Are you waiting for a train of thought that isn’t coming?

There you are, sitting at the station, waiting. And waiting.

And waiting.

But no train ever seems to come.

You’re not sure why, exactly. All the tracks are there, you’re ready and waiting … but there’s nowhere to go.

Maybe it’s not the train station’s fault?

Maybe it’s your fault for not going where the trains are.

Um, you know the old expression about being “all dressed up with nowhere to go?”

If you’re content to sit at a station that isn’t in service, how can you expect to get any service?

You have to go and FIND the service.

You can sit there as long as you like, but it’s not going to bring the train to you.

(This inspirational message is brought to you by Business Block, the sister company of Writer’s Block, whose motto is “You can’t build it if we don’t come.”)

Bullet lists are all the rage these days, so let’s give a very quick overview about correct usage, shall we?

• Each bullet should begin a new idea, or a new item
• Unless every bullet is a complete sentence, you do not need periods at the end of each item
• If at all possible, the bullets should be “parallel.”
• That is, the grammatical structure should match:
  • Orange ball (Adjective noun)
  • Yellow sun (Adjective noun)
  • Blue sky (Adjective noun)
•  Not random, unparallel construction:
  • Clear sky (Adjective noun)
  • Happily running (Adverb verb)
  • He laughs (Noun verb)

What obvious things did I miss? Thoughts? Questions? (I’m kind of tired, so really, anything is possible.)

Here’s a question for you:

What drives a writer to write?
More specifically, what drives you to write?

Let’s think ….

• Inspiration. You just have to write. You have this burning need to express yourself in words, to put it all on paper, and you feel unfulfilled if you don’t spend some of your time with your pen or your keyboard. Writing is your life.
• Money. Not to be mercenary about it, but you write for the money. You might be a novelist, a blogger, a copywriter, or a technical writer, but basically, you’re writing to put food on the table–it’s simply be a job. (Or a career, but that distinction is for another time.)
• Order. Sometimes, putting things down on paper (or, on screen on the computer, of course), helps you make sense of the world. It helps you organize your thoughts, spell out a goal, identify the steps to that goal. Writing helps you get all your ducks in a row.
• Thinking. Not to be confused with putting things in order, but just … getting ideas out of your head and safely contained on paper. Just the act of a free form flow of ideas, stream of consciousness, just letting words spill out as you try to summon up something creative or to nail down something complex helps you clarify and explore the possibilities.
• Fun. Because you think playing with words is fun. Putting uncommon combinations together, playing with the sense of sounds as the words whoosh through your head. Finding new descriptions, analogies, metaphors and even, God help us, new puns … just because it’s mind-stretching, vocabulary-busting, good-time-having fun thing to do.

Then, there’s my favorite.

Because you CAN. There is so much bad writing out there. Websites. Books. Magazine articles. Emails. Ads. Flyers. Signs. Blog posts. Forum messages. So many of them are, well, bad. Poorly conceived. Grammatically shaky (at best). You might restrain yourself from mentally editing the–they’re not worth your time–but you do mentally congratulate yourself for knowing that you can do better.

I don’t mean in the armchair-quarterback kind of way, where you put down a practically illiterate book and think, “I can do better.” No, I mean where you actually DO better. Where you actually WRITE, instead of just talking about it.

Because you can’t be a writer if you don’t write.

So–did I miss any reasons? What other reasons are there to write?

Does the thought of talking about sentence clauses make your eye twitch? Well, let’s see if we can’t make this a little simpler for you.

We have talked about basic sentence structure over the last two weeks, and how all a sentence really needs is a subject and a predicate–either simple ones, or compound ones..

This is quite simple, really, but does help explain why clauses can seem confusing … because that’s what a clause is, too. Any group of words with a subject and a predicate.

Um, right. So, if a simple sentence and a clause have the same definition, why isn’t a clause a sentence?

The quick answer is because we don’t talk in simple sentences. At least, not past the age of three. If you look at the nearest book, you’re not going to see many (if any) sentences that are made up of a simple subject/predicate combination. Most of them will be just a little more complex than that. Words combine to become clauses; clauses (can) combine to become sentences.

There are two types of clauses: main and subordinate.

A Main Clause can stand on its own. Put a period at the end of it, and you have a complete sentence, no confusion.

