Right-o.
Right-O?
Whatever the case (get it? hehe) may be, it's time to update Quit and Write, so grab your tasty beverage and perhaps an oreo or two; it just might be a long and mildly wild ride.
Ooh, assonance. Love it.
Incidentally, I'm in love with punctuation. The semi-colon particularly. I love that puny piece of punctuation (alliteration!) so much I sometimes fabricate ways to use it.
Anyway, back to the task at hand. At fingertips. On lap.
I've been busy of late. Last week I shared how I had been kept quite busy with some writing of long, multitudinous passages. Well, I got paid for that, so that's freakin' awesome. Love getting paid to write.
I have since spent time reviewing passages and doing some revising, for that same project. All of which I will be getting paid for as well.
Now I have some more work to do for that company. All good, no?
Also, I've been working furiously on getting some more web-based writing revenue coming in. First, I wrote a couple real estate articles for www.helium.com. I can't share them because they are currently being considered for purchase by www.realtor.com. I wrote two, and if they choose both, that's a $400 payday. I pray often for this to work out.
I even did serious research for those pieces. Called real estate agents and stuff.
Now I'm working on a piece about the growing movement to keep chickens in suburban yards. I'm considering making it an expose on cities who have their heads stuck in the sand. Cities like Provo.
So in the last week I've written three financial fitness lessons. Two of them are on http://personalfinancegym.blogspot.com. I also put together some sales e-mails, and...
(how to embed a drumroll soundtrack?)
a piece that should be appearing in LDS Living's April e-mail to subscribers. That would be about 50,000 people. Worldwide.
I'm excited about that. (No pay, but exposure is nice, eh?)
I am pushing hard with trying to get others to link to my blogs on other websites. This is beginning to pick up some with my financial fitness blog. I've got a link shared on the Best Friends Network. Best Friends Animal Society is a large animal shelter in southern Utah.
I'm going to start learning about grant writing soon... just as soon as I finish mastering the art of the white paper. I'm nearly done with that, so shortly any companies who need white paper written up, contact me because I will be crafting meticulous and magnificent white papers.
A white paper is a long brochure, essentially. 3000 words or so about a company's offering.
As for novel writing, I haven't been able to make time, what with trying to pay bills and increase my non-fiction exposure. However, I do have a writing exercise for the next post. That post will arrive tomorrow. I call this the trickle-in method.
So now I must go. I need to get today's http://powersderived.blogspot.com piece finished and posted.
Check out my other sites. Share on networking sites. Digg, reddit, and stuff are all good places to share.
Showing posts with label Helium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Helium. Show all posts
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Stuff I wrote that I can share
I wrote a rather spiffy lesson on debt consolidation. It's on my financial blog:
http://personalfinancegym.blogspot.com
It's also on www.helium.com: http://www.helium.com/items/1398841-pros-and-cons-of-debt-consolidation
Check it out. Share it. Love it. Give me jelly beans.
You must do at least two of the above.
http://personalfinancegym.blogspot.com
It's also on www.helium.com: http://www.helium.com/items/1398841-pros-and-cons-of-debt-consolidation
Check it out. Share it. Love it. Give me jelly beans.
You must do at least two of the above.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The plan.. sort of
Okay, here're the preliminaries. I do this so I can be accountable. They say that written goals are achievable goals. (Yes, the 'i' goes before the 'e' in that word)
Gonna get up no later than 5:15AM every week morning. I will write for 30 minutes. It will be fiction. For now, it will be a book that I will finish by June 1st. That is about 76 days of writing. If I can do 500 words every writing morning, I will have 38,000 words. That's not bad, right?
If I can't finish by June 1st, it will be done by July 1st at the latest.
So that's creative writing planned. Will it be hard to get up?
Funny you should ask. Because yes!
I'd like to be putting about 3 hours into www.helium.com every week. I have to figure out when to do this. Maybe in the evenings.
I also need to get stuff written for Maximum Yield and Demand Studios.
Plus, I have side projects to get done.
And I got squat-all done this week. Sometimes it's hard to feel good about yourself.. has anybody else noticed that?
I just have one more thing to say:
Lily's eyes, the size of her life
lived large and loud and loved
lull me, capture me.
Her squeeze, tight and tiny
but large and loud and loving
melts me, breaks me.
Gonna get up no later than 5:15AM every week morning. I will write for 30 minutes. It will be fiction. For now, it will be a book that I will finish by June 1st. That is about 76 days of writing. If I can do 500 words every writing morning, I will have 38,000 words. That's not bad, right?
If I can't finish by June 1st, it will be done by July 1st at the latest.
So that's creative writing planned. Will it be hard to get up?
Funny you should ask. Because yes!
I'd like to be putting about 3 hours into www.helium.com every week. I have to figure out when to do this. Maybe in the evenings.
I also need to get stuff written for Maximum Yield and Demand Studios.
Plus, I have side projects to get done.
And I got squat-all done this week. Sometimes it's hard to feel good about yourself.. has anybody else noticed that?
I just have one more thing to say:
Lily's eyes, the size of her life
lived large and loud and loved
lull me, capture me.
Her squeeze, tight and tiny
but large and loud and loving
melts me, breaks me.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Up for 39 hours
and not going very strong at this point.
I've been keeping up with the feedback from the client in Korea. I get paid when the project is done, so I have a vested interest in moving the project forward.
I also did work at WeXL today, for the morning time.
We attended a blue and gold banquet tonight for our oldest, Thomas. It was fun; our first.
Tomorrow's plan:
Start my day by exercising.
1) At WeXL in the AM. Prospecting by phone and by going to business parks.
2) Home for lunch probably, or soon thereafter.
3) Bang an article together-- at least the rough draft, for Maximum Yield magazine.
4) Spend time keeping up with the project for my Korean client.
5) Do some Helium administrative stuff.
6) Check out the Ensign, Liahona, and New Era's editorial calendar. Outline an article based on what I find.
7) Add more to my brainstorm for my America essay.
8) Go to the bank.
9) Do a creative writing experiment: characterization.
And that is all. It ain't much, but I'll probably be fighting sleep all day.
Speaking of sleep, that's what I gots to do now. Good night moon.
I've been keeping up with the feedback from the client in Korea. I get paid when the project is done, so I have a vested interest in moving the project forward.
I also did work at WeXL today, for the morning time.
We attended a blue and gold banquet tonight for our oldest, Thomas. It was fun; our first.
Tomorrow's plan:
Start my day by exercising.
1) At WeXL in the AM. Prospecting by phone and by going to business parks.
2) Home for lunch probably, or soon thereafter.
3) Bang an article together-- at least the rough draft, for Maximum Yield magazine.
4) Spend time keeping up with the project for my Korean client.
5) Do some Helium administrative stuff.
6) Check out the Ensign, Liahona, and New Era's editorial calendar. Outline an article based on what I find.
7) Add more to my brainstorm for my America essay.
8) Go to the bank.
9) Do a creative writing experiment: characterization.
And that is all. It ain't much, but I'll probably be fighting sleep all day.
Speaking of sleep, that's what I gots to do now. Good night moon.
Finally, the update we've all been waiting for...
I've been somewhat cryptic in my latest status updates on Facebook, and they have basically been alluding to what's been going on in my writing world of late.
