Rochelle Melander's Blog, page 14

Manuscript Makeover: A Checklist for Nonfiction Articles by Rochelle Melander

Writing without revising is the literary equivalent of waltzing gaily out of the house in your underwear. —Patricia Fuller

Last week, my dogs went for their regular grooming session. I was amazed at what they were able to do for Muffin Man in just a few hours. Take a look.

Muffin (before)

Muffin (after)

That’s kind of what I do as an editor. I take a messy manuscript and make it magnificent—or at least better than it was.

No one wants to turn in a mediocre manuscript. But when we’re facing multiple deadlines and juggling other responsibilities, we need to figure out how to quickly revise our rough draft so that we can turn in a stellar final draft. But how?

Over the years, I’ve developed checklists to help me edit. I’ve also created lists to help me makeover my own manuscripts. Today, I’m sharing my checklist for a nonfiction article or blog post with you.

 

Content Checklist

1. Assignment

+Does the content accomplish what I promised or what the editor assigned?

+Review the article with the query letter in mind: did you present the points you promised to explore?

+Review the article from the point of view of the editor: does the article accomplish the goals outlined in the assignment?

2. Lead

+Does the lead hook the reader with juicy language and one of the following: a great idea, good information, or a compelling story?

3. Body

+Do I support my claims with adequate information from interviews with experts, anecdotal evidence, or research.

+Have I sufficiently explained difficult or challenging ideas?

+Have I left out any key information or points?

+Have I included any information that doesn’t fit?

+Does any of my content raise issues I do not want the article to address? (E.g., political or social issues)

+Have I adequately identified terms and people who appear in the article?

4. Conclusion

+Does the article end in a way that’s appropriate to the medium?

+Does the conclusion adequately wrap up the piece?

+Does the conclusion offer the reader something helpful to take with them. This will differ depending on the topic and medium but it might include an idea, a challenge, or a new way of thinking about a topic.

+Does the conclusion answer the question, “Why does this [topic] matter?”

5. Organization

+Do the headers help the reader follow the information presented in the article?

+Is the content organized in a way that works for the medium? (E.g., in an online article, most editors want the juiciest information at the top of the article because readers don’t always read through. In a print publication, the requirements may be just the opposite.)

 

Technical Checklist

1. Does the piece meet the technical requirements of the assignment?

+Is it the right length (word count)?

+Have I provided all of the pieces the editor asked for? In addition to the article, that may include a sidebar, research links, headers, quizzes, author bio, photos or any other additional information required by the assignment.

+Is it in the format the editor asked for? (RTF, MSWord, etc.)

2. Language

+Have I used any jargon? Is that acceptable for this publication, or do I need to change it?

+Did I write enough of the article in active voice to keep the information interesting and lively?

+Is my sentence length appropriate for the piece and the publication?

+If I’m using headers, are they parallel construction?

+Is the point of view consistent?

+Do my pronouns refer to clearly identified subjects?

+Have I checked the article for my frequent mistakes? (Pro Tip: Create a list of the mistakes you tend to make repeatedly.)

3. The Nitty Gritty

+Have I proofread the article for grammatical, spelling, and typographical errors?

 

Your turn: What else?

What else would you add to my checklist? Add your comment below. When I have everyone’s suggestions, I’ll put together a big ol’ checklist that you can download and use in your own writing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#WritersRead: Five books with Soul by Sarah Allen

I’m always curious about what writers read—so I started a blog series! In #WritersRead, authors share five books that have inspired or educated or nurtured them in some way. Today I’m delighted to welcome fellow blogger Sarah Allen to talk about five books with soul. Enjoy!

 

#WritersRead: Five Books with Soul by Sarah Allen

Writing this post was much more troublesome than I expected. I mean that in the best way. I’ve pondered for days about which books have meant the most to me and why, and how I could group them together for a cohesive post, if I could do it at all. As for all of us, so many books have influenced me in so many different ways. But when I really thought hard about which books have remained with me since I opened the first page—in fact, when I listed them—I realized they all have one thing in common. They all have soul.

