by Sue Horner | Aug 31, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Updated July 13, 2018 You have to be disciplined to be productive when working from your home, and usually I am. I’m at my desk at 9 a.m. After a quick check for e-mail, I keep the sound off to avoid hearing the siren song that more has arrived. A to-do list has...
by Sue Horner | Jul 28, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
If you write for a company, its lawyers may have LOTS to say about what you can and cannot say. Here are some suggestions for avoiding approval problems with lawyers: 1. Consider what’s going on. In a time when lawyers are super-super-sensitive, like a lawsuit...
by Sue Horner | Jun 17, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog, Writing samples
Debby McLachlan has strict instructions: no big purchases, because her tiny condo is already jam-packed. So we’ve arrived at the Aberfoyle Antique Market about mid-morning, coffee in hand, “just to look.” Still, there’s no question we’ll...
by Sue Horner | Feb 9, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Today is Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day, the 7th annual celebration of the freedom of home business ownership. Today’s the day to make the bathrobe your power suit, or so says Kristie Tamsevicius, whose blog offers “mom-geared work-at-home...
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 | 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 | Sep 23, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
I scared myself recently 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...
