by Joshua Packard, Fullness of Happy

This is one of those ironic pieces of writing in which I will write about something written about writing.  Basically, I am writing a review of a book written about writing.  I am going to start reading more books, articles, etc. that are written about writing and the craft, the processes and practices, the industry of writing, and how to write better and how to share what we write better.

I received a copy of the book "Writer for Hire: 101 Secrets to Freelance Success" by Kelly James-Enger from my brother as a Christmas gift.  I personally am not earning money as a freelance writer at the moment, but I know other people who do earn livings as freelance writers, and it is a form of employment that I am interested in pursuing in the future.  Not only have I become more interested in writing, and possibly earning some income by writing, but I also bought a copy of the book for one of my freelance writing friends, and I hope it helps him in his employment as a writer.

The book is written like a series of secrets and tips, to help with all the facets and issues relating to successfully writing, planning, finding, and getting paid for various writing jobs.  The author gives instruction on how to find writing work, how to approach clients and make proposals for pieces, how to manage time, set fees and pay agreements, determine rights to reprint and republish, and all kinds of other issues and details relating to making a successful career in freelance writing.  I have no personal experience with trying to make a career out of writing, but I think if I do in the future, I will use many of these tips, secrets, suggestions, guidelines, practices and processes that James-Enger shares in this book.  I will possibly look up and purchase some of her other books as well.

Overall, I think anyone considering or already engaged in the field of freelance writing will benefit from the information in this book.  At the very least, it gave me an idea of what the writing industry is like, and what it takes to make a decent living as a freelance author.  It has also piqued my interest in reading more books about the craft and subject of writing, and has engaged my desire to write more frequently and about more subjects.

This book can be purchased here on Amazon.

At one time or another, writer's apathy has dragged me down. The usual tips and tricks won't work. Well, there's one way I always manage to resolve that apathy. It's taking a word or phrase and breaking down its meanings to better understand the true meaning of a word's implications and connotations.

This is when I'll write something like a definition essay. In this case, the word resolve has been on my mind recently. Interestingly enough, one definition of resolve does mean to break down something.

According to Oxford Dictionaries, resolve can be either a noun or a verb. In its noun form, it simply means “a firm determination to do something.” When I think of resolve in this way, it tends to lead to dents forming in the wall and slight concussions to my brain. Simply resolving to resolve in that way often leads to a loss of sanity when it comes to overcoming writer's apathy.

As a verb, resolve becomes a fair bit more juicy, with three potential definitions.


1. Settle or find a solution to a problem, dispute or contentious matter.

Trying to resolve writer's apathy diplomatically has always been a much too temporary fix for me. It usually involves rewarding myself somehow. My writing doesn't work well when it's forced into a routine. There needs to be some force behind it.

Settling rarely works for me either. In my writing, I feel I always have to be going somewhere. Sort of like a stream of consciousness, I have to let the ideas fall where they may and not force any sort of structure on them.

For those that wish me to write more regularly, I resolve to simply let the mercurial nature of my words remain. I don't wish to find myself forcing out syllable after stressed syllable just to meet a deadline.


2. Decide firmly on a course of action

Well, then, it seems I have come to resolve one way out of writer's apathy. Be apathetic to conventional wisdom when it comes to forcing the words. Sure, it works for some people, but many of us are not "some people."

Sure, I can grind out a few hundred words a day. But even then, my writing sometime leaves me feeling quite unfulfilled.   Perhaps it's time I resolve to resolve what I'm looking to actually get out of my writing, huh?

Conveniently, the Oxford Dictionaries' third definition fits this train (wreck) of thought perfectly...


3. Separate or cause to be separated into components

So let's resolve writer's apathy by this definition.

• I don't care about what I'm writing
• I don't care who I'm writing for
• I don't care if I write at all.

Ouch.

Sadly, that is pretty much writer's apathy when it comes to me. It typically follows this beaten path. Usually, I begin with losing interest in a topic I've been assigned or even one I resolved to write for myself. I then find myself losing focus when it comes to who I'm writing for. I end up many times simply writing for my own sake to keep myself productive. After a bit of that, I simply don't care to write at all.

Sometimes, there are various degrees of fatigue and manners of unavoidable circumstances that contribute to writer's apathy. But it typically follows the same pattern for me. Wow, I feel somewhat pathetic resolving my dilemma in that way. But I believe most of us writers have been there.

