Robbi Hess

How's your 2010 writing plan shaping up?

The new year is still young but have you made plans to begin your writing career? Have you searched out opportunities for freelance writing? Have you taken time to put "Writing" into your daily calendar? If not, what are you waiting for? There is still a week to come up with your plan for a 2010 writing career launch.

Demand Studios could be an option for your writing expertise. How about checking Craig's List under the writing/editing section or under Gigs for writing or creative? Is there a local newspaper that you feel could use more content? Do you have an idea for a filler? Fillers are snippets of information -- Top 5 or 10 lists; How-Tos; Quick and Easy (fill in the blank -- dinners, cleaning tips, ways to make road trips with kids fun, etc.)  Are you opinionated? If so, consider sending in a Letter to the Editor.

Once you see your name in print I can pretty much guarantee that will feed your need to see your name in print even more often.

Your first order of business should be to sit down at figure where you want to see your name appear, what your areas of expertise are and then schedule time every day to get that writing done. You don't need large, uninterrupted chunks of time to write -- take advantage of lunch hours at work or other snippets of time you can grab throughout the day.  You can't become a writer or a writing career without putting fingers to keyboard.

Cross country trip memories

I recently made a car trip in my tiny Yaris from Albion, NY to Arizona. It was me, my son, and the wonderful poodle, Henrietta. The car, though small, was actually comfortable for the trip and for sleeping in one night. Never in my life did I imagine I'd be sleeping in a car, wrapped up in blankets with a poodle on my chest in a truck stop parking lot, but there we were.

Truly, I imagined a trip from one coast to the other would be rife with places to stop and visit, signs reading "Welcome to...." or other such items to let you know you'd made it from one state to the next. We passed through St. Louis in the dead of night and it was the most brightly lit, vibrant city we passed through. Texas did welcome us with a "You are now entering Texas" sign but that was about it.

The road from here to there was long, dusty and not that exciting. As a writer, I anticipated having reams of paper worth of ideas of "things I saw on my trip." The most exciting -- and not in a good way -- was the hotel we stayed in one night. We had to find a hotel that would accept dogs, it was late, we were tired and got excited by a sign that boasted hotel rooms for less than $30. Believe me you get what you pay for, although I think they tossed the bugs in for free. eeewwww, not much sleep that night and in the morning, there was no hair dryer to be found. I called the front desk and discovered that no, they didn't offer that amenity. I imagined a hair dryer was a given in a hotel room -- I won't make that mistake again. But then, I won't stay in a hotel that costs $30 again. Lesson learned.

January 1 -- a fresh start?

January 1, 2010

Today I vow to post in my blog daily... okay, at least every other day. I know I have been slacking on this end.

I met my friend Joanne the other day at Panera Bread for breakfast and actually spoke the words, "I don't even feel like a writer anymore." It made my stomach clench when those words rolled out. Then I realized if I wanted to BE a writer or FEEL like a writer, then I'd better darn well write. Right?

Today I am going to sit down, assess my goals and start the year off right. Joanne and I said we were going to be each others' writing muse so that she would finish her book about her dogs and I would begin my online teaching of courses and actually work on my novel-in-progress. We hugged on it -- that makes it real.

So, forgive the shortness of this post but I have tea to brew and goals to plan.

Check your email and your etiquette before you hit send

When you sit down to write an email do you spell check? Make certain it's otherwise grammatically correct? Addressed to the right person? Conveys the message you hope to get across? Contains information appropriate to the recipient? These, and more, should be concepts to keep in mind when querying an editor in this age of instant contact.

Even though this isn't specifically writing related, would you ever send an email like this? In my role as an editor I have writers send me emails that do come in ALL CAPS (how annoying) or send it in bright color fonts, wacky backgrounds, or in fonts that are virtually impossible to read.

I realize that Times New Roman and Ariel fonts are boring but that Papyrus and Chaucer are exciting fonts but keep in mind, the editor isnt' impressed by fancy fonts (yes, even if you're writing poetry, a light airy font will not convey a light airy meaning to your work, it will only serve to annoy the editor) . What will impress an editor is a clean, well-thought-out query, your credentials and your knowledge of the subject matter of which you speak/write.

Take a look at your most recent queries (especially if they are in email form) were you courteous, direct, and was your email "legible"?

Have something to say? Why not get paid for it

Do you have articles sitting in a desk drawer (figuratively, of course, because you've likely stored everything on your computer)? If you have articles written or have ideas for articles that could be written -- by you -- here are some ideas of places to submit your writing; and perhaps even make money.

1. Examiner.com (of course I am a bit partial to this site. Check out the "Write for us" section. (mention that you heard it from me)
2. Associatedcontent.com This site accepts articles and videos on myriad subjects. See if you have something that fits.
3. Constant-content.com This site sells your articles to publishers. Be advised they have stringent quality controls in place before they will accept your work.
4. Suite101.com It calls itself the "most comprehensive online magazine" and offers many sections in which to prove your expertise and perhaps earn some income
5. Helium.com offers upfront payment for articles -- you won't get rich but you could make steady income that could add up

Whatever work you post -- make certain it is your own. These sites, as with all reputable sites, frown on plagiarism. What are you waiting for? Get writing -- and selling!

