Finding the place to write and access your creativity ...

My office has moved (again) - to the third floor of the house, the loft conversion. It's a move which took place more by 'necessity' than it was by design. That is, my teen decided that despite having commandeered the loft a few years ago (shifting me out), it's a space which has proven too large for her. In teen logic, the larger the room, the more space there is to make a mess - a matter which is in direct correlation with how disillusioned I get and how much I actively wish I didn't ever have to step foot in there again and lay my tired eyes on the debris, or hear the sound of my nagging voice; "Quick! Come look?! I think somebody broke in and vandalised your room! "

So now I work on the third floor of the house, where in my ideal world I can get my head down and get more done. The harsh reality is that the outside world just knows when I am up there, and they start to knock on the door on a frequent basis, knocks which become louder with their impatience as I try to avoid death by falling as I skip down the (stupid) spiral staircase, and charge across the landing to head down yet another flight of stairs. Of course, they also know when I am approximately half way there, and they get ready to make a run for it and hide just before I make a dishevelled appearance at the door! Solution ? I thought about an intercom, but haven't surpassed 'thinking' stages yet.

My office is set up perfectly. I have a large and comfortable desk space, large monitors to work on, Wacom tablet and Cintiq set up and ready to go whenever I need them. In the day I like to have music running in the background, something a bit upbeat to keep my working tempo running along nicely. For every ounce of 'progress' made in the speaker industry, I still love my trusty old Kef's, which are perched nicely on their stands around my office space. I never fail to acknowledge that they do the job far better than any device I've bought and discarded since. If I happen to be working at night I like plenty of light but nothing overwhelming. The spots in the eaves and around the spirals work nicely for this. Filing cabinets and shelves work their magic for 'storage', and conveniently there is somewhere to lounge if I need to read, or watch a movie on my HD monitor (for 'research'... obviously ;-) ).

Yep, it has taken many years to work out what my ideal 'office' set up is. The gadgets and gizmo's I need around me for productivity, how I like my working space to look and feel. The loft ? Has it all!

Why then do I insist on doing the vast majority of my work on the laptop? Furthermore, how come I choose to do that work amongst the everyday hustle and bustle of family life? Dog nipping at me for a walk, child nipping at me for just about everything, TV blaring, dinner burning, phone ringing, SMS pinging, Emails gazinging ... Sigh. Yet here I am at my most comfortable - I say, as I roll my eyes at yet another intrusion and wonder how on earth am I meant to finish this post ?

Still, my uncomfortable nook in the lounge, or the kitchen, or perched on the side of the bath as I hastily jot down something or other, is where I get most of my work done. Don't ask me why, especially don't ask me how! Perhaps it is because I am a natural procrastinator? Maybe I need to feel the 'pressure' in order to actually output anything? It's true, a lot of the blog posts that I produce for other people are borne on a restaurant napkin, the back of my hand, or my trusty smart phone.

I love my office, it is perfect. Perfectly out of sight it seems. Although I do visit it occasionally, for example if designing book jacket covers (because I need the cintiq / wacom tablet), each and every sojourn there leaves me wondering 'why don't I come here more often ? I get along with this room so well !'

Alas it has been said many times, that when writing, blogging, accessing your thoughts, your creativity, find your space, find the place where you are most productive and run with it. 'My office' is a working example of this, because the fact is that my 'office' is really the busiest, most inconvenient and most inconceivable nooks and crannies of my day to day life. It is in those moments my brain is at it's most alert, most productive even... and when it needs down time? There is always the loft, where only the sudden onset of incessant knocking at the door will disturb my 'research' ;-).

Striking up a conversation about the use of pseudonyms in writing

Like many, I write incessantly. Admittedly a lot of what I write goes straight in the trash, sits quietly in my drafts never to be finished / published, or is 'cooling' on a hard drive somewhere, very very long term.

Earlier in the year I followed through on a random thought and wrote a fictional manuscript, which I then put on hold for almost 9 months. I was distracted by other things and to a large degree, taking time out from work, writing, my online 'life' etc whilst I concentrated on overcoming the flooring that is chemo and radiotherapy, a veritable poison a la NHS in the UK. As necessary as this treatment was, it proved something of an inconvenience in terms of my plans! During the time of active treatment I lost all interest in writing, and so it was that said manuscript sat with other beginnings on a hard drive with it's trusty old timer friends.

From nowhere I've felt motivated to load it back up and work on it again. That is where my head is at right now, and it's working for me at the moment. I'm managing to get my words down and achieve a level of productivity I'm happy with. I've ran it by my editor who thinks I should aim to publish it, and there lies my stumbling block. I'm faced with many questions. Do I aim to send it out to a plethora of traditional publishers? Do I do what I know oh so well (because it's part of what I do for a job) and self-publish? Do I publish in my own name or a pseudonym? If I decided to ease myself back into blogging much as I am easing myself back into my everyday work life, do I blog about this ? If so does that blog need to be in my name / chosen pen name, or shall I step away from that and use a URL which relates to the text or title, or something else ?

My reason for considering a pen name is that it's a genre I don't usually work in. I want to maintain my business reputation and associations writing for writers and for business. I don't want to warp that focus. You know, I still need my day job :-) - thinking about it, that is my only reason for considering a pen name, but launching a blog with a URL which doesn't contain my name might just as well meet that criteria and help keep things separate to a degree ?

