Different ways to get your story started

Writers (of fiction, non-fiction, online, print, and so on) know that beginnings are important. Without the right beginning, the chance for retaining a reader declines rapidly.

So, what type of beginning is best? There’s no perfect answer, of course, but do you have a habit of starting stories, articles, or blog posts the same way? If so, or if you’re unsure, now is a good time to evaluate your writing and see if there’s a way to refresh your beginnings.

Exercise: Pull out a few stories, articles, or blog posts you’ve written recently. Note how you started them. Did they start with the same part of speech? Do you lean on nouns, verbs, pronouns, or adjectives every time?

If not, you already have variety in your beginnings. Bravo!

But if you notice a tendency to open with a certain part of speech  (I favor starting with ‘The’), consider trying something new with the next piece you write.

Here are some examples of ways to start a sentence:

• Adjective – Bright lights can show more than you want seen.
• Article – The best way to manage your time is to schedule it.
• Adverb – Sometimes clients know what they want, but not what they need.
• Conjunction – But you may not find the answers if you don’t ask the questions.
• Gerund - Crossing your arms is a sign of disagreement.
• Noun - Jess made her way to the stage to accept her award.
• Preposition - On the ropes, the boxer glanced at his girlfriend and winked.
• Pronoun - She bought the antique clock after taking its measurements.
• Verb - Start now and celebrate the milestones.

Practice opening your sentences in different ways to see if anything new works for you.

Give it a shot, there’s nothing to lose, and only refreshed writing to gain.

Lisa J. Jackson loves working with words in her own work and with businesses. She also loves New Hampshire and is focused on completing several 5Ks in 2013 as a way to get off the couch consistently. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook, and Twitter. 

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Reader Q&A: To pitch now or to pitch later, that is the question

What is the best way to pitch a story to a potential publisher? What if you have access to a great interview candidate (say, a prominent local artist) – should you go ahead with the interview, write the piece, and submit it to a magazine; or should you first find a publisher who would like the piece, and then schedule the interview?

Sounds like a chicken and egg conversation, doesn’t it?

Well, we thought it was an excellent question when Brit DeLong (a graduate student who contributes a health column to the DC Examiner and writes her own blog – Busy Girl Health – while studying publishing at The George Washington University) brought it to our attention. Here’s what some of our Live to Write – Write to Live experts had to say on the subject:

From Susan Nye:

Dear Brit,

Query first; interview and write the article after you get the go from an editor/publisher. As you will need to interview the subject of your article, you will be taking some of his/her time as well as setting expectations that an article will appear sometime in the future. The artist gives you time – you give him/her some publicity. You don’t want to take the artist away from his/her art unless you can deliver.

I suggest you query potential editors to find out if they are interested in the topic. Unfortunately many articles have trouble finding homes because the editor(s) of your target magazine(s) does not see a good fit for your topic – especially if your subject is local or regional and the number of potential publications is limited. Just because an idea is brilliant doesn’t mean a particular magazine will leap to buy it. In addition, many small magazines have their editorial calendars filled for months to come. If nothing else, the artist will know in advance that the article isn’t coming out until July 2014.

People like choices. I suggest that you put together three great ideas, you already have your first, and query editors with all three. Include examples of your work with your query. Published clips are preferable but unpublished articles can do in a pinch. More than one student has secured an assignment with an article from a journalism or creative writing class. I got my first gigs with a newsletter I wrote for friends and family. The examples should demonstrate that you are up for the tasks you propose – an in-depth interview of an artist and your other two ideas. In addition, try not to go too far afield on your proposed topics. Most editors will believe you are credible on a limited set of subjects. It can be hard to convince a stranger that you are capable of a story about an artist one day and venture capital fund management the next.

Good luck – Susan

 

From Wendy Thomas:

I would add:

Include photos, let the magazine know that you have photos ready to go along with the article (some mags take their own photos, others like to have them supplied.)

Also, it’s important to list all of the people and references you will use for your article. That’s a point that adds credibility to your pitch.

