Posted by on Apr 27, 2009 in
Uncategorized I’ve been toying around with a book idea for a couple of months and I’ve decided to do it. I don’t want to mention the name right now, but it does have to do with freelancing.
I don’t really know whether set a word count or page count target. Since I’ve seen many other authors use word count, that’s what I’m going to go for to start. I checked around for some average word counts to get a feel for how long I’d like my book to be. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (the first book I found that I’m familiar with) is a little more than 100,000 words and 358 pages. I’m thinking my book will be 1/4 to 1/3 of that so I’ll shoot for 100 pages and 30,000 words. There’s my goal.
I have a domain in mind and I’ve emailed the owner about purchasing it. However, I’m not quite sure I want to pay as much as he’s asking. Of course, the purchase is tax-deductible and it’s not a ridiculous amount; just more than I’ve ever paid for a domain. I’ll make a decision within the next few days.
I’m putting a word tracker in the sidebar to keep you updated on progress just in case I don’t make it back to the blog to make a complete post. If you’ve been looking for a Word Meter/Tracker for your book, here’s a site that shows 6 of them.
Have you ever written a book? How was your experience?
Posted by on Apr 25, 2009 in
Uncategorized Somewhere out there I once saw a grand list of freelance writers with Twitter accounts, so I know a lot of you are Twittering. And now, I am, too. I actually started about a week and a half ago, and so far I like it. Right now, I’m using my Twitter personality primarily for my About.com site which is on Credit/Debt Management. I’m thinking about creating an entirely separate one to help brand myself. It’s just an idea though. What about you guys? Are you Twittering? Do you have multiple Twitter accounts? By the way, if you’d like to follow me, I’m @aboutcredit.
Posted by on Apr 8, 2009 in
Uncategorized It’s been more than a year since I had to swipe my badge. Making the move to full-time freelancing wasn’t easy. For me, it was about two years in the making. Most people can’t simply wake up one day and decide you’re not going back to work.
I recently ran across a great blog at My Dollar Plan, a blog run by Madison DuPaix who’s also a fellow About.com Guide (Kids and Money). 29 Steps I Took to Leave the Workforce at 29 details what Madison did to prepare for the big leap. I did quite a few of the things on the list. #2 Save Aggressively was one of the most important steps for me. Because my freelance writing income was nowhere near my take-home salary, I needed a cushion to help cover living expenses.
Something I’d add to the list that’s kind of covered, but not explicitly stated - Spend like you’re already freelancing. If you go ahead and reduce your living expenses while you’re still gainfully employed, you’ll have an easier time transitioning.
Posted by on Apr 7, 2009 in
Uncategorized My laptop debacle has come to an end, with a brand new Macbook that was gifted to me by my big brother. I’ve been getting used to the new operating system. Fortunately, it hasn’t been very difficult for me. Plus, there’s always Google.
Here are some things I love about my new Macbook.
The ability to save webpages (or anything for that matter) as PDFs lets me put a mini-library on my computer. If I have to go somewhere without internet, I can simply save my research to my computer, then refer back to it when I’m ready to to write my article.
Managing mail from different email addresses is much easier. With Outlook, I had to set up rules that routed my email to different folders. Mac Mail automatically creates an inbox and sent folder for every email address you set up. It was a little difficult to get the POP3 and SMTP folders set up simply because I didn’t know where the port numbers were supposed to go.
I have a new software, MacFreelance, to help manage projects and invoicing. It doesn’t have as much functionality as my home grown Access database does, but it’s a good option, considering there’s no Access for Mac.
A dictionary application comes installed.
My (factory) battery lasts like 4.5 hours.
Safari, the internet browser has built-in spellcheck, which I absolutely love. I’d downloaded Firefox to my PC, which also has spellcheck, but I like Safari much better.
The touchpad can do a lot. Mac’s touchpad lets you zoom in and out, scroll up and down, minimize windows, and switch applications, without picking up your fingers. It’s a huge time saver.
Some things I don’t like…
I don’t get the OS yet. I’ve been a Windows user since I first learned to use a computer in 1998. I’m having to learn things all over again…like the Ctrl+Alt+Delete equivalent for Mac and the location of the command prompt.
There’s no Outlook. Mac has separate mail and calendar applications, which isn’t so bad. I’m just used to managing activities and mail in one place. But, I’ve been looking at purchasing Office for Mac which has an application called Entourage. It may solve the Outlook problem.
My Macbook has a cutting edge…literally. The computer is made of aluminum and has a sharp edge that cuts into my wrists when I’m typing and hands when I’m using the mouse. I haven’t found a suitable solution yet.
No more right click, which was so convenient in Windows.
The Verdict
There are some huge differences between Macs and PCs and a steep learning curve in some areas. Overall, though, I love my Mac.
