Work-life balance is never easy, but for parents who work at home, the juggling act can be near impossible. After all, with the never-ending housework and kids vying for your attention, squeezing in a few hours of undivided time for your work is quite a feat.
Free Downloadable Software for Writers
Are you wondering where you can find free downloadable software for writers? We’ve done some virtual digging to find you some options that won’t cost you a single penny. Check them out here:
Free Downloadable Software for Writers to Try Now
What types of downloadable software for writers are available? You can find word processing programs and ones to help you organize notes and information. If you are working on a book project, you’ll find several options that can assist you with this type of work. [Read more…]
15 Places to Find Stock Images for Blog Posts and Websites
If you are blogging regularly or have your own website, you will need a source of quality stock images. When you go online to get images to use for your site, be sure to confirm that they are in the public domain or licensed for commercial use. In some instances, the photographer will want to be credited for his or her work on your post or site. This is a small price to pay for using the work. We’ve focused on resources available at no charge, but you can also find several websites that offer stock photos for a fee.
1. Photopin.com
This site features millions of Creative Commons photos from Flickr. You have the option of searching by keyword and narrowing your search by “recent,” “relevance,” or “interestingness.” Be sure that the “commercial” box is ticked off when looking for images for blog posts or a website.
2. Stock.xchng
Stock.xchng allows you to search for images by keyword or category. This site has a large collection of high-quality photographs available. Most of the images are quite good quality. You will see availability and any special instructions about crediting the photographer before you download an image.
You’ll need to create a free account before you can download any of the over 100,000 images available at this site. All of them come with a royalty-free license so you can use them for blog posts or on your website. To date, there are over 386,000 photos available.
If you are looking for clip art, a vector image, or an icon instead of a photograph, Open Clip Art Library has an extensive collection of items. All of them are in the public domain, so you can use them as is, modify, or build on them however you choose. The clip art is organized in categories, collections and tags to make it easy for you to find exactly what you are looking for.
The search engine for free photos allows you to find images from the Library of Congress, NASA, and a number of other sources. Sign up for a free account to get access to over 20 million photos. Members can tag, rate, and comment on photos as well.
6. Free Pixels
With just over 5,500 images, this site doesn’t have a large collection to choose from, but if you are looking for nature, architecture, travel, or food and drink images, you may want to give it a try. There are 40 categories altogether bigger doesn’t always mean better when it comes to image sites.
If you are working on topics with a historical theme, consider Ancestry Images as a resource. It has over 27,000 prints, portraits and maps dating from the 17th century. Most of the offerings on this site are from the later part of the 18th century and the 19th century.
8. Morgue File
MorgueFile contains free reference images. You’ll need to register to use the site, but once your account is set up, you’ll be able to access high quality photos for downloading.
The most popular categories featured here are pictures of people and business pictures, but there are several other categories, including architecture, food and drink, nature, objects, sports and leisure, travel, and backgrounds as well.
10. Stock Vault
Search Stock Vault by categories (Animals, Nature, Objects, People, Seasonal, etc.) or by Newest Photos, Most Viewed, Featured, Most Love, or Most Downloaded) to find images to find stock images for your blog or website.
11. Creative Commons
Visit Creative Commons to get one-stop access to search for images on Flickr, Wikimedia Commons, Pixabay, Google Images, and Open Clip Art Library. Always check to confirm that the results are available for use under a Creative Commons license by clicking on the link provided.
12. Dreamstime
Dreamstime has a selection of free photos to choose from, as well as a number of ones that require credits to download. There are generic categories to choose from, too.
13. FreeRange Stock
Membership on this site is free. Sign in to be able to download images and textures. All of them are at least 2400 x 1600 and can be used for “commercial or personal projects.”
14. Imagebase
Imagebase is a collection of photographs, most of which were taken by David Niblack. They can be freely used for “personal, commercial, non-profit, artistic, or creative purposes.” No login is required, and you are not required to give photo credits if you use the images.
15. Unprofound
The photos on this site are sorted by the basic colors they contain. It also has a search function where you can input basic keywords to find images. No signup is required to use it.
