Life of A Writer

Christmas is my favorite holiday. Every year I joyfully decorated the inside and outside of my home to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but for the past two years, I've not done that, and my tree usually went up a week or a few days before Christmas.

When our household size began increasing and the recession hit at the same time, all our money went on bills and food, and for the first time since my husband and I have been married, a few of our bills have been late, as I've been trying to re-work our budget and get caught up. Long story short, all of this trouble has left me feeling down in dumps and uninspired to continue my joyful tradition. Lord knows it shouldn't be that way, because the true meaning of Christmas is about giving and sharing; however, we've not been able to give much to our children and the few we buy for each year, and I can't give as much to the needy like I use to. All of this is why I can't seem to get in the mood that I use to. That is until Thanksgiving Eve.

As I headed to bed the night before Thanksgiving, I began to talk to the Lord. I told him what I was thankful for. I began by letting him know that although we (my husband and I) are having a hard time right now, I am still thankful for His many blessings, my children, my husband, more time on this Earth and another year with my parents (mom's a breast cancer survivor and dad's currently battling Lymphoma and Leukemia).

"I know I've been stressing about the bills and wondering how I'll come up with the money to buy the kids and everyone else Christmas, as well as how I'm going to get the $104.00 to get the certified birth certificates that we have to have within the next seven days, but despite these problems, I'm truly thankful for the roof over our heads, the food that we do have, the new clients you've given me and for the many other blessings you've given us this year, because, Heavenly Father, I realize that there are others out there a whole lot worse off than we are," I told the Lord.

Somehow, that prayer comforted me, and I was able to lie down and actually drift right off to sleep with no further worries. Then when I woke at 8:00am on Thanksgiving morning to put the turkey in the oven, I felt at peace with everything. Even as the day went on and we gathered with family at moms, I was still at peace and our financial struggles weren't even on my mind.

Later that night, I visited Debbie Macomber's website, and I read an excerpt from One Simple Act: Discovering the Power of Generosity, one of her upcoming books. Actually, I ended up reading her entire Web page, because the things she said there fit my prayers the night before, and her words also fit my current situation. Needless to say, it all inspired me. In fact, I'm going to follow her advice and start my gratitude journal, which she recommends writing in every day. My gratitude journal won't be private, though, because I'll be sharing it with you, and I'll do my best to write and share the five things I'm grateful for each day.

As for my joyful Christmas tradition, God has blessed me with a son who loves Christmas and decorating just as much as I do, and this year, he's asked me to help him decorate the inside and outside of our house. That said, I WILL help my son as he asked, and I know, despite all our troubles, it will be just as joyful as it use to be.

Not only did Debbie's words about gratitude inspire me, but the short stories she included on the page also lifted my spirits. Each short story was about someone who performed an act of kindness, and his or her acts reminded me of my own last year…

… At this same time last year, my husband was working a lot of overtime and I took on extra clients just to pay our bills and hopefully save enough for Christmas… just like we're doing again. Anyway, I still wanted to be able to help during the holiday season, and every year I've always tried to put at least $5.00 in the red kettles for the Salvation Army. Last year I worked hard to not only pay the bills and gain Christmas money, but to keep a personal goal to come up with at least $20.00 for the red kettle this time.

Approximately two weeks before Christmas 2008, I headed to the grocery store to buy groceries. As I started to get out of my van, I saw the bell ringer, and my throat began to hurt as I struggled to hold back the tears.

"What's wrong?" Mom asked me.

"I wanted to be able to put $20.00 in the kettle this year, but I can't, because I don't even have all the money we need for Christmas, and these groceries are going to take what's left."

"It's okay. God will understand," she told me.

"No it's not," I said softly as I rummaged through my purse for spare money (sometimes I stash a few dollars in my purse and forget about it).

"It's all I have but it'll work," I told mom when I pulled out a dollar bill and a little bit of extra change."

She just smiled as I walked up to the door and dropped the dollar and spare change into the kettle.

"Merry Christmas!" the bell ringer called out.

"Merry Christmas and God bless you," I replied.

