Freelancing

There is a romance surrounding freelance work that says freelancers get to do what we want, when we want and actually have plenty of money too. If money runs low, we just call up a client, do  some work, get paid and go off and have fun in the sun again. (Rumor has it top programmers can live like this)

The truth is a little different. A lot of time is spent finding clients, negotiating a reasonable hourly rate, and once the project is done then comes the challenge of hassling accounting to actually get paid. The difficulty there is that most freelance jobs are not built into the standard operating budget so don’t get paid along with the monthly expenses. 

Surprisingly this problem persists across the board, whether you’re working with a small company or a large one. I’ve given this problem some thought as I continue to wait for payment and send out my weekly reminders that I’m still owed money. 

It comes down to value. Is the freelance work valued at the same level as that of an employee? Is a freelance contractor working without the backing of a placement firm considered a valuable addition to a project/company/event? Usually that answer is somewhere close to ‘no’.

That’s not necessarily a fair assessment. It’s not an unambiguous ’no’. It’s more complicated than that, but when you’re waiting for your money for the work you’ve done, you’re really not interested in the ambiguities of whether you’re valued -no amount of praise affects that - or where in the budget, or the changing financial picture of the client you might fit.

So after a tough - lean - few months does that mean I’m going to quit freelancing? No. There are too many adventures to still be had in freelancing. There is that freedom to work any 24 hrs. of the day I choose, and have some time and energy left to work on my novels, volunteer at my offspring’s robotics team … and I get stay home with my ailing dog. 

It also means I get to jump on opportunities I might not otherwise. I can help somebody out who’s just starting out as a writer, by offering constructive advice and developmental editing, I get to continue to work with and advise my screenwriting client as he determines the best direction to take the screenplay. And I get to keep looking for that next challenging and exciting project that will require me to learn and grow and exceed expectations. But it does mean I will continue to evaluate this way of doing business, every month.  

October Book Review

The Brethren

By: John Grisham

I found this book in the .99 cent bin at my local Goodwill store and thought it might be a fun read. I was not disappointed. It’s a heist story of a different kind. 

Imagine 3 judges stuck in a very minimum security prison in Florida. They each have done something in their lives that caused them to be stripped of their rank and position and tossed in jail. Once there they get to know each other and help their fellow inmates with appeals cases and other minor disputes over property inside. 

They don’t do this for free, no, these guys are in it for the money. They’ve lost everything on the outside and know they’ll need money if they want to have some kind of comfortable living on the outside again. The three ex-judges, known as the brethren, are a trio of scheming, conniving and shrewd operators. 

With the help of a washed up, broke lawyer on the outside, who also has a gambling and drinking problem, they set out to prey on lonely, older men, who live respectable lives, have money but are ‘in the closet’. They’ve concocted the perfect con. (It’s what’s known these days, as cat-fishing, which is a growing ‘sport?’ or hazard at social media sites and online dating sites.) 

That is, until they snare a presidential candidate. Now, it takes them a while to figure that out and when they do, they assume they’ll have it made. Except that they didn’t count on the CIA becoming involved. 

It will take all their ingenuity and shrewdness to come out of this free, alive and wealthy. 

The book is fast paced and well written. It was a quick read and taught me some more about writing. As I’m guessing you can tell, I’m reading some very varied types of books … the goal is to learn style, writing craft and to explore different ideas. It will all lead to better writing for me. 

Flow of Information

Having worked for some years now as a freelance translator of both business documentation and magazine articles from Dutch to English, I’ve observed a real drive for information from other countries to reach American shores. If we look at history we see that information - pretty much since the end of WWII - has flowed from the US to the rest of the world. The US has been the big culture exporter. While Europe was rebuilding after the war that was all right, but I think it’s time for that pendulum to swing the other way, or at least for a greater circulation of information in more than one direction. 

The US might lead the way in many things, which is just fine, but I also feel mainstream media is very limited in what it tells us from foreign sources. Granted, it would require an investment in people who know other languages and can monitor diverse and far flung news outlets, but I think the long-term benefits would outweigh any up-front costs. That benefit being a greater understanding of other cultures around the world; a less isolationist view of the world and a greater sharing of resources, knowledge and discoveries across borders. 

The same holds true for literature. So few of good foreign writing makes it the US, and then if it is poorly translated the success of a book will only be limited. 

Despite my reservations regarding Amazon, I do like the fact that one of their imprints is dedicated solely to bringing foreign books to an English speaking market. I’m eager to assist in the translation and bringing to market of Dutch books. A number of outstanding teen novels come to mind as a good starting point, but there are many, many wonderful books in the Dutch language, published in the Netherlands and Belgium that would appeal to an English speaking audience. 

The internet of course is a great source of information and Google does a decent job of translating foreign websites, though some words and expressions become something entirely different than their original, it’s not the same as having a newsmagazine or newspaper that has at least a section devoted to information, opinion and research from overseas sources. I will say though that there is a growing trend in European institutions of higher learning to conduct business/classes in English to better mesh with a global market, but that still only captures a small portion of relevant information.

I’ve talked to small overseas blogs and news magazines that would like to see a deeper dialogue, who would like to be able to start greater cross-cultural discussions, but are stymied in that ambition by lack of funds to pay a translator (some days translating reminds me of my impoverished days writing grants for small non-profits). 

People from different cultural backgrounds will have very different opinions on the same event/activity/experience. Only through sharing of knowledge, information, opinion and research can we truly gain understanding of each other. Surely someone is willing to invest in that?

September Book Review

The Eye of God

By: James Rollins

I picked up this book at the very well stocked, ad hoc bookstore at the PNWA writers conference I attended earlier this summer. Again, it was not a book I would ordinarily choose, but something about it grabbed me and I thought I’d give it a try. 

