Author: Erica

  • Writing Zone

    My five year old is starting to discover the joys of writing and wrote his first story last week. He was so proud he asked me to bring it to work with me and then quickly made me promise to bring it back home, too. I was wise enough, albeit at the last minute, to have some coworkers write comments on post-its so I could attach them to the story and bring the story back to my son with their glowing praise stuck to the front. He was thrilled.

    (more…)

  • Start Writing Dream Goals

    What if I think I’m a good writer but I’m really not? There’s a question that pops into my head periodically, temporarily bringing me to a screeching halt. It’s my inner self telling my outer self I’m no good. We all have an inner self but each of ours has a different voice. Those with giant egos have an inner self whose mouths they’ve duct taped. Others have inner selves that try to slow them down. Your job is to get your inner self on your side without letting it go to your head. Set and meet goals and you’re confidence will grow.

    I would love to earn my income online. I don’t today, but I have ideas and I’m doing all the research I can to help me. But what if I’m not good enough to earn my keep this way? I suppose it depends on how much I hope to make as much as how good I might be.

    How about $10,000,000 a year from writing? Sound impossible?

    (more…)

  • Write Online and Get Paid

    Secretly, writers want to share their work. We ogle over our own, but we like our work to be seen – maybe even admired – by others. It feels good. Even better if you can get paid for your work. I’ve found some sites where you can do both – start writing again and earn a chance at getting paid. Yes, I said “earn a chance”. These aren’t guaranteed ways to make money. You need to create quality work. If you’re interested in writing, this shouldn’t worry you. However, if you’re just looking for a quick buck and have no interest in truly putting forth the effort, then your time would best be spent finding an alternate route. (And, no, I don’t know any get-rich quick schemes – sorry).

    (more…)

  • Five Tips to Start Writing Again

    I started this section of my blog to help me get back into writing again – sort of a place to park my notes and build a platform that would encourage me to keep at it daily. Having a blog does that, by the way. Once you’ve set it up, you feel responsible for feeding it some daily dose of love and commitment. (Note to self: if husband suddenly changes his name to Blog, I should be concerned.)

    As a result, I really have been writing more than ever. My pages at Squidoo, blog posts on this blog, a personal journal I keep on Word, and my stories at Extreme Writing. I’m fulfilling my promise to myself, enjoying the process, and learning so much along the way. You can do the same. Need a push? Keep reading.

    (more…)

  • Writer’s Day Off

    I felt a little worn out yesterday so I didn’t get much work done. Actually, worn out isn’t quite accurate. I didn’t feel tired, I just felt lazy. I should have done some writing. I should have worked on my Squidoo lenses. I meant to go around visiting. That’s what I call socializing – visiting those who have visited my lenses, finding new lensmasters, chatting on Twitter, or in the various Squidoo forums, and catching up on my favorite blogs. I surely should have called my mother. I did none of that, although I was on the computer most of the day. I was reading, until I found this cool little application…

    (more…)