I wouldn’t say writing book reviews is a lucrative business, by any means (well, unless you’re employed by a major magazine or newspaper and book reviews are like, your job – which could totally happen).

However, they are great ways to get published, a chance to do two of your favorite things (reading and writing!), and fun!

1. Get a Platform

So, you’re writing a book review. Where will it go once you’ve written it? How will people read it?

Consider:

• Your blog. You can publish anything you want on your blog. Why not publish a well-written book review to drive traffic, gain experience, and build up some clips?
• Others’ blogs. Maybe you write a blog for another company and ran across a book that fits the niche. Or, maybe you know of a blogger who’d be open to a guest post of your book review.
• Newspapers. Does your local newspaper have an entertainment section for book reviews? Are you feeling frisky and want to give querying a bigger, national newspaper a shot?
• Magazines. Consider local, state-, and nationwide magazines. Just keep in mind most magazines create their editorial calendars waaaaaaay in advance, so don’t query a magazine in October expecting to get published in November.
• Journals. Literary journals are a bit lower key, so no one’s going to laugh if you’re not familiar with any – I promise. Try googling “literary journal book review” and see what strikes your fancy.

2. Get a Book

Writers get books to review in a variety of ways:

• Buy the book. Starting out, some of you may have to go this route, especially if you’re trying to shop the review to a newspaper, magazine, or journal.
• Get offered the book. Once you gain some visibility as a writer (especially if you own or manage a blog in the niche), publishing and media companies will begin contacting you about review the book. You might even get interview offers. This is how I land most of my books for reviews and interviews, including my review of Vanity Fair contributing editor Ned Zeman’s memoir, The Rules of the Tunnel: My Brief Period of Madness, and my interview with former White House physician, Dr. Connie Mariano regarding her memoir The White House Doctor: My Patients Were Presidents.
• Ask for the book. There’s no shame in it. When a book catches your eye, shoot an e-mail to the publishing or media company and ask for an advance copy for review. (Introduce yourself, of course, and let the recipient know when and where the review will be published.) This is how I got my copy of Karen Gravano’s memoir, Mob Daughter: The Mafia, Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, and Me!, for an upcoming Celebrity Psychings review.

3. Write the Review

Check out some of these helpful sites for writing a book review:

• How To Write a Book Review (from e-notes.com).
• Writing A Book Review (from Purdue Online Writing Lab).
• Writing Book Reviews (from Indiana University’s Writing Tutorial Services)
• Tips For Successful Book Reviewing (from journalist, teacher, and author Rebecca Skloot).
• How To Write A Book Review (from writing-world.com…wait, didn’t we already have this title? ).

Before you begin writing the review, remember to:

• Give yourself plenty of time. It’s simple: Don’t start on your book review the night before you tell your readers or editor you’ll have it finished.
• Be honest. You might think you feel one way about the book, but discover you feel quite another way after you start writing the review. GO WITH IT. If you fight against that feeling in an attempt to stick to your original plan all neat-and-tidy like, you risk presenting an artificial- and forced-sounding review.
• Study book reviewers you admire. Read any book reviews that caught your eye lately? Perhaps one in the New York Times or Washington Post? Maybe one in a smaller literary journal or even favorite magazine’s monthly book review feature. Don’t be a copycat, by any means, but do figure out what it is about those reviews you like and make sure your review includes – or even makes better – those elements.
• Consider alternative formats. You don’t have to actually write a book review. You could record one. Consider a video book review, or even a podcast.
• Check out what others have to say about the book. Not only will it keep you from repeating the same ol’ same ol’, but reading (or listening to) what others have written (or said) about the book can give you a jumping off point, something you can challenge, or a point or two with which you can agree or disagree.

How about you, readers? Are any of you experienced with writing book reviews? Any tips or tricks you can offer?

It's that time of year again, so sharpen up your ol' pencils, writers! (Make sure you have erasers, too.)

Hiya Sparklings!

This is the last time you’ll hear from me in 2011, and by now you should know I’m just cliche practical enough to do a post about New Year’s resolutions.

Only, I’m not going to TELL you what your resolutions should be or give you examples of New Year’s resolutions for writers. There are plenty of awesome sites and writers out there who’ve already done that. (Check out LaToya Irby’s Making Plans For Next Year, Ginny Wiehardt’s Top 10 Resolutions For Writers, and Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen’s Writing Goals: 7 Ways To Be A Better Freelance Writer.)

Instead of helping you decide on goals, I’m going to help you STICK TO them.