• My dog is really tired.
• We took lots of great pictures.
• We have lots of storage space.

A Subordinate Clause, however, depends on the main clause to make sense.

• My dog is really tired and I am, too.
• We took lots of great pictures, then the battery died.
• We have lots of storage space, but it’s filled with books.

In each of these examples, the first clause is a complete thought–it works on its own, or with a subordinate–but there’s no confusion either way. That’s why it’s the Main clause.

For the Subordinate clause, though, even though there is a subject and a verb, it’s incomplete without the clarification of the main clause. The “I am, too” in the first example works just fine–you know that my dog is tired and that I am too (possibly from a busy weekend for both of us), but without knowing what I had to say about my dog, you would have no way of what “I am, too” meant.

Similarly, “the battery died,” could mean almost anything. The battery in a clock? Radio? MP3 player? Computer? Pace-maker? But with the main clause mentioning taking pictures, you can narrow down the options to, say, the batteries in a camera, or maybe a flash or a light. And if I walk up to you, tap you on the shoulder and say, “It’s filled with books,” you’re going to be a little confused, aren’t you? It’s okay, you can admit it, because there’s no way you could know what was filled with books. A desk? A bookcase? A closet? A box? All of the above? (In my house, yes, all of them, and more.)

That’s the beauty of Main and Subordinate clauses. They work together, but one of them always takes the lead, becomes more important. As long as the leader is there, everything works smoothly, but without the leader to point the way, the subordinates are just random bits and pieces without anything to give them clarity or a sense of purpose.

Today is Blog Action Day, designed to bring attention to the world-wide problem of Poverty.

This is particularly relevant, of course, in today’s troubled economy. (The word “troubled” is a bit of an understatement.) Those of us lucky enough to have food on the table, and a roof overhead–no matter how much of a strain it is on the budget–are still far luckier than millions of starving, homeless people worldwide. The people for whom donating 10-cents a day through the kind of charity you see advertised on Sunday mornings can literally mean the difference between life and death.

All important, vital, you-must-be-aware-of-it kind of stuff. But, I want to mention a different kind of poverty, also.

Poverty of Thought.

It seems to me that this is as troubling a problem as the debilitating lack of money.

It’s so easy to slip into comfortable ways of thinking … ruts, if you will … so that, instead of questioning things and exploring possibilities, we just carry on doing what we’ve always done, thinking what we’ve always thought.

This shows not only in a lack of ideas, but in a disbelief in possibilities. Or worse, a lack of faith in the possibility of possibility. This can be just as deadly as a lack of food.

Maybe not as immediately, of course, but when you shut your mind to the possibilities that are out there, when you lazily decide to just let your thoughts run along the worn-out, comfortable tracks that have been laid since you were a toddler asking, “Why? Why? Why?”, you are denying one of the very things that make us humans so adept at shaping the world to our needs.

• Curiosity.
• Adventure.
• Wonder.
• Awe.
• Exploration.

There’s a reason that children constantly ask “Why.” They are figuring out how the world works, what makes it tick, how things fit and blend and function together. They have no preconceived notions about what it “should” be, only want to figure out what it IS (and how to make it work for them).

This is something that we adults often lose sight of. We accept the world as we believe it to be. We continue believing in the religion we grew up with … or we repudiate it … but we cannot get away from those early teachings. We believe in political parties, or certain arguments. We believe in our country, our way of life. We believe that our part of the world is more important than other parts. We believe that what WE believe must therefore be what everyone should believe, since clearly we must be right. We begin to believe that people who do NOT believe in the same things as we do are wrong, misguided, or downright evil for having such radically different viewpoints.

See? It’s a quick and nasty cycle, that can go from curiosity and awe to close-minded, narrow beliefs in the blink of an eye. It might not cause death and malnutrition as quickly as abject poverty, but like religion, can cause more deaths that we can possibly imagine.

So, my call to action today is not just to draw your attention to the worldwide problem of poverty, but of the very real poverty of thought that keeps us all from truly working together to SOLVE some of the more pressing, life-and-death matters. We need to stop allowing ourselves the luxury of just talking to people who believe what we believe. We need to talk to the people with whom we disagree–and not to argue, or to convert them from their misguided ways, but because maybe they know something we don’t know.

