Taking a Stress-Free Vacation: The Freelancer Way

Quick recap: I hadn’t taken a real vacation in nine years (awful, I know) when I received an invitation to a family event in Nashua, New Hampshire. In researching the travel, it turned out the best deal was to fly to Boston’s Logan airport and take a shuttle to Nashua. Well, if I’m gonna head that … Read more

Guest Post: Published Author Seeks Agent

Welcome to meryl’s notes blog (this here place you’re lookin’ at) in Plano, Texas. We’re honored to be a stop in Margo Candela’s WOW! Women On Writing Blog tour. We’re giving away a copy of her book, Goodbye To All That. Read on to see how you can win. About Margo Candela: Margo Candela’s husband owes … Read more

How a Freelance Writer Prepares for Vacation

Image by Giampaolo Macorig via Flickr Those who know me well probably just fell out of their chairs seeing “vacation” in this post’s title. “Vacation” and “Meryl” don’t go together. I know. That’s pitiful, not a thing to brag about. Anyway, for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been getting harsh reminders why I don’t … Read more

How a Writer Deals with Work in the Summer

Image by merylk via Flickr I admit it. Summer break messes with my writing work that I work shorter hours, blog less and write fewer online articles. While I have one kid old enough to fend for herself (driving) and another going to day camp, summer still disrupts my schedule. For one, the day camp … Read more

Why You Should Give a Darn About Business Processes

You do it. I do it. Everyone does it, even babies. Babies do it with a little help from their parents. We all follow processes. We do things step-by-step because it works. Babies cry, mess their diapers, sleep, eat, repeat. Many parents create a schedule for them — whether on paper or in the brain … Read more

Sell More: Cut the Ho-Hum Corporate Speak in Web Content

Woot knows how to entertain us with its content. The company — located within a couple of miles from me (!!!) — sells one product per day. Every product comes with smile-inducing descriptions. Since then, the company has added Woot-Offs! (selling one product until it runs out of stock, then selling another product, repeat until … Read more

Inspired by Teachers

I admired the incredible and teachers who inspired everyone in attendance last night’s Teacher of the Year event. Attendees donned red to signal they’ve been inspired by a teacher in their lives. Each year, all the schools select one experienced teacher of the year and one beginning teacher of the year. Selected experienced teachers went beyond the … Read more

Book Review: Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months

Few people can think of all aspects of starting a new business and know how to do each one. In Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months: A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works, Melinda Emerson outlines all the key things to do and provides support with questions to ask, activities and resources to … Read more