1. Determine your writing goals.

Who are YOU as a writer? Do you want to write and sell your own e-book? Do you want to establish yourself as an expert in Web writing? Do you want to make money blogging? Determine the direction you want to take your freelance writing career before you begin writing your resolutions.

2. Write resolutions related to those goals.

Sometimes, writers get a few months into the year (or, a few months after they’ve set some goals for themselves) before they realize, “Um…these goals are NOT helping me get where I want to be.” (That’s why it’s so important to determine who you are – or who you want to be – as a writer before you write your New Year’s resolutions.)

Be sure to write goals that line up with your freelance writing career (or the writing career you want).

For example, if you do want to write and sell an e-book, you might create writing goals that involve learning how to format e-books, coming up with and sticking to a writing schedule, and developing a list of subscribers; if you want to make money blogging, some of your resolutions might involve planning and sticking to a blogging schedule and learning about and signing up for affiliate marketing.

3. Make sure you can outline specific steps for your goals.

Let’s say one of your writing goals is to build a list. It’s one thing to say, “This year, I’m going to build a list.” I mean, that’s specific, right? Right. It’s also most likely the answer you’ll give your friends.

However, YOU need an even more specific resolution – perhaps, more specific steps – in order to reach your goal.

So, instead of saying, “This year, I’m going to build a list,” try, “By the end of January, I will have a free opt-in product created and by the beginning of February, I will have an opt-in sign-up form on my front page and will start promoting the two on my social media networks.” By doing that, you can spend the rest of the year building your list.

4. Be realistic as you write your resolutions.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when setting New Year’s resolutions – or coming up with any goals, really – is to assume they’re going to make the changes or meet the goals immediately.

“This year I’m going to [quit smoking/lose weight/get organized]!”

Well, that’s great, but the cold hard reality is that a lot of people fail at those resolutions because they assume that once January 1 rolls around – THAT’S IT. One cigarette, one skipped day working out – only one pound lost in three weeks – and they throw in the towel.

What they forget to do is outline specific steps (sound familiar)? The smoker doesn’t spend any time preparing to quit; he assumed he’d just stop smoking. The dieter didn’t spend any time learning healthy recipes or reminding herself that she didn’t gain 30 pounds in one week, so she damn sure wasn’t going to lose that kind of weight in one week; she just assumed she’d cut back and voila! Become skinny.

Look, here’s the deal: $&@! takes time, okay? Time and planning. You’re not going to slap a few affiliate ads on your blog tonight and start making hundreds a day by tomorrow, nor are you going to churn out a quality e-book in three days.

(Hell, Copyblogger published How To Write A High-Quality eBook In 30 Days, and totally acknowledges the fact that 1) it takes steps, and 2) it takes bust-your-ass work.)

When you set a goal, consider factors like what you’ll need to learn, changes you’ll need to make, and the time it will actually take – the journey you’ll take – as you get from where you are now (not meeting your goal) to where you want to be (meeting your goal).

Plus, you need to consider your personal life. Do you have a day job? Kids? A body and mind that requires sleep?

Don’t set yourself up for failure: Keep all these factors in mind as you come up with your writing goals for the year.

5. Ask for help.

Whether you turn to your favorite blogger, a personal or writing coach, or your friends at the writing forum you frequent, don’t be too ashamed/shy/embarrassed/stubborn to ask others for help. If you don’t know something, ask. If you need help, ask. If you’re working on something you’re not entirely sure about or only have minimal experience with, getting assistance from someone who knows what’s going on can prevent you from giving up.

6. Reward yourself.

Sure, sure, the biggest reward will be when it all pays off. Until then, though, give yourself little rewards – little pats on the back – to keep yourself motivated and from burning out.

Have YOU set any New Year’s resolutions for your freelance writing career? What works for you when you’re trying to stick to your writing goals?

These look worthy of a second go round!

Oh, come on! You HAD to know you were getting a “Top Posts of 2011″ post!

10. Free Tools For Freelance Writers: Creating An Online Presence: Tips on creating a blog, building a website, and even getting your work out there with neither of those things.

9. When Fiction Meets Nonfiction: Wise Words From Albus Dumbledore: My response to Day 2 of the NAIWE Words Matter Week Blog Challenge. It features Albus Dumbledore, so, you can’t not read it.

8. Elevator Speeches: 3 Tips For Freelancers Writing Elevator Speeches: This ain’t your grandma’s elevator speech; don’t go into it thinking about a sell. All you have to do is learn to identify yourself and what you do, some typical clients, and a few things that point out you’re human.

