Burnt toast tops my list for one of the most foul smells in the entire world. I'm sure we've all burned our fair share and screwed up things more than just toast in the kitchen. The smell got me thinking, mostly about burnt toast, but also how writing can often times remind me of cooking. Some of the basic principals in cooking are applicable to writing, especially if you are into the whole "let's make a food analogy because I'm hungry" genre of writing. Well I sure as heck am! Kidding aside, there are some times that I feel much of what I have learned in cooking can apply to my work as a writer. So without further flan--er, flare, here are Five Ways Writing is Like Cooking:
Don't Be Afraid to Get Dirty
One of the first things I had to learn about cooking was that I was going to get dirty in the process. Flour would be everywhere; dishes would pile up; and my hands were likely to get everything from frosting to chicken goop/blood on them. It was a hard fact to face. Well, this happens in writing too. Sometimes you might have to work in circumstances that are not ideal, not what you want, and not what you expect. You can't always be sipping soda and writing away on your laptop in some food joint. You won't always get to have that afternoon to yourself where you just ponder what to do next with your characters. You won't always be "feeling up to" doing what needs to be done. Much like cooking, you've got to get in and do the sometimes dirty work of writing when you are not comfortable. Sometimes writing like is baking fresh cookies (right from the pre-made pack, all nice and easy like); but other times it means you have a long afternoon ahead of you just to get one thing done. You have to also be ready to pull out a notepad and write ideas, character arcs, and dialogue on the fly. If an idea sounds like it would add zest to a story, but you aren't in your comfort zone--too bad, you've got to pull out that pad and write. It may look messy, you may have a lot more editing to do than if you were working on a computer, but it is just a part of the process.
Try New Flavors
No matter how appealing a recipe might sound, no matter how easy it might seem; sometimes it is hard to make yourself try something new in the kitchen. Similarly, sometimes you might have an idea for a character, plot arc, or story direction that sounds appealing, but will likely lead you in a direction you aren't entirely sure you want to go. Now, to be true, sometimes you might throw out an idea which immediately sounds like the liver and onions equivalent in the writing world. Nice for some, but just not for you. However, you might get something that sounds like a complicated seafood recipe. You aren't sure if the "flavor" or idea will really pan out. It might be an idea that you end up liking and want to follow through, but are not sure if you have the "umph" to follow it through. Whatever the case, don't be afraid to take a risk and try something new. In order for your story to be different, to have those things that set it apart; you need to be ready to try out some things which you may not be used to.
Don't Indulge in Too Much Junk Food
Okay, so this might seem like a stretch when it comes to the analogy game, but hear me out. There are some characters and scenes that are like the best junk food on the planet. Much like a bag of your favorite chips, sometimes characters and scenes come along and you just want to let loose and keep going back for more. Does this character's scene advance the story or move the plot or grow him? Nope, and who cares! More of this please! Who wouldn't want the Snape to keep insulting Harry for pages on end? What's a few more arrows and battering rams at Helm's Deep? And what about how in Game of Thrones...well, you get the point. Scenes and characters you love to write can be fun, but if you spend too much time with them, you fatten up the story without adding anything of benefit. I grant you I would have loved it if the Riddle Game from The Hobbit would have kept going, but I also know that if it went on too long it would have been the most dull scene in the book instead of the one of the most interesting ones. Cut yourself off before you have a mess to work off in editing. Speaking of which...
Clean Up When Done
Yep, when all the work is done, and the food is made, who gets to clean up the mess left behind? That's right, you do. Same principal applies here. Edits...*sigh* Yes, one of the words we as writers most hate to hear about. Editing and cleaning up after cooking just seem to go hand in hand, don't they? You know the end product is, and will be something good. You've already put in so much effort to produce something awesome, and then you realize there is still more work to do, and it is a whole lot less fun than the process of actually making something original. "But what if I just order a pizza? Won't clean up be a snap? Ha! I've picked apart your analogy in one fell swoop!" You know what I say to that? "Stop trying to stall and act all clever! Get back to editing!"
Sometimes You Spend All Day Making a Mistake
The last part of this analogy might be the hardest for you to hear. I joked about ordering out for pizza in the last point, but I've had to do just that before. I have had cooking mistakes that I realized as I was finishing up had just went completely sideways and tasted awful. Along those lines, you can write for hours and hours, spend a whole day working on something...only to churn out something in the end you realize is not just average or passable, but is like that burnt toast I told you about in the beginning. Sometimes you have to throw out all your hard work and start from scratch or go with something basic that will suit the needs of what you are writing. Sometimes you put in a whole lot of effort crafting a dish, or a scene, and have zilch to show at the end. If only writing were as easy as getting that pizza. "I'd like an order of plot please, heavy on the character development with a side of bread sticks." (Because you should always get a side of bread sticks with anything.) Now, this isn't to say that you should be afraid to start over or that backtracking doesn't happen. Sometimes I've arrived at the end of a chapter and realized that everything prior to the last sentence just won't work at all. But I started over because I had to. Or I chopped out what wasn't working and put something simple, yet sustaining in it's place. Sometimes I suspect we wish we could just leave that hole in the story just as much as we wish we could skip a meal. But in the end something has to be done.
