The other day I was introduced as a “thought leader.”  As you can imagine, I was flattered, but I was also confused and amused. I was confused because I’m still not so sure what it means to be a thought leader, and I was amused because if I’m the one leading your thoughts you’re all in a lot of trouble. I’ve been hearing this term “thought leader” for some time now, but never really sat down to explore what it means before today. Heck, I have some time. What is a Thought Leader, Anyway? As everyone knows, Google holds the [Read more…]

“Yankee Doodle went to town, riding on a pony, stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni.” I must have sang “Yankee Doodle” at least a thousand times over the past 45 years and never really gave  a second thought to its meaning. Today, while attending a second grade social studies presentation about the beginnings of our wonderful country, we learned the true meaning of this song. You see, it was written by the British in order to cast Americans in a negative light. The British soldiers sang “Yankee Doodle” to boost morale and feel superior towards “the [Read more…]

Overheard at the supermarket: “I don’t like the way they do things over there. I’m going to give them a piece of my mind. There’s going to be a confrontation.” To be fair, I don’t know what prompted the above-referenced quote. It stuck in my mind for a variety of reasons, the first is that I’m not confrontational and avoid heated confrontation at all cost. The second is that I wonder if the woman above, who was clearly on the defensive, took some time out to ask questions and discuss whatever set her off before deciding on her confrontational course [Read more…]

In the past few weeks I’ve received a flurry, no a barrage, of angry emails asking why I’m qualified to be a freelance writing blogger. Though I don’t quite get the anger, I’m happy to receive these questions because it means writers and aspiring writers are thinking about who to trust and that’s always a good thing. There’s too much blind faith in the Internet world and we need to spend more time questioning the credentials of those who claim to be authorities. We’ve discussed my background and qualifications many times before, I’m really not going to get into that [Read more…]

My Dad was a librarian. As you could imagine, our house was filled with books. I mean, floor to ceiling books. Our living room contained non-fiction and the more formal library was filled with fiction, including many first edition literary works. Upstairs in Dad’s office were the “stacks,” where he kept the periodicals. All of these were arranged by Dewey Decimal System. It was a given that wherever Dad was, a book or two was close by. He passed that love on to all six of his kids as well.  Every year at Christmas Dad went to the bookstores to [Read more…]

I’m noticing something interesting lately and I’m not bringing it up to point fingers or start arguments, but only because it’s interesting and perhaps even discussion-worthy. As most of you know, my decision to partner with a well known content site led to a bit of an uproar, especially among journalists who don’t agree with said site’s model and payment structure. It created many heated web discussions and debates, but the reaction wasn’t unexpected. I wonder if many of the same journalists and freelance writing bloggers realize they’re also profiting from this content site and others? Double Standards? I thought [Read more…]

My son and his best friend, both 7, disappear in our unfinished basement for hours. There they have built an elaborate web of mazes made from packing boxes, beer coolers and large plastic containers. This hideout sits upon a wooden platform used to keep boxes dry when we were experiencing problems with flooding. This hideout is called “The Triffin.” No, I don’t know how they happened upon the name, but they liked the sound of it and it stuck. Now both families refer to “The Triffin” as if it’s a common, everyday word. This isn’t your basic chairs and sheets [Read more…]

By now you probably know that James Chartrand is a pen name. It’s the pen name of a single mom who found more respectful and lucrative gigs using a man’s name. When she contacted me to tell me the truth, I was in shock. The Men with Pens blog is awash in machismo. Never in a million years would I think a woman was behind it. I’m not angry with James. As a mom I’ll do anything to make sure my family is provided for. Anything. Thankfully James’ decision was relatively safe compared to other lucrative choices available to women. [Read more…]

I have a reality check for freelance writers and bloggers who wish to have a web presence: eventually there will come a time when you’ll be on the receiving end of a steaming pile of negativity. The negativity may be a result of something true that you wanted to keep locked away in a closet forever, or it might be something not so true. It might even be something you brought on yourself and deserve. How you react to the negativity can be the difference between the scandal blowing over quickly or lingering for a long time. The hit There’s [Read more…]

Are you happy? I mean, really happy? It’s one thing to write, it’s another thing to write on topics we enjoy every day. When a writer is truly happy and enjoys what he or she does, it shows. When a writer is simply going through the motions and writing for the paycheck and little else, that shows too. I’m not saying it’s wrong, just that most readers can sense passion in the writing. When there’s no passions, a writer is simply putting out another product. I think passion is the key to success, as many successful people will attest. Passion [Read more…]

If you’re one of the American members of this community, you’re probably getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. Pretty soon homes all over the country will fill with the smell of roast turkey and pumpkin pie. Friends and family will gather to give thanks. As I enjoy my first cup of coffee before the family wakes, it occurs to me that freelance writing is like thanksgiving sometimes. Allow me to share: 1. It takes planning Though it’s not difficult to whip up a Thanksgiving dinner at the last minute, to pull off a good one takes planning. A host will plan [Read more…]

I was just reading on Media Bistro how Good Morning America canceled Adam Lambert’s appearance originally scheduled for tomorrow morning after receiving over 1500 complaints due to Lambert’s racy performance on the American Music Awards last weekend. Sometimes celebrities go a little too far in their attempts to add shock value to a performance. Sure, they get the desired publicity, but is that always a good thing? It occurs to me many writers can use this as a learning experience. Shocking people is fun. Shocking people incites a reaction. There’s no denying people we’re going to talk about Adam Lambert [Read more…]