Writing Lessons from the Side of the Road

Last Friday, I had a flat tire on the way to work. If I lived and worked in the same city, this might not have been such a big deal, but my job is a 65-mile drive down a lightly populated but heavily trafficked freeway. I was stuck on the side of the road at least five miles from anywhere that I could get any help. I’m not a mechanic. I wouldn’t even call myself handy. When we buy a piece of furniture that needs to be assembled, my wife generally puts it together. That said, I have changed a tire once or twice in my life, so I had a general idea of what to do. Still I was a little panicked.

For a moment, I wasn’t even sure if I had the equipment to change a tire. I used to have a road kit in my car, but somewhere along the line it had gone missing. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure if I had a spare tire. I was driving a minivan, and had never actually seen a spare. I knew it wasn’t in the back of the van, so I took a look under the van and sure enough, there sat the temporary tire. I slid as far under the car as I could. I’m a big man, so sliding under cars is not my strong suit. I tried to unscrew the tire, but it was locked into place. After a few fruitless efforts, I went back to the cab of my car and sat there. I was frustrated and picked up my Blackberry, trying to find a nearby garage. I even made a call, but they didn’t provide towing service or mobile tire repair, so they were of no use.

I went around to the back of the van and opened the hatch. Looking around, I found a panel that opened up. Inside the panel was a jack and a short lug wrench (I had to look up that name later) but no instructions. I tried to use the jack to bang on what I thought was the screw holding up the tire, but it did nothing. I got out from under the car again and sat there for a while, watching the tractor trailers and other vehicles whiz by me so fast that the van rocked. It was about then I noticed that I was sitting next to a small cap in the floor of the van. I lifted the cap up and saw a large nut being held in place by a cotter pin (I actually knew what a cotter pin was). I took the lug wrench and tested to see if it fit the nut. It did.

For the first time that day, I began to think I might have a handle on the situation, but I wasn’t about to unscrew a nut without a little more to go on. It was time to ask for advice. I called my father and asked him if he knew how to get the wheel out from under a minivan. I told him about the nut, and asked what he thought. My father wasn’t sure either, but he put me on with my nephew, who agreed that the nut would probably lower the wheel. That was enough for me, so I got back to work on it.

Sure enough, by untightening the nut (righty tighty, lefty loosie) I began to crank down the tire. It turns out that the part that I thought was the screw holding it in was just a big bar to hold it tight. It was far bigger than the hole it covered though, so I still didn’t know how to get the tire off of the bar. It probably took another minute of evaluation for me to realize I just needed to turn it sideways.

Now that I had the tire out, the real fun could begin. The flat tire was on the rear driver’s side of the car, so I had to stand/squat with my back to the traffic passing about a foot or two away from me, and change the tire. First I had to break loose the nuts before I could jack up the van (even I know that you don’t want to try this once the wheel is in the air). Then I found find a good spot to attach the jack. I wasn’t very confident in the spot because it was under the outer body rather than further beneath the car, but there was a T-joint there so I told myself it had to be solid. I jacked up the car and removed the tire. As I was doing that, a truck driver chose to blast his horn at me. I nearly jumped out of my skin, but I got the tire off.

I tried to put the temporary tire on, but the van wasn’t high enough, so I had to jack it up further. I kept waiting for the jack to slip or the body to bend, but everything held up and I got the replacement tire on. Finally, I was able to pack up my stuff and get back on the road. I headed back to my house to relax for a few minutes. Once my hands stopped shaking I headed to a garage to get my flat fixed. After it was finished I treated myself to lunch at a good restaurant and had my car washed, then I went to get an emergency kit and a beginner’s book about car repair.

What does this have to do with writing? Maybe a little and maybe a lot, but here is some advice you might take from this.