16. Burst
Burst offers free stock photos and royalty-free images for business use. Unlike most other stock photo websites that offer free photos for personal use, Burst offers free stock photos for business owners with zero restrictions on photos used for any commercial endeavor.
photo credit: Ed Yourdon via photopin cc
17 Places Where Freelance Writers Can Find Magazine Markets
Are you a freelance writer looking to break into the print market or an experienced writer looking for new places to pitch a story idea? We’ve compiled a list of places online where writers can find magazine markets online.
Before you take the time to send in a pitch, be sure to check out a copy of the magazine to get an idea of the types of stories that have been covered recently. Some of them will have an editorial calendar, and this will help you when you are pitching your ideas. You’ll also want to make sure you have the latest version of the writers’ guidelines, since they include important details such as how the magazine likes to receive pitches (electronically or via snail mail), amount of compensation, and whether you will be paid on acceptance or publication.
Whether you are looking to sell an article, a manuscript, or a book, the Writer’s Market can point you in the right direction. Use the rate chart to get an idea of how much to charge for different types of gigs. Sign up for a full year’s subscription or pay monthly.
This site lists original market listings on its website each week. They are received from the editors at each publication. Sign up for the newsletter and get the listings delivered to you by e-mail.
Go to the Funds for Writers site to see a selection of magazine markets. For more magazine opportunities delivered directly to your e-mail account every week, you can sign up for either the free newsletter or the paid subscription. The free option provides 15 opportunities per week, all of which pay at least $0.10 per word. The paid subscription costs $15.00 per year for 26 biweekly issues. Each one includes over 75 opportunities for freelance writers.
Absolute Write’s Water Cooler Paying Markets section has paying opportunities from editors. You’ll need to bookmark the page and visit it regularly to check for updates, though. There is no way to determine how often new threads will appear or if there will be something that will appeal to you.
The Writers’ Markets section of this site has a directory of magazines. Search by title or category (health, business, science, travel, home and family, etc.) to find the one you are interested in. Listings provide links to writers’ guidelines on publications’ websites.
Sunoasis lists magazines by genre. Click on the link to go to the writer’s guidelines page .The list includes a number of regional magazines, as well as travel, entertainment, hobby and craft, sports, science, music, computer, gardening magazines, and more.
This site is all about selling magazines, but it has links to numerous publications from all over the world, including contact information for editors. Do a bit of digging and you will be able to find new markets for your writing and get guidelines.
New Pages has published a Big List of Alternative Magazines on its website. Click on the links to go to individual websites to learn more about the magazines and request a copy of the guidelines.
This list of American magazines (general, business, and trade) last updated in February 2013. It also includes links to several magazine publishers and a number of writers’ magazines.
Thirty Thousand Feet Aviation Directory
If you are interested in writing for the aviation market, you’ll want to see the magazine listings posted here. They range from aircargo and transport magazines to airline interest publications to airport-related publications and inflight magazines. Aviation history, aircraft model, and aviation news magazines are also listed here.
Brint lists magazines and e-zines in alphabetical order. You will also find a number of journals grouped by subject matter here on various topics, such as e-commerce, biology, medicine, law, mathematics, and psychology.
Visit this site to access links to a number of Jewish periodicals online. The site also provides links to News Associations and newspapers.
Kendall Hanson – Trade Magazines by Industry
This directory is described as a “work in progress.” Several categories are represented here, and include Arts and Entertainment, Beauty and Fashion, Financial Services, Recreation/Amusement, Retail, and Transportation/Freight.
There are several categories of online magazines represented here. Simply click on the one you are interested in to see a list of magazines in English, as well as other languages.
This resource has listings for magazines, as well as a number of academic and independent journals.
Towse’s Links to Online Submission Guidelines
Paying markets are listed alphabetically. Click on the letter to see a list of magazines. The listings indicate whether the magazines pay on submission or on publication if that information is readily available.
Trade magazines are an untapped source of income for many freelance writers, and TradePub.com lists them alphabetically and by topic (agriculture, engineering, human resources, retail, sales, utility and energy, etc.)
