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  • Stay Focused: 4 Ways to Delete Writing Distractions From Your Life

    Stay Focused: 4 Ways to Delete Writing Distractions From Your Life

    Feeling a little distracted lately? Like every time you sit down to write, something — or someone — gets in the way?

    If you’re reading this post, it’s probably because you’re not writing. You’re not writing because something along the way knocked you off course, and you’re not sure how to get back on track.

    Distractions are everywhere. Social media and mobile apps don’t make it any easier. If you’re struggling to get your writing done, you need to take a few steps to delete those distractions from your life and leave more time for writing.

    Here are a few simple strategies to help you get started.

    1. Shut down the internet

    The quickest way to bring your writing productivity to a halt is to try writing with readily available internet access. Think you’re just going to do a little research? You might … after you check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and finally drag yourself out of the Tumblr black hole.

    Search online for apps or plugins that will disconnect your WiFi for a certain period of time or temporarily block you from visiting certain websites. Or write in a location that doesn’t have a good connection — or any connection at all!

    Oh. And you might want to turn off your phone, too. Yes, seriously.

    2. Create a “do not disturb” nook

    It’s not always our own fault when our writing time gets interrupted. Sometimes others are involved, whether it’s in person or through text messages. And we’re not always eager to turn down social interaction when it’s standing right in front of us (admit it!).

    When it’s time to write, though, it’s time to write. If you don’t have an office or room to isolate you while you work, create your own space. Designate it as the space where you absolutely cannot be disturbed while writing.

    And if you can’t turn your phone off (sigh), just shoot back a message telling the person your characters are holding you hostage and you’ll text them back later (maybe).

    3. Set a time, word or page count limit

    Setting a specific milestone for yourself is another effective way to get a lot of writing done with minimal or no distractions. Thinking about how much writing you should be getting done when you’re just not into it is discouraging and leads to procrastination.

    But if you sit down and know you only have to write for 45 minutes before you can move on to the next task, you’re much more likely to breeze through it in no time. And by the time you get to the end of your session, you might have a hard time convincing yourself to stop writing.

    Tacking on a reward like “I can answer my text messages when I write 500 words” will help fuel your motivation to meet or even exceed your goals for the day.

    4. Get up early or stay up late

    Is trying to write in the middle of the day, on a break at work, or on your commute just too distracting? If you can’t focus any other time of day, waking up earlier or staying up a little later, might be worthwhile.

    Before everyone else wakes up — or after most of them have drifted off to sleep — the world is quiet. If you don’t live alone, you probably have to be quiet, too. This just might be the ideal environment that will allow you to write without losing your focus.

    Distractions will always circle overhead, but when it comes to writing, there’s no room for messing around. Say “no” to the things that are constantly keeping you from your stories and you’ll be proud of your completed work in no time.

    How do you shun distractions when you need to write?

  • Polishing Your Writing? Follow These 3 Self-Editing Steps

    Polishing Your Writing? Follow These 3 Self-Editing Steps

    No matter what you’re writing, revising drafts is a headache.

    Not only do you have to review your article or story with microscopic focus, but the stress of missing an error and hurting your future writing prospects can be terrifying. Automatic editing software often misses errors and paying for editing services isn’t always an option.

    It’s important to find an editing technique that makes the revision process easier and makes you feel confident in your writing.

    I developed my own editing method while pursuing my bachelor’s degree in writing and communications. I was freelancing for a local newspaper and serving as editor in chief of my college newspaper while balancing a full course-load of writing-intensive classes and a 75-page senior thesis.

    I didn’t have time to spend hours reading over every article or paper.

    To handle the workload, I devised a simple three-step method to catch every mistake and build confidence that each draft is well written.

    Step 1: The content read-through

    The first step of any revision should always be to review the content by reading through the draft.

    Many people try to proofread their drafts while they edit the content, but in order to ensure you catch everything, try breaking this into two steps.

    Start at the beginning and read your document through slowly, focusing what you’re trying to say. Make sure your document makes sense as a whole, and each point you make is fully developed. Add supporting examples or quotations as needed.

    Does your introduction include an interesting hook and explains what you’re writing? Does your conclusion offer a summary or great wrap-up sentence to leave your reader with a sense of finality?

    You should also ensure your essay, article or story follows the stylistic conventions of the type of content you are writing, such as including the thesis statement in an academic essay or following the inverted pyramid for news articles.

    Try not to focus on proofreading or the flow of your writing. Make sure your content is finished first. Just focus on your message and purpose.  

    If you have trouble reading for content errors, make an outline of the points you intend to make before you read your content. Then check off elements on your list as you read to ensure every point makes it into the document.

    Once you feel confident that the content of your writing is finalized, move on to the next step: Proofreading your draft.

    How to polish your writing

    Step 2: The reverse proofread

    You might have fixed some of the more obvious errors in the first step, but the second step is when you should focus on grammar, spelling, and awkward phrasing.

    I got this tip from one of my high school English teachers. Most people jump right into proofreading at the top of the piece. But rather than read your work from the beginning, start at the end.

    When you’ve spent a lot of time on a document, it’s easy to get caught up in the flow of your work, and the human brain doesn’t read every word of longer pieces. It skims for meaning instead.

    In order to force your brain to stop looking for meaning and read each part of the text separately, start at the end and read each sentence piece by piece. By taking the sentences out of context, you check that each sentence alone is grammatically correct.

    During this phase of the process, look for correct usage of punctuation, especially commas and quotation marks. Another key focus should be common mistakes such as mixing up homophones like “there” and “their,” or “two,” “to” and “too.”

    This is also the time to check for common writing errors, such as overused adverbs or passive voice.

    Step 3: The flow breakdown

    Once you start editing, you may find your document lacks a cohesive flow, either from drafting or caused by the changes you made in your edits.The last step is to focus on the flow of the document to ensure the writing still makes sense and is pleasing to readers.

    Read your document paragraph by paragraph and make sure that each section of your paper, article, or story is easy to read and sounds good. Eliminate any remaining jargon or awkward phrases that might have slipped through your previous revisions.

    After this step, you’re done.

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    It may be scary to think about letting a draft go after only three read-throughs, but by being intentional about what you’re looking for in each step, you’re better able to give your document the focus it needs in the revision process.

    Once you try the method and become comfortable with it, you’ll become a quick editor and be able to trust yourself to catch most, if not all, of your errors.

    Do you have a special method for editing and proofreading? What is it, and how did you come up with it?

  • Pitch Fix: Before Submitting Your Story Idea, Consider Your Research Options

    Pitch Fix: Before Submitting Your Story Idea, Consider Your Research Options

    Welcome back to Pitch Fix, our ongoing column where we look at real pitches from freelance writers and offer suggestions for improvement.

    This month, we look at a pitch that presents an interesting thesis but doesn’t include any sources to back it up. We also look at how to pitch a story even if you don’t have your sources in hand.

    Meryl Williams’ pitch to The Atlantic

    Meryl Williams is a freelance writer you might remember from her work at The Write Life and her contribution to my piece about managing a part-time freelance career.

    She recently sent a pitch to The Atlantic that got rejected, and asked me if I had any insight into how she could fix her pitch.

    Williams’ pitch is already pretty strong. It focuses on why her story is important and what makes her piece a good fit for the publication. Is this a case of “sometimes even good pitches get rejected,” or is there something missing from Williams’ pitch?

    Here’s her pitch to The Atlantic:

    To the staff at the Atlantic:

    Rainbow Rowell has been having a good couple of years. The Omaha-based young adult author had her first adult novel come out last year, but on October 6 she’s going back to her roots with another YA work.

    The Atlantic interviewed Rowell in 2013 for a piece about YA authors who are doing it right, and she truly is. I’ve read her four books and I have been impressed by her handling of delicate subject matter, including domestic abuse, mental illness, and addiction. But even more so, I love the way Rowell consistently sets excellent examples for young girls and women in each of her books. I appreciate the power and agency her characters display, and the strong voices Rowell gives each of them. Some of them are described as being overweight but this aspect is always a non-issue — In Rowell’s books, being body positive is queen, and standing up for yourself and your loved ones takes precedence over appearance every time.

    I would like to write about how Rowell writes women for women, and about what I hope to see in her book coming out next month, Carry On. You can see previous work I’ve written on The Billfold, HelloGiggles, and the Addison Recorder. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for your time!

    -Meryl Williams

    https://tinyletter.com/TheSleeperHit

    https://MerylWilliamsMedia.com/

    This is a solid pitch, and there is a lot to like about it. Williams references The Atlantic’s previous Rowell coverage, drawing a connection between her pitch and a story that worked for them in the past. She deftly works in references to her own clips, letting the editor know she has what it takes to get the job done.

    The biggest issue with this pitch is that the story Williams proposes is too speculative. Writing an article about what you hope to see in an author’s next work might be a great fit for another publication, but it doesn’t feel right for The Atlantic.

    As a comparative example: Colleen Gillard’s recent Atlantic article “Why the British Tell Better Children’s Stories” includes interviews with three literature professors to help back up her thesis. Adding additional sources to a story can lend validation to an idea and give it more credibility.

    It’s also what The Atlantic requests in its pitch guidelines:

    We’re more interested in writers who’ve done research and reporting rather than those offering up half-baked personal observations.

