Keeping track of your output

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articles, author, authors, freelance writing, journaling, journalism, writing

Writing can be a very busy profession. Just look at the proliferation of magazines and newspapers on the shelves of your local newsagent and you’ll see what I mean. There is so much to write about, so many publications to target and only so many hours in the day to tap into all this potential.

Once you get into the swing of things and begin selling your articles, you’ll find a few things start to happen:

• you’ll become accepted and trusted by those publications you sell to

• you’ll find it easier getting your ideas for articles accepted

• you’ll find editors start approaching you more often

• you’ll begin to feel like a working writer

• you’ll find it difficult keeping track of your output

My experience as a full time writer has taught me the importance of setting up systems in my office. This was because I soon started loosing track of what was going on and this rapidly became counter-productive.

With just six or seven articles in production at the same time, you’ll find things can get out of hand pretty quickly. This is because each and every media outlet has different requirements, lead times, schedules and deadlines. Some plan their editions a month out while others take a very much longer approach. And to make matters even more complicated, many don’t like it when you make simultaneous submissions. Some might want exclusive rights while others might not be so fussed.

How do you keep track of all this without losing your hair in the process?

The answer lies in tracking software.

I use an App called Story Tracker for Mac (www.andrewnicolle.com). It does a wonderful job of keeping track of all my stories, books and enquiries. It easily handles hundreds of submissions and prevents me making otherwise unavoidable or embarrasing mistakes. In the past I even made the basic mistake of offering the same story twice to a publication and only noticed this when the editor told me he had already rejected it! Ouch!

The nice thing about Story Tracker is that you can manage your writing business on the go simply by installing the App on your iPhone too. You can then easily transfer your database between your computer and your phone.

Story Tracker consists basically of three databases: your stories, your markets and your submissions. It is available from the App Store or direct from the web site and costs a very reasonable $15.99.

For those using Windows PCs, there is a Windows version due out soon.

 

Do writers have to be master of their tools too these days?

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I was intrigued by what Walt Kuenstler, a fellow ghostwriter and partner at Winans Kuenstler Publishing in Pennsylvania had to say in a recent blog. He queries whether writers need to master more than just words in order to survive in the modern world.

Here’s his blog:

Quote

Editorial work is now computer work.

We’ve known it, on some level, for years. But now it’s right there in the job descriptions.

 Virginia Hefferman, writing for Yahoo News admonishes all of us writer-types that the integration of digital technology, writing, and publishing of any kind has become the new normal.

She cites this ‘help wanted’ message posted to Twitter by Nicholas Thompson, the editor of The New Yorker website “: “Hiring a digital project manager. Help us at @NewYorker run cool, ambitious tech projects. Ideally, code too. Ping me.”

Ms. Hefferman continues, “Literary work—editorial work—is now computer work. We’ve known it, on some level, for years. But now it’s right there in the job descriptions. What’s the lesson in this for the rest of who aim to make media—whether it’s music, magazines or movies? We must overcome our occupational allergy to product design and marketing and then, as soon as possible, we must learn computer code.”

“Whether we call it photography or prose or TV or graphics the media we now make iscode. The Internet speaks in code; it thinks in code; it moves in code; it looks like code; its strength and value is code.”

Times change. Idioms change. I am 63 years old. When I first worked for the NY Times, giant steam-driven Linotype machines poured hot lead into moulds to make the type that printed each edition. My own grandfather supported a wife and two children retouching photographs with a steady hand and a fine-tipped artist’s brush—no Photoshop, and no computers for that matter.

We forget that Rembrandt and even Matisse not only painted, but also made their own pigments. So today, the 21^st century writer confronted with the marvel of interactive eBooks now thinks as a designer, a digital artist, a videographer, a networker, as well as making those pesky words form coherent sentences.

No, not every book will become interactive. Paper books will continue to require no batteries and no WiFi, thank god. But moving forward, eBooks may require ghost writers and ghost programmers as well!

Unquote

Walt makes a very good point. You see, if we look back far in time to the time of the ancient Egyptians, writers had to be good at wielding a hammer and chisel. Then, as things progressed, they needed to make paper out of papyrus. Centuries later, writers had to know how to make a quill pen out of a feather; there was an art to getting the nib just right. Ink, too, they had to mix, using all sorts of pigments, etc.

We do seem to be getting back to similar days, but only with computers. I for one have taken a great interest in ‘how’ computers work because they are the tools of my craft. I also don’t need to be held to ransom by the hardware and software companies of the world, who all seem to want to charge the earth for their wares. So I taught myself how to build my own lightweight operating system that will work on even the oldest of computers.

