THanks to Stephen Poff for the photo.

There are a whole lotta ways to live in this great big world. That’s what an ex-boyfriend of mine used to say when he’d encounter something, or someone, on a totally different spectrum. I love that thought and think it applies to most things.

Take freelance writing, for instance. There’s no one way to be a freelance writer, never has been. There’s no formula, no secret and no expert. There’s only the way that works best for you.

When you announce your decision to freelance, you also announce your decision to be a small business owner. And that means you have a lot of new hats to wear, and, somehow, you’re supposed to wear them all at once. You’re now the bookkeeper, the secretary, the talent and everything else to your business.

If there is any key ingredient for successful freelancing, it’s hard work. That’s not the sexy answer, but that’s the truth. If you’re like most freelancers, you’ll learn how to run your business as you go. At least that’s how I’ve learned. But, I have a background in business and, to some degree, feel I was ahead of the game to begin with because of that.

There are a lot of things to consider before taking the plunge into self-employment. For instance: If a client stiffs you, will the rent still get paid? What do you plan to do for health insurance? Who can you ask if you’ve got a question about a freelance contract?

You also need to think about what working by yourself will feel like. From what I understand, not everyone’s suited for it. Personally, I love it. I’m a self-starter and I’ve endured my fair share of kooky co-workers for this life, thanks. Plus, I work in complete silence. Co-workers and their chatter annoy me. Even still, there are days when I miss the opportunity to gnaw on an idea with someone who can punch holes in it and there are times when I need to crawl out of my cave and be around people who haven’t buried themselves in some complex topic.

Beyond all that, there are plenty of other things to consider and deal with as a freelancer. Because I’m over here going at it alone, I figure I’ve missed some short cuts along the way. I bet there are other freelancers, right here in Charlotte, that could teach me a thing or two about freelancing that I haven’t thought of yet. I’ve got a lot of tips to share, myself.

That’s why I’m proposing a monthly gathering for freelancers, of all sorts, to gather and talk shop. Between the lot of us, I bet we could solve a lot of our problems over coffee. Think if it as a think tank for freelancers.

If you’re interested in joining us, send me an e-mail and I’ll add you to the interest list.

Together, we'll figure this freelancing career stuff out. (Thanks to Rapport Center for the photo.)

I believe in the power of mentors. When I first got started in the business world, back in the early 1990s (I was still in high school), I also started collecting mentors because, as we all know, it’s easier to learn from another person’s mistakes than to stumble through them on your own. One of my mentors encouraged me to go into marketing (which I did) and one used to repeat things his mentors taught him that stick with me to this day. For example: When you’re trying to decide what to do, ask yourself whether that task will get you closer to or further away from your goals. He used to tell me, “If you know the answer to that question, you’ll always know what to do.”

Advice like that has helped shape my world, so I pass it forward whenever possible. Fortunately, I have a lot of opportunities to do so because, somehow, I’ve become a go-to person for people in my area who are interested in trading words for dollars. Just this week, I’ve received over a dozen e-mails, Tweets and phone calls from people seeking answers to their freelance questions. And, today, I spent an hour and a half on the phone with a young writer who’s fresh out of college. A couple people even suggested I teach a class on the topic.

I thought about that option, but I’ve decided against it. Here’s why: All of us already have plenty of things to pay for and, with this economy’s dark cloud hanging over us, I can’t in good conscious charge people for advice. Maybe one day I’ll feel differently, but right now I’m happy to share what I know for free in an effort to repay my past mentors for their kindnesses. Only, I’ll call myself a reluctant mentor because I don’t think I have any special secrets for freelance career success. (Sorry to burst ya’lls bubble.)

With that, I’ve decided to start a small, informal gathering in the Charlotte area for freelancers who would like to talk shop. There will be no charge and no formalities. I won’t lead the meetings so much as I’ll facilitate conversation. Come, don’t come, participate, don’t participate … it’s really up to you. If I end up at a coffee shop by my lonely, I won’t feel bad. Instead, I’ll enjoy the break to reflect on my own freelance writing career.

