If I can’t inspire you, maybe some successful writers can. Today’s Motivation from Masters post features Maya Angelou.

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

If for no other reason, Maya Angelou should inspire you because she’s such a spokesperson for the black community and for women of every race. Her work challenges what you already know about everything - even yourself. Some other quotes by her that I love:

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”

“I want all my senses engaged. Let me absorb the world’s variety and uniqueness.”

“All great achievements require time.”

“Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.”

“I believe that every person is born with talent.”

“Some critics will write ‘Maya Angelou is a natural writer’ - which is right after being a natural heart surgeon.”

“The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.”

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.”

Image via WikiCommons.

During the rest of the summer, I’ll be posting interviews with writers from across the country and around the world. Hopefully, we can all inspire one another! You can see all of interviews already posted here, and if you want to participate, email me with “writer’s interview” as the subject line. I’ll keep posting as long as you guys keep sending them in.

Today’s interview is with Jen Whitten. Jen writes about paranormal insights, dream interpretation, and Dexter news at Your Dark Passenger and Dark Passenger, about vampires at The Vampire, and about Psychic Gifts for Examiner.

Why do you think freelancers get writer’s block?

I think the temptation exists for freelancers to take on too wide a variety of writing topics. Since one topic is always in the back of their mind, it becomes difficult to focus on the project at hand. Then again, may freelancers have unpaid creative projects in addition to their paid writing. Paid articles have to take priority…even when the creative juices would have us work on other endeavors instead. The opposition of want and need causes that frustrating block.

How has writer’s block effected you?

Oddly enough, writer’s block is what led me to my current freelance career to begin with. After the completion of my 4th novel, I was left with several plot outlines for new books yet none of the focus to begin writing them. During my fictional dry spell, I decided to try blogging on a whim, floundered around for a while then finally settled upon the paranormal as my topic. The interest had always been there even though I’d never attempted to write about it. Naturally, I chatted with other bloggers, one of whom introduced me to article writing. For whatever reason, wedding articles seemed to be second nature to me.

And somewhere, in the midst of all the researching and writing, I rediscovered my passion for creative writing and - after more than a year - have begun work on my 5th novel. Writer’s block has never had such a great result.

What’s the biggest challenge when it comes to staying motivated to write?

My husband and my cat. Even when they’re trying to let me work, they still have this pesky way of distracting me.

Share with us your top tip for overcoming writer’s block and finding inspiration to keep working:

When writer’s block comes to visit, I have three different remedies. 1) Try to plow thru. The writing may not be to the usual standard, but it can be corrected during editing. 2) Switch to something else. I’m never without at least three on-going projects so it’s no problem to set one aside and continue on another. The real trick to it is to make sure and start projects well ahead of deadline…just in case. 3) Close the laptop and head outside. The raw beauty of nature can be so refreshing. We get some truly amazing severe weather in Texas and I try to take advantage of the creative boost I get from it at every storm. I don’t know why, but there is something about lightning flashing across the sky in bursts of metallic pink and purple that clears any block between me and the words I need.

Thanks, Jen!

I’m learning quickly that everything in this world costs something. Every when it doesn’t cost something for another person to produce, they charge you for it.

There was a mix up with one of my estimated tax payments from last year. It’s easy enough to clear up - I just need a copy of the canceled check. Like with most banks, my checks aren’t included with my bank statement. You can see them online, though. Good enough, right?

Image: sxc.hu

Wrong. Because they apparently don’t keep records online back that far. I went to the bank and talked to an incompetent teller, who said they don’t keep them at all.

Ok, now I know that’s wrong. She just didn’t know the answer and told me the quickest thing to get me out of her hair. So, since then I’ve found that they scan and archive every check, but you can only view and print it yourself for three months. After that, it is archived.

And they charge a fee to retrieve it from the archive. There are even more fees if you want a copy sent to your house or faxed to you. That, I understand. A fee to see a digital copy of a check though? Come on. Even if someone has to manually go into the database and find the check, it really shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. Is that time worth what they’re charging me? No way.

Moral of the story - print out copies of canceled checks that relate to your taxes (and anything else super important). Even if copies are available online, they probably won’t be forever…and then you’ll pay for it.

As a freelance writer, you own your own small business. So that begs a question about phone lines - should you own a business number? Here are the pros and cons:

Pros to having a Business Number:

• You’ll never tie up your phone line wen other members of the family want to use it, or worry about tying up the line with personal calls when a client is trying to call.
  

  Image: sxc.hu

• It helps to legitimize your business.
• You don’t have to worry about accidentally dialing a client when you meant to call a friend at 2 in the morning.
• You can turn off the phone during weekends and holidays.
• It can be a business expensive if you use it just for business.

Cons to having a Business Number:

• Clients are more like to email freelancers, so your business phone may go unused most of the time.
• You’ll have to get your business cards reprinted with your new number.
• It’s an extra monthly expense, even if you do get to write it off.
• Sometimes, it is better to email a client than call so you have a written record of what needs to be done; a business line could encourage clients to call more often.

Personally, I don’t have a business number - I have a single business/personal line. I just don’t call people often enough (for business OR pleasure) to make it a financially sound decision to have another line. For you, it may actually be a great business decision.