I’ve done articles both ways. Querying or pitching first is preferable. My most memorable article first, pitch second was when I interviewed Michelle Obama. The campaign headquarters chose me to interview her but as a freelancer I hadn’t yet placed the article. I spent the night before the interview calling up editors to see if one would take the article. Eventually one did accept it, but not before I grew myself a baby ulcer.

Trust me, it’s a lot easier to pitch before you promise a published final product.
 

… and a little PS from me:

I don’t have much to add since the feature/column work I’ve done has all been procured through my network and word-of-mouth referrals, so I haven’t been in a position of having to pitch a story. I trust that my colleagues know their stuff, though.

The only other, smallish piece of advice I’d offer is to make sure you follow best practices for your pitch and the etiquette of reaching out to an editor. As a blogger who is often approached by people who would like to guest post or otherwise appear on one of the blogs I either write or edit, I can attest to the sad majority of folks who haven’t got good sense about how to respectfully reach out to someone.

A few random thoughts:

• Know about the publication you’re approaching – read a few of their other pieces (if not full issues, or a bunch of archived materials if the target pub is a blog).
• If you can, reference a piece or two in your cover note – just briefly, but to make the point that you know what they are all about.
• Proactive tip: If you have a few pubs you would really like to write for, get involved with their online community spaces (Facebook, Twitter, blog comments, Google+, etc.). This will make it a LOT easier for you to approach someone when the time comes.
• There are dozens of great resources out there re: how to write a solid pitch, but a few things that always bear repeating:
  • Address it to a real person, vs. “Editor.”
  • Keep it brief and to the point.
  • Focus on how your piece will benefit the pub’s audience. Remember – this isn’t about you. It’s about the pub and their audience.

 
 

We were delighted to be able to share some of our insight and perspective with Brit. We wish her the best of luck with this project (and all future writing endeavors).

If you have questions for the writing team at Live to Write – Write to Live, please feel free to reach out to any one of us via our individual blogs or Twitter. We’d be happy to help out if we can. It’s all about sharing what we’ve learned.

Thanks for being here and being part of the conversation!

 

Image Credit: base image by Rubin Alexander

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Hands-on research for local journalists and mystery writers

If you write about your community, or if you’re a mystery writer, a great resource (if you have it) to gain insight and make contacts is to take advantage of a local citizen’s police academy.

Last fall I participated in a 10-week program in my current town. I’ve also participated in 2 prior academies in a town and city I lived in before. The experiences and connections are priceless.

I’ve found that academies are generally offered in the fall, but depending on the size of the community(ies) the academy is focused on, there could be multiple offerings during a calendar year. A neighboring city offers them twice a year, for instance.

Start with the Web: visit your local police department’s (PD) website to see if there is an academy. If you don’t find any information, give the department a call on its business line and ask.

Procedures vary, of course, but I’ve always had to go to the PD to fill out an application. Each time it has been a regular job application that wants high school, college, areas of study, job history (complete with start and end dates and hourly wage) – you know the type – 4 pages with lots of boxes to fill in. Applying can be intimidating if you over think it. Filling in the basics is good enough, since you are not applying for a job.

You also have to sign a form allowing the PD to perform a criminal background check.

Academies are generally capped at about 30 people, depending on the size of their conference room I think! But, most academies like to offer hands-on classes and want to keep the classes manageable. The last academy I attended only had 11 participants. The earlier academies had 30-35 participants. It’s great to have a small class because it gives everyone more time for hands-on work (there is usually a lot of show and tell) and also more time to ask questions.

All academies I’ve participated in have been no cost to participants, are offered one night a week for 8-12 weeks, and run for 2.5-3 hours each evening. It’s common for participants to volunteer to bring in goodies each week to go with the PD’s offering of coffee, water, and candy – one academy always had Dunkin’ Munchkins on hand.

During the weeks of the academy, you will meet officers at all levels of experience: newbies as well as those ready to retire. You’ll meet beat cops and detectives, lawyers, child advocates, emergency responders, volunteers, clergy, and more. You’ll learn various behind-the-scenes procedures and processes, and sometimes, if you’re lucky, get to participate in ride-a-longs with an officer on duty.