As you might be able to tell, I love and hate cooking. Much in the same way I love and hate writing at times. However, as much as I need food, I need to keep on writing. I know at times analogies like the one I have written here can seem silly, or over-wrought, but I hope it has helped you. I suspect that for both of us writing, much like food, is a sustaining and nourishing thing. We need it in our lives to keep us going.
Well, time for a snack.
And a bit of writing, of course.
Showing posts with label stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stories. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Keeping Up the Pace
How many words per minute can you type?
Can you do 60 words or more a minute?
I wish I could.
Not because I think this skill will be of use in landing me a kick-butt secretarial job or some other recorder type position, but because I feel like my typing can't keep up sometimes with my train of thought or my ability to dream something up. Not meant as a brag, just a fact. I could probably rattle off a story into a microphone faster than I can type it. Except I'm not really the "tell an oral story" kind of guy. Much as I love the oral tradition, as it is called, I love the written word more. Sometimes I can only ring out one idea or paragraph at a time and I plod along to get the job done. Other times I feel like if it weren't for other obligations I could just write from dawn til' dusk. Yes, those obligations even include potty breaks. When I, or another writer, get into that coveted "leave me alone, I'm writing" groove it leaves me wondering: can we as writers ever hope to keep up with our own ideas? Do we lose great ideas that will never enter our heads again? Can we compensate if our mind clicks along but the keyboard doesn't?
First, I have to say from experience it feels like a monumental task to keep up with my creative side when I can only crank out about 30-50 words a minute. Just because I am a writer, doesn't mean I can zoom along the keyboard...well, most of the time. I admit sometimes I feel like Mario and I can crash through mental barriers like I've just touched a invincibility star and writer's block is so many goombas. I love those times, as I'm sure every writer does. Should I feel bad for the times that ideas come more slowly though? Maybe they just needed a bit of time to marinate. I'd like to think that most times I can keep up with my own thoughts, but there are times when I can't. Have you had those times?
I have been flying along at the keyboard, a scene is coming together just the way that I want then BAM! I have to make a decision about one of five directions the story can take from there and sometimes they can be incorporated into a latter part of the story. So the easy solution to that problem would seem to be that I could make a quick note to myself, and come back to that idea later after I pursue another one. The problem is that it doesn't always work that way for a writer. Some times you can see for miles down the writing road, but you know that once you start on one path, you can't see those other paths quite as clearly. Sure, you can kind of trace them there in the distance and you know their final destination if you check a map or look at the notes you took. But much like real life, a map can only tell you so much, and a seeing a map of where things go is not the same as seeing the road that gets you there. At times like that I envy the cartoonists and artists that I know, both at home and on twitter. Artists like Apelad or Walmazan create several iterations of a design and can show it off and the viewer can get a clear picture of the ideas they were going for in each design. I am not sure if it is easier, but when I get stuck trying to remember where a certain pathway was going, I envy their talent for making a picture convey more than just a thousand words. So how do we compensate for those times when we have lost a thought or know that we might have had a fantastic idea that we totally lost track of?
I wish I had a fantastic answer or that one was out there either online or in a book.
I've heard everything from "write it down" to "draw a picture about it when it comes along," nothing seems to work though. Sometimes you are blessed and you can easily lock on to that old road you nearly took and add it to the story you were writing. Sometimes you totally forget why that particular arc was interesting or so full of promise. Either way, you need to keep pace with yourself and keep writing.
So here I am writing, trying to keep up a pace that will help me not only stay ahead of my thoughts, but will hopefully allow me to stride confidently down whatever story path I choose. I hope those of you who actually read this blog can stride ahead too and keep up a good pace.
Can you do 60 words or more a minute?
I wish I could.
Not because I think this skill will be of use in landing me a kick-butt secretarial job or some other recorder type position, but because I feel like my typing can't keep up sometimes with my train of thought or my ability to dream something up. Not meant as a brag, just a fact. I could probably rattle off a story into a microphone faster than I can type it. Except I'm not really the "tell an oral story" kind of guy. Much as I love the oral tradition, as it is called, I love the written word more. Sometimes I can only ring out one idea or paragraph at a time and I plod along to get the job done. Other times I feel like if it weren't for other obligations I could just write from dawn til' dusk. Yes, those obligations even include potty breaks. When I, or another writer, get into that coveted "leave me alone, I'm writing" groove it leaves me wondering: can we as writers ever hope to keep up with our own ideas? Do we lose great ideas that will never enter our heads again? Can we compensate if our mind clicks along but the keyboard doesn't?
