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Realizations
by Lizzie R. Santos

Years of freelancing taught me valuable lessons that they don't teach in classrooms. These lessons were more of REALIZATIONS. I'd like to share them with you.

• This publishing/writing world is such a small world. Be careful of the things you write but be more careful of the things you say!

• "Message sent" does not always mean that your e-mail was indeed sent.

• Don't rely on your memory alone when you interview people. Neither should you rely on your interviewee's memory! Some people can't recall that they said what they said!

• A deal is closed only when you get published and paid; not when you get promised!

• You can bleed a topic dry but you can't do the same to publishers - so don't even try!

• Next to your memory, your computer's memory is worth keeping healthy.

• Cats make good alarm clocks but they do not make good encoders.

• If you put together all the time you've wasted thinking, "I have nothing to write about," you can write about anything!

• The pen is mightier than the sword. But it has to have ink.

• Your computer is as demanding as your editor. It is as dangerous to neglect either of them.

• Just like dots, commas and dashes, space is important. Only a space differentiates "The pen is mightier than the sword" from "The pen*s mightier than the sword..."

• You can write better with coffee - when you run out of ink.

• The very things that distract a writer can provide him with countless topics to write about.

• There's no such thing as writer's block - only writer's mood swings.

• Rejection slips are inspirations in disguise.

• There is a storyteller in every person. The difference is, writers put their stories in writing.

• Sometimes, the best way to start a story is by ending it.

• You'll know you're a good writer when the editors call you even if you don't call them for writing assignments.

• Style is when you break writing rules and get away with it - and get recognized for it!

• Writing can be taught but having a sense of (writing) style is inborn.

• Be thankful for your deadlines. A deadline is an income waiting to be materialized.

• Often, the oddest ideas become the greatest concepts. Don't disregard those nutty thoughts!

Copyright © 2003 Lizzie R. Santos

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