7. Writers On Twitter: 7 Taboos You MUST Avoid: So, it’s all you, all the time, huh? I do not give a $&*#.

6. Free Tools For Freelance Writers: Article, Website, and Blog Images: EVERYBODY needs free article, website, and blog images.

5. Setting, Increasing, And Sticking To Your Freelance Writing Rates: I can’t tell you WHAT to charge, but I can give a solid outline for determining HOW to charge.

4. Writers Beware: Don’t Put All Your Eggs In One Basket: One of the biggest mistakes any freelancer can make.

3. 9 Non-Writing Things Every Freelance Writer Should Do Daily: After all these years, numbers four and seven are still really hard for me.

2. Free Tools For Freelance Writers: Learning Tools: From finding writing classes online to learning more about keyword research and writing website content, I really wish I’d timed how long it took me to compile this list of learning tools for writers.

…aaaaaaaaaaan *drum roll*

1. Creating A Freelance Writer’s Resume: I have a feeling this might ALWAYS be the most popular post at WritingSpark.com.

Honorable Mention: 10 Websites For Finding Writing Contests

How about you, readers? Want to share one of your blog’s most popular posts from 2011? Feel free in the comments!

Unless you're on vacation, I can't fathom why your to-do list is blank.

QUESTION:

Alicia,

Theresa

ANSWER:

Hey Theresa,

My answer is sort of two-fold: First, yes, it is somewhat normal for freelance writers to experience a drop in business during the holiday season. (This is actually the first Christmas season since 2005 that I’ve been up to my eyeballs in work; in years past, I’ve had a certain level of “free time” during this time of year.)

Don’t get me wrong – there are still plenty of clients and work out there – but some businesses slow down during this time of year (to put final touches on projects you’re not affiliated with, set goals for the upcoming year, etc. – things they need in-house employees or other types of professionals for), which means they don’t always need as many – or any – contractors.

Second, there are plenty of things you can do during this “slow” time – productive things that will actually benefit your freelancing career.

List time!

1. Spruce up your resume.

2. Keep applying for jobs.

3. Keep your blog updated. You can also get that editorial calendar moving into the new year, as well as go ahead and write and pre-post a few blog posts.

4. Stay active on social media. Keep schmoozin’ it up on Facebook and Twitter (and Google+ if you’ve made that leap yet). First of all, you have friends on there who deserve it, and second of all, you never know when your networking is going to introduce you to a new client.

5. Send “touching base” e-mails to former clients. 2010 was one of the most lucrative years for me as a freelance writer, and it’s because of one – ONE – e-mail I sent out wishing a former client a Happy New Year and inquiring about upcoming projects. If I remember correctly, I wrote something along the lines of, “I have some availability coming up and was wondering if [The Company] has any projects in the works?” Seriously, that simple.

6. Scope out a few blogs you’d like to write guest posts for, and query the owners.

7. Write articles for your Ezine, Hub, or other article distribution sites.

8. Draft letters to local businesses you’d like to provide services for in the new year. I don’t recommend actually sending them until January’s had a little time to get underway and everyone’s on track again.

9. Come up with a column for your local newspaper. Contact the editor with the idea, and maybe even a few samples.

10. Catch up on your reading. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: You need to keep studying your craft. (That “To Read” folder in your e-mail inbox counts, too.)

11. Work on your online presence. Tweak your website or blog to finally get it just the way you want it, or look for Web and graphic designers to create a logo for your freelance writing business. You might even find designers offering holiday specials or end-of-the-year discounts.

12. Think of a magazine article or two you’d like to write, or finally query that editor with that idea that’s been bouncing around in your head since last spring.

13. Re-evaluate your rates. Maybe now’s the time for a rate increase, or to create those product/service packages you’ve been thinking about.

14. Clean up and get organized. Your desk, your internal and external hard drives, your filing system – all of it.

15. Have some fun! Spend some time with your family and friends, playing with your new gifts, and just taking a break from it all. A fresh, rejuvenated brain is better than a tired, burnt out one any day.

FINANCIAL TIP:

If you already know the holiday months will be slow, set aside some money each month leading up to the season. Anne Wayman of About Freelance Writing provides five solid ideas for solving freelance writing’s uncertain income.

How about you, readers? What ideas can you add? What do you do when “business” is slow, but there’s still plenty of work to be done?

