The Internet would have you believe we’re all shiny, happy writers. We’re perfect and typo free. The truth is the longer we’ve been in business and the more successful we are, the more mistakes we’ve accumulated. In the 7 years I’ve been doing this, I’ve pumped out prose for companies and publications I’m pretty proud of. That doesn’t mean I haven’t made my share of embarrassing mistakes. Here are 2 I hope you never have to make: 1) Applying to everything. When I first found jobs online, actual writing jobs, I got a little apply happy. In other words, every…
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It’s not over once you get that writing gig. To sustain a prosperous freelance writing career, you need to do more than get a job. You’re going to need to work hard at cultivating a mutually satisfying relationship so editors and clients will want to call you the next time a writing job comes around. How do you do it? Here are 4 agreements (inspired by Don Miguel Ruiz’s book The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom) to help you be that editor/client’s next go-to writer: 1) Be impeccable with your word. Being impeccable with your word means more…
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Since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, I’d thought it’d best to cover the topic of how to make an editor fall in love with you your writing. The key is to approach your new connection as you would a new relationship. Most writers take for granted how busy editors are and they send off an email as if they were already well-acquainted. But it’s a process. Take it slow and you’ll skip the fling and end up in a long, mutually satisfying relationship. 1) Get to know them.You don’t want to come across as a stalker so tread…
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If these words were on the endangered, threatened and extinction list, I wouldn’t miss them for a second. kick-ass juicy awesome amazing literally sexy twerk hashtag delicious random What words are on your hit list? *Over on The Inspiring Bee, I’m teaching you how to do the easiest Valentine’s Day onesies ever. Seriously! They hardly need instructions.
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You’re a writer. Fiction, nonfiction it’s all the same. Or is it? To me, they feel like two different literary monsters. One’s like breathing. The other? It’s what I imagine skydiving would feel like. Super fun and exhilarating, but also vomit-inducing. Which one you experience all depends on your comfort level. For me, nonfiction is safe. There are research, experts, facts to back up my words. Fiction? Fiction is like free falling. I never know where my imagination will take me. It’s part thrilling, part walking on the edge scary. When I’m feeling particularly insecure, my left-brain tries to pry…
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Thanks for sharing my post through likes, updates and tweets last week! It’s just a few days before Christmas and I hope all of you are keeping up with your writing. And if you are, can you motivate me? I’m lagging behind and taking a little to much sunshine here in Hawaii. But back to the real important stuff! For those of you who entered to win this Christmas giveaway, thank you all! I really wish I could send each of you a bundle of these books for free. But after using random.org to figure out the winner, I came…
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I’m pretty sure you’re going to be disappointed when you read this. Why? Because the title made you think you’re getting the answer to quick, fast, and easy success. I’m going to be honest with you. Although books and blogs like to sell you sexy solutions, the truth is it’s all a marketing ploy to nab your cash. I know because I fell for it too. Truthfully, just like there’s no secret to holiday weight loss, there’s no secret to doing well in freelance writing. Here’s the bottom line: You want to do well? You need to leave an imprint…
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I’ve been blogging here for 4 years and in that time, the gifts I’ve received from starting this blog has far exceeded the time and effort it’s taken to keep it up. I’ve connected with other like-minded writerly friends. It’s widened my exposure helping new clients to find me when I lived in the Bay Area, California and now as a freelance writer in Hawaii. It’s sharpened my writing skills. It’s given me a platform to help other writers. And it’s been the portfolio by which I’ve landed a column for The Writer magazine, and various other writing endeavors. In…
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I always post a Christmas wish list for writers every year. One year I even made a little holiday ditty. This year with a new baby and a writing business, I don’t have much time to create a song or free marketing tips for you writers out there. But you can check out this old post for that. This post is all about the fun things we writers secretly wish for at Christmas. Let it inspire you to find the perfect gift for the writer friend, employee or consultant on your list. 1) For old school fun: writing utensils Why? We…
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Having a full-time freelance writing career can wreak havoc on your soul, not to mention your wallet. Why? Well the latter is obvious. But for many people who are not in it, us creative artistic types tend to sway towards low self-esteem. It’s a given since most of us are born sensitive and tend to grow up in families who are less than enthusiastic about our dream of being an artist for a living. But if you want to have a long-term career in an artistic field, you need to get beyond the ups and downs of your creative pursuits.…