First, I have to say from experience it feels like a monumental task to keep up with my creative side when I can only crank out about 30-50 words a minute. Just because I am a writer, doesn't mean I can zoom along the keyboard...well, most of the time. I admit sometimes I feel like Mario and I can crash through mental barriers like I've just touched a invincibility star and writer's block is so many goombas. I love those times, as I'm sure every writer does. Should I feel bad for the times that ideas come more slowly though? Maybe they just needed a bit of time to marinate. I'd like to think that most times I can keep up with my own thoughts, but there are times when I can't. Have you had those times?
I have been flying along at the keyboard, a scene is coming together just the way that I want then BAM! I have to make a decision about one of five directions the story can take from there and sometimes they can be incorporated into a latter part of the story. So the easy solution to that problem would seem to be that I could make a quick note to myself, and come back to that idea later after I pursue another one. The problem is that it doesn't always work that way for a writer. Some times you can see for miles down the writing road, but you know that once you start on one path, you can't see those other paths quite as clearly. Sure, you can kind of trace them there in the distance and you know their final destination if you check a map or look at the notes you took. But much like real life, a map can only tell you so much, and a seeing a map of where things go is not the same as seeing the road that gets you there. At times like that I envy the cartoonists and artists that I know, both at home and on twitter. Artists like Apelad or Walmazan create several iterations of a design and can show it off and the viewer can get a clear picture of the ideas they were going for in each design. I am not sure if it is easier, but when I get stuck trying to remember where a certain pathway was going, I envy their talent for making a picture convey more than just a thousand words. So how do we compensate for those times when we have lost a thought or know that we might have had a fantastic idea that we totally lost track of?
I wish I had a fantastic answer or that one was out there either online or in a book.
I've heard everything from "write it down" to "draw a picture about it when it comes along," nothing seems to work though. Sometimes you are blessed and you can easily lock on to that old road you nearly took and add it to the story you were writing. Sometimes you totally forget why that particular arc was interesting or so full of promise. Either way, you need to keep pace with yourself and keep writing.
So here I am writing, trying to keep up a pace that will help me not only stay ahead of my thoughts, but will hopefully allow me to stride confidently down whatever story path I choose. I hope those of you who actually read this blog can stride ahead too and keep up a good pace.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Turned Down from a Low Paying Job: Good or Bad?
So, I actually got a response the other day for what I think of as a "throw away" job. As you can probably guess from the title of this post, I did not get said job. Here is just a little bit about the job that I was turned down for:
-The pay was ridiculously low, but wouldn't be that time consuming
-There was a "possible" bonus if the work was completed in less than a day.
-The client required a resume', cover letter, filling out a "why are you applying for this job" was required, and a writing sample (which although standard in most applications, seemed a bit over-the-top considering the other info they wanted) in order for you to be considered for said job.
-It took me about a half hour to apply for the job.
-Turn around time for hearing back from any job is usually around 24 hours, I got a response within 20 minutes.
I am left wondering whether I should feel insulted or grateful that I didn't get the job. It wasn't like this would make or break me to do the job. A bit of extra cash in the pocket is nice, and resume padding to show that I am working is also nice. Should I keep trying to apply to jobs like this though? They eat up about an hour, sometimes two, of my time when I get them and they pay next to nothing. I mean sure, every dollar I make is a dollar more that I did not have. Every dollar earned puts food on the table, helps keep the electricity running, and all of those other little necessities in life. Occasionally I can use these throw away jobs for fun personal expenditures like an old Nintendo games, money toward summer vacation, and other such diversions. But in the end is it worth it?
Should any writer be okay with taking the super-low paying jobs? I truthfully do not know because I feel as if the case could be made for it being helpful or hurtful. On the one hand, one could argue that the Joe jobs help writers to flex the literary muscles, get typing speed up or least in shape, and build character and knowledge. I admit that through a series of lower paying jobs I feel like I have gotten to know a bit more about everything ranging from retro television to different facets of the culinary world. However these were blog articles that were not exactly helping me to do a little something I call "meet basic needs." Sure, I feel like the experience has helped me to keep my fingers limber and my mind churning, but in the end have I gained enough intangible benefits to justify continuing to take on a job that pays very little, monetarily speaking.
Yes, I am building character, but am I character building? Is the willingness to take on the small jobs costing me the opportunity to work on personal creative writing projects in a way that may not cost money now, but may cost me later in a more personal way? I guess any of us who write, draw, or engage in other artistic endeavors face this sort of time management question every day. Will I be spending time on my work or a client's? Whatever choice we make, we are committed 100% to getting the job done in the best way possible. A 500 word article on gas grills for a client, or part of the first chapter for a new book, which choice should I make? I truthfully am not quite sure at times which choice to make. I wonder how often my artist friends from Woot go through this same sort of decision process. Do I pick my stuff that "may" make money in the future, or a client's stuff that will make money now. Do I start a project that I have high hopes will become known in my field, or do I tackle a sure fire job that will keep my name in the work pool?