I particularly enjoy learning forensic processes (small towns don’t have a lot to work with), meeting canine officers and seeing how they work, and I love going to the shooting range for target practice. (That’s me during my 2002 class.)

Citizen police academies give you a different perspective of your community and can add depth to your non-fiction or fiction writing.

Have you ever attended a citizen police academy? 

Lisa J. Jackson partners with businesses seeking to express themselves with words. She loves New Hampshire and is completing several 5Ks in 2013 as a way to get off the couch and away from the screen. She wasn’t a runner until now, and is thinking that someday she wants to complete the Alcatraz Triathlon. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook, and Twitter. 

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Celebrate when you hit business goals and milestones

As a small business owner, it’s easy to get caught up in keeping the business moving forward.

You can always:

• be looking for the next client
• want to keep the best clients coming back
• spend time marketing
• connect with your market on social media
• build a support network
• spend time analyzing results
• get ‘caught up’ in deadlines

As a small business owner, you wear all the hats, juggle all the balls, keep everything moving forward. When you complete a task, you check it off and move on to the next item.

Similarly, when you hit a deadline, it’s easy to check it off your list and move on to the next project, but I think it’s important to pause and celebrate.

And before you say, “I don’t have time,” I disagree. At a minimum, I hope you’ll note the successful deadline completion in your list of accomplishments for the year. Whether it’s a success/achievement journal or a list taped to your wall, list the date and a brief description of the accomplishment.

For example: 4/20 – met deadline for (brief description of project) for (client      name) ahead of schedule/on time.

That’s the first activity I recommend. The next is to step away from your desk. Yep, don’t just push the chair back, actually get away from the keyboard so you won’t be tempted to work.

Take a moment to think about how the project arrived at your desk.

• Did you meet the client at an event? Pat yourself on the back for having made the connection that led to work.
• Did the client contact you through a referral? Congratulate yourself for having someone recommend you so positively.
• Did the client find you online? Give yourself kudos for your online marketing and social media efforts

Now think about the process of landing the project. Celebrate your successes of:

• Connecting with the client in a personal and professional way that resonated with the client
• Having your pitch/proposal accepted
• Being able to work with their deadline and other project parameters

And now that you’ve submitted the final work to the client, you get to celebrate the accomplishment, which is not something that happened over night. Recognize that. Appreciate it.

A different kind of celebration, but still a celebration

You’ve put in the effort and time, so take a few minutes, at least, to celebrate that fact! The ‘work’ itself may be easy to you, but that alone doesn’t make your business successful. YOU make your business successful with a lot of effort, so appreciate that and recognize it. (I’m repetitive with important points).

Talk out loud to the empty room: “I just finished X’s 2-week project and it feels GREAT!” (give your best Tony the Tiger imitation) “I look forward to more projects from X, and from similar clients I haven’t met yet.”

–As a note, yes, I do these things. I even do a happy dance – sometimes with music, sometimes without – to celebrate. There’s an exaggerated fist pump and a loud “YES!”, too. And laughter, because it *is* funny to be doing these things in an empty room. But it’s good – it’s fun – it’s celebrating – it makes me smile. I love to smile.

I believe that the more you can appreciate what you have, the more you’ll have. Business goals and milestones are worth celebrating.

And there’s another bonus to the celebrating: when you sit back at your desk to get back to work, you’ll feel more energized and have a fresh mind for the next project.

Have you been taking the time to appreciate all that you do for your business?

Lisa J. Jackson partners with businesses seeking to express themselves with words. She loves New Hampshire and is completing several 5Ks in 2013 as a way to get off the couch and away from the screen. She wasn’t a runner until now, and is thinking that someday she wants to complete the Alcatraz Triathlon. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook, and Twitter. 

