by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Ever been working on an important project only to have your mind wander elsewhere? Me too. But I'm here to tell you from experience that it doesn't need to mean failure for you. Go with the flow.

You heard me right. If your mind wanders in the middle of a project, run with it. Take that inspiration and see where it leads you. I often have at least 20 documents open at once. Sometimes I focus on just one. But more than likely, my overly-creative mind wanders from one topic to the next.

Instead of letting my wandering mind be the source for a writer's block, I use it to my advantage and write on each topic as much as my mind allows for. When it switches topics, so do I. Sometimes I focus longer on one particular post and other times, I may jump all over the place. Once a topic is finished, I edit and submit it where intended.

This strategy has never failed me, even during intense deadlines. When it gets down to the wire, I do work to keep my mind focused on what's necessary. But I find that doing my best to just go with the flow also leads to doing the best job where productivity is concerned.

Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi

I originally published this on BUBBLEWS (no longer published there)

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by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

The other day some friends and I were discussing working from a smart phone. Some of them felt it would be too difficult. I actually felt the same until trying it. True, the keys and screen are smaller but there are many ways to make it easier to write and even post using a Smartphone.

Take your own pictures and use your cell phone camera
You’d be hard-pressed to find a good Smartphone that doesn’t include a camera these days. Some of them are better than others but they all do the job. Always take the pictures for your posts with your cell phone camera. This will make it much easier to upload the pics when posting your writing online from your phone.

If you take notes, take them on your phone and make them usable in your post
Most cell phones have some sort of application that stores notes. Use that if you need to jot down information before writing. Better yet, formulate any notes in a way that they could be a part of your writing. That way, you can just copy/paste the needed info into your post straight from the phone, if necessary. If you don’t have an app that will allow note taking and don’t have room or capability to download it, text the notes to yourself. If you text yourself, you’ll have two copies of each thing you send. But it works in a pinch.

Use a stylus pen
Some people complain that the keys on a phone keyboard are too small, making it more difficult to type. Try using a stylus pen. This object looks like a pen but it has a tip designed to touch Smartphone touch screens instead of using your fingers. This can save tons of time, especially for those who haven’t yet mastered typing from a small touch screen.

Use voice recognition
Most newer smart phones have voice recognition capabilities. You speak into the phone and it translates your text into the application you’re using it with. It does sometimes get the words wrong. However, fixing a few typos is probably easier than typing out all of those words for someone who isn’t experienced at quickly typing on a Smartphone.

Stay logged in to applicable websites
Keep in mind that it can be more risky security-wise to stay logged into websites at all times. However, at least during the time that you’re making your posts, it is so much easier if you are logged into the sites that you need and they stay remembered. For sites that store your post drafts while you’re working on them, this is even more important. You don’t want to receive a phone call and have a post lost because the information didn’t auto-save while you were entering it. Not all sites allow you to save drafts. Therefore, this advice mainly applies to those that do.

**Photo Credit/Copyright: Lyn Lomasi
(Yup, that pic was taken using my cell phone)

I originally published this on BUBBLEWS (no longer published there)

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Try doing a Yahoo search on anything related to freelance writing jobs and you’ll pull up a multitude of opportunities, many of them scams. The simplest way to tell if one’s a scam is that it usually starts with “make easy money” just like any other scam. While it’s true that some aspects of a freelance writing career will become easy to an experienced writer over time, freelance writing as a whole is NOT an easy full time career path. But it’s worth it.

As a full time freelance writer, I used to spend countless sleepless nights thinking, researching, and typing out the results endlessly. Wait, “used to”? If I’m no longer a full time freelance writer, what do I know? The thing is, I spent years as a full time freelance writer and I slowed down, not because of the lack of money or interest, but because I wanted to help other freelance writers. That’s right. Now my full time job is helping others do what I did. But I still write almost full time as well. Therefore, I assure you, you can trust my experience.

Some people think “Oh, I can write. My poems from high school are great. I should be a writer.” And if that’s you, writing might be a good career choice for you. But just keep in mind that writing for the web and writing a poem here and there are two entirely different things. Freelance writing as a full time career path will involve writing for a considerable amount of time most days. Decide which you REALLY want to do and do that.

Writing for the web as a full time freelance writer is hard work. Yes, work. Forget all those scammers out there telling you it’s easy. Yes, it’s easy for them at first because they’re copying and pasting the text that I (or another talented writer) put real time and heart into in order to create it. But it no longer becomes easy for them when we decide to pursue it legally.

Ah yes, there’s another thing about freelance writing. You’re not JUST a writer. You’re a writer, researcher, marketer, CEO, manager, self-appointed attorney, and many other things.

The first part – the actual writing – may come easy to you sometimes and maybe even most of the time. But there will be days when you may not be able to form a complete sentence no matter how many deadlines you’re facing or how much money is on the line. Even for writers who seem to just sprout creative words in an instant, writing all day every day can become difficult. And you WILL need to write very often (among other things) in order to make the most money at web writing.

I know what you’re thinking because it’s me as well. I definitely said it too. You’re saying “but I love writing. I already write all day long, nonstop. I can do this.” If so, then you probably can, just like me. However, keep in mind that even you will likely have days where you just can’t. Also keep in mind that everything you write, though it may come from your heart, is for someone else. And, while you are in charge of yourself, you do still have to actually work. Otherwise, what are you getting paid for?

Up until this point, I may have turned some people off already because it sounds like a big complaint. But heck no! I love what I do and wouldn’t trade it for the world. The thing is, if you’re going to be in the business, someone needs to tell you the real facts. Yes, I can spend more time with my kids (human and fur variety). Yes, I make a fairly decent income when I’m consistent with it. But it does take real work and effort and if you can’t commit to that, this is NOT the career for you because if you stop working, the money stops coming.

For me, the benefits of staying home with my kids, the satisfaction of knowing my words may help people, being able to finally start saving some money, and some of the other things directly related to being a freelance writer are worth the hard work. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.

Still want to be a freelance writer? If you said yes, I commend you. Feel free to reach out to me on my Facebook page for help getting started: facebook.com/LynLomasi

(No, I’m not going to charge you anything for advice, unlike those scammers out there looking for a quick buck. NEVER pay for work. You’re the one working. YOU should be the one getting paid.)

**Photo Credit/Copyright: Lyn Lomasi

I originally published this here on BUBBLEWS (no longer published there)

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

How many of my friends use a pen name when publishing their work? The name I use for the majority of my published work right now is Lyn Lomasi. If you use a pseudonym, do you have a creative way that you came up with your name or does it have special meaning? Mine is both creative and sentimental.

The name Lyn means "waterfalls" or "rain showers" and the name Lomasi is generally used as a first or middle name in a Native American language. It means "pretty flower". I chose to use it as a last name to be different. A good writer buddy also used to call me "pretty flower" so I purposefully chose a native name that meant as much. Lyn is my birth middle name. Combined, the two names mean to me "When the rain falls, a pretty flower emerges".

It holds significance to me because I identify with it on many levels. Obviously, one reason is because of my friend. Another is because I have been through quite a bit in my life. But, like a flower, I always emerge strong and beautiful no matter what kind of storms life brings into my life.

Tell us about your pen name in the comment section.

Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi
(Yep, it's another pic of me)

(I originally published this on BUBBLEWS (no longer published there)