Let me start this off by making as clear as possible the pure and undiluted, and really quite distilled, fact that it is 6:40AM here and I have been working at the kitchen table for the last 10 (ten) hours. Not straight, because I get up every hour or so to stretch. And I had to go get some Rockstar.
Am I getting ahead of myself? Can't tell.
Okay. So my client in Korea keeps feeding me lots of work. I could probably work on it full time two to three days per week. But there's so much other stuff to do during the daytime that I end up doing the lion's share of the work at night. So I have just finished something in the realm of 20 hours of work for this client. This is, of course, at my hourly rate of $25.
So that's nice. Tasty in fact. It's a lot of questions and extension activities, but I'm getting pretty good at it and I think it plays right into my strengths as an educator and writer.
I have to say right now that I am extremely grateful for this work. How wonderful it is to do something you love. Sure, this gets a little tiring and tiresome, but it pays and it is essentially what I love to do.
That's not all. I landed another client: it's basically a partner company of WeXL, the company I market for right now--which is another day job. And that day job is going okay, although with the recent goings on, I've had to keep the time I spend on that one to a minimum since it doesn't deal with deadlines so much.
So I wrote a website and sales letter for that new client, am in the process of tweaking that copy as they finalize things, and have already been paid on my invoice. Sweet!
I have a good friend who works with this new client as well, and he passed on the name of a fellow who was looking for a ghost writer to work with him on a large-ish instruction manual. I met with them three weeks ago and it went well. I spent some time with the material needing written up and sent along a sizable (very!) estimate, which is, albeit, negotiable.
Wow, I haven't slept in 24 hours (almost) and I think I just used 'albeit' correctly in a sentence. I'll just soak that up for a second.........................................zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Okay, I'm back. That should be able to be parlayed into good work, and ongoing work with that company as well, since the main client is a marketing company that specializes in web marketing. Funny, I specialize in web copy!
That's not all! HA!
I sold an article on Helium.com's marketplace. Incidentally, if you want to make some extra cash (it starts small but snowballs with diligence and patience) check out:
http://www.helium.com/marketplace?placement=CL45690
That article sold for $32. Not terrible. It was about how to make homemade bread.
I cashed out over $100 from Helium.com this last month. That was the result of my large collection of articles on there, about 8 or 10 new articles, and one sold marketplace article. Considering I spent about ten hours over the month on Helium, that's not terrible for a writing website.
Dang, my Pandora's playing U2's Mysterious Ways. I love this one. Actually, it's pretty much my favorite U2 tune.
But that's not all!
I got an e-mail from a publication out of Canada, one that has a print and online version and a readership of over 250,000 (does that mean they have 250,001?). This was the editor of this magazine that e-mailed me. She invited me to contribute regularly to their American offshoot. It's about gardening-- one of my favorite subjects to write about!
But that's not all!
But that IS all I can say right now. When the deal happens or doesn't happen (that's all the detail I can give right now, sorry!) I'll pass it on. But it could be big. I mean... uh... insanely big.
Kristi. Melinda. Kaye. Mike. (Amy too).
I owe you a huge thanks. Your advice (mostly Melinda and Kristi, but the others' support of this advice) to maybe focus on non-fiction was inspired. I know it. I am not abandoning fiction, but there's something I need to do in the realm of non-fiction. I can feel the shivers of excitement right now.
I'm not kidding. I'm trembling with this right now. Maybe it's partly the Rockstar, maybe it's the lack of sleep. I've simply got a certainty that I'm going the right way at this point. No doubt about it. And as I write that, the HOLY GHOST, who is the teacher and Comforter, confirms this certainty.
Why does so much of society, including me far too much of the time, discount our most important sense? I mean, our physical senses can be deceived so easily. But our other sense: the one many of us call soul, or spirit, or heart, or intuition is actually not so easily deceived. Yet we so easily mistrust it.
That's all for now.
Or not. Actually, the WeXL thing is going well too. It's neat to be marketing something, and beginning to be successful with that something, that actually helps people. I'll actually help a client save over $650,000 in interest alone over the next eight years!
Now that's all. The update I'd been needing to post for a while.
My head's above water now, so I've got to go leap in again. I'll do the bed thing first, though.
Let me start this off by making as clear as possible the pure and undiluted, and really quite distilled, fact that it is 6:40AM here and I have been working at the kitchen table for the last 10 (ten) hours. Not straight, because I get up every hour or so to stretch. And I had to go get some Rockstar.
Am I getting ahead of myself? Can't tell.
Okay. So my client in Korea keeps feeding me lots of work. I could probably work on it full time two to three days per week. But there's so much other stuff to do during the daytime that I end up doing the lion's share of the work at night. So I have just finished something in the realm of 20 hours of work for this client. This is, of course, at my hourly rate of $25.
So that's nice. Tasty in fact. It's a lot of questions and extension activities, but I'm getting pretty good at it and I think it plays right into my strengths as an educator and writer.
I have to say right now that I am extremely grateful for this work. How wonderful it is to do something you love. Sure, this gets a little tiring and tiresome, but it pays and it is essentially what I love to do.
That's not all. I landed another client: it's basically a partner company of WeXL, the company I market for right now--which is another day job. And that day job is going okay, although with the recent goings on, I've had to keep the time I spend on that one to a minimum since it doesn't deal with deadlines so much.
So I wrote a website and sales letter for that new client, am in the process of tweaking that copy as they finalize things, and have already been paid on my invoice. Sweet!
I have a good friend who works with this new client as well, and he passed on the name of a fellow who was looking for a ghost writer to work with him on a large-ish instruction manual. I met with them three weeks ago and it went well. I spent some time with the material needing written up and sent along a sizable (very!) estimate, which is, albeit, negotiable.
Wow, I haven't slept in 24 hours (almost) and I think I just used 'albeit' correctly in a sentence. I'll just soak that up for a second.........................................zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Okay, I'm back. That should be able to be parlayed into good work, and ongoing work with that company as well, since the main client is a marketing company that specializes in web marketing. Funny, I specialize in web copy!
That's not all! HA!
I sold an article on Helium.com's marketplace. Incidentally, if you want to make some extra cash (it starts small but snowballs with diligence and patience) check out:
http://www.helium.com/marketplace?placement=CL45690
That article sold for $32. Not terrible. It was about how to make homemade bread.
I cashed out over $100 from Helium.com this last month. That was the result of my large collection of articles on there, about 8 or 10 new articles, and one sold marketplace article. Considering I spent about ten hours over the month on Helium, that's not terrible for a writing website.
Dang, my Pandora's playing U2's Mysterious Ways. I love this one. Actually, it's pretty much my favorite U2 tune.
But that's not all!
I got an e-mail from a publication out of Canada, one that has a print and online version and a readership of over 250,000 (does that mean they have 250,001?). This was the editor of this magazine that e-mailed me. She invited me to contribute regularly to their American offshoot. It's about gardening-- one of my favorite subjects to write about!
But that's not all!
But that IS all I can say right now. When the deal happens or doesn't happen (that's all the detail I can give right now, sorry!) I'll pass it on. But it could be big. I mean... uh... insanely big.
Kristi. Melinda. Kaye. Mike. (Amy too).
