Writing Away From Home: What Works, What Doesn’t

Taking your work on the road.

I just finished reading Melanie Brook’s “Where You Should—and Shouldn’t—Go To Write” article on Freelance Switch and have arrived at different conclusions than what she did. I’m not here to criticize Melanie’s viewpoint, rather to say this: writing away from home can work for you, but your experience can certainly be different from mine.

Places to Work

Melanie noted that writing at coffee shops, other people’s homes and at the park do not work. She also said that writing at colleges and universities, at the library or at a hotel can work. I have experience working at each of the venues mentioned by Melanie, so please allow me to explain what works for me and what doesn’t.

Coffee shops — As I write this, I am working at the Hope Cafe in Raleigh, N.C. I frequent this place approximately once per week, sometimes twice per week in the summer when my kids are home from school. This place is relatively quiet and, yes, I do get some interruptions. However, the “social” time here is typically very beneficial, allowing me to converse directly with other freelancers while still getting my work done. Tip: — Hard deadlines should be handled in a quiet place such as in your home office.

Other peoples’ homes — Rarely do I work in someone else’s home, but when the need arises, I arrange for this well in advance. This summer we’re taking a trip and I’ll need to bring my laptop with me. We’re staying with a family friend and she has already arranged for me to work from her home for one or more days, as needed. If her wi-fi connection isn’t up to snuff, I’ll go her apartment complex’s common area to gain a connection.

At the park — The closest I’ve worked in a park is to work in my park-like backyard. I still had a strong wi-fi connection as some parks offer, but it wasn’t getting online that was the problem. Rather, the ample supply of natural light did it for me even as I adjusted my screen to compensate. If you want to work at a park, fine some shade or go on a cloudy day. And, plan to work offline as an Internet connection can be difficult to access. Tip: — Bring along the sunscreen!

Colleges and universities — I tried to work at nearby N.C. State a few times, but Internet access was blocked to everyone who wasn’t a student or faculty member. I’ve worked at a few community colleges where Internet access was open, thus I’ve had mixed results with this option. I’ve learned never to work in a college library during exam time.

Library — My local library offers several branches offering Internet access. The only problem I’ve had here is that the seats may be uncomfortable or the desks aren’t suitable for typing. My favorite library is one where I can find a plush lounge chair sequestered in some obscure corner of the building such as a nook in the seldom-used reference section. Ah, such peace!

Hotels — Whenever I’m on a business trip, the laptop is with me. At hotels I seem to always enjoy excellent access to the Internet and can get a lot of work done. Melanie mentioned renting a hotel room to get the work done. I have yet to do that, but if there is ever a big project I need to tackle, then this option is a good one. Just hang the little sign on the door to remind the cleaning people to stay out! Tip: Internet access should be free with your stay and not a system that throws you out periodically.

Giving it a Try

If you haven’t given these options a try, what is stopping you? Hopefully, not someone’s opinion. In any case, if you have some ideas you would like to share or have some other feedback, then do tell.

See Also — Taking it on the Road: Smart Tips for Freelancers

Content is King: Guest Blogging

Considerations for sharing your content elsewhere.

Guest blogging is a mixed bag for most of us — we don’t mind providing the occasional well-written article to another website in a bid to procure a nice juicy backlink to our own site. On the other hand, when accepting a guest article for a blog or website, not a few times we’re challenged with finding content that not only shines, but adds value to our sites.

Article Distribution

I recently finished writing more than two dozen articles that I purposely gave away as content for other websites. Those articles ranged in length as well as in depth of research, and were picked up by bloggers and website managers for sites of varying degrees of significance. I used MyBlogGuest to market all but five of these articles, sending the remainder to a website owner I was in contact with directly.

Over the past two years, I have also posted well over 200 guest articles to various blogs and websites that I manage. Each article has to meet certain standards and those requirements vary from site to site. Still, there are some essentials I require before an article can be posted. Read on and I’ll share my guest blogging basics regardless of website:

1. Articles must be relevant — If I am sourcing articles for a college and career website, then those articles must appeal to my readers. No reader wants to read a rehash of some “how to decorate your dorm room” article. What they are interested in is where you help them to solve a problem or at least make them aware of a problem such as campus security. Fluff pieces, even if well written, are basically useless.

2. The writer must know his/her stuff — I like to think that I can write about most any topic. However, there are some subjects I avoid. For example, a number of years ago I was approached by someone who wanted me to write about hair extensions. Now, I could have completed much research and come up with some basic information, but I told the inquirer that I believed that she would be best served by a woman and one familiar with hair extensions. I’ve had to reject several articles where the writer’s knowledge about a particular genre was lacking, inaccurate or both.

3. Give it some length – One writer proposed submitting an article that was just 250 words long. I turned him down. My minimum word count is 400 words or just enough to form an idea and to make a point. Ideally, articles of 500 words or more are better suited, offering detailed information and assistance. I routinely write articles ranging from 600 to 800 words with articles exceeding 1,200 words not too uncommon. Forcing word count is not what I am advocating as clarity and brevity trump are of importance.

4. Follow style guidelines — One website I manage has detailed style guidelines as it is primarily a news website. My contributors also follow the AP Stylebook with an occasional Chicago School of Manual article accepted for academic works. Why? Because I have set a threshold to discourage random bloggers and to encourage articulate writers. It has worked too as this site is often cited and attracts the highest caliber writers. For my other sites, general writing rules apply and I make that known before I encourage anyone to contribute.

5. Make a pitch, please — I mentioned MyBlogGuest earlier as a great way to find bloggers. If your site is established, has good traffic and is considered authoritative, then you’ll get inquirers too. This is what I want people to do when they make a pitch to me: know my site. Read my articles. Get a feel for what other guest writers contribute. Come up with an original story or at least an original perspective. I am not interested in “5 Ways You Can Lower Your Car Insurance,” a subject that has been exhausted. I might be interested in reading about current insurance scams if that story is fascinating and the information is verifiable. Oh, yes, include citations for me to fact check especially for any information supplied that requires such.

Are there other requirements that I have? Yes, use your spell check and carefully go over your article and make grammatical corrections. I may edit behind you, so don’t be offended. You’ll still get the links you want back to your site and you may come away with an article that is polished, interesting and citable.

See Also — You Can Develop A Winning WordPress Blog!

Photo: Wikimedia