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There are as many reasons for block as there are writers attempting to overcome it. These are the primary obstacles: -Fear of judgment / self-doubt -Need for perfection -Exhaustion -Illness -Lack of ideas -Distractions -Temperature -Lack of inspiration -Lack of family support -Depression As a professional, I’ve experienced all of these but one: I’m blessed to have family support.     Today I can sit and write just about any time and anywhere. Some days I can write a thousand words in an hour while other days take five or six hours. Some nights when I cannot sleep, I throw on a robe and write, to tire my brain. What happens in forcing one’s self through those trying times is that you build the foundation for habit. By forcing yourself to not rise from your chair until the work is done, your brain falls into a routine when your body assumes its position at the keyboard. That doesn’t happen overnight. However, the more you let block prevent you from writing, the more you let the difficulty win, the more your mind learns to dislike the writing in lieu of loving it. By pushing through the block, career writers keep their careers. Is More

‘Never write anything for free’ is an important mantra, and one I know Hope believes in very strongly. But in my experience there are times when writing for free can be worth it – so long as you are clear about your end goal. Take the world of short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays. There are a great many litmags – many of them quite prestigious – that cannot afford to pay contributors in these areas. But getting published by one of them is a real feather in your cap that can lead to other opportunities of monetary value. For example, my first collection of short stories, Hotel du Jack (Sandstone Press) was a much easier sell, as my publisher later told me, for the fact that many of the stories had appeared in litmags already, almost always for free. Some of them had done well in competitions, for some of which I even had to pay an entry fee. After the collection appeared, I got asked to write articles and give talks about the art of short story writing. I was interviewed for websites and podcasts, and asked to judge a fiction competition. I was asked to write blurbs More

When someone new thinks about becoming a freelance writer, they often start with writing about themselves. However, nothing paints a novice more than writing about themselves. Unless….they specialize in a niche area and can be considered an expert. When someone new wants to write a book-length project, they often start with a memoir. The problem is the stories aren’t often mind-blowing nor are they written in a well-exercised and accomplished voice making them beautiful to read. Write what you know is preached, discounted, and analyzed ad nauseum to the point the advice can’t be trusted. But if you are intent on writing what you know, you must: 1) Be an expert in a subject. 2) Have experienced a highly unusual event or some level of success. 3) Find a market like Chicken Soup. 3) Write only for family and self. And even when you write about yourself, to make it interesting, you must: 1) Show vulnerability. 2) Know your audience. 3) Write about a highly unique topic. 4) Have a remarkable writing voice. 5) Show you clearly lived through it. 6) Write about something that has a broad interest to readers. Frankly, once you test drive a few essays or stories about yourself, More

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