I owe you a huge thanks. Your advice (mostly Melinda and Kristi, but the others' support of this advice) to maybe focus on non-fiction was inspired. I know it. I am not abandoning fiction, but there's something I need to do in the realm of non-fiction. I can feel the shivers of excitement right now.
I'm not kidding. I'm trembling with this right now. Maybe it's partly the Rockstar, maybe it's the lack of sleep. I've simply got a certainty that I'm going the right way at this point. No doubt about it. And as I write that, the HOLY GHOST, who is the teacher and Comforter, confirms this certainty.
Why does so much of society, including me far too much of the time, discount our most important sense? I mean, our physical senses can be deceived so easily. But our other sense: the one many of us call soul, or spirit, or heart, or intuition is actually not so easily deceived. Yet we so easily mistrust it.
That's all for now.
Or not. Actually, the WeXL thing is going well too. It's neat to be marketing something, and beginning to be successful with that something, that actually helps people. I'll actually help a client save over $650,000 in interest alone over the next eight years!
Now that's all. The update I'd been needing to post for a while.
My head's above water now, so I've got to go leap in again. I'll do the bed thing first, though.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Wow, they like me...
they really like me!
Or maybe they are .... uh... I actually can't think of anything else.
Check out www.helium.com again and show support for good old me. I'm featured on their homepage again! I really have no clue why I'm featured again, so soon after I had an article featured and was the featured writer, but I'm not complaining.
This website is really nifty. Any writer or person who wants to be a writer should go there through my referral link though, that means I get more cred there. So try this out: http://www.helium.com/marketplace?placement=CL45690
That'll make things happen.
Seriously, the writing thing is--as a freelancer-- is going somewhere suddenly. I've got to come back tonight and pass on some of what's been happening. These last couple of weeks have been a very interesting time.
May the force be with you.
It looks like my writing lives. So I'm off to carpe somnium. (Grammar sucks there, but it's fun to say.)
Or maybe they are .... uh... I actually can't think of anything else.
Check out www.helium.com again and show support for good old me. I'm featured on their homepage again! I really have no clue why I'm featured again, so soon after I had an article featured and was the featured writer, but I'm not complaining.
This website is really nifty. Any writer or person who wants to be a writer should go there through my referral link though, that means I get more cred there. So try this out: http://www.helium.com/marketplace?placement=CL45690
That'll make things happen.
Seriously, the writing thing is--as a freelancer-- is going somewhere suddenly. I've got to come back tonight and pass on some of what's been happening. These last couple of weeks have been a very interesting time.
May the force be with you.
It looks like my writing lives. So I'm off to carpe somnium. (Grammar sucks there, but it's fun to say.)
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Some changes and links
Hello all
I've added a couple features to my blog. Now you can subscribe to this blog, and I've also got a blog roll going.
Here are a couple links I wanted to share:
http://www.helium.com/marketplace?placement=CL45690
The first here is one that I've shared before. It'll take you to Helium.com's marketplace, where you can find some article titles posted by actual publishers who need work done. May the best article win!
And here's a link to the company I'm working at. This will actually take you to my portal:
http://jaredgarrett.wexlfinancial.com/
Check it out. Let me know what you think of these folks. I'm pretty much blown away.
And that's all for now. I will report on writing later tonight or early tomorrow.
carpe somnium!
I've added a couple features to my blog. Now you can subscribe to this blog, and I've also got a blog roll going.
Here are a couple links I wanted to share:
http://www.helium.com/marketplace?placement=CL45690
The first here is one that I've shared before. It'll take you to Helium.com's marketplace, where you can find some article titles posted by actual publishers who need work done. May the best article win!
And here's a link to the company I'm working at. This will actually take you to my portal:
http://jaredgarrett.wexlfinancial.com/
Check it out. Let me know what you think of these folks. I'm pretty much blown away.
And that's all for now. I will report on writing later tonight or early tomorrow.
carpe somnium!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
You have to check it out!
Hey there all.
I'm the featured writer on www.helium.com today
If you want to see, just click on that link and you will see my ugly mug on the page.
Spread the word.
I'm the featured writer on www.helium.com today
If you want to see, just click on that link and you will see my ugly mug on the page.
Spread the word.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Quick update
Hey there.
I just finished another rewrite of The Cabin. I think it's solid. I also just sent it off to an editor at Little, Brown and Company. This is the editor who replied to my query saying that she was intrigued.
Hoooooo boy. I'm really on pins here. I know it'll probably take a lot of time before I hear anything back, but I'm feeling pretty jumpy right now.
This rewrite really does flesh things out better. It's funny, I tend to write telegraphically, so my rewrites tend to add rather than subtract.
Anyway, I have to get my oldest lad off to school and I need to get to work. I've had quite a few short nights lately; I'm looking forward to sleeping more tonight. Oh, and I've got a freelance project I have to do today.
Finally, apparently I was voted a top 25 writer at www.Helium.com recently. That's quite an honor. I really like those guys.
Better run.
I am going to carpe my somnium. It's happening.
I just finished another rewrite of The Cabin. I think it's solid. I also just sent it off to an editor at Little, Brown and Company. This is the editor who replied to my query saying that she was intrigued.
Hoooooo boy. I'm really on pins here. I know it'll probably take a lot of time before I hear anything back, but I'm feeling pretty jumpy right now.
This rewrite really does flesh things out better. It's funny, I tend to write telegraphically, so my rewrites tend to add rather than subtract.
Anyway, I have to get my oldest lad off to school and I need to get to work. I've had quite a few short nights lately; I'm looking forward to sleeping more tonight. Oh, and I've got a freelance project I have to do today.
Finally, apparently I was voted a top 25 writer at www.Helium.com recently. That's quite an honor. I really like those guys.
Better run.
I am going to carpe my somnium. It's happening.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Scrabbling upward
Back again. I know, two days in a row! Shocking, but a blessing to all those reading.
Only joking.
The last couple of days have been challenging, to say the least. I've been trying to fight the hit on my self-esteem that losing out on this job is dealing me. Brain-wise, I know perfectly well that the job fell through because of budget issues, but that otherwise I had it in the bag. That is comforting, but it doesn't help the old concept that I am supposed to be providing for my family and that I just can't seem to do it.
Doubts and stuff keep resurfacing. Should I have just stuck out the MA in TESOL program? Why didn't we just stay in Alaska and stay afloat up there, particularly since this year's dividend is something in the neighborhood of $3000! Maybe we should have not done the whole QuitandWrite thing and just stayed at the teaching. I mean, there's no doubt that if we had refinanced this house to take out a bunch of the equity, and then re-invested that cash into another property, we would be better off financially.
Arg. Why can't I be like the Last Unicorn and not be able to have regrets?
Then there's my certainty that The Cabin is going to sell, and then do really well. But that's going to take time. And then if it doesn't even happen, clearly I just suck.
Which I don't think is the case.
So now I've signed up to teach two writing classes at BYU's English Language Center. That's a semester-long commitment, so I will put the full-time job search on hold. I've also started prospecting for more freelance work via www.getafreelancer.com. Then there's the work I'm doing for a friend, who runs www.schooltipline.com.
Scrabbling upward. Got to keep afloat and keep the dream alive.
