A Writer's Playground of Inspiration

Finding inspiration where you least expect it

8:22 AM | by Wendy J.

I’m sure that you can count many people, within your lives that you look up to. People that have messages that you find inspirational and motivating. I would wager that most of them are older, have knowledge in a particular area or have been around the block many times.

Sometimes, I find that the wisest ones tend to be pretty much the opposite. They’re younger, haven’t had as much education and they haven’t lived long enough to have experienced the things most of us have.

Who are these people? They can be just about anyone you’d meet, but for me, it happens to be my 5 year-old son.

My son deals with the challenges of Autism. Compared to other children his age, he is different. But, in a lot of ways, he’s not so different after all; he just tends to learn a little differently.

I’ve never treated him as being “different” than other children. I haven’t told him that he was “different” in anyway. He’s never shown any indication that he might feel as if he were different before, but I’m starting to see it now.

He drew this picture for me.

I assumed that he drew it because he knew I love smiley faces. So, of course, I told him I loved it. Then he shared with me the reason why he drew it. He showed me that there was one “frowney” face in his picture amongst all the other smiley faces.

I asked him why he drew the frowney face in the picture and he said that it was different than all the other faces. He went on to say that it was him. He drew himself as being different from all the other faces in the picture.

Now, I could be concerned that he might be feeling down because he sees himself as different, but my son has surprised me many times before, so I held off my concern until I knew where he was going with this.

I asked him if he felt like he was different than everybody else. He blew me away with what he had to say. His response was that he did know there were some things different about him, but he’s excited about it.

The thing I find the most inspiring about it is that he isn’t just accepting that he’s different; he wants to be different. He wants to be his own person and not just like everybody else.

My son has always drawn out his feelings and emotions and likes to be able to communicate those things through items he creates. This happens to be only one of my favorites. I learn a lot about him and I find a lot of inspiration through his drawings.

The smiley face picture he drew, says a lot if you really want to look past the surface. There are a ton of other meanings one could take away from it, so learn how to find inspiration from almost anything; including a child’s artistic talent.

The lesson that I see here is that we’re all different from each other in some ways, but it’s something that we should be embracing and not feeling down and out about. Be happy with what makes you-you.

To Scratch an itch or to Ignore: That No longer is the Question here

6:16 AM | by Wendy J.

Ever had a notion or an idea tap you on the shoulder of your soul? Have you been itching to do or create something, but instead of indulging and scratching the itch; you choose to ignore it hoping it will go away? That’s what has been happening to me lately. The itch isn’t going away; it only seems to get worse.

Years ago, my brother and I were very close. We both had inspirations and could draw on our imaginations quite easily. At one point, we pulled our creativities together and started to create some simple comics. He used his artistic abilities to draw the characters we planned out. I used my abilities to create the humorous lines.

Our comics were meant for our pleasure and some of our family’s. It’s not something either of us wanted to put out for other people to view. They were our creations and basically, we were the only ones who really understood them.

My brother had passed away earlier this year and of course, I miss him very much. Lately, though, the thing that I find I’m missing the most is his creativity and the time we spent coming up with those comics and other things we did.

The passion I have for inspiration is something I owe to him. He was the one that could take any subject that others would find uninteresting and show you what’s good about it. Think something is repulsive? He took on the challenge and showed you the good in it. Some of that has rubbed off on me.

The notion that has been sticking with me and won’t seem to go away; is one that takes me back to the days my brother and I came up with our creations. For some reason, the thought of creating comics again is getting stronger and stronger every day. The notion to take my brother’s ability to find good in all things and bring them to the comics is starting to overwhelm me.

Is this a calling to a dream that I should be answering? Or is it simply my way of dealing with the loss of my brother by trying to bring back memories of happier times when he was around? I could spend a lot of time analyzing the whys, but it doesn’t really matter to me anymore. What matters are the hows and the whens of this dream.

Whether I add it to my writing repertoire or if I simply do it for myself doesn’t matter either. The urge to scratch this inner itch is what will strive me forward. What I ultimately do with this notion is something that only time will tell.