For now I am glad to not have the landed the low paying job. If I delay my own hopes and dreams too long they become a pocket full of never realized wishes. I know that there will be plenty of days when I will take such a job because I need the work not just for a bit of money, but to keep my mind in shape. Today I work on my stuff and my dreams though, if only for a short while.
-The pay was ridiculously low, but wouldn't be that time consuming
-There was a "possible" bonus if the work was completed in less than a day.
-The client required a resume', cover letter, filling out a "why are you applying for this job" was required, and a writing sample (which although standard in most applications, seemed a bit over-the-top considering the other info they wanted) in order for you to be considered for said job.
-It took me about a half hour to apply for the job.
-Turn around time for hearing back from any job is usually around 24 hours, I got a response within 20 minutes.
I am left wondering whether I should feel insulted or grateful that I didn't get the job. It wasn't like this would make or break me to do the job. A bit of extra cash in the pocket is nice, and resume padding to show that I am working is also nice. Should I keep trying to apply to jobs like this though? They eat up about an hour, sometimes two, of my time when I get them and they pay next to nothing. I mean sure, every dollar I make is a dollar more that I did not have. Every dollar earned puts food on the table, helps keep the electricity running, and all of those other little necessities in life. Occasionally I can use these throw away jobs for fun personal expenditures like an old Nintendo games, money toward summer vacation, and other such diversions. But in the end is it worth it?
Should any writer be okay with taking the super-low paying jobs? I truthfully do not know because I feel as if the case could be made for it being helpful or hurtful. On the one hand, one could argue that the Joe jobs help writers to flex the literary muscles, get typing speed up or least in shape, and build character and knowledge. I admit that through a series of lower paying jobs I feel like I have gotten to know a bit more about everything ranging from retro television to different facets of the culinary world. However these were blog articles that were not exactly helping me to do a little something I call "meet basic needs." Sure, I feel like the experience has helped me to keep my fingers limber and my mind churning, but in the end have I gained enough intangible benefits to justify continuing to take on a job that pays very little, monetarily speaking.
Yes, I am building character, but am I character building? Is the willingness to take on the small jobs costing me the opportunity to work on personal creative writing projects in a way that may not cost money now, but may cost me later in a more personal way? I guess any of us who write, draw, or engage in other artistic endeavors face this sort of time management question every day. Will I be spending time on my work or a client's? Whatever choice we make, we are committed 100% to getting the job done in the best way possible. A 500 word article on gas grills for a client, or part of the first chapter for a new book, which choice should I make? I truthfully am not quite sure at times which choice to make. I wonder how often my artist friends from Woot go through this same sort of decision process. Do I pick my stuff that "may" make money in the future, or a client's stuff that will make money now. Do I start a project that I have high hopes will become known in my field, or do I tackle a sure fire job that will keep my name in the work pool?
For now I am glad to not have the landed the low paying job. If I delay my own hopes and dreams too long they become a pocket full of never realized wishes. I know that there will be plenty of days when I will take such a job because I need the work not just for a bit of money, but to keep my mind in shape. Today I work on my stuff and my dreams though, if only for a short while.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
The Importance of Distraction While Being Creative
Crazy thought here, but I think it's important to have stuff going on around you while you are trying to get something creative done. Whether it's a sketch for tee shirt contest, outlining a story, painting a painting...or working on a blog.
Having distraction around you can be a good thing. Whether it is a bit of too interesting music, a list of chores that you keep thinking about that needs doing, or a child that needs attention or whatever; having these things going on in the background can be helpful. Now, I'm not advocating working in a full on hurricane, but what I am saying is that if you are doing something creative that requires a bit of concentration, having constant distractions can actually help you to grow in your creativity.
Between building up a movie podcast and blog with my brother, writing a kids book, trying to be diligent in getting content made for this blog, a gaming blog in the works, not to mention the freelance work I do here and there--things have been busy. And the midst of that busyness there has been plenty of opportunity to learn this same lesson over and over and over again. If you can't get the fun stuff done when the world seems to be blaring a trumpet in your ear, how can you be expected to do it in those craved for quiet moments? And what if those moments never come?
You could spend all day pining for those perfect moments to be creative. You might imagine yourself looking up from a drawing board, sketch pad, a notepad, or a laptop as you look out a window and think some grandiose thought about the human condition or what-have-you. You pensively stroke your chin, knowing that a profound bit of artistry is on the verge of emerging from your ever fertile brain. The only problem is that you've been waiting all day for this mythical moment and that bright, sunny light is a street lamp and the grandiose thought is actually you contemplating having a bowl of popcorn while binge watching something rather than working on the stuff you were planning on doing all day. What's the point of trying after all, the best inspirational moments have passed. They were gobbled up like so much else of your day.