Here’s what I mean by that. The publishing industry delineates between fiction meant for a religious market and fiction for a non-religious market. I think that is a false dichotomy. And before you get too squirmy, let me explain. The largest portion of humanity has some kind of spiritual belief. Not only that, but those beliefs form the core of who we are. I think most of us don’t really see that thick of a line between our “spiritual” lives and our “normal” lives. They’re one and the same—just, us.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There is definitely a place for explicitly religious fiction and a place for books with no religion. Obviously. But the books I want to talk about today are books that, while not specifically for any type of religious market, still have a spiritual soul at the heart of the story.

All the Little Live Things by Wallace Stegner. If you asked me which writer, out of any, I would choose to write like if I could, it would be Wallace Stegner. His words sing. This is a short, simple story about an old man who has learned to close himself off to feeling too much, until a young woman and her family move next door and rips off the protective layer from around his heart. This book is not explicitly religious, but the beautiful thoughts of this man as he becomes friends with this new family can only be described as transcendent. My description dims in comparison to how brilliant Stegner’s writing really is, so I’ll let him do the rest of the talking himself:

“One thing I have learned hard, if indeed I have learned it now: it is a reduction of our humanity to hide from pain, our own or others’. To hide from anything. That was Marian’s text. Be open, be available, be exposed, be skinless. Skinless? Dance around in your bones.”

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. The next writer I would pick would be Marilynn Robinson. She also is the level of genius I can only ever aspire to. Gilead is the story of a pastor in his seventies writing a letter to his young son who will most likely grow up without knowing much of his father. As this pastor writes his thoughts and experiences and current struggles, you see all the heart-wrenching stories going on around him. Written from the perspective of a pastor, the story often deals with his spiritual questions and ponderings, but this book is the opposite of preachy or didactic. It is clear, open-minded, heart-stirring and thought-provoking.

“It has seemed to me sometimes as though the Lord breathes on this poor gray ember of Creation and it turns to radiance – for a moment or a year or the span of a life. And then it sinks back into itself again, and to look at it no one would know it had anything to do with fire, or light …. Wherever you turn your eyes the world can shine like transfiguration. You don’t have to bring a thing to it except a little willingness to see. Only, who could have the courage to see it?”

Lost Boys by Orson Scott Card. Though Orson Scott Card is definitely more known for the Ender’s Game series, this may be my favorite of his books. This story centers around a young man and his family. It talks about the relationship between the man and his wife and his children in an incredibly honest and poignant way. The family themselves are Christian, and that comes into play in so far as it develops plot and character, but as this is OSC, there is something much larger, and most likely sinister, going on under the surface. There is something going on with their oldest son and both allies and enemies are found at church, work, and the children’s school. I won’t give anymore away than that, but it is a beautiful story.

The Green Mile by Stephen King. If Lost Boys is probably my favorite OSC, The Green Mile is definitely my favorite Stephen King. I’m not a big horror reader, and when I recommend this book to people I often get wary looks, like “Really? Stephen King?” Yes. Really. King has his own brand of gritty genius that stays with you for a long time. The Green Mile was made into an Academy Award winning film several years ago, and I’m sure many of you know it. But this story is set on death row during the great depression. The main character is a guard on death row, what they call The Green Mile. Among other prisoners, an almost inhumanly large black man is sent to their block. Through various incidents involving a urinary infection and a squashed mouse, the guards realize that this man has an ability that really is beyond human. And more than that, he’s probably innocent.

So why do I add this to my list of books with soul? Because even though this isn’t directly religious, it’s a bit of what might happen if a thread of the supernatural got loose in our “normal” world, which isn’t quite that “normal” after all. Read the book. It will definitely keep you up past your bedtime.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt. This book makes me smile just thinking about it. This is a middle grade novel about a young boy who is the only Presbyterian in his class, so on Wednesday afternoons, half his class goes to Hebrew school and the other half go to catechism at the Catholic church. This means he has to stay with his teacher, who he is sure hates him, and study Shakespeare. The story is set in the Vietnam war era, and maybe it’s weird to say that this story is a beautiful mix of Shakespeare and the complicated mentality of the Vietnam war, but it is. Apart from the mentioning of the other students leaving on Wednesday afternoons, there isn’t much direct mention of religion. However, the whole story is about this young boy’s journey of discovering what makes a person really good, and what good people can do when things are bad.

