A few week ago everything was going well. I was pretty healthy, had many clients and assignments, and I was working with an organization specialist to organize my office space. A few days ago things changed. I had several tests done and diagnosed with some serious illnesses. I have been told that I will require at least one surgery if not more. I am not prepared.

I am prepared for the trials ahead of me. I have arranged care for my children, taken care of housework, and researched different options available to me. I am NOT prepared for the effect it will have on my work. As soon as I found out, I notified clients. I unfortunately had to cancel a few assignments I was excited about, including a travel blog that I would have loved. I hired a few other writers to finish up a few articles I needed as it was a one time client and felt it would be better to hire out than to upset the client. I did not want this client to think badly of me or expect other writers to flake out as well.

Illness is not the only emergency we should be prepared for. Other emergencies may include computer crash, internet failure, sick child, death in family, or natural disaster (or fire). Are you prepared for an emergency? Here are a few things that all freelance writers and bloggers should do before an emergency occurs.

• Join forums and participate regularly so other writer will learn about you. When people "know" you they are more willing to help in an emergency. This will also help you know which writers are reliable and provide quality work when other writers recommend them.
• Have back up posts ready for your blogs. Writing extra posts that can be posted at any time will give you time in case you are unable to write for a few days. The goal should be a weeks worth of posts, as you don't know how long the emergency will be.
• Be organized. Have a list of all articles or blogs you need done with a list of due dates. Keep this list in an easily accessible area. If you use a computer system, print a hard copy just in case something happens to your computer.
• Have a list of all clients email addresses or phone numbers printed out, so they can be reached easily. If you are injured and can't get to your computer, having the list on your desk will allow a spouse or friend access to it to notify your clients for you.
• Be ahead of deadline. If at all possible, do not wait until the day before deadline to start your work. If you are ahead of schedule, you are less likely to miss a deadline if an emergency happens.

After my illness is under control, I hope to return to writing and blogging regularly. If I had been dishonest with my clients, or not reliable before the illness, they would be less likely to take me back. I notified my clients immediately, instead of waiting until deadline hoping I would be able to complete the assignments. The lack of pay will hurt, but losing clients because of a missed deadline would hurt more.

What have you done to prepare for an emergency?

Lately, I have read many posters on forums talk about blogging. The questions aren't about the best approach, best sites, or best topics. The posts always start like this: "I heard blogging was a great way to make money. So what do I do?"

Well, the first thing you need to do is realize that blogging will not make you rich, at least not without hard work, dedication, and knowledge. I have "met" some amazing bloggers that do make a living through blogging. However, they are the not lazy, get rich quick people, they are hard workers. To make serious money on a blog, you need to work.

Building up a readership is not as easy as starting a blog. Actually, setting up a blog is as easy as filling out a simple online form and choose a template. Well, at least a simple blog is, I'm sure many profitable blogs required more work than that. My point is, setting up a blog and adding content is the easy part. Gaining the attention of the millions of internet users takes work. You have to dedicate yourself to advertising your blog in a way that makes people want to visit. Then once you do get them there, your content better be excellent if you want to keep them.

I hate seeing someone talk about a great article they just posted on their blog only to go visit the site and realize it is all about ads. I don't mind a few ads, I understand and respect that advertisements help increase pay. However, when I spend time out of my day to visit a blog, I want something for it. Whether that something is a great and interesting article or a link to a great resource, I want a reason not only for taking the minute or two to visit, but a reason to link to it and share it. When that is met, I will return to the blog, even if there are ads plastered everywhere.

Blogging takes a lot of hardwork. If you want a get rich quick job, you should reconsider your career choices. However, if you are passionate about a topic (or more, as having more than one blog may increase your revenue) then by all means, set a blog up. Then nurture that blog as if it is your life. Beacause if you want to make money with it, it is.

I was blogging for a new website for three weeks when I was informed my services were no longer needed. The website owner expected to make more money than he was (in the three weeks it was live) and could not afford to keep me. "Thats the breaks" I was told. It is, and I understand that. I didn't understand not trying to keep it going for another month or two. I offered to even write for free for two months. He shut the website down anyway.

What makes me most sad about this, was I loved writing on the topic. It was a pregnancy website and I loved to write about pregnancy. I loved researching new products, finding more resources, and sharing my experiences. So I decided to start my own. Immediately, I ran into a huge problem. My new blog needed a name.

I didn't want just a pregnancy blog on a big free blogging site. I wanted a unique web address that would be simple, to the point, and cute. For me, this has been a difficult task. I know what I want to blog about, I just don't know what to call the blog. After several weeks of thinking and asking for opinions, I settled on a name, went and bought the domain name, and that is it. I second guessed myself and have not pursued it any further.

So many wonderful bloggers are able to create unique and sometimes witty names for their blogs. How do you name your blogs? Is there a special formula you use? Is there a particular method to choosing a name?

Until I read Raj's post last night, I did not know that anyone could register and blog on Performancing.com. I am so grateful to know that know, I just wish it was something I new earlier.

As a fairly new blogger, finding resources to assist me in the goal of becoming a professional writer, has been a difficult task. Weeding out the bad advise from the good, spotting the scams and spammers, and finding support take a great deal of time and energy. I will continue to push on however, as I want to be a sucessful blogger and writer.

I marvel at how many "normal" people are sucessful freelance writers and bloggers. I count myself lucky to even associate with them. I will be blessed when I am one of them.