Freelance Writers Academy | Earn What You Truly Deserve!

Collaborating in the Freelance World: A Defense of Competition by Anton J. Rasmussen

Posted on November 15, 2013 by vbordeau Posted in Freelance Writing Skills, Personal Development, Social Media and Marketing .

As a self-appointed lifelong student of economics I have found myself acting as an apologist for competition in many conversations. The latest activity in my defense of competition has taken place in the freelance writing and blogging sphere.

The consensus, at least from what I’ve found, is that freelance writers and bloggers abhor the idea of competition. Instead of competing, they seek to be inclusive and to rely on the act of collaboration in lieu of competition.

It was my queries into what types of competitive research freelance bloggers and writers like to do that got me to write this article.

My findings: none.

Upon my research and after many conversations, I have found that freelancers seem to have a few misperceptions about what competition means from a business or marketing context.

Overall, I believe that there is a general perception problem among the freelance writing and blogging community about the market research sub-field of competitive research.

In an effort to introduce the freelance writing and blogging community to what I believe are novel competitive research tactics (tactics borne out of my experience in military intelligence), I first wanted to present an article that helped clarify my feelings about competition: that competition is actually a good thing, that with competition everyone gains, and that competition should be used as a tool as much as collaboration.

More than just an introduction to competitive research, however, I am interested in showing freelance writers some ways they can earn more money by being more selective about the content they write. As the Freelance Writers Academy tag-line goes, my aim is “Helping Freelance Writers Earn What They Deserve.”

In this post I am going to do the following:

• Introduce how most of my conversations have gone when talking to writers and bloggers about competition.

• Explore what I feel are two misperceptions of competition.

• Explain my view of competition (using the economic perspective as my launchpad).

• Show how, not only should competition be accepted; but, it actually improves content.

• Provide an introduction to competitive research for freelance writers and bloggers.

• Play Devil’s advocate and take a slight stand against competition.

How Most of My Conversations Go About Competition

Usually I’ll say something like “Competition is great for business; it’s as good as collaboration!”

And then I’ll get a “But, . . .

Two Misperceptions of Competition: Avoiding Competition is Good and Competition is Worse than Collaboration

For a freelance writer or blogger, competition is a taboo word of sorts. In the online world in particular, freelance writers and bloggers have felt much success with the practice of “collaborating” and not “competing.” Thus, for many freelancers, it stands to reason that collaborating is better than competing and the act of “competition” becomes something to avoid.

I disagree with this perception, and I disagree, therefore, with avoidance of competition.

First, I don’t think one is better than the other–I think both competition and collaboration have their purposes in every business. Let’s not forget: freelance writing and blogging are for-profit businesses.

The way I like to look at it, then, is that collaboration and competition are two tools in a business owner’s tool-belt—both of which have the potential to help a freelancer earn money.

In the world of freelance writing one has to somewhat excuse acts that we could easily classify as competition because these competitive acts are inherent in the work of being a freelancer. That is, because there are so few gigs and so many writers looking for gigs, most freelancing involves the act of “pitching” (a freelancer action) or the act of “bidding” (a client action).

Alas, the acts of pitching and bidding make up what behavioral economists would call a zero-sum competitive game (meaning: if one freelancer wins a gig another freelancer necessarily loses it); but, one won’t usually hear a freelance writer complain about this process.

Why?

Competition is embedded in the way a freelance writer gets paid; so, freelance writers learn to take rejection with a smile and move on to the next thing. Those freelancers who quit because they don’t like the inherent competition involved or who can’t move past rejection won’t keep querying and therefore will never win a gig.

By telling another freelance writer that you are their competitor you are, in

effect, saying, “I am going to try and take jobs from you.” While this is pretty

much assumed, it’s never talked about–lest the freelancer be reminded that they

are in such overwhelming competition being in the sphere of writing for money; competition becomes invisible and the word becomes taboo.

The idea that competition is worse than cooperation originates when competition in the freelance world becomes tacitly accepted and invisible. Because so much success has been seen in collaboration (particularly with regard to guest blogging) and only negatives have resulted in competing (even though we’re supposed to smile, rejection still suuuucks), we create a veritable straw-man out of competition to bolster our approval of collaboration.

Again, I disagree with this perception of competition.

The Economic Perspective: Shedding Light on Competition

This is my view of competition:

Let me explain. There are two perspectives: the Usual Perspective and the Economic Perspective.

In the Usual Perspective, individuals see competition much like they view two rams fighting or a two person sprint. That is, competition is head to head action where someone must best another person, leaving the loser to feel worse for it (or, in the ram’s case, possibly dead).

In the Usual Perspective, people see cooperation as being better than competition because, as the figure indicates, one person helps another person (blue helps red, red helps blue) so that they can both move forward.

Unfortunately, the Usual Perspective is wrong about the act of cooperation. When one begins to examine the true nature of how the freelance writing and blogging community works, they begin to see that (as stated above) freelance writing is a zero-sum competitive game. There is always a winner, even in collaboration. In the graph this is represented by the Usual Perspective’s view of cooperation initially, but begins to deviate when blue rises to the top in the Economic Perspective (note: it could be red that rises, but only one possibility is shown graphically for symmetry).

What’s really being shown in the Economic Perspective is the idea of what economists call emergent behavior. Because the life of a freelancer involves taste and taste is randomly distributed, there is no good way to determine who wins and who loses a gig. When two people who are in a collaborating environment pitch the same client, only one of them will get the gig.

Because selection of the winner is chosen on taste this selection is completely separate from the relationship between the two collaborators. Or at least should be. Unfortunately, what actually tends to happen in a collaborative environment is what psychologists call “groupthink.” Indeed, all one has to do to see groupthink in action is visit any freelance writing blog to see all the “oooh, this is so great” comments. (Though it’s beyond the scope of this paper, I hope to eventually explore how groupthink as a result of cooperation is the root cause of a lot of terrible content circulating the Internet.)

