Beyond Writing

Most writers I know are happy to spend their time writing away either at their computer or with pen in hand...anytime and anywhere. I include myself in that group but I find the researching part just as interesting and fun as the writing process itself. It's like feeding my mind with something different every day.

What I am discovering as my writing business develops, is that the other seemingly mundane tasks such as editing and proofreading are as much in demand as writing itself. I cannot tell you how many potential clients I have met who 'started' writing something and then got lost and need help. I like to pride myself on being a 'finisher'. Many people are perfectly capable writers so they'll give the project a try only to discover that it was more work than they imagined or that their vast knowledge on a subject resulted in a mere 300 words when they thought it would be ten times that.

Part of the fun of being a writer is being able to help out folks in that situation. It feels wonderful to take something and turn it around. The old 'sows ear into a leather purse' scenario. I think it also brings value to a project when you can help the client to develop their own skills and become less dependent on you. This may not sound like logical business practice, but it is my experience that developing relationships (which includes doing joe jobs and teaching writing lessons) is infinitely more valuable than getting the job, doing it and moving on. We may be poised in front of a keyboard for the better part of a day, but it's our interactions with people that develop our character and consequently our 'saleability'. If I want to be truly spectacular at what I do, it starts with being the best person I can be and sharing that through my writing and my interactions with others. I'm still a work in progress.

Discovering A Niche

When you are crazy about all things related to writing and researching, you find yourself opening up to just about any topic out there as a potential for your next article or blog posting. The problem with that is you become a 'jack of all trades, master of none'. Yes, you are intelligent enough to learn about any subject to the point where you can discuss it briefly. But I think what sets a writer truly apart is one who can find one or two topics that he/she is deeply interested in and commit to those topics. When this happens, you tend to dig a lot deeper into a subject and therefore come up with more unique, original angles resulting in more compelling copy.

So, here I am struggling to find my niche so I can get down to business and FOCUS already! What I have decided for sure is that I would like to concentrate on my passions. Other than writing they are: karate, motorcycles, and the elderly. So at this point I have been researching places to market my karate writing while simultaneously reading a lot about motorcycles. (Although I ride one, I still consider myself a novice and only qualified to write from that perspective). As far as the elderly go, well, I'm unsure where that market will take me. All I know is that I feel there are certain portions of the senior population who are virtually treated as throw aways and I am trying to figure out what can be done to highlight this. Any ideas are welcome.

In the meantime, I'll continue to read, write and surf to see where these subjects will take me.

It's A Business as well as a Passion

Being tax time, I find myself working through the financial details of my writing business to ensure that everything is properly accounted for. This is one of those right brain things that simply has to get done on a regular basis. If you leave it too long....well, let's just say it's bound to come up and bite you from behind.

As much as writing is a creative pursuit, if you truly want to spend your time doing what you love you have to make sure your ducks are in a row. Take a look at your marketing strategy. Have you thought out where your next jobs are coming from? Review your budget items and see whether you are keeping your expenses in line with your forecasts. How do things stand with your invoicing? Are you billing customers promptly and making sure they pay in the agreed upon time frame? These are all simple strategies that, left unattended, can end your business quickly.

So take a few moments now and see about your financial affairs. Once they're put to rest, you can get on with your creative day.