Sometimes (read: often) I find myself thinking that the cosmos (read: God in His Heaven) is telling me that I'm not really ever supposed to get tied up in a regular 8-5 job. If that's the case, and if we're supposed to just continue on our atypical path, that's fine. But we need to have some of these outside the box things come through.
Blech. I'll stop with the moroseness.
I wrote three articles for Helium today. One is for the Marketplace, and if it gets picked up, that's a pretty good paycheck for an article. Incidentally, I'm making upward of $50 each month on Helium, without really doing anything for the last few months. Not a terrible residual.
I'll be picking up The Cabin again probably in another week. I need to get settled in at the ELC again.
Carpe somnium, dudes.
Only joking.
The last couple of days have been challenging, to say the least. I've been trying to fight the hit on my self-esteem that losing out on this job is dealing me. Brain-wise, I know perfectly well that the job fell through because of budget issues, but that otherwise I had it in the bag. That is comforting, but it doesn't help the old concept that I am supposed to be providing for my family and that I just can't seem to do it.
Doubts and stuff keep resurfacing. Should I have just stuck out the MA in TESOL program? Why didn't we just stay in Alaska and stay afloat up there, particularly since this year's dividend is something in the neighborhood of $3000! Maybe we should have not done the whole QuitandWrite thing and just stayed at the teaching. I mean, there's no doubt that if we had refinanced this house to take out a bunch of the equity, and then re-invested that cash into another property, we would be better off financially.
Arg. Why can't I be like the Last Unicorn and not be able to have regrets?
Then there's my certainty that The Cabin is going to sell, and then do really well. But that's going to take time. And then if it doesn't even happen, clearly I just suck.
Which I don't think is the case.
So now I've signed up to teach two writing classes at BYU's English Language Center. That's a semester-long commitment, so I will put the full-time job search on hold. I've also started prospecting for more freelance work via www.getafreelancer.com. Then there's the work I'm doing for a friend, who runs www.schooltipline.com.
Scrabbling upward. Got to keep afloat and keep the dream alive.
Sometimes (read: often) I find myself thinking that the cosmos (read: God in His Heaven) is telling me that I'm not really ever supposed to get tied up in a regular 8-5 job. If that's the case, and if we're supposed to just continue on our atypical path, that's fine. But we need to have some of these outside the box things come through.
Blech. I'll stop with the moroseness.
I wrote three articles for Helium today. One is for the Marketplace, and if it gets picked up, that's a pretty good paycheck for an article. Incidentally, I'm making upward of $50 each month on Helium, without really doing anything for the last few months. Not a terrible residual.
I'll be picking up The Cabin again probably in another week. I need to get settled in at the ELC again.
Carpe somnium, dudes.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Veerry late on Tuesday night
and here I am. I just get this momentum and then my character, Josh Kerr, just takes me along for the ride. It's exciting, but my sleeping patterns are all wack.
I started the day at 51,324 words. I am ending my day at 56,338.
I know I said I saw 6-8000 words to go, like last week. But now I am seeing about that number still. So The Cabin will likely hit 65,000 words in its first draft form. That'll happen this week. Tomorrow I'm going to write like a madman.
I feel good about this story. It's one I am loving to tell and I believe others will love to read it.
And on the adding romance front, it's a go. It's difficult, but I think it's going well.
Remember to check me out on Facebook, find my Writer Page and become a fan, and also to check out my other blog. Oh, and definitely take a look at the family blog that Annemarie's working on.
carpe somnium
I'm going to be a bestselling writer.
Oh! I have to share! I entered a community boards contest on www.helium.com. I hadn't done that before, but thought it would be fun. The contest was to write something that made readers laugh out loud.
I won the contest! Here's a link to my humorous piece: http://www.helium.com/items/1122547-humorous-story-about-meditation
Hope you enjoy!
I started the day at 51,324 words. I am ending my day at 56,338.
I know I said I saw 6-8000 words to go, like last week. But now I am seeing about that number still. So The Cabin will likely hit 65,000 words in its first draft form. That'll happen this week. Tomorrow I'm going to write like a madman.
I feel good about this story. It's one I am loving to tell and I believe others will love to read it.
And on the adding romance front, it's a go. It's difficult, but I think it's going well.
Remember to check me out on Facebook, find my Writer Page and become a fan, and also to check out my other blog. Oh, and definitely take a look at the family blog that Annemarie's working on.
carpe somnium
I'm going to be a bestselling writer.
Oh! I have to share! I entered a community boards contest on www.helium.com. I hadn't done that before, but thought it would be fun. The contest was to write something that made readers laugh out loud.
I won the contest! Here's a link to my humorous piece: http://www.helium.com/items/1122547-humorous-story-about-meditation
Hope you enjoy!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Writing, writing and writing...
I didn't get my goal last night. I was out watching The Dark Knight with some family and didn't get back until after midnight. No excuse, but it is my reason.
Today I am going to write two articles for http://www.helium.com/, rate for a half hour, and then work on The Cabin. Check out my other blog at http://gruntandsweat.blogspot.com/
I'll be back.
Today I am going to write two articles for http://www.helium.com/, rate for a half hour, and then work on The Cabin. Check out my other blog at http://gruntandsweat.blogspot.com/
I'll be back.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
It's past my bedtime, so off I go
I really need to be in bed now, as part of my new campaign to sleep like an adult. So what I did today was this:
I wrote a final article for my client's job and sent it off.
I did a pile of research and note-taking for the ChartedCourse May newsletter. By the way, Blake tells me that he'll have some material for me to start working on for the sales rep manual soon. Cool: more work!
And I wrote just under 1700 words for The Cabin. I know, I was supposed to do 2000, but other stuff kind of piled up. I ended up running some errands and getting 64 boxes of cereal for our food storage! That's right, 64. They were a dollar a box at Smith's, and we had been waiting for this sale, as it is an annual thing. So now our food storage is looking better.
Anyway, I was actually close to not doing any writing for The Cabin today, but I fought back the temptation to watch TV and be a fat vegetable who fears finishing a novel that could really be something.
When I sign off here, I'll run and write an article for www.helium.com and then rate a little. But then I need to get to bed! I am nearly certain that as I regularize my sleeping, the incessant ringing in my ears will reduce.
So off I go.
I am going to write a bestseller and I think I may just be doing that right now.
carpe somnium
Nothing inspiring to write today. Just a day that brought me closer to my success.
I wrote a final article for my client's job and sent it off.
I did a pile of research and note-taking for the ChartedCourse May newsletter. By the way, Blake tells me that he'll have some material for me to start working on for the sales rep manual soon. Cool: more work!
And I wrote just under 1700 words for The Cabin. I know, I was supposed to do 2000, but other stuff kind of piled up. I ended up running some errands and getting 64 boxes of cereal for our food storage! That's right, 64. They were a dollar a box at Smith's, and we had been waiting for this sale, as it is an annual thing. So now our food storage is looking better.
Anyway, I was actually close to not doing any writing for The Cabin today, but I fought back the temptation to watch TV and be a fat vegetable who fears finishing a novel that could really be something.
When I sign off here, I'll run and write an article for www.helium.com and then rate a little. But then I need to get to bed! I am nearly certain that as I regularize my sleeping, the incessant ringing in my ears will reduce.
So off I go.
