A Procrastinator's Paradise

Writing really does seem like the perfect profession for people who prefer procrastination. (Nice bit of alliteration there, right?) I mean there are all those writers out there, complaining that they're just not inspired enough, that they can't find their muse, it isn't the write time yet, and so on.

Sometimes they put things off just because they don't feel like it. The excuse that writers are artists and need to be in the right mood to create may work for you if you've ever been there, but to those professionals depending on your services at a fixed time, it just sounds diva-like.

Writing, like all the arts, takes commitment and dedication. To someone for whom it's always come naturally, it's hard to imagine that sometimes you actually need to work at it. For me, it's always been easier to take the approach that it comes if it comes, and otherwise, you don't have to write just then.

Unfortunately for that mindset, I decided to put my passion to practical use. Then I found out it's not quite the same as writing for pleasure. There are deadlines, expectations, requirements to fulfill. Sure, you can have your own style, but when you're writing for someone else, you end up having to work at making yourself sound the way they want you to. That's why you get paid, after all. It's not easy, but it's do-able. And the sense of achievement that comes from mastering it is worth it.

I still slip up sometimes, falling back into the old habit of thinking that I should wait until I feel it to write it, and then there's a last minute scramble to meet deadlines whether I feel like it or not.

Before choosing to write as a professional, think about whether you're willing to put in the effort it takes. Are you willing to keep trying to write even when you feel like you really can't? Will you able to not take your skill for granted and look for new ways of making it better? Can you do the research it takes?

Sometimes it's better to ease into it until you get a feel for what you can and can't do. Take a project or two, and see how that goes. If writing is something you love, decide whether it will add to, or detract from your pleasure when you're forced to write about horribly mundane things like how to clean up after pets. Try everything out, and focus on your areas of strength while working on your weaknesses. If you limit yourself, you will also be limiting your income when you go professional.

It's like someone pointed out, no talent works without exercising the muscles that it uses. Even the most famous athletes put in lots of time outside competitions - why should writers be any different?

~ No Mountain Is Too High For Us To Climb ~

So I finally found the time to unveil the force behind Writum...

The unveiling of course, happens while we mark the significant event of OFFICIALLY completing 200 projects since Writum started off in August 2007... Note the word 'officially' haha! That means we have in effect have completed nearly 235 projects so far - that have not been counted, officially.

I will not go in to detail about our STARS who shine with their own bright light. Looking at the talent on board - I would not stop writing for days if I start...

So to briefly say a Holla out to everyone...

Dinush ZEE - Our expert toastmaster on board with an engineering background plus superb writing skills...not to mention the ballroom dancing skills ;) of whom we are still trying to figure out the 'ZEE' part to the name :D

Sue (AKA Sureshni)- Our bride to-be whose dedication to work cannot be expressed in mere words. We miss having you around these days...but hope you will be back soon enough as a Mrs :) hehe

Dilrukshi - Our Miss. busy who works around the clock and who writes with such professional flair to knock all our customers out.

Jeevs (AKA Sanjeewa) - Our 'On-Stage' star who works dedicatedly while, multitasking around....

Mudith - The serious and the professional one around - does not talk too much but when it comes to writing - his whole soul comes out :)

Divs (AKA Divya) - The lady who's currently absorbed in newspapers out of no choice... Although we don't see her at Writum regularly nowadays, if you ever run in to her, you are surely seeing immense talent!

Hasi (AKA Haseena) - Our aspiring lawyer, with a knack for writing and manipulating words that pierce through the heart...

Shehani - Our superstar look-alike who writes with a flow that can move mountains... (yup! and she will kill me for that superstar lookalike part)

Mariam - Here's the diva that dances with words... if you ever read one of her pieces, you'll choke to death for she just steals your breath away!

D (AKA Dinasha) - The one who's currently in a pssionate relationship with Writum and for that matter, who's been in romantic relationship with words forever - soon to become our exclusive proofreader and editor ~

Nilanka - The tech geek on board (officially carrying the title "Consultant" at Writum) who'd write on anything from Artificial intelligence to rocket science, if needed. Also, soon to become one of our "Executive Directors" :)

Then we've got our new comers

Nipuna - An aspiring engineer, full of energy, taking time off to enthusiastically explore new avenues in life through writing..

Hansini - A psychology major - (enough said?? *wink*) putting her heart and soul in to writing

Nabila - Our miss. cute smile :) who's happy go lucky with her chirpy personality that brings life to words with her works of wonder with literature.

The remaining 02 new comers are currently lying in our 007 folder - so they will be revealed in due course...

Before we wrap up... It's only fair to mention former members of Writum who's put their heart and soul in to the work they did.

Chaminda - The most tech savviest (is that a real word?) 50 something yr old I've ever come across in my life whosE writing skills just leaves me shocked all the time ~

Sanjeev - Not only a top class opera singer but a top class technical writer whose professional approach to work is unfathomable.

