Market Research and Self-Promotion

One of the things I have been doing this summer (something that has spilled over into this month) is market research and setting up a web presence for self-promotion. This blog in part could be viewed as part of the self-promotion.

So some of my falling behind towards writing 50,000 words in the space of a month, Friday for instance, actually moved me closer to my goal of making a comfortable living as a freelance writer. It wasn't a big step, but it was a step.

And quite honestly, I have no choice in the matter.

As some of my readers know, a few years ago (three years ago come October) I got laid off. At the time, I was the manager of a restaurant. I didn't think that I would have a hard time finding a new job. I was wrong. I failed to notice that the whole realm of food service had changed. Quite frankly, I was too experienced (twenty years worth) to be hired by anyone.

One of my friends likes to blame this on the immigration problem. But it is actually just a simple fact of business, cheap labor is good labor. If it wasn't the immigrants, it would be someone else. And if they run out of cheap humans, machines will end up replacing us. Bottom line, if they can do it cheaper without you than with you, too bad for you. But I digress.

So almost a year later, I was still unemployed. I had two options. Go back to my old employers (I turned down a transfer when they closed the location that I was working at) or go to college. After seeing my GED scores, I chose the college route.

Now, I am going to college in Colorado. That is the good news. The bad news is that Colorado (as of two years ago) was forty-eight in terms of financial aid. So outside of getting student loans and Pell Grants, I get nothing. So I am living off of my student loans. Fortunately, I am married, otherwise I would be in even bigger trouble. The wife has brought me time to get my feet back under me.

But it is my lack of financial aid that drove me back into writing. The lack of money makes you do strange things. Now, some will ask why I don't work a part time or even a full time job while I go to college. My father-in-law does all the time (he says that I am merely a freeloader). Well, it is not for the lack of willingness.

One of the unfortunate realities in my universe is that I am unqualified for anything other than food service and entry level positions in retail and telemarketing. The other unfortuante reality is that unless you are available 24/7, they don't want to hire you.

The only boss that is willing to put up with my college and lodge schedule is myself.

So why freelance writing? Simple, it is not the first time that I have tried my hand at it. A few years ago, before making assistant management, I attempted to write for pay. I wasn't good at it. Or rather good enough. The few sales I made were high and labor and low on profit. I was also younger then.

I also lacked an area of expertise. Or rather was blissfully unaware of what I was an expert on. A few years ago, I did learn what subjects I could potboil. I much rather do it as a labor of love, so I generally just ignored that possibility.

But being unemployed and in college refocused my vision. Being a writer generated more money than I was making not being a writer. So that is how I find myself being a writer again (or is it still).

One thing I learned last semester was that I wasn't as knowledgeable about the internet market as I should be. This came to my attention on February 23rd. Yes, it was that big of a red letter day. So last month, in June, I didn't do much writing as I spent a lot of my time looking around the internet researching this new market that had arose over the last couple of years(there was also a small amount of writer's block in play).

Besides needing to do market research, I needed to sent up my basic homepage. Self-promotion is a big key that I ignored up to this point. It is not so much laziness, as it conflicts with my ethics. I was taught to be humble, therefore quiet. It doesn't work as a writer. People have to know that you and your work is out there.

So last month, I did my base research and marketing setups. Why not while college was going on. Quite honestly, because I wanted to give this aspect of my new profession (ok, this is the third year in a row that I have to report writing income to the IRS, so maybe it is not new) my full attention. Come fall, when college resumes I want to be able to focus on writing and my schoolwork without having to do a major amount of setup and research. It is easier to maintain a presence than to create one.

Or maybe my father-in-law is right, maybe I am just lazy.

Oh and for those of you who are curious, at this point I am 20,902 words behind where I should be at this point for my writing goal for the month; weekends, especially lodge weekends are not good for my writing.

...but I am only ten days worth of words behind.

So I mind some progress today. Not much, only 700 words worth unless I get more done later today. Unfortunately, tommorrow is the online ZAM class, and Sunday is a lodge day; I am quite sure that I am going to fall further behind over the weekend.

I am now up to 5090 words. Short 16,581--ten days worth, figuring that I should be doing 1,667 words a day if I want to spend the pain evenly across the entire month. Obvivously, that is not going to happen. Maybe in November (yes, I am actually considering taking part in the National Write a Novel Month during term paper season--call me insane).

I am learning a lot about what is going on in the book I am writing. In many ways, it is like reading a mystery novel that someone else wrote. Like today, I learned something about one of the secondary characters that I didn't know, as in it wasn't planned by me.

