Happy Veteran’s Day! A heartfelt thanks to the brave, selfless men and women who have served our country in order to give us the freedom to do whatever completes or inspires us… even if it’s something as simple as working from home while having breakfast in bed in your PJs. (No video Skyping for me.)

Check out my most recent post for Mamapedia, one of my favorite clients. I love my country!

‎”The creative person basically has two kinds of jobs: One is the sexy, creative kind. Second is the kind that pays the bills. Sometimes the task in hand covers both bases, but not often. This tense duality will always play center stage. It will never be transcended.”

- Hugh Macleod

As the steady stream of tweets and status updates becomes a virtual monsoon, it’s clear that social networking is here to stay. But what does that mean for freelance writers?

Most of today’s writers use social media to advertise their services and stay connected with clients, other writers, and the online business community. But on the flipside, freelance writers can carve out a whole new niche for themselves by offering social media services to other businesses. Social networking has become a full-time job in and of itself, and opportunities abound for anyone with the right combination of writing, marketing, and online networking savvy.

Think you have what it takes to manage social media accounts, create engaging blog posts, market products, and interact with customers? If so, you may be able to tap into a growing and lucrative new market.

What does it take to start your own social networking business—or, if you’re already a freelance writer, to take advantage of this trend and get hired as a social networker? You’ll need:

• Facility as a writer and the ability to be clever, witty, and engaging with words
• The ability to act as a company spokesperson, capturing the voice and style of a variety of businesses and managers
• An understanding of corporate requirements, marketing strategies, and online PR venues
• Experience with the biggest and most popular social media tools, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (as well as specialized communities, if you’re targeting certain industries)
• Top-notch “netiquette”, good judgment, and the ability to interact with (other people’s) customers politely and professionally
• Proven ability to succeed in blogging and social media, evidenced through your own blog, Facebook pages, and/or Twitter following
• Effective organizational skills and the ability to manage many social media accounts on a daily basis

Not every writer makes a great marketer, and many marketers can’t write their way out of a paper bag. But for writers who combine the online social networking skills with marketing and business knowledge, landing gigs as a social networking consultant is a great way to get new clients and boost your bottom line—one tweet at a time.

It will probably come as no surprise that I think freelance writing is the best job in the world (well, next to margarita and lounge chair tester somewhere on the coast of Mexico). If you enjoy being your own boss, need flexibility in your workday, and love writing, this career is right up your alley.

But, contrary to what my mother might think, it’s not all about sleeping in until noon and writing about whatever strikes your fancy. To succeed, you need to find reliable clients who will pay you (generously, with any luck) for your work. For many freelance writers, marketing and networking with clients is dreaded and often avoided—until they start to get hungry and realize these connections equate with a paycheck.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’re already an established freelancer looking for new ways to market your business, here are some of the best ways to find new clients without spending a cent on advertising:

• Business cards: Even in this high-tech age, every professional should have business cards. Did you know you can get them for next to nothing from certain websites? All you’ll have to pay is shipping—not entirely free, but pretty close.
• Advertising online: Whether you choose to set up a website or start small by posting online ads or creating your own writing blog, there are plenty of ways to promote your freelance business online—and all it will cost is your time.
• Networking online: Discussion boards devoted to writing and business are good places to start getting the word out. Wherever you post or chat online, include a link to your writing site or blog in your signature. Don’t be spammy about it, but do seize opportunities when they arise. Just keep it short, sweet, and professional.
• Publishing online: There are dozens of reputable (and less-than-reputable) content sites seeking free articles, as well as industry sites in a variety of fields that welcome quality contributors. “Donating” your writing to these sites builds a portfolio and gives you free advertising. When crafting your bio and qualifications, make sure to also mention that you work as a freelance writer and you’re available to hire.

Think about the kinds of clients you’d like to work for—businesses, individuals, charities?—and target the places you’re mostly likely to encounter people looking for the services you offer. With a steady, concerted effort (and some talent sprinkled in), you’ll soon have all the writing jobs you can handle!

So you’ve gone through the applicants, considered resumes, read dozens of portfolio pieces, and chosen who you hope will be the perfect freelancer for your project. Now what? Read on for four surefire ways to drive a freelancer crazy – and what you should do instead to get the best possible product from your writer.

