MS Maze

Writing around the web this week:

Sometimes the positive attitude patrol functions as a guilt trip in disguise. Are they really promoting a positive attitude in the best interest of someone else… or is it a lopsided attempt to protect themselves from having to deal with someone else’s disease or disability? Keep up the positive attitude because I can’t deal with your problems. Do people with health concerns have a responsibility to people around them… to protect them from dealing with the uncomfortable? When Positive Attitude Goes Negative.

In the interest of promoting patient-centered, compassionate medicine, I wrote a post last week soliciting commentary from patients about their doctors. This week, I ask Are you guilty of making these 5 mistakes with your doctor? It is a two-way street.

I write about health care reform and it is a frequent topic of conversation in my life. This would be a great place to insert the usual point/counter-point arguments, but this isn’t about politics; it’s personal. Why I take health care reform personally — and you should too. And, please, Don’t Fall for this H1N1 Scam!

I just finished reading Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol. It was a wild wide full of twists and turns and a thoroughly enjoyable read, if you like a page-turner. Goes good with popcorn.

It was quite a week in my writing life. Lots of quiet introspection. On its surface, freelancing is flexible and rewarding, but underneath the pretty facade, it means staying on top of things all the time and never resting on your laurels — a constant quest for the next project.

My email inbox is often overflowing with questions about how I’ve come to do what I do. That’s a tough one. It’s inch by inch, baby, and we each have to cut our own path in the woods. Starting out is easy — lots of new writers and bloggers crop up every day, especially in a down economy. Understanding that you must not only write, but sell, promote, and market yourself is crucial. If you’re looking for instant recognition and high-paying assignments to pour in, you will soon be disheartened.

The best advice I can give is to write because you know yourself to be a writer. If you want to be a freelance writer, you’ve got to BE a freelance writer. That takes lots of time and energy. If you accept an ongoing freelance assignment, you must accept the reality of deadlines and working with editors and possibly with a whole team. If you’re not up to that, don’t take the job.

Basically, I got my butt kicked this week. Not having worked on my book in quite some time, I am now at the mercy of my eldest son, who has promised to continue the butt-kicking until I get serious about it. That’s what happens when you have no editor and no deadline looming…

Read more:
Care2 Healthy & Green Living with MS
Care2 Reform Health Policy

Connect:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter

WebCamp One, LLC: Full-service website design, management, and development company with clients throughout the USA and Canada. Expert in standards compliant website design. From website management to freelance writing, we’ve got the web covered. Visit WebCamp One on Facebook.

Visit: AnnPietrangelo.com Contact: writer@webcampone.com