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5 Things to Consider When Writing Webcopy

When I write for someone else’s website, the first thing I do is hold a face-to-face meeting. I want to be able to hear the owner’s actual voice and figure out what it is about their business that makes them stand out from the competition. Some of the information I’m specifically looking for is:

What is the voice? I talk about voice a lot in my marketing writing. It’s something you hear about all the time with regard to internet writing. People want to hear your voice. But what does that mean? You, as the writer, need to gauge whether the client’s voice is friendly, authoritative, funny, or motherly to name just a few examples.

A company that offers services to declutter someone’s house is going to have a far different voice than a company that offers international shipping options. When I sit down with the client, I listen to their physical voice when they explain what it is their company does, and that gives me an idea of how they want themselves represented on the internet.

What benefits do they offer the customer? I recently saw a client who showed me his introductory slide presentation for prospective customers. It started with how his company got started (30 years ago) and continued until today. That’s clearly a presentation that was designed for a person who is very proud of his company. It was not designed for someone who wants to know what it is you can do for them. Find out what the benefits and then use that information in every piece of writing you create.

What are the Keywords? I always ask my clients, what words would I use to describe your business? Those will often be the SEO words you’ll use for much of the documentation. I then ask, what words would I use to describe you? Those are often the words by which the company wants to be known  - trustworthy, intelligent, competent, etc. It will be those attributes that you’ll  be showcasing in your writing.

What’s the best way to present the information? Is what the company does visual? If so, like in the case of a decluttering service, perhaps before and after photos would be effective. Is the company more results oriented, as in, they save the customer money? Then charts and graphs might be effective. . Does the company showcase or teach skills? Well now, there’s a case for video clips.

Figure out, based on the product and services, how best to represent that information on the web.

To whom are we targeting the information? In almost all cases, it starts with a blog. That part is easy, what becomes a bit trickier is figuring out how then to broadcast that blog material.

Figure out who the company typically sells to? Is it the CFO? If so, then don’t spend a lot of effort on Facebook and instead concentrate on sending articles and blog posts to LinkedIn groups and out on Twitter. Does the company have a more “friendly” community? If so then go guns blazing to Facebook. Get those blog posts up and invite discussion in a community format.

Not all web promotion is created equal. It’s up to you to match what you hear and understand from your discussions with the client to what is available out there and that would bring the most bang from their investment dollars.

***

Wendy Thomas is an award winning journalist, columnist, and blogger who believes that taking challenges in life will always lead to goodness. She is the mother of 6 funny and creative kids and it is her goal to teach them through stories and lessons.

Wendy’s current project involves writing about her family’s experiences with chickens (yes, chickens). (www.simplethrift.wordpress.com)

An important part of being a good writer is being a good listener.

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Special Edition: WordPress Under Attack

Hello, fellow writers and bloggers. Happy Sunday!

Posting a quick missive today to make sure that you are all aware of the current hackfest that is going on with WordPress. We know that many of you have WordPress blogs and we’d hate to see anyone’s site compromised or posts lost.

Here is a great post from Forbes that outlines the top 6 precautions all WordPress users should take:

WordPress Under Attack: How to Avoid the Coming Botnet

Most of these fixes are simple and quick. I’ve been meaning to do many of them (including deleting my default “admin” account and installing a backup plugin as extra insurance even though my hosting company also does backups).

If you have a WordPress blog, please do take a look at this and then take the fifteen to twenty minutes to implement these recommendations.

Better safe than sorry!

Now, back to your regularly scheduled Sunday activities which hopefully include writing!

 

AUTHOR UPDATE:

Here is a helpful article about some of the backup plugins that are available: 6 Top WordPress Backup Plugin Recommendations for 2013

And here’s a quick post on how to delete that default “admin” user: WordPress Security Tip: Remove the Admin User

 

 

 

Background Image Credit: Louise Docker

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Friday Fun – Anxiety and Comfort Levels with Promotion

Friday Fun is a group post from the writers of the NHWN blog. Each week, we’ll pose and answer a different, get-to-know-us question. We hope you’ll join in by providing your answer in the comments.