So let's circle back to our first verbal definition. How do we find solutions to these three components? What sort of esoteric abstract chemist’s madness can we resolve here?

(First, a quick aside. The Middle English origins of the word resolve in fact derives from the sense of dissolving or disintegrating something… or to solve a problem… the more common definition.  In Latin resolver means something like expressing intensive force to loosen something. So we are delving into the very root of this word it would seem.)


Find something to care about and stick to it.

Even if the topic itself is something you couldn't care less about, finding a way to resolve it in such a way that it makes you care about the prose you're producing can go a long way to beating the apathy upfront.


Know your audience, even if that audience is purely meant to be yourself.

Sure, understanding your audience is one of the major pillars of being a good writer - or something like that. But sadly you're not always going to care about what the audience of a particular assignment really wants. You're just going to write it your way and tweak it if necessary later if it's requested.

But going out of a comfort zone can be a healthy dose of medicine for the apathetic writer. You need to care about your growth as a communicator of ideas and the growth of those reading your work as well. Plant seeds of knowledge. You can't make readers care, but if you care about what you are writing, it shows in the work.


"Just write" sounds good in theory, but is it in practice?

It's a cruel irony in writing that the only way to improve is to write, even if it blows chunks. Whenever I force myself to write something, it may appear OK to readers, but it's probably just another piece of content in their eyes. Keep in mind as you write that the better your writing is, the more that you help your reader visualize your ideas, you are doing them a great service.

Reading is the best proven way to expand the human mind. Make sure that the words your readers are resolving in their minds are worth their valuable time on this earth. Otherwise eventually the apathy will set in, and could even, heavens forbid, lead to even the promise of a paycheck not being enough motivation to turn out anything resembling your best work.


So, what is my resolution to overcome writer's apathy? Just write... but resolve what I resolve to write in such a way to break it down and find a new perspective on the topic at hand. That may just be the trick for resolving such horrible writing apathy once and for all.

Afterwords

When I resolve to write these definition types of essays, I often wonder what may be lost in translation for my non-English readers. The very “rich” nature of my native language opens itself up to a wide array of definition essay style prosaic pieces. In other words, so many English words have so many different official and unofficial definitions that the angles to take can be many.

But I believe the way in which I am choosing to resolve these essays makes it easy to follow my foray into the English definitions and how I personally interpret them. Definition essays work for any language. Sometimes, you just have to dig a bit deeper.

What does the word resolve mean to you? I'm always curious to see how things translate. Perhaps this sort of definition discovery is what every writer needs once in awhile, to question the very words we use every day and put them in perspective, no matter what language we may use.

~ Amelia <3

We need you to write for us. But why should you? What makes us different from any other company out there? For your convenience, we have listed some of the benefits cited from writing for us.

More control over your earnings

We leave ad placement within your content solely up to each writer (not inclusive of any ads we may already have on any given venue). This means that you get to choose which ads are placed with your content and you manage the account surrounding those ads. We do this to ensure that Our Writers get their ad view counts from someone other than us, in an effort to keep trust.

More control over your content
Any content published on our venues remains your perpetual property. We simply ask you for display rights to place it on any of our sites. Those who go through the Blogger Application process and get approved have access to their designated categories and can post, edit, and delete their own content as they please.

Extra exposure just for being you

When we notice a writer who’s doing an awesome job at providing quality content on the topics that interest them, we give them even more exposure. That means more promotion and more recommendations simply for being you! This is a great opportunity for those promoting causes and ideal near and dear to them, such as animal rescue, LGBTQ rights, homelessness awareness, and many more. The subject is up to you. The exposure is up to us.

We network you

Our Writers are featured across our network of sites, as well as in various social venues. We feature them on our facebook and twitter pages, in emails to prospective clients, and in many other ways. We even allow links to your other content, within reason according to our Submission Guidelines. Our main goal is to spread the word about quality writers and help them find work they deserve.

We teach you

We don't just post your content and profile and ignore you. We offer our blog as a learning tool. But we also will answer questions from writers directly -- things that help you succeed in what you do. This not only ensures Our Writers always produce the best content for us. More importantly, it helps them become better writers overall. Again, our main goal is to tell the world about you and help you get contracts and gigs you deserve.