The view of competition under the Economic Perspective also assumes randomness and emergent behavior. But, because the two individuals (red and blue) are competing with one another, there is an unexpected orderly result: only the individual who produces the best content will be chosen.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that this last view of competition is what actually occurs (remember, someone is going to win the gig).

“OK,” you say, “but if both competition and collaboration lead to one winner in the economic perspective, why should we compete? Competition is mean and collaboration is nice; so, competition is worse than collaborating and, so, should be avoided.”

Well, there’s one reason competition is actually better in this case than collaboration: competition produces better results.

Competition Should Be Accepted

Though it hurts during the time of rejection, competition is actually a good thing. Competition raises the quality of one’s work and allows for the figurative “cream” to rise to the top. If it weren’t for competition in the world of freelance writing and blogging, a lot more questionable content would get through–content that is not well researched or well thought out would begin to dominate the online world because, well, people love taking the easy way.

Not only does competition raise quality and limit the crap that we have to wade through to get to the good stuff, it associates a cost to the production of content, which prevents work from being produced.

Face it, there is already too much content out there.

The importance of this fact cannot be stressed enough. How much time do you spend creating content versus consuming it?

Because there’s so much content out there to read, if you’re like me, I’d guess you’re on an 80/20 ratio–and not in the good way. You’re probably consuming 80% garbage to 20% excellence (obviously the world isn’t that black and white, but either way—it’s not all puppies and baby kisses).

If you’re like me you’re probably consuming an ass-load of content every day. Even on your days off and away from technology you’re probably consuming more than you’re producing. And if you’re a writer, blogger, or in the Internet marketing space, this is not a good scenario.

The nice thing about competition, though, is that it means most of what you’re consuming–if you’re doing proper research–is high quality. There are so many filters and gate keepers these days that usually only the highest quality content will ever make it to your eyes.

That said, this is a double-edged sword. If only the highest quality content gets through then that means you’d better be busting your ass getting that content out there. But, if you’re spending the vast majority of your time consuming content, then you’re probably not working hard enough to produce a large amount of quality content.

Does this sound familiar? What it doesn’t sound like is a winning strategy.

Competition Can Help You Create Great Content

Because we live in a world that is governed by certain immutable economic laws (namely, that people are mostly self-interested), you can be sure that someone out there who is a direct competitor to you is looking at everyone in your niche and trying to fill holes.

I mean, why wouldn’t they be?

When it comes to business (and freelance writing is certainly a business) it’s important to place the customer first. One of the best ways to serve the customer is to find either what’s not out there or what’s out there and could be improved.

All this means, then, is that by filling the holes in the current content library you are better serving the customer. What’s wrong with that?

Besides trying to fill a void, if we’ve shown that competition isn’t a bad thing after all. And if we’ve shown that competition provides the highest quality content. And if the highest quality content is that which gets through the filters and into our brains . . .

doesn’t it make sense to want to know what the competition is doing that is so “high quality?”

A long time ago I made the following statement about my “be”: “I want to be read; not just reading.”

It turns out, if I look to what my competition is doing (or better yet not doing), I will be able to better serve the customer and more likely find eyes to read my stuff.

But how?

Enter: Competitive Research.

If only to better determine how we can get our words to people’s eyes, a little competitive research can go a long way.

Let’s imagine for a second that you’re not a freelance writer or blogger. Let’s imagine that you want to run your own auto-body shop. If you find out that a direct competitor is landing more customers than you are, wouldn’t you want to know why?

The answer is always going to be the same: for whatever reason, customers have determined that your competitor is providing a greater value than you are. And, until you prove otherwise, the customer is always right.

Competition is Essential and Research is Primary

My argument is that competition is essential to the survival of your business and the best way to compete on the web is through competitive research. If you never compete, you’re either lying to yourself or you’re on your way down. If you never do competitive research, you’re probably on your way down.

Competitive research can be as simple as comparing prices and perusing a competitor’s blog or website or it can be as technical as using specialized analytical tools to analyze a competitor’s traffic. Either way, you are competing through research. In the end, the goal is the same: to understand who your competitors are and what they are doing.

Now, the questions you probably want to ask yourself are, are you doing enough competitive research and are you doing the right kind of competitive research?

An Introduction to Competitive Research

Since time is a limited resource, you will really want to think deeply about how much time you spend doing competitive research–that is, how much time you spend analyzing what you’re competition is up to.

Trade Offs of Competition Vs. Collaboration

When one talks about the time spent doing competitive research, it might cause one to stop and wonder about the trade-offs associated with competition and collaboration. That is, if you’re collaborating X amount and you are competing Y amount, what’s the net effect?

I think were I to compare competition and collaboration I might find some pros and cons for each. That said, there’s a factor that needs to be addressed at once–a factor that, really, negates the need to ever do a pros and cons list.

In fact, I argue that there’s no need to compare the two duties because competition and collaboration are different from each other in one fundamental way.

First, let’s just accept that competition is essential. Now, if I told you that you could perform all of the necessary competition — that is, competitive research, without your competitors ever knowing, wouldn’t you feel less need to argue whether one is better than the other.

In the world of collaboration, you must be transparent. But, in the world of competition, I don’t see any reason why you need to be transparent at all.

I’m not talking about doing anything outside the bounds of ethical business practices; but, like the auto-body business example, if your direct competition is taking potential clients from you, you really have an interest to figure out what it is that they’re doing–your business depends on it. And if you DO find out what their special ingredient is, you really don’t need to tell them about it–they already know what it is anyway!

How to Go About Competing

So, I’ve sold you on the fact that you want to know what the competition is doing. And you now know that you can do all the competitive research that you want without your competition ever finding out; so, the next question is: where do you start?

The first thing to remember about competition is the same thing you must remember about creating content: i.e. what purpose are you trying to serve?

If you are trying to figure out how receptive the audience is to your competition’s products, for example, this type of research requires a lot different approach from, say, trying to determine which of your competition’s products are converting.

Both of these purposes have value; but, you need to determine which is more important to your goals because, like anything, both of these purposes also have costs.