My operating system is called Arch Linux; it’s lightweight, bleeding edge (always 100% up to date), extremely fast and free.

I know exactly what Walt is getting at in his blog. And I agree. How about you?

 

 

The Tools of the Writing Trade

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articles, author, authors, blog, blogging, blogs., books, Fountain pen, freelance writing, journaling, journalism, planning, Queensland Writers' Week, writing

What are your tools of the trade? What do you use for your writing?

This may sound a silly question, but what you use to write with is important. Heard the saying a worker is only as good as the tools he uses? Well, it’s true.

As we enter the last day of Queensland Writers’ Week (well, for me it is as I write on a full time basis five days a week and need my weekends to recharge my creative batteries), I thought a brief discussion about some of the tools of my craft would be appropriate.

I never go anywhere without my trusty Moleskine notebook and Lamy fountain pen. I have found ideas crop up in my mind at the most unexpected moments. I have also found that often I come across a piece of information, the name of a book or something else that could be useful in my writing. It is also most useful and productive to spend half an hour or so in a local coffee shop thinking and making notes.

I never go anywhere without my Moleskine notebook and Lamy fountain pen.

Once I am ready to begin actually writing, I sit down in front of my iMac, fire up Scriviner and begin working on the structure of the book. I love using the cork board for this. I can juggle chapters and sections around at will and can get an instant idea of what the structure of the book will look like.

The Scriviner cork board of my book Classic Motorcycles, An Enthusiast’s Guide (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004TMAIPW)

If I am working on a shorter piece, like an article, then I usually write on my laptop, which runs on the Chakra Linux operating system. I love using Linux as it gives me so much more ‘control’ over my software and is nice and easy to use while still allowing me to program in what I like and discard that which I don’t. Panders to the geek in me, nothing more.

So what tools do you use? Which can you add to your writer’s tool bench?

Set writing goals

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articles, author, authors, blog, blogging, blogs., books, editing, freelance writing, journaling, journalism, planning, Queensland Writers' Week, sentences, writing

As a full time writer, I have found it absolutely essential to set writing goals. You see, it’s the goals that produce the pressure needed to ensure writing projects move forward.

Just like with you taps at home, if there is no water pressure, nothing happens when you open the tap.

So what kind of goals could you have?

I like daily goals. They could include:

• A certain number of pages per day
• A certain number of words per day
• A certain number of chapters per day
• Development of the synopsis or outline
• To research a topic, character or scenario
• To send of query emails to publishers or agents
• To write a blog post
• To complete an edit

I once set myself the goal of writing just one page of a novel each day while ghostwriting two books for clients. The result: in a year I had completed over 240 pages. And the beauty of this is that the time would have passed by whether I had written anything or not.

And seeing this week is Queensland Writers’ Week, my goal for the week is to write one blog post per day.

So what goals do you have for yourself? If you currently write without any firm ones, which do you think most appropriate for you?

Getting down to writing

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articles, author, blogging, blogs., books, freelance writing, journaling, journalism, Queensland Writers' Week, writing

Queensland Writer’s Week is all about writing, so that’s what I’ll do. No more time to procrastinate, plan or think about what to write.

This morning I started work on my latest novel, a contemplative work that is based on my youth. My aim is to write it in simple terms, with beautiful prose and a healthy dose of nostalgia.

I also started work on an article about the ghostwriting profession that has been given the go-ahead by an overseas magazine.

It’s amazing how easily ideas translate into words when writing with a purpose.

What are you doing to progress your writing career?

 

 

Writing takes planning

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authors, blogging, blogs., books, freelance writing, journaling, journalism, planning, Queensland Writers' Week, writing

Now that Queensland Writers’ Week is well and truly underway, I thought some ideas about the need for planning would be in order.

Every writer needs to take planning seriously. You see, quite apart from the planning that goes into a particular story, we also need to plan out our writing day.

How much time do you have available for writing? What will you be spending that time actually doing? Are you going to just work on your latest book, or can you also schedule in time for writing blogs, tweets or freelance articles?

I like making use of a default diary that sets aside time for checking emails, reading stuff online, researching and writing. I also make sure to include enough time for gym, visiting coffee shops or taking a break. You see, the last thing I want (or need) is to freeze up with the dreaded writer’s block.

So how do you allocate your time? What do you find works best for you?

This week is Queensland Writers’ Week – time to get writing

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articles, author, authors, blogging, books, freelance writing, journaling, journalism, laziness, money, planning, Queensland Writers' Week, writing

There is nothing like a little external stimulation to get those writing juices flowing. This week, we have been challenged to write something each day, and that’s what I am going to do.

Apart from the latest book I am ghostwriting for a client, I am going to start another of my own. I may start two just for the challenge.

