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  • Why Skipping Writing Conventions Hurts Your Career

    Why Skipping Writing Conventions Hurts Your Career

    How many conventions and conferences have you attended this year? How many do you plan to attend in 2016?

    If you’re not building conventions into your freelancing career strategy, you’re missing out on invaluable opportunities to meet other people in your industry, build connections and establish yourself as an expert in your field.

    How do I know? Because my career wouldn’t be where it is without my convention presence.

    Why I’ve made writing conventions an important part of my career strategy

    Having an online career is great. I can write from my home office while communicating with editors via email or Hipchat.

    Social media platforms like Twitter and Tumblr help me meet and interact with other editors and writers, and I can both build my network and promote my work.

    But you still can’t beat the in-person interaction. Many of my career’s biggest jumps have come from meeting people in my industry face-to-face, and so I’ve made it a priority to meet as many of these people as possible.

    Where do people in this industry gather? At writing conventions.

    Sure, you can always arrange to meet an individual editor for coffee. But when you go to a convention, you might meet several editors at once, not to mention writers, producers and other people who keep the online writing world going.

    At conventions, you get to interact with people in a structured social environment.

    Conferences are kind of like school: You attend panels or courses with other attendees, you all go to the same hotel restaurant for lunch and dinner and — depending on the convention — you might end up at a dance or rock concert together.

    It becomes relatively simple to start up conversations, whether you’re asking someone “What type of writing do you do?” before a workshop begins, or asking “Didn’t I see you at the pitching panel?” when you run into someone at the bar. (If you enjoy social drinking, the hotel bar is one of the best places to meet people at conventions.)

    The fact that you’re all sharing a similar experience makes it easy to interact with people. Remember how you made friends at school just because you happened to be in the same homeroom? Conventions are like that — and that’s why they are an important part of my long-term career strategy.

    Which conventions should you attend?

    Now that I’ve sold you on the importance of attending conventions, which conventions should you attend?

    It depends on a few factors, including distance, reputation and your interests.

    If you’re in a major city, start with a convention in your city. If you’re in a small town, see what you can find in a day’s drive.

    Sure, if you’ve got the time and the cash, you could drop everything and fly to New York for Bindercon in November, but it’s easiest to get your convention feet wet close to home. Plus, if you start attending conventions in your home city, you’ll get to know other local freelancers and writers — an invaluable resource.

    You also want to consider a convention’s reputation. Good conventions attract good people, and you should look for a convention that is likely to attract people working both at your current career level and at the levels above you. You don’t want to spend the money and time to attend a convention only to find  you’re the most experienced writer in the room!

    Look for conventions that reflect your interests. The people who attend FinCon are going to be very different from the people who attend AWP.

    There are conventions for content creators, for novelists, for sci-fi and fantasy writers, and for bloggers. It’s your job to find the convention that is closest to both your interests and your career goals.

    Here are some conventions to consider:

    • Bindercon: This is the convention version of the popular Facebook group that focuses on professional development for women and gender nonconforming writers. If you can’t attend in person, they also offer online programming, like livestreams of some panels. 
    • AWP: This huge literature convention includes an enormous bookfair. You’ll probably get a lot out of it, but you might feel like a tiny fish in a big pond.

    • BlogHer: It feels like BlogHer has been running conventions since the beginning of the Internet. If you’re a woman and a blogger, check it out — and search the Twitter hashtag #BlogHer15 to learn more about previous attendees’ experiences. (If you’re reading this from the future, just change the year on the hashtag to see the latest!)

    • Intervention: This small convention focuses on building an online career around your passions and skills. I’ve been every year since it launched in 2010, and I consider it one of the best things I’ve done for my career.

    • Norwescon: There are a number of highly reputable sci-fi and fantasy conventions across the country. I live in Seattle, so I attend Norwescon. It’s a good space to meet other writers and editors and talk about the industry; last year, George R.R. Martin was the guest of honor.

    • FinCon: If you’re into personal finance or write about money matters, this is where to go.

    Advanced convention techniques

    I’m about to get on a plane to Minneapolis for the first annual Nerdcon: Stories. I bought my tickets the day the convention was announced, because I knew it was important for me to be at a convention that’s celebrating stories and diverse methods of storytelling.

    It’s also important for me to be at this convention during its first year. Attending a convention during its early stages, while it’s still relatively small, gives you a chance to meet the other early adopters and form the friendships you’ll strengthen as you return to the convention year after year.

    Repeat attendance at conventions is essential. If you enjoy your convention experience, make it a priority to come back the next year — and if you’re trying to figure out which conventions to fit into your schedule, focus on the ones you’ve already attended.

    It’s like summer camp; the more you come back to the same place with the same group of people, the stronger your relationships will grow.

    It’s also worth it to get to know the convention organizers and ask them about panel opportunities. I regularly get asked to participate in panels on everything from “running a crowdfunding project” to “handling your online image,” but it took about a year of reaching out to various conventions before I got to the point where conventions started to reach out to me.

    When you do panels, you get your name and your face in front of a lot of people in your industry, whether they’re editors, writers or potential new readers.

    You also often get invited to convention VIP spaces, like green rooms or special parties. You won’t get paid, but the convention will generally cover the cost of your badge and ply you with plenty of free food.

    If you do participate in enough conferences, you might get invited to be a featured guest. That’s when they pay you. I’ve had several conventions pay to fly me out and put me up in a hotel. In return, I do a lot of panels along with some kind of special guest performance.

    If you’re looking for additional ways to fund the cost of your convention travel, remember you can also pitch stories about the convention. I try to get at least one paid story off each convention I attend. Some conventions require you to get a press badge, but many do not; check before you start interviewing people.

    Lastly, you’ll want to talk to your individual CPA, but your convention attendance could likely be considered a tax deduction. After all, it’s an important part of your writing career.

    Do you regularly attend industry conventions? How have they helped your career?

