Getting rid writers' block

I have been sitting on my incomplete manuscripts for quite a while due to several reasons, the main of which, is this huge invisible barrier stopping me from going near the manuscripts.

When I say manuscripts I literally meant several books in the making. All of it is fiction and not in the same genre. I have a romance book written midway although the plot lines are complete, a horror/fantasy in its first few chapters with half complete plot lines and finally a satire/women's fiction in its first few chapters with a complete plot line.

Now, with three completely different books, it is quite difficult to complete any one of it without worrying about the others. Thus, this barrier came up. Also the worry of not being able to fulfill the demands of the characters, not able to find the time to fill out the plots, do more research, stress at work, lack of time and various more petty issues, had me freezing up and my ideas drying out.

Arrggghhhh...it is not easy getting rid writers block.

It is indeed distressing and frustrating to be staring at the screen and rereading the first few chapters and not be able to continue with it. So to overcome this self-induced writer's block, I came up with several methods which worked for me.

1) Relax and start doodling (or fiddling with the keyboards - whichever medium you are using to write) - formulate words and sentences not necessarily related to you book. It could be anything, just random words. I find that this often ends up with me continuing on with my storyline.

2) Check out writer's blogs - not to get ideas but essentially to have a feel of how they deal with such situations and also to immerse yourself into the writing world. This exercise often gets me all geared up and inspired to write.

3) Stop staring at the empty screen/notebook - the words are not going to write themselves. If it is stressing you out, just walk away. Go take a short walk, have a cup of tea/coffee or just stare out of the windows to clear your mind and stress. Stress is the one main factor blocking the ideas from flowing.

4) Read a really good book by your favourite author - great works are really great inspirations and motivations.I always find myself raring to type the moment I put down a really good read.

5) Work on the plot instead - okay, so you are really coming up blank. Why not go into the basics of the story line instead? Come up with complete biodatas for the characters, give them family backgrounds, career backgrounds, likes, dislikes, places they've been, where they were born, what was their first words and complete your research on any facts in the story. At least, you are getting some work done instead of staring at an empty screen!

These are but a few tips I find quite useful for me. So, now that my block has been destroyed I have a very real problem. Which one should I complete first? I think I will work on the romance and hopefully, I will be able to get it completed and out of the way!

Paid to blog!

It is indeed a wonderful way to end the year. PayPerPost just paid me $20 for by blog post last month.

I know, I know, it is not much and I have not been active in my blogging recently but hey, $20 can buy me lunch and even part of my dinner. That's not bad at all!

Other than that, I found that I do not qualify for most of the open opportunities there. Sigh...it has something to do with my rating or ranking, I think. Must be all the slow inactivity of recent times. And of course, my lack of links with other bloggers. I should really start linking with more blogs and leaving more comments and make myself known.

Err...that is if I ever find the time.

With the year drawing to an end and everyone around me pledging to a whole new list of new year's resolutions, I refuse to jump onto the bandwagon to make a resolution to read other blogs, leave comments and make more links.

I think it utterly pointless to make a list which we may not keep. Also, why a list for a year? Why not a lifetime list of things to do?

Seriously, if we have a goal or dream to achieve, is one year really enough? What about the goals of achieving true happiness, contentment and peace? Will one year be enough? Sure, short term goals such as losing the final ten pounds or getting a new haircut or giving your wardrobe a makeover could take one year.

But then, these short term goals often don't mean much. More often than not, most people who made their resolutions find themselves breaking it. So, what's the point?

Sigh. I will endeavor to visit more fellow bloggers' blogs, leave comments and link more. If only to get more traffic to my blog so that I will be able to take up more of the PPP opportunities. Considering I have Hubpages to update, job boards to check, projects to complete, a hyperactive toddler to care for and a day job to pay the bills, I'm gonna need the time travel watch Hermione Granger used in order to attend more classes...Perhaps, she won't mind lending it to me now that the whole series ended already. :-)

Tis time to celebrate!

Yep, I am so excited and happy that I was awarded two projects after weeks of patiently bidding and visiting job boards. And right before Christmas too! I would definitely see it as a Christmas present as these two projects are definitely one way for me to get some feedback. The extra income is also of course a bonus!

The first project I got was a virtual assistant cum writer sorta job which involved coordinating, composing emails and writing short articles. It should be fun as the subject is an interesting one.

