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Recently, a woman I'd interviewed for an article e-mailed me, to ask if I'd be willing to mentor her. She'd wanted to be a writer, but didn't know where to begin. Her e-mail was the first step.
I was flattered, of course, that she'd asked me. I said yes.
We met and talked non-stop about writing. I offered several 'starter' ideas; among them were to faithfully write three pages every day, on anything. Julia Cameron, one of my favorite writers-on-writing, calls them Morning Pages. My mentee thought it was a worthy idea, and later e-mailed that she could only devote three or four mornings a week to them. It's a start, I encouraged her. Even three or four times a week is good. Morning Pages prime the pump, so to speak, open up the brain's highway to creativity. By starting the day with this pleasant habit, a writer can then move on to tackle other writing tasks. My mentee found this to be helpful in her other job-related writing.
While mentors help their proteges, they actually get 'paid' in an unexpected way, at least that's been my experience, so far. We have the opportunity to take a look at our own process as we share it. In doing that, we're improving our own art, and perhaps opening ourselves to niches, opportunities, we hadn't considered.
Several years ago, billboards in my Central Minnesota town carried a one-word message: do. Do what? I wondered. The figure sharing the billboard space was performing some type of exercise, raking leaves, for example.
After that first siting, I knew I'd been zapped by a brilliant ad campaign, and would never be the same. Like others who are prompted to action by effective advertising campaigns, I wanted to---I had to---do something. And if I hadn't done something by the next time I passed by the giant message---strategically placed on a busy street, by the way---I was instantly slapped with a twinge of guilt. Oh, the feeling passed quickly enough. Nevertheless, the simple word had had its way with me.
Blue Cross-Blue Shield sponsored the do campaign. They may be pleased to know that, for at least one citizen, it was a success. It whispered to me, tsk, tsk, stop thinking about it, planning for it, looking for excuses to get out of it...just do it.
It so happens that their campaign cross-pollinated to my writing ambitions. As one of those unfortunate people who have a built-in anguish meter---translation: I anguish over taking that all-important first step---I now have a two-letter command to get the lead out. To keep it ever-fresh, I've printed the word with a hot pink Sharpie marker onto my own mini-billboard, a 3x5 card, and prominently placed it atop our family computer and workstation.
Hmm...that reminds me. One of these days, I really ought to dash off a thank-you note to Blue Cross-Blue Shield. What the heck---I'll just do it.
When I first became serious about the writing life two decades ago, I didn't know much. Oh, I could spell real well, and my grammar skills were above average. Those God-given tools came from a gene pool largely endowed by my language professor dad, and a mom who spoke and wrote flawless English, as well.
Because I thirsted for the writing life, I thought and acted like a writer by attending nearby writing seminars and workshops where I rubbed elbows with 'real' writers (as in published ones) for a couple of days. I also invested in a couple of very good writing courses.
So, in my toolbox, I had God-given communication skills and some book-learning...but, still, I felt I lacked a certain something. For a time, I stopped referring to myself as a writer. Yet, I did must-do things to build a writer's business and world---I looked for markets, wrote stuff that, today when I re-read it, not only makes me cringe with humility, I get nauseous. It was kinda bad. Even bad writers, though, need validation to keep them on the road to good writing.
It was at that stage in my development that I stumbled onto a little publication of anecdotes for speakers that turned out to be such a confidence-booster that I do a happy jig whenever I think about it now. That little, bitty publication promised a byline, a modest payment, and a copy of the issue. So I prepared the manuscripts containing my stories featuring my children and sent them. Weeks later, a nice but brief letter arrived in my mailbox, telling me they were buying my stories. In my haste to read the letter, I hadn't noticed the piece of paper that fluttered to the floor. When I picked it up, I saw it was a check made out in my name, for the princely sum of eight dollars. I was so thrilled that I flew to the phone, called my mother and blurted out the details of my good fortune (eight bucks is still eight bucks). She was tickled for me, and said a few gushy things. When my copy of the publication arrived not long after, I eagerly scanned the pages until I found my stories...and my byline. Eureka, I was a published writer!
No publication is too small to submit to as we build our writing-at-home business. The boost to our fragile egos is glorious, indeed, and happy outcomes like mine are well worth the time we invest to get our names out there...in our quest to live the writing life.
Ever wonder how books and articles get written? I'm not referring to the what-shall-I-write-about stage. I'm referring to the time writers find to get the writing done. One of the big myths in the writing life is that only those who are able to write 24/7 (so to speak) will succeed. It just ain't so.
Consider my cousin Junior. He writes books, screenplays, articles---and he holds down a demanding full-time job! John, an acquaintance with a management job unrelated to writing, stumbled across a subject that grew into a passion a few years back. He grabbed time wherever he could, and recently put the finishing touches on his book. Both of these fellas have learned that it's possible to have a day job away from their home office, and simultaneously build a satisfying writing career. Though they've never told me how they found that precious commodity, I picture them avoiding that great time-grabber, the tube; starting their day an hour earlier; or maybe finding some nook where they nibble their lunch while scribbling until the company time clock beckons. Surely, a passion burns inside both of them that makes writing a priority.