If you’re interested in participating, please send me an e-mail so I can add you to my contact list for the meetings. Also, you should know, I’m part of the group helping to form a Charlotte chapter of he Society of Professional Journalists. Ultimately, I’d like for this meet-up group to be under that chapter’s wing. If you’re interested in joining the SPJ, I highly recommend it — especially if you’re serious about being a freelance writer. The bonus: You’ll be in on the chapter from the beginning and avoid paying chapter dues this year. (Can’t have chapter dues if you don’t have a chapter yet.)

With that, I hope you’ll join me at the first gathering which will be held in September sometime after Labor Day. (I’m thinking Sunday the 19th).

I’ll announce more details soon, so stay tuned.

I'm a big fan of Carolina Pad's Sasquatch line of notebooks.

I think all writer’s have their tricks and quirks, and I’m no different. So, since I’ve recently discovered a new-to-me way to organize my notes for a story I’m working on, I thought I’d celebrate it by telling you. It’s nothing exciting, but it works for me.

In the past, I’d have notes scattered all over the place. Now, I’m using a spiral-bound notebook with pockets and divider tabs. I’m also using different colored inks to help me quickly find different information, like a quote or a figure.

And, so far so good. The story I’m working on has a lot of puzzle pieces. But now when I have to take my work on the road, I’m only carting around one notebook — not a big, heavy backpack. Even better: when I need to double check something or look up a quote, it’s easier then ever to find.

How do you organize your notes when you work on a story? What used to work for you but doesn’t now?

Thanks to orkboi for the illustration.

I don’t suffer from writer’s block. I’m not even sure it’s real. Sometimes I get held up — take today, I’m waiting on a few people to call me back with comments, but I never come to a full stop.

If I’m not writing, I’m reading about writing or researching one of my other writing projects. (Or, O.K., Tweeting.) But no, I’ve never suffered from writer’s block and I don’t like it when other people say they have — or are.

If you feel you may have hit some invisible writing wall, do this: something else. No, seriously. Do something else for a while.

Sometimes your mind has to chew on a topic before the words are just right. That’s normal. I spend loads of time chewing on topics. Some writing projects get chewed on for years in my busy, busy, busy mind before I pull them out and smear them onto the page.

Maybe you don’t need to chew. Good for you. But, whatever you do, stop calling “it” writer’s block. When you do that, you’re buying into the myth and then you’re perpetuating it.

Now, say it with me: WRITER’S BLOCK IS A MYTH!

There you go. You’re well on your way to conquering the demon in the dungeon.

Thanks to myklroventine for the photo.

I have more than one Twitter account, and either started or chime in on several more. There’s my main account @RhiBowman. The account for my business @TheWordTrade. There’s my alter-ego, @AngryFatWoman. Even my cats have a Twitter account, though they’ve lost interest. They’re cats.

Sometimes I Tweet on them simultaneously, but mostly not. (The jury’s out on how annoying simultaneous Tweeting is; I suspect it’s at least mildly irritating.)

All three accounts are like a different group of friends. Sure, there’s cross over, but that happens with large groups of friends, too.

Every once and a while I’ll Tweet on the wrong account. Oops. It’s nothing to freak out about, everyone with more than one account does it — or has done it. To prevent such things, I usually don’t stay signed into any account on the main website. With TweetDeck, I check and double check before I hit enter and still manage to Tweet on the wrong account occasionally. (I think that’s a TweetDeck problem some days.) On my phone, I also check and double check and still goof.

When I goof I simply copy and paste the message to the correct account, delete the goofed Tweet and refuse to worry about it.

You’ve got to remember: the amount of information coming through Twitter in any second is probably the equivalent to Niagara Falls. People dip their toe in the water pooling up at the bottom, take it out, inspect it, then dip their toe again. Just because you have a long list of followers doesn’t mean a whole lot, not really. Unless they’re not following many people, there’s a decent chance your Tweet will get lost in the flood anyway.

There are all sorts of websites out there that will help you determine whether or not people are reading your Tweets or following your links or reTweeting you or if you’re the fairest Twitterer of them all, but I don’t get caught up with that stuff. And, if you’ve got anything better to do, I don’t suggest you do either. Ultimately, who cares?

Because there is so damn much information on Twitter is precisely why I try to pre-sort my messages, like organizing a mass mailing by zip code. I’m obviously on Twitter for the conversation and info-sharing. Pre-sorting, via one of my three accounts, helps me insert myself into the Tweet stream discussing what I want to talk about in that moment.

