By Sarah Merritt Ryan, www.SarahMerrittRyan.com Image by: soufianlafnesh via Pexels Whenever I tell people how I got started as a professional writer, I let them know about Triangle Association of Freelancers (TAF). I talk about what an encouraging group this is, where everyone wants everyone else to succeed, where all types of writers are welcome, and all skill levels of writers are supported and encouraged. Joining TAF has led to a whole new career path for me. My Success [...]
By Arlene Bice, arlenebice.com Image by: esranurkalay via Pexels It was the writers' oft-mentioned fourth-grade assignment of detailing my family history that first set my heart on fire to be a writer. Back in the ‘50s, I loved the writing portion of all my school assignments. In high school, my work earned an invitation to work on the school newspaper, but an early marriage dashed any idea of being a writer. Eventually, I became a stay-at-home mom of four, struggling to make ends [...]
By Maya Spikes It’s time to look back on 2025. Can you believe how quickly we’re moving through this decade? Here are just some of the special moments that made 2025 a memorable year for TAF and its members: In keeping with our desire to provide interesting and informative resources for writers, we continued publishing monthly posts on our TAF Blog. These essays and articles, written by members, cover many aspects of writing and publishing. This year, we had another eclectic [...]
By Sherry Comstock, www.sherrycomstock.com Image by: pexels-olga-volkovitskaia Part One Dinner is over, the dishwasher is loaded and dusk is falling. I sit in my armchair reading. My phone rings and I answer, even though I don’t recognize the number. I usually let these calls go to voicemail. But I didn’t tonight. A woman asks to speak to me and hesitates as I ask who’s calling. I get ready to do my usual “No, thank you” speech I reserve for telemarketers. Quickly, the [...]
By Elisa Lorello, http://www.elisalorello.com/ Image by Pexels-content-pixie In 2007-2008, blogging was the thing. If you were an aspiring author, a more established author, editor, or publisher would advise you to “Start a blog so you can get your work out there and build a following before you publish your book.” Professionals, literary agents, consultants, etc., also used blogs as a means of attracting clients, speaking engagements, and even book contracts. Five years later, [...]
By Karine Armen, http://photokarine.blogspot.com/p/authors-page.html Image by: pexels.cafepolverini Are you more productive in the morning or the evening? Can you write at a cafe, or do you need a quiet work area? By analyzing our personal working habits, we may be able to get more done. Two years ago, I retired from teaching elementary school in Glendale, California. I traveled to many countries and started writing for a weekly newspaper covering art and cultural events. [...]
By Mike Rumble, www.rumblesrumblings.wordpress.com I sat in a business seminar one time, and heard it said that “An organization is only as good as its leadership.” When it comes to TAF, we are very blessed to have Don Vaughan as our founder and the driving force behind the organization. I swear that if you look up “freelancer” in the dictionary, Don’s picture will be next to it. The highlight of 2023 was that it was TAF’s 20th anniversary. One of the upcoming highlights [...]
Backstage joking before going on stage as Gooper in “Cat In A Hot Tin Roof” at Neuse Little Theatre in Smithfield By Mike Rumble, www.rumblesrumblings.wordpress.com There are two things I never thought I would do in my life: become a writer, and become a stage actor. Back when I was in high school, the world of business was where you wanted to aspire to, so I headed off to college to major in computer science with the dream of becoming the youngest Canadian-born president of IBM.[...]
Photo by Fizkes on Shutterstock By Drew Becker, www.RealizationPress.com After an initial examination, I sat in the medical office waiting to see the doctor for a consultation on my cataract surgery. My wife didn’t have her phone, so she was playing Wordle on mine. Another older gentleman joined us in the waiting area, taking a seat across from me. He wore a burgundy golf shirt, carried a four-wheel black walker, and sported a baseball cap with a PP logo. The two Ps intertwined, the[...]
![Writing While Dyslexic, and "e;Oh, Look, a Squirrel!"e;](https://tafnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/squirrel-eating-nuts-200x200.jpg?quality=100.3022033014090 "Writing While Dyslexic, and "e;Oh, Look, a Squirrel!"e;")
Photo by Caleb Martin By Chanah Wizenberg I’m a writer with dyslexia and ADD/ADHD (the “H” is intermittent, depending on the mood of my doctor). What motivated me to write this post was an emotional response I had to a discussion in our TAF Google group on this topic a few months ago: “What’s the grammar/style/editing beach you’re willing to die on?” More specifically, the answers to that question, which were turned into a post on this site titled Quirks that Irk. It [...]