Procrastination is the enemy for self-employment as a ghost writer. Read the following article for 6 need-to-know tips on conquering your procrastination tendencies & writing for success.
Tips
Good Query Letter Vs Bad Query Letter
What is a good query letter? Here is a sample of both a good query letter and the query letter from hell.
Freelance Writing: Have an End Goal in Mind
Simply stating “I am going to be a freelance writer” isn’t going to make it happen. Read on for how having an end goal can provide clarity in your career.
Horror Fiction – Ten Cliches to Avoid
For anyone thinking about writing in the horror genre, there are certain situations that, over the years, have been done so often that the audience knows exactly what to expect. If you’re trying for the big scare, here are 10 situations to avoid, and alternative scenarios to consider when writing Horror Fiction.
Creative Writers – Horror Writing
What kind of horror story do you want to write? Your options are as wide open as the type of ‘monster’ you wish to create. Here are tips on writing within the horror genre
Copywriting – How Copywriters Use Weasel Words to Bend the Truth
Copywriters use weasel words to plant an idea in readers’ minds that is bigger than the actual claim being made. Here is how they do it.
How Do Ghostwriters Earn Money?
This article describes how you can make money being a ghostwriter and tips on what you need to know to make it a sustainable career option.
Breaking Into Freelance Medical Writing
I’m delighted to give up-and-coming freelance medical writers a little personal advice. And my first tip always is to join the American Medical Writers Association
Freelance Writer Tips – How to Create an Effective Web Site and Blog
If you want to be a successful freelance writer, there are many things you will need to know. One of the most important steps you can take to taking your writing seriously and encouraging others to do the same is to create an effective Web site and/or blog.
Making Freelance Writing Niche Types Fit: A Few Niche Types by Definition and Description
We must make freelance niche types fit our needs, wants, values and lifestyles, and we also must make ourselves fit freelance niche types.
Finding Success in Writing – The Beginning
With the success of many authors, poets and creative writers, many teachers continue to stress the importance of writing
Five Golden Rules for Writers
Regardless of what sort of writer you are and how much you love to write, there are probably days when you’d rather clean ditches than face another blank page.
Five Quick Tips for Aspiring Copywriters
So, as long as copywriters are going to keep popping up like breakfast treats, it seems appropriate for us white-haired communicators to share what we know with those who will carry our torches when we’re gone.
How to Write Riveting Book Reviews
It’s not always easy to know how to approach a book review writing task because you might not be a literature expert. Even if you are, writing a positive or negative review sometimes boils down to your personal preferences, making your task a little stickier.
Writing Opportunities for College Students
If you’re a student who loves to write, you may not have thought of the opportunities that surround you to break into writing. The academic setting is the perfect place to build your writing resume so by the time graduation rolls around, you have some real writing experience
Writing Poetry for Children
Have you ever considered writing poetry for children? It’s fun and interesting; but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s easy because it’s for kids. Writing poetry for children requires an understanding of what kids like and a skill in delivering it. So if you’d interested in writing poetry for children, tap into what kids like
Writing Historical Fiction: The Forgotten Golden Egg of Writing
Writing is hard work; it’s not for the faint of heart. Writing historical fiction is even harder, as it is more than just crafting an intriguing plotline. There’s the laborious task of researching the history that drives the story. Any authentic historical reference that I used in the book, I researched at least three times
Freelance Writing Opportunities in Writing for the Trade Press
Trade publications attract writers from two primary sources. Trade editors actively seek out tradesmen and women and turn them into writers; and/or editors invite freelance writers to pitch query letters and articles make them familiar with the trade. Since the former option is the easiest and simplest, most trade editors prefer to work with freelance writers.
How to Consistently Write Good Copy Under Tight Deadlines
In an ideal world, freelance writers have all the time they need to research, write, and edit each piece they produce to perfection. After all, your clients don’t pay you good money to write half-baked and fluff-filled content, do they?
