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Most writers have had or still work a full-time career. In our working years, we acquired knowledge for that job, and whether we retire or segue into full-time writing, we often think that information isn’t relevant any longer in our lives, but it is. Said experience could be beneficial for future writing income, especially when it comes to blogging. As a paralegal for over thirty years, I left the job still in possession of that experience, so I decided to use it to write blog posts for attorneys and legal blogs. One of my current clients is my former boss. Get started by making a list of potential topics you’d be comfortable writing about. Draft a few posts about those topics. Become accustomed to writing general information about the information your job required, not about the job itself. I don’t write about what it’s like to be a paralegal. Instead, I write posts like how the legal system on television differs from real life or what you can expect when hiring an attorney. One of the best ways to use your knowledge is to solve problems or answer questions. If you’ve been in retail service, you could easily write a More

From a reader: <<As the weather warms, I notice your list of readings/signings growing. Recently I looked at (another author’s) site and saw that before covid she had constant speaking engagements. The schedule looked exhausting! Another acquaintance hired a publicist to set up his tour. So would you write more about setting up engagements now that we can get out and about again? Some publishers set up tours, some don’t. If you’re self-published of course, you’re on your own. How do you choose the places? How far ahead do you book? Would you hire someone to do it for you? What do publicists charge? This whole thing seems overwhelming organizationally.>> This is a lot of ground to cover, mainly because no two authors do the same when it comes to appearances. Frankly, unless you are a big-named author, and we’re talking sales in the 50,000+ range, you are on your own in this appearance business. The big publishing houses will set up appearances for their big names, but not necessarily pay for all their expenses. Step down to the solid mid-list people, and they get assistance from the promotion department, making sure books are at various places for signings, creating More

Someone recently told me she was too old to try to write. I reminded her she was still breathing, which was all the reason she needed to put pen to paper. I get it. Sometimes we see technology over the writing. All the talk about AI, writing to SEO, white-papers on topics we do not understand, the need to promote via podcasts, TikTok, and Instagram. It can feel daunting that not only do we not understand a lot of the topics that need writing about out there, but if we write for ourselves, the publishing of it scares us away. Take a breath. Just write. Write your story. Enjoy using all your word tiles and creating beautiful sentences with them. Let the writing be its own reward. A neighbor of mine is 90 years old. He has had an incredible life as a self-made man. Over ten years ago, he decided his life needed to be recorded, so he’d stay up each night and write. I could see his light on across the cove from me as he scribbled in his notebooks. Finally, he decided he’d reached the end and got someone to type up the manuscript. They he had More

Writers can spend years taking writing classes and attending conferences, and never land a book deal. Often the problem is that writers want to be published with one of the Big Five, and forget there are other ways of birthing a book. For instance, have you heard of graded readers? Graded readers are books to teach language learners how to read and enjoy the language they’re learning. Reading at the appropriate level helps revise and reinforce grammar, and teaches new vocabulary in context. These readers are written at different levels from beginner to advanced, and put a lot of emphasis on the pleasure of reading, rather than on the study of language, like the books you read in your native language. Graded readers can be about original stories covering many fiction genres such as romance like A New Song for Nina by National Geographic Learning or comedy like What is Brian? by Paper Planes Teens. Whatever your genre, there’ll be a learner who’ll want to read it. Readers can also be adapted from classics like Dracula by Macmillan or from contemporary books written by authors like Stephen King. There are also nonfiction graded readers focusing on biographies of famous people More

A fellow writer sent her manuscript for me to critique. I’d published over a dozen stories for a particular outlet, and she wanted to see if she could get her story published with the same publisher. So, of course, I agreed to look over her work. The outlet that she hoped to write for had a reputation for publishing lots of short stories and was a perfect outlet for new writers attempting their first break. But, the outlet required that the writer follow certain rules. In this case, the stories must be: 1) true; 2) told in first person; 3) limited to 1,200 words; 4) follow one incident or thought in a complete short story; 5) be upbeat. Other than the last two rules, the instructions clearly laid out the other three requirements. Yet, the story my friend gave me was a compilation of memories, 2,000 words long, and meandered from first to third person throughout the telling. While the last points are not laid out in the rules, a few minutes spent reading the published stories reveals a clear pattern to the kinds of stories this publisher accepts. When I pointed this out to my friend, she said, “But, More