If you’re like me, these books will stay with you a long time after you read them. Not just that, but you’ll feel your soul expanding.

Happy reading!

#Writers -- what's your favorite #book with soul? #WritersRead
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About the author. Novelist and freelancer living in Las Vegas and working on querying two novels. Blond, fanatical, not-as-naïve-as-you-think uber-dork. Either writing, reading, or obsessing over a movie or show with painfully stunning acting. Slyther-puff, cinephile, Jane Austen groupie. Secret lover of jazz and post-grunge rock, not so secret lover of Colin Firth, white chocolate, cavalier king charles spaniels and Frasier. Find her at her blog: http://fromsarahwithjoy.blogspot.com/

Your Query Letter: How to Write An Irresistible Offer by Rochelle Melander

All I wanted to do was buy discount tickets to the Amazing Pets Show and The Hollywood Wax Museum. It’d been a long day of wandering around Branson, MO, and we were picking up groceries at the Price Chopper. I was delighted to find a discount ticket booth inside the store. Sweet!

“What do you want to see?” asked the ticket counter guy. As I named the show, he punched it into his computer. He asked how long we’re in town and how many tickets we’d need. Once he had his information, he jotted down a price on a piece of paper and said, “Yup, that’ll run you upwards of $100 for all four of you to go.”

“Wow, I thought this was a discount ticket booth,” I said.

“I can do better for you,” he told me.

“How much better?”

I needed a price I could live with. Then I could pay and leave. I was tired and hungry. But it wasn’t that simple. The guy told me that he could save me more than $100 if my husband and I would sit through a presentation. The kids would get to attend an activity, even play miniature golf for free, while we spend an hour, two at the most, learning about some luxury travel club.

Oh. Not what I wanted to hear.

I hesitated. By this time my husband was standing next to me. He’d already put the groceries in the car. The kids were playing with the video games, conveniently located next to the ticket counter.

“You can choose from these times tomorrow,” said the salesman, writing them down.

Before I can answer, an older woman with wild gray hair stops by the booth. The other salesman asks her what brought her to Branson. She said, “We’re here because of a &*% #@&! time share.”

Before we can walk away, our sales guy says, “I’ll sweeten the deal. I’ll give each of you a $25 Visa Card if you go.”

I did the math in my head. $150 for 90 minutes, that’s $50 an hour. Plus, I figured, I can learn something from this.

And I did. The salesmen we encountered at the Price Chopper were brilliant at crafting a hook. As writers, we can learn from these guys.

The hook. Next time you write a query letter, here’s how you can write an irresistible offer:

+Offer exactly what the client wants. Solve a problem for them. We were a family vacationing in Branson over the holidays. The sales guy correctly identified the universal problem facing families on vacation: they want to have fun and not spend a lot of money. They offered to solve that problem for us by offering us free tickets to the show we wanted to see, extra money to spend, and free miniature golf for the kids. As you write your hook, consider this: what does the agent or editor want? How does your product or service provide that?

+Sweeten the deal. Every single time we hesitated, the sales guy did one of two things: he wrote down how much we’d be saving by just going to the presentation or he sweetened the deal. Of course, if you’re making an offer in writing, you’ll need to consider ahead of time how you can provide added value in your query or proposal. This might include:

*Key experts

*Valuable information

*Timely topic

*Unique presentation

*Special features

*Large platform

+Add urgency. The salesman wouldn’t let us walk away from the counter until we’d made a decision. He knew that he’d never have a better chance to hook us. How can you add a sense of urgency to your offer?

*Note the timeliness of your query, including the benefits it will offer the reader.

*Offer a time limit for considering your query such as, “I’m offering this to you exclusively for the next month.”

