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Travel can be exhilarating, especially when we can give back to that location. In America, the United States National Park’s Artist-In Residency (A-I-R) Program offers creative folks a chance to enrich the parks’ interpretive programs. Artists of all persuasions – writers, painters, sculptors, photographers, fiber artists, musicians, composers, glass artists, woodworkers, book-makers and more – are encouraged to apply. If you love to create, especially in a beautiful outdoor setting, you are a viable candidate. The residencies are both humbling and honoring. International applicants are encouraged. Artist-In-Residency opportunities for private, focused time are often based in some of the world’s most scenic locations. Most offer private living and are free of charge, and transportation costs are sometimes covered. You’ll be offered free housing for two-to-four weeks in most parks. They are searching for applicants who have: •    a clear vision of a creative project •    a personal history of intent and commitment •    a past record of productivity •    two letters of recommendation The U.S. National Park opportunities have expanded during the last decade. Now there are hundreds of opportunities each year. Most offer free housing for 10-30 days and some cover transportation costs. The accommodations are always more than More

A few weeks ago, I mentioned one of the questions I am often asked, one that I feel uncomfortable talking about. “What advice would you give another writer?” Similar questions in that arena are: 1) How do you avoid writer’s block? 2) Where do you get your ideas? 3) Don’t you run out of ideas? No two writers do much of anything the same in this business. Is it interesting to hear someone writes standing up or after they swam a mile at dawn or drank coffee if they wrote in the morning and tea in the afternoon? I want to turn around and ask a question of my own: “How does this apply to YOU as a writer?” Why do people want to know the tangible details of someone’s creativity? Because they hope that modeling something, anything, after a successful writer who’s gone before them, will similarly connect them to that creative genius. They are wondering if something tangible and readily reproduced can tap into a more imaginative well than they have now. It’s trying to find the 1, 2, 3 steps of writing successfully and publishing smart. Everyone has a left brain and a right brain. The left More

A key piece in the book promotion puzzle for authors/publishers is obtaining editorial reviews from an authoritative source such as a newspaper, magazine, or website. Freelancers often write these editorial reviews, oftentimes as a labor of love (i.e., a volunteer gig). However, if the review site charges authors/publishers for reviews, it most likely pays freelance writers to write them. Different from reader reviews, which focus on the individual’s experience with the story, editorial reviews lend the credibility of an expert opinion and are a valuable promotional tool. Many respected entities review authors’ books for a fee, others provide free reviews, and some have both options. Book promoters reprint these reviews, and they can be the source of pull quotes on a book’s back cover or Amazon product page. Big publications such as Kirkus charge authors significant reading fees ($450 or more), while smaller websites like Reader’s Favorite, Literary Titan, and Independent Book Review are lower in cost (less than $100) or even have free options. I write editorial book reviews for Independent Book Review (IBR). I started as a volunteer and then moved into a paid freelance position. Now they serve as a steady source of income as well as interesting reading material. And I learn as a More

Ten years ago, my husband and I moved from Massachusetts to North Carolina for a job he’d been offered. I’d always worked in publishing (for national trade magazines) and found work writing and editing for local lifestyle magazines in the area, but it was difficult to gain a sense of community in a brand-new city and I found myself craving new creative outlets and connections. Finding an Untapped Local Focus One of the perks of working at local magazines was that I received press releases about all the latest happenings, including new restaurants opening in the area. Since my husband and I are big foodies, I’d forward these emails to him, and he would then share the news with co-workers. I realized there was no central platform to keep up with food and beverage news across the city we lived in: Durham, NC, which at the time, was growing in popularity and getting put on the map as “The Tastiest Town in the South,” labeled by Southern Living Magazine in 2013. I decided to create a blog and website where I could curate and share the exciting local food news that was coming across my desk. This was the beginning More

Many book aficionados write reviews. That’s great. However, if you are interested in writing reviews for publication or payment, you might consider how to formally write a review. In my own search for guidance, I came across this site that actually offers templates to escort you through the process. And another site that has more book review templates in case you need guidance to get started is https://bookriot.com/book-review-templates/ But whether you write reviews for Amazon, blogs, magazines or newsletters/ezines, consider getting the formula right. Become known for your reviews and you might wind up as a paid reviewer, or as a minimum have a blog with advertisers knocking on your door. The University of North Carolina has a great post on this at its Writing Center. Basically, a reviewer gives the reader a concise summary, offers a critical assessment (good and bad), and ends the review with a suggestion as to whether the audience would enjoy the book. Dru’s Book Musings is a fine example of prolific reviewing. She leans toward the cozy mystery but isn’t limited by such, and, oh boy, can she cover ground. Not only does she review, but she allows writers to do A Day in the Life posts with More