• Keep changing your deadlines: “It’s a rush job – can the press release be ready in three days?” If you’ve found a real professional, she might charge you a little bit extra but will probably find a way to make it happen. But then your web designer doesn’t get back to you in time, and you inform the writer that you won’t need the content for another week—so can she waive the rush fee? Perhaps she agrees to bill you at a lower rate, and then you find out that you’ll actually need the materials even sooner – tomorrow at the latest. Can she make the new deadline in time? Everyone has a complicated workweek once in awhile, but try not to flip-flop back and forth from urgent to relaxed deadlines.
• Send documents in unusual or inaccessible formats: Most freelance writers are pretty experienced at working out software incompatibility issues—but if you’re one of the rare computer users who prefer a really odd file format, it’s always a good idea to convert your files to a more generic type before sending them. Not only will this foresight keep your freelancer from pulling out her hair, it will save you time and frustration, too.
• Request keyword stuffing and other SEO “mistakes”: If you’re hiring a freelancer to create search engine optimized (SEO) content for your website, you’ve probably chosen someone who has extensive experience and skill in this type of work. Asking for an excessive amount of keyword use in your web copy is more than a challenge to your writer—it’s also bad practice and a red flag to search engines. If you’re going to hire a writer with keyword and SEO expertise, heed their advice to ensure the ideal combination of high rankings and proper protocol.
• Ask for sources after the work is completed: Everyone wants something different, and your freelancer doesn’t know the details of your project as well as you do. If you need professional references for your writing project, or a particular kind of quote or citation, spell it out as early in the process as possible. That way, your writer won’t have to spend billable time digging up additional sources and instruction after the fact.

It’s easy to drive a freelance writer stark raving mad, but it’s even easier to provide her with the information she needs to deliver quality content on time, within budget, and a smile—with the promise of a long and mutually profitable relationship.

So you’ve made the smart decision to hire a freelance writer to craft your website content, put together a marketing brochure, edit your e-newsletter, or create weekly blog posts for your business. You already know the best sites to find skilled, professional freelancers—or maybe you’ve already posted an online ad and received dozens of responses. But how can you determine which writer is the best one for your needs? Here are some of the most important “interview” questions to ask before giving a writer license to assemble your message:

1. “Have you done this kind of writing before?” This question covers everything from the type of project—a blog post, article, press release, email, or what-have-you—to your niche or industry. If you’re hiring someone to prepare an e-book on Internet marketing, for instance, a professional wedding blogger probably won’t do your product much justice.
2. “Can I see samples of your work?” Anyone can claim to have the writing chops to produce a masterpiece, but the only way to be certain of a provider’s skill is to review his or her portfolio, particularly samples in your genre.
3. “What’s your availability?” Ask about the writer’s preferred communication style and timeliness of responses, and nail down a timetable for project completion.
4. “What are your payment terms?” Does the provider charge a flat rate for the project, by the word, or an hourly rate? The majority of experienced writers will ask for an up-front deposit, followed by full payment upon delivery of the completed draft, but there are exceptions. Make sure you know in advance what you’re agreeing to pay and what that money will get you.
5. “What’s your policy on revisions?” Some freelance writers will charge extra for time spent on edits, while others account for one or two rounds of revisions in their project quote.

Hiring a freelancer can certainly take the burden off you and your staff, but it’s critical to ask the right questions before kicking off a project. By doing due diligence, you’ll ensure that you outsource to someone with the skills, work ethic, and industry background to bring just the right words to your vision.

If you’re just starting to earn income as a freelance writer, you’ve probably heard that you can write off businesses expenses and save money on your taxes. This may spawn some questions: “What kinds of expenses? What counts as a business expense? Can I write off my computer/electric bill/new toaster as a business expense?”

The simple answer is… maybe.

The definition of a permissible business expense, according to the IRS, includes anything that is “wholly, exclusively, and necessary” for your business. What this means is that anything you spend money on for business purposes is allowed – so long as it isn’t an item meant to serve a dual purpose. (If you buy a pair of work shoes, they’re a business expense; if you buy a pair of shoes to wear to your cousin’s wedding and occasionally wear them to work, they’re a personal expense with a dual purpose.)

So, what kinds of business expenses can you declare as a freelance writer?

