Ditch the Outline

By Catharine Bramkamp

Many writers and educators and books  offer various ideas and methods to organize your essays.  There are rules, the authors and experts explain; writers should make meticulous outlines, create notes, organize, shuffle, and double down.

You remember these rules?  Or have you cleverly blocked out all that ponderous and repetitive advice on how to create a long essay?

Let me remind you then: A long time ago, in a land far, far away, the good essay – the essay that earned the A in the class – was the one written with an outline. The outline was a closed system; there was no room for creative interpretation. Outlines were all about the rules.

In the perfect outline, each topic was labeled with Roman numerals I, II and III.  Each sub-heading was listed with a capital Arabic letter A, B, C.  Then the sub sub-headings of the topic were created with those i , ii and iii, then if there was more to say, the lower case a., b. and c. I’d tell you what was supposed to be listed under a., b. or c. but I never, ever drilled an outline down that far.

The complimentary method to the elaborate outline was the three-by-five index card.  Each separate thought was to be written on those index cards. Then apparently, with the help of the cumbersome outline system, you shuffled the cards; labeled them with letters and roman numerals and voila your essay is complete. Now all you have to do is type it up.

The key word to this whole process and system is type.

The inherent problem with the outline/index card system is that it doesn’t address or acknowledge the reality of the current technology. The above ideas are linked to the technology of the typewriter not to the computer or even word processor.

Creating a final paper on a typewriter is fraught with drama and more often: frustration. There is one opportunity to get it right on a typewriter, to do so, all the required information needed to be complete, accurate and available. Even the most advance typewriter had limited back space/white-out capacity. It was possible, mind you, to use liquid white out to delete and re-type whole paragraphs, or so I’ve heard. But at that point, the whole page needed to be retyped.   Think of that, retyping a whole page, not just cutting and pasting to a new document.

Fortunately things have change. Correction fluid dabs much more smoothly on a computer screen.

In light of the current technology, to suggest that you work out your essay using three-by-five cards is analogous to suggesting that you catch fish using a spear. You can do it of course, and some people prefer to catch fish with a spear because that’s what they know (or you are part of the aboriginal spear-caught fishing movement where all fish needs to be killed by spear because it tastes better and is more humane for the fish. Movements like that always seem to start up in the Bay Area); but a modern fly-fishing system is more efficient and has different tools.

You have permission to dig out the last of your index cards and throw them at the fish.

Ninety nine percent of all writers compose on the computer – and if they don’t directly compose, they are just working on drafts in long hand, not organizing a final paper in long hand.

Composing on the computer is faster and more fluid. You can write as fast as you can and then arrange the paragraphs in the order that makes the most sense – there’s your outline.  You can pull your quotes and sources and cut and paste them into separate pages or paragraphs and store them in a labeled file on the desktop – there are your index cards and your notes.

So before you beat yourself up and worry that you never could figure out how to create an outline, know that you can compose without it.

And you can relegate the roman numerals to Super Bowl announcements.

—

From Don’t Write Like You Talk: A Smart Girl’s Guide to Writing and Editing (3L Publishing)

Catharine Bramkamp holds two degrees in English, published  hundreds of newspaper and magazines articles, a handful of novels and two essays in the Chicken Soup for  the  Soul anthologies. She is an adjunct professor of writing for two colleges and is a successful writing coach.    Visit her at www.YourBookStartsHere.com

Taking the Stress Out of Quoting Freelance Projects

By Ed Gandia

For many freelancers, one of the most stressful aspects of their
business is quoting project fees to a new prospect. There’s a lot at
stake. Quote too high and you risk losing the project. Quote too low
and the prospect may wonder if you’re a newbie with little
experience.

The best solution to this dilemma involves the use of a “master fee
schedule,” which is nothing more than a list of the types of
projects you work on and an approximate fee range for each.

The beauty of a master fee schedule is that it takes the stress out
of the quoting process. That’s because when you’re confident that
the fees in your schedule are fair and reasonable (based on the value
you bring to the table and what other freelancers at your level are
charging), you no longer have to worry about quoting a fee that’s
going to scare the prospect away.

Sure, she may still decide that you’re too low or too high. But
that decision will be based on her budget — not your value.

How Do You Assemble a Master Fee Schedule?

#1: Ask fellow freelancers
Developing a reliable fee schedule takes time. You can start by
talking to fellow freelancers and asking them what they charge for
different types of projects. You should also factor in the feedback
you get from clients and prospects when you quote various projects.

#2: Scour the web
Many freelancers will also post their fees for a variety of projects
on their website. You can poke around and get a good feel for what
others are charging. However, be careful with those figures. There are
thousands of freelancers doing work for virtually nothing. That’s
not where you want to be.

#3: Consider the time and effort required
You should then compare this information with the time you spend on
projects. You’ll want to see if the fees you’re charging are
aligned with the time and effort you’ve been putting in. You’ll
also want to compare how your colleague’s fees compare to the
average time you’re investing in some of your projects. That can
reveal areas where you might be undercharging.

I use a tool called TraxTime to record the time I spend on every project
(For Mac users, you have other options. My friend and colleague Steve
Knapp uses “On The Job” from Stunt Software.