Getting trendy and topical

Do you ever sit down and want to write but just never know what to write about? I find I am running into that problem when I work on my Examiner page. I want to supply readers with information that will help them grow their writing careers but still remain topical. If you find yourself struggling with the same thing -- wanting to be topical and searchable but still needing to convey your particular message, go to Google Trends to see what everyone is talking about. (for instance recently it's been Michael Jackson, Cash for Clunkers and the freed journalists)

I found a way, recently to work the journalists into my writing pages (http://bit.ly/RobbiExaminer) My friend, Joanne, who is a Christian Examiner wrote about the Cash for Clunkers program by tying it into basic common sense lessons on spending and saving. I could certainly write about the Clunkers program by telling readers to pitch an article on car repair and maintenance (keeping that clunker running), going green in general (whether by trading in a car for a more fuel efficient one or with lower cost options) You see the trend?

It's pretty easy to find a trending topic and put your own spin on it to get your message across and bring your readers in.

What lengths for a scoop?

If you were a journalist, how far would you go for a story? Would you travel into hostile territory like Laura Ling and Euna Lee did? Would you go to North Korea or anywhere close to it in pursuit of a story? If you did, wouldn't you keep track of border issues so that you didn't accidentally step into enemy lands?

If you worked for a newspaper or television station, how far would you go for a story? How far would you to go to protect a source? Certainly not every -- or likely -- many journalists (whether television or newspaper) find themselves in this situation, it could be an interesting self-examination to think about what you'd do if faced with such a situation.

Even covering small town politics can bring with it some moral and ethical dilemmas such as off the record comments which could lead to an additional story idea, lead or angle. It's sometimes a wrestling match to ascertain what to do with information given in "confidence."

What would you do?

Traveling to Pennsylvania

I went to Scranton, PA over the weekend to watch Alexa (my daughter) perform with the Hawthorne Caballeros. I'd only been to one DCA show before and this one (even though it was outside at night -- two things that should never go together! lol) was more fun than I'd imagined.

I will be the first to admit that I know nothing about music and couldn't tell a good drum line from a not-so-good-one, I enjoyed the pageantry of the event. It's easy to see now why she spends her weekends traveling to and from New Jersey for practices. Once the corp is out there on the field, it all seems to come together -- at least in my eyes.

The trip wasn't bad other than the rain on the way home. But, word to the wise, if you read a hotel review and the hotel is given bad commentary -- believe it, and choose a different site. I imagined that people posting reviews simply had an axe to grind. Well, in this instance, they did not.

Talking about getting your name in print

This morning I spoke to the members of  The Lilac City Rochester Writers about "how to get your name in print." This felt a daunting task as this is a group comprised of multi-published authors. What in the heck was I going to tell them? I mean, I have yet to pen my novel (although I do finally have a novel idea -- it includes lighthouses, a ghost and an antique dealer) and here I was giving them advice. Gulp!

I imparted my vast and oh-so-impressive knowledge upon the masses (insert self-deprecating laughter here!) Truly, though I shared about blogging on my own blog, visiting the blogs of others, and yes, giving away your writing for free if it will garner you some bylines and experience. I still write for free for some sites and publications because I love what I do. Check out Coffeehouse For Writers, where I have written a weekly Writing Perc for the past three years.

Bottom line, when you're just starting out, you need to get your name out there in inventive ways. Write a Letter to the Editor on an article that was recently published, visit blogs on topics you're interested in, find a magazine that you'd really like to see your name in and take a chance and pitch an article. Also, places like The Examiner is looking for people with a passion for a particular topic in the city in which they live.

To get known, to garner clips and bylines, you need to "put yourself out there." But always remember, no matter what you write, put your best work forward -- always -- whether in a blog post on your own site or on others.

Now, stop reading and get writing!

What kind of writer do you want to be?

Have you figured out where you want your writing income to come from? Fiction or non fiction? Long or short pieces? What is your area of expertise or are you a generalist? There are two schools of thought when it comes to specializing or generalizing. Proponents have strong opinions on both sides. What you need to determine though is: Do you want to be known as the "gardening expert" or the go-to person when it comes to all things pet related? Or is it your dream to know a little bit about everything?

When you first start writing, the advice is "write what you know." That adage can put you in good stead with a writer or it could paint you into a corner. It can make your resume have an editor ohh-ing and aahh-ing or it could make an editor wonder whether you can handle the task of writing on a specific topic.

As with all writing it's a personal preference. Perhaps it would be easier to write for the topic on which you are most knowledgeable -- whether it's tea and all things tea-related, motorcycles, or antique collecting. If you have specific knowledge in those areas and read magazines or trade journals in that topic area, then by all means submit a query letter. If, however, you've always wanted to know about a particular area -- hang gliding, dog grooming, or herb growing -- then, by all means, contact experts, interview them and approach a magazine editor armed with an article jam packed with advice from experts in that field.

Where are you shopping your writing projects? My best advice is to start with publications you're familiar with and then branch out. Pick up a copy of any of the writer's markets that are available either on line or in bookstores. Go to search engines and type in the topic of your choice (gardening magazines, as an example) and pull up the magazines' editorial guidelines from there, submit your piece and then you're on your way.

So, now a task to add to your to-do list: determine what you love and write about it!