The year taught us that the norm can quickly change if not disappear, leaving us wondering what the heck do we do next. The year taught us that conforming can be good and bad. We learned that there are options to our lives with many throwing themselves in new directions. Some made bread, others read, […]
Training Your Writing
/ 2020-11-21I learned some time back to write in snippets no matter how small. Made myself write 500 words in a day. Doesn’t sound like much, but it became habit. . . but it also was easier to justify in my busy day. Think about it. . . sitting down and pounding out 500 words and […]
Channel the Need
/ 2020-10-17Recently I was advising a political Facebook group, and one key factor I could not get some of the candidates to understand was “define the voter’s need then fill it.” The candidates only wanted to say how good they are. That’s like saying a new drink product is good, when the best ads for drink […]
The Importance of a Recipe
/ 2020-09-18Recipes are directions, and in most cases, directions on how to create food. One of my relaxing pastimes is reading recipes, collecting them, and dissecting them on what makes them easy, unique, or particularly mouth-watering. I ponder how to alter them, improve them, add to make the flavor better. I imagine the type of setting […]
You Cannot Write for Everyone
/ 2020-09-05If you sit down in a pizza place and order sushi, neither you nor the manager will be happy. The manager hasn’t served your needs, and you stay hungry. . . unless you decide to settle for pizza. But what are the odds that your craving for sushi will be satisfied with pepperoni and cheese? […]
When You Talk to People…
/ 2020-08-01When you open a discussion with someone, do you lead with “Once upon a time I lived in Michigan. I was twenty-four. I was working at the mall and was trying to figure out my life.” No. BIG YAWN. You don’t start with the backstory. Frankly, I’d bet you’d be embarrassed to start with the […]
How to Mine a Dozen Articles from a Single Topic
/ 2020-03-20As a content writer or freelance journalist, a little learning can go a very long way. In the course of your career, you may become quite expert in a particular topic(s), perhaps because of a job you once had, or because you once had to do a lot of research or interviews in that area, […]
10 Ways to Turn Rejection Into Acceptance
/ 2020-03-06For writers of all kinds, dealing with ideas and words that get rejected is an everyday reality. But there are sometimes ways you can turn a No into a Yes… So you get your commission, you send in your copy – but the editor or client says they’ll pass. Or you send in a bunch […]
Simplify Your Writing Life
/ 2019-11-23I don’t know about you, but in my attempt to keep up with publishing changes, my stress level often rises. My email box posts roughly 200 emails daily, the majority of them telling me how to best edit, publish, market, and partner with influencers. How to work Amazon. . . how to hate Amazon. How […]
Reading Aloud Can Pay Off – Literally
/ 2019-08-22Are you a writer who studied acting? Learned vocal techniques that enhance projection, enunciation, and relaxation? Have you practiced dance or movement? Become an experienced public speaker? Any of these skills can translate into a revenue stream for writers. Twenty-five years ago, in New York City, I enrolled in acting school. One of my reasons […]
House-Sitting Puts Ink in the Travel Writer’s Pen
/ 2018-11-30Staying for extended stretches in exotic and culturally rich places for free? Then being paid for pieces you’ve written about your stay? Sounds unreal, but the reality is anything but: over the past several years I’ve spent one- to two-month periods in Hawaii, Mexico, Panama, the Bahamas and St. Vincent and the Grenadines with my […]
Would You Write Daily If You Got Paid For It?
/ 2018-06-29A new UK company has launched offering aspiring novelists an alternative to publication: a salary from £2,000 per month to write novels. De Montfort Literature (DML) will pay writers a salary to write novels which DML will then design, print, publish and promote. After salary, production and marketing costs, authors will receive a 50 percent […]