The problem isn't really that you don't have the time though or that the "really good thoughts" have been used up for the day. The problem is you didn't buckle down during the distracting parts. Those awesome, chin-stroking moments were available to you all day long, you just had to not let the distractions win.
It's a constant struggle to get the ideal moment that we dream of. I'm not saying that they never happen, or that they are a rare thing. What I am saying is that if you can't get yourself to thinking creatively, to be imaginative against the relentless press of the mundane--then how do you expect to have the discipline or ability to fully appreciate when the perfect moments do come along? What will it matter to you if the sun is shining as you look out the window onto the most inspirational scene imaginable if that becomes the norm for your creative time? Yes, we need to take full advantage when they come along, but we also need to be ready for the hard push that will come before those perfect moments.
I guess for myself I've started to learn to appreciate those moments a bit more and learned to push myself to be creative even when the world seems to be coming hectic and unglued. If I hadn't started to learn to be creative during the distracting times, then the quiet moment like the one I am enjoying as I write this would seem less special to me.
Distraction is helpful.
Having distraction around you can be a good thing. Whether it is a bit of too interesting music, a list of chores that you keep thinking about that needs doing, or a child that needs attention or whatever; having these things going on in the background can be helpful. Now, I'm not advocating working in a full on hurricane, but what I am saying is that if you are doing something creative that requires a bit of concentration, having constant distractions can actually help you to grow in your creativity.
Between building up a movie podcast and blog with my brother, writing a kids book, trying to be diligent in getting content made for this blog, a gaming blog in the works, not to mention the freelance work I do here and there--things have been busy. And the midst of that busyness there has been plenty of opportunity to learn this same lesson over and over and over again. If you can't get the fun stuff done when the world seems to be blaring a trumpet in your ear, how can you be expected to do it in those craved for quiet moments? And what if those moments never come?
You could spend all day pining for those perfect moments to be creative. You might imagine yourself looking up from a drawing board, sketch pad, a notepad, or a laptop as you look out a window and think some grandiose thought about the human condition or what-have-you. You pensively stroke your chin, knowing that a profound bit of artistry is on the verge of emerging from your ever fertile brain. The only problem is that you've been waiting all day for this mythical moment and that bright, sunny light is a street lamp and the grandiose thought is actually you contemplating having a bowl of popcorn while binge watching something rather than working on the stuff you were planning on doing all day. What's the point of trying after all, the best inspirational moments have passed. They were gobbled up like so much else of your day.
The problem isn't really that you don't have the time though or that the "really good thoughts" have been used up for the day. The problem is you didn't buckle down during the distracting parts. Those awesome, chin-stroking moments were available to you all day long, you just had to not let the distractions win.
It's a constant struggle to get the ideal moment that we dream of. I'm not saying that they never happen, or that they are a rare thing. What I am saying is that if you can't get yourself to thinking creatively, to be imaginative against the relentless press of the mundane--then how do you expect to have the discipline or ability to fully appreciate when the perfect moments do come along? What will it matter to you if the sun is shining as you look out the window onto the most inspirational scene imaginable if that becomes the norm for your creative time? Yes, we need to take full advantage when they come along, but we also need to be ready for the hard push that will come before those perfect moments.
I guess for myself I've started to learn to appreciate those moments a bit more and learned to push myself to be creative even when the world seems to be coming hectic and unglued. If I hadn't started to learn to be creative during the distracting times, then the quiet moment like the one I am enjoying as I write this would seem less special to me.
Distraction is helpful.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Never Sell Your Creative Work for a Pittance
Never sell your creative genius for a pittance has been some of the best writing advice I have ever received. Yet sadly, I all too often see freelance job sites with job offers demanding that you do just that. If you visit many freelance writing sites these days you might see what looks like a wasteland of low paying job with high output demands. Sometimes I run across jobs that pay fairly and the job sounds like something I can sink my teeth into, and best part is I retain the rights to the creative writing that I do. Most times though, I see things as ludicrous as asking the writer to compose 50 thousand word original stories for $300-$500, all rights to the story forfeited upon delivery to the client. Extra points to the ones that have the audacity to ask for it in less than a month.
I cannot stress how sad, and how absurd it is to place such demands on a writer. To not only ask them to while away the hours working on a story, but to tell them they have no rights to earnings from the story once it is delivered--for me that would be like asking me to give up my kid once she was smart enough to be in grade school and never get to see her again. Before I get any farther, I want to make it clear that this is not meant as a rant against "unfair wages" or whatever the lingo would be. Just that I wish those putting up the job offers would actually have an iota of reasonableness in their offers. It is those types of offers that give businesses a bad reputation. Anywho, I digress.