Although the dollar and change may not have been much, it proved that God does bless those who try, because two days before Christmas day I was able to get the rest of the Christmas money my husband and I needed.

I realize this blog post was rather long, but I wrote with the hopes that my story will inspire others in my situation to do what I did on Thanksgiving Eve and what the verse Debbie Macomber quoted on her Web page suggested that we do. The verse she quoted says this: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6)

Stay tuned for my gratitude journal, and feel free to share your own acts of kindness and blessings in the comments section.

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Continue reading to discover what happens when a writer loses access to the Internet (through no fault of her own), and you'll also learn why I've been absent.

It all began toward the end of last month. That evening I sat down in front of my laptop to begin work, but when I opened my Firefox browser, I discovered a "Page cannot be found" message. I called tech support to see if my ISP (Internet Service Provider) was having trouble with the DSL in my local area. The gentleman reported no problems in my area. He went on to say the problem was that my Internet had been temporarily disconnected. Huh? I knew I'd recently paid the bill, so why did they disconnect me? I couldn't call the local office to find out the answer to that question until the next morning (it was after business hours).

I called the local office the following afternoon for answers. When the lady answered, I explained the situation and let her know what tech support had told me. She said the reason my DSL had been disconnected was because I didn't have a landline with their company. I told them when they installed my DSL and turned it on over two years ago they knew I didn't have a landline. The lady then informed me that the FCC guidelines now state that they can't run naked DSL without the customer having a landline as well. I proceeded to let her know that my job requires me to have Internet access and without it I'm losing a lot of money. When she refused to reconnect me, I said, "That's just not right," and then I hung up.

Soon after I ended my call as a VERY unsatisfied customer, I spent the rest of the afternoon phoning other ISP providers with the hopes of finding access within 24 hours, because I had a deadline approaching that I needed to meet. I found two providers who could help me: Verizon and Alltel. Since my husband and I have cell phone service through Verizon, I called them first Unfortunately, Verizon only offered limited Internet access, and since I spend several hours a day on the Internet, I needed unlimited access. My next call was to Alltel. Alltel was able to help, but it cost me over $400 and once I gained access to the Internet that night with their wireless Internet, I was unable to stay connected, and when it did stay online for a few minutes, it was VERY slow. I ended up having to cancel Alltel and couldn't find another ISP in my area. I even called DirectTV and Dish Network, but they couldn't get service to my area either (I live in a rural area, which is 14 miles South of the nearest town). Honestly, if anyone would have been able to successfully connect me that day, they would have gained a possible customer for life and a glowing review that I would have given them permission to use in all their promotional materials and on their website.

On the fourth day, I gave in and called my previous ISP back. I wasn't a happy customer and didn't want to take them back, but at the time I needed to pay my bills, so I had no other choice. I gritted my teeth as I called back and told the lady who answered that if they'd just turn my DSL back on so I could meet my deadline that was approaching and get back to work I'd take their landline, and they could install it whenever they get to it. To make an already long story short, I was told I had to drive over 14 miles to the phone office to fill out the application and pay the activation fee, and then after they installed my phone, they would turn my DSL back on. Yes, she said "AFTER" they install the landline my DSL would be turned back on!

Despite everything, I did as instructed and approximately one week later my landline was installed and they reconnected my DSL. From what I understood, they turned my DSL back on sooner then they usually do after installing a phone, so I did thank them for giving me Internet access back on the same day as they installed my landline.

I guess you're wondering if I was able to meet my deadline and what I did without Internet. Well, I drove to my mom's and borrowed her computer and Internet so I could meet the deadline I was worried about. After I met the deadline, I checked my e-mail and discovered that I had a couple of e-mails from companies who wanted to hire me to write for them. I wasted no time in responding to them, but they hired another writer because I responded late. I understood why they had to hire someone else, but I could have had two new clients if my ISP knew the definition of true customer service.

Finally, I was able to catch up on some personal projects, and one of those projects was an affordable writing course that I've had plans to launch for a while now. That said, if you'd like to learn how to write for profit, check out my first writing course entitled Freelance Writing for Beginners.

There is one big lesson I learned from this whole mess: we writers don't realize just how much we really do need the Internet until it's gone. I hope you never have to go through what I just did.