Your turn: Have you ever been hooked into a timeshare presentation? What elements of their pitch have you borrowed to write great query letters or book proposals? Add your suggestions below!

 

Writers@Work: What Journalism School Taught Me About Writing by Kevin Gannon

Welcome, writers. Today’s post comes from a recent journalism school grad. In it he offers his top five—what he learned about writing from school! Chime in with your top learnings! —Rochelle, the Write Now! Coach

 

Writers@Work:
What Journalism School Taught Me About Writing

by Kevin Gannon

As a young, aspiring (mostly) online journalist fresh out of college, I am finding it increasingly important to remember what I learned from the journalism courses I took. While it’s impossible to wrap up every single bit of information into one article—or even several—I aimed to present the five lessons that I learned about news and feature writing that have stuck with me the most. In an increasingly competitive market for writers, I’ve found that it’s most crucial to at least have these skills in my back pocket.

Develop a Voice. First and foremost, I learned that I needed to develop a voice within my writing. This may seem difficult at first and, yes, it most certainly is. However, it is simply something that came with writing until my hand fell off—hypothetically speaking—until I became even slightly comfortable enough for my voice to breathe through my work. I personally don’t think I’ve quite honed my own approach just yet, partially because I feel as if I’m slightly harping on the works of the greats. But still, that’s not a terrible way to start, and it’s actually one of the tips I learned from my professors. After all, as T.S. Eliot once said, “Good writers borrow, great writers steal.”

Always Be Prepared If there’s one thing I cannot stress enough, it’s being prepared. This became devastatingly apparent for me during one of my internships in college. I was assigned to cover several meetings in the town nearby my university and report on the most important issues discussed. The first two went just fine as I showed up with my notepad, pen, and trusty voice recorder. But on my third assignment, I thought I’d try going the digital route and bring my tablet along to jot down my notes. To be sure, I failed somewhat miserably.

Keep It Simple (Stupid) I can remember it like it was just yesterday, sitting in a 300-level journalism class and hearing my professor proclaim, “You’ll need to write for an 8th-grade reading level.” Instantly, the English degree-earning side of my tried to reject that knowledge, but I couldn’t. The idea of keeping it simple struck me most strongly when I began reading newspapers like USA Today and others of its ilk that work to keep their articles tight and concise. I also realized that they don’t tend to be verbose or reach for their Thesaurus whenever they want to spice up an article. Why? Because reports like this one by the L.A. Times prove that literacy simply isn’t as strong as it once was.

Diversify Your Skill Set In starting out as a journalist, I’ve learned that I cannot diversify my skill set enough. Basically what that boils down to is that I needed to be a jack of all trades (of sorts) and willing to tackle nearly any number of topics thrown my way. In my experience covering small-town politics, both in my internship and now as a freelancer, I’ve had to report on so many different subjects that I have basically lost count. From school committees to planning boards to parks and recreation and everything in between, I have been expected to have a sense of what’s going on throughout the community to which I’ve been assigned.

Follow the Rules, But Not Too Closely. As an avid AP Stylebook follower, I am pretty much never without that book by my side. I have learned and continued to study the ins and outs of AP style, meaning that I spend at least 20-30 minutes every day flipping through it to stay fresh. But when it comes to actually writing my articles, I have found that I do not absolutely have to stick to what I have learned from my college professors. I haven’t allowed rules to undermine my voice or restrict what I’m actually writing about. If there has been a time where I feel as if a more loosely structured approach could portray the subject in a different and more interesting manner—this is important for weekly paper reporters like me—I have learned not to become afraid to pitch it to my editors. They have said no before, but they have also respected my willingness to be a touch more creative.

About The Author: Kevin Gannon is a recent college graduate with an English degree. For those wondering, he minored in Journalism and just so happens to have a strong passion for reporting on news of any kind and for any outlet. As a young writer, he’s learning that it takes time to hone your chops, and you can never branch out too much.