This post is part of the Ask Alicia series at WritingSpark.com. Learn more, check out some other columns, or shoot me an e-mail directly at alicia [at] writingspark [dot] com (or click here) with “Ask Alicia” in the subject line to ask your own question.

Did you know if your power goes out, YOU CAN WRITE WITH A PEN? Crazy, I know.

Last Monday, my electric company called to let me know that depending on my exact location, I may or may not be without power the next day (Tuesday) and if I am, it will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

May or may not?! Right in the middle of the work day?!

Like, TOMORROW?!

Naturally, I freaked out for about 10 seconds. Then my Damage Control setting kicked itself into high gear and I started preparing for this possible black out of both light and work.

As I made my way through the day, I also started taking a few notes on how YOU can prevent a potentially epic productivity disaster. Most of these tips will apply to people who lose power (and trust me, this is a HUGE ISSUE for many of us living on the east coast during the winter months), but some of them can be applied to any potential productivity suck.

Except for Twitter, Facebook, and this. I can’t help you with any of that.

1. Notify your clients.

E-mail, Skype, phone – whatever. Let your clients know you are or will be experiencing “an issue” and won’t be available for a certain amount of time.

If your near-disaster strikes without warning, try to at least call your clients. (This is just one reason why it’s important to have your clients’ phone numbers on file.)

2. Keep your laptop charged.

You don’t need electricity to run a battery-powered laptop, and if you have some work you can do without the Internet, do it. For example, I ended up getting 4,000 words written on a no-research-required ghostwriting project.

3. Scout a new “office.”

If you MUST have access to the Internet, figure out where you can go to work until your access returns. Try your local library, coffee shop, bookstore – even McDonald’s has free WiFi these days. (BONUS! You might even find somewhere you’d like to visit and work two or three days out of the week – you know, just to shake things up.)

4. Write.

I mean, with an actual writing utensil.

5. Play catch up.

Whether you use your laptop or a pen and paper, you can work on:

• New blog posts.
• A free info product to get readers to subscribe to your newsletter.
• The outline of your next chapter.
• That short story you’re entering in next month’s writing contest.
• A query letter about the article idea that’s been bouncing around in your noggin since last summer.

Depending on how long your “disaster” lasts, you could actually get A LOT accomplished!

6. Study

Lots of freelance writers and editors have a book or seven on hand about their craft. (If you don’t, what are you waiting for? As a freelance writer, you MUST be a lifelong learner!)

Use this time to catch up on reading some of those.

7. Play clean up.

Messy desk? Files all over the place? Enough crumbs in your keyboard to build a whole ‘nother sandwich?

Clean it up, pig!

Studies show many people work more efficiently and calmly in a clean and organized environment. And by “studies” I mean me, though I did Google this article for those of you who require more reliable information.

8. Take a break.

Hey, maybe this unexpected roadblock is exactly what you need. When was the last time you took a break? Walked down the street? Visited your grandma? Read a book unrelated to work?

Remember, taking a break is GOOD for you.

Now, readers, tell me about a time when YOU faced – and defeated – a potentially epic productivity disaster. What tips would you offer that I’ve left out?

Sure, a simple clock will suffice - but can it do what an entire time management system can do?!

Welcome to Day 7 – and the final day! – of the 7-Day Mini Course, “Free Tools for Freelance Writers: Save BIG While Starting Your Writing Business.”

Today’s lesson doesn’t present a focused set of free tools so much as it offers a hodgepodge of free tools you can use at various intervals during your freelance writing career.

For example, you’ll find free invoice programs, free time management tools, free writing tools – you’ll even find free SEO help and keyword list generators.

Money and Invoicing

• FreelanceSwitch Hourly Rate Calculator: This calculator helps you figure out your business costs, personal costs, your billable hours, and your intended savings or profit to come up with your ideal freelance hourly rate.
• instacalc: If, for some reason, you need to do some un-Godly-esque calculating.
• Invoice Journal: Fairly basic invoicing system that is both clean- and professional-looking and includes features such as adding custom fees, taxes, and discounts – all completely free.
• CurdBee: CurdBee has several paid plans, but the free one allows you options like unlimited invoices to unlimited clients, acceptance of online payments in multiple currencies, and use of your own logo.
• Mint: Mint is an absolutely free personal finance tool. It allows online money management, acts as a free budget planner, and provides numerous budgeting tools. An account with this site is a must-have for any freelancer in need of financial planning software.
• xe: This currency converter can help you when you have clients who live in different countries.

NOTE: If you send only one or a few invoices a month, you might be interested in the free plans from invoiceplace, simplybill, Zoho Invoice, or Winkbill.