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I'm sending this blog post to reach all my readers/fans, as well as all of you out there who are Christians and attend church.

I'm not sure where to begin right now or what to say, so I'll just start at the beginning...

...On Thursday night my father's place of employment called to tell me they had to take my dad home from work because he was confused and hallucinating (seeing things that weren't there). You have to know my dad to know that he's one of those older men that's very stubborn when it comes to doctors. Everyone suspected something was wrong with dad, but he kept telling us he was ok. Well, after his place of employment phoned me, I made a trip to my father's house Thursday afternoon to check on him (he lives alone and likes to be independent).

When my husband and I arrived at my father's Thursday evening, Dad was a bit confused, seeing double and hallucinating -- he also complained of a severe headache and said he would go to the doctor Friday morning, because work told him he needed a doctor's release to return (it was the only way they knew to get him to see a doctor). To make a long story short, my husband and I finally convinced dad to come home with us so I could take care of him (he didn't need to be alone).

After Kevin and I got dad to our house Thursday evening, dad's condition and state of mind got worse. We managed to get him to visit the ER late that night. The ER staff took him back pretty quickly and ran tests. The results came back and they said he had Lymphoma, which is cancer in the blood. His White Blood Cell count was 0, so they admitted him to the hospital and put him in reverse isolation. (We have to wear masks because his immune system is very low.)

I had been up all night with dad and finally left the hospital when he was settled in his room early Friday morning. My brother arrived at the hospital not long after my husband and I left. I tried to go home to rest, but the phone continued to ring. They discovered that the cancer had spread throughout my father's body, so they arranged to transfer him to Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, Illinois. I ended up getting up to make phone calls and then headed into town to take care of things there.

Once a bed opened up in the ICU in Marion sometime late Friday afternoon, dad was transfered by ambulance to the hospital in Marion, Illinois (about and 45 minute drive from my home). With all of this going on and the newest developments that had taken place, I was unable to contact my clients, respond to e-mails or send a message to my readers and fans as I had planned to do until now.

Anyway, with dad's condition the way it is at the present time, I won't be online writing or working as much as I had been until things get better. We have been told that dad's cancer is treatable, but we are waiting for them to run more tests for answers and etc., before they'll begin treatment. They need to know if the cancer has spread to his brain as they suspect -- in addition to other things to help him.

That said, please forgive me as I may not be online as often answering e-mails, fan mails and blogging. I will continue to do what I can to take care of my clients' needs and will log in when I can to check e-mails and fan mail, but I may not reply until things calm down and we know more answers. Right now the only e-mails I will make a priority will be from my paying clients', because God knows I'm going to need to keep working as I'll have to move dad in with me to care for him once he's released from the hospital.

On a final note, if you attend church and have a prayer list, please place my father on your prayer lists and pray for him. His name is Phillip Bailey (known as Cuz to many). And again, bear with me if you send e-mail or fan mail and do not receive a response right away, or if you're subscribed to any of my blogs, newsletters or e-zines (they may not go out as scheduled).

Thank you in advance for listening, understanding and for your prayers,

Misti Sandefur, Christian Author / Freelance Journalist

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It was only two days ago when I had a clean kitchen; the dishes were done and put away and the laundry was folded. Today…. well… it's a different story. Now I have a hamper full of laundry to fold again (at least I managed to wash the clothes), a sink full of dishes to put in the dishwasher and the ferrets would probably like a clean home, too.

This my friends is what happens when writing takes over. I've been blessed with some new clients, and because I do everything in my power to please my clients, I've been so busy writing and meeting those deadlines that I've completely abandoned my housework. Hmm… maybe I need to re-read and apply my own advice: Multi-Tasking Wife, Mother and Writer. Honestly, though, I do follow my own advice and multi-task. This week, however, the creative juices were really flowing well, and as most of you writers know, you just can't stop when that happens.

I could have asked my stepson to load the dishwasher for me and fold the clothes in the hamper, but I just feel guilty when I do that. I don't want to appear to him as an evil stepmother, so I'd rather just do it myself when I find the time. If I do ask him to do something, I say please and thank you, but lately, I think I've made him mad by asking him to help me. Therefore, I chose to let it go. Oh well, that's my life as a writer and mother… or in this case, a stepmother.