1. Trouble can strike quickly and unexpectedly
2. Knowledge and preparation can save you frustration down the road
3. Sometimes you need to stop and evaluate your situation
4. There’s a difference between a temporary fix and a real solution
5. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice
6. When you get through a difficult situation, take a moment to celebrate
7. Try to be more prepared the next time trouble strikes

Are You Having Any Fun?

Lately I have been talking about building a sustainable writing career. A sustainable career can stand the test of time. It is a career you can be successful at today, tomorrow and years from now. I’ve discussed some of the elements that lead to a sustainable writing career, such as good planning, hardiness in the face of problems, health and marketing. Those are all important, but perhaps the most important question is, are you having any fun?

Don’t Dread Your Days

No matter what career you choose, you won’t have fun all of the time. Every career has ups and downs. If you are going to spend eight or more hours a day doing something though, wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy what you are doing? The opportunity to get up in the morning without dreading the day in front of you should not be overlooked, especially if you expect to be doing the same thing five, ten of fifteen years down the road.

Strike a Balance

It can be difficult to strike a balance between what can earn you money and what brings you happiness. Tradeoffs have to be made sometimes, especially if you have a family to support and bills to pay. Just be sure that you aren’t trading away too much. I’ve spent time at jobs I hated before, and in the end my body just rejects those jobs. The stress gets to be too much and I get sick for days and weeks on end. At some point I can’t make myself go somewhere that I hate, even if the money is great.

Look for a career that can make you happy. If you find yourself in a job that you dread going to, make a change. Either fix what is wrong with the job or find a new job. Do what it takes to make your days worth living, because you only have a limited number of them.

Building a Sustainable Writing Career: Increase Your Hardiness

In my last article I discussed the value of hardiness. Hardiness is the ability to handle problems in constructive ways. It is the key to success as a writer. Here are a few ways in which you can increase your hardiness.

Eliminate (At Least Reduce) Poor Coping Habits

People indulge in bad habits when they are stressed. They smoke. They drink alcohol. They eat too much or too little. They take drugs. None of these coping mechanisms are healthy. When you find yourself indulging in these bad habits, stop. Focus on the positive actions you could be taking to fix the problem.

Take Care of Your Health

Ignoring your health, even when you have a major problem to deal with, is never a good idea. Your body is part of your toolset for dealing with problems. Exercise, get the proper amount of sleep, eat healthy food, take the time to relax and release stress in healthy ways like exercise, meditation or an enjoyable hobby.

Focus on Solutions Rather then Emotions

It is important to acknowledge how you feel about a situation, but dwelling on your emotions does not solve problems. Avoid negative self-talk. You need to find positive, logical steps that you can take to solve whatever problems you are facing. While you shouldn’t just take the first action that comes to mind, don’t dwell on your problems without taking some sort of action. The sooner you start taking steps to repair the situation, the better you will feel.

Use the Resources You Have

We seldom have every resource we would like to have. While it would be nice to have an unlimited amount of time, people, money, information, and equipment, most people have to make due with something less than the ideal. In many cases though, people fail to use the resources they do have, or they don’t use them wisely. When you are faced with a major problem, take stock of your resources and think about ways you can creatively use what you have. Sometimes it is as simple as asking the right person for a favor.

Communicate Assertively

Don’t avoid problems or people. A hardy person confronts the issues they have as directly and firmly as possible. You don’t have to be a jerk, but don’t turn yourself into a victim either. Say what is on your mind. Say it constructively, but get it off your chest. In many cases, all that is needed is an honest conversation. Half of the problems people have with each other are due to poor communication and misperception.

Building a Sustainable Writing Career: Hardiness

What is Hardiness?

Hardiness is the ability to deal with stress in a healthy way rather than an unhealthy way. It is the ability to maintain a positive outlook and respond constructively when problems arise. There are always problems to be dealt with in life. How we respond to those problems is what determines both our short term and out long term success. When a hardy person encounters a problem, they tend to see the problem as a challenge rather than a disaster. They believe in their own ability to correct the problem or at least respond appropriately to the change.