All image credits: sxc.hu
How to Deal with Difficult Freelance Writing Clients
In a perfect world, all of our freelance writing clients would be wonderful to deal with. They would be easy going, clear in their instructions, and communicate regularly. In short, they would be just like us!
Creating A Professional Image As A Freelance Writer
As a freelance writer, one of the biggest challenges you face is setting yourself apart from everyone else. There are lots of amateurs out there who claim to be professional writers – so unless you show your potential clients that you are serious, you’re not going to stand out from the crowd. There are a number of effective ways to do this, and some can actually save you time and money.
Appearing professional starts with the quotation that you give to your client. Don’t just write an email that explains how wonderful you are – instead, invest the time to put together a proper quotation and attach it to your email. Include a cover page that clearly identifies that this is a quotation that you have prepared for the client, along with the name of the job, the date on which the quotation was issued, and the date on which it expires. [Read more…]
Creative Writing Contests and Competitions 2014
For a change of pace from looking for freelance writing gigs working for clients, why don’t you check out these upcoming writing contests and competitions? If you have been focused on non-fiction writing as part of your paid work, submitting something for consideration to a contest can be a welcome change of pace. If you win, you can pick up some prize money and get some welcome recognition for your work. You may even be inspired to run a contest on your blog.
Erma Bombeck Writing Competition
Do you think you can “capture the essence” of the late Ms. Bombeck’s writing? If so, you could be $500 richer and win a free registration to the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop! The competition closed February 17, 2014 at 8 a.m. and you can find out the details here.
Hektoen Essay Contest
The Hektoen Essay contest is open to submissions on subjects “related to medicine and culture.” Each essay should be between 1,500-2,000 words and the grand prize is $1,500.00. All entries must be received by March 1, 2014 to be considered. Guidelines are posted on the Hektoen International website.
Willow Springs Fiction Prize
The contest winner will receive $2,000, and will have his or her work published in Willow Springs. He or she will also receive a one-year subscription to Willow Springs. There is a $15.00 entry fee for U.S. residents and a $20.00 entry fee for international submissions. Only original, unpublished work will be accepted. Guidelines are available online and submissions can be made electronically or by regular mail. Deadline for submissions is March 15, 2014.
Sawtooth Poetry Prize
The Sawtooth Poetry Prize is open for submissions from January 1, 2014 to March 10, 2014. The winner will receive a $1,500.00 honorarium upon publication, as well as 25 copies of his or her published book. Entries must be filed between January 1, 2014 and March 10, 2014. Manuscripts should be 50-100 pages of poetry and there is a $25.00 entry fee. Get complete detail son the contest website. /sawtooth-poetry-prize/
Confrontation 2014 Poetry Prize
The winner of the Confrontation Poetry Prize will receive $750.00. He or she will also be published in one of the 2014 issues. Submit up to four previously unpublished poems for consideration. There is a $10.00 entry fee to be considered. The contest opens February 1, 2014 and the deadline is March 31, 2014. Details are available here, and simultaneous submissions are acceptable, as long as you let the magazine know if the poem has been accepted elsewhere.
William Faulkner-WilliamWisdom Creative Writing Competition
The 2014 competition opens January 1 and accepts entries in eight categories: Novel, Novella, book-length Narrative Non-Fiction, Novel-in-Progress, Short Story, Essay, Poetry, and Short Story by a High School Student. Competition guidelines and entry forms are available online.
The New Letters Literary Awards
Submit your best group of poems, essay, or short story for consideration and a chance at $1,500.00. The deadline for entries is May 18, 2014. There is a $15.00 fee for the first entry, and a $10.00 fee for each entry thereafter. The fee includes the cost of a one-year subscription to New Letters. Guidelines are available online.
14 Independent Productions Script Writing Contest
Can you write a winning 22-minute sitcom episode? The winner of this contest will walk away with $10,000 in prize money and $5,000 for IPD assignment. (The prize will be shared if there is more than one winner.) The start submission date is January 5, 2015 and the closing date is July 1, 2015, so you have plenty of time for this one. You can check out the requirements online. (Free registration required.)