Every three months or so, I run reports in TraxTime to find out how
I’m trending in terms of time spent on different types of projects
and profitability levels with each of my clients. This information is
invaluable in helping me evaluate and update my master fee schedule.

#4: Books and Reports
Other good sources on fees are books and reports written by
professionals in your particular field. For instance, Steve
Slaunwhite’s Pricing Your Writing Services is an excellent resource
for freelance writers (Steve is a friend and co-founder of this blog,
so yes, I’m biased!).

So is Michael Stelzner’s White Paper Writer Industry Report. Also,
The Designer’s Guide To Marketing And Pricing: How To Win Clients and
What To Charge Them by Ilise Benun and Peleg Top, has been
recommended to me by several graphic designers.

Whatever your field, you will more than likely be able to locate a
book, article or report on pricing for your profession via a quick
Google search.

How to Use Your Master Fee Schedule

Here’s how I use my master fee schedule to qualify a lead. Say that
I get a call from a company looking for someone to write three case
studies. My fee range to write a two-page case study is $1,500 -
$2,000. This includes an interview and up to two rounds of edits.

Once I understand the full scope of the project, the work involved,
the prospect’s needs, degree of urgency and other miscellaneous
factors, I pull out my master fee schedule and quote a range.

But I don’t quote the full range. Instead, I usually quote from
somewhere around the midpoint to the high point. So I may quote $1,500
to $1,750. Why? Because, invariably, if you quote from the low point,
the low number is the only number many folks will remember. Quoting
from the middle up avoids this problem. It helps you set the right
expectations. Also, it gives you a cushion that can protect you should
the project be more difficult than you expected.

Once I quote the fee range, I’ll ask the prospect, “Is this range
within your budget?” I find that this two-step approach (asking
first if they have a budget and then quoting a fee range) is more
effective than the more abrasive “What’s your budget?” question.

This last question is important because getting the “money” issue
out of the way as early as possible will reveal if the prospect is
viable from a budget perspective. In many cases, it will keep you from
having to spend a lot of time thinking about the project, drafting a
proposal and following up three or four times with a prospect who was
only willing to pay half of what you’re asking.

Finally, if the fee range fits within the prospect’s budget, let
the prospect know when he or she can expect your proposal. Even if
they ask for one, never give prospects a firm number during the
initial call. A fee range is as far as you should go. You need some
time to think through all the factors and arrive at a number that
makes sense.

Is this a foolproof system? Not at all. But it takes a lot of the
stress out of the process. It also saves me a great deal of time. It
impresses many prospects who want straight answers (rather than a,
“Well, it depends, Mr. Prospect. I can’t really say.”). And,
above all, it enables me to land more profitable work.

—

Ed Gandia is the co-founder of TheWealthyFreelancer.com and co-author of The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secrets to a Great Income and an Enviable Lifestyle (Penguin, 2010). To grab a free copy of his “Freelancer’s Income Expander Kit” (a $126 value) visit http://www.TheWealthyFreelancer.com.

Treat Every Person as a Mentor

By C. Hope Clark

I read that phrase in a blog this week. It wasn’t the major point of the message, but it was the piece that caught my attention.

 
It’s human nature for us to compare ourselves, our talents, our looks, to those around us. We catch ourselves being smug as we recognize poor writing on a cheap website. Or we feel demoralized as an opening hook in a story puts ours to shame.

 
But what if we quit making comparisons and started seeking the take-away value of everyone in our writing path?

One reader placed me on her newsletter list. Her voice was clean, her message multi-layered and intellectually challenging. She shamelessly tackled social issues in her region, often recommending action others wouldn’t have the guts to stand up and endorse. Months later I learned she
lived on a fixed income in a trailer, struggling to make ends meet.

I know another lady who lost her job and opened a writers’ retreat. I purchase articles from writers for FundsforWriters, and many of them amaze me with their knowledge. A new writer can teach you how to be daring and disregard some of the old rules we think we can’t break. An established writer can show us the ropes.

 
As my sons grew up, as they compared themselves to their peers as all boys do, I told them that all of us have the same amount of talent. Imagine me holding my hands in a bowl fashion, as if holding that talent.
Some people use all their talent in one area, becoming gifted, even genius. They might perform their talent without effort, but they can’t balance a checkbook, keep a job or find a  girlfriend. Then there are others who distribute their talents across the realm, spreading it out and becoming
known as a Jack-of-all-trades. They perform decently at almost everything they touch, but aren’t exceptional at anything. Then there are all those in between, utilizing their bowls of talent in different directions and venues.
My point is that everyone is talented. No one can be grand at everything, meaning they have shortfalls and assets. That writer who critiqued your work might get under your skin, but a night’s sleep might make you
realize she was right on your page two. It doesn’t matter if she’s published, where she’s published or whether she’s self-published. Her voice deserves to be heard.

 
That editor who declines your work and makes a suggestion might not understand the point of your story, but he might have a firm grasp of marketing to his readership. He isn’t wrong because his opinion isn’t yours.

Everyone you run into has something to offer you as a writer, as a person. In them you find your best stories, and your best opportunities.

 

—

C. Hope Clark is editor of FundsforWriters.com, an award-winning newsletter family that reaches 31,000 writers.

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