  • How to Manage Freelance Writing With ADHD: 8 Tips for Success

    How to Manage Freelance Writing With ADHD: 8 Tips for Success

    [et_pb_section admin_label=”section”]
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    [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]As a kid, you couldn’t sit still. In school, you were labeled a lazy, hyperactive, underachiever. Growing up, it was always hard to sit through the requisite classes and force yourself to stick to the task at hand.

    As an adult, you’re always putting your foot into your mouth. You get on the boss’ nerves. You’ve been fired for saying what you think. Sometimes you’re organized, and sometimes disorganized. You’ve taken medication, or learned to manage without it.

    Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is a diagnosis that follows you everywhere. It shows itself in all areas of your work life and family life. It helps you and hurts you.

    Now, you’re freelancing. The freedom might be good for you — but it might not be. How will you force yourself to get stuff done?

    I don’t have all the answers, and I don’t pretend to. But as a writer with ADHD, I do have some tips for successfully managing your business while dealing with this ever-present challenge.

    1. Work with yourself

    And don’t try to work against yourself. You’ll be a happier person if you accept yourself.

    If it’s hard to sit, then stand. If you have a short attention span, switch back and forth between assignments. Do you work better with music? Go for it!

    Consider finding a therapist or coach who can help you. A coach will be able to help you define goals and reach them. A therapist will be able to help you sort through the feelings of frustration, guilt, and failure that may have accompanied you through much of your life.

    2. Get up and move

    Freelancing means freedom. You’re not tied to a desk with a boss standing over you. Even if you’re earning per hour, those hours don’t have to be contiguous.

    When you need to get up and move, do it. If you can’t concentrate, go for a run. Or, take your bike and go grocery shopping.

    After you get home, your head will be clearer. You’ll have renewed energy and patience, and will be more productive.

    3. Get a friend to help

    Friends are always important. But for a freelancer, especially a freelancer with ADHD, friends can be the difference between success and failure.

    Working with coworkers, a boss, and managers helps you stick to your tasks. They pressure you to get the job done. Now, you’re on your own. If you don’t motivate yourself, you’ll lose clients. If you lose clients, you won’t have an income.

    Ask a friend to help. This friend doesn’t need to be a writer, but should be someone who’s ready and willing to hold you accountable for your progress. Your friend should contact you every few hours, or at the very least, every day — and you’ll need to report on how much you’ve accomplished.

    Don’t have a friend willing to commit? Offer to pay someone. For $5-10 a week, someone will probably be willing to boss you around once a day.

    4. Make a schedule

    Schedules mean structure. For those with ADHD, structure is an indispensable tool that helps us successfully complete tasks. Freelancing means that you no longer have a predetermined, outside schedule.

    In order to succeed, you need to create your own schedule. Go to sleep around the same time every night. Get up at the same time every morning. Have someone call your phone, or dump water on your head, so that you can’t ignore your alarm clock.

    5. Get dressed and get fed

    Part of having a set schedule is getting dressed every morning. As a freelancer, you might be tempted to spend all day in your pajamas. After all, you don’t need to wear work clothes in order to work.

    But you do need to get dressed — and then start work on time, and sit in the same place, and do the same things, in the same order — so that you’ll be able to concentrate on your work and meet your deadlines.

    You also need to set times to eat, and times to prepare meals. Meal preparation can be done the night before, the weekend before, or during those times you can’t sit long enough to work. It can be frustrating to feel like you’re just not able to concentrate on your work. Advance planning and using your “out-of-it” time for something productive will both help you stay on track.

    6. Work [when you’re] ahead

    You probably have times when you’re on a roll, and times when you just can’t manage to sit. There’s no magic formula for dealing with this, but doing work in advance can help.

    If you need to write two posts each week about fixing cars, you don’t have to stop there — you can write seven when you’re feeling creative and energetic. Save those extra drafts for when you hit a low-energy period. By preparing some work ahead of time, your clients don’t notice fluctuations in your productivity.

    7. Break it up

    A big project can be overwhelming to the point of leaving you frozen in place from fear. You can work through that fear. Find a hand to hold, and a friend to encourage you.

    Then, bit by bit, break that huge task into smaller pieces. You’re not doing this task right away. You’re simply breaking it up. When you’re done with that, go to sleep.

    In the morning, look at the list of small, easy, tasks that you have to do. You’ll feel more confident and be more productive.

    Challenge yourself to see how many of those items you can check off in one day. Yesterday, you did one thing. Can you do two today? Can you finish this list by the end of the week?

    8. Find what works for you

    If you’re alive and semi-successful, it means you’ve found strategies to help you cope with your ADHD. They’re your personal, subconscious coping mechanisms.

    Sit down and figure out what those strategies are. Once you’re conscious of what helps and what doesn’t, it will be easier to use those tools in your freelancing.

    Do you have ADHD? Is it a struggle or an asset? How do you cope? Share your thoughts in the comments![/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column]
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  • Ready to Sell Your New Book? 9 Book Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

    Ready to Sell Your New Book? 9 Book Marketing Mistakes to Avoid


    When an author hits “publish,” they often think the hard work of book publishing is done. After all of the writing and editing and formatting, finally having the book live in various online marketplaces seems like a relief.

    But while publishing a book is an enormous deal, and one that you should be proud of, you’re not going to sell many books without marketing.

    [twl_reusable_block post_id=41455]

    Many authors are overwhelmed by the thought of marketing. It is not an easy group of tasks to complete, and it feels overwhelming.

    Here are nine frequent book marketing mistakes. They may seem like common sense, but each one is based on mistakes I’ve seen authors make in the past.

    1. Not asking for what you need

    It can be hard to ask for help. But you cannot do it all by yourself.

    You need reviews, social media shares, and enthusiastic fans to help spread the word about your work.

    While you don’t want to wear out your welcome, don’t be afraid to ask your friends and family to help you. Start to develop a street team or launch team; such a team will include hardcore friends (or your mom) that you’ll ask to help on specific tasks.  

