If you have a passion for finance and like the idea of being paid for your knowledge, a career as a finance writer could be for you. But before specializing, you’ll need to be flexible and willing enough to write on any subject within your chosen niche, at least when starting out. [Read more…]
7 Benefits of Using an Editing Tool
What’s the worst thing you can do as a freelance writer?
While each of us can think of different horror stories, we can all agree that sending content to a client with technical gaffes and sloppy writing is the best way to ensure you will not be invited back for another gig. But unless you have an editor to review everything you write – which we can’t all afford to have – how can you be sure you’re catching it all?
Here’s where editing tools can make a dramatic difference. [Read more…]
8 Useful Online Courses for Writers
Some say that successful writers are born to write. That there’s no way you can learn to become like them. I say that anyone who wants to become a writer and be successful at it can learn, especially if he wants it badly enough.
Whether you’re starting out your quest to become a writer, or you’re already making a living off writing, you’re fortunate that these days, there are so many ways to learn and improve. You may not know anything about the technicalities of writing a novel but if you have one inside you, it will come out. You may just need a little guidance. [Read more…]
Catch Writing Mistakes More Easily With Grammarly
We all make mistakes and typos, but that’s what proofreading is for, right? There’s also Word – or whatever software you use to create documents – which has spell check built in. However, we know quite well how Word misses a lot of mistakes, especially when it comes to more complicated syntax. Also, Word is useless if you’re typing on your browser.
That’s why I was really interested when the guys at Grammarly got in touch to share their new web app, which does what Word does, but more effectively and more efficiently. In fact, Grammarly is supposed to find and correct up to 10 times more mistakes than the conventional word processor. Of course, I had to give the app a try! [Read more…]
The Writer Emergency Pack Will Bail You Out When You Get Stuck
Just like zombiecalypse (or apocalypse) believers have a survival pack ready and accessible for when the end of the world comes, a writer ought to have an emergency pack he can rely on when things go haywire.
We can go the simplistic route and call it writer’s block (although the block is not that simple when it comes to the point). Sometimes, though, it’s not that bad a block. Perhaps you just need a little jumpstart.
That’s where the Writer Emergency Pack can help you.
The Writer Emergency Pack started out as a Kickstarter project by John August, who is a writer himself.
John, a screenwriter, came up with the idea of creating a pack of cards that contain suggestions that gives writers a nudge when they get stuck – whether it’s on a plot point or on characters that don’t connect.
Let’s say the Writer Emergency Pack is kind of a collection of writing prompts – only made more fun.
The Kickstarter project has been funded – quite successfully, too! The original goal was $9,000, and it got more than $150,000 in backing.
Thanks to writers who found the idea brilliant, the pack will be available for purchase soon. If you’re interested in getting one for yourself, visit the official page and sign up to be notified when the Writer Emergency Pack becomes available.
Here’s a question for you: Do you have your own “emergency pack”? Why not tell us about it in the comments?
You might also want to read: When Writer’s Block Hits and Brute Force Just Doesn’t Cut It
20 Quick Creative Writing Prompts
Creative writing isn’t always easy. Even the most creative writer sometimes finds himself/herself stuck on a chapter, a scene, or a paragraph.
When that happens, you can always force yourself to go on, or you can take a break. You can also turn to other things that may help bring more out of you – creative writing prompts.
Here are 20 quick creative writing prompts that are fun and “easy”. When you need a break from whatever it is that’s giving you problems, check these out. [Read more…]
Why Your Freelance Writing Pitches Fail
In journalism, writers learn that all news stories should answer the 5 Ws and 1 H: who, when, where, what, why, and how. Did you know you can apply the same questions to your freelance writing pitches to identify the primary reasons why those pitches fail?
It’s true! By simply asking yourself the six primary questions every first year journalism student learns, you can fix fundamental problems in your query style and pitch success rate.
Why do your query letters fail to generate interest in your pitches? Check out the six basic reasons based on the 5 Ws and 1 H below.
1. You don’t know where you’re pitching.
Before you can develop a story idea and pitch your idea to a publication, you need to understand that publication. Read that publication and gain an understanding of the needs of that publication. The editor who reads your query letter is looking for content that will help him or her meet those needs. In other words, no matter how great your story idea is, if it doesn’t meet the needs of the publication, your query will end up in the trash.