Time Management

You WON’T find free to-do list creation and management programs, but that’s only because I’ve already told you all about those.

Now, check out these free time management systems to help you stay on track and get projects completed and those lists marked off.

NOTE: These aren’t simply timers; they’re programs designed to help you manage time as it affects your deadlines, billable hours, etc.

• Vertabase Timer: Features a time long, graphing capabilities, task notes, time reminders, and export options. Works with Windows and MAC.
• Toggl: Offers a free plan for up to five users; limited features.
• Tick: Also offers a free plan; unlimited number of users, clients, and tasks, but limited to one open project.
• Klok: Create and manage main projects and sub-projects with a familiar “calendar” look and feel.
• Manic Time: This free Windows time management software tracking your computer usage and work hours to data storage and statistics.
• SlimTimer: This Web-based platform helps you create tasks, time your work, and run reports.
• RescueTime: RescueTime for Windows and MAC monitors your websites and applications, helps you set goals, and analyzes computer usage.
• Project Hamster: This program seems extremely lightweight and streamlined, but it’s for Linux only.
• Monkey On Your Back: Need someone else to finish what s/he said s/he would? Send a little “reminder e-mail.”

Writing and Documents

The first day of this course brought you options for word processing. Now you can look at these tools for handling special kinds of writing or documents:

• yWriter: Novel-writing software that breaks novels into scenes and chapters.
• Storybook: Another novel-writing software, though this one offers a bit more in terms of organizing and keeping up with elements like characters and multiple plots.
• cutePDF Writer: This freeware will turn virtually any printable document into a PDF.
• MobiPocket Creator: Convert PDF, Word, and text files to the Mobi format, which is readable on an Amazon Kindle.
• Calibre: Helps manage and convert different e-book formats.
• 7-Zip: A free zipping program that will allow you to bundle and send multiple documents.
• Wufoo: An online form builder (think contact forms, satisfaction surveys, online order forms, etc.) that provides a free account, allowing one user to create three forms, three reports, 10 fields, and 100 entries per month.

Organize and Share

• bubble.us: Create mindmaps you can store as images. (HINT: If you don’t print them, you save EVEN MORE paper – woohoo!
• box: You can share files online with co-workers and clients with this tool. The personal account, which is good for one user, up to 50GB of storage, and a file size limit of up to 1GB might be ideal for an individual freelancer.
• YouSendIt: This tool lets you send files, share folders, and sign documents. If you get YouSentIt Lite, you get 2GB of storage, five e-mail signatures, and a maximum file size of 50MB.
• FaxZero: Fax isn’t dead – yet. Until it is, you can use this site to send faxes for free (it’s WAY easier than you might imagine). The paid version ($1.99 per fax) offers a couple more perks, but depending on your needs, those perks might not be worth it.
• ProjectStat.us: How awesome is this tool? Create project status updates for your clients to keep up with.
• Writeboard: This web-based tool lets you document and store ideas, share with others, and even roll back to previous versions.

SEO Help

Sure, you already know where you can learn more about SEO writing, but these tools can help you come up with the keywords and phrases to use:

• Google Adwords Keyword Tool: Search by word, phrase, website, or category.
• Wordpot.com: The free plan allows 25 searches a day.
• SEO Book: Use this keyword list generator to create a list of keywords based on your original keywords. SEO Book will also analyze keyword density.
• WordStream: WordStream offers a free option, allowing users to search up to 10 times up front, and then once a day every day after.

Website Help

Remember when I told you how to find free blog images? Well, these sites will help you even more:

• Textalyzer: This tool allows you to insert a piece of text (from your website, blog, or even an article you’re writing) and have factors such as keyword density and word groups analyzed.
• Website Grader: Enter your website’s URL and this tool will give it a grade based on factors like content, links, and even promotion.
• Headline Analyzer: Another tool you can use for your own website and blog, or for articles you write for others or distribute elsewhere. The Emotional Marketing Value Headline Analyzer takes your proposed headline and gives it an Emotional Marketing Value (EMV) score to help you determine the impact your headline will have on readers.
• ColorSchemer: The free ColorPix program (downloadable) helps you determine color schemes for your website or blog. You can also download pre-made color schemes to take the guess work out of it.
• Kuler: Similarly, Kuler helps you come up with color schemes and shows you new and popular color schemes developed by others. You’ll need an Adobe username and password, but registering is free.

