Monthly Archives: February 2011

Writing Professionally: Blogging Advice

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Alert readers may correctly suspect that I’m new to blogging. From what I’ve read, it’s a good way to get the word out about yourself – provided you can keep coming up with interesting things to say. For me, it also provides potential clients with a sort of “living portfolio” of my skills as a writer.

So far, I’ve learned one important thing:

Talk about podcasts.

I’ve done nothing to promote my blog yet – I’m waiting until I’ve got three months of material up – but as soon as I posted that podcast review last weekend, my visits have literally tripled.

I guess people really like podcasts. I wonder what other subjects will get things moving like that.

Thanks for listening.

Podcasts Worth Listening To (Part One)

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I’m a stay-at-home dad. I write full time from home, care for two children and see to the house, budget and cooking. I help my wife as much as possible to help her career grow in the direction she wants. This leaves me little time to sit on my butt and read.

This is a shame, since I really enjoy reading. Enter podcasts. It’s rare to find me working out, walking the dog, cleaning or cooking without a podcast – or audiobook – running in my ear or on the nearest computer. Here then, in no particular order, are a few of the podcasts I listen to most.

  • Fear the Boot – A podcast about “tabletop role playing games and a little bit more.” This is a round-table discussion featuring a core of hosts plus a rotating stable of regular guests. Besides its high production value, what I love most about this cast is the wealth of different opinions. Most gaming podcasts out there are either one guy spouting off, or a shameless shill for some gaming company. These guys offer amusing opinion and actionable advice. Generally runs about an hour.
  • Writing Excuses – Three successful science fiction writers talk about the craft and business of writing. Years ago, Lawrence Block published several collections of his columns for Writers Digest Magazine. This is the 21st century version of that invaluable set of tools – complete with Monty Python jokes and Firefly references, because these guys are the best kind of geeks. Run time is fifteen minutes “because you’re in a hurry and we’re not that smart.”
  • Stuff You Missed in History Class – A product of HowStuffWorks.com, this two-host history show gives a 20 minute rundown of fun facts and bizarre events from this history of our world. Topics run from Vlad Tepes to presidential debates to the Tower of London’s menagerie. Great for history buffs, and for stirring up creative juices for your fiction projects. As a bonus, co-host Sarah Dowdey has the sexiest voice in podcasting today. Run time is about 20 minutes, with earlier episodes coming in around seven.
  • Taking Control – Two professional organizers share bits of actionable advice on organizing your time, space and money. Two things set this cast apart from the other organizing podcasts out there. Their production quality is significantly better, and their discussions stay focused on the central topic for the episode. The advice ranges from broad concepts to naming specific products they’ve found useful. The only down side is they don’t cast as often as I’d like to listen. Run time is typically ten minutes.
  • The Dave Ramsey Show – I admit it. I’m a Dave Ramsey fan. His “Total Money Makeover” got my family out of our financial doghouse when my first business bit the dust in the middle of the recession. This hour-long program is the only radio show turned podcast I listen to. The advice sometimes feels recycled if you’ve followed him for a while, but it serves as a strong reminder to keep me on track.

There are thousands of podcasts out there, and hundreds worth giving a try. The five above fill up most of my iPod space that’s not taken up with audiobooks or music.

Thanks for listening

Why I Love Indiana Jones

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It became evident recently that I was guilty of severe child neglect: my older son had reached his 10th birthday without seeing Raiders, Temple or Last Crusade. Naturally, we remedied this unacceptable situation as soon as possible.

So here’s the thing about Indy. They aren’t high art. They aren’t making deep statements. They’re not even ambitious for action movies. But the thing they are – fun, light-hearted pulp thrillers – they are perfectly.

As a reader, I appreciate this. As a writer, I need to learn how to hit a target with such flawless aim. Somebody could write (probably somebody has written) a thesis on why they do what they do so well. Me, I’m still thinking about it. For now, I’d like to identify a few more “lowbrow” works that are unabashedly – and brilliantly –  just what they are.

Robert Parker’s Spenser novels.
Beat the Reaper, by Josh Bazzell
The music of Korpiklaani and Jackyl
The Princess Bride
Fritz Lieber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series

There are many more. Sadly, they are outnumbered by pretentious works by people who think they should do more with something that would have been fine just being entertaining.

Just my two cents. Thanks for listening.

Writing Professionally: Managing Income

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I am a full-time professional writer. This means that I can fulfill my financial responsibilities doing nothing but writing. From time to time, I’ll post tips to offer what advice my meager experience can offer to others who want to do the same.

Today I want to talk about managing income. As an amateur, I took what assignments I could find, then counted the money at the end of the month. The result: I wrote as an adjunct to my day job.

Professional writers do it the other way around. We work out how much you want to make each month, then pursue assignments until you reach the goal. Because the writing-acceptance-payment cycle often takes weeks or months, this doesn’t mean you’ll get cash money equal to your goal every single month. Over the course of the year, you can expect the average to equal the goals you set.

This can be a frightening leap of faith – after all, you don’t know who’s going to accept your proposals. There are a few things you can do to hedge your bets:

  • Take extra work when you can get it. This will give you extra cash for when things just don’t add up.
  • Pursue assignments in areas with a high need for volume, such as web content and ad copy.
  • Publish multiple times in the same magazine or site, rather than once each in many. The relationship you forge can lead to streamlined assignments, even a column.
  • Submit early and often: like any other sales situation, this is a numbers game. The more assignments you propose, the more you will receive.

I hope this helps. Thanks for listening.

Veggies Go Crunch!

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My recent article in Black Belt was about how certain skills learned in martial arts have non-combat applications that can save your life. Teenage TaeKwonDo black belt Kaynan Goldberg has taken it one step further.

It’s not uncommon for martial arts schools to require their black belt candidates to complete a project, much like the Boy Scouts require for an Eagle badge. Miss Goldberg’s project is a blog and video project about nutrition and healthy eating.

Visit Kaynan’s website “Veggies Go Crunch” to see an inspiring example of youth leadership and the possibilities of the new media. The great thing about our new pulp era is that for every self-indulgent blog like mine, there’s somebody else out there doing something important.

Congratulations, Kaynan, on a job well done.