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People talk about hating resolutions yet they are jumping all over the question, “What word describes 2024 for you?” It’s the same thing. And what have you accomplished in dropping one word? And look at the energy you wasted pondering which word to choose. Are you doing to wake up every morning, remember your word, and go like gangbusters putting that word into practice? The best summation of how to venture into 2024 was in an essay that was part of an advertisement, entitled RESOLUTIONS ARE BULLS#*T.  “What really counts is waking up every day and treating it like it’s day 1, resolving not to give in.” In other words, it’s developing a lifestyle, regardless the year, the month, or the day. It’s waking to be diligent in making the most of the day. Whether you are quitting smoking, running miles, or writing, you get up and do it. You don’t go to bed until it’s done. Soon it’s a habit, and you become eager to do it and reluctant to put your head on a pillow without it being done. Forget that it’s 2024. Just decide to be resolved.

Have you got your eye on a publication, one that would be a great achievement if you could just break into it? You’ve submitted and submitted, but you’ve been rejected as many times. So many times, in fact, that you decided to put it on the back burner or even walk away altogether. because you sense you’re wasting your time. You can’t seem to click with an editor, or maybe they’ve purchased one of your pieces but haven’t accepted anything else. We all know that tastes are subjective, and that’s why it’s so important for you to follow online the editors of any publication you want a byline in. By paying attention to editors on social media, you’ll see if they’ve moved on to other avenues, thus giving you an open door to make your pitch again. With that editor gone, you have another shot with a different one who may have a different view of your work. Fortunately, I speak from personal experience, multiple times. I sold two essays to one editor at Startrek.com, but, after that, she wouldn’t accept anything else. I tried for over a year. Thankfully, I followed her on Twitter, and one day I checked More

A byline doesn’t have to stay single forever.  Cowriting happens when writers put their thoughts together for articles or stories. Here’s more about the hows and whys of cowriting with another person, and how to make it work on paper. Why Cowriting is Useful  Cowriting means that writing responsibilities are split, and it can take a lot of the pressure off a lone author. I’ve spent a lot of time writing alone, but have also worked with other talented ones who have helped create some fantastic writing pieces. Simply, it helps. I’ve had days where I just can’t think, but the deadline stays the same — and comes closer by the minute. That’s where I’ll tag in a cowriter and say, “Could you look this over and add your thoughts?” Mistakes are less likely, and a cowriter will always have something useful to add (that you may have missed out on). The Pitch Writing for two means that you should include two names in the pitch phase. Each author has their own strengths, and thoughts to add. This can make a more powerful, detailed pitch to editors — if cowriters can collaborate well enough to put ideas together. Agree on who More

I read a site called Letters of Note that posts common letters from famous and uncommon people, and this week they posted one from Norman Lear who recently died at 101. He wrote and produced fantastic material way ahead of his time, dealing with the social mores of society and making it comical with a serious message. All in the Family was one. Maude, The Jeffersons, Mary Hartman, then the movies like Fried Green Tomatoes. In the letter this website posted from him to a fan’s daughter, we see just how well he views the human condition. https://news.lettersofnote.com/p/only-lisa-can-make-lisa-happy Bottom line, be happy doing the thing you love. Only you can do you. And only you can know what it is you can do in order to make yourself happy. Not what others wish you would do. Not what you think will make others happy. Only the thing that you adore doing that makes you more in love with yourself. This does not, however, mean becoming the best. It means doing your best. It means going through life enjoying the journey of doing what makes you a better you to yourself and everyone else. It means measuring your successes not against others More

The question asked most of me is: How do you organize your day to accomplish what you do? I probably never answer it the same any two times. There isn’t an A-B-C or step-by-step response to that. However, I will try to list how I get things done and see if you can find some semblance of takeaway value in the middle of it all. Deadlines come first. However, if they are big project deadlines, you must create little deadlines to break it up since it can’t be accomplished in one sitting. A novel, for instance. I have a deadline for it, but to create 95,000 words I write 1000 per day. The FundsforWriters newsletter goes out every Friday. A freelance publication I write for likes 3-4 articles every six months. Another would like 304 every quarter. A lot of times just having deadlines prioritizes things. Paid gigs take priority over unpaid ones. Enough said. I write for free for one publication for personal reasons, but they don’t always get their articles as early as the paid gigs do. Write daily. You can develop a calendar or habit or prioritize your writing assignments if you don’t know that you’ll be More