Do you have a business line or are you considering getting one?

I met a very interesting man the other day. He’s in his 60s or 70s (not sure), and still writes every single day “just to stay sharp.” We had a nice conversation about writing, and one of the things he talked about what “really seeing.”

Image: sxc.hu

He said that as a professor in the past, he once brought in a milk carton an asked his students to describe it. Yes, it’s a carton. Yes, it’s cardboard. Yes, it’s white. What else? How many cows are on the label? Are they sitting or standing? What kind of nutritional information is on the label? What color is the sell-by date ink? How does it open? What is the carton’s texture?

We see milk cartons ever day, but we rarely really see them. It isn’t just milk cartons. It’s your whole world.

Sometimes finding inspiration is just about looking at the mundane items around you. Explore your work. Really look at things and see them. You might be surprised at what you find.

If I can’t inspire you, maybe some successful writers can. Today’s Motivation from Masters post features Ernest Hemingway.

Don’t get discouraged because there’s a lot of mechanical work to writing…I rewrote the first part of Farewell to Arms at least fifty times. - Ernest Hemingway

By far, this is my favorite Hemingway quote about writing. It reminds me that the best work is only considered the best because of all the sweat and tears that go into it. Other quotes by him or from his books:

“A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”

“Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.”

“For a long time now I have tried simply to write the best I can. Sometimes I have good luck and write better than I can.”

“I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it.”

“It’s none of their business that you have to learn how to write. Let them think you were born that way.”

“There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.”

Image via WikiCommons.

I’m officially declaring war on writer’s block, distractions, and procrastination during the month of July. Maybe it’s just me, but the summer months always seem to drag. Well, at least, they do when I’m working. I feel sluggish and uninspired. I can barely force myself to do the work I have to do to pay the bills, let alone work on fun personal projects.

Image: sxc.hu

I blame the sun. During the summer, there’s nothing better than sitting outside by the pool and sipping Sangria or sweet tea. Hell, I can even stay motivated to work out during the summer because it means that I get to go outside and run.

I’m trying not to fall behind on bills and dip into savings this month, like I always seem to do during the summer…and I hope you’ll all join me in swatting away writer’s block and other distractions. Yes, the sun is shining, but if we help one another, we can have a productive, profitable summer. Here are some of the things I have planned for July:

• Writer Interviews: Writers from around the web have come to Bizzia to offer advice on beating writer’s block and finding inspiration among distractions. I’ll be posted a few every week. Yes, you can still participate! (click here)
• Motivation from Masters: What have famous writers and other personalities said about staying motivated? Learn tricks and tips from the masters.
• Inspiration Clinic: Places to find inspiration and inspiration-themed questions answered.
• Procrastination Posts: If you have to surf the ‘net, at least read about the art of writing. I’ll group together the best posts of the week to help you find awesome advice from great bloggers.

Let’s kick some writer’s block/procrastination tushie this summer!

Staying motivated is one of the hardest parts of freelance writing, in my opinion. Writer’s block. Inspiration. The desire to work and do well. Some days, the sun is shining and the pool is calling my name…and I don’t really care how many articles are left unfinished on my plate.

Image: sxc.hu

So, I want to know how you guys and gals stay motivated. If you have five minutes of time, I’d love to hear your answers to a little motivation and writer’s block questionnaire I’ve created. I’ll post responses here (along with links back to your website(s)) starting next month!

If you’re interested in answering the four questions, email me at allison-at-abcontentonline.com with “Writer’s Questions” in the subject line!

In elementary school, we learn to say “John and I” all the time. It’s formal. It’s polite. It’s right.

Or is it?

The Grammar Police have a lot to teach you and me. Image: sxc.hu

Actually, using and I when talking about being with another person isn’t always the right choice. It is often instinctual to use and I, since it was drilled into our heads throughout school, but sometimes, the correct term is and me. *Gasp* Yes; it’s true - you can use and me sometimes and be grammatically correct!

But when?

• Use and I when it is the subjects of the sentence. My fellow writers and I hate grammar mistakes.
• Use and me when it is the object of the sentence. Grammar is sometimes difficult for my fellow writers and me.
  

A good way to test yourself? Take out the other person so that you’re just using I or me. For example, if I were to say, “Jane and I are going to the park,” I could take out Jane and say, “I am going to the park.”

Or, if you say, “He game the book to my sister and I,” and you take out my sister, you’re left with, “He gave the book to I.” Wait, that doesn’t sound right! Clearly, it is better to use me in this situation.

You can see other Grammar Police posts by heading to this page.

It’s hard to remember when to use its and when to use it’s. One means it is or it has and the other make it possessive. But which one is which?

The Grammar Police force has its own typo-sniffing dogs. Image: sxc.hu

• It’s should be used to refer to it is or it has. It’s a contraction.
• Its should be used as a possessive form of it. Its lack of apostrophe is important.

How can you remember this? It can be tricky. Here’s how I do it:

It’s (it is or it has) uses an apostrophe. In contractions like don’t and can’t use the apostrophe to replace a letter. The same is true for it’s. If you’re writing the word to mean it is or it has, you’re replacing a letter with an apostrophe. When you’re making it possessive, you’re not replacing any letters.

You can see other Grammar Police posts by heading to this page.