I am going to write a bestseller and I think I may just be doing that right now.
carpe somnium
Nothing inspiring to write today. Just a day that brought me closer to my success.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The best laid plans...
Well, I woke up and my throat was still really sore and I felt crummy. My plan didn't quite work out. I ended up taking care of some stuff for my trip to Austin, dropping off a resume at a local private school, and then getting to writing.
I got a few articles done on Helium and will post them here:
http://www.helium.com/items/1012732-critics-reason-lambast-night
* This is a review of Shyamalan's "Lady in the Water," which I liked. Read my reasons why!
http://www.helium.com/items/1012658-doesnt-crisp-delicious-cucumber
* I describe, in straightforward terms, how to grow cucumbers. It's easy and doesn't take much work.
http://www.helium.com/items/982817-summers-coming-summers-coming
*This is actually an article I wrote for the Marketplace a couple weeks ago, but it wasn't purchased and is now in my articles list. So here it is! I describe how to grow a salsa garden. It's easy.
And that's pretty much it. I also got working on the ChartedCourse newsletter, but it's nearly my bedtime and so I'll do it tomorrow. I WILL do at least 2000 words in The Cabin tomorrow as well.
I also want to add a post I placed on the Helium forums. I feel like it expresses where my mind and heart have been lately. Something's going on in me and it's a good thing.
Writing is more than work, more than art, more than an expression.
It is a bloodletting.
When you sit down to write, you open your truest self to the eyes of all who will see your words. Even if you are creating a persona that is not you, who you are and what makes you is exposed.
And written words are as permanent as that which they are printed on.
Imagine you are writing in blood, because that's what you are doing.
As your writing moves and manipulates people, you are a predator. As critics deride and praise your work, you are the prey.
No matter what you write, if you expose it to the public eye, you are involved in an emotional violence that is graphic in the truest sense of the word.
Now. Some have said they have lost motivation. Lost motivation to write. This is your work! This is your art! This is you! The only reason you lack motivation is because you haven't delved deeply enough. Get into yourself and discover whether you are truly willing to spill your blood. If you are, get back to writing and quit griping.
Nobody said writing wouldn't be hard. It's not as if the Steinbecks, the de Berniers, the Whitmans, and the Brownings throughout history have not sweated over the smallest of words. Writing is work!
Writing is sweat. Writing is power over yourself and others. Writing is sweet. Writing is the greatest therapy for inner pain. Writing is violence and peace.
Aren't you proud to be a writer?
So that's what I've come to. I am a writer. I have a dream. My dream will take work. I will do that work. I will reach my dream.
I will be a bestselling author.
carpe somnium
I got a few articles done on Helium and will post them here:
http://www.helium.com/items/1012732-critics-reason-lambast-night
* This is a review of Shyamalan's "Lady in the Water," which I liked. Read my reasons why!
http://www.helium.com/items/1012658-doesnt-crisp-delicious-cucumber
* I describe, in straightforward terms, how to grow cucumbers. It's easy and doesn't take much work.
http://www.helium.com/items/982817-summers-coming-summers-coming
*This is actually an article I wrote for the Marketplace a couple weeks ago, but it wasn't purchased and is now in my articles list. So here it is! I describe how to grow a salsa garden. It's easy.
And that's pretty much it. I also got working on the ChartedCourse newsletter, but it's nearly my bedtime and so I'll do it tomorrow. I WILL do at least 2000 words in The Cabin tomorrow as well.
I also want to add a post I placed on the Helium forums. I feel like it expresses where my mind and heart have been lately. Something's going on in me and it's a good thing.
Writing is more than work, more than art, more than an expression.
It is a bloodletting.
When you sit down to write, you open your truest self to the eyes of all who will see your words. Even if you are creating a persona that is not you, who you are and what makes you is exposed.
And written words are as permanent as that which they are printed on.
Imagine you are writing in blood, because that's what you are doing.
As your writing moves and manipulates people, you are a predator. As critics deride and praise your work, you are the prey.
No matter what you write, if you expose it to the public eye, you are involved in an emotional violence that is graphic in the truest sense of the word.
Now. Some have said they have lost motivation. Lost motivation to write. This is your work! This is your art! This is you! The only reason you lack motivation is because you haven't delved deeply enough. Get into yourself and discover whether you are truly willing to spill your blood. If you are, get back to writing and quit griping.
Nobody said writing wouldn't be hard. It's not as if the Steinbecks, the de Berniers, the Whitmans, and the Brownings throughout history have not sweated over the smallest of words. Writing is work!
Writing is sweat. Writing is power over yourself and others. Writing is sweet. Writing is the greatest therapy for inner pain. Writing is violence and peace.
Aren't you proud to be a writer?
So that's what I've come to. I am a writer. I have a dream. My dream will take work. I will do that work. I will reach my dream.
I will be a bestselling author.
carpe somnium
Monday, April 21, 2008
Sheesh, been a while eh?
It's Monday night and it's been a tough day. Heck, a tough couple of days really.
I'll start at the beginning, sort of.
I had that interview on Thursday of last week, and it went more or less well. I fear I came off as inexperienced and unprofessional and unprepared. That's because I was unprepared, kind of. I had looked at the company's website and such, but the info I gleaned completely slipped my mind in the interview. It was laughable.
Anyway, I have no doubt that they will contact me this week, saying, "We've decided to go in another direction" or some such feather rejection.
Ahhh, Green Day just came on my Internet Radio. Nice.
Moving on. I had gotten a job from a client on Wednesday night but got pretty much nothing of it done until Friday. Then I finished it today. Friday was an interesting day. I spent my time on Helium, writing a few articles and then looking at jobs. It was kind of a blah day, unfortunately. I've been wanting to move back to Alaska lately, and it's kind of depressing because it's so expensive to live up there. We saw some lots for sale in Wasilla, one of which we might want to explore buying so we can build later, and that made me even more eager to get up there. Ugh.
So then Saturday was incredibly busy, with gardening work and other stuff, topped off by a last minute request to move somebody. I gathered some guys and we showed up, but it turned out the dude wasn't able to move. I have since been trying to help this fellow get his feet under him.
Sunday was busy as well, with Church meetings and several visits which went really well.
Today I had this client's project to do, but I woke up feeling sick, with a sore throat and running a slight fever. I hadn't slept all that well either, so it took me a while to get going. But get going I did and finally churned out the work.
Now I'm done. Tomorrow I will write 3-5 articles for Helium, rate for thirty minutes (this will take me two hours), then I will work up a newsletter for ChartedCourse.
I will then have the rest of the week to work on The Cabin, although I expect to get another job from this new client. If I do, I'll bash it out fast. Unless it's some esoteric topic like Medieval Minstrel Songs or something...
I got a call from a company I applied to a little while ago, which is called Pearson. They are an education company and I applied to be a technical writer with their SLC office. Anyway, I imagine that today's call was a preliminary interview. The guy I talked to said he would send my resume off to the hiring director in Salt Lake City.
So I should hear back from Spillman and Pearson this week. I'm also headed to Austin on Friday for an interview thing that lasts six hours. This is what they call an 'Interview Event' for all Texas Teaching Fellows candidates. See, the lame thing is that they just e-mailed me saying that they no longer have openings in my field of preference: ESL. But I already bought my tickets and I am excited to see what Austin's like. And it'll be neat to see Jena again, of course! The plan is to do the interview and get my name on a waiting list, even though teaching is not my first choice.
