Politics and Opinions to Improve the Lives of Gays and Lesbians

New Study on Marriage Needs Participants

By Andy Heath

I received the following email from a doctoral student at the University of Virginia. I'm not entirely sure if gay couples are eligible to participate or not, but it's worth a shot. You can email Ms. Reitz-Krueger at survey.couples@gmail.com for more information on her study. I publish this as a public service announcement, and I have no knowledge of this study's validity, nor have I met Ms. Reitz-Krueger, so please thoroughly investigate before participating or providing any personal information.

Engaged volunteers needed!

I am looking for volunteers for a study of attitudes towards marriage and parenthood among engaged couples. The study consists of a 25-30 minute online survey. To qualify for the study, you must be 20-35 years old, live in the U.S., and plan to marry or have a commitment ceremony within the next 365 days. You and your romantic partner must not have children, and this must be the first marriage for both of you.

You can:

Help a doctoral candidate;
Increase the pool of scientific knowledge;
Support research on marriage and families; and
Spend some time thinking about your relationship!

I am working with Dr. Charlotte J. Patterson, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. This study has been approved by the University of Virginia Institutional Review Board #2009025800.

If you and/or your romantic partner are interested in participating or want further information, please email me at survey.couples@gmail.com. I will send you a link that you can use to access the study.

Thanks!

Cristina Reitz-Krueger
Doctoral Student
University of Virginia
(434) 243-8558
survey.couples@gmail.com

Fun on Beale Street

By Andy Heath

Even the most prudish people (like me) have to occasionally go out and have fun. This last weekend, I had the opportunity to go to Tunica, Mississippi, with my friend Jennifer and her friend Alicia. It was a lot of fun, and Saturday night, we went down Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, to drink, dance, and have a good time.

We went to a barbecue restaurant where we sat for about 15 minutes waiting for the waitress to arrive. She finally came and took our orders, and then we waited another 20 minutes for her to come back and tell us that they were out of barbecue. When we asked what we should do, she said, "If I were you, I just wouldn't eat here." So we didn't. She charged us for the beers, but she didn't get a tip. Oh well.

Then we went to Alfred's and had a meal and some drinks. Jennifer and Alicia got a picture with an Elvis impersonator, and that was a lot of fun. Alfred's is where all of these pictures were taken. I was feeling particularly relaxed, so I even took Jennifer out on the dance floor and engaged in some straight dancing. It's unlike me, but there was a good band, and I was moved!

After leaving Alfred's we went to Coyote Ugly to see a bunch of beautiful women (yuck) make complete fools of themselves. It was fun, and we had another beer. Jennifer and Alicia got in for free, but I had to pay $5 because I don't have a vagina. Oh well. We sat there making fun of all the beautiful women and reminiscing over the times that we were once young and beautiful, and I supposed that Jennifer and Alicia still are, but looking at these pictures, I can tell I have gained a bit of weight over time. I don't see myself getting rid of that any time soon though, but I choose to be happy anyway.

We finally found ourselves in some blues club listening to a band that I felt was very good. I don't remember the name of the song, but I really liked it. Unfortunately, that band was just getting ready to leave the stage when we arrived, so we did not stay very long.

Tunica was also fun, mainly because I came out slightly ahead, winning $71. That's better than last time I was there around 2003 or so. Still, my favorite part of the trip had to be Beale Street!

So here are the pictures from the trip. You can click on any of them for a better view. It was a lot of fun.

Showing Up for Work Exactly on Time

By Andy Heath

As I write this, I'm working a temporary assignment through Arvie Personnel Services in Nashville, Tennessee. Over the years I have been consistently late for work, but not this time. On this assignment, I have made a conscious effort to show up for work on time. I am to be at work every day at 7:00, not 7:03.

I even try to show up a little early. So I'm generally at work sometime between 6:50 and 6:55 in the morning, and I have over an hour commute to work every day. The pace is rather insane, but I have found that it works, and I'm starting to slowly pay down some long standing bills.

But in this post, I want to explore something that I have struggled with a great deal over the years: Why is it important to be at work on time?