General Tips for Entering Entering Writing Contests
If you want to increase your chance of winning a writing contest, take your time and read through the guidelines carefully to make sure that your work is a good fit before you submit it. Give yourself plenty of time to complete your submission. If you have to rush to finish your work, either wait until the contest is open again or find another writing contest. You want to present your best effort to the judges.
Proofread your work carefully before you submit it for consideration. You may want to have a trusted friend or colleague look it over for you. Even the best spellcheck program on your computer won’t catch every spelling and grammar error, and you may be too close to your own work after looking at it several times to be objective.
Follow the instructions about submitting your work to the letter. Some contests are very specific about whether authors can include their names on submissions and the number of copies that should be sent in for consideration. If you don’t follow the instructions exactly, your submission will not be considered for judging.
Do look at previous winners’ work to get an idea of what a winning entry looked like for a particular contest but don’t assume that your voice is not just as valid when you are entering a contest. Submit it and trust that the people judging the contest will be able to evaluate it on its own merits. Enjoy the process and keep in mind that you have no chance of winning if you don’t enter the contest at all. Good luck!
image credit: sxc.hu
image credit: sxc.hu
Writer’s Block: What it is and How to Move Past it so You can Write Again
If you have ever been plagued by writer’s block, you know how painful the blank page or screen can be. While you may be concerned that the inability to get anything down is a sign of writer burnout, the two conditions are not the same thing.
Have you Hit the Wall of Freelance Writer Burnout? How to Deal with It
Freelance writer burnout is an occupational hazard for people who make their living with words. This condition is more than just feeling tired at the end of a marathon work session, and it is not to be confused with writer’s block. True burnout is born of feeling stressed out to the max, and it makes everything look bleak.
Grants and Fellowships for Writers: Get Financial Help for Your Writing
Have you ever thought you could do more with your writing if you only you had some more financial help available? Grants and fellowships for writers are an often-overlooked source of money.
You may be thinking that grants and fellowships are meant for writers who are already published, but this source of funding is available to new and up-and-coming writers. People in this category are most likely to need help in their careers, and there are a number of sources of help available.
Who is Giving Away Free Money to Writers?
Professional freelance writers get paid for producing and selling their work. Grants and fellowships for writers are gifts of money that don’t need to be paid back.
A number of organizations offer this type of financial help. Look to foundations and institutions as sources of funding. The government may have some grant money available to writers as well.
Their motives for providing assistance are twofold: part of the reason is humanitarian. These institutions have an interest in promoting the arts, including the written word. The other motivation is that these organizations is promotional. The other reason for offering grants and fellowships is to promote the foundation or institution’s cause.
20 Grants and Fellowships for Writers
Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, Inc. offers support grants of $500-$1,500 to feminist women working on fiction and non-fiction projects. Read guidelines and submit work at the time and in the manner requested or it will be rejected.
Mesa Refuge offers two and four-week writers’ retreats in Point Reyes Station, CA. Three residents at a time are welcomed at a time, and they are provided with quiet, comfortable accommodation. This retreat is meant for journalists, screenwriters, naturalists, essayists, and writers specializing in writing about nature, social equity, and economics.
JM Kaplan Fund’s Furthermore program is not available to individual writers, but freelancers can apply for funding in partnership with a nonprofit organization. Applicants for these grants, which range from $500-$15,000, must be a 501(c)(3) organizations. This program is meant to support nonfiction book publishing.
North Carolina Arts Council Regional Project Grants to Artists provide funding to artists in any discipline of between $300-$5,000 to help purchase equipment and materials, pay for workshops, and the creation of new work.
Olive B. O’Connor Fellowship in Creative Writing is offered to writers of nonfiction or poetry who need a year to complete their first book. Fellows teach a creative writing course per semester at Colgate University and give a public reading from their work in progress. They receive a $37,000 stipend plus travel expenses.