Here are the tools that I use for competitive research:

Google: more than just a search engine (though the search engine is probably the tool you’ll use the most), Google comes with a whole host of tools for competitive research.

By using Google AdWords’s keyword planner, you can find interesting information on what others are doing in your niche. As a freelance writer, this might be good for researching interesting and under-covered topics or it might be good just to find ideas about which to write.

A less technical competitive research tool of Google’s is Google Trends. Google Trends will show you the popularity of search terms over time (e.g. the trend for “Freelance Blogging” shows that the search term peaked in 2009 and has been on a downward slope ever since—interesting!).

Though it really falls under the tool of “email,” one of my favorite research tools from Google is Google Alerts. By setting up alerts for specific search terms I receive daily (or weekly) emails summarizing content that Google has found that contains those specific search terms. Often this is a quicker way, for example, to find out about a blog post than waiting for the post to work its way through social media.

Moz: Formerly known as SEO Moz, Moz is pretty much the industry leader in SEO analysis, competitive marketing research, and putting a nice-guy smile on a nerdy industry. With paid tools such as Open Site Explorer and Fresh Web Explorer you can look at a competitor’s back links, link building methods, and recent content. Though Moz Analytics is a bit pricey ($99/month), there isn’t really a better tool for competitive research out there (that I’ve found).

Long Tail Pro: I use LTP (another paid tool) in two different ways. First, to generate keywords (much less tedious than Google) and, second, to conduct competitor analysis.

The keyword generator in LTP runs on Google AdWords (you actually have to link your AdWords account for LTP to work) and allows you to limit searches by volume, uncover advertiser competition for given keywords, and find related keywords to any keyword list you input.

The competitor analysis in LTP allows you to quickly determine the chance that a keyword (or your website) will have in ranking within Google. If through research, for example, you find that there is very little competition on page one of Google for topic “X” you have a great chance of ranking for that topic should you begin to produce quality content using keywords related to that topic.

Facebook: Really, all social media platforms can be used for competitive research. But, Facebook presently has the most users, so I’ll talk a bit about how one can use Facebook for competitive research. There are three ways that I’ve found to do competitive research on Facebook:

1) Groups – By joining groups related to your niche you have easy access to a lot of the conversations going on in your niche’s community. You can leverage these groups by looking at the most active members’ websites or blogs or even by posing your own questions within the groups to see how your thoughts resonate (this is actually how I first saw that there might be a need to introduce the up sides of competition to the freelance blogging community).

2) Hashtags – Based on the Twitter method of putting a “#” before a term to filter for that term and see everyone who’s talking about the same subject, Facebook now has a similar # function. So, if you want to find what people are saying about snorkels, all you have to do is type #snorkels into Facebook’s search box.

3) Profiles and Pages – Profiles are for people and pages are for businesses or institutions. By “friending” people you have access to their profiles and by “liking” pages you have access to a business or institution’s posts.

Email: Just subscribe to the newsletters of people in your niche. You’ll be able to see what they’re up to, find out what they’re reading, and even get insights into how they market. Because I’m open to subscribing to as many newsletters as possible (and have developed a good email management system) I’ve learned more from emails than I would have ever expected.

Competition May Be Hideable But It’s Almost Never Free

OK, so in this article, my goal was to introduce how competition isn’t really the bad guy that a lot of people think he is. In fact, because competition motivates us to create our best content there are solid arguments for how competition is a good thing.

At the very least I hope I’ve shown how competition is but another tool in the freelancer’s tool-belt and, therefore, isn’t necessarily worse than collaborating—just different.

The final note that I’d like to make about competition has me playing Devil’s advocate.

I’ve already mentioned the fact that there is too much content out there. Likewise, there are also too many things to “do” in order to operate an online or freelance business. So, unless you’ve got the interest and time available, spending a lot of time on competitive research likely carries greater costs than benefits.

That said, if you’re looking to find a quick way to determine holes or gaps in your niche, there really isn’t a better way than competitive research. Though collaborating is great for networking and building relationships, people can’t tell you what they don’t know. Even so, the adage that killer content is what matters most is not any less true than before.

A person who spends minimal time conducting competitive research and maximal time creating killer content will inevitably be much better off than someone who does the opposite.

So, take what I’ve said, know that competitive research is just another tool, and keep creating killer content—whether we’re talking the Usual Perspective or the Economic Perspective, the cream always rises to the top.

If you’re interested in talking more about competitive research or have any comments on this post, please leave a comment below!

Anton is a freelance writer and blogger. When he’s not doing amazing shit

(http://www.doamazingshit.com) he can usually be found hangin with his 7 month old or at the library.

Do You Fear Success? by Lynn Silva

Posted on November 11, 2013 by vbordeau Posted in Personal Development .

Fear of success is the cause of a common writer’s disease called Inertia.

You may be questioning the statement that inertia is a disease. It may not be in the DSM. There may not be a medicine for it. But it is definitely a disease.

Here’s why:

• Do you have a history of starting something you love only to quit?

• Do you put off goals by always saying, ‘tomorrow…?’

• Do you sit down to write and end up surfing the net, or playing Candy Crush Saga?

If the answers to these questions are ‘yes,’ or ‘sometimes’…then you have a fear of success!

YOU HAVE INERTIA!

But don’t worry. You’re going to live. In fact, if you truly come to understand the disease, you will conquer it.

HERE’S THE PROOF!

Disease:

• An organ or other body part that isn’t functioning correctly.

• Causes infection, poison, nutritional deficiency or an imbalance.

• This can lead to illness, sickness or an ailment.

INERTIA (the disease)

• When the brain isn’t functioning (thinking) correctly.

• Causes a nutritional deficiency between the brain and the heart due to poisonous thoughts. These thoughts completely paralyze personal growth.

• This then leads to the illness of fear of success.

MINDSET

Because you are hesitant, perhaps refusing to consider changing a few things in your life, this paralyzes your personal growth…otherwise known as success. What you fear, down deep, is success. But WHY?