I hate having so many questions unanswered, it's just not like me to be without a veritable plan. So for this reason I thought I would put it out there and ask you all what you think ? Do you have experiences with this ? Even if you don't, what are your thoughts ? As readers we are often aware of authors who write under pseudonyms, do you think it affects your sense of authenticity when relating to that writer?

Proofread Your Manuscript Or Document Like A Pro

Many of my online crowd are writers.  Partly because many of the things I do within my working life is with writers, and partly because I'm partial to writing myself, I guess this is a given. We have a tendency to support each other through thick and thin, and unlike other 'professions' the notion of competition is scarce. Many of us are readers, we know that the world is unlikely to say 'we have too many books to read, stop!' and so we are always happy to encourage each other to the end. This is definitely an aspect of my day to day work which I love. The complete lack of back-biting and sniping or bending over backwards to prove we are bigger and better than our counterparts is something other professions could take a look at with green-eye. On the occasions that we do critique the work of others, I personally have always found it to be positive. I also find we are usually keen as a crowd to give each other tips and help each other out.

In this vein, today I replied to a post of a writer about the woes of proofreading. The upshot being "who'd have thought we can make so many mistakes in one manuscript" ? Especially given that we are writers and as such we are usually the types who take pride in our use of language, grammar, etc. However the fact is that no matter how careful we are, we usually become word blind to our own work. Our brains recall what we have written and finish the sentence for us a fraction of a second before our eyes scan the actual text. It means we make oversights and assumptions about our own work. On the bright side, our brains do us this favour with the work of others too, and we are prone to overlooking their small and sparse errors likewise.

I'm particularly guilty of this. Unlike many bloggers I often don't leave my posts to simmer and proofread again before publishing. The fact is that I rarely have time to go back to them and so it's often now or never. Even worse, many of my posts are written on the fly via whichever handy little device I have with me at the time. Equally, unless it is a blog aimed at self-promotion or a business type post, I understand the hint of humanity my mistakes afford me. I know! What a poor example I am to others right? I admit I deserve many lashings with a heavy bound book for my oversight in this respect in my blogs! On the other hand, I intentionally write in a relaxed manner, I project my voice in a casual way as I would in conversation, because I am reaching out and connecting with you, the reader. I'm not perfect, I don't want you to expect me to be within this blog. This is perhaps a sticking point, because I always advise other writers and bloggers to proofread their work! Hahaha the irony. On the other hand, part of my work is that of proofreading and/or copy editing the work of others. Suddenly the perfectionist in me rears it's ugly head and my red pen becomes your biggest nemesis, and just like when the teacher marked your work at school, the angry colour of the ink is usually enough to make anybody eeek. Just kidding, I work increasingly on screen these days ;-)

With my proofreading head on, I am often asked by others how they can turn out less errors, proofread their work themselves with confidence, achieve the kind of copy a pro publisher would approve of ? Baring in mind your word-blindness to your own text, there is no fool-proof method. But there are easy steps you can take to improve your proofreading skills :

1. Cover your manuscript with paper, revealing a sentence at a time as you read. This will slow you down when reading the text and give you a continual reminder to pay attention. Simply scanning text, which is what we tend to do when we are familiar with content is our biggest downfall when it comes to trying to find errors. You can apply this method on screen too, or better still load the document onto a tablet and read it as if it's book / on paper, again applying paper or a ruler to cover text as you go. 
2. After an initial proofread, be prepared to be extremely systematic in your reading approach. If you are not time-served and experienced at proofreading, make a note of the things you need to check on every page. Keep referring to that list to ensure you checked for everything enabling you to leave no stone unturned.
3. Don't try to proofread when you are tired, or bored with the text you have written. Yes, we all get sick of seeing our own work and become keen for it to end at times. Walk away from your manuscript and come back to it when you feel motivated. This is a must. You will be even more inclined to let your brain fill in the gaps as you read if you aren't eager and alert. 
4. Practice your proofreading skills on other samples of text before trying to proofread your own. It will give you an idea of how keen your eye is and areas you need to pay more attention to when proofreading your own draft. 
5. Accept that you will need to undertake more than one proofread of your manuscript / text. Twice is an absolute minimum, three or four times is more likely. The final proofread should be after your work has been set out for publishing. At this stage errors which are minor but will affect layout and cause a lot of work to realign etc are likely to be best overlooked unless it changes meaning. The assumption at this stage is that errors should be few and far between, if at the point of formatting the work is still littered with errors, it isn't ready for the publication process, in print or digitally. 

In the publishing world, professional proofreaders are accustomed to making judgement calls on whether to correct errors after typesetting / formatting. Often we are given guidelines on cost, we make comparisons to the original text in order to establish if the error is that of the typesetter (the correction becoming their expense) or the writer / publisher (the publisher having to pay for that correction). We make decisions based on whether a simple change to a word / spelling etc will generate surplus work when in fact the reader will not lose the essence of the text. When working with self-publishing authors discussions are had along the same lines, and decisions are based on whether they can reformat work themselves or will have to send the text back out to an E-Publisher. It is for this reason that we as writers will often spot small but sparse errors throughout a book and wonder why it wasn't corrected ? Now you know. Equally, proofreading isn't just about spelling and grammar. It is also about style and consistency. 

