by Sue Horner | Feb 5, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
At one point, word clouds were everywhere: illustrating a newspaper article, highlighting a book’s content, offering a glimpse into a web site. And for good reason. They are great visual signals for what’s inside. I made the one shown here with a fun toy...
by Sue Horner | Jan 26, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
I’m having lunch later this week with an acquaintance who is considering launching her own business and wants to “pick my brain.” While I don’t claim to know it all, I’ve had my own business for about 18 years, so I must be doing some things right! I’m happy to share...
by Sue Horner | Jan 8, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
If all your money was invested in the stock market, you’d be feeling pretty nervous when prices start dropping. That’s why financial advisors suggest you diversify — mix it up between stocks, bonds, guaranteed investment certificates and other products with...
by Sue Horner | Dec 29, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
I can’t resist sharing Bill Dyszel’s “freelance national anthem,” about the joys of being a freelance writer. Appropriately enough, it’s sung to Ode to Joy (written by German poet Friedrich Schiller but best known in its musical setting...
by Sue Horner | Nov 24, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
While Jake and I were out walking the other day, a bird crapped on my head. I’ve heard it’s good luck and maybe that’s true. In my mail that day was payment of an invoice that had been outstanding for months. In my e-mail, promise of more money....
by Sue Horner | Oct 14, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Here’s a secret about a lot of writers, or maybe just humans. We have fragile egos. We crave positive feedback, and when we don’t get much (or any), we’re often struck by a feeling of “I’m not as good as [fill in name of admired author...
by Sue Horner | Oct 7, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
An appealing recent entry from WordSpy (a web site devoted to “lexpionage,” the sleuthing of new words and phrases) is “stay-at-work mom.” The term refers to a mother who returns to work soon after giving birth. I think it equally applies to...
by Sue Horner | Sep 23, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
I scared myself last week by turning down two jobs. Two! Before you wonder how well my brain is functioning, let me tell you why I turned away work, and why you should seriously consider doing the same when you have the option. Both jobs had unreasonable deadlines; I...
by Sue Horner | Sep 17, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Don’t you almost hate to watch the news, open a newspaper or check your stocks these days? The bad news is unrelenting. Formerly solid companies going bust. Layoffs. Gasoline prices through the roof. Catastrophic weather. It’s definitely an uncertain world we live in....
by Sue Horner | Aug 31, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Being a solo communicator can be lonely. Les Potter, ABC, communications guru and visiting instructor at Towson University, once blogged about the loneliness of the solo communicator and the importance of regular social interaction with fellow professionals. He quoted...