DIG DIG DIG

If you’re like me you don’t say in your head, “Well I fear success so I’m not going to change anything.” It’s not that simple. You need to dig deep. When I started helping distressed people, my instinct was to tap into their thought processes. I then transferred the concept to me and learned that when I hit a wall, so to speak, I tell myself, ‘dig, dig, dig.’ Until I do this, I’m at a standstill. I’m in a state of Inertia. So here are some questions to start your own personal ‘dig.’

• What have you tried and failed at? Been rejected at?

• How many things have you not even tried because of something you failed at in your past?

• Are you afraid to try again? Are you hesitant at trying new things because you don’t want to fail or be rejected again?

• What is the worst thing that will happen if you fail or get rejected at a new concept? Your feelings (ego) are hurt?

(Do not continue reading until you humbly answer the above questions)

• So as you ‘dig’ are you coming to realize that you fear rejection or failure?

FIX IT!

You’re so worried about failing that you’re scared to death to try. Fear of success, on the outside, is really fear of failure on the inside. Now that you understand this, you can fix it. There’s a little trick to this called ‘scenario prepping.’

Before you set out to give something a try, think of all possible outcomes…especially failure and rejection. We often discount these outcomes when we attempt something new. If you face the possibilities of failure and rejection BEFORE the outcome, you’ve mentally prepared yourself before it happens.

Most people stop at the grandiose thoughts and push out any possibility of failure. They slam their thought processes off before any thoughts of failure seep in. Yet, in the back of their mind, there’s this looming monster…their fear of failure and rejection. They block it out. ‘Don’t go there.’ You MUST go there BEFORE you start.

This is why. Within all of us, our brains have conscious and unconscious thoughts, ALL THE TIME. Ignoring these unconscious, uncomfortable thoughts doesn’t make them disappear. The mere fact that you’re constantly making an effort NOT to have these thoughts is proof.

The subconscious never sleeps. So when these scenarios, or thoughts, creep in…face them. Play it out in your head and always include the worst case scenario. Picture it well. Envision getting the dreaded ‘rejection’ and make a plan for specific steps to take when you fail. This way, when it happens, you’re not frozen in shock and disappointment.

Edison failed many inventions before electricity. Jon Morrow was actually turned down the first time he presented a guest post to Copyblogger. Danny Iny’s first business completely failed before he started Firepole. If you fear failure, you fear success. Success is rarely attained on the first try. In other words, in order to succeed, in many cases there are 2 things that have to come first. The first one is failure. The second one is changing things on the next attempt.

Remember, Inertia, in a nutshell, is a state of being resistant to change. You cannot resist change.

THE CURE

Dream: Make a brief list of where you’d like to be in 6 months. 1 year.

Brainstorm: Write down every single way you can think of to start getting there. Be pragmatic. Don’t write things you’re not willing to do.

Prioritize: Start with the easier things on your list first.

Change: Change is THE KEY to conquering Inertia. PLEASE do not disregard the power this one move has. Find one activity that you’re willing to cut out or cut down on. For example, I used to spend 2 hours every evening watching T.V. I cut it down, and eventually cut it out completely. These 2 hours are now spent on reading material related to writing, blogging & social media. The benefit is twofold. It serves both as relaxation time and is productive to the growth of my business. By the way, 90% of the material I read is FREE. Other examples may include video games, talking on the phone, chatting online, texting etc.

Resources: Believe it or not, resources are deeply tied to your emotions…not to how much money you have to get good resources. Absorb yourself with resources that will inspire or lead you in the direction of your dream. Think and act like the successful people whom you want to emulate. Do you think Matt Cutts would rather spend 30 minutes playing Candy Crush or spend 30 minutes reading about internet innovations?

Here are some awesome resources:

Tons of strategies for writer’s block

106 excuses you try to use to feed your fear of success

57 blogs that pay $50 or more

The community that helped me overcome my Inertia (very small monthly fee, and worth EVERY penny)

Shrinking your Stinking Thinking: Therapists call this C.B.T. or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. In a nutshell it helps you change your thought patterns. If you want to be successful, you need to have successful thoughts. If you want to be happy, you need to have happy thoughts. If you want success, you CANNOT fear it.

4 WEEKS!

Take 4 weeks to reshape your thinking. Every single time your mind says, “I can’t…I don’t have time…I’m not good enough…I don’t deserve to be successful,’ reverse it. ‘I can…I’ll make time…I deserve to be successful.’ Then, prove it to your mind by taking action on your list. If you spend your time telling your mind you CAN be a writer/blogger and you immerse yourself with the appropriate resources…you WILL gradually evolve into a writer/blogger.

Don’t listen to the voice that feeds your fear of success. Overcoming Inertia is all about not being afraid of change. So do it! Try these simple steps and overcome your fear of success today. What other ways have you overcome Inertia? Please share in the comments.

lynn

Lynn Silva created Diversimom to help struggling parents EXCEL despite life’s setbacks and experience meaningful change in their lives every single day.

Book Review: Tidewater Murder by C. Hope Clark

Posted on November 5, 2013 by vbordeau Posted in Book Reviews .

tidewater

Tidewater Murder by C. Hope Clark

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Publisher: Belle Bridge Books

Publication Date: April 2013

The Story:

In the deep waters off the coast of Beaufort, South Carolina, corpses are turning up faster than dolphins chasing a shrimp boat . . .

When federal agricultural investigator Carolina Slade’s best friend is suspected of embezzlement and fraud in a sordid case involving drugs and migrant slavery, Slade must question her own long-held loyalties. She’s desperate to believe in Savannah Conroy’s innocence despite every scrap of evidence pointing to her friend’s guilt.

After a tomato farmer dies in a shrimp boat explosion, Slade’s colleague, Senior Special Agent Wayne Largo, manages to force Slade off the case, citing conflict of interest. Refusing to quit even if it means violating agency orders, Slade fights to save her friend’s career. Soon, Slade’s the target of escalating threats meant to frighten her off the case.