In my job I write emails on behalf of businesses to try and generate leads from other businesses. Here are some things I’ve learned that we could apply to writing query emails and subs… Make it easy for the recipient  When emailing an editor or agent, remember the relationship is asymmetrical: the message matters far more to you than to them. Therefore, make everything you can easier for the other person. Make it difficult for them to discard your query because you’ve been so spot on with your inquiry. Pretty much every other tip here circles back to this one. Keep it short and simple Write a clear subject line so the recipient knows instantly what they’re getting, and can easily retrieve it from their inbox later should they want to. Make your message about one thing. Write short, clear sentences, no more than one or two per paragraph, no more than three or four paragraphs in total. Include an explicit call to action spelling out what you want them to do. E.g.. ‘Let me know if you’d like to see the full manuscript.’ Don’t be too salesy  My company recommends writing short, downbeat subject lines (SL) that don’t go More

In the early days of my freelance travel writing career I realized how difficult it was to earn enough money to travel to all the places I wanted to visit. Magazine pay rates vary tremendously from as little as 10c/word to $1/word. Thus, travel perks became important to defray my travel costs. Travel writing perks are complimentary press trips, accommodations, transport, meals, tours, cruises, and entry to tourist attractions. Guides are often provided too. How do you land these “comps?”  Think of assignments as your currency for getting the comps. When seeking comped travel, you need to produce an assignment or two up front before you approach the tourist agency PR/media rep at your destination. The important thing is to have assignments in hand—and the more assignments, the better. Media reps translate your assignments into advertising dollars. They look at your assignments and the publications and give a value to each publication since not all assignments (or publications) are created equal. Prestigious glossy travel magazines carry more weight than a small local newspaper, and print publications tend to carry more weight than online websites and blogs. The media reps will want to know these magazines and websites, often asking for More

I recently read an essay by an author who earned out her $20,000 advance in two years, which is amazing. What does that mean? They paid her a $20,000 advance when the book was sold to a traditional press, which meant she received no royalties until her advance earned itself out with sales. She did it. A lot of writers don’t, by the way. https://electricliterature.com/my-book-earned-out-in-two-years-and-nothing-happened/ The problem is, she thought in doing that she would have done something. She would have become a household name and become someone that agents and editors were interested in for subsequent books. In fact, nothing happened. It was nothing but a spreadsheet note on someone’s computer ledger at the publishing house. Nobody, and I mean, nobody, is going to open doors for you. Few things in this business just happen without you having paved the way for it to happen. Opportunity happens to those who are fighting to be there when it happens. In this author’s case, she busted her butt to sell 11,000 books with a self-imposed goal of two years to earn out the $20,000. In the end, hoping someone would applaud her and and she’d somehow earn a reward. Nobody cared. More

My 17-year travel writing journey mantra is, “presell your travel stories before you visit your destination.”  Many travel writers go on trips without assignments. Then they’re faced with the uphill grind of selling their ideas after they return. I’m always surprised at this random approach, because it’s not good business. It’s difficult to sell stories after you travel. Instead, travel writers should snag assignment letters in advance. Additionally, I believe in preselling as many travel articles as possible. Here’s How to Presell Your Travel Stories Before You Travel  1.Select destinations that interest you. Destinations you’re passionate about will provide plenty of story ideas. You’ll enjoy doing your research before the trip, and the trip itself will be more enjoyable. I often turn down invitations for press trips to destinations that aren’t appealing. I know what I write best. 2.  Research your destinations.   Use the Internet and guidebooks to read about the place in advance. You’ll naturally generate, identify, and presell more story ideas. 3.  Remember where you’ve already published. Think, “Could I match up this destination with any of my outlets?” They already know your work. 4. Write query letters and fire them out to appropriate publications and websites More

By Orrin Konheim Considering I’ve devoted a significant portion of my life to writing about entertainment, I’m especially agog at the prospect of getting to meet a celebrity face-to-face (or on zoom or the telephone or whatever) and pepper them with questions. Even if I didn’t care about the cult of celebrity, interviewing a famous person pays off in numerous ways. The ability to get an article greenlit, to get page views on an article, or to up your profile are all enhanced with a famous name. Still. as a sensible reporter with a finite bandwidth to pursue my writing goals, I have to be pragmatic. If I see an actor like Nicholas Cage in a film and think “gee, I really want to interview him,” I think twice. Hollywood personalities are extremely busy with very narrow time windows. While high level celebrities give hundreds of interviews as part of their contractual obligations, they rarely have the desire to do more. Aim within your range and specialties. What dictates whether to invest the effort is my level of enthusiasm for the material and the demand for the interview. If you are enthusiastic enough about the subject, you might be able More