Here is a short list of the main things which need to be checked if you want to check your work like a publishing pro: 

• Spelling and Grammar - Don't rely on spell checkers and digital technology to find these errors. Remember that we have to make decisions on whether we use americanised spelling of certain words or not, and ensure we are consistent with this approach. Also remember that a spell checker will not identify if you have used your and you're incorrectly for example. For this reason in itself proofreading is a manual job. 
• Flow - Ensure that the text flows and makes sense as you read. Make notes where it doesn't and decide on the best course to correct this. 
• Hyphenation / Capitalisation etc - Again ensure the use of hyphenation and capitalisation is consistent throughout the text. 
• Facts and Information - Check your facts as you read. Are names consistent and dates correct for example ? 
• Layout - The most obvious example of this would be to point out that all tables need to be styled in the same way. Page margins differ on odd and even pages, are these correct ? Ensure that approach to layout of "speech" is approached consistently in layout throughout the text i.e. Do you hyphenate or not ? 
• Font - Look for changes in font style and size. Also ensure that numbers and Roman Numerals are the same font and style throughout the work. 
• Page Numbers - Check they flow as they should. This is especially important at final proofread.
• Chapters and Titles - Check for consistency. Again especially important at final proofread. 
• Will changes affect layout ? If so what is the cost in terms of time ? In monetary value ? In loss of understanding to the reader ? In overall quality of the text ? This is most applicable after formatting / layout / typesetting has been completed. 

Proofreading on a regular basis helps ensure that these are skills which start to come naturally to us. In the meantime it's a good idea to check each page systematically for each element as you go. It will ultimately mean that you have read the text multiple times, however you can rest assured that so would a publishing house if they were taking responsibility for the quality of your work. Finally, track your changes, and keep copies of those notes and original documents. You will be surprised how often you might need to compare against former texts when making proofreading and editing decisions, especially if you plan to outsource some of the proofreading / editing / publishing tasks. 

Many a reader will vouch for the fact that they have read books where in essence the story was great but they felt that the 'quality' let them down. Quite often these are issues of copy editing and proofreading prior to final draft. Our audiences are often avid readers, they have become accustomed to the standards of the publishing-for-print world. The best way to avoid disappointment is to meet their expectations and ensure you publish like a pro !

Practice the very basics of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

SEO is always a buzz word. As millions of people clamour for pole position in that elusive key word search there are just as many looking to convince you of their search engine prowess and sell you their services. However, unless you are looking to compete against key market players in any field, the basics of SEO really can be kept simple.

 8 Easy Steps to SEO friendly Content;

1. Your domain - Use a domain which reflects your website content to help position your site in search engines. In the world of blogging especially when we are blogging about life topics we are more likely to choose quirky domain names, use your site 'tag line ' to indicate what your blog is about. 
2. Give your content Titles and Headers - Ensuring that the title of your post reflects the aim and direction of your content is key to helping search engines define your content type. This is equally true of sub-headers throughout your post, use them as landmarks in your content to identify subject. 
3. Keywords - There is always a lot of talk about 'keywords' and 'longtail phrases'. In short the difference is that the former is a single word, the latter a phrase which you think is 'likely' to be searched for online relating to your topic. Ensuring that your keywords feature in titles/header and content helps build the catalogue of knowledge for search engines when deciding what your subject is... but don't overdo it, else not only will you penalised for trying to 'trick' the search engines into listing your content, it will become a boring read. 
4. Consider content length - Most plugins and apps which assist with search engine optimisation recommend content of at least 300 words long. Whilst I personally don't subscribe to a word count driving my content, and prefer to be led by what I actually have to say about a topic, it's a guideline which should help you understand 2 factors. Search Engines are seeking 'content rich' pages and the process of 'saturating' your keywords within your topic can make 'quality' mighty difficult to reflect in short posts. i.e. imagine repeating the word 'writing' some three times in a text 100 words long vs a more natural flow within a 300 word counterpart ? Makes sense doesn't it ? On the contrary, your writing style and target audience will very much start to influence your content length, not every audience wants to read an essay, where as others are more engaged by longer pieces. 
5. Links - there has traditionally been a leaning towards 'link building' in the SEO race to such a degree that in the past companies have built their whole business on this alone. However Search Engines are not looking for a vast number of links from and to your content, they are looking for quality of your content, and your links are a good indicator of this. Links within your text and content to verify that you are providing good quality information is a valuable search engine practice. Likewise, many are watching their analytics in order to see who is linking into them, should you be writing brilliant content which others might want to share, this practice just may help you get noticed, and hopefully get you that link back. Equally, include the link to your blog in appropriate places, such as in email signatures replying to contacts about your blog, in comments on other blog sites etc. This not only provides a history of linking to your site for search engines to find, it provides other pathways of finding your site for potential readers. 
6. Images - include images in your post. Imagary is not just for visual pleasure, they also guide the eye around the page and users are more likely to read your content if they find it visually appealing.  However search engines cannot 'read' images for the purpose of being able to identify their topic / meaning, try to give the images names which reflect the post subject/content, complete information for the images such as title and 'alt' as search engines can read this. 
7. User experience - make it easy to navigate around content on your site. 
8. Don't forget social networks - whilst most search engines no longer refer to metadata for their rankings, most social networks still refer to this. Use enticing (content appropriate) descriptions and tags for every post and page. 

Practising these techniques will help you keep your site and content search engine friendly, and will soon become second nature if considered routinely in the course of publishing posts. 

How does writing resemble cooking an omelette ?

