Hermit tendencies

I think most writers have a hermit side of their personality. We have to, else how would we survive all those hours in isolation during the times when we actually WRITE (instead of talking about writing or promoting our writing)?

I find (at least for me) that there's sometimes a danger of getting TOO hermit-ish, and then I force myself to take a walk outside, to see friends in person, to actually experience (*gasp) Real Life. And whenever I do, I inevitably get re-inspired and excited about my work again. I find getting regular exercise is important, too.

What about the rest of you? Is your inclination hermit-like or not? What's your inspiration when you feel like you and your work are dragging your heels?

Thanks for all the cat name ideas, by the way. Stay tuned for the official cat naming in an upcoming strip!

Blogging

For those interested, Wow! Women On Writing interviewed me for their April issue. Also, I was invited to be a guest blogger at DesignSessions: Notes On Design; my posts: Digital Illustration, Online cartooning,
Flickr and Illustrators, and Protecting Your Online Images.



Blogging isn't for everyone, but I've certainly found that it's helped me in my writing and illustrating; many of my paying assignments during the past couple of years have come about because of my blogs. I've made writer friends and also have done some useful business networking through the blogosphere as well as learning more about the craft and business of writing through certain blogs.



My blog-reading habits have changed. I used to mainly read personal blogs, but now I find that there are just so many. My creative work time is precious to me, so although I do keep track of my favourite personal blogs through a feed reader, I focus on blogs which are work-related as well as blogs that inspire me, either personally or my craft.



A while back I posted an entry called Why I Blog.

This week's survey: Why do YOU read blogs?

BABAB

Mimi's Poem

Mimi's Form Letter

Useful tax resources for writers

(Cross-posted to Inkygirl: Daily Diversions For Writers)

It's nearly that time of year again, oh joy...

Here's my annual updated list of useful tax resources for freelance writers. Sadly (for me, anyway, since I live in Canada), most of the info is specific to the U.S., but I did manage to find some info specific to Canada and other countries, listed below in the "international tax info" section partway down this list.

I was unable to find ANY tax-related resources of use to writers outside of North America. Suggestions welcome! Please post anything I've missed in the comments section at the bottom of this page, thanks.

Tax Time Tips For Freelancers by Noah Davis. Published yesterday in Mediabistro.com.

Handling Writing Income and Expenses by Moira Allen. Excellent guide on record-keeping and tax preparation for writers.

Tips For Freelance Writers: Filing Taxes by Katharine Swan. Posted last year, so the info is likely up-to-date than many other articles I found.

June Walker's tax-related articles and tips for the self-employed: Addresses topics like business expenses, office-in-the-home expenses, and travel expenses.

Tax Deductions For Freelance Writers by Amy Derby. A brief outline of legitimate business expenses.

Freelance Tax FAQ from "Anti 9 to 6 Guide: Practical career advice for women who think outside the cube." Post is dated Oct. 27, 2006 and answers questions like "I work from home as a freelancer. Can I deduct a portion of my rent?" "Can I deduct my computer and printer?" "Can I deduct my Internet service if I use it for work?" "Do reimbursements for expenses incurred on my client projects count as taxable income?" "Is 30 percent of my income a fair estimate of what I can expect to pay in taxes?" "Do you think there is anything else I should know about paying taxes as a freelancer?"

Tax Tips For Freelance Writers by Julian Block. Six tax-related articles from Freelance Factor.

Writer's Pocket Tax Guide: by Darlene A. Cypser, Esq. Updated for 2007. $10.

Authors and the Internal Revenue Code by Linda Lewis. Lewis litigates cases before the United States Tax Court, representing the Commissioner of Internal Revenue.

Taxes and the Writer by Daniel Steven. Part of the Publishlawyer.com site. "As a writer, you've chosen to be a creative person. Writing, however, is a business. Whether you're a freelancer with your first sale, or an experienced author with a multi-book contract, it is worth understanding basic tax principles and rules."

Taxes and Freelance Writers-What To Do by Jessica Mousseau. Published Nov. 28, 2006. Includes tips on record-keeping.

Taxes For Writers by Cyn Mason. Includes a fascinating section called "Rules That Apply To Authors, An Historical Perspective."

Writer's Guide To Taxes: by Linda Adams and Emory Hackman. "You've made your first writing sale. Now what? Part of the job of being a writer is reporting that income to the IRS. What do you need to know?"

Click Here! Tax Help For Writers by Therese Walsh. List of useful resources for writers.