    So that’s how to fix Williams’ pitch.

    Pitch Fix: Cite your sources

    Deciding at what point to contact a source — before you secure the pitch, or afterwards? — is one of the most difficult parts of the pitch process.

    When I was a new freelance writer, I often got very nervous about approaching a source before a pitch was accepted, because I felt like the source would think I was unprofessional if I couldn’t place the piece.

    Likewise, it’s going to be difficult for someone like Williams to reach out to a well-known author like Rainbow Rowell without having a well-known publication to back her up.

    With that in mind, here’s how I’d improve Williams’ pitch:

    To the staff at the Atlantic:

    Rainbow Rowell has been having a good couple of years. The Omaha-based young adult author had her first adult novel come out last year, but on October 6 she’s going back to her roots with another YA work.

    The Atlantic interviewed Rowell in 2013 for a piece about YA authors who are doing it right. I’d like to follow up that piece with a story about how Rowell’s work has continued to grow, and how her ability to write strong female characters influences both her readership and her commercial success.

    I’d reach out to librarians, publishers’ sales reps, and women’s studies professors to speak to the three aspects of Rowell’s success: among readers, among booksellers, and among feminists. I’m also getting in touch with Rowell’s publicity agent in the hopes that Rowell will also be able to contribute to the piece.

    I love the way Rowell consistently sets excellent examples for young girls and women in each of her books. I appreciate the power and agency her characters display, and the strong voices Rowell gives each of them. I think your readers will also appreciate a closer look at her work and why it resonates with so many people.

    You can see previous work I’ve written on The Billfold, HelloGiggles, and the Addison Recorder. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for your time!

    -Meryl Williams

    https://tinyletter.com/TheSleeperHit
    https://MerylWilliamsMedia.com/

    As you’ll notice, I completely changed the subject of this pitch. Instead of being about what one person hopes will be in a future book, it is now about how a writer found success by writing strong female characters that connected with many people.

    This is the first step I’ve taken to help Williams verify her thesis. I also gave Williams a paragraph where she outlines the research she plans to do to ensure her thesis is correct.

    Notice the wording of that paragraph: I don’t identify a specific librarian or professor, but I assume Williams will find at least one willing to talk to her about Rowell’s work. (There are a lot of librarians and professors, after all!)

    I also write “I am also getting in touch with Rowell’s publicity agent.” The use of present tense is key. If the pitch doesn’t go through, Williams does not have to contact the publicity agent; if it does, she can send the email.

    Williams’ response

    I asked Williams what she thought of her Pitch Fix, and here’s her response:

    Thanks for taking a look at this pitch!

    This email pitches a more interesting story, and one I feel like The Atlantic would have cared about more. Plus, it would have been totally doable (and super fun!) to interview a bunch of librarians and academic folks about Rainbow Rowell’s work. I also like the loose wording about getting in touch with Rowell’s people, while making no firm commitment. I’ll need to keep that in mind for future pitches.

    Maybe someday when I’m wildly famous, The Atlantic will pay for my thoughts on feminist fictional characters — but until then, this is an article I would have loved writing and reading. The good news is that Rowell has written a book a year since 2011, so maybe I’ll get another shot soon!

    To our readers: Do you agree with this month’s Pitch Fix? What advice would you offer Peterson? Also, how do you address potential sources when you pitch?

    Got a pitch that’s striking out? If you’d like to be an upcoming Pitch Fix subject, please contact Nicole Dieker at dieker.nicole@gmail.com.

  • The 100 Best Websites for Writers in 2016

    The 100 Best Websites for Writers in 2016

    Editor’s note: Looking for our most updated list of best writing websites? Here’s our list for 2021.

    Internet overwhelm is real, guys. How many unread articles and blog posts do you have in your RSS reader? And what about those Facebook and Twitter feeds?

    How do we keep track of it all? As writers, we want to keep up with the latest industry news, advice and opportunities, but we don’t have time to sift through everything happening in the online world.

    That’s why we created this year’s list of the 100 Best Websites for Writers. Thanks to your suggestions, you’ve helped us curate hundreds of websites to bring you the best of the best. Many are tried-and-true favorites previously featured in our 2014 and 2015 lists, and we’re excited to have dozens of newcomers to showcase this year.

    No matter what you want to accomplish in 2016, we’re sure you’ll find quality inspiration and resources.

    We’ve broken this year’s list into seven categories: Blogging, entrepreneurship, creativity and craft, freelancing, marketing, publishing, and writing communities. All sites are listed in alphabetical order within their categories, and the numbers are for easy tracking (not ranking).

    And if you’re looking to keep up with these sites on a daily basis, here’s an easy way to do that: we’ve compiled a Twitter list of all the websites in this post. Click here to subscribe via Twitter.

    Warning: this list may inspire you to start your own website! If you want to start your own website or blog, here’s our step-by-step guide.

    Sit back and explore. Cheers to the amazing resources you’ve helped us collect!

    blogging

    1. Be a Freelance Blogger

    Sophie Lizard is here to teach you how to take your freelance blogging skills to pro level. Through her blog posts, free community and jobs board, you’ll be able to increase your blogging income and become an expert in your niche.

    Post you’ll like: The Batman vs. Superman Guide to Freelance Blogging

    2. Beyond Your Blog

    Are you working to grow your blog audience? Beyond Your Blog provides practical tips and resources for getting published on other blogs and and in digital publications, so you can tap into new groups of engaged fans.

    Post you’ll like:  8 Things to Avoid When Pitching a Website or Print Publication

    3. Boost Blog Traffic

    In the big blogosphere, it’s hard to stand out and let your voice be heard over the noise. Jon Morrow and the Boost Blog Traffic team offer a wealth of resources to increase traffic to your site and build community — without sacrificing quality content.

    Post you’ll like: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Irresistible Subheads

    4. Copyblogger

    Take your content marketing, SEO and community building skills to the next level with Copyblogger’s library of free ebooks, blog posts, forums and more. It’s a leading resource for professional blogging from the creators of the Rainmaker Platform for digital marketing.

    Post you’ll like: 10 Content Marketing Goals Worth Pursuing

    5. ProBlogger

    It’s a trustworthy blog about how to blog. Founder Darren Rowse and the ProBlogger team bring you all the latest news and tips to build a better blog. This site offers extensive resources on how to monetize your blog as well as a job board constantly updated with new opportunities.

    Post you’ll like: 10 Simple Hacks That Will Increase Your Blog Traffic

    6. Sark e-Media

    With practical and motivational articles and a free 30-day blogging challenge, Sarah and Kevin Arrow help bloggers gain confidence in their writing so they can get the recognition and reach they deserve.

    7. The Daily Post

    You’ve picked out a website name, a theme, and have your WordPress site all set up — now what? At The Daily Post, the WordPress team helps you navigate your growth as a professional writer, with daily writing prompts, interviews with successful bloggers, writing and photo challenges, and WordPress tips.

    Post you’ll like: Writing About Books, Movies, Music: Quick Tips

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    8. Aerogramme Writers’ Studio

    Aerogramme Writers’ Studio keeps you up to date on writing news and opportunities, including contests, calls for submission, and MFA programs. The blog also contains tons of articles on the art of writing.

    Post you’ll like: Who Is Your Boo Radley? Finding Characters Who Motivate You To Write

    9. Ann Kroeker

    Author and writing coach Ann Kroeker is on a mission to help writers reach their goals by maximizing curiosity, creativity and productivity. Her website is home to numerous blog posts, podcasts and resources for writers.

    Post you’ll like: Write in the Middle of Traveling

    10. A Writer’s Path

    Author Ryan Lanz’s website is a wealth of information for aspiring authors. His blog features frequent guest posts, and his Writer’s Toolbox is constantly updated with his favorite picks for websites, blogs, music, apps and people.

    11. Bane of Your Resistance

    Using research in the creative process and neuroscience, Rosanne Bane takes on the big issue of writing resistance in all its forms: writer’s block, procrastination, perfectionism and more. Her weekly posts offer science-backed fixes to common problems for writers.

    Post you’ll like: Momentum Beats Writer’s Block Every Day

    12. Brain Pickings

    Maria Popova created Brain Pickings to document her intellectual, creative and spiritual growth. It’s an exploration into the brilliant discoveries of different disciplines, and how we can “cross-pollinate” these ideas to move us forward in creative thinking.

    Post you’ll like: How to Save Your Soul: Willa Cather on Productivity vs. Creativity, Selling Out, and the Life-Changing Advice That Made Her a Writer

    13. C. S. Lakin’s Live Write Thrive

    Author, editor and writing coach C. S. Lakin loves helping writers get their manuscripts ready for publication. On Live Write Thrive, she writes about proper scene structure, character development, editing and crafting a fantastic story.

    Post you’ll like: 3 Things You Must Have in Your Novel’s First Paragraph

    14. Elizabeth Spann Craig

    Prolific mystery author Elizabeth Spann Craig blogs about all things relevant to a writer’s life, including public speaking, productivity, gaining visibility and connecting with the wider author community. Her weekly roundup of writing articles is also a reader favorite.