Who Else Wants to Restart the New Year? by Rochelle Melander

My husband has long said that January is the worst time to start a New Year, especially if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. January means short days, cold air, and an abundance of chores. It’s hard to feel hopeful about anything at this time of year. Instead, I’m inclined to hibernate and focus on soothing activities: reading books, cooking soup and baking cookies.

But write? Send out query letters? Revise my novel? Yikes. I need a nap.

I’m not alone. Psychologist Cliff Arnall dubbed yesterday, the third Monday in January, “Blue Monday.” He said, “Motivational levels also tend to be quite low at this time of year.”  A survey in the UK revealed that most people expected to fail on their resolutions by Friday, January 24.  All over the web, you’ll find doom and gloom predictions about your New Year’s Resolutions:

Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail 

This is Why You Won’t Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions 

11 Reasons New Year’s Resolutions Fail 

So here’s the thing: stuff happens. Whether we’re talking about keeping New Year’s resolutions or sticking to a writing schedule: not everything works out perfectly. As Sarah Jessica Parker said:

After all, computers crash, people die, and relationships fall apart. The best we can do is breathe and reboot.

Ahhh. That’s the ticket: reboot.

Anyone who’s owned a computer, smart phone or MP3 player knows the value of rebooting. It’s often a quick and easy fix for a malfunctioning program or a stuck system. Writers, what we need right now is a life reboot!

Pro Tips for Restarting

Reflect. When my computer crashed last September, it was because I’d given it an enormous task. The small amount of available working memory couldn’t handle the amount of data I’d thrown at it. Of course, I paid someone $95 an hour to figure that out!

Just like computer crashes, most resolutions fail for a reason. We might be tempted to blame ourselves, but that doesn’t help anyone. Instead we need to put on our scientist hat and examine the data: what’s getting in the way of our success?

When I examined my slow start to the year, I realized that I wasn’t writing because I was trying to work on too many new projects at once. I couldn’t focus because I was juggling three writing projects, laundry, and kids. No wonder I left the wet laundry in the washing machine for three days last week. When I restart, I’ll lower my expectations. Before you reboot, reflect. Don’t beat up yourself. Just note what worked and what didn’t. The information will help you start better.

Start small and move slowly. When it comes to new stuff, turtle time works best. Choose one small action to work on. Instead of “work on novel every day” try “work on writing a scene from 3-3:30 PM every M-W-F.”

Stop comparing your progress to others. It happens every day. I finish my work, check Facebook, and discover that everyone in my timeline is skinny, tan, and in Aruba. They’ve just published their tenth novel to raving reviews. On top of that, they’ve been recognized for having the best blog in the Universe. I can’t get to the chocolate fast enough. Can you relate? If so, you might have a tiny little problem with comparing yourself to others as well. Stop it. You can only do what you can do. And if you can’t stop it, don’t look at what others are doing. Just focus on your own project.

Stuff Happens. Forgive Yourself. Okay writers, it took me many years to realize this, and I’m still working on it: I’m not in charge of the world and neither are you. (Dang! If only!) Stuff happens every day. We can plan everything, and it can still fall apart. Stuff happens. Love and forgive yourself. And start again.

How to Reboot Your Life and Writing

1. Restart your New Year. (Party,  hats, and champagne optional). A 2013 study on The Fresh Start Effect showed that people do better with new goals immediately following a new start in the calendar—a birthday or the beginning of a week, month, or year.

If you need to restart your resolutions, choose your date. Plan an evening of reflection (or a party), chuck the old stuff, set a new resolution and begin again the next day.

2. Restart your writing. Rebooting works for writing, too. When your writing isn’t working, stop. Save and close everything. Walk away for a while. Restart in one of these ways:

+Consider what kind of fresh energy your project needs. Do you need to write it in a different format? Do you need to write it in a different place? At a different time? Do you need an outside eye to look at it?

+Do you need to do something totally different? What project would you work on if you could start fresh? Do that.

+Open a new document and ask: How would I write this if I lost everything? If I had to start from scratch?

