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Sunday, August 29, 2021


The Constant Juggling of the Writing Life


By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As a writer and editor, my day to day life is a constant series of juggling between long-term priorities and the immediate.
 
Today I am writing a regular newsletter which goes out every week (a recent new assignment for me). I'm working with my authors as an editor at Morgan James Publishing. I'm writing some book reviews (something I do for fun if I read or hear a book). Plus I'm pitching some article ideas and handling other details like incoming emails.
 
It's just a glimpse at my writing life which to some would be stressful but I've tried to learn to roll with the changes and attempt to handle each detail methodically and deliberately (sometimes I succeed better than others). Also I'm constantly working on getting some regular exercise, hydrating with water, monitoring my food intake and diet along with other details called life.
 
What happens when you miss something? I'm keenly aware of the importance of meeting deadlines, showing up at the right time and place and keeping things moving with excellence (all key aspects of being a freelance writer). Yet my actions are not always perfect and at times I miss something. While I strive for perfection, I don't always achieve it.
 
When I do make an error or mistake, there are several key actions that I take:
 
1. I admit the error and apologize. Good communication is always a high priority with me.
 
2. I attempt to correct the mistake or error (if possible—and it is not always possible).
 
3. I resolve to do better in the future. My attitude is a critical aspect of these situations. To feel bad and inadequate will ultimately not move things forward. Instead, I try and move forward—sometimes easier said than done.
 
While to some people outside of publishing, the community seems large. Overall, it is a small group of relationships. Each of us need to maintain, keep and expand these relationships. Your actions and response is an important part of this process. Part of my reputation is people know I'm always eager to do whatever is needed and right.
 
Are you juggling different priorities and balls throughout your day? How do you handle it? What insights do you have for this process? Let me know in the comments below.
 

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Sunday, August 22, 2021


Consistent Experimentation


By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As a writer are you consistently trying new things? I've been doing this work for decades. As a part of it, I'm always trying new things. Recently my son, Tim, told me about substack (which I had never visited or heard about). I explored the website which publishes free and paid writing. I decided to join the site and create a publicatikon. What topic would make my writing distinct and stand out? For decades, I have been a freelance writer and I know making money is always a popular topic. I called my publication, Making Money Freelance Writing.
 
Like these articles which are always about some aspect of publishing, Making Money Freelance Writing is going to be about the various ways and skills needed to make money as a freelance writer. In this process, I will be consistently publishing articles on this subject. The regular writing on the focused topic is one of the keys to building an audience.
 
I'm working through the different tools on the site such as an About Page. Notice I filled out this page and included links to introduce the reader to my work in publishing. Any time you start a new website, it is  important to fill out the various introductory materials. Also I saw the site gives the ability to create an enviroment or look for your publication. This aspect is still in process but I've reached out to a designer on Fiverr.com and I'm working on changing the look. If you join me in this process, then you can watch this transformation and learn from the articles I will be publishing on the site.
 
As I write new articles and promote this publication I will be growing my readers. Like every publication, I have a small audience. I'm writing this article to ask you to join me in this journey at Making Money Freelance Writing. I'm going to be learning something from this process and hopefully you will as well. I encourage you to explore substack and see if there is something you want to create and promote. It's another step in my writing life.
 
Experimentation is a constant part of the writing life. What type of experiments are you making? Let me know in the comments below.
 

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Sunday, August 15, 2021


A Friendly Reminder


By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Recently I dropped into my local library. I was looking for some reference books like Literary Market Place and Writer's Digest Market Guide. Almost every public library in the country gets these much-used reference books. I located these books which from my experience are not normally allowed to be checked out. To My surprise, I could check out these large reference books and take them home. For several days, I brought the books to my office, found the information I needed, photocopied a few pages then returned them.
 
When the due date for a library book gets near, my library will send an email “friendly reminder.” This week I got one about the two-volume Literary Market Place which I had returned several weeks earlier. Something went wrong on the check-in system. To my surprise, I was still responsible for these expensive reference books. Literary Market Place retails at $449.50 for this two-volume set of books. I planned to call the library in a few hours when they opened but worried about what I might hear from this “friendly reminder.”
 
When I reached a librarian, I gave her my card number and she understood my question then put me on hold for a few minutes (which seemed like an eternity). Finally when she returned, she told me they had located the books and check them back into the library. While I had returned these books in the normal place, apparently reference books like these are handled differently. To get them checked in, I was supposed to take them directly to the reference librarian when I returned them.
 
I ended that phone call in relief these expensive reference books had been found and I was no longer responsible for them. I learned something new about how to check out reference books from my local library. I tell you this story for several reasons:
 
1. I'm a frequent user to my local library, checking out and using a variety of types of books. I love access to the audiobooks in my library through Overdrive. Also sometimes when I can't locate a book, I can fill out a request form and the library will order the book and because I suggested it, when it arrives, I will be the first person to check it out.
 
2. The library “friendly reminder” email system triggered my call to the library to locate these missing books which I had returned.
 
Do you use your local library? As writers, we need this important resource. Let me know how you use your library in the comments. 
 

