I've learned...

I've quickly learned that continuing to ghostwrite for people is going to make me more money than publishing with Associated Content or Helium :-)

I will, of course, continue to submit articles to both, because I love to write. And hey, it's exposure ;-)

I have a couple of works of fiction going right now. My kids are dying to find out what happens next to Joan and Jim, a couple from a book I'm currently working on in my spare time. Spare time in the true sense of the phrase is very difficult to come across, but I somehow find a way to create it when it comes to writing.

So busy lately!

I'm totally not complaining, I love what I do! This week I've had a small ebook project, 5 articles on real estate, 2 articles on the French Riveria and Majorca and I'm in negotiations with a client in New York for 4-5 pages of web content. Plus the work I try to maintain daily for Twixal.

Next week I already have five articles on real estate and about 10 small articles for myself for Your Network Connection.

Later this month I have another ebook coming out that's going to be a really fun and interesting project! Of course it's ghostwritten, so I can't divulge any information about it :)

Priceless Marketing Information

No, really, I mean it's priceless! It's FREE! I lucked up and found this information through a freelance friend. It's called eBusiness Blueprint and it really is free. At least for a limited time! I don't generally buy things like this because I got burned by an offer similar to it one time. But if you know me, you know this already :)

Anyway, here's the link if you want to check it out eBusiness Blueprint

Farewell Luciano Pavarotti

This morning on my usual trip to CNN.com I saw the sad news. Luciano Pavarotti, dead at age 71, pancreatic cancer. I never had the privilege of seeing him on stage, but I've always been a fan. His wife, daughters, other family members and friends were by his side when he passed. He will be sorely missed.

Good Tuesday Morning!

Good Morning! I'm not quite sure, but I woke up in a great mood this morning! I have a lot of work to get done today, 2 phone calls to make and several errands to run but I'm really looking forward to it for some reason.

This morning I'd like to get back into talking about famous quotes. Henry Ford said "Don't find fault, find a remedy; Anyone can complain."

How true is that?! How many times have you avoided saying "fine thank you, how are you?" simply because you know the person will tell you? :) Recently I've started really listening when an employee at a grocery store, gas station, etc.. says "hi, how are you?"

Guess what I've noticed. Nothing. They rarely reply! Our conversation goes:

Them "how are you today?"
Me "I'm great, how are you?"
Them ...

It's like they say it so many times a day, they become immune to answering or something. Maybe as conversationalists, we have to settle for one extreme or the other. Maybe we either hear nothing, or every complaint the person can possibly think of.

I learned years ago it's much easier to accept faults as they lie and work toward finding a remedy. As Mr. Ford said "Anyone can complain" so why be like 'anyone'? I would much rather stand out and offer suggestions to help.

I hope everyone's having a great week so far!

How cool is that?!

I usually try to stay up to speed on the latest technological news so I was reading a few articles this evening. I'd seen mention of this BPL (Broaband over Power Lines) before, but here's a "How stuff works" article on it.

How Stuff Works - BPL article.

Enjoy!!

Help, I'm drowning!

No, not really :) I'm very busy lately so I haven't been able to update Twixal very much, but I'm really enjoying a few of the newer jobs I've picked up!

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

28 Sites That Pay You To Blog.

I found this awesome article today and thought some of my friends may enjoy it, so here you go:

28 Sites That Pay You To Blog (actually 30+ if you read through all the comments!)


Here's one I signed up for yesterday, it's referral based. I haven't done much with it yet because it's so new to me, but I'll get it rolling asap! :)
Yuwie

So if you're interested in getting started as a writer or even if you're already an accomplished writer, check out some of these sites and start getting paid to blog!

Let's talk quotes.

I've been working on a daily motivational project (and that's all I'm going to tell you about it) :)

So I've been looking for great motivational quotes from people we all know and respect. Don Henley for instance. Yes, drummer/lead singer for The Eagles. Here's one of my favorite Don Henley Quotes: "I'm always jotting things down on pieces of paper. I've got pieces of paper all over my house."

As a creative person myself, I can totally relate to that, can't you? I have my little notebook beside the keyboard, a dry erase board above my monitor on the wall, a notebook beside the bed, a notebook beside my home gym and I use my eyebrow pencil to write notes on the mirror when I'm busy getting ready to go somewhere. When I'm reading a book, I have a notebook I keep with me for notes too.

You should have seen all the notes when my husband and I were planning Twixal! Little notes and scraps of paper stuck everywhere :) It's all been so worth it though. Go visit us at Twixal and let us know what you think!

I love to read.

As you all know by now, I love to read. My latest is "Break Through The Noise" (byline) 9 tools to propel your marketing message. Elisa Southard.

She writes in a language I totally get. As I'm in the middle of trying to advertise Twixal to the freelance & work-at-home world, this is a very good read! The author writes about common mistakes advertisers and marketers make. She talks you through great marketing and advertising strategies. And she has a wonderful sense of humor while doing it :) BIG plus for me!

