the air

I find that many bloggers are capable of being articulate freelance writers who can really earn a great reputation like Mike Royko (who was actually a columnist). I have known for some time that being a freelance writer is not easy and requires a passion and dedication. From the looks of it, successful bloggers probably earn more money than a freelance writer could ever dream of - just take a look at John Chow’s Blog that earns over $2500 a month due to advertising. In addition, I feel that blogging is much more convenient for many people and they have an instant voice for all of their writings. However, blogging is an occupation that I feel will not expose writers to the mass audience. Having a literary work published by a major news outlet or magazine is definitely bound to bring you more recognition and set you up for journalistic awards. In many ways, blogging is great for those who are unable to cope with a difficult lifestyle and is much easier to work with.

For many years, I have sought ways to discover a “tip sheet” that describes how to engage in freelance writing work. I have no intention of writing as a freelance journalist, however, I do have a desire to have some of my writings published in a magazine, newspaper, or journal. I came across a personal blog called Bad Language that seems to be run by a former freelance journalist. He recently wrote a post about how to become a freelance journalist. Not surprisingly, it requires dedication and a sincere effort. He colorfully writes about nine different steps one should follow in the hopes of becoming a successful freelance journalist. He covers how you should pick your subject matter and even how much to charge for your work. I find his last suggestion to be the most important which is, “develop a sense of humor.” I think this is something that can be correlated to the saying that you should have your own unique voice while writing. By identifying a unique voice while writing, you will separate yourself from the pack and have your own niche and identity.

The most important aspect of the post made by Matthew Stibbe (the writer behind Bad Language) is the assumptions and “honing your skills.”:

Assumptions

• You’re not already a professional writer but a regular person looking to become a writer.
• Writing won’t (initially) be your only source of income.
• You want to be a freelance journalist not a poet, novelist or playwright
• The basics like being able to read, write, punctuate, spell, use a computer, use the Internet for research etc. are not difficult for you.

Honing your skills

• Read lots. I mean LOTS. I subscribe to about thirty magazines in my field and every time I fly I buy five magazines that I would never normally read. I also get a dozen emails from mailing lists every day and look at a lot of websites each morning.
• Write lots. If you want to be a writer, write. Aim for 1000-2000 words a day. (As an aside this document took me 35m to write from start to finish. It’s about 2200 words.)
• Learn to tell a story. I can’t tell you how to be a good writer but this seems to be central.
• Read the books in the bibliography, especially Writing to Deadline, for more info.
• Study different magazines’ styles and content. Collect nice phrases and see how they handle the technical stuff like attributing quotes.
• Write 50 ledes. To see what I mean watch the (otherwise ghastly) Shipping News.
• Watch films about journalism. All the President’s Men is one good one.
• Read books on writing (see bibliography)
• Go to classes, but don’t spend a bunch of money unless you can spare it.

I never knew that you essentially had to aim for approximately 1000 words a day. I usually set a target of at least 200 words and sometimes even I find that to be a daunting task. However, no one ever said that being a freelance journalist is easy. I guess it goes to say, “Don’t quit your day job.”

Source: Bad Language

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We all know what to use a microwave for. However, did you know that there are ten things you can do to get more out of your microwave. I was actually surprised about some of these and never realized I could do all this with my own microwave. I found this list at this website and have reproduced the list for your convenience:

