A Step in the Write Direction
December 29, 2014
Update: Our pastor yesterday
encouraged us to do a timeline of our lives—putting in highlights (good and bad)
and rating them as to minus 5 or plus 5. Then he said to remember how God was
there for all of them….Every month I go back and write down highlights for that
month—illnesses (too many of them), trips, visitors, any local, state, or world
news, etc. At the end of the year I type these up, three-hole punch them, and
give them to our kids to put in their notebook. I’ve done this for years. Last
year I put all these on the computer, and now we can find something at a
moment’s notice. Brings back a lot of memories! Now we’re entering a new year
and whether it’ll be a minus 5 or plus 5, let’s be thankful we know Who’ll be
walking with us. A happy and blessed New Year to you all!
Thought for
Today: For today’s thought, I’m sharing a New
Year’s Prayer written by my good friend Kitty Chappell:
A New Year’s Prayer
Bless this year, O Lord, we pray,
Guide our steps both night and day.
Bless the weeks that come and go
Help us your sweet will to know.
Bless the months and may they bring
Sweet aromas to our King.
Bless us all and may we be
Daily walking, Lord, with Thee.
Let the failures of last year
And all hurts, Lord, disappear.
Let them stepping stones become
That we may be more wise and strong.
Grant us wisdom from above
To reflect your truth and love.
Grant us power that we may be
Filled with evidence of Thee.
Bless this year and when it’s through,
May we be, Lord, more like you.
Song for
Today:
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind.
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wand’ring sinner to find!
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee!
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art!
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
—“Oh, to Be Like Thee,” Thomas O. Chisholm
Laugh for
Today: (true): A friend’s 13-year-old
granddaughter, watching her grandmother set up an ironing board, asked, “Why did
someone put legs on that surfboard?” (She had been surfing since she was 5 and
had never seen an ironing board before.)
Writer’s
Tips:
Tax Tips for Writers
(Using lines from a Schedule
C—Self-Employment Form)
For the next
several weeks I’ll pass on some tax tips for writers. Because tax laws change so
rapidly, I won’t give a lot of technical advice; however, you need to know that
as a freelance writer the Internal Revenue Service considers you a self-employed
person, which means you have to file a Schedule C. This also means accurate
record keeping and saving receipts.
The secret:
Whenever you open your checkbook or get into your car, think taxes! It’s easy to
remember purchases such as computers, printer, toner, envelopes, and paper.
However, you may forget smaller items such as postage for manuscripts and query
letters and requests for sample magazines (if you don’t do this via e-mail). Or
you may remember the postage, but forget to count the mileage.
Following are
instructions for the lines you will use most:
On line A
you’ll put your name as the owner/proprietor of the business and your social
security number. (If you are filing jointly with your spouse, use your social security here as you are the
owner.)
Line B asks
for your business code (for a writer it’s 812990).
Line C asks
for your principal business. (I include three here: freelance writer, editor,
proofreader.)
Line D is for an
employer ID number (EIN). This is not only for employers. I use this as
identification when preparing tax returns for others, and it can also be used to
give to editors and publishers instead of your social security number. This EIN
can be used for opening a bank account, applying for business licenses, and
filing a tax return. See
<ttp://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=102767,00html>
Line E is
your business address—either your home or a rented
office.
Line F is
your accounting method—which will normally be cash (this means you count your
income as your receive it).
Line G—yes,
you did “materially participate” in the operation of this
business.
Check Line H
if this is the first year you’re filing a business
return.
On lines 1,
3, 5, and 7, show your total income for the year. (Ask your accountant about
returns and allowances if you keep an inventory.) This income will include
checks from manuscripts you sell, book royalties, and money you earn
speaking.
(This
information is taken from Appendix J of A Step in the Write
Direction.)
Have a good week (and year!) spreading
the
gospel
through the printed page.
Donna
Clark Goodrich
"A Step in the Write Direction--the Complete
How-to Guide for Christian Writers"
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