From the moment we start school, we are taught to be on time. When we go to work, we also have to be on time, regardless of what hour of the day or night we are to show up. I have even heard that during the Industrial Revolution the powers at that time established Sunday School at churches so they could show new employees how to show up for work on time, as prior to that punctuality was not that important. I can't verify that information, but that is what I have heard. I would be interested if any of my readers had different information, and it's an interesting concept anyway.

But all that to say that for over a century, we have been taught that punctuality is important. And my question for years was WHY?

My argument was that if I make a positive contribution to a company, why must I show up at a specific time to do that? I had decided that I was a forward thinker – even at the beginning of my career – and I did not need to show up at any particular time. Don't get me wrong. I was never egregiously late. I had to be at work at a certain time, and I would be three to five minutes late every day. Most of the time my supervisors never even said anything, but every now and then they would note that I was late for work.

Then, about a year ago, I started learning how to read Tarot cards. In the Tarot deck, there is a card that I have always had a problem with – The Hierophant. The Hierophant is a card that evaluates the need to fit into society and "follow the rules." I always felt the Hierophant was a popish, unkind, unforgiving figure, and there is certainly an element of each of these in the Hierophant. But if the Hierophant were a real figure, you could ask him – Why? Why must I show up for work on time?

And his answer would be? You must show up for work on time because those are the rules. People judge you on whether or not you can follow the rules, so you must show up for work on time.

I would counter, "That doesn't make sense. How does showing up for work on time affect my ability to do good work?"

His response would be, "It doesn't necessarily. It doesn't have to make sense. In society, there are rules, and you must follow them. That is the way it is."

And the Hierophant is right. Now those of you that follow this blog know that I am not always one to follow societal rules, so you might wonder why I feel so strongly about showing up for work on time. The reason I feel so strongly about it is that this is a simple – albeit silly – rule that will make a world of difference in your work life. It's true. People have a lot of respect for punctuality. I may never understand why, but that's just the way it is.

So right now, as I said, I must show up for work at 7:00 A.M. That does not mean 7:03. It does not even mean 7:00. It means, a few minutes prior to 7:00. That is the way it is. That is just the way it is.

Being Gay Is Equal to All Other Sins?

By Andy Heath

I have a good friend (and a new friend) that told me that other day that she did not judge me for being gay because homosexuality is equal to all other sins. She said that the fact that she lusted after men was no better than being gay.

Now, this friend of mine is just that – a good friend. She is generally there for me when I need her and has always been a source of support since I have known her. She is also a devout Christian, but no matter. She thinks that homosexuality is equal to all other sins.

First of all, I don't believe sins are all equal. If you rape an 80-year-old woman, I believe that is far worse than telling a white lie. Christians will argue that sin is sin, but I argue – much like our legal system argues – that not all sin is created equal. I believe the fact that Hitler was responsible for millions of deaths during World War II is far more significant than the fact that I'm gay or that Susie told a white lie. Christians would argue otherwise (or at least talk out of both sides of their mouths). Therefore, Christians would argue that what I do as a gay man is just as bad as what Hitler did to countless Jews, not to mention all the other people he was responsible for torturing and killing. Or worse, they argue that what Hitler did is just as benign as what I do as a gay man. Nonsense!

Second of all, I just don't believe that being gay is a sin. How arbitrary would that be? What does God or Buddha or whoever care what my sex life is? If I am engaging in sexual acts with other consenting people, what does it matter if they are men or women?

I guess I have always viewed the concept of a sin – religious a concept as it is – as something that harms others. In the Wiccan religion, there is a saying, "and it harm none, do what ye will…" Christians, however, disagree. They believe that you can commit a sin regardless of whether it is harmful to others or not. By their own admission, before Jesus was born, you had to kill goats and rams to be forgiven by God in their religion. It largely does not make sense, and the Christian God from that perspective doesn't seem to be particularly logical or reasonable. But no matter, if you ask Christians, they will say God is God and cannot be questioned. I, however, would say God, whoever he, she, it, or they are would welcome our questions.