But threats might be the least of Slade’s worries. She’s also juggling a co-worker’s sudden romantic interest, voodoo, and her teenage daughter’s determination to solve mysteries like her mother. Slade struggles to keep her life, and the lives of those around her, safe and sane when, once again, digging up dirt on the ag business threatens to put her six feet under.

My Two Cents:

Last month I was given the opportunity to receive a free autographed mystery fiction book by an author I respect and admire in exchange for an honest review. I have followed C. Hope Clark’s work as a Funds For Writers newsletter subscriber for quite some time.

So when she was giving away copies of her new book Tidewater Murder on Facebook; I jumped at the opportunity. Just two days later, I received the package and instantly ripped it open. I fell in love even before opening it to the first page.

The stunning artwork and the luxurious feel of the cover provide an extra touch of professionalism and care seen by few authors in the fiction world. As I read, the book’s binding prevented the pages from turning and losing my place. Nice!

Tidewater Murder is the second book in the Carolina Slade Mystery Series. I missed the first book, Low Country Bribe, but that didn’t prevent me from understanding the storyline or feel like I was missing important pieces of information.

This book gleans from the author’s personal background as an agricultural investigator. It was so hard for me to discern fact or fiction that I just had to interview her to find out the truth. I discovered very quickly how much of a sweet heart Southern belle C. Hope Clark really is. After our first conversation failed to record due to some weird technical glitch, she graciously agreed to answer all my questions all over again.Thank you Hope for such a lively and fun conversation!

I read a number of books each week that I download onto my Kindle device but none of them have impressed me as well as this well-written and suspenseful book. It isn’t hard to fall in love with any one of the characters…even the ones you aren’t supposed to like!

There were a couple of downsides for me. I would have liked more in-depth inclusion of the voodoo and Gullah culture aspects woven into the story. And while I thoroughly enjoyed the parts where Carolina’s daughter Ivy follows in her mother’s investigative footsteps; I felt that it distracted and strayed the reader from the main storyline.

However, given the fact that so much detail and intrigue was masterfully woven into each and every word and sentence, those minor details can easily be forgiven. It just makes me curious as to how these pieces will fit into later books. Needless to say, C. Hope Clark has me hooked.

This book was action-packed from start to finish. I’m not a person whose first choice is mystery when it comes to selecting a book to read. However, C. Hope Clark did a great job of making me change my mind. She truly is a master storyteller, an author of substance, and one who is here to stay. Now, if only I had book 3 to read.

So what are you waiting for? Go here now to grab your copy. You won’t be disappointed.

My Thoughts on a Perfect Day

Posted on October 28, 2013 by vbordeau Posted in Miscellaneous .

I have taken a couple days off from the blog challenge because weekends are my time for strategizing the big picture view here at Freelance Writers Academy. So let’s get back into the swing of things, shall we?

Today’s Challenge: What’s does your perfect day look like?

The idea behind this challenge is to imagine and write down what a perfect day is for you from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed. Who are you spending time with? How are you making money? Where are you living? What activities make up your day? It’s an intriguing and creative exercise.

That’s not going to happen in this post. I have thought long and hard about this question over the weekend. I imagined countless perfect day scenarios and could have picked any one of them really and be happy about it. But the rebel in me kept loudly voicing her own opinion.

I think that dreaming about a perfect day scenario can be advantageous but only to a point. Doing this exercise causes you to consider what is truly most important to you. How you spend your time is a reflection of what value most in life since time is the most precious commodity any human being has. So imagining what a perfect day looks like for you can be great in a “Know Thyself” sort of way. However, there is a dark side (and no, it does not have cookies).

Let me explain. The perfect day exercise naturally veers to an escape from reality mentality. When most people get the opportunity to imagine a “perfect day,” they naturally veer towards a 24-hour period containing nothing that could bring them pain. The supposition is that there are things in life that suck right now. What if there was a day if things didn’t suck? What if there was a day where everything went the way I think it should and there was no pain or struggle?

Human beings are wired for improvement. We judge ourselves and everything around us. We instinctively look for things that aren’t right and desire to make it right. We strive for better. We desire more. We grow and change. We work to make things different.

I’ve spent (cough) years on this planet and have not yet had a perfect day. I don’t expect to have one in the future. This isn’t an Eeyore mentality. I’ve had great days, and I’ve had bad days. Some bad days contained the hardest challenges and the most heart-wrenching pain I’ve ever experienced.

It was exactly those ugly challenges that brought beautiful gems into my life once I made it through. I grew stronger, wiser, better because of these obstacles. I’ve developed a deeper appreciation for the good stuff than I had when times were wonderful.

Painful experiences are life’s gym. We develop bigger muscles, higher endurance, and massive strength. Without harsh training, we atrophy. We lose our ability to maximize our potential. We may not like the training regimen but it does achieve results that are best for us.

When indulging in the fantasy of a perfect day, we fail to realize that perhaps the very things we view as “sucky” today may be the necessary catalyst for future blessing. Is it possible that if we got our “perfect day”, we would rob ourselves of a possible blessing?

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Thanks for the Memories

Posted on October 25, 2013 by vbordeau Posted in Miscellaneous .

Today’s Challenge: Write a response blog post to this question:

What is your definition of location independence?

Not being tied down to any particular location is definitely a dream of mine. I used to love road trips as a kid. Every summer my dad would pack up the van and we would head off exploring some part of the United States for two straight weeks.

We’d sleep in the van and bring food so we wouldn’t spend anything on hotels or restaurants if we didn’t have to. That was when you could get away with doing those types of things. It’s not that way anymore.

I miss it. But as I think about traveling all over the world now, I’m not so sure I really deep down inside want it in reality. So much has changed since then, and not for the better.

The Downside

The last few road trips my family has taken were pretty stressful as far as travel was concerned. People drive crazier now, and are in a lot more of a hurry. Sure, there are other forms of transportation. None of those thrill me either.