Since I've met my deadlines and my to-do list is shorter now, I believe tomorrow will be my official cleaning day. I don't let my house get too bad because I can't stand it, so I just added "clean house" to tomorrow's to-do list. Wish me luck, or better yet, send me the magical powers to clean it in a jiffy…LOL…

Has your housework been neglected this week due to your writing schedule? If so, please share so that I'll know I'm not alone.

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Phew! I'm already pooped, and I haven't even started working yet. I've spent an hour doing laundry and trying to get my house ready for Thanksgiving… and believe it or not, I still have three loads of laundry left to do, then I have to fold all that laundry and put it away. I must say, though, I'm thankful for my dishwasher or I would still be slaving over a sink full of dishes from supper. All of this is what I've managed to accomplish in an hours time, and I still have a long to-do list. The good news is I have until Saturday to get everything ready for Thanksgiving, because my big Thanksgiving dinner will be taking place then. However, between writing and trying to clean house, it seems as if there's just not enough time to get it all done… but I have hope.

Throughout the rest of tonight, I'll be multi-tasking. Since the dishwasher has been loaded and is now running and the washer and dryer both have a load of clothes, I'm going to finish this post and get started writing the articles that are planned for tonight. Between my writing sessions, I'll try to get at least half the laundry finished tonight, and then tomorrow afternoon I'll start cleaning. By 3:00 pm (CST) tomorrow evening, I'll prepare supper for the men, and then I guess I'll start all over with my multi-tasking later tomorrow night. By golly, I might get everything done by Saturday.

So, what are you're plans for the next few days? Are you getting ready for Thanksgiving?

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We were hunting for a house back at the beginning of the year, but after looking at several modular homes, comparing prices and etc., we decided the best route would be to remodel our current home. Was I happy about this decision? No, but in all honesty, it is the cheapest way to go. If we bought a modular home, we would start all over on payments (our current home is almost paid for). Moreover, the payments would have been a couple hundred dollars more than what we are paying now, and our property taxes would skyrocket. Hubby assures me that I will be happy once the remodeling is complete, and I have no reason to doubt him. However, like most husbands, you have to get them off their lazy bums to start before you even begin to see a change; sorry, men, but it's true… at least with my hubby anyway.

Anyway, we got together and drew out a floor plan for our home. On the floor plan we created, we decided to add two additional rooms: another bathroom and an office (for me, of course). Currently, my office space is the living room, and the bad thing is my desk sits right beside the TV's speaker; I cannot move my desk because this is the only space for it right now. Although, my laptop is portable, but I hate moving it, because everything I need is in my desk. Nevertheless, if Hubby does not start on the remodeling soon, I am going to have to take advantage of the portability of my laptop.

I cannot stand noise when I am trying to write, and Hubby keeps the TV turned up so loud that you cannot hear yourself think. I have earplugs, but they are uncomfortable to wear, not to mention the fact that the TV's so loud at times that the earplugs do not help. I know some writers can probably work under these circumstances, but I am just not one of them.

Thankfully, Hubby retires around 9:00pm, but since my stepson -- whom I do love dearly -- moved in with us, I cannot commence writing at 9:00pm anymore, because he watches the TV until he is ready for bed, which is usually after midnight.

Three weeks ago, I attempted to take my laptop outdoors. My Pomeranian had fleas so bad that while hubby was at work my stepson and I had to bomb the house to get rid of her fleas. Therefore, we had to sit outside for a couple hours after sitting off the bombs. I thought this would be the perfect time to write since the outdoor environment really gets my creative juices flowing.

"I'm looking forward to this. I love writing outside where it's so peaceful and quiet," I hinted to my stepson, who was carrying his dad's laptop.
"While you're doing that, I'm going to play Runescape," he replied.

