Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone and Pushing Your Boundaries

photo credit: mallix

How comfortable are you with your writing?

Many writers specialize in a genre or niche. Creative writers are focused on fiction or poetry, copywriters specialize in web writing or marketing, and technical writers are steeped in jargon and code that other writers might find impossible to decipher.

Sure, some of us explore various types of writing, but how deeply are we willing to immerse ourselves in unknown waters? A novelist might dip her toes in web writing. A copywriter might wade in children’s literature. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to dive into a completely new style of writing, or deeply explore a style you’ve only tested?

Do more than test the waters

I’m often proud of the fact that I’ve tried my hand at so many different types of writing. I am an experienced poet and blogger. I get paid to write articles, website copy, and press releases. I’ve written some fiction. And here’s where I always stop and hold my breath. Right when I get to the F-word. Fiction.

Sometimes I say that poetry is my first love because that’s what I started writing. But the truth is, my first love was fiction, because that’s what I read and what I’ve been reading for longer than I can remember. It stands to reason, then, that as a writer, one of my goals is to write a novel or get some short stories published.

But fiction seems to elude me, which is odd, considering I’ve read more fiction than anything else. It should be a breeze but I’ve always struggled with it. It’s not like I can’t do it. I can and I have and usually whatever I write is somewhat decent. But I have a hard time finishing a piece of fiction. I’m great at character development (you wouldn’t believe how many character files I’ve got). I’m not so great at coming up with villains though. And plots - forget about it. Every time I come up with a plot, I scratch it out because I feel like it’s already been done.

Setting Goals

Over the past few years, my apparent inability to complete a piece of fiction (even a short story) has created a huge barrier for me. It’s almost like the fact that I haven’t been able to master fiction has made me want to avoid it or just put it off for an unknown length of time. This is a problem since I really, really want to write a novel.

One of my goals for this year is to step out of my comfort zone and get real cozy with fiction. I’ve spent time thinking about my strengths and weaknesses in this area and I’ve promised myself that I will participate in NaNoWriMo this November and attempt to produce a 50 thousand word manuscript, complete with plot and villain.

For this week’s writing exercise, the objective is to set a goal to explore unfamiliar territory. Are you one of those people who only get in the pool if it’s more than 80 degrees (Fahrenheit)? Then get yourself into the freezing waters of the northern Pacific Ocean! Choose some type of writing that you’ve never attempted before or choose something that you’ve only toyed with. Or, choose a writing style that you’ve struggled with in the past. Just choose something that you have not mastered and then set yourself the goal of developing your weaknesses in that type of writing.

Seizing Opportunities

This week, an opportunity has arisen, one that I think will be a huge help in developing my fiction skills. The dynamic blogging duo Men with Pens have just launched a creative writing role playing game (RPG) at Escaping Reality. The concept is simple. You register for an account, create and submit a character (which has to be approved), and then join a story that is being generated by a group of writers.

If you’ve never collaborated before, this might be your chance to try something new. If you’re like me, and want to grow your skills in fiction, then this is a great way to push your boundaries. Or, if you just love to write and want to have some fun and meet other passionate writers, then get in and have a good time (note: space is limited so if you’re interested, hurry up).

Opportunities to be a better, more experienced, and multi-talented writer abound. And writing is probably the most accessible activity in the universe, requiring nothing more than a piece of paper and a writing instrument (or a computer with word processing software). Every time you launch Word, you’ve just created an opportunity to write something completely new and different, or to expand yourself as a writer.

What are you waiting for? You’ve got your Friday writing exercise. Tell us what you’re going to do about it!

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How I Launched My Freelance Writing Career

photo credit: drainhook

August, 2007: I had been out of work for almost six months, ever since the company I’d been working for folded. My job search wasn’t going anywhere and the thought of returning to the nine to five cubicle life made me cringe every time I logged into Monster.

Even before the company shutdown, I had been thinking about taking up freelance writing. In my mind, a freelance career would involve writing articles for magazines and newspapers. So, I had embarked on a quest to discover what kind of writer I wanted to become. My experience was pretty vast and included business, technical, and creative writing. Still, I wasn’t sure where I wanted to focus, so I worked on my fiction, drafted some articles, and launched a blog on a social networking site.