    Post you’ll like: Tracking Our Recurring Storylines

    15. Fiction University

    Janice Hardy understands that there’s no “right” way to write. So instead of giving advice on what writers should be doing, she explains how you can make industry rules work for you. With new articles and guest columns every day, you’ll gain valuable insight into the book-writing and publishing process.

    Post you’ll like: Why We Should Do Bad Things To Our Characters

    16. Ink and Quills

    With more than 10 years of studying the craft of writing under her belt, Kaitlin Hillerich created Ink and Quills to help other writers reach their novel-writing goals and tell beautiful stories. With blog posts, worksheets, ebooks and courses, there’s tons to explore.

    Post you’ll like: How to Create Life-like Characters in 6 Steps

    17. Inky Girl

    Inky Girl is the place for children’s book writers and illustrators. Debbie Ridpath Ohi shares original comics, interviews with industry experts, and advice on telling unique stories. Her series on writing picture books is a reader favorite.

    Post you’ll like: Why Picture Books Are Important

    18. KidLit411

    KidLit411 is the ultimate place for children’s writers and illustrators. Founders Elaine Kearns and Sylvia Liu curate the latest in the industry, including new blogs, conferences, awards, writing challenges, publishing resources. They also post weekly author and illustrator interviews and have a thriving facebook community.

    Post you’ll like: The Weekly 411

    19. Live Write Breathe

    Live with passion, write well, and remember to breathe. These are the core principles of author Janalyn Voigt’s site, where she reminds aspiring authors that only when we lead a passionate life can we properly fuel our writing and succeed.

    Post you’ll like: How to Make Time to Write a Novel

    20. Positive Writer

    In the pursuit of creating work that matters, all writers get stuck from time to time. Doubts can creep in, and it’s sometimes hard to get back on track. Bryan Hutchinson offers motivating blog posts to help you move beyond writing paralysis and finish the work you set out to create.

    Post you’ll like: The Audacity to Be a Writer

    21. ProWritingAid

    The ProWritingAid blog is all about transforming good writing into great writing. From grammar tips, writing techniques, and software recommendations, this blog is a great resource if you’re looking to polish your prose.

    Post you’ll like: 5 Tricks for Writing Fast Without Losing Quality

    22. Script

    For more than 15 years, Script has been the top place to go for inside information on writing for film and television. With how-to articles, interviews, podcasts, influencer columns, webinars, courses and resource directories, you’ll find everything you need to keep up with the industry.

    Post you’ll like: Choosing Projects: Which Screenplay Should I Write Next?

    23. Susan Dennard

    In her blog and newsletter, author Susan Dennard shares her secrets: from planning your novel and  maximizing productivity, to facing writing fears and getting published.

    Post you’ll like: Maintaining Passion for a Story

    24. The Write Practice

    The number one thing all successful writers have in common? Practice. At The Write Practice, Joe Bunting and his team help you develop your writing rhythm and grow into your voice and identity as a writer.

    Post you’ll like: 10 Secrets to Write Better Stories

    25. Witty Title Here

    Witty Title Here is the blog “For female writers who give a damn,” offering writing advice, inspiration, writer spotlights, and more — all with a feminist twist. This site also publishes reader-submitted pieces and is a great place for writers who are just starting out and finding their voice.  

    26. Write or Die

    Writer Mandy Wallace believes that when it comes to writing, don’t wait to become inspired or for luck to strike. Just “Show up, shut up, and write,” and sooner or later it will all come together. Wallace’s blog documents the writing lessons she’s learned and offers practical guides for upgrading your own writing.

    Post you’ll like: Where to Find Story Ideas So Good, They Practically Write Themselves

    27. Writers Helping Writers

    Authors Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi are dedicated to creating one-of-a-kind resources that writers will actually use. Their books and blog posts focus on helping writers become better storytellers, and their One Stop For Writers library is teeming with tools for planning, researching and writing your book.

    Post you’ll like: The Subtle Knife: Writing Characters Readers Trust But Shouldn’t

    28. Writers In The Storm

    Just like their characters during perilous times, writers must weather the storm of their profession — and shifting industry tides. Run by a group of authors, the Writers In The Storm blog provides inspiration and tips for writers during all stages of the process.

    Post you’ll like: Honey, I Broke the Writing Process

    29. Writer Unboxed

    Frustrated their analytical articles about books and movies were rejected, founders Therese Walsh and Kathleen Bolton decided to create Writer Unboxed in 2006 so they could freely publish their observations. It has since grown into a thriving community where writers of all levels can contribute their thoughts on the craft of writing.

    Post you’ll like: Creative Work is Performance. Assess Your Creative Health Now.

    30. Write to Done

    Write to Done is all about learning to write well. Founder Mary Jaksch brings the age-old advice to keep writing to a whole new level, noting that it’s not practice that makes you a better writer — it’s practice directed in a positive way.

    Post you’ll like: 201 Ways to Arouse Your Creativity  

    100best2016

    entrepreneurship

    31. Author Media

    A writer’s website should be robust enough to support their growing online platform, but also simple to use. The team at Author Media is made of web designers, coders, and social media managers who share tips, resources, and plug-ins for fantastic author websites.

    Post you’ll like: 7 Ways Author Websites Irritate Readers (And What to Do About It)

    32. High-Income Business Writing

    In the High-Income Business Writing podcast and blog, Ed Gandia brings you everything you need to know about building a successful career in commercial writing. With over a decade of experience, he lets you in on the strategies and secrets of various  industries so you can find great clients and command top fees.

    Post you’ll like: Why You Should Start a Newsletter (and How to Keep it From Being a Drag)

    33. Men with Pens

    In the world of business, content is king — and that means your content creation, blogging, and online marketing have to be on point. Men with Pens, led by James Chartrand, has over 1,000 blog posts to help with all your content marketing, website-writing and small-business needs.

    Post you’ll like: 7 Simple Ways to Write a List Post That Gets Read

    34. Paid to Exist

    Jonathan Mead at Paid to Exist believes you can and should get paid for doing the things you’re passionate about. His blog, training programs and resource “backpack” can help you create a career you love on your own terms.

    Post you’ll like: Why quitting your job won’t solve all your problems

    35. Penelope Trunk

    Penelope Trunk has founded four startups, and she knows a thing or two around building community. Read her blog for life advice, career advice, and everything inbetween.

    Post you’ll like: How to pick a career you’ll like

    36. Productive Flourishing

    Productive Flourishing is the place for “doers,” the people who are ready to use their creative talents to help themselves and the world around them. At Productive Flourishing, you’ll learn about the new world of work and how to thrive in it.

    Post you’ll like: Clarity, Commitment, and Community: The 3Cs of Successful Thought Leaders

    37. Riskology

    To be a great entrepreneur and make your mark in this world, you have to be able to own who you are and believe in yourself. The team at Riskology presents science-backed strategies for embracing who you are and going for your goals.

    Post you’ll like: Law of Equal Effort: How to Do Big Things Without Burning Out

    38. Seth Godin

    Seth Godin’s daily bits of wisdom on business, marketing and life help you approach your work in new ways. His posts never fail to  inspire an energy to “Go, make something happen.” No matter your industry, Godin’s blog is not to be overlooked.

    Post you’ll like: Pumpkin Seeds

    39. Side Hustle Nation

    At Side Hustle Nation, you’ll learn how to take your tiny entrepreneurial streak and propel yourself to full financial freedom. Nick Loper’s blog and podcast spotlight different types of side gigs, along with case studies to fuel your business savvy.

    Post you’ll like: 5 Steps to Turn a Hobby Into a Business

    40. The Creative Penn

    Author Joanna Penn has built a best-selling writing career, and she wants to help you do it, too. Her site has a wealth of resources on self-publishing and platform-building — from her articles and ebooks to her popular podcast library of author interviews.

    Post you’ll like: Social Media Tips for Writers with Frances Caballo

    41. The Identity

    At The Identity, Lis Dingjan and her team help entrepreneurs build beautiful websites, courses, applications and systems. Her blog is an archive of her thoughts about system development, creativity, entrepreneurship, marketing, and going for your goals.

    Post you’ll like: The Thing About Money

    42. Untamed Writing

    “Your life is YOUR life. You should be able to do whatever you want with it.” So says Karen Marston, founder of Untamed Writing, her internet home for helping people build a freelance writing career they love without having to sacrifice their freedom. Here you’ll find a full archive of blog posts, resources, and courses to develop your writing skills, fearlessly approach clients, and maintain a successful career.

    43. Writing Happiness

    You have a great online business and an active blog. Now it’s time to up the ante and create some digital products. Look no further than Marya Jan’s website for guidance on creating ebooks and online courses.

    Post you’ll like: How to make sure your ebook will sell before you write a single word

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    freelancing

    44. About Freelance Writing

    This site lives up to its name, with hundreds of practical posts on how to market your skills, price your projects, and deal with the nitty-gritty aspects of a freelance business. Around for more than  a decade, About Freelance Writing is a tried and true favorite for many writers.

    45. Comps & Calls

    On the first of each month, Cathy Bryant posts an extensive list of competitions, contests and calls for submission. She notes whether they’re paid or not, for quick skimming. This site is a great one-stop-shop for all recent writing opportunities.