Unfortunately, this attempt failed as well. First, I struggled with finding an area away from the sun so I could see my screen. Then when I found the perfect spot, I guess my stepson changed his mind about Runescape. Turns out he wanted to listen to his hyped-up car stereo. So what did he do? Indeed, he turned on the large speakers and cranked up the music. I sat there and shook my head as I listened to the bass… Boom, boom, boom. I wanted to scream but remained patient until he turned it off, which happened to be two hours later. Oh well, maybe I will give the outdoor environment another go soon.

I have always been a night owl, because… well, I am not a morning person, but now I may have to become a morning person until Hubby adds-on the home office. Oh how I long for the peace and quiet that my future home office will bring me.

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After all these years of helping pay the bills and buying groceries, my husband shocked me the other day. I couldn't believe it, and I wasn't a happy camper either! However, you can bet I stood my ground, and boy did I ever have my say.

As you already know from a previous post, I've been having a hard time lately. I guess it could be because the holidays are upon us and this seems to be a slow time for freelance writers, but I've been doing the best I can to make up for the slow period. I've applied for so many writing jobs that I've lost count. In addition, I'm working on two projects that have been on the back burner for a while now. One project is the writing workshop that I plan to launch in December or sooner, and the other is an e-book that I hope to release soon after the writing class has launched. I'm praying that these two projects will help me contribute a little more to the bills until things start to pick up again.

Anyway, let's get back to the story, shall we? I guess Hubby had a bad day and decided to let his frustration out on me, and during this process of him fuming about our current financial situation, he shouted, "And what you do is a hobby!" Needlesstosay, I was speechless… you could have heard a pin drop in the house at that moment. After a moment of silence, I looked at him and said, "No, writing is not a hobby… it's my job!"

"No, it's a hobby," he argued.

Adding fuel to the fire and ignoring the fact that my 20-year-old, unemployed stepson was sitting there playing a game on the computer, I came back with, "I pay taxes just like you do, and despite what you think, I do work. In fact, you weren't complaining a few months ago when I was making $700 a month."

"No, I wasn't, because we could manage then, but now we can't."

To make a long story short, I explained to him how things were slow right now, and I let him know it may take a little time, but I'm doing everything I know to do. Of course, he didn't understand because he's not a writer and wouldn't.

The argument ended well and he's expecting me to step-it-up. Therefore, I've been working my tail-end off on the two above mentioned projects as well as writing more than usual for Associated Content.

I hate to fight -- and we've never fought like this before -- but I had to stand my ground on that one. I don't think people understand that writing is our job, and I suppose they fail to understand it because we sit behind a desk all day. But here's how I feel: when you pay taxes just like an employer does, then what you do is a job. Not only do we pay our own taxes, but we also make money. Sure, some writers make more than others do, but it takes time. Furthermore, writers wear many hats and actually perform more than one job. For instance, we're writers (of course), bookkeepers, accountants, marketers and negotiators. Wouldn't you agree?

Okay, you've made it this far so I won't bore you with my problems any longer. Besides, I have to get back to doing my job in order to keep Hubby satisfied.

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In the last blog post I made, I promised I would blog about the biggest mistake I made in my freelance writing career. Therefore, since I intend to keep my promise, that is what I will be blogging on today. So, Michele, since you did tag me for a meme, it will be my next blog entry, which I plan to enter either tomorrow or the next day. Thanks for the tag, and I'm looking forward to it very much!

The biggest freelance writing mistake I made was one I knew better than to make, but for some reason I didn't listen to the angel on my shoulder telling me, "Now, Misti you know you're not supposed to depend on this so you'd better fix the problem soon." Instead, I listened to the angel on the other shoulder -- the evil angel -- and he told me, "You're good to go. There's no reason to waste time right now, just keep on doing what you're doing." Errrr… I could kick myself in the butt for not following the advice of the good angel, but it's too late now.

I know you're dying to know what I did, even though I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I'll share it with you with the hopes that you'll learn from my mistake. You see, several months back I landed my first BIG freelance writing job. This freelance writing job put an additional $500 a month income into my pocket. Yes, for me that was big, and I was persistent in following-up with the editor for that job. However, as many freelance writers know, you can't always depend on the freelance writing jobs to last forever. Why? Well, because some companies, publications or etc. may not make it, some will pay for a while then one day stop paying, or something unexpected may pop up that causes you to lose that freelance writing job. With that said, you should ALWAYS have a few other clients as well, just in case one doesn't work out. With no other clients under your belt, if something happens that causes you to lose the only big freelance writing job you have, then you lose a big chunk of the income you've been depending on to pay bills, feed your family and etc..

