There are other people who imagine that while people can earn some money via freelance writing, it will never be enough to quit their day job. In fact, historically freelance writers have had the reputation
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.
Practical Advice on Writing the Biographical Novel
Many nonfiction writers aspire to write a biographical novel about a person who fascinates them. The research and writing process are always challenging. In fact, many biographies, no matter how well-planned, never see daylight.
Write the Story of Your Life
I want to write my life story, but I don’t know where to start. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this statement. Many people have a story to tell. It doesn’t matter that that story will never be on the New York Times
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 Sports Stories of Interest
During the summer I teach a course on sports writing. When I ask my students to cover a sporting event and write a sports story (with no further instructions), 9 out of 10 students watch a sporting event on TV or attend a baseball game and rehash on paper what they have observed.
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
5 Steps to Increase Your Writing Income this Year: Learn to find and retain long-term writing partnerships
How many times have you landed a writing gig but the project turns out to be a one-time deal? You deliver well-written content on deadline, and cross your fingers hoping this gig will lead to more work. While your client is grateful and pays timely
Writing Interesting Copy on Boring Subjects
Rambling prose can pose problems for the reader. Freelance writer Mark James helps you write more interesting copy on dull subjects.
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 in Uncomfortable Niches … Is It Worth It?
As a freelance writer, you can do business in many different niches, and it is inevitable that some of them are going to be much less comfortable than others.
Writing for Local News Outlets
A very easy way for writers living in rural areas to increase their monthly income is to act as a local correspondent for different social media content websites. Social media content sites, like Patch.com, Examiner.com, and Gather.com
Writing for the Holidays: When to Write and Pitch Your Seasonal Articles to Magazines
Writing for holiday issues of magazines can be a little tricky. At least for me. I only think of ideas for articles and stories during the actual holiday. The problem with that is it’s way too late, or way too early, to then send it into the magazine.
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
Writing E-mails to Editors: How to Pitch, Correspond, and Present Yourself Professionally
Just because you’re working in a freelance creative profession instead of a corporate field, it doesn’t mean your e-mails should be sloppy or casual. E-mail messages should display your professionalism and build relationships with editors who will publish your work.
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.
Freelance Writing Advice: Writing Descriptive Articles for Editors
The effectiveness of descriptive writing depends largely on the right choice of words. It is not enough to depict the memorable points of the subject tersely and vigorously: you must do this attractively, picturesquely.
The Benefits of Writing about Charities
As a freelance writer for more than eight years now, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to write about a wide variety of topics. One area in which I have focused a bit of my freelance writing on in the past few years is charities
Writing Your First Freelance Video Game Review
Writing a video game review is about more than just listing what’s good and what’s bad about a game. It’s an opportunity to delve in and express your thoughts through a medium that can reach millions of Internet users worldwide.
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
A Freelance Writer’s Guide to Using Public Speaking as a Marketing Tool
Public speaking is easily one of the most anxiety and fear-inducing activities a person can do. Just the thought of speaking in front of a group can be the cause of sweaty palms, the knocking of knees and a gut-wrenching case of nausea.
Top 5 Tips to Write An Interesting Narrative for Any Story
WRITING NARRATION – You can discover numerous ways of crafting an intriguing narrative. Some narrative methods are so refined that a skilled writer has trouble describing them; they are simply proof of a genuine storyteller.
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.
7 Reasons Why Editors Reject Excellent Articles
Sometimes the acceptance of a manuscript or an article seems a question of editorial accident and not a circumstance of clever salesmanship. Let’s suppose you’ve written an excellent story and sent it to an editor. The odds of acceptance are threatened by a variety of factors.
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.
Verse Making: Using Poetic License
I just read a prize poem in a university literary magazine-a pretty thing it was, too; had it not felt so special to me, I would have stopped reading it because the poem had minor stylistic faults. A few lines, more or less, were out of measure, causing the poem to lack in rhyme, rhythm and reason
The Weirdest Literary Awards for Writers
All writers secretly have aspirations of fame or at least notoriety. While you wait for the Pulitzer committee to recognize your literary genius, you can pursue some of these less sought-after accolades to bolster your resume.
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
The Writer’s First Step: Yanking Ideas from Your Head
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.
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.
Top 5 Irritating Habits of Editors and how freelance writers can handle them!
Freelance writers must know how to handle difficult editors of magazines and websites so they don’t get trumped over. Editors are as varied as the rejection notes they write. But like them or loathe them, editors will be around as long as there are writers. So it is handy to develop a satchel of tricks on how to best deal with their quirks.