Writing Perception: Part 3

5:43 AM | by Wendy J.

When you want to further a career, sometimes it matters what cards you hold in your hand. They can determine the future you have, if you play them right.

I received an email from an anonymous person, who had some very good concerns. Because of that, today’s perception post has been changed to a different one. I felt that this one was more important to tackle, since this is probably one that a lot of new writers are going through.

So, today’s writing perception is:

Writing is a business that I can’t afford, so what does it matter that I take on low-paying jobs?

The email I received brought up a good point. The established Freelance writers that post about their experiences and offer tips do make writing into a business. It is, essentially. But, it all depends on how you want to perceive it.

If you’re new and are thinking about getting into the Freelance writing field, the first thing you want to do is decide what your goals are. Are you gung-ho about making writing a career or are you looking to get your feet wet to see if it’s something you might be interested in taking further?

If you have the mindset that writing will be a career for you, then you should think of it as a business. If you just want to get a feel for it, my advice is to still think of it as a business, at least in a future sense. Because, what you do now can reflect what happens, in the future, for your career.

A business does take some money to get started. That doesn’t mean that you have to go get a loan from your local bank to do it. You can start by getting some experience with one of the many writing jobs we see on the job boards. But, be aware of the opportunity you’re thinking about applying to.

For example, a job that’s going to pay you $5 an article may seem like it’s a good stepping stone to a writing career, because they would probably hire anyone with no experience. But, down the line, when you start taking on private clients or higher-paying jobs; you may not get them as easily as you could.

The higher-paying clients or employers don’t always see the low-paying jobs as good experience for them. Most of the $5 an article type positions have the reputation of forking out low-quality work in a short amount of time. Someone who is willing to pay the good money doesn’t want that kind of experience brought to their projects.

The articles that you write for the lower-paying opportunities may not be a good sample for what your writing abilities are. You may have the skills to produce high –quality work, but if you use the articles from the low-paying jobs as clips for private clients, then you’re not showcasing what you really have to offer. All they see is low-quality work. Then, you’re passed over for that better opportunity.

The email I received from that person, explained that they take on the lower-paying jobs, because they can’t afford to start a writing business. It doesn’t have to be that way. There are ways to get started with little to no money. If you scour the tons of freelance writing blogs out there, you’ll see plenty of advice on marketing, networking and even writing tools that don’t cost that much money to do.

But, here’s the kicker. In order to get started, you must do your own research. Most Mentors, like myself, are guides, supporters, and uplifters. The one thing we won’t do, nor will any other freelance writer, is to do your work for you. I would bet that most freelance writers got where they are, by doing their own hard work.

If you want to be a success at writing, or any other profession, you need to put forth your own sweat and tears. This will help you become a better writer and better business person. Because, what works for me; doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you and vice versa. And in the end, you will have more confidence in yourself, because you are the one that did all the hard work to get you where you are.

If you take on low-paying opportunities because you just want a job; you’re not interested in a writing career-then keep this thought in mind:

Employers, of all professions, do their research on the internet. Some employers search social media sites, forums and blogs to check on previous employers an applicant has had and the applicant themselves.

If you’re shouting to the cyber world that you fork out a lot of articles in a short amount of time and you don’t have to do much work to achieve it; you’re not looking good to other employers. It doesn’t even matter if they can’t match your name with the comments they see on the internet. All they have to know is the reputation that the company has and you may find yourself having to fight for the job with them.

Most employers look for professionals who want to succeed. Those who do, will put forth their best effort when working for these employers. If you don’t have enough motivation to do the best work you can with the companies you currently do work for, then they have to question if you’ll do your best effort for them.

So, always be aware that the cards you hold in your hand now, could reflect on your future in any profession.

Writing Perceptions: Part 2

5:20 AM | by Wendy J.

We all know that if you see a glass as being half-full then you’re looking at the positive side of things. If you see it as being half-empty, then you’re looking at the negative side of things. But, I’ve noticed that there’s yet another side to this glass. One that says the glass is overflowing, because a terrible, catastrophic event has occurred.