How to Write Gripping Subheadings to Add More Value to Your Article
Well-written subheadings help the reader understand at a glance what your article is about and what he/she can gain from each paragraph. Added to this, subheadings make your work easier to read because they organize it.
Writing Your Ecological Autobiography
People write memoirs or autobiographies for a number of reasons, but one thing we can expect as we go through the process is a deeper understanding of ourselves. As we recall and record our life stories, we learn a great deal about who we are and how we came to be the persons we are
Freelance Writing: Writing for Automotive Trade Journals
One requisite to break into this market is you must write with accuracy. Editors demand accuracy in all technical contributions. Most, if not all, freelance submissions go through a peer-to-peer review and, if deemed necessary, the editorial board or engineering staff will scrutinize every detail in your article.
Writing About Video Games? How to Break into this Fun Freelance Market
Have you ever dreamed of getting paid to write about video games? As a freelance writer, it’s not hard to spin your favorite hobby into a source of income by writing articles, but those of you out there who love gaming are particularly in luck.
How to Get Clients in Less than an Hour for Your Writing Business
Are you looking forward to taking your freelance writing business to the next level by landing big time corporate clients? One of the most disturbing truths that block such aspiration is that prospects do not realize they need people who do not just write�but those who write effectively.
How to Write the Perfect Article Pitch
Submitting your article ideas to an editor might feel like an overwhelming task. I like to simplify it by thinking that writing is similar to selling a product. You’ve just got to know how to market it! If that feels overwhelming, don’t worry. Here are some tips on how to write article summaries
Hopeful Freelancing: Write Because You Have Something to Say
A writer who seeks money first, will get little, unless he accidentally develops unique skills and talents. The writer who seeks fame regardless of pay, will win neither fame nor money. The hopeful writer should patiently research what publications demand his writing
How to Write Better Copy by Observing Amazon’s Marketplace
When I need help structuring a piece of copy, I’ll visit Amazon to observe the social habits of people–what they buy, sell, and discuss. Let me show you how.
Thinking About Quitting Freelance Writing? Here are 5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t
Writing can be a horrible profession for those depending on it for a living. Unless you are one of the few who have risen, through merit or birth, above the masses you might have better odds aspiring to be an astronaut or an actor.
Write a Better News Story with the Paragraphing Technique
Paragraphing is an important technique in journalistic writing, perhaps more important than in other forms of writing. The purpose of paragraphs is to break up an article into its logical divisions so that readers can easily grasp the structure and thought.
Why Authors Should Care About Copyright
Authors’ works are habitually plagiarized, infringed upon and otherwise exploited without their permission and without fair compensation. Just as frequently, authors who are ignorant of their rights are taken advantage of by unscrupulous publishers. Consider these real examples
Why Book and eBook Authors Still Need Literary Agents
A competent literary agent knows the literary requirements that different book editors and publishers demand right now. He knows the length and style of books suitable for such and such publisher or book distributor, as well as the genres and subjects
What Editors Really Want: 10 Tips for Freelance Writers and Book Authors
Have you ever tried repeatedly to get into that one elusive publisher or magazine only to get rejected over and over again? Ever wonder what makes the editor tick? What exactly is it that they want from you? You’re not alone.
When Words Meet Pictures: How to Use Text and Images to Create Striking Articles for Readers
The thought of worrying about pictures for your articles might not make sense: you’re a writer, after all. However, in today’s web copy world images are essential to create stronger articles that grab reader attention.
An Introduction to Using Point of View in Your Story
Point of view is telling a story from a pre-determined vantage point. It is an essential formula for writing stories. If we were to exclude point of view from our stories, every story would be hopelessly confused, an entanglement of incoherent scenes
Creative Writing: Using the Epigram as a Literary Device
The first epigrams were verses used by the Greeks for the inscriptions on statues or other monuments to the dead. The Romans were the first to use epigrams as satirical devices, and Shakespeare made them popular as poetic closed couplets.