2. You don’t know who you’re pitching.
It is absolutely essential that you understand the audience for the publication that you pitch your story idea to. If the audience won’t be interested in your story, the publication will have no interest in it either. Editors look for content that will engage their readers, encourage them to talk about that content with other people, and motivate them to come back for more. Your pitch needs to demonstrate to an editor that your story can do exactly that.
3. You don’t know when you’re pitching.
Many publications operate using an editorial calendar. If you can get a copy of the editorial calendar (either from the publication’s website or by requesting a copy from the publication), review it and try to tailor your pitches to match the overall theme of that editorial calendar. Also, use common sense when pitching a story to match your idea to holidays, seasons, and so on. Finally, remember that many publications create content weeks or months in advance of the actual publishing date, which could significantly affect when you send a pitch. In other words, it doesn’t matter how great your story about summer barbecues is if the publication is working on the Christmas issue.
4. You don’t know what you’re pitching.
Your pitch should be clear, concise and compelling. Delete all extraneous information from your query letter, and lead with the most captivating part of your story. Be relevant immediately. Editors have very little time to read a full page query letter. If your pitch doesn’t jump off the page within the first few sentences, you’ve wasted your time. Instead, be specific and get to the point quickly!
5. You don’t know why you need help.
There is a rule that writers can’t always follow, but you should stick to it when it comes to query letters and pitches. That rule is — never proofread your own work. However, when it comes to pitches, the rule extends beyond simple proofreading. It’s difficult to look at your own query letter and pitches objectively, because you know the entire story. To ensure your query letters are truly clear, concise, compelling, and specific, it helps to have an objective eye review and comment on them. If you belong to a writer’s group, ask the other members to read and critique your query letter before you send it. Their feedback could help turn a boring query letter into a successful pitch! If you don’t belong to a writer’s group or have access to other writers or editors, join an online forum like AbsoluteWrite.com where you can share your work for review and feedback.
6. You don’t know how you’re pitching.
Before you send a query letter, you need to be certain that you’re sending it to the right place, to the right person, and in the right format. Most publications have rules that you need to follow or your query letter will go straight to the trash can before anyone reads a single word of it. Check the publication’s website or contact the publication to request a copy of the current writer’s guidelines and submission guidelines, and then follow those rules to the letter. You can also get a copy of the most recent edition of Writer’s Market for quick access to various publication guidelines, but keep in mind, even the most recent edition of Writer’s Market might not be 100% current as it’s only published once per year.
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100 Most Commonly Misspelled Words
If you follow me on Twitter, then you may have already seen the great list of the 100 most commonly misspelled words that I tweeted yesterday. YourDictionary.com put together the list and it’s filled with words that most people have trouble spelling.
I scrolled through the list and found several that often cause me to pause as my fingers fly across the keyboard. Accommodate and embarrass are two such words that always make me second guess myself.
The best part about the list on YourDictionary.com is that most of the words include a helpful little clue so you can remember how to spell it next time you use it in your writing. For example, remember that accommodate is big enough to accommodate two a’s and two m’s. That’s a great clue that I never heard before!
What words cause you to pause in your writing as you try to remember the correct way to spell them? Leave a comment and share those pet peeve spelling words. Maybe someone else in the Freelance Writing Jobs audience has a riddle or special way to remember the correct spelling!
5 Literary Agent Blogs Aspiring Writers Should Read
There are a number of interesting and useful blogs written by literary agents that can help aspiring writers learn the process of querying agents, writing and formatting manuscripts, publishing, and more. However, there are five blogs written by agents that are absolute must-reads for any writer that has goals to publish a book through a well-known publisher one day.
A few of these blogs helped me immensely as I taught myself how to get a literary agent and publisher for my first book.
If you want to get published, start reading the following literary agent blogs today:
1. Nathan Bransford
Nathan is a respected agent working for the well-known Curtis Brown agency in the San Fransisco office. His blog was one of my key resources as I researched how to get a literary agent. I loved how Nathan took the time to provide an incredible amount of useful information and was always available to respond to comments.
2. Miss Snark
Even though Miss Snark stopped writing her blog in 2007, it’s still an incredible resource to learn how to write query letters. Her blunt way of analyzing real query letters left no room for confusion. Miss Snark’s identity was never revealed (although there was quite a bit of speculation).