We want you to have other clients

Say what? Yes, that is correct. Our goal is not to be your only venue of choice. In order to truly know the ins and outs of the writing game, we believe that all web writers should submit to multiple clients and venues. This provides you with a range of experiences that adds to your overall quality as a web writer. In fact, we prefer that you do not use us as a sole source for your writing needs for this purpose. Diversification equates to knowledge and experience.

Ultimately, it is up to each individual which venue or venues will suit their personal needs. We hope this guide has helped in your decision.

Are you unsure exactly what direction you should take with us as a writer? Not quite understanding how things operate? This simple guide should navigate you through the beginning steps. If you have questions beyond that, please use our Contact Us form or join the Facebook group, WWM Blogging & Beyond.

Step One: Read, read, read!! -- Before submitting any content or applying, be sure to read all about us and how we work. The Submission Guidelines should be your very first stop to make sure you can write in the free-form styles we are looking for and follow rules. After that, take a look at Our Sites to view content and get an idea of what type of work we accept. We promise you we are very open-minded, but we do of course need to have some grammar and style rules, like any reputable publication should.

Step Two: Decide your goals -- Which of our options best fits your needs? Do you want to write for us on occasion or just once? The Guest Submissions page is probably what you are looking for. We love to hear from a variety of people and this is a good way to get your message heard on one or more occasional issues. Are you looking for a contracted gig? Please check out Gigs With Us and Other Gigs. Perhaps you are looking for a flexible blogging platform with an established audience. Check out our Blogger Application to determine if that may be your answer. We all have unique needs and once you determine what you are looking for, that helps us both decide where to go.

Step Three: Wait and Learn -- At this point, you should know what you would like to do and you will likely be waiting to hear back from us. We generally don't take that long. But we have some experience with that waiting game writers experience. We know it's tough -- even when it's a short time. While you're waiting, brush up on the Submission Guidelines, follow our Blog, browse Our Sites, or chat it up with fellow writers on the Write W.A.V.E. Media Facebook page. We have found as writers that the best way to conquer the waiting game is to read, learn, write, edit, rinse, and repeat.

Good luck!

We look forward to working with you!

by Dennis Townsend, Contributing Writer

First of all, I’d like to thank everyone for their concerns and well wishes in regards to my latest health scare, and I assure you that while an acute myocardial infraction is nothing to sneeze at, I was fortunate that I live very close to a fire station with great paramedics. And I was also blessed to have one of our city’s premier cardiologist on duty when I arrived at the hospital. But they all tell me that it was my fast thinking in realizing that I was having a heart attack and calling 911. Always remember that all that glitters is not gold, and all chest pains are not “gas”. As my cardiologist was quick to tell me “time waits for no one”, so pay close attention to your health. Well, I feel pretty good, but lifestyle changes are in order and fortunately there was no damage to my heart muscle. With that said, I have come to the conclusion that writers put their health in jeopardy by sitting for long periods of time as medical studies have proven. And that combined with stressing out over lack of ideas, or spending a lot of time with no time outs cultivating ideas that requires a lot of research is a recipe for disaster. But as writers, research is “par for the course"most of the time when you're not sitting in your "think tank."

If you are one who makes a living as a writer, then stress is your middle name. There’s always a deadline to meet, or a certain quota to achieve, but the most stressful thing you have to contend with is wondering if  your article or post will be interesting and cut the mustard with your readers, and if it does, can you continue to hold your followers attention? "Content"… that is the backbone of any writer, and to be placed under the gun constantly is no picnic because you have a tendency to not eat or sleep or go outside for a breath of fresh air in the name of content.Your brain starts turning to mush, and your backside starts to feel like you just took a 500 mile trip in an Army Jeep nonstop. Somehow a writer must establish some boundaries and and maintain some sort of discipline. I write as a hobby, and I enjoy it, and even though I don’t depend on my writings to make a living I still must remember to push myself away from the keyboard a little more often. In this day and age, the keyboard is mightier than the sword.

And believe it or not, writing becomes a lot more enjoyable if you take some time for a “keyboard time-out” during the day. Ideas require a fresh mind and body and as I have said before, carry a small notepad with you for those “light bulb” moments. There has been a lot of debates and studies about health problems associated with people who sit all day at their jobs and it all comes down to blood circulation. While I never stress out worrying about making a deadline, lack of exercise and sporadic eating habits put my body in the same dangerous category as a stressed out deadline writer. Lesson learned.

