October 6, 2009
Ryan has settled into a new room - in a single-family house in Hampden, in northern Baltimore - and is currently working on a few direct response packages, including a front end for Angel Publishing. Of course, Ryan continues to write editorial content as well, for both Investment U and the Taipan Publishing Group. Busy as Ryan is, only the best projects are making it onto his rader these days.
August 11, 2009
Life's moving quickly. I finally am starting to feel the patterns to it. When that half-sleep writing mind starts its thing, I can get up and record it. When that assignment just needs doing, I can poke the writing mind and get something worthwhile. And when a contest beckons, I can focus, suddenly.
I'm becoming a fuller version of me. May this continue into infinity.
In the meantime, here's a new trip report I wrote for Trazzler. It lays it on a bit thick... but only had 160 words, you know? They all gotta count. I wrote it on the off chance that I'll win a trip to New York and a nice contract to write about said trip. If you aren't part of the Trazzler network, they're worth a look - plenty of users, writing plenty of entries, many for wherever your hometown may be. I guarantee there'll be a new idea you didn't know about in there. And if you are a member - hopefully my trip report will make it onto your wishlist. That matters, apparently.
Now, I'm in some slight gastro-intestinal pain. Went to Cluck U Chicken yesterday, and had the waiver-worthy 911 wings. I've a picture of me eating them, and I look like a frog that just ate a firecracker. They were hot. The pain was reduced some at TropiKool, a pool-smelling ice cream shop where the girl said she wasn't good at cones, then gave an impressive demonstration of that exact lack of skill. As they say, it's Toadally awesome. And why toads, I have no idea.
July 14, 2009
A tree fell in the woods the other day. Actually, it was quite near the house - made quite a bit of noise when it happened. And it happened in the middle of a beautiful day - no wind, no storms, it just fell. Lessons live in this.
I've been writing regularly - more than usual, at this point. That seems likely to continue - I'm now contributing to a business blog thrice a week. Becoming a regular small-fry columnist. Other work continues apace. There will be more to say, soon - there always is.
June 30, 2009
Back in Baltimore, Ryan is housesitting out at an old country estate. Actually, back in the day, this house was the servant's quarters and barn (worry not - all the effluent is gone, replaced by L-couches and large TVs). The master's manor is up the way a bit. Given the size of the place, hard to believe this was just where the servant's stayed.
Actually, there's another house up the ways which was also servant's quarters. Given the size of this estate (some of it is now a school, with large grounds - the rest are three huge houses with huge acreage), and the locale, my guess is one spot was for the slaves. Maybe this one, likely the other (it's farther from the estate). My relatives claim they've got some ghosts in here, so if I disappear mysteriously over the next few weeks, skip the police, go straight to the shamans.
History aside, this is a tremendous place to get work done. The house is much too large for one person, but there's nothing but birds and trees around, strawberries patches are ripening, I can take long walks without leaving the property, and no one - ever - just drops in.
So, expect a plethora of news in the near future. Without distractions, I should power through my work-writing, and have enough time for real-writing as well. Should be interesting.
June 4, 2009
Ryan's been a busy boy. At the moment, he's visiting his sister in Boston. Before that, he dogsat a puggle puppy in Brooklyn for 10 days. And prior to that engagement, he spent a week with family in Hawaii. It's enough to make you wonder if he works at all.
But no, wonder not. This is, after all, exactly why he's turned down two salaried gigs to continue freelancing. All he needs is a laptop, some wifi, and occasionally, a little juice. He can be anywhere, or everywhere, and still get his work done.
And that's just what he's been doing.
It's coming to an end... or a lull. There will be around two weeks of quiet in Baltimore in the near future. After that, Ryan is likely attending a dating and seduction training seminar, in preparation for another freelancing gig, full of email campaigns and landing pages. Then, off to central PA for a Hindu wedding. After that, he's thinking he might need a REAL journey. Perhaps somewhere international. Time to press that Nicaragua connection, and really get the travel writing kicking back into high gear.
In the meantime... enjoy the site. I've (whoops! I mean Ryan's) just gone through and applied consistent formatting, perhaps for the first time - the kind of thing that feels wonderful to do, which no one will notice. But it's done. A section or two have been updated, on top of new links to new works. And keep an eye out for a new photo section, coming soon.
March 30, 2009
With difficult times, come many layoffs. With many layoffs, come more projects than staff can handle. With an overworked staff, come freelance projects.