I have the fortune of watching somebody else cook me omelette right now. Most of you know the debate .... add milk or water ? I'm an add milk type of gal, for no other reason than that is how I was taught to do it. I'm well aware that it's fairly difficult to distinguish the difference in the real world. When a restaurant dishes you an omelette can you tell instantly which ingredient they are leaning towards? If you can, you're a bigger foodie than me ! However, it is rare I get to watch others cook, and as I do so (gazing disapprovingly on at the water diluting the eggs) I can't help but think about the correlation between this basic recipe and writing. Yep, these are the random wanderings of my mind, who'd have thought it!

I was taught to cook an omelette when I was fairly young and I have stuck to the basic formula ever since, not because I don't like change (I am the girl who sleeps on different sides of the bed on a regular basis in fear I might get 'stuck in a rut') but because it works. I can throw in other ingredients to make a Spanish Omelette, or French Omelette, but the foundations of my culinary skills in this part of the egg world remain steadfast to good effect. Just incase you aren't convinced, I will say again, I do it the way I do because it works.

Whilst writing is a skill to some degree, many of us were taught methodologies in our younger years. The majority of us were at least taught basic principles of 'beginning, middle and end' even if (in the UK at least ) you were born recently enough to have seen the demise of grammar as a curriculum topic. My point here is that as writers of any form we all have our foundations, our basic ingredients, which might differ in constitution, but aim for the same thing...write quality stuff which people can read and engage in. Quite often we repeat that formula and others start to recognise our 'writing style' and occasionally we might swap them out to try the methods of others to see what we're left with? The talented will manage to produce a perfectly nice omelette no matter which ingredients they throw in, whereas others will see the demise of their works (if our standards are set by desired outcome) and end up with what can only be scrambled eggs.

It is often the changes of our steadfast ingredients which result in a dish outside of the norm. There was a trend over recent years to leave story lines unanswered, cliff hanger endings, disappointing outcomes. It strikes me that these are the scrambled eggs of the writing world! Beginning, middle and ... what ? no resolution ? I'm not just talking about the works written with serials in mind, I mean those works such as The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas, Pans Labrynth, etc. Acknowledged as great by many, but few would have failed to reach the concluding scenes of the book / film without reeling. We just weren't programmed to anticipate those outcomes, and yet there they were in all their glory, and after we got over the shock and disappointment of the scrambled eggs we were dished, many admitted that they tasted rather good!

Many will say that writing is an art form. It is certainly a skill set which some tend to show a flair towards more than others. In any art there are often basic principles to guide you on your path, but exploring other techniques and mixing up your ingredients you might find that much like the omelette, the outcome isn't broken, it's just different.

The Basics to Becoming a Blogger

Over recent years and the prevalence of the web into every corner of our lives, blogging has gained increasing popularity and recognition. In fact there are many out there making a good income from their blogs alongside their paths as content writers for others and speakers / guides in their niche. Whilst many are quick to realise that the internet has also contributed to a wide-scale saturated market of writers offering their talents, it should equally be acknowledged that casting our talents far and wide has become easier than it's ever been before.

Whether you are blogging as a personal pass-time, looking to launch your writing career or mobilising blog posts as a means of growing your crowd / network and marketing your services, the core principles are simple and easily defined ;

1. Identify your goals - understanding what you want to achieve from your blog posts will help direct your content and the ways in which you intend to reach out to your audience. 
2. Write content and lots of it! - write write write. Very few serious bloggers write the bulk of their content in the publishing moment. Most are writing and developing their content constantly with scheduled publishing of posts. This not only helps build a 'catalogue' of content to fall back on, it ensures a steady flow of blog posts from your site / platform, encouraging readers to follow your content and stay engaged. 
3. Find inspiration - there are many ways of finding inspiration for your blog content from web / app generated resources to being aware of the news and social network feeds. Watch, read, listen and then discuss to in order to work topics which attract audience to your work, but be warned, writing for writing's sake in this way will do you no favours. Responding to 'hot topics' with genuine thoughts and opinions will help your audience feel that they are getting to know you, whilst having the added bonus of potentially increasing your exposure as you write about the topics people are searching. 
4. Be productive - this 'tip' is less about writing and generating blog content and more about optimising your workflow and understanding your strengths. When and where do you work best ? Do that. How much time do you lose to reading emails and responding to tweets ? manage and restrict it. How much time do you waste using the wrong tools for the job? Invest in the things you need to save time, effort and frustration especially those which make your work flow more simple. 
5. Build your crowd - I've posted about this recently HERE, a blog with no audience would be better defined as a diary. If that's your aim then great, but if you are seeking readers and following then putting yourself out there in the virtual world is a must. Share your content with others via social networks, directories and information pages but do so with a view to gaining genuine followers and readership rather than 'numbers' - keep your interactions authentic, read others' work and respond when you have something genuine to say, follow those who inspire you or interest you, step outside of your box and engage outside of your 'niche', very few of us are confined to just one interest and often find our audience is engaged in lots of different areas. 
6. Understand shifts in social networking - social networking has evolved a great deal over the past decade, with people looking more and more towards genuine / valid interactions and posts they can 'relate' to. Working on this more personal level is a great shift from older techniques of marketing which used key words to target audience and people are less likely to respond to a 'sales spin' than ever. Getting to know your audience and engaging with them these days takes time, effort and commitment on your behalf and this is especially true in the social networking arena.  When engaging on a particular platform watch how others gain success in what they do for ideas of how crowds are best engaging. 
7. Develop your online presence - a polished website isn't necessary in your early days of blogging. Instead there are various blogging platforms out there all good for the job. As content evolves a natural flow of topics / niches and priorities will evolve, giving you an opportunity to truly start developing your online presence. Watching and noticing your traffic flow, user engagement and topics will enable you to identify ways in which you can improve your blog over time. i.e. add a menu  or categorise your posts, add links to older posts in sidebars, or direct traffic to your other sites. Being aware that your online presence is an ongoing work in progress will ensure that you optimise your web front as the need arises, consequently meeting the needs and demands of your audience. 
8. Ask - if you are looking for shares to raise awareness, likes to improve your visibility, or opinions / feedback, ask! Openly inviting people in to engage with your blog gets better results than expecting them to read your mind and know what you want / need. 
9. Learn the very basics of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) - to gain exposure on your posts you will need a basic understanding of SEO. This will enable readers who are not following your social networks to find your content in their searches. You don't need to be an SEO whizz and following the very basics will help towards increasing your exposure in search results. Look online for information on how you can improve your content for keywords, use plugins and apps to help identify your SEO strengths and needs in a post and make it standard to incorporate these skills into your every day writing. 
10. Commit - Blogging success doesn't happen over night. But if you are prepared to work regularly and methodically towards building your online presence, content and audience, it will come. 