    2. Ignoring book marketing beginners

    Sometimes, the help we need is more than our friends and family can provide. When that happens, it may be time to hire help. If you choose to work with a blog tour company, a virtual assistant, or a book marketing company, don’t ignore the new ones.

    While it may seem smart to go with a more established company, sometimes the new ones who are trying to make a name for themselves will work harder to help you — and sometimes at a cheaper rate, too. They need to build their base and you can help them. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship to consider.

    3. Ignoring SEO

    When you have good SEO, or search engine optimization, it’s easier for people to find you among the ocean of information online.

    Hashtags and keywords are a huge part of how people find you. Make sure to use the right ones on your blog and social media posts. Pay special attention to the wording in the blurb on the back of your book. Pick up books similar to yours and see what words they’re using in their blurbs and online product descriptions.

    If you can get an idea of what keywords people are searching for, then you can work with those keywords to improve your blurb and other marketing materials. Consider using Google’s keyword planner to gauge interest levels in certain keywords.

    4. Not engaging online

    Interact on social media. Be polite on social media. If a blogger helps you out and shows interest in helping you, be generous in your thanks. Make sure to respond promptly, and professionally. Do not forget to thank people who help you.

    I wouldn’t personally thank every person who reviews your book, but bloggers, writing groups, and blog tour companies should get shoutouts. These people are doing you a service by exposing your work to their followers; when you thank them publicly, you’re returning the favor.

    To meet new readers, look for Twitter chats, Goodreads giveaways, and Facebook takeovers to participate in. That being said…

    5. Spamming people

    A million tweets screaming “BUY MY BOOK!!!” will not sell your book. It will make people block you. A Facebook post every half hour pointing out that your book released a day ago will only annoy, not encourage, those who follow you.  

    Find a happy medium. People want to interact with their favorite authors. Personal interaction will help sales; spam will not.

    6. Doing only one thing

    Readers are everywhere. If you only post on Twitter, you miss the people on Facebook. If you only post on Google+, you miss the people on Twitter.

    While you may have some of the same people following you on each social media platform, each one will appeal to different people for various reasons. Marketing a book is a little like throwing spaghetti at the wall. You want to do a wide range of social media engagement and see where it sticks.

    You need to focus your energies on what works, while always continuing to throw spaghetti at new walls to find other methods that stick. Marketing will ebb and flow, and it’s up to you to recognize new opportunities to interact as new tools and methods rise in popularity.

    7. Forgetting to think locally

    Book marketing isn’t only an online thing. Look around you. Local book stores, consignment shops, coffee shops and the library are all good places to get the word out about your book. Scheduling a reading at your library or local bookstore can be a major piece of your marketing plan.

    Don’t forget about local newspapers. Many will be interested in writing a profile about a local author. Check their websites to see about submission guidelines or who you need to contact.

    8. Waiting until the book is ready to launch

    In a perfect world, you should start marketing about six months before your book comes out. In these early stages, focus on talking to people, networking, getting plans in place for promotions.

    These efforts are all crucial. They should be done early. You want to create buzz, anticipation, and momentum. If you start to build buzz around your new work, you should already have a small audience for when the book launches — and a small audience will help you build a bigger audience.

    If your book has already launched, set a promotion date for several months into the future, and plan to tie your future marketing to this promotion date. (Go back to point number one for a reminder to ask for help!)  

    If you’re not sure when to set the date, think about things that are happening. Will you be getting ready to release another book? Then six months prior to that release would be perfect. What about holidays, or before summer vacations start?

    9. Expecting overnight success

    Very few authors enjoy overnight success. For the rest of us mere mortals, it takes time and hard work. Marketing a book is either a labor of love or a job. Either way you look at it, it’s going to take a considerable amount of time. You should be committed to putting that time in.

    The thing about book marketing is that it is difficult to mess up too badly. Even if you have made one of these errors, you can usually fix it, learn from the mistake, and move on.  

    What lessons have you learned while marketing your books?
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  • Stop Scribbling! 9 Tools to Help You Record and Transcribe Interviews

    Stop Scribbling! 9 Tools to Help You Record and Transcribe Interviews

    For a long time, I frantically typed as fast as I could while interviewing sources.

    I worried my interviewee would think I wasn’t paying attention, so almost every conversation started with, “Just as an FYI, if you hear typing, I’m taking note, not checking my email!”

    We’d laugh, then I’d half listen while trying to capture their every word. Our conversation would be filled with awkward pauses while I played catch up.

    Lesson? Record your calls, then transcribe them. Doing so allows your conversation to flow naturally. And you’ll be able to ask those hard-hitting questions without worrying about typing or handwriting every juicy word.

    Recording and transcribing options for writers

    How can you record your interviews without spending hours transcribing? You have a lot of options to choose from. The best solution for you will depend on how frequently you need to record interviews and how quickly you need to access completed transcripts.

    Here are a few solutions that can work for a variety of freelance writing needs.

    1. TapeACall

    This app for iPhone and Android — it’s the service I use regularly — costs a one-time fee of $10. You call the app, then conference in your source. Just be sure to click the record button once you’re connected!

    Your interviewee will hear a beep on their end to let them know they’re being recorded. Once you hang up, you’ll receive a notification when the recording has processed.

    You can email the recording or have it automatically sync to Dropbox. The great thing about this app is that you can also record calls you’re already on, so you don’t need to always be the one making the call.

    TapeACall does not offer a transcription service.

    2. Call Recording

    This app offers recording and transcription. The app is free to use for recording, but only up to 20 minutes per month. After that, you have the option to pay per call at a rate of 25 cents per minute. Or, pre-pay for a year at $8 per month for unlimited calls.

    Those rates include automatic transcription (performed by computers, not humans). You should expect to review the finished transcription yourself to clean up the computer-generated transcription and confirm accuracy.

