NOTE: This post on bullet journals for writers is a significantly updated version of my 2018 post on how I use various types of journaling to manage nearly everything in my business and my life. In this 2021 update, the focus is much more centered on bullet journals in particular. Here you’ll find my updated list of bullet journal spreads and even more bullet journal … read more
Every year I try to share my business and writing goals with you here on the blog. And every quarter I post updates about what’s going well (and what’s not). My hope is that it will inspire some of you to focus more on planning and reflection in your own freelance writing businesses. It’s that time again. If nothing else, know this: Sometimes things go … read more
With this month’s focus being on getting started as a freelance writer or revamping your freelance writing business, let’s talk about long-term goals and aspirations. Namely, let’s talk about your freelance writing bucket list. If you’re a planner (and I highly recommend always having a plan to guide you), you probably set yearly goals. They give you direction when tweaking your quarterly, monthly, weekly, and … read more
Around the New Year, we tend to focus on goals a lot here. But I often leave it there and get back to general freelance writing advice, tips, and occasional much-needed rants. I don’t often go into how we can achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves. This year, I don’t want to leave you hanging – especially if, like me, you’re making significant changes … read more
It happened. Again. I opened my feed reader this morning and saw yet another blog post telling readers to stop making goals and resolutions for the New Year. This one happened to be about health-related goals, though I’ve seen plenty specific to freelance writing goals too. But guess what… This is terrible advice for freelance writers. I get where it comes from. When you don’t … read more
The end of any year can be a bittersweet time. You take stock of what you’ve done and how far you’ve come. Maybe you exceeded your expectations and you’re inspired to do even more in the New Year. Or maybe you fell short and you’re feeling discouraged. Whichever is the case for you, the New Year brings the same thing to everyone – an opportunity … read more
When 2017 started, I was feeling ambitious – rebellious even. You see, 2016 was an awful year in pretty much every way for me, and I was determined for 2017 to be different. But it wasn’t. If anything, 2017 was much worse. The politics have had me even more stressed – something I didn’t think was possible at the time. I don’t feel any less … read more
I’ve made it no secret that 2017 has been a crappy year for me. Some of that’s work-related, though work has been more affected by problems I’m dealing with rather than causing them. Focus has been hard to come by, and motivation even more so. But that doesn’t mean I get to sit on my hands and do nothing, waiting for things to pass. If … read more
Sitting in front of you is a large block of clay. You’re taking a sculpting course at a local studio. You’ve already learned the basics. You have the skills you need to create something all your own. And that’s what your instructor wants you to do. What do you do? Do you wait for someone to tell you what to create? No. Do you look … read more
Can you believe we’re already in the second quarter of the year? A colleague mentioned it yesterday, and I hadn’t realized how much time had gotten away from me. What that means is it’s time for a check-in on writing and business goals for the year. See what’s working. Figure out what’s not. And see where tweaking your original plans might help you get ahead. … read more