Book review: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

Synopsis: Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. “The days are long, but the years are short,” she realized. “The years are passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project. Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm, and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference.


Review/Thoughts: One of my biggest goals for this period of transition in my life is to get back to my authentic self…but even better, so really, I couldn’t have picked a better time to read this book. Rubin picks twelve broad areas of her life and focuses on one per month, setting resolutions that she tracks on a chart. Any resolutions she doesn’t keep in their respective months gets moved to the next month, and so on.


This book drives home the fact that really, it is the little things in life that can make a big difference. Although I enjoyed this whole book immensely, the part that really struck a chord with me was when she talked about True Rules, which she calls “an idiosyncratic collection of principles…for making decisions and setting priorities.” It turns out that I have my own list of True Rules, although I’ve never heard them called by that name before, and I’m sure if you thought about it, you could come up with your own list. So, in the spirit of reading the book and wanting to make small but significant changes in my life, here’s my list:

· Make the effort
· Keep moving forward
· It’s not usually about you (me)
· Books are my salvation
· Be here now
· Trust the process
· Details matter
· Don’t judge—you don’t know the whole story
· Speak up
· Don’t commit if you won’t follow through

For more information on the author and The Happiness Project (or to find tools to start your own), visit http://www.happiness-project.com/

What about you? What small areas of your life could you change in order to be happier? What “True Rules” set the tone for your life?

What FT Freelancing Has Taught Me

I can hardly believe that Labor Day has come and gone, so yes, friends, this means we can officially wish summer a fond farewell. Temps are in the 60’s here today, too, which drives the point home even more.

September 2 marked three months since I bid my job farewell, too, and decided to pursue freelancing for awhile, just to see if I could make a go of it. I realize that it’s an incredibly crummy time to give up the security of a regular job, but as I’ve said here before, I felt it was time to go for a long list of reasons. But still—the reality of making the leap and trying to make a go of it was a little too much for me. However, since writing was my only income over the summer, I didn’t have much choice but to work at it. Work really, really hard at it.

And I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned a lot about myself, and also about the worlds of freelance writing and self-employment. But what have I learned? Glad you asked:

· You simply won’t like every project. I’m not thrilled about covering local school board meetings, but I realize I’m paying my dues and it’s all money in my pocket. (But I’ll be covering some shows at our local concert venue, which I do enjoy, so it’s a bit of a trade off). I also wrote an article about stinkbugs for my local business journal and an article on pet stain and odor removers for a trade magazine. Are they subjects I would normally embrace? Probably not. But these pieces showed that I can write about virtually any topic. And anyway, I don’t have to find the finished piece compelling—as long as the editor and reader likes it, I’m happy.

· Follow up, follow up, follow up. Most of the work I received this summer came about through follow up emails to editors and potential clients (or to ask about invoices). I’ve always been pretty persistent when it comes to following up, but I’ve gotten even more strict about it since my bank account depends on it.

· I have more ideas than I thought... I’ve never had that much success with queries, but I’ve been trying to develop my ideas a bit more and take more time with them than perhaps I’ve done in the past. I’ve been sending out more queries in general, but I like to think they’re better crafted ideas, too.

· …but not every editor will like them as much as I do. But I realize many of them will never see the light of day, and I have to be OK with that and hopefully find a new angle on the story or a new market for it altogether.

· Writing is hard work. I can’t afford to not sit at the keyboard for a good portion of the day. I realize that a major perk to the freelancing life is the ability to set your own hours, so I do give myself a break now and then, but from 9-4 (and sometimes during the evening hours), I’m here in the chair, working on assigned pieces or trying to land new work. There are some days when I quite frankly don’t feel like writing, and they are obviously not my best writing days, so I’ll focus on other business instead—updating my query spreadsheet, emailing sources, following up with editors, or working on materials for the class I’m teaching.

· Details matter. It’s important to get sources’ names and job titles correct, as well as spellings, dates, and finer points of each story. Those little details may not mean much to the writer, but readers and editors will certainly notice. I’m particularly sensitive to getting people’s names right since so many folks spell mine incorrectly (if you can even imagine), but all of those little seemingly insignificant points matter.

What about you? What has the freelancing life brought to your life?

Do You Ever Reconnect With Sources?

Forgive me for my erratic posting schedule this week—I’ve had a lot of non-writing related issues to tend to and the days have been getting away on me!