Maybe if we all talked to each other … and, just as importantly, listened to each other … we’d all be able to solve these pesky, minor little problems like world hunger, war, famine, disease, pestilence, and, oh yeah, the melting world economy. Maybe, instead of cocooning ourselves in our own little worlds of familiar, comfortable thoughts, we could actually tackle some of these problems with new ideas.

Because, that’s what we humans are truly, amazingly good at … new ideas.

There’s a reason that “Why” is one of our very first questions.

(And, oh yes, it’s also Global Handwashing Day–which is more serious than you’d expect!)

Last week we talked about Subjects and Predicates–the very basis of sentence structure.

Today, let’s talk about Compound Subjects and Predicates.

Basically, if there are two or more subjects to the sentence, you have a Compound Subject:

• Running laps, doing push-ups, and eating well are all good for your health.
• Boykin Spaniels and American Water Spaniels are similar dog breeds.
• Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic are known as the Three Rs.

If there are two or more predicates, you have a Compound Predicate:

• Exercise is good for the heart and helpful for weight control.
• Dog breeds can be very different and still have similar characteristics.
• Education is best when it is varied and wide-ranging.

Naturally, you can combine these to have compound subject and predicates in the same sentence! (Oooh! Advanced sentence-assembly. Please be sure to have your protective helmet in place to make sure your brain doesn’t explode.)

• Jogging and dieting have done wonders for my waistline and improved my cholesterol counts.
• Boykin Spaniels and American Water Spaniels may be similiar, but for me there’s no comparison.
• Reading and writing are fundamental to a good education and vital for communication.

Next fascinating freelance topic:

What elements do you think are necessary on business cards? Do you even think that business cards are necessary?

Well, let’s think about that.

Your name, obviously.

Your job title/position/description

Contact information, like phone, email, fax number.

Website, if any.

But, what about a company name? Does a freelancer really need a company name? Does it hurt? Help? Make no difference? (Although, if there is a company name, I will say that I don’t think it should be a “cute” one, with so-called clever puns on the word “write.” Because, ugh, unprofessional.)

How about a logo?  Generally, I’d say absolutely yes, but … if you don’t have a company name, chances are you don’t have a logo, either. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a graphic of some kind to add visual interest, as long as it’s a royalty-free image (of course). In this sample, I added my initials in a swirly script watermark in a font I’ve wanted to use for ages.

How about a list of services right on the card?  Or do you feel that is covered by the job title/description?

John Smith
Writer
Copywriting and Editing
Blogging
General business Writing

One-sided, or Two-sided? I think one is enough, though I went for two sides for my Knitting Scholar cards, mostly because I couldn’t decide whether to use the logo, or the cute little icon with the scholar’s tasseled cap, and so I went with both. That was a splurge, though.

Or, maybe this would be a good use for listing those services? Have the name and title on the front, but a list of services on the back? Then they’re there for a prospect to see (which would be handy if they need a reminder of who you are), but it’s not vital information being lost once the card is in a business card holder?

Good card stock, though, is a must. I’ve been printing business cards for my magazine fulfillment company for years, and have yet to find a good business card stock that goes through the printers. Usually, any business card stock you can pick up at your local office supply store is going to be flimsy in the hand, and if you can at all afford it, you’re better off having them professionally printed on decent-weight stock. You can go with your own design or use one of theirs, but just like with photos, unless you have great equipment and supplies, my feeling is that the quality will be better if it’s outsourced.)

(For the record, I was really pleased with my Knitting Scholar cards, and got them from Prints Made Easy. I can’t say for sure that they had the best pricing available since I didn’t shop around too much, but they were fast and I’m pleased with the quality of the cards.)

What else should a good business card have? Did I miss anything?

(And, while I’m asking for opinions on everything else–what do you think of that sample card of mine at the top? Good? Missing something? Other than the phone number, obviously! Or, should I put “Punctuality Rules!” on there, as my “business” name, even though I’m not sure I want it to be my “business” name?)

Okay, who remembers hearing their seventh grade English teacher blathering on (and on) about sentence subjects and predicates?

Anyone?

Hmm. Only mine, then? Then, in honor of Mrs. Babyock, allow me to remind you:

• The Subject of a sentence is the person, place, or thing that the sentence is talking about.

• The Predicate of the sentence is the action being done by, to, or about the subject.