Canadian and Overseas Taxes

Ask-an-Expert: Deductible Expenses has Canadian tax experts answer the question: "I'm a full time freelance writer, and author of 6 books. I cannot find an accountant who can tell me what can I deduct from my home office? Beside the rent and telephone what else can I deduct from my taxes?"

Canadian tax: business expenses is a list of legitimate business expenses, listed on the Canada Revenue Agency's site.

Help! What Taxes Must I Pay?: Canadian focus. General tax-paying guide.


Income Tax Guide for Writers (2002) $9.00
"A useful tax guide for those in the business of writing, including details about the GST as it pertains to writers' income." See The Writers' Union of Canada's list of publications.

Taxes for the Writer Abroad by Nancy Arrowsmith. Part of Writing-World.com. Tips on how to avoid double taxation and how to avoid paying taxes in Europe.


And here are some related resources:

General tax info for the self-employed

Best Advice On How To Avoid An IRS Audit by Jack Oceano. "Home-office deductions are one example of a red flag."

Taxes and Freelancing by William Perez.

Mixing Personal and Business Expenses In A Freelance Business by William Perez.

Somewhat outdated but still has useful info

Tax Tips For Writers by Daniel Steven.

A Little Tax Advice For Writers by Mary Anne Mohanraj.

Tax Tips For Writers by Teresa V.M. Stone. A PDF file from the Winter-Spring 2001 issue of the Windy City Romance Writers newsletters.

Eliza and her tax accountant

Tasha's Advice

Why I Blog

(Cross-posted to Inkygirl and Blatherings recently; sorry, things got very busy this week.)

I was tagged by Katharine Swan in a meme that's been going around writers' blogs where the challenge is to answer "Five Reasons Why I Blog." I don't tend to do memes, but I feel compelled to answer this one because the topic (why people blog) has always fascinated me, especially since my friend Erin posted this entry.

So here's my answer:

1. Originally, I started my Blatherings for friends and family, especially to keep in touch with friends I don't tend to see too often because of geography. While this is still partly a reason I blog, it's no longer the main reason.



2. I blog because I'll forget things otherwise. There are times when I forget the name of a place or person I encountered years ago, and can look the info up in my archives. It's also fun for me to go through old posts about events I've enjoyed, sort of like flipping through an old photo album or scrapbook.

3. I blog because it improves my writing. Forcing oneself to write about something almost every day is a good exercise, I find. It has especially helped me in my nonfiction writing, and has also been good for self-discipline. I haven't had anything resembling writer's block in quite a few years.

4. I blog because it helps me get more work. While this wasn't a factor in the beginning and still is not the main reason I blog, I likely wouldn't be blogging as often as I do if it didn't have this added benefit. I've gotten both writing and illustration assignments because of Blatherings, Will Write For Chocolate, and Inkygirl.



I also make enough through Google Adsense to pay for my Publisher's Weekly subscription as well as memberships in various writers' organizations, and help cover my office expenses. I know the whole "blogging for money" is a thorny issue. Blatherings doesn't get as much traffic as Inkygirl, tho I do have ads in the lefthand column -- I figure every little bit helps. I don't let this influence what I write about.

For Inkygirl, I do blog in hopes of generating some Google Adsense income as well as the networking aspect (I've already met so many interesting writers as a result of starting that blog). I also use Inkygirl to challenge my comic creativity, coming up with several new comics a week. In a way, it's sort of my equivalent of Blatherings, but for my comics. Eventually I hope to publish a print collection of some of my comics, and it will help if I can tell potential publishers that I already have an established readership.

But back to the whole "blogging for money" controversy -- what's so evil and wrong about wanting to earn some income from my writing? I'm a WRITER, for pete's sake, and a freelancer at that. I write for enjoyment, and I write for money. If the two happen to overlap sometimes, then that just makes me happy.




5. And after ranting about how it's ok to blog for money, I have to confess -- even if blogging wasn't helping me in my work life, I'd still be blogging.

Blogging's fun. It's exciting to know that anyone can be reading what I write (and I'm careful in what I write about to make sure it's exciting and not terrifying). I love sitting down at the computer with a blank text screen in front of me and figuring out what I should write about that day. I love interacting with people who read my blogs, especially hearing about how something on my blogs has helped them personally or professionally. Those types of comments or e-mails always make my day.

I blog because I can't NOT blog.

I'm not going to tag anyone specifically -- feel free to post about this in your own blog if you'd like, and post the URL below.

Tasha Meets Michael