    Post you’ll like: Comps and Calls for January 2016  

    46. Freelancer FAQs

    You have questions, they have answers. Team members and  guest contributors at Freelancer FAQs address all the things you’ve ever wanted to know about freelance life, including marketing, getting started, recommended resources, money management and more.

    Post you’ll like: How Does a Freelance Writer Stay Organized When They’re Too Busy?

    47. Freelancers Union

    You live to write, but remember that as a freelancer, you’re also an independent business owner. This means dealing with contracts, handling your own health insurance, figuring out taxes and more. The Freelancers Union is the major hub for everything having to do with living a great freelancer life.

    48. Freelance Writers Academy

    The founders of Freelance Writers Academy say enough is enough when it comes to low wages and content mills. In this community of freelancers helping freelancers, you’ll find valuable advice and resources for freelance business building as well as employment leads.

    Post you’ll like: 13 Worthwhile Hobbies That’ll Make You Better At Brainstorming Freelance Writing Topics

    49. Freelance Writing

    It’s been around since 1997 and is still going strong: Freelance Writing has an extensive archive of articles, tutorials, media and resources all geared to helping you build a successful career. Its jobs listings are updated daily, so you’re always in the know about new opportunities.

    Post you’ll like: 6 Freelance Writing Niches That Are Often Overlooked

    50. Freelance Writing Jobs

    With a job board updated daily and more than eight years of freelance writing and blogging tips, this site is a favorite for writers all over the world. It’s regularly updated with all the latest trends and resources freelancers should know about.

    Post you’ll like: How to Engage a Reader When you are Writing About a Boring Topic

    51. FundsforWriters

    Hope Clark believes writing can be a realistic career for all writers. Her weekly newsletter lists the best competitions, grants and other well-paying markets, and her platform has grown to include a blog and a bi-weekly paid newsletter with even more high-paying opportunities per issue.

    Post you’ll like: No Room for Snark

    52. LittleZotz Writing

    Lauren Tharp has found a way to write as a freelancer full time and is dedicated to helping other writers do the same. With bi-monthly newsletters and blog posts along with a brand new podcast, LittleZotz is a great source of practical tips for your freelance life.

    Post you’ll like: 12 Common Freelance Writer Mistakes

    53. Make a Living Writing

    At Make a Living Writing, Carol Tice is dedicated to helping writers move up from low-paying marketings and start earning more from their work. With her blog, ebooks, and paid community, you’ll find awesome advice, support and resources to grow as a freelance writer.

    Post you’ll like: How I Made 6 Figures as a Freelance Writer

    54. Productive Writers

    As a full-time freelance writer, John Soares loves what he does. But he’s also interested in getting the most out of life and not having to work around the clock. At Productive Writers, he shares strategies to help freelancers get high-paying gigs, finish them quickly and get back to life.

    Post you’ll like: 8 Simple Steps to Writing Faster

    55. The International Freelancer

    Freelancing isn’t the same everywhere in the world. Mridu Khullar Relph created The International Freelancer to provide targeted advice and resources to freelancers who work outside of the U.S. and U.K. This community is also a great source of support for U.S.-based writers looking to break into the global market.  

    Post you’ll like: The Nuts and Bolts of Turning a Story Idea Into a Query

    56. The Middle Finger Project

    Above all else in your freelance career, you want to build a business that feels good, is fun, and is totally you. Ash Ambirge provides an entertaining (and often NSFW) take on being fearless in your business ventures and dealing with the hard stuff in a bada** way.

    Post you’ll like: Business Lacking Direction? Start With the Money

    57. The Renegade Writer

    We often think that to be successful, we have to follow the rules and play the game. At the Renegade Writer, Linda Formichelli offers advice on breaking into the world of writing by breaking the rules. If you’re looking to build a freelance writing career on your own terms, this is the site for you.

    Post you’ll like: How to Work Less and Earn More as a Freelance Writer

    58. Winning Writers

    Winning Writers is a go-to source for information about contests for poets and writers. It sponsors four annual contests and keeps tabs on many other writing competitions. Subscription

    Subscribe for free to gain access to Winning Writers’ database of writing contests.

    marketing

    59. Build Book Buzz

    When it comes to book publicity and marketing, you can definitely DIY it. Author and public-relations star Sandra Beckwith provides articles, training programs and other resources that help take the guesswork out of book marketing.

    Post you’ll like: Put Your Fictional Characters on Social Media

    60. Giving Voice to Your Story

    We all have a story — a key message we want to share with the world. Through her blog and corresponding radio show, Dorit Sasson helps writers, entrepreneurs and thought leaders build a trusting relationship with their audience so they can share their message and reach new levels of success.

    Post you’ll like: How Blogging Connects Authors with their Target Readers

    61. Jessica Lawlor

    Don’t let low confidence get in the way of your marketing success. Join Jessica Lawlor and the #GetGutsy community to find inspiration and tips on how to step outside your comfort zone and go for your goals.

    Post you’ll like: A Reverse To-Do List: What What You Say NO to Matters More Than You Think

    62. Kikolani

    Founder Kristi Hines  brings you the latest strategies, trends and how-tos in digital marketing. Kikolani is a must-have resource for business and professional bloggers who want to make their brands stand out.

    63. Michael Hyatt / Full Focus

    Michael Hyatt is the bestselling author of Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, and his blog will help you do just that. Read for tips and resources about personal development, productivity, leadership, influence and more.

    Post you’ll like: 5 Steps to Building a Platform When You Hate Selling Yourself

    64. Quicksprout

    Recognized as a top entrepreneur and influencer by The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and even President Obama, Neil Patel is definitely a go-to guy for all things online marketing. He’s helped companies like Amazon and NBC increase their revenue, and his insanely useful content is sure to help your business as well.

    Post you’ll like: The Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an Audience Before Your Business Launches

    65. Shelley Hitz

    Shelley Hitz believes everyone has a message, and she’s on a mission to help you reach your target audience and build your author platform. With her blog posts, podcast, and Author Audience Academy, you’ll find tons of content on book writing, publishing, and marketing.

    Post you’ll like: How to Set Up Your Goodreads Author Profile (And Why You Should!)

    66. Social Triggers

    To be successful in business, you’ve got to be able to persuade. At Social Triggers, marketing expert Derek Halpern shares his best tips, strategies and scripts for growing your audience and making the sale. His techniques are data driven, using the latest finds in psychology and social behavior.

    Post you’ll like: How to Email Influential People — And Get Responses Fast

    67. The Story of Telling

    Bernadette Jiwa says the secret sauce to great marketing is building context and understanding between you and your audience. Read her blog if you see marketing as not just a department, but also part of a holistic — and successful — entrepreneurial experience.

    Post you’ll like: The Value of Unknowns

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    68. Author.Pub

    Getting published is hard, and it only gets more complicated with a rapidly growing and shifting industry. That’s where Author.Pub steps in: helping aspiring authors manage the overwhelm of the publishing and marketing process through blog posts, guides and directories of trusted names and companies in book publishing.

    Post you’ll like: What NOT to Say to a Literary Agent (or Editor)

    69. Bent on Books

    The Bent on Books blog is run by Jenny Bent and a team of literary agents. Every month, they share their agent “wishlist” — the types of books they are looking to represent — as well as advice on marketing, publishing, working with an agent and more.

    Post you’ll like: How to Fire Your Agent

    70. Better Novel Project

    Christine Frazier takes a scientific approach to writing a best-selling novel. She deconstructs popular books to pinpoint the common elements they share. These findings are then incorporated into the “master outline” for a better, research-backed novel.  Follow along for insights on plot, word counts and character development.

    Post you’ll like: How to Create a Remarkable Villain (Beyond the Cliches!)

    71. Blots & Plots

    Founder and author Jenny Bravo offers personal anecdotes and guidance for writers who want to take a leap into the publishing world. The blog itself reads like a story, so it’s best to start at the very beginning to watch Bravo’s own publishing process unfold.

    Post you’ll like: 5 Ways to Create Your Own Writing Space

    72. Goins, Writer

    Best-selling author Jeff Goins created his site to inspire others to awaken to their creative gifts and develop their true voices. Through his blog posts, podcasts, and newsletters you’ll get an inside peek into the life of a successful creative professional, as well as practical advice for pursuing your own art.

    Post you’ll like: The Secret to Effortless Writing

    73. Go Teen Writers

    Stephanie Morrill knows a love of writing often starts at a young age. That’s why she created Go Teen Writers: to provide encouragement, community and wisdom to aspiring teen writers who want to learn more about how to finish a novel and get it published.

    Post you’ll like: What Teen Writers Should Know About Pitching Their Book

    74. Guide to Literary Agents (Writer’s Digest)

    One of the most popular blogs in publishing, Chuck Sambuchino’s Guide to Literary Agents is the go-to place for all types of information on finding literary agents, sending query letters, building an author platform and marketing your book.

    Post you’ll like: 5 Things I Learned on Deadline

    75. Helping Writers Become Authors

    Consider K. M. Weiland your writing and publishing mentor. With hundreds of blog posts, instructional e-books, and an exclusive e-letter, her website is the perfect place to find the answers to all your burning questions. She also responds to every email she receives (really!) about writing, publishing and marketing fiction.

