<h2>The Writing Life</h2>

Ok. So I have been gone for a while. Notice a pattern at all? I didn't think so! I'm in denial--sometimes a great place to be! Anyway, at least I have been writing. In fact, I have spent a lot of time writing lately--and even more wishing to write. I guess I can't say wishing. I have been pretty busy preparing myself for a career in freelance writing. And now, I am taking action and committing myself to more writing! But first, here is what I have been up to.

Back in November, I acquired (by a sheer miracle of God I am quite certain) a writing customer from Texas. She needed help writing articles and doing web site editing. I was so excited and thankful for her business and I have been doing work for her ever since. My first project was a press release. Then I wrote an article for her monthly newsletter. Other than that, I have been helping her to edit her web site.

One of the first things she asked me when she called to find out more about what I do was, "Do you have a web site?" Well, I didn't. In fact, I knew not one thing about creating a web site. I didn't even know the definition of a domain name. As soon as I completed her press release, I began research into getting my first, very own, very official web site. (Feel free to check it out at www.onlinefreelancewriter.com. In fact, don't hesitate to leave some feedback here if you have any comments or suggestions.) I was very fortunate to have my little brother, Matt, who helped me with the template. He knows way more than just what a domain name is.

Anyway, putting my web site together has consumed a lot of my time, but I have also focused on other things. The Jan/Feb edition of the Writer's Digest is featuring an essay contest for the Writer Mama (or Papa). I sat down and brainstormed some ideas and wrote an essay. I let it cool for a couple weeks, reread it, edited it, and repeated that process two more times. Yesterday I submitted it. What a great feeling! This is the first essay contest I have entered since college and I am happy to have done that much. Even if I don't win, at least I attempted. Nobody wins if they don't try!

Other than that, I have been trying to establish myself as a writer on freelance sites like www.elance.com and www.guru.com. For anyone who doesn't know, employers post freelance work on these web sites. Freelancers view the jobs and if they believe they are competent enough to do it, they bid on it. They offer their best proposal and hope to be the chosen one. After a specified period of time the bidding ends. The employer views all of the bids and then chooses the one that fits his criteria the best. I'm not going to lie, other than making the attempt at trying to get jobs (because there is at least amall amount of success in that), I have had no success at all. But I haven't given up. There's success in that too, is there not?

So this is what I have been doing these last few months. I have also decided that I will post a writing related blog right here at least once a week. It will hopefully be something that people will find useful in some way. Maybe it will be a small article on when to use semi colons, or maybe it will be something lengthy on how to stay inspired as a writer. Regardless it will be interesting and writing related. If anyone has any suggestions on a topic I could write about, please let me know. I will do my best!

Until next time, keep on writing!