QUESTION: When it comes to publishing, PR, and promotion (including “platform building” and “marketing”), what causes you the most anxiety and what are you most comfortable handling?

Lisa J. Jackson: What causes the most anxiety is doing in-person events. I’m getting better at it as I do more events, but being face-to-face with folks pushes me out of my comfort zone a lot. I like the uncomfortable feeling because it means I’m growing and pushing myself, but I get anxious when I feel the words don’t come right to mind when I need them. I can be quite comfortable with silence, just not when it’s an awkward pause as I formulate a sentence. I’m most comfortable with scheduling the time to do the tasks associated with PR and promotion. I can be inspired by an online or in-person activity and get it on my calendar with ease. I’m great with time management.

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Jamie Wallace: Though marketing is what I do for a living, I have yet to come at it from the perspective of a writer promoting her services or body of work. In fact, truth be told, I’ve done precious little self-marketing for my marketing business which runs primarily on word-of-mouth referrals and repeat business from happy customers. The types of marketing I’m most comfortable with are, unsurprisingly, content-related: blog posts, articles, ebooks, etc. I’ve also started experimenting with audio and may integrate some video later this year. Like Lisa, public speaking has always made me anxious. Though I’ve gotten much better thanks to work I did in my friend Cheryl’s Platinum Presence workshop, it’s something I still have to psych myself up for. At the end of the day, I believe that finding your marketing groove is more about mindset than about mastering any particular skill or technique. It’s about knowing that you have a right to be here. Once you get past that hurdle, the rest tends to come a lot easier.

Diane MacKinnon: Most of my time in the past twenty years has been spent one-on-one with people, whether life-coaching clients or patients, and I’m most comfortable speaking with people (even groups) face-to-face, even when the topic is myself and what I have to offer. I find the whole social media thing very intimidating. I don’t want to waste people’s time with unnecessary content in their in-box or on their Facebook wall. I agree with Jamie, though. The most important thing is knowing you have a place at the table, whatever table you choose to sit at. That mindset took me a long time to develop, especially with regard to marketing, mostly because I trained as a physician at a time when it was considered really tacky to promote yourself in any way (before the advent of Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz.) I’m inspired by my colleagues skills at social media and plan to continue to learn from them. (Lisa helped me update my LinkedIn page just recently!)

Julie Hennrikus: As always, love reading what my blog mates have to say on this. Here’s my $.02–I am much better at promoting a friend than myself. So (and this is going to sound nuts, but here we go) J.A. Hennrikus author is a friend who I feel more comfortable promoting. I am getting much better at public speaking, and have a few other things I can talk about, so I can make it less about me me me, and more about engagement.

 

photo: M. Shafer

Deborah Lee Luskin: I love speaking in public! I love meeting my readers! But I don’t love asking for readings or sending out press releases or organizing all the details; this is when I wish I had a publicist. (Someday . . . ). But mostly, I like to write. I love being a contributor to this blog, and one of these days, I’ll start one of my own. But updating my website is one of those tasks that’s been on my “to do” list for going on two years. So much to do, so little time.

 

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Secrets of Successful Freelance Writers – Part 2 of 2

In the first part of Secrets of Successful Freelance Writers, we talked about the importance of finding the right work, learning to accurately price writing projects, and releasing your inner project manager. In today’s post, we tackle four more secrets that can help you build the freelance writing business of your dreams so you can make money from home … in your pajamas.

Here we go!

Study your craft.

You will never be done learning about writing. Whether your goal is to write feature articles or marketing copy, there is an infinite collection of resources and references that will help you hone your craft. From traditional books to blogs, online courses to community college courses, mentorships to internships, there are literally hundreds of ways to improve your skills and confidence.

In my case, I leaned heavily towards online sources. I became a voracious blog reader, devouring post after post, storing choice bits in my Evernote files, and putting my new skills to work as quickly as I could (lest I forget them). You can self-educate however you prefer, but don’t ever stop being hungry for more knowledge.