I just sent a link of a recent article to a gentleman who was a tremendously helpful and gracious source. The article was two-fold—the longer piece was about a farmer who grows some niche crops; the source in question was the main focus of the longer piece’s sidebar. But all the same, this gentleman sent me literally hundreds of photos (and I basically forwarded them all to the editor and said, “Here you go! Pick your favorites!”) and he and the farmer gave up an entire afternoon to speak with me and show me the farming operation.

So I figured the least I could do was send the finished piece.

I do try to send my finished articles to my sources as much as possible. Surprisingly, I haven’t spoken with too many folks who want to see the rough draft ahead of time, although I do get those requests from time to time and I respond by politely dodging the question. Sources are taking time out of their day to speak with us writers, so the least we can do is send them a link so they can use the article for their own publicity kits or what have you. I like to stay on my sources’ good side—after all, I never know when I may need to speak with them again, whether it’s to clarify a point they made over the course of our conversation, or for an entirely different article. It’s a quick but meaningful way to thank them for their time.

And—while this is never my intention—I’ve actually had a source for an article become a writing client. No harm in hoping lightning will strike twice, right?

What about you? Do you reconnect with your sources? Have you ever landed a source as a client?

How's Your Fall Calendar Shaping Up?

It’s August, but here in Pennsylvania, we’ve had temperatures in the low 70’s all week. After a few heat waves that overstayed their welcomes, I’ll take the cooler temps.

Of course, the cooler temps (and the leaves that I’ve noticed have started to change color already) is making me think back to school, fall, and a much busier schedule. My “busier schedule” will look considerably different than it did even 3 months ago, when I was squeezing grad school, freelancing, and teaching gigs around my full-time job. Despite my best efforts and a fair number of interviews, the job hunt continues, as well as sending out LOI’s and queries to editors. My calendar is lightening up considerably after next week, but I’m hoping to fill it with more deadlines before too long.

Let’s see. I’ve had more luck with sending LOI’s lately than I ever have before. Last week I contacted editors at 2 respective “niche” career trade publications, and I received encouraging responses. It sounded as though one of the editors was definitely interested in what I have to offer—the other one left the response a bit more “open”, so I sent a nice follow-up with the standard “Please keep me in mind for any future assignments” line. So, here’s hoping he will. I also made contact with 2 local colleges about their alumni magazines, so I’m hoping to land some work from them, too.

I’m doing a bit more querying and idea pitching, but nothing’s come through on those yet. Earlier this summer I got an email from an editor I’d contacted last year. She apologized for never getting back to me and asked if I had any other ideas for their publication. I was going through my rough patch and not in much condition to form a coherent thought, but I did send her a few ideas. This was at the beginning of July. Since then—nothing. No responses to my “friendly” (but increasingly persistent) follow-ups, either. Thinking I should cut bait on this one, but I hate doing that.

Anyway, at the moment my freelancing schedule has a lot of feelers out there, but the assignment calendar still has a lot of openings. In between writing projects, I’m teaching again, taking my LAST grad class and tackling my grad capstone project, and teaching 2 short-term writing workshops, so I’m thinking I’ll be busier than I anticipate!

What about you? How’s your fall schedule coming together?

Ode to the Library Used Book Sale

If you’re like me, you love a good bargain. I love nothing more than finding a high-quality item at 40% off or more. I’m not such a fan of the cheaper stores because in most cases, you get what you pay for, as the old saying goes, but I love getting brand-name items at low, low prices (I figured I already sounded like a commercial, so I just went with it.)

One of my favorite places to shop for bargains is my local library. That’s right. Of course you know the library is an excellent community resource and a great place to check out the latest releases, hook up your wi-fi, or read periodicals without committing to a purchase, but most libraries also have ongoing book sales with titles at unbelievable prices.

I checked out 2 sales over the weekend, and I walked away with 6 new-to-me titles and spent less than $10. I got 5 hardcover books in excellent shape, and a paperback I’d had my eye on but was less than thrilled with the price on the bookshelf. But finding it for $1.00? I couldn’t resist! These sales are also a treasure trove of hard-to-find and unique books that can help you in your writing—one library had a nice selection of writing guides—or just look interesting. (Case in point—a few years ago I found a copy of Hope Edelman’s book Motherless Daughters, which I’d been shopping for online but debating about purchasing. But again, I couldn’t pass up the library’s $1.00 price sticker!) So check out your local library—chances are you can score some great bargains there, too. Also, with so many libraries feeling the pinch from budget cuts, most of them will happily accept any books you’re looking to part with. If they don’t put them right on their shelves, they’ll put them out for sale and make some money. These sales are a great way to help a worthy cause, check out those titles you’ve been hoping to read, and find some bargains along the way!