What do you find gets in the way of your writing? Is it a lack of ideas? Do you have insufficient time? Or is it simply a lack of motivation?

We all need a reason to do anything. I mean, why else would we take on tasks each and every day? So ask yourself this: what motivates you to write? Is it simply to say you have published a book? This, of course, is a very plausible reason. Is it because you could do with the added income, should royalties begin flowing in. Again, a very good reason. Or is it that you simply MUST write?

Once you have a very clear understanding in your own mind of your reasons for wanting to write, now all you have to do is come up with a plan, and a routine, to make that happen. I have found this is the easiest part; getting the reasoning, and hence the motivation, clear is the most difficult.

I have also found the best way of doing this is simply by sitting down at my keyboard (or at my favourite coffee shop with a Moliskine notebook and one of my most cherished fountain pens) and letting the words fill the page.

So what are you going to be doing THIS WEEK? I’d love to hear from you. Let me know in the comments section; that way I can hold you accountable.

Queensland Writers’ Week

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articles, blog, books, Queensland Writers' Week, writing

There’s nothing quite like pressure to move writing along. After all, isn’t that why journalists are able to produce copy as quickly as they do? I mean, deadlines simply can’t be broken or the presses will be held up and that cost big time.

I received an email from the Queensland Writers’ Centre the other day pointing out that Queensland Writers’ Week is fast approaching. In fact, it commences on Monday the 8th, and what better way to start work on a new book?

I will be making a start on a new fiction book, I have decided. And I will make sure to write one page each day that week.

What about you? Are you planning to do anything special for the week? Perhaps start a new blog? Or write a freelance article?

Breaking the rules

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blogging, blogs., freelance writing, grammar, journaling, journalism, rules, sentences, writing

The thing about writing in English is that there are so many rules to follow. There are also so many exceptions to the rules just to make things a little more interesting.

As a writer I know there are times when it’s OK to break the rules. Like starting a sentence with the word ‘and’ for instance. Breaking the rules can be good for effect, to develop pace or to simple come across as refreshing or different. I have no problems with that.

As a reader, it irks me when the basic rules are broken, usually because the writer knows no better. That’s probably the fault of our education system that has neglected to concentrate on grammar for so long.

Here is my list of the basic rules that ‘amateur’ writers break on a regular basis.

1. Mixing up tenses. Using past tense and present tense often in the same sentence. And then sticking to the same tense when mixing them up is OK. For instance, “He said that it was OK to break the rules” when it should be “He said that it is OK to break the rules.” Can you see the difference?
2. No hyphenation. For instance, co-ordinate is often written as coordinate.
3. Mixing up singular and plural in the same sentence. For instance, the driver of the car put their hat on.
4. Political correctness. This is such a problem for us writers because words are our stock in trade. The more we are constrained in their use, the more hampered we become at practicing our craft.

What are your pet hates when it comes to breaking the rules? I’m sure you have some that I haven’t mentioned.

 

Using your influence to source writing work

Being good at writing is one thing, finding paid writing work in quite another. Unless you write for pleasure, that is. But sourcing work isn’t a challenge unique to writers; everyone who is self-employed knows only too well that this could be the number one challenge they constantly face.

In business, there are so many lead generation strategies that will produce paid work or sales. However, very few of them are applicable to people who sell words for a living. You could, for instance, run an ad in your local newspaper, but don’t sit by your phone waiting for it to ring … you might find yourself sitting there for a very long time! Similarly, door knocking wouldn’t be my strategy of choice. How many people do you think are waiting for a ghostwriter to turn up out of the blue?

After decades as a full-time writer, the strategy that I find works best for me is influence. I find people come to me or seek me out simply because of the ‘reputation’ I have as a writer. They may have heard me speak at their last Rotary Club meeting or attended a seminar on writing that I gave. They may have asked around and been referred by a trusted acquaintance or friend. They may have searched the internet and stumbled across my book Write for a Living in 7 Easy Steps (http://www.amazon.com/Write-Living-Easy-Steps-ebook/dp/B004T4LH28).

I have found that getting in front of people and talking is the way to go simply because people love being entertained while being informed. They love stories. They are intrigued by the prospect of writing a book and they love to hear first hand from published authors. They also all have an inner desire to write a book some day, so the whole subject strikes an immediate chord. They are captivated from the very beginning and never forget the experience. Then, one day when someone asks them, “Do you happen to know a writer …?” my phone begins to ring.

Read more about sourcing work by reading my Kindle book Write for a Living in 7 Easy Steps (http://www.amazon.com/Write-Living-Easy-Steps-ebook/dp/B004T4LH28).