But by August, time was running out and so was my unemployment insurance. I needed to get some work fast. I realized that I didn’t have time to write articles and submit them with no guarantee of payment. The turnaround time between submission and acceptance (or rejection) and publication (and payment) simply could not meet my immediate (financial) needs.

I began scouring the web for freelance writers and quickly learned that freelance writing was not limited to composing articles for magazines and newspapers. What I discovered was a way to become not just a freelance writer, but an entrepreneur with my very own business.

Research

I spent several days looking at freelance writers’ websites, taking notes, and paying special attention to the services they were offering. Some specialized in specific areas such as marketing or technical writing. Others provided an unlimited range of writing services. Everyone had an online portfolio or writing samples and almost nobody published their rates.

During the research phase, finding rates was almost impossible. After days of searching, I only came up with about three freelancers who published rates.

Samples & Portfolio

It was immediately clear that I would need a portfolio. After all, nobody in their right mind would pay me to write without seeing my work, proof that I could do the job and do it well. I collected some writing projects I had done for employers, friends, and family. Then I put together some samples to make sure my portfolio was well-rounded and showcased the various types of writing I could do.

This step was actually quite time consuming because I had to go through all my files, reformat and edit several pieces, and make sure that there were no copyright or privacy issues with any of the work I was using in my portfolio. Plus, I had to write the sample pieces from scratch.

Prices and Policies

Even though I’d only found a few freelancers who published rates on their websites, I managed to put together a very rough plan outlining how I would charge for services. This was based somewhat on the rates I’d seen online combined with an estimation of how much time I would spend on a piece, broken down by word count.

Initially, I didn’t put any rates on my website although later I did publish some pricing, packages, and special deals. For the most part, clients would need to provide project descriptions and I could then provide them with quotes for each project.

Since writing is so vast in terms of research, word count, and other specifications, such as formatting or style guidelines, I have found it best to use the quote-per-project model while still offering pre-designed plans for standard projects like keyword articles and blog posts.

I also put together my terms and conditions, which explained the process and policies that I would follow in conducting business. There were a lot of questions that came to my mind, which I thought clients would ask; questions about turnaround time, copyright ownership, payment methods, and invoicing. It turned out to be an invaluable resource for my clients and for me. In fact, I regularly update my terms as new situations and questions arise.

Putting together a set of policies, an FAQ, or terms and conditions page would probably be my number one suggestion to anyone who is thinking about getting into freelancing.

Website

The website, of course, would be the headquarters of my business. It was my brochure, business card, and my portfolio, all rolled into one. I knew it was the single most important tool for marketing my services and luckily, I had over a decade of experience designing and developing websites.

All I needed to do was come up with a name for my business and a site design. Then, I could put it into action and open for business.

This proved to be one of the biggest struggles in launching the business — coming up with a name for my site and putting together a marketing campaign. Every idea I had was squashed because every domain I wanted was taken.

After trying for dozens of domains, I realized that I needed to start doing business immediately and didn’t have time to sit around making up names. So, I used one of the domains I already owned (melissadonovan.com) and decided that I would test the freelance waters for a few months and worry about a name and marketing campaign later.

The Blog

Writing Forward used to be hosted at melissadonovan.com and it was originally called Writing for Writers. I had been blogging on a social networking site and loved it so much I wanted my own blog and domain. I also figured that a blog about writing would be an ideal way to showcase my knowledge and experience and show potential clients my writing style and skill.

I had no idea at the time that so many freelancers were also bloggers or how effectively blogs can be used as part of a business model. I also had no idea that this blog would lead to relationships with other freelancers and bloggers or that it would lead to making so many new friends among the online writing community. All that was a big juicy bonus! Yes readers, you are juicy!

Getting Those First Clients

The idea of cold calling (or emailing) terrified me. I knew this was a standard practice but on the first day of work as a freelance writer, I simply wasn’t comfortable pitching myself to potential clients in this manner. I wanted to take it nice and slow, get my feet wet, and get a handle on my new career. In other words, I wanted to be somewhat low key.