• Get more juice out of lemons and limes, by softening them on high for 15-20 seconds.
• Sterilize garden soil to make it fit to plant seedlings. Spread 400g soil on a flat dish and heat on high for 90 seconds or until steaming.
• Get extra life out of a dried-up mascara stick by heating for 30-40 seconds on high - with a cup of water in the microwave beside it for safety’s sake.
• Dye up to 225g of material. Wearing rubber gloves, stir a packet of Dylon natural fabric dye with 200ml cold water in a bowl, add 400ml more water and immerse the fabric. Put the bowl inside a plastic bag in the microwave on high for four minutes. Remove, tip away the dye, and rinse the fabric in cold water. Wash in hot water, then dry away from direct heat or sunlight.
• Dry herbs, on high for around 40 seconds. Wash them first and spread them on kitchen paper, with more kitchen paper on top.
• Melt wax for removing leg hair, on 80% power for 10 seconds, assuming it’s a full pot. Beware: it doesn’t need to boil!
• Zap fresh breadcrumbs to make them dry enough to coat food for deep-fat frying.
• Warm plates - though not if they’ve got metal edges or decoration. Sprinkle each one with water and pile them up. Heat on high for around 30 seconds.
• Sterilize jars for jam-making. Put up to six in the oven with about an inch of water in each. Heat for 1½ to 2 minutes, until the water comes to the boil. With oven gloves, remove from microwave, tip out the water and they’re ready.
• Make jelly faster than normal, by putting jelly cubes in a bowl or mould with four tablespoons of water on high for 60 seconds. Stir, then add the rest of the water, cold.

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I was over at the Consumerist and came across this interesting article. Here’s a quick rundown of 10 shopping tips that will ensure you don’t get ripped off at various stores:

• Buying Loss Leaders and Leaving
• Using Credit and Paying it Off on Time
• Saying NO to the Extended Warranty
• Activating Your Own Phone With A Cell Phone Company
• Shopping in the Store But Buying Online
• Buying 1 When its 2 for $5
• Opening A Store Credit Card To Get A Discount, Then Cutting It Up
• Using Websites to Track 30 Day Price Guarantees
• Buying Seasonal Items at Clearance Prices (For Next Year)
• Buy “Accessories” on Ebay Rather Than Paying Huge Markups

Instead of just listing the 10 tips, I’m going to elaborate on them and give you the truth behind this. Before everyone starts complaining that these tips lead to higher prices in stores, just remember, I’m here to save money for the consumer. There are too many businesses out there that are acting unfairly to the consumer. It is my firm belief that every business should cater to the consumer, not their own pockets.

Buying Loss Leaders and Leaving

Every Sunday in the ad section, there are hundreds of deals that are designed to entice you into coming to the store. Most of the time, these items are in limited supply and chances are that by the time you get to the store, the item is already sold out. This is not a bait-and-switch policy because the advertiser has already mentioned in the ad that the item is in limited supply. The goal of the store is to bring you into the store in the hopes that you will purchase other products as well. Loss Leaders are basically products that are priced so low that the store is not making much of a profit on it, if at all. However, the stores are hoping that you will purchase other products that may not be as cheap as the advertised product. My suggestion is that if you can’t find the cheap product you’re looking for, look around at other store locations, otherwise, try to buy it online or forget it.

Using Credit and Paying it Off on Time

If you have any care about your credit rating, never open a store credit card. If you open too many credit cards, your credit rating will go down. So if stores advertise any no-interest plans or delayed payment plans, just say no and pay the price right there and then with your existing credit card or cash.

Saying NO to the Extended Warranty

Extended warranties is a great way for the store to make more money off of you. The store employees are often instructed to “pressure” the customer into purchasing an extended warranty. My suggestion is to always say NO to the extended warranty. Unless the warranty specifically states that they will replace your product under ANY circumstances, then by all means purchase it. That way, before the warranty expires, you can damage your product in any way and then get a new one of equal or greater value. If they don’t offer that, its not in your interests and just say no.

Activating Your Own Phone With A Cell Phone Company

This one is almost pointless too. Unless you have an unlocked cell phone, there is no point in asking the company to activate your SIM card without contract. Most carriers sell phones that are locked to their service and you cannot take your phone to another carrier. However, if your phone is unlocked or you are bringing your own phone that works on their networks, then you can just buy the SIM card (usually around $20 - 35) and receive service with no contract. Companies are starting to get smart about this and they may not offer you certain plan features without a contract. For example, you cannot get Rollover with Cingular unless you are on a contract. If you are forced to get a contract, make sure you get one of the cheaper phones (as in free) and then sell that phone on ebay.