All of us have probably had some terrible life events slam into us at some point or another. Jobs are lost, medical issues come up and prices of necessities go sky high in a short amount of time. Yes, life does happen and it doesn’t always show mercy.

But, for some reason, professionalism goes out the window when life knocks us down. Adversities cloud our vision and it’s hard to see past them to move forward in the direction you need to.

This brings me to the next issue I see in the perception of writing:

The Writing field = Security Net = low pay

People find themselves in desperate financial situations and they need to get a job now. So, where do they go to relieve themselves of those horrible life financial events? To the writing jobs.

Somehow writing has become the security net for those in desperate situations. You see this all over the internet. People take on lower paying opportunities, because, as a lot have stated, “It’s my only option.”

They defend their choice with loads of sob stories of how life has blown them over like a hurricane and they can’t get back up on their feet. I feel for you. I’ve been in your shoes and have found myself in desperate financial situations too.

Those times are the ones where you should believe in yourself. Use your talents, abilities or skills to find something that you can do, for better pay. If you write, search for the higher paying opportunities. If not, look into customer service, transcription, scoping, social media managing etc.

A Mentor’s job is to uplift and support others, so they can succeed in whatever they’re trying to do. We can’t do our job if someone doesn’t have enough faith in themselves to want to try for something better.

Why do I even care? Because what most people don’t seem to realize is that potential employers and clients are seeing your sob stories as well. Yes, the ones who are willing to pay the higher rates are now seeing that those desperate for money turn to the writing field as their solution.

Now, the writing field is not only a security net, but its easy money and internet hype. Why do you think there are so many low-paying opportunities out there for writing? As long as there are desperate people shouting their sob stories all over the internet, there will be people taking advantage of that; including scammers.

You want to defend your choice of taking a lower paying job? Great, I’m all for it, but use better reasons then your personal private life situations. Show some professionalism and keep that part of your life to yourself or to your closest family, friends and acquaintances.

Maybe, if we can save the reputation the writing field has, then there could be more high-paying jobs available to you, so you can get through those tough, financial times a little easier.

Writing Perceptions: Part one

6:17 AM | by Wendy J.

As a writer, this has been niggling at my mind a lot lately. This is something that could go with all professions, but I’m seeing it a lot within the writing industry. Somehow, the perception of writing has veered from being a professional service to one of internet hype or easy money.

It’s true that writing for print is different than writing for the web, but the difference, to me, is in the style of writing; not in the amount of work involved. Both require a lot of time and effort to get high-quality materials.

While I feel there are a few different reasons for the minimized perception of our profession; I would like to explore three of the most common problems that I’m, personally, seeing. This post will explore what I feel is one of those reasons, which is the ‘working from home’ attitude.

The next two parts will come within the next couple of days, where I’ll look at a couple of other reasons why I feel the perception of our profession is slowly diminishing. But, today, let’s explore the working from home attitude:

How do you view the writing profession?

If someone asked you what you did for a living, would you say that you’re a freelance writer or would you say that you write from home? To me, there’s a huge difference. Writing from home is not a job or a profession. Being a freelance writer is. The fact that you write from home, is only a location that you do it in.

A lot of freelance writers do their work from a home office, but the reason they get higher paying clients is not because they work from home. It’s because they sell their writing experiences. They focus their marketing on what they have to offer the client as far as skills or knowledge. They are the ones that tend to be taken seriously as a professional.

Those that tell the cyber world that they write from home are only telling the higher paying clients that they’re not professionals. They focus on the fact that they write from home and not that they have skills to offer the client. Sure, working from home may be a non-negotiable item when deciding whether or not to take a job, but it’s not what you have to offer your clients.

Clients and employers, in some cases, hire you because you have shown knowledge of a particular topic. They’re not going to hire you because you do your writing from your home office. Unless, of course, they’re a low-baller who are seeking out people to pay low amounts of money to in order to save money for their content.