    3. Skype

    Interviewing sources abroad? Don’t have a smartphone? Prefer the face-to-face of Skype? Many apps integrate with his free video chat software so you can record both incoming and outgoing calls. Some of the best reviews include Pamela for Windows users (free) and ecamm Call Recorder for Windows and Mac (a one-time $29.95 purchase after a free trial). I have a Mac and have used Call Recorder with much success.

    The one issue to keep in mind is call quality. I don’t think I’ve ever had a Skype call that hasn’t frozen or experienced a delay at some point, even with stellar internet connections. So keep connectivity in mind if you plan on using the recording for anything other than personal notes.

    transcription tools

    4. Smartphone Voice Recorder

    Doing your interviews in person? Most smartphones have a recording app that comes with the device. These don’t record calls — they simply turn your phone into a hand-held recording device. Just click record and go.

    The downside is that these built-in apps aren’t great at filtering ambient noise. I’ve tried my phone’s voice memo app in coffee shops and there’s nothing more annoying than an espresso machine drowning out an important quote.

    That said, your phone is great in a pinch. I even used it once after realizing my dinner guest had a great story I wanted to pitch. I got a quote right then and there.

    5. External microphone

    Given the above, if you do a lot of in-person interviews, it may be worth investing in a recording device that plugs into your phone’s headphone jack.

    An external microphone will improve the quality of your recordings and have a better chance of drowning out that espresso machine next time you’re working at a coffee shop. Amazon offers many options, but this lavalier mic from Movo is the number one bestseller and costs less than $30.

    6. Partner with a transcriptionist

    If you’re not using a two-in-one recording and transcribing service and don’t want to spend time transcribing, it’s time to find a professional to do it for you.

    I used Thumbtack to find a stellar woman named Tara who transcribes my sometimes-daily hour-long interviews for around $2 per audio minute.

    Other places to find transcriptionists include Facebook writing groups, TaskRabbit or Craigslist. If you live near a college or university, check the library or student writing center for recommendations.

    7. Transcription services

    Large transcription companies can give you cheaper rates if you’re not committed to working with a single transcriptionist. A few popular options include:

    Transcribeme!: Offers transcription delivery within one to seven days. A 10-minute recording with two speakers and a two-to-three day turnaround, for instance, costs about $20. Longer recordings requested with one-day turnaround will be the most expensive, around $4 a minute.
    Scribie: This service can accommodate almost any project. Its express service, with turnaround in 8-12 hours, costs $3.00 per minute. If you can wait up to a month for your completed transcription, you can pay as low as $.80 per minute.

    Rev: Rev’s pricing is the most simple: just $1 per recorded minute with 24-hour turnaround. The only extras that cost more are adding timestamps or requesting verbatim transcription, in which you’ll see all of the “mmhmms” and “uhhs” that were recorded.

    Voice Base: This service prices based on turnaround time and accuracy. The most expensive level, which guarantees 99% accuracy and includes speaker identification, costs $2.00 per minute with a five-to-seven day turnaround. That rate goes up to $2.50 per minute if you need the file in a maximum of four days. Need it in a day? That’ll cost you $3.00 per recorded minute.

    Each of these services offers a method to record your calls and instantly send them for transcription, so you may not want to invest in a separate call recorder if you know you’ll want someone else to do your transcriptions.

    8. Computer-generated transcrption

    If you do a ton of long interviews, transcribing can get expensive. But if you’re willing to tolerate the uncertain accuracy of computer transcription, you have a few options.

    You can upload your audio file to YouTube and click the box that generates a transcription. This is completely free — just be sure to mark your file as “private” if you’re just uploading to get the transcription.

    Voice Base, mentioned above, also offers machine transcription and indexing. The first 50 hours of audio transcription are free, so it can’t hurt to try this one out and see how accurate your results are.

    9. Transcribe it yourself (with some help)

    Since the robots tend to fail and humans are expensive, you might resort to transcribing yourself.

    Chrome plugin Transcribe is an offline audio player and text editor that allows you to listen and transcribe your interview within one tool without toggling back and forth between playback and typing programs on your computer. Even better, a few keyboard shortcuts allow you to rewind, fast forward and slow down your recording. It costs $20 per year, but the company offers a free one-week trial.

    You have a ton of options depending on your device, personal preference, and typing speed. Cobble together a few of your favorites above and let us know how it goes!

    How do you prefer to record and transcribe your interviews?

    This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!

  • 5 New Ways to Choose Perfect Character Names

    5 New Ways to Choose Perfect Character Names

    Do you agonize for hours over character names?

    I used to. I knew I needed the just-right name to convey who the character was, but I didn’t know how to figure out what that just-right name was.

    It’s a real drag, because you don’t feel like you can move on and keep writing, but you don’t feel like you’re managing your time wisely if you spend a while deciding on a character name.

    Andre Cruz previously offered six useful character-naming suggestions, but if you’re still stuck, never fear. I have five more to help you stop agonizing.

    OK, you might never completely quit agonizing, but these five easy tricks can help you get better at coming up with more names you like — and doing it faster.

    1. Try the Random Name Generator

    I love this thing!

    Just choose your character’s gender and whether you want a common, average, or rare name, and check out what you get.

    A few examples fresh from the Random Name Generator:

    Fawn Spicer: Could a steampunk airship pirate who flies the world with her trusty crew, consisting of Mad Max the one-eyed clockwork man, Bowie the half-parrot boy, and Frida Malark, a shapeshifter trained in the Lost Arts of Wildness who doesn’t talk much but helps run the ship with an iron fist … literally.

    Or what about Illuminada Lo? Sounds like a queen of an ancient lost civilization who lives in an ice palace deep under the ground, but she’s been kidnapped by an evil warlord who wants her to breed children for him. Maybe Fawn should come rescue her.

    Phew. Totally just made all that up based on a couple of names. I would use those. I will use those.

    (Hey, no stealing my character names now.)

    2. Make use of ancient civilizations

    YA fantasy writer Ysabeau Wilce set her Flora Segunda series in the Republic of Califa, a magic- and Aztec-influenced version of California in the 19th Century — think Gold Rush. Many of the names, especially of the villains, reflect Aztec naming conventions.

