Julie DeNeen, From Clinton CT, 615 Fans, 157 Hubs, Joined 10 months ago
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Randomcreative Interviews Julie DeNeen
Tips on writing, getting things done, and working from home from an active mother/writer/freelancer/blogger
You have extensive experience working from home. What advice can you give people who are interested in freelancing from home?
Well, I have a few thoughts, but they all seem rather obvious. I don't have any secret magic potion to hand out but these are the things I do regularly.
- Get dressed!
- Have a dedicated workspace.
- Constantly drum up new business. It has to be what you do with at least 50% of your time. The other 50% should be producing output.
- Try to set some boundaries on your working time.
- Don't undersell yourself.
- Don't oversell either.
- Don't be afraid to start something new and big, even if it flops.
- Invest in other writers. It will pay back in the form of good networking.
You have participated in and successfully completed NaNoWriMo. Congrats! I know that there are many writers on HubPages who have thought about taking on this challenge. What insight can you provide about the NaNoWriMo process?
It's insanity! I did this during an overseas trip, plus the holidays, kids, and all the other blogging stuff I did (not to mention the HubPages Apprenticeship Program). When I look back on it, I shake my head. But, I did learn something. When you are writing a draft, you have to just write without thinking about how bad it is. Because it is bad. There's hardly any way around it. I would wake up super early and churn out 2000 words, before my first cup of tea sometimes! I wouldn't go back and re-read it. When I was finished, I had 50,000 words of crap. But it was all out. It's been four months since NaNoWriMo and I'm deep into the editing of it, but hey- at least there is something to edit!
One of the challenging aspects of many types of freelance work is balancing many different projects every week. You have a lot of writing projects and endeavors on your plate these days. How do you strike a balance?
I would say I'm one of the most unbalanced people I know! I have no idea really how to manage it all. I try to list things in order of importance first, deadlines second, and what makes money third. Of course, this means my novel falls to the bottom of the pile and I don't want it to… so I fight to figure out how it fits in with blogging and other endeavors. If anyone figures out how to balance a freelance writing career, let me know!
It's clear that music is a huge part of your life. Can you share a little bit about that?
I've been playing piano since I was 6 years old. I took lessons with the neighbor for free in exchange for walking her enormous dog every day. We didn't have a piano so I had to practice at her house too. I hated it. But somehow, I stuck with it.
I've spent the last ten years making a living as a piano teacher. I do love it, but my favorite thing is to play in church. There's no pressure to be a performer, because you are only playing for God. He said he likes my music!
Readers always enjoy learning more about the person behind the words. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I'm embarrassed to say really. It usually includes too many molasses cookies, Survivor, or some mindless game like Farmville or Tetris. I do love to eat out, hang with my plethora of animals, or clean out my desk. Boring I know. I could probably tell you the things I hate to do more easily. You won't find me shopping or sewing or gardening. I've figured out that I'm far less domesticated than I once thought.
One thing is for sure - I always am looking for an adventure. If someone tells me to hop on a plane and meet them in St. Louis, I'm there! 2012 was a big travel year for me. I got to go to Florida, California, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Madrid, Spain.
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