So, what should you be saying; instead of the phrase, writing from home? I think you should focus on the topic you write about or the field you’re writing in. For example, it would be better to say that you specialize in copywriting or financial writing. (depending on what your niche is)

There is no reason that a potential client, employer or anybody else needs to know that you work from your home office. Unless, in your conversations with them, it comes up. Then you would simply tell them that you perform your writing work from your home office. Most clients anticipate this, so it has rarely come up for me. If that’s a problem with them, then they can look for someone else to hire for their projects. Simple as that.

It doesn’t matter if you’re established as a writer or looking to break into this field; you have something to offer clients. And it’s not that you write from home. No one really cares about that. They just want to know what it is that you have to bring to the table.

Somehow I have been pegged with the anti-work from home label. That’s far from the truth. I am not against working from home. I am, however, against how working from home is perceived.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a freelance writer, customer service agent or an accountant. The working from home part is not a skill of your profession; it is only a location where you perform your job from. Always keep that in mind.

The writing industry needs to take back its reputation as a respected profession. We need to pull away from the internet hype perception and the first place to start is by viewing our job as a Freelance writer or whatever career you have and not someone who works from home.

photo courtesy of Photos8.com

Learning to Value others: Even those with Blue Hair

8:12 AM | by Wendy J.

Years ago, I met a young girl that made me realize something about myself. I always thought of myself as a person that saw through the outside shell of others and viewed them for what they were on the inside. I came to realize that wasn’t always the case.

I was working for a company that helped other people perform some of their daily activities, which they weren’t able to do for themselves. I was a trainer and I needed to help new employees coming in to transition into the role of caregiver for the people we served.

I had trained numerous employees in by this time, but this one young girl, turned out to be different. I had seen her in various other places around town and every time I saw her she was sporting a new color hair. Not brown, black or blonde; I’m talking about pink, orange and purple.

She walked in the building for her first day of training with me and she had bright blue hair. I wasn’t impressed in the least. Now that I was seeing her up close, I also noticed a couple of small tattoos and a nose piercing. The different shades of hair, piercing and tattoos are some things that I, personally, am not into.

Having known others like her, I immediately made the assumption that she wasn’t going to work out. I pretty much put a stereotype on her and put her in the category of someone who would only be there for the paycheck and nothing else. In my experience, those kinds of people didn’t last long.

Because of that mindset, I didn’t put my all into my initial training with her. I was simply going through the motions and didn’t really care how things turned out. But, then something interesting happened. She began to ask questions. Not so much about the basics of her job, but questions about the people themselves.

I was completely thrown off. Before, people who were only there for a check would half-heartedly listen to you and never ask questions. If they did, it would always be about when payday was or how much they could make working there. She was different; she wanted to know more about the people she was going to be working for and never once mentioned the paycheck.

On her first day of training, she was already getting the point of the job. It’s not so much to help the people we work for to get done what they needed, but also to help them enjoy the life they had in whatever way possible.

In training, we explain that there are times where we help them get out into the community and do something fun with other people. The usual response is something along the lines of, “Do I have to?” Her response was different. She had the attitude of “They want to do that? Well, what are we waiting for, let’s go.”

I started to realize that she was actually a mirror image of me. Minus, of course, the colored hair, piercing and tattoos. Who she was on the inside; matched who I was on the inside.

It was then; I realized that I had been wrong. She was not the type of person I believed her to be. What I was seeing on the outside had nothing to do with who she was on the inside. I had misjudged her and hadn’t given her the respect she deserved. So, from then on, I put my all into her training.

She went on to be one of the best workers that company has ever had. I was proud to have her on my team; even with the bright color hair, piercing and those small tattoos. They still bugged me, but I no longer judged her for them.

It’s been many years since I trained her in, but I still think back on that lesson she had taught me about valuing a person for who they were on the inside. I still find myself straying away from not judging other people before getting all the facts.

Every so often, I get caught up in viewing a person or situation based on what’s seen on the surface. I have to refocus myself and think back to the blue-haired girl. I realize that if I was wrong about her, I could be wrong about some of the other situations I have judged.

So, remember this lesson the next time you judge someone else based on the surface facts. They just may turn out to prove you wrong.

Have some fun and get some exercise too!

1:48 PM | by Wendy J.

I thought this was a cool video. Check it out.