How do you restart your #writing or life? #NewYears
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WANT TO USE THIS TIP IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Write Now! Coach Rochelle Melander is an author, a certified professional coach, and a popular speaker. Melander has written ten books including Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (And Live to Tell About It). As the Write Now! Coach, she teaches professionals how to write books fast, get published, and connect with readers through social media. Get your free subscription to her Write Now! Tips Ezine at http://www.writenowcoach.com.

 

 

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Writers@Work: Content Marketing Writing by Jennifer Goforth Gregory

I met Jennifer Goforth Gregory at ASJA’s Content Connections conference and was immediately impressed by her knowledge about content marketing writing. For those of you who’d like to make more money from writing and feel like the freelance print market is drying up, this might be a great career path for you. Be sure to leave your questions for Jennifer in the comments section. Enjoy!

 

Writers@Work: Content Marketing Writing
by Jennifer Goforth Gregory

I used to spend my days as a freelance writer writing queries to editors and then crafting articles to run in consumer or trade publications. And usually a blog or two for good measure. But today the majority of my clients are brands or content marketing agencies. Words like “deliverable,” “Return on Investment” and “brand” flow off my tongue. And in addition to writing articles and blogs, I also work on case studies, white papers and branded content.  Like many freelancer writers, I have found nearly impossible to make a decent living writing only for publications and have branched into content marketing writing while continuing to write for traditional publications as well.

What is Content Marketing Writing? 

Many writers are confused about what content marketing actually is. Content marketing is creating content that provides information for potential customers that helps develop trust in the company. While many people think of blogs and articles as content marketing, it can also be anything from an app or a music festival. Unlike advertising, the main focus of the piece is to solve the reader’s problems not to directly sell and good content marketing often only mentions that brand’s name on the top of the website or deliverable.

If you have been freelancing for more than a few months, you have most likely already written content marketing materials. Go back through your clips and find examples of content marketing writing that you can use as same. I will bet you a dollar that you can find some.

What is the Difference Between Content Marketing Writing and Journalism?

Topics. Interestingly enough, there are many more similarities than differences. One of the main differences is that your clients are companies and often have not worked with freelance writers. Additionally, you have to be aware of brand positioning and really understand the needs of your audience more than in traditional journalism. When writing for consumer publications, you typically needed to know the basics about who you are writing for, but in order to come up with effective content topics you really need to understand who you are writing for, what information they need and what challenges to they have.

Pay. In journalism, the editor typically told you what the pay rate was for the magazine and there was usually little (or no) room for negotiation. But with content marketing, companies pay by hour, project or word. It is important that you understand all three rate models and translate the project back into the hourly rate that you will earn to make sure that you are earning a good rate.

Niche. It is also essential to have a niche as a content marketing writer. A niche is actually just an area that you have specialized knowledge and experience, such as finance, hospitality or technology. But niches can be even more specific, such as fast food restaurants or international shipping. I have heard from many brands and agencies that niche and industry experience is the most important quality they look for when hiring content marketing writers. The good news is that you can have as many niches that you want (I have about 10) and you most likely can quickly find several niches already in your clips.

How to Find Clients 

While queries used to the name of the game, most brands prefer letters of introduction for content marketing work. Instead of selling an idea like you did with a query, you are actually selling yourself. Spend time writing an excellent letter of introduction that includes your content marketing experience and highlights your niche. You should also update your website, LinkedIn profile and email signature with your content marketing experience before sending out LOI’s to increase the perception of an experienced content marketing writer.

After you have perfected your LOI, find companies and agencies to target for your content marketing services. Be sure to find a contact person for each LOI because I have never gotten a response from an LOI that I have sent to a generic email address. The member list on the Custom Content Council (www.customcontentcouncil.com) website is also a good place to start as is local marketing and web design firms. If you don’t’ hear back, don’t despair. I recently got two $1 per word assignments by simply following up. 

Your turn: What would you like to know about content marketing? Leave your comment or question below!