• Work computer and software
• Bank charges related to business accounts
• Marketing costs, i.e. website design or brochure printing
• Dedicated telephone line
• Research and industry-related books, magazines, newsletters, etc.
• Membership fees for professional organizations
• Conference and networking expenses
• Travel expenses to writing conferences
• Meals eaten while at a conference, business meeting, or interview
• Office costs, or a portion of your rent, heating, and other expenses related to the square footage of your home office space (this applies only if you have a dedicated office that is separated by walls or dividers from the rest of the home)

When it comes to freelance business expenses, there is definitely a grey area. What about the laptop computer you bought for work, but occasionally use to play videos for your kids? How about the reference book you bought for the office, but ended up giving away to a friend six months later when it wasn’t useful to you? And can you write off that expensive dinner you had with a client?

Accountants and tax experts agree that there’s really no clear-cut line that defines permitted business expenses. It’s wise to keep track of all expenses, even if you’re not sure whether they are legitimately deductible. The bottom line is that it’s better to save receipts and ask your accountant at year-end, than toss them and find out later that you could have written it off!

You already know you need a blog to succeed in today’s competitive market…but what now? As a business owner ready to embrace the online marketing tools of the 21st century, one of your biggest challenges is figuring out exactly what to say on your professional blog. If you’re stumped, there are some great blogging experts who can offer advice and assistance. On the other hand, you may want to go it alone. Read on for some essential tips and tricks to creating a business-friendly blog.

What’s the Purpose of a Blog?

There are many right ways to use a business blog – but these don’t include posting chatty monologues, an excess of personal opinions, and diary-esque posts. A good business blog is usually a blend of industry facts, information about products and services, and interesting tidbits that answer common questions and entertain.

Does that sound like a lot for one blog to accomplish? For some corporate bloggers, it’s just the beginning. For others, even the thought of writing a weekly post is enough to induce a headache. If you don’t enjoy writing or are having trouble coming up with ideas for your professional blog, a freelance writer with blogging experience can help you create fine-tuned, targeted content to attract loyal readers and reinforce your skills and expertise.

The Ps & Qs of Business Blogging

What kinds of posts should you use to populate your blog?

• Industry information: To some people, this might look like you’re giving advice away for free, but you’ll be amazed at how many new clients you can gain by giving away some of your “insider secrets” on the web.

• Your mission: It shouldn’t be the only topic, but it’s important to remind readers of the tenets of your company, your brand, and your offerings.

• Relevant trivia: Everyone loves to soak up interesting factoids, especially if they’re presented in an engaging way. Unsure of your ability to entertain? This is a perfect example of the kind of blogging that can be outsourced to an experienced freelance writer.

• Q&A: Do you often receive the same questions from current or prospective clients? Answer them preemptively and professionally on your blog. Your clients will appreciate the easy access to information, and you’ll save on customer service costs.

Creating content for your business blog can be fun, interesting, and ultimately very rewarding if you take the time to write timely, relevant posts your customers want to read.

If you hire a writer (a good one) to create a one-off page for your business website and then forget she exists, you’ve missed out on a golden opportunity. She may not be able to shingle your roof or cook you a delicious dinner (unless you find an especially multi-talented freelancer!), but there are more ways than you might think to leverage the talents of a skilled writer as a means of saving time and improving the reputation and visibility of your business.

I’ve been hired to fill a number of roles for a wide spectrum of businesses, from creating blog articles for e-commerce websites to editing professional training manuals. Here are just some of the many services a professional writer can provide to help your business thrive:

• Article writing: In this SEO-centric age, article writing is perhaps the most common of all freelance writer jobs. If you need an article on any subject under the sun, from accounting to aardvarks, a good freelance writer can do the necessary research and write it with authority.
• Web content: From blogs and landing pages to corporate profiles and product descriptions, today’s successful freelancers are experienced at crafting solid, scannable content for business websites.
• Manuals: Whether you run a technology business, a medical training center, or a school, a skilled writer can provide you with professionally written manuals or training guides.
• Brochures and press releases: Want to make a powerful first impression? A freelance writer can help you craft marketing materials that will promote your brand with polish and pizzazz.
• Editing: Most freelance writers are happy to provide editing services, polishing up your draft or breathing new life into an outdated website, manual, or article.
• Online social media expertise: By virtue of having built a business from scratch and handling their own marketing strategies, most freelance writers have firsthand experience in best practices of social media and search engine optimization (SEO), making them a great resource for anyone who is just learning the ropes. Hire a writer to handle your blog, Facebook, and Twitter accounts, or to teach you how to do it yourself.