Top 10 Sure-Fire Ways to Make Yourself an Unpopular Freelance Writer
Every once in a while, though, editors get a query that forces them to tear out their hair and abandon the air of restraint to vent their long-suffering emotions. This kind of query comes from the writer who quickly becomes the Unpopular Freelancer.
Using Dialogue to Start a Short Story, a Creative Writing Technique
Dialogue never occurs for its own purpose. Its primary function is to reveal and progress the plot and the story’s events. Dialogue strengthens, accentuates, and substantiates the characters as they play their parts. Conversation can develop your characters and show the story setting and environment at the same time.
The Option Clause in a Book Contract: A Trap for the Unwary Author
Reputable publishers almost always will drop or modify the option clause. Vanity presses are notorious for tying up your next book. And many smaller or start-up publishers that don’t want to pay for legal services
The Time Element in Telling a Story
Your first goal in telling a story is to give the time of its happening. The time anchors your story in place, and starting from this anchor you weave the chain of events that follows
Titles that Talk: How to Create a Title for Your Article or Manuscript
The first words of a manuscript that catch the editorial eye are those of the title. Anytime you submit a manuscript or article, you should make your title strong and attractive. A compelling title is more likely to prompt an editor to start reading the opening paragraph.
The Top 5 Story-Based Themes that Will Ignite Interest in Your Readers
A theme conveys a similar comparison to the story that the framework conveys to the completed structure. It conveys the fundamental idea, the trigger of the story, the fact or purpose upon which you base your the plot.
Part 1: The Craft of Writing for Self-Publishing
In this series of articles, I’d like to focus on those areas of the craft that are helpful in publishing your own work. To illustrate the process I’ll share some of my own journey in learning how to write and self-publish three non-fiction books.
Part 2: The Craft of Editing for Self-Publishing
Learn how to edit your manuscript before you self-publish your book or ebook. Going through traditional publishing channels is getting harder and harder as the population of writers continues to boom. It makes sense then to look at self-publishing as a viable alternative. As you pursue these avenues it pays to heed what exactly it is that publishers do well so that you can mimic this yourself.
Part 4: The Craft of Marketing Your Self-Published Book
In marketing my own self-published books, I’ve found a number of helpful (and some not so helpful) channels to get the word out which I’ll share in this article. My first suggestion for effectively marketing your book is to start with your closest connections.
Teaching Others to Write: How to Get Paid More Without Actually Writing
Most writers experience a downtime in their income at some point or another, regardless of the economy. So, what can you do? You can work smarter, not harder. Yes, you can do more writing and send out more manuscripts
How to Condense Your Thoughts and Words to Write Better Articles
The hardest lesson aspiring writers need to learn is how to condense their writing– to not be afraid of leaving things out. Our thoughts and the language that we use to clothe them seem exceedingly important to us.
The Character Arc: Make Your Main Character More Memorable
Put simply, the character arc is the journey of a character in a story from point A to point B. For example, a main character who is born in the opening and dies at the end is a basic character arc. That plotline is biographical…
How to Get Tantalizing Testimonials from Your Clients
One of the most important marketing tools, especially for freelance writers, is the mighty testimonial. Why? Before the project begins, and often well into it, there are few, if any tangibles. That spells high anxiety for your prospects before signing on the dotted line
How to Find Great Subject-Matter Experts for Your Articles
Journalists and nonfiction writers often need subject-matter experts (SMEs) to lend credibility to their content. I have interviewed experts as far ranging as principals, teachers, fire fighters, real estate agents, lenders and nurses for a variety of published pieces. The information gleaned from these experts
How to Throw Your Own Successful Book Signing
Of course everyone wants to have a book signing at a big bookstore, but sometimes that’s difficult to negotiate, especially if your book is self-published. However, the good news is that if you can get a smaller bookstore on board, it’s easier to approach the better-known stores
Surviving the First Six Months of Freelance Writing
In reality, anyone with writing skills can make it as a freelance writer, but it does take some time to learn the nature of the industry. Ultimately, being a freelance writer means the writer is in charge of his or her own career, and that means having to find steady employment.