I am sad when I see this kinda of thing pop up, because often with these freelance writing sites who I am up against when bidding for a job. The very fact that there are several people who are already applying for these types of jobs just makes me sad. I privately hope that most of them are brave enough to challenge the exclusive rights demands, even if they ask for only a small portion of any and all profits that are made when the book is sold that would be something. Now, I think it is important that I make a thing or two about selling your stories and writing before I go any further with this.
When I talk about low paying writing jobs, I'm not talking about the ones where you are writing a short blog about kitchen knives, or the best winter clothing, or a variety of topics on which you may not be an expert but can research for an article. I've done this myself, I don't get much money for it, but these are not exactly beloved possible masterpieces that I've sold the rights to. I have what might be best called "no emotional attachment" to those writings. I think a skill that all of us who write and write well have is the ability to produce quality "product" for clients in need. You need to sell propane and propane accessories and would like a 500 word article but can only pay eight bucks? Not a problem, that's grocery money for me and I don't mind doing it. I would feel no loss in selling that writing and not being able to claim it as my own. However, that isn't what the people who post the pittance jobs are looking for. They seem like they could care less about short articles on propane, hiking, or cooking or whatever else. What they are looking for, in my opinion, is a jackpot.
Those type of jobs seem to crop up for the sole purpose of getting a million dollar story for pennies per word and claiming it as their own. After all, if some one produces the next Harry Potter, Hunger Games, or Twilight or some other high-selling and popular series; what does it matter that $300 was spent on buying the book? After all, if you are the buyer in that case you've just captured lightening in bottle and have all the money you spent and more back in the bank. Maybe it sounds like I'm being too cynical here, but the funny thing is that this thought process doesn't come from cynicism but from hope.
The fact that there are people out there looking for a veritable cash cow within the freelance community, that there are people hoping to get rich quick (at least in my opinion) with some one else's work--to me that means that there is a chance that it could happen and that it could be me who has the opportunity to write something great. It can happen to someone else as well. I'm not saying that this can only happen to one person and that there is only one prize to be won, so to speak. I'm thinking that there is something to be found. Something to be done. Multiple possibilities of something awesome just waiting to be discovered. Maybe it will be me. Maybe it will be you.
Just please, please, if you get that big break and write something truly awesome and eye-catching that fills a reader with wonder and you think you know it in your heart that it become something--don't trade it away for a pittance. It might be hard to tell at times what are the winners and what are the ideas that just aren't going to go anywhere, but holding on to the right to claim what is yours is something we as writers need to do more of.
I know that I have more to say on this, but it will have to wait until another time. Life is happening around me, so to speak (ie I have my little girl to take care of) and I need to get to that.
I cannot stress how sad, and how absurd it is to place such demands on a writer. To not only ask them to while away the hours working on a story, but to tell them they have no rights to earnings from the story once it is delivered--for me that would be like asking me to give up my kid once she was smart enough to be in grade school and never get to see her again. Before I get any farther, I want to make it clear that this is not meant as a rant against "unfair wages" or whatever the lingo would be. Just that I wish those putting up the job offers would actually have an iota of reasonableness in their offers. It is those types of offers that give businesses a bad reputation. Anywho, I digress.
I am sad when I see this kinda of thing pop up, because often with these freelance writing sites who I am up against when bidding for a job. The very fact that there are several people who are already applying for these types of jobs just makes me sad. I privately hope that most of them are brave enough to challenge the exclusive rights demands, even if they ask for only a small portion of any and all profits that are made when the book is sold that would be something. Now, I think it is important that I make a thing or two about selling your stories and writing before I go any further with this.
When I talk about low paying writing jobs, I'm not talking about the ones where you are writing a short blog about kitchen knives, or the best winter clothing, or a variety of topics on which you may not be an expert but can research for an article. I've done this myself, I don't get much money for it, but these are not exactly beloved possible masterpieces that I've sold the rights to. I have what might be best called "no emotional attachment" to those writings. I think a skill that all of us who write and write well have is the ability to produce quality "product" for clients in need. You need to sell propane and propane accessories and would like a 500 word article but can only pay eight bucks? Not a problem, that's grocery money for me and I don't mind doing it. I would feel no loss in selling that writing and not being able to claim it as my own. However, that isn't what the people who post the pittance jobs are looking for. They seem like they could care less about short articles on propane, hiking, or cooking or whatever else. What they are looking for, in my opinion, is a jackpot.
Those type of jobs seem to crop up for the sole purpose of getting a million dollar story for pennies per word and claiming it as their own. After all, if some one produces the next Harry Potter, Hunger Games, or Twilight or some other high-selling and popular series; what does it matter that $300 was spent on buying the book? After all, if you are the buyer in that case you've just captured lightening in bottle and have all the money you spent and more back in the bank. Maybe it sounds like I'm being too cynical here, but the funny thing is that this thought process doesn't come from cynicism but from hope.