The last few months have taught me that first and foremost, listen to your body and take time out to smell the roses. That advise is not only meant for those of us who hammer the keyboard day in, and day out, but it’s also for anyone else who finds themselves pulling their hair out by the roots. Your doctor can prescribe many things for your health, but ultimately, it’s up to you to write your own prescription to relax and enjoy life. From now on, I will.

     

By Stacey Carroll

There is nothing worse than calculating your taxes, owing a lot of money and looking at your bank accounts and credit cards and realizing you do not have the funds to pay. It's worse if you have a low wage job or work for yourself. I fall into the latter category. I work for myself and paying income taxes falls solely on me. This results in my owing taxes to the federal government every year.

Filing And Owing

I file my taxes on time every year regardless of my ability to pay. The penalties for not filing are worse than not paying, and the IRS recommends that taxpayers file a tax return whether they have the funds to pay or not.

Failure to file a return can result in the IRS filling out a substitute tax return for you. The substitute return will not include every deduction and credit. Typically, they only include the earned income and the single exemption that every taxpayer can claim. This results in owing more taxes than you actually owe. Because of this scenario, I make sure to file my taxes by the April deadline every year.

Inability To Pay

Tax bills are often several hundred or several thousand dollars. I never have that much money in any of my bank accounts. Thankfully, the IRS offers several ways to pay, including payment plans and tax bill settlements.

Payment Plans

The IRS offers affordable payment plans for as low as $25 a month. In order to set up a payment plan, I had to call the IRS and request one. During the conversation, the woman asked me how much I could pay a month. I said $25 since I already knew the lowest amount they would accept. The catch to the IRS payment plans is that the entire balance must be paid by the tax filing deadline of the next year. If I still owe money to the IRS and I owe more money after filing, my payment plan could be deemed void, which would require calling the IRS again.

IRS Tax Settlement

An IRS tax settlement is called an "Offer in Compromise" and works similar to a traditional debt settlement agreement. The individual or business must complete and submit one of two lengthy forms; either IRS Form 433-A or Form 433-B and pay a $150 application fee. Along with the application fee, taxpayers must also submit a money order or a cashier's check for 20 percent of their offer. If approved, the remaining amount must be paid in five or fewer payments to the IRS.

Individuals that qualify for low income do not have to submit any money with the application. However, when I looked over the paperwork, I realized I needed to include all of my bank statements, investment accounts and assets as well as business expenses and liabilities. This option would have required me to hire a tax professional to fill out all the forms and ensure the calculations were correct. Since my bill wasn't thousands of dollars, I decided against this route.

My Payment Plan

I worked out an agreement with the IRS to pay them $25 a month until my tax debt is paid off. My total tax bill amounted to just over $600. Unfortunately, $25 a month will not pay off my tax bill by April 15, 2013. This means that before April 15th, I need to call the IRS and pay the remainder of my tax bill. If I fail to pay off my 2012 tax debt before April 15th, I risk losing my payment plan and having to renegotiate with the IRS.

Not Communicating

If I had chosen not to communicate my financial hardship with the IRS, the IRS could have placed tax levies against my home. They could have frozen all of my bank accounts, issued wage garnishments against my income and taken my car and any other personal property they deemed valuable enough to sell to cover my tax debt.

Free government grants do exist, but the government does not refer to them as such. They simply call them grants because, after all, that is what they are. Gurus, companies, and others out to make a quick dollar will try to reel you in and get you to buy their information on free grants. Do not give in to them. This information is already free and readily available to the public by The United States Government. You should never have to pay to receive this information.

Why would someone want to pay for something that is free? Better yet, why should they have to?

The United States Government already has topic-specific websites in place full of this information, as well as 1-800 numbers to call if you choose to gain the information that way instead.

Not only have the sellers of this "top-secret information" lied to the public by claiming that you must buy their programs, books, or other products to receive this information, but they have also led innocent people to believe that most of these grants are available to an individual person. While there are specific grants that are available to individuals, most grants are reserved for small businesses and non-profit organizations.

An individual person is not likely to get a grant to pay off a mortgage. Statements like this are simply made by these companies to get you to purchase their products. They tell you that unless you purchase what they are offering, you cannot find out about these grants. Well, in a sense they are correct, but not in the way you are led to think. That statement is correct because once you purchase their product, you will find out what they say about it. However, you will likely be disappointed when you contact the government agencies they mention. The reason for the upset is simple. The government will tell you that what you are asking for does not exist.