My husband and I are both afraid of heights, so traveling by plane isn’t an option we look forward to. I don’t like being in heavily crowded areas, so that rules out plane, train, and bus. My husband and I joke around comparing ourselves to Jack and Rose from the Titanic movie, so perhaps traveling by boat isn’t a good idea.

So I think that in order for my husband and me to be truly happy with being location independent, we’d probably have to start off high-class. Hire a limo driver to take us everywhere. We could probably deal with having a private pilot and our own jet plane but since we are not at that point in our life yet; we’ll have to wait and see.

The Good Side

I do like a lot of things that being location independent provides. You have a whole lot less stuff to take care of and clean. This frees up tons of time to develop other areas of your life: spending time with family and friends, creating and expanding business projects, and involving yourself into more relaxation and recreational activities.

Being location independent expands your horizons and provides learning experiences you just can’t get from reading a book, attending a class, or watching a video on YouTube. Being physically, emotionally, and spiritually involved enriches you in ways you will never expect.

Thanks for the Memories…

One of the richest experiences I ever had was when I traveled to Mexico on a mission trip when I was 16. Years later, I remember almost every single moment to this day. It’s kind of impossible to forget running around Mexico in a pirate outfit, knowing only a handful of words in Spanish, and being terrified to eat or drink anything because the water is so terrible that it might kill you.

I remember the time when my youth pastor had to figure out how to buy feminine hygiene products in an open market place because there was no one else available to help me. (Poor guy…I still feel bad to this day.)

I remember taking my stepdaughter to a resort and watching her bounce backwards full blast off a screened sliding balcony door after racing to tell me something incredibly important. (Thank goodness the screen was there. If not, she would have hurled herself off a second floor balcony.)

Okay, so none of those things were cultural learning experiences that made me a better person. But the point is they were experiences I would never have had were I not willing to have an adventurous spirit and travel outside of my current location.

And these are just some of the memories that when shared create a bonding experience that stays strong for a lifetime. Becoming location independent will provide even more of these great experiences and provide opportunities that just may not be available otherwise. Bonus: these experiences also are great fodder for me as a writer.

What would being location independent do for you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Writer Unchained

Posted on October 24, 2013 by vbordeau Posted in Miscellaneous .

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Write a response blog post to this question:

What’s your definition of freedom in business and adventure in life?

Writer Unchained.

Freedom in Business

What does it mean to be unchained?

It means that my business (and my life for that matter) is not held back by societal expectations or roles. I can run my business however, wherever, and whenever I want. I don’t have to punch a time clock or wake up to an annoying alarm.

I’m not defined by the amount of money I make or what I own. I’m not judged by the color of my skin or my gender. All of these things mean freedom to me both in business and life. When I can get to where I can fully express myself creatively and pursue my passions without expectation or criticism, which will mean total freedom to me.

Freedom is not anything involving the acronym YOLO. Activities attaching themselves to the You Only Live Once philosophy generally are an excuse to achieve personal gain at someone else’s expense and/or to self-destructive ends.True freedom seeks bringing out the best of humanity. True freedom pursues expansion of potential and transforms horns into halos.

Adventure in Life

As early as I can remember, I had an overwhelming desire to explore. No restraint could hold me back, not even a chain-linked fence. Before my parents knew it, I would be crawling across heavy-trafficked roads or playing with windmills in an unsuspecting neighbor’s yard. I wanted to see everything and figure out how it worked. I was never happy to stay within my confined space. I had to know what was out there and I didn’t want to miss a thing.

At school, I hated the labels that defined the various cliques: jocks, nerds, stoners, loners. I never did fit in to any particular group and never wanted to. If you were to put any label on me at that time or even now, it would probably be rebel. I was always determined to stand out from the crowd and determined that no one should be shunned or excluded for any reason. There’s no excuse.

I never did like being told what to do or how to do it. (Still don’t-just ask my husband.) I don’t even like being bound to a specific place. Don’t get me wrong; I have unwavering loyalty to my hometown near Chicago, Illinois. Always will. But I don’t want to be forced to stay there indefinitely.

Currently, I live in Michigan. And I have hated every moment of it except the times I’ve spent with husband and family. Already the snow is making its appearance here. Every ounce of my body wants to pounce. I want to go somewhere warm, somewhere I have never been, anywhere from here.

But we have to stay here at least four more years. My youngest step-daughter just started high school this year and until she graduates; we cannot leave. It’s driving me crazy. I eagerly await the day that my husband and I can take off and begin our exploration of those mythical monsters and medieval castles I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post.

The biggest adventure in life is for me to break free of my own chains. To be free from the inner critic and self-imposed limitations that hold me back from achieving what I want most out of life. For the first time in my life, I am boldly breaking down those barriers and am more proud of myself than I have ever been. And I am helping others to do the same. I truly am becoming….

Writer Unchained

writer unchained

What chains are you breaking in your life? Share in the comments below.

I Want More

Posted on October 23, 2013 by vbordeau Posted in Miscellaneous .

Today’s Challenge: Write a response blog post to this question:

If you woke up tomorrow and were free to do anything you wanted with your life, what would you do and who would you be?

I would easily say I would be a writer. I would do what I am already doing right now by teaching and helping other writers be successful in pursuing their dreams. Only on a bigger scale.

My goal has always been to live life on my own terms. To have the freedom to be, to do, and to have anything I want. I want to travel the world and experience all that life has to offer. I want to explore ancient mysteries and lands of mythical monsters and medieval castles- taking the time to truly enjoy everything around me.

I want to live on past this physical existence. To be remembered long after I was gone. To be legendary and leave a legacy. Words never rang truer for me than those penned by Beyonce in her song “I Was Here”:

I wanna leave my footprints on the sands of time

Know there was something that, meant something that I left behind

When I leave this world, I’ll leave no regrets

Leave something to remember, so they won’t forget

I was here

I did, I’ve done everything that I wanted

And it was more than I thought it would be

I will leave my mark so everyone will know

I was here

I want to say I lived each day, until I died

And know that I meant something in, somebody’s life

The hearts I have touched, will be the proof that I leave

That I made a difference, and this world will see

I was here

I lived, I loved

I was here

I did, I’ve done everything that I wanted

And it was more than I thought it would be

I will leave my mark so everyone will know

I just want them to know

That I gave my all, did my best

Brought someone some happiness

Left this world a little better just because

I was here

I just want to be. Fully. Completely. Without lack spiritually, emotionally, physically.

