themselves, your job is easier in the end.  I will receive a draft updated by the man who knows the tool inside and out (I HOPE), and I will learn the tool as I prove his instructions are accurate.  Then I will polish the document in ways too complex and mysterious to explain here.

Tada!  I am SO wise.  Uh oh.  I think I stood too close to a software developer.

If you are working independently, check out my updated book, "How to Make Money While You Look for a Job."  The e-book edition is free for folks who join my Seven Steps to Money motivational list. 

Write Away!
Donna