That said, I just don't believe that homosexuality is a "sin," whatever that even means. So I find it offensive – not that that matters – when people tell me that homosexuality is no worse than any other "sin." I'm glad that they're trying to make me feel better, but I already feel good enough about the life that I lead. How long will it be before our Christian friends are enlightened enough to realize that there is nothing wrong, nothing unholy, nothing unnatural about homosexuality? I have met people with every bizarre sexual fetish known to man, and I always try not to pass judgment on these people, regardless of what that fetish is, because I understand what it is to be judged. I understand even what it is to be judged in such a subtle, sweet manner that I sometimes might not realize I'm even being judged. That is the goal of Christians, in my humble view. Alas, they will try to find some way to destroy us. I hope eventually Christians realize that homosexuality is not a sin, not a crime, and most importantly, not wrong. There is nothing wrong with it. There are too many of us already that have committed suicide and otherwise hated themselves for this very natural way of life. I hope eventually Christians will learn to let us do with our lives what makes most sense to us without passing the judgment that they typically do – at all levels.

The Truth about Don't Ask, Don't Tell

By Andy Heath

I received the article below from a gentleman who asked me to publish it here. You can write to him at mikeanthony86@yahoo.com.

Andy

Don't ask, ahh, too late.

My name is Michael Anthony, I am an Iraq war veteran and having spent six years in the Army, at the age of twenty-three, I have spent more than a quarter of my life in service to this country. I have four older brothers and an older sister, all of whom have been in the military: Air Force, Marines and Army. My father and both my grandfathers were in the military.

Hailing originally for a small sheltered town just south of Boston Massachusetts, I say this in all earnestness: the only gay people I know have all been in the military. This is not a joke or some talking point, it's literal. Generals, Commanders and Civilians can talk all they want, but the fact of the matter is, the only gay friends I've had have all been in the military, in fact, my only experience of gay people(outside of the military) is when I once watched and episode of the TV show Will and Grace (it was kind of funny).

For the policy known as DADT, there is one thing people often forget. People forget that the policy doesn't preclude gay people from entering the military it just precludes them from talking about their homosexuality. In short, someone can be gay in the military; they just can't talk about being gay in the military.

If people are already in the military and gay—from my former unit alone I know close to a dozen—what is it that people are afraid will happen with the repeal of DADT? Are people afraid that the day after DADT is rescinded; gay soldiers are going to walk in wearing a feather boa and buttless fatigues? The uniform policy will still be in effect so we can cross that option out. Are people afraid that it's going to hurt troop morale? The Military suicide rate is at a thirty year high having consistently risen for the past five years, with eighteen veterans killing themselves everyday (according to the VA) so it seems like it can't get any worse.

With everything said, there is a negative aspect to repealing DADT. Having been in the military all my adult years, my peer group is filled with Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. Several of these war veterans having done two or three tours, have sworn that they will never go back to Iraq or Afghanistan. Upon further questioning on how they plan to get out deployment if called, their answer is simple: "don't ask, don't tell," expounding further, they say that if they're called up, they will simply kiss a member of the same sex—in front of their commander. So how is repealing DADT going to affect the military? The answer is simple…my friends who jokingly suggested using DADT as a way to get out of a deployment are now stuck going to Iraq or Afghanistan.

And please don't even get me started on the escapades that go on overseas. But hey, what happens in Iraq stays in Iraq…ahh not quite.

Michael Anthony is the author of MASS CASUALTIES: A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception and Dishonor in Iraq (Adams Media, October 2009). The book is drawn from the personal journals of Anthony during the 1st year he spent serving in Iraq. It is a non-partisan look at some of the escapades that go on behind the scenes, from suicides, mail fraud, attempted murder, to gang bangs, orgies, and PTSD.
http://www.masscasualties.com/anthony-praise.htm

How to Be Organized at Work – Following Up

By Andy Heath

We have discussed telephone organization and paperwork organization. Now we are going to discuss following up, which is really a lot simpler than you would think. It’s nothing more than using a calendar system.

As I write this article, I know that in a few weeks I must call a lady and remind her of an appointment she has with my boss the following day. You might ask how I could possibly remember something like that.

Here’s the thing – I not only have to remember to call her, but I have to remember why I am calling her, what her name is, and what her telephone number is. I noted the concept of temporary notes in my previous post, where you write some information down that you will need for a short period. If you’re going to follow up on something the same day, temporary notes are fine. However, if you need to remember to do something in a matter of weeks, temporary notes are not the way to go.