I needed experience, but on a small scale. My ideal customer was another small business owner. Someone looking for a writer. I asked myself, if I was a small business owner and needed to hire a writer for a project, where would I look? The answer was Craigslist.

This is my little marketing secret: when you’re first starting out, post ads on Craigslist. I got exactly the types of clients I wanted, small business owners who needed writing for their websites. It was perfect. The downside was that I got a lot of inquiries for writing academic papers, something I’m not into for numerous reasons. But I was able to pick up work and acquire clients. I used Craigslist (and only Craigslist) for months.

And So It Goes

Now I have clients coming in through my blogs, my website, and through referrals and search engines. I haven’t posted an ad on Craigslist for several months and business continues to grow.

The past nine months have been crazy. There are ups and downs, moments of sheer excitement when I realize that I’m doing this all on my own and moments of sheer exhaustion when I realize it’s all riding on me. The freelance life may not be for everyone but I absolutely love it.

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Metaphor Creativity

photo credit: franzi ♥ PHOTOS.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the food metaphor in my recent post “Recipe for Freelancing,” and I suddenly realized that the posts I’ve written with metaphors always get a lot of positive feedback and everyone seems to embrace them. I thought why not turn this into a writing exercise?

When I first wrote the aforementioned post, it didn’t tie in with food at all. That happened rather spontaneously while I was revising. The food metaphor was so delicious (or maybe I was so hungry) that I rewrote the entire post with food on the brain.

So, what makes a metaphor like this work? I think the most effective metaphors trigger our senses by connecting an otherwise intangible subject to sight, touch, taste, sound, or smell. If you can engage any of these senses through metaphor, your writing will take on new life. Not only will it become more entertaining and more memorable, it will be easier for readers to relate to what you’re saying.

So let’s try it, shall we? You will need a topic and a metaphor to go with it.

Topic

Just about any topic will do, but keep in mind that some discussions don’t need the help of a metaphor. Subjects like sex, food, music, and anything else that intrinsically affects the senses might not benefit from a metaphor the way more abstract topics will.

Think about subjects you’ve explored recently in your writing. Were there any topics that felt flat or dry? You can revisit those subjects and see how a metaphor adds dimension and makes a piece more compelling.

Also, be on the lookout for two types of metaphoric topics: ones that work and ones that don’t. Some metaphors are just tired and have fallen into cliché status (stopping to smell the roses comes to mind). Look for unique and original metaphors and notice which ones don’t quite make the grade.

Metaphor

Choose one of the senses and come up with something that affects that particular sense. Here are some examples:

• Sight: the bold colors of a Picasso painting, anything with motion (traffic, trains, the sea), scenic landscapes
• Touch: the warmth of velvet, the hard cool of steel, or the scratchy texture of wool
• Taste: foods or flavors — sweet, spicy, rich, or tart
• Sound: city sounds, nature, music, a roaring engine, or absolute quiet
• Scent: spring showers, shampoo and soaps, swimming pools, a wet dog

There is one more metaphor that almost always grabs people’s attention, which has proven to be very effective in advertising, and which could arguably encompass every single one of the five senses. I’ll let you all guess what it is.

Write!

Now that you have a topic and a metaphor to go with it, it’s time to write. Think about how you can extend the metaphor and weave it throughout your piece. For example, if you’re going to use the bold colors of a Picasso painting, you can play off your metaphor by mixing in new metaphors about canvasses, paintbrushes, color, and light. You can even get into museums, history, and just about any other area where art is part of the context.

Metaphors work well in almost any type of writing so you can use this exercise to draft a blog post, a poem, or even a short story. Try going through your journal or files where you store pieces you’ve written and see if there’s anything that could be reworked and made more enticing through use of a metaphor.

If you don’t want to commit that kind of time to this exercise, then simply jot down some ideas noting topics and metaphors that would complement them. Come up with titles or captions that incorporate both the subject and the metaphor in a clever, creative, and compelling way.

And then, of course, come back here and tell us all about it!

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