Look Like a Pro: Interview with writer Susan Johnston

As part of the Look Like a Pro! Series, I’m proud to present the very first (of hopefully many) Writer Spot Interview. I’ll probably come up with a catchier title than that, but that’s beside the point.

Today’s interview features freelance writer Susan Johnston, better known to some blog readers as the Urban Muse. Her website was recently highlighted as an example in personal branding by JibberJobber, a site specializing in networking and marketing yourself.

On to the interview!

You were recently named JibberJobber's Pick of the Month for March. What has that been like?

I'm flattered. It has definitely boosted my daily traffic, but it's too soon to tell if those readers will become regulars.

Your website is relatively new; tell us a little bit about setting that up and working through Vista Print.

I logged onto VistaPrint to order new business cards and saw that they were offering a free month's trial of their web hosting service. After upgrading to the personal package to the basic business package, tweaking one of their templates and setting up a domain-based email, I was sold. No coding required and very friendly customer service.

Your 5Q's interviews have featured a number of highly regarded writing professionals. How has that helped you?

It's a win-win situation. The writers get to promote their books and other projects, and I get a virtual informational interview to pick their brains about publishing. It's also a draw for other aspiring writers who read my blog. I've even gotten free copies of books before they're available in bookstores (called galleys), which is great because I'm not making big bucks (yet).

Why did you decide to start a blog?

I was encouraged by one of my writing mentors, and it took off from there. She stressed that it's important to specialize, rather than trying to blog about everything and that advice has served me well.

The photos on your site look great. Were they done professionally?

Yes. I hired Rachel at Decent Urban Lifestyles (http://www.decenturbanlifestyle.org), and I think she did a fantastic job of highlighting my personality in a flattering and fun way without being too staged.

What led you to get your photos professionally done?

I'm also a semi-professional singer/actress and I needed new headshots. I met Rachel at a women's networking event and LOVED the photos on her blog and website. She does a great job of capturing life's little moments in unexpected ways. Plus, she's also trying to establish her photography business, so her prices were reasonable and I wanted to support an emerging artist. After I got my 8 x 10's printed in black and white, it occurred to me that I could do so much more with them, so I posted them on my website and use them anytime an editor requests a contributor photo.

Why did you choose to put your photo on your website and not your blog?

When I first started my blog, I wanted to be cautious about online safety and that was a clever way to show my personality without showing my face to potential predators. I know it sounds a little paranoid, but young women can't be too careful with that sort of thing. After a few months, I realized that wasn't as much of an issue as I'd expected, in part because my name is so common, but I stuck with the cartoon because it had become my "urban muse" alter ego. I chose photos because I wanted something more professional-looking for my website, which is where I send editors first.

Where did you get your first clip?

I think it was a book review in Teen Voices, a glossy magazine that helps teenage girls boost their self-esteem through writing. I also wrote for my junior yearbook and my high school and college newspapers, but I'm not sharing those clips on my website. Those were limited edition!

Do you have any advice for new writers that are just starting out?

Yes. If you really want to write for a certain publication, be willing to take on assignments that might not initially interest you, because it's important to build up your clips and build relationships with editors. Once you've done that you can afford to be choosier. But you may also discover that you like writing about the topic. I've written a ton of articles on entrepreneurship and personal finance. I love it, but it wasn't originally what I set out to write.

What, in your opinion, separates the professional writer from the amateur?

It's about attitude. A professional attitude means not making silly mistakes like forgetting to spell check and fact check or demanding that your editor put your article on the cover. It's also about knowing your worth as a writer and not accepting projects that don't benefit your overall goals as a writer. If you're not getting paid and the clips aren't very professional-looking, you need to take a look at why you're doing it. If it gives you personal satisfaction, that's great, but it won't help reach your professional goals.

I'd like to thank Susan for taking the time for this interview, and would heartily recommend that you check out her blog, The Urban Muse.

Source: Photo

Writing Quote: David Allen

"When I’m...writing, I really have to think, and thinking is a rare commodity. It actually takes horsepower.

It’s not just regurgitating information, which is just the computer stuff the brain does — it really is tapping the intuition, the intelligence, the creativity."

- David Allen, author of Getting Things Done

Sources: Quote, Photo

Writing Quote: Gore Vidal

The brain that

doesn't feed itself,

eats itself.

Gore Vidal

Sources: Quote, Picture

Writing Quote: Ben Franklin

“Either write something worth reading
or do something worth writing.”
– Ben Franklin

Writing Quote: Natalie Goldberg

"Kill the idea of the lone, suffering artist.

We suffer anyway as human beings.

Don't make it any harder on yourself."

- Natalie Goldberg

From: Writing Down the Bones

Writing Quote: Jenna Glatzer

“Write what you know” is a very good starting point. But that’s all it is. It’s a place for you to go to get your feet wet, and a place to come back to when the tide gets too high. But it’s not a place to stay for very long.

- Jenna Glatzer

Quote found at Absolute Write.