It must have been the combination of physics, history, a mystery, and an adventure that caught my eye. More than anything though I was curious to see if the author putting all these disparate elements together could still make the book readable and the story plausible. I’m pleased to report that the author succeeded and when reading the book I found myself unable to put it down. 

Some of the elements in the story are: a satellite sent up to study a passing meteor comes crashing down to earth in an inaccessible part of Mongolia, a very old book, bound in human skin, gets delivered to a researcher and priest at the Vatican, setting off a mystery. Then there are the Triads in Hong Kong who weave in and out as well. All the stories converge when Sigma Force, an elite black ops type of team, goes in search of the satellite, because it holds the key to preventing a global cataclysm. But the mystery surrounding the book is somehow tied up in that as well. 

So much happens in the book and at such a fast pace that I can hardly begin to describe it, but the history and science are very well researched and woven into the tale. I now know more about Genghis Khan than before and also about quantum physics, which, as you know, is something I’m always eager to learn more about. I also learned about biohacking which sounds fascinating, but I’m not sure I’m up for trying it.

The violence again was something I could have done without, but it made sense to the story and this author is, thankfully, not that graphic in his descriptions. He also shows remarkable respect toward women and even has a couple of his characters look for ways to ease the suffering of women and children, when they are finally free to do so. 

All in all, a richly woven narrative with strong characters and an excellent balance of fact and fiction. I’m eager to read more by this author. 

Screenplay Done

screenplay and small stack of notes

Now that the screenplay is done and the client is happy and the all-important copyright has been registered, I can finally talk about that screenplay project with you. 

It’s been a crazy ride and a steep learning curve, but I think we have something worthwhile. As if I would say anything else, of course. I put blood, sweat and tears into this project. It was hard not to get too attached to the characters and then have to change them completely. One week the lead character was a middle aged real estate millionaire, then a wealthy investment banker, next a young reporter, before finally settling as a young venture capitalist with a tech background looking to start a business in Detroit. And that was just one character!

But before I get too deeply into the screenplay story itself, let me tell you about my client and his reasons for hiring me to write this story with him. He’s an 80-year old self-made man, doesn’t look a day over 70, if that old, who made his fortune in Seattle real estate. And at times was quite ruthless about it too from what I can glean from his stories. He’s an old time gambler with hints of big games in Vegas in the old days. Most days he still plays a couple of hours of tennis and bridge whenever he can. 

But none of that is leaving him feeling fully satisfied with life at this stage. He wants to leave a legacy for his kids and grandkids. And what better way than to see your name up in lights, as the old saying goes. 

The idea for the screenplay first took root in his fertile imagination after seeing a documentary on the decline of Detroit, Detropia. As a real estate developer his first thoughts were on what he might do, if he had enough wealth, to revitalize a city teetering on the verge like that. Initially the story was fairly pedestrian in its premise, but it quickly became more than that. 

Some of his deep down motives are fueled by a desire to leave a better planet for his offspring. One where we’re no longer using up every last crumb of the planet, where we’re not continuing to make more, consume more, pile up more trash and stomp on others who have less.

A tall order!

After many outlines and drafts and revisions we settled on electric transportation as the way to save a city. Borrowing from a future we both anticipate will come where electric batteries are more robust, not lithium-ion anymore, and able to power buses, trucks and cars with ease for significantly long distances. And, while we’re at it, why not make it an international effort bringing countries closer together and dramatically reducing pollution. But don’t worry, we didn’t make it sappy, we were sure to add in tension, conflict, history, and even a bit of a love story, oh, and we’re envisioning a Motown soundtrack.

Log Line for “Rescue Me”:  Her technology fulfilled a promise to her grandfather, brought the two largest economies closer together and saved a city.

I will blog more about the screenplay and efforts to see it into production over the next few months, so stay tuned. Or contact me for more info using the comment section. 

Give Away Winners!

I had a such a lovely response to my August Give Away contest that I opted to randomly choose 3 winners to receive a digital copy of  Tales from the Fountain Pen!

And they are:

Eva
Laura
Lisan

Dear winners, enjoy the book and feel free to let me know in the comment section what you thought of it, or write a review at Goodreads.com or your favorite E-book retailer.

For the rest of August I am still taking author questions and I'll post a link here to the questions already asked and answered.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6426879.E_Lynn_Hooghiemstra

Looking forward to answering more of your questions.

August Book Review

Something more than night

by: Ian Tregellis

In the mood for something completely different I downloaded this book onto my kindle before my trip to the old country last month. I started reading it on the flight over and was sucked in from the first line. 

The premise is impossible and yet completely plausible. Someone has murdered the angel Gabriel and on top of that the Jericho trumpet is missing. Angels are trying to make a break for freedom; to escape the heavens. There is the ‘Voice of God’ and a human female set up to either take the fall or solve the crime. 

Written in the style of a classic ‘Noir’ as in Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler, it features the patois of the style in the form of a hard boiled fallen angel, Bayliss who narrates most of the book. Toss in a dame “who was going to be trouble”, a priest with a secret, stigmata nightclub dancers, and a world on the verge of collapse. 

The story takes remarkable twists and turns, tosses in all kinds of interesting heavenly characters with bad manners and unfolds toward a satisfying and surprising ending. Despite all those ‘out there’ characters there is a real poignancy in the human relationships which run through the story and befuddle the heavenly beings who turn out to be remarkably self-absorbed and uninterested in the world. 

In with the religious allegory is a healthy sprinkling of - quantum - physics and plenty of homage to the great noir writers. 

The author has done his research and has put together a great story. Not your average ‘whodoneit’ which makes for a good change. I wasn’t sure he could pull it off when I’d read the description, but he has.  Think the Maltese Falcon in heaven to get some idea of this book. 

I highly recommend it.