ACTION ITEMS:

• Do a search for blogs on your particular area of interest. Load a few into a reader (with Google Reader closing in July, I just switched to Feedly and I’m loving it!). Read them regularly.
• A great initial resource for anyone considering life as a freelance writer, Peter Bowerman’s Well-Fed Writer series are a perennial favorite – chock full of great advice and helpful templates.

Create your system.

There’s a reason that the assembly line had such an impact on the industrial revolution. Systems help you replicate and streamline a process so that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time you tackle a particular task.

In addition to being more efficient, systems give you and your clients a greater sense of confidence. You know how to break a project down so you can get it down. Your clients feel like they are in capable hands when you have a clear and defined plan to get them from Point A to Point B.

Like pricing, expertise with creating systems will come with time and practice; but you can get a good head start by studying other people’s systems and thinking consciously about what works well on your projects.

ACTION ITEMS:

• Keep a running log of the steps you take to manage a project. After only a few times doing this exercise, you’ll begin to see patterns for what works and what doesn’t.
• Formalize your system by giving each phase a name. Familiarize yourself with the optimal flow for a project and then share that with your client as you work through the process.

Pay attention to the details.

They say don’t sweat the small stuff. When it comes to writing, I disagree. In writing, you’re better off remembering that the devil is in the details.

In a perfect world, we’d each have our own private editor who would proof and polish our work for us before we release it to the client. However, this isn’t a perfect world, so that’s not usually possible. There are, however, two tricks you can use to help improve the quality of your work.

First, build “breathing room” into your development schedule. Too often, we are rushed. We write right up to the deadline and have to send our work out without giving ourselves time to walk away for a little while and then come back with a fresh eye. Whenever possible, make sure to give yourself enough wiggle room to let your copy “set” for twenty-four hours. You’ll be amazed at how many improvements you’ll be able to easily make even after that short a respite.

Second, read your work out loud. There are lots of things that look good on paper, but sound lousy when spoken aloud. Reading your work out loud makes it obvious when a certain word or phrase doesn’t work. Never skip this step.

ACTION ITEMS:

• To convince yourself of the efficacy of these tactics, go back to a piece you wrote a while ago. First, edit it just on paper and then read it aloud and edit it again.
• Adjust the list of tasks and template schedule you created to include “breathing room.”

Provide over-the-top service.

Finally, nothing strengthens your business like stellar service.

When you engage with clients, try to make the experience fun. Smile even if you’re meeting via conference call (people can hear smiles, you know). Keep a positive and upbeat mood. Be responsive to customer inquiries. Be a true collaborator. Be polite and helpful and respectful. Go the extra mile.

One of the best things you can do for any customer is make her life easier. Whether your clientele is made up of corporate marketing managers or solo entrepreneurs, everyone loves to work with someone who makes the work easy. Find little ways to take things off your customer’s plate. Become an irreplaceable resource.

ACTION ITEMS:

• Think about the types of customer service experiences that have wowed you. How can you incorporate some of those types of experiences into your own workflow?
• Then think about the worst service experiences you’ve had. How can you ensure that you never make those mistakes with your customers?

So, there you have them – my seven favorite tips for becoming a successful freelance writer. So far, they have served me well. I hope they will do the same for you.

Questions? Lay ‘em on me and I’ll do my best to answer them.

More tips? Don’t just sit there – share! 

Jamie Lee Wallace is a writer who also happens to be a marketer. She helps her Suddenly Marketing clients discover their voice, connect with their audience, and find their marketing groove. She is also a mom, a prolific blogger, and a student of voice and trapeze (not at the same time). Introduce yourself on facebook or twitter. She doesn’t bite … usually.

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Image Credit: seeveeaar

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Perspective, persistence, and patience help build your platform

Building an author (or writer) platform takes 3 things: perspective, persistence, and patience. And with commitment to each of these areas, you will see results in reaching your audience.

Let’s take a look at each category.

Perspective: Know the type of writing you (want to) do and the type of audience you want to reach.

