Writing | Words For Hire

For Love or Money?

February 24, 2009 by Karen Swim

Written by Karen D. Swim
William “Paul” Young is a writer and now thanks to viral word of marketing, and a little help from a friend he is a published best selling author. Young’s story is told in the February edition of Writer’s Digest and is aptly titled Cinderella Story. How many aspiring artists dream of doing what they love and being wildly successful at it?

Young calls himself an “accidental writer.” He views writing as an expression and never pursued it as profession. He gave his work to friends and family as gits. One gift, The Shack, launched his accidental publishing career, selling 3.8 million copies. He did not toil for years, query publishers and agents, and suffer rejection. No, Young simply wrote because he loved it and one of his books just happened to take off.

The “accidental writer” may or may not pen another novel. He is not under contract and doesn’t feel the pressure to produce another blockbuster. He will always write because he loves it.

Young’s story reads like a dream come true, and on the surface seems to lend credence to the modern day mantra of pursuing passion as profession. Entire industries have sprung up teaching people how to pursue and profit from their passion. But is that always the best course?

For many, when passion becomes a job complete with deadlines, loss of creative control and administrative duties it quickly turns from dream to nightmare.

“I am so over puppies running through fields of daisies,” he proclaimed as his lip turned slightly upward. I examined his face closely unable to pinpoint his age. There was a hardened wisdom that seemed out of sync with his generational references. An accomplished photographer who was “living the dream” was long over the youthful love affair of “art as job.”
Mike the photographer has a new dream of creating a business that frees him from art as job. Young was blessed with the gift of money for art but not beholden to it as “job.”

Can we merge passion and profit and maintain the balance?

Resources:
The Shack

If You Really Loved Me

February 3, 2009 by Karen Swim

Written by Karen D. Swim

If you really love(d) me. Stevie Wonder sang it, author, Ann Rule wrote about its tragic turn and for centuries pubescent boys have uttered the words to girls reluctant to take the next step.

The phrase, whether whispered in harmless flirtation or thrown down like a gauntlet becomes a veiled threat to defend your proclamations of ardor or risk losing the object of your affection.

Real love, however is not motivated by fear. It does not require us to offer up our values or beliefs for slaughter. Love makes you wanna holler but never forces it.

Love does not force sacrifice but inspires a willingness to give. You arise at dawn to run because you’d rather run in the cool morning air than sleep a few extra hours. You attend a chamber music concert when you’d rather be listening to Amy Winehouse because you love the look that passes over your lover’s face as the music rocks his soul. You compromise your schedule, your willingness to try new things not because you have to but because it’s what you do for love.

So, I ask what would you do for love? Will you follow the muse simply because she beckons or do you view her as an interloper forcing you to the blank canvas? Does the call of creativity leave you breathlessly anticipating what’s next or cringing in fear that you will not live up to its expectations?

Are you willing to meet your lover at dawn to dance among the dew covered trees ? Or will you roll over as your lover sits alone watching the play of colors in the sky as the sun ascends in the horizon?

Will you go off to a job that you hate as your bliss forlornly waves good-bye or will you find a way to be with the one you really love?

Years from now, will your lover neglected and angry ask “If you really loved me….?”

Tuesday Love List

The Friendship that Ignited a Blog

December 17, 2008 by Karen Swim

Image via Wikipedia

Written by Karen D. Swim

This time last year, I was an occasional blogger. I had done a fair amount of ghostblogging for clients and had tackled a few posts for my own blogger blog. I started blogging in 2005 – well kind of, I wrote 7 posts that year and 3 in 2006. In 2007 I wrote a little more but I still had not embraced the full experience of blogging. That all changed on December 17, 2007.

I received Copyblogger in my email, it was at that time my first and only blog subscription. The Copyblogger post was about drawing headline inspiration from Cosmo magazine. It was a writing challenge (at the time I had no clue about group writing projects) and Brian posted the round-up with links to everyone’s post. I dutifully visited each one, eager to learn headline techniques (my weakness). I clicked on Joanna’s link and here is the comment that started a wonderful friendship.

I was inspired and the next day wrote a post with bullet points! I continued to flirt with posting, but became more fascinated. Joanna hosted a group writing project and I participated with this post. People visited my blog from her link and actually commented. Blogging is fun but man it gets even better when you’re not talking to yourself! Joanna not only befriended me but selflessly shared her community and writing tips with me. Her support gave me the confidence to keep blogging. I stumbled, experimented and did my first meme. I won and lost readers as I found my way.

As I look back on these past twelve months, the greatest gift of all are the friendships made along the way. All the stats in the world can never communicate the value of meeting, connecting and sharing with all of you. I may not have 5000 subscribers (that’s next year’s goal!) but I could not ask for a better group of friends. So, today is my Joanna Young Anniversary but I truly am celebrating all of you!

Do you remember what it was like to read your first blog? How about writing that first post? Share your own memories or funny moments in the comments. I would also be pleased as punch if you’d tell a friend about Words For Hire. Introduce a newbie to the awesome gift of blog reading. Remember you don’t have to be a blogger to join the conversation.

