Words on a page

As it turns out, I’ve written quite a bit about distraction-free text editors (also called full-screen editors) in this space — here, here, here, and here if you’re curious. In some circles, these apps are very trendy. In others, they’re buried under a pile of scorn.

I find them to be indispensable tools. Why? Distractions are everywhere, and can crop up when I least expect them. One of the biggest sources of distractions is the computer desktop. Things like email notifications, instant messenger windows, a Web browser, even your wallpaper.

When I want to focus on writing and not have my attention pulled away by email, RSS feeds, or anything else I fire up a distraction-free editor — either TextRoom or PyRoom. My screen goes blank, and I have an empty page on which I can type. My goal is to fill that page with words. And that’s what happens.

Going this route works very well for me. But I keep hearing one complaint (if you want to call it that)

read more »

Sometimes, you just need a break. And I’m not only talking about work. I’m talking about taking a break from technology and communications.

With email, smartphones/mobile phones, instant messaging and other related technologies there’s an expectation put on us. An expectation that we’re always available. It’s been called, among other things, Blackberry Overtime. And it’s not really necessary. Freelancers included.

But how do you take that break? By scheduling a digital fast.

read more »

… in one or two or even three styles or areas doesn’t mean you can tackle other types of writing. I was reminded of this when reading a blog post by my pal Tom Johnson.

Tom, a well known blogger and technical writer, recently discussed a week he spent in his employer’s marcomm department. Tom noted:

Apparently the ability to write a blog post doesn’t always translate into the ability to write other sorts of communications.

You shouldn’t expect to be able to do that. Let’s face it, you just can’t always jump into a new form of writing. Before you do that, you need practice. You need mentoring. You need education, even if it’s self education. Even then, being successful (or even effective) is definitely not a lock.

I know some good writers who can’t do marketing communications. I know a few communications professionals who can’t write good documentation to save their lives. I know technical communicators who can’t write a very good article or blog post. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t good at what they do. It could be that they can’t transfer their skills to another form of writing. Or maybe their minds are locked into one form of writing and they can’t break free of those shackles.

Trust me, I’ve been there. While I’m a fairly good writer of non fiction and documentation, I’ve never had much luck with fiction. I worked at it for quite a while, but I could never get the skills down. That said, I did learn a few things from trying to write short stories that I’ve been able to use in writing non fiction.

Writers, like everyone else, have limitations. Sometimes you can’t overcome those limitations. If you try and fail, will be a better person and (I hope) a better writer for it. Give other types of writing a try. If they don’t work out, pick yourself up and dust yourself off. Then focus on your strengths. Improve in the areas in which you excel.

Thoughts? Feel free to leave a comment.

Photo credit: drakis from Photoxpress

Being a freelancer and co-owner of a business, one of my goals is to keep my costs (and those of my business) down. I do that by cutting out any unnecessary spending, only buying new hardware and software if I absolutely need it, and try to do as much on my own as I can. I also use as much free/Open Source software as can, and wherever possible free Web applications.

But there are services I am willing to pay for. Why? If only because I don’t have the skills or time to do certain things myself. And because the service either helps me make money or makes my freelancing life a little easier.

The types of things that I have no qualms about paying for, and even paying a good price for, include:

• Web hosting
• Skype
• One or two (maybe three) Web applications
• Online storage (OK, I only pay for one service that I use, but will need to upgrade the other ones soon)
• Design services — there’s no way I could have created the logos on my freelance Web site or my company’s site
• Promotional items like branded pens, notepads, and USB flash drives
• Professional accounting

So what services are you willing to pay for? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Photo credit: elke peterson from Photoxpress

Earlier this year, I wrote a pair of posts on giving up and embracing failure. For some, those are depressing topics. But they’re topics we all have to face at some time or another.

You’ll notice that I don’t write much about success. Mainly because success has become an all-or-nothing proposition. Sadly, we live in a world in which extremes are the norm. You either fail or you succeed. Far too many people discount the middle ground — a partial success is too-often deemed a failure. But it shouldn’t be.

While you’re not going to be successful with everything you try, you’ll probably have just as many (if not more) partial successes than you’ll have so-called successes. And definitely more of them than failures.

read more »