And hopefully, I am learning what I absolutely need to learn--how to self-start and continue going on a project. One thing I have never developed as a writer, or as a person for that matter, is sheer discipline. I have always depended upon being brilliant. The closest thing I have to disciplince is my bloody-minded stubbornness. It may look like the same thing, but it is really not. As a professional writer, I need discipline. Hopefully, next week helps me towards developing that aspect of myself. *crosses fingers*

Bad week for writing...

Well, it has been a bad week for writing. My proof? I only need to write 17,281 words if I want to be on track to finish 50,000 words on the novel by the end of the month. I ended up with a raging migraine on Sunday (Imtrex does not work for me), and then had two days of errands (one personal, the other business). Which was enough to shut down the flow. So I am only up to 4390 words. Yikes! Wish me luck at pulling this project off.

Ok, I am a little short on word count

Well, I did make some progress today. I am now up to 3240. That is short of the 10002 that I should have to be on course for finishing this project. Way short, as in 6762 words short.

It is not as much progress as I would have liked to make, but at least I did not waste the entire day goofing around on the interent or doing other things (though in my defense, I have done some writing this week).

On the bright note, the story is getting more rich. Today, I fleshed out a couple of the characters, and introduced two new ones (one is a surprise to me). The story is getting more complex as I gain some idea where it is actually going. So all is good.

Avoiding the 50,000 words

I am doing a real good job of avoiding working on the 50,000 word goal I set for myself this month. The slighest distraction on the internet can sidetrack me. I only need to write 8035 words today to catch up to where I should be at the end of the day.

To illustrate how easy it is for me to get sidetacked, note I have written three articles already on Helium this month. Last month during my online market research month, I only wrote four. And I want to Helium to look for things to write, because writing there is easier than the task I have given myself.

Now, the first article about the difference between Satanists and witches needed to be wrote. The first article in the title cast my kind in the same light my mom casts my religion. But the Lammas article could have waited--though it is coming up in less than a month, so maybe it is best that I wrote it now rather than waiting to have time to do the complete set.

And the article about Teamwork, ok, that one is obviously me just trying to avoid my word count for the day. Much like me checking out the Star Trek fandom sites last night.

Another obvivous method of avoidance--writing this blog entry. Next thing I know, I will be reading and editing someone else's writing.

Oy vey.

How Different Are Witches From Satanists?

Lughnasadh (Lammas)

The Importance of Teamwork in the Company

Starting a little slow

So in my quest to write 50,000 words this month, I am off to a slow start. But at least, I have started.

On the 1st, I got absolutely nothing done. No real surprise there, it was a lodge day. No matter how few members show up, I am on duty on a lodge day. We went over the bylaws of the lodge, detailing why they are written the way they are. It was a boring session but necessary.

And yesterday, I only managed to get up to 157 words. About the time I got rolling, or at least pretending that I was about to start moving, Toni came home early. I would blame it on her, but lets be honest--I just wasn't really into it.

Today, I italized the words from yesterday (I am counting them towards the goal), and started a new story. I have absolutely no idea what I am writing about. The first scene came to me in a dream last night. Being curious, I chose to see where it would led me. So far (including yesterday's rubbish), I am at 2300 words.

It is progress.

Complaining about Helium Channel Contest

Well, the Helium Channel Champion contest has been going on for less than a week, and already that is a lot of complaining about it on the Community board on Helium. I understand a lot about why people are complaining about the contest, within the first couple of hours, a whole bunch of short (and in some caes plagirized) articles flooded the selected articles in the ten channels for this week.

During the previous contest, I decided not to focus on the contest, but devote myself to my long-term writing. So unless one of the future channels ends up being in my speciality as a writer, I will pretty much ignore the contest.

My biggest problem with the contest is that unless you are a winner during one of the contests, you only make pennies per entry (if you are lucky), and the income dries up completely when the contest is over. So for me, I am better off focusing on my fact-based articles, slowly building up my article base there. Pennies in the long term beats nothing in the short term.

And considering that my articles have a nasty habit of taking two or three weeks to hit their proper slot, the contest would be long over before my articles hit their proper ranking. I rather not swim with the sharks hacking out junk.

Besides I am working on writing 50,000 words (a rough draft of a novel) this month as my regular readers will remember.

Have a good day everyone, it is back to the millstone.

Morgan Drake Eckstein's Helium Profile