• Start writing, write, and keep on writing. (Start, do, keep on.)
• Start finding ways to interact with the people who make up your target audience – online and in person. Interact with the people you find and keep on interacting with those people and others. (Start, do, keep on.)
• Start creating accounts on social media outlets that are relevant to your writing. Use social media to get your name seen (don’t hide behind a made up name like “iamawriter2″, use your real name (or the name you want people to recognize). Keep on using social media, and don’t be afraid to stop using one avenue if you find another that’s better. (Start, do, keep on.)
• Promote your website (or blog) link whenever appropriately possible. (Don’t just paste your link everywhere, let it have value by being associated with your name and a topic related to your platform).

Persistence: When you get that first follower, that first comment on a blog post, or that first inquiry from your web site, celebrate, but don’t sit back and think you’re all set. You’ve started, and you’re on your way, now keep at it! If you can reach 1 person, you can reach 2, and then 4, and so on.

It can be exciting at the start to want to get ‘the most’ followers, ‘the most’ comments, or ‘the most’ of everything. You’ll soon realize that quality is more important over quantity in many (not all) cases. The more you persist and build your platform and your audience, the more you’ll realize what works, what doesn’t, and what needs to be adjusted. Keep at it. You’ll get there!

When you get writing credits, flaunt them, let your audience know about your successes. The more you write, the more credits you’ll get, and the more you can promote yourself.

Keep at it. (Yes, I’m being purposely repetitive). Be persistent in letting people know who you are and what you write about.

Patience: Building a platform doesn’t happen overnight, but it will happen if you work at it. And you’ll only work at it if it’s something you truly want. So, dig deep and find out if you truly, really, honestly want to be an author (or writer), and if you do, and if you want an audience who reads your work, you’ll need to work on your platform! You can do it.

Today marks 7 years for me as a self-employed writer. *insert party hat and noise makers* I’ve been working on my platform and it has come a long way, but it remains organic. I know I can’t stop working on it now! I hope you have long years as an author (or writer), too.

Have you started to build your author (or writer) platform yet? If not, what are you waiting for?

Lisa J. Jackson makes a living helping businesses express themselves with words. She also loves writing and talking about New Hampshire and plans to complete several 5Ks in 2013. She drinks iced coffee year-round, and needs a stash of Peppermint Patties in the fridge at all times to satisfy chocolate needs. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook, and Twitter. 

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Writers and taxes

Self-employed/freelance writers, have you done your taxes yet? The correct answer is: “Of course!”

There are still a couple of weeks to get them done, if you haven’t. And if, by chance, you haven’t started them yet, I found a great post on this very topic by a certified public accountant (CPA) – not mine – that is worth sharing. The site itself is focused on several artistic types, including writers.

There are downloadable checklists and worksheets, and a wonderful (and brief) detailed outline that hits on the main topics that writers need to consider when doing taxes.

I have to admit that I haven’t found the perfect strategy for getting everything in order. I track income and expenses monthly on a paper ledger and use Quicken (am switching over to Quickbooks this year as it really is better tool for a small business), as a double-check to make sure I haven’t missed anything.

Here are a couple of recommendations if you’re new to doing taxes as a business:

• Tracking mileage for anything and everything job related needs to be a habit – if it’s travel to/from a business meeting, or to Staples to get supplies, or to the Post Office for stamps, track that mileage.
• If you haven’t already, get a separate business account and debit/credit card so that you don’t have to spend time sorting through household accounts for business expenses each month/year.
• And if you keep on top of your income and expenses at least quarterly (monthly is best), doing the taxes can be almost painless and you won’t feel the need to procrastinate.

Like writing stories and having the details matter, doing taxes definitely requires paying attention to the details and making sure nothing is overlooked.

What method do you find best for keeping track of expenses and income? A software tool? Paper ledger? Sticky notes attached to receipts?

Lisa J. Jackson makes a living helping businesses express themselves with words. She also loves writing and talking about New Hampshire and plans to complete several 5Ks in 2013. She drinks iced coffee year-round, and needs a stash of Peppermint Patties in the fridge at all times. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook, and Twitter. 

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