Last week, ProBlogger Darren Rowse showed off his work space and encouraged us to do the same. I considered it, but got caught up in the first week of school and catching up on my work and forgot. Then today I saw this post from Ryan at Performancing, also encouraging us to show our workspaces. So I got out my digital camera. Welcome to blog central.
This is where I work.
A few weeks ago it was nothing more than a room filled with old toys and other storage. I alternated working between a corner of my kitchen table and a spot in the dining room. Now that business is booming, we decided an office is in order. My husband painted and set up a place for me to work. It’s nothing fancy - as you can see, there’s a folding table holding our coputers and the book shelf is actually my grandmother’s old microwave cart and holds books I’m to review. That overflowing basket is promotional material -people like to send me stuff in hopes of my writing about it. That’s my “to do” basket. Oh and those flowers were a Mother’s Day gift from my son.
My computer is an HP Pavillion - a Christmas gift from my husband two years ago. The smaller Pavillion is also shared by my husband and son.
That’s it. It’s nothing fancy but considering my last spot in a corner of the dining room, I’ll take it! It’s heavenly having my own space to work. Now, I just need a desk.
So where do you work?
September 11th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Goodness, my workplace is full of junk. I wish I could take a picture and show everyone what it looks like. But you’ll most probably be appalled at the sight.
September 11th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
BTW Deb, I look forward to the time people start sending me free promotional materials too. LOL.
I love free stuff
September 11th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
My husband and I share a tiny office at one end of our bedroom since we’re in a small rental home at the moment. We swap out. I get the office to do my writing during the day while our daughter naps, and he gets it to enter grades and build tests at night. I take the laptop and use the kitchen desk after our daughter’s in bed.
We’re shooting for a dedicated office with two separate work spaces in about three years.
September 11th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
I could win many a messiest office contests. I try to take time to straighten up for an hour before taking a daughter to school in the morning, but it’s not enough time.
My teen kids are supposed to help (for compensation), but I guess they think it’s not worth it at any price. Then they complain they have no money — but that’s another issue.
I can’t stress strongly enough how important it is to have an office area — preferably a separate room. IRS wants that for office in home deduction. And it’s important to separate work and home — even if you work in the home.
September 11th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
I’m just getting started in freelance writing and have been lurking around your blog for several weeks now.
My workplace is both on a tray table in the living room and at a small computer desk upstairs. The tray table setup is using an Apple MacBook Pro, while the upstairs computer is a generic Pentium 4 desktop with a 21″ monitor.
Like Deb, I will probably create a more proper office setup once I get this new career off the ground.
September 11th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
I guess I’m lucky. We had a storage room on our attached carport. My husband and I gutted it. Then we insulated, wired, and drywalled it and installed a nice big window.
All I had to do was get rid of a bunch of junk I’d have never used. The garage sale money I got from selling it covered a lot of the cost of renovation.
You can try your local Habitat for Humanity Restore for good deals on light fixtures, doors, windows and even a desk.
September 11th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Your work site puts mine to shame! My office started out so nice but I run a used book business from home and have stacks of books that I need to price and list laying all over - hard to find anything in here! But work goes on as usual.
I need to buy a laptop now so I can do some of my writing from my bedroom or cabin where I will not feel as cramped!
September 11th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
I’m lucky in that I have an office with a door. When my DH & I bought our home, having an office was a top priority (it was either office or 5th bedroom). At night, however, I like to sit on the couch with the laptop instead of in the office all by myself.
September 11th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
All I can say is that your workspace is so neat and organized. My compliments! I definitely have more space than you Deb, but with my mess, you wouldn’t really know it.
We have the privilege in Germany to have office furnishings and fixtures as tax deductibles. That’s how we managed to buy a real office desk and office chairs. Just curious whether this is also true in the US and other parts of the world…
September 11th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
I … I don’t understand. Where is themug of tea? Where are the cats?
September 11th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
Erik -
I’m not a tea drinker. BUT if you look to the left of my laptop you’ll see a FWJ mug filled with coffee.
And Logan and Gnocchi, my two kittens, are in the window.
September 11th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Deb, Pottery Barn has a cool desk that I’ve been wanting for years… it’s kind of old-fashioned.
http://www.potterybarn.com/gift/thm/THMHOA/index.cfm
September 11th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Deb,
Is there an e-mail address that we can contact you at for positive leads? There are a few that I would like to share with the fellow bloggers, but I am not sure that the comment section is the appropriate forum.