In this case, I use Outlook software, which is the e-mail software I use at work, and I simply enter a task for the day I want to call this lady. I also enter her telephone number and name, and I put down that I need to remind her of her appointment. Once I have that information in Outlook, I no longer have to worry about it. I simply wait till that day comes and then the information comes up automatically on my computer.

The wonderful thing about this is that it makes long term follow ups effortless. I can remember to make calls, go to meetings, and have certain projects done. If I were a supervisor over several employees, I could also keep up with the times of those employees’ performance evaluations.

Short Term Follow Ups
Let’s say, though, that your boss asks you to remind her that she needs to buy a printer cartridge when she leaves that day. That means that the only trigger you will have to remember to tell her is that she will be walking out the door. In this case, a temporary note will probably work well. You might write the information on a post-it note and put it on top of your desk so that you will run across it throughout the day. Then, when you see her leave, you can mention that she needs to buy a printer cartridge.

Follow Ups as a Show of Value
On occasion my immediate supervisor asks that I check on something. Often it is very routine, but sometimes it might require a follow up because the person I need to talk to is not in the office. In that case, you need to keep the file on your desk with a temporary note stuck to it of what exactly you need. You also need to let your boss know – I usually send a quick e-mail – that you still have the file and will follow the instructions through to their conclusion.

Many employees would simply go to their bosses and say, “Sorry, but I just couldn’t get in touch with the person you needed. Here’s the file back…” Don’t do this! Follow through on your assignments and use the tools you’ve learned in this three part segment to make it happen. Then you will find that you’re a more valuable employee, and that is ultimately the goal.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this three part segment and that you’ve gotten something out of it. If you have any questions or suggestions, the simply contact me.

How to Be Organized at Work – Paperwork Organization

By Andy Heath

This is the second of three segments on organization in the workplace. The first segment was on telephone organization, and this segment will be on paperwork organization.

As an administrative employee, you will find that you often have to keep up with inordinate amounts of paperwork. There are various kinds, including reference material, things you need to process, delayed paperwork, unnecessary paperwork, temporary notes, forms, etc.

What do you do with all this paperwork? There are a few steps you can follow to ensure that your paperwork doesn’t destroy you.

The important thing is to be able to find the things that you need often as quickly as possible and to be able to find the things that you need occasionally in a reasonable amount of time.

Reference Paperwork
There are two kinds of reference paperwork. The first is constant reference paperwork, and the second is occasional reference paperwork.

Constant reference paperwork can usually be found in the form of cheat sheets. For example, let’s say you have to assign work to different employees based on the zip code associated with that work. You might have a cheat sheet that outlines the appropriate way to assign that work. Constant reference paperwork is something you want to have on top of your desk or hanging up at your desk at all times. That way, if someone calls and needs to know what’s on that cheat sheet, or if you need the information found there quickly, then you have it. That will save a lot of time.

Occasional reference material would be something that you need from time to time, but not often enough to merit taking up precious space on your desk. This might be Child Labor Laws for a human resources assistant. If you need to advise managers on what the Child Labor Laws are based on different states, it would help to have this information available. Since you may not get a lot of calls requesting this information, however, you might consider putting these references in a drawer where you can locate them easily if necessary.

With regard to occasional reference material, it’s best to have one drawer where you keep this information. If you have a lot of it, then you might consider having two drawers. If you have so much that it will not fit in two drawers, then put the material that you use the most in the drawers next to your desk and put the rest of it in another filing cabinet, possibly even outside your office or cubicle.

Processing Paperwork
Every administrative assistant has paperwork that needs to be processed. This can include forms that need to be filled out or applications that need to be input into a database. Regardless, this paperwork is best all kept together, regardless of what it is. That way, as you have time to work on it, you can simply pull it out and do it.

The important thing to remember is that once you have finished processing the paperwork, know what your company’s policy is of disposing of it. Some companies want this paperwork filed or scanned, and some might even say it’s okay to shred it, recycle it, or throw it away. Be sure to perform this disposal process quickly after you have finished the paperwork, and have a special place to put paperwork that you have finished processing but have not yet disposed of.

Delayed Paperwork
This is perhaps some of the most frustrating paperwork to have. It’s paperwork in a state of limbo, and you can’t process it until it’s dealt with, so what do you do with it?

