One American Writer

You CAN work for yourself

    

Available now!

Click the book's image above, or click here to read more and order your copy.

Thank you, and stay encouraged!

Regards,
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 

Ant Massacre at Divinity Vines

The scene of the mayhem is my kitchen, Divinity Vines being the name of our property, where we are using bottled coyote pee pee to keep the deer from nibbling our new vines.  Grapes next year, and perhaps wine the year after that!

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, where it was 92 degrees yesterday (the AC is working today, thank GOD), ant corpses litter the counter edges where my sponge swiped a path through water-melon juice and the tiny, feasting army.

It was good to wake at a normal hour, seven A.M. being a bit later than I like to get up.  The night before, however, I went to bed at midnight but couldn't sleep.  I got up at 1 A.M. to work a bit, and then the sun came up! 

Eight hours later, I had FINALLY updated my book (How to Make Money While You Look for a Job) with the really great content Chuck wrote for me, and with my interview with Peter Prestipino, Editor in Chief at Website Magazine.

When I was laid off in November I said, "The first thing I have to do is update my book."  But I did everything except that.

Here's what happened: My chicken-self went to bed and my writer-self got out of bed.  I snuck up on myself.

Here's what's happening now: I am completing the update and writing the press release, but first, I must more thoroughly cleanse the kitchen of my slain enemy's corpses, and never leave water-melon rind on my counter overnight again!

Ants, 37,289,983,883

Humans, 1.  

You want this? Writer anxiety comes with the job.

Woke up before 3 AM and knew I couldn't go back to sleep.  Tried anyway but got up at about 3:30.  Searched online for "writer anxiety" and surprisingly found results from several ".edu" sources.

The description that enticed me to click said, "...turn anxiety into creativity."  Here's a quick quote:

"In other words, you’re a clone of the Charlie Kaufman character in ‘Adaptation’-- bleary-eyed, unshaven, sleep-deprived, staring pathetically at the empty computer screen, hoping for inspiration and yearning for another cup of coffee, and maybe a nice banana-nut muffin. A dozen nagging, self-mocking thoughts echo in your head: You’re untalented, a fraud. You’re getting old and fat. No woman (or man) will ever want to sleep with you again. Your life is over."

Aha, I am not alone!

And one more line:

"And, as I’ve said countless times to the writer clients in my practice, struggling with these doubts and fears doesn’t say anything about you as a writer. Other than that you ARE a writer."

In my practice?  The author is a pro?  There is therapy for writers?

The article is from The Writer's Store at WritersStore.com, by  Dennis Palumbo, a "psychotherapist specializing in  creative issues," according to an interview with him on his site, DennisPalumbo.com.

And he's right -- my sleeplessness and burning doubt are grist for the mill.  He says, "This is particularly true for writers, whose very feelings are the raw materials of their craft"

This will make it into the book.  I remember the same energy waking me up before dawn when I was writing articles for gantthead.com and techrepublic.com (project management and info-tech sites) .  It came in very handy, too, because I was working full-time then, in addition to writing freelance articles.  If anxiety hadn't woken me up, I wouldn't have had time to write.

So if you're thinking about writing, get ready for the jitters and doubts.  I've just started farming, too, and that hasn't caused anxiety.  That just gets me dirty -- I shower and start all over again.  But I can't not write, so for now, I'll read the rest of the article, then see if I can shower off some of this dirty anxiety.

One American writer begets more American writers...YOU.

Hello, I am Donna D. Buskirk and I will KICK YOU IN THE COMPUTER TO GET YOU MOTIVATED. 

I know you've got it in you.  Your book.  The trick is to get it out of you.  Let's write eBooks.  Let's save trees, time, and money and help readers hang onto your words online.

So two things --

1. Join my once-a-day writer-motivating and how-to list.
2. Buy my eBook (I'm on deadline now for this title: 730 e-Book; Seven Steps & 30 Days to Write and Publish Your e-Book.)

I'll see you via email if you sign up, and readers will see YOU online, too, if you QUIT READING AND START WRITING!

Hard Regards,*
Donna D. Buskirk
One American Writer

* "Hard regards" instead of "warm regards" because life is hard and I'm going to be hard on you (and me).  Merciless, in fact.  Can you take it? -ddb