Thanks!
Sarah
September 12th, 2007 at 12:29 am
My husband and I share an office — our second bedroom — but I have it to myself most of the time. We both have (genuine) antique desks. Actually, virtually all of our furtniture is antique. I prefer old stuff.
I do a lot of my work at my desk or in the comfy old platform rocker right next to it. However, since I have my laptop, I like to move around a lot during the day to mix things up a bit. One of my favorite places the last month or so has been the front porch, usually with one of my cats to keep me company.
I’m also thinking about taking my laptop up to the stables and working while my horse grazes, since the stable rules say that we can’t leave our horses turned out unattended. However, I’m going to have to figure out a comfortable (and safe) place to sit out there before I can implement that plan.
I think I’ll blog about this in a little more detail tomorrow. I’ll post a link when I do.
September 12th, 2007 at 6:03 am
Is that a piece of cardboard I see, hiding the wiring? If so, we have something in common, I have the same thing! Nice work space, and smart thinking on our part, huh?
September 12th, 2007 at 7:50 am
My desk is in a corner of my living room. I’d like to move into the second bedroom but need to get roadrunner hooked up for in there and remove the tons of toys.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:13 am
A topic we discuss over and over again is how we are sick of being offered jobs for pennies and how we want to be taken seriously.
Then we start a thread with people saying they work on a TV tray or at the kitchen table, on the sofa, etc. This does not sound professional at all and if potential clients want to hire a professional, even though you and I know we can write anywhere and under just about any circumstances, it does not appear very professional to be working in anything other than an office in your home, set up specifically for that.
So, my feeling is that if we are requesting clients to take us seriously and pay us as professionals, we need to at least keep up that image and work in what is perceived to be a professional environment.
Just as in advertising…it’s always the “packaging” that sells. You must “package” yourself as a professional if you are to be treated and paid as one.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:19 am
Packaging is important. I have to disagree that where we do our work matters as much as you say it does Workingfordollars.
Many times our work speaks for itself and clients usually don’t ask where we work.
September 12th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
I think what “Writing for Dollars” is trying to say is that we need to take ourselves seriously before we can expect anyone else to.
However, I disagree that writing on a TV tray means we don’t take ourselves seriously enough. After all, what is a desk except a bunch of pieces of wood (or metal, or plastic) nailed together? It’s no different than a TV tray.
I argue that it’s how you think about your workspace that makes a difference. You don’t need a fancy Pottery Barn desk to take your workspace seriously. As long as you have a space set aside primarily for working, and respect it as such, I doubt you’ll have a problem.
As Micah pointed out, our clients don’t ask to see our workspace. You are right that packaging is important, but as freelancers I don’t believe our workspaces are part of that. If we have professional websites, resumes, and correspondence, and we do quality work, who the he!l cares if we work in our pajamas at a TV tray?
September 12th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
I’m a bit conflicted here, because part of me wants to agree with “Writing for Dollars”. There is nothing more important than a certain level of professionalism on our part, so that we are taken seriously, and insisting on this from job posters - so that we can tell the scams from the real jobs.
But … well, if you saw where I worked, the answer is “everywhere”. My favorite place is a bar-height table that’s only 24″ round, partly because the cats can’t reach it as easily. The desk? Oh, let’s not go there.
I have big plans for the back room, but … well, I don’t want to go there, either. Suffice it to say that I need about $10k to realize that little corner of my amateur architect’s instincts.
Is it wrong to talk about our slovenly state? I will here, but not to a client. Never. When I have people over at the house for a Board training or worksession (and workout my amateur Martha Stewart) I spend about a week cleaning. They have to believe that my 150 year old house always looks like an antebellum museum. They have to think that I’m organized and caring.
I think what we say here doesn’t quite count. But it’s best not to develop bad habits just because we found so many kewl people to comiserate and celebrate with.
September 12th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Erik –
There are some clients where I would agree with you — I don’t tell them things like my habit of working on the porch with my cat. However, I have more personal relationships with some of my long-time clients, and I really don’t care if they know I work in my pajamas sometimes.
Regardless of what I tell my clients, I have no qualms about posting it on my blog. My blog is more for other freelancers than clients, anyway. Anyway, if a potential client stumbles on my blog and starts doubting the quality of my work simply because I like to work in an overstuffed ’40s rocker, well then, that’s probably not someone who would have been very pleasant to work with anyway.