Let’s say you’re waiting to hear back from a company on some additional information that needs to be put on some of your paperwork. You can’t process this paperwork until you hear back. This is an example of delayed paperwork. Since this paperwork often involves a telephone call to someone to get additional information, I have found the best place to keep the location of this paperwork is in the spreadsheet. Just put in the call log spreadsheet where you’re keeping the delayed paperwork. Perhaps you keep it in a special file in a drawer. Maybe you keep it on your desk. Just make sure you have documented the location of the paperwork.

Once you receive a call from someone giving you the information you need to process the paperwork, then you can find it quickly, and you can move the delayed paperwork to the location of paperwork to process.

Temporary Notes
Sometimes you only need to keep some information handy for a few hours. In this case, it’s okay to have temporary notes. I have found it’s best to put these on post-it notes and then put them on your desk. Once you have used the information you need, then either transfer it to a more permanent location or throw it away. The last thing you need is additional clutter on your desk from a bunch of temporary notes that have taken over.

Unnecessary Paperwork
Yes, I’m talking to you, and I don’t want to hear any whining! You know you have things on your desk that you don’t need. You have old contracts that have not been valid since the 70’s. You have a memo from your boss written in the 90’s saying that a new area code would be added to the state’s registry. You have that old note from your boss talking about the company’s Christmas party in 1994. Yes, it’s time to purge these.

You might find some gray examples as well. Maybe you feel you do need to keep old contracts for reference purposes. In that case, they become reference material and you can put them with the rest of your reference material. Ask yourself this – Do you need to keep all of them? Do you need to keep the whole contract, or will part of it suffice?

Many times we have clutter syndrome and we just don’t want to let go of things. The risk is that you will let go of something that you might need. My rule of thumb is that if I haven’t used it in 2 years, it’s time to say goodbye. And sometimes I throw things away immediately. The Christmas party memo would be read once and then go straight to File 13!

Forms
You order supplies. You request proposals. You do your taxes. All of these things might require some forms.

Forms are divided into the same categories as reference materials – constant forms and occasional forms. It does not make sense to keep your tax forms in your top desk drawer and keep forms that you use every day in your bottom one. Try to store your forms with the constant ones kept close to you and the rest kept at further distances. You might find you don’t even need to keep some forms at your desk or in your office because they’re used so rarely.

Whatever you do, don’t keep your forms and your reference material together. All that does is add confusion to your life. Separate drawers work best, but if you must use the same drawer, divide the drawer for the front to be forms and the back to be occasional reference material.

There are some forms you might even want to keep on your desk. For example, if you are a receptionist that is responsible for taking messages, it is a good idea to keep your message pad right next to the phone.

Cross Referencing
Sometimes there will be paperwork that fits into more than one category. For example, I used to be a human resources assistant so I was responsible for keeping track of applications. This is paperwork to process. But then sometimes the applicants left off some information, so the application became delayed paperwork. If someone called and asked about the application, it’s important to know where I put it. Is it with the other new hire paperwork, or is it with the delayed paperwork?

This is where cross referencing comes in handy. In this case, I would probably keep the application with the new hire paperwork and the note in my spreadsheet when I call the manager that the application is there. But let’s say I did need to keep the application in another location. In that case, I would simply create a temporary note and put it with the new hire paperwork saying that the application was in another location, and then I would point out where it was. Upon returning the application to the file with the new hire paperwork, I would simply remove this cross reference.

Cross referencing can save your sanity. I know I have panicked more than once because I thought I had lost a piece of paperwork only to remember eventually that I had put it somewhere else. Cross referencing can end these moments of panic.

Paperwork Getting Low
When talking about forms, occasionally you will find that you start to run out of forms from time to time. This is especially true if you don’t have your forms in an electronic format. If you start to run low on forms, it’s best to take a moment and make a few copies to restock your pile. If you don’t, you will find yourself in a predicament worse than losing a file. Always keep an eye on how many forms you have left, and then make copies as needed. Don’t run out. That is a headache you can do without, and it is quite avoidable.

Now that we have discussed paperwork, you might find it easier to organize the clutter on your desk. Now that we have done that, the next topic of discussion is following up on matters. That post is already written, and will come in two days.

