If you want to make it as a writer, whether that means sought
after, self-supporting, or constantly producing then you need to be ready to
communicate and work wherever and whenever.
If you are like many of us you have a home/office phone with
an answering machine, cell phone, possibly a smart phone, or you have a
portable tablet or computer-notebook. By the way, a pad of paper and pen/pencil
can also work. Any or all of these conveniences will enable you to stay in
touch for editors and publishers to reach you when needed, to catch an
assignment, to help with research, or to jot down those “perfect” lines before
they are forgotten.
There is no reason to claim that you don’t have time to write
even if you have a busy schedule. If you want to be a writer you need to find
the time to work even if it is just in ten minute spurts between a FT job,
running errands, sending your children off to school or making dinner. Places
and times you can find time for your craft include during a mass transit
commute, during lunch, in the evening in front of the television, a few minutes
before bed at night, or while the children are napping. Admittedly none of
these snippets of time are as nice as your own office where you can block out
the rest of the world and type your words into your computer, but you can
certainly make do.
Although many people these days carry at the minimum a smart
phone, so there is not only easy access to phone calls but also access to the
internet and email, many shopping malls and public libraries offer computer
kiosks. If you are away from your home phone and computer for hours, stop in at
a public access computer and check your email (always remember to clear your
password setting). If you have an editor who shares assignments on a first come
basis you will appreciate the concept of getting your email early and responding
immediately.
Working (writing) on the small screen of your smartphone may not
be ideal but it is possible; when that great idea hits you, be ready. There are
recommended writing programs for both Android phones and tablets, and iPhones
and iPads. Visit the Apple store for available apps for your iPhone or iPad;
GooglePlay is a good source for Android apps; there are other sources with apps
that will help make your writing life on-the-go easier.
Writers NEED to stay in touch with editors and publishers.
This is a very crucial and timely need for journalists and feature writers, and
still very important for book authors who need to keep publishers updated on
progress. Once in a while it is okay to go off-the-grid if you need a break,
but it may mean missed opportunities. Stay in touch for the health of your
writing business.
Writing Exercise: Write one or two sheets documenting
everything you did in the last 24-hours. Make sure you include each and every time
you were near a computer where you COULD have checked your email. (Don’t include
your own smartphone).
Writing Prompt: Make a list of the most humorous spam emails
you’ve received (up to 10). Write a brief response to at least one of them.
Writing Challenge: You’ve been working at the same dull job for
10 years, today you’ve decided that you are giving your notice, it’s taken you
a while to muster up the courage. But when you arrive at the office it is
EMPTY, there are no employees, no desks, no signage and no boss. No one in any of
the other offices on that floor even knows you or anything about the company
you worked for. What are you going to do? Write about the next 24-hours of your
life.