Ryan has gotten busy recently, with a number of freelance projects now in his lap. More on that to come - for now, though, Ryan's busy working on said projects. Enjoy it while you can, freelancers.
And editors, business-owner types - the plate is nearing heartiness, but space remains.
January 25, 2009
Not much work out there, so Ryan has started a blog all about being a freelancer in this, the Next Great Depression. Check it out.
January 12, 2009
It finally happened. The economic crisis trickled down to Ryan. Working for an investment newsletter - a particularly hoary industry at the moment - the layoff came as no great surprise. There had already been a previous round that took out 15%-20% of the workforce, so only a fool wouldn't have his senses attuned to the possibility. Thus, even five states away from HQ, Ryan could smell this coming. Just about nothing investment-related is selling out there. Ryan's direct supervisor apologized profusely during the phone dismissal. It came slightly earlier than expected, but otherwise, Ryan was ready.
Now comes the time of searching, of willing futures into being, of shaping events and choosing between forks in the road. If you would like some input into Ryan's choices, you can always speak with him here.
October 10, 2008
It's scary out there. Ryan, working for a financial newsletter that specializes in investment advice, is painfully aware that his audience may be drying up as he types. The higher-ups aren't sure what will happen, but the majority of copywriters that I'm speaking with are very worried. No one wants to invest right now - and the few that realize this is actually a great time to get into the market, don't have the money.
That's a very big problem. Credit is gone... folks are going to be paying off debts and saving up... Ryan feels fine recommending jumping in to the markets, because this is a historical chance. We might not have found the bottom yet - but we will soon, and companies will likely never be as cheap again in Ryan's lifetime.
But he, like his audience, doesn't have the liquidity to invest right now. It's worrying. Consequently, Ryan is eager to expand his writing palette yet again, with freelance projects more than welcome.
August 21, 2008
Ryan is in Vermont. Permanently? Doubtful. A year? Possibly.
In the sparsely populated Green Mountain state, Ryan's studying his copywriting heart out under the tutelage of Paul Hollingshead, one of the best in the biz. Will Ryan always be a copywriter? Possibly. Does that mean he will give up other forms of writing? Doubtful.
All that matters to him now is the mastering of skill - through mentors, experimentation, insight and luck. Copywriting is the obvious skill to master... but there are plenty of others that can develop. It's quiet in Vermont. The days last long. Much can happen.
And is it does, perhaps Ryan will see fit to update this page more often. What is this page, anyway? A neglected blog? A freelance homepage? Some odd thing undefined because Ryan just hasn't put in enough time? That third one sounds right...
See here for some photos from Vermont - nothing too special, just documenting for the moment, so friends and acquaintances get a glimpse of the vistas vibrating Ryan's way...
May 22nd, 2007
Shocking. Surprising. The best twist since 'Sixth Sense.'
That's just some of the reaction Ryan's friends - who know him as the Wild Crazy Explorer of All - had when they learned he's acquired a 'regular' job. The foreseeable future has Ryan based in Baltimore (where he just bought a new Sentra), typing away as a financial copywriter for The Oxford Club, a division of Agora Publishing. Now he spends his (week)days learning all about the business world, then transferring his newfound knowledge into slick beautiful wondrous copy.
Of course, Ryan isn't resting on his regular paycheck - o no. You'll see his most recent travel writing at International Living (another division of Agora, although the piece was sold before Ryan was hired).
Meanwhile, Ryan's web chops are coming along nicely. Since completing Delegate Dan Morhaim's website, he's started working on both the copy and design for Chargeback Experts.
For now, Ryan is happy to learn, improve, write the occasional freelance piece while chewing on new techniques and subjects. In a year or two you may see an explosion of activity, but for the moment Ryan is more than content in his Journeyman stage.
March 29, 2006
Life is frantic and then you rest. Ryan has been busy moving to Chiang Mai, Thailand, but he has finally settled in one spot, with a beautiful view of Doi Suthep and a semi-reliable internet connection.
He has also been kept quite busy writing. On the travel side, he has written a number of city guides for a new website, Vcarious. His work has also recently appeared at GoNomad, and a few other scattered sites.
His political writing is still most prolific at evote, although he has appeared at other sites as well.
In addition, much of Ryan's time is currently being devoted to his ghost writing efforts. He works for a dating and seduction site - basically, a self-help guide for men who want to have more success in their romantic life. He is producing newsletters, and just finished a very new revision of a book for the company.
Finally, Ryan's budding career in photography continues to make progress.
Enjoy your time looking around Ryan's site as it approaches an on-going completion.