Financial writing is a wide niche, and it’s worth learning the ropes. I’ve written many features about finance and becoming more money wise; however, if you write about credit, cash, or cryptocurrency financial writing turns into a whole different world. Suddenly, it’s not like copywriting in Kansas anymore.Here’s how to approach financial writing and enjoy it, with notes from my own work.What To AvoidFinancial writing is full of scams, quick money opportunities, and jobs that ask for content eerily similar to pyramid schemes. Know financial and consumer laws, so that you know what these jobs could look like. Show these potential clients the door, assuming you give the time of day to start with.The law stacks against pyramid schemes, bait-and-switch marketing, and deliberate customers misleading.I’ve remained above the law, but have seen headlines of copywriters (and their customers) who fell for schemes or scams.Companies who hire financial writers should have a history and appropriate licenses (if they are a financial institution). It takes five minutes to check your potential clients and avoid risks to you and your profession.Glossaries, Acronyms, and TermsInvestors and CEOs have their own language. Financial writers have to adapt. You’ll see a lot of acronyms and jargon flying More

I began my full-time writing career a few months before having my baby, and that new parental perspective helped provide the inspiration for many articles. I write nonfiction in the form of reported articles on everything from health to travel, but also more personal opinion pieces where I share my view on the world. As pregnancy, childbirth and new motherhood are intense experiences, they can add new layers to writing and inspire fresh ideas. Parenthood is a brand new life chapter which can alert you to themes or topics you hadn’t considered before. Even from early on in pregnancy, new idea avenues just pop up. But where does parenthood fall in terms of genre? Is it health, society, politics, general parenting, food (weaning tips), drink (non-alcoholic cocktails), travel, a photo essay, opinion, career, entertainment, environment or another lifestyle-based niche? I found I could relate almost anything back to parenting as it is a subject that permeates all aspects of life. The topic works across all types of publications and even has international appeal. Parenthood is also a niche within itself as not everyone is a parent, or has a baby or young child. It can be a less crowded field More

What is AI? AI is artificial intelligence which simulates human intelligence processes by the use of computers or machines. Some argue it has great value in writing the mundane, like blog posts, ad copy, and such. The computer is fed a collection of writing which it uses to create a document. I was recently in an online Zoom chat, and AI came up. Half the room argued that they use it like a thesaurus or a prompt or to get ideas on how to write better. They lean on it when they are at a loss for words. I get finding a word in a thesaurus, on occasion. I struggle with finding phrases, paragraphs, or more like anyone else. Bust I test myself to the nth degree to dig myself out of a hole before I seek assistance. I learn better and retain longer from those efforts. Here lately, I’ve received a lot of submissions, many from the other side of the world from the United States, and they sound vaguely robotic. What I used to call theoretical and too academic is fast becoming suspicious for being AI. Several topics are routinely pitched to me, and its amazing how similarly More

Being a writer isn’t easy. One of the most common challenges is “that” elusive source or interview: the one that you (or an editor) relies on to make a piece solid. It’s usually the most difficult one to find. “That” source can be famous or high-level, though can also be someone with outdated contact information. Sometimes, a source has faded into the background – or deliberately obscured their contact info. How do you get in touch with sources who can’t (or won’t) be found? Here’s what you do. Sometimes, You Just Ask Celebrities and public figures aren’t always completely hidden. The first places to visit are personal websites (and their Contact page). There’s no guaranteed response, but it should be your first avenue. When I interviewed Hollywood character actor Jim Hoffmaster, it took the search to his official social media page. Apartheid struggle stalwart and first South African state capture witness Vytjie Mentor was nice enough to allow an interview when I asked. If this doesn’t work, time for a different approach. Agents, Companies & Foundations Public figures (like politicians, celebrities, and investors) can have a barrier between them and incoming messages. You may need to send a request to More

Books don’t make much money, but they do open doors. Even on the best of days, you can’t make a living off a book. In today’s publishing world you promote yourself and your book, while still making an income in other ways. But, a book, whether self-published or published by a traditional publisher, can give you creds and provide other means for income. Like most writers, you probably have another job. Whether a teacher or a server, use this knowledge to your advantage. Say you work at a restaurant that sells great cheeses. Cheese could be your book. You begin by speaking to your employer. Where do they buy their cheeses from? How do they get them? How do they choose the best ones? What is the difference between cheeses? You’ve been trained to sell their cheeses, so you are already informed. Now delve deeper. Learn the industry, how cheese is made, the details of cheese, its workers, distributors, their histories. You have already amassed enough material for a book. Don’t just look at the book as your final product, though. Each step to writing your book provides you articles to publish in cheese journals, food magazines, health blogs – More