Taking Your Freelance Writing on the Road
It may seem like every writer’s dream, but taking your writing skills on a road trip is a little harder than you might first think! After completing an 11 000 kilometer road trip around Australia, education author Anne Vize shares some tips for taking your writing on the road.
My Experience in Querying Nitpicking Editors
Should you query first or write an entire article first? My experience in querying editors before writing an entire 2,000-3,000 word technical article has led me to believe that many freelance writers can save valuable time and reduce unnecessary work…
Protecting Your Story Ideas: Just Whom Can You Trust?
Professionals often reassure new writers that publishers do not steal your ideas when you query them. Perhaps one ought to qualify that: Legitimate publishers won’t steal your ideas, because it is easier for them to give you an assignment
Publication Rights for Freelance Article Writers
Besides negotiating rates with editors to maximize what they pay for your articles, you might also need to negotiate the rights to your articles. In calculating a rate to pay for articles�such as feature articles or sidebars�editors also consider if the article is exclusive, an original first-print, a reprint, etc.
Discover How You Can Easily Qualify Potential Clients for Your Freelance Writing Business
As a freelance writer, sales-speak may not be your language of choice, but a there are a few terms that you should understand when it comes to running your freelance business. There’s a thing in sales-speak called qualifying
5 Proofreading Tips in a Digital Age
I’m trained as a newspaper reporter, so double checking information is second nature to me. Over the years as I wrote copy in other arenas – from college alumni information to business brochures – I’ve slowly adopted a more calculated approach to proofreading my work in the final stages
7 Portfolio Mistakes that Could Cost You the Gig
Your writing portfolio is arguably the single most important marketing tool for generating new clients. It can also be a fast track to lost clients if done incorrectly. Because you only get a few seconds of your prospective client’s time to make that first impression, your presentation must be flawless
The Magic of Powerful Story Settings
I was taught and learned the importance of descriptive and powerful settings at an early age. In my elementary school art class, a very clever and gifted teacher spent an entire class period changing a variety of picture frames
Part 3: How to Print and Distribute Your Self-Published Book
Authors who want to self-publish their books have unprecedented options. There are many successful authors who are going straight to ebooks and skip the printing of their work all together.
In this Business of Writing, One Opportunity Leads to Another
In my first eighteen years as a writer I feel like I made almost every mistake an author can make. I’ve been ripped off by vanity publishers, have paid more than I should for sub-par editing, and spent many years working hard without making any real progress. This all changed for me
How to Find Paid Writing Opportunities in Unexpected Places
Magazines pay freelance writers by the word, by the page, by the article, or not at all. Often they pay more for accompanying photos and graphics. Purchasing a point-and-shoot camera could pay for itself with one published article
Is it Soup Yet? How to Perfect Your Story Recipe for Chicken Soup for the Soul
Since I published my 900 word short story Dad’s Tomatoes in Chicken Soup for the Soul, I’ve been on live television, interviewed by news networks, had book signings and been offered speaking opportunities at expensive writers’ conferences
Poetry Writing – a Minor Art of Seriousness
Aspiring poets will continue to write deathless rhymes until they realize that poetry is not simply another – perhaps inferior – way of saying things that they could say in prose.
Top 10 Negotiation Strategies for Freelance Writers
Working as a freelance writer often means you need to set your own price for at least some of the work you do. Of course, you want to make money, and the client wants to save money. How can you employ negotiation strategies that get you what you want within reason?
Five ways attending non-writing conferences can change your freelance writing career!
Freelance writers are always encouraged to hone their skills by joining creative writing workshops and conventions that gather wordsmiths from different parts of the country. You shouldn�t miss opportunities like that, but attending non-writing conferences can also give your career new twists
How to Sell Your Non-fiction Article by Writing a Winning Query Letter
Be very familiar with the magazine before sending a query.Scrutinize at least two issues of the magazine to see what other writers have published. How long are the titles? Are articles written in first person, third person or some other point of view? Are there quotations, statistics, or references sited to specific web sites or other sources?