Isn’t that what we all want?

I want more. How about you?

Taking On a Blog Challenge

Posted on October 22, 2013 by vbordeau Posted in Miscellaneous .

I recently came across an interesting blog challenge that a fellow writer is doing and I thought I would give it a shot. I wanted to do something that would give a behind the scenes look and share the personal side of Freelance Writers Academy and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

The idea of the 30 day challenge is about creating freedom and adventure in all areas of your life. It is based upon Natalie Sisson’s blog and book The Suitcase Entrepreneur. Writers are challenged each of the 30 days with a prompt by email encouraging us to dig deeper into the concept of being a traveling entrepreneur and helping us to develop the habit of writing consistently.

TODAY’s challenge: Write a post on why you started your blog, who you wanted to reach, what you wanted it to be all about. Then state why you joined this blog challenge and what you want to get out of it.

Day 1

I started this blog because I finally decided start living a dream I buried for most of my life. Late last year, I began to realize I wasn’t going to be able to keep going in my current field for much longer. The wear and tear of taking care of the physical and emotional needs of elderly and developmentally disabled clients was taking too much of a toll on my physical body and my own mental health. I started contemplating other ways of making a living. That’s when a dream I abandoned long ago rose to the surface.

Flashback

I fell in love with reading at a very early age. When I was a toddler, my dad would spread out the Sunday newspaper on the living room floor and I would point out words and ask him what they were. As I grew older, I would wander around the house with my bulky tape recorder and pretend to be a journalist, reporting on all the household news and events. I devoured all sorts of books, enamored in the thoughts of others and wanting to learn more about the world around me.

I created crossword puzzles and other fun stuff for the middle school newspaper. I wrote poetry as a teen and dreamed of being a best-selling author. My best friend and I even created our own newspaper just for fun. I loved the creative process and how others thought and came to the conclusions they had. But after high school, that dream began its slow death. I fell into what I thought was love, became engaged, and found myself pregnant. My partner at the time was none too happy to hear the news and walked away from the relationship entirely.

I was not only starting my own life, but bringing in another at the same time. I scrambled over the next few years trying to survive each day and make enough money to support me and my newborn daughter. I met someone new and moved out of state to be with him. We had a child together and I started a career taking care of others in the health care field. Life carried on with the usual bumps and bruises over the next seven years. Then dreams started to turn into nightmares. The relationship went sour pretty fast and I lost everything as a result. Ugh! Time to rebuild all over again.

After 3 more years of rebuilding, I enter into long-term relationship number 3. The trials are far from over. We become engaged and then soon after, my fiancé faces a long-term disability that almost killed him. It took him over 7 years to get to almost normal and still has to fight every day.It’s this relationship that started me to start dreaming again.

My husband has been as supportive as possible, even when things look bleak. We poured ourselves into any business venture we could get into. We share the same values and aspirations and I am extremely grateful for that. I don’t think I could have been as brave enough to do what I have been doing for the past few months if I didn’t have the support I get from him.

A New Birth

I started playing around with the idea of writing again late last year. I started wondering if it was even possible. Over 25 years had passed since I had last written anything on a creative level. Did I even have it in me anymore? I had to test it out.

I started listening to a show online called the Self-Publishing Podcast with Johnny Truant, David Wright, and Sean Platt. I scoured the Internet to try to catch up on all that has happened since I left the writing world. I looked for writing communities to become involved in and settled in with Scribophile. I studied and critiqued other writers and submitted a few works of my own. I received tons of positive feedback and brushed up a few skills that went rusty after so much time away.

I regained confidence in my writing almost immediately. It was now time to put it to the test and see if I could earn money doing what I loved. Poking around in the forums, I posted a question asking other writers how they earned money writing. I didn’t expect the answers I received. The vast majority scoffed and answered brutally that writing was not a profession where you could make a living. Writing was just something you did as creative expression; there was no money in creating works of art.

Dejected, I refused to give up. There has to be a way! About a week later, I received a message from a fellow writer on Scribophile telling me of an opportunity he knew. He shared the editor’s name and email address and encouraged me to contact her. I jumped at the chance and got the gig. The pay wasn’t much but it was at least a start. I wrote a few articles in my off-time from work and saw all of them published. I looked for other writing opportunities as well. I joined Elance and oDesk and bid for the jobs I felt confident that I could do.

After a few minor gigs and being ripped off by a client on Elance, I quickly came to the conclusion that many freelancing jobs on content mills and freelance bidding sites just don’t pay enough to even make it worth your time. I started to feel pretty hopeless about the whole thing but I was determined not to give up.

Phoenix Rising

I discovered the right way to pitch and find high quality clients that will pay you what you are worth. I joined forces with some of the most amazing minds in this industry and we created a place where writers could go and learn how to advance in their careers and earn what they truly deserve. And while this place called the Kingdom of Paidalot costs money to join, I didn’t want writers who couldn’t afford to pay to be left out in the cold. That’s why I offer tons of free information and resources here at Freelance Writers Academy.

I am writing this blog to not only record my adventures in the writing world but to help and inspire others as well who want to become writers or who are struggling to do so. I hope you will follow along with me. Let’s walk together and see where the road leads.

The Scariest Thing About Being a Freelance Writer by Jessi Stanley

Posted on October 14, 2013 by vbordeau Posted in Personal Development .

This is a featured guest post entry by Jessi Stanley for the Freelance Writers Academy Blog Carnival for October 2013. Please welcome her and tell us what you think by posting your comments below. Thank you Jessi Stanley for this great entry!