What this all adds up to is that I am feeling a little stressed (little... ha!). But I get to see mountains out my office window, I get hugs from kids during the day, smooches from Annemarie whenever she's around and I feel the need, so stress is a minor irritant when all is said and done.
Am I aiming too high as I try to get into a job as a technical writer? The truth is that I would prefer to be a copywriter or editor at a journalistic publication, but I'm having trouble finding openings for those anywhere that we want to live.
But in conclusion, on Friday I found a job that I could get as excited about as I am about The Friend. It's at Challenger School, which is a worldwide school for primary and grammar school. They are a great company and they want an educator who is a writer, or a writer who is an educator. I am both, so I really have to fight the hope that always seems to boil up when I find a choice job.
Why fight hope? That's dumb. Okay, I'm not going to fight the hope. If I compare hope and despair, hope comes out looking like a good cup of tea. So I figure I'll take it.
That's why I know I'm going to be a bestselling author, even if at the same time I write that doubt comes knocking.
carpe somnium
If you can't feel the determination, I can. In my bones, the corners of my eyes and the set of my jaw; I feel it.
I'll start at the beginning, sort of.
I had that interview on Thursday of last week, and it went more or less well. I fear I came off as inexperienced and unprofessional and unprepared. That's because I was unprepared, kind of. I had looked at the company's website and such, but the info I gleaned completely slipped my mind in the interview. It was laughable.
Anyway, I have no doubt that they will contact me this week, saying, "We've decided to go in another direction" or some such feather rejection.
Ahhh, Green Day just came on my Internet Radio. Nice.
Moving on. I had gotten a job from a client on Wednesday night but got pretty much nothing of it done until Friday. Then I finished it today. Friday was an interesting day. I spent my time on Helium, writing a few articles and then looking at jobs. It was kind of a blah day, unfortunately. I've been wanting to move back to Alaska lately, and it's kind of depressing because it's so expensive to live up there. We saw some lots for sale in Wasilla, one of which we might want to explore buying so we can build later, and that made me even more eager to get up there. Ugh.
So then Saturday was incredibly busy, with gardening work and other stuff, topped off by a last minute request to move somebody. I gathered some guys and we showed up, but it turned out the dude wasn't able to move. I have since been trying to help this fellow get his feet under him.
Sunday was busy as well, with Church meetings and several visits which went really well.
Today I had this client's project to do, but I woke up feeling sick, with a sore throat and running a slight fever. I hadn't slept all that well either, so it took me a while to get going. But get going I did and finally churned out the work.
Now I'm done. Tomorrow I will write 3-5 articles for Helium, rate for thirty minutes (this will take me two hours), then I will work up a newsletter for ChartedCourse.
I will then have the rest of the week to work on The Cabin, although I expect to get another job from this new client. If I do, I'll bash it out fast. Unless it's some esoteric topic like Medieval Minstrel Songs or something...
I got a call from a company I applied to a little while ago, which is called Pearson. They are an education company and I applied to be a technical writer with their SLC office. Anyway, I imagine that today's call was a preliminary interview. The guy I talked to said he would send my resume off to the hiring director in Salt Lake City.
So I should hear back from Spillman and Pearson this week. I'm also headed to Austin on Friday for an interview thing that lasts six hours. This is what they call an 'Interview Event' for all Texas Teaching Fellows candidates. See, the lame thing is that they just e-mailed me saying that they no longer have openings in my field of preference: ESL. But I already bought my tickets and I am excited to see what Austin's like. And it'll be neat to see Jena again, of course! The plan is to do the interview and get my name on a waiting list, even though teaching is not my first choice.
What this all adds up to is that I am feeling a little stressed (little... ha!). But I get to see mountains out my office window, I get hugs from kids during the day, smooches from Annemarie whenever she's around and I feel the need, so stress is a minor irritant when all is said and done.
Am I aiming too high as I try to get into a job as a technical writer? The truth is that I would prefer to be a copywriter or editor at a journalistic publication, but I'm having trouble finding openings for those anywhere that we want to live.
But in conclusion, on Friday I found a job that I could get as excited about as I am about The Friend. It's at Challenger School, which is a worldwide school for primary and grammar school. They are a great company and they want an educator who is a writer, or a writer who is an educator. I am both, so I really have to fight the hope that always seems to boil up when I find a choice job.
Why fight hope? That's dumb. Okay, I'm not going to fight the hope. If I compare hope and despair, hope comes out looking like a good cup of tea. So I figure I'll take it.
That's why I know I'm going to be a bestselling author, even if at the same time I write that doubt comes knocking.
carpe somnium
If you can't feel the determination, I can. In my bones, the corners of my eyes and the set of my jaw; I feel it.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
It's a late Wednesday night, but I figured I ought to report...
For most of today's work day I was perusing job listings. I actually ended up digging deeply in the Craigslist postings for Anchorage, since that is where my family and I ultimately want to end up. We've seen that there are lots for sale in a town outside of Anchorage and so our thoughts are turning more and more to how we can get back up there for good.
Anyway, I ended up applying to a job in the Salt Lake City area and to one or two in Anchorage as well. I apply to all these jobs and then I hear nothing back, so it's a little discouraging, but I'll keep on plugging along.
I also got another set of jobs from my newest client. This is turning out to be a good set up. I got a tiny start on it today and hope to get a lot of it done tomorrow. But I have an interview in SLC tomorrow, so I will probably finish the work on Friday morning.
I also wrote two articles for Helium today as well. Here they are:
http://www.helium.com/items/1003355-oprah-winfrey-certainly-omniscient
*This is a commentary on Oprah Winfrey's show, which I've never really approved of.
http://www.helium.com/items/1003275-peruse-annals-cinema-quickly
*This is an article about some of the best fantasy film villains of all time. It was a fun one to write.
I also got started on a mystery story for www.helium.com 's Marketplace, but it still needs work.
I need to hit the sack. I will be back tomorrow to report on the interview.
Gonna write a bestseller.
c a r p e s o m n i u m
Anyway, I ended up applying to a job in the Salt Lake City area and to one or two in Anchorage as well. I apply to all these jobs and then I hear nothing back, so it's a little discouraging, but I'll keep on plugging along.
I also got another set of jobs from my newest client. This is turning out to be a good set up. I got a tiny start on it today and hope to get a lot of it done tomorrow. But I have an interview in SLC tomorrow, so I will probably finish the work on Friday morning.
I also wrote two articles for Helium today as well. Here they are:
http://www.helium.com/items/1003355-oprah-winfrey-certainly-omniscient
*This is a commentary on Oprah Winfrey's show, which I've never really approved of.
http://www.helium.com/items/1003275-peruse-annals-cinema-quickly
*This is an article about some of the best fantasy film villains of all time. It was a fun one to write.
I also got started on a mystery story for www.helium.com 's Marketplace, but it still needs work.
I need to hit the sack. I will be back tomorrow to report on the interview.