Writers on: Writer's Block

I recently had the chance to sit down with some big names in the writing world, and get their thoughts about writer's block, which I'd just recently posted about. (Okay, so I've never met them, and these quotes were found online. They're still great.)

Try a Different Approach

"Try drawing or painting a scene you're working on. Often this will help free up you imagination." – Kevin Henkes

Break It Down Into Smaller Pieces

“If writing a book is impossible, write a chapter. If writing a chapter is impossible, write a page. If writing a page is impossible, write a paragraph. If writing a paragraph is impossible, write a sentence. If writing a sentence is impossible, write a word and teach yourself everything there is to know about that word and then write another, connected word and see where the connection leads.” – Richard Rhodes

Write Through It

“Stopping a piece of work just because it's hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea. Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it, and sometimes you're doing good work when it feels like all you're managing is to shovel $#!* from a sitting position.” – Stephen King

Abandon Perfectionism

“Too many of us wait to do the perfect thing; with the result we do nothing.” – William Feather, publisher

“Don't get it right, get it written.” – James Thurber

Writing Quote: Steven Pressfield

“The essence of professionalism is the focus upon the work and its demands, while we are doing it, to the exclusion of all else.”

...

“There’s no mystery to turning pro. It’s a decision brought about by an act of will. We make up our mind to view ourselves as pros and we do it. Simple as that.”

- Steven Pressfield

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles


Picked these up here: http://crawdaddycove.com/2006/12/18/the-war-of-art-turning-pro/

Writing Quote: Dave Barry

"Don't you wish you had a job like mine? All you have to do is think up a certain number of words! Plus, you can repeat words! And they don't even have to be true!"

- Dave Barry

Writer Quote: Ray Bradbury

I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true - hard work pays off.

If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don't love something, then don't do it.




- Ray Bradbury

Writing Quote: Robert Benchley

“A freelance writer

is a man who is paid

.

.

per piece

.

.

or per word

.

.

or perhaps.”

– Robert Benchley

Writing Quote: Isaac Asimov

“I write
for the same reason
I breathe -

because
if I didn’t,

I would die.”

- Isaac Asimov

Quote picked up here.

Writing Quote: Rollo May

“Artists pursue
meaninglessness

until they can force it
to mean something …

They immerse themselves
in chaos
to give it form.”


– Rollo May, from The Courage to Create







"If you do not express
your own original ideas,

if you do not listen
to your own being,

you will have betrayed yourself.

Also, you will have betrayed your community
in failing to make your contribution."

– Rollo May

Writer Quote: Ernest Hemingway

My aim

is to put down on paper

what I see
and
what I feel

in the best
and simplest way.

- Ernest Hemingway

John Hughes - Notes & Quotes

John Hughes is the editor and chief operating officer of the Deseret Morning News in Salt Lake City. He is former editor of The Christian Science Monitor. Before joining the Deseret Morning News he was a professor of journalism and director of the International Media Studies Program at Brigham Young University. He served as U.S assistant secretary of state, assistant secretary-general of the United Nations, and chaired presidential and Congressional commissions on international broadcasting. John has received a Pulitzer Prize, the Overseas Press Club award and is the former president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

I recently had the chance to meet John Hughes, who held a brief Q&A/Seminar with the staff of our student newspaper. Though he spoke primarily about the newspaper business, most of what he saids translates over to any field of writing. Posted here are a selection of direct quotes from the seminar, and some very brief notes touching on each.

“You probably aren’t going straight from college to the Times.”

Start small, and then move up. This is an established industry, which means you’ll have to work your way up. To do this, you’ll need to be ambitious. Go for opportunities aggressively. Show initiative. Work for it.

“Newspapers aren’t there to give you an opportunity. They’re very self-centered; they want to know what you can do for them.”

Professionals know that this is a business, not a hobby.

Research any market or publication before you approach them; if you can’t actually do something for them, you’re wasting your time.

Query like a professional.

Be absolutely professional about contacts, editors, money, deadlines, edits, rewrites, etc.

Don’t just act like a professional, write like one too.

“Reporters are strange animals.”

Mr. Hughes spoke for a moment about how difficult it is to keep reporters from working more than 40-50 hours a week, saying that often, they’ll want to keep writing into the night, just because they love what they do.

Be passionate about your profession. Use that passion.

Love writing well, being complete, being accurate and thorough; when you love what you do, and do it because you love it, you can go far.

“None of you are going into journalism for the money.”

Yes, there is money in our profession, but it’s rare that anyone gets rich. Do it because it drives you. Do it because you live for it.

“Everybody is owned by somebody.”

“I don’t mind photographers who push the envelope, so long as they do what they’re told in the end.”

You work for the people that pay you. The only way you get paid is by meeting an editor’s needs. If you can’t do that, you’ll never see print and you’ll never see a paycheck.

“You must, absolutely must, keep up with technology in this business.”

As writers, we’re blessed to see writing opportunities coming up in every form of media. We have to know these new areas to take advantage of those opportunities.

The more versatile the writer, the better.