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I am happy to report that when I looked back at my goal, (to be earning a living writing about a subject I am passionate about), I realized I have reached it. My main client right now is a magazine called Sustainable Industries and while the pay isn't perfect, I have been living on what it pays me for the past few months. On top of that, an offer for me to write for them full time is in the works.

Now, what shall I do next?

Just to jump on the ON community bandwagon a bit, I want to second what Chris said. The community of folks at ON is great and growing. Whenever I get there (not often enough right now) during the week, I find it easier to get my work done because I am out of the house and have the support of a bunch of people around me who are smart, funny and focused. We feed off each other.

You should definitely check it out.

Chris and Beth hosted an excellent workshop on value-based pricing one's services.

Generally, I'm a little reluctant to go to such things just because I'd rather talk one on one with someone about specifics rather than in generalities.

Chris and Beth know what they're talking about, have an entertaining way of presenting it, and left me thinking in a new way about my business. I am already putting what I learned the other night to work.

Take any opportunity you have to learn from these two!

I did use the MagicJack and was severely disappointed. The call quality was terrible and packets kept dropping out so that I was sometimes missing 1-3 words said to me in a sentence. Not a feasible choice for a reporter doing interviews by phone.

Also, the software was slow and clunky.

On top of that, I was pretty disappointed with the customer service since, at the time, it was all chat room based which meant I had to wade through trolls galore and try and get my issue heard over all the chatter to get the attention of the one CS rep who showed up for four hours a day.

They may have gotten better by now (all this took place around Sept. 07), but the call quality, I would bet, is still pretty cruddy.

Brianna, One of the things I do is reuse paper in my printer. My wife and i haven't bought a new package of paper in years because we keep printing on the back of old sheets whenever possible. If you are printing something for your own use, do you really need a new sheet?

Also, compost your kitchen scraps. In Seattle we can throw them into our yard waste bins so even those in apartment buildings/condos can do this. In Tulsa, you may have to be creative, but might be able to find a company that makes mulch that would take it (if you don't have a yard and can't have a worm bin).

In the Reduce, Reuse Recycle mantra, the most important thing you can do is REDUCE. People use many more resources than they need. Reduce what you buy by reusing. Only as a last resort should something be recycled because recycling uses energy.

So buy in bulk when you can, take your own containers to the store (you can get the tare weight for them by placing the empty container on a scale and telling the checker who weighs it what the tare weight is). Take cloth bags to the store to bring things home (paper vs. plastic is not the question we should be asking). Ride your bike/bus/walk.

I always look for things I use that I can find a re-usable alternative for.

Oh, and on the green energy/datacenter tip: if you have a Web site, use a green host. I go with Dreamhost which buys wind power for all of its energy use.

c

Michael, This is a little off topic, but as someone who writes about the energy industry, I want to correct some misconceptions on your energy post above

Green power programs are offered because A)customers want them and B) in many jurisdictions, they are required to offer them. Also, some utilities are starting to realize that wind, solar and other alternatives are a better risk-cost proposition as we finally come close to charging power plants (and others) for carbon emissions. Soon enough, wind power will cost less than gas and, hopefully, coal.

Next, on the issue of a data center, it is very NOT inexpensive for utilities to supply power to them. Data centers are huge suckers of energy and do not exist in a vacuum that requires two wires and some beefy transformers. They are connected to the grid just like the rest of us which means that the utilities must balance the aggregate demand of all our computers as well as the data centers and all the other load on the grid every two seconds. And when I say must, I mean must: If supply and demand go out of balance, physics demands that the grid go down and that's a big problem.

Data centers (which, as I recall, demand much more than 10 MW in the aggregrate) are a huge issue for the utility industry and one that is being looked at through a variety of programs including making them more efficient (by wiring them to run on DC power rather than AC which forces a loss of voltage and is inefficient) and setting them up to be their own generators using waste heat from their own machines or putting solar panels on the roofs of their buildings.

I am trying to stop following a topic but cannot. When I click on stop following topic in the thread I dare you 2 the little pop up with the stop button and the cancel button opens. I hit the stop following button and I get the little moving circle that tells me it is working for a second and then it goes away, but the small popup remains indefinitely and I still get emails when someone posts in it.

I am on WinXP and using Firefox 2.0.0.11.

Thanks! c

Just as an anecdote:

I spent last winter at the South Pole (yes, the bottom of the planet) which is a desert. In fact, it is one of the driest places on Earth (not to mention one of the coldest and windiest spots on the plant and located at an elevation of 9500 feet). Needless to say, it's the kind of place where your skin dries out in an instant thanks to the wind whipping ice crystals around and the lack of any moisture in the air whatsoever.

Although I put lotion on every day down there because my knuckles were cracking and splitting within a few days of landing, many men who worked down there refused to because of their manliness or some such thing. Now, these guys are definitely a specific kind of guy, but still, it says something that they would rather put crazy glue in their split skin (it's the only way to heal cuts there and it is sterile) and use duct tape to hold the bigger ones together.

Even I had a hard time making the habit stick because when I am home, I never think about using lotion unless my skin is particularly dry.

Chris and I talked about this subject yesterday in the office -- we both work out of Office Nomads -- and I couldn't agree more.

I just read through this article in between sending a couple of emails and having a conversation over IM with one of my editors about this same subject (who, it should be noted, was sitting on his couch reading the paper and IMing with me). Of course none of it has stayed with me and I feel as if I accomplished nothing at all in that time.

On the other hand, I had four interviews for one story scheduled for today and decided early this morning that the only work I would do today would be those stories. While I didn't stay entirely true to that, 95% of what I got done today were those interviews and I feel as if I accomplished a ton.