How I Generate More Writing Opportunities with an Online Presence
I find it extraordinarily helpful having my own writing blog. When I am submitting articles to an editor who is unfamiliar with my work, I can easily refer them to my blog where they can get a perspective on the scope of my writing, diverse topics of the many published magazine articles that have been written by me
Landing a Writing Gig at a Big Newspaper
When I wanted to break into newspaper work as a stringer or part-time journalist to supplement my income, I applied to a big city paper-The Boston Globe. In a brief interview with its editorial manager, he shared some wisdom which should interest any general writer whose mind trends in the same direction.
10 Hacks To Simplify Your Freelance Writing Business
It’s surprising how many freelance writers complicate the way they run their writing businesses. While many writers struggle with handling several tasks at once, other writers have come up with their own life hacks for maximizing their profit and productivity
Keep It Simple, Stupid! How to write about a complex subject in a simple way
Whether you’re writing about the latest scientific advancement, or unveiling secrets of great historical pith and moment, or even jousting around different political perspectives, your audience has to be able to understand what they’re reading. And this means keeping things simple
How to Write Authority Content for You and Your Clients
Your article’s purpose may be to inform, educate, convince, or simply entertain. Crafting authority content helps you, your clients, and your audience.
How to Write a Haiku: Poetry of simple artform but meaningful expression
A haiku is one of the most beautiful forms of poetry. If you want to try to write a haiku, but don’t know where to begin, read these handy tips.
How to Write Web Copy that Sells!
You want to write web copy that grabs the reader’s attention and sells something, whether that is a product or an idea, right? To achieve this, it could be a good idea to see how web content differs from articles that appear in print, especially if you are accustomed to writing for print media.
How to Write ‘About Us’ Pages that Engage Readers
About Us pages can be a wonderful opportunity to make a company or organization shine but most of them are too often wasted words on a page that no one reads. It doesn’t have to be this way and I’m going to offer a simpler way to help you write a better page.
How to Write a Strong Lead for Your Non-Fiction Article
While there are several angles to consider for a lead, first let’s figure out what to avoid. In general, do not lead with a question because the reader’s attention is immediately turned to thinking of the answer.
How to Write a Marketable Article Based on Hobbies and Human Interest
If you are looking for a new topic to write about, perhaps you should consider writing about universally appealing topics like hobbies or human interest.
How to Write a Marketable Article Based on Timely Events
The first requirement of writing marketable articles is that you must choose a timely topic that creates a lot of interest. No matter how well you write the article, its subject must zero in on the publication’s readership. That is the primary basis on which editors judge quality newsworthy non-fiction content.
How to Write a Poem and Wake Up the World
Poetry is not just about fusing words and rhythm. You need to learn how to use your words to wake up the world. Learn how with these writing tips.
10 Techniques to Write Your Screenplay Faster
Often screenwriters get stuck with the dreaded writer’s block. The truth is writer’s block doesn’t exist. It is an imaginary barrier created by a tired, disorganized thought-process. Consider these top ten tips on how to write a screenplay faster.
How to Write a Better True Story: A Simple Technique in Unity
The action that a writer reveals in his story is only a small part of the action that really took place. His selection shows his skill; almost any event makes a good story if the writer tells the proper parts of it.
The Mechanics of How to Write a Climactic Novel
Are you wanting to write novel that will captivate readers’ attention? In order to do so, there are certain steps you must take, as this article outlines.
How to Write a Great Story of Fiction
As one who writes fiction, you wield the power to make your characters do and say what you want them to do and say, and to create positive and negative situations for them. If you plan your story before you write it, you can create strong characters who react believably.
How to Make Guest Blogging Worth Your Time
I have often heard writers ask if guest blog posting is worth it. Some people will say no, that it’s a waste of time. But I say it’s not – if you use your time wisely. Choose only blogs in your niche that can be profitable for you.