September 12th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
By the way, I now have a post live on my own blog about where I work. Some of you may like to hop on over there and check it out, if only to see the pictures…
September 12th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Thanks for the pics, Katharine, but you won’t be seeing any from me any time soon. I have no intentions of cleaning until … well, not for a while.
I have one of my cats (four in total) and my dog up on facebook, tho, along with the park I do most of my work in during the summer. I’ll leave it at that.
September 12th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
By the way, Erik, you might like to check out the pictures, too. Both Michael and I really like older houses, too. Our house isn’t nearly as old as yours — it’s a bungalow from 1920 — but it still has its charm. We had the good luck of finding an old house that hadn’t had a lot of ridiculous remodeling done, so we get to choose how to do the updates without compromising the house’s character.
September 12th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
I agree that it doesn’t matter where we work, what matters is how we work.
Nevertheless, the thought of an antique varnished wood as a desk really appeals to me. Somehow, aesthetics provide a push in right direction for me. Our help tidies my desk every morning but by midday, it’s reverted to its old clutter. When I tidy it up again, I find myself eager to go back to work. It’s a bit funny, really.
September 12th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Erik, I want to see your cats! Katharine, I love your cat! I love black cats ♥
September 12th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
The WordPress comment bug finally ditched not one, but two of my comments. Here is my original comment:
Erik –
You can send me messy pics. Truly, I won’t care. I can send you a picture of our basement and what my desk looks like right this moment — that might make you feel a little better.
Mariella –
I have two cats, one black and one white. The white one is deaf and is the oddest cat I have ever known.
We also have two big dogs, a hamster that we found in our backyard one night last summer, and (of course) my horse.
We live in a menagerie…….
September 12th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
i am very tempted to post a picture of my workplace just to lure Erik into doing the same (I want to see a part of his antique house).
If only my digital camera works right now. Maybe tomorrow~
September 12th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
Only small parts of the desk are visible. The occasional pile of papers come avalanching down and that’s when things get tossed away. The monitor sticks out enough to see what’s being done on it. The keyboard shelf is tidy but usually has either a stapler or hole punch beside the keyboard. The shelves above me are being used to hold writing books. Mostly it’s a hazardous zone. I should declare it so. It’s a mess. I’d never tell anyone…oh shucks… I just did. Well, the world’s messiest writer. But my computer is in order and clear of extra junk. At least I can work on my laptop outside when the mess gets to me.
Some day…
September 12th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
My workspace is extremely messy, but I like it that way because I know where everything is. A week or so ago I also dumped a bunch of framed prints on the ground in my office that need to be hung around the house….let’s just say that they’re still lying in the middle of the floor, along with two rubbermaid bins and a pile of writing magazines.
September 13th, 2007 at 2:41 am
Katharine>> I saw the pics of your horse. What happened? How did he/she get that injury?
September 13th, 2007 at 11:31 am
Mariella –
I know, poor thing, huh?
Just over a month ago, when he was still staying at the in-law’s place, he got tangled up in a wire fence. You can see how the cut spirals around and up his leg. Apparently he tried pretty hard to get loose, and the wire cut him up pretty bad. The vet thought he had been there a long time.
Unfortunately, the cut then got infected, partly because my sister-in-law wasn’t washing it out. (Panama is a kicker, and to top it off I don’t think he likes her very much.) After three vet visits, it is finally healing.
He also cut up his nose the night they loaded him up on the trailer to bring him out here. He has had a bad trailer experience with his mother when he was a yearling, so he freaked out and bolted, running right through a fence (him and fences!!) to try to get back into the pasture. The cut on his nose has healed up quickly, though.
I’m relieved that we have Panama out here now, because I can keep an eye on his leg, and because he is now in a more controlled environment. Also, I know he wasn’t getting enough attention there. They have three horses of their own, a donkey, four dogs, two cats, two toddlers, and a handful of financial problems to keep them busy. Since he arrived last Thursday, I’ve been to the stables once or twice a day to visit and work with him, and I can already see a difference.
September 14th, 2007 at 11:18 am
Katharine, I’ve been trying to post in your blog for a while, but I can’t seem to.
And just earlier, if my posting I worked, I think I commented 10 times (the same thing, just kept hitting submit..sorry!)
September 14th, 2007 at 11:21 am
Really? That’s weird. I haven’t gotten any comments on my blog, so no worries about hitting submit so many times.
