What Freelancers Do You Admire?

Every freelancer needs a few mentors as we get our careers off the ground and start to find our way. Since I started seriously pursuing writing opportunities three years ago (ack! It's been that long already?!?), I've been very fortunate to meet (either in person or virtually) a number of freelancers who have been incredibly gracious with their time, talent, and wisdom. It's been great (and very reassuring) to have a few "go-to" freelancers I feel comfortable approaching with questions about various issues. There are also a few freelancers I don't know personally, but feel I've gotten to know as I've read their blogs and learned more about their career paths and focus areas.

So here's my list (in no particular order) of a few freelancers whose devotion to the field, longevity, creativity, and graciousness never fail to inspire me:

Jodi Webb. I basically owe my start in freelancing to Jodi, whom I met at my writer's group eons ago (OK, in 2007, but it seems like a lot longer). I'm always amazed at how she can get countless story ideas out of one concept. I don't know how she does it--a fact I often share with her. The fact that she's also finished a novel sort of humbles me, too!

Michelle Goodman. I've read both of Michelle's books on freelancing (My So-Called Freelance Life) and alt careers (The Anti-9-5 Guide) and I think she's great. I love her conversational, candid writing style. I also love how she's made a career out of writing about non-traditional careers.

Lori Widmer. I just started reading Lori's blog a few months ago. I admire her outspokenness and advocacy for writers asking (and receiving) wages comparable with the quality of their work; so much so that she is the brain behind the annual Writers Worth Day. I look forward to reading her blog, Words on the Page, daily.

Caroline G. Keyser. Caroline is a new Internet friend and it's been great swapping markets, ideas, and basically building our careers one query/LOI at a time (OK, sometimes multiples of each, but you get the idea).

Linda Formichelli. I was familiar with Linda thanks to Writer's Digest, but the sheer number of other major (and minor) markets she's written for is mind-boggling. Her Renegade Writer blog is another one I read regularly.

Thursday Bram. Thursday is a great resource for all things business-related. I've emailed her quite a few times with questions on various issues and she's been a terrific help (and I've managed to avoid some bad decisions thanks to her advice).

Susan Johnston. I've been a devoted reader of Susan's Urban Muse blog for the past year or so, and I have to say, I would be the happiest of campers if my own writing career could emulate hers. Also, she's been another invaluable source of advice and is another writer who has helped me avoid some rough situations (I should also add that I sold an article to a very big market that was included in her e-book!)

What freelancers do you admire?

Top 5 Beach Reads

I'm still getting back into the routine after being on vacation last week (and set a personal record for loads of laundry done in a single day), but happy to report that I'm keeping up with my reading list really well! I'm about to start a new book this week--The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews--and thought it might be fun to devote this post to beach reads.

Below is my list of top 5 best beach reads. These aren't new or upcoming releases, per se, but ones I've checked out in the past and would recommend to others:

A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand. I love books set on the beach; Hilderbrand's are all set on the island of Nantucket.

The Bachelor Preferred Pastry by Shirley Jump. Fourth in Jump's "Romances with Recipes" series, I think this is the best of them. How can you not love books that focus on food?

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. Good if you don't mind having other people see you weep openly. Yes, it's that kind of book--be forewarned.

Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews. I've been pleasantly surprised by Andrews' books. They are all well constructed with solid characters, plausible plots, and a few steamy romantic scenes. What more could you ask for?

The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner. This collection of short stories came out a few years ago. I'm not generally the biggest fan of short story collections, but thoroughly enjoyed this one. I'm also excited to read her latest, Best Friends Forever, this summer.

Any other good beach reads that you would recommend?

Flickr photo by *sarahdippity

Guest Post: Why Everyone Needs Poetry

by Linda Neas

It was William Wordsworth, who promoted poetry as the “language of the common man.” While life has changed significantly since the days of Mr. Wordsworth, poetry has remained the language of the people. Why is this?

First, anyone from child to elder can write a poem. Second, there are no requirements for formal education. Indeed, one does not even need to write; anyone who speaks can create a poem. In addition, poetry can be as simple as a Basho haiku:

“Now I see her face,
the old woman, abandoned,
the moon her only companion”

or as complex in meaning as the lengthy poem “The Zodiac” by James Dickey

"You and the paper should have known it, you and the ink: you write
Everybody writes:
With blackness. Night. Why has it taken you all this time?
All this travel, all those lives?”

Poetry allows us to speak from our hearts, to voice our greatest fears and frustrations, to wax eloquently, or to share insight inspired from on high. Poetry gives voice to the artist, the persecuted, the lover, the child and the hero. We put it to music and call it song. We find it in greeting cards, subway panels, church walls and tombstones. We recite it to our children to teach morals as well as to entertain. Poetry surrounds us.

Everyone needs poetry because it allows us to see beauty in the common – a dandelion, an empty bowl, a rock wall – to feel deep emotions – fear, love, joy, peace – to track the moments of our lives – birth, school, marriage, death.

Poetry is inclusive, being found in every language spoken by humanity.

Poetry is timeless. Think of epic poems, like The Epic of Gilgamesh or The Odyssey. These stories speak to us of trials and tribulations that still have relevance today.

Poetry is the oxygen of our souls. Without it, life would simply be an existence, instead of a journey filled with wonder.

About Linda: Linda M. Rhinehart Neas self-published her first written work at the tender age of seven on the cardboard she gathered from her Dad’s shirts when they came back from the laundry. Since then, she has written extensively in various venues, publishing and performing her work throughout New England, including her own column in two newspapers in Southern Maine and as an online writer and contributing editor at BrightHub.com.