It’s one more way to cut through the noise and maximize your Twitter time.

Thanks to oufoxy for the photo.

I guess it’s not accurate to say I pretend, but it is fair to say I try. I’m also happy to report I’m learning a lot and getting better.

If you’re a writer, taking pictures is part of your job. Especially in these days of tight freelance budgets.

In a lot of cases, it’s helpful to take pictures both for your memory as well as the publication you’re writing for. Or, at least that’s what I’ve found. In fact, when I first started trading words for dollars, I only took photos to jog my memory.

When I read a story about someone, I think it’s interesting to also read about what their surroundings are like, how they react to some stimulus or what color their walls are. I figure the people who read my articles would like that kind of detail too. At first, pictures helped me out when I wanted to insert that type of detail into a story. Now, I’m quite good at noticing that kind of stuff as a matter of habit.

After a while, editors would ask if I would mind taking a photo or two while I was out interviewing someone or at an event. And, I didn’t. I still don’t. I’ve found I like taking pictures. I see it as part of the gig.

I’ve got a decent-enough camera. Real photographers are beyond it, though, I know that. Mine is digital. It takes large pictures and it’s got a dummy button that auto focuses and bugs me if it thinks I should open the flash.

What’s fun is every once and a while I’ll get a good shot. I’d wager every 100th picture is pretty good, and that’s up from a couple years ago — but I don’t mind taking 150 shots to make sure I get a winner.

In fact, that’s one lesson I can impart to anyone asked to submit photos with their written work: take more pictures than you think you’ll need. That way you can choose the best three or four and let your editor make the final decision.

The best advice I can offer, though, is to simply pick up your camera and start clicking. In my opinion, learning to take pictures is like honing any other skill: you’ve got to practice. The people who are excellent photographers take pictures all the time.

Thanks to id-iom for the photo.

When you become a freelancer, you may find you love what you do so much that you work two or three times as much as you did when you worked for someone else. At least that’s the situation in my case. I love writing. I love reading about writing and journalism. I love researching new story ideas or articles already in progress.

So, it’s not unusual for me to work nights and weekends. In fact, my “weekend” is often Thursday; though I doubt I ever actually take an entire 24 hours off. (Recent trip to Europe excluded, of course.) And, I didn’t pick Thursday, it picked me … and it keeps picking me week after week after week.

Take today, for instance, which just so happens to be a Thursday. I had to do an information shuffle between three of my doctors, with a long pause at one of their offices for an actual appointment. Then I had to go to the bank. Then the grocery store. Then my grandma called. Then the cable (and phone and Internet) went out. Then another doctor’s office called to gather even more information for an upcoming appointment. Then a friend called.

This is not what I planned for my day, or even close.

But in between all of the running around and phone calls, I’ve scheduled an interview for a story I’m working on, I’ve done a little research, I’ve updated my social media accounts and I’ve posted three blog posts on Creative Loafing’s CLog blog. And, look! I’ve posted one here, too. Woo hoo.

Finally, late in the afternoon, I gave into the reality that today is my weekend and watched a movie on my computer. (Thank you, NetFlix.)

Now, know that I’m not complain’ … I’m just explainin’.

It’s hard for me to get upset about an off-day, or afternoon, in the middle of the week when I already know I’ll be working all weekend, especially after working until after 1:00 a.m. this morning.

This is how it goes when you’re living the freelance life. And, I’ve got to say, it’s not all that bad. Truth is, I’ve grown to like it. It’s nice to stop everything and listen to my grandma talk about canasta and it rocks when there’s no line at the grocery store. It’s like I mentioned last week, when you’re a freelancer, you have to re-frame what “benefits” mean.

When I first started working for myself, this kind of disruptive day stressed me out. (O.K., sometimes it still does.) But, now, I remind myself that I, too, deserve (most of) a day off. Otherwise, I’ll burn out. So my weekend is Thursday. It’s as good a day as any, and it works for me.

Thanks to Toban Black for the photo.

The United States Congress has decided to stick their noses into our businesses. While I get where they’re going and realize their intentions are good, Senate bill S.3254: Employee Misclassification Prevention Act may harbor unintended consequences for freelance and contract workers.