3. BookEnds, LLC
This is another blog that I read a lot as I tried to learn how to get a literary agent. Jessica Faust and Kim Lionetti are the primary agents at BookEnds today. One of the things that I liked about this blog was that the agents were very communicative through the comments published on blog posts.
4. Query Shark
Janet Reid writes her own literary agent blog as well as the Query Shark blog, which is filled with great information to help you learn how to write query letters. With a tagline like, “How To Write Query Letters…or really, how to revise query letters so they actually work,” it’s hard to resist this blog.
5. Pub Rants
Kristin Nelson writes Pub Rants, which she describes with the following tagline, “a very nice literary agent indulges in polite rants about queries, writers, and the publishing industry.” She writes about a wide variety of topics that affect aspiring writers, including submissions, query letters, advances, royalties, and much more.
Image: stock.xchng
Where I Hunt for Freelance Writing Job Leads – and You Should Too!
My list of places to find freelance writing jobs for our daily job lists changes on a regular basis. As I learn of new resources or remove resources that aren’t working for us anymore, I make adjustments to my list. I also like to make these lists available to you from time to time so you can do your own thorough searches for freelance writing jobs. Plus, I think it’s fair to link to those people who make gigs available to us all.
Some of these places require a subscription fee, but many are free. I hope you find this list useful. Please know, this isn’t a full list of places to find freelance writing jobs, but it’s where I search on a daily basis.
Where I Hunt for Freelance Writing Jobs
1. Craigslist – I’ll state it again for the record: Craiglslist gets a bum rap. Because of its seedy personals section and haven for scammers, many freelancers write it off as a place to NOT look for work. I disagree. Most of the leads you find here come from Craigslist and they’re not all low payers. I found several very lucrative clients via Craigslist and you can too.
2. Mediabistro – I love Mediabistro for many reasons, but especially the job list. Most of their jobs are of the full time variety, but each day features a sprinkling of gigs for freelancers.
3. Indeed – Indeed, the job search engine, also provides many of the leads you see here on a regular basis. Expect to see gigs pulled for a variety of sources including Monster, Career Builder and others. The only problem is that places like Examiner and Hub Pages advertise in every town and every city in every state, so sometimes you’ll have to go through dozens, if not hundreds of entries for these places before finding unique gigs.
4. Freelance Daily – Like FWJ, Freelance Daily culls leads from a variety of sources including Craigslist, Indeed and Media Bistro. Leads are mailed to you each day so you don’t have to venture past your email to look for work. It’s a paying service and will set you back about $100 per year, but those who enjoy the convenience find it worth the expense.
5. About Freelance Writing – My friend Anne Wayman offers leads and advice from a seasoned vet. Check Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the gigs. We have some overlaps here and there, but between the two of us you’re covered.
6. Journalism Jobs -Features some general freelance writing jobs as well as newspaper gigs from around the world.
7. ProBlogger – Darren Rowse’s job board for bloggers has grown to feature freelance writing jobs as well.
8. Freelance Job Openings -This job board offers a mixed bag of opportunities. Most are of the lower paying variety, but every now and then, a surprising lucrative opportunity pops up.
9. FlexJobs: As its name indicates, Flexjobs includes a variety of flexible opportunities. Some are freelance, some are telecommute and some are simply flexible. Not all gigs are for writers and you’ll have to pay to play, but you might find stuff not found on the usual job baords.
10. Twitter: There are a variety of ways to find gigs with Twitter. For example, many of the freelancers I follow Tweet links to freelance writing jobs all the time. Also, I use Twitter Job Search and Twitter Search.
11. LinkedIn: LinkedIn’s job board features occasional freelance writing jobs.
12. Paying Writer Jobs – A Yahoo newsgroup where the members all share leads to writing gigs and contest entries. Be forewarned: If you’re not an active particpant you’ll be dropped from the list!
13. Telecommute Job List: Aggregates all the telecommute jobs from Craigslist. Some are freelance, some are full time and some are scams, so proceed with caution. However, this can be quite the handy tool. Use it to search for telecommute jobs beyond writing gigs, if you’re looking to work at home.
So there you have it. This is where I search for freelance writing jobs each day. I also do occasional Google searches for submission pages. Also, many businesses have a page on their websites listing available opportunities and some of these are for freelancers. I’ll search for those as well.
There are so many places to find work for all types of freelance writers. Whether you want to work for a content site, a business or a publication, if you’re diligent in your searching, you’ll find plenty of work.