    It gives the world a particular flair and atmosphere of mystery. Think of the geography and history of your story when you’re looking for naming inspiration.

    3. Be creative with nicknames

    Give your characters silly monikers that either are nicknames or sound like them. Some of my favorites:

    • Tiny Doom (best character name ever!) and Nini Mo, both from Ysabeau Wilce’s aforementioned Flora Segunda series
    • Original Cindy from the TV series Dark Angel
    • Vex and Trick from the TV series Lost Girl
    • Jack Limberleg, from The Boneshaker by Kate Milford

    4. Consider sounds and syllables

    Trinica Dracken. How’s that for a villain-slash-love interest? She’s from Christopher Wooding’s Tales of the Ketty Jay series. With all those hard-hitting dental consonants, you can feel what a tough soul she is. But all might not be quite as it seems.

    Or what about Rath Roiben Rye from Holly Black’s Ironside faerie series? He’s a platinum-haired dark-fey elf with cheekbones that could cut glass. But you didn’t need me to tell you that, did you? It’s all in the name.

    5. Keep a file of names you like

    When you hear a unique name, write it down. My list includes: Chiara Peacock, Puck Steenbergen, Captain F. S. Brereton (he was actually an author), and Fenton Ash (the pseudonym of a late 19th-century author).

    You can use the names straight from the list, but you can also ask yourself what you like about them to get a better sense of how you want your character’s names to sound.

    I like unique names, and I have a thing about rhythm — names with alternating number of syllables often catch my notice (two syllables for the first name, then one for the last; or three syllables followed by two). I also like names that give a sense of personality, that indicate whether this person is likely to be a stodgy old military feller or a cyber-adventurer.

    What other tips and tricks do you use to name your characters? What are some of your favorite character names?

    This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!

  • Raise Your Freelance Writing Rates: 4 Steps to Help You Get Paid What You’re Worth

    Raise Your Freelance Writing Rates: 4 Steps to Help You Get Paid What You’re Worth

    It can be nerve-wracking the first time you have to talk to a client about raising your freelance rates. After all, you don’t know if your client will negotiate. You could end up earning less if they choose to stop working with you, instead.

    The great thing about being a freelancer is that you are in charge, not your client. But you also have to consider your client’s viewpoint and make it easy for the client to say yes to a higher rate.

    That’s why it’s essential to give yourself the ammunition you need to make the rate-raise conversation go smoothly.

    There are four steps you need to take:

    1. Figure out the “going rate”

    Some clients have a maximum figure in mind for writing services, which may not match your ideal target. So it’s helpful to know what other freelancers charge for services similar to yours.

    Check out The Contently Freelance Rates Database (mostly U.S.), The NUJ Freelance Fees Guide and Rate for the Job service (mostly U.K.), Writer’s Market, The Editorial Freelancers Association, and Professional Writers Association of Canada for helpful rate resources.

    Since each writer and writing job is different, these so-called “going rates” are a way to help you assess the value of your services and help you to set a baseline. This industry knowledge will boost your confidence as you start to think about asking your client for a higher rate.

    2. Track your work

    Another way to build confidence when considering asking for a rate increase is to work out exactly what you are doing for your clients, because every service has a value.

    You have to remind yourself about your value over and over. I learned (again) working for a third-party client via a marketing firm. They itemized a bunch of services I’d hadn’t thought of charging separately for. It made sense, because they all took time and they all added value for the client.

    Here are some ways to think about the true value of your work:

    • Use a tool like RescueTime to track what you spend your time on each day, or a simple time tracker like Toggl.

    • Itemize the subtasks involved in each job. For example, if you write a blog post, remember to include research time, finding images and creating social media messages, if these are part of the job.

    • Remember any value-added services you provide, like matching your client’s voice if you’re a ghostwriter.

    • Include long phone calls and email handholding on your list. This takes up time and stops you from doing other work.

    • Check your client contract to see if you are delivering services above and beyond what’s listed.

    Those steps will help you to understand how much work you’re putting in, but there’s one more thing you can do. Track social sharing statistics for the content you create (Buzzsumo is an excellent tool for this).

    Social sharing means increased attention, higher search engine prominence and increased authority for your client, so it’s a powerful indicator of the value of your writing.

    3. Show your value on your website

    When you combine the going rate with the actual value you bring to clients, update your website accordingly. It’s up to you whether you display ideal rates or not, but at the very least, show clients what they get when they work with you. It really makes a difference when you get to the negotiation stage.

    When I started freelancing, my website had a bulleted list of services, but no rates. Since then, I’ve expanded it so I have a full page explaining what my clients get from my main services and what those services are worth. That has resulted in better offers, better clients, better pay rates, and less time wasted.

    4. Raise those freelance rates!

    Once you have an ideal rate in mind — a figure that makes you slightly uncomfortable is a sign that you’re on the right track — you’re ready to have the conversation with your client about raising your rates.

    A good starting point is to show clients what they’re getting. When I looked at my work for one client, I realized I was doing way more than we originally agreed. I itemized the value I brought in terms of writing experience, research capability, subject matter knowledge, SEO, and technical ability and compared that with the rate offered by similar clients. I got a hefty raise with no questions asked.

    Other ways to raise rates for existing clients include:

    • Having a contract and stating up front that rates will be renegotiated at the end of the term. It sets client expectations and makes the process easier.

    • Implementing a regular cost-of-living increase. I used to do this every January. I’d give clients a few weeks’ notice, then bill at the new rate when the time came.

    Look out for opportunities clients provide during your relationship. One of my clients updated their writing guidelines and sent an email to let me know. I replied and asked whether the update came with a pay raise, and I got one. It wasn’t much, but it covered the additional time needed to comply with the new guidelines.

    There’s also a law of increasing returns with successful negotiations. Once one client agrees to pay more, you have more negotiating power with others so your overall income can get a nice boost.

