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LinkedIn attracts people who make money from writing and language – content creators, ad copywriters, seo and marcoms writers, brand voice specialists and all the rest. It’s a place to network, debate industry topics, and subtly showcase skills. Recently these wordy people are posting more obsessively about two things – AI and ‘grammar’ or writing advice. On the AI side, they talk about how AI can’t deliver some essential ingredient such as humour or character. They talk about how to spot the difference between AI and human writing, as if businesses cared (it’s more often a combo of AI + human, I’ve found, as I wrote about here). A few clients want writers to run their copy through AI checkers, which makes for a lot of posting and talk about things to avoid so you don’t sound like AI. At the same time, however, many clients have no problem with AI and expect writers to be au fait with prompts and tools. So the writers tie themselves in knots explaining how AI can’t replicate humans but how they also use AI as a ‘collaborative co-writing tool’ because it makes sense to stay ahead of the curve. In short: we’ll be More

It can be reassuring for a freelance writer to maintain steady clients to fill their workdays. Work keeps flowing, and paychecks keep arriving. Until savings decrease, or bills rise, and profits aren’t what they once were. Not that you aren’t working hard, but your pay may not be keeping up with financial needs. Now comes the tricky part – how do you raise rates on tried-and-true clients? I’ve been freelancing for over 20 years. Many clients have come and gone, while several have provided steadfast business for years. Not one, however, is paying the same rate as when I first put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) for them. Every time I’ve asked these residual clients, I’ve successfully negotiated an increase with no work lost. There are five factors every freelancer should consider for a pay raise discussion with their clients, no matter the pay level or work type.   Have History You must have history with a client before pursuing a raise. You must have established yourself with them in terms of reliability and consistent deadlines. Just how much history you have will vary. Maybe you’ve only done a few projects, but they’ve been intense. Or perhaps you More

Writing when you’re down Over the last two years I’ve experienced a series of setbacks that have taken quite a toll personally and professionally – bereavements, illness and accidents in the family, caring for ageing relatives, plus losing my job, ample pitch rejections, and all the rest. In recent months, unfortunately, this has led to low-level depression, and with it a lack of energy, self-esteem, and motivation. I work alone and rely on myself to keep motivated, disciplined, and endowed with work. I used to spring out of bed at 5am to novelise for an hour before the kids got up and the day job started. Recently, however, I’ve gone weeks without writing a word of fiction and contemplated giving up altogether. I used to pride myself on writing 1000 words of content in an hour, while lately it’s taken me till midday to nail a sentence. Slowly, however, I’m climbing out of the tunnel, and feeling a bit more positive and productive. I want to share what kept me going and writing through this low time. Prioritising paid work over speculative work Despite slaving away at fiction for over a decade, with an agent and several books published, the More

A beta reader is a reader who reviews a book before published to provide constructive feedback. There are lots of versions of beta readers, but they are good tools to have for any book-length manuscript, and even for those in freelance, nonfiction material. It’s another set of eyes on the near-finished product. What do they do? 1) They respond as to whether the piece works for a reader. 2) They look at the big picture. 3) They might throw in copyediting. Do they get paid? Depends on how much you want done. Most review just for the joy of reading it ahead of the general public. Others wish some sort of compensation, but not on the level of a professional editor. But payment is a one-on-one discussion, not an advertisement. How many do you need? Up to you. However, too many and you can confuse yourself and make too many changes in too many directions. A good number is four, but that’s after you’ve culled through enough of them to find those you appreciate and trust. Where do you find them? Anywhere. Friends, family, acquaintances, social media. However, I don’t use family and close friends. I want people who are More

You’re a proven novelist with one or more published books to your name. You clearly know story, plot, conflict and character. You’re riding high on accolades from readers who are eagerly anticipating your next literary masterpiece, but you’re also hungry to try something new. That’s when a friend casually says, “Have you ever thought about adapting your novel for the screen?” A light bulb goes off. “Yeah, why not?” you think. “It would make a great movie.” Let’s assume that’s true. The next question you should ask yourself is, “Do I adapt it myself?” To answer that, you should first assess the pros and cons. THE PROS Underlying Rights You already own the copyright to the source material, and adapting the screenplay yourself creates a very clear chain of title that mitigates the possibility of legal quandaries. It also negates the need for lawyers to draft a lengthy writer-for-hire agreement. Full Access You already have immediate access to all the intellectual property – not just the novel itself, but the research, early drafts, character breakdowns and other world-building materials. There’s no need to spend time watermarking, copying and/or delivering material to others, some of which you might not want shared More