Hardiness is one of the keys to a sustainable writing career. The ability to adapt positively to change can mean the difference between success and failure. There will always be problems that you have to deal with as a professional writer – economic problems, work challenges and personal issues. Over the course of a long writing career, you will have both daily frustrations and major career changing events. If you are hardy, you will be able to overcome and adapt to these problems. Hardy people usually respond to problems with what are known as the three Cs: Challenge, Commitment, and Control.

Challenge

Hardy people not only accept that life is filled with change, they look forward to change. They believe that change will educate and stimulate them. They look at change as opportunity. Because of this, they thrive in adverse or difficult situations. Hardy people will often take on difficult challenges precisely because they are difficult.

Commitment

Hardy people are rarely bored. They like the things they do and they have the determination to see whatever task they are doing through to the end. When new obstacles present themselves, they tend to increase their commitment to success rather than give in to negativity and defeatism. Whatever they are doing, they are committed to seeing it through to the end.

Control

Hardy people believe in their own ability to influence the events around them. When problems occur, they believe that they can either fix the problem or at least adapt to the problem. They have a strong sense of initiative, and look for ways to turn potentially negative situations into positive ones.

Don’t Be Intimidated

Don’t feel bad if the three Cs haven’t come naturally to you so far in life. While the three Cs may be automatic for some people, for most of us this is something we need to learn, and keep learning. I’ll be honest. I haven’t felt particularly hardy lately, which is one of the reasons I am writing about this. I wanted to remind myself of what the best ways to deal with problems are. Next time, we will look at some of the strategies for increasing your hardiness.

Building a Financially Sustainable Writing Career: Body Work

Everybody Hurts

My career as a writer has not been good for my body. I weigh far more than I should because I spend most of my day sitting. I have a perpetually bad back and stiff neck from poor positioning. At the end of a long day in front of a computer my vision starts to get fuzzy and I have to increase the size of the text on my screen. For almost a year in the nineties, I could barely type due to a repetitive motion injury to my left elbow. During one particularly tense stretch at a company that shall remain nameless, I developed a tick in my right eye that nearly drove me crazy and an earache that didn’t go away until the day after I quit that job.

Writing is hard, not just mentally but physically. It isn’t professional athlete hard or standing on an assembly line hard, but there are plenty of hazards to be had. If you want to build a financially sustainable writing career, you need to take care of your body. Fixing your body is expensive and doing without it impossible, so taking care of it is your best choice. Here are some keys to building a sustainable writer’s body.

Think Locally, Act Ergonomically

Seek out chairs that are kind to both your butt and your back. Invest in a trackball or other ergonomically designed mouse. Get the largest, crispest monitor you can afford and make sure your text is clear enough to read for hours. Make sure everything is the proper height and distance. For more information read here.

Get Up Off Of That Thing

Try to get up, stretch, and walk around at least once every hour. No matter how comfortable a chair might be, it isn’t meant to hold you all day. When you maintain the same position for too long, tension starts to build in your body. Movement helps to relieve the tension.

You Can Dance If You Want To

You don’t need to be an athlete, but for the sake of a sustainable body, you need to get at least three sessions of moderate exercise in every week. There are hundreds of ways to exercise. If nothing else, go for a walk. Try to sustain some exercise for at least a half hour, three times a week.

There’s The Rub

Massages are a great way to reduce stress and keep your body healthy. I try to get an hour massage about twice a month.  It is one of the things I can look forward to that keeps me sane during the high-stress times.

Doctor Feelgood

Preventing health problems is always easier and cheaper than fixing health problems. Get that annual check up. Figure out if there are any danger signs that you need to deal with before they become major issues.

Crack That Back

On New Year’s Day, 1987, I drove my car off of Dead Man’s curve on River Road. I flipped the car and although I “walked” away, I suffered from severe back pain and decreased mobility. It took me two months to talk myself into seeing a chiropractor. By the end of the first visit I felt almost like myself again. When your back gets into trouble, a good chiropractor can help, especially if you go before it turns into a crisis.