Every sentence has to have both of these elements in order to be a sentence.

I suppose some examples would be handy about now, huh?

• I knit.
• My dog ate.
• My sister drove.
• My parents smiled.

Short and sweet, but we are talking basics, here.

In each of these very basic sentences, the subject is the person (or dog) being talked about. I. My dog. My parents. My sister.

The predicate is the verb demonstrating the action. Knit. Ate. Smiled. Drove.

Most sentences (I don’t know if you’ve noticed?), usually have just a little more complexity than this.

The subject, for example, might be more complex.

• My friends and I knit.
• My hungry, happy dog ate.
• My good sister drove.
• My loving parents smiled.

The predicate can also be more complex.

• I knit happily away at my new sweater.
• My dog ate his breakfast with a gusto that made me laugh.
• My sister drove for over an hour just to deliver an anniversary present.
• My parents smiled when they answered the door.

Okay, now that’s more like what I’m talking about … my new, improved Services page. Much better than the old one, I think.

Please, though, give me your opinion. What do you think?

(No, really, I want to know!)

So, I posted about some of the important elements on a good Services page.

Yet, my own Services page is still so very lame, failing in many ways.

Let’s explore that, shall we? Why is it so pathetic when I’ve already shown you that I know better?

No Specific Services.

This is the biggest flaw. I mention that I do “freelance writing and design,” but that’s such a broad statement, it could practically mean anything. Believe me, I am aware of this fatal flaw! The problem, though, is that at this precise moment–the very beginning of what I hope will be a successful writing career–I don’t KNOW what my focus will be. I know there are skills that I have that are better suited to certain types of writing than others, but maybe I’d be good at doing the “others,” anyway? At this point, how can I really be sure?

I was emailing with Gary this morning, and I used this analogy:

It’s like I’m sitting in a boat at a dock, looking at the wide, wide ocean and knowing that I’m going sailing, but not to WHERE. Up the coast to New England? Across the ocean to Old England? Africa? Around the world to New Zealand? Could be anywhere! And all I can really say at this point is that I can handle a boat–even if I can’t tell you that I’d rather be, say, steering than raising sails.

You tell me–How does a newbie freelancer determine what her writing focus should be?

So, as I prepare to launch this freelance writing business of mine (coughstill-so-lostcough), one of the vital elements, of course, is a Services page.

You may have noticed the very lame Services page I recently added, just to have something there.

How do I know it’s lame? Because, well, have you looked at some of the good ones lately? Like James’ and Harry’s Men with Pens? Melissa Donovan’s Writing Forward? Lillie Amman’s A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye? Julie’s Blogging Roads? Joanna’s Confident Writing? Brad Shorr’s Word Sell?

Yeah. You get the idea.  These are GOOD pages.

Let’s explore some of the elements to the effective Services page, shall we?

• They actually list the available services. Yes, this one seems obvious, but it certainly bears repeating. Simply saying, “writing and design” is insufficient. Writing what? Business articles? Blog posts? Legal briefs? Greeting Cards? Press releases? Letters for Mom? Designing what? A logo? The color scheme for a website? An entire website?
• But don’t go overboard. You might actually have done all of these things at some point or another. (I certainly do hope you’ve written to your Mom at least occasionally.) That doesn’t mean that you’re wanting to focus on all of them. If you’re pitching to business markets, they’re probably not going to be interested by the novel you’ve got on your harddrive, or that you’ve spent 20 years writing limericks for your local card shop. Focus on the services that highlight the direction in which you want to travel.
• Experience/Qualifications. How much experience do you have? Or, if you’re just starting out, how qualified are you? Why should someone want to hire you? Can you at least prove that you can do the job you’re shooting for?
• Testimonials. If at all possible, this is definitely a vital thing to have. If you have satisfied customers (and they have no objections), by all means, tell the world!
• Writing Samples. Especially if you are just starting out and don’t yet have happy clients, at least show them that you can write. Or that you can put together a good design. Or, that you actually have whatever skill you’re trying to sell.
• Contact. Is it obvious that you need to provide an easy way for prospective employers to contact you?

So, you’re asking yourself … if I already know all this, why is my own Services page so lame? Well, that’s another post…

But, in the meantime–YOU tell ME.

What else is vital on a good Service page? What should I do to mine to improve it?

Speak up, folks!