Writing Business | Cathy C. Hall Writes

Looking to unleash your writing? If you’re into romance, I found an interesting way for you to unleash your story and help a good cause while you’re at it!

Take a look at this site to find out how you can participate in a fundraiser marathon, whether you’re a writer, reader or just interested supporter. These romance writers are getting together this September to raise money for cystic fibrosis. But you can pick up your pen wherever you are and raise money, too.

And after you’ve done your good deed for the day, pick up your pen and raise money for your own cause. I found that I just couldn’t resist the call of ehow one day longer, so I signed up! I haven’t actually submitted any articles yet; I want to attract a particular market, so I’m still in the seriously-thinking-of-ideas stage.

But when I think of something, I’ll let you know. I’ll be unleashing some serious how-to writing!

When I first read Mr. Bob Bly’s comments re: how a freelancer’s time is divided, I thought that can’t be right. Now I know better.

Mr. Bly, you may recall, is the freelance guy who makes mega-bucks in the industry. I’m reading his book, Getting Started as a Freelance Writer, trying to play a little catch-up in the freelance business. Anyway, according to Bly, a freelancer can expect to spend 25% of her time on business stuff (invoices, research, filing, mailing, and all those other jobs that eat up your hours). That seemed reasonable.

But 25% on marketing? Leaving only 50% for actual writing? Nahhhh, I said. I write more than that. And I do. But I write an awful lot of query letters, and cover letters, too, trying to get my articles and stories into new markets. Which is um, marketing.

Shazam! So Mr. Bly had a point. Since he also mentioned setting a financial goal of say $200, 000 (That’s exactly what he nonchalantly threw out there), I thought why not set $200,000 as my financial goal? That’s quite a Fortune, I know.

But hey, he was right about the time percentages.