What’s it doing when you try to submit your comment?
September 14th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
it just says “comments are subject to moderation” or something akin to that.
Just wanted to thank you for the heads up about that writers’ conference! got my registration application one day in before the deadline. 
September 14th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Well, I do have my blog set to allow me to moderate comments before they are posted. However, I don’t have any of yours showing up as comments to be moderated.
I’m glad you got into the online writers conference! It should be a lot of fun!
What is the deadline, by the way? I signed up several weeks ago, so I don’t remember anymore.
September 14th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Tomorrow! I was lucky to have seen your post on time. I was also commenting on your entries about Panama. Maybe there’s something wrong with my blogger account. I should check it out…but I tried submitting Anonymous comments when I can’t log in (stating who I am in the body of the message, of course), my messages still can’t get through
September 14th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
That’s really weird. I tried test comments signed in and as anonymous, and both worked, so I don’t know what to tell you.
Maybe someone else could try commenting, and let us know what happens.
Wow, I didn’t know the deadline was so close. I guess I should post that.
September 14th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Katharine and Mariella,
I registered too. Glad I saw this and thanks for posting the link Katharine.
I decided to enter in the contest as well. I have been wanting to stir up some creative fiction and learn some more of that aspect of writing as well.
It’s only 2.00 to enter, not to mention a great site! The conference starts Oct. 8th and lasts until the 14th. I am really looking forward to it!
September 14th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
I tried to submit a comment and got the “moderator enabled” like Mariella recieved. Katharine did you recieve the comment to moderate it?
September 14th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
No, I didn’t. Very weird, because I did receive a comment from another writer just half an hour ago.
Odd.
September 14th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Hmmmm. I put in as anonymous but had my name in it. I tried.
September 14th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Well, thanks anyway.
I have no idea what to do about it, so I’m hoping it’s a temporary Blogger malfunction. Does one of you mind trying again later today?
If the problem persists, I guess I’ll just have to turn off comment moderation…
September 14th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Katharine’s blog doesn’t like us, MIcah.
I didn’t see the fiction contest though. But I’m already preparing for other contests so I guess it’s all right.
Yay! That means we’re all in it together
September 14th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Sure I’ll try later Katharine.
It’s going to be great conference and even better knowing you two will be there.
Just click on the contests button on the webpage and it will explain the details. Registration ends Nov. 15th for that so time is left for that.
September 14th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Have both of you received the workshop schedules? What are you thinking of signing up for? And how much?
I’m thinking of taking the week off of work, but I’m still not sure how many workshops I can handle at once. I’m having to restrain myself from signing up for 4 or more every day.
September 14th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
No I have not recieved it yet. I’m going to wait to decide for sure but let me know which ones you will be. I don’t know how many I can handle at once either. Are you going to sign up for the contest Katharine? It looks like a great deal of fun.
September 14th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
I hadn’t looked at it yet, but it does look interesting. Unfortunately, I’m also doing NaNoWriMo this year, which is in November. I’ll have to think about the contest — not sure how much I want to put on my plate.
I haven’t decided for sure yet what workshops I’m doing, but I’ll let you know when I do!
September 14th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
I have only received the confirmation email as of now. Still waiting for the schedule. I think I can take off of work for a week, granted no rush job come in. That means I have to work doubly hard the week before to be able to cover for the next.
MIcah>> I can’t find the info on the $2 entry fee. Isn’t it free?
Katharine and Micah>> I found the page with the conference sched. I think I’m going to sign up for:
Well…I was going to list them here, but it seems like I want to sign up for everything!
September 14th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Katharine, I’m also doing NaNoWriMo this year! Actually, I was supposed to do it last year, but got caugh up in my own affairs.
September 14th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Mariella says:
“Well…I was going to list them here, but it seems like I want to sign up for everything!”
That’s my problem, too.
I didn’t find anything on a contest entry fee, either…
September 14th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
I did NaNoWriMo last year. I reached 50,000 with just a few hours to spare, as I remember.
Since then, I’m afraid, my novel has sat on my hard drive, untouched. I printed it out, meaning to start revising, but then I never got to it.
This year I am going to use a novel idea that I care a little more about, in the hopes that it will actually make it to print.