Gather your crowd, but first build your community.

I recently responded to a Facebook post asking for clues as to why a website wasn't engaging traffic. "I have a website, it gets traffic but no enquiries, why ?" I genuinely wish I had a pound for every time I hear or see that question, I wouldn't need to work at all, in fact just charging a pound for every time I answer that question in a public forum, over coffee or lunch, in the street even (yes it's been known!) would be enough to pay the bills! Instead I know and understand that people don't usually post on social networks for advice on their website if they have budget to spend on it, I therefore hop along, put in my two penneth in the most constructive way I can find and move on. I don't tout for their business, I don't worry about what other people who might be in the same line of work as myself are doing either. However my friends and acquaintances often do. This instance of responding to a Facebook post / question was typical of how it usually rolls;

• I give said website literally a 5 second glance - Why ? Well, that's how long you have to capture your audience when they first land on your page, the problems I see there, are therefore contributing factors to lack of engagement
• I reply with constructive comment and working example of productive suggestions
• Somebody in the same field as myself (web and content writing) hops on, repeats what I said in some other form right behind me and asks for the business 'pm me I can work with you on this'.
• I get a plethora of private messages saying oh my god I can't believe they just did that, you gave the solutions now your competition is using it to tout for work
• I walk away unworried and untouched by this, I posted and fulfilled my best intentions. I wasn't touting for work, I was being helpful. 

Anybody who knows me well or has worked with me by now realises that I don't worry about 'competition'. Maybe in the business world I should, but I believe that we all have our audience/clients, nailing our unique selling points ( I don't like that term either but it's a go-to phrase in the business world) and identifying our audience is part of the process. Integral to that is who we are and how we go about our business as well, how we project our skills and use them for the benefit of our clients. My understanding of this means that I know that not everybody is looking for my services because it wont be a fit, equally not everybody is looking for yours. 

As the messages came in about my response to the Facebook post and my so-called competition appearing to annoy my friends and colleagues I took a quick look back at my reply and theirs. I smiled to myself and moved on. Why ? Sure the fellow content writer might use my suggestions, but she is not me. She will have her own writing style, her own understanding of marketing and branding, she may or may not be able to see without my help that a major part of the problem was in fact the business owners failure to gather a crowd. I could write her 10 paragraphs and she wouldn't use them in the same way that I would, and for those very reasons I stopped worrying about competition a long time ago. Not because I am conceited and think I am the best (I am though, honest - ask my mum! :-) ) but because a) I hadn't popped along trying to procure business, and b) as I just pointed out, the person who posted will or wont find a good fit there. 

Over the past 12 months my business life has taken massive changes of direction. I now focus on online content writing more than ever. Over recent months that has even moved to content writing just for me, not just for clients, and my attentions are being drawn in this direction increasingly - when life and work permit. I am co-owner of a busy and large business network, I still love my web and content writing role, I've recently pulled those skills together to plan and launch an online  anxiety management course (pulling further on my former background in mental health) which I love to deliver, at last I get to use all of the skills I enjoy in one role! In my role as content writer and web geek I have learned the value of gathering a crowd in order to really make things work for clients, and I repeatedly see people who fail to understand it's necessity. Whilst reflecting on the above it became apparent to me that it's something I probably should have pointed out here. For writers more than anybody are often seeking to engage, put their wares out there and hopefully get a reader or two (million). 

There is a lot of information out there on the internet already covering this, I wont bore you by repeating what others say. However I do want to point out something that many are scared to say. It's ok to look around and find your influencers. People who you feel are achieving a level of the success you aim for. Their model is working, what can you learn from it ?

For example, my working life means that branding is something I think about, it's also something I am aware applies to the process of gathering audiences and building followers. In my opinion, as far as blogging goes, Jeremy Crow has this nailed. He writes about multiple subjects, all under the whacko umbrella. I love that he did that. I can see how it contributes to his success and it was the first factor which drew me into following him (Of course his content, and his personality are major contributors also ! ).  Furthermore he engages with his readers. This is again is more common ground from my own perspective. He understands the value of his audience, he doesn't take it for granted and he keeps his interaction genuine. In this respect he has his formula for gaining and keeping his crowd successfully. I'm in. 

