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The stability of a consistent paycheck eludes many freelance writers, but scribbling out a regular column in a local rag can help address this shortcoming and provide a fulfilling sense of community connectedness. It is also more attainable than you think. (Look at the amount of your local daily’s content that is purchased from without.) A well-crafted cold pitch may work, but consider my unintentional path; it is repeatable. It began with a need to scratch an itch, lodged deep in my being by a former career in intelligence, to apply solid data, sound reasoning, and honed prose in public discussions of current events in a forum with standards exceeding those found in social media platforms. So, I regularly submitted to the editor of my local paper short letters tackling everything from agricultural initiative debates to public works decisions, from war in Ukraine to Polynesian cultural norms. They were all published, save one. With a dozen or so letters in print, on a lark, I proposed contributing regularly for pay. I leveraged my demonstrated quality of writing and analysis, and my decades of experience with the CIA, to pitch a column on national security matters. The response was quick: “We’ve More

Modern writing often goes on the internet first, and isn’t just on the tactile, tangible page anymore. When writing becomes online content, the pitch is also about the characteristics of website reading – and not just about landing a good idea. Here’s how to pitch and write content for online markets. Working On Content Shared work platforms (like Slack and Google Docs) are popular for writing today’s content, where editors might add thoughts into a shareable document to send back. Latest versions of MS Word allow for direct document sharing, too. Comments and Track Changes are tools in these programs, and expect them to become your friend. Remember to remove these, however, before the final version gets sent off. When sharing documents, make sure you share the individual document only, not the folder it might be in. Test first: click share links yourself before sending. Content Has Keywords & Links Content is indexed by search engines, and then ranked for users. Keywords, readability, and links influence how content will score with search engine bots. Basic SEO knowledge helps. Include relevant keywords (say ‘plumbing’ for an article about the topic, but don’t overuse it 45 times). Add links to reputable websites, like the New York Times rather More

Alarm bells went off when a copywriting agency asked me to write a testimonial about MyPillow, a product known for buying their reviews. Black hat copywriting is everywhere, and is meant to manipulate consumers (and swing search engines). Here’s why I left the job the moment I realized their game. What Is Black Hat Copywriting? White, gray, and black hat are cybersecurity terms applied to writing. Black hat copywriting has three intentional goals: 1. Misleading customers, 2. Misdirecting search engines, 3. Damaging competitors Companies hire black hat writers when they want unfair market advantages. In extreme cases, companies know they’re selling dangerous or untested products or scams. Often times the writers they hire don’t. For example, writing a bad review for a client’s competitor, or creating copy that sells unverified steroid supplements will need black hat writers: ethical (‘white hat’) writers won’t do it. If a company asks you to write a review for a product you’ve never seen, that’s black hat. Customer satisfaction isn’t the goal: manipulation is key for black hat writing to work as the hiring company desires. How to Spot Basic Black Hat Techniques Anything that feels like it manipulates the reader (or the search engine), More

It was never my dream to become a technical writer for government. However, government clients like the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and Montana State University have taught me a valuable skillset and provided me with steady bread and butter for seven years, allowing time for personal writing projects. You don’t need an advanced degree or decades of experience. I graduated simply with a BA in Communication Studies. Working in marketing and communications for companies with tech-enabled products and services (think devices that require software or electronics components), I learned how to write content to appeal to a niche technical audience. I mostly focused on military and medical technology. These projects introduced me to TechLink, a DoD and VA partnership intermediary affiliated with my local university. Partnership intermediaries like TechLink help DoD and VA transfer their intellectual property to private companies that can then turn the ideas into tangible products. If your eyes are glazing over, grab a coffee. While it’s an acronym-heavy world, once you take advantage of these opportunities, you will never be a starving writer! With the knowledge I acquired, I started my own business to enable myself to accept contracts providing More

What should I know about author readings and book signings from the point of view of bookstores? Glad you asked. From my fifteen years working at Op Cit Bookstore in Taos, NM, I’ve learned quite a bit, being an author myself. Formerly called Moby Dickens, the locally-owned and independent shop has been in business almost four decades. In that time, we’ve hosted hundreds of author events, featuring writers of all stripes with publishers of all types: major imprints, mid-size and university presses, self-published, the works. But there’s a lot work involved. Here are some good things to know: How to contact Email is always a great first step. Introduce yourself, your book, and inquire about readings; include your website, if you have one, and any important links. Calling or visiting in person is fine, but don’t assume a staff member is able to give you their full attention. The store could be (happily) too busy. Tip: Be prepared to try a couple of times. Be patient for a response. Ask the store if they have written guidelines you can review; often these will answer most of your questions. Scheduling This is not always easy, since the availability of both store and author More

