Fab Freelance Writing Ezine
Publisher: Angela Booth.
Copyright 2006 Angela Booth
All rights reserved.
Blog: http://www.fabfreelancewriting.com/blog/
Site: http://www.fabfreelancewriting.com
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* Issue # 4
* Date: November 1, 2006
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Includes:
* Editorial: Successful Writers Show Up
* Freelance Writing Tip Of The Week: Free Write
* Writing Resource: PoynterOnline
* Article: Freelance Writing Success By Showing Up
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** Need More Copywriting Clients? **
My "Special Report: How To Get Copywriting Clients" shows you exactly how you can get clients TODAY, with SEVEN vital methods. If you're a new copywriter, or are trying to build your copywriting business, you need this report. Format: electronic PDF, ten pages, available for instant download; readable on any computer.
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[Editorial] Successful Writers Show Up
Hi, hope you're having a great writing week, and that you find something you can use immediately in this ezine issue.
Woody Allen summarizes the best advice for writing, and for living, with his famous quote: "Eighty percent of success is showing up."
Whatever you're writing, whether you're writing a novel, an article, or an ad for an air conditioning system, you need to show up.
I'd go even further than Woody: I'd say that it's more like 95 per cent of success is showing up - read the article in this issue.
So this week, practice showing up. Show up by writing and sending out your queries and proposals to people who can buy your work.
Affectionately,
Angela
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** Write More, And Have More Fun Writing **
Is this you? You're:
* Anxious when you sit down to write;
* Easily interrupted by outside distractions;
* Baffled by your inability to organize your writing;
* Frustrated: you put off writing until the last moment before a deadline, then are stressed when you rush your writing.
In my new ebook, "Top 70 Writing Tips To Help You To Write More," you'll discover 70 ways in which you can write more, no matter who you are, or what your level of writing experience -
http:////Write-More/write-more.html
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* Freelance Writing Tip Of The Week: Free Write
Free writing is a process which helps you to discover what you want to say in a particular piece. I've discussed free writing many times on the blog at http://// and it's one of my favourite processes.
Heidi Linnell's "Writing Free with Chip Scanlan" at http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=34391&sid=2 has an excellent piece on free writing and how it can help your writing. She says:
>>>
Often times, people look to writers to help decipher the meaning of things that occur in the world, he said. As writers, he explained, we must ask ourselves 'what happened?' and 'why does it matter?' This was put to use during the exercise as each participant was asked to describe the theme in one word. Yes, it was about a favorite dessert, but underneath loomed a larger meaning.
Four questions to ask yourself when writing a story:
1. Why does it matter?
2. What's the point?
3. Why is story being told?
4. What does it say about life? About the world?
>>>
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** Coaching: Build Your Writing Career FAST **
I coach writers to improve their skills at copywriting, nonfiction and fiction. If you want to succeed as a writer, coaching can eliminate years of struggle. Contact me for personal coaching: I'll develop a program just for you. In your message, tell me a little about yourself and your writing goals.
My guarantee: I'm extremely confident that I can help you to success, I'm so confident, in fact, that I guarantee that I'll refund your complete payment if you don't achieve the goals you set.
Get on the fast track to writing success at:
http:////For-Writers/forwriters.html
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* Writing Resource: PoynterOnline
PoynterOnline at http://www.poynter.org/default.asp is a wonderful writing resource, packed with information to help you and inspire you to be a better writer. And to have fun in the process of writing.
Writers become writers because we love to write, and often we forget this in the slog of writing a particular project. PoynterOnline helps you to hang onto the sheer pleasure of writing.
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** Copywriting Success: Your Stepping Stone To A New Career **
Copywriters are in high demand. Develop a lucrative career with "First Steps in Your Copywriting Career: cash in on the demand for business writers" at
http:////page11/First%20steps/steps.html
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* Article: Freelance Writing Success By Showing Up
(c) Copyright 2006 Angela Booth. All Rights Reserved.
