High Hope for the Freelance Writer                                                                     

      C. Hope Clark, Editor

 


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(NOTE: So many people write about my editorials, I thought I'd list the FundsforWriters editorial of the week.  Watch what you wish for, however, because occasionally I step on toes in trying to speak the truth and help writers.)

Hope's Thought for the Week...

REPETITION

Remember my neighbor? The one who wondered why his chickens were flighty and unfriendly while mine were quiet and docile? He's at it again.

We don't dislike our neighbor at all. They are a nice family. But they decided to "try out chickens" without doing their
homework. They threw up a dog kennel and a small metal building. At first glance, it's classy. But the chickens get out. Since they have three large dogs, of course things happen. Two birds died this week.

Now they are ordering twenty more chicks.

"Why?" I asked my husband. "They haven't grasped how to raise the ones they have, and those hens aren't even laying yet."

"He said his wife wanted sweeter chickens like yours," he said.

I put my head in my hands, visions of frantic chickens fleeting through my mind. I'd explained to my neighbor that we'd chosen certain breeds and raised ours from chicks. That's all he heard. What he failed to fathom is the fact we visit the chickens a couple times a day, talk to them, and feed them by hand so they enjoy our presence. The neighbor has sixteen very young hens who would appreciate a change in lifestyle, would enjoy being loved.

If he doesn't change his habit, nothing will change. Instead of 16 skittish birds, he'll have 36.

We have to learn from our mistakes; at least learn from our habits that haven't proven fruitful.

We explained to our neighbor why our birds were sweet. He only heard what he wanted to hear. How often do we do that with our writing?

We receive rejection after rejection. A few generous editors offer comments. We read blogs and forums and lament over the downtrodden economy, the demise of magazines, the efforts we make that go unappreciated.

I rarely see people discussing how they need to improve their writing ability.

Sometimes it's the obvious that needs changing. Doing more of the same only results in more of the same.


                                                                 Hope

Hear Hope at:

 Be the Star You Are! Radio Show - May 7, 2009

 http://blogtalkradio.com/SixFigureWriting and

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ConsciousDiscussions/2008/06/06/Funds-For-Writers and

Authors Read on BlogTalkRadio.com where she reads from her book THE SHY WRITER

and below from The Writing Show

 


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The Latest Articles from the FFW Newsletters...

NOTE: Articles published in TOTAL FundsforWriters are not listed on the website since TOTAL is a paid subscription. Another reason to subscribe!

 Make Money Writing About Money - by Jessica McCann - In challenging economic times – and even as the economy gradually rebounds – many people are looking for ideas about how to budget, save, invest and manage their money. This presents more opportunities for freelance writers to pitch (and publish) articles on personal finance topics.

Art at the Hands of an Editor - By Richard Krawiec - I recently saw a statistic that claimed the number of self-published books, including print-on-demand, increased by over 100% last year, while the number of traditionally
published books declined. What the numbers effectively mean is that there are more writers now in this country than
readers. This is not a good situation for writers.

 Invoicing Tools for Writers - By Thursday Bram - Most writers want to write, rather than send out invoices or spend time on other paperwork. It is necessary to take care of such business details in order to get paid for your writing, but there are tools available to make the process a little easier.

 What Your Tax Preparer Wants to See From You - By Thursday Bram - Tax season is more complicated for writers than for anyone who relies on just one employer for income.

 Selling in the Big Apple - By Leigh Goodwin - The day I sold a column to The New York Times was unlike any other day. Like many first time columnists I had been rejected by newspapers for years.

 Don’t Query, Be happy! (Effective strategies for working smarter, not harder) - By Jennifer Brown Banks - Contrary to popular opinion, queries are not the only way to reach the pinnacles of publishing--no more than a college degree is a prerequisite for corporate success. Look at Bill Gates.

 Success within Convention: Using Genre Conventions to Boost your Opportunities - By Trisha J. Wooldridge - If you write genre fiction, particularly science-fiction, fantasy, horror or paranormal, conventions offer opportunities to meet agents, editors, and fans.

 Writing for the Other Parenting Magazines - By Renee Roberson - Like many aspiring writers, I sent off a few article ideas at the beginning of my writing career via snail mail to the big parenting publications like BabyTalk, Parents and Parenting. For the most part, I never got any responses back, except for one horribly photocopied stock rejection letter from American Baby that almost crushed my dreams of writing about parenting forever.

 Writing for Lou Grant and Those Dark Suits - By Kristine Meldrum Denholm - Back in journalism school, I pictured myself in a press office someday, phone ringing, pencil over my ear, typing with two fingers, with my editor, Lou Grant, grunting, “Give me fresh copy! Now!”