I Yam A Writer

November 27, 2008 by Karen Swim

Written by Karen D. Swim

From Words For Hire

Last night around 11 pm, I realized that I was less than 1500 words away from my goal. Was I seriously going to pull this off? With visions of yams and a stress free Thanksgiving in my head, I leaned in and went for it! Right around midnight I had typed the final period on my first draft. I uploaded my obfuscated text (thank you YWriter for including this function) to the NaNo word count validator. Confetti fell, bells rang and the screen blinked YOU WON! Actually the confetti, bells and blinking were only in my mind but hey you know anyone who even attempts this is deserving of bells and confetti, don’t ya think. So the screen is flashing and I did what any winner would do, I started bawling. Yep, that’s right I cried. Go figure, I have had the same reaction at the end of every marathon I’ve run (well that might be from the pain but you get the picture).

I wiped my eyes and downloaded my winner’s goodies (don’t ya love the instant gratification of the digital age) and then started sobbing again. So at 12:15 I was a sobbing, dancing mess but heck I think I’ve earned just a bit of craziness.

Now, here’s where it really gets good folks. I am not special. Nope not one bit. (Yes that’s the sound of loved ones hysterical with laughter in the background.) No magical superpowers, unless you count the super human ability to blunder my way through this thing called life. And if I can meet a crazy, big fat goal, you can too. I encourage you to try. Yes you may fail along the way. However, you can get up and try again and you know what you just might make it.

Go ahead, take a risk. We can dance and sob together when you meet your big fat hairy goal!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m with Stupid

November 4, 2008 by Karen Swim

Image by swanksalot via Flickr

Written by Karen D. Swim

I sat staring at my computer screen. There were words there and many of them even made sense but it dawned on me I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. You see, I’m writing a novel. At least I think it’s a novel. Three days into this NaNo thing, and I came face to face with my utter stupidity. I am clueless. I laughed at my utter lack of knowledge. I had never studied character or plot development, had I? If I ever knew anything before, I sure as heck couldn’t recall it today.

So, I sat and laughed at my arrogance. I was writring a novel without a clue. It made me wonder how many other things I didn’t know. Turns out I know more than I think and I know less than I think. I became prettty comfortable with being stupid for the moment. It wasn’t so bad. I remembered the words of my Appraiser professor, “If you don’t know something, fess up and get yourself some learning.” So, I figured fessing up to stupidity was actually a pretty smart move.

Wiser minds, like Jamie Grove, had warned this would happen. So I learned from his words. Lillie had warmly encouraged us all to give ourselves to write absolute green dreck. So l learned from her words. I had no idea where this story was going so I asked my characters. Turns out they had pretty strong ideas and even introduced me to some new people. So, I forged on typing my sometimes green dreck on the screen.

The experience helped me see some other things in my life from a new perspective. I grew excited, as I looked at my marketing plan and admitted my stupidity. I went in search of knowledge to learn what I did not know or to relearn what I knew in a new way. Things I had once ignored suddenly appealed to me. I was stupid and my resistance was gone. I became energized as I sought to fill in those empty spaces.

At the end of the day, a friend came to me and declared she needed my help. I laughed at the irony and gladly filled in her empty spaces.

Have you ever come face to face with your lack of knowledge? How did it make you feel?

Trick or Treat?

October 31, 2008 by Karen Swim

Image via Wikipedia

Written by Karen D. Swim

I awakened in the middle of the night, my cheeks wet with tears. I wiped away the tears and felt the crushing weight of grief. The grief was, however not mine but Nikki’s. Ah Nikki, so that’s her name! I had toyed with other names but last night she emphatically declared that Nikki would be her name.

All week I have pushed away my fears and anxieites about National Novel Writing Month. Yesterday, realizing that I was two days away, my characters fought to be given life. They are demaning that I get to know them so that I may tell their stories.

Nikki made me feel her loss at a time of day when I could not push her away and tend to other business. She tapped an old experience and forced my heart to feel her pain. My challenge is to tell her story so that you feel it too.

For years I have written for others. I have cloaked myself in their words and adopted their voices. I have written their words uncredited, a shadow in the background as they made the rounds as published author. I enjoyed birthing their vision. When my part was done, I silently retreated ready for my next role and costume change.

I had my own stories but feared I had lost my own voice. I reasoned there was no time for the foolish dreams of writing a book. I had to earn a living. I had responsibilities. There was always someone needing something from me. Where would I find the time?

For the month of November, I will selfishly carve out time every day to write my words and tell my story. I am both terrified and exhilarated. I am gripped with doubts daily – what if I run out of words, what if I really suck, what if the story is no good, what if the story is good and I can’t tell it. Today, on the eve of my writing challenge I lay those doubts to rest. I am committed to this time of focusing on my voice and my words. I am less concerned about the end result than I am with simply showing up for me everyday.

I may not have a best selling novel at the end of November but I am certain that I will have a better me. The draft of my story as a writer will have more words, more experiences and I’m sure growth.

Today, as much of the world dresses up in costume and engages in treats and trickery, I am chasing away the ghosts and gremlins that yell “Boo” in the night. My treat is not a sugary confection wrapped in pretty paper but the knowledge that I am taking on a challenge not because I have to but simply because I want to do it..just for me.

We all have those things that we want to do, right? The list of longed for goals that we tuck in a drawer rationalizing them away as silly fantasies or fun dreams that maybe, could, will happen someday. Today, give yourself a treat. Pull out that list and make time for one thing for yourself. They are only silly someday dreams when they are “out there” in the ether unattended to and undone. Chase away your own ghosts and goblins and take action on your behalf. Life does not have to be one long serious pursuit. Your desires and dreams are not silly, they are important because they are uniquely yours.

So, how about it, will you join me in treating yourself? Trick or treat? What’s your choice?