    Post you’ll like: My Writing Process: How I Use Scrivener to Outline My Novels

    76. How to Plan, Write and Develop a Book

    Through her blog posts, weekly writing exercises, and 12-week book development courses, Mary Carroll Moore is devoted to helping writers bring their novels to fruition so they can move forward in the publishing process.

    Post you’ll like: Where Do You Get Your Ideas? A Basic Primer of a Novelist’s Writing Process

    77. Indies Unlimited

    Indies Unlimited is an overwhelming source of writing, publishing, tools and news resources for independent authors. With thousands of blog posts and weekly features like Tuesday Tutorials and Thrifty Thursday, you’ll always be able to learn something new.

    Post you’ll like: Self-editing: A Helping Hand

    78. Jane Friedman

    Former publisher Jane Friedman explores the intersection of publishing, authorship, and the digital age. With more than 15 years in the industry, Friedman knows her stuff — and her blog is a wealth of information on how to embrace the “future of authorship.”

    Post you’ll like: 5 Observations on the Evolution of Author Business Models

    79. Jody Hedlund, Author

    Follow along on Jody Hedlund’s writing journey. Her blog is full of advice, encouragement, and inspiration about writing and surviving today’s challenging publishing industry.

    Post you’ll like: 5 Traits that Foster Publishing Success

    80. Lisa Romeo Writes

    Non-fiction and freelance writer Lisa Romeo blogs on various helpful topics, like how to reclaim your writing life, get through troublesome pieces and navigate the business of writing. Her biggest piece of advice? Write first, and read blogs second!

    Post you’ll like: Unfinished: When it Comes to Personal Stories, Aren’t They All?

    81. Literary Rambles

    At Literary Rambles, blog partners Casey McCormick and Natalie Aguirre interview and highlight children’s book authors, literary agents and agencies. Get an inside look at the world of children’s book publishing.

    Post you’ll like: Researching Literary Agents Part I

    82. Nail Your Novel

    On Nail Your Novel, bestselling ghostwriter and book doctor Roz Morris shares her best traditional and self-publishing tips as well as musings on the writing process. Be sure to check out her radio show “So You Want to Be a Writer?”

    Post you’ll like: 5 Things That Established Authors Would Tell New Writers

    83. Novel Publicity

    The team at Novel Publicity believes every story should be told, and have its own platform and loyal fans. With that core belief in mind, it provides guidance on writing, marketing and publishing. Posts cover everything from social media strategy and book design to finances and author blogging.

    84. Rachelle Gardner

    Rachelle Gardner’s website is one of the most popular literary-agent blogs. Her blog archive is a great resource for sound advice on how to find and partner with the right agent, hone your elevator pitch, write a query letter and more.

    Post you’ll like: What’s an Author-Agent Agreement?

    85. She’s Novel

    It took Kristen Kieffer two and a half years to finish her first draft — then she realized she had made every mistake in the book. She vowed not to let these personal lessons go to waste, so she created She’s Novel, a blog and resource hub that helps writers more-easily navigate the journey of crafting brilliant novels.

    86. Standoutbooks

    You’ve written your book. Now what? Standoutbooks has tons of articles, templates, tools and resource recommendations for getting your book published and marketed to the max. Be sure to grab your free Book Marketing Plan and Press Release templates.

    Post you’ll like: Understanding Cultural Trends Can Help You Write a Bestseller

    87. Terribleminds

    If you’re looking for the honest — and often hilariously vulgar — truth about writing, Chuck Wendig is your guy. He’s not afraid to say what we’re all really thinking, which makes Terribleminds the perfect place to gain some writing confidence and get back to creating.

    Post you’ll like: Writing Advice Is Bullshit

    88. The Book Deal

    Established editor and industry insider Alan Rinzler offers advice on traditional publishing, self-publishing, landing an agent, marketing and more.

    Post you’ll like: What 4 Top Agents Desire in a Memoir

    89. The Kill Zone

    At The Kill Zone, you get access to the minds of 11 top suspense writers and publishing professionals. Each day brings new blog posts and insights into publishing, marketing and the writing craft.

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    90. The Passive Voice

    Navigating publisher and writing contracts? Want to brush up on your knowledge of intellectual property litigation? Attorney David Vandagriff offers his (sometimes snarky) musings on the legal side of the writing business.

    91. The World’s Greatest Book

    You have a fantastic manuscript, and now it’s time to make it into a beautiful book. Author, editor and graphic designer Dave Bricker offers straight talk on the book production and publishing business, with insights on book design, typography and marketing.

    Post you’ll like: Book Design Basics: Choosing a Book Font

    92. Writability

    YA writer and soon-to-be-published author Ava Jae has made Writability her internet home for five years, sharing vlogs, book reviews, writing tips and how-tos, and blog posts about her own journey to getting published.

    Post you’ll like: How to Turn an Idea into a Plot

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    93. 1st 10 Pages

    First impressions count, and that rule still applies in the writing world. At 1st 10 Pages, writers can post the first 10 pages of their work, to be anonymously reviewed by established industry insiders. Submit the beginning of your novel or movie script and see if you’re hitting the mark.

    Post you’ll like: Before You Submit To That Contest

    94. Fiction Writers Group

    This Facebook group of nearly 10,000 traditional, self-published and indie authors has been around since 2009. It’s a popular source of community and camaraderie without slimy self-promotion. The community also publishes three anthologies a year.

    Check out their member guidelines here.

    95. Scribophile

    At Scribophile, you’re sure to get high quality feedback on your work. The community works on a “karma points” system, in which you spend points in order to submit your writing, and receive points when you provide exceptional critiques. Scribophile also hosts free writing contests and hosts an active forum.

    Learn more about Scribophile here.

    96. She Writes

    Over 27,000 writers of all levels of expertise have joined this buzzing community, founded by author Kamy Wicoff. At She Writes you can create your own profile, build your network, share your work, get expert advice and feedback and discuss all types of things in the forum.

    Post you’ll like: 5 Tips for Turning Your Career into a Novel

    97. Two Drops of Ink

    Two Drops of ink is a literary blog accepting submissions from writers of almost any genre. The editors also post book reviews and blog posts about writing and the publishing industry.

    Post you’ll like: Memory Lane: Memoir and Reverse Writing

    98. Wattpad

    At Wattpad, “Stories are made social.” Hailed as the world’s largest community of writers and readers, members are free to post and read original stories and engage in conversation with each other. This is a great platform to build buzz around your writing.

    Join the community here.

    99. Write On

    The Amazon Kindle platform has branched out, creating an ultimate online community for writers at any stage of the creative process. Here you can talk shop on everything having to do with writing and publishing, and you can submit your writing and ideas for reviews and feedback.

    Start on the writer’s forum.

    100. Yeah Write

    To spotlight smaller blogs, Yeah Write hosts weekly writing challenges for nonfiction, fiction and poetry, and microstories. The entire community gets to vote on the most impressive stories and discover new favorite writers.

    Check out the writing challenges of the week.

    What writing sites would you add to this list? Did we include all your favorites?

  • Beyond Productivity: What to Expect From Your First Writing Residency

    Beyond Productivity: What to Expect From Your First Writing Residency

    Everyone knows the benefits of writers’ residencies.

    The greatest of all might be your manuscript rapidly expanding in a frictionless work environment — one free of a job or of friends texting to meet up.

    You find pockets in the writing day that you never knew existed: The hours after dinner when you can hammer out another page; the early morning hour when you turn a sentence over in your mind without worrying about being late for anything.

    Productivity. It’s what we all want, and what most residencies promise. Tell your friends at home that you’ll be gone, compose a vacation reply, turn off your phone, and experience the true size of an afternoon.

    But even though it’s what we most crave out of residencies, productivity is not why we go. If it were, you’d just rent a cottage on an island in Maine or a cabin upstate. Better yet, you could save money by staying home and spending your vacation days in the basement of your local library.

    The real reason we go to residencies is that they jolt us out of routine and familiarity, which often frees the mind to perform more creatively and sharply on the page.

    What happens when we step away from the computer is the reason we spend our time camped out with a bunch of creative strangers. The unexpected benefits — the stuff beyond page count — is the good stuff.

    One residency doesn’t fit all writers

    Those unexpected benefits vary from residency to residency.

    Choosing the right residency is mostly about the experience you want. There’s the rural, the urban, the large, the small, the ones with three sit-down meals a day, the ones with readings, with workshops and without, the ones with no required events, the ones with a lecture series, the ones with visual artists and musicians, the ones with only writers, the ones abroad, and the ones two towns away.  

    You might find yourself nearly alone for a month in the mountains, or holed up for a week in a fancy apartment in a city. You could lose yourself in a new country.

    If you go to the large Vermont Studio Center, for instance, way up in northern Vermont, you have the opportunity to ponder a plotline or character while walking on a mountain trail. You might listen to a fellow resident’s reading in a historic performance hall and discover a new way of thinking about your own work. You might make friends with a painter or sculptor over after-dinner tea. You might take up figure drawing in the mornings or begin meditation.

    At the tiny Lighthouse Works residency on Fishers Island, you’ll fill the hours when you’re not writing with fishing and swimming at the beach, or spending the night shooting pool down in the local pub. At Hewnoaks residency, in a lakeside town in northern Maine, you might cure writer’s block while canoeing, paddling along miles of lakeshore, listening to the echo of loons’ calls.

