Meet Y!CN Contributor Lisa Mason

Do you consider yourself a full time and professional writer?

Yes

What is your definition of full time and what makes a writer a professional?

I consider "full time" being that I work 40+ hours on an average week and I fully support my family with my writing income and have no other income sources.

The term "professional" is relative. I consider myself professional because this has been my profession for more than a decade. It is not just a job or hobby. Some people define professional differently.

Was becoming a a full time and professional writer for you a gradual process or were you able to make it happen fairly quickly?

I went to full time fairly quickly and at a young age. I was 16 when I started writing.

I had some articles and written for newspapers prior to that but that was part-time.

Do you recall how old you were when you received your first wage as a writer?

9 - It was for a poem published in a magazine.

Wow!

What type of writing would you describe as your specialties?

articles and copywriting mainly

How does writing poetry fit into your professional writing trade?

Not sure I understand the question. What do you mean?

Do you still write poetry? If so, do you it as part of your profession or more along the lines of a hobby?

I do but not for my profession. I have 3 books on poetry published- two anthologies and a how to with a 3rd anthology coming out later this year. But I do not typically write poetry for clients. I write non-fiction professionally.

Are those books published as ebooks?

They are print. But I have an ebook sale going on this month actually. It's limited-time only and they will be print-only again.

Briefly, what do see as the pros and cons of publishing books both in print and as ebooks?

Really, it depends on the type of book, your reader and your purpose of the book.

eBooks are more popular today if you publish on a platform that is readily available to readers with digital devices. Few people download them directly to their PCs anymore. Still, many prefer the feel of a book in their hands and a print book can help establish you as an expert in your field and get you into more marketplaces than e-publishing alone.

When would you recommend publishing in print? When would you recommend publishing as an ebook?

Publishing is not really my specialty. I don't know that I am qualified to give advice on that really. Personally, I never publish ebooks. I always seek a publisher for my work. There are benefits to both, I guess, but this is not really my area.

Is content writing for the internet your bread and butter?

More people know of me by my online content but I make most of my money from private clients and corporate writing projects.

What are the keys to getting clients and corporate writing projects?

Well, you need to have the skills and the experience. Then you just need to market yourself to the clients.

Is it fair to say that you usually are quite willing to help people develop their skills and experience?

I am willing to help people, yes. That is why I have published several books (with a new one coming this month) on writing and I run a free site dedicated to writing tips. However, people need to have a clear focus of just what it is they want/need help with. Too many people come to me and say "help me make money like you". Well, you're not me so you need to learn how you can make money doing what you are naturally good at and experienced in. It's different for everyone.

Your site: mywritingtips.com is awesome. It truly speaks volumes of your generosity that you offer it for free. Why did you decide to make it freely available?

Thank you. Mainly because I would get so many questions asked via email, social networking, PMs on sites I write for, etc that I started turning the answers into articles and decided to start a site for them to be all in one location.

Now if someone asks a question I have answered before, I can just send them the link.

Most of the content there comes from reader questions.

I read that you enjoy coaching. Have you ever coached a writer to reach a level of success in terms of producing quality work for a decent wage?

I am a youth sports coach. That may be what you are referring to. However, I do offer a writer mentor program where I help one person per year get established.

I'm not a school nor am I licensed to teach. It's just a peer mentor program.

But it has been successful so far with the 2 people I have worked with.

How does one qualify for writer mentor program?

The first one was by accident, really. She was a lady I met and worked with and we decided to continue for a year until she felt comfortable moving forward. I am still available for her as a friend when she has questions but she is doing well.

I've not made a big deal over my program in the past but this year I will probably open it up to applications on my site and choose from those applicants who to work with this upcoming year.

I will try to pick someone serious about the profession, willing to work hard and who already has some level of skill/experience to build upon.

That is great!

Do you remember how you came to start publishing the original Associated Content, The Peoples Media.

I saw an ad for it online in 2006 and at the time, I was trying all the different content sites (not as many existed back then) to see which ones were worth the time and effort.

I had previously earned a lot with a site called Themestream that went under. So I was looking for something new.

Do you consider the Y!CN a legitimate and reputable place to publish content online?

Definitely.

You are Community Guide on the Y!CN? Do you enjoy that experience and does it require a lot of your time?