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Sunday, August 08, 2021


Writers Must Wear Many Hats


By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As a writer, I get a lot of enjoyment telling stories—whether the stories of others or my own stories. Crafting those details on my computer screen is a lot of fun. Yet as a writer, the task is much more diverse than just telling stories. As writers, we must wear many different hats and play many different roles.
 
Many years ago as a young journalist, I learned a life-long lesson about myself and what I do.  I love to write, craft stories and put these words on paper then figure out how to share them with the world. Admittedly many others want to do this skill as well and at times it is a challenge to make a living in this work—but possible. There are many ways to use your writing. Many people focus on books but your writing can be used in many different ways. I detail some of the possibilities in the first chapter of Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. Get this free chapter here and look at the different writing possibilities.
 
I've written more than a dozen books for other people as a co-author and a ghostwriter. As a part of that writing process, I get to pretend to be in the mind and shoes of that other person. This little mind trick is one of the ways to successfully write those stories for others. As a part of my writing life, I spent 17 years with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Ten of those years were in linguistics then I returned to my writing and began writing for magzines and eventually my first book was published. During this period, my children were small and I would do some of my writing at the Wycliffe office—often on a Sunday afternoon. Almost no one was at the office during this period.
 
I noticed a light on in the director's office. On the way to my office I walked past to see who was there. To my surprise it was bestselling author Jamie Buckingham. Twice a year without any fanfare, Jamie came to our office and wrote the donor letter and various articles for our Wycliffe director. His name never appeared on these articles but Jamie was the storytelling pen behind this writing. He would tell me, “Terry, today I'm a jungle pilot in the jungles of Peru, South America.” I met people who gave to many different missions and said they normally tossed the donor letters and did not read them—but every time they read the Wycliffe donor letter. They loved trhe storytelling in that letter and behind it was the pen of Jamie Buckingham.
 
As a writer, we need to learn to pitch our work to the media, to editors and to literary agents. We have to learn to write documents called “book proposals” and others called “query letters” in this pitch process. Some people would call this pitching process, marketing. Your writing just stays on your own website or your own notebooks if you don't learn to pitch. It's another skill you need to learn and develop as a writer.
 
Also writers have to become editors—at least of their own writing. I will often write something, set it aside for several hours or days, then return to it and rewrite or edit it. Editng your own writiing is a skill each of us have to develop and then use over and over as writer.
 
Writers are also researchers to compile information and find interesting facts and statistics. We have to learn to ask good questions to get the stories and information that we need from others.
 
As our books get published, we have to become proofreaders (or hire an expert at this point in the process). Also in this process we need to gather endorsements and have to be connected to others in order to get these endorsements. Networking and your connections to others as a writer is another important skill or hat.
 
In this article, I've given you a starting point. We need a diverse set of skills in this business or wear multiple hats. Which hat are you wearing today? Have I missed some roles or hats? Let me know in the timments below.
 
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Sunday, August 01, 2021


Why You Need The "Right" Help

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Earlier this year I wrote about my Frog in the Kettle experience. In a very slow process, my computer and browser continued to grow slower and work poorly. I turned to the Geek Squad and they took over my computer and fixed it. Then a few weeks later, it slowed again and I was back to the same process. I could not understand what was going on and causing continual problems with the use of my computer.
 
Finally I got to the “right” technical person on the Geek Squad. He looked at my situation and realized I needed something additional that I did not have: a firewall. As an individual, I had never thought about needing a firewall but I did to prevent the computer attacks from others. I don't understand why others would want to install malicious material on my computer but it is definitely a part of our world. A few days ago, I had the Geek Squad install this firewall protection.

It's been a few days since I made this change and the experience has transformed my desktop computer (and the firewall helps all of my devices including my phone). My computer is more responsive and I'm getting more done without the frustration of my browser spinning on my screen. I've been doing this long enough to realize I will still have glitches in this process. Overall this change has resulted in less stress and better performance. It happened because I persisted and finally got to the right technician who could help me with my situation.
 
My lesson for you is to stress the importance of asking for help but in addition, you need to find the “right” help for your situation. Keep asking and looking until you find it. As writers, we are on a constant search for answers. We have many choices along the path and you need wisdom and insight to make the right choices in this process.
 
We are looking for the right editor, the right experienced person to guide you in the publishng process, the right marketing effort for your books, the right publisher and even the right topic for your book in the first place. Each of us have numerous choices. in this process. Last year, as an editor, I met a writer who had a well-done nonfiction book which she had professionally edited. I offered her a Morgan James Publishing contract but after numerous emails and conversations, she decided to publish with another company. I wished her well but I knew this other company. This company touts their connection to a well-known publisher but that's not the “whole” truth. In reality, this company is a part of a larger entity which is only online and publishing over 50,000 titles a year. I've met authors who have spent $20,000 with this company (something they will never earn back through book sales)—essentially a scam. My reason for telling you this story is to encourage you to be careful with these choices and get the right help.
 
There is no single best path for each of us in this publishing journey. Every writer has to experiment, fail and keep trying in this process. Let me know about your experiences finding the right help in the comments below.
 

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