    You create a day that scaffolds your writing hours, rejuvenates you and productively repositions your thoughts.

    Offline time is key to a successful stay

    This year, when the owner of a 105-year-old hotel on Cuttyhunk Island — an island off of Cape Cod with a year-round population of 18 — asked if I wanted organize a writers’ residency, I knew I had the chance to offer people an experience with a high premium of those unexpected benefits.

    The island is all salt-stunted trees and windswept fields, with an oyster pond on its western side. The town that exists there today looks not unlike it did in the 19th Century: that fishing-town feel towns farther up the Cape used to embody.

    It’s the type of place I imagined writers could wander and think. There’d be evening swims at the beaches, bad cell-phone service to snuff out Facebook and Instagram, and 360 degrees of ocean.  Any writer who’s spent time on an island will know that it catalyzes a potent brand of focus.

    As I welcome the first residents this summer, I’ll encourage them to work hard on their writing projects, but, more importantly, to shut the computer every once and a while for a long walk, to sit on the porch and read for the afternoon, or to spend an extra hour at the dinner table, engaged in conversation over a few cups of tea before bed.

    You know—the stuff that you can’t do in the basement of your town library.

    Making the most of your residency

    Ready to pack your bags and attend your first residency? Before you dig out your suitcase, here are a few tips for making the most of your journey.

    Research the residency and area before you go

    Write up a list of things you want to do besides writing. Check them off during your visit. Depending on the huge range of residencies (from New York City to Wyoming wilderness to coastal New England to Estonian countryside), activities could include:

    • Canoe for a day
    • Spend a day hiking through the hills
    • Go to one morning of life drawing
    • Go to yoga every morning
    • Go swimming every evening after writing
    • Go snowshoeing at least once

    The list, really, is endless, depending on season and location. Try to write down at least five activities to try.

    Don’t burn out

    You’ll be facing hours upon hours of free writing time. Don’t feel guilty for taking a “day off.” Don’t burn yourself out — doing so will kill your creative drive.

    Be spontaneous

    When another resident asks you to join him on a walk, or bike ride, or swim, or a drink at the pub, do it.

    Unless you’re in the middle of a brilliant paragraph, you’ll be happier, ultimately, for taking advantage of spontaneous adventures.

    Set reasonable goals

    Have a project in mind, and focus on that project. Don’t work on a thousand things — you’ll only get frustrated, and you’ll squash any chance for exciting stuff to happen beyond your writing desk.

    There’s always more to work on, and more to write. Accept that, and then let it go.

    Know the residency

    Is it a retreat, a workshop, or a conference? Some programs listed as “residencies” don’t actually give you much time to write. Take a look at the schedule, and adjust your expectations accordingly.

    Is this a time to listen to lectures, to absorb, or a time to increase page count? Surprisingly important: Do you have to cook your own food? Having meals provided for you frees up much time and mental space.

    Have you attended a writing residency? What other tips would you give to first-time attendees?

  • Tracking Freelance Earnings: December Income Report From Nicole Dieker

    Tracking Freelance Earnings: December Income Report From Nicole Dieker

    How was your 2015 freelancing year? Did you land a new client? Hit a financial goal? Write something you were truly proud of?

    For those of you who have been following me all year, it’s time to take a look at my numbers and what I consider my biggest freelancing accomplishments. It’s also time to start planning my 2016 freelancing goals, including my goals for this column!

    Here are December’s numbers:

    Completed pieces: 55

    Work billed: $4,328

    Earnings received: $7,492.26

    I wrote a little over 40,000 words in December, completing 55 pieces with an average per-piece earning of $79. My highest earning piece was $944.

    A lot of publications take time off over the holiday season, and I was able to plan a full week away from work — which also meant my December earnings were lower than my $5,000 monthly income goal. I didn’t mind, though, because my year-end earnings received totaled $63,571.12 — $3,500 more than my $60,000 goal.

    In other words: I beat the freelance income goal I set for 2015.

    How I achieved my goal

    If you’ve been following my Tracking Freelance Earnings columns since the beginning, you might remember that in my first column, I listed my 2014 freelance earnings as $43,059.02.

    In 2015, I increased my freelance earnings by $20,000. That’s the kind of raise you rarely get in a so-called “real job!”

    How’d I do it? It comes down to two basic components:

    I set the goal

    Freelancing is different from other types of jobs because it doesn’t have specific boundaries. I can take on as many or as few pieces as I want — my only limit is the number of hours per day I am willing and able to work!

    So, when I decided at the beginning of 2015 that I wanted to earn $5,000 a month from my writing, I made a commitment to myself — and to you — that I would actively work to take on enough pieces to hit that goal. If I lost an income source (and I did), I would find another one. If I didn’t have enough work to fill out the month, I’d start hustling for more.

    It’s important to note I didn’t hit my $5,000 goal every month. Setting a goal doesn’t guarantee it will happen. Sometimes your regular clients won’t have the budget to assign you an extra piece, and sometimes the pitch you send out will get turned down. (If every pitch you send out gets turned down, make sure to read my other Write Life column, Pitch Fix.)

    But since I was working to earn at least $5,000, that meant some months I earned $4,000 and some months I earned $6,000. It averaged out to a successful freelancing year, even though I didn’t always hit my monthly goal.

    I had the freelancing background to achieve the goal

    I had two years of full-time freelancing experience before I set my 2015 income goal. I didn’t go from $0 to $60,000; I went from $35,000 to $43,000 to $63,000. If I hadn’t already had two years of building my skills and growing my network, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this goal.  

    I also picked a monthly income goal close to what I was already earning; by the end of 2014 I was regularly earning around $4,500 per month, so I decided to see if I could bump that up to $5,000.

    This goal was a stretch for me, but it was also a realistic stretch. If you want to set your own income goal for 2016, it’s important to choose a realistic stretch goal of your own, such as:

    • Taking your highest monthly earnings from 2015 and trying to match those earnings every month in 2016
    • Finding one new higher-paying client every three months
    • Sending out one new pitch per week

    Whatever 2016 goal you choose, make sure it’s just achievable enough that it doesn’t feel impossible. Then stretch yourself to make it happen. As you work towards your goal, you’ll probably start meeting other writers, editors and clients who can help you achieve it even faster. That’s what happened to me.

    My biggest freelancing accomplishments

    Hitting my freelance income goal was a huge accomplishment for me this year, but it’s not the only thing I’m proud of. Here are some of my 2015 highlights:

    • Writing the comedy piece “The Economics of Neko Atsume” at The Billfold, which received enormous positive response when I published it in June and gets a steady stream of new readers every day
    • Taking on additional writing and editorial responsibilities at The Billfold and being part of the team as The Billfold partnered with Medium
    • Writing “10 Mistakes That’ll Ruin Your Freelancing Career,” one of the three most popular pieces of 2015 at The Freelancer
    • Launching Pitch Fix at The Write Life
    • Providing financial advice to high school students at SparkLife
    • Funding the first draft of my novel The Biographies of Ordinary People through Patreon
    • Landing my first $1-per-word client
    • Earning enough money to move out of a studio apartment (with no kitchen) and into a one-bedroom
    • Successfully renegotiating many of my freelance rates for 2016

    I’m still working to improve my writing and connect with my audiences, but I’m happy with the work I’ve done this year.

    Goals for 2016

    This year, I’d like to maintain my $60,000 freelancing income. It would be nice if I grew my income, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I hit $65K this year, but I don’t expect another $20,000 jump.

    Instead, I want to focus on working reasonable hours. I’ve written before about the struggle to keep my workweek around 40 hours, and I want to make it a priority in 2016. Now that I feel like I’m earning enough, I can start to put the rest of my life back in balance.

    I also want to continue to build connections and new client relationships. A freelance career is an ever-changing thing, which means I always need to be working towards finding that next big job. If I want to keep my earnings constant and work fewer hours, I also need to land higher-paying assignments. That’s how it works.

    Finally, I want to build this column into a collaboration. I’m going to continue sharing my monthly income with you, but we’ve had a whole year of hearing about me. What about you?

    I’d love to interview some of you about your monthly earnings, as well as your freelance goals and what you do to achieve them. If you’re interested in being part of a future Tracking Freelance Earnings column, email me at dieker.nicole@gmail.com.

    Here’s to a new year!

    Did you achieve your 2015 freelancing goals? Write something you’re especially proud of? Share your accomplishments in the comments!

  • 4 Reasons Your Low Freelance Writing Rates are a Terrible Idea

    4 Reasons Your Low Freelance Writing Rates are a Terrible Idea

    When you begin your freelance writing career, it can be difficult to set yourself apart and build your book of clients.

    Your desire to get started and earn a steady stream of income can be overwhelming, which leads many freelancers to fall into a costly trap: Competing for business based on price.

    It’s true that some of the most powerful businesses in the world make their bread and butter by competing on price. Think of Walmart, or Amazon, or McDonald’s. But these are major corporations that can turn pennies into billions of dollars based on sales volume.

    As a single freelancer, there are only so many hours in the day you can work.

    You don’t have the luxury of turning small profits on a huge volume of jobs. You want large profits on a low volume of projects.

    You need to build a business that competes on quality instead of price.