How to Make Your Article SEO-Friendly Before Selling It to an Editor
Tired of getting your magazine submissions rejected, or worse, ignored, with no response? Learn to make every article SEO-friendly and well-researched with quotations and statistics that would pass the scrutiny of even the toughest fact checkers and you are likely to see more of your articles published.
Getting the Best Mileage for Your Writing: How to Sell Your Article to Multiple Publications
A little rewiring of the basic components, a new perspective, even reworking your original pitch can propel your story from its humble local beginnings to the national and international stage.
Freelance Writing: How to Handle Clients Who Hate Your Work
Most clients are willing to work with you to remedy problems or inconsistencies, while some clients expect too much and become irate. So how do you handle different clients with different attitudes, moods, and tolerances? Here are a few tips to make clients work with you instead of against you.
Creative Writing: How to Harmonize Your Storytelling Skills
We can appreciate the harmony of color in a painting or a beautiful line in a sculptured figure; we can hear the harmony of sound in music or see the harmony of ideas in a story.
How to Kill a Writing Career
Learning to be a successful writer is kind of like being a gold miner back then. Most writers won’t make a ton of money with their writing. The people who do make the money are the ones who sell the endless ebooks and online courses that tell people how to – wait for it – make money with their writing.
How to Get Higher Rates if You’re a Freelance Writer from a Third-World Country
Apparently, many clients are under the impression that writers from Third-World or developing countries are article-spewing robots who run on gasoline, rather than living, breathing human beings who need to shell out money every day to survive.
How to Build Strong Narrative in Your Article
When subjects excite your curiosity, make a note of it. Draw an image of it. Write a blog post about it. Tweet it. Dream about it at night. Before long, you will have your own prized collection of story ideas.
How to Create a Well-Written Short Story that Engages Readers
To succeed in developing a short story, you need to canvas its environment, not just by your choice and arrangement of words, but also by its series of events. The movement of a short story must progress swiftly from one scene to the next; you must write captivating and snappy dialogue; and you must create characters who are complex yet simple so they are self-explanatory to a degree.
What’s Your Story? How to Find Your Unique Writing Voice
As a writer, you have a literary hero, a blogging deity, or an esteemed wordsmith you look up to and whom you get inspiration from. You are also a byproduct of the things you read, see, experience, and feel. But sometimes, we tend to lose our style in this nest of influences and end up being a voice of sorts
How to Generate Interest in Your Non-fiction Story
Non-fiction writers cannot construct action and episodes to bring out a moral, like a fiction writer can. Learn how to generate interest with these tips.
Freelance Writing: How to Generate ‘Reader-Interest’ in Any Story or Article
What interests all people, all the time? It’s seeing themselves in a story or piece of news. Use this to generate reader interest in your writing.
How Not to Fall Prey to Writing Job Scams on CraigsList
Many freelance writers have a love-hate relationship with CraigsList: they love using the free service to find legitimate work, and they hate using it when they inadvertently run into scams. I’ve been using CraigsList to find freelance gigs
How to Approach Book Publishers with Your Copywriting Services
You’ve established yourself with a few authors writing back cover copy, and you’re ready to approach publishers with your writing portfolio. Maybe you’d like to get your foot in the door with a few of the smaller presses so you can work your way up to the big leagues.
How to Avoid Sexist Language in Article Writing
A responsible writer wants to steer clear from sexist language, particularly in non-fiction and business writing, because it is deemed inappropriate. It can alienate one’s readership. When I write I want to gain readers’ trust so I can build credibility and respect.
Make Your Book a Success: How to Hire and Work with an Editor
It is nearly impossible to market and sell a poorly edited book. Whether you contract with a traditional publisher or self-publish, an experienced editor is the key to your book’s success. If you choose the self-publishing route, it’s important to know what to look for.
5 Home Office Productivity Tips for Freelance Writers
Working out of the home sounds like a dream come true to many people – and to be honest, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Read these tips on how best to work from home.