The fact that there are people out there looking for a veritable cash cow within the freelance community, that there are people hoping to get rich quick (at least in my opinion) with some one else's work--to me that means that there is a chance that it could happen and that it could be me who has the opportunity to write something great. It can happen to someone else as well. I'm not saying that this can only happen to one person and that there is only one prize to be won, so to speak. I'm thinking that there is something to be found. Something to be done. Multiple possibilities of something awesome just waiting to be discovered. Maybe it will be me. Maybe it will be you.
Just please, please, if you get that big break and write something truly awesome and eye-catching that fills a reader with wonder and you think you know it in your heart that it become something--don't trade it away for a pittance. It might be hard to tell at times what are the winners and what are the ideas that just aren't going to go anywhere, but holding on to the right to claim what is yours is something we as writers need to do more of.
I know that I have more to say on this, but it will have to wait until another time. Life is happening around me, so to speak (ie I have my little girl to take care of) and I need to get to that.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Doing Five Things at Once, None of Them is getting Sleep
So, I worked a bit more on blog entries for Bloggmutt, searched out jobs on Odesk (nothing hilarious to report sorry to say), watched the little one and read stories to her, did some basic cleaning, and made meals for the family. It was a full day, and looks like it will have to keep going strong in order to make me feel like I've gotten somewhere. Part of me would really like to call it quits for the night and just play some Nintendo, but if I do that then the articles won't get written. I've tried talking to them about it, begged the writing to be more self-sufficient and the like, but they just don't seem to want to get done on their own. Despite the busy levels I'm experiencing, I keep thinking I need to get more sleep at night in order to be productive. I am getting tired and unable to function much past midnight anymore, which for an insomniac means a whole lot of brainless Star Trek Deep Space 9 Watching and whole lot of not getting work done. Sometimes I indulge in a bit of gaming, but for the most part it feels like I am not really up to working as late as I use to while I was in college. But the thing is, it hasn't as much to do with physical tiredness as much as it has to do with needing an extended break.
Allow me to clarify what I mean by needing a break. I don't just mean that I'm using late night as my break time during the day, or night rather. I guess what I mean is that I feel like I need an extended break from how my life had been for the past several years. Just a few years ago I was working 30-40 hours at a retail job that was pretty insidious in its treatment of me, going to college full time, slowly dying of liver disease, and trying to work on my own writing from time to time. When I finally was transplanted a few years ago, I still had the soul-stealing job and abysmal hours. The few upshots were that I had a second chance at life and I had a secondary job doing creative write ups for a tee shirt company called CaptainKYSO. Great working for them, I hope they make a comeback soon. However, I only could squeeze in a little time with my wife from time to time, was still trying to find ways to squeeze in working on my own writing projects, and was generally missing out on church activities thanks to the evil job. Now though, I get to work from home doing my writing and trying to find writing jobs, and I get to spend more time with my wife then I did when we were first married, I get to be a dad to an adorable little girl...and the list goes on. So things are definitely looking up, more than they have in a long time. I still am busy, not quite as much as before, but busy in a better way.
True, I need to work harder to help make ends meet, but it is much more satisfying working jobs here and there doing what I love then getting steady work doing stuff I hate. I can fill up my day in ways that are satisfying and when I end up being up late and not getting sleep, it is on my terms and not out of necessity. I could go back to having a hectic schedule if I wanted to impose that on myself. For right now though, juggling five things on a daily basis feels like taking a break. You've heard the old saying that sleep is over-rated? Well, in my case it feels true. But not because I am seeing my life bled away by a horrible job, bad health, and lack of joyful things to take part in. This period right now, busy as it is, feels like a period of blessing and I don't want to take it for granted by sleeping it away. Yeah, I might be groggy through some portions, but it's a welcome weariness. If that makes sense.
Anywho, I promised my wife I we'd watch "The Wind Rises" tonight, so I think that this may be the last bit of writing for the evening.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Finding Focus While Writing
It's difficult to just up and try to write roughly several hundred words about a vast variety of topics. Pretty succinct and simple way of putting it, isn't it? But the truth is searching out jobs on craigslist and through various freelance writing sites carries a large weight of ever daunting difficult. So many thoughts and ideas float through my mind as I search, write, and hope for the best possible outcome when submitting job proposals and writing samples.
"Do I know this subject well enough to write several hundred words about it?"
"Is this worth my time, or should I be looking elsewhere?"
"Are they seriously only going to pay $500 for some one to write a 50k original story to which they don't maintain the rights? And am I crazy for thinking that this sounds stupid?"
"Am I selling my creative genius for a pittance?"