I recommend this book to anyone who's trying to market a product or launch a new website. Her dedication message in the front few pages says:

"Dedicated to... You, the reader, whose time and talent propel interest. As you turn these pages, may your interest turn into abundant opportunities."

How awesome is that? :)

Donald Trump on Tyra's Talk Show

Did you watch? Are you a Trump fan? Maybe I'm odd, but I watched every second and even recorded it. Something he said during the show really stood out to me. I've heard other public speakers say the same thing, but coming from Donald Trump, it's set in stone in my mind. He says "Do what you love to do and stick to it." Just so happens, he loves Real Estate. He made it work for him nicely, don't you think?

Ask yourself this simple question:

I heard an awesome public speaker at a business seminar several years ago ask an anonymous question. This isn't a new question, but it's one I want you to keep in the back of your mind.

The question: Are you fit company for the person you want to be?

If you were where you want to be, would you enjoy your own company? The more I learn, the more I write and the more I read; I'm becoming that person I want so badly to be.

As parents, we want more for our children than we had, right? Why not carry that on into your professional life? As parents, we need to want to teach our children by example. We need to want to be more, do more, earn more, provide more. Not only for our children, but for ourselves as well.

Now go do something productive.

Do what you can 2.

Just to continue from my previous post; Do what you can I'd like to share something with you. I have a good friend from high school who just bought a new home and is making about $40,000 a year in just one of his business ventures alone. The venture? Selling. He sells data lines to companies. One bit of advice he gave my hubby tonight was to study everything. He says he didn't know very much about data lines when he got started, but he read and learned what he needed to know to become successful. Now here he is 4 years later, making enough money from a part time business venture to allow his wife to stay home with their two children full time. He also owns two computer sales/maintenance stores and is breaking into new prospects all the time.

Do what you can. If you aren't doing something, you're doing... nothing. Probably pretty obvious isn't it? If you're doing nothing, you're not trying. So do what you can. Read. Study. Learn. And just do it.

I'm currently reading

The Power of Focus. The primary focus of the book so far is habits and how they affect your life. Good habits provide positive results, bad habits provide negative results. Teach yourself new habits. Zig Ziglar said a new habit could be formed in 21 days. That's three short weeks! Three weeks to make a positive change in your life, if you want it badly enough. Do you?

There's no substitute

There's absolutely no substitute for reading or listening to audio books! Even if you're like me and you have "mom, can I have..." "mom, I need..." or even "honey could you..." in your ears all the time, you can still listen to an audio book. If you can find 15 minutes a day to sit and read, do it! Here are a few of my favorites:

Personality Plus
Richest Man in Babylon
You Can't Steal Second With Your Foot on First
Rich Dad, Poor Dad

And be sure to check out everything you can by Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, Robert Kiyosaki and any other person you hold in high esteem. Self-help books really will help you further your career whether you're in sales or a writer.

Robert Kiyosaki (author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad and others) was in an interview one time and the lady mentioned she'd love to have a best seller like he did one of these days but she was no sales-person. He said he wasn't a great author, he was a great salesman, then he pointed out the "best SELLER" tag on the book. He explains in his books that you have to be able to sell yourself.

Read, read, read, read, read... learn, learn, learn, learn...

Do what you can.

What do I mean by that? I mean just do it! Do what you can. If you can type, type. If you have great parenting advice, type it out into 400-word articles. Have your information ready so when someone asks for a sample of your work, you have it handy. If you can make phone calls, apply with a company like West Corp .

You can find work to do from home, all you have to know is where to look! :)

Looking for a good hosting site?

For my personal website and blog, I use HostMonster.

They offer a fantastic tool called Fantastico that installs or uninstalls software for blogs, websites, and message boards for you. I've never had a problem with their service. Their customer service is top notch. Just go have a look at them :)


Work At Home Opportunities

Work at home jobs aren't terribly hard to find if you know where to look. Here are a few tips on finding work at home jobs:

• Try a Google search for "telecommute ok"
• Check out Classifieds like Craigslist
• Check out Freelancer sites like GetAFreelancer, GetAHelpdesk and iFreelance
  
• Sign up on FREE message boards for FREE information on working from home
• Create a resume - even if you haven't worked outside the home in years!
• When emailing someone about a job, be professional.
  

• Most importantly - don't ever ever ever pay for information. You never pay someone to let you work for them!

With _____ all things are possible.

How many times have you heard words like "God" "Patience" "Perseverance" used in that sentence? I think it should read: With Enough Coffee, All Things Are Possible LOL!!

I've cooked breakfast, a few freelance writing jobs and made lunch for the family... and it's not even 3pm Eastern :) I still have plenty of time to work on a few other projects before going out to do lawn and flower garden work this evening!

Anyone want to hire me to do a few freelance projects? :) I'm proficient with MS Word, I can do a decent spreadsheet in MS Excel, I'm very familiar with phpbb and phpNuke's CMS, I've moderated successful message forums, I love Photoshop CS and Image Ready CS, I can make image maps and slices from your images and give them back to you as HTML ready web pages.

Ok, I'm done tooting my own horn :)