Just had to share this grammar blooper from PC Magazine’s Mother’s Day article. Perhaps, the magazine wanted to emphasize Mom belongs to you in superlative terms. Of course, I wanted to know what gadgets they recommended for us geeky moms.
I rarely check out videos because chances are high that it won’t have captions or subtitles. But I bit on this Lenovo-produced video comparing its ThinkPad X300 to the MacBook Air [link: Dave Winer]. It presents a powerful visual message without using words. But not one to let commercials sway me without research, I wondered … Read more
Karen Putz asks how I do it — balance full-time writing and being a parent to three kids. I should be asking her how she does it — she interviews Marlee Matlin! As I mentioned in my how I became a writer story, the whole thing started as a part-time venture while managing a part-time … Read more
Noticing another (the first being the gray text on white background) trend and it ain’t good. More and more newsletters require you to click a link for the full newsletter. To make the situation worse, some of these are in — ack! — Acrobat pdf format! I like Acrobat files, but not for e-mail newsletters. … Read more
I generally don’t talk about myself as I accept that people don’t come here for my personality. Instead, people like you come for the information I provide that I hope helps you in your life. From reading other blogs, it looks like many love to hear how writers and freelancers went full-time. So here’s the … Read more
I’ve been noticing this trend lately (thanks to teen daughter)… people keep their ears plugged in while talking to others. Even if the iPod is off (or maybe it isn’t), having earbuds in your ears during a conversation indicates the other person isn’t important. This is where headphones have an advantage. Just pull them down … Read more
How often do you get an e-mail from a prospect who asks, “I need help with my web site’s content” or “I need five articles on such ‘n’ such topic”… “How much do you charge?” Web content — one page takes less time than five pages. Even one page can vary depending on the page’s … Read more
Although Twitter hasn’t done much for my writing business, it keeps me in touch with friends and colleagues. It did contribute to my previous post. I decided to ask twitterville what they did whenever they become lethargic when they need to write. It worked well. As much as I’d like to regularly ask questions, overdoing … Read more
Last week, my schedule contained too many appointments not related to writing work. So I planned to work whenever I had the chance to be at my desk… at least, that was what I told myself. Myself decided to rebel. Unmotivated. Uninspired. Un-everything. I couldn’t and wouldn’t budge. I spent this time clicking “Check e-mail” … Read more
I admit it. For a long time, figuring out rates and providing quotes was a weak area for me. It took time, practice, and hard lessons to arrive at the point where I can confidently and calmly provide a quote. Before, I’d be figuratively biting my nails as I submitted my quotes and second-guessing myself. … Read more