For my life the article sums it up perfectly:

"... consider that “Where do you want to go today?” was really manipulative advice, not an open question. “Go somewhere now,” it strongly recommended, then go somewhere else tomorrow, but always go, go, go—and with our help. But did any rebel reply, “Nowhere. I like it fine right here”? Did anyone boldly ask, “What business is it of yours?” Was anyone brave enough to say, “Frankly, I want to go back to bed”?

It may be anathema to some, but sometimes, I just want to go back to bed. And you know what? I don't think that's a bad thing. As long as I get my work done to my and my clients' satisfaction, I have done what I have to. That means the rest of my time should be mine.

I know I write better A) when there's a time crunch on and B) when I focus on it. So I plan to try and focus a bit more on the task at hand over the next few weeks, and to stop going going going all the time as a result. I hope it works.

Personally, I hate txt messages and try never to use them. In recent months though, I've started getting a few broadcast messages either from numbers I don't recognize or from a contact who is throwing a party or changing their address or something. Usually the ones that come from a number I don't recognize are a band promoting a show. I'll tell you this: It drives me nuts because A) I didn't give them my number for this purpose and B) it costs me money.

That said, if it's an opt-in thing and the service is legit, I'd say it's an okay thing to do. If the company is sold and the privacy agreement changes and becomes something you don't agree with, get out after sending one last message to your list telling them why you're getting out so they can as well, if they choose. c

This is a good idea. I've seen similar things proposed here (I think) but they tended to revolve around the idea of checking in daily at an appointed time to make sure that folks are accomplishing the tasks they set out for themselves.

This seems different though because it's an attempt to train ourselves to learn tools we need to run our businesses well. I like this idea a lot and would be interested in taking a part.

My issue tends to be time management and motivation. I know my ideas, and I know how to communicate (it's what I do), but doing it all without being distracted by all the Web has to offer, that's where the rub is for me.

I can't agree more. It's my first day working here and already I'm noticing a difference. Not only am I getting more done, I feel more like a productive member of society simply because I left the house this morning and am now working next to people, and not my cat.

There's a lot to be said for working in my PJs, but this place is great for my work style. (and having Hot Mama's Pizza across the street doesn't hurt either!) c

I'm sorry to back out at the last moment like this. Something came up unfortunately. Fortunately, it's work so that's good. I look forward to the next Salon de Vert and hope you all have a great time tonight.

Enjoy the cookies! c

Here's hoping that I won't be shunned since I am a writer who has taken part in some traditional marketing (albeit for good causes, I swear!)

Looking forward to it. Charles

I lost my dad when I was six and I can tell you that there is absolutely nothing like losing a parent. Obviously, when my dad died, I was very young and his passing had a different kind of effect than the loss of a parent would have on an adult child, but it leaves a hole in both cases.

When you lose a parent, you're left with this space that was once filled by one of the two biggest impacts on your life (the other being the other parent). Suddenly, that person who you can always turn to is no longer there.

I remember shortly after my dad died I was sitting on my parents' bed with my mom who was trying to help me with math homework. I've never been good with numbers and neither has she. That's why, up till he got sick, my dad was always the one to help with that part of homework.

As we were struggling through some adding or subtracting, I remember the rise of a sense of frustration within me (a frustration I still get when dealing with numbers that are confounding me). The concept just wasn't making sense and my mom wasn't able to explain it in a way that I could grasp. At one point she looked up and out the window as she sighed to try and take a new tack.

"Oh good, there's dad. He can help," she said without thinking.

My heart almost exploded with joy because I immediately thought that I would get it now that my dad was here to explain it. Of course, he wasn't. It was her dad and she felt awful right away for saying what she did.

It was at that moment that I realized he would never be there to answer my questions or provide me with help.

He is always with me, in a different way of course, but that physical presence, never will be again.

I also want to say that I think it's beautiful that you can feel the loss of someone like Kanye enough to be moved to write that poem. Thanks for sharing.

For some reason, my profile always lists a new message although there is no new one there. I think the problem is a referral I received which I read and followed up on, but kept there in order to remember to follow up again.

thanks! c

1. I'd rent office space with other freelancers so I wouldn't always be working alone and would always have somewhere to go in a day (if I wanted to!)
2. I'd get the most environmentally friendly business cards you can get. (I may have to pass up the soy-based ink right now. sigh)
3. Spend more time selling freelance articles to other markets than the one I write for most often so I could end up spending more time writing articles I am passionate about.
4. Always buy the freshest and most organic, local ingredients so my wife and I could make amazing meals together every night.
5. Eat them in front of an ever-fresh bouquet of flowers from BiZi Bee!

I agree with Brianna. I have not gotten any clients here (yet) but have made some good connections and am building a stronger network than I've had to date here.

Hey Joshua, Not knowing anything about you or the idea, I'd suggest documenting a business plan in a very readable format (eg: short and sweet but detailed enough to give a clear rendering of the idea) and then let people you know and trust in on the scheme to see if they or anyone they know could help.

If you could give an idea of what you're thinking about, it would be easier for folks to give more specific advice about resources etc.

Awesome thread. In a year, I'll be earning a living as a writer by writing about things that I am passionate about, not just things that pay.

For the record, last year at this time I set the goal of earning a living as a freelance writer. 6 months later, I was there so I have high hopes!

see you in a year! ;)

What a cool sounding event that is. I wish I could make it....

I would love to attend this event but have another commitment that night at that exact time. Voicing my support for it to be held again soon though.

Thanks! Charles

On Biznik I've been able to find and meet the people who can help me as I grow my business to the next level.