 

Jennifer Gregory has over 18 years professional writing experience and loves helping other writers transition to content marketing writing. She has worked with a variety of national brands including American Express, Costco, State Farm, IBM, Linkedin, Intuit and Infusionsoft. Her work has been published in a variety of print and online publications including, www.Entrepreneur.com, Huffington Post, American Express OPENForum, FOX Business, MSN Money and Success Magazine. Learn more at her blog, The Content Marketing Writer.

 

 

A Quick Way to Create a Business Plan (For Writers) by Rochelle Melander

My daughter and I getting ready to shop at Branson Landing.

 

Dear Writers,

The New Year got off to a slow start at my house. After returning from our holiday trip to Branson, Missouri (I’ll be telling you some of those stories soon), we came home and got hit by the polar vortex. School was cancelled for two days, and none of us wanted to leave the house and risk frostbite. Once school started up again, my daughter came home with a stomach virus. Yikes! So I’m spending this week doing what I’d hoped to do last week: plan for the New Year.

If you’re in the same boat, take a look at my article below: A Quick Way to Create a Business Plan (For Writers). Believe me, I’ve made it easy and painless for you to figure out how to earn money writing!

Happy New Year!  Rochelle, the Write Now! Coach

 

A Quick Way to Create a Business Plan (For Writers)

by Rochelle Melander

If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail! —Benjamin Franklin

At ASJA’s Content Connections conference this past November, Jodi Helmer talked about her New Year’s Day habit: creating a business plan. I’m a rock star planner, but when I hear the phrase business plan, I want to run and hide. My inner artist screams, “I’m a creative! I don’t make money, I make art!”

Well, it turns out that making money can be a good thing. You gotta eat, people. You cannot pay your food bill or your rent with Facebook likes, Twitter retweets or blog comments. (No! Say it ain’t so!)

Thankfully, Jodi Helmer made the idea of doing a business plan sound easy and somewhat fun. She gave me hope that I could create a business plan for the year—and help you do the same. So, here’s my really short, fun tool for creating a writing business plan. Use it or not. It’s up to you!

1. Review your vision. Remember all that dreaming and planning we did last year? Get it out and look for the answer to this question: Do you hope to make money from writing this year? Do you hope to work full time as a writer in the future? (If you answered yes and yes, move on to #2. If you answered no to either or both questions, read on anyway–you might change your mind.)

2. Get real about money. How much do you need to earn to support your life? That’s your writing income goal (WIG). Write down that number. For most of us, writing is a hobby that we hope to turn into a profession. So in our day jobs, we’re teachers, lawyers, day care workers, ministers, and doctors, hoping that someday we’ll be able to give it all up and live the dream of writing full time. If you want this to happen, you’re going to have to figure out how to earn your WIG!

3. Do the math. Okay, writing rock stars: if you want to become a full time freelance writer in five years, you need to start earning a portion of your writing income goal (WIG) right now. Let’s say your yearly WIG is $50,000 with a goal of working 50 weeks a year, five days a week, then you’ll need to earn $200 a day. If you’re currently working a day job, build your freelance writing business by working one day a week with the goal of earning $200 a week.

4. Find your cash cow (or several). When I took a part time editing gig 13 years ago, I never thought it’d turn out to be my cash cow—the stable base of my writing income. That job makes it possible for me to spend some of my time on projects that pay nothing but delight me. When it comes to launching your writing business, realize that you may not earn full time income from writing novels (though some do). But you can make a living writing if you open up your idea of what you’re willing to write. Determine what you can write that will provide you with a reliable income: articles, blog posts, business content, press releases, etc. (On Thursdays this year, I’ll be featuring articles in my Writers@Work series that teach you how to earn money writing.)

5. Schedule writing time and deadlines. Schedule time to find, query and write for your cash cow. But also schedule time for your passion projects. You need to do both. Give yourself deadlines to work towards until you get real deadlines from editors.

Finally, set time right now to revaluate your plan. Ask:

+Are you making progress on your passion project?

+Are you moving forward on your money-making projects?

+Are you on track for making your Writing Income Goal?

+If not, what do you need to tweak?

+If you are on track, is it time to consider adding more writing time?