Identifying your influencers is a great starting point for gathering your own crowd. Influencers aren't limited to people's whose success you want to mirror, they are people doing things you respect, admire, like etc. Furthermore they are important because these are the set of people with whom you are likely to find common ground and build genuine relationships. I often share and comment on other people's posts and blogs. However I never share and post for sharing/ posting's sake. I believe that my engagement should be kept to something genuine, I interact and build relationships based on content and interaction that I actually have something to say about / add / think about. Starting out in the blogging world can be a long slog. Finding other bloggers and writers who you respect, whose work engages you is a great first stop in terms of both finding inspiration, challenging your limitations, and building a community. This isn't just a writers strategy, it's actually the way of the business world. Ask our network members and they will tell you, they advance their business skills all of the time, based on the interactions they have with the people they respect within the network. Having that community to bounce around in is a fundamental part of our growth as writers, the rest is up to you, and as my network partner so adeptly describes in her own blog, There Is No One Youer Than You. 

Calling Young Bloggers

My 12 year old is stepping into the blogosphere. It's not exactly her first time in so much as she's had her own website for years, a project which was primarily about her feeling involved when I worked and learning some web skills to boot. However she's decided to actually give her website a specific blogging direction now and I'm looking forward to watching it develop. I know of a couple of young bloggers, not least the talented daughter of Adele Archer, Erin O'Neil but would love to be pointed in the direction of other young bloggers out there. Why ? They are the bloggers of the future, they deserve our support, and lets face it we can probably learn a thing or two from them ! So anybody with links to young bloggers who want to share them with me, please feel free to do so, you have my attention :-)

When things come together - bringing real mental health support to the online arena

I've had some time out from work recently (forced by hospital treatment) and for the first time in EVER found myself completely unable to think about the work related inbox or bother or worry about the things I should be doing. I hadn't lost interest in my work as such, I just didn't have the energy for a while and reluctantly decided it's ok to give myself a break and just commit to doing as much or as little as was viable on any given day. 'Viable' turned out to be nothing work related or anything which required a good attention span lol.

That is until one night I had an epiphany and realised that there are other things I want to do, but I've not been in a position to do them (on a work level).

In my former life I worked for the NHS as a Senior Practitioner in Mental Health. Part of that role was to deliver various therapies to clients on a 1:1 basis or in groups. These were always my favourite slots in the diary, and much of the work I did on that level was the reason I actually chose the profession in the first place. Times change though, and the NHS has increasingly been confronted with funding and resource issues. The knock on effect was that I watched my client groups and referral rates grow massively, with no resources to meet their needs. People who were suffering depression, anxiety etc were sat on increasing waiting lists while they experienced something of a black hole, half way through the tunnel so to speak where they could not see light at either end, as they had sought help but were now sat in limbo waiting for it.

There is a wealth of information online for many of the issues related depression, anxiety, anger management etc, but reading information and actually having the benefit of having guidance and tools to work through a process are not the same. In fact much of the mental health work I have undertaken since leaving the NHS has been writing copy aimed at encouraging individuals to seek the help they deserve, quite often pointing them towards NHS postcode lottery services whereby readily available support varies greatly across the country.

I first left the NHS in order to be more available to my daughter around school times. Shifts just weren't working for her, she is a creature of habit and thrives in routine. It was a massive step and I cant deny I found it daunting. I couldn't imagine not working pro-actively in a clinical role anymore. I had spent many years on a continuum of learning and development myself in order to effectively facilitate group work which really enabled clients to move forward and see progress. My compromise was to take up various writing contracts in the health and pharma arenas, which led me towards a natural progression of developing extensive web / techy skills, until my arena digressed into web developed and online media strategies as a content writer.

I still find myself pulled towards the plight of the many who in a society / culture /economical climate which places us under more pressure than ever before are increasingly presenting for help with mental health issues set against increasing limitations of service availability. Ive lost count of the number of clients who have asked me why I don't practice privately, but I honestly believe that the mental health support teams are best equipped to deal with the many aspects of getting life back on track, from assessment, medication, referral for input, to help with social issues such as finances and day to day help and support.

However, for the first time in my working life I've had real down-time, a space in which to think and reflect on the things I'm committed to, the things which inspire me and motivate me, and the things I know how to do well. And there it was! Suddenly things came together;
With years of experience of designing and facilitating mental health service groups such as anxiety and anger management, and a history of seeing real results from those programmes, I'm now in a fairly advantageous position. Along the way I have developed my content writing skills, I have developed content provision strategies (online and in print ) and voila, by marrying the 3 I am able to facilitate online anxiety management programmes and other mental health support systems professionally and effectively whilst being one lucky individual who gets to work in the areas and ways she loves!

And this is where I have been for the past few months. Leaving the freelance worklife behind for a little while and piloting my online services to clients who have been prepared to take a leap of faith and try a new path towards their journey of recovery. It's been a ride, it's been an amazing learning curve, but most importantly it's been a success. Next step, bring the course out of the private domain and get it online!

I'll still be writing (and have in fact managed to work on the second draft of work I've had on hold while I earn real money for a long time during my 'down time'), I'll still be building websites for my clients, but importantly I will also be using those writing and web skills to also follow the areas I am dedicated to, that is helping others in the mental health arena. We can't always foresee where our paths might be headed, but life has a way of helping us find our direction. Can't wait.
:-)

Opportunities...lost or found?