September 14th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Well, at least you already got the writing part done. As for me, it’s still all here in my brain. LOL. Sometimes it gets a little disconcerting that I’m too busy to actually write for myself. But that’s life, and I’ll do it when the time is right, I guess…LOL. So on the next NaNoWriMo, I hope it IS time.
September 14th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Mariella –
I know. I also would like to write more fiction, but find it hard to make time. Sometimes I think how ironic it is that I’m a freelance writer, and my “day job” still interferes with my writing. Ha!
Of course, then I think about the fact that I am actually making a living as a writer, and not having time for fiction suddenly doesn’t sound like such a big deal after all. I’m just grateful that my day job is something I genuinely love doing!
September 14th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
You’re definitely right. Just the fact that we make a living on something we love is a privilege. ♥
September 14th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Mariella, are you already signed up for NaNoWriMo? My page is still up from last year (I guess they don’t take them down). You can find it here.
September 14th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
ohmigosh, my favorite authors are the Bronte Sisters and Anne Rice too!!! ♥ ♥ ♥
And congratulations for winning last year’s contest!!!
I don’t think I can sign up yet, I don’t see a registration option. Perhaps it’ll be open sometime around October. Is that bar graph right, btw? You finished 5,000 words on the last day of the contest? O_O
September 14th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Yeah, I got really behind, so I put off all other work and just wrote for the last day or two of November. It was a frantic pace, I’ll tell you that!
Realistically, though, I can pound out about 1,000 words an hour when I really get going.
Yes, I think you’re right — registration is in October. Let me know your screen name when you register, and I’ll add you as a buddy!
It’s fantastic to meet another Bronte fan, by the way. Most people say, “Who?”
Which sister is your favorite? I like Anne, who isn’t as well known, but is (I think) the best of the three.
September 14th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
I know! Everybody’s a Jane Austen fan. Actually, my preference shifts around the three sisters depending on my mood. Right now, it’s Charlotte (because I’ve just reread Jane Eyre…LOL). I reckon next month, it would be another sister. haha~ Emily’s the one I’ve least liked, I think. Perhaps it’s because she only published one novel so I don’t get to read her work as much as the other sisters.
September 14th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
Emily was my favorite when I was a teen, but probably my least favorite now. I think it’s all for the same reason: Wuthering Heights is so soap opera-ish! When you’re a teen, that’s great, but not as exciting when you’re all grown up.
Have you read Anne’s Wildfell Hall? I’ve read it twice. Haven’t read Agnes Grey yet though.
I personally am not as fond of Austen. Wit and ridicule was big back then, but I personally prefer how directly Charlotte and Anne address the societal issues of the day.
September 14th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
LOL! I think Wuthering Heights works its magic the first time ’round, or perhaps, as you said, when you’re a teenager. But it wears off after a while. Still, it’s a good read every now and then, though the last time I’ve read it was 3 years ago, I think. I just can’t get myself to pick it up again. LOL.
I love Wildfell Hall *sniffs*. Oh no…now I want to reread it. I can’t…I have deadlines! LOL. Yes! I’ve read Agnes Gray. Actually, I lost the copy my uncle has given me when I was 16. Last time I tried finding one, there’s none available, so now I’m making do with an ebook. Still, it’s better than nothing.
As for Jane Austen, I think I’d like to quote Charlotte:
“Jane Austen was a complete and most sensible lady but a very incomplete and rather insensible — not senseless — woman. If this is heresy — I cannot help it.”
September 14th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Love the quote.
I collect old books, so I have a couple of really nice old sets. One has Charlotte’s four books, and the other is a set of all of their work, including a selection of their poetry.
I’ll try to post pictures on my blog (and a link on this thread) this weekend. You’ll love ‘em!
September 14th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
Okay! I’ll wait for them. Hope by that time, I’ll be able to post in your blog. I tried twice since earlier, btw. Did you receive comments from me?
September 14th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
Katharine, just got the conference schedules. Will look it up later and tell you which lessons I’m signing up for
September 14th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Mariella, I haven’t gotten any of your comments.
If it’s not working by tomorrow I’m going to switch to unmoderated comments.
I look forward to seeing what you’re interested in signing up for. I’m particularly interested in all the marketing stuff, since I intend to go the self-publishing route.
September 14th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
I have recieved my list and will be going over it this weekend and deciding too. I had to send the e-mail to my friend to open it and resend it to me because microsoft works does not open pdf’s.