Being a newbie freelance writer is very, very scary!

I was scared when I gave out my first business cards, when I published my Facebook writer page, and when I gave my first cost quotes. The list goes on and on. But I think these fears were normal. I felt the fear, did the thing, and then just moved on to the next.

On the other hand, I’m pretty sure that my biggest freelancing fear is irrational.

I think it’s a given that most freelancers have an underlying fear of failure. I have that. My biggest fear, however, is that one day I’ll fail and this failure will prove that I have been foolishly pursuing freelancing because I have been listening to people on the internet who are not the people they claim to be.

Crazy, right?

I don’t worry about this as much as I used to. I know the difference between the online world and the “real” world. It’s just that when I tell my friends, family, and acquaintances what I’m up to and I mention something about online people, they give me that look that reminds me that online work is still not normal for my generation. And the look tells me that they are a little worried about me and my internet friends. This, in turn, makes me start to worry a little, too.

Just to be on the safe side, I’ve devised a plan that will, I hope, silence some of the negative voices in my head and resolve the disconnect of living in the “real” world and having all my writer friends and mentors online.

The Plan

I’m tired of all my writing-related interactions being online. The plan is quite simple. The plan is to find other freelancers in my geographical area, to find real, live freelance writers I can see in person, for lunch or just to talk. Freelancing is isolating. I often have to remind myself to get out into the real world and interact with people anyway. This plan is really just another dimension of that. It’s time to connect with other writers, real people who won’t give me “the look” and make me doubt myself.

I know there are other freelancers in my area. My goal now is to make connecting with them a priority, to add local freelancers to my ongoing networking efforts.

Why Am I Thinking About This Right Now?

The other day I mentioned to a freelancing coach that I’d recently had some good luck and that I felt I might actually make it in the freelancing jungle. Her response to me was “Why wouldn’t you be successful?” Her response had me speechless. It took me about 48 hours to respond. I kept thinking, “Why WOULD I be successful?”

My reaction to her question made me realize just how strong my underlying negative beliefs are about this endeavor, just how loudly that voice in my head still screams “Real people don’t stay home and write. Real people go out and get real J.O.B.S.”

My reaction to her question also made me realize there is a loud voice in my head screaming, “Don’t trust people on the internet.”

Why This Big Fear?

I’m pretty sure my fear is mainly a by-product of the isolation inherent in freelancing and possibly a by-product of that underlying fear of failure.

I know the people I interact with online are real.

I also think it’s usually smart to be cautious. There’s a big element of risk in freelancing. I feel like I’ve approached freelancing with good judgment, but you just never know. And the truth is, I’ve yet to make it in the freelancing world. I’m still in the just-getting-started stage. And I don’t know any real, live freelancers who have made it, either. I think my plan to start interacting with other freelancers in my area will change that. They will be my proof that I’m pursuing something both real and attainable.

Takeaway: Newbie freelancers face many scary things. Part of being an effective freelancer, however, is devising ways to deal with problems. My plan to start connecting with local freelancers can be used to overcome at least some of the isolation inherent in freelancing.

jessi

Jessi Stanley is a freelance writer and editor/ghostwriter in Greenville, NC (www.linkedin.com/pub/jessica-stanley/10/597/984/). She’s @stanleyjessica on Twitter

Fighting Freelance Frustration

Posted on October 11, 2013 by vbordeau Posted in Personal Development .

Wow, it’s been a long time since I‘ve written anything myself for this blog. And it isn’t because I have been lazy or in a writing slump. The reason is because lately I have been wrapped up in other people’s stories. I have had the chance over the last few months to talk to hundreds of writers all over the world. They have shared with me their dreams, goals, and aspirations. They have also shared with me their secret fears and frustrations.

These writers have some pretty lofty goals. Yet, they struggle with feeling like they don’t measure up to “other successful writers they know.” They get told that “writing isn’t a real job,” or that “It must be nice to sit around and do nothing all day.” I don’t know about you, but I bust my butt at this computer every weekday and many times on the weekend as well. Most of the time, I am online over 10 hours every day, answering emails, writing, composing newsletters, creating content, and marketing like crazy.

These writers pour their hearts and souls into their work only to face clients who try desperately to pay them far less than the hourly wage of a fast food worker. That’s assuming they even pay them at all. Yet, they still hold out hope that one day all their struggling will be worth it. (SPOILER ALERT): You’re going to make it if you consistently put in the work.

I have felt the awful pangs of freelancing as well from time to time. I have been ripped off from a client on Elance. (Luckily, I had documented enough for Elance to make good on the payment, but I only got 3/4ths of what should have been owed to me.) I’ve been paid pittance for my work in the past. I spent 3 months struggling with a membership website until an awesome fellow freelance writer came along and very generously saved the day for me. And just last week, I had the best interview I have ever done only to have technology fail me and none of it recorded. I haven’t updated my portfolio since I created it, even though it has been on my to-do list every week. In fact, I have had tons of things on my to-do list that have never seen the light of day as of yet. I have had my head in my hands tearing my hair out more times than I can count and my computers have come very close to becoming scrap metal.

Then, there are days that make all of this crap worthwhile. When I see new writers I talk with every day in the Kingdom of Paidalot going whole-heartedly after their dreams and achieving success, I can’t help but smile. I feel proud when they all tell me privately what huge obstacles they all have in their personal lives and are slammed for time every day, yet they find the time to go out of their way to help each other and make each other smile in spite of it all.

We have to remember in the tough times why we are doing what we are doing and keep going no matter what the trial. Yeah, no lie it’s a bitch. And yeah, others may be more successful at the moment. Whatever. I’ve seen enough in life to know the tables can turn at any moment.

You have a dream and a passion for a reason. Don’t let what anyone else thinks, says, or does influence you from pursuing what is important to you. Rise above the trash and be the superstar you were meant to be. Be freakin’ legendary.

Determine what success means to you. Then pursue it. Piss on everything else.

My Rock Star Anthem….What’s Yours?