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Last year, I made more money from my writing than I ever had before, and it came from one change: submitting to writing contests. I don’t pretend contest winnings can replace a full-time income, and they haven’t for me. But contest money has helped in concrete ways, and it gave me a takeaway even more […]

LinkedIn attracts people who make money from writing and language – content creators, ad copywriters, seo and marcoms writers, brand voice specialists and all the rest. It’s a place to network, debate industry topics, and subtly showcase skills. Recently these wordy people are posting more obsessively about two things – AI and ‘grammar’ or writing […]

It can be reassuring for a freelance writer to maintain steady clients to fill their workdays. Work keeps flowing, and paychecks keep arriving. Until savings decrease, or bills rise, and profits aren’t what they once were. Not that you aren’t working hard, but your pay may not be keeping up with financial needs. Now comes […]

Writing when you’re down Over the last two years I’ve experienced a series of setbacks that have taken quite a toll personally and professionally – bereavements, illness and accidents in the family, caring for ageing relatives, plus losing my job, ample pitch rejections, and all the rest. In recent months, unfortunately, this has led to […]

A beta reader is a reader who reviews a book before published to provide constructive feedback. There are lots of versions of beta readers, but they are good tools to have for any book-length manuscript, and even for those in freelance, nonfiction material. It’s another set of eyes on the near-finished product. What do they […]

You’re a proven novelist with one or more published books to your name. You clearly know story, plot, conflict and character. You’re riding high on accolades from readers who are eagerly anticipating your next literary masterpiece, but you’re also hungry to try something new. That’s when a friend casually says, “Have you ever thought about […]

A reader asked, “Can you or one of your authors give new writers guidelines for how to find a writers’ group? I’m interested in finding a group where I can get feedback from experienced writers and have an opportunity to read and comment on their works in progress.  (Learning how they build their stories will help […]

It sounds like a terrible bit of business jargon, but ‘thought leadership’ is basically just expert-based content that educates or informs potential clients, rather than selling at them. Where a company has a complicated or very technical service to offer and/or the purchasing process involves lots of decision-makers, this kind of content helps audiences to […]

“How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon . . . My goodness how the time has flewn.” (Dr. Seuss). For years, this was my reaction after realizing that I have missed – again! –  the pitching deadlines for seasonal and thematic articles. But not anymore. I found a simple solution […]

I have been asked a few times of late about whether a writer should hire an editor before pitching to an editor or agent. After all, if those gatekeepers love the idea, won’t they provide an editor to clean it up? 1) Editors cost money. If they receive a manuscript with a great idea that ALSO […]

I read the best essay about writing today from a writer named Angela Yuriko Smith who manages the Substack page and newsletter called Authortunities. She’s pretty cool and has some great ideas. We don’t agree on everything, but I love how she justifies her thoughts. She’s smart and she loves helping writers. Today she spoke of Protecting Your Lightning. In […]

Writing is a primary source of income that should be stored in more than one location. When you don’t do this and your hardware crashes, you risk missed deadlines, kill fees, and strained client relationships. In addition, you feel frustrated and angry as you try to duplicate what was lost from memory or notes. As […]