I have to say that writing my freelace resume was one of the hardest pieces of writing I’ve done lately, yet I don’t feel it is complete.  I’ve asked for feedback on Twitter so hopefully some of my Twitter friends will respond.  It’s not that I don’t have much experience – I do.  I’ve been freelance writing for over three years.  But the majority of the work I’ve done has either been a) ghostwriting or b) adult.  And if you’re not sure what I mean by adult then you can send me a message and ask.  But I don’t want to go into detail on that because that’s not what I want this blog to be about and I’m working my way out of it.    In my first year I did do some writing for another well- known writer who had just started her sub-contracting business to writers and I’m hoping I can get her to write a testimonial for me.  It would be a nice addition to the resume.

So, if you have suggestions on things I should add, take out, or expand on please let me know.

I know I just posted a video but I found this one – Amy Tan on writing. She’s very funny and speaks about how writing came from her “horrible childhood” that she later discovered wasn’t nearly as horrible as she thought. Watch this one – you’ll enjoy it.

Ok, the other day I wrote about time management being by biggest challenge.  I’m still struggling to get a grip on it.  One of the things I’ve been trying to do is come up with an effective way of planning my time.  I looked online for free time management tools.  I wantes something simple, easy to use, and easy to access.  Well, nothing seemed just right so I figured I would just use Google calendar since I’m on Google email everyday as part of my day job.  But you know, I keep forgetting it is there and I only managed to remember to get a plan in there one day.

I think that I am going to try going back to pen and paper.  I did buy an agenda this year that I haven’t even used so I think I’ll see how that feels.  I figure I can keep that on my desk as a constant reminder of what I am supposed to be doing.  It’s big enough that there is room to write things down but small enough that I can carry it in my purse (I do have a habit of using big purses).

My biggest challenge is managing my time so that I can do the things I need and want to do. It seems like everyday I get home around 2:30/3:00 pm from my day teaching job. That should give me a solid two hours to write. And that should be enough. Unfortunately, that is rarely what actually happens.

I usually get home, have to check my email, check my affiliate program stats, check my Facebook, check email again, check in on twitter, and so on and so on. It gets totally carried away and then it is after 5pm and I should be making dinner. So I decide to get back to the writing after dinner. Well, then someone needs a ride or we’re out of milk or…you get the idea.

Today I decided that this simply is not going to help me progress as a professional writer and I need to change my ways. So, I did a little bit of Google research and here are some useful tips from other writers that I’ve come up with:

• Elizabeth Grace Saunders of Real Life has some excellent advice about scheduling time to do those fun things that are for business purposes – like Facebook and Twitter. This is especially pertinent to me, as I mentioned. She suggests asking yourself why you are doing them, what purpose they serve, how they are going to help your business and other questions to evaluate how important they are and decide how much time you need to spend on them – if any.

• The Freelance Zone has a good point about choosing when to schedule your time. Not everyone is productive at the same time of the day. Maybe I shouldn’t be trying to write as soon as I get home? Now that I think about it, after working for 6 hours straight, 3-5 pm might not be the best time of day for me to be trying to do my writing.

• Prerna Malik of The Mom Writes wrote a nice little piece about time management for moms. Most moms know that organizing time for them is a little bit different than it is for other working professionals. There might be a toddler to keep an eye on and entertain or chauffeuring to be done – but there is always something. This blog post just give Prerna’s little twist on time management but I liked it because it reminded me of two things: 1) Goals need to be achievable. I think a large reason why my to-do lists are rarely effective is because I plan to many things and my goals are out of reach. 2) Focus when working – it kind of just reiterates what I already know – I’m killing too much time on social media!

So, those are just a few pieces of writerly advice from other writers that I thought I would share with you. Now, the trick is to find a way to put it to use!