Woody Allen summarizes the best-ever advice for writing, and for living, with his famous quote: "Eighty percent of success is showing up." In your freelance writing career, you show up by writing every day, as well as by contacting writing markets and by offering your work for sale.
If you've been procrastinating about writing, or are avoiding marketing your work, try my two-pronged "show up" technique, and you will be amazed at the results. I teach this technique to my writing students. It works. Students who are unpublished, brand-new writers have often sold their first piece of writing within a couple of weeks once they start showing up.
Show up by writing, every day
Showing up by writing is vital for any freelance writer. If you're a novelist, you'll need to write 100,000 words for an average novel, so 500 words a day of writing which is in its final form is the bare minimum you need to write each day. If you're writing nonfiction articles, 500 words a day is also the minimum - you can't build a profitable career on fewer words.
If you're a new writer, you'll need to build your writing muscles before you can write a couple of thousand words a day. What's vital is that you write every day, to build those writing muscles.
Some writers find it restrictive to focus on daily word counts, and if this is you, opt for an hour of writing each day instead. This doesn't have to be a block of a single hour. You can write for 20 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes at lunch time, and 20 minutes in the evening, as long as you show up by writing every day.
Show up in the writing marketplace
Freelance writers sell their words, so this means that your words need to be out in the marketplace. Your primary "showing up" tools in the writing marketplace are your portfolio, and your bio.
Your portfolio contains examples of your work. If you're a new writer, you won't have any examples of work you've sold. There's an easy way around this: craft some writing samples of the kinds of writing that you want to sell - magazine articles, advertising, several chapters of a book, or a Web site.
Your bio is also a vital sales tool. It introduces you to people who can buy your work. Many new writers, and also some experienced ones, have a lot of trouble with crafting a bio. Here's an easy way to write your first bio: think: Who, What, How, When, Where and Why. When you use the "5Ws + an H" system, it gives you a handle on the process.
Let's see how this works in practice when you're writing a bio. "Who: Linda H. Writer; What: writes fiction and nonfiction; How: full-time writer; When: for five years; Where: business and technology magazines; Why: marketing degree, enjoys writing, developed full-time career."
Using this bare-bones outline, you can quickly write bios of various lengths: 25 words, 50 words, 100 words, and 250 words. Your 50-word bio is the one that you'll use most often. You'll send it out with every query that you write. Use the 25-word version as your email signature file.
Once your portfolio and bio are ready, you can show up for markets in minutes, as soon as you spot a possible new market for your work.
For example, you might be browsing the Web, when you spot a new magazine that's debuting in a few months. Just shoot off a quick note to the editor introducing yourself with your bio with a link to your online portfolio, and ask what opportunities there are for freelancers with the magazine. Or, you may be sitting in the dentist's waiting room, and you spot a new magazine. Shoot off an email enquiry to the editor as soon as you get home, even before the Novocain wears off.
So there you have it: how to show up for your freelance writing career. Try it. Just show up: you'll succeed when you do.
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** Discover Blogging And Increase Your Freelance Income **
What's a blog? A blog is a fantastic way to make BIG money as a freelance writer. Find out how to blog with the blogging best-seller "Blogging For Dollars: How to become a career blogger -- in your PJs, if you want". It's my complete ebook package, with free coaching/ consultations as well.
Find out more at:
http://www.//Blog/blogging.html
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Get the latest freelance blogging news on Blogging For Dollars at:
http://www.dollars2blog.com/blog/
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* Like to write for Fab Freelance Writing?
You can!
Send me your article related to freelance writing, and if it's accepted, it will appear in Fab Freelance Writing Ezine and on the Fab Freelance Writing Web site. Articles only, no short stories.
Your article can be a writing tip, a how-to, or a personal experience that you've had in your writing career.
All contributions must be original. The copyright remains with you. You grant Fab Freelance Writing electronic rights only.
Words: under 500.
Payment: USD $10, via PayPal
Send your contribution in the body of an email message - no attachments, please - to Angela at angela.booth@gmail.com with FWW Contribution in the subject line of your message.
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Contact Angela at: angela.booth@gmail.com
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