While the government does give farming, housing, business, college, education, and house building grants, these grants are given to non-profit organizations that help people. They are not given to individuals.

While individual grants do exist, the types of grants more commonly given to individuals is different than our expectations based upon what we are seeing and hearing in these ads.

An individual grant falls more along the lines of food stamp programs, section 8 vouchers, FAFSA, job training (not college; these are small courses designed to help those who have never worked or those who haven't worked in a long time transition into the working world), nursing traineeships, Head Start program, welfare/TANF/AFDC, scholarships, free vaccinations, and other such programs.

As you can see, while free government grants do exist, we are oftentimes misled as to what exactly they are.

For more information from the United States Government, please refer to the links below:

• Grants.gov
  
• StudentAidEd.gov
  
• SBA.gov (Small Business Administration)
  
• Benefits.gov (Government Benefits)
  
• Search for Grant Opportunities on Grants.Gov
  

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

When building a business, there are many things to keep in mind in order to keep it afloat. One of the best pieces of business advice I received when starting my own business was to network. This is true for all businesses, but it's especially helpful for small businesses.

Networking with business peers provides essential knowledge

Others in your field can share important facts and advice with you. Even if you keep up with the latest business news, others will have other helpful experiences and insight. You may not always do things the way that person recommends, but sharing opinions, advice, and experiences with each other can teach you all valuable lessons.

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Are you worried about being late turning in writing assignments? Have you missed some deadlines, but still have more work ahead? All is not lost. This is the kind of experience I don't like to admit to. But hopefully my past mistakes will help someone else manage late or missed deadlines with more writing on the horizon.

Apologize and Explain but Don't Overdo it

Your client may need an apology and explanation for your tardiness. I say 'may' because some clients are more relaxed than others and would rather you just get it done without explanations. But if you don't know how your client will react or you know they are expecting the writing, they need an explanation. Don't tell them your whole sob story. A simple explanation that outlines why you were late and when they can expect the work is good enough. Some may not even want a why, but a definitive date they can count on is pertinent.

Don't Panic

When you have a pile of wok due in a short time - or worse, past due, it is very easy to panic. But doing so could reduce your productivity. Instead of panicking about the late or missed deadlines, just relax and enjoy the writing as you would normally. Forcing it might show in your work. Many clients would rather have late work that is exactly what they wanted than on-time work that looks like a 5 year old produced it. If you simply cannot produce a quality product on time, don't panic. Explain and then relax and get it done.

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

You log onto facebook and notice a few of your co-workers are posting personal things - on company time. Should this be allowed? In a technical world, the answer today may be different than it would have been several years ago. Some people may equate facebook posting to playing around, but others may consider it vital to their career. Which do I recommend? Should employees network during business hours?

Absolutely! The way that people communicate is changing drastically. This is largely due to the development of newer technology. People no longer have to be sitting next to each other to communicate. Sending a message or posting a status update or photo on facebook is pretty much the same thing as chatting with your co-workers. Most businesses have no problem with people talking while working. Some even encourage it. For many people, it's second nature to type a quick status to facebook or twitter via their phone or computer.

Networking is vital to the business world. Being able to use social networks is a requirement for most jobs. This is because many people now turn to the internet for interactions, even those that are business related. Companies often use social platforms to collect customer feedback, provide support, and share ideas with others in the industry. Managing both business and personal social interactions in between other daily tasks shows the boss you are both responsible and business savvy.

Adding a personal touch helps clients and customers identify with the company. So, maybe that photo your co-worker just posted of her baby wasn't exactly work-related. But it does bring out her personal side. Being a good business person is not about a perfect image void of any feeling. Clients and customers want to deal with businesses, particularly employees, that they can relate to. If everything is always straight business and no fun, no one sees the human side and that can hurt business. You don't necessarily need to discuss drunken escapades. But posting a silly status or two during company time can help people feel comfortable with employees, which is good for business.

Happy employees are more productive. When people don't feel pressured, they are more likely to do their jobs efficiently. People who sit at a desk all day may not have much time for social interaction that is not work-related. Social networks can provide a few minutes here and there where the employees can get some quick social time in and still do their job efficiently. It only takes a few moments to read or post an update. But the happiness or stress relief from doing so may last all day.

*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network