At the moment I'm writing about opportunity. It's relationship to hope and fear, and oddly enough a recount of one of the most bizarre periods of my life. I never write in depth or seriously about myself beyond social network statuses or the occasional blog post. This is an entirely new experience, made harder to tackle by a distant promise made that I would never share this story. The feeling that I am betraying somebody is horrible. However for those of you out there who are by now really thinking I'm a wicked human being by doing that, I assure you, I have thought it through for many years, and I am betraying nobody, my moral-ometer is set to sensitive, the only story I am attempting to tell is my own, and I do so because it is possibly an opportunity which shouldn't be missed.

I understand that you the reader are none the wiser yet, but suffice to say that I'm wondering if I am writing about an opportunity lost or found ? It seems to me that some things can share both concepts, retrospectively it would be fair to say that it was an opportunity lost, but presently I see that it is in fact a renewed opportunity in the act of sharing that experience with others. The irony here is not lost on me and probably what is attracting me towards putting it down in words. Whether I ever actually move towards publishing it is a whole other story.

Writing about Writing

Why Do We Get Writers Block ?

I write content for a living. Usually not my own, although more recently I have embarked upon a more personal blog, and that is definitely me stepping outside my box (read 'comfort zone'). Because the content I write is quite often driven by the needs of a client I rarely if at all hit the dreaded writers block.   However I have noticed how much harder I find it to write about something so deeply personal, such as  my journey with Breast Cancer. Part of the issue here is that there are some things I don't feel comfortable posting to my blog, for instance if it affects my family or friends. My whining that my phone pings incessantly and many forget that these days I can manage only 2 things (work and sleep), neither of which are conducive to responding via text to every well meaning enquiry, will only upset my thoughtful supporters. Luckily they don't swing by this blog ! This in itself then becomes a writing restraint. The knowledge that I need to write something carefully so as not to hurt or offend somebody along the way is enough to shackle my hands to the chair upon which I sit and the whole topic becomes effectively defunct in my mind. In this respect it is probably better to be a tabloid journalist and at least sensationalise the process of hurting / damaging others in the quest to get that headline. It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it ! The process of writing my blog has brought me to wonder about writers block more than I perhaps otherwise would have. There is a plethora of information available on how to overcome it, and so I wont waste more of your time rinsing and repeating. But I'm less interesting in the "How To Overcome Writers Block" line and more interested in the "Why Do We Get Writers Block ? "

When I first started out writing somebody advised me to write lots and allow myself the opportunity to start work on many different things, not just one project / topic / subject. As a newbie writer this made no sense to me. How would I ever finish anything ? However their advice turned out to be invaluable and as they had suggested to me initially, some things would prevail, some would fall by the wayside. This is certainly true. For example I have a whole book written, every last word is down. Yet it still sits in my To Do tray. Not because I don't have time or I don't think it is worth revisiting to do the editing. The problem there is that I don't have the mental energy at the moment to go back to it. I have a plethora of blog post titles listed still to be worked on and published. I have various projects burning which range from paid work for others, to work for myself which needs my attention. Yet today I feel unable to focus on other topics but can blaze across the keyboard at the speed of light here ? The reason for this for me is that I am distracted. I am juggling too many balls on a personal level to give anything my full attention. On other occasions I might lack inspiration, or find myself constrained by the expectations of a client. And lets not forget that even those who have undertaken some form of creative studying are very often not taught 'how to generate ideas', whilst they worry about turning out essays and work which will be graded by another (back to feeling constrained by a set of rules then?).

Many of the writers I know have busy minds. They often see and experience things which they need to get down on the page. They are incited by personal and world events and might often churn them over in their minds as their thoughts and opinions are processed. I think I might take the risk of saying here that there isn't a single writer out there who isn't guilty of being a full-time thinker. The brain isn't built to function on one level. It allows in and processes a host of information on a daily basis, it doesn't seem realistic to expect it to focus entirely on just one thing. My aspie daughter is in fact evidence of this to me. She is renowned for being uber focused. In fact she hates to be interrupted when she is doing anything. She obsesses with topics for a long ass time. There was little she didn't know about keeping marine fish by the time she was 7. She can still name dinosaurs that I've never even heard of. Her knowledge on paradigms is unsurpassable. But the fact is that over her 12 years her  'obsessions' have gradually leapt from one topic to another. I have come to realise that she will always have intense interests, but they will change from time to time and if it is that a mind that is meant to function on a level of obsession can and will change direction then it's not reasonable to expect that the rest of us wont either ?

I'm lucky enough to be able to say that I've never truly experienced writers block. I've hit walls on certain projects and moved away from them. I've lived through circumstances which have impeded my ability to work and needed to down tools completely. I've felt constrained by many different factors. I understand how debilitating it can feel to not be able to complete something we really want to complete, or in some instances even get off the starting block but quite often understanding the reasons why has been enough for me to see the solution. Even more often, moving along swiftly to something else which has been left simmering proves to be the solution.

Going back to the initial advice I was given when starting out writing. This morning I woke at the crack of dawn and was completely unable to finish a single piece of writing work. In fact most things I tried to focus on were quickly saved as drafts and left to simmer. That may be the case for an hour, a day or a week, but I will get back to them. Instead I'm here 'Writing about Writing', a post which is completely unplanned and unscheduled in terms of workflow, yet I'm content in the knowledge that I am still being productive. It may not be what I set out to do today, but I wont leave it behind worried that I am struggling to work, or concentrate, or dare I say it, Write ?!

Social Networking, own your behaviour not just your content online

Many writers will tell you that marketing and PR have become a large part of their working role in today's publishing world. More often than not publishing houses are sharing the responsibility for building audiences and connecting with fan bases. Gone are the days that we can safely anticipate a huge marketing effort on our behalves. As such many are turning to social networking platforms to connect with others, in hope of increasing their exposure, finding relevant or interesting content and establishing our contacts.