Stay on Top of the Freelance Game - By Susan Sundwall - Wow, there sure are a lot of folks out there writing nowadays. Could be the bad economy, latent writer’s syndrome or some random alien thing nobody can figure out. But as Hope recently pointed out, there’s more competition now than ever. So how do writers worth their salt stay on top?

 Research, Query, Write! - By Laura Townshend - When I scour the forums and work at home boards, I read countless posts about "Where can I write?" and "Who will hire me?" Say what? Is the “old fashioned” way of writing dead? Or is the market wide open for those who would research, query and write?

 Annual Reports = Annual Income - By Jessica McCann - Year-round work, year-over-year work, and four-figure projects: these are just a few significant benefits to annual report writing. Establishing yourself as a freelance annual report writer can help secure long-term income, even in uncertain economic times.

 Speed Writing - The Index Card Way - By Gilda V. Bryant - Non-fiction freelancers need to produce articles quickly, because “time is money.” Outlines intimidate some writers and for creative personalities, it’s time-consuming and frustrating to tackle the correct structure. Why not try the speed writing method using 3 x 5 index cards? For the past six years, I have successfully used this method to produce non-fiction articles.

 Self-Syndication - By Jill Pertler - I have a weekly syndicated newspaper column. I am self-syndicated, meaning I do all the administrative work myself.

 Contract? … Don't Sign Yet! - By Valerie Coulman - The writer had a few questions and was asking for advice. The more questions this writer asked, the more my heart sank. I’ve been through my share of scams and bad publishers and I’ve learned some questions every writer should ask when an offer comes.

 Successful Writers Don’t Burn Bridges - By Alina Bradford - I stumbled upon a thread full of angry writers. They freelanced for a publication that had decided to place freelance projects  on hold while they sorted out financial issues. I understood and patiently waited to hear if I would receive future work. The group of writers didn’t feel the same. Many declared to never write for the company again.

 Nobody Home? - By Grace Tierney - Recently with my writing I’ve been knocking at a closed door, but nobody is at home.

 Become a Freelance Chameleon - By Ruth Schiffmann - Find a successful freelancer these days and you’ve found someone who can adapt to the ever-changing publishing world.

 University Writing 101- By Jessica McCann - Freelance writers who want to generate a steady income can check into their local university – not to take classes, but to write for university publications.

 Against All Odds - By Carol Alexander - How does a homeschooling mother of six children pursue a career in writing? One sentence at a time.

 How writing “green” can keep you in the black! - By Jennifer Brown Banks - Nobody likes to admit it, but sometimes the “green eyed monster” and a little friendly competition among fellow scribes can motivate you to move beyond your comfort zone and ultimately make more money.

 Increase Your Income with Resume Writing - By Christine Cristiano - With the downturn in today’s economy and new lay-offs being announced weekly, a talented freelance writer with an interest in the job market may discover a new niche for his writing skills.

 5 Tricks for Tracking Down an Editor - By Susan Johnston - Most writing books and blogs will tell you that you should address your query letter to a specific person, rather than opening generically with "Dear Editor." That's all well and good, but sometimes it's hard to find an editor's name, much less his email address.

 Wishing for a Break - by Shelby Oppermann - Consumers are looking for comfort and humor, and the newspaper is no exception. Yes, you hear that newspapers are on the decline, but most towns will still carry a weekly paper for residents to turn to for all their local events and news.

 How to Build Your Author Platform Effectively with Web 2.0 Tools - By Joanna Penn - The publishing industry is currently undergoing massive change because of the economic crisis and the advent of new technologies. Authors now need an “author platform” more than ever if they want to get a publishing deal, or to successfully self-publish.

 Missteps into Manuscripts - By Janet Hartman - If you're willing to tell the world about your foibles, you might discover a whole new set of ideas and markets. And you don't have to do extensive research or interview experts to write these articles!

 Find Your Next Writing Gig on Twitter - by Julie Bloss Kelsey - Posting your activities in 140 character increments and reading updates from others may appear frivolous, but Twitter is actually changing the way that writers and publishers do business. Here are some ways that you can cash in.

 Five Observations on Successful Writers - by W.E. Reinka -  When writers go on book tours, media escorts greet them at the airport and drive them to bookstore appearances and interviews. During my nine years escorting writers on San Francisco tour stops, I enjoyed quiet dinners with Pulitzer Prize winners and listened to the aspirations of writers with unfamiliar names. But whether the writers I escorted were famous or unknown, they were linked by common five traits.

 Build It and Maybe They Will Come - By Gwynne Spencer - Nobody warned me that building a website would be so hard.

 Agents: Are They Hard to Find and Do You Need One? By David Pereda - The answer to both questions is no. I had three agents in 2008 alone.

  

      More articles...


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