And when you see those markets that do not fit your preference, pass them by. Here at FundsforWriters, we’ve had writers fuss, comment, opine to us about what we post and why we post it. There have been the Catholics who think we favor Jews . . . and Jews who think we hate them. There have been the LGBTQ+ folks who wonder why we don’t post more that favor them . . . and others who think we post too much. Some think we hate Democrats or Republicans, just depends on the day. We’ve been accused of disliking Africans and Middle Easterners. And recently we had someone scold us for posting a market for wildlife hunters, then unsubscribe because of what we were doing to the planet and all its sentient beings. Not all markets are for you. And markets don’t want to be all things to all people. They pick their niche and stick to it, molding their market. FundsforWriters posts markets that pay ten cents/word or more (six cents or more for scifi/fantasy markets per their professional rate level). Our focus is on payment to the writer. What markets don’t we post? Markets that don’t pay well. More

With the beautiful fall weather fast approaching and the holidays after that, you may be taking time off of your writing business. Try the following tips to make the shift easier to manage. 1. Plan Ahead of Time Calendar in the days you will be gone and then work backward. What has to be done when to make your vacation work? I’m always working at least a month ahead on all my projects in preparation for my next travel period. By scheduling extra time to manage the extra work, you lighten the burden of squeezing in deadlines right before you leave or right after you return. 2. Think About Your Cash Flow If you rely on your writing business for even part of your income, you understand that when you’re not working, you’re not making money. That means you need to check the financials and plan accordingly. I’ll admit to getting through a few vacations early in my career with a credit card and a prayer. In my opinion, as long as you’re careful with your money most of the time, it’s better to get away however you can than not to get away at all. Vacations are beneficial, including More

Novelists dream of becoming full-time writers, when the truth is being able to support yourself with book-length fiction is quite difficult. I make more than I ever have with my novels, but I still freelance to make the writing income I desire. There is a reason that FundsforWriters posts Contests, Grants, Markets, and Publishers. I firmly believe that novelists can participate in all four categories. Even if you’ve found a publisher you adore, it behooves you to submit to the other options. Contests 1) Placing in a contest can open doors to a bigger platform. 2) Placing in a contest can elevate your bio further and faster. 3) Placing in a contest can acquire you a publisher. 4) Placing in a contest can help you decipher how well your writing is progressing. Grants 1) Winning a grant/residency can gain you financial reward. 2) Winning a grant/residency can introduce you to influencers for your work. 3) Winning a grant/residency can earn you an expense-paid trip and writing time. 4) Winning a grant/residency can improve your resume when pitching elsewhere. 5) Winning a grant/residency can lead you to mentors for your work-in-progress. Markets 1) Writing freelance can increase your income. 2) Writing freelance attracts More

I’ve always enjoyed writing stories about family experiences, experiences so memorable that no matter how much time passed, my mind goes back to them. However, not being targeted for a specific market before I wrote them, they were hard-sells. For example, I wrote a short essay about taking my 12-year-old granddaughter hunting on a family ranch in Texas where, under the guidance of a hunter friend, she bagged her first deer. I went along on the hunt, and although it was a memorable moment and I wrote about it, unless you’re a hunter, which I am not, it wasn’t likely that I could sell it to a hunting magazine. No other magazine was likely to purchase an essay about a 12-year-old killing a deer. But I took a chance and sent the essay to North American Whitetail anyway. They published it on their back page column and I received $250. https://www.northamericanwhitetail.com   Another time, I wrote about a large flock of Canada geese that made a temporary home on the river that ran by my home in Wisconsin. Again, I wrote it for the simple reason that it was a memorable moment, and I liked the geese, not considering that More

Despite having actively worked as a freelance writer for over a decade, I confess my resume looks far more horrible than my college guidance counselor would like. My work history over the past decade has been akin to a hodgepodge of paint splatterings; only, I didn’t have the foresight of a Jackson Pollock to weave it into a work of art. Everything you’re not supposed to have– gaps in work histories, retail jobs beneath someone with a master’s degree, tiny gigs lasting bare minutes – is all evident in my resume. And updating a resume is my least favorite activity in the world.  But here’s the thing: I wouldn’t have it any other way. I grew up and currently live in in what I imagine is the most resume-obsessed city in the country in Washington, DC. Fortunately, my field of freelance journalism doesn’t care whatsoever about resumes. For all my editors know, I could have spent time in prison, been fired from every job I worked, or been in an insane asylum. What’s more important to them is past published work, proper communication, and a good idea for their use. For all of freelance journalism’s faults with instability and pay, More