How to Be Organized at Work – Telephone Organization

By Andy Heath

For those of you that work in an administrative capacity, you know the importance of being organized, and you know how hard it can be when something falls through the cracks. I am not an unseasoned administrative employee, so I’m going to share some of my tidbits with you on organization.

There are essentially three parts to organizing administrative work, and I’m going to post each of these in its own separate post over the next several days.

1. Telephone Organization.
2. Paperwork Organization
3. Follow-up Organization

Telephone Organization
Many administrative assistants are responsible for making a number of phone calls throughout the business day. I’m sure you have run across situations where you had to leave a voicemail. In some cases you might be making 20-30 calls per day, and only you will be responsible for keeping up the pace. Before you learn how to keep up with these call backs, it is important to learn the nature of telephone work. Here goes…

The Nature of Telephone Work
Every call has a purpose. Write that down if you have to because it’s extremely important. Every call has a purpose. It’s safe to say that once you accomplish that purpose, you can hang up the phone. Of course, you might exchange some pleasantries with the other administrative assistant you talk to, but ultimately, every call has its purpose and then there is no further reason to stay on the phone. The purposes of administrative telephone calls are as follows:

1. To inform a party of something.
2. To receive information.
3. To cause some action to occur.

That’s pretty much it. Before you make a telephone call, it’s important to know exactly why you’re calling. To give you an example, one time I had a boss at a law firm that asked me to call and find out if a certain judge would be hearing motions on a certain day. So that is fairly straightforward. The call went something like this:

Me – Good morning. My name is Andy Heath calling from Certain Law Firm, and I was just calling to find out if Judge So-and-so would be hearing motions on August 3, 2008, at 9 A.M.

Other Admin – I think so, but let me check… Yes, he will be.

Me – Thank you. Have a good day.

It is as simple as that. The above is an example of receiving information. Here is an example of giving information…

Me – Good morning, may I please speak with Mary Jones?

Mary – This is she.

Me – Mary, my name is Andy Heath calling from Certain Company. You had called last week asking about when your check for accounting services would be mailed. I just wanted to let you know that we have mailed it today, so you should receive it in the next few days.

Mary – Oh good, thank you for calling.

Me – You’re welcome. Have a good day.

Very simple. The final type of call is to cause some action to take place. Here is a transcript of a call I made to a lady at a company that worked in the Stationery Department –

Me – Good morning Deborah, this is Andy Heath in the Claims Department. We need some legal pads up here, and I wanted to see what time it would be convenient for you that I come down and pick some up.

Deborah – We have some legal pads down here. If you want to come in about half an hour, I can pull them. How many do you need?

Me – One pack of eight should be enough.

Deborah – Alright, I will have it ready for you.

Me – Thanks. I’ll be down in half an hour.

Now I’m sure you know that sometimes there are going to be situations where you’ll make telephone calls that will require more than one of these functions to take place, but the three basic functions of administrative telephone calls are a good thing to keep in mind. Let’ look at a telephone call that integrates all three of these. I’m going to make a call where I need to receive information about an invoice and find out where to mail it. I also need to inform the company representative that its purchase order number has changed. Finally, I will need to ask the representative to fax a copy of the revised invoice to me.

In order to prepare for this call, I might make the following list –

1. Inform person that we are disputing a charge on the invoice.
2. Find out why charge was assessed and arrive at agreement on whether to pay it.
3. If charge is changed, acquire copy of revised invoice by fax.

With this list in my hand, I know exactly how the call is going to go, and this keeps me organized with the purpose of the call in mind. Here is a transcript of the call.

Me – Hello, may I speak to someone in the Billing Department?

Shirley – This is Shirley, and I handle the billing here. How can I help you?

Me – Hi Shirley. My name is Andy Heath, and I’m calling from Certain Company. The reason I’m calling is because I noticed there was a charge on invoice number 12321 that my boss didn’t approve for some of your consulting services. Would I talk to you about that?

Shirley – Yes, let me pull up that invoice. Okay, what charge were you disputing?

Me – I noticed that we were charged three times for an 18 minute telephone call because Mr. Jones and I discussed three different topics, but there was only one 18 minute call.

Shirley – Ahh, yes I see that. Yes, that was our mistake. I will correct that for you.