Cover Your Ass (or, CYA)

• U.S. Copyright Law: This can help you with everything from selling short stories to drafting contracts.
• Creative Commons: Learn how to license your work (and determine how much of it, and under what conditions, others can use); what the licenses of others’ work means, and just exactly what a Creative Commons License is.
• Legal Guide for Bloggers: By the Electronic Frontier Foundation, this guide provides information about legal liability, intellectual property, online defamation, and much more.
• CPA Directory: Many, many freelancers, sole proprietors, small business owners – you get the idea – solicit the help of certified public accountants (CPAs). On top of about a gazillion other things, this website lets you search a CPA directory to find one in your area. You can even search by services provided and industries serviced.
• Starting and Managing a Business: Pretty much everything you need to know about turning your freelancing services into a business; provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

What Now?

Like a few of the other classes, this one presents A LOT of information. Spend some time browsing these free tools, bookmark the ones you like, and give those a whirl the next time you need them. Keep what works; delete what doesn’t. It’s that simple.

Missed last week’s class? Head over to Free Tools For Freelance Writers: Learning Tools.

This poor man looks so stressed. You do NOT want to be this stressed.

Question:

Dear Alicia,

Barb

Answer:

Hey Barb,

Failing to establish client boundaries is a pretty common problem among freelancers.

It does sound like you’ve let it go on way longer than you should have, but I wouldn’t say “too long.” Rest assured that this is a fairly easy fix (it only takes two steps!) and you can do it via e-mail or even in person, if you meet your client face-to-face sometimes.

Step One:

Pull up a fresh Word (or whatever program you use) document and create a chart representing your daily work schedule. It doesn’t have to be too specific (for example, there’s no reason to include “Drop the kids off at school” or “Fix dinner”) but it does have to include the hours you are and are not available.

For example:

• 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. – Available for phone calls, e-mails, instant messaging, etc.
• 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Working.
• 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. – Lunch – out of the office.
• 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Working.
• 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Available for phone calls, e-mails, instant messaging, etc.

Obviously this is just an example. Your schedule may vary wildly. The point is to make clear two things:

1. When you’re available to talk, chat, or answer e-mails.
2. When you’re not.

Step Two:

Give it to your client.

A simple e-mail letting him know you’ve reworked your business hours and just wanted to update him should suffice, but of course you can give it to him in person. I don’t recommend handling this over the phone, as you want to make sure he actually has a copy to refer back to.

Things to Remember:

• All businesses have business hours. Do NOT feel bad about setting and sticking to business hours.
• You’re not Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, or the 24/7 convenience store down the street. Do NOT feel bad about not working ’round the clock.

This post is part of the Ask Alicia series at WritingSpark.com. Learn more, or shoot me an e-mail directly at alicia [at] writingspark [dot] com (or click here) with “Ask Alicia” in the subject line.

Always with the coffee.

Once you become a freelance writer, it’s easy to become so immersed in the job – making it work and making it thrive – that you let the job become too immersed in your life.

We’re writers, and writing is our life – I get that.

However, there are elements of our lives we often neglect because we become so wrapped up in the freelance writing business.

For example, when was the last time you just chilled out with a book WITHOUT thinking about how you could actually use that time for catching up on blog posts?

Been that long, huh?

Below are nine things completely for the most part unrelated to work-related writing that every freelance writer should do each day.

1. Have one cup of coffee away from your computer.

(…or tea, or whatever you drink – I swear, I know someone who wakes up to hot chocolate.)

How many of us turn off our alarms, shuffle to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee, and wander back to our computers to sleepily pilfer through e-mail, search for new freelance writing jobs, or even stumble around on Twitter or Facebook until we’re awake enough to begin working?

Well, stop.

These days, most freelance writers already spend a huge chunk of their days sitting in front of their computers or laptops, and sometimes, it’s just plain impossible to work any other way. What ISN’T impossible, however, is giving yourself 15 or 20 minutes each morning somewhere AWAY from your computer. Sit on your porch and enjoy listening to nature wake up. Curl up on the couch and catch the morning news. Sit at your kitchen table with the day’s paper.

Give your mind and spirit time to wake up and welcome the day without the glare of a computer screen.

2. On that note, don’t eat your meals at your computer.

Not only for the above-mentioned reasons, but also because it’s just unhealthy. Eating at your computer desk, or even with your laptop on your lap, contributes to mindless eating, overeating, and choosing foods for their convenience factor rather than their nutritional value.

Also, no matter how clean your keyboard looks, computers can get outright nasty.