We’ve just scratched the surface of the many hats a versatile freelance writer can wear. To learn more about our capabilities, send me an inquiry or check out my portfolio.

Like many freelancers, I’d rather be working on my latest article or preparing copy for a client than balancing my books – but when tax season rolls around, I’m always glad I had the foresight to think ahead and set up financial systems that work for me. Here are some of the tools, tips, and tricks of the trade I’ve learned since taking the leap into full-time freelancing territory:

Planning Ahead

Because a freelance “salary” isn’t necessarily a regular occurrence – the timing of payments can be irregular, even when business is good – a wise freelancer sets aside a certain portion of her income for a rainy day. I keep emergency funds in a separate account, at a safe distance from my spending money. Try to set aside 10-15% of your income, or whatever you can realistically spare.

Records and Taxes

There’s no rule that freelancers have to do all the bookkeeping and taxes themselves, but it’s prudent to at least have a grasp of the kinds of expenses you can write off as a freelancer and the records you should be keeping of bills, expenses, and invoices. As a freelance writer, you should speak with a tax expert to ensure that you’re taking full advantage of the tax benefits available to you as a self-employed individual.

Smart Writing, Smart Spending

I’ve learned there’s only one guarantee in this business: working smarter eventually pays off. There’s no way to predict when a client might take weeks or months to pay you for a delivered product—or even refuse to pay—and there’s no assurance that a project will be completed within the expected time frame. Budget your time carefully, and factor in any extra hours required for research, interviews, or other pre-writing work. Whenever possible, I also try not to spend money until I’ve received it.

Freelancing is the adventure of a lifetime: the chance to run your own business, be your own boss, and break free of other people’s schedules and demands. With freedom, however, comes the burden of total responsibility for your finances. By planning ahead, budgeting carefully, and spending wisely, you’ll be more likely to get on solid financial footing.

Whether you’re a veteran freelancer or a new writer just breaking into the business, it can be a challenge for even the most disciplined wordsmiths to set good boundaries about when, where, and how much to work. When the “office” is just a few steps from the dining room (or kitchen, or bedroom…), it’s all too easy to find yourself answering emails late into the night or sending your family off to the movies without you while you work over the weekend.

If you love writing – and why would you be freelancing if you didn’t? – it can be tough to draw boundaries between work time and personal time. No matter how much you enjoy your work, you’ll ultimately realize that time off shouldn’t be regarded as a bonus, but as an absolute necessity for a sane, balanced, and productive life.

Here are a few tips for setting healthy limits and giving yourself the free time you need. (I’m the first to admit that I have yet to master many of these myself.)

• Avoid weekend deadlines: Just because you CAN work on weekends doesn’t mean you HAVE to! Reduce weekend stress by refraining from setting deadlines that fall on a Saturday or Sunday.
• Minimize email on weekends: Although there will be times when it’s necessary to answer a hot-button email from a client on a Saturday night, try to avoid it whenever possible. I still check my email periodically over the weekend to make sure there aren’t urgent matters that need quick attention, but I’ve found that a majority of messages can wait until Monday. Most clients will follow the example you lead – if you don’t initiate email conversations on the weekend, they won’t, either.
• Set appointments for calls: I have clients all over the globe, and taking calls in the wee hours to accommodate clashing time zones quickly leads to midnight madness! On the same token, it’s impossible for me to chat about web content strategies when I’ve got a house full of screeching preschoolers. I ask clients to make an appointment with me before they call.
• Make plans that take you out of the house: Remove yourself from the realm of temptation by going out with friends, seeing a movie, or simply taking your kids or dog to the park. A scheduled break clears my head and helps me focus better during work times.
• Schedule free time: Last but not least, make sure to schedule at least a few hours each week of “free time” at home that’s just for you. Read a book, write a few pages of that novel, or break out Candyland with the kids – no work allowed!

You can rack up all the clients and money as humanly possible, but true happiness and fulfillment as a freelancer depends on setting limits and boundaries between freelance work and the rest of your life. It’s wonderful to get paid for doing what you love, but—like anything else—excess can lead to stress.

