Writing When Distracted

Today is the first day of school half term. There are two young people to be entertained as well as the usual house tidying, meal cooking and washing, washing, washing! The only bright side is the lack of a school run which usually severely cuts into my writing time.

There's no real answer to this - every family is different. I'm between jobs right now, but that doesn't mean I have plenty to do. I set up a strict blogging schedule on my own sites at the beginning of the new year and it's beginning to pay dividends in terms of increased traffic. I also write for Suite101 and Hubpages and would like to increase my articles at both places.

My answer is to leave the computer set up and write in short bursts. If I have a chance at night, then I might plan out the articles I want to do, leaving the actual writing until morning. Otherwise thinking time takes away from writing time.

One thing I do want to do is enjoy the children. We will still get outside every day (even when it's cold and wet) and do some interesting activities. I got into this writing life so that I could take time off and things will slow this week for this very reason. On the other hand, it's what keeps life interesting!

How do you organise your writing life?

My Job Is...

I love getting the email newsletter from IttyBiz. If you haven't subscribed yet, then I highly recommend it.

The most recent post was a challenge and it has got a huge response. In her post, What Do YOU Do - The Reductive Meme Redux, Naomi suggested that small business owners need to make it clear on their websites what they actually do.

Here are my responses below:

What’s your game? What do you do?

I am a copywriter, editor and proof reader. I have written short stories, two unpublished novels, blog posts for four websites, articles for local magazines, web content articles and product descriptions.

Why do you do it? Do you love it, or do you just have one of those creepy knacks?

I love to write! I enjoy researching a new product, I love to plan out what I’m going to write and I enjoy the actual process of writing. I have no problem writing to a certain length and I even enjoy proof-reading afterwards and paring down the language so that it makes sense and does the job that you want it to.

Oh - and my deep dark secret is that I have a creepy knack with spelling and grammar - I can tell if a word looks right or not!

Who are your customers? What kind of people would need or want what you offer?

My customers are people who appreciate well-written articles, which are interesting to the reader. I prefer to write content that draws readers in; articles that they want to read. My work adds value to a website, not just filler. My customers also appreciate my professional approach, the fact that I keep contact with them during a project and that I turn my work in on time or even before the deadline.

What’s your marketing USP? Why should I buy from you instead of the other losers?

I take pride in my work. I enjoy each new challenge when it is presented to me. Buy from me because you appreciate the power of good writing and what it can do for your business.

What’s next for you? What’s the big plan?

I would love to move into ghostwriting because listening to people’s stories intrigues me. I don’t need a byline to get satisfaction from my work. I want this business to expand and grow and I want to be in a position to help other people fulfil their dreams too.

How to Learn More About Sales

After telling you how not to do sales yesterday, it's time to share a link that will help you learn how to sell yourself.

I came across Peter Shallard while reading Men With Pens yesterday, followed the link and found a really great site.

He's a psychiatrist who helps entrepreneurs and some of his stuff looks like it's going to be really useful. Having not long started up myself, selling is one of the hardest bits of my job and I was glad to find some really interesting articles and a free Ebook.

I recommend that you go over and check it out if you are looking for some some useful information on how to keep your business going.

When you are trying to run your own business, then you are automatically going to need to market yourself. This blog might just help you do that.