What Congress is trying to do:

Prevent companies from misclassifying workers as contract employees in an effort to avoid paying proper taxes and benefits. This is admirable. Companies shouldn’t be allowed to shirk their responsibilities.

What the bill may unintentionally do:

Create extra hassles for people who are rightly classified as contract employees. We’re talking extra paperwork, extra time away from revenue-generating duties and, as a consequence, it’s possible the very contract jobs in question may disappear because of the extra hoops.

This could kill small freelance and contract businesses, effectively adding to the already swollen unemployment ranks.

In my case, if I were to lose clients I would, in turn, have to stop hiring the contract workers I rely on to help me with administrative work, house cleaning and pet sitting.

If you are a freelance or contract worker, make sure your representatives in Washington, D.C. know how this legislation will affect your business.

Personally, I plan to encourage Congress to continue looking out for independent workers. I’m also going to suggest they spend some time discussing how their proposed legislation will affect freelance and contract workers in their states.

Certainly we can come up with a bill that both protects workers from companies who are attempting to avoid their responsibilities and looks out for those of us who are freelance by choice.

Also see:

“Congress takes up freelance issue,” by Carrie Madren, on the Society of Professional Journalists’ “The Independent Journalist” blog.

“Employee Misclassification Prevention Act Hearing,” by Liz Green for MBOpartners.com, that states, in part, “If passed, the Employee Misclassification Prevention Act (EMPA) would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to effectively criminalize the misclassification of employees, increase penalties, and impose stringent reporting, record keeping and notification requirements on all classification decisions.”

Share your story:

The Coalition to Preserve Independent Contractor Status wants to hear from you on this issue. Participate in the organization’s “The Face of Independent Contractors” project here.

Take action:

Contact your representatives and let them know how the Employee Misclassification Act will affect your livelihood.

Thanks to xotoko for the photo.

Anyone who knows me IRL (that’s “in real life” for you non-abbreviation-speakers) knows I *heart* Twitter, big time. And if you’re someone with a message or product to peddle, then you should too.

I’ve spent some time trying to explain to people who run non-profits or small businesses that they need to control their own message. (Something I remind them of every time they whine about one of their press releases not getting picked up by the local media.)

Now, let me be clear: I don’t want to manage anyone else’s social media accounts, nor do I want to be a media consultant. However, I do feel it’s important for people to embrace “new media” with both hands and an open mind.

With that, I’ve stopped trying to convince people that Twitter’s for them. Instead, I’ve begun gifting them with their very own Twitter accounts.

I’ve only done this a handful of times, but every time people are immediately impressed by the power of Twitter. And, for some reason, my hard push into the arena seems to take the pressure off.

Here’s what I do:

I set up their account with a reasonable user name, their photo or logo, a link to their website and add biographical information they’ve already written about themselves elsewhere. I’ll post three or four Tweets that point to pages on their website or work or interests, then I’ll follow some like-minded folks in their profession or city. At that point, I hand the account over to them.

All of the things I set up for them can be changed or undone. Most of the time, though, I’ve found the people I’m giving the gift of social media to don’t change a thing. Instead, they want to know how to Tweet from their phones, which software to use, how to schedule Tweets and how to link their Facebook accounts.

It’s all easy stuff. And as soon as they realize that, they’re hooked.

Now if they decide they need someone else to manage their accounts professionally, I’m happy to refer them to someone I know and trust to do a good job.

However, sorry social media “experts,” I don’t recommend allowing someone else to manage your social media accounts. Why? Because social media is about letting people into your process. It’s about conversing with your target audience and peers. It’s about lifting the veil in a whole new way. No one else can take your place when it comes to that sort of information. No one. (O.K., well, maybe someone else within your organization would suffice. Maybe you can even share the duties.)

So, to my friends who have just unwrapped their new Twitter accounts: Have fun. Be yourselves. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes (even seasoned Twitter pros make mistakes). And, remember that you don’t have to read everything on Twitter to get a lot out of it. Dip in. Dip out. See what you see. Follow the links that interest you. No one expects you to stay up-to-date on everything.

Also, don’t try to sell anything. Twitter is about relationships, not ROI (return on investment). If you can foster loyal followers, your message will get out and whatever product you’re peddling will get the best kind of advertising there is: word-of-mouth, or should I say RT’ed (retweeted)?