What about you? Have you discovered the joy that is a library used book sale? Tell us about it!

Favorite Reads of the Summer--So Far

I know, there are still a few precious weeks of summer left, but I'm starting to see school supplies displayed front and center in the stores, and for most of us, that's a telltale sign that fall is just around the corner.

So I wanted to post a list of my favorite reads from the summer up to this point. I admit, I haven't read as much as I normally do this time of year--I'm blaming that on several weeks' worth of anxiety and not being able to do much of anything. But once I got myself more on track and picked up a book, I could feel my version of "normal" quickly return. I still got horribly behind on the reading list I'd put together for myself, though.

Anyway, out of what I did manage to get through, here's a list of the titles I particularly enjoyed:
House Rules by Jodi Picoult. I admit, I'm biased--there aren't too many of Picoult's novels that I haven't liked. This book focuses on a teenager living with Asperger's syndrome who is accused of murder. I learned a lot about Asperger's syndrome--I think she could have included a bit less about this condition and focused a little more on the crime, personally. But part of what I love about her books is her attention to detail and compelling, "what happens next?" pacing. The story kept me interested, even if some of the detail did get a little long-winded (and repetitive) in places.

Ladies of the Lake by Haywood Smith. Sibling rivalry never truly goes away--even when the siblings in question hit middle age. That's the crux of this funny and heart-warming novel by Haywood Smith. Four middle-aged sisters are forced to spend the summer in their grandmother's rundown lake house in order to receive their inheritance. Along the way, they reconnect and work out some old hard feelings--grudgingly. (After all, there's no TV in the cabin--what else is there to do? :) )

Queen of Broken Hearts by Cassandra King. I loved her earlier novel The Same Sweet Girls, and this novel didn't disappoint, either. Clare Ballenger is a divorce therapist healing some pretty serious heartache of her own (though she's the first to downplay this fact, of course). Thanks to some wise, if quirky, friends and family, Clare owns up to her pain and begins to let go of the past in order to move on.

Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani. Like Picoult, Adriana Trigiani is one of my favorite authors, so I expected to love this book as much as I've loved her Big Stone Gap trilogy and Very Valentine. (I have 2 other books on my pile to get to, as well!) Lucia, Lucia includes all of my favorite elements--an independent, beautiful (yet still flawed) title character and a plot set in Greenwich Village in the 1950's. What's not to like? The title character, Lucia Sartori, is a seamstress in one of New York's high-end department stores, and Trigiani goes to great length to describe many of the clothes Lucia makes. I enjoy her books because she does a great job of transporting the reader to a completely different place. I can't wait to read her other books, including the second in her newest trilogy, Brava Valentine.

What about you? What summer reads would you recommend?

What's the Worst Writing Advice You've Ever Received?

Just a short and sweet post today.

Based on some of the buzz I'm reading on a few colleagues' blogs, it sounds like there will be a few new folks joining the ranks of the full-time freelancers within a few weeks. So this got me thinking.

Luckily, freelancers are among some of the nicest folks I've ever had the pleasure to know. I can't tell you how many useful tips I've picked up, between websites, blogs, resources, or just emailing folks directly. But for all of the great and helpful tips that are out there, writers can dish out some pretty crummy advice, too. Unfortunately, freelancing is a lot of trial and error, but that doesn't mean you can't protect yourself from the outset as much as possible.

So, fellow writers, I ask you--"What's the worst writing advice you've ever received?"

I guess my response is pretty standard--"write what you know". I hear that and I roll my eyes. I'm a pretty voracious reader and I like to think that I know a little bit about a lot of things, but I also like learning for learning's sake, so if I find something that piques my interest, you'd better believe I want to learn all I can about it, and then share some of that knowledge with others. If I only wrote what I knew, I'd have to take down my writer's shingle already, because my well of knowledge has been exhausted several times over.

This advice would be closely followed by writing in one genre, or for one type of client. In today's business world particularly, businesses of all stripes are finding that diversifying might prove to be their saving grace. And anyway, if you stick to one type of writing project, wouldn't that get boring pretty quickly? Part of the beauty of freelancing is that we have the freedom to pick and choose, and dabble in different types of projects. We won't like everything that comes across our desks, of course, but I personally like the variety and diversity of the projects I take on.

What about you? What advice should "newbie" freelancers take with a grain of salt?