The second project is a writing job where I have to produce articles, blog posts and copy writing for the employer. The topic at hand is a relatively new one for me so it will prove to be an eye-opener and I will definitely get to learn something from it.

On top of that, I have finally got my high-speed internet connection in place so no more waiting for sluggish downloads.

Triple YAY!!!

I have already committed a several hours of work to these two employers each day, five days a week, for at least a month. But I am still going to continue bidding for other projects, perhaps those which does not take too much time to complete. Hopefully, I will be able to manage and still get my required shut-eye everyday. The idea of going around Panda and blurry-eyed like a zombie is not really good in the long run.

Oh and I almost forgot. I was suddenly struck by my long missing muse and have started outlining a new fantasy fiction book. It has promise of becoming a five-series book and I will have to set time aside to work on it too.

And finally, another YAY for the year-end bonus which was banked in last weekend!

It is actually not a bad way to end this year (despite having more out-of-office work to do). As long as I am on the path towards working from home, I am happy as can be.

So, a Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year!

Job boards and bidding

It is not easy to bid and win projects in job boards, free or otherwise.

This I have discovered in this past month. In the free job boards, it is even worse as competition is stiff and more often than not, some bidders' rates are so low it is hard to compete with them.

In paid job boards, competition is equally stiff but not as bad and there are also bidders whose rates are so low, you wonder how they could actually make a living with those rates.

Another thing I found out is that it is very difficult for new freelancers like me as we do not have any positive feedback from other employers yet. Many of the employers preferred those who have positive feedback and of course, also the lowest rate.

With this conditions, it is very difficult to break into the market. I noticed many new freelancers lowered their rates in order to win some projects so that they could get feedbacks at last and perhaps, be able to get more customers in future.

I have contemplated that but I could not bring myself to it. I am of the opinion that I should not lower my rates just to get a project when the amount of time and energy put into it cost more than the quoted rate. It does not make good business sense.

In situations like this, it reminds me of a very wise advise from the shoe fashion guru, Jimmy Choo, whom I interviewed a few years back.

"We must always set a standard and pricing for our masterpieces and never lower it no matter how much you needed the money."

The reason is simple, he had said that if the price was lowered, you lose your integrity and customers will expect you to lower it again in future. It would be very difficult to bring the price back up without losing customers.

Not surprisingly, Jimmy Choo was practically broke trying to sell his handmade shoes in the beginning because he placed a very high price for his shoes and were not getting any customers. He only had his big break when his shoes were showcased in a women's magazine and the rest is history.

Despite being world-renowned for his beautifully crafted shoes, Jimmy Choo remembered his poor background and remained a humble, nice and polite man. Even now, he is very friendly and courteous to everyone he meets.

But I digress. To get back to the point of bidding and rates, I decided to follow Jimmy Choo's advise. Considering where he is now in the fashion industry, I am sure he is not wrong about setting a standard for our work and never lowering it just because we needed the money.

So, I shall steadfastly stick to my usual rates and continue bidding till I get my break!

Tis the season to be...

down with the flu complete with fever, blocked nose and raspy coughing judging from the two very sick males in my household.

It has been a fairly stressful time for me what with my boss away on her Christmas leave and I am left to man the fort, so to speak. If that is not bad enough, both my husband and baby fell sick and I suddenly got an additional job of playing nurse to them.

Believe me, when a grown man fell sick, it is much much much worse than a sick baby. He would practically be like a baby, sniveling and moaning and generally acting as if he could fall dead on his feet any minute - not that he could even get on his feet from the way he was going on and on about how he can't walk, can't eat, can't breath properly, etc.

As for LR, he is a real trooper. Despite having a high temperature, he is as active as ever. The only difference is that he tends to be more clingy, expects more cuddles, wants to be held most of the time, tires easily and gets cranky easily because he does not like to get tired so easily.
He does not even act as if he is down with the flu.

So, to cope with all this stress, it is fortunate that my best buddy in the whole wide world is here to comfort me during those lonely nights of keeping vigil over them while surfing through freelancing job boards.

Who is my best buddy? Why the very wonderful euphoria-inducing, delectable, mouth-watering, satisfying, sinful chocolate of course! Who else? Luckily, even with two people in my house down with the flu, I escaped the misery although in the escape process, I managed to add on some padding to my hips thanks to those forays into the fridge for dear old choccie...