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.
The Epistolary Novel, a Creative Writing Style for Novelists
Evoking a certain dramatic mood is only one of the reasons why authors might use letters or diary entries in their novels. The most obvious benefit is character development, and allowing your protagonist or supporting cast
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.
Short Story Writing for the Aspiring Writer
Writing short stories provides you with a creative platform to influence readers’ thoughts and emotions with your words, and gives you a deep feeling of satisfaction in knowing that readers are reaping the benefits of your observations, thoughts and moral teachings
6 Essential Job Boards for Any Freelance Writer
From traditional journalism to freelance blogging, there has never been a better time to be a freelance writer. The ease of finding jobs online makes this the best time to start a writing business. But you have to be able to find the jobs.
5 Strategies to Sell Yourself to Sell More Writing Services!
There are many ways to market your unique writing identity at low-to-no cost. I built my freelance real estate writing career on building myself up as an expert. I had years of actual real estate knowledge to pull from
7 Food Writing Tips I Learned from Watching Reruns of Julia Child
The late Julia Child is world famous for her gastronomic talents and relaxed approach to cooking. So what can you learn from her approach to cooking? Here are seven tips I learned and would like to pass on to you.
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…
The Realities of Selling Your Article to a Magazine or Website
Suppose you submit your article or query letter directly by e-mail or by postal mail. What happens to it? Who actually reads it first, if not the editor? The size of the magazine and editorial staff may dictate who reads your query letter or submission first. If not the editor, then the managing editor or an editorial staff member.
Resume Writing as a Freelance Service
If you are looking to venture into new freelance writing territory, you should consider developing your skills in resume writing. Writers charge between $50 and $500 per resume depending on their credentials and expertise.
Retirement Planning for Freelance Writers
Here’s a chilling, hardcore reality. If you don’t plan for retirement, odds are you’ll end up working until you depart this Earth. And here’s a not-so-fun factoid to go with it. An astounding 76 percent of Los Angeles-area freelance journalists have nothing saved toward retirement. Odds are, the numbers for other freelancers, including writers, are similar.
Writers’ Notebooks: Your Secret Writing Weapon!
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
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?
Money Management Tips for Freelance Writers
When there’s more month than money, anxiety rears its ugly head, and you can’t do your best work when you’re constantly worried about money.
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
Narrative Prose: The Elements of Description and Narration
Some of our favorite authors have praised parts of their success on having learned to write descriptive scenes and characters, but with lots of self-control. Stephen King said, In many cases when a reader puts a story aside
Journaling in the Natural World
I’ve been keeping a nature journal on and off over the past twenty-five years and have found it helpful in deepening my connection with nature. By journaling, I’ve become more observant of the sights, sounds, scents, and feel of what’s around me in the natural world. I notice, for example, not just the fact that I’m walking through a forest or a grove of trees
Repurposing Your Memoir For Profit
Anyone who’s written a memoir knows just how painstaking that writing can be. You constantly get stuck in your head and you often feel alone. Yet many people want to read memoir and so based on that fact alone, why not repurpose your memoir for profit?
Mastering Social Media in Today’s Freelance Writing Marketplace
Today’s writing marketplace is a minefield of yesterday’s query space debris and tomorrow’s tech savvy go-getter. Staying one to two steps ahead of the game involves incorporating the latest social media tech, trends and memes
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
Be Your Own Magazine Writing Agent: 7 Effective Ways to Market your Articles
One of the best ways to job security as a freelance writer is to become your own marketing agent. Who can better promote your writing than you? Always view your writing as a business, because it is! You are a retailer, the Neiman-Marcus or topnotch magazine writing. Your articles are your merchandise, your inventory
Have Pen Will Travel: Incentives for Freelance Writers to Earn as They Learn
Writing doesn’t have to be a lonely, solitary pursuit, holed away in the confines of your study. It can be an adventure ripe with exotic backdrops perfect for inspiring that next great novel. Getting there is a matter of creativity worthy of your brilliant story.
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
3 Quick and Easy Ways to Know Your Freelance Writing Market
Knowing your market means knowing who your customers are, who their customers are (age, gender, usage habits and values they hold dear), and what needs they are trying to satisfy. It also means knowing if their business is expanding or declining, where they get their funding from, how large a subscriber base they have, what current industry trends are and what their competition is doing.
A Shot of Humor: Injecting the Funnies Into Your Writing
There comes a time when every writer looks to add a little extra zing to their articles or stories in the form of humor. Nothing spices up a piece of writing like a good joke
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.