As I said, I was persistent in following up on that job. When I first applied, I sent the editor my cover letter as well as clips to some of my past articles, which were relevant to the freelance writing job I replied to. Within 24 hours, the editor replied to tell me she loved my writing and my style, but unfortunately, she already had a writer for the job I applied for. However, she did tell me since she liked my writing, she would keep my information on file in case another freelance writing position came open. One week later as I was searching the job boards as usual, I ran across another freelance writing job opening by this editor. I remembered her saying she would keep my information on file, so I typed a quick e-mail to remind her of what she said, and then I let her know I was interested in the freelance writing job she had just posted. She did remember me, and to my surprise, I got the job and began work the following month! I worked hard to get this freelance writing job, because I wasn't making very much with the gigs I currently had under my belt, and of course, hubby was telling me, "You have to do something. I need help with the bills." The only income I had at the time was writing articles for Associated Content, which we all know doesn't pay a whole lot, and there were times when they didn't offer me what I believed to be a fair rate for non-exclusive rights, so I would decline their offer. Then there was the normal submission process, and as all writers know, this can produce several rejection letters. Furthermore, when you get an acceptance letter, sometimes you have to wait months for the payment to arrive. To make a long story short, I was only making around $200 a month, so I had to do something.

I was so excited about the new freelance writing job and the extra $500 that I failed to listen to the good angel telling me to keep on searching and applying for more freelance writing jobs as a back up. Moreover, the job I had taken required much more work than I had expected, so my time was limited. In fact, the work involved was worth more than $500 a month, but we needed the money, and $500 a month wasn't necessarily chump change.

I can honestly say that now I wished I hadn't listened to the evil angel, because hubby's complaining again, and now I have to start at the bottom. I think I got lucky last time getting that freelance writing job so quickly, because this time it seems like it's taking forever. I have applied to several freelance writing jobs in the past two months and still have nothing. I do get responses, but they tell me they hired someone with more experience, which is understandable. In addition, writing for Associated Content just isn't doing it for me. They have lowered their offers significantly since they launched their new pay for performance, and because of their unreasonable offers, I have been declining some. Don't get me wrong, the pay for performance is great on top of their already one-time offer, but I do believe they could go back to making at least halfway decent offers, because from what I hear, Associated Content makes a lot more money than they pay their writers. Hmmm… I think I'll research this a little more; I'm curious.

I think I've rambled long enough now, but I hope that my biggest freelance writing mistake has taught you not to depend on one freelance writing job -- no matter how much it pays. ALWAYS keep searching for other freelance writing jobs and applying to them, because you never know when the one you just got will no longer be there, and then you'll be in the same boat I am in now, if you too listened to the evil angel instead of the good one. Please, friends, don't make the same mistake I did.

PS
If you believe in prayer, please pray that the Lord will help me find the freelance writing jobs I need to feed my family of six -- three children, and including myself, three adults. I pray every night, but the more you have praying for you the better, right?

Oh, yes, before anyone asks, yes, I could go back to work and write too, but I don't think my Asthma will let me.