Fact is, in these hard, hard economic times, a writer first has to be able to pay the bills for all the obvious reasons: eating, sleeping, living as comfortably as possible. While a life devoted to only writing pursuits is a golden dream for many, it's not always a realistic one.
What is realistic is to take baby steps every day, just as Junior and John do, that'll keep your feet on the road that may eventually lead to working at home as a full-time writer. If the passion to write is there, a little thing like a detour to success should never have the power to douse it.
If you've been visiting this blog for a while, you'll remember that I became an insurance agent in the hopes it would bankroll my writing life. For a number of reasons, it wasn't entirely successful though it did keep us afloat in not-grand-style. At least I was heeding the advice of sager heads than mine who recommend having some money stashed away before embarking on the writing life full-time.
But what happens if that cache of cash steadily dwindles, and the income isn't keeping up? Do you abandon the life you know you're best suited for and instead head back to your old job? It's an option...but there are others. Get creative! Consider one of these ideas, or let them lead you to something that works best for your circumstances:
- Sign up with a temp agency. Many of them have clients who need coverage for maternity or medical leaves, and those jobs typically aren't temp-to-hire.
- Contact area newspapers and ask to become a stringer. Newspapers need content just like any other publication; why not you?
- Check the masthead in regional or local publications. Craft a brief e-mail or snail mail letter that directed to the publisher/editor. You're a professional wordsmith in every communication you write; be sure to let that shine through.
Recently, my daughter and I sat in the waiting room of the local hospital while a friend underwent surgery. I picked up a high-quality newsletter sitting on an end table, and scanned the masthead where I found the appropriate contact. Later that day (after we knew the friend breezed through surgery), I e-mailed him. Did he use freelance writers, I asked? I included two sentences about my experience, and closed by offering to send samples of my writing. He responded the next day, asking for samples, which I sent along with a brief cover letter that provided a little more detail about my experience. Five days letter, I sent another e-mail, this time asking if he'd received the information I mailed to him. Again, he responded positively. Keeping the wolves away while at the same time building solid reputations and steady assignments is an important aspect of the writing life that can't be ignored. It calls for a little creativity---but we're writers and definitely up to the task.
I've been a fairly shy gal most of my life (okay, all of my life!). When a former employer offered to pay for a 14-week Dale Carnegie course, I grabbed the op. While it didn't erase the shy gene, it did help me do simple things, like speaking up at PTA meetings, and harder things, like conducting monthly meetings of which I was prez; giving speeches; cutting TV promo ads. Even still, the ole shy gene has never completely left.
So you'd think us shy folks would love the writing life just because we don't usually do those out-there things. Ain't so. As writers vying for writing assignments, we have to put aside our shyness and do all the things the non-shy types do with ease: Communicate well. In every case---mistake-free letters and e-mails, drop-dead great resumes----our single message must be, "I'm capable, let me show you just how capable.'
Confidence is where it all starts. But how do we get that prized commodity?
The same way top contenders in sports, music, or any endeavor get it---by practicing, every single day until they know they're ready to face any opponent, and win.
Writers everywhere are our opponents. To be contenders and win our fair share of writing jobs and assignments, shouldn't we practice every single day?
Success as an at-home writer depends on developing an unfailing confidence in your skills. Yes, you can produce great writing that will keep your clients coming back again and again. Build a mountain of confidence (with an occasional time-off to enjoy a leisurely walk or a good movie)...whether the shy gene is your constant companion or not.
Heather is a gifted---take your pick: student, baker, cook, seamstress, crocheter...writer. Whatever she takes on, she does extremely well. Challenging projects, no matter what they are, don't scare her off. Earlier this summer, she repurposed patio blocks into a walking path in her back yard. For days, she dug the earth where she would lay the blocks, then she hefted each one into its place in a path that brought a new look and feel to the yard.
Heather is also my daughter, I'm proud to say, the youngest of three.
Since I got serious about the writing life, she's always been there to cheer me on, be my first reader, comment on what did or didn't work in a piece.
All along, I knew something about Heather that she may not have known: that she has the talent to be a successful writer, have her own writing business (maybe even collaborate with her Mom on a piece or two). Today, we sat down to talk about her future as a writer.
My brother started his own business as a food manufacturer's rep, and hoped to pass on the business to his son, my nephew Mike. And so it was.
When I started my writing business, I'd hoped she would want to follow in my footsteps. And so it is. In the role of mentor I was today. We talked about types of pieces she could write (isn't that always one of the first questions we writers and wannabe writers ask: What can I write about?) We explored her knowledge base, and the types of articles she could write. It was a surprisingly long list; surprising to her, not to me. As writers, we're also observers. What I've observed about my daughter is that she has a wealth of know-how just waiting to be shared with readers everywhere.
We also talked about commitment. I asked her to look at her fledgling writing business as a job that she commits x-number of hours to each week. I suggested that she fill those hours with these pursuits: market study, reading on writing, and the actual writing.
Julia Cameron, Jenna Glatzer, Kelly James-Enger, Bob Bly, Beth Ann Erickson all have the ability to start and keep my writing engine humming. They fill me with hope that, yes, I can do this. Their encouragement says to me that no one else has my perspective, no one else can write what I write.
Today, I hope I've succeeded in filling Heather with that same level of encouragement and desire to become the writer I know she can be.