If you need more help with your personal writing business plan, email me for a complimentary consultation. And check out my favorite business plan book: The Right Brain Business Plan: A Creative, Visual Map for Success by Jennifer Lee.

Your turn:

#Writers -- How do you create a business plan? Share your tips!
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Set Your Writing Goals for 2014 by Rochelle Melander

Finding yourself doesn’t require that you fly to Tibet, join a convent, or build a meditation room. Just consistently keep a minimal commitment to empty time. 

—Martha Beck

You’ve done a lot of thinking about what you want to achieve in 2014 already. In the coming week, I want you to spend time imagining what it would be like to make those dreams happen. Here’s how.

1. Gather your materials. You’ll need the list of actions you came up with during the asset combining exercise. You may also want the list of the work you want to do more of (from The Reckoning). If you’re the writing kind—and I’m guessing you are—grab your journal and some favorite pens.

2. Imagine. Set aside time each day to simply daydream. Some of you will want to write this all out or even doodle images of what you’d like to write. Others will want to just think about it. Either way works. At least once this week, commit to taking your dreaming to a coffee shop, art museum, or simply on a walk. Sometimes we dream better when we’re away from home. As you imagine completing various tasks, pay attention to how you feel—energized or depleted. Make note of the activities that leave you feeling energized.

3. Set goals. Create a list of goals based on the list of activities you found energizing when you imagined them.

That’s it. Next week we’ll work on creating a business plan (don’t worry, it won’t be too painful). But for now: enjoy the quiet time!

 

How Will You Greet the New Year? by Rochelle Melander

Have you been online lately? Bloggers have produced a flurry of content to remind us that it’s time to get our lives together and get ready for the New Year. Facebook and Twitter feeds are filled with posts about how we can earn more, look skinnier, and feel happier in 2014. Just the titles overwhelm me!

As we reflect on 2013 and get ready for the New Year, it can be easy to be critical. We might look at our accomplishments, examine our stash of stuff, and review our connections and think—it’s not enough. Then we compare ourselves with our friends or those bloggers who seem to have it all together—and it’s easy to feel like we fall far short of perfect.

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus had good advice for us: Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

Wow.

Take some time tonight or over the next week and review any documents that help you remember the year past: your calendar, journal, reading list, email folder, text messages, social media pages, birthday and holiday cards, or receipts. Note the events, connections, work, books, movies, and activities that shaped your year. Reflect on these questions:

+What do you feel grateful for?

+What moments will you savor?

+What have you learned?

If you need a little encouragement, listen to what Piglet learned about gratitude:

Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude. (A.A. Milne).

If you need even more encouragement, here are a few songs to support you:

Thank You by John Mellencamp

Blessed by Brett Dennen

Everything I Need by Keb Mo

Everything I Need by Melissa Ferrick

Have You Ever by Brandi Carlile

And that’s how to greet the New Year: with gratitude and hope. As always, I’m grateful for you dear readers! Happy New Year!

Rochelle, the Write Now! Coach

Finding Joy by Rochelle Melander

Sophie greets a friend.

In times of joy, all of us wished we possessed a tail we could wag. —W. H. Auden

Last week, walking to the car after my workout session, I glanced through the windows of the daycare center, hoping to catch a glimpse of the children. An infant scurried toward the window, pulled herself up, and grinned at me. I waved at her, and she pounded on the window, as if to say, “Isn’t life fun?”

I needed that moment of pure joy. I’d been rushing around, trying to finish everything before the holidays. Until then, everything—even the fun tasks—felt more like chores than blessings. But that sweet girl, who found such happiness pounding on a window at a smiling stranger, reminded me that staying present to each moment can open us to experiencing unexpected joys.

As Martha Beck said,

Today, please connect with a book or person who pulls you into the zone of joy (or I should say helps you pull yourself into the zone of joy), and feel the beauty of that experience. Nothing I can say here will give you half as much insight as a moment of living it. You’ll discover firsthand that living in the joy zone is itself “too good to be false.”

Enjoy the holidays! —Rochelle, the Write Now! Coach