In February 2008, she self-published her first complete book of poems, Winter of the Soul. She recently published Gogo’s Dream: Discovering Swaziland a collection of poems dedicated to those who work to aid the peoples of Swaziland. Currently, she is working on several children’s books.
Ms. Neas lives in an enchanted cottage in western Massachusetts with her Beloved.

Ones You May Have Missed...

I'm still MIA for a few days, so I thought I'd leave you with a few older posts that I think are some of the more thought-provoking ones that have been on here. Perhaps you missed some of them:

Any Freelancing Regrets?

What's Your Query Output?

On Staying Motivated

What Was Your Most Nightmarish Assignment?

Sooner or later, every freelancer has a horror story if they stick with the writing long enough. Whether it was an indecisive editor, persnickety source, client who couldn't quite make up their mind, or simply a beast of a project or assignment, most writers have had their share of nightmare experiences. But rest assured--those sticky situations pop up in any kind of job. I deal with headaches at my day job every day, so I think I've gotten pretty good at handling difficult situations.

Writing-wise, my most nightmarish assignment to date started out very innocently. I put together my query (I sent 2 ideas to the editor, actually) and sent it off, crossing my fingers as I always do. A few days later I received a response from the editor--she liked my idea but would I mind changing the focus a bit? "A bit" can mean a lot of things, so being the newbie I was (this was probably only my second assignment or so), I was completely agreeable. Well "a bit" turned out to be "a complete shift". The editor went from my rather specific topic to something much more broad and, to my unskilled way of thinking, confusing. I emailed questions almost weekly as I plodded through interviews; she would get back to me right away but somehow still not answer my questions.

Long story short? The final article turned out to be COMPLETELY different than what I'd originally pitched; my second story idea never saw the light of day. I usually get a little bit of a rush seeing my stories appear in print; this time I was disappointed in the final version, since it was nothing like what I'd planned to write. I was also very frustrated with the editor who had all but overlooked my concerns and questions. I haven't written for them since.

What nightmare projects do you care to share?

Favorite Ways to De-stress

I'm frantically trying to wrap up some loose ends (both writing-related and not) before heading to the beach for some MUCH needed downtime. I haven't been on a big trip since the fall (I know, boo hoo for me, right? I know some people who haven't been anywhere in years--my b.f. being one of them), but I'm itching to get out of my regular routine and do some big time chilling for a few days.

Which brings me to my main question--what are some of your favorite ways to de-stress?

Since I'm not a full-time freelancer, my first response is almost always "Do some writing". And it's true that writing helps me to calm down, focus, and shift my thoughts away from other things that might be bothering me at the moment. But as any writer will tell you, it's not an easy process; being stuck and having a few deadlines looming isn't exactly a vacation.

So I'll go with what is usually my next response--"Chill out with a book". This is probably closer to the truth as far as my favorite way to de-stress. One of the main things I'm looking forward to doing over the summer is making a major dent in my reading list--it's getting a little out of control, but it would probably be even easier to manage if I would stop buying them! Sigh. But yes--I would say that laying on the couch (or beach!) with a good book and no plans for the day is probably my absolute favorite way to de-stress and unwind.

Oh, and massages are good, too!

What are some of your favorite ways to de-stress and unwind?

What Are You Worth?

I'm taking a cue from freelancer extraordinaire Lori Widmer, who regularly blogs about the importance of freelancers recognizing, reinforcing, and requiring their own worth and value at Words on the Page. Lori, you've inspired me. Read on...

As I've said in past posts, I think I've been in the freelancing game long enough to recognize a red flag for what it is. In this case, it's companies who don't feel freelancers are worth paying for the work they do; they either flat out don't pay, or they don't pay nearly enough for the work that the writer completes.

What the--?

I've been in this situation myself a few times, unfortunately; twice recently, in fact. For two projects I was told I wouldn't be paid at the outset; for another project, I was getting paid, but wasn't comfortable with the rate. And in another instance, I'd emailed an editor asking if they work with freelancers. I got a reply saying that they did, and she spelled out exactly what would be required. Pay was not mentioned, which to me always spells trouble. Sure enough, I had to ask the question, and wouldn't you know, I didn't like the answer. Though it could have been a good opportunity, my time is too valuable to spend it on something that I'm not even being compensated for. Volunteering for an organization I feel passionately about is one thing; not being paid for a service is quite another.

Worse yet, I know writers who gladly take on these unpaid projects. Of course it's important to build up some experience, and we all know that quite often the "experience" comes from unpaid (or low-paid) projects, but at some point I think we really have to ask ourselves if the work and no compensation is truly worth it. I know of a few writers in my writers' group who are doing some work for a publication that I'd contacted a few months back and doesn't pay their writers. When I heard these ladies were doing work for them, I cringed inside. Perhaps these ladies have the time to devote to researching, interviewing, and writing the final article--I, however, do not, so if there's no value in it for me, sorry, I'm not interested. Maybe I sound greedy, but I have to be honest.

Obviously we all have our own goals and aspirations for our writing careers, but for the life of me, I can't understand those who just want to "write for myself". I love writing and it's always been (and always will be) a huge part of my life, but honestly? If I can get paid for it, so much the better. Some things are for myself, sure, but I'll happily put something out there that I might be able to get paid for.

What about you? Where do you stand on low- or no-paying gigs, and the writers who accept these types of assignments?