Of course this isn't a concept which is restricted to writers, the world of social networking has entered the majority of homes and business arenas around the globe to such an extent that it takes an active role in many of our daily lives. Whether it is to stay in touch with family, reconnect with old friends, meet new ones, or within a networking or marketing capacity for business, many look to social media as an everyday means of connecting.

Indeed it has a positive role to play, just as radio and tv has found it's global platform, bringing news and media from around the world to our doorstep, the labrynth of social networking platforms have stepped forward and changed the whole playing field. Suddenly we are no longer marketing to a faceless audience, but instead collating profile data to give us a greater insight into our target audience. People we once lost touch with as they emigrated half way around the globe are now a stroke of a key away, a click of a camera, or even better still, a web cam's length away as we sit and chat over coffee.

The Need For Internet Safety Is No New Concept ...

On the other hand most of us are fairly mindful of the fact that our children are vulnerable to predators online, many checking the accounts of their offspring regularly to make sure they truly know the identity of their contact list, and that content is appropriate. Likewise those in the market for a job might understand that their social network profiles could be searched for scrutiny by prospective employers, and therefore take care not to be caught on camera dancing on the boss's desk drunk on a friday lunch time.

... but do we ever really take into account the damage which might be done when networking goes wrong ? 

 We have all been witness to the cringe-worthy status updates of friends or acquaintances, but when those updates directly involve you, the virtual hell you have read about online, and in the media, can quite suddenly and inexplicably become your reality. These days we have more contact with those around us (or not around us) than we have ever naturally maintained in the past. The reality is that where time might have been allowed to pass between individuals before contact again, that space and privacy is lost and impinged upon. This can place an unnatural strain on relationships. Equally, due to the ease at which we can post status updates, post photos, and share information online, despite safeguarding our privacy settings we still may be prone to exposing more about ourselves and our private lives than we normally would.

You wouldn't usually post a notice at the corner shop to tell the neighbours that you are out at a show for the next 4 hours, or away on holiday for 2 weeks...

Still we often think nothing of telling our world online about where we are, what we are doing, and who we are with, with photos to prove it. Likewise other instances of over exposure include passive agressive remarks made amongst friends and family in status updates, or judgements made of another's behaviours or beliefs. Those of us who have participated regularly in social networking are more than aware of the number of people we interact with who can share horror stories of internet trolls, and the ways in which apparently complete strangers can make our lives miserable, leaving us cautious and even afraid at times. Reflecting on those instances we might be able to identify how we came to our let our guards down, taking a little less caution as a sense of familiarity with other users follows. However it is not just the online stranger who has the potential to make social media something of a living nightmare if they care to do so. It can be people we know in our real lives, examples of many a fall-out unfolding on facebook or direct message systems and various platforms. 

Social Media is a positive thing...

it connects people, and is an opportunty to build our networks phenomenally. However, just as we need to do so in society, we need to act responsibly, taking ownership of our content and updates, and ensuring that it not only protects ourselves, but does not impact others negatively. That is not to say that we can't challenge ideas, write creatively, offer contrasting opinions, but just as we cannot expect to stand in a crowd and shout out offensive messages without some consequence or reprisal, why should we expect to do so to a potential audience of millions online? Owning our online content is not just about protecting our rights as author or provider, it's not unfair to ask that we also own our online behaviour and the potential consequences of the things we post. 

Just a blog about a writers journey, no sales, no pitch.

When I first started out as a writer I looked online at various forums, boards, Free Ad sites and numerous other websites which invariably ‘pitched’ ways of becoming a freelance writer. I became instantly frustrated. I just wanted to write. No, that’s not true. I wanted to write and be paid for it. I wanted my skills to be recognised as worthy of payment and to find clients who valued the time and effort I put into my work. That’s not asking too much, right ? 

Apparently it is! With a saturated market of people claiming to write for every platform, in every genre, and every style, there is some stiff competition out there. The key to understanding the competition is to look at quality. A client who wants simple SEO driven content is likely to want to pay minimum rates, they are looking for quantity rather than quality. Keywords and longtails galore. The client who understands that 'quality of content' rules, that by reaching out to engage with an audience is key to capturing attention, is the client who just may understand the value of what you do. These are the clients I wanted to work with. Finding them is a whole other story (actually it’s a whole load of stories but they are yet to come). 

In those first few days my web search turned out a plethora of forums / message boards of well intentioned advice; there were two messages, submit submit submit, and hope to win the numbers game, or start out in low paid freelance projects sourced from the Free Ad sites. The websites I found were often a sales pitch, with opportunities to sign up for courses or register (for a fee) into communities where there was a very feint glimmer of hope of bagging the odd low paid job. Courses usually concentrated on cold marketing. Neither of these were strategies which appealed to me. I foresaw a cycle of frustration, would either of these methods really help me succeed? Although I have a background in marketing, I am no cold seller, and by now I am old enough and wise enough to know that if I work long term for incredibly low rates, I will soon feel undervalued, stressed by working long hours for very little return, and sadly demotivated. 

Always one to find another way, I chose to work hard on my inbound marketing strategy and work to define my own journey as a writer. The Magnificent Biro is a blog in part outlining that journey, alongside other articles about writing and marketing. Here you will find no sales pitches for courses, no fees for sign ups, just me, waxing lyrical about my writing and my work. 

J x