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On a daily basis, I scan through freelance writing jobs put up for bid on freelance writing job sites like Get a Freelancer. This is a normal routine for many freelance writers, but the thing that bothers me the most is over half of the freelance writing jobs offered through these bid sites take advantage of writers. The companies and individuals posting the freelance writing jobs think for a mere $5 or less we freelance writers will give them just what they're requesting -- high quality and unique content with absolutely no grammar errors! Personally, when I run across one of these freelance writing jobs, I just shake my head and move on. However, the other day I ran across one and couldn't help but laugh before moving on. The individual was re-posting his/her freelance writing job, and in the details, he/she stated they were re-posting the job because the previous writer they hired didn't complete the job. They not only stated that they wanted several high quality articles with no grammar errors, but they specified they were buying all rights for only pennies! I laughed because I wondered if the writer who failed to complete the job, discovered how much time and work was really involved for such low pay. Now, don't get me wrong, writers should be dedicated to their clients and complete the work they agreed to take on, but you'd think the individual re-posting that freelance writing job would have at least ask themselves, "If I had paid the writer what she was worth, would she had finished the job?" Should I offer a fair payment to the next writer when I re-post this freelance writing job offer?" Of course, we all know they don't ask themselves those questions. Instead, they try to sucker another writer and hope that he/she will deliver on their promise. Moreover, when that writer does deliver, you can bet the individual or company that "suckered" the writer is jumping up and down in excitement each time they make more money off that writer's work. Why? Well, because they got all rights to great content for a VERY small investment, they didn't have to do the hard work, and finally, they're making more money off another writer's hard work so they can turn around and sucker another writer for more articles, then pocket what's left of their profit. Unfortunately, the writer who did complete the job may be feeling down because of a very small paycheck for the amount of work she just did. Yes, even if she was paid for bulk articles, the paycheck was still small compared to what she could have earned. Let's compare, shall we? At $5 an article for 50 articles, the writer earned a grand total of $250 (less than that after Paypal deducts their fee). Now, if the writer had sold those 50 articles to several different trade magazines for $15 each (some trade magazines may pay more), she would have earned a grand total of $750. In addition, she would have also retained reprint rights, which would have allowed her to make even more money off the same article.

The really sad part about this whole situation is many freelance writers who are just starting out grab these worthless freelance writing jobs up like hot cakes. Because they're just starting out, they know they have to make money some way, and they feel taking these freelance writing jobs are the only way they're going to make money and build their portfolio. However, what most beginning freelance writers don't realize is they don't have to write for free or worthless pay to build their portfolios, they can still get the money they deserve by writing for trade magazines. Trade magazines may not pay a whole lot for articles, but they pay more than $1.50 per article, and they're great for building one's writing portfolio.

Come on, friends we're worth so much more than $5.00 or less. For the time you spend writing out an article for a paycheck that won't even buy a gallon of gas anymore, you could be spending that time typing out query letters and submitting them to trade magazines that will pay you what you're worth. As long as we continue to give in to these cheapskates, they'll continue to take advantage of our services. It's time we take a stand, wouldn't you agree?

With that said, I'd like to invite all of you aspiring freelance writers to read a few of the following articles. These articles will help you get started without having to work for pennies, because you're worth much more than that:

Tips to Jump-Start Your Writing Portfolio
Breaking in Through Stringing
Writing an Author Bio That Will Knock the Editor's Socks Off!
Finding Experts -- Expert-Finding Advice for Writers
How to Find Writing Jobs and Paying Markets
(Remember, apply only to the freelance writing jobs that pay you what you're worth.)
Writer's Guide to Paying Markets: How to Search the Internet for Paying Markets

Finally, do you need help finding trade magazines and other fair paying markets for your writing? Add the following two books to your bookshelf and you'll have access to several:



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I'm so glad it's almost Friday, and I sure hope and pray next week is much better than this one has been. For some reason I have had absolutely no energy at all this week. I guess the night swifts, which I have been doing for years, are finally catching up with me. I'm not a morning person -- never have been. All week I have been unable to do any writing. I can't focus because I'm so tired. No, it's not writer's block. In fact, I'm not sure what to call it. I've just not been able to focus because I'm tired, and then when I wake up, I'm still low on energy with no oomph to do anything. I've surfed the web reading other writers' blogs in hopes of getting some get-up-and-go; however, it ends with no luck. I'm so frustrated with myself! And just to think, last Friday I couldn't sleep because it seemed like I had all the energy in the world; I blogged about that in Brainstorming and Research.

Fellow writers, have you ever experienced this? And if so, what did you do about it? I sure would appreciate any advice you could offer. I've thought about getting out and taking a walk, but with no energy that's out of the question, because I can't seem to force my lazy butt to do it. Actually, I think I need a good swift kick in the butt to get me going again. I have never felt like this before. Therefore, I'm clueless. PLEASE HELP!