When I left corporate America last year to focus on my freelance writing business, there were plenty of things I was thrilled to leave behind. No more waiting in line for the microwave! No more hovering cube lurkers waiting for me to hang up the phone! No more borderline-rude questions, like “Sure you’re not carrying twins in there?” or “Pregnant again? Haven’t you heard of contraception?” And in addition to those petty annoyances, I could bid adieu to wasting hours of my life sitting in construction traffic, to seeing the kids for five quick minutes before they were whisked off to the sitter’s before dawn, and frittering away vacation days on pediatrician appointments.

But for all the benefits of working independently, there are certain aggravations that have followed me home—like reading “tone” into emails. Given that I’m solitary by nature and notorious for avoiding phone calls, I’m a huge fan of electronic messaging, but every now and then I still get burned by the typewritten word.

Case in point: after spending 5 hours working on some sales letters for a client yesterday, the bottom fell out of my stomach when I received an email last night stating that I had “missed the mark” on the project. The client went on to imply that I hadn’t understood her instructions (which were so minimal as to be almost nonexistent), that I “hadn’t bothered” to review the product I was writing about (untrue; I’d practically dissected it), and that she was “very unhappy” with what I’d delivered. She topped it off by requesting—horror of horrors!—a phone call the next day.

Well! By the time I’d finished re-reading the message for the fourth time, I was torn between crying, puking, and firing off a vicious reply. I finally recovered enough to type a professional—if not slightly huffy—response, confirming our 2:00 PM phone call, then sat back and prepared to stew.

The rest of the evening was a bust, with all the wasted hours of work and the client’s hurtful email festering in the back of my mind like an uninvited guest who refuses to go home. I tossed and turned for much of the night, lying in dread of the inevitable phone call. Waking this morning, I considered sending a follow-up email and calling off the whole thing, suggesting that she just find another provider and chalk up the lost 5 hours (and the project fee) to a lesson learned.

By the time 2:00 rolled around, my stomach was churning and my palms were sweating. I took deep breaths as I dialed the client’s number, bracing myself for a chilly greeting and then a vicious rundown of everything I’d done wrong. I resolved not to suck up, knowing I probably would anyway.

Imagine my surprise when the client answered the phone and sounded—could it be?—pleasant! Surely this wasn’t the same woman who had read me what I interpreted as the riot act in her email the day before. Today, she made cheerful small talk, thanked me for my time, apologized for the limited instructions, and then stepped me through what needed to be changed. On the phone, her feedback was clear and straightforward. I promised a revised version by this evening, and we said our goodbyes—warmly!—before hanging up.

All told, the call took 8 minutes. 8 minutes to wipe out the nerve-wracking depression that I’d allowed to ruin the past 20 hours.

Don’t get me wrong—in today’s hectic world, email is a godsend. It’s quick, it allows you the luxury of thinking about what you want to say and how you want to say it, and it gives you a written record of your correspondence. But for all its practical purposes, email can have a dark side. There’s no way to know for sure what the sender meant to convey with her word choice, no way to determine if she was smiling or frowning or giving the screen the middle finger as she typed. In some cases, when a stiff turn of phrase threatens to send you into a tailspin, picking up the phone can save you considerable heartache.

Life as a freelance writer is crazy at times: working at the dinner table, burning the midnight oil, cranking out a project while nursing a six-month-old. But every once in awhile, something pretty cool happens that makes it all worthwhile.

For me, it was getting interviewed by a reporter for U.S. News & World Report last week — he was doing an article on successful women entrepreneurs and asked if Iíd like to be featured as a web freelance writer. After about half a second of deliberation, my uber-professional answer was “Heck, yes!”

Take a look at the article.

One of the most rewarding aspects of freelance writing is having the opportunity to become an impromptu expert on all sorts of different topics, from diamonds to gardening to dieting. Equally fun, though, is landing a job writing about something thatís very relevant to my own life, something that feels like second nature from the word “go” — as was the case with Embellished Mom.

With three young daughters, I’m painfully aware of how youngsters can gobble up every scrap of a new mother’s energy, making it all too easy to ìlet yourself go — especially for stay-at-home or work-at-home moms. Before you know it, hip-hugger jeans have given way to sweatpants, you wear spit-up like an accessory, and you’ve half-convinced yourself that makeup is only necessary for special occasions.