Shopping in the Store But Buying Online

This is my personal favorite. I recommend that you try to make your purchases online as much as possible. Stores often charge you retail prices and you can find the same product much cheaper online. The four major downsides of buying online are ID theft (credit card number gets stolen), waiting time to receive the product, not receiving the product (scam), and having to return the product. However, if you go to a store and check out a product you will have an idea whether you want it or not. Once you made your mind, go home and buy it online. From my experience, Amazon has pretty fair prices and they offer free shipping on most orders over $25. The only downside is that you may end up waiting up to 15 business days to get your product.

Buying 1 When its 2 for $5

This is not a good idea. Sometimes you’ll see deals where they encourage you to buy 2 for $4. However, if you only buy one, you may have to pay unit price. In this case, its actually a better deal to pay for both items since you’ll get more for a lower price. Even if you don’t want both products or need it, it makes sense since you are actually paying less for both products. Unless the product is perishable, I encourage you to buy both. If you’re buying clothes, then you can think about it. However, look to see how much you are saving by purchasing more. For example, say at Gap they have t-shirts on sale. If you buy 2, you only have to pay $12.99. However, if you only buy one, you have to pay $9.99. In this case, for only $3 more, you can have two t-shirts. Now let’s say you can get 2 T-shirts for $16.99 or 1 for $9.99. In this case, you are only saving $3 so its not really worth buying 2. Do your math before buying into these schemes.

Opening A Store Credit Card To Get A Discount, Then Cutting It Up

The simple answer here is NO. Never open a store credit card for any reason. PERIOD.

Using Websites to Track 30 Day Price Guarantees

This is definitely a great idea. Some stores have a price guarantee that says if you find a product cheaper at another store, they will refund the difference, sometimes even more than the difference. PriceProtectr is a good example.

Buying Seasonal Items at Clearance Prices (For Next Year)

No point in buying a product at full price when you know its going to be on sale after a few weeks. If you can wait, then buy the product later or buy it online.

Buy “Accessories” on Ebay Rather Than Paying Huge Markups

Stores like Best Buy are notorious for selling cheap TV’s but then marking accessories up by almost 200% to 800%. My brother used to work at Best Buy and he mentioned that some Monster cables that sold for $100 could be purchased by him for only $35 and Best Buy was still making a profit. If you’re interested in purchasing accessories, buy them online. Don’t give stores any extra money. Save yourself the cash and buy it online. I’m not a big fan of ebay due to scams. I do suggest before bidding or buying, read all the information carefully. That’s why I like to purchase from Amazon directly since I am much more confident that it is not a scam.

Moral is this: Do your research at the stores, and buy online if you can. Save yourself money and always refuse unnecessary sales at stores.

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It seems as if every year, all the tempting and gorgeous looking meals in the United States are filled with artery clogging fat and enough calories to keep you in the gym for 2 weeks straight. I found this nifty article that talks about 10 different meals that have enough fat/calories to literally send you to your doctor for a quick “tummy staple” surgery. I’m surprised that a venti cup of Starbuck’s Caffè Mocha has 490 calories with 16 grams of “bad” fat. You should do what I do, order a size Tall with nonfat milk and no whipped cream (whipped cream is VERY bad for you). According to that article, if you order what I suggest, you’ll only be consuming 170 calories with no fat. Now that is a much healthier choice.

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As more and more people become frustrated with Internet Explorer, they begin to move towards alternative browser choices such Mozilla’s Firefox or Opera’s Opera Web Browser. Personally, I use Firefox as my main browser and it is the only browser that I encourage all of my family and friends to use. In addition, I have noticed that my own blog looks slightly different under Firefox and Internet Explorer.

However, using Firefox or Internet Explorer allows you to use keyboard commands to speed up your browsing time. I found this cheat sheet for Firefox that shows you many of the keyboard commands you can use for Firefox. I don’t have one handy for IE users, but you shouldn’t be using IE anyways. From my browsing experience, keyboard commands are much more efficient and do not require you to move your hand away from the keyboard as much. My personal favorite command is CTRL + ENTER when typing in URLs. For example, if I want to go to MSNBC’s website, all I have to do is type msnbc and then hold down the CTRL key and hit the ENTER or RETURN key and the browser URL will now display: http://www.msnbc.com and will automatically go to the site.

Try it out sometime and see how you like it.

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