Writers who want to transition from writing for fun, to writing for funds often place all effort on a jump into the big pond too soon. Excited about finding a place on the big websites and those websites see them coming. Competing with tens of thousands of writers to get a a dollar a month if your lucky for work can be disheartening. It is a good way to build skill and hone your craft. It is nevertheless not the best way to get paid money to purchase the required amount of caffeine, for example,that most writers need to fuel their efforts.


On my personal writing journey, I was very excited to get a message on Facebook from one of my writing buddies Tamra McRill, she offered me the opportunity to write a guest blog for her on http://www.punditthis.com (look for it next Monday April 16, 2012). As writers it is important to come together and help others with their work. Don't be selfish with your talents, trying to hoard them all on your page or on big sites where your work is buried for the most part until you can develop a large following. Get out there build your audience and make the kind of money that folds, not jingles. It's a winning situation for all involved.

It gets me thinking.Perhaps, I'll start paying for quality guest blogs here on Writer's Notes. Hmmm let me look into that. Stay tuned for more information.

Until next time...
Happy Writing!

A writer who wants to be taken seriously must first take himself/herself seriously. Their work must live up to the additional scrutiny given to those who put themselves out to the public in the light of being an expert. 

This seriousness is shown in the writer's work in the following ways:

• Well thought-out arguments and discussions.
  
• Factual/believable information.
  
• Well-written content utilizing proper grammar and spelling techniques. 
  
• Trust in your expertise as a brand.

Taking oneself seriously in this regard can be to some--overwhelming. Serious in this case meaning to think in terms of a professional, that leap from writing for fun to writing for funds. Because being serious isn't always fun in the professional arena. A place where it's no longer allowed to merely use the wet spaghetti method of flinging words at a page and seeing what sticks. There is a weight to it, a gravitas, a responsibility that comes with writing as a professional. When a writer puts herself out to the public as a brand then she is saying "My work is meant to have value. I am asking you to trust what I write. It is a product intended to be worth consuming." Rather than the flippant "I'm writing for me! I could care less what you think." of the casual hobby writer/blogger. 

I wonder, is it really harder or more work to write as a professional as it is to write as a hobby? Is it merely an abstract placed on typing the same characters onto a screen? I think they are two different things. When a writer wants to be taken seriously, she makes an oath that what she portrays will be factual if writing non-fiction, it will be at least believable when in the realm of fiction. The promise that the brand will be well-written and as a matter of course will be placed for all to see and to inevitably criticize. That is the nature of the beast. Will the work survive the criticism? That is the question which comes into play any time a writer posts their work in a venue to display. 

When a person is a hobby writer she can merely take the critique and say "Hey I didn't say I was an expert, I'm just writing my thoughts." and in so doing, there is a cushioning effect. When a professional places work out to the public, the notes given back are more direct, sharp,  because the writer presents her thoughts as truth. As an assumed truth they must be based in some form of logic, some meaning, some semblance of a valid argument to be taken with the respect that an expert deserves. 

Expert. The word itself grabs the air from my chest. It's what holds some writers back. The fear of stepping from the center of the pack out front to pronounce "Hey, I know what I'm talking about." It comes with responsibility and hard work to be sure that when facts are presented they are in fact the best information and/or entertainment available. 

Responsibility is something many hope to avoid. I am no exception. That being said I continue to create scenarios in my life (being a wife, a mother and a business owner) not to mention community responsibilities that I took on in the past which come with the need to be very responsible. Such a dichotomy to want the benefits of responsibility with none of the bite. This is the fire that every writer must walk through. Writers usually hope that people appreciate their point-of-view. Many writers also know that a least a few readers will not, and could be harsh in relaying their feedback to that effect. A writer is compelled to write despite this fact. Because the urge to write is greater than any fear that possible retribution may hold. 

So what about you? Are you up to the task? When thinking of yourself as a writer,,,
Are you serious?!

Until next time. Happy Writing!

It's so simple and yet it's not. As a writer it is so easy to get caught up in writing for a purpose. And you know, you should write for a purpose, however you should also write without a purpose. Because there are times when I am not able to write about what my assignment is and so I must write about something else. If it turns out to be any good I can stockpile it away for later. Like a squirrel storing up for winter, a winter of ideas. I can pull the work out later where it may fit another contest or assignment (or not). That's really not the point. The point is to write it down. That's the only point. That can be the most difficult thing to get behind. Especially when the bill collectors are calling and the pantry looks thin and that mental accountant is screaming "WE NEED TO GET PAID!!!!!!" from the back of my mind, I get lost in it to. Each writing, each journey, is like the SIMS game, it  improves your skill level I can see the little stars collecting in my head now. Sometimes that's the only point. But after mindfully practicing the craft for while a nice compilation of work begins to accumulate that is actually marketable. And then what do you know? Perhaps it is something others will find valuable and pay for! Bonus. 

Today is the first day of  my professional writing career. Because it is the day that I placed my writing in top priority right after my family being taken care of because that will always be my tippy top priority. 

As I began to work on adding links to my Self Empowerment blog and interlinking them I began to think about my body of work. They spoke about this with President Obama in the beginning when he was getting Nobel Peace Prizes and then not getting an honorary award from the Arizona State University because they felt he had not shown a body of work to deem worthy or not at that time. So I started thinking about a body of work and what I would leave behind. 

A writer's body of work is her immortality. Watching history channel and watching the dusty scrolls being unrolled by excited scientists we realize the power of the written word. What will I leave in the time capsule for future generations both for strangers and my family? Most of my work is online so who even knows if any of it will be preserved it's not written in stone or anything. 

Even that term written in stone challenges my mind. What would I write in stone if I could? What would I want future generations hundreds possibly thousands or hundreds of thousands of years from now to know? I must contemplate that for awhile. 

My words would be my immortality. If that were truly the case. They'd better be good! 

I was chatting with a group of writers that I network with on Facebook and we were comparing notes about which articles got the most clicks. The funny thing is it is hard to predict. We found as a group that the articles we did the most research and worked the hardest on were not the ones that got the most page views. Many times it was the article that was thrown together at the last minute on a whim that did better with readers. Who knew? Who knows the magic combination? If anyone did they'd be a billionaire because every one would want to know their secret. In the end it is just fishing. The more lines you have in the water the more likely it is that the nibbles will come. 

Going to work on getting another line in the water now and see if it gets any nibbles :o)

It is great to connect with shows like this and with other writer resources. I will try to share them as I find them.