Okay, I know that the last one might sound a bit egotistical, but the truth of the matter is, what if I land upon a really clever, original idea for a book series for children or some smart idea for a series of books for adults, but practically give it away for a few hundred bucks? I'm not talking about accidentally selling off something near Narnia or Lord of the Rings level, but you never know, now do you? Now, again, this isn't some sort of ego thing, just...well, I would hate to accidentally sell the security of my families future just so I'd have a little extra cash that month to help pay the bills. Now don't get me wrong, paying bills is an important thing to do. Not missing student loan payments and getting those credit cards paid off is a high priority in our household. However, I'd rather have to subsist on mac and cheese and spaghetti than run the potential risk of selling what I know to be a great idea. I know, I know. Maybe I'm just over-estimating my own potential and abilities. But who wants to sell themselves too short on their hopes and dreams? However, I know that my hopes, dreams, and even teh side projects are going to keep only being nothing but vapor unless I get a bit more focus, and that's where today's post comes in.
I guess I need to be a little more "type A" in my life. Now, that fills me with a bit of dread and concern because I don't want to because I'm lazy and would rather scarf chips and watch movies in my free time. Okay, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but the truth is that I have come to realize I need to be eating into what I see now as my "free time" if I really want to make any forward movement in my hopes for the future. I need to be trying to be a bit more action oriented when it comes to getting the ball rolling on my writing projects or else I WILL end up bungling a great idea and selling it for a song--or a few bucks. A part of me doesn't want to have to give up time that I would rather be relaxing because I have known so little relaxation in the past decade it seems. Between my own major health issues (which are thankfully now resolved) to a horrible, life-sucking grocery-store job--I've come to covet my spare time. Made an "idol" as it were out of it. I don't want to disappoint my family or God by just letting my talents go to waste. Again, sounds all vain, but I feel like it is true.
Funny enough, it is helpful that I am trying to blog more often, because it gets me at the keyboard trying to "stretch" the writing muscles beyond the usual work that I have been doing. Not that I have been idle, just it has been too easy of late to kick back and movie watch rather than get anything I really want to get done, done. Speaking of which, I feel like this is about a good place to wrap up this particular journal. My little girl may wake up from her nap soon, and I want to get a bit further in the Junk Journals that I am writing, superficially on de-junking end of things. Any-who, I'll catch ya later!
"Do I know this subject well enough to write several hundred words about it?"
"Is this worth my time, or should I be looking elsewhere?"
"Are they seriously only going to pay $500 for some one to write a 50k original story to which they don't maintain the rights? And am I crazy for thinking that this sounds stupid?"
"Am I selling my creative genius for a pittance?"
Okay, I know that the last one might sound a bit egotistical, but the truth of the matter is, what if I land upon a really clever, original idea for a book series for children or some smart idea for a series of books for adults, but practically give it away for a few hundred bucks? I'm not talking about accidentally selling off something near Narnia or Lord of the Rings level, but you never know, now do you? Now, again, this isn't some sort of ego thing, just...well, I would hate to accidentally sell the security of my families future just so I'd have a little extra cash that month to help pay the bills. Now don't get me wrong, paying bills is an important thing to do. Not missing student loan payments and getting those credit cards paid off is a high priority in our household. However, I'd rather have to subsist on mac and cheese and spaghetti than run the potential risk of selling what I know to be a great idea. I know, I know. Maybe I'm just over-estimating my own potential and abilities. But who wants to sell themselves too short on their hopes and dreams? However, I know that my hopes, dreams, and even teh side projects are going to keep only being nothing but vapor unless I get a bit more focus, and that's where today's post comes in.
I guess I need to be a little more "type A" in my life. Now, that fills me with a bit of dread and concern because I don't want to because I'm lazy and would rather scarf chips and watch movies in my free time. Okay, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but the truth is that I have come to realize I need to be eating into what I see now as my "free time" if I really want to make any forward movement in my hopes for the future. I need to be trying to be a bit more action oriented when it comes to getting the ball rolling on my writing projects or else I WILL end up bungling a great idea and selling it for a song--or a few bucks. A part of me doesn't want to have to give up time that I would rather be relaxing because I have known so little relaxation in the past decade it seems. Between my own major health issues (which are thankfully now resolved) to a horrible, life-sucking grocery-store job--I've come to covet my spare time. Made an "idol" as it were out of it. I don't want to disappoint my family or God by just letting my talents go to waste. Again, sounds all vain, but I feel like it is true.
Funny enough, it is helpful that I am trying to blog more often, because it gets me at the keyboard trying to "stretch" the writing muscles beyond the usual work that I have been doing. Not that I have been idle, just it has been too easy of late to kick back and movie watch rather than get anything I really want to get done, done. Speaking of which, I feel like this is about a good place to wrap up this particular journal. My little girl may wake up from her nap soon, and I want to get a bit further in the Junk Journals that I am writing, superficially on de-junking end of things. Any-who, I'll catch ya later!
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