    But why is it so dangerous to focus on a low price? After all, offering quality work at a low rate can make you extremely popular with clients, the same way that quality cars sold at a low price will draw in customers.

    Here are four pricing issues to watch out for as you build your freelance writing career.

    1. You can’t always be “on”

    The biggest reason why don’t want to compete on price is simple arithmetic.

    If you work 40 hours at $20 an hour, you earn $800. If you work for $50 an hour, you only have to 16 hours to earn the same amount.

    Sometimes freelancers don’t realize how consuming your work can become. At a typical office job, you leave your work at the office and have a clear delineation between work and home.

    For freelancers, that line blurs. Can’t sleep at night? May as well work on that project. Need to run to the grocery store in the middle of the day? You’ll just catch up on work this evening.

    The result is an “always on” mentality for freelancers where you’re never off the clock. But if you charge more, then you don’t have to work the traditional 40-hour (or 50-60 hour) workweek.

    Instead, you can have the freedom of lifestyle that draws many people to freelancing in the first place.

    2. You are worth more than you think

    It’s not just a self-esteem booster: You are worth more than you think.

    Consider a company that wants a copywriter to write a new ebook. It has two routes to take. It can either make a new permanent hire, or can hire a freelancer for the project.

    A new hire comes with the costs of a salary, health insurance, a 401(k), Social Security, paid vacation, office space, a computer, training and even a Christmas gift at the company party.

    Freelancers come with none of the extra baggage. So when you’re bidding on a job, think of those expenses to the company. After all, you have to pay for those things. You should be bidding an amount that covers all your expenses, plus an extra charge for the convenience of the company not having to bring on a full-time employee.

    Don’t be shy about your prices. Remember, people are willing to pay for what they value.

    3. You’ll never win the low-price game

    The ugly truth about competing on price is that you will never, ever win. There will always be someone willing to do the job for cheaper than you.

    A person pitching in New York can be underbid by someone in Kansas. Someone in Kansas can be underbid by someone overseas. And someone overseas can be underbid by a person willing to do the project for free because they want the experience.

    That’s not to say you won’t ever get a job. You will. In fact, you’ll find plenty of work. But over time, you’ll find yourself in a spiral of continually having to lower the price you’re willing to take if you compete on this end of the spectrum. Instead, you want to set your prices based on the value you bring to the job.

    4. Your cheap clients won’t be worth your time

    We’ve all had difficult clients: Those people who don’t clearly articulate what they want, but know what you produced isn’t it.

    There’s no evidence that clients who pay less are more trouble than those that pay higher rates. But it’s simple logic that those clients paying less are worth much less of your time when they do cause issues.

    Any bid you make on a project should be done so with the knowledge that you will have to go back and tweak things. The catch is that if you compete on price, those revisions eat into your already thin margins.

    It’s easy to see that getting materials just right for a client and ensuring they are happy is no longer worth your time. You want to build a client base where no matter how much you have to adjust, tweak or revise your work, it will still be wildly profitable for you to work with them.

    Have you learned similar lessons trying to compete on price? How did you adjust your business model?

  • Instead of Bugging Your Family and Friends, Try These Writing Critique Groups

    Instead of Bugging Your Family and Friends, Try These Writing Critique Groups

    If you write fiction, you may know all too well the feeling you get once you finish a chapter, a story, or a first draft.

    There’s a compulsion to share, and to hear what others think of this thing you’ve created from your own genius brain. But, it can be a lot to ask of your friends and family, and even the most willing of readers might not have the time to get a critique back to you as quickly as they (or you) would like.

    Luckily, there’s a whole host of online resources for writers to share work, and to pay it forward by critiquing the work of others. Some critique communities are even free to join and participate.

    However, with the resources below, it’s expected that you give feedback just as often as you seek it. Be prepared to make a time commitment!

    1. Critters

    This resource has been around for 20 years, which is notable, considering the Internet isn’t much older. Within a week of submitting their science fiction, fantasy, or horror pieces of maximum 20,000, writers receive 15-20 critiques.

    The site encourages new writers to learn not only from the feedback they get, but to learn from the process of giving critiques, as well.

    “The ultimate goal of Critters is to help improve your craft, not only by having your work dissected by other members, but also by learning to dissect your own work (by, of course, dissecting others),” reads the site. “The value of the latter is often overlooked by beginners.”

    Critters is entirely donation-funded.  

    2. Ladies Who Critique

    Ladies Who Critique will help you find a writing partner, free of charge.

    All levels are encouraged to join, and the group isn’t limited to women. Search for a partner by genre or experience level and send a message if you find someone who sounds great. “Think of it like a dating website, but ‘The One’ is your perfect critique partner,” suggests the site.

    To start, check out the Writers Coffee Shop forum for posts by those looking for partnership.

    The group’s blog is not up to date, but its archives contain author interviews, querying advice, and more.

    3. You Write On

    This site may look a little old-school, but it’s full of great resources.

    Here, members can upload their short stories or novel excerpts, and another user is randomly assigned to read it. Once your piece has five reviews from users, it enters the site’s chart system.

    The site states that collective feedback provides writers with a diverse overview of what’s working — and maybe not working — in their pieces.

    Membership is free, as You Write On is sponsored by Arts Council England.

    4. Inked Voices

    This Brooklyn-based site is big on facilitating the formation of writing groups.

    Through Inked Voices, users can search through groups looking for new members during a free two-week trial. If you find one you’re interested in, you can reach out to that group’s leader to join. After you’re linked up with a partner or group, users who pay a membership fee can privately share work and offer critiques.

    Inked Voices also offers many online resources, a forum for users to ask questions, and audio lectures on writing.

    While no free version is available, those who choose Inked In can either pay $10 per month or a flat fee of $75 for one year of membership.

    5. Critique It

    If you already have folks in your network who are willing to read and critique your work, Critique It might help you share it with them. This tool, like Google Docs, lets readers leave comments and allows multiple users to collaborate on the same item.

    But unlike Google Docs, it also allows audio and video feedback as well as multiple file formats. “Drag and drop images, video, text and audio files into Critique It and use the same tools to provide and review feedback — regardless of type,” the site boasts.

    It isn’t a sharing site in the same sense that most of these others are, but it’s a tool that could be used to facilitate sharing with writers you meet online. It appears to be popular with academics, too.

    6. Scribophile

    This might be the site most writers have at least heard of: Not only does Scribophile offer writers the chance to get detailed feedback on their work, but it also offers a bunch of free resources like free tutorials and a members-only forum.

    Its writing academy section tells new writers how to format a manuscript, and sheds light on commonly-made screenplay mistakes.

    A free account allows writers to post up to two works of up to 3,000 words at a time, while a paid version has no such limit ($65 per year, or $9 per month).

    7. Critique Circle

    Critique Circle has been helping writers since 2003.

    Depending on how active the site is, you may have to wait a week or two for your work to be posted — only a certain number of stories are shared each week. Once a piece is listed, members can read it and send the author feedback during a window of one week.

    Writers on the site earn credits for submitting critiques, and credits in turn help them get their own work listed. Stories of any genre, up to 5,000 words, are welcome. Poetry may not be submitted but may be posted for feedback in Critique Circle’s forums.

    There are two levels of membership: The premium level costs $10 per month and offers users access to their own story queue and forum, full access to online tools, and more. Signing up for one or two years can bring your membership cost down to about $3 per month.

    A premium gold membership available for one or two years, breaks down to about $7 per month. These users receive all premium benefits but also enjoy an ad-free version of the site, access to additional readers, and an unlimited messages inbox.

    8. Absolute Write

    Here’s a bonus: Absolute Write is a forum for writers. Although it doesn’t offer a formal critique program, you’re likely to meet some interesting writers who are willing to partner with you. The forum is very active, so if you post there, you’re likely to get several responses quickly.

    No matter where you choose to share your work, it’s always best to keep in mind the golden rule of the internet (and, you know, of life): Treat others the way you’d have them treat you.

    Not everything you read is going to be 100 percent up your alley, or to the level of craftsmanship you prefer. However, it’s crucial to keep your criticism constructive, not destructive.

    For more critique resources, check out our list of 40 places to find a criqitue partner.

    Where do you go to get feedback on your work?

  • Want to Speak at Writing Conventions? How to Write a Great Pitch

    Want to Speak at Writing Conventions? How to Write a Great Pitch

    As publisher-backed press tours dwindle in an uncertain publishing age, authors are asked to do more to sell their books.

    But whether you’ve penned the latest undiscovered bestseller or dabble in more academic fare, writers and book professionals of all stripes can find new audiences for their work through an often-overlooked venue.

    Literary festivals and conferences are a wonderful way to target market your writing while networking with other writers, publishers, and agents — especially for authors promoting a first book, freelance journalists looking for exposure or academics searching for exposure outside the classroom. Plus, most festivals and conferences are tremendous fun, with author parties and free access to other events.

    “As an editor and writing mentor, I’m grateful for literary festivals as places I’ve connected with brave writers in need of support, which means the opportunity to do more of the work I love,” says author, developmental editor and writing coach Jen Violi.

    As Violi points out, literary events are a wonderful way to find your tribe and garner more business.

    So how do aspiring presenters get started?