Note: No, that is not me in the pic. I guess you could say its more of a visual of how I've felt this past week.

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Okay, ladies, be honest… don't men just make you want to scream at times? Tonight my hubby not only made me want to scream, but he also made me want to prove a point. And to be honest, I'm still contemplating whether to do what I'd like to do in order to prove a point. You see, he had the nerve to accuse me of not doing anything around the house. Oh boy! Yes, I held my tongue to avoid a feud, but the whole time I was biting my tongue a thought was going through my head, and I'll reveal that thought soon, but for the moment, let me tell you what happened. Well, that is if you're up to listening. ;)

It all started when he asked me if I had washed socks yet. I kindly told him I had not gotten to them yet, but I said I would get to them tomorrow. I do avoid the laundry as much as possible, because every time I wash a load of clothes I have to set on top of the drain, which is in the middle of my living room floor (we live in a basement house). The reason I have to set by the drain is because it leaks each time I do laundry. The washer backs up through the drain, and if I don't set and wait for the rinse cycle so I can suck up the water in the shop vac, then it floods my living room. The washer goes through two rinse cycles so I have to wait for the first cycle, catch the water and then hurry, drag the shop vac full of water out the door, and dump the water so I can catch the second rinse cycle. Needlesstosay, I've had to do this for a year now and it's getting old! Therefore, when he asked me if I washed the socks yet and I replied no, I also told him to check the hamper of clean clothes to see if he had a pair in there for tomorrow. Well, this got him fired up even more and he blurted out that I was lazy and didn't do a damn thing around here! Now, I will admit I hate folding laundry and putting the clothes away, so most of the time the clean clothes stay in the hamper or on the couch. However, I do try to keep the dishes washed (the dishwasher is a lifesaver) and the house clean.

Many writers say they can't find the time to keep their house clean, and I admit there's been a couple times I get a little behind on housework (mainly the dusting), but I'm the type of person that can't stand to live in a messy house, so I keep it as clean as I possibly can. No, it's not spotless, but it's clean. In addition to all that, I manage to try to have supper ready for him when he gets home from work, at 5:00 p.m. (CDT). I write my update for Soaps.com and usually have it written and live by 4:00 p.m. (CDT). Just as soon as I finish my update for Soaps.com, I head for the kitchen to start supper. I do understand he works harder than I do because he's a heavy equipment mechanic, and he works outdoors through the heat and cold temperatures. I can't for the life of me get him to understand just because I work at the desk I too need help at times, though. Of course, I guess since he's a "man," he'll never get it.

As I said earlier, I didn't want to start a big fight so I held my tongue, but the more he bitched I felt the need to defend myself so I retorted, "You're telling me I don't do anything around here. Don't you get supper every evening? Does this look like a mess to you?" I asked, waving my arms in reference to the living room, which is clean. "Yes," he replied. Well, that was a shocker! And with that I added, "Well, why don't you fix anything around here then? Maybe if you fixed the drain, you would have clean socks." He didn't reply. Instead, a few minutes later he kissed me goodnight and told me he loved me.

After he went to bed, I couldn't help but be a little bothered by the fact that he would call me lazy. I even mowed the yard for him this weekend, and what does he offer to help me with? Well, most of the time… nothing. I take out the trash. I load and unload the dishwasher. I cook the supper… I could go and on, but enough said. Since I was and still am a bit frustrated, I thought to myself, what if I show him lazy. I could take a couple days off and not have any supper ready for him when he gets home. Plus, I could let the dirty dishes pile up in the sink and in the living room, leave the trash lying around on the tables, etc. Hmm, I wonder what he'd say then. Maybe he would think twice next time, before he accuses me of not doing anything. The problem is, though, I'm not sure I could stand to let my house get that bad, and I would be the one to clean it all up later. Although, just to see the look on his face a few days later might be worth the suffering. What do you think, ladies? Do you have any better ideas?

If you made it this far, then I thank you for listening to me rant. At least I feel a little better now that I've gotten it off my chest…LOL… I think I'll get back to writing. Lord knows there's work waiting.

Never give up on your dreams -- work toward them,
Misti Sandefur

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