Yesterday I had this conversation: “Hello, this is Kathryn.†“Hey, what are you doing?†“Working.†“I didn’t know you worked.†“Well, I’m a writer.†“I knew you did that, but I didn’t know you, like, went to a real job.†The most amazing thing about this conversation is that it is not the first time…
Can I make a confession? I hate dial up. The slow, agonizing pace that I can find information is actually something I have learned to deal with. It’s not unusual for me to click a link and get a chore done while my connection is crawling its way over there. But we are getting to…
Writing is a craft, an art form and a skill that must be tweaked and honed. Even if you are born with a natural gift with the written word, you still must take some time to learn. There are hundreds of different ways you can go about it, some free and some for a fee….
My job is the coolest one in the world. Every day is full of new challenges, different projects, and deadlines. The people I work with are always growing and changing. I am MOM. People who knew me growing up are usually shocked that I have chosen this profession. Others simply can’t understand how any one…
As a writer, I worry about people stealing my work. I’ve heard and read about authors whose work was used by agents or editors without any compensation. If that wasn’t enough to keep me hording my writing in the desk, the internet now adds a whole new dimension to my paranoia. Copyrights are one of…
The calculator came out last night. A new client added more work and my monthly earning figures was about to skyrocket. I needed to plan for all that incoming wealth. Like most of the times I start “planning,†my reality took a quick turn towards fantasy. This is the time when I imagine a big…
The writing business is starting to pick up steam. Like other things in my life, I’m finding that the more I do the more I can do and the more people are willing to let me do – except in my hometown. The town I grew up in is small. Most of the people older…
Cleaning has never been a priority in my life. My clothes were often separated by piles – (a) these need to be washed and (b) these have just been washed. My lack of organization almost drove my husband nuts in the beginning of our marriage. Now he says he’s just given up (or given in)….
The recent recalls of what seems like every infant toy on the market has made some of us quite skittish about what to get the baby for Christmas. You don’t want to buy online because you want to flip the toy over and see where it was made. I’m looking for that great “Made in…
The last twenty minutes have been wasted digging through papers to find a list I needed for an article. While my desk has been de-cluttered – to some extent – the paper still remains lost. This is just one more reason to stay organized. Clutter and chaos steal your time and for a freelancer time…