    Many festivals and conferences are open to unsolicited proposals, and writers of every genre and type can find a way to get on the dais as part of a panel if they know what steps to take.

    Some conferences, like The Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), have a strictly structured submission process that even has its own handbook. But there are dozens of literary festivals in the North America alone, many of which are programmed by understaffed nonprofits who welcome a well-crafted proposal.

    As the former Associate Director of the The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival and an executive director of an arts center, I’ve seen firsthand how unknown-to-me authors who understand the process of programming a festival can persuade me to give them a chance.

    The problem is that many writers don’t know how to present themselves in a way that makes it easy for festival or conference staff to say yes. Below are a few tips for those who want to make the most of their marketing opportunities at literary events.

    1. Do your research

    Of course, it’s best if you can attend a festival first to get an idea of the atmosphere and make in-person connections with the organizers — but doing so isn’t always possible.

    If you haven’t attended before, make sure to research the event guidelines. Many organizations offer an FAQ or author page that provides guidelines for submitting ideas for their upcoming events.

    Be certain to look for these before you craft a proposal. If you don’t see anything, you can email program staff to see if they have a preferred method and format.

    Browse past years’ offerings to get a sense of the focus of the the festival or conference. If you’d like to talk about your latest memoir but see that the previous year offered a similar panel, develop another angle. If all the events are aimed at an edgy, younger crowd, don’t spin yourself as a boring fuddy-duddy.

    Some festivals are genre specific, like Travel Classics, which only deals with travel writers who have an established reputation. Knowing the event and its audience assures not only that you might get a green light to take part, but also that your appearance will be well-received by attendees.

    That success leads to sales and other opportunities.

    2. Plan ahead

    Many literary festivals and conferences set their schedules up to a year in advance. If you’ve got a session topic that you think might be perfect, you can always try to submit in the hopes of a last-minute cancellation; but you’ll have far more success if you start early.

    Some organizations have specific proposal submission periods, so again, research and tailoring are key. Timely submissions are another way of showing programming staff that you respect the hard work it takes to pull off events like these.

    3. Craft a pitch that persuades

    Don’t say, “I’m a great writer with a new book coming out and I’d like to come to your event.”

    Instead, provide a brief bio (really, one paragraph should suffice) and then suggest a panel you think fits well with the organization’s programs.

    Think like a journalist: Create a succinct pitch that compels organizers to see how your topic might work at their event. The more complete your proposal, the more likely you are to advance in the process.

    Many literary festivals look for a wide variety of content, so if you don’t write mainstream fiction, don’t be dissuaded from pitching a great idea.

    Some of The Tennessee Williams Festival’s most fascinating panels have come from academics exploring leprosy or literary theory. Remember, festival staff want smart, new ideas that come fully formed.

    Cookbook author? Propose a session where you tell the stories behind a few choice recipes, offer tastes to the audience, and share tips on getting a cookbook published. Such an event appeals to foodies and aspiring Ina Gartens alike.

    Think about what you would like to see at a literary event or conference and move beyond the staid and well-worn topics to offer fresh insight.

    4. Be specific, but flexible

    Sometimes, even if you have a terrific idea, the staff simply has no more room on the schedule grid.

    Most festivals and conferences take place at venues with strictly limited space and time. As part of your pitch, let staff know what other topics you can speak to. They may not have room for your particular idea, but have an extra seat on a panel that’s already committed.

    Alternately, you may become more attractive if staff can place you in several events. So if you’re an academic that wrote a book about feminist theory, but you also edit a literary magazine, let them know about your versatility.

    5. Be upfront about your financial needs

    Many nonprofit literary festivals operate on tremendously tight budgets with top honoraria reserved for big-name draws. If you need airfare and hotel in order to come and expect an honorarium of a certain dollar level, then be upfront about it.

    If organizers pay $100 for a panel appearance but you want $2,000, it’s not worth it for anyone to proceed. But if you’re flexible, mention that — and keep in mind that many festivals and conferences pay nothing or offer only small travel reimbursements.

    “The key is to estimate ROI,” says Matt Peters, writer and founder of Beating Windward Press. “Will you make more from the exposure than it will cost you to get to and participate in the [event]?”

    Peters says that even some unpaid conference appearances have ended up as wins and have helped him make contact with new authors, publishers and agents.

    Some writers can look outside the festival or conference for funding. Many universities offer travel grants or stipends for academics to attend events. Perhaps you have another partnership in mind that would share in the costs.

    Writing is a business, so think like a businessperson and present yourself as a smart buy.

    6. Build your portfolio

    All writers need to be comfortable with rejection, and you may not get into to every festival to which you apply.

    Don’t take it personally.

    While many organizations have some wiggle room in the number of new voices they can feature, it may not be your year. However, you can still gain exposure by going local. Before jumping into the bigger waters of major literary events, get comfortable on smaller stages.

    Reach out to your local library to ask if they’d like you to do a talk or a discussion. Inquire at your area arts center to see if they offer workshops or events from writers, and pitch a program there.

    Doing smaller-scale events will help you be more at ease once you get to the most prestigious stages, and if you have a friend film them, you can offer a quick clip to the bigger festivals when you pitch (just make sure you have participants sign a waiver so you can use the footage).

    So get going, writers. By taking the time to create a well-tailored idea, you may just get the chance to go interesting places, meet fascinating people and sell more of your own work.

    To get you started, here are some links to a few great literary festivals:

    And some international biggies:

    Have you spoken at a literary event? What tips would you add for aspiring conference speakers?

  • Considering Self-Publishing? You Might Want to Do This First

    Considering Self-Publishing? You Might Want to Do This First

    Chuck is giving a lucky reader a copy of his new book, Guide to Literary Agents 2016. He’ll pick one commenter on this post at random after two weeks.

    You must live within the U.S. or Canada to receive a print book. Otherwise, he can send a PDF ebook to the winner. Update: Congratulations to Tim P.!

    There are different ways to get your work published, but the biggest two options in today’s marketplace are still the following:

    Traditional publishing: You sell your work to a publishing house, like Simon & Schuster or HarperCollins. The publisher typically pays you money up front in the deal, then distributes the book in print and e-book forms.

    Self-publishing: This method allows you to publish your work independently, without anyone judging your work. You’re in charge of everything. A common website people do this is through Amazon’s CreateSpace.

    I could talk about all the nitty-gritty elements to both publishing options — the pros and cons, the ins and outs — but that would take you hours to read. So instead, I’ll just focus this post on one simple question: If you’re unsure what path to take concerning these two major publishing options, what should you do?

    [twl_reusable_block post_id=41455]

    Which publishing method should you try first?

    If you are truly on the fence concerning which path to take, you should always try traditional publishing first — period.

    I’ll tell you why.

    It’s because if you send your work out to agents first but hit walls, you can always self-publish it afterward with nothing lost. Easy peasy. But if you self-publish it first and then seek an agent for it later, you’re setting up a very difficult task.

    Let’s say you have a novel. You send it to an agent who is open to submissions. When the agent reviews your query and first pages, they are asking themselves the following: “Can this person write well? Is this an interesting story? Can I sell this?”

    An agent will take a long critical look at your writing, and it’s not easy finding a rep who loves your voice and your book.

    When an agent reviews a self-published book, it gets more complicated. They’re asking themselves the following: “Can this person write well? Is this an interesting story? Can I sell this? And why does this book deserve a second life via traditional publishing?”

    That final question is a damn hard one to answer well. And that’s why self-publishing your novel out of the gate can be a risky decision.

    Perhaps you self-published a novel before querying any agents. My guess is that there is a 90-95 percent chance it will not sell well enough to attract agents and publishers (5,000 total units sold in six months, for example, would not impress an agent).

    Statistically speaking, most self-published books don’t achieve these kind of numbers. So now you have a problem. You got a self-pubbed book that’s not selling. What do you do? You may say, “I’ll try to find an agent for it.” Your reasoning is Well, I tried it myself and it’s not taking off. I need an agent and a publisher to help me get this baby off the ground.

    Put yourself in an agent’s shoes when they receive the pitch for your book: “Hi, I self-published a book. It went nowhere. Would you like to rep it?”

    It doesn’t even matter much what’s in between the covers of your book. You’re admitting that it was released and found no audience. That means either the book may not be written well, you have no ability to promote it, there is no market for the book, or a combination of these factors.

    Don’t rush into self-publishing

    I’m not knocking self-publishing. If you think it’s the path for you, then power to you. Enjoy the high profit margins and try to corral some serious money.

    And note that results may vary book to book. If you self-publish a novel, you can always query agents, with no strings attached, for your next book, as long as the new title is independent from your first self published book.

    The main takeaway here is this: If you self-publish your book, you make it twice as difficult to pitch it to an agent afterward.

    I’ve written about how agents look for four things when you query them for a self-published book: sales, accolades and awards, blurbs or endorsements, and media attention.

    If you cannot provide something notable in some or all of these areas, then an agent has no incentive to consider your book, because they cannot sell it to a publisher. The book has no velocity behind it.

    So if you’re not sure if you should query agents or self-publish the book, I say send out the agent queries first. If you don’t get an agent offer you like, you can always self-publish later and nothing misses a beat.

    Are you working on a book? Do you plan to self-publish, or go the traditional route?