    So what if clients say no?

    It happens. My usual approach to this news is to make a graceful exit. I try to recommend another freelancer who’s in line with the client’s budget, while freeing myself up to look for higher paid work.

    In all cases, I’ve maintained friendly relationships with my former clients and some of them have come back to me when their budget increased.

    That’s my approach. How do you handle those tricky rate raising conversations? Good luck!

  • Beware of Byline Snatchers: How to Protect Your Freelance Writing Identity

    Beware of Byline Snatchers: How to Protect Your Freelance Writing Identity

    Freelance writers and bloggers, beware. At the deepest pits of the internet, unscrupulous internet spammers lie in wait.

    I recently received a tweet from a website I’ve contributed to in the past, tagged as the writer of their most recent article. I didn’t remember writing that article, but to be sure my mind hadn’t eliminiated the article from my data banks I triple-checked my email and computer for any traces of the piece. Nothing.

    I clicked through to read the article, and found sub-par writing and a few obvious commercial links. A fake Samantha Staf stole my name and photo to build links for his or her clients.

    Not cool. I couldn’t help thinking, “Why steal my face and name?” I worked hard to build my authority. I didn’t need a lazy writer destroying everything I built.

    Identity theft is the most common type of cybercrime. But here’s the mind-boggling part: very little can be done legally unless the impersonating individual has committed a crime with your name or face. Right now very few states — New York, California, and Texas are among this enlightened group — have laws that protect their citizens from online impersonation.

    Otherwise, you’re on our own. And that means writers need to take measures to prevent and stop individuals who want to profit from your name, pictures, and credentials.

    How to protect your online identity

    As a writer, you’re constantly flirting with the possibility of identity theft. Why?

    Because to be a freelance writer or blogger, you must ignore the best protection against identity theft there is: not posting your picture, personal information, and articles on the internet.

    But these personal details are what you use to build a professional reputation online. Since many writers are self-employed, your instinct to protect ourselves can be overpowered by your instinct to promote your work.

    Despite this very fatal flaw in your online protection, you can still take measures to protect our name. Create complicated passwords for your email and other online accounts. Change the passwords for these accounts every month or so. Then, create a second layer of authentication (typically a security code sent to your mobile phone) to those online accounts to prevent others from changing your password.  

    Having a password that’s easy to remember is nice, but having one that’s secure is powerful.

    Here’s an uncomfortable truth: there is very little you can do to prevent an unscrupulous individuals from hijacking your authority.

    The fake Samantha Stauf created their own email address, with just a single letter different than mine, to reach out to editors under my name.

    There was nothing I could do about the theft until after it had taken place.

    How to stop authority snatchers after they’ve stolen your identity

    Mitigating authorship identity theft requires constant vigilance. I caught the spammer five hours after the article was published. By the sixth hour, I had already started to ensure the individual would not be able to continue to use my name.

    How can you stop these name thieves in their tracks?

    Spot identity theft by:

    • Conducting online searches for articles with your name or picture. Set the search tools to only show the last 24 hours or week, depending on how often you search. If you’re name isn’t a common one, setting a Google alert for your name may suffice.

    • Keeping an eye on articles attributed to you via social media platforms.

    • Looking out for any unusual email account activity.

    Once you discover identity theft, it’s time to eliminate the possibility of the individual continuing to utilize your hard work for monetary purposes. One of the core reasons unscrupulous individuals utilize this tactic it to save time. Therefore, to stop authority snatchers, you should ensure they will have a very hard time utilizing your name.

    Here’s a four-step process to smash the spammer:

    • Contact the editor of the blog the spam article was published on. Explain the situation and demand that the article be removed. If you don’t already have a working relationship with this editor, be prepared to supply proof of your identity. Ask the editor if they’ll forward you the correspondence they had with the thief.

    • Contact every other editor you work with, preferably by email, to inform them that an identity thief might make contact under your name.

    • If the editor gives you the email the thief used to contact them, send an email to the thief. Here’s a quick snip of my email to fake Samantha Stauf:

    I just wanted to let you know that I have warned every editor I work with about your scam. They know that you might contact them. But wait, you might be thinking, I still might be able to salvage this…I just wanted to let you know, that I will find every single article you get published under my name. Do you know what will happen after? I will gleefully get every article removed.

    • Repeat the process to remove any other articles the thief gets published in your name.

    Unfortunately, writers need to protect themselves from unethical thieves who try to profit from your name and authority. Since the law is not typically on your side in these situations, you’ll need to proactively protect yourself.

    I managed to eradicate my authority snatcher issue in a few hours. If you can take steps to prevent a similar situation, you’ll be able to derail potential theives quickly while protecting your professional name.

    Has your professional reputation ever been threatened by a spammer or scammer? What did you do to overcome the situation?

  • Embrace Your Writing Style: 9 Writing and Grammar Rules Worth Breaking

    Embrace Your Writing Style: 9 Writing and Grammar Rules Worth Breaking

    Rules.

    There are just so many of them.

    I don’t just mean rules in the writing world. I’m talking about rules at home, college, work and even industry rules. It literally feels like everywhere we turn there’s someone waiting to say no.

    Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand that boundaries are necessary, especially in the realm of writing. But, what if people just bent the rules occasionally? Wouldn’t we have more diversity in style, tone and content?

    Sometimes, the desired effect just can’t be reached by sticking to those guidelines.

    So, I’m going against the grain.

    Why not break a few rules? Here are some to start with.

    1. Start a sentence with “And”

    Some people really can’t stand this but, as far as I’m aware, there aren’t any style or grammar guidelines that dictate: never start a sentence with a conjunction. You won’t be banished from the writing world.

    Don’t worry about starting sentences with “and,” “but,” or any other conjunction.

    2. Miss a comma

    I think that commas are one of the most overused punctuation marks out there. While there are rules, people still use them subjectively.