A reader asked, “Can you or one of your authors give new writers guidelines for how to find a writers’ group? I’m interested in finding a group where I can get feedback from experienced writers and have an opportunity to read and comment on their works in progress.  (Learning how they build their stories will help me build mine.)” Good question. But it’s a dilemma, too. First, successful writers groups are difficult to break into since they’ve done the hard work of establishing, culling, and shaping a group into something that works. You often have to be recommended by a member. Some are more open than others, but if you are seeking something with experienced writers, they often confine themselves to…established writers. I have belonged to numerous writing groups, and this is what I found. If you are diligent about writing, you work your way up. When you get published, and your writing gets more seasoned, you may reach a point where those who are hobby writing, or just getting started, cannot contribute much to your improvement. The beginners are gleaning tons from the experienced writer, but the experienced writer is mostly doling out instead of receiving. That why seasoned writers More

It sounds like a terrible bit of business jargon, but ‘thought leadership’ is basically just expert-based content that educates or informs potential clients, rather than selling at them. Where a company has a complicated or very technical service to offer and/or the purchasing process involves lots of decision-makers, this kind of content helps audiences to clarify their thinking and understand the issues. For example: –    A packaging management software writes articles about new legislation that consumer goods business needs to know about (which the software can help with) –    A law firm writes blog posts explaining issues around intellectual property aimed at creative businesses worried about idea theft but without much legal knowledge –    A digital marketing agency writes an ebook about trends in AI-led SEO –    A bank writes a guide for landlords looking to buy a first commercial property Thought leadership content gives marketers authority, visibility and lead generation. It’s good for SEO and social profile and can generate enquiries from interested consumers. Bigger pieces are sometimes gated, meaning that prospects have to supply some basic info such as an email address to access the full content. What does the work look like? Businesses have employees with know-how, but it’s often locked More

“How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon . . . My goodness how the time has flewn.” (Dr. Seuss). For years, this was my reaction after realizing that I have missed – again! –  the pitching deadlines for seasonal and thematic articles. But not anymore. I found a simple solution to facilitate my freelance writer’s life – a  personal writing calendar. This time-tracking tool helped me to organize my activities and increase my earnings. Let me share how a personal writing calendar can help you, too. Submit in advance time-sensitive pitches and manuscripts Many editors need submissions related to holidays and anniversaries. Knowing in advance about upcoming events gives you a competitive edge in pitching. I use these resources: 2026 Anniversaries and Commemorations Awareness Days & Events Historical Anniversaries  Holidays and Observances around the World Break into new publications by using editorial calendars Editorial calendars contain themes and deadlines for upcoming issues. The link to the editorial calendar can often be found in the advertisement section. By studying editorial calendars before pitching, you can tailor your queries to meet editors’ needs. That’s how I broke into Creation Illustrated and got my first byline! I use More

I have been asked a few times of late about whether a writer should hire an editor before pitching to an editor or agent. After all, if those gatekeepers love the idea, won’t they provide an editor to clean it up? 1) Editors cost money. If they receive a manuscript with a great idea that ALSO is clean, well-written, and clearly comfortable with grammar, don’t you think they’ll go for that one over one with just a great idea? The less they have to beat up a manuscript, the easier an author is to work with, the more attractive the deal. 2) Clean manuscripts demonstrate dedication. A good idea in a clean manuscript that the author put a great deal of effort into presenting makes a grand impact on agents and publishers. 3) Clean manuscripts underline talent. Don’t send a manuscript and expect them to look through errors or rough patches to find the magic. The patches will win every time. A clean and edited manuscript allows the agents or publisher to just read the story and grasp the brilliance without being distracted. Good ideas are a dime a dozen. Good writing of good ideas not so much. Be the cream that rises More

I read the best essay about writing today from a writer named Angela Yuriko Smith who manages the Substack page and newsletter called Authortunities. She’s pretty cool and has some great ideas. We don’t agree on everything, but I love how she justifies her thoughts. She’s smart and she loves helping writers. Today she spoke of Protecting Your Lightning. In essence, we are surrounded by distractions. Phones, family, social media, etc. Worse, everyone has an urgency to them, thinking that since life is faster, that responses ought to be quick all around. That includes demands on you. “Our attention is a commodity,” she says, and she isn’t wrong. There’s lots of good metaphors and comparisons in the piece, but my favorite was the intentional vs. gravitational way we deal with it all. Having information at our fingertips is great. . . when we need it. But when we just scroll for the sake of scrolling, a lot doesn’t get done. . . like writing. And it stifles our creativity and productivity. Develop habits and be religious about maintaining them. Stick to what you sat down at the keyboard to do. . . or shut down the social media to put your butt in the chair More