If you simply can’t avoid eating at your desk, check out WebMD’s 7 Tips for Eating While You Work; however, if you work at home, just get up and go to the kitchen, okay?

3. Exercise.

Again: We spend so much time slumped in front of our computers.

Even if you aren’t ready to commit to some regular workout routine (no judgment here, people), there are things you can do to strengthen your heart, warm up your muscles, and keep your limbs, um, limber – all of which are more beneficial than sitting on your ass all day.

Need ideas? Take a walk, stretch, or just bust out a few calisthenics* before you shower or sit down to dinner.

4. Write something unrelated to work.

This probably should’ve been Number One, bold, and in all caps.

Too often, freelance writers pour so much of their energy into their clients’ work that they have nothing left over (or they believe they have nothing left over) for their own writing. Their novels get pushed to the back burner, their short stories never get entered in contests, they’ll write that query letter tomorrow, or the next day, or really next week is a better time…

This, friends, is a sure-fire way to burn out fast.

Even if it’s just half an hour a day – even if all you’re doing is outlining your next chapter or reading and reflecting on what you wrote yesterday – spend some time with your own writing.

5. Escape.

Whether it’s reading, watching television, or settling in with a movie, give your brain a mini escape each day.

One of my favorite ways to escape during the work week is to curl up with a book or, if it’s Wednesday, turn on Modern Family and crack up for 30 minutes (yeah, I just dated this article – who really cares?). Sometimes I play music and dance (hey, there’s another idea for exercise) and other times I find some movie on Netflix I’ve been meaning to watch forever.

A friend of mine plays the guitar. Another battles it out on World of Warcraft – or whatever it is one does on World of Warcraft.

More important than the actual activity is the result of the activity, which is to let your mind engage in and enjoy something unrelated to work.

6. Talk about the weather.

It’s hard for me to type or say that sentence without singing it in manner of DMB’s “So Much To Say” (but, in my defense, I often break into some DMB song mid-conversation – out loud or in my head). Why? Because I love Dave Matthews Band. Most people who know me (and many who only slightly know me) know this about me, because I talk about it a lot, play their music a lot, head off to shows a lot…

See what I did there? I talked about something unrelated to writing and work. You, too, should make it a point to do that at least once a day. Even though you love writing, you have other interests and other things going on in your life, too – as do your family and friends – and it’s great to keep those close to the surface.

7. Cut yourself some slack.

Look, I know it’s important to send invoices, update your blog, follow up with potential clients, and – oh yeah – meet deadlines, but there will come situations when you’ll need to cut yourself some slack.

Maybe a neighbor has an emergency and needs you to babysit; perhaps your best friend calls you up for some serious advice. You’re more than happy to help out (as well you should be), but it’s important not to beat yourself up over those lost hours once the day’s finished.

So, you might need to put that blog post off until tomorrow or maybe you’ll have to finish up a project in the morning. Life goes on when you’re writing, and when you’re not. I promise.

8. Pray.

…or meditate, or reflect – whatever you do, just do it. Even if you’re not a religious or spiritual person, you don’t have to mindlessly amble through your day, unaware of your ups and downs and unwilling to pause and think about them.

Wake up each morning and consciously think about what you want to accomplish, or go to bed each night and reflect on how your day went. Focus on what you enjoyed and are thankful for and spend some time musing on what you’ll do differently next time.

9. Sleep.

Pretty self-explanatory, I think, but – sleep.

Writers are notorious for sacrificing sleep for work, and although, having been in the situation once or twice, I recognize the occasional need for late nights, I also recognize the extreme need to keep them occasional.

Otherwise, you risk producing crap, which can mean anything from having to dig around and find extra time for editing to losing a client.

How about YOU? Are these things you already make time for, or are aware of, each day? Are there things you’d add to the list, or even take away?

* I swear, I didn’t know how to spell that word until just now.

This is me, pondering. Get it?

When I first started freelance writing and editing, I had thousands of questions.

(Hell, I still do. Lifelong learner right here.)

Fortunately, after some digging around and learning things the hard way (which, life undoubtedly still has a lot more of in store for me), I found fellow freelance writers who’ve become mentors and friends; people I’ve helped and people who’ve helped me along the freelance writing career path.

Now, I aim to do the same for you.

Do you have a question about:

• How to choose your freelance writing rates?
• Where to look for quality freelance writing jobs?
• Whether you should provide free writing samples to prospective clients?
• How do deal with a client who won’t pay you?
• What to do if a potential client won’t sign a writing contract?