SFFS/Hearst Screenwriting Grant is given to a screenwriter who has been writing for at least five years and has previously written at least one feature screenplay. U.S. writers whose project expresses a personal perspective and an artistic approach to a subject are welcome to apply.
Spirit of Writing Grant provides grants in amounts ranging from $500-$2,500. See grant requirements and application online.
The Gift of Freedom Award from the Room of Her Own Foundationwill help to bridge the gap between the recipient’s “financial reality and her artistic creation.” One fellowship of $50,000 is awarded biannually.
Sustainable Arts Foundation provides unrestricted cash awards of $1,000 and $6,000 to writers and artists with a child under the age of 18. See guidelines online.
Cintas Fellowships in the amount of $10,000 may be granted to artists of Cuban citizenship or direct descent. Awards are paid quarterly, and recipients can pursue their activities as directed on their application.
Canada Council for the Arts gives away grants to emerging, mid-career, and established writers ranging from $3,000.00-$25,000.00. See website for eligibility and program guidelines.
The Academy of American Poets has several awards and fellowships available in varying amounts. Visit website for guidelines.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also known as the Oscars, wants to encourage up-and-coming screenwriters by offering up to five, $35.000 fellowships each year. Get details on how to apply by visiting the website.
The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers recognizes talented teen writers. More than $250,000 in scholarships is awarded annually in partnership with leading colleges and universities. Scholarships range from $250 to full tuition. Most scholarships awarded are renewable every year for up to four years.
Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts provides grants to individual writers whose work “addresses contemporary visual art.” Amounts awarded ranges from $3,000-$50,000. Eligible categories are articles, blogs, books, new and alternative media, and short-form writing.
British Columbia Arts Council offers funding for creative writers. Professional writers are eligible to apply and up to $10,000 in funding is available.
Arts Council Literature Bursary Awards provide support to professional artists to give them time and resources to conduct research, reflect, and engage with their work. The award is open to practicing artists who were either born in or are living in the Republic of Ireland. The maximum amount of the award is €15000.
American Antiquarian Society provides visiting fellowships for historical research for writers, journalists and other creative and performing artists. Fellowships provide recipients with opportunity to conduct research, read, and participate in discussions at the Society in Worcester, Massachusetts. Three residential fellowships will be awarded annually. The stipend is $1,350.00.
The American Poetry Review/Honickman First Book Prize for new writers offers a $3,000 award, publication of a book of poems, and distribution by Copper Canyon Press.
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators offers a a number of grants and awards to members. Visit the website for guidelines.
How to Increase Chances of Getting a Writing Grant
Find the current application form and the guidelines and read them through carefully. Application forms and guidelines are usually updated a couple of months before the program deadline.
Even if you have applied for funding from a grant in previous years, read through the guidelines to check for changes. If your proposed project does not fit with the grant program’s eligibility requirements, you may want to make a decision not to apply for it. Some applications require that applicants pay a fee, and all of them take time to prepare, and you will want to make the best use of both of them.
When you are preparing your grant application, keep in mind that you will need to break down the activities in your writing project into several stages. Look at the initial idea, research, marketing, and the time for writing as separate components. Depending on the program, you may be able to apply for specific financial help for a part of your project.
Don’t wait until the last minute to start working on your grant application. You’ll want to take your time to make sure that you are presenting yourself and your project well.
Some applications can be submitted online, while others must be sent by regular mail. Be sure to read the instructions so that you are sending yours in the correct manner. If you don’t follow the instructions, your application will not be considered.
Submit your application only during the application period. If it is postmarked too early or too late, it will not be considered.
Review and edit your submission before submitting it for consideration. You want to make sure that you are clearly pointing out how you could benefit from the grant or fellowship and why your project fits with the organization’s theme or goals.
The best advice we can give you to increase your chances of getting a writing grant is to apply, apply, apply. If you don’t apply for available funding, you have no chance of getting this type of financial help.
Want to see more options for free sources of funding? Check out these 19 Grants for Writers and other Creative Types.
image credits: <a href=”University of Central Florida
” target=”_blank”>sxc.hu
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