    Some people use commas as an indication of a pause in the sentence. If you’re in doubt about comma placement, remember to read the sentence back to yourself. If it doesn’t sound right, then take the time to consider whether you’ve overused some punctuation marks.

    3. Be biased

    You’re a person with an opinion. If you’ve taken the time to come up with an idea worth sharing with the world, your opinion will be valuable.

    You shouldn’t be forceful, but you can’t always sit on the fence, either. Share your thoughts. Doing so may help someone!

    4. Tell jokes

    Don’t you love it when you stumble across an informative and witty article?

    Having a sense of humor is unlikely to completely alter someone’s perception of you as a writer.

    Having a great sense of humor can also make you more memorable. In fact, if I read an article that can provide me with serious knowledge and make me laugh, consider me a subscriber.

    5. Use cliches

    I’ve always wondered why cliches are considered a bad thing. Consider them a set of universal truths.

    Don’t be afraid to use them if they’re relevant to your writing. After all, good ideas are often recycled.

    6. Throw in a dreaded adverb

    You can’t paint everyone (or in this case, every word) with the same brush. An entire group of words shouldn’t be avoided. Adverbs exist for a reason and should be used when they’re the best option.

    If you want to encourage diversity and creativity in your writing, you occasionally just have to go against the grain.

    7. Say “yes” to incomplete sentences

    This is a style choice. And if you like it…

    Do it.

    You may not want to make it a regular habit, but it doesn’t hurt to try something new once in a while. Incomplete sentences can add a bit of drama to your writing and allow you to emphasise a particular point.

    8. Make it more personal  

    When I say this, I mean don’t be afraid to include yourself in the story. Telling stories enables us to build stronger relationships with one another. You have an opportunity to connect with the audience and become a person that they can relate to.

    Using “you” really can turn content from an article into a conversation; writing in first-person can make your story relatable. Your personal experiences make you a unique writer. Remember to call upon those experiences when they can help you tell the story.

    9. Choose clarity over cleverness

    Writing is all about communication. Using unnecessarily complicated language can create distance between you and the reader. You could completely alienate them or, worse, fail to get your point across. Remember, once you hit the “publish” button, there’s no way to check whether they’ve understood or not.

    The key thing is to make sure that your message is clear — and maybe that’s the one rule you should never break!

    What writing rules do you think are worth breaking?

  • The Best Way to Sell Books: Follow This Marketing Rule

    The Best Way to Sell Books: Follow This Marketing Rule

    Want to know why most writers are unsuccessful at marketing their books?

    It’s because they consistently violate the cardinal rule of selling: Your success in selling anything is directly related to the amount of value you give your customers.

    What’s valuable to your potential readers is the same as what’s valuable to everybody, including memorable experiences, positive feelings, connection, usefulness, inspiration, and so on.

    Consider the artists, musicians, writers and companies you truly enjoy. When you do business with them, is it simply an emotionless transaction? Or is there something more profound, something greater that your association with them gives you?

    Here’s a prime example: Jimmy Buffett hasn’t had a hit record in more than 30 years. But his shows consistently sell out huge venues. He’s built an empire of eateries, music venues and products (even his own tequila brand) under the Margaritaville umbrella and he’s an icon to millions of fans.

    How did he make that happen? By giving his fans massive value. And by building a tribe to keep the connection growing.

    When his tribe (fans known as Parrotheads) assemble, people who may have had a tough week in the workplace get to put on Hawaiian shirts and silly hats and pretend that they’re on a beach somewhere. They feel connection with each other and they feel connection to the artist.

    Between shows, the value continues. Videos, social media, blog posts, books, emails — they all reinforce the common bond that draws his fans together.

    Where’s your value?

    Now consider how most authors market their books.

    Most authors don’t even think about marketing until they release their book. Then they flail around, hoping to get some attention.

    If you ask one such author, “What value are you giving potential readers?” they’d likely say “The value is in how good my book is!”

    Well, that’s nice. But no one has read your book yet. You’ve actually provided zero value. No wonder you aren’t selling books!

    Now, let’s examine another scenario.

    The same writer builds a tribe — a community based around a shared interest, belief or outlook — and showers them with value: fun stories, memorable quotes, small gifts, a platform for tribe members to share their feelings and experiences, a place for likeminded folks to meet each other, and so on.

    Then the author releases her book.

    And what happens?

    Her tribe repays the value she’s provided them many times over. They are rooting for her. They are excited for her. They buy her book and go on a mission to share the book with others.

    And remember, the biggest of tribes start small. Don’t be intimidated if you don’t have a large following yet.

    A dose of book-marketing reality

    I’m going to be very direct here, so my apologies if this rubs you the wrong way, but no one cares about you and your book. At least not right now.

    You need to make them care. And you can’t do that if you spend all day plastering your book’s Amazon link all over Twitter and Facebook expecting people to buy it. And you can’t do that by starting a blog and then posting one article a year.

    The way to make them care is to give real value before you even talk about your book. If you can get someone to say “Wow, I’m really happy this person is in my life,” you’ve officially reached a status few writers ever attain.

    So right now, you need to ask yourself this very important question about your current marketing efforts: Are you giving prospective readers any value, or are you just pushing your book in their direction hoping they’ll buy it?

    If you’re doing the latter, you need to stop right now, and ask “Who is my potential reader? What does he or she care about? How can I introduce myself by giving value, nurture our relationship by giving value and then lead them to the ultimate value I have to offer them: my book?”

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    How to create value before you release your book

    To get moving in the right direction to create value for your readers, ponder these questions:

    • Who is my ideal prospective reader? Male or female? How old? Where does he or she live?
    • What are some things that my ideal reader and I have in common? Do we care about similar issues? Do we see the world in a certain unique way?
    • What kind of things get my ideal reader excited? Social connection? Information about a particular passion? Reinforcement of their worldview and beliefs?
    • If I were to meet my ideal reader at a cocktail party, what would I talk to him or her about before I even mention that I’ve written a book they would enjoy?