Get a Peaceful, Easy Feeling

Stress release is the key to long term health. Stress builds up in many ways and for many reasons, from the way you sit to the pressure of a project to personal problems. Find a way to release that pressure when you need to. Learn to meditate. Find a relaxing hobby. Take a hot or cold shower. Get some sleep. Do what it takes to manage your stress before it becomes a problem.

Building a Financially Sustainable Writing Career: Marketing

Most freelancers already know that they need to market themselves. Bloggers usually know this too, although they sometimes focus on their blog as their only marketing tool. Marketing is for all writers though, and in fact for anyone who wants to have a sustainable professional career. A fully employed technical writer or business writer might not see the need for marketing themselves, but even a “permanent” job can suddenly end, and the more well-known and respected you are, the easier it will be to find the next job.

If you are out of work, you need marketing even more. Sending out your resume in response to a job advertisement is just one way to get a job, and it is the way that ensures you have the most competition. Building a solid public reputation opens many doors and helps bring people to your door instead of you having to hunt for them. The best job search is the one that is already being done before you need the job.

Create a Portfolio

The first, most basic step that every writer should take is to create a personal portfolio. Collect samples of your best work and have them ready to send out at a moment’s notice. Be ready for print or electronic distribution. The more professional your portfolio looks the more professional and qualified you look. Don’t forget to add a business card, a well-designed resume and a professional biography.

Build a Web Site

It should come as no surprise that I recommend every writer have a web site. Even if you don’t want to be a blogger or web publisher, having a small, attractive site that has samples of your work makes you much easier to find. That is the key to marketing, making sure that when people are thinking of a writer with your skills, they can find you. The site isn’t just for prospective employers. It should be media friendly as well. Make sure it has a contact form or at least your email address so that it is easy to get in touch with you.

Be Social

One of the best ways to get your qualifications out there is to join social groups, both online and in person. Almost ever writing field has an organization that caters to it, from the Society for Technical Communication to the Public Relations Society of America to the Direct-Mail/Marketing Association. Beyond those groups, there are general groups of business people such as The Toastmasters, The Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce. Online, of course, you have services such as LinkedIn and Xing, which allow you to exchange resumes and professional contacts all over the world.

Advertise

When I needed freelance work to get me by while I was getting my Master’s Degree, I put an ad in the local newspaper. It has a professional services section and no other writer has a listing, so I put one in and I almost immediately got work. The ad paid for itself and more within two weeks. I also advertised on my web site, and generated some business that way. This was passive recruitment. I didn’t have to call a single person or send them my resume/portfolio. They came to me. It is amazing how many people are looking for your skills but just don’t know where to find them. Advertising in print publications is generally cheap. Advertising on a relevant web site can be an even bigger bargain. Sometimes you’ll want to do this even when you don’t need the work right away, just to make sure people remember you.

Pick Up the Phone

Do you know why cold calling works? It works for four reasons:

• It is quick
• It is direct
• It can be done from anywhere
• Most people don’t have the guts to do it

You can spend all day telling me why you can’t call people. Yes, it is hard to do. The only reason to do something that personal and risk individual rejection is that it works. You can get rejected a hundred times in a day. Getting rejected takes almost no time at all. The sale you make is what matters, especially when you absolutely have to put food on the table.

Get Your Name Out

There are literally hundreds of marketing strategies. I highly recommend reading a book or two on marketing so that you understand the general concepts. There are also companies (and writers) who specialize in doing this for you. The important thing about marketing, especially if you aren’t the type to cold call a company, is to be working on it while you have work so that opportunities are easier to find when you need them.

A key to sustainability is to avoid having limited resources. When it comes to a career, your resources are personal and professional contacts, advertising, marketing materials, marketing knowledge and a high profile. Having all of these instead of just a few will help you sustain a long-term marketing career.

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