September 14th, 2007 at 10:20 pm
Oh, Micah, you seriously need to have a copy of MS Word if you are going to be in this business!!! Don’t forget, it’s a business expense…
(By the way, wasn’t your schedule a Word doc, rather than a PDF? That’s what mine was.)
September 14th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
I can’t open doc’s either. It’s a pain. I’ll get Word when I can afford it but can’t do it right now.
I just opened a pdf with adobe acrobat so it must have been a memory problem at the time.
September 14th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Check at a used or discount computer store. You might be able to get a slightly older copy for a good price. I use Word 2000, and I’ve never had any problems due to using an older version.
When you buy it, save the receipt — you can deduct the cost on 1040 Schedule C as a business expense.
September 15th, 2007 at 2:25 am
I received a doc file too. MIcah, you can also send me doc files to convert to PDF when you need it in case you ever you need help in the future
Katharine>> I can’t decide which ones to sign up for! I’m very interested in the writing conferences, but I NEED to learn more about marketing. So I guess I just have to create a balanced schedule…Not to mention, I have a book due on the end of October, so I guess I just have to put my nose to the grindstone before and after the conference week to get things done.
September 15th, 2007 at 2:36 am
Thanks Mariella.
That’s so great that you are working on a book. I don’t have half the jobs that you do yet. I’m still working on content for an ebook.
September 15th, 2007 at 2:47 am
Well, it’s not as great as it sounds like since the book is not mine — ghostwriting it for a client
But, as I said, I’m signing up for NaNoWriMo so hopefully by the end of November, I can say that I’ve written my own book.
September 15th, 2007 at 4:05 am
What’s the link for NaNoWriMo? I’d like to take a look at it. It’s for writing a book? BTW…I have not ghostwritten yet either so I think it’s a big deal. :}
September 15th, 2007 at 4:11 am
Yes, basically, it’s setting a goal for you to be able to finish a 50,000-word book in 30 days. It’s right here. Katharine also posted her NaNoWriMo profile. It’ll help a lot if you have an idea churning but have no drive to finish a manuscript.
September 15th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Mariella –
I agree, marketing is important. I am focusing primarily on marketing, and just throwing in a few of the writing workshops I am most interested in.
I think I’m becoming pretty good at the marketing aspect, but it’s one of those things I think you can always learn more about.
Micah –
It would be awesome if you did NaNoWriMo too!
September 15th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
I agree. I need to learn more about marketing because I’m not quite as adept at “selling myself” yet.
I wish I could go over the list now but I have a deadline in a couple of hours and I’m having indigestion…………
So I’ll pop in again later. LOL~
September 16th, 2007 at 10:58 am
I work everywhere
It honestly depends on my mood and personal preference at the time. Sometimes I work on my laptop at the kitchen table, other times in the living room, in the basement, on my bed, or at the coffee shop. Every once in a while I feel like writing in my family’s office, but that’s a rarity.
September 17th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Mariella –
How did meeting the deadline go?
Do you get the Writing for Dollars newsletter? There was an article in this issue that made me think of you. The article is about ways to market yourself (well, your book, but some of the tips can be used for marketing other aspects of yourself too).
September 17th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
It was a close shave. LOL. The indigestion made it all the harder to concentrate. I downed two cans of energy drink just to be able to cope. Haha~
Thanks a lot for the link, Katharine! This is great ♥ I’ll sign up for their newsletter then.
September 17th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
I’ve been getting the newsletter for about six months now, I think. The articles are usually helpful, and the market listings are pretty good, too!
September 17th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Glad you made the deadline, by the way. Speaking of which, I should get to work here, too………………………
September 17th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
It’s great to discover something new every day
Actually, me too. Haha~ More deadlines on the way so I better get back to work. I ended up reading the whole newsletter. LOL.
September 18th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Katharine, do you remember when we talked about being contacted months later by jobs we’ve applied for? I just got one earlier for a trade mag. And this is a gig I really wanted so I’m very happy right now
*PS: I tried to post this on your blog, but as usually, it wouldn’t let me.
September 18th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Congrats, Micah! I had a similar thing happen to me just this morning: A client contacted me several weeks after I applied. It sounds like a good gig, so I’m pleased.
I just changed my blog settings. No more comment moderation. Try again and let’s see what happens!
September 18th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Congrats Mariella. Not me. Anyways I will check your blog Katharine.
September 18th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Thanks Katharine
Haha~ I’ll drop by your blog later today. ♥