This is why I’ve launched “Ask Alicia” (snazzy name, I know), a new WritingSpark.com question-and-answer column that will provide advice for writers dealing with everything from getting writing samples and crafting a freelance writer resume to setting freelance writing rates and knowing when to stick to those rates and when to get a little flexible.

We can even talk about the importance of taking a break, if you want, or ideas for inspiration.

First one with your hand up? Shoot me an e-mail at alicia [at] writingspark [dot] com (or click here) with “Ask Alicia” in the subject line.

Slurrrrrrrrrrrrrppppppppppppp.

So…I broke one of the 10 Commandments for Taking a Break.

Actually, I broke two, if you really want to split hairs about it, okay?

Not only did I talk about my work (way beyond answering “What do you do?” – this person was already acquainted with what I do), but I also thought about work because, hello, you can’t really talk about it without thinking about it.

That’s right, writers. I sinned big time.

HOWEVER, by doing so, I also received what is probably the best piece of writing advice I’ve ever gotten.

Picture it: Labor Day Weekend, September 2011. I’m sitting around with a bunch of musically inclined friends, listening mostly to original tunes as a couple of them were still riding high on the show they’d played earlier that night, when one of the guitarists (we’ll call him “Chuck”) turned to me and asked how work was going.

Did I have any new projects? Any interesting irons in the fire?

“Oh, you know, same ol’, same ol’. Some Web copy here, a press release there,” I skimmed. “I don’t want to bore you!”

(See? I tried to stay faithful to the Commandments!)

Apparently, though, my vague answers about my writing projects did more to make him think than make him forget (I should’ve seen in coming, though; writers, musicians, artists – we creative types are fairly good at reading one another) and about an hour later he sat his guitar aside and turned to me.

“Are you happy with your work?” he asked.

“Yes. Yeah, yeah, of course. I mean, I love what I do. I love that I make my living doing what I’m passionate about,” I replied.

He stared at me. In earnest.

“I mean, I’d love to have more time for creative writing, you know,” I rambled on. “It’s tough for a lot of working writers, I think. We spend all day writing for someone else, and then when the evening or weekend rolls around, sometimes we just want to take a break, you know? Not write.”

I knew Chuck could relate. After all, he was working on his Master’s in Music Education, taught music lessons, played live shows on the weekends, spends time promoting his current album, and is working on material for his upcoming record. Surely he’d commiserate, right?

Yet, he just stared at me for a few more seconds, nodded, and went back to playing his guitar.

I felt like an idiot, but hoped that since the alcohol was flowing as freely as the music, he’d forget the entire exchange.

I wasn’t so lucky.

Maybe 30 minutes after that, Chuck turned to me again. I smiled the smile I smile when I know what’s coming and that I deserve it.

“So, how often do you work on your own writing? Stuff for yourself, for publication?” he asked.

“Not as often as I’d like,” I admitted. “Every now and then my muse will poke me and I’ll pilfer around in my novel’s chapters. Sometimes I’ll use a writing contest or two to force myself to do some creative writing unrelated to work. But, other than that…I guess I’ve just been shutting it down at the end of the day.

“So, basically, work’s going well but your own writing is suffering because you’re too tired to make time for it?”

“Well…yeah.” I knew how horrible is sounded.

“Are you happy with that?” he pressed.

“Well…no.”

Chuck leaned forward just a bit, so I leaned forward, too, and he shared with me the best advice for writers I’ve ever received:

“Sounds to me like you just need to suck it up.”

And there it was. I roared a knee-slapping, foot-stomping, roaring laughter and nodded at Chuck with all the energy I had in me. Had it been a Sunday morning I might’ve raised my hands to the sky.

“Just plant your ass back in front of that computer after dinner and write.” Chuck smiled before he turned back to his guitar.

Isn’t that the simplest answer for those of us working writers who spend all day providing words for others only to find ourselves too tired or unwilling to dedicate another hour or so at night to our own words?

Suck it up and write?

Sure, it might not be as easy in practice as it is in theory, but there are ways around everything. Charge a spouse with watching the kids for an hour or two. Choose one or two nights a week when you know you’ll have uninterrupted free time. Turn your phone off.

There are always options.

What kinds of tips for writers have YOU picked up along the way? Are you writing a book and had a veteran author offer novel writing advice? Are you more into poetry and talked with other poets about how to write poem full of imagery and emotion? Maybe a teacher or college professor has given you writing help that’s lasted through the years

Well, don’t be stingy with it: Share that writing advice with the rest of us!