Based on a couple of inquiries, I wanted to share my response about tricks on ways to critique. Once I finished replying, I realized I’d written an editorial. Never waste words, I say, so with a few touch ups, here is my take on how to critique someone else’s work without stepping on toes. Realize that the right phrasing on criticism takes thought and manners. I do think, however, that first and foremost, the writer must request criticism before someone else gives it. Being in a class is such an example. So is submitting a book for review. Reading someone’s work then choosing out of the blue to correct it to the author, is not. Especially if you do not know them via some sort of relationship. When I am asked to critique, I definitely rely heavily on the Oreo Method of suggestive improvement encased before and after with substantive praise. The method is classic, opening the ears of the recipient to hear positive first. The method makes them more receptive. For example: “I liked this. This could be stronger. I really liked this.” Another way is to say, “While I was reading, I kept expecting (fill in the blank). Or More

Like most people who listen to interviews on TV channels or read them in print, I was diffident about interviewing people. However, studying a short and helpful module in a course called, “English for Journalism,” offered online by Pennsylvania University, equipped me with the needed skill and the confidence. The course made me realize I had it in me to go ahead. I had published a freewheeling discussion with India’s best-known cartoonist, RK Laxman in 2019, but had thought it was a fluke! Soon after I’d completed the course, I pitched an editor interview to Freedom with Writing (FWW), and he accepted it. I interviewed Margaret Guroff, a senior editor at a top lifestyle magazine in the USA. Jacob Jans, the editor of FWW, wrote back to say he’d like me to interview one editor every month, paying me $125 per interview. Since then, I’ve completed thirteen interviews. Magazines such as Marie Claire which asks for ‘buzzy’ interviews, Bitch Media wants writers to profile feminists who attempt to ‘remake’ culture, Dream of Travel Writing seeks interviews with celebrities, and profiles, and others who seek interviews with women achievers, feminists, celebrities, and profiles, and pay well. For example, Yes! Magazine had More

As some of you might be aware, back in June I was the writer-in-residence at a Maine writer’s retreat. I  had a ball there, no only helping others in their writing and promotion but also in having ample time to write for myself. Trust me, it’s a challenge to have all day to write. One evening’s exercise, however, was eye opening. The host gave us a setting: a hospital room. Included in that room were these items: a bed, a plastic chair, a plastic water pitcher and glass, a trash can with a liner, a window depicting mountains in the background, and a picture on the wall of a cow. At that point, each of us was instructed to take two characters we were already writing about in whatever work-in-progress we had, plant them in that setting, and write a scene. I saw, like, wowed. Which characters? How in the world would I take my beach and Carolina Lowcountry characters and put them in the mountains? For a minute or so, I was stymied. But then I did what I preach to so many, I just started writing, having chosen Slade and Wayne from my Carolina Slade Mystery Series as More

I was intrigued when I accepted a ghostwriting contract a couple of years ago, but instead of becoming Prince Harry’s secret scribe, I learned the reality is much less glamorous. Lack of variety Most clients hired a ghostwriter because they weren’t writers themselves or couldn’t devote enough time. I’ve also worked with some authors whose first language wasn’t English or who were differently abled physically or mentally, making it challenging to write a book on their own. However, the vast majority of clients were business owners who wanted to publish a book as a personal legacy or to boost their business. A book is the new business card and a way to establish or cement credibility. Book factory feel I’m a sucker for gorgeous, lyrical prose and accepted the ghostwriting contract mostly because I thought there’d be more emphasis on the craft of writing. I wanted to get away from snappy, SEO content and deeply technical (and sometimes yawn-inducing) writing. The small publisher I worked for charges clients to write, edit, design, publish, and market their books. After interviewing the author to collect content, I was expected to put together a full manuscript draft in 6 – 8 weeks. Depending on More

If you told any one in my family that I was funny, they’d laugh their heads off. I’m the one who cannot tell a joke, forgets punch lines, and has a delayed reaction to everyone else’s humor. I have been known to cross the line and pull off humor in my novels, and I’ve made audiences fill a room with laughter as a smart-aleck remark about my writing life. Don’t ask me how I do it, but sometimes it just leaks out. I know better than to count on it, though. If I think about how to present humor, it falls flat. However, there are humor writers out there, and since we rarely talk about it here, I felt I owed a few readers a list of those markets. Humor markets aren’t as common as they used to be, but there are a handful left that want your giggles and guffaws. CRACKED https://www.cracked.com/article_26097_write-cracked-get-paid-heres-how.html Pays $150 for first four articles, and $250 for every one after that. FUNNY TIMES https://funnytimes.com/about/submissions/ Pokes fun at politics, news, relationships, food, technology, pets, work, death, environmental issues, business, religion (yes, even religion) and the human condition in general. Not much is off limits. 500-700 words. More