Mike Cho, founder of Embellished Mom, launched his online mommy’s boutique under the premise that you don’t have to be Angelina Jolie to qualify as a hot mom. His web store offers some of the hottest designer styles in baby slings, nursing cover-ups, car seat covers, diaper bags, maternity apparel, and more. His assortment is a delightful mix of pretty and practical, fun and functional, driven by requests from busy moms who want to retain their sense of style amidst a flurry of dirty diapers and non-stop nursing sessions.

For the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of writing blog articles and web content for Embellished Mom. I don’t profess to be a fashion diva, but I’m a firm believer that new moms need to take the time to pamper themselves, and Mike’s site makes it easy — and surprisingly economical — to do so.

Always wanted to write a novel but never seemed to be able to muster the time/energy/talent/guts to do it? November just might be your month.

Meet NaNoWriMo. No, it’s not some newfangled language, nor have I finally lost my mind (at least not certifiably). Short for National Novel Writing Month, the decade-old event was launched by freelance writer Chris Baty as a literary and social experiment of sorts. Running through the entire month of November, the program challenges participants to crank out a 50,000-word novel in 30 days.

Given the ridiculously short time frame, the focus here is on quantity, not quality. NaNoWriMo is intended to get would-be writers to abandon their inhibitions, get their butts in their seats, and churn out at least 500 words per day. The idea is that without the luxury of time, writers will be less hesitant, less likely to second-guess and self-edit, less vulnerable to the countless procrastinations, excuses, and other muse-killers that align to slooooow down the writing process. Throughout the month, writers can plot their daily word counts on NaNoWriMo’s website and glean encouragement from more than 100,000 other speed novelists. Participants must submit their completed manuscripts by midnight on November 30th to be verified and eligible for the program’s annual contest.

I’ve never participated in NaNoWriMo and, given my current workload and chaotic brood at home, it looks like this won’t be my debut year. That said, I find the concept fascinating and may jump on the bandwagon in ’09 (if I don’t manage, by some modern miracle, to finish my current novel before then). For more details, visit www.NaNoWriMo.com.

“There’s only one person who needs a glass of water oftener than a small child tucked in for the night, and that’s a writer sitting down to write.”

- Mignon McLaughlin

I can’t take a whit of credit for this list — I stumbled across it while researching a project, found it interesting, and thought I’d re-post it. I have to say I’m a little embarrassed by how few of these titles grace my bookshelves. I consider myself a voracious reader, but it appears I’ve got some serious catching up to do.

1. Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind
2. Anne Rice, Interview With the Vampire
3. Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse
4. Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway
5. Virginia Woolf, The Waves
6. Virginia Woolf, Orlando
7. Djuna Barnes, Nightwood
8. Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth
9. Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence
10. Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome
11. Radclyffe Hall, The Well of Loneliness
12. Nadine Gordimer, Burgerís Daughter
13. Harriette Simpson Arnow, The Dollmaker
14. Margaret Atwood, The Handmaidís Tale
15. Willa Cather, My ¡ntonia
16. Erica Jong, Fear of Flying
17. Erica Jong, Fanny
18. Joy Kogawa, Obasan
19. Doris Lessing, The Golden Notebook
20. Doris Lessing, The Fifth Child
21. Doris Lessing, The Grass Is Singing
22. Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
23. Marge Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time
24. Jane Smiley, A Thousand Acres
25. Lore Segal, Her First American
26. Alice Walker, The Color Purple
27. Alice Walker, The Third Life of Grange Copeland
28. Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Mists of Avalon
29. Muriel Spark, Memento Mori
30. Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
31. Dorothy Allison, Bastard Out of Carolina
32. Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea
33. Susan Fromberg Shaeffer, Anya
34. Cynthia Ozick, Trust
35. Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club
36. Amy Tan, The Kitchen Godís Wife
37. Ann Beattie, Chilly Scenes of Winter
38. Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God
39. Joan Didion, A Book of Common Prayer
40. Joan Didion, Play It as It Lays
41. Mary McCarthy, The Group
42. Mary McCarthy, The Company She Keeps
43. Grace Paley, The Little Disturbances of Man
44. Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
45. Carson McCullers, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
46. Elizabeth Bowen, The Death of the Heart
47. Flannery OíConnor, Wise Blood
48. Mona Simpson, Anywhere But Here
49. Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon
50. Toni Morrison, Beloved
51. Stella Gibbons, Cold Comfort Farm
52. Sylvia Townsend Warner, Mr. Fortuneís Maggot
53. Katherine Anne Porter, Ship of Fools
54. Laura Riding, Progress of Stories
55. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Heat and Dust
56. Penelope Fitzgerald, The Blue Flower
57. Isabel Allende, The House of the Spirits
58. A.S. Byatt, Possession
59. Pat Barker, The Ghost Road
60. Rita Mae Brown, Rubyfruit Jungle
61. Anita Brookner, Hotel du Lac
62. Angela Carter, Nights at the Circus
63. Daphne Du Maurier, Rebecca
64. Katherine Dunn, Geek Love
65. Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle
66. Barbara Pym, Excellent Women
67. Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony
68. Anne Tyler, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
69. Anne Tyler, The Accidental Tourist
70. Nancy Willard, Things Invisible to See
71. Jeanette Winterson, Sexing the Cherry
72. Lynne Sharon Schwartz, Disturbances in the Field
73. Rosellen Brown, Civil Wars
74. Harriet Doerr, Stones for Ibarra
75. Harriet Doerr, The Mountain Lion
76. Stevie Smith. Novel on Yellow Paper
77. E. Annie Proulx, The Shipping News
78. Rebecca Goldstein, The Mind-Body Problem
79. P.D. James, The Children of Men
80. Ursula Hegi, Stones From the River
81. Fay Weldon, The Life and Loves of a She-Devil
82. Katherine Mansfield, Collected Stories
83. Rebecca Harding Davis, Life in the Iron Mills
84. Louise Erdrich, The Beet Queen
85. Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness
86. Edna OíBrien, The Country Girls Trilogy
87. Margaret Drabble, The Realms of Gold
88. Margaret Drabble, The Waterfall
89. Dawn Powell, The Locusts Have No King
90. Marilyn French, The Womenís Room
91. Eudora Welty, The Optimistís Daughter
92. Carol Shields, The Stone Diaries
93. Jamaica Kincaid, Annie John
94. Tillie Olsen, Tell Me a Riddle
95. Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas
96. Iris Murdoch, A Severed Head
97. Anita Desai, Clear Light of Day
98. Alice Hoffman, The Drowning Season
99. Sue Townsend, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole
100. Penelope Mortimer, The Pumpkin Eater

Ah, well — at least I’ve heard of most of them. There are a few that sound familiar, but I can’t be certain if I’ve actually read them or just seen them on lists like these. One of my biggest regrets is not keeping a list of every book I’ve ever finished, along with some sort of rating system to make it easy to see which are worth revisiting again. Sure would be nice it would be to have that ever-growing reference to fall back on — and what a nice thing to pass on to my daughters. Guess it’s never too late to start!

“A writer never has a vacation. For a writer, life consists of either writing or thinking about writing.” – Eugene Ionesco

If you’d asked me five, ten, or even twenty years ago what I’d be doing for a living in my early thirties, I would have given the same answer each time, without hesitation: a writer. From a very young age, when I spent long afternoons pounding out melodramatic stories on my grandmotherís massive electric typewriter, I’ve always known it was what I was supposed to do — that, in fact, I had very little choice in the matter.

Through my teens and early twenties, working as a writer meant nothing less than becoming a famous novelist, cranking out bestsellers from my beach house. As I grew older, I allowed the definition of the word to stretch a bit, writing articles for local papers during college and submitting stories to magazines. After graduation, when the bills started rolling in, I held positions as a technical writer, an e-commerce copywriter and, later, my present-day gig as a freelance copywriter, all the while telling myself that as long as “writer” was somewhere in my job title, I wasn’t officially “selling out”.

The problem was, it wasn’t enough. Every couple of months, I’d get what I called “the itch” — an uncontrollable urge to return to the type of writing I truly loved, to create something original and interesting, to indulge the idea for whatever novel happened to be marinating in my mind at the time. The past decade has been a constant struggle for time to write — a moment stolen here, an afternoon there. Somehow I managed to finish three novels, two of which were represented by literary agents, one of which was good enough to snag the interest of several reputable editors before they ultimately declined.

