Reactivate Your Writing-Brain with Other Creative Pursuits

I've always been into the artsy stuff. When all the other little girls were taking ballet or soccer I was painting a multi-colored duck I made from clay and making my Thanksgiving turkey ceramics "multi-cultural."

I wasn't so good at that math stuff so I threw myself into reading, writing, collaging, jewelry making, music appreciation, catholic iconography (I was raised in a non-devout Southern Baptist family though), Ouija board-making (complete with a popsicle-stick thingie that you put your hands on and it moves around...you know what I'm talking about?), cross-stitching, sewing (by hand, I was afraid of my tiny sewing machine I got for Christmas when I was five), and several years ago I started painting in acrylics on canvas. I am a connoisseur and appreciator of indie crafts.

I did play T-ball for two years when I was six and seven but much of my time was spent in the outfield where I picked dandelions and shuffled my feet while staring into space.
I took figure skating lessons around that time too and ended up getting kicked out because I thought I knew how to do everything and would literally skate circles around the other kids. Not because I was that good--I physically skated in circles around the group and didn't listen to the instructor.

On the other hand, my drawing of a woman with a veil in the middle of a happy jungle made it into a museum for a period of time when I was in first grade.

My point is: I no longer play t-ball or have plans to compete in the winter Olympics anytime soon for ice skating, but I still do all of these other creative things. I immerse myself in many other creative forms whether I'm good at it or not because it relaxes me and gets a different set of creative functions working in my brain which refreshes my perspective and I can tackle my writing with a new energy and insight.

So try indulging in other forms of creativity whether it be refinishing furniture, cooking, quilting, knitting, collaging or whatever, it could bring about stress relief and shake up your brain a bit.

Kick Your Writer's Block Out of the House with Blogs

I found something very interesting about my writing process the other day...I found that when I blog I write faster, it's stream-of-conciousness, and I don't worry about what I'm writing I just get it down.
This is NOT how it works when I work in a word processor. When I work in Microsoft Word or other, I stare at a blank page, every word matters and I can't seem to just "let go." It's painful and makes me move slower than I want or need to.

So...my idea is to start a private blog where I can write every day--things I'm working on for people, my creative work, a journal, etc. No one reads it and I don't have to worry about what I'm writing but I still get the feeling of writing a blog post.

Do whatever you have to do to be an effective writer. If you have to trick your mind into thinking it's doing something else, then do it!
I'm constantly playing games with my mind to get it be more efficient and get things done so my stress levels stay low. Which in turn tricks me into believing I have some sort of control over it when really it's as manic as the tweakers who lived next door to me in college and would wake me up with their vacuuming every night. My brain likes to vacuum at inconvenient times too.

Do you trick your mind to make your process easier?

Setting Your Freelance Writing Goals

When it comes to setting freelance writing goals most people have a different process. Some swear by their method, others by theirs and I think all methods are correct depending on YOU.

Here are the two main methods I see most often:

1) Set your goals to be reachable. Some say that setting goals too high will just disappoint you, and sometimes this is the case. Again it depends on how you operate. Do you like slow and steady? Do you like the feeling of achieving goals regularly? Who doesn't? It feels good to keep moving. But some thrive off of hitting those goals from week to week. Does getting those smaller goals out of the way motivate you? This is the one for you then.

2) Set your goals sky high. This is often regarded as the best way to stress yourself out and disappoint. This is the one that works for me though. When I set my goals high I am more likely to throw myself into it fully thus passing any smaller "would-be goals" along the way.
When I set a small goal I will reach it then stop there to reassess whereas when I set them higher it effectively motivates me to plow over those smaller ones to get to the next level. I don't always meet those larger goals but I am also able to feel satisfied with what I did accomplish towards it.

3) A synthesis of both. (duh). This method is highly recommended. I don't follow it well enough, I tend to be too manic but it seems to be the most generally logical way to set goals for most people.
Imagine the biggest thing you want to accomplish with your freelance writing. Then, form a tree that branches down identifying "stepping-stone goals" that could get you there. That way you have varying degrees of difficulty to overcome, can work on the smaller goals needed to get there and still have your eye on the big guy.
This helps to organize your thoughts, your process and what you want from your career. But again, you may prove to be more effective with one of the other two above or your own plan.

It all comes down to knowing how you operate and figuring out what works best for you, these are just simple guidelines to get you started.

In short: Don't listen to what self-help books tell you on HOW to set your goals, figure out what works for YOU.

Networking and Volunteering

Short and sweet:
When I started the volunteer process to teach literacy I went to a workshop/training session on how to do this.

Besides all the invaluable information provided in the workshop, I also came out of there with 3 potential opportunities for freelance work simply by mentioning what I do for a living.

One of the best...an editor for a fairly popular national publication also volunteers with this organization.

The other two opportunities were possible SEO/Copywriting clients with the potential for long-term work.

So get out there and volunteer, you'll meet some awesome people and get your name out there in the community and be able to work your way into opportunities you may not have been able to otherwise.