    The goal of this exercise is to form a human connection with your prospective readers before you attempt to sell them anything.

    Do this and your marketing efforts will not only be more successful — they’ll also be far more enjoyable and energizing for you. That’s because you’d have moved beyond the realm of “selling something” and into the much more pleasurable experience of adding value to people’s lives.

    The bottom line? If you can make someone feel grateful you’ve entered their life before they even read your book, you’ve got much more than a customer. You’ve got a fan.

    And when you’ve got fans, you’ve got a career.

    What’s worked for you when it comes to marketing your books?
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  • Working on the Side: How to Fit Freelance Writing Around a Full-Time Job

    Working on the Side: How to Fit Freelance Writing Around a Full-Time Job

    Do you ever feel like you aren’t a “real freelance writer” because you only freelance part time?

    Let’s get rid of the myth that freelancers have to work full time to be successful.

    Plenty of people use part-time freelancing as a way to write stories they care about, get bylines in great publications and earn a little extra money alongside a day job or other full-time commitments.

    While full-time freelancing comes with the challenge of the constant hustle, part-time freelancing has its own challenges: fitting writing into a work-life balance that includes meeting the expectations of another employer, trying to finish an article before the kids come home from school, and keeping up the hustle of pitching and seeking out new clients. (The hustle never goes away. Trust me on this one.)

    I talked to three different part-time freelancers, each representing a different aspect of part-time freelance life:

    • Hayley Krischer, a freelancer, teacher and novelist who is also a parent
    • Andrea Laurion, a freelancer who prefers having the additional stability of another job
    • Meryl Williams, a freelancer who hopes to go full-time freelance someday

    How do each of these freelancers manage their part-time careers? It takes planning, developing a routine and — as Laurion put it — knowing yourself.

    Fitting freelancing into your daily routine

    Here’s how Krischer fits freelancing into her day: “My husband works, and he gets up at 6 in the morning to leave, so I can’t start working until around 9:30 after I get the kids to school and the dog walked and the morning cleaned up. Realistically, I start around 10:30. I usually work until the kids get home from school around 3:00.”

    This gives Krischer 4.5 hours each day, or 22.5 hours every week, to get her freelance and teaching work (she also teaches an online blogging course at Lesley University) done.

    What happens if she can’t finish her work in those 22.5 hours? “Depending on deadlines, I’ll have babysitters after school. And I do work at night,” Krischer said.

    Williams, meanwhile, blocks off one night a week for freelancing. “Every Tuesday night I barricade myself in a coffee shop or in my house and spend a couple of hours writing.” She also gets a lot of writing done over the weekend, and estimates she puts in 6 to 10 hours of freelance work every week.

    Laurion puts in 10 to 15 hours a week freelancing for a graphic design company, taking care of their communications and proofreading needs. She also pitches her own personal essays to sites like Yearbook Office. She does all this work on top of her job as an administrative assistant at Carnegie Mellon University.

    Since Laurion recently changed jobs, she is still trying to develop a new freelance routine. Each of these part-time freelancers spoke to the importance of routine as a way to balance their multiple commitments and allow them to keep doing the writing that they love.

    “I used to take on more writing gigs that weren’t so interesting to me,” Krischer explained. Now that she has a family, she is more focused about the work she chooses to complete — since she only has 22.5 hours each week in which to complete it!

    Staying on top of the pitching hustle

    Each of our part-timers spoke to the challenge of the pitching hustle. That’s something that never goes away, no matter how many hours a week you freelance!

    “Pitching can take a long time,” Krischer said. “Sometimes it can take half an hour, sometimes an hour. There’s a story I’m working on that’s taken two hours of research and I haven’t even gotten to the story yet.”

    Williams only spends about half of her freelance time writing. The rest of her time goes to researching her current stories, pitching new stories and looking for new publications to pitch. Once she finds a publication she wants to pitch, she studies it to determine whether she would be a good fit. A well prepared, targeted pitch has a better chance of being successful, after all.

    “I enjoy pitching stories,” Laurion said, but added that the hustle is very hard and is one of the reasons why she prefers part-time freelancing to full-time.

    Saying no to procrastination

    When you’re a part-timer, it is easy to think of your freelance career as something “on the side” — it’s very easy to procrastinate. Here’s how our part-timers avoid it:

    “I’m trying to do word count instead of hours, because I am really good at procrastinating,” Laurion said. “I might sit in front of a computer for four hours, but do I have four hours worth of work?” She uses word count as a way to track her progress and motivate her to keep working.

    “I try to hit 500 words a day,” she explained. “This is an ideal day. Not every day is ideal.”

    Laurion also uses self-imposed deadlines to keep her writing work on track, especially if she’s working on a piece with an open-ended deadline.

    Williams has an organizational spreadsheet to keep track of her current assignments and to inspire her to pitch more work. Her spreadsheet includes notes on when to follow-up with clients, as well as a list of dream publications she’d like to write for someday. Every completed piece gets her that much closer.

    Advice to other part-timers

    Want to start your own part-time freelancing career? Here’s some advice from our pros:

    “You have to be super-disciplined, which is something I’ve always been,” Krischer said. “You also have to be okay with pitching, but not be completely upset if you don’t get the gig you’re hoping for. There are so many fantastic writers and they have so many great ideas.”

    “Know yourself,” Laurion said. “Know what works for you.” This includes knowing whether you write better in the mornings or in the evenings, and adjusting your freelancing routine to accommodate your best writing times.

    Williams notes that freelancing comes with a lot of research. “I enjoy research, but I spend a lot more time on research than I expected.” It isn’t just writing, after all — a freelance career comes with plenty of additional work!

    But for our part-timers, the work is worth it. Laurion summed it up: “Writing is what sustains me creatively.” That’s a statement that both full-time and part-time freelance writers can get behind.

    Are you a part-time freelancer? Let us know how you manage your daily routine and avoid procrastination! Do you agree with our part-timers’ advice?