Chamathka - The little sister on the team who took pleasure in writing during vacation; currently pursuing her higher studies in the U.S of A

Sunesh - Our local talent on the screen with such flair for language and creativity in both writing and reporting :)

and lastly but not in the very least our dear doctor dude - Vino - who went over and above his profession of being a MD to explore horizons with writing.

Writum stands strong today because you keep it (or kept it alive) in your heart and soul... so here goes THREE CHEERS to a virtual family that does wonders with words!

Visit our team profile at

http://www.writum.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=3

for more inside scoop!!!

Who bites the dust?

We are in the

process of recruiting more freelance writers for our team.

A common question on everybody's mind is what it takes to be successful at Writum...

The concept of freelance writing may not be new to Sri Lanka arena, but 'work from home freelance writing' for a company sure is!... That is where Writum invokes the curious minds. So here's a list of basic requirements and expectations from us here at Writum.

* All our projects are based on our second language; English - However, majority of our clients are Native English speakers. Therefore, unless you have competitive English language skills to match up to a Native English speaker, you are unlikely to be successful in working for Writum.

* Knowing how to use your freedom productively and managing your time efficiently are two utmost pre-requisites when it comes to writing at Writum. We allocate a fair deadline for projects to be completed and it is up to you to complete the project within the said time frame. Where you work, how you work and at what time you work are of little concern to us as we count on you to complete the work as scheduled.

* Commitment to work is a virtue that every Writum team member should posess. Let's admit it! It's no easy task to be seated at one place producing articles, one after the other, while chasing a deadline. However, if you are committed and if you have the determination that is required to get the job done, you will most certainly succeed at Writum!

* Creativity is another treasured trait that we welcome at Writum. You may be given topics that you know really well of or that you know little or nothing of. But if you are able to blend in with the information that you find on the web through research, in order to produce a creative piece of writing, then you will come out as a winner!

* Respect for Originality is something that we are dead serious about. If you take pleasure in finding the easy way out such as cutting and pasting content from the internet, then you should forget about joining Writum.

So as you can understand from the above pointers, it takes a self motivated individual to become successful at Writum. Why do you think we say that self-motivation is important?

Our baseline perceptions of a j0b, be it full time or part time, is naturally based on the perception of getting dressed as professionally as possible, getting to an office and working till 9am to 5pm.

But here at Writum, we have saved you the trouble of having to wake up early in the morning, sleep walking until you get dressed up and then being caught up at endless traffic jams until you get to our office. Instead, you've got the luxury of staying at home and delivering your write-ups via email. However, since staying at home is usually associated with relaxation and doing things at ease, it takes a self motivated individual to work efficiently for a company from home.

So ask yourself if you've got what it takes to become successful at Writum before you post that resume!.... :)

If you do, here's the email address to send your resume over:

get.hired@writum.com - dont forget to attach a sample writing of not more than 500 words as well.

Thanks!

A Gigantic Thank You!

It’s amazing how a team could work with team spirit, even though they’ve never met one another in person. I’m not sure if this is a controversial contradiction to social psychology theories but what is clear is that, the theories and concepts surely needs to go through a fine revision to be applicable for today’s information age.

I’m talking about our team member; Sureshni Jayawardena, who whole heartedly took over operations of Writum team while I was away on vacation. Her dedication and assertiveness plus the immense commitment to the company she works for are fine qualities that are worth much praise.

However, Sureshni is not the only member behind Writum’s success. All other team members, who chase after deadlines, one after the other in a quest to deliver high quality writing material; who try to integrate their creative abilities to the best of their knowledge in everything they do are the driving force behind Writum.

So here’s a gigantic thank you and 3 cheers to my team for their support, dedication and commitment which keeps Writum flying high as how it does, as always!…

Interested to find out more about Writum team? Visit our official Team Page at http://www.writum.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=3

Thus, A Journey Begins...

Every day is a new day that flowers refreshing experiences all over us. For us at Writum, the journeys never end. Every project, every write-up and every task makes us learn more and more while we march off in this journey chasing deadlines (which is not always pleasant, btw). But, at the end of every day, we look back and realize that we have grown up, a tad bit more than whom we used to be the day before.

Our initial set off happened back in 2007 and ("touch wood") ever since, we have moved on strongly facing all challenges that got thrown our way. The Writum Team has grown little by little. As of today, we stand strong - hand in hand - in our spirit although many of us may not have met each other in person.

Can a company become stable or operate efficiently without dealing with one another face-to-face? You may answer 'yes' if you have had previous experience walking down similar roads, but if you don't, you will most probably say 'no'.

The good news is that we have proven the stumble myth wrong!... Nothing is impossible in this era - nothing can get in the way and nothing is non-do-able!...

So walk with us, in this journey of exploration, where a lot of interesting facts varying from personal stories to global issues will be revealed…..