Yes and I do enjoy it. It was something that I was doing anyway as far as greeting new members and helping Contributors. It does not really require a lot of time; only time that I would spend doing the same anyway. They are rolling out a new CG program that plans to focus on using each of our specialties to further help the community. For example, certain CGs might be given certain roles based on their expertise. But it is all still theoretical at this time. The idea is to be as efficient and helpful to the community as possible.

Recently, you seemed to be working towards the end of making the Y!CN forum a more friendly atmosphere. I feel that the forum has become less toxic and more appropriate, functional and pleasant. I know you didn't go it alone, but I applaud your efforts.

Thank you. I certainly don't aim to take any credit for that but I feel, just like with any community, that it is the inhabitants that create the atmosphere. Positive attitude usually brings positive results. I believe that applies to everything in life, not just forum usage.

Do you think the Y!CN offers a writer the opportunity to make a decent living?

I don't think it's the norm as far as "decent living" goes. Few people would earn enough to totally support a comfortable lifestyle unless they were working themselves like crazy. But it is a great source of supplemental income and if you qualify for beat and Featured Contributor status, you could earn well.

I have $500 a week in beats alone and I know Contributors who have more beats than me. I don't want to over- commit to Y!CN because I have to work for my private clients.

How much of your time is devoted to being a Social Media Consultant?

Are you referring to my services? I'm not clear on what you mean.

Both as a part of your services and that which you do out of kindness.

It depends on how much a client pays me for. My rates are $40/hour for consulting and I have regular clients that I provide social media marketing services to at package rates.

Some months I get new clients for those services and some are continual. I offer social media advice in the form of free articles and blog postings and I have no problem chatting with friends on Facebook or forums about it. That is different from the consulting services I provide.

How important do you think it is to participate and be active in social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter?

Important to earning money or just important in general? I don't think one "needs" social media at all but it can certainly help. It also provides socialization that many who work at home do not get. I use social media to market my services as a writer as well.

I meant in the context of being a writer and marketing those services. I believe you have 30,000+ followers on Twitter and use no automation services to manage your account.. How much time does it take to use Twitter functionally and can you quantify the benefit in any terms?

Twitter has been a great tool for driving traffic to my services as a writer. I have also had referrals and other connections made through Twitter so it is very much worth the time invested. I use Hootsuite and RSS feeds and automate some of it, but the real key to Twitter is being there and communicating with people. I don't spend more than an hour or so a day using Twitter, sometimes less than that.

From your writing is clear that you care a great deal about your family. You also seem to work hard. How do you find that balance between work and family life?

It's important to always make the time for the things that are important. It's easy to get wrapped up in work but I make a point to schedule time with my family and then stick to it just like it is a work deadline. We have "family day" once a week and I take dates with the children individually to spend time alone with each one of them and with my husband as well. I always remember that the point of freelancing is so that I can spend time with them when I want. If I'm not doing that, then I'm missing the entire purpose.

I understand that you coach some of your children's athletic teams. What are the keys that make for a great coach?

Patience. It's not about winning or your ego or even about the parents. In youth sports, it's all about the kids. The most important thing is making every day you are together a positive experience for every child on the team.

If there are a couple pieces of work on the Y!CN that you could ask someone to read what would they be?

That would depend on who was asking me. I write on many different topics so I would probably try to pick pieces that were most relevant to whoever was asking me.

If you could link an article right here, which one would you select?

Probably just one of my most recent or my featured content. or a sports piece This one blends journaling and golf: sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/news I think it's a fun idea you can apply to any sport but especially one that relies on your mental game as much as golf.

How would you describe your experience of being a Featured Contributor for Technology and Lifestyle on the Y!CN!

I am satisfied with the experience. I appreciate the assignments that I get from it and enjoy writing on topics that I selected myself as my favorites.

You are a Graduate of Long Ridge Writers Group. What exactly is this group?

It is a school program that teaches authors how to break into print, in the niche of their choosing. My course of study was magazine article writing. I recieved my diploma in 2003

Is there anything else you would like to add to this interview?

No, not specifically. I always appreciate the opportunity to speak with others about what I do. I'm open to questions at any time and I appreciate you giving me your time as well.

Please visit Lisa Mason at:

Lisa Mason