Gonna write a bestseller.
c a r p e s o m n i u m
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Exercise+allergies+nap+muscling through=Tuesday
I finally got to bed at a reasonable hour last night, which was Monday, so I was able to get up at 6AM this morning and hit the Rec Center. It felt good, but I ended with a treadmill spring, which just about made me puke and faint.
I got a hold of myself without doing either of the above and made it home. Allergies were having their way with me by this time. A shower, allergy medicine and breakfast later, I felt like passing out. Freaking Benadryl. I actually did take a nap until just after noon. I pulled myself out of my stupor as the kids and Annemarie headed out for a walk down to the duck pond.
Between lunch, breathing deeply and drinking water like crazy, I got myself together and got to work. I did the jobs my client sent me, which took up the rest of the day. That's fine. I also wrote an article for www.helium.com, which I think actually turned out pretty well. It's about the common characteristics of good fantasy movies.
Here it is: http://www.helium.com/items/1001793-about-fantasy-films-moths
And that's pretty much it for the day. Oh, I also searched for job listings on several websites, finally turning one up on Craigslist. It is as an assistant publisher at Greenleaf Publishing Group in Austin. I applied and hope to hear from them soon.
So that's actually it for the day. Now I'm going to bed. I hope to get an earlier start tomorrow by not having to take a nap.
Gonna write a bestseller.
Carpe somnium!
I also hope
I got a hold of myself without doing either of the above and made it home. Allergies were having their way with me by this time. A shower, allergy medicine and breakfast later, I felt like passing out. Freaking Benadryl. I actually did take a nap until just after noon. I pulled myself out of my stupor as the kids and Annemarie headed out for a walk down to the duck pond.
Between lunch, breathing deeply and drinking water like crazy, I got myself together and got to work. I did the jobs my client sent me, which took up the rest of the day. That's fine. I also wrote an article for www.helium.com, which I think actually turned out pretty well. It's about the common characteristics of good fantasy movies.
Here it is: http://www.helium.com/items/1001793-about-fantasy-films-moths
And that's pretty much it for the day. Oh, I also searched for job listings on several websites, finally turning one up on Craigslist. It is as an assistant publisher at Greenleaf Publishing Group in Austin. I applied and hope to hear from them soon.
So that's actually it for the day. Now I'm going to bed. I hope to get an earlier start tomorrow by not having to take a nap.
Gonna write a bestseller.
Carpe somnium!
I also hope
Monday, April 14, 2008
Monday night.. getting things switched
Monday's over. I'm headed to the sack.
I started the day out strong, despite allergies. I wrote four articles this morning for www.helium.com . I also wrote a few this afternoon. Essentially I got six done today. I'll post them here:
http://www.helium.com/items/999574-fantasy-films-books-fantasy
*This article is about the use of the theme of self sacrifice in fantasy films and books. It was the last article I did for the Reward-athon on Helium, which ended today. I think I did nearly 100, or maybe even more, for this event. Some cool cash coming my way.
http://www.helium.com/items/999529-underdog-mighty-mouse-about
*I wrote about some of the more memorable fantasy heroes in film and books. This is a list of some that have struck me the most.
http://www.helium.com/items/998613-things-green-brown-should
*Another article about aerating one's lawn. It's a good thing to do. We'll do it this season.
http://www.helium.com/items/998517-death-great-equalizer-lives
*A relatively entertaining article about the fun people can have with their epitaphs and obituaries.
http://www.helium.com/items/998388-spring-barrelling-toward-grandeur
*A discussion of spring allergy treatments. Mostly just informative, but I had fun with the prose.
http://www.helium.com/items/998247-election-roaring-civility-rhino
*Political analysis of Obama and Clinton. Basically I take a position on which would be more historic: President Obama or President Clinton.
And that's what I wrote today. I also got a job from my new client. This is looking good. I got started on it and will finish it tomorrow.
I also spent a good chunk of today getting the new laptop up and running. I did a big file transfer so that I could do all of my work on this machine. I downloaded Skype and loaded up Paint Shop and some other stuff. This is a good computer. I can work a lot faster with it than with the old one. I'll keep the old one around as a back up hard drive.
That's pretty much it! I need to get to bed tonight at a reasonable hour, so I'm going there now.
Gonna write a bestseller. Carpe somnium.
I started the day out strong, despite allergies. I wrote four articles this morning for www.helium.com . I also wrote a few this afternoon. Essentially I got six done today. I'll post them here:
http://www.helium.com/items/999574-fantasy-films-books-fantasy
*This article is about the use of the theme of self sacrifice in fantasy films and books. It was the last article I did for the Reward-athon on Helium, which ended today. I think I did nearly 100, or maybe even more, for this event. Some cool cash coming my way.
http://www.helium.com/items/999529-underdog-mighty-mouse-about
*I wrote about some of the more memorable fantasy heroes in film and books. This is a list of some that have struck me the most.
http://www.helium.com/items/998613-things-green-brown-should
*Another article about aerating one's lawn. It's a good thing to do. We'll do it this season.
http://www.helium.com/items/998517-death-great-equalizer-lives
*A relatively entertaining article about the fun people can have with their epitaphs and obituaries.
http://www.helium.com/items/998388-spring-barrelling-toward-grandeur
*A discussion of spring allergy treatments. Mostly just informative, but I had fun with the prose.
http://www.helium.com/items/998247-election-roaring-civility-rhino
*Political analysis of Obama and Clinton. Basically I take a position on which would be more historic: President Obama or President Clinton.
And that's what I wrote today. I also got a job from my new client. This is looking good. I got started on it and will finish it tomorrow.
I also spent a good chunk of today getting the new laptop up and running. I did a big file transfer so that I could do all of my work on this machine. I downloaded Skype and loaded up Paint Shop and some other stuff. This is a good computer. I can work a lot faster with it than with the old one. I'll keep the old one around as a back up hard drive.
That's pretty much it! I need to get to bed tonight at a reasonable hour, so I'm going there now.
Gonna write a bestseller. Carpe somnium.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Yes, it's Saturday morning, but...
I figured I didn't post last night and there are a few things to mention, but from life in general and the writing career.
First, I bought a new laptop yesterday. I will be picking it up today; they needed to optimize its performance by getting all the advertising and trial junk off of it. While we didn't need the expense, I really needed it for work. More and more I'm needing to be online using several windows, or tabs, of browser for research while at the same time writing up notes. My current laptop was making this nearly impossible.
As for writing, I started working with a new client that I am hoping will keep giving me steady business. They seem like an ideal client, so I am excited. I also wrote four articles on www.helium.com that are more or less pretty good.
http://www.helium.com/items/992409-beowulf-cinematic-ancient-poems
*This one is a critique of the movie Beowulf in general and particularly on Angeline Jolie's work in it.
http://www.helium.com/items/992366-there-doubt-original-trilogy
*This is a listing of the lamest Star Wars characters ever, with explanations attached. Somewhat amusing but mostly spot on!
http://www.helium.com/items/992327-licensed-clinical-psychiatrist-therapist
*This is an amusing commentary on the phenomenon that is Paris Hilton. I usually get pretty angry halfway through these commentaries on politics and celebrity and pop culture, so buckle up!
http://www.helium.com/items/992282-brother-visit-family-summer
*This is a slightly tongue-in-cheek discussion of whether hybrid cars are cool. The short answer? Yes, they are.
http://www.helium.com/items/989922-stonehenge-conjures-feeling-mystery
*This is the article that I wrote as a proposed title. Helium people, in all their wisdom (I say that with mostly sincerity), figured it worked inside an existing title. That's just fine. Anyway, it's about Stonehenge's real purpose. This is further practice with writing up new events, although since it's for www.helium.com, I need to keep it timeless. Thus, it's also speculative and a commentary.