Me – Thanks Shirley. When you have that corrected, would you mind sending me a copy of the revised invoice? My fax number is 555-555-5555.

Shirley – Yes, I’ve got that written down. I will send it to you this afternoon. Should I make it to your attention?

Me – Yes, that will be fine. That’s all I needed. I appreciate your help, Shirley.

Shirley – Not a problem. Have a good day.

A good administrative assistant stays organized in telephone calls at all times. He or she will make sure to stay in charge of the call and ensure that it is going in the direction of resolution. Every business call should move the company’s business forward in some way. Try to avoid superfluous calls.

Organizing Multiple Calls
Now that you understand the purposes of telephone calls, you will find it easier to avoid making unnecessary calls and you will know how to move calls forward. But sometimes you will find that there are multiple calls to make, and you will need to be prepared for call backs.

There have been times in my work life when I received a call back from another administrative assistant, and I could not remember why I had called her. I would look frantically on my desk for a file, and sometimes the file would not be readily available. Maybe someone else had it. Maybe I had already put it away. Who knows? But regardless these were embarrassing situations because I was not organized enough to be able to recall quickly why I had called someone.

Then I got an idea that I would start a simple Excel spreadsheet that had all the information I needed. The thing I like about Excel spreadsheets is that they are searchable. Just hit Conrol-F and you can enter a text string that you want to search for, and Excel will find it. That means that if you have all the information in a spreadsheet about your calls, you can easily find it.

I usually set up a spreadsheet so that there is a column for the name, telephone number, company, account number if applicable, and a comments section. I don’t set up a separate column for date and time because I just put that into the Comments section. That way if I have to make multiple calls for one point of business, I can simply add the new comments with the new date and time to the comments section.

The Two Purposes of the Spreadsheet
There are two main purposes of the spreadsheet. First, as I said, it gives you a way to keep track of telephone calls when you receive call backs. If Shirley in the telephone call above had called me back, I could have searched for the word Shirley, and it would have taken me to her name. Then I would have known why I had called her and we could immediately conduct our business.

When I receive a call back, I can simply say, “Let me look at my notes and see why I called you. I make so many calls, I often have to write down the reason.” I have found that nearly every administrative assistant I talk to has been appreciative of the fact that I kept notes because it meant that I was being just as respectful of their time as I was being of my own.

The second purpose of the spreadsheet is to follow up on my own calls when administrative assistants don’t call me back. You have probably found that some people are more diligent in returning telephone calls than others, so occasionally I go through the spreadsheet to see about calls that have not been returned. Since I have the date and time already listed, I can see if I need to return the call or not. For non-emergency calls, I generally give two days to return a call before I follow up.

Moving the Calls from the Spreadsheet
I have had some internal conflict on what to do with resolved calls. If I call someone and they call me back with the information that I was requesting, then there is no purpose in keeping that call in my active calls log, as it will just clutter the spreadsheet. At first, I simply deleted any calls that I made, but I have found the better way to handle it is to move the closed calls to another spreadsheet. I simple cut the closed calls from the calls log by highlighting all the cells in that call and hitting Control-X. Then I paste that information into an archive worksheet in the same workbook.

Once I move the closed calls, I can easily see only the calls that are still pending. That keeps my organized in making, receiving, and following up on calls.

The Time Factor
Many of you will argue that keeping notes on so many calls will be a drain on your time, but I encourage you to try this method for a few weeks at least. I think you will find that the time you save from having to look for files or having to try to remember why you call people will more than make up for the time spent documenting your calls.

The next segment of this organization article will be about Paperwork Organization, and that will be posted two days from now.

How to Write Activist Literature – Ten – Work on Your Next Book

By Andy Heath

Now you’re done… kinda. You see, in the world of writing you’re never truly done. You never truly finish working on a project – you just abandon it when you’re ready. It’s like having a kid. Your kid is never truly prepared to go into the world on his own; you just have to let him go, as that is the only way he will ever be prepared.

When you finish your first book and send it out on query quests, you will find that you have something similar to a parent’s empty nest phenomenon. You will find that you miss your book. You will be sad. When I finished Preston, I felt like I had lost a part of myself. These feelings are perfectly normal.

