Simple. Imagine where you want to end. And then work backwards.
Those steps are your career map. [Read more…]
The Creative Freelancer’s Guide to Melancholy
The twenty-first(and final) post in The Education of a Writer (TEW) series.
The dictionary defines melancholy like this:
a. gloomy state of mind, especially when habitual or prolonged; depression. b. sober thoughtfulness; pensiveness.
“b” is healthy. Normal. “a” is not healthy nor normal.
Creative people enjoy b, which makes them prone to a.
Listen: the creative freelancer is going to be moody. Manic. And often sad. But here’s what to do if you find yourself sad longer than is healthy.
10 Pranks to Pull on Other People When Your Job Makes You Sick
Let’s face it: no matter how much you love your job, some times work is a drag [especially if a co-worker wants to hit YOU].
And you need a stiff pick me up to get through the day.
Our grandparents might of reached for the martini shaker and our parents the bong, but these days we are much more sophisticated than that.
We pull the juvenile prank. [Read more…]
The Best Thing You Could Do Right Now to Succeed as an Entrepreneur
The eighteenth post in The Education of a Writer (TEW) series.
Okay, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that if you’re reading this, you are probably an entrepreneur–or want to be one.
No surprise there.
But let me go even further out on that limb and say you’re probably not sure if you’re a good entrepreneur…
…or how to actually even get your business off the ground in the first place. [Read more…]
Hardcore Writing Advice: Put a Gun to Your Head
No. Not really.
Just pretend like there’s a gun next to your head when you write. [Read more…]
Look What I Got for 7,000 Miles, 32 Days and 13 States
On the muggy morning of August 17, 2011, my family and I loaded up into a silver Impala, backed out of the garage and waved goodbye to our house and our neighborhood. Inside the trunk were five suitcases. Enough clothes to last us one, maybe two weeks.
Our plan was to be gone for five. [Read more…]
Writing Advice from a Rock Climber, Monk and Bonehead–Really?
The nineteenth post in The Education of a Writer (TEW) series.
I’m a selfish turd prone to episodes of self-loathing where all I want to do is write bad poetry.
It’s not that I hate hard work. I like hard work…especially when I’m working hard to please myself.
Unfortunately, this won’t get me anywhere fast. It won’t get any writer anywhere fast, including you. But there was a time when I didn’t want to get anywhere fast. I just wanted to be left alone. [Read more…]
How to Cope with Co-Workers Who Hate to Be Touched
The twelfth post in The Education of a Writer (TEW) series.
I never thought they actually existed. People who hate human contact. But they do. I’ve run into one. And it wasn’t pretty.
That he was a programmer made it ever more creepy. Programmers are known to be a squeamish bunch. Foibles out the wazoo.
I knew one programmer who was a body builder, chess rock star, one-time washer champion and cocky as all get out.
But Lum Ungulate took the cake. [Read more…]