After that last wave of submissions, I took a year-long hiatus from creative writing, busy with the demands of my job and growing family. After the birth of my third daughter, though, the itch was back in a big way — not so much a desire to write as a NEED. Any writer knows what Iím talking about: the certainty that nothing else is as important or as fun as writing, that a day with no creative output is a day wasted.

And so, six weeks ago, I started scratching. After quite a few late nights and stolen weekend afternoons, I’ve suddenly found myself 30,000 words into a novel thatís feeling like an old friend. And as I heard a fellow writer say once, if you enjoy writing it, others will more than likely enjoy reading it.

Of course, my weekdays are still filled with freelance writing jobs, and those provide a different type of satisfaction. I love what I do: hopping from one job to the next, learning something new every day, interacting with clients from all corners of the world. But at the end of the day, it always circles back to that little girl’s dream, to her matter-of-fact conviction that she’d see her name on the shelves someday. I may not have the advantage of her naive confidence, but hey, I’ve got the itch. And with lots of work and a generous helping of luck, it may just be enough.

I posted the below story on Elance, a freelance network site where I obtain many of my projects, and I thought I’d share it here as well.

My Success Story
I was torn about giving this post such a — well — self-aggrandizing title, but I felt the need to share what can only be described as the life-changing experience I’ve had since finding Elance nearly eight months ago.

First, a little background: I’m a 32-year-old mother of three girls (ages 4 years, 2 years, and 3 months). Until this past March, I had a full-time job as an E-Commerce Content Manager with an upscale home decor website. The position paid handsomely and it wasn’t bad as far as jobs go, but I was working ridiculously long hours and commuting nearly an hour each way. Time with my kids was minimal, and sanity was dwindling. When I became pregnant with my third child last summer, I knew something had to change, but I had no idea how or when. My husband had a good marketing job, but we weren’t in a position to live on just one income. Freelancing had always been an appealing idea, but I had no clue how to go about making it into an economically viable solution.

Thatís where Elance came in.

Last October, my husband casually mentioned that one of his co-worker’s wives had found enough work on a website called Elance.com to allow her to leave her full-time job. I logged on to check it out, and within 5 minutes I was hooked. I created a profile and started with a basic membership, bidding on a few projects here and there. I landed my first job within the week (writing a few SEO articles), and a day later landed another one. I continued to bid on projects through November ’07, and continued to garner awards. As I began to slowly acquire ratings and feedback, I started to wonder if this could actually work.

A few weeks after joining Elance, I received my first invitation to bid on a project. Wow! I giggle now to think of how giddy that made me. The idea that buyers were actually seeking me out seemed unfathomable. To my surprise and delight, the invitations kept coming. Since then, I’ve never had to actively seek out a project. Every single one of the Elance projects I’ve landed has been a result of an invitation sent to me. Many buyers I’ve met here have turned into long-standing clients with whom I enjoy profitable, professional relationships.

Shortly after my third baby was born, I took a leap of faith and resigned from the job I’d had for more than 5 years. I enlisted the services of a designer to create my website. I began taking on more jobs (too many, at first). I was terrified, and exhilirated. In the four months since I quit my job to freelance full-time, I’ve netted slightly more each month than I was making at my corporate position.

These days, instead of rushing myself and my children out the door at 7 AM only to sit in gridlock for an hour and then in a stuffy cubicle for another 9 hours, I’m working from my home office, my couch, my kitchen table, or my patio. I’m leisurely taking my kids to and from pre-school, nursing my infant during client calls, and getting dinner ready at a reasonable hour instead of hitting drive-thrus at 8 P.M. Donít get me wrong — there’s still stress. Many nights and weekends are spent frantically finishing up projects for looming deadlines, and working in such an unstructured environment definitely has challenges of its own. But overall, I am a more relaxed and happier wife and mother.

For you newbies out there who may be frustrated by slow starts, I’m here to tell you that success IS possible. As long as you have the talent and the commitment, you can make a living at this. A year ago, I never would have believed this could happen. And now I’m doing it.

Anyway, I didnít mean to “toot my own horn”, so to speak, but I’m hoping that my story will serve as some level of inspiration for beginners out there who are wearing the same shoes I wore last fall.

Wishing you happy (and profitable) writing,
Melissa