Now if your kid is 18 and you started feeling blue because he’s moving out, probably the last thing I would tell you is to have another kid. But it’s different with writing. If you really enjoyed the project, just write another one. Your next book is bound be even better because now you’ve kinda gotten your feet wet and know a little about what to expect.

There are emotional highs and lows in writing. You’ll feel good one day and bad the next. You might find that you miss your characters, almost like you’ve said goodbye to some dear friends. You’ll feel empty and abandoned, but like I said, that is okay. But when you write something truly important like activist literature, you realize that it is worth it. Every second of it was worth it.

So follow these steps again and write another book if you have it in you. That will take away from the pain of missing your book as well as getting rejections, both of which are a part of life for a writer of any kind of literature, even activist literature.

Conclusion
I hope you’ve found these last eleven articles helpful. You can find all the articles together by clicking here.

If you have any questions, please contact me and I will be happy to get back to you as soon as I possibly can.

How to Write Activist Literature – Nine – Query Agents and Publishers

By Andy Heath

Now you’ve finished writing your manuscript and you’re at least in the process of revising it. Now you have to start thinking about a home for your book. That’s when it is time to query agents and publishers.

But not so fast…

There are a few tasks to complete before querying agents and publishers. These two tasks are both the shortest and one of the hardest you’ll have to do.

First, you must write a synopsis. A synopsis is a summary of the book, and should not be any longer than two pages, single spaced. Sounds easy? It’s not! You have just written hundreds of pages on your novel, and now you must condense that whole thing to two pages? That’s a daunting task.

The way I tackle the synopsis is to follow these steps:

First, I write a one line summary of each scene from my note cards. Note that this is different than Step 2, which was write a one line summary of the book. This is a one line summary of each scene. Once you do that, you have some idea of the important things that are going on.

Second, you want to pick the important scenes, the ones that go along with your theme - and you thought you were done with your theme didn’t you? Amazing how these things just keep coming back to haunt you. So you’re going to look for the scenes the resonate most strongly with your theme and you’re going to expound on them. You’re going to tell the basic, bare bones story and you’re going to keep it under two pages. Now, if you write the thing and you find that it’s more than two pages, which is likely, then you will have to CUT.

In the synopsis you certainly want to stay true to the story, but you also don’t want it to be too long. Two pages single spaced is a good length for a synopsis. You also want to revise the hell out of it. It must be perfect, more perfect even than your novel. And yes, it must divulge the end of your book.

The second task to perform is to write a query letter. When asking publishers and agents to review your work, you NEVER send the whole manuscript without permission. The way you get permission is to send a query letter with the synopsis. A query letter starts out with a punchy, catchy statement or question, something to get the agent or publisher’s attention. In my query for Preston, my first line was, “Why would a religious, gay teenager renounce his faith in God?” The purpose of that line is to get the agent or publisher’s attention and let him keep reading. The query letter should also have the word count and the genre of the book. Genres include mystery, science fiction, gay or lesbian, non-fiction, etc. For more information on queries and querying agents, check out Writers.net. These people are not gentle with newbies, so be sure you have thick skin before going in, but they do offer some wonderful advice on query letters.

Then in your query letter, you want to give a brief, one paragraph summary of the work you want to send. In the next paragraph, you include a brief summary of your qualifications and why you’re the best person to write the book. Then ask permission to send the manuscript.

One other side note is that when querying agents and publishers, there are different guidelines to follow for each one, but one that is NOT NEGOTIABLE is sending a self addressed stamped envelope (SASE). You always send this, and if you don’t, you will never get a reply.

One thing to note is that most of the time, you will get rejection letters. They will be impersonal and are often form letters. Don’t be discouraged. Rejection has happened to every great writer. I’m sure the people that rejected Harry Potter are probably kicking themselves, so just remember that others might do the same for your work at some point.

If you need a list of agents to submit to, try buying a copy of the current year’s Writer’s Market. There are also some wonderful resources on the Internet such as 1,000 Literary Agents. I would recommend submitting to agents before submitting to publishers, but there are authors that submit directly to publishers and do very well with it. You must make that decision for yourself.

As the rejections start piling up, it can be very discouraging. Step 10 actually discusses a strategy for dealing with the infamous rejections, and it may not make you feel much better, but you will see that it really does. I will post about writing your next book in Step 10 in two days.