And that's it for now. I have to get to chores and yard work and stuff. I might tear out a tree today-- we'll see.
Gonna write me a bestseller. This is MY somnium to carpar. Okay, I don't know if I did the infinitive correctly there. Anybody want to guide me?
First, I bought a new laptop yesterday. I will be picking it up today; they needed to optimize its performance by getting all the advertising and trial junk off of it. While we didn't need the expense, I really needed it for work. More and more I'm needing to be online using several windows, or tabs, of browser for research while at the same time writing up notes. My current laptop was making this nearly impossible.
As for writing, I started working with a new client that I am hoping will keep giving me steady business. They seem like an ideal client, so I am excited. I also wrote four articles on www.helium.com that are more or less pretty good.
http://www.helium.com/items/992409-beowulf-cinematic-ancient-poems
*This one is a critique of the movie Beowulf in general and particularly on Angeline Jolie's work in it.
http://www.helium.com/items/992366-there-doubt-original-trilogy
*This is a listing of the lamest Star Wars characters ever, with explanations attached. Somewhat amusing but mostly spot on!
http://www.helium.com/items/992327-licensed-clinical-psychiatrist-therapist
*This is an amusing commentary on the phenomenon that is Paris Hilton. I usually get pretty angry halfway through these commentaries on politics and celebrity and pop culture, so buckle up!
http://www.helium.com/items/992282-brother-visit-family-summer
*This is a slightly tongue-in-cheek discussion of whether hybrid cars are cool. The short answer? Yes, they are.
http://www.helium.com/items/989922-stonehenge-conjures-feeling-mystery
*This is the article that I wrote as a proposed title. Helium people, in all their wisdom (I say that with mostly sincerity), figured it worked inside an existing title. That's just fine. Anyway, it's about Stonehenge's real purpose. This is further practice with writing up new events, although since it's for www.helium.com, I need to keep it timeless. Thus, it's also speculative and a commentary.
And that's it for now. I have to get to chores and yard work and stuff. I might tear out a tree today-- we'll see.
Gonna write me a bestseller. This is MY somnium to carpar. Okay, I don't know if I did the infinitive correctly there. Anybody want to guide me?
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Thursday night... whew!
Alright, it's late and I want to hit the sack. The guy's coming early tomorrow to get our new door put in, so I need to be up and alert when he shows up.
I wrote thirteen articles for Helium today. One of them is an initiated title, so I can't post it here because it's not active yet. I will now happily post the links to the other dozen. Read 'em and weep! Actually they're all pretty good and some are even informative, so you'll like them.
http://www.helium.com/items/987882-quick-organic-bandwagon-organic
http://www.helium.com/items/987906-american-apotheosis-quality-scripted
(No, I've never watched American Idol)
http://www.helium.com/items/987945-credit-cards-greatest-financial
http://www.helium.com/items/988008-rings-wasnt-movie-cinematic
http://www.helium.com/items/988543-people-there-fantasy-films
http://www.helium.com/items/988674-people-1960s-decade-change
http://www.helium.com/items/988792-those-bumper-stickers-calvin
http://www.helium.com/items/988836-office-supplies-store-please
http://www.helium.com/items/988934-ready-important-veggies-onion
http://www.helium.com/items/989079-would-believe-yellow-tomoato
http://www.helium.com/items/989769-world-going-green-while
http://www.helium.com/items/989858-acting-oldest-professions-worry
the best actors in my opinion!
So there they are: twelve pretty good articles. The one I can't list yet is a commentary on a news event. I'm trying to do more of these because I am trying to hone my news write-up abilities in order to be more employable.
I had hoped to do a tech guide article today as well, but I ended up needing to follow up on some job and publicity stuff. I got referred to a lady who's writing a cool-sounding book about unusual ways to find work so I sent off some info to her to see if she's interested in my approach. I also investigated a couple of other potential clients.
So this is good. I am going to keep trying to build my freelance business while squeezing in time for The Cabin. I continue to have to adjust my time frame for finishing the first draft of this book, but that's really okay. At least I'm not just lazing off. I really need to do the practical writing too so that I can get the bills paid!
Speaking of bills, I am about to stomp on my laptop, or roto-till it into the garden. Man alive, it's just slowing down like crazy. I cleared and organized a huge section of it, but there's no difference in speed or capacity. It's just old I guess. Almost eight years, and for a computer, that's old. I need a new one profoundly, but we really don't feel like we can afford one. So I'll keep hurling tame epithets at it while it takes a full minute to close a browser window.
That's all for now. Gotta hit the sack.
Gonna be a bestselling author because I am doing the following: carpe somnium.
I wrote thirteen articles for Helium today. One of them is an initiated title, so I can't post it here because it's not active yet. I will now happily post the links to the other dozen. Read 'em and weep! Actually they're all pretty good and some are even informative, so you'll like them.
http://www.helium.com/items/987882-quick-organic-bandwagon-organic
http://www.helium.com/items/987906-american-apotheosis-quality-scripted
(No, I've never watched American Idol)
http://www.helium.com/items/987945-credit-cards-greatest-financial
http://www.helium.com/items/988008-rings-wasnt-movie-cinematic
http://www.helium.com/items/988543-people-there-fantasy-films
http://www.helium.com/items/988674-people-1960s-decade-change
http://www.helium.com/items/988792-those-bumper-stickers-calvin
http://www.helium.com/items/988836-office-supplies-store-please
http://www.helium.com/items/988934-ready-important-veggies-onion
http://www.helium.com/items/989079-would-believe-yellow-tomoato
http://www.helium.com/items/989769-world-going-green-while
http://www.helium.com/items/989858-acting-oldest-professions-worry
the best actors in my opinion!
So there they are: twelve pretty good articles. The one I can't list yet is a commentary on a news event. I'm trying to do more of these because I am trying to hone my news write-up abilities in order to be more employable.
I had hoped to do a tech guide article today as well, but I ended up needing to follow up on some job and publicity stuff. I got referred to a lady who's writing a cool-sounding book about unusual ways to find work so I sent off some info to her to see if she's interested in my approach. I also investigated a couple of other potential clients.
So this is good. I am going to keep trying to build my freelance business while squeezing in time for The Cabin. I continue to have to adjust my time frame for finishing the first draft of this book, but that's really okay. At least I'm not just lazing off. I really need to do the practical writing too so that I can get the bills paid!
Speaking of bills, I am about to stomp on my laptop, or roto-till it into the garden. Man alive, it's just slowing down like crazy. I cleared and organized a huge section of it, but there's no difference in speed or capacity. It's just old I guess. Almost eight years, and for a computer, that's old. I need a new one profoundly, but we really don't feel like we can afford one. So I'll keep hurling tame epithets at it while